Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Symbols In Lord Of The Flies

Piggy’s specs are a very symbolic object. Piggy is a social outcast but his intelligence and thoughtfulness well exceed that of any of the other boys. His thoughts come to life through Ralph’s image to make an ultimate leader. The specs are a symbol of man’s ability to perceive and think, man’s greed, and the boys’ vision of civilization. Piggy is the most intelligent boy and has the clearest perception of the boys on the island. The fact that he wears glasses is a symbol of his intelligence. After he was killed, â€Å"There was no Piggy to talk sense.†(216) Piggy was â€Å"a true, wise friend.† (202). At the beginning of the novel, Ralph uses the specs to create a signal fire for rescue, an intelligent idea. However, Jack uses Piggy’s specs to â€Å"smoke [Ralph] out and set the island on fire†(217). This is a contrast between the good and bad applications of man’s knowledge. The specs symbolise the greedy nature of mankind. The two tribes want the specs to create fire. Jack’s tribe wants fire to cook, Ralph’s tribe want the specs to keep the signal fire going. Ralph’s tribe was willing to share the glasses, â€Å"[Jack], You could have had fire whenever you wanted. But you didn’t. You came sneaking up like a thief and stole Piggy’s glasses!† (195) Jack would rather steal the specs and make Ralph’s tribe weak than share the tools they have collectively. He wants to have more power at all costs. His lack of morals lets his greedy nature take him over, and his followers as well. It is interesting because when Piggy has lost his glasses and can not see, the rest of the boys also lose their perception of reality and what is and is not acceptable behaviour. Roger loses his vision of what is humane, and â€Å"with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all of his weight on the lever†(200) and took Piggy’s life. They practically aba ndon all ties to civilized life, and they are too blind to see this. Piggy’s glasse... Free Essays on Symbols In Lord Of The Flies Free Essays on Symbols In Lord Of The Flies Piggy’s specs are a very symbolic object. Piggy is a social outcast but his intelligence and thoughtfulness well exceed that of any of the other boys. His thoughts come to life through Ralph’s image to make an ultimate leader. The specs are a symbol of man’s ability to perceive and think, man’s greed, and the boys’ vision of civilization. Piggy is the most intelligent boy and has the clearest perception of the boys on the island. The fact that he wears glasses is a symbol of his intelligence. After he was killed, â€Å"There was no Piggy to talk sense.†(216) Piggy was â€Å"a true, wise friend.† (202). At the beginning of the novel, Ralph uses the specs to create a signal fire for rescue, an intelligent idea. However, Jack uses Piggy’s specs to â€Å"smoke [Ralph] out and set the island on fire†(217). This is a contrast between the good and bad applications of man’s knowledge. The specs symbolise the greedy nature of mankind. The two tribes want the specs to create fire. Jack’s tribe wants fire to cook, Ralph’s tribe want the specs to keep the signal fire going. Ralph’s tribe was willing to share the glasses, â€Å"[Jack], You could have had fire whenever you wanted. But you didn’t. You came sneaking up like a thief and stole Piggy’s glasses!† (195) Jack would rather steal the specs and make Ralph’s tribe weak than share the tools they have collectively. He wants to have more power at all costs. His lack of morals lets his greedy nature take him over, and his followers as well. It is interesting because when Piggy has lost his glasses and can not see, the rest of the boys also lose their perception of reality and what is and is not acceptable behaviour. Roger loses his vision of what is humane, and â€Å"with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all of his weight on the lever†(200) and took Piggy’s life. They practically aba ndon all ties to civilized life, and they are too blind to see this. Piggy’s glasse...

Friday, November 22, 2019

How to Use the Inverted Pyramid in Newswriting

How to Use the Inverted Pyramid in Newswriting Inverted pyramid refers to the structure or model commonly used for hard-news stories. It means that the most important, or heaviest information goes at the top of the story, while the least important information goes at the bottom. Heres an example:  He used the inverted pyramid structure to write his news story. Early Beginnings The inverted pyramid format was developed during the Civil War. Correspondents covering the great battles of that war would do their reporting, then rush to the nearest telegraph office to have their stories transmitted, via Morse Code, back to their newsrooms. But the telegraph lines were often cut in mid-sentence, sometimes in an act of sabotage. So the reporters  realized they had to put the most important facts right at the very start of their stories so that even if most of the details were lost, the main point would get through. (Interestingly, the  Associated Press, which is known for its extensive use of tightly written, inverted pyramid stories, was founded around this same time. Today the AP is the oldest and one of the largest news organizations in the world.) Inverted Pyramid Today Of course, some 150 years after the end of the Civil War, the inverted pyramid format is still being used because it has served both journalists and readers well. Readers benefit from being able to get the main point of the story right in the very first sentence. And news outlets benefit by being able to convey more information in a smaller space, something thats especially true in an age when newspapers are literally shrinking. (Editors also like the inverted pyramid format because when working on tight deadlines, it enables them to cut overly long stories from the bottom without losing any vital information.) In fact, the inverted pyramid format is probably more useful today than ever. Studies have found that readers tend to have shorter attention spans when reading on screens as opposed to paper. And since readers increasingly get their news not just on the relatively small screens of iPads but on the tiny screens of smartphones, more than ever reporters must summarize stories as quickly and as succinctly as possible. Indeed, even though online-only news sites theoretically have infinite amounts of space for articles, since there are no pages to be physically printed, more often than not youll find that their stories still use the inverted pyramid and are very tightly written, for the reasons cited above. Do It Yourself For the beginning reporter, the inverted pyramid format should be easy to learn. Make sure to get the main points of your story - the five Ws and the H - into your lede. Then, as you go from the start to the finish of your story, put the most important news near the top, and the least important stuff near the bottom. Do that, and youll produce a tight, well-written news story using a format that has withstood the test of time.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 26

Leadership - Essay Example Categorizing the culture of company, it can be stated that the culture of the company is Low Performance Culture. High Performance Culture is the one where shared beliefs, attitudes, actions and goals persist whereas Low Performance Culture is opposite of it. The Mission Statement of GameStop Corporation states that the company is less inclined towards High Performance Culture whereas the Vision Statement of the company states its values for its employees, shareholders etc. Out of all these four types of organizational culture, the culture of GameStop is a mix of Create and Compete. The company always focuses on brining something new as the nature of the industry is innovative and competition is very tough. Therefore, in order to keep pace with its competitors, it has to â€Å"Compete† by bringing something new through utilizing â€Å"Create† culture. "Our GameStop, EB Games and Electronics Boutique retail locations set us apart in the industry. Everything that we offer our customers-from our expansive selection of new products, to our knowledgeable associates and our value-added pre-owned products-is geared to deliver customer satisfaction. We complement our store network with GameStop.com and EBgames.com, and publish Game Informer, one of the industrys largest circulation video game magazines." The culture of GameStop supports its Mission Statement but doesn’t support its Vision Statement. In Mission Statement, the company has stated about how customer oriented it is, which is certainly true however in Vision Statement, it has stated about commitment and providing value to its employee and shareholders which is not the case in actual. The company is highly customer oriented and employees are directed to perform as per the requirements and preferences of customers. The culture of the company can be improved only when if it aligns its Vision Statement along with its corporate culture.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Poverty in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Poverty in America - Essay Example 15). In this regard, the current case analysis aims present an evaluation of the current situation through a stakeholder analysis using ethical theories. From case facts, it was revealed that poverty affects different segments of society: children, minority groups (particularly African Americans and Hispanics), women, widows, the homeless, and other groups who could have lost their jobs, became ill, or met some unfortunate and fortuitous events. Thus, the factors that were deemed contributory to poverty include: job loss, misfortune, illness, lack of income despite working full-time, insufficient government support, ineffective welfare programs, break-up of marriage, the need to support children alone, and even laziness or indolence. Children were identified as being significantly affected by poverty. Case facts revealed that the cause of poverty in children include poor nutrition, reported exposure to environmental toxins, as well as the presence of stress hormones that negatively impact of children’s growth. Accordingly, â€Å"children are the poorest age group in the nation. In 2012, children were 60 percent more likely to be poor than adults ages 18-64, and nearly two-and-a-half times more likely to be poor than seniors† (Childrens Defense Fund, 2014, p. 22). Thus, children who remain in poverty have been noted to sustain negative impacts including inability to finish education, avail of health benefits, and be preponderant to exposure to criminal activities. Concurrently, another stakeholder to poverty are women, especially those who got divorced, were left by their spouses, got widowed, or who need to support their children on their own. As such, women were noted to apply for more welfare and financial support. Likewise, other factors which were noted to be contributory to poverty of women is the unequal and discriminatory labor rates, when

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Politics in Nigeria Essay Example for Free

Politics in Nigeria Essay Is there any lesson to be learnt in the war on terror where the proponents vowed never to dialogue or negotiate with terrorists, only to now realize, after the demise of thousands and loss of billions of dollars, that dialogue is the only option left for a lasting peace in Iraq and Afghanistan? Do we see such favour and sensationalism by the press on these botched attempts as we witness when the culprits happen to be Muslims? What would have happened if those Christians had succeeded in carrying out the blast? In a nation where the press in mainly in the hands of people of a particular faith, it is hard to be neutral in their reportage of these kinds of events; especially if it reinforces a stereotype and serves a hot selling item of news. John Akpava was caught with weapons at a Ministerial Press Briefing held at Radio House, Abuja. What would the press have done with this story if John Akpava were a Muslim? A ‘suicide’ bomber was allowed into the premises of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), Jos, by a fellow member of the church, who detonated explosives that led to the death of 8 persons; 38 others were seriously injured. The Sun Newspaper of Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 reported that the said Boko Haram suicide bomber was identified by The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), as Mr. Adams Joseph Ashaba, ‘who allegedly masterminded the bombing of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in Jos, the Plateau State capital on February 26, disclosing, that he was actually a member of the Church.’ In another report on Daily Trust of Monday, February 27th, 2012, 8 members of the same (COCIN) were arrested this time in Bauchi with explosive devices desiring to set ablaze the church. Their arrest was almost thwarted by some Christians, but for the timely intervention of the Police. The above examples and that of the arrest of Augustine Effiong of Akwa Ibon origin who was reported by Thisday of May 21st, 2012, to have confessed his involvement in the BUK bombings, should make Muslim and Christian leaders realise that we are all in this together, and that we should work in harmony to bring about workable solution to the problem of insecurity in Nigeria. We have to do this. The problems of this country could only be solved by Nigerians. Yes, we can listen to good advice from abroad, and learn from other people’s experiences on similar matters. The ambivalence of the sacred is not to be seen as a bad thing. A polarised world is the one which should be strange. What we hold dear are not the same; our understanding of who God is and what His Laws are is also varied and diverse. The only thing we can firmly attest to as people is that we are brothers in humanity. The multiplicity of religions is a manifestation of our diverse backgrounds and reasoning. While some are content to worship the air and trees; others worship a fellow being as god. Look at Christianity and Islam for example: In either faith, we have hundreds of sects and variants. Each sect or variant in turn has its own idiosyncrasies and modes of worship and body of beliefs. The realisation that every time you are looking at the number 6 on a table, another sees the number 9 across that table helps to devise means to study and tolerate conflicting ideologies. While Muslims have been stereotypically dubbed as violent, Christians have had their share of stereotypes too. A typical uninformed Muslim thinks all Christians are Crusaders, trying to snuff out the light of Islam. He detests the Christians in his surroundings and distrusts them. When he meets the right Christian, he is confused and disorientated. He asks more and learns; he deepens his understanding and the shallowness of undue hate goes away. We also have stories of Christians referring to Muslims as idolaters and heathens who slaughter a ram every year to their god. One of such ignoramuses even wrote a book he titled â€Å"Who is This Allah?† He used that rare opportunity to show just how ignorant he is. The average uninformed Christian distrusts and despises the Muslims. The irresponsible journalism tactics employed by some media houses have also helped fuel the problem. The annual holidays connected to the Christian faith given by the Federal Government and most state governments are the Christian New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas and Boxing Day. We also have the weekly holidays of Saturday and Sunday to enable them go and worship. On the Muslim side we have the yearly holidays of Eidul Adha, Eidul Fitr and Mawlidun Nabiyy. The Osun state governor decided to give the Muslims their right by making 15th November, which corresponds to 1st Muharram a public holiday. Objectively, no one should have any issues with that; after all, are citizens are equal and what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander; but alas! That was not to be! The Christain owned Punch newspaper wrote an editorial condemning it and saying Nigeria is secular. How convenient! Muslims say he was sent by God as a messenger, bearer of glad tidings and warner against the impending doom of the end of time. They revere him and truly believe in him. They do not elevate him to a rank above prophethood. Any attack on his personality is an affront on their faith. The Muslims believe that Jesus (or ‘Eesa) the son of the Virgin Mary is alive, never died or resurrected, ascended to the heavens until his return, is a great prophet who was born in one of the four ways God perpetuates life. Any insult on him is an affront on the Muslim faith and any who disbelieves in him is not a Muslim. The Christians have two main beliefs about him. One says he is in fact God, Lord and Saviour; a part of a triune while the other contends that he was sent by God but lesser than God. These are clearly opposing views about the same people! Do we go out and persecute those who do not share the same sets of beliefs with us? Only a fool will answer in the affirmative! This madness must stop, and to stop it, we must know ourselves and what we hold dear better; that is no fool’s calling. We know and believe that if more of us know what you and I know today and if more are willing to practise our faiths to the letter, there will be little or no bloodshed. Over centuries Muslims and Christians and Jews have been murdered for the simple reason that they belong to a different faith; we can and must stop it.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Trotskys Contribution to the Success of the Bolsheviks up to 1922 Essa

Without contribution from crucial individuals politically involved in Russia at the time, the success of the Bolsheviks and the proceeding (ideally) Communist government may have been less then what we know today. One such individual was Trotsky.Trotsky made a vital contribution to the success of the Bolsheviks up to 1922. As Lenin made clear in 1918 Trotsky was in his view the only person able to save the revolution. Trotsky was a member of the Social Democratic Party and was living in exile in America. Surprised by the February revolution in Petrograd in 1917 he returned to Russia arriving in May 1917. In this revolution, he was the one who persuaded Lenin to hold off the attack until he was sure that the Bolshevik?s had a much more secure hold on the country. This led to the abdication of the Tsar and the establishment of a Provisional Government led by Kerensky. Although he had been a Menshevik (a branch of the Social Democratic Party which believed that there would be a workers uprising leading to a revolution) he was rapidly convinced by Lenin?s views to become a Bolshevik (a branch of the Social Democratic Party that believed a small organised party was needed to spearhead a revolution) and by June 1917 he was regarded by Lenin as the ?number 2? in the Bolshevik party. Trotsky had exceptional leadership qualities that helped the Bolsheviks to success. He was an opportunist, intelligent, pragmatic and persistent. Trotsky was a very effective public speaker and because of this ability, could get huge amounts of support on his side. He used real life comparisons so as to engage his audience. He was able to store confidence and trust in the public and the army, which was a massive contribution to the Bolshevik?s success... ... travel to the points where the fighting was the fiercest to provide support. By doing this he was able to boost moral, rally and inspire his men in a way that other leaders, especially White leaders, could not. What's more, it was Trotsky who decided to save Petrograd when it was under threat from Yudenich, when Lenin had lost all other hope. People were most impressed with Trotsky?s skill to turn the Red Army, which started off as barely anything, into a fighting army of around five million by the end of 1920. Trotsky was the main negotiator with the German when the peace treaty was made. Although Russia lost huge amounts of land, Trotsky decided that it was best to get out of the war, whatever the cost. The situation was that of such poverty in Russia at the time. In this treaty, Russia lost 54% of its industry, 26% of the railways and 89% of their coalmines.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Poetry and Dwarf Essay

  The thought-provoking poem, Assisi, written by Norman MacCaig is based on when MacCaig went to Assisi to visit the beautiful church built in St Francis’ name. The main character we read about, a dwarf sitting outside the church, is described in a way which evokes great sympathy for him. The writer achieves this by forming a vivid description of the dwarf and using different techniques helping him create sympathy for the dwarf from the reader. The first four lines of the poem create an image of the dwarf which is not very pleasant. â€Å"The dwarf with his hands on backwards/ Sat, slumped like a half-filled sack/  On tiny twisted legs from which/ Sawdust might run† The very first line of the poem is a very direct, blunt opening statement. The idea of the dwarfs hands being on ‘backwards’ is so disturbing that at once the reader starts to pity the dwarf. Using alliteration in the second line ‘sat slumped’ makes it seem that the dwarf sees no point in living anymore. The poet uses a simile to describe the way the dwarf was sitting, depicting him as a ‘half filled sack’ showing that the dwarf had been dehumanized by everyone surrounding him, making the writer annoyed that nobody is noticing the dwarf. MacCaig uses a metaphor on the third and fourth lines of the poem, ‘tiny twisted legs from which saw dust might run’ giving an idea of how small and weak the dwarf really is, not being able to move very far, therefore living a miserable life in the same place. MacCaig refers back to the dwarf nearer the end of the poem, evoking even greater sympathy for him. â€Å"The ruined temple outside, whose eyes/ Wept pus, whose back was higher/ Than his head, whose lopsided mouth/ Said grazie in a voice as sweet/ As a child’s when she spoke to her mother/ Or a bird when it spoke/ To St Francis. †The poet uses the phrase ‘ruined temple’ to show that the dwarf’s appearance is made in God’s image and even though his appearance may be destroyed, inside he is still just a normal man, like everyone else. MacCaig using the words ‘wept pus’ creates a very unpleasant picture with the idea of pus coming out of the dwarfs eyes but also a very sad picture with the idea that the dwarf was crying. ‘Whose back was higher than his head, whose lopsided mouth’, the writer says this to, again, accentuate the disturbing appearance of the dwarf, implying that the dwarf has a hunchback. At the end of the stanza, the poet surprises the reader when he uses the simile ‘as sweet as a child’ as coming from a man with such a bad physical appearance, the reader does not expect the dwarfs’ voice to be sweet. Throughout the poem, the dwarf is compared to different people and the church. In the first stanza MacCaig uses juxtaposition between the dwarf and the extraordinary building of the church, at the beginning he introduces the dwarf, and he then describes the church. He shows the comparison of how elaborate and wonderful the church at Assisi is, and how there is a dwarf, with a very miserable life, sitting outside. There is also a sense or irony in that, even though St Francis strived to help poor people, so much so that he got a church built in his name, there is still a very poor man sitting outside the church and nobody tries to help him. The second stanza concentrates on the priest, a man who is supposed to understand and share the meaning of God’s word. â€Å"A priest explained/ How clever it was of Giotto/ To make his frescoes tell stories/ That would reveal to the illiterate the goodness/ Of god and the suffering/ Of his son. I understand/ The explanation and/ The cleverness. † The word ‘a’ is used by MacCaig to introduce the priest. This indefinite article makes it seem like the priest is one of many, perhaps in criticism of the church itself, yet when he addresses the dwarf, the poet uses the word ‘the’ which suggests that the poet saw the dwarf as an individual, not like the priest who is just one of many. In this stanza the priest is showing the tourists around the church, showing them the frescoes that Giotto produced, explaining the word of god in pictures so that the illiterate could understand God’s word. The priest uses a very condescending tone when he speaks to the tourists, using a tone that suggests that he wanted to show off his church and his frescoes because he wanted the tourists to think that the he was very important. At the start of the final stanza, in reference to the second stanza, the writer describes how the tourists were acting. â€Å"A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly,/ Fluttered after him as he scattered/ The grain of the Word. It was they who had passed. † Here, the tourists are compared to hens who are clucking, chasing their master trying to get some grain, in this case God’s word. This refers to the parable ‘the sewer and the seed’. They represent the seeds that could not grow, who got caught in the thorns or thrown on the path, not understanding God’s word and therefore not growing into a healthy crop. The Priest would represent the farmer, sharing God’s word amongst the tourists. There are many themes in this poem but one of the main themes is the hypocrisy of the church. We see the church as an organisation that we expect to do good and help people less fortunate than themselves, and yet in the poem, Assisi, the priest, a representative of the church completely ignores the dwarf, an example of a poor man who the church should be helping, walking straight past him, not even acknowledging the dwarfs existence. This suggests that the church and also the priest don’t understand the meaning of what they are meant to be sharing, the true meaning of God, to help others. In conclusion, MacCaig manages to evoke a lot of sympathy for the dwarf. He does this by using detailed descriptions and comparisons between the dwarf and the church and priest. This makes for an interesting, thought provoking poem.