The Landscape of History Essay -- Book Review, John Lewis Gaddis

In The Landscape of History, John Lewis Gaddis makes a cohesive argument concerning about the debate over the objectivity of truth by stating â€Å"objectivity as a consequence is hardly possible, and that there is, therefore, no such thing as truth (Gaddis 29). The question for objective history has long been debated by numerous historians, and the differing viewpoints of history have led to a transition in our ways of thinking in the modern world. Ultimately, the question that this paper focuses on is: to what extent is history objective? Along with this, the relation to historical consciousness and the challenges of living in modernity will also be assessed. This paper will analyze the texts of John Lewis Gaddis, Nietzsche and the Birth of Tragedy, Modernity and Historical Vision, Living in Modernity, and Hermeneutics. Finally, the paper will argue that history is not largely objective, and is fundamentally shaped through the historian’s subjectivity. John Lewis Gaddis, in his book, The Landscape of History, generates a strong argument for the historical method by bringing together the multiple standpoints in viewing history and the sciences. The issue of objective truth in history is addressed throughout Gaddis’s work. In general, historians learn to select the various events that they believe to be valid. Historians must face the fact that there is an â€Å"accurate† interpretation of the past ceases to exist because interpretation itself is based on the experience of the historian, in which people cannot observe directly (Gaddis 10). Historians can only view the past in a limited perspective, which generates subjectivity and bias, and claiming a piece of history to be â€Å"objective† is simplistic. Seeing the world in a multidimensiona... ... in history. There is no real objective aspect to history, but a multitude of attitudes towards history can make history a discipline that allows for multidimensionality. The debate regarding whether or not history could be objective has been discussed and interpreted by many historians. The ways we think about history has allowed for the divergence of various perspectives in the world we live in today. In sum, the question discussed in this paper pertains to the extent of which history can be objective. This question has left room for several interpretations in the field of historiography and challenged our experienced in the era of modernity. This paper’s argument went for the subjective side of the argument with evidence for my argumentation from John Gaddis, Friedrich Nietzsche, Postmodernity and Modernity, Living in Modernity, and Heidegger’s Hermeneutics.

Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” the Peter Brooke version (1960) and the Harry Hook Essay

A media study comparing two cinematic interpretations of Golding’s â€Å"Lord of the Flies† the Peter Brooke version (1960) and the Harry Hook version (1990). These two interpretations of William Golding’s â€Å"The Lord of the Flies† have been directed by Peter Brooke in 1960’s and then Harry Hook’s version in the 1990’s. The original, black and white, version stays far closer to the book storyline altering only the slightest things. Peter Brooke keeps the boys from a public English school with strict rules about behaviour and uniform. The main idea behind the story is to see, just how long these boys will keep rules and order now that they have no one to enforce them upon them. It’s to see, just how long they will live with this civilised and orderly world, before they turn to the savage and more primitive world. In Harry Hook’s version, the story has been changed a great deal. The main difference is the boys themselves are now Americans from an American military school. Harry Hook has brought the film right up to date and more modern. The main reason for changing the boys to American, I believe, is because of tickets sales. Far more people would want to see these boys than English boys, partly because many people wouldn’t understand the English boys’ accent. Another major change Harry Hook has added is the role of the pilot. In the book and Peter Brooke’s version, the pilot is dead upon encountering the island on top of the mountain in the middle of the island with the tangled parachute, rapped around him, to make him look more like a beast. However, in Harry Hook’s Colour version, he has kept the pilot alive, with Ralph, one of the main boys, saving him from drowning at the start. Later on, he then dies up in a cave on the mountain, making him appear to be a beast. I think that Harry Hook’s version is more effective and believable to a modern viewer like me because if we look at a person wrapped in a parachute it wouldn’t appear to be a beast or anything like that. I believe in the 60’s people were far easier scared than what we are today. Also Harry Hook has touched up the film a bit by adding more technology into it, like the glow sticks or the pyrotechnics of the burning island. These changes he’s added make it easier for modern viewers to understand. I belief Harry Hook has been successful in creating a more updated and modern film. The opening scenes and sequences to both these films are very effective in their own ways. They both use different techniques of camera shots and angles and different audio and soundtracks and different way of putting across the message of what has just happen to this group of boys. In Peter Brooke’s version he runs through a series of images resembling certain things about the civilised world and what they are about to al leave behind. First of all he show images of some class rooms with lecturers at the front, dictating what appears to be maths and Latin. These symbolise rules and order, maths with all the rules and Latin with a very orderly structure to the language. He is trying to put across how the boys used to live before the plane crash. He also shows images of a cricket match showing more rules and the idea of fair play and all working together as a team. The quire is also introduced into these images representing harmony and peace. Peter Brooke then starts flicking in images of war, like the planes, tanks, bombs and troops. He is trying to show just how bad things are about to get. Peter Brooke has all the boys in these images dressed up smartly in there uniform. This again represents order. He is putting across to the viewers just how much the boys are going to loose and how far the boys are willing to stray from civilisation. The quire, which he also introduces, is also dressed up in these very smart and fine black robes. Peter Brooke has got them all dressed this way to show they are all together as a team and are all united in peace. When Peter Brooke has these war images introduced to the credits the intensity of the soundtrack is increases, adding this drum beat in the background. The very same drum beat is reintroduced later on in the film to show that civilisation has finally fallen apart completely. I this worked very well, reintroducing this intense drum beat because you then are able to relate the drums to war and uncivilised behaviour which is a very important theme to the whole film. In Harry Hook’s version, he has decided to put these images across in a very different way, but still, he’s very effective in doing so. His first shot is of the pilot sinking down the screen under water, until Ralph dives down and rescues him. Everything is silent underwater, until they hit the surface then is a burst of screams and shouts from the other boys. He’s trying to make it look and feel like the boys are being reborn. The sea is representing the old world and blue representing an empty or neutral colour and everything has been wiped clean suggesting everything has been wiped clean and they are starting life over, rebirth. Ralph is the first to be briefly introduced, which is also before the title credits. He dives down into the sea, rescuing the pilot, and then again, diving down rescuing the life boat which saves all the boys. The pilot is a good symbol of the old world and how it’s slowly disappearing and slipping out of their grips. Harry Hook is immediately trying to show, Ralph as the one who wants the old world to come back, her wants to hold on to the old world and save it. Underwater, it has been deliberately made silent to try and contrast the two worlds and show how completely different they are. This worked very well for the film. The title is then brought up onto the screen against a black background with the films theme tune. In my opinion, I feel this has worked better than Peter Brooke’s opening credits because there’s more drama and suspense about, whether these boys are actually going to survive in the water and what they will do. Also it is easier to read the opening credits against a black background, rather than have to focus on what’s going on in the background as well as read the credits. In both of the films they then start to introduce the main characters, starting mainly with Ralph, closely followed by Ralph and Piggy two. Both directors have decided to focus mainly on these three characters at the beginnings. Each one of these has also been singled out and is noticed by a very distinguishing feature. In Peter Brooke’s film, Ralph is noticeable because he has kept all his uniform on, whereas most the others have started to take items off, whereas, in Harry Hook’s film Ralph is given a sling. Giving Ralph this sling makes him stand out a great deal from all the other boys. In both the films, Piggy just looks completely different from all the other boys. He’s short, fat and has glasses. Piggy is also the most mature out of the group and can see a lot more clearly about what’s going to happen to them. His glasses are a symbol of the old world; they enable him to see things clearer than what the other boys can. He is also able to blind him self from the truth if he doesn’t like it or danger by taking them off. If he knows trouble is going to happen, he generally takes them off to clean or something. Finally there’s Jack. In Peter Brooke’s version he is the head chorister of the quire and then in the Harry Hook version he is first seen with no jacket on. Jack is the first boy in both films to remove all his clothes and becomes the chief of the tribe, which is created later on in the film. I think again Harry Hook has been more successful in singling out the main characters of the film. When first viewing the island, both directors have kept it in black or a silhouette against the sky. They keep it in this format to symbolise mystery and uncertainty about things to come. When all the boys are sailing into the island, in Harry Hook’s version, the main point he is trying to portray is all the boys are altogether as one group. No individuals and no one have any identity yet. They’re all in black against the blue sea representing the old world, with no characteristics trying to show they are still together and united as one group, coming from the old world of civilisation. This is done differently in Peter Brooke’s version because they are all assembled together on the beach but the same points are still made. I feel Harry Hook made this scene better too because all the characters no each other and can be classed as a group, whereas Peter Brooke’s boys didn’t no each other and have to find out who each boy is at the beginning. When Ralph saves the pilot in the colour film, it shows that he still clutches to this old world and wants it back. The boys wrap the pilot in a mosquito net and treat him like a child, I feel Harry Hook is trying to show the roles have now been reverse and the adult is now this child or baby and the boys are the adults. When the boys are in the big group on the beach, Ralph starts with a green glow stick, the green symbolising fear and loneliness. The camera angles in both films are mainly all in medium shot while introducing the boys, so you can get a good look at all the boys and work out first impressions for yourself. It also has a few close-ups on the main characters to show these are the one’s that’ll make a difference. The boys soon discover that the island isn’t that bad, by finding water and wild pig’s for food. In both films, all the boys are working together to show they are still this team but some of the boys have already started to get annoyed by piggy and mock his name. Both directors establish the island in more detail and show it’s a small island. For Ralph, this island is a dream come true or a paradise for him. Yet again, I feel Harry Hook has captured this better by introducing this gigantic water pool they find in the middle of the forest, where all the boys drink from and play in. Ralph can’t get enough of this paradise, golden sun, sandy beaches, warm and clear water, but best of all, there is no adults to enforce any rules upon them but he soon starts to wish there were adults. This soon becomes a nightmare and a burning hell. Piggy is the first boy to realise this and what will happen, so he goes back to the water, in hope to find someway of brings back the old world and what he finds is the conch. This allows them to keep some rules and order with the other boys but this doesn’t last very long and it not long, before a lot of the boys start to rebel against all these rules and start to realise they aren’t going to be rescued so make the most of it. When Ralph and Piggy are first introduced in to Peter Brooke’s version, they are frantically struggling through the undergrowth of the forest floor, in an attempt to gain access to the sea once again and the old world. I don’t think this scene is capture very well, not because of camera angles or soundtrack because I feel they worked very well, having all the bugs and animal noises in the background, but because of Hugh Edwards, the boy who played Piggy. I feel he didn’t relate into the character as well as the new Piggy, Dan iel Pipoly. This has let the film down but it was still a very good film, putting across all the main points. Soon the fire is introduced which is a huge symbol of power and nature. As the film progresses the fire’s symbol changes. First off it starts off as power of nature and stands for rescue but later on it is used for cooking and hunting. The first fire the boys set goes horrible wrong and out of control very rapidly. The directors here are trying to give us a glimpse of things to come like disaster. All the boys are still together at this pint and work together to put the fire out, except Piggy who is isolated and alone. Piggy is shot through the fire showing he hasn’t got long left and he knows it. Piggy’s specs are also a great aspect and an important feature of the film because these start the fire. Piggy can’t see without them so when there is danger, he uses this to his advantage and takes them off, blinding him from the truth. With the fire lit the boys now start to get out of control and start almost a tribal dance, Piggy is again deliberately shot outside the group, showing he is already being left out. Piggy knows this and he knows what is going to happen. In the colour version, Harry Hook, has added a single tree standing alone, next to the fire. This is completely burnt down and incinerated. This tree symbolised innocence which has now gone, destroyed and crashed down. This again shows the power of nature and things to come. Probably the main or key scene, of the film is when Simon, the first to be killed and realise the truth about the beast, is killed. This is the key point where finally the boys are divided and both groups head off in completely different directions. Once Simon has been killed, nothing could ever be the same. Once Jack, has finally become more like a native and so primitive, he’s killed once and is willing to kill again. Ralph and Piggy now realise they are the only ones with any sense left and know if they aren’t rescued soon, they too will be killed. The sequences leading up to Simon’s death introduce the face paints and body paints, acting like masks, where the boys can hide behind. Once the boys have these paints they are hidden from everything and are able to commit far more serious crimes, like murder. On both films, Simon sits in front of the sacrifice, or the pig’s head, which Jack has placed for the beast, just staring with no expression or emotion, just trying to work out what actually is going on. In Peter Brooke’s version he has nothing but the buzzing of flies in the background to show it’s the flies eating away the flesh and meat of the head, not a beast. Simon figures it out and goes up to the mo9untain to check what he believes and finds the dead pilot in both versions. Simon has a lot more sense than the other boys and can see that there isn’t a beast, but the beast that they fear is inside of them all. The camera’s keep switching between the beach, where Jack and his tribe are dancing around a fire, in a very primitive and savage way, pretending to do rituals where they chase a boy round the fire who is pretending to be the pig, or the beast which builds up tension for when Simon is actually killed, it also gives the film a lot more co nfusion to show the boys aren’t to sure what is going on. Each time the screen is switched from Simon to Jack and his tribe, it’s getting darker and every time it gets darker the tribe are getting far more wild and aggressive. The sound of crashing waves against rocks is introduced to the backing music to show there is a war going on between these two worlds. A few boys start throwing the fire into the water, rejecting the old world. Both films captured these sequences very well and all this helps built up tension, suspense and fear before Simon’s death. Simon races down to the beach to tell the other boys his discovery. By now it’s really dark, the night has drawn in and the only light is the central fire where all the boys are dancing round and racing round after a pretend pig. Ralph and Piggy are still shot out of the group though because they can sense something bad is going to happen before the night is over. When Simon is spotted, there is a big question mark on whether Jack actually knew it was Simon and had him deliberately killed or he genuinely thought it was the beast. This question arises because Simon keeps the boys in his tribe by fear of the beast and by threatening them. He goes on about how his hunter will protect him from the beast, but if the truth is revealed, that there is no beast, not many of the boys would actually follow Jack. Harry Hook, in my opinion again, has captured this scene very well. It was a good effect, having a camera track Simon down the beach and have him running, with this green glow stick. The glow stick gives him a more monstrous appearance and makes the accidental killing storyline more believable to viewers. After the boys back away and realise what they’ve done, the sea comes rolling up the beach once more. The sea representing the old world comes crawling up the beach and wraps around Simon, now taking him back to this old world. Peter Brooke captures this very well, giving it a religious appearance by having the stars sparkling reflection upon the water shore and the quire in the backing music. This makes it feel like a religious ceremony. I think the point Peter Brooke was trying to put across was Simon was a martyr, dying trying to reveal the truth about the beast. Once the boys have committed this, there is no going back. This scene is the very turning point of the play, where Jack, finally, has total power and all the boys except Piggy and Ralph have turned so primitive. Jack has now painted his whole body with these paints in tribal markings which singles him out as the leader of the tribe. Also the original uniforms, which were a symbol of the old world, have now been taken over by these markings, and the new world. Ralph and Piggy have both lost all hope in rescue and know if t hey stay here it’ll be there turn soon enough. An additional scene Harry Hook has added into his version is the dream sequence where Ralph is dreaming about them all being rescued and saved when, suddenly, the helicopter just bursts into flames and explodes in Ralph’s face. Here Harry Hook is trying to emphasize the point that Ralph and Piggy are giving up hope on getting rescued and it is getting more and more less likely for them to get rescued. However I don’t think this was a very good idea because all it does is confuse the viewer. In the last scene, where Ralph is being hunted down in the forest by the hunters in there new natural habitat, the directors for both films have concentrated greatly upon creating the ending with so much suspense and tension and excitement as they could possibly get. Harry Hook has Ralph go speak to Sam and Eric the night before the hunters attack on Ralph to confirm what Ralph thinks will happen. He calls them Jack’s slaves. The whole area surrounding them is in this dark blue showing Ralph is lost within the darkness and can’t find away out, but needs to soon. By going up to Sam and Eric, Ralph is testing their loyalty to him and to see just how primitive they have got, to see if they have any civil behaviour at all left in them. He wants to see if they are just another tribal unit. Peter Brooke didn’t add this scene in which again, I feel, lets the film down slightly. This part explains the film more clearly to viewers. Both Harry Hook and Peter Brooke, have Ralph awaken in the forest, lost and alone, only to hear the sounds of birds, insects and small creatures. He then starts to hear the quiet cries of the hunters calling to each other, like a pack of animals; this again shows just how primitive the other boys have become. Suddenly the sound of burning is brought into the background. The camera shows close ups on Ralph’s face, trying to capture his fear. When Ralph realises the hunters are coming after him, he jumps up and runs as fast and as far as he can. He doesn’t know where he is going though, he’s trapped on the island, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The camera tracks Ralph through the forest and every where he runs. Peter Brooke has Ralph literally crawling on his hands and knees through the forest, sprawling through the undergrowth of the forest floor. He is trying to suggest the Ralph has now become this Pig and is being hunted. This works very well and gives another glimpse to just how far the boys have gone. When Ralph is running through the forest, the directors have both chosen to shoot a reverse shot on Ralph. This is when in the one minute he’s running to the right, then the next he’s going to the left. They have done this to show just how lost and confused Ralph is, showing he has nowhere to run. Usually this is seen as a weakness in films, but I feel it worked well for this film and gave it more suspense. It also enables the directors to show more fear within Ralph, having him know he doesn’t know where the hunters are, but they are on the island somewhere. They also both do panning shots of Ralph, running past the camera. In Harry Hook’s version, because of the 30years of advances in technology, he is able to use pyrotechnics at the end on the burning island, which I believe, gives the film more suspense, it shows the island burning, resembling the island has now become this hell. Peter Brooke wasn’t able to do this in his interpretation of the lord of the flies because they didn’t have the technology so they just used smoke which didn’t work as well for me. After scrambling through the forest, Ralph eventually stumbles upon the beach and in front of a navel officer. Both films jump from images of the hunters, all in these rags and paints, then to the naval officer, all in uniform, all perfect and orderly. Both directors are trying to sum up, just how far the boys had finally gone and strayed away from civilisation. Peter Brooke has done this exceptionally well. He picks out one boy who, at the beginning of the film could remember his name, address and telephone number but now can’t even speak. He just walks up to the officer and is speechless; he opens his mouth to talk but can’t remember anything. This again underlines have far the boys have gone. The final images you get in Peter Brookes version is the burning island, which has now become this burning hellish nightmare. He also gives you images of Ralph’s face. The camera shot is a close up to see the emotion this ordeal has put him through. Overall, I feel Harry Hook’s version was better, purely because of the advances in technology like colour. Also the use of language and swearing makes it easier for a modern viewer to interpret it. I believe the script editor has done a great job and fits the story in well and keeps it up to date with technology, which in turn make the whole film more believable and interesting.

Functionalism And The Inverted Spectrum - 1545 Words

Imagine walking past a garden with an assortment of flowers. Now close your eyes and take in each distinguishing familiar smell. As you take a whiff you smell the differences between the roses, lilies, and even tulips. We can tell the sound of a drum from that of a gong; the touch of cool, smooth marble as we run our fingers over it distinctively feeling the difference from that of sandpaper. Our everyday lives are continuous experiences of sensations. These sensations have characteristic qualitative features, which are called â€Å"phenomenal†, â€Å"phenomenological† or â€Å"sensory† qualities. In philosophical terms these sensations can be referred to as qualia, which are defined as properties of experiences that type them in phenomenological respects . The understanding on the knowledge of other minds has provided a puzzle known as the inverted spectrum. This possibility has emerged as an important challenge to functionalist accounts of qualia. Functionalism is committed to defining mental states in terms of their cause and effects . By identifying sensory events with casual roles, however, functionalism appears to be missing qualitative aspects all together. The topic of spectrum inversion has often been raised as a contradiction to functionalism, as well as other materialist theories about consciousness. These negates to functionalism show that even when all the relevant physical facts are held constant, the facts about qualia can still vary, hence that the phenomenal must be overShow MoreRelatedThe s Theory Of Biological Naturalism937 Words   |  4 Pagesperspective, and discuss how it provides a sufficient and an insufficient account of conscious mental phenomena. Functionalism claims that mental states are nothing but functi onal, causal relations between elements in the brain, such as beliefs and desires, and the external world. First, I analyze the given statement from a functionalist stance. Then, I discuss possible objections to functionalism focusing on the notion of â€Å"qualia† and John Searle’s notion of the Background. Finally, I shall conclude withRead MoreMental States Of The Mind Body Problem1725 Words   |  7 Pagesbrain but appears completely normal questions the mental states that the patient has. Looking at the views based on different theories that five doctors express, the things that stand out to me are multiple realizability, Token Identity theory and functionalism. Because of these, I argue that the patient possess the usual range of mental states. Body: The study of how the mind and body interact with each other has been a concern of many areas of study. This leads to the mind-body problem, whose originsRead MoreFunctionalism And Qualia On The Mind Body Problem2244 Words   |  9 PagesFunctionalism and Qualia Introduction: It can be very difficult to find a universal proposal that offers a solution to the mind body problem. While solutions to this problem differ greatly, all attempt to answer questions such as: What makes a mental state mental? What is the fundamental nature of the mental? Or more specifically speaking, what makes a thought a thought? Or what makes a pain a pain? In an attempt to answer these questions, many philosophers over the centuries have rejected, proposedRead MoreI Walk Into A Local Coffee Shop936 Words   |  4 Pagesyou and I are fundamentally different persons with fundamentally different qualia. In this paper, I will examine three highly influential arguments for the existence of qualia (the inverted spectrum argument, the zombie argument, and the knowledge argument) which I find to be persuasive in challenging views of functionalism and physicalism. Definitions and Clarifications Before outlining the more in-depth theories and experiments, I believe that there is sufficient cause to go through the basics ofRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 PagesGraduate School of Management in Sydney, Australia. In an article written in 2005, he discusses his intellectual background. He writes that he has steadily argued for positivism (the ability to measure things rather than speculate about them) and functionalism (that everything in organizations should have a purpose). This stems from a lifelong commitment to taking a scientific view of organizations. He explains that his positivist view of organizations is based on his use of quantitative methods, the

Phuket Beach Hotel Valuing Mutually Exclusive Capital...

Using Case Studies in Real Estate and Finance Courses By Su Han Chan Department of Real Estate The Preliminaries Setting expectations Focus is on decision making Requires judgment No â€Å"right† answers Setting ground rules The student contract (4Ps) Knowing your participants Selecting cases and readings Using a mix of short (â€Å"breather†) and long cases Assigning a term project Case seminar series_Su H Chan A Short Case Phuket Beach Hotel: Valuing Mutually Exclusive Capital Projects* (4 pages) Synopsis Phuket Beach Hotel has an opportunity to lease its underutilized space to a karaoke pub and earn a rental income. Alternatively, the hotel could develop the unused space and create its own pub. The general manager of the†¦show more content†¦Also lays out other alternatives for Disneys entry into the China market. Case B: HKSAR Perspective Presents detailed information about the proposed theme park and the assumptions used by the Hong Kong SAR in conducting its economic assessment of the project. Also lays out other alternatives for reinvigorating the tourism industry in Hong Kong and the development of Pennys Bay (the proposed site of Hong Kong Disneyland) in nearby Lantau. Case C: The Joint Venture Negotiation Case C is structured as a bilateral negotiation exercise and allows students to participate in a joint venture simulation for the Disneyland project in Hong Kong. Students are assigned to a negotiation team representing one of two groups (either the Hong Kong government or Walt Disney Co.). They are required to study the case assigned to their side of the negotiation. Thereafter, the students task in this negotiation is to represent their groups effectively and to achieve the best outcome for the government or for Walt Disney. Case seminar series_Su H Chan Using the Case(s) Distribute case memo to students Distribute cases for each side Case pre-briefing Students prepare their opening bids and walkawayShow MoreRelatedPhuket Beach Case1683 Words   |  7 PagesPHUKET BEACH HOTEL: VALUING MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE PROJECTS I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This is an assessment of the different costs and benefits of two mutually exclusive capital projects involving the use of an underutilized space located on the second floor of the main building of Phuket Beach Hotel (PBH). The first project, Planet Karaoke Pub (PKP) offered to sign a four-year lease agreement with (PBH) while the second project, Beach Karaoke Pub (BKP), is a pub the PBH itself, plans to putRead MorePhuket Beach Hotel1996 Words   |  8 PagesCase 10:Phuket Beach Hotel VALUING MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE CAPITAL PROJECTS Case Overview Planet Karaoke Pub Project Lives Monthly rental (5% increment for 3rd and 4th year) 4 years 170, 000 (THB) 770, 000 to 1, 000, 000 (THB) 55, 000 (THB) Up front renovation cost (Depreciated over the life of project - straight line method with zero salvage value) Overhead expenses Repair and maintenance cost 10, 000 (THB) / year Case Overview Beach Karaoke Pub Project Lives Up front investment Read MorePhuket Beach Hotel3020 Words   |  13 PagesFinancial Management. EBS ML. 4th course students. Case study. Phuket Beach Hotel. Valuing Mutually Exclusive Capital Projects. Questions 1. Please asses the economic benefits associated with each of the capital project. What is Initial Outlay? What are the incremental cash flows over the life of the project? What is an appropriate discount rate to use for discounting the cash flows of the project? SN 1 and SN 2 - 40% 2. Are the project comparable based on the standard NPV measure, given that they

The Role Of Women In Female Fences, By August Wilson

Female Fences Fences took place in the 1950’s, during that time the role of women in the 1950 was repressive and constrictive in a lot of ways. The 1950s is often viewed as a period of conformity, when both men and women observed strict gender roles and complied with society’s expectations (Women in 1950’s). Society placed a very high significance on different expectations on behavior in public as well as at home. Women were to be homemakers, caring mothers, and to be an obedient wife to their husbands. A wife was only considered a â€Å"good wife† if she did anything and everything her husband asked for and agreed with everything the man would say. This was the type of way Troy treated Rose in fences and how he thought of women and their†¦show more content†¦Wilson shows his audience two ways he portrays women throughout the play and he stressed the significance of their roles in that time period. August Wilson made his audience aware of the issues blacks were going through during that time period. For instance, Wilson shows the struggle Troy has with allowing his son Corey to play sports and get recruited. Troy goes on to say â€Å"I decided seventeen years ago that boy wasn’t getting involved in no sports. Not after what they did to me in the sports† (Wilson 1.3.111). Troy is referring to how the whites would not let him play in the major league because of his skin color and he believes they will do the same to Corey. Wilson expresses another theme of color discrimination when Troy talks to Bono about how only whites drive the garbage trucks while the coloreds do the picking. Troy states, â€Å"†¦Why? Why you got the white men driving and the colored lifting? †¦ What’s the matter, don’t I count? You think only white fellows got sense enough to drive a truck†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wilson 1.1.10). This was a big problem for many companies in the 1950’s the African Americans played minor roles at the time only whites held the special privilege jobs. Many black men like Troy just wanted a change they wanted equal job opportunities like the white men were getting. If a female was to rewrite this play she would have to change the focus of the play. In theShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Women In Fences1739 Words   |  7 PagesGarcia English 2 Professor Spencer December 8, 2017 Sexuality and role of women in August Wilson’s Fences In the film Fences by August Wilson, the audience is presented with a country that is fast evolving, with oppression, prejudice, and poverty remaining a common factor. Most scholars argue that sexism is the dominant theme in Wilson’s plays due to the portrayal of female characters occupying the stereotypical, male-fantasized roles of the domestic, powerless, or submissive mother figure ratherRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Rose Maxon In Fences By August Wilson1452 Words   |  6 PagesRose Maxon is the female character in the play ‘Fences’ by August Wilson. She is married to Troy Maxon and together they have a son named Cory. The play takes place in the 1950s and it focuses on racism, oppression, family problems, unity, and infidelity. Particularly Rose, who is a Black woman in the 50s, without an education, a housewife, and is expected to behave as the caretaker for everyone. Rose Maxon: duties include being a mother/caretaker, house taker, wife. Puts hersel f aside for everyoneRead MoreFeminist Criticism In August Wilsons Fences732 Words   |  3 PagesWithin August Wilson’s Fences, the conflict between the authority figures within the Maxson household was prevalent. At this time in history, misogyny was widespread, and men typically held a large majority of the authority positions in society. Some scenes from Wilson’s Fences would include times in which Troy Maxson would depict seemingly oppressive authority over his family members. Troy often acted in a rather arrogant manner, which contributed to the strong sense of patriarchy that was presentRead MoreAnalysis Of The Of A Salesman And Millers And Williams Plays1102 Words   |  5 PagesThe playwrights we discussed after Tennessee Williams have adapted disparate elements of postmodernism to undermine the modernist assumptions undergirding O’Neill’s, Glaspell’s, Wilder’s, Miller’s and Williams’ plays. I will use Fences, The Hungry Woman, Topdog/Underdog, Glengarry Glen Ross, Six Degrees of Separation, and The Heidi Chronicles to support my claim. To start off, I will come up with working definitions of modernism and post-modernism. Modernism is a movement in culture that seeks toRead MoreFences Analysis On Fences By August Wilson1283 Words   |  6 Pages Fences Analysis In the play â€Å"Fences† by August Wilson the play’s attitude toward women is biased, and if the play was written by a female I think it would have a stronger feminine influence. Issues such as racism and discrimination against blacks may be raised in the play that the author did not bring up, and the women in the story somewhat do generally typify women in the 1950s. To support my interpretation, the women in the play were homebodies, just worrying about the household because theyRead MoreMasculinity And Self Determination And Aggression1445 Words   |  6 PagesMasculinity can be described as a set of attitudes, roles or traits related to men. It develops by the social and biological parameters and factors. However, it could be exhibited by males as well as females, depending upon the development of masculine traits in them. The main characteristics of masculinity include bravery, impartiality, freedom, and firmness which depend upon the locality and background of the individual, as well as the community and traditions. An extremism of negative traits ofRead MoreThe Roles Of Black Men In Fences By August Wilson908 Words   |  4 PagesAs the roles of black men begin to evolve during the post-slavery time period, women’s roles remained unchanged. In this case, in August Wilson’s play Fences, Wilson’s perspective on gender roles explains the traditions of both men and women, the oppression and objectification of women, and the social roles. For instance, â€Å"Indeed, Wilson’s perspective on responsibility might appear dubious to those unfamiliar with his decidedly male ethos, which he links to the history of black male-female relationsRead MoreAnalysis of Plays, Fences and A Raisin in the Sun Essay2025 Words   |  9 PagesJose Morales English 164 Dr. Kidd 08/03/2012 â€Å"Fences† and â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† Plays, â€Å"Fences† and â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† share similar plots. They take place in the mid-western United States in the 1950’s and explore the family dynamics of the African-American Family and the paradigmatic shift it experienced between two generations. The older generation, who could remember slavery by first-hand experience or by being born during a time when success for the average African-Americans wasRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesHartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History Jack Metzgar, Striking Steel: Solidarity Remembered Janis Appier, Policing Women: The Sexual Politics of Law Enforcement and the LAPD Allen Hunter, ed., Rethinking the Cold War Eric Foner, ed., The New American History. Revised and Expanded Edition E SSAYS ON _ T WENTIETH- C ENTURY H ISTORY Edited by MichaelRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 PagesAssociation. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, cooking and eating good food, tennis, and travel to faraway places. He is especially proud of his wife, Carol, a retired elementary school teacher, his daughter Allison, who works for the Center for Women and Excellence in Boston, and his daughter Teri, who is ï ¬ nishing a graduate program in education at NYU. ROXY PECK is Associate Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics and Professor of Statistics at California Polytechnic State University

Paths of Glory Free Essays

Based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb, Stanley Kubrick directed the movie Paths of Glory in 1957. Kirk Douglas plays the role of Colonel Dax, a commander of the French army in World War I. Held in their trenches against the threat of German cannons, the regiment is ordered on a suicidal mission to capture the Germans. We will write a custom essay sample on Paths of Glory or any similar topic only for you Order Now When the mission fails, French generals order three soldiers to be tried and executed on the charge of cowardice. Dax is selected defense attorney for the chosen soldiers. Kubrick explores the political planning and selfish personal ambitions that result in battlefield slaughter and irrational executions. The movie is constant in its disapproval of war and the pleasure-seeking of military leaders who arrange the deaths of thousands from the comfort of their headquarters. In the beginning of the movie, General Mireau verbally ordered artillery fire on his own men because they had not left the trenches to attack the enemy. This order was denied because it was not written and signed by the general himself. Verbal orders cannot be given out for it could be false. With a signed order, proof is seen from the signature. General Mireau refused to sign the order and instead became very upset. His outrage brought him to the decision to kill three soldiers. A meeting was held between General Broulard, General Mireau and Colonel Dax. General Broulard wanted to execute one-hundred of his own men for cowardice. Of course Colonel Dax disagreed. Therefore, General Broulard brought the number down to a dozen. The result was to choose one man from each regiment and then execute them. There were three regiments so there would be three men randomly picked by their lieutenant. Colonel Dax then requested that he be chosen as their defense attorney. He also had the responsibility of choosing someone who would be in charge of executing these men if they plead guilty in their trial. I would say that their trial was taken place in a Kangaroo court. Kangaroo court is defined as a self-appointed tribunal that disregards or parodies existing principles of law or human rights. All three men chosen for the execution walked in the court ready to be tried with Colonel Dax as their defense attorney. The judge, along with everyone else involved, seemed to already have a decision without knowing the character of each man, evidence and what their attorney had to say. The first man who spoke before the court was a guy who admitted he made it out of the trenches and into â€Å"no man’s land†. According to him, everyone around him was left dead except for one guy who was still left standing. They both headed back to the trenches so they could stay alive. He mentioned that he probably should have moved forward but instead he retreated. The second man who spoke before the court admitted that he advanced from the trenches until he was ordered back. All the court cared about was how far he got out of the trench. They didn’t care that he was ordered to retreat. When Colonel Dax mentioned the two medals the second man received over time, they were not interested. Finally, the third man was being tried. When he was climbing out of the trench, he was knocked out â€Å"stone cold† because of a corpse that fell on him. The court showed no mercy on any of these men. They were all plead guilty and sentenced to death. How can a man be a coward if he remained alive while everyone else lay dead? Why would he or any man for that matter continue going forward alone instead of retreating back to save their own life? How is a man a coward if he is doing nothing but obeying orders? What would make a court plead someone guilty of cowardice when that person has a medal in bravery? Why would a court execute a man who never had the chance to leave the trench because he was knocked unconscious by a dead body? All of these questions had to be going through Colonel Dax’s head. General Mireau asked Colonel Dax the question, â€Å"Are you protesting the authenticity of this court? † He replied with the answer, â€Å"Yes sir. I protest against being prevented from introducing evidence which I considered vital to the defense; the prosecution presented no witnesses; there has never been a written indictment of charges made against the defendants, and lastly, I protest against the fact that no stenographic records of this trial have been kept. The attack yesterday morning was no stain of the honor of France, and certainly no disgrace to the fighting men of this nation. But this Court Martial is such a stain, and such a disgrace. The case made against these men is a mockery of all human justice. Gentlemen of the court, to find these men guilty would be a crime, to haunt each of you till the day you die. I can’t believe that the noblest impulse for man – his compassion for another – can be completely dead here. Therefore, I humbly beg you†¦ show mercy to these men. † Later on during the movie, Colonel Dax summons Lieutenant Roget to his quarters and orders the officer the assignment of supervising the firing squad – a job which requires putting a bullet in each prisoners head. You’ve got the job. It’s all yours,† Colonel Dax says. Lieutenant Roget tries to back out and convince Dax he is unfit for the job since he has never done such a task. Dax feels that if Roget had the audacity to pick a soldier of being dead based on the charge of cowardice, he can uphold the responsibility of ending the ir life. In this scene, Colonel Dax made it a point that Lieutenant Roget made a personal decision with his own reasons instead of picking from random because he was ordered to. Why did Lieutenant Roget choose Cpl. Paris to be executed? Before the assault, Dax ordered three officers (Lieutenant Roget, Corporal Paris and Private Lejeune) to go on a reconnaissance patrol into the darkness of no-man’s-land. The lieutenant â€Å"forfeited† himself, leaving the other two soldiers by themselves just because he was scared. Unfortunately, Private Lejeune did not make it out alive. When Corporate Paris returns back to French lines, he enters Lieutenant’s bunker to talk with him. Roget, shocked to see Paris, says, â€Å"I thought you’d been killed. † â€Å"You didn’t wait around to find out, did you Lieutenant? I mean you ran like a rabbit after you killed Lejeune,† Corporal Paris snaps back. Lieutenant Roget did not appreciate the tone and accusations being pointed at him whatsoever. He clearly lets Paris know that he is an officer and he should never be spoken to like that. Paris continues by saying, â€Å"Oh, well, I must be mistaken then, sir. An officer wouldn’t do that. A man wouldn’t do it. Only a thing would – a sneaky, booze-guzzling, yellow-bellied rat with a bottle for a brain and a streak of spit where his spine ought to be. You’ve got yourself into a mess, Lieutenant. Roget cynically expresses his superiority and counter-reprimands him for insubordination, threatening a superior officer, and refusing to obey an order and inciting others to do the same. Paris threatens to bring charges and accuses his superior officer of drunkenness on duty, wanton murder of one of his own men, and cowardice in the face of the enemy. That is why bringing Corpor al Paris to execution was personal for Lieutenant Roget. With proof that will hopefully save the three soldiers lives from execution, Dax ask to see General Broulard to report the new information he has just learned. With disregard to the information, Broulard replies, â€Å"Maybe the attack against the Ant Hill was impossible. Perhaps it was an error of judgment on our part. On the other hand, if your men had been a little more daring, you might have taken it. Who knows? Why should we have to bear more criticism and failure than we have to? These executions will be a perfect tonic for the entire division. There are few things more fundamentally encouraging and stimulating than seeing someone else die. You see, Colonel, troops are like children. Just as a child wants his father to be firm, troops crave discipline. And one way to maintain discipline is to shoot a man now and then. † Dax had sworn statements by the men who witnessed General Mireau ordering artillery fire on his own men during the attack. He implies that the execution would not proceed if all the court knew Mireau’s actions to fire on his own men. General Broulard is not justified in holding his position with respect because he had the choice to stop the execution but chose not to. He believes that killing three innocent men shows an example in maintaining discipline. He chose not to stop this for he did not want to look bad upon. I believe that if he would have stopped the execution like Colonel Dax wanted him too; it would not look bad on Broulard. Full responsibility would have been over General Mireau for poor judgment and the lack of morals. General Mireau made this decision based on his ego and authority. Stanley Kubrick brings in the theme class distinction by making it clear that everyone is afraid. If ranked higher in power, fear can be overlooked in the form of authority. Lower classes were shown to be located in trenches while those better off became Generals and Colonels. To those in power, other soldiers were chess pieces to their decisions. That is where Kubrick uses the theme nationalism. The cliche â€Å"means to an end† is a good example of what General Broulard believed. He believed that if three men getting executed were what it took for the rest of the regiments to follow orders, then that is what it took to be successful in the war. He made decisions on what he believed was best even if it was morally wrong. The execution gave him and General Mireau a superior patriotic feeling, and that is where Colonel Dax conflicted with both Generals. How to cite Paths of Glory, Papers

Alice Munros an Ounce of Cure free essay sample

Modern literary analyses and studies make the link between literary techniques such as narrative and storytelling and several other disciplines. Thus, one may find the theories of narrative and storytelling extending up to several major disciplines, such as philosophy, psychology, and literary criticism. In the view of different experts in literary analyses, there is a close connection between narrative or storytelling and the definition of the nature of self and personal identity. The former has been understood as influential in determining the definition of the latter and several writers have significantly contributed to this characteristic through their narrative and storytelling. These writers organize the characteristics and ideals of characters into a cohesive whole which develops a sense of who a person is. The narrative theory of identity as presented in the memories, events, and dreams of various characters and their personality traits illustrates the significant contribution made by literature in the realization of the narrative theory of identity. One of the superior examples of this relationship between literature and narrative theory of identity is Alice Munro’s â€Å"An Ounce of Cure† and the author has been celebrated as making observations on the episodic nature of life through her stories. â€Å"An Ounce of Cure† presents an important episodic nature of life through the mid-teenage problems and crises in the life of the main character and the major theme of the story reminds the readers that even the most repulsive issues which flip over every person at some episode of his life will be dispensed with in the course of life. It is through the effective narrative and storytelling that Munro conveys her points to the readers and the narrator in this story, who lives through the atrocious stage in her teenage life, presents her viewpoints in the most convincing manner. Therefore, Alice Munro, through her short story â€Å"An Ounce of Cure,† illustrates the relationship between literature and narrative theory of identity and the narrative and storytelling of the story helped the author in this attempt. In literature, the author’s personal experiences or the various aspects of their life will be resonated in the writing and, when the writers depend on the art of writing to express them completely, narrative becomes a reflection of personality. In her short stories, Alice Munro artistically makes use of this technique of self expression through narrative and the situations and experiences in the author’s life influenced the chronological progress of her writing. The use of complex characters, setting, ironic humor, and symbolism etc in her short stories helped Munro present the stories in a realistic way. An Ounce of Cure† presents the story of a realistic character who confronts some fundamental mid-teenage problems. â€Å"In ‘An Ounce of Cure’ the young girl who narrates the story has her first encounter with a strong drink while she is feeling jilted and doing a fairly regular baby-sitting job in a small town. The result is predictably disastrous. The narration is almost apologetic about the farcical element and the style is determinedly lively What we get is good, clean, but rather obvious fun. (Martin, 1987, p 37). Therefore, narrative and storytelling in Munro’s short story significantly helps the writer to convey her own life experiences and the characters present instances from the author’s life. Storytelling in â€Å"An Ounce of Cure† has an important role in depicting the teenage crises in the life of the heroine and the quality of the story informs the readers of similar episodes in real life. The author has been effective in presenting the mid-teenage problem of the girl in a realistic manner. The heroine of the story narrates one of the most embarrassing events of her adolescence as she recalled it. The incident presented in the story illustrates the truth that choices have a permanent effect, because they inexorably direct to end results which influence the course of growth and maturity. The main character in the story considered that the undying love for her boyfriend was the goal of her preordained life and the narrator has been able to present the world of the teenagers realistically. They frequently exaggerate their tragedies which results in certain life threatening situations to them. Alice Munro is effective in efficiently managing the characters in the story that make it very realistic to the readers. In life situations, one finds several examples of teenagers who are driven by the same passion of the heroine of the story. In one such interesting case, a thirteen year old boy named Sam Leeson hanged himself after being tormented on social networking website Bebo and the reason was his liking for Emo rock bands. Sensitive Sam Leeson was bombarded with cruel messages because of his long hair and dark clothes. His tormentors also mocked his love of Emo stars such as My Chemical Romance and their angst-ridden lyrics. Sam was found hanged in his bedroom after months of abuse. † (Coles, 2008) One may relate this real life incident in the life of Sam Leeson to the experiences of the young heroine of Munro story and the character wants to kill herself over a sm all crush in the similar fashion. This illustrates the superior quality of the narrative style which appear realistic to the readers. The storytelling in the short story by Munro reminds one of similar life experiences of teenagers and the realistic style of the narration helps the writer appear convincing to the readers. Alice Munro makes use of the conventional realistic narrative with the intention of providing order and structure to her fiction and female protagonist. This has been an issue confronted by several female writers who hold that historical and genealogical time has little truth in it and they have a tough task in providing the exact order to the narrative. She may acquiesce to the tradition of chronological time in conventional, realistic narrative, as Alice Munro does in an early piece like ‘An Ounce of Cure’ yet all the while speculating on and defensively measuring her fiction as she imposes fictional order on absurd life † (Rasporich, 1990, p 178). The narrative framework helped the author in presenting the personality and identity of a teenager and to depict the life experien ce of a young person in the most convincing manner. The events surrounding a crucial experience in the teenager’s life is depicted in a realistic style and narrator of the story is both appealing and irrepressible. She presents the events as powerfully as the influential style of Anne Shirley. However, there is a strong opposition to the narrative style of Alice Munro and critics feel that she depicts her characters and their setting in terms of an incongruously cut off and unrealistic vision of adolescence. These criticisms of the narrative strategy of the author may be justified as essential to upholding the humorous quality of the short story. More importantly, this quixotically light and ironic quality of the story can be understood as essential to an understanding of the mental makeup of adolescence. The evidences from real life experiences illustrate that there is little unrealistic about the story of the young woman. The main theme of the story also justifies the narrative strategy adopted and the presentation of the story and the theme by the narrator assumes that she has lived through such a horrible stage in her own teenage life. In the story, the narrator does not provide her name, though she is the major character and conveys he points in first person narrative style. The narration of the teenagers experience is in the most convincing manner and the narrator becomes a reliable character as she depicts the story of a stage in her own life. As a teenager, the narrator feels insecure as her parents have already been â€Å"hoping for a lesser rather than a greater disaster—an elopement, say, with a boy who could never earn his living, rather than an abduction into the White Slave trade. †(Munro, 2002, 451) The narrator presents this disaster as her pre-conceived destiny and this also contributes to her instability as a teenager.