Costs and Manufacturing Overhead

1. How much overhead cost would be saved by outsourcing production of muffler-exhaust systems and oil pans if a. Overhead costs were entirely fixed costs?$0 would be saved because fixed costs do not affected by reduced number of labor caused by outsourcing. b. Overhead costs were entirely variable costs? (How is volume of activity measured at Bridgeton? Why is volume not measured by simply counting units produced?) All of them would be saved. If using numbers in 1988 for estimate, (5,766,000+6,532,000)*434% = $53,373,320 would be saved.Bridgeton accumulates all manufacturing overhead costs into one cost pool, and use direct labor dollar cost as the allocation measure to apportion the overhead costs in the cost pool.Unlike direct labor and direct material costs that can be traced to specific products, overhead costs could be administrative and manufacturing related so that not all of them are involved in ACF’s production. Therefore, there isn’t a high degree of correlati on between the units produced and the amount of manufacturing overhead used.2. How much overhead cost do you think Bridgeton and the consultants implicitly assumed would be saved by outsourcing muffler-exhaust systems and oil pans? They expect all overhead specific to product line of Muffler – Exhaust systems and oil pans would be saved, which is ($5,766,000+6,532,000)*434% = $533,733,20 (using 1988 data for estimate).3. Calculate the overhead allocation rate for each of the model years 1988 through 1990. Are the changes since 1987 in overhead allocation rates significant? Why have these changes occurred? a) divide total overhead ($) by total direct labor ($) showed in Exh.2 to get overhead rate. | 1987| 1988| 1989| 1990|Overhead Rate| 437% = 107,954/24,682| 434% = 109,890/25,294| 577% = 78,157/13,537| 563% = 79,393/14,102| Costs and Manufacturing Overhead Bridgeton Industries Case Assignment Questions1. How much overhead cost would be saved by outsourcing production of muffler-exhaust systems and oil pans if a. Overhead costs were entirely fixed costs?$0 would be saved because fixed costs do not affected by reduced number of labor caused by outsourcing. b. Overhead costs were entirely variable costs? (How is volume of activity measured at Bridgeton?Why is volume not measured by simply counting units produced?) All of them would be saved. If using numbers in 1988 for estimate, (5,766,000+6,532,000)*434% = $53,373,320 would be saved.Bridgeton accumulates all manufacturing overhead costs into one cost pool, and use direct labor dollar cost as the allocation measure to apportion the overhead costs in the cost pool.Unlike direct labor and direct material costs that can be traced to specific products, overhead costs could be administrative and manufacturing related so that not all of them are involved in ACF’s production. Therefore, there isn’t a high degree of correlation between the units produced and the amount of manufacturing overhead used.2. How much overhead cost do you think Bridgeton and the consultants implicitly assumed would be saved by outsourcing muffler-exhaust systems and oil pans? They expect all overhead specific to product line of Muffler – Exhaust systems and oil pans would be saved, which is ($5,766,000+6,532,000)*434% = $533,733,20 (using 1988 data for estimate).3. Calculate the overhead allocation rate for each of the model years 1988 through 1990. Are the changes since 1987 in overhead allocation rates significant? Why have these changes occurred? a) divide total overhead ($) by total direct labor ($) showed in Exh.2 to get overhead rate. | 1987| 1988| 1989| 1990|Overhead Rate| 437% = 107,954/24,682| 434% = 109,890/25,294| 577% = 78,157/13,537| 563% = 79,393/14,102|

Driving the Dairy business Essay

In the article â€Å"Driving the Dairy business†, Howard assert that, this article focuses on the impact of unprecedented food inflation to bakery and dairy products in the U.S. It cites that recent price volatility fueled by a weak dollar, rising energy costs, consumer wariness, competitive pressure and other factors is making it hard to market staples like bakery and dairy items, primarily fluid milk. According to the article, the weakening on the commodity in cheese and nonfat dry milk drives the prices for dairy in general. Application of the content to my group project A company profile of Saputo Inc., which is engaged in manufacturing and marketing of dairy products like milk, cream, sour cream, yogurt and cottage cheese, is presented. An overview of the company is given, along with key facts including contact information, number of employees and revenues. Positive aspects of the article In the article , Howard use the specific numbers and statistics to illustrate the worst food inflation in nearly decades. Also , the author quote some famous person or the authority system said â€Å"Dairy is a staple item that has been subjected to some record retail price points. That is now softening, which may be good news for the consumer. The flip side is that it will hurt the farmers in the short term so we may see further attrition in the agricultural community because of that Missing items and points The analysis of how to driving dairy business. Personal reflections on the article As the report noted, â€Å"Smaller households are less likely to shop (a supermarket or convenience store) in-store bakery, in large part because they don’t want to deal with waste or spoilage from products that are too big for them to consume. As the categories in cheese and nonfat dry milk are weakened on the commodity side it ultimately drives the prices for dairy in general. â€Å"If the larger stores like Costco, Wal-Mart and Price Chopper are moving prices down, overall market prices are moving down with them. A lot of the big stores–the club stores, the large supermarkets and the mass merchandisers–will move their milk price each month, going up or going down

Carlinville Area Hospital Quality Improvement Plan Research Paper

Carlinville Area Hospital Quality Improvement Plan - Research Paper Example The researcher states that Carlinville Area Hospital will ensure that its Quality improvement plan is congruent with its key objectives that include but not limited to safety, patient-centered, effectiveness, equitable, efficiency, and timely healthcare service. Carlinville Area Hospital QI plan will cover a wide range of activities that include but not limited to Risk management activities Professional staff credentialing; automated drug-ordering systems; medical record review; prescription legibility; drug labeling and packaging; and patient education on prescribed medications. Carlinville Area Hospital will use six-sigma methodology for its QI implementation plan. The six-sigma methodology will allow the hospital to gather necessary information relating to the present organization’s medication management, which will give clue to management about the processes and activities that require improvement. After implementing the improvement plan the hospital will be forced to unde rtake the  annual evaluation of processes and activities to ensure that they are in line with the planned objectives. The Carlinville Area Hospital is, â€Å"a licensed 25-bed acute care clinic that accommodates a wide range of inpatient, outpatient, as well as emergency services†. Carlinville Area Hospital operates based on the slogan of â€Å"excellent care close to home†. Carlinville Area Hospital mission â€Å"is to always remain committed to the development of a state-of-the-art rural hospital facility.†... tient, outpatient, as well as emergency services† (Carlinville Area Hospital, 2011) Carlinville Area Hospital operates based on the slogan of â€Å"excellent care close to home†. Carlinville Area Hospital mission â€Å"is to always remain committed to the development of a state-of-the-art rural hospital facility.† Enhancing quality has always been one of the key objectives of the hospital and as such the management is looking forward to a favorable relationship between the staff to provide excellent healthcare close to home. Carlinville Area Hospital various services to patients on inpatient and outpatient basis through the hospital’s cardiopulmonary, imaging, laboratory, and rehabilitative services. Additionally the hospital provides daily primary health care to immediate emergency interventions in the local area. Goals/Objectives Promoting a state of art hospital with quality and safety as its major priority requires a lot of commitment. To ensure that th e hospital is on track to fulfill its mission the management of Carlinville Area Hospital has decided to focus on the following objectives: Safe- Carlinville Area Hospital will work tirelessly to ensure that mitigate injuries that patients may suffer from services that are meant to help them (Carlinville Area Hospital, 2011). Patient centered- Carlinville Area Hospital will provide services that recognizes patient’s dignity, worth, respectful and responsive to the needs, expectations, preference and values and above all ensure that medical decisions are based on patients values. Efficient- Carlinville Area Hospital will avoid services that are wasteful in terms of ideas, equipment, energy, and supplies. Timely- Carlinville Area Hospital health care services will emphasis on minimizing potential harmful delays and

European Competition Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

European Competition Law - Essay Example What follows is a general discussion of State Aid in the European Union followed by the Judicial and Academic attitudes towards it in the United Kingdom. Although in the past State Aid was considered a "poor relative" of European competition law and viewed as a rather politically motivated/policy based phenomena. Things have changed in the past two decades however and the EU version of State Aid control has assumed the significance of its American counterpart pertaining to antitrust enforcement and merger control. Every year the EU commission reviews thousands of state aid cases each year, as lengthy investigations are undertaken to and many companies have found themselves going bankrupt following large illegal State Aid repayments. Social contributions and tax benefits and subsidies have been recognised as State Aid alike and likely to distort market competition.The EU's basic aim is to achieve a perfect competition like situation with liberalisation and State Aid control.The EU sta te aid control framework has not spared large financial institutions and multinationals (take the example of high profile disputes like Alstom, France Tlcom, British Energy or WestLB) and this has put these corporate "big fish" much favoured by State Aid previously at their guard from loans and large capital injections,shady compensation for public services, lenient tax measures, and feigned Research and Development measures. 1- introduction ''Effective competition is the best and strongest means to create natural incentives for companies to come up with new ideas and new products.' - Neelie Kroes, EU Competition Commissioner, 2004-2009 It is a trite principle of Economics that State Aid can have detrimental effects on the economy of a country and its trading partners and rivals. It can potentially distort competition and cause wastage of the society's resources by e.g. supporting an outdated industrial structure and delaying a necessary restructuring process in firms. The European Unions efforts to control any measures by its member states to curb competition have made their presence felt for the member states mainly because of the European Unions strict control over competition policy which gives it the power to rule on mergers, takeovers, cartels and the use of state aid. In the recent years the European Union has been able to develop competition regulation into a key area of EU leadership by imposing its rules/policies pertaining to open market competition on member states. Most of these measures have often proved controversial1 as threatening the social market model of its members with its open market policies competition policy dates back to 1957 in the Treaty of Rome wide ranging powers were given to EU authorities to oversee and prevent anti-competitive activities in the firms of its member states. The decades of the nineties saw an increase in the control and activism of the EU in pursuing breaches of competition law, and this contributed to a significant amount of case law as well. Until 2004 these rules were accused of being hot potch and allowing too much interference by the EU authorities in what it deems to be breaches of its Competition regulations.The Treaty of Rome empowers the EU commission2 to investigate the allegations of price fixing, abuse of

Federal financial aid in relation to rising tuition costs Essay

Federal financial aid in relation to rising tuition costs - Essay Example It never seems that governmental intervention is desired in most businesses and likely colleges and universities are no different. Those who might argue against the partial cost reimbursement program might suggest that this is a form of price control (Hauptman, 1998) which would give governmental regulators considerable authority over university and college business. However, the evidence does not suggest that partial reimbursement of tuition costs is price control rather it is designed to lessen the burdens on tuition-paying students, especially those with lower-level income brackets. Additional arguments related to price control might suggest that this would be a tactic to create a form of competitiveness between rival universities and colleges, at a time when consumer incomes are down, to give some universities with a higher financial portfolio an edge over less-affluent or cash-rich universities. From a microeconomic perspective, the activities of the college or university related to reimbursement programs might ensure a higher volume of interested students than those universities which do not provide partial cost reimbursements. This would not be a value to the student if they were denied partial reimbursements to assist with day-to-day needs such as clothing and in-house meals. Partial cost reimbursement would also provide students with the necessary tools to succeed. Morris and Maisto (2005) offer a unique theory of human needs proposed by psychologist Abraham Maslow in which the needs of students start out at the most basic, such as food and water (physiological) and progress through a series of stages until they reach self-actualization, or the pinnacle of their human capacity. Under this model, it is theorized that no individual can progress through self-development until basic fundamental needs are met. The partial cost reimbursement program, as modeled by Maslow’s theory, would provide students with a wide variety of physiological

Secularism in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Secularism in the UK - Essay Example In a society such as Britain, the Church and the State are relatively separate and there are a wide variety of non-religious cultural institutions (such as the mass media, education and so forth). In this society, it is relatively easy to remain culturally untouched by religion and religious belief seems to be more a matter of individual choice than cultural necessity. In UK secular society may be seen as largely the product of the Christian West. With the possible exception of some brief periods in the history of ancient Greece and of the Roman Empire in its hey-day, there have been few secular societies in the whole course of human development in the world. In most societies religion has been closely woven into the whole fabric of society, determining its structure and the pattern of men's ideas and goals; religious images have been dominant in men's imaginations and formed the focus of their culture in its widest sense. (Edward, 2000, 151-67) The dominance of religion has often me ant the domination of priests and theologians or the impositions of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Disputes about power have become disputes about religious systems and still today such issues lurk behind many of our disputes within Europe, and between Europe and the rest of the world.A secular society is one which explicitly refuses to commit itself as a whole to any particular view of the nature of the universe and the place of man in it. The State neither requires a subscription to any particular doctrines nor overt forms of religious behavior as a condition for claiming full rights as a citizen; furthermore, it does not in any significant sense attach itself to any church or religion. Clearly in Britain today the existence of two established churches, and the requirements of Biblical instruction in schools, as well as the favoured position of the established churches in the universities and the favoured position of all the Christian churches in the national broadcasting system, m ight be taken to suggest that Britain is not a secular society.

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 2 Individual Project Essay

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 2 Individual Project - Essay Example Due to non-availability of statistics from authoritative sources, it is not possible to map the progressive fluctuations in purchase activities of new and existing commercial premises. However, there is a progressive rise in the successive years in construction cost for commercial buildings. The number of new commercial buildings constructed from 2005 onwards is not available. However, the construction costs for construction of new private non-residential buildings for 2005 and 2006 were $256,644 million and $295,715 million respectively. The factors responsible for home improvement were preference for larger and more luxurious living spaces, significant number of homeowners opting for remodeling of kitchen and bathrooms, and in many cases new homeowners opting for home improvement within first two years of purchase. The total remodeling expenditure in USA in 2005 amounted to $280 billion of which $188 billion was for Home repairs and improvement. (Financing Guidebook for Energy Efficiency Program Sponsors, December 2007). It is necessary to improve efficiency by shaking up the top-level management. There cannot be tolerance for stagnant and loss-making centers, divisions and departments. Improve efficiency by working out a policy of rewarding good performance. Managers who do not perform must shape up or ship

Management Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management - Article Example Each and every concept is classified and clearly communicated through the use of headings, bold texts and real-life examples. The use of pictures and tables enables comprehension of the subject matter. The author makes an interesting differentiation between manager and entrepreneur by stating that the former is involved in growth of an existing business whereas the latter involves innovating thinking. Furthermore, the book includes anticipated questions and their suggested answers. This is a helpful mode of learning as it clarifies various concepts reducing ambiguity. Emphasis is laid on contemporary theories of management such as that of the learning organisation. Mini case studies provide readers a chance of practically applying various concepts learnt in the chapter. Also, the authors mention various techniques that enable organisations respond to uncertainty including defenders, prospectors, analyzers, reactors. It defines the management hierarchy is organisations starting at first-line managers and ending at top management. Great emphasis has been laid on the concept of strategy including the different types of grand strategy such as growth, stability and defensive strategy. These strategies vary in the amount of change they incur to the organisation. Next, the major tools for strategic planning are discussed which include SWOT, competitive intelligence and forecasting. Popular tools such as the BCG matrix by Boston Consulting Group are also mentioned. The beginning of each chapter is marked by a set of prospective questions which serve as a checklist for the reader when reading the chapter. Small examples serve as mini case studies, at the end of which the reader is asked a question involving application of concepts learnt in the chapter. These are useful scenarios as managers may often be confronted with such real-life dilemmas in which response is required. To this end, the author

FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALTSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALTSIS - Essay Example Section 2 provides a comparative analysis of the impact of IFRS’ adoption on financial reporting quality and capital market). Section 3 evaluates the consequences and overall impact of adoption of the IFRS in EU and Section 4 is concluding part of the essay. Accounting quality is an important aspect of financial reporting as this information serves as a strategic source for stakeholders and influences their decisions. With the adoption of the IFRS the rules and norms of financial reporting have been changed and modified, causing different opinions among various groups of stakeholders (Lopes, Cerqueira, and Brandao, 2010). It is widely debated whether the adoption of the IFRS has improved the quality of financial reporting among the EU firms (Lopes, Cerqueira, and Brandao, 2010). Thus, for example, several researchers have analysed the impact of IFRS adoption and the change in cash flows and net income, and concluded that the companies applying IAS have more value relevance of earnings, less earnings management and more timely loss recognition between the period before and after adoption of IFRS (Barth et al 2008; Christensen, Lee & Walker, 2008). These researchers believe that reliance of the IFRS leads to higher accounting quality, how ever, only in case of the firms are incentivised to be transparent and to adopt IFRS (Lopes, Cerqueira, and Brandao, 2010). According to Christensen, Lee & Walker (2008), the firms, which were forced to adopt the IFRS, did not show improvements in accounting quality. Some researchers have identified some potential problems associated with the IFRS adoption and financial reporting quality. One of the concerns related to IFRS adoption and its impact on the accounting quality is associated with risk of different interpretations of IFRS (Lopes, Cerqueira, and Brandao, 2010). Researchers determined some of the following areas for possible variations in interpretation: intangible

Pepsi saudi Essay Example for Free

Pepsi saudi Essay The Saudi industrial projects company and (SIPCO) and the Saudi fruit juice and beverage industry (SFJBI) emerged as one operating entity in 2002, but prior to that, Pepsi Saudi had operated in the kingdom for many decades. The acquisition amount was not publicized and this writer does not have privilege to that information, however industry insiders lauded the acquisition as a significant milestone in the western region of the kingdom. The reasoning behind the merger was the continuing of production of superior product and better product to the customers. Pepsi Saudi has dominated the  soft drink industry in the kingdom for over 50 years , and it did not want that to change. After the merger Pepsi Saudi decided to adopt the Balanced Scorecard management system in order to help the organization to stay on top of the soft drink industry and provide better products to its customers. MISSION AND VISION: To manufacturing and distribute the best Pepsi coal beverage-beverages . To continue to offer the best carbonated soft drinks and non carbonated soft beverages under various labels label, including Pepsi, diet Pepsi, Pepsi lime, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Aquafina,  7up, Dr Pepper. To maintain and expand customer base with the best possible products. (Organizational documents). In order to accomplish these goals Pepsi Saudi management opted to implement the BSC business approach, with emphasizes on the equalization of financial goals with customer satisfaction goals, and training and employee retention efforts. The management reasoned that with equal balance of those key objectives, the organization would be able to maintain and ultimately surpass its customer base, and also sustain its frontal position in the industry. The management concluded that if it were able to retain superior customer advantage and stay in front of their competition with superior products, it would eventually translate those to financial advantage. Presently the organization is feverishly pursuing the acquisition of new customers while it holds on to its core base. It has launched intensive ad campaigns featuring youth activities, and other popular events such as soccer, and ads with focus on young adults, weddings and intimate family programs. It has launched the popular Pepsi max, with men in min. it also launched  an entirely new look for the 7up. But most importantly, according to Zawya. com (March 29, 2006) Pepsi has elevated its market share to 70% in the UAE. And a significant majority of its 2,246 employees are reportedly in total support of the BSC management system. The entire organization is focused on the production of superior soft drinks, and the satisfaction of its customers as well as the retention of the employees who have helped it to come so far. The employees are competently trained in the BSC system, so cascading could only be an advantage, because of the determination of Pepsi  management to give the employees an efficient training in the BSC system. And the claim of 70% market share is an indication of the outstanding employee performance that has been evident following the implementation of the balance scorecard system. The organization takes its responsibilities to young people quite seriously. It has donated significant amounts of money to socially responsible youth events, and has contributed to health provisions and management in areas that needs the support in the kingdom and outside the kingdom.

Virtualization Concept and History

Virtualization Concept and History Virtualization refers to a creation of software- based representation or a virtual resource that can apply on application, servers, desktop, operating system storage and network. It is used to reduce the expense while increasing the ability of businesses. The concept of virtualization is to provide an environment where multiple independent systems can run at the same time sharing a resource.(1) [ref: vmware.com] History of virtualization Virtualization is believed to have its origin, when IBM started to develop robust time sharing solution in late 1960s and early 1970s. The aim of IBM was to develop a robust time sharing solution which will increase efficiency among a group of users who share a common resource. It helped in dropping the cost of providing computing capability for each individual in an organization. market.(2)[Ref: docs.oracle] IBM worked on S/360 mainframe system design as a replacement to other system to maintain compatibility. On July 1, 1963 MIT introduced project MAC which stands for Mathematical and Computation. They were in need for new computer hardware capability for simultaneous user, since GE had a commitment towards a time sharing method MIT choose GE as their vendor. Bell Labs were also in need for similar system. In response to MIT and Bell Labs IBM designed CP-40 mainframe.CP-40 was not sold to customer and was used only in labs.CP-40 was later evolved into a commercial Main Frame to support virtualization called CP-67.CP-67 was referred to as CP/CMS where CP was the program in virtual machine and CMS stood for Console Monitor System. CMS was single operating system designed to be interactive. CP/CMS was released to public in 1968, but the stable version was released in 1972. Now VMware, Microsofts Hyper-V, Xen and KVM take up to 93% of the total market share in virtualization.(3)[Ref:everyth ingvm.com] Relevant for data centers: Virtualization technique is used in data centers for abstraction of physical hardware, create pools of logical resource consisting of CPUs, file storage, memory, and networking and offer those resources to users in virtual machines. There are various advantages of data center virtualization, some of them are heat reduction, cost reduction, easy backup, testing using snapshot (if a mistake is done it can be easily tested by backtracking the snapshots), vendor lock-in not required as the abstraction between hardware and software makes the virtual machine run on any hardware, and easier to migrate on cloud.(4)[Ref: techrepublic.com] Relevant for cloud computing: Virtualization is the basics for data sharing in cloud computing. It helps the guest user with tools required to execute their request and it helps the provider with giving the ability to house different guests with no additional cost. Virtual machines from the providers server to the users screen is one of the different various approaches developed to secure and ensure privacy of the cloud. Cloud computing can exist without virtualization but it will be inefficient and difficult as it enables rapid scaling of resources. It can be practical only if the backend is flexible and efficient.(5)[ref IEEE paper by Meryeme Alouane and Hana El Bakkali] Virtual Machine running in different servers and emulating hardware can create complexity in virtualization. There are security issues working for and against virtualization. If virtual servers are isolated it helps in reducing security issues although it may not be aware of each other guest system and an attack to the host may impact all the running virtual machine on that particular server. Until every company integrate virtualization into their existing IT framework, the standard of virtualization will not exist. Bibliography http://www.vmware.com/solutions/virtualization.html https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E26996_01/E18549/html/VMUSG1010.html http://www.everythingvm.com/content/history-virtualization http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-benefits-of-virtualization-in-the-data-center/ IEEE paper- Virtualization in Cloud Computing: existing solution and new approach by Meryeme Alouane and Hana El Bakkali. Published : 2016 2nd International Conference on Cloud Computing Technologies and Applications (CloudTech) http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7847687/

Color Symbolism in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay

Colors are an essential part of the world around us. They can convey messages, expressing that which words do not. Gentle blue tones can calm a person and bright yellows can lift the spirits. If an artist is trying to express sorrow or death he often uses blacks blues, and grays basically he uses dreary colors. Without one word, a driver approaching a red traffic light knows to stop. Colors are representative of many things. In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses color symbolism throughout as a major device in thematic and character development. He uses colors to symbolize the many different intangible ideas in the book. Throughout the book characters, places, and objects are given "life" by colors, especially the more prominent ones. F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes the color yellow to symbolize moral deterioration and depravity. F. Scott Fitzgerald writes, â€Å"The lamp-light, bright on his boots and dull on the autumn-leaf yellow of her hair (18).† F. Scott Fitzgerald is referring to Tom and Daisy Buchannan and he is signifying that Tom is slowly progressing towards moral decay. In the novel, there are several incidents that prove Tom is in fact, progressing towards moral decay. First, Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson. Second, Tom does not like Jay Gatsby, and several times he attempts to prove that Gatsby is not who he claims he is. Tom even goes as far as to hire a detective in his attempts to prove that Gatsby is not who he claims he is. In the novel, Jay Gatsby had a Rolls Royce automobile that was yellow in color. "His station wagon scampered like a yellow brisk-bug (. . .) (39).† Gatsby's car was referred to many times in the novel, but it was always referred to as "The yellow ca r (157)." F... ... in" (8). Fitzgerald attempts to describe her in a perfect fashion in this scene which is the reason for Nick’s comment. Throughout the story Fitzgerald portrays Nick as a person that often judges other people, and by showing his instant praise towards Jordan he certainly proves that she could be an honest and innocent person, which is why Fitzgerald has her wearing white in this scene, even though the reader can later find out that that is not exactly the truth. Work Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2013. Print.

Nitric Oxide (NO) and the Nervous System Essay -- Medicine Biology Res

Nitric Oxide (NO) and the Nervous System Better known as an environmental hazard, nitric oxide (NO) is produced in combustion engines and contributes to smog and acid rain and has been implicated in the catalytic destruction of the ozone layer (Lancaster;1992). Though NO is the bad-boy of the environment, it’s roles in the body are extremely diverse and in some instances can be deleterious or beneficial depending on the circumstances. NO has been connected with immune function, control of blood pressure and hypertension, impotence and penile erection, septic shock, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and macrophage mediated destruction of oncogenic cells (Young;1993, Stroh;1992). However, its activities in the nervous system may be the most exciting discovery yet for this eclectic molecule (Koshland;1992). Due to NO’s radical structure, it is highly reactive and very short-lived within the body (6-15 sec.) making its detection difficult (Lancaster;1992); as such, it can therefore be synthesized only on demand since radicals are known to disrupt cellular homeostasis. NO is small and uncharged and it rapidly diffuses through cellular membranes from its site of synthesis making it in ideal intercellular paracrine-like messenger or poison (Lancaster;1992). In the body, NO reacts with redox metals such as copper, manganese, or the iron heme-like protein centers, and molecular oxygen forming nitrites and nitrates, the latter constituting the principal manner in which NO is inactivated in vivo (Snyder;1992). The enzyme which synthesizes NO, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), has been cloned and structurally resembles cytochrome P-450 reductase, possessing many sequence homologies and the same physical sites for binding of identic... ... in Cells. American Scientist, 80:248-259, May/June 1992. Murray, R. K., D. K. Granner, P. A. Mayes, and V. W. Rodwell. Nitric Oxide is the Endothelium Derived Relaxation Factor and is Also an Important Compound in the Nervous System. Harper’s Biochemistry, pp 657-658, Appleton & Lange, USA, 1993. Schuman, E. M. and D. V. Madison. A Requirement for the Intercellular Messenger Nitric Oxide in Lone Term Potentiation. Science, 254:1503-1506, Dec. 6, 1991. Snyder, S. H. and D. S. Bredt. Biological Roles of Nitric Oxide. Scientific American, 266:68-71+, May 1992. Snyder, S. H. Nitric Oxide: First in a New Class of Neurotransmitters. Science, 257:494-496, July 24, 1992. Stroh, M. The Root of Impotence: Does Nitric Oxide Hold the Key. Science News, 142:10-11. July 4, 1992. Young, S. The Body’s Vital Poison. New Scientist, 137:36-40, March 13, 1993. Nitric Oxide (NO) and the Nervous System Essay -- Medicine Biology Res Nitric Oxide (NO) and the Nervous System Better known as an environmental hazard, nitric oxide (NO) is produced in combustion engines and contributes to smog and acid rain and has been implicated in the catalytic destruction of the ozone layer (Lancaster;1992). Though NO is the bad-boy of the environment, it’s roles in the body are extremely diverse and in some instances can be deleterious or beneficial depending on the circumstances. NO has been connected with immune function, control of blood pressure and hypertension, impotence and penile erection, septic shock, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and macrophage mediated destruction of oncogenic cells (Young;1993, Stroh;1992). However, its activities in the nervous system may be the most exciting discovery yet for this eclectic molecule (Koshland;1992). Due to NO’s radical structure, it is highly reactive and very short-lived within the body (6-15 sec.) making its detection difficult (Lancaster;1992); as such, it can therefore be synthesized only on demand since radicals are known to disrupt cellular homeostasis. NO is small and uncharged and it rapidly diffuses through cellular membranes from its site of synthesis making it in ideal intercellular paracrine-like messenger or poison (Lancaster;1992). In the body, NO reacts with redox metals such as copper, manganese, or the iron heme-like protein centers, and molecular oxygen forming nitrites and nitrates, the latter constituting the principal manner in which NO is inactivated in vivo (Snyder;1992). The enzyme which synthesizes NO, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), has been cloned and structurally resembles cytochrome P-450 reductase, possessing many sequence homologies and the same physical sites for binding of identic... ... in Cells. American Scientist, 80:248-259, May/June 1992. Murray, R. K., D. K. Granner, P. A. Mayes, and V. W. Rodwell. Nitric Oxide is the Endothelium Derived Relaxation Factor and is Also an Important Compound in the Nervous System. Harper’s Biochemistry, pp 657-658, Appleton & Lange, USA, 1993. Schuman, E. M. and D. V. Madison. A Requirement for the Intercellular Messenger Nitric Oxide in Lone Term Potentiation. Science, 254:1503-1506, Dec. 6, 1991. Snyder, S. H. and D. S. Bredt. Biological Roles of Nitric Oxide. Scientific American, 266:68-71+, May 1992. Snyder, S. H. Nitric Oxide: First in a New Class of Neurotransmitters. Science, 257:494-496, July 24, 1992. Stroh, M. The Root of Impotence: Does Nitric Oxide Hold the Key. Science News, 142:10-11. July 4, 1992. Young, S. The Body’s Vital Poison. New Scientist, 137:36-40, March 13, 1993.

Observations Of Life :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTION I am not a psychologist by far, I have no degree in the field of psychology nor do I wish to have, I am just an everyday person that observes and analyzes the things I see. As I am writing this I am at the ripe old age of 18. To some people this may imply that I do not have any credibility in writing these things because I do not have the wisdom of age. Well, to those people I say that they should hear me out on these perceptions and continue reading, because you can not judge someone else unless you have heard their side of the story. By writing this I hope to achieve one thing and one thing only: that someone, somewhere will remember my way of seeing things. In no way do I wish to offend anyone. This is just how I see the world we live in. I believe that age has no effect on how you perceive things. If anything you just become less credible as you get older. For instance, young children have the tendency to completely tell the truth, that is until they discover how to lie. In my observations I have noticed that parents believe the younger sibling more than the older sibling. This may be because the parents favor this child more than the older one or could it be that the younger child has more credibility because the older one has been known to tell lies from time to time. If you have seen or watched kids you know that this, in most cases, is true. One thing about life that I never understood is pay role. It makes no sense at all. It seems to me that the more work you do the less you get paid and the less work you do the more you get paid for it. For example, my father started out working as a garbage disposal man. By this I mean that he was the guy hanging off the back of the garbage truck. He would work long days and the physical demand was just exhausting. Could you imagine doing this work in the biting cold of winter or the humid heat of the summer all day long? The pay was not very good. Currently he still is in the same business but I would say a lot further up the ladder than he used to be.

Foreign Investment in Malaysia and Its Impact on Economic Growth Essay

Foreign direct investment (FDI) means an international capital flows in which a firm in one country creates or expands a subsidiary in another (Krugman & Obstfeld, 2006). Directly, it means the subsidiary not only has the financial obligation towards its parent company, it extends to the same organizational structure and value. Theoretically, companies involve in FDI due to cost saving on the location, usage of abundance resources, technology transfer, vertical integration (coordinating supply and demand to an agreed price) and currency exchange that will reduce cost and increase value to shareholders. FDI in a host country is expecting to boost the manufacturing and services industry and consequently boost up the economy. FDI impact on economy and social The area has been widely studied by economist and among others, in East Asia, FDI is used as channel of increasing capital stock and it has positive effect on the economic growth in Vietnam (Thu Thi, Paitoon, & Bangorn, 2010) and more growth in Vietnam if the invest is done in education, training, financial market development (Anwar & Lan Phi, 2010). FDI increase wages of skilled and unskilled labour (Oladi, Gilbert, & Beladi, 2011) and it could increase the household spending in the host country. However, the distance of investors from origin country to destination or host country plays an important role in promoting FDI in the latter. This is a sample of macroeconomic gravity impact whereby the investors easily commute from their home country and understanding of the custom and language could reduce the barrier in communication. Foreign investment could contribute in ethical and structural norm in an organization rather than the western cultural transfers. Local cultural norm shall be adhered to during the negotiation process in order to have a win-win situation between investors and local entrepreneur. It is also discussed that political stress may impacted the inflow of FDI by tightening the rules and regulation which in turn will make the investment environment in destination country is less attractive compare to global environment. FDI are positive correlated with network (Shaner & Maznevski, 2011) and regional integration (Nathapornpan Piyaareekul & Peridy, 2009); host countries’ levels of financial market and institutional development, better governance and appropriate macroeconomic policies (Polpat, Bangorn, & Paitoon, 2011; Vadlamannati, Tamazian, & Irala, 2009); productive improvement and learning experience from previous FDI (Takechi, 2011). Therefore, a good support from the government is vital in promoting the FDI in host country. Not only FDI expect good support from the government, study shows that FDI creates instability and worsen crisis (Kazi, 2011). The way to control FDIs in one country are defined the terms and sectors which they are allowed to invest; do a thorough risk assessment on the portfolio; and resolve global dispute in an organization such as World Trade Organization (Cohen, 2009). FDI and determinants are co-integrated. Among determinants FDI factors in Malaysia are openness of a company, interest rates, inflation rate, China joining WTO1 and level of corruption.(Ting-Yong & Tuck-Cheong, 2010). Comparing to ASEAN as a whole, FDI is looked as more market-seeking rather than profit-seeking due to growing internal markets (Siew-Yong, Chen-Chen, & Hui-Boon, 2010). Contrary, Prema-chandra and Swarnim (2011) found that FDI in Malaysia has eroded compare to outflow to another countries. World Trade Organization Facts on FDI in Malaysia (2002-2011) Annual percentage growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at market prices based on constant local currency. Aggregates are based on constant 2000 U.S. dollars. GDP is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources2. Data from World Bank (Chart 1 and Chart 2) revealed that FDI into Malaysia has a significant increment over past decade. However, there was a drop of FDI net inflows in 2009, due to world economic recession in 2008. The uptrend is picking up to a highest point at approximately USD12 billion from the last decade. Comparing to our neighboring country, Thailand, whom has a higher GDP, it has the same effect except the decline trend after 2010. It might be influenced by political crisis in Thailand since 2008 that effected international companies’ decision to extend their business in Thailand. From Chart 3, we gathered that the gross capital formation for Malaysia approximately between 20% to 25% of our GDP, with the lowest point at 17.84% in 2009 after 2008 recession. Foreign investment inflows are following the same trend and it clearly shows that FDI dropped synchronize with capital formation following the recession.

The Definition of Statehood

Before diving into the question of this essay, one that looks simple on the surface but reveals itself to be as complicated as it is deep, I found myself asking how we define â€Å"statehood†. It’s all good and well to say that the state is a contested organisation, but when the idea of what exactly a state is comes into it, that statement becomes all the less clear. By definition a nation state is a state/country that possesses clear borders and land, and contains mostly the same type of people by either race or cultural background. ttp://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/467746/political-system/36702/National-political-systems? anchor=ref416908 Yet some states have numerous ethnicities, Nigeria for example has been calculated to have over two hundred culturally distinct groups, even Gambia, whose population numbers about half a million people, has eight distinct ethnic groups (Hughes 1981: 122). Then again, these are both countries that are considered as â€Å"fai led states†, something I will return to later on.According to Philip Cerny, statehood is the capacity to guard the social, economic and political life of its people and also to protect them from external threats and predators. He then goes on to say that states regularly fail at one of these tasks, often not doing well at both at the same time. Statehood, according to Cerny, is the â€Å"problematique of the modern world system itself†. Why? Why are nation states so bad at doing what they say on the tin? Surely it can’t be that hard to defend one’s people and at the same time give them basic needs such as employment, welfare and education.Of course, the world isn’t a perfect place, and we have yet to reach the utopia dreamt of by our grandparents, but really does everything have to be so terrible? To be fair Cerny does give a good argument against that, and provides much evidence to show that the state is indeed a contested organisation. He argues t hat â€Å"future structural organisational developments will depend on the kinds of political coalitions that can be built to confront and deal with those challenges†, especially those involving cross-border networks.In that case the result is likely to be a more complex form of world politics that is not only multi-level but also multi-nodal. Cerny makes a clear statement that the ideal states are â€Å"organisationally distinct from families, churches, classes, races, economic institutions† and also non-state political organisations. He then simplifies that claim that the state is a contested organisation by breaking it down into 3 sections: economically, socially and politically. First we will look at each of these individually and examine that statement.Of the three, the most interesting to me was his ascertain that the state is an economically contested organisation. Cerny says that states are organised through relationships of power, but they are also bound to th e ideals of fairness and justice. Economic groups such as corporations and markets however, are not. They revolve around a principle of profit and aren’t shackled by the same need to be ‘nice’ that states are. One can go so far as to say that Cerny is nearly directly addressing the issue of globalisation without ever saying the word.Take big companies such as Coca Cola or McDonalds, while they give a consumer-friendly image and do help communities with various projects, at the end of the day they are 100% profit driven and if circumstances dictated that they must drop half their workforce to save costs, you can be sure that they would. Globalisation has meant that corporations no longer operate within borders, and for the most part are free to trade as they please. That some of these firms make more money than the Irish state is a very scary thought indeed. It is an invasive and destabilizing phenomenon that states must contest with.Not only does it signal height ened interconnectedness, but it encroaches into those formal-legal aspects of sovereignty that secure or tie down authority in the first instance, and benefit from it in the second. In other words, â€Å"the transnational connections inherent in globalisation are significant on a qualitative as well as a quantitative level. But what new patterns of authority are emerging here? † (Williams 1996: 118) It is said of sovereignty that there is plenty of it around, but that as a result of globalisation â€Å"the sites for its concentration have changed. According to this argument states are being forced to concede certain of their sovereign powers to regional, transnational or world bodies on one hand, and to local and other sub-national institutions on the other. On a side note while on the point of globalisation, though Cerny doesn’t explore the idea it is also worth mentioning the globalisation of military power as it contests with every state organisation. Advanced nucl ear weapons systems can now operate worldwide, for they can deliver their payloads to any place at all on the planet, and do so within a very short time.They are thus capable of making the whole earth uninhabitable, and of threatening the very survival of the all states, whether they wish it or not (Poggi 1990: 177). You really can’t get much more global than that. The next area we will examine is Cerny’s claim that the state is a socially contested organisation. According to him states â€Å"are not natural, spontaneous emanations† from a â€Å"taken for granted, pre-existing society, people, or public†, they are made up from real people who base them on a range of often divided groups such as class, ethnicity, religion and ideology to name a few.People who are born in to this nation state may not always agree with or like the way things are and can find themselves caught in conflicts of identity, and the state finds itself constantly at odds with those who feel socially indoctrinated with the rules, power structures and policies of that state. As Cerny says, â€Å"citizens are made, not born†. Another big social contender is the internet, any one person can simply log on to Facebook (or other social networking sites) and instantly connect with people all over the world, again ignoring state boundaries.The final point that is discussed is that the state is a politically contested organisation. This can nearly go without saying, as there isn’t a state in the world that hasn’t been challenged politically at one stage or another. This happens on all ends of the scale, from as Cerny puts it: â€Å"absolutist monarchs and national revolutionaries to various bureaucrats, officials, patrons and clients†. He even goes on to mention religious movements and criminal gangs.It is important to note that the organisational strengths that Cerny mentions, whether they be rooted in widely accepted social identities or bo nds, or that they have power internationally, need not only apply to Westphalian states (and indeed many of those ‘official’ states are weak on those levels). Take certain groups such as Hezbollah or the IRA for example, upon looking past the fact that they are viewed by some as terrorist organisations (although most European countries have refused to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation [http://www. digitalnpq. org/archive/2009_summer/03_qassem. tml]), these groups often take on the state roles for the people they claim to serve. Hezbollah is a major provider of social services, operating schools, hospitals, and agricultural services for thousands and playing a significant part in Lebanese politics. [http://www. cfr. org/publication/9155/hezbollah_aka_hizbollah_hizbullah. html? breadcrumb=/]. Likewise the IRA are renowned for looking after their own, be it ensuring the well being of prisoner families or upholding the law (or at least a version of it), in area s where traditional state politics have failed.Going back now to the other two headings for the contested state, economically and politically, and applying them to the state â€Å"alternatives† I mentioned above, it is hard to understand why Cerny didn’t do the same. One can not simply draw a line in the sand and say that all the ones over here (those of the Westphalia type) are states, and those over there are not. There are many similarities to be found on both sides. These groups also find themselves to be contested organisations.Yes it can be argued that economically, Hezbollah only functions because the nation states of Iran and Syria support them, but the same was also said of the peripheral state of Cuba when it was funded by the USSR (Giddens 1985: 269). In the north the IRA have succeeded in many social areas that the government have not, giving identity, protection and services to a select group of people who otherwise feel abandoned by a system that is suppo sed to do the same. The downfall of these groups is that their (occasional) focus on fighting and violence only serves to detract from the other areas.Yet returning to Cerny, he raises the point that some find the cost of the US’s war in Iraq (estimated at 2-3 trillion dollars), has prevented it from addressing issues both domestically (health care and employment for example) and abroad (development aid, fighting disease ect). This shows that even the largest of official states can do itself damage by focusing too much on military operations. But what happens when a state can do no more for its people? When it becomes such a contested organisation that it loses physical control of its

Why I Want To Become An Engineer

Each and everyone of us had our own particular desire and I believed that has been develop since childhood. Ever since I was a kid, I was amazed by the creation of the skyscrapers and outrageously styled buildings. I have always appreciated the large structures and buildings which have surrounded me and I have always had respect for the people who have been involved with the design and constructions of these buildings on such a large scale.I kept wondering how people could construct such an attractive and difficult creations. As I entered high school, my interests further expanded when I took studies in civil engineering and engineering drawing classes as it explain more about buildings. I know that to become a Civil Engineer I have to work very hard in college and get very good grades. Even though my SPM result was not that good but I was determined to redeem it.I’m working hard to improve my grades in matriculation and I believe if someone in your company that have this kind of attitude to look for continous improvement to some extent it can be beneficial to your company. On my behalf, I think I deserve this scholarship because I am very hard working person. I put so much effort in anything I choose to do, or any task according to me. My goals in life are often high. I am a goal getter, so I will do anything to achieve my goals.I think that the drive I have to succeed, and to express knowledge into the life of the ones coming behind me is one of many reasons why I deserve this scholarship. Besides, my parent is the middle class salary earner so by having this scholarship I can ease their burden. Lastly , I have think that civil engineering is an ideal field for me. I believe that I have the personal attributes and intelligence required to be a civil engineer. I also believe that I possess the work habits and drive to be a successful engineer. This is why I have chosen to pursue this as a career.

Money Can Not Buy Happiness Essay

Do you believe that your income is the main factor in determining your happiness? It is a classic debate that has reached its tentacles into the minds of our nation’s individuals and wrapped itself firmly around their minds having them strive for happiness. Money does not buy happiness. Too many Americans are so blinded by their own ignorance that they constantly pursue happiness as if it was a matter of circumstance rather than their own perspective. Such a way of life is crippling to those individuals because they miss the plethora of opportunities for happiness that surrounds them in every way of life. Today, more and more people argue that money can buy happiness. Proponents of such a viewpoint often argue that money â€Å"makes the world go ‘round†. They may argue that it allows us to have carefree lives because we don’t have financial strain with money. They may argue that it gives people the ability to buy whatever they may want and that causes us to be pleased with our purchase. They may even argue that money allows one to be charitable to others. Those who make these arguments have the wrong perspective of the world. Those who argue that many buys happiness and those who live their lives in such a manner can never really attain true happiness. Clearly, these people who are striving to make money are really just striving to be happy. They dedicate their lives to being happy and thus place very significant value on being happy. One study attempted to determine the paradoxical effects of valuing happiness. It concluded, â€Å"valuing happiness could be self-defeating, because the more people value happiness, the more likely they will feel disappointedâ€Å" (Savino et al. 807). Furthermore, those that argue that happiness allows us to live carefree lives by removing the burden of financial strain need to change their  perspective in order to truly be carefree. People living life in such a manner are never truly carefree because they constantly have the stress on them to be making more money in order to live a carefree lifestyle. Such a conditional â€Å"happiness† is not truly carefree. Rather than living life in such a manner, people should remove the excessive stress of making money and appreciate their own respective situations. That certainly beats caging the circumstances under which they can thrive and be happy to only being included in a specific income bracket. Basically, put less value on how you regard happiness. â€Å"Valuing happiness may lead people to be less happy just when happiness is within reach† (Savino et al. 807). Individuals who believe that money can buy them happiness may believe that money allows them to buy certain objects or allows them to have certain experiences that allow them to be happy. However, one study showed, â€Å"†¦ that happiness seekers voluntarily choose to practice up to eight happiness strategies at a time suggests that by experience or instinct they have discovered a successful approach to the pursuit of happiness† (Lyubomirsky et al). However, there was little correlation between the application of these happiness seeking strategies and an actual real-world application’s effect on a boost in well being (Lyubomirsky et al). There is close to no correlation between activities or objects that â€Å"happiness-seekers† seek to buy and their own happiness. Rather than believing you can buy happiness with your money, one should perhaps try helping an old lady cross the street. The good feeling in your belly after such a kind and gracious act is true happiness. Raymond Angelo Belliotti argues that, â€Å"†¦leading a robustly meaningful, valuable life merits worthwhile happiness. But worthwhile happiness does not automatically follow from such a life. If we must choose, a robustly meaningful, valuable life is preferable to a merely happy life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Belliotti). I completely agree with Mr. Belliotti. However, I believe that placing value and finding meaning in all that we do will correlate to a happy life. Finding meaning in what we choose to do can be the true pursuit of happiness that attains happiness. Thus, it is the pursuit of meaning and value rather than a pursuit of money that gives one happiness. Throughout history, the adage that money does buy happiness has been disproven. If this argument was true, then the argument would be made that serfs, peasants, and all poor or financially unprivileged individuals throughout history were unhappy. However, when put it such a broad context, that argument seems ridiculous. Throughout all of history, individuals found happiness in love, their families, their religions, their surroundings, their countries, etc. Uncivilized human beings who had no concept of money probably found much more happiness in all that they did because they lived without the shackles of the concept of money. One fascinating study was conducted that may silence those who believe money can buy happiness forever. â€Å"This study provides the first evidence that money impairs people’s ability to savor everyday positive emotions and experiences. In a sample of working adults, wealthier individuals reported lower savoring ability (the ability to enhance and prolong positive emotional experience). Moreover, the negative impact of wealth on individuals’ ability to savor undermined the positive effects of money on their happiness† (Mikolajczak, et al). This study clearly demonstrates the inability to have a prolonged positive emotional experience in wealthier individuals. This study literally states that money cannot buy happiness in other words. Furthermore, it goes on to say that those who have money actually tend to be less wealthy. This study gives evidence that could give so many people so much happiness if they applied it to themselves and stopped believing that money could buy happiness. The individuals who argue for the idea of money buying happiness may argue that money allows individuals to be more charitable and therefore allows individuals more happiness through their charitable work. Certain wealthy individuals like Bill Gates even has his own charity, which truly does magnificent work and helps the world. However, people are not all as privileged as Bill Gates. Individuals who have less money can still be incredibly charitable and save many lives. For example, thinking outside the box, volunteering at homeless shelters, helping the elderly, helping individuals around you in need on a daily basis, planting trees, etc. all  have great benefits and can help the lives of many people! All you really need to do to be charitable is ask yourself what it is that interests you and put your efforts into pursuing that charitable task! In conclusion, money simply does not buy anyone happiness. Happiness is a result of our perspective and how we see the world around us. People have found happiness is the worst circumstances imaginable. Many stories are told of those who survived the holocaust who put all their efforts into finding some piece of beauty around them in order to be happy. Something as simple as appreciating the sunrise can make someone happy. Happiness is not limited to high net worth individuals. Happiness is not reserved for the people who have money. Happiness is a human emotion and experience that is engrained into who we are as living creatures. Living things all around us experience happiness. My dog literally does not have a penny to his name (unless he has been stashing hundred dollar bills that I am unaware of), and literally is one of the most joyful things when he is taken to the park to run around with his owner and the other dogs. Happiness surrounds us in everything we do, it permeates every situation, money does not buy it; it is only attainable when you realize it was always there in the first place. Just reach out and grab it. Works Cited Belliotti, Raymond Angelo. â€Å"The Seductions Of Happiness.† The Oxford handbook of happiness. 291-302. New York, NY US: Oxford University Press, 2013.PsycINFO. Web. 1 July 2013. Moà ¯ra Mikolajczak, et al. â€Å"Money Giveth, Money Taketh Away: The Dual Effect Of Wealth On Happiness.† Psychological Science (Sage Publications Inc.) 21.6 (2010): 759-763. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 July 2013. Nicole S. Savino, et al. â€Å"Can Seeking Happiness Make People Unhappy? Paradoxical Effects Of Valuing Happiness.† Emotion 11.4 (2011): 807-815.PsycARTICLES. Web. 1 July 2013. Sonja Lyubomirsky, et al. â€Å"Pursuing Happiness In Everyday Life: The Characteristics And Behaviors Of Online Happiness Seekers.† Emotion 12.6 (2012): 1222-1234. PsycARTICLES. Web. 1 July 2013.

Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Argument - Essay Example He talks about how one cannot be detached from Zen and think about it in a rational or detached manner. It is a way of being in the world. As an example of this, Highlet talks about a Zen Master teaching a pupil archery. A Zen master who was a teacher of archery agreed to take him as a pupil. The lessons lasted six years, during which he practiced every single day. There are many difficult courses of instruction in the world: the Jesuits, violin virtuosi, Talmudic scholars, all have long and hard training, which in one sense never comes to an end; but Herrigel’s training in archery equaled them all in intensity. If I were trying to learn archery, I should expect to begin by looking at a target and shooting arrows at it. He was not even allowed to aim at a target for the first four years. He had to begin by learning how to hold the bow and arrow, and then how to release the arrow; this took ages. The Japanese bow is not like our sporting bow, and the stance of the archer in japan is different from ours (Highlet). For Highlet, this helps illustrate his opinion that Zen is actually a religion. I strongly disagree with Highlet about this. This story may not be true: it is more of an anecdote which shows us that we need to reflect more on our position in the world than our immediate goals. This is more of a philosophical issue than a religious one. Highlet is wrong about this. Religion and philosophy are too different things. Religion is a systematic and ordered thing which has its special doctrines. Philosophy is a series of approaches to various problems. Highlet tries to make an argument that Zen is a religion but it is simply not ordered enough. His conclusion does not stand. He leads us through a number of anecdotes. But the sum of a series of anecdotes is not a religion. It is a series of ways of looking at problems—more of a philosophy. Highlet is an interesting writer and Zen is a strange

Healthcare Industry Overview Grid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Healthcare Industry Overview Grid - Essay Example If it looks as if there is a market big enough to make a profitable product, the product is unique in the market and the product can be protected (via patenting or some other means) then businesses are commonly encouraged to dive into the expensive product development phase. Pharmaceutical/ Drug Industry is mainly responsible for developing, producing and marketing drugs that have been approved by the health authorities or governing agencies McGuire et.al, 2007) These drugs are mainly intended for medicinal purposes. Pharmaceutical companies can sell generic or branded medications. However, distribution and selling of such medicines are subject to variety of laws since there are issues regarding patenting, testing and marketing of drugs. The government is very strict in monitoring the pharmaceutical industry since the health of the general public is at stake. Health care personnel can be employed by pharmaceutical companies as medical technologists, chemists, or researchers. Usually, medical and sales representatives are also needed by this industry. Biotechnology researchers are in demand in this industry as well as laboratory assistants. Health Information Systems falls under the category of Health Informatics. It is a multi-disciplinary approach wherein computer science is integrated in health care services. A good health information system integrates â€Å"administrative files, enrollment files, clinical information, surveys and other data† (McGlynn,1998). Companies that offer Health Information Systems provide software services as well as database systems that can help health professionals make accurate decisions about patients. Some of the services provided by HIS are Health Information Management, dictation and transcription, document management and imaging, case management, revenue cycle management, and performance improvement. Health Information Systems

Evaluating an International Human Resource Strategy (Obb) Essay

Evaluating an International Human Resource Strategy (Obb) - Essay Example The report has been concluded along with certain recommendations that might prove to be effective for the company in the future context. The face of business has changed considerably over the last few decades owing to the advancement of technology and the aspect of globalisation that has shortened national and international barriers of business. Furthermore, the rise of competition in the global business scenario also worked towards the changing the nature of the business world altogether. These aspects further give rise to the need for companies to develop strategies to make a mark for themselves amid the potential customers and gain a competitive edge over the major competitors (Ivanko, 2013). There are various functions of any business that integrate together and form the foundation for conducting business in an effective and efficient manner altogether. Among the various functions that are associated with the operations of any business, the functions of human resource management are deemed to be quite vital. The human resource department of any business is directly responsible to deal with the various issues as w ell as operations that are relevant to human resource of the business. The role of an HR manager is deemed to be quite prominent with regard to modern day business operations and it is prevalent in every domain of the business (Martin, 2008). This particular report will mainly focus on evaluating a human resource strategy of an international organisation i.e. H&M. The report will primarily highlight the strategy of the company with regard to entering a new market through conducting joint venture with a particular company. The company that will be considered for joint venture in this report will be Cia Hering of Brazil. H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is one of the foremost companies, which is operating in the retail clothing sector

Exchange Rate Risk in Mexico Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exchange Rate Risk in Mexico - Research Paper Example "This apparent conflict between theory and empirical evidence poses a problem in determining the optimal role of exchange rates in the formation of appropriate economic policies. The proposition that flexible exchange rates lead to balance of payment equilibrium position primarily rests on the purchasing power parity theory." (Effects of Exchange Rate) Mexico is one of the most important members when it comes to trading with the US and it is also one of the fastest developing economy. The Gross Domestic Product of the Mexican Economy was $574.5 billion in the year 2001 and the net value of the exports was approximately $178 billion. Mexico is one of the most important trading partners of the US and hence it is very important economically to the US. There has been many instances of Mexican-American dialogues recently and majority of these dialogues have been regarding strengthening the economic relationship between the two countries. "Mexico's main exports are manufactured goods. These tend to be normal goods. An increase in demand will result in an increase in their consumption. Similar arguments are also applicable for the relation between Mexican Import and Mexican real GDP.

Globalisation and Mass Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Globalisation and Mass Media - Essay Example Mass media has always acquired a prominent position in the first world countries like the United Kingdom and the United States. ‘Marketplace of Ideas’ is the term which is often applied to mass media. This media includes video, film, recorded materials, books, newspapers and magazines. The United Kingdom, like many of the other developed countries, is flooded with communities from almost all the continents. Therefore, much like the USA, a heterogeneous population has been formed automatically in this country. Mass media is a huge political and social motivator and history has proved its unparalleled power time and again. In today’s scenario, the actual influence of mass media in the era of globalisation is particularly noticeable on the field of marketing. Internationalization of marketplaces has considerably influenced the electronic mass media in the United States of America, so also in other first world countries. We can support this argument by keeping a track of revenues generated from film and television industries. In 1991, bulk of revenues came to the capital flow in the US marketplace through film and television industries. Crossing the national borders, it has been possible for the media corporate to reach out for markets in other countries. With the rapid advent of technology, mass media has captured the attention of international audience through services like cable television, multichannel radio and video outputs. Moreover, cultural industries in the US have crossed the linguistic and geographic barriers to reach out to an audience which is heterogeneous in characteristics. (Globalization of the Mass Media, p. 3) Global economic liberalization, deregulation and privatization in recent times have initiated changes in the context of communication. This liberalization is also involved with intellectual property laws. Trademarks, copyrights and legal privileges have been made flexible keeping the issue of international business as the

The use of foreign labour is the only long term solution to overcoming Essay

The use of foreign labour is the only long term solution to overcoming the skills shortages in the construction industry in UK - Essay Example It is generally recognized that the industry needs to work on its image" (The construction industry 2001, p. 14). Among other dimensions featuring in this domain are the state of supply and demand for labour and the structure of employment in the UK. Critics (Ellinor 2005) admit that the nation getting older and foreign labour is the only long-term solution for construction industry (CEDIA UK 2005). Cumulative changes in the demand for labour and the structure of employment-in the macroeconomic arena provide the basis for a transition that is brought about acutely by the contingency of the crisis in the macro-political arena, during which labour-importing states like the UK seize the opportunity to achieve the rationalization of the labour market they have already been hesitantly reaching for. Economic disparities between territories sending and receiving migrants include differences in earnings, livelihoods and living standards (Gilbert 2003). The problem of labour shortage is long term: "and will not be solved unless the industry can reach out to a new generation of potential workers" (The construction industry 2001, p. 14). The rationalization, the replacement of denizens by foreign migrant workers, has political and security as well as economic motivations. Employers recruit skilled migrants because the skills are not available in the UK, and they employ less-skilled immigrants because British-born people - if they are available - are not willing to do the work" (What might be the implications 2007). The UK construction industry is already facing labour scarcity, an impact tacitly acknowledged by the authorities. With the changing economic environment, such factors as imbalance between supply and demand mark construction building in UK (Ross & Marton 2007). In spite of this situation, increased competition has enhanced the need of new technological innovations and economic improvement within the industry to satisfy the needs of the market. It is one of the most important infrastructure requirements, which is essential for the expansion of opportunities and plays an important role in making or breaking the competitive positioning (Industry Must Modernize 2007). Free movement of labour will help the construction industry to overcome labour shortage and ensure supply of foreign workers. The most important is that: "The 'journeymen' concept is widely established in the UK construction sector, and the engineering construction workforce have historically been flexible in regard to geographical mobility" (The construction industry 2001, p. 14). Economically, socially and financially, foreign labour will help the industry to respond to buyer needs and improve its performance. Recent years, the remarkable feature of construction industry in the UK is great imbalance between supply and demand. The basis for advantage is the fact that the industry can stay ahead of the market when firms are more sensitive to and more responsive to demand, and when supply, in turn, reflects or anticipates demand (Roder, 2003). Socially and economically, foreign labour will become a burden for both construction companies and the government. The balance can be achieved when the demand sets the quality standard and gives firms a better picture of buyer needs at an earlier time than is available to rivals. In contrast to UK workers, foreign labour

Experimental economics summary paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Experimental economics summary paper - Essay Example Thus, the article pointed out the basic role of human behavior in the ongoing economic trend in the world. The Ultimatum Game is not just a simple game but it has substantial implications in the real world. Main Findings The first main finding presented in the article is about how people may decide rationally or irrationally in a bargaining situation. In either way, the main point is that people understand the concept of having much more is a better option than having less or none in the context of decision-making process situation. Even though an individual understands that having more than enough is better than having less, still the concept of fairness is very significant in the article. Applying this in the actual setting, consumers may be unwilling to participate in exchange when the other party gets a large portion of the surplus (Thaler 203). The Ultimatum Game is a perfect replica of what is happening in the actual setting. People tend to adhere to the concept of fairness bec ause everyone seems wanting to get much more, but in reality this cannot happen most of the time. This resulted to meeting somewhere at the midway where the concept of fairness prevails.

Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies Essay Example for Free

Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies Essay Frankenstein and Lord of the Flies were written in different centuries. Analyse the similarities and discuss the differences which you have found in these texts. You should pay particular attention to characterisation, style and theme. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in the 18th Century. As there was no cinema or television available books were a widely accessible form of entertainment. Particularly fantastical texts like Dracula and Vathek were popular, books like these were not meant to be thought of as a portrayal of realism, this is why Frankenstein is very unbelievable. Frankenstein is set in a time when new science posed a threat to Christian beliefs, as society started to believe that man could be created. This all seemed very possible in the early 18th Century because Benjamin Franklin had previously invented a lightning conductor and in 1802 Galvani ran a current through a frogs legs and it produced a twitch. The thought of starting life with lightning terrified people because of the dangers it appeared to pose to endanger human life. William Golding published Lord of the Flies in 1954, nine years after the end of the Second World War. So there were still conflicts going on between Russia and America, Golding used the idea of continuous war and portrayed it onto the island. The text concerns a group of public school boys getting trapped on an island after their plane crashes; they all have traditional upbringings and attitudes. Other books, which had previously been written such as Swiss Family Robinson and Coral Island, featured a similar situation but with a happier ending, these types of books were all very unrealistic and fairytale like. William Golding wrote what he thought would really happen if anyone ever faced this situation. The two tribes that develop in Lord of the Flies (Jacks and Ralphs) represent Hitler and the Nazis against the allies (America, Great Britain etc). The Italians swapped sides during the war as the Nazis became weaker; Sam and Eric reflect this as they join Jacks tribe because Ralphs is less popular. Both books have many similarities and differences between them. The main similarity is that both books are about lines of civilisation being broken revealing the darker sides of peoples characters. The boys in Lord of the Flies are immediately, physically desolate after their plane crashes. Nobody knows where they are and there are no adults. In Shelleys book, the character Frankenstein chooses to be isolated as his work is more important to him than anything around him. One similarity between the two books are the characters Piggy and the creature. These two characters are both judged by their appearance. Piggy is shorter than the fair boy and very fat. He has asthma and thick spectacles. The creature has yellow skin and straight black lips, in both cases we can immediately tell that they are physically different. Even Frankenstein, the creatures creator dreaded to behold him. They both become isolated and victimised because other people see them as being different; this creates a feeling of sympathy towards both characters throughout the books. They also both have no parents as Piggys dads dead, and [his] mum, and the creature said: No father has watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses. The creature feels sadness and rejection and believes that having parents is important, this is also implicit in the case of Piggy, but the creature has never been loved by anyone so the feeling of depression is greater. It can be argued however that, in a way the creature has been loved as Frankenstein loved him while he was creating him. When he is brought to life the love he had previously received from Frankenstein ends. The difference between these two characters is that Piggys intelligence is threatening to the other boys as he has some sensible ideas that the boys do not wish to carry out. He says: Which is better- to have rules and agree, or to hunt and kill? The boys ignore him as they have already descended into tribalism at this point. Piggys intelligence is threatening because he has a very defined idea of what is right and wrong and he is a very moral person. The creatures intelligence is harmless as he only wishes to fit in. However, as the creature becomes more knowledgeable he discovered what a wretched outcast he was. He has no idea of what is right and wrong and only wants to fit in. The level of intelligence an individual has, whether it is a lot or a little can still make them isolated from others. From the start of Lord of the Flies we can tell that Piggy wants to fit in by the way he follows Ralph. Ralph disentangled himself cautiously and stole away through the branches. In a few seconds the fat boys grunts were behind him. He is last to put his hand up to vote for Ralph: Every hand outside the choir except Piggys was raised immediately. He hesitates because although he wants to vote for Ralph he does not want to be the only one who votes for him. He wants to fit in and not be the odd one out. It is implicit that Piggy was not very popular at school as They used to call [him] Piggy. This is why he follows Ralph in the way he does; he desperately tries to try and make friends as he feels depressed and sad about his previous school life. He is not very attractive; this is a reflection of how people perceive him. There are not just similarities between Piggy and the creature. Frankenstein and Ralph are also similar because although they are in different situations, they both have something they want to achieve. Ralph desperately wants to be rescued from the island. He constantly tries to keep the fire going as The fire is the main thing, because it is a signal to people to show that they are stranded. Frankensteins aim is to take science a step further by creating new life without using nature. They are both headstrong and both have will power to achieve what they want to. Unlike Frankenstein, Ralph sees reality as he acknowledges that if they do not try to get rescued they will die on the island. without the smoke signal well die here! Ralph is far more considerate than Frankenstein. Frankenstein does not consider the consequences of his actions and as a result of this he creates a disaster. He does not see reality as he becomes so determined to be the first person to create life. While Frankenstein is preoccupied with creating life, Ralph believes that preserving life is more important. Frankenstein can also be compared to Simon from Lord of the Flies. They are both symbolic of Christ. Simon passed food down to outstretched hands and Frankenstein stated that; food that I had killed, which after taking a small part, I always presented to those who had provided me. They are both kind and considerate and the way they give to others is much like the same way that Jesus did. Although Frankenstein has been isolated and anti social for a few years he is still amiable. Simon is surrounded by a lot of biblical images all through the book. The way that Simon appreciates the island and nature seems quite strange to the other boys. He is described as cracked and batty. In the same way Frankenstein gets remarks because he enjoys the structure of the human frame. and philosophy. Both Simon and Frankenstein are intransigent as they ignore any comments tackling their views. Frankenstein believes that: A new species would bless me as its creator would owe their being to me. He wants to be worshipped and idolised for creating life like God. Simon wants to appreciate his surroundings, which God as created. Frankenstein states that; No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs. He becomes arrogant and his ego begins to swell. He wants to totally change the way in which humans are brought to life and he becomes insatiably infatuated with this. Simon willingly accepts the beauty of nature and he sees things differently to other people, like the beast only being a fallen pilot (this shows more clarity of thought than the other boys). Unlike Frankenstein, Simons character is very vague, he is simply known as the boy who fainted towards the beginning of the book. He is also described as a vivid little boy. No one really understands him as he has more maturity to understand things than the other boys, but he does not have the vocabulary to express his views and feelings. Frankensteins character is not constant through the book. At first he is very unorthodox, as he does not consider the views or beliefs of anyone around him. Towards the end of the book he becomes remorseful as he realises that he has created a demoniacal corpse. When Simon died the clouds opened and let down the rain like a waterfall. This is pathetic fallacy as it reflects what is happening in the story. Simon is seen as God- like, and the storm and heavy rain is like Gods anger against the savage boys sin. It is as if they killed the good on the island and it cannot be justified or tolerated. After he is killed the language used is very calming; there was a trickle of water and no noise. This is ethereal, as if Simons body is being taken by angels up to heaven. The way Simons dead body moved out towards the open sea is very heavenly. When Simon sees the Lord of the Flies for the first time, Golding says: Even if he shut his eyes, the sows head still remained like an after- imageThey assured Simon that everything was a bad business. It is as if Simon is getting a vision from God; the sows head demonstrated how the hunting has got out of control. God is warning him that what is happening on the island cannot be accepted. After this has happened it is ironic that Simon is killed for being mistaken for the beast. The message given to him was right; the hunting on the island had become a bad business. The difference between the two books is that Frankenstein is a man of science and Simon is a man of spirit. In Frankenstein it is science against religion, where as in Lord of the Flies the human need to survive is put against society. Another character from Lord of the Flies who can be compared to Frankenstein is Jack. It is clear from the start that Jack will potentially be a threat from his appearance. He has red hair which signifies a fiery temper, and red is also used for warning signs, which indicate danger. Both Jack and Frankenstein become obsessive about certain things. Frankenstein becomes obsessed with creating the creature and Jack lets hunting become his obsession. Jack begins to bring up hunting in most conversations, he said: All the same- in the forest. I mean when youre hunting. He is the first to suggest that the choir form a group called the hunters and he is always the first to lead them out into the forest to go on a hunt he insists to the other boys that meat is important. Jack becomes excited by droppings that steamed he bends down to them as though he loved them. This is clearly not natural behaviour and these are definite signs that his obsession with hunting has gone too far. Frankenstein gets so engrossed with his work that he forgets about his family. He, like Jack, becomes disturbingly infatuated with his project as he does many inhumane things: [He]collected bones from charnel- houses and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame. The word profane is important because it illustrates the way he shows disrespect for religion. In Lord of the Flies the other religion could be classed as Ralphs tribe. Jack does not consider the welfare of these boys and he becomes so obsessed with hunting that he forgets both his morals and the fact that the boys need to be rescued. While Jack is hunting The madness came into his eyes again. He has the urge to kill and his obsession has got so far out of control he is losing his sanity. However, these two characters are also very different because Jack has a cruel personality; he picks on the weaker boys. Piggy is usually his victim; he singles him out for the way he looks, he says, shut up fatty and you fat slug. He smacked Piggys head and he is also very sarcastic towards him: We mustnt let anything happen to Piggy, must we? His character is also very fierce; this becomes apparent from the language used. The way he slashed, slammed and snatched shows he is destructive. He acts like this so that the other boys become afraid of him and do not challenge his views; he feels powerful and dominant. He gains respect from the other boys by behaving like this: Jack looked round for understanding and found only respect. He regains the power which he lost from not being voted chief by behaving in this way, and he also feels he has control over the other boys. The boys do not always agree with him, they just followed him obediently because they are afraid of him. Jack is also like the creature because they both show their darker sides after being isolated. Jack believes he has the qualities to be leader because he can sing C sharp. When Ralph is voted leader, Jack immediately becomes isolated, and tension occurs between them as he constantly challenges Ralph to be leader. The creature becomes isolated because he is not socially accepted, as he looks different. His treacherous side shows as his level of intelligence increases. He begins to feel rage and revenge towards Frankenstein, in the same way Jack feels for Ralph. The creature says that: I declared ever-lasting war against the species, and more than all, against him who had formed me. The language used here is very strong; he shows feelings of hate towards Frankenstein because he enrolled him into a world of misery. Jack and the creature both develop feelings of hatred towards the ones who have ostracised them. Some of the words used to describe Jack and Frankenstein are animalistic. When Jack is hunting it is like he almost becomes an animal, he sniffs the air and comes trotting back. When Frankenstein gets angry he gnashed [his] teeth and ground them together. They do mot appear human as they are stripped of human characteristics such as conscience and morality. This suggests that they have evil natures. These evil natures can also be shown by the inhumane killings that occur in both books. Lord of the Flies and Frankenstein both feature violence, death and murder. In Frankenstein the creature becomes completely demoralized like Jack and Roger, the murders they commit are brutal, but the reader is more sympathetic for the creature because he has never been loved and however desperately he tried to find a friend he was always rejected. The boys in Lord of the Flies have been loved and brought up in a religious manner, so they have no excuse to kill. The boys deconstruction of their reality mirrors the creatures construction of reality. This can be shown when Simon is brutally torn apart, where as the monster is pieced together. Simon can also be related to the creature because he has a problem, which he cannot do anything about. Simon is epileptic and the creature is ugly and 8 foot tall. These are problems, which can stop them from being like other people. In Frankenstein the style in which the book is written is totally different than that of Lord of the Flies. There are three concentric layers, one within the other. The outer layer, which is the shortest, is Robert Waltons letters to his sister describing his voyage to the North Pole. In the next layer Frankenstein tells the story of how he created the monster and how he abandoned it in disgust. In the third layer the creature describes the struggle he has trying to fit in. There are also multiple storytellers in Frankenstein. In Lord of the Flies the book has a linear narrative as it reads from beginning to end, it is narrated entirely by the author. As Frankenstein is a gothic horror book, the murders do not come as much of a surprise to the reader, where as Lord of the Flies features innocent, young school boys committing brutal murders. So the shock value in Lord of the Flies is greater and indeed more horrific than that in Frankenstein. The books are also both written in a way so that the reader looses track of time. Many phrases are used in the text to imply that a lot of time has passed, like Two years had now nearly elapsed and Six years had elapsed. This reflects the insanity that develops in the characters. In Lord of the Flies there is a system of hierarchy, as there is only one place at the top Jack and Ralph constantly fight to be the highest so that they have power over the other boys. These boys are underneath Jack and Ralph in the hierarchy so they are not as powerful they are, this is why they follow one of them. Piggy is one of the weaker boys at the bottom; this is why he is victimised. In Frankenstein there is no system of hierarchy, everyone in the text is considered as equal. In both books there is a role reversal. In Lord of the Flies Ralph goes from being leader to an outcast who is left to survive on his own. Jacks hunting tribe eventually over powers Ralphs tribe who want to be rescued. This shows the immaturity of the boys as they forget their priorities. The role reversal in Frankenstein occurs between Frankenstein and the creature. Frankenstein has power over the creature while he is creating him, but when he disowns him; he is left to do what he likes. He becomes more powerful than Frankenstein (and indeed any human being) because of his sheer stature and his increased level of intelligence. Frankenstein is aware of the fact that he does not have any morals as he killed innocent children. The creature realises this: You are my creator, but I am your master; obey! Role reversals are used in the text to show that the goodness in a person does not always win. I have already discussed thematic issues within characterisation, but the main theme in both books is about the darkness of Mans soul. The evil side of man, which is inherent in everybody, can be brought out in different situations. The two books show this in different ways. Frankenstein involves an adult world confronted with many scientific changes. Lord of the Flies shows a world entirely populated by children who struggle to survive. However, in both books the same message is delivered; the notion of society breaks down when there is nothing to uphold it. This is explored through the themes of isolation, difference, anger, ambition and obsession. While the boys on the island are unwillingly taken out of society structure and the creature is forcefully thrust into it, the result is the same- the hidden darkness of mans soul is revealed.

The History of Chinese Literature Essay Example for Free

The History of Chinese Literature Essay Writing in China dates back to the hieroglyphs that were used in the Shang Dynasty of 1700 – 1050 BC. Chinese literature is a vast subject that spans thousands of years. One of the interesting things about Chinese literature is that much of the serious literature was composed using a formal written language that is called Classical Chinese. The best literature of the Yuan Dynasty era and the four novels that are considered the greatest classics are important exceptions. However, even during the Qing Dynasty of two hundred years ago, most writers composed in a literary stream that extended back about 2,400 years. They studied very ancient writings in more or less the original written language. This large breadth of time with so many writers living in the various eras and countries makes Chinese literature complex. Chinese literary works include fiction, philosophical and religious works, poetry, and scientific writings. The dynastic eras frame the history of Chinese literature and are examined one by one. The grammar of the written Classical Language is different than the spoken languages of the past two thousand years. This written language was used by people of many different ethnic groups and countries during the Zhou, Qin and Han eras spanning 1050 BC to 220 AD. After the Han Dynasty, the written language evolved as the spoken languages changed, but most writers still based their compositions on Classical Chinese. However, this written language wasn’t the vernacular language even two thousand years ago. The empires and groups of kingdoms of all these eras were composed of people speaking many different native languages. If Europe had a literary history like China’s, it would be as if most European writers until the 20th century always tried to write in ancient Classical Greek that became a dead language more than two millennia ago. Shang Dynasty (about 1700-1050 BC) Development of Chinese Writing The first dynasty for which there is historical record and archaeological evidence is the Shang Dynasty. It was a small empire in northern central China. No documents from that country survive, but there are archaeological finds of hieroglyphic writing on bronze wares and oracle bones. The hieroglyphic writing system later evolved into ideographic and partly-phonetic Chinese characters. Zhou Dynasty (1045-255 BC) Basic Philosophical and Religious Literature The Zhou Dynasty was contemporaneous with the Shang Dynasty, and then they conquered the Shang Dynasty. Their dynasty lasted for about 800 years, but for most of the time, their original territory was broken up into dozens of competing kingdoms, and these finally coalesced into several big and warring kingdoms by the end of the Zhou era. The great literary works of philosophy and religion that became the basis for Chinese religious and social belief stem from what is called the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476) and the Warring States Period (475-221). Taoism, Confucian literature, and other prominent religious and philosophical schools all emerged during these two periods. The Chinese call this simultaneous emergence of religions and philosophies the â€Å"One Hundred Schools of Thought.† Perhaps so many philosophers could write simultaneously because they lived in small kingdoms that supported them. In Chinese history, the dominant rulers generally squelch or discourage philosophical expression that contradict their own, so when there were several small powers, different schools of thought could survive in the land at the same time. The major literary achievements of the Confucian Classics, early Taoist writings, and other important prose works originated in the late Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty era. These literary works deeply shaped Chinese philosophy and religion. Confucius is said to have edited a history of the Spring and Autumn Period called the Spring and Autumn Annals (æ˜ ¥Ã§ §â€¹) that shapes Chinese thinking about its history. There were hundreds of philosophers and writers who wrote conflicting documents, and there was discussion and communication. What we know of the literature of this period was mainly preserved after the Qin Dynasty’s book burning and from a few recent archeological finds of records. Probably most of the philosophical and religious works of that time were destroyed. If there were great fictional books created, they have been lost. So the main contributions of this period to Chinese literature were the prose works of the Confucian Classics and the Taoist writings, and preserved poems and songs. Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) Literary Disaster and Legalism At the end of the Zhou Dynasty era that is called the Warring States Period, of the surviving few big states in the land, the Qin Dynasty became the most powerful. The Qin Dynasty had big armies and conquered the others. Once the Qin emperor had control, he wanted to keep it, and they squelched any opposition to his authority. In the conquered territories, there were teachers of many different doctrines and religions. A big philosophical and religious school then was called Mohism. They were particularly attacked by the Qin Dynasty, and little is known about it. An early form of Buddhism was also established in China at that time, but their temples and literature were destroyed and even less is known about them. The emperor wanted to reduce the One Hundred Schools of Thought to one that he approved. He ordered the destruction of most books all over the empire. He even killed many Confucian philosophers and teachers. He allowed books on scientific subjects like medicine or agriculture to survive. So the â€Å"Book Burning and Burial of Scholars† was a literary disaster. On the other hand, the Qin Dynasty standardized the written Classical Language. It is said that a minister of the Qin emperor named Li Si introduced a writing system that later developed into modern Chinese writing. Standardization was meant to help control the society. The standardized writing system also helped people all over the country to communicate more clearly. The Qin Emperor favored a philosophical school that was called Legalism (æ ³â€¢Ã¥ ® ¶). This philosophy of course justified the strong control of the emperor and maintained that everyone should obey him. It is thought that Li Si taught that human nature was naturally selfish and that a strong emperor government with strict laws was needed for social order. Li Si’s writings on politics and law and his propagation of this school much influenced the political thinking in the Han Dynasty and later eras. Legalism texts and the standardization of writing were the Qin Dynasty era’s literary contributions. Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) Scientific and Historical Texts A former peasant leader overthrew the Qin Empire. The Han Dynasty era lasted for 400 years. At the beginning of the era, Confucianism was revived. Confucian texts were rewritten and republished. Confucianism was mixed with the Legalism philosophy of Li Si. The resulting ideology was the official ideology of the Han Dynasty and influenced political thinking afterwards. The era’s major contributions were historical texts and scientific works. Sima Qian wrote Historical Records that is a major history concerning the overall history of China from before the Shang Dynasty until the Han Dynasty. The book’s prose was considered a model for writers in succeeding dynastic eras. Another important historical text concerned the Han Dynasty itself. Some scientific texts were also thought to be important for their times, thought it doesn’t seem that the information was widely known or well known afterwards. The Han Dynasty era was one of the two main hotspot eras for scientific and technical advance. But printing wasn’t available for wide publication of the information. During the Eastern Han Dynasty towards the end of the Han era, the influence of the philosophy of the Confucian Classics that hindered scientific progress was waning. So people were more free to pursue invention. Cai Lun (50–121) of the imperial court is said to be the first person in the world to create writing paper, and this was important for written communication at the end of the empire. Finery forges were used in steel making. Two or three mathematical texts showing advanced mathematics for the times were written. The Han Empire disintegrated into warring kingdoms similar to what happened during the Warring States Period before the Qin Dynasty. For several hundred years, dynasties and kingdoms rose and fell in various places, and the next big and long-lasting dynastic empire is called the Tang Dynasty . Tang Dynasty (618-907) Early Woodblock Printing and Poetry The Tang Dynasty had a big empire that benefited from trade with the west along the Silk Road, battled with the Tibetan Empire, and experienced the growing influence of organized Buddhist religions. This era’s main contribution to Chinese literature was in the poetry of Dufu, Li Bai and many other poets. Dufu and Li Bai are often thought of as China’s greatest poets. Li Bai (701–762) was one of the greatest romantic poets of ancient China. He wrote at least a thousand poems on a variety of subjects from political matters to natural scenery. Du Fu (712-770 AD) also wrote more than a thousand poems. He is thought of as one of the greatest realist poets of China. His poems reflect the hard realities of war, dying people living next to rich rulers, and primitive rural life. He was an official in the Tang capital of Chang An, and he was captured when the capital was attacked. He took refuge in Chengdu that is a city in Sichuan Province. It is thought that he lived in a simple hut where he wrote many of his best realist poems. Perhaps more than 1,400 of his poems survive, and his poetry is still read and appreciated by modern Chinese people. Song Dynasty (960-1279) Early Woodblock Printing, Travel Literature, Poetry, Scientific Texts and the Neo-Confucian Classics The next dynasty is called the Song Dynasty. It was weaker than the Tang Dynasty, but the imperial government officials made remarkable scientific and technical advances. Military technology greatly advanced. They traded little with the west due to the presence of warring Muslim states on the old trade routes. There wasn’t territorial expansion, but the empire was continuously attacked by nomadic tribes and countries around them. Their northern territory was invaded, and they were forced to move their capital to southern China. So the era is divided into two eras called the Northern Song (960-1127) and Southern Song (1127-1279) eras. One of the era’s technological accomplishments was the invention of movable type about the turn of 2nd millennia during the Northern Song period. This helped to spread knowledge since printed material could be published more quickly and chea ply. Travel literature in which authors wrote about their trips and about various destinations became popular perhaps because the texts could be cheaply bought. The Confucian Classics were codified and used as test material for the entrance examination into the elite bureaucracy, advanced scientific texts and atlases were published, and important poems were written. The Confucian Classics were important in China’s history because from the Song Dynasty onwards, they were the texts people needed to know in order to pass an examination for the bureaucracy of China. These Confucian Classics were the Five Classics that were thought to have been penned by Confucius and the Four Books that were thought to contain Confucius-related material but were compiled during the Southern Song era. The Four Books and Five Classics (å››æ› ¸Ã¤ ºâ€Ã§ ¶â€œ) were basically memorized by those who did the best on the exams. In this way, Confucianism, as codified during the Song era, became the dominant political philosophy of the several empires until modern times. Since the bureaucrats all studied the same works on social behavior and philosophy, this promoted unity and the normalization of behavior throughout each empire and during dynastic changes. The scholar-bureaucrats had a common base of understanding, and they passed on these ideas to the people under them. Those who passed the difficult exams were highly respected even if they didn’t receive a ruling post. High education in this system was thought to produce nobility. The Five Classics and Four Books were written in the written Classical Language. The Five Classics include: The Book of Changes, The Classic of Poetry, The Record of Rites that was a recreation of the original Classic of Rites of Confucius that was lost in the Qin book purge, The Classic of History, and The Spring and Autumn Annals that was mainly a historical record of Co nfucius native state of Lu. The Four Books include: The Analects of Confucius that is a book of pithy sayings attributed to Confucius and recorded by his disciples; Mencius that is a collection of political dialogues attributed to Mencius; The Doctrine of the Mean; and The Great Learning that is a book about education, self-cultivation and the Dao. For foreigners who want a taste of this Confucian philosophy, reading the Analects of Confucius is a good introduction since the statements are usually simple and like common sense. Another period of scientific progress and technical invention was the Song era. Song technicians seemed to have made a lot of advancements in mechanical engineering. They made advanced contraptions out of gears, pulleys and wheels. These were used to make big clocks, a mechanical odometer on animal drawn carts that marked land distance by making noise after traveling a certain distance, and other advanced instruments. The Song technicians also invented many uses gunpowder including rockets, explosives and big guns. The imperial court officials did remarkable scientific research in many areas of mechanics and science. Shen Kuo (1031–1095) and Su Song (1020–1101) both wrote scientific treatises about their research and about different fields. Shen is said to have discovered the concepts of true north and magnetic declination towards the North Pole. He also described the magnetic needle compass. If Chinese sailors knew about this work, they could have sailed long distances more accurately. This knowledge would predate European discovery. He did advanced astronomical research for his time. Su Song wrote a treatise called the Bencao Tujing with information on medicine, botany and zoology. He also was the author of a large celestial atlas of five different star maps, and he also made land atlases. Su Song was famous for his hydraulic-powered astronomical clock tower. Sus clock tower is said to have had an endless power-transmitting chain drive that he described in a text on clock design and astronomy that was published in 1092. If this is so, it may be the first time such a device was used in the world. When the Southern Song Empire was conquered by the Mongols, these inventions and the astronomical knowledge may have been forgotten. Another contribution to the literature of China was the poetry of the Song era. A Southern Song poet named Lu is thought to have written almost 10,000 poems. Su Tungpo is regarded as a great poet of the Northern Song era. Here is a stanza he wrote: â€Å"The moon rounds the red mansion Stoops to silk-pad doors Shines upon the sleepless Bearing no grudge Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?† Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) Drama and Great Fictional Novels The Mongols were nomadic people who herded cattle north of the Tang Empire and wandered over a large area fighting on horseback. They believed that they might be able to conquer the world. They easily conquered Persia far to the west. It was a big empire with high technology, a big population and a big army. Then they decided to try to conquer all the countries around them. They attacked the Tang Dynasty, the Dali Kingdom in Yunnan, and much of Asia, and they formed the biggest empire in the history of the earth until then. They conquered Russia, a part of eastern Europe and a part of the Middle East. In China, the Mongols established the very rich Yuan Dynasty. In their camps, the Mongols were entertained by shadow puppet plays in which a lamp cast the shadows of little figurines and puppets on a screen or sheet. In the Yuan Dynasty, puppet drama continued to entertain the rich dynastic courts in vernacular language. Dramatic operatic theaters with human actors speaking in vernacular language was a favorite form of entertainment as well, and some of China’s best dramatic scripts were written then. Also two of the four novels that are generally considered China’s best literary classics were written in vernacular language then. So though the Yuan Empire wasn’t ruled by Chinese, it was an era of some historically renowned dramatic playwrights and novelists who wrote in vernacular language. It is thought that the operatic style of the shadow puppet dramas that entertained the courts influenced the development of the operatic theater style of the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan rulers were fabulously wealthy according to historical accounts. They had a vast empire and control of trade in Eurasia. For the royal courts or the rich people, refined music, sound effects and talented singers were employed for shadow plays. The Yuan â€Å"Zaju† style of opera was similar to their shadow pl ays. Perhaps the playwrights adopted the plots and the features. There were exciting plots, elaborate costumes, refined music and singing, action, and dance that the Mongols enjoyed. The music of the Zaju operas was called Yuan Qu (Yuan Music). The language used wasn’t the Classical Language but the vernacular language, so that the theater might be enjoyed by everyone. After the Yuan Dynasty, the operatic style developed into the Painted Faces style of Chinese opera that was popular until modern times. Guan Hanqing is regarded as one of the best playwrights of the times. He wrote Midsummer Snow that was one of the most popular drama pieces. It is a tragedy about an unjustly accused woman who received justice after her death. The Romance of the Western Chamber was written by Wang Shifu. It is considered one of the best romantic dramas ever written in China. Novels were another outstanding achievement of the Yuan era. The novelists influenced the future development of the genre. Two novels are still widely read now and are generally considered two of the four greatest novels in Chinese literature. These are Water Margin and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was written in vernacular language by Luo Guan Zhong. It is historical fiction about the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms Period. The Three Kingdoms Period was between the Han and Tang eras. Special emphasis is laid on the two famous historical rulers Liu Bei and Cao Cao who were antagonists. It is a long novel with 800,000 words. Water Margin is about the lives and ideals of a group of characters who fought against the corrupt Northern Song Dynasty that the Mongols conquered. It is said it was written in vernacular language by Shi Nai An, but scholars debate about the authorship. Many scholars think that the first 70 chapters were written by Shi Nai An and that the last 30 chapters were written by Luo Guan Zhong who was also the author of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Novels The Chinese rebelled against the Mongols, and the Ming Dynasty era began about 1368. The Mongols and the Ming government still sometimes fought. Because of this and the presence of Muslim countries in between, trade with the west was reduced to the pre-Yuan level. The Ming initially were interested in exploration, and Muslims whose ancestors arrived during the Yuan Dynasty and who were familiar with seagoing trade were employed to make long voyages to the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and perhaps Africa. Then they became isolationist. It is interesting that a book that is one of the four great classics called Journey to the West about a monk going to India was written during this time of isolation. Maybe the thought of travel to the lands in the west was appealing then. Novels were the era’s main contribution. The Journey to the West is based on the historical journey of a Buddhist to India during the Tang era to learn Buddhist teachings and bring back scriptures and information. In 1629, Xuanzang (602 664) left Changan in 629 and arrived back in Changan in 646. Mythical tales about this journey including the character of an intelligent monkey began to be circulated long before the book was written. The author drew on known tales. Journey to the West is thought to have been published anonymously by Wu Chengen in the 16th century though scholars have doubt about the authorship. The trend in that era was for people to write in Classical Chinese and imitate the literature of the Tang Dynasty and Han Dynasty. However, this book was written in the vernacular. Perhaps because there was a lack of accurate geographical knowledge available to the author, much of the geographical landscape of the story is inaccurate. However, the â€Å"Flaming Mountains† that are near Turpan in Xinjiang are mentioned. Perhaps the author meant to poke fun at Chinese religion because a monkey is said to have defeated a whole army led by Taoist gods, and only the Buddha’s intervention stopped the monkey. The book describes India as a land of gross sin and immorality, and the monk was commissioned by Buddha to help India. The characters in the book are well known to Chinese children, and they often appear in martial arts movies and cartoons. Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Novels and Pre-modern Literature The Manchus invaded the Ming Empire from the north and established the last dynasty called the Qing Dynasty. The Manchus were not Chinese, but they retained the Neo-Confucian governing system of the Song and Ming eras. The Qing Dynasty came under increasing attack from both internal rebellions and foreign countries. In the 19th century, foreign literature and the West became better known. In the middle of this era, the last of China’s four great classic novels was written called Dream of the Red Chamber (ç ´â€¦Ã¦ ¨â€œÃ¥ ¤ ¢); and near the end of the era, modernistic literature developed. The Dream of the Red Chamber also has an uncertain authorship. Like the other three great classic novels, it was written in a vernacular language – the Mandarin language that was the language of the Qing capital. It is probably mostly composed by Cao Xueqin (about 1715-1763) in the middle 1700s, and the first printing of the book was in the late 1700s. It is thought that Cao did not live to see the first printing. It is thought that another person or other people contributed the ending of the story since the original ending of the story was lost. The book has a lot of textual problems, and there are different versions. In a preface to a printed version in 1792, two editors claimed to have put together an ending based on the authors working manuscripts that they had bought from a street vendor. At the end of the Qing Dynasty era, the dynastic rulers came under increasing pressure both from foreign attacks and internal rebellions. Educated Chinese had easier access to foreign literature, and they were more influenced by Western culture. Students started to travel abroad to study, and schools built by missionaries educated tens of thousands of students. There was a general sense of crisis, and intellectuals started translating foreign works on science, politics, and literature. These were popular, and the culture started to change. Some writers produced fiction more like Western fiction. Chinese Literatures Chinese Classical Prose Prose writing in ancient and pre-modern China differed from poetry in that it was less rigidly structured and wasnt like verses in a song or like one of the common styles of poetry. But compared to English prose, literary prose before the year 1900 was often much more formalized. Except for popular novels and theatrical plays, most of the literary prose works were written in the literary Classical Language. This Classical Language utilized the grammar and ancient characters of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) and of the Han Dynasty era (206 BC – 220 AD). Writers sought to imitate the examples of prose in ancient philosophical and religious books such as Mencius (Ã¥ ­Å¸Ã¥ ­ ) and Zhuang Zi (莊å ­ ). These old texts that were thought to date from about 600 BC to 200 BC were thought to contain examples of careful and well-reasoned discourses and be examples of good organization and style. During the Han Dynasty era (206 BC – 220 AD), a more formalized style of prose writing appeared that was called Piantiwen (é § ¢Ã© «â€Ã¦â€"‡) or parallel prose style. But in the Tang and Song eras, people started to write in the less formal and more ancient style called Guwen (Ã¥  ¤Ã¦â€"‡) of the Warring States era. So classical prose can be divided into three types called Piantiwen style, Guwen style, and the vernacular style used in operatic dramas and in the Four Classic Novels of Chinese literature. For about 2,000 years after the Qin Dynasty era (221-206 BC), Chinese writers had a constraint that European writers generally didnt face after the Renaissance. Chinese writers generally needed to write in a common literary language that wasnt their native language or a vernacular language anywhere. The ancient languages of the Warring States Period were extinct. But writers had to maintain the grammar and the use of the vocabulary. In some ways, this is similar to how educated Europeans wrote in Latin until the Renaissance era. During the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the emperor ordered that all texts other than those of a philosophy called Legalism and some sciences that he favored be destroyed. There was a Book Burning and the Burial of Scholars. They effectively destroyed several religions and philosophical schools and much ancient literature. During the Han era, people tried to reconstruct and preserve what was lost. What emerged as important were works attributed to Confucius, Mencius, Zhuang Zi, Lao Zi, and a few other philosophers. Mencius whose book was considered one of the major texts of Confucianism was said to have elegant diction, and Zhuang Zi whose text was one of the two pillars of the school of Daoism that emerged in the Han era showed how to use anecdotes and all egories effectively. Chinese writers tried to copy their styles. The example of the style from the pre-Qin era was said to be simple and direct. Ouyang XiuIn the Han era, a variant style was developed that was called Piantiwen (é § ¢Ã© «â€Ã¦â€"‡). This style wasnt as clear or precise, but it was florid, ornate and rigid. The Piantiwen style was popular for several hundred years afterwards. During the late Tang era (618-907), two prominent officials tried to reintroduce the earlier style called Guwen. Han Yu (768–824) and Liu Zongyuan tried to teach others to use Guwen. They are considered two of the great prose masters of the Tang and Song eras. But the Tang Dynasty fell and was replaced by the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD). During the Song Dynasty, another literati named Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072) helped to revive writing in the Guwen style. This neoclassical style dominated prose writing for the next 800 years. It was the writing system of rulers in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1645-1912) eras. In order to gain entrance into the bur eaucracy during the Ming and Qing eras, candidates had to pass the imperial qualifying examination. The exam material was the 9 Classics of Neo-Confucianism as was codified in the Song era. The Four Books and Five Classics (å››æ› ¸Ã¤ ºâ€Ã§ ¶â€œ) were basically memorized by those who did the best on the exams. These works contained the style of writing the literati wished to imitate. After the fourteenth century, vernacular fiction became popular. This may be because the invention of printing allowed the works to be more widely published. In the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming and Qing eras, four novels were published that are considered the best in Chinese history. The four novels are often called the Four Classics in China. All four were written in a spoken language of their times unlike most ancient literature that was written in the literary Classical Language. These four novels all have disputed authorship. They are: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms that is said to have been written by Luo Guan Zhong during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368); Water Margin that is said to be written by Shi Nai An during the Yuan era; Journey to the West that is thought to have been published anonymously by Wu Chengen during the Ming Dynasty era (1368-1644); and The Dream of the Red Chamber was said to be written by Cao Xueqin (1715-1763) during the Qing Dynasty era (1644-1911). The writers wrote in different languages, but vernacular prose can be called the third type of classical prose writing. Chinese Poetry Poetry has been a favorite literary genre for thousands of years. Poetry isnt taken very seriously in the West, especially in the last two hundred years, but Chinese ancient poetry is still read and ancient Chinese poets are honored. The greatest poets are thought to have lived a thousand years ago or more during the Tang (618-907), Song (960-1279) and Han (206 BC – 220 AD) dynastic eras. Du Fu, Li Bai and Su Shi are considered among the best ancient poets, and there are five major kinds of major ancient poetic styles called Shi, Ci, Ge, Qu and Fu. The very ancient poetry that was written a thousand or more years ago was simpler and about common things like love, romance and nature that people appreciate. Though much poetry was written in the eras following the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it is thought that the poets became increasingly erudite, academic and esoteric so that modern Chinese cant appreciate the style and meaning. Since the Chinese have a character-based writing system instead of an alphabetic system, though the languages have changed, modern Chinese can still read a lot of the ancient poetry. Since the pronunciation of words has changed a lot, often the rhymes or tonal rhythms are lost for poems that rhymed or had tonal patterns. But the meanings of the characters havent changed much, though modern readers may interpret the words to mean something other than the ancient author intended. Nuances and connotations may be lost. Since old poems remain and modern Chinese can understand them to some extent, they are still appreciated. Five Kinds of Poems 1. Shi è © © Shi poems are composed of couplets. They are poems of two more coupled lines. The two lines of a couplet usually rhyme and match rhythmically and complement each other tonally. Modern Mandarin only has five tones, but ancient languages usually had more, so the tonal rhythms are generally lost. 2. Ci è ©Å¾ Ci poetry can be described as poems that have patterns of syllables and tonal patterns. In making a Ci poetry, a poet chooses words that fit a specific pattern. These patterns may have once been part of a song. But the music has been lost. There are various patterns that provided affective settings for various effects or moods. 3. Ge æ ­Å' The word ge means song. Ge poems are the words to a song that can be sung. There were folk songs as well as songs composed by the literate and educated composers. 4. Qu æ› ² When the Mongols conquered China and established the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), they brought with them their own style of music and forms of entertainment. They especially liked to watch shadow puppet theaters that were puppet plays of little manipulated figurines and puppets illuminated by a lamp so that the shadows fell against a screen. It is thought that the form of operatic drama of the Yuan Dynasty imitated their shadow play theaters. The style of music and song in the operas was called Yuan Qu or Mongol Music. The songs from the operas and popular songs were a poetic style called Qu that was also popular in later eras. The poetic style is freer of form. 5. Fuè ³ ¦ A fifth major style of poetry is called Fu. These are descriptive poems that contain both prose and couplets. These were popular about 1,500 years to 2,000 years ago. Often poets included rare or unusual written characters from preceding eras in their poems.