Qulaity curriculum - review plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Qulaity curriculum - review plan - Assignment Example Also, the parents showed concern about the education that was being provided since it was not equipping the children to the level of learning that they should have before starting school. This required that the center investigates into the education that is being provided to the 4 years old as they prepare for transition to school. The focus of the review was framed into a question. Why are children not conforming to the recommended level of learning for school-starters and what measures can be taken to bolster the learning and moral development of the children? The guiding principles, as proposed by the Ministry of Education, define and give a framework for ECE centers to work upon. One of the principles maps out the role of the educators and administrators of ECE centers throughout the country. The principle states that, â€Å"Educators will develop and implement curriculum which assists all children to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society† (The New Zealand Gazette, 1996). This entails that the educators make an analysis of the environment in which the children study and provide â€Å"resources to support the needs of each child and to facilitate quality curriculum and interactions† (The New Zealand Gazette, 1996). The educators must be trained to understand the motivations and thinking of four year old children and should engage in a process to improve curriculum programs. The desirable objectives and practices (DOPs) also require that educators implement a curriculum should â€Å"reflect the holistic way that children learn† (The New Zealand Gazette, 1996). Moreover the ECE center should aim to â€Å"enhance children’s sense of themselves as capable people and competent learners† (The New Zealand Gazette, 1996). The self-review will help the center

Five Forces Model for Industry Analysis Essay Example for Free

Five Forces Model for Industry Analysis Essay New Entrants The online bookstore industry that Amazon.com has pioneered in was, at first, very hard to penetrate. There were different barriers such as distributing capabilities and the variety of the selection offered that are supposed to be hurdled. Amazon successfully solved the tricky parameters as being the first one to get into the whole idea of online retail. With being the first, they had the luxury to set what were the norms for the industry. Factors that may lower these barrier tactics would be a wider selection and the ability to go to an actual bookstore to exchange or return books or other products. This network of actual retail spaces makes it easier for the consumer to return or exchange the products they were not satisfied with. These handicaps of Amazon were the basis for the emergence of book retail giants Barnes and Noble and Borders in the online shopping industry. Industry Competitors The major competitors of Amazon are Barnes and Noble and Borders. Barnes and Noble is a retail giant offering books and CDs both in their outlets all over the country. It opened their online industry in 1997 and has become the fourth largest e-commerce sites today. Focused largely on the sale of books, music, software, magazines, prints, posters, and related products, the company has capitalized on the recognized brand value of the Barnes Noble name to become the second largest, and one of the fastest growing, online distributors of books. Their advantage to Amazon is the brand name and the availability of actual retail outlets in which consumers could go in to exchange or return products easily. They also have an established book selection based in their retail operations. Borders is another multi-media retail store found in major cities around the country. Started out as a small bookshop in the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan, it has since expanded into one of the finest bookstores. In 1992,  Borders was bought by the Kmart group which further flourished the company into a Multi Media Giant with a wide selection of Audio, Video and Books found throughout the United States. The Online Bookstore industry have become a fierce business which involves discounts, varied selections and fast delivery in which all three companies are challenging each other. Buyers The consumers of this industry can be found in every corner of the population. These are mostly people who have had some form of higher education and have access to the Internet and computers. The segment of online shoppers has increased dramatically in recent years due to the convenience of shopping in the comforts of the home and the accessibility of the Internet. These developments have made it easier for consumers to log on and buy on the Internet. Consumers also tend to compare prices among the retail leaders such that buyers are able to buy products with very big discounts compared to ones bought in actual retail outlets. The bargaining power of the consumer is based on the competitive strategies of each active firm in the industry. Thus, consumers can challenge one firm for charging more than the other one such that the firm will beat the price of the competing firm. Suppliers Amazons suppliers range from the publishing and media houses to electronics manufacturers. Amazon buys all their books, videos and audio CDs from the multi media houses and publishing giants such as Time Warner, Doubleday etc. Amazon also has alliances with other bookstores to cover orders that they cannot serve. Substitutes The substitutes for Amazon and other online bookstores are the actual book  retailers and music stores such as Barnes and Nobles, Virgin Megastore, Tower Records, Sam Goody and other small mom-and-pop outlets. With the rise of online retail, there will be little impact from these substitutes. One impact would be some consumers who would like to hold or listen to their purchases prior to buying and those who are into the whole shopping experience. Barnes and Nobles have jumped into online retail and have succeeded into diversifying into the new e-commerce industry. Industrial Organization Model Degree of Competition Due to the shift of focus for Amazon, it has become the Earths biggest anything store. Its competitors have expanded from just online book retailers Barnes and Nobles and Borders to top audio retailers CDNOW.com and online auction house EBAY.com. Amazon has an overall lead of 40% market share against the other online retail firms. Their international business has more than doubled over the past 2 years and this growth increased Amazons share in the online business market. Life Cycle Amazon, in its first years, had negative income but the rise of e-commerce sites and being the pioneer made the succeeding years led to boom time for them. Their growth period was during 1994 to 1995 when they were the first of its kind in the world. They incurred very high costs in terms of distributions to customers. Still with a negative income, Amazon went public in 1997 and had one of the biggest IPOs of the time. With investors banking on future positive cash flow for this company, Amazons market value soared. Many people caught on with the idea of online shopping, thus, Amazons success. Amazons success as an online retailer prompted bricks-and-mortar rivals Barnes and Noble and Borders to join in. Competition decreased Amazons profitability so in the past couple of years, Amazon has expanded to more than books, audio and video to electronics and other retail concepts. Social Relevance Amazons products are marketed for every consumer possible. Books, audio, video and electronics are appreciated by majority of the population especially those who have access to the Internet. Amazon is active in pursuing literacy programs for young children by collaborating with the makers of the Dr. Seuss books. They have actively participated in the Dr. Seuss shops, story telling sessions and Dr. Seuss days. Degree of Globalization Amazons strength internationally lies within its networks in major ports and cities around the Globe. Amazon first started out in Seattle but as soon as they have established a niche market, they have opened shop all over the nation and in cities such as London, Berlin, The Hague, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore and many more. These branches overseas improves their delivery service to a wide consumer base. Extent of Government Control There has not been many government regulations regarding online retailing. A group of CEOs whose firms that are engaged in such practices have formed an organization called Global Business Dialogue. This GBD group supports the development of a seamless global system that delivers the broadest array of goods and services to the largest number of consumers at the most competitive prices. This work effort will: offer recommendations to the WTO, including making the moratorium on online tariffs permanent; and collaborate with governments to target and eliminate discriminations against, or other non-tariff barriers to global trade in, electronic commerce. This working group will also provide an avenue for the GBDs to consider and promote the growth of the electronic marketplace in an environment unencumbered by detrimental taxation. Degree of Vertical Integration Amazons primary value chain includes purchasing/sourcing, marketing, distribution and after-sales services, which includes returns and exchanges from unsatisfied customers. Their main focus is in the purchasing/sourcing and in the distribution of the products to the consumers. Their investments are therefore, geared towards warehouses in key points of high consumer demand areas and an efficient delivery and distributing system to service all its consumers. Thus, Amazon controls most of its distributing system that spans across borders. Inter Organization of Network Economics Amazon in its efforts to sustain its market leadership in the online retailing industry has tied up with various online organizations. Netscape Navigator and Amazon will offer members of Netscape Netcenter a co-branded storefront where Earths Biggest Bookstore will be easily accessed through Netscape Netcenter (home.netscape.com). In addition, Amazon.com has multi-year exclusive and premier bookseller relationships with 5 of the top 6 sites on the World Wide Web: AOL.com, Yahoo!, Netscape, GeoCities, and Excite. These partnerships widen Amazons presence in the World Wide Web. Sensitivity to Business Cycles The Online retailing business has a very quick cyclical growth. Amazon being one of the firsts to venture in this type of commerce are all ready in what seems to be in their decline stage where market share is declining. Therefore, Amazon is expanding to different industries within online retailing. Amazon and other online retailing firms are very sensitive to business cycles due to the speed of technology involved in the services they offer. Dynamics of New Knowledge Generation Online retailing relies on the work of an excellent distribution system. Amazon has invested their money into expanding their network of distribution centers around the globe. They also have investments in creating better  technology for tracking orders and giving efficient delivery systems for their customers. Amazon.com has remained on top of the online retailing business despite the entrance of giants such as Barnes and Nobles and Borders. Their success is attributed to two factors; timing and continuing to invest heavily into the inventory and distribution systems. Amazon, by being the first of its kind, has a big lead over the nearest competitors due to their experience and its reputation as the first movers. Their thrust remains on improving efficient delivery systems across borders and to build name recognition as the number one retailing firm in the Internet. They have also ventured into different retail options to keep that lead. Marketing, Innovative inventory and distribution systems, and name recall have helped Amazon build a sustainable competitive advantage. In order for any online retail company to remain prosperous and income generating, they must invest a lot of time and money into research and development of more efficient operations and distributions systems. This proved to be key for the Market Leader in online retailing, Amazon.Com.

the disease and choice of drug addiction

the disease and choice of drug addiction Disease vs. Choice Have you ever battled with the idea that maybe being a drug addict is a disease and not a choice? Or that it is a choice and not a disease? This topic is one of the most controversial subjects to discuss because there are many different opinions when it comes to deciding whether its a disease or choice. Some researchers have taken a stance and reported that drug dependence is a disease while other researchers report it as being a choice. My stance with this, even after researching, is that being a drug addict and or abuse is ultimately a choice. The moment we are born we all are born with free will. The things we choose to do at what ever age or time in our life is a choice. We make our own decisions to either say yes or no. Whenever those boundaries are crossed thats a choice being made. By taking into account a first hand story and interview from a woman that used to be addicted to drugs along with the information presented by researchers on both views of addiction as a brain disease and as a choice, I will argue against drug addiction being labeled a brain disease. In todays society it is almost impossible for anyone to say that they do not know someone who is involved in drugs in some sort of capacity. Some of us may know of someone that is a drug addict, ex- drug addict, or even someone that is contemplating drug use. However, no one gets involved with drugs at any point in time without first choosing to do so. With just that first decision and act of actually using, many people ultimately find themselves addicted to drugs or even drug abusers. Several people dont know that there is a difference in being addicted to drugs and being a drug abuser. Although neither of the two is any better than the other, there is still a difference. According to Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior the thirteenth edition by Carl L. Hart, Charles Ksir, and Oakley Ray, drug addiction is when someone compulsively uses a substance, despite its negative and sometimes dangerous effects. Drug abuse is when someone is using a drug excessively, or for purposes which it was not medically intended (Hart, Ksir, Ray). However, someone can abuse drugs without being addicted but the opposite is not true. It is not possible to be addicted to drugs without abusing them. Once that imaginary line has been crossed that spiral downward begins to take place in ones life unless the individual chooses to not take that path. Drug use, like all other choices, is influenced by preferences and goals. It is not gender specific and affects people of all age groups and economic levels. Continued drug use alters good judgment and leads to other risky behavior such as making a decision to drive a vehicle, have unprotected sex, or participate in activities one would not normally undertake, if not for being under the influence of drugs. Those who are addicted or are abusers fail to fulfill their obligations at school, at work, to friends, and even family members. This is all a familiar scene for Kathy Thomas, a woman that used to be addicted to drugs and now have been clean for twenty- one years. She recalls upon the time when she first tried cocaine. Kathy states in the interview that she had just gotten into a fight with her husband, at that time, and as a result of that fight and how she was feeling she made a choice to let someone easily convince her to try cocaine. Eventually Kathy wanted to try the drug agai n and from there on allowed for her self to become hooked on the drug. She chased that high constantly for two years. Throughout the two years she struggled with the idea of wanting to quit but still wanting to feel that first high again. She remembers inheriting some money from her grandfathers estate and blowing approximately one thousand dollars on cocaine within a matter of twenty-four hours. She became very neglectful towards her kids along with her other responsibilities. Kathy states that the circumstances that lead up to her going into rehab was the scare she received from being involved in a drug raid and realizing that if anything happened to her then she would have no one to care for her kids. Those two things frightened her enough to get clean and remain clean. In the interview with Kathy she was asked if she believes whether drug addiction is a disease or choice. Kathy responded by saying that she believes it is a choice because she was not forced into using drugs and t hat she made those choices to do the drug each and every time while realizing how she and her family were being affected. Ultimately it was something she wanted to do and because of her drug use she allowed for her life to be turned upside down. When asked if she accepts full responsibility for her actions she answered, â€Å"yes, because it would be wrong to actually blame others for my actions or on the idea that it may a brain disease when in the end it was all by choice just as it was my choice to get clean† (Thomas). While taking into account real life circumstances from an ex- drug addict on drugs as a choice, lets look into what some researchers have founded. Authors of Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior report that until the 20th century, the most common view was probably that dependent individuals were weak willed, lazy, or immoral, then medical and scientific studies began of users. Through those studies they believed that it seemed as if something more powerful than mere self-indulgence was at work, and the overall view began to be that dependence is a drug induced illness (Hart, Ksir, and Ray 34). But to add insult to it all, Alan Leshner, the former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health, compares having an addiction, although knowing that it begins with a clear voluntary decision, to that of someone with schizophrenia because they cannot control their hallucinations and delusions as well as to someone that has Parkinson disease because they cannot control their trembling (Leshner). First lets get an understanding of what disease means. Disease is a particular destructive process in an organ or organism, with a specific cause and characteristic symptoms; specifically; an illness or ailment (Webster). With this in mind how can one compare any disease to that of a drug addict? Someone with a heart disease, schizophrenia, Parkinson disease, or any other disease does not choose to wake up one day and say that they want to have their diseases however a drug addict does choose to use drugs. No matter how it ultimately affects the user they were affected because of their choice to use. Jeffrey Schaler, a psychologist and author of Addiction is a Choice, views drug addiction as a choice and is very critical of treatments that â€Å"teach† patients that they are not in control of their behaviors (Schaler). However, the Drug Addiction Support website states that the person is no longer in control of it and cannot break free of the diseases power and that â€Å"thing† that says stop isnt there anymore (Drug). If this were true then what about those that voluntarily decide to get clean? And if this were true then we wouldnt have stories like Kathy Thomas. Stanton Peele, a psychologist and source used in the Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior the thirteenth edition, argued that substance dependence does not have many of the same characteristics of some classic medical diseases. He states how we cant X-ray or blood test to reveal the underlying cause or even that there is an underlying cause because all that is present as far as symptoms is excessive involvement. Peele suggests that if substance abuse is a disease then gambling, excessive sexual intercourse, and overeating should also be seen as diseases, but in this sense it demoralizes our normal understanding of the concept of disease. Therefore, stating that substance abuse is like a disease in many ways is ultimately different from insisting that it is a disease (40). Society labeling drug addiction as a brain disease gives drug addicts a way out of taking responsibility for their own actions. My position with this is that they will likely continue to use because they will fall int o the stigma that they use because they have a disease and they cant stop. There are so many things that happen to a human in life that are truly out of our control but unless one is actually held at gunpoint to use drugs then this is one thing that we can control. But even in this scenario if one is forced to use drugs then once free of the torment the victim ultimately has a choice of continuing to use or to quit. Schaler believes that most of the drug addicts resort to using drugs because of problems in their life that they are trying to run away from. Therefore, if one brings forth their problems that they are trying so hard to avoid and learn different ways of coping with them then they are more likely to have a successful outcome (Schaler). The Drug Addiction Support group suggests that whatever the drug of choice, intervention and treatment are necessary for addicts to return to a healthy lifestyle (Drug). When looking back into Kathys story and interview she expressed that there are factors that a drug addict needs to put in place in order to remain clean and drug free. She stated how she had to make choices to change the type of people she hung out with, the type of places she went to, and the things that she did that lead her to use drugs (Thomas). In summary using drugs is a willful commitment or dedication, just like joining an exercising club or committing your self to complete a college education. While heavy consumption of drugs is often foolish and self-destructive, it is still a matter of personal choice. Drug dependence has no specific preference on which person is affected. Bad people are drug addicts, weak people, good people, nice people, well-educated people, the blue collar, the rich, and the poor. People decide their own fate when it comes to drug usage. Labeling drug addicts as having a brain disease is not fair to those that truly do have diseases and made no choice to contain their conditions. Those that are addicted to drugs need to accept responsibility for their choices. Every single time someone picks up drugs and does them then they are choosing to do so. No one else chooses that for them. Those that have successfully gotten themselves into a treatment center or sought other ways of rehabilitating themselv es have done so because they chose to. Just as well, when one relapses it is because they chose to go and use drugs again. Once it is understood that drug addicts are choosing to do drugs and that it is not some â€Å"force† keeping them from stopping then maybe there will be more drug addicts taking responsibility for their action. However it may be, I will still hold my stance in saying that being a drug addict and or abuser is still a choice.

Populism and Progressivism in America Essay -- Populist Party Progress

Populism and Progressivism in America I. The Populist Party A. Background: What changes were taking place in agriculture in the U.S. between 1870 and 1900? 1. Mechanization- machine were replacing people and animals of doing agricultural. Tractors being developed produced right after civil war. Problems: need money to own tractors, banks load money to farmer, interest. Upkeep and maintain it to keep tractors running. Money to paid mechanic Added to the financial risk of farming, already gambling on soil and weather and crops. 2. Opening of new agricultural lands (West) - more and more land offered to people, land needed to be develop. Farmer could maintain more land than before because of technology. Problem: crops price were falling, land rush to make up for money lost on crops and to pay loans. High interests rate from bank. Huge drought in the Midwest, many farmers lost their farm, being taken over by banks (1886). More debt to get their way out of debt. 3. Growth of specialization in farm products – didn’t diverse crops, only produced one crop. 4. Changing character of markets for agricultural goods – shipped produce overseas (international market) 1860- 1900 agricultural produces become 75% of US exports. RR owner made profits off farmer. Farmer didn’t benefit much. 1880, market for farmer starts to fall apart. More produce than demand. Farm produces price fall, too much produce worldwide. B. The â€Å"Agrarian Myth† and the Grange (the farming myth) - Jefferson believe independence farmer was the foundation of Americans society. Farmer discovered they were at mercy at banks and government because they were losing money. Grange- first farmer organization formed in the 1867 in response to problems farmer felt, clubs for farmer to establish connection with other farmer. Hang out and drank and shared ideas. Promoted railroad regulation. COOP- cooperative, way for farmer to try and save their money together and avoid using railroad. Getting rid of middle man and railroad so farmer would have a place to store their crops without paying railroad. Sold equipment at a lower price, and established their owned banks. Social Group. C. Farmers’ Alliances (South and Midwest) replace the Grange movement because the grange fallen apart since it wasn’t well organize. Similar to Grange, offered s... ...to vote. Reason why woman should get right to vote changed during this period. Woman equal to man, or woman have a better insight in homes. 1920, 19th amendments woman right to vote. 3. Social settlement movement: Jane Addams hull house, working immigrant in Chicago, place for immigrant to come and be educated about America. A new way to help immigrant. Lived among these immigrant, attracted many other young Americans woman. Setup nursery, playground, saving bank and club for immigrant woman. 1919 established Social Work as a profession. 4. Labor reform and socialism – a lot of labor union fighting for better working condition. Child labor- limitation on hour’s children can work. Workman confiscation- get money if injure on job. Limitation woman work hours. 1911 in NYC fire broke out, no escape because owner locked them in. 146 die because they jumped out of the window. Socialism should control the profit, control own labor, no one on top. C. Progressivism in Politics -Theodore Roosevelt (republican) didn’t like monopoly became president in 1901 â€Å"Bull Moose† Party to reform society. -Woodrow Wilson 1912 ran for president and won beat out Teddy Roosevelt.

A Good Man is Hard to Find Analysis

â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is a short story written by Flannery O'Connor, a significant American writer and essayist. Her writing style reflects the ethnic relation in the South and her own Christian faith. The author writes in third person limited point of view to portray the tragic journey of a family who lived in Georgia in 1953. Bailey wants to take his family to Florida, but his mother, â€Å"the grandmother† disagrees with him because there's a dangerous criminal named The Misfit who is also on the way to Florida.Bailey ignores the grandmother's concern and headed to Florida. On the road, The kids and the grandmother persuade Bailey to drive them to the see a plantation which the grandmother visited when she was a lady. Unfortunately, the family gets into an accident on the desolate dust road to the plantation. The only thing the family can do is to wait for help, and it turns out that their help is none other than The Misfit and his buddies. The Misfit ord ers his buddies to take all the family members except the grandmother into the wood and shoot them.Hopelessly, the grandmother calls The Misfit her child and wants to touch him on the shoulder, but this angers The Misfit. As a result, he shoots the grandmother three times on the chest. The author uses characterization, foreshadowing, and irony to illustrate the theme that the tendency to manipulate people's actions and thoughts may introduce tragic outcomes to the love ones. In the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† , the author applies both direct characterization and indirect characterization to exhibit the selfishness of the grandmother, the innocence of the children, and the wickedness of The Misfit .In the exposition of the story, the grandmother wants to go to Tennessee to visit her connections instead going to Florida, so she tells Bailey that he † ought to take [the kids] somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and b e board. They have never been to east Tennessee† (O'Connor 403). From this quote the readers can perceive that the grandmother is good at manipulating her son by saying that going to Tennessee can be beneficial to the kids in order to achieve her own purpose.She also mentions that The Misfit is also on the way to Florida and she â€Å"couldn't answer to [her] conscience† (O'Connor 402) if she brings the kids to Florida. In this quote, the grandmother uses the word â€Å"conscience† to threat Bailey with the idea that he is going to put his children in danger, so he would give up the trip to Florida. In Katherine Keil's article â€Å"O'Connor's ‘Good Man is Hard to Find'†, Katherine analyzes â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and comments that â€Å"the grandmother shows her indifference for creation by selfishly manipulating and nagging to get her way on the family's vacation â€Å"(Keil 45).Keil's analysis is reasonable because through the i nteractions between the grandmother and other family members on the issue about the family trip, the grandmother is used to manipulate people's decisions by taking advantage of the vulnerable side of people's mind and being selfish without knowing it herself. The kids, John Wesley and June Star, are innocent compare to their selfish grandmother. After the family encounter The Misfit in the country, John Wesley notices that The Misfit is holding a gun, so he asks him: â€Å"‘What you got that gun for?†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(O'Connor 410).Under this kind of circumstance, probably most of the people would be quiet in order to avoid trouble, but John Wesley mentions the gun just because he is simply curious. Unfortunately, his inquiry brings The Misfit into action, and results in tragedy. Although The Misfit is not present until the final pages of the story, he influences the story from the exposition of the story when the grandmother tells Bailey that he flees from the prison, and is on the way to Florida.The author uses a clear and detailed direct characterization to portray The Misfit when he first appears in the story. The author describes him as a man whose Hair just beginning to gray and he wore silver rimmed spectacles that gave him a scholarly look. He had a long creased face and didn't have on any shirt or undershirt. He had on blue jeans that were too tight for him and was holding a black hat and a gun. (O'Connor 410) It is easy for the readers to realize that he is an antagonist from his appearance– long ceased face, unsuited clothes, holding a gun, a typical image of villains.The conversations between The Misfit and the grandmother also reveal the evil inside The Misfit. After the execution of Bailey and his son, The Misfit tells the grandmother that he † found out the crime doesn't matter. You can do one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car, because sooner you're going to forget what it was you done and just be punished for it†(O'Connor 414). John Desmond's, a professor of English at Whitman College made comment in his article that † the Misfit acts under the delusion that his actions are somehow good, i. e.  good for him.Since he cannot make sense of his spiritual condition, he now tries to reduce ethical mystery to a perverse pleasure-pain principle†(Desmond135). Desmond's comment reveals the characteristic of The Misfit because The Misfit's demeanor exhibits that his values is tangled, and he has developed his own philosophy, which is evil and lawless. As a result, his philosophy blinded his conscience, and make his sinful actions look naturally appropriate to himself. Besides characterization, foreshadowing is also a significant literary element throughout the story .The author uses foreshadowing to give the story its air of suspense, and to hint the outcome of the story. At the beginning of the story, the grandmother refers to the news that â€Å"The Misfit is al oose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida† (O'Connor 402). Initially, the grandmother just wants to use this scary news to threaten Bailey, and tries to change his mind. The reference to a dangerous criminal raises a sign of hazardousness. The grandmother's dress on the day of departure also foreshadows the misfortune of the family.â€Å"[S]he had on navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet†(O'Connor 404). In the book Short Stories for Students, the author of the article ‘Overview: â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ analysis that † as the family prepares to embark on their vacation, the grandmother plans her outfit with an eye toward tragedy†(Short Stories for Students 103).Wilson's analysis is fair because when people die, they usually are dressed in their best outfit, just like the grandmother is dressed in her best clothes, so its clear that the grandmother holds a pessimistic view on the family trip. On their way to Florida, the family â€Å"passed a large cotton field with five or six graves fenced in the middle of it, like a small island†(O'Connor 404). It is pretty disturbing for people who are on a family trip to see thing like graveyard, and the number of the graves clearly represent the six family members, including the baby. When the family are waiting for help after the accident, they encounter TheMisfit, who drives â€Å"a big black battered hearse-like automobile† (O'Connor 409). It is very obvious that the appearance of the car is a vigorous example of foreshadowing, which foreshadows the tragedy that is about to happen. In Arthur F. Bethea's article, he states that â€Å"O'Connor's villain is relentlessly associated with death: he worked as an undertaker , drives a black â€Å"hearse-like automobile,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(Bethea 239). Bthea's interpretation is vigorous because the image of a hearse-like automobile gives rise to a bodeful ambience which perfectly foreshadows the debut of The Misfit.Other than characterization and foreshadowing, irony is another essential literary element that helps to carry out the purpose and the theme of the whole story. Both verbal irony and situational irony are used by the author in this story to illustrate how the grandmother's manipulative behaviors lead the whole family into deadly situation. In the exposition of the story, the grandmother warns Bailey that she â€Å"wouldn't take [her] children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it â€Å"(O'Connor 402).Ironically, she is exactly the person who take the family into dangerousness when she deliberately excites the children in order to force Bailey to take them to see the plantation, where they meet The Misfit. In order to convince Bailey, the grandmother announces that taking the kids to the old plantation â€Å"would be very educational for them†(O'Connor 408). To educate the children is not the purpose of the trip to the plantation in the grandmother's mind, it is just a excuse that used to disguise her selfishness.In Stanley Renne's article he comments that the grandmother is a â€Å"blind old woman, a failed parent who has ruined her own offspring, with a false and destructive dream of the past and an equally false and destructive self-perception in the present†(Renner 127). Renne's analysis is reasonable because the grandmother always wants others to accept her idea, and force his family members to do what she thinks is right and what she thinks is good for them, but the grandmother doesn't perceive that herself is being selfish and nostalgic all the time.As a result of her selfishness and nostalgia, the grandmother ultimately brings misfortune to the family. After the car accident, the kid says: â€Å"But nobody's killed†(O'Connor 409) with great disappointment. It is very awkward that a kid could has this kind of horrible thought, and it is an example of verbal irony because at the end of the story every family member gets killed eventually. Another irony happens when the grandmother is giving her grandkids a lecture on respecting others.She announces that in the old times â€Å"children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else†(O'Connor 404), but at the same time, she saw an African American child on the roadside and says: â€Å"Oh look at that cute pickninny† (O'Connor 404). It is ironic that the grandmother is teaching her grandkids the importance of respect while she calls an African American child pickninny, which is disrespectful.In Stephen Brandy's article he analysis and describe the grandmother as a old woman who † is filled with the prejudices of her class and her time† (Brandy 110). Brandy's comment is agreeable because although the grandmother's conversations make her seems like a nice and traditional Southern old lady, her mindless insult on African Americans reveals that the racism is rooted in her mind for a very long time that even herself does not notice it, or she ignore this issue deliberately.I the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, the author applies characterization, foreshadowing, and irony to illustrate the theme that the tendency to manipulate people's actions and thoughts may introduce tragic outcomes to the love ones. By using both direct and indirect characterization, the author is able to portray the characters in detail, and create a vivid image of interactions between characters.Foreshadowing is also a important literary element that the author applies in this short story because foreshadowing gives the story its air of suspense thus make the story more interesting and dramatic. Through both situational irony and verbal i rony, the author shows how the grandmother's character trait brings misfortune to the family, and unlock the theme of the story. Being manipulative not only distances a person from his or her family, but also could cause trouble to the love ones. A Good Man is Hard to Find Analysis â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is a short story written by Flannery O'Connor, a significant American writer and essayist. Her writing style reflects the ethnic relation in the South and her own Christian faith. The author writes in third person limited point of view to portray the tragic journey of a family who lived in Georgia in 1953. Bailey wants to take his family to Florida, but his mother, â€Å"the grandmother† disagrees with him because there's a dangerous criminal named The Misfit who is also on the way to Florida.Bailey ignores the grandmother's concern and headed to Florida. On the road, The kids and the grandmother persuade Bailey to drive them to the see a plantation which the grandmother visited when she was a lady. Unfortunately, the family gets into an accident on the desolate dust road to the plantation. The only thing the family can do is to wait for help, and it turns out that their help is none other than The Misfit and his buddies. The Misfit ord ers his buddies to take all the family members except the grandmother into the wood and shoot them.Hopelessly, the grandmother calls The Misfit her child and wants to touch him on the shoulder, but this angers The Misfit. As a result, he shoots the grandmother three times on the chest. The author uses characterization, foreshadowing, and irony to illustrate the theme that the tendency to manipulate people's actions and thoughts may introduce tragic outcomes to the love ones.In the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† , the author applies both direct characterization and indirect characterization to exhibit the selfishness of the grandmother, the innocence of the children, and the wickedness of The Misfit .In the exposition of the story, the grandmother wants to go to Tennessee to visit her connections instead going to Florida, so she tells Bailey that he † ought to take [the kids] somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and be board. They have never been to east Tennessee† (O'Connor 403). From this quote the readers can perceive that the grandmother is good at manipulating her son by saying that going to Tennessee can be beneficial to the kids in order to achieve her own purpose.She also mentions that The Misfit is also on the way to Florida and she â€Å"couldn't answer to [her] conscience† (O'Connor 402) if she brings the kids to Florida. In this quote, the grandmother uses the word â€Å"conscience† to threat Bailey with the idea that he is going to put his children in danger, so he would give up the trip to Florida.In Katherine Keil's article â€Å"O'Connor's ‘Good Man is Hard to Find'†, Katherine analyzes â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and comments that â€Å"the grandmother shows her indifference for creation by selfishly manipulating and nagging to get her way on the family's vacation â€Å"(Keil 45).Keil's analysis is reasonable because through the int eractions between the grandmother and other family members on the issue about the family trip, the grandmother is used to manipulate people's decisions by taking advantage of the vulnerable side of people's mind and being selfish without knowing it herself. The kids, John Wesley and June Star, are innocent compare to their selfish grandmother. After the family encounter The Misfit in the country, John Wesley notices that The Misfit is holding a gun, so he asks him: â€Å"‘What you got that gun for?†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(O'Connor 410).Under this kind of circumstance, probably most of the people would be quiet in order to avoid trouble, but John Wesley mentions the gun just because he is simply curious. Unfortunately, his inquiry brings The Misfit into action, and results in tragedy. Although The Misfit is not present until the final pages of the story, he influences the story from the exposition of the story when the grandmother tells Bailey that he flees from the prison, and is on th e way to Florida.The author uses a clear and detailed direct characterization to portray The Misfit when he first appears in the story. The author describes him as a man whose Hair just beginning to gray and he wore silver rimmed spectacles that gave him a scholarly look.He had a long creased face and didn't have on any shirt or undershirt. He had on blue jeans that were too tight for him and was holding a black hat and a gun. (O'Connor 410) It is easy for the readers to realize that he is an antagonist from his appearance– long ceased face, unsuited clothes, holding a gun, a typical image of villains.The conversations between The Misfit and the grandmother also reveal the evil inside The Misfit. After the execution of Bailey and his son, The Misfit tells the grandmother that he † found out the crime doesn't matter. You can do one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car, because sooner you're going to forget what it was you done and just be pu nished for it†(O'Connor 414).John Desmond's, a professor of English at Whitman College made comment in his article that † the Misfit acts under the delusion that his actions are somehow good, i. e.  good for him. Since he cannot make sense of his spiritual condition, he now tries to reduce ethical mystery to a perverse pleasure-pain principle†(Desmond135).Desmond's comment reveals the characteristic of The Misfit because The Misfit's demeanor exhibits that his values is tangled, and he has developed his own philosophy, which is evil and lawless. As a result, his philosophy blinded his conscience, and make his sinful actions look naturally appropriate to himself. Besides characterization, foreshadowing is also a significant literary element throughout the story .The author uses foreshadowing to give the story its air of suspense, and to hint the outcome of the story. At the beginning of the story, the grandmother refers to the news that â€Å"The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida† (O'Connor 402). Initially, the grandmother just wants to use this scary news to threaten Bailey, and tries to change his mind. The reference to a dangerous criminal raises a sign of hazardousness. The grandmother's dress on the day of departure also foreshadows the misfortune of the family.â€Å"[S]he had on navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet†(O'Connor 404). In the book Short Stories for Students, the author of the article ‘Overview: â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ analysis that † as the family prepares to embark on their vacation, the grandmother plans her outfit with an eye toward tragedy†(Short Stories for Students 103).Wilson's analysis is fair because whe n people die, they usually are dressed in their best outfit, just like the grandmother is dressed in her best clothes, so its clear that the grandmother holds a pessimistic view on the family trip. On their way to Florida, the family â€Å"passed a large cotton field with five or six graves fenced in the middle of it, like a small island†(O'Connor 404).It is pretty disturbing for people who are on a family trip to see thing like graveyard, and the number of the graves clearly represent the six family members, including the baby. When the family are waiting for help after the accident, they encounter TheMisfit, who drives â€Å"a big black battered hearse-like automobile† (O'Connor 409). It is very obvious that the appearance of the car is a vigorous example of foreshadowing, which foreshadows the tragedy that is about to happen. In Arthur F. Bethea's article, he states that â€Å"O'Connor's villain is relentlessly associated with death: he worked as an undertaker, dri ves a black â€Å"hearse-like automobile,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(Bethea 239). Bthea's interpretation is vigorous because the image of a hearse-like automobile gives rise to a bodeful ambience which perfectly foreshadows the debut of The Misfit.Other than characterization and foreshadowing, irony is another essential literary element that helps to carry out the purpose and the theme of the whole story. Both verbal irony and situational irony are used by the author in this story to illustrate how the grandmother's manipulative behaviors lead the whole family into deadly situation.In the exposition of the story, the grandmother warns Bailey that she â€Å"wouldn't take [her] children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it â€Å"(O'Connor 402).Ironically, she is exactly the person who take the family into dangerousness when she deliberately excites the children in order to force Bailey to take them to see the plantation, where they meet The Misfit. In order to convince Bailey , the grandmother announces that taking the kids to the old plantation â€Å"would be very educational for them†(O'Connor 408). To educate the children is not the purpose of the trip to the plantation in the grandmother's mind, it is just a excuse that used to disguise her selfishness.In Stanley Renne's article he comments that the grandmother is a â€Å"blind old woman, a failed parent who has ruined her own offspring, with a false and destructive dream of the past and an equally false and destructive self-perception in the present†(Renner 127).Renne's analysis is reasonable because the grandmother always wants others to accept her idea, and force his family members to do what she thinks is right and what she thinks is good for them, but the grandmother doesn't perceive that herself is being selfish and nostalgic all the time.As a result of her selfishness and nostalgia, the grandmother ultimately brings misfortune to the family. After the car accident, the kid says: â€Å"But nobody's killed†(O'Connor 409) with great disappointment. It is very awkward that a kid could has this kind of horrible thought, and it is an example of verbal irony because at the end of the story every family member gets killed eventually. Another irony happens when the grandmother is giving her grandkids a lecture on respecting others.She announces that in the old times â€Å"children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else†(O'Connor 404), but at the same time, she saw an African American child on the roadside and says: â€Å"Oh look at that cute pickninny† (O'Connor 404). It is ironic that the grandmother is teaching her grandkids the importance of respect while she calls an African American child pickninny, which is disrespectful.In Stephen Brandy's article he analysis and describe the grandmother as a old woman who † is filled with the prejudices of her class and her time† (Brandy 110). Brandy 's comment is agreeable because although the grandmother's conversations make her seems like a nice and traditional Southern old lady, her mindless insult on African Americans reveals that the racism is rooted in her mind for a very long time that even herself does not notice it, or she ignore this issue deliberately.I the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, the author applies characterization, foreshadowing, and irony to illustrate the theme that the tendency to manipulate people's actions and thoughts may introduce tragic outcomes to the love ones. By using both direct and indirect characterization, the author is able to portray the characters in detail, and create a vivid image of interactions between characters.Foreshadowing is also a important literary element that the author applies in this short story because foreshadowing gives the story its air of suspense thus make the story more interesting and dramatic. Through both situational irony and verbal irony, t he author shows how the grandmother's character trait brings misfortune to the family, and unlock the theme of the story. Being manipulative not only distances a person from his or her family, but also could cause trouble to the love ones.

Heroes & Odysseus Essay

This paper will seek out to explore the way in which Odysseus and Oedipus were created as heroes and how they either missed their mark or did indeed become legendary. Throughout Homer’s chronicle, The Odyssey, are found the feats of cunning, strength, moral fiber and bravery attributed to Odysseus. The tale recounts the days after the fall of Troy, and the meandering journey which took Odysseus back to his homeland – though never truly home. The Odyssey begins with Odysseus stranded on a small forest island – trapped by the goddess Calypso while Oedipus begins with the oracle of Delphi stating that Oedipus will live to kill his father and marry his mother and thereby wrecking his home. It is explained through the text that the gods, save for Neptune have begun to pity Odysseus because of the great suffering he had endured. This suffering is explained to be of â€Å"every kind of blandishment to make him forget his home, so that he is tired of life. † (Book I) Calypso is intent on forcing Odysseus to marry her, but he does not falter to her whim, but still longs for his wife and home. Oedipus on the other hand does fulfill the oracle’s prophesy and no god saves him or pities him his fate. This is brought to the attention of Jove, or Zeus, son of Saturn and most powerful of the gods. The goddess Minerva calls to Jove to end the suffering of Odysseus, to which Jove replies: My child, what are you talking about? How can I forget Ulysses than whom there is no more capable man on earth, nor more liberal in his offerings to the immortal gods that live in heaven? (Book I) It is through the voice of Jove, the king of all the gods and goddesses that the reader is shown the esteem that Odysseus has gained. Jove calls Odysseus the â€Å"[most] capable man on earth†, which intends to illustrate the favor that he has earned from the gods. When it is decided by Minerva and Jove that Odysseus will be allowed to return home, Minerva travels to Ithaca – the home of Odysseus to tell his son to prepare for his father’s return. However the situation on Ithaca has become troubled as many suitors are vying for the hand of the, presumed, widow of the king. During this debate, Telemachus, the son of Odysseus convened the council and spoke of the trouble that had fallen on his house. My grieveance is purely personal, and turns on two great misfortunes which have fallen upon my house. The first of these is the loss of my excellent father, who was chief among all you here present, and was like a father to every one of you [†¦]. (Book II) Here, it is shown that not only was Odysseus capable of pleasing the gods, but also he was a great and fair leader. The council of Ithaca, though his subordinates, where treated as his own children – rather than simply citizens subject to his rule. It is also during this discourse that Telemachus calls for an end of the forced courting of his mother by saying â€Å"we have now no Ulysses to ward off harm from our doors, and I cannot hold my own against them. I shall never all my days be as good a man as he was† (Book II) – which then illustrated the strength and power that the presence of Odysseus commanded. Characters in plays are the designated interlopers between the subconscious of the audience or readers. These characters translate into reality and become a relatable experience because the hero has one tragic flaw that conquers them, ruins them, and brings them humility. This fallible nature is show the imperfections of humanity designed through sin; sin is one of the many idiosyncrasies which mark us as human, that create specific characteristics and through confession or the confession of characters in a play, this nature becomes like a myth in the end there is death or forgiveness. Aristotle’s definition for a tragic hero is one who is not in control of his own fate, but instead is ruled by the gods in one fashion or another. The tragic hero for Aristotle is tragic because of their lack of control or will in the face of their predetermined future and downfall. A great tragic flaw (hamartia) is the hero’s devil may care attitude at the beginning of each story, and then their despondency and stagnation of hope that meets them at the end of the play (Aristotle Ibid. , Book XIII, 1085b 35 & 1086a 12—14, P. 909]. In drama, ego is the flaw to which the hero succumbs. This is Oedipus’ great error. His ego is a compromise to his fortune. Even in the gods’ world he stands out as unique or special. Heroes begin their stories with aplomb of luck, or ego, or a rosy view of the world, and each play seems to end with destruction. Oedipus is blind at the beginning of the play and then becomes physically blind at the end of the play thus making the ethereal concrete. With Greek drama; the tragedy of the unmistakable truth found in the character’s own self-realization is the typically denouement. The playwright’s tragic heroes have survived in life under false pretences, thus they are doomed to suffer from their one flaw of ego. It is interesting that while ego is Oedipus’ downfall it is Odysseus’ strength for it is ego which allows him to continue trying to find his home even after decades of looking. By the forth book of The Odyssey, Odysseus is still making his way home, and the tales of his exploits are recalled. As Helen, wife of Menelaus, and the cause of the Trojan war spoke of Odysseus, she recalled his cunning and forethought in his dealings with Troy. â€Å"I cannot indeed name every single one of the exploits of Odysseus†, Helen told the men, â€Å"but I can say what he did when he was before Troy. † (Book IV) Helen recounted Odysseus donning a disguise and entering the city dressed as a beggar. Though she saw through the disguise and recognized him, she was unable to question him because â€Å"he was too cunning for me†. (Book IV) It was the plan of Odysseus to gather information on the city, and kill some of the soldiers before returning his army – which, as Helen recalled, he did. This praise of Odysseus was echoed by her husband, Menelaus. After Helen had spoken, Menelaus said â€Å"I have traveled much, and have had much to do with heroes, but I have never seen such another man as Odysseus. What endurance too, and what courage he displayed†. (Book IV) The strength and bravery of Odysseus, as recounted by Menelaus, illustrated the degree to which Odysseus had gained favor among his fellow Grecian kings. In Oedipus there is another case of fate controlling the destiny of man. Due to fate’s interference in the lives of heroes, it must be pondered whether or not they are heroes because they are devoid of choice and by definition a hero chooses their actions, but with fate, their actions are predestined. For Oedipus, his only link to heroism is that in his redemptive attitude . His heroic stance in Greek culture is seen as a protagonist who felt guilt for what he had done and this translates to the audience that if a hero can succumb to evil then they themselves, as less than heroic, are more likely to fall in favor, in the eyes of the gods. Human nature is a nature of reason, not strictly adherent to passion or feelings, and in drama playwrights strive to be exact in their representation of reality. Morality then, becomes the crux of Oedipus Rex. Morality is reason. This is not to say that Plato and other classic Greek writers were ascetic; rather they placed passion, and feelings in their plays but the ethics of humanity are tied into the good of a person because reasonably, being virtuous, or good leads a character to happiness or release at the end of a modern play. The word for this given by Plato is eudemonism, which means blissful. Throughout The Odyssey, many individuals recount the feats of Odysseus. His exploits had gained him favor from man and God alike – something afforded to very few others in history or mythology. It was the total of every aspect of Odysseus’ persona that he gained this favor. Throughout his life he had shown courage, fairness, loyalty, strength and cunning – and it is because of these traits that Odysseus is remembered. As a Greek hero, Oedipus is controlled by fate: His remittance of gouging his eyes shows that he is a strong hero because of his debt payment of sight. For Oedipus the flaw could be contained within the word ego while Odysseus’ heroism is marked by it. Ego in answering the sphinx riddle and unbeknownst to him killing his birth father, marrying his mother, having children; ego accounts for all of Oedipus’s actions, and it is fate which had designed ego and thus was the ultimate ruler of Oedipus and luck for Odysseus but both are considered heroes. Works Cited Aristotle. Sophocles. (1977). The Oedipus Cycle. Harcourt Inc. Florida. Homer. â€Å"The Odyssey†. trans. Samuel Butler. University of Oregon. Date of Access: April 30 2009. URL: http://darkwing. uoregon. edu/~joelja/odyssey. html