The Four Pillars Of Analytical Competition - 770 Words

Within the Four Pillars of Analytical Competition as described by Davenport and Harris (2007), TMNAS has varying degrees of success as well as failure. The authors describe these pillars as pivotal to ability of any organization to successfully develop in to analytical competitors. The first of these pillars is labeled Support of Strategic, Distinctive Capability (p. 24). Although TMNAS has identified its strategic capability as delivering â€Å"†¦efficiencies and cost savings through the streamlining of processes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Overview 2015), it has been not examined as a viable capability to leverage in terms of Competitive Analytics. Furthermore, given the distinct nature of TMNAS, it stands to reason that the organization may elect to take a back seat to the group companies as far as identifying a strategic capability. In examining the company’s position as a services organization, it may behoove the company to play a support role to the group companies and t heir front office functions in fostering the identification of strategic and distinctive capabilities. Additionally, it could fall on the members of TMNAS IT to support the spread of competitive analytics within each of its sister companies. TMNAS has not contributed to or fostered this step on the road to analytics within the group companies therefore its position within this pillar of analytics competition requires more attention and resources. The next pillar identified by Davenport and Harris (2007) is described as AnShow MoreRelatedCritical Value Of Analytics : The New Science Of Winning Essay957 Words   |  4 Pagesnew data age. Every company and organization should strive to become an analytical competitor. Competing on Analytics reveals how companies think about their data and their exploitation of that data. Also, it highlights how companies such as the Boston Red Sox, Netflix, Amazon.com, CEMEX, Capital One, and Harrah’s Entertainment use analytics to build thei r competitive strategies and make better decisions in the severe competition. These companies and organizations use analytics to identify the mostRead MoreAnalysis Of Tencent : A Chinese Investment Company Established By Huateng Ma And Zhidong Zhang1743 Words   |  7 Pagessays, good analytical capabilities require good information management capabilities to integrate, extract, transform, and access business transaction data. Actually, Tencent also has good information management to complete the whole process of getting the important and accurate data what they want. By analytics, we mean the extensive use of data, statistical and quantitative analysis, explanatory and predictive models, and fact-based management to drive decisions and actions. Analytical is a partRead MoreThis Article Will Introduce The Structure Of Competing1129 Words   |  5 Pagesstudy of automotive manufacturer Toyota. First, the article will explain the four pillar model and five stages models and apply it to Toyota. Then it will address the competitive analytical advantage of the company in detail. Finlay it will discuss the internal and external competition on analytics of Toyota. Competing on Analytics Based on Davenport and Harris (2007)’s pillars of analytical competition, there are four pillars: distinctive capability, enterprise-wide analytics, senior management commitmentRead MoreAmazon : An Electronic Commerce And Cloud Computing Company1114 Words   |  5 PagesAmazon’s Current Position in Analytical Competition We can assess a company’s position and capability on analytics from four pillars of analytical competition, including distinctive capability, enterprise-wide analytics, senior management commitment and large-scale ambition. Based on performance of each pillar, analytical competition can be divided into 5 stages – analytically impaired, localized analytics, analytical aspirations, analytical companies and analytical competitors [3]. Amazon locatesRead MoreInformation And Data Of Analytics1750 Words   |  7 Pagesfor analysis, is the analysts who use these tools to interpret large amounts of data and make recommendations to management based on their findings. Over the past four summers I have worked for a global contractor management, payroll and compliance company based out of Australia called CXC Global. The company operates out of four regions which include: Australia, Europe, the Americas, and Southeast Asia. During the first couple of summers I spent working for the company I served as a social marketingRead MoreCompeting On Analytics : The New Science Of Winning Essay2059 Words   |  9 Pagescompetitive strategies companies are using today involve improving key business processes for which data analytics comes into play. The first five chapters of Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning (2007), discusses in detail what analytical competition is, identifies its key attributes, talks about how it can lead to improved business performance, and provides examples of different applications of competitive analytics both internally and externally. Using this information as the basis ofRead MoreHow Analytics Helps An Organizati on Optimize Their Business Processes1730 Words   |  7 PagesDavenport and Harris (2007), defined analytics, as the â€Å"extensive use of data, statistical and quantitative analysis, explanatory and predictive models, and fact-based management to drive decisions and actions.† [2]. An article titled Outsmart the Competition by Jackie Zack in Teradata Online magazine states that â€Å"analytics can help an organization optimize their business processes to make them effective as possible.† [3]. It is a proven fact that proper use of analytics can lead an organizations toRead MoreTop Two Marketing Agency : The First Marcom Agency1419 Words   |  6 Pagesintensively trained for 4 months and began to work directly with both internal and external clients for a year. The experience was over exceed my expectation, it’s great! Company’s Position and Ability to Compete on Analytics Venus Communications is an analytical practitioner. The company is working to become more data driven. Back to the time I worked in the company, the admin department was looking to recruit the most talented market research analytics. The human talent execution team set a high standardRead MoreAnalysis : The Four Pillars Of Analytics2171 Words   |  9 Pagesthe pillars of analytics competition? The four pillars of analytics prove to be important in their own aspect. Every business uses the four pillars differently and, as pointed out in â€Å"Competing on Analytics,† some of the small business may not use all of the pillars. However, after reading the effects of the pillars, it may be worthwhile for even the smallest of business to try to incorporate these to their strategies to better compete. I felt as though JUJAMA utilizes each of the pillars in theRead MoreMethods Of Using Data Relationships And Computer Models1605 Words   |  7 Pageslevel approach to and Management of Analytics 3) Senior management commitment 4) Large scale ambition The above four mentioned characteristics are called the four pillars of analytic completion with senior management commitment being the pivotal characteristic as it can make others characteristics possible. In the case of KKR within the pillars of analytic competition is growing strong. The senior management i.e the CEO Sharukh Khan along with other stake holders and support

An Emergency Room On A Calm Day - 1424 Words

Imagine an emergency room on a calm day; the air fluttering with quiet conversations between families and doctors, the constant clacking of the receptionist’s fake nails on the keyboard, and the occasional cry of a baby. Suddenly, sirens start to wail and everything slows down as if time becomes like molasses on a cold winter day. The phrases â€Å"incoming trauma† and â€Å"GSW (gunshot wound) to the left-upper quadrant† resonate through the air. In a split second, the relaxed ambiance of the quiet emergency room has been interrupted by loud, raucous voices, machines, and clattering gurneys. A young woman, Karly Lance, who is noticeably injured from an involvement in some sort of accident is rushed into the nearest room and the curtains are drawn†¦show more content†¦Ultimately, she wanted one last chance to save someone’s life and change his world. Two situations could arise out of this predicament: Karly’s parents could deny organ donati on or they could allow Karly’s sacrifice save someone else’s life. Ultimately, her parents choose to abide by Karly’s wishes and through the process save five other lives. Ben Almassi writes that â€Å"[o]rgan failure reminds us that we are interdependent and embodied beings. It illustrates vividly two simple, powerful truths: that we must rely on each other, and we can rely on each other† (275). Death is inevitable and unpreventable, yet life can be prolonged through the process of organ donation and transplantation. In 1954, a kidney served as the first successful human organ transplantation. Successful liver, heart and pancreas transplants followed in the 1960s, and lung and intestinal organ transplants began in the 1980s. The first successful heart-lung transplant was performed in 1981, and in 1983, the drug known as Cyclosporine was introduced to treat organ rejection (â€Å"History† 1-2). Although these innovations effectively changed the medical world, they all dealt with dead donors. However, that all changed in 1989 when the first living donor procedure, a kidney transplant, was performed successfully. These first successful tran splantations and â€Å"[m]edical advances in the prevention

Death...The Killer of Families free essay sample

The blood rushed up as it overpowered the mans mind, body and soul. In his mind, the man looked up to the heavens praying to God that he would answer his quiestion on why he was being taken out of this word he had become so familiar with. Had he done something wrong to make God upset with him and his life? Gods reply was quite simple, its your time to go. For the man the death was quick and painless. For the family, though, it was a slow, agonizing death. Then it was all over. The heart monitors line went out like a shining star that is slowly fading into nothing but a void of darkness. Life is a cruel world. It brings only chaos, animosity and death, which is a five-letter word that has a great impact on a persons life. I was just a kid at a tender age when my father passed away. We will write a custom essay sample on DeathThe Killer of Families or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He didt die in some horrendous fire, a tragic car crash, or even a grand adventure on top of the highest peak of a mountain. Sadly, he died from a stroke, which was caused by a carotid artery. My father was and still is a great man who exercised on a daily basis. He fought against diabetes and high cholesterol. When my father passed away at the age of fifty-nine, it brought me to realize that not everything in life is just rainbows and butterflies. My fathers death played a huge role in my life by bringing my family closer together. It showed me how grateful I am to have had two parents to show me what to do when obstacles appear twisting and turning with two different destinations that you can choose to embark on. When a family member or a loved one passes away, the event triggers something that causes someone to actually really open your eyes to your surroundings, and for once you actually see the world for what it really is and not just some setting in a fairy tale. A man, a fata her, a husband and a legend. That man has taught me everything I need to know in life from normal school curriculum like reading, writing and math to teaching me how to shoot a gun and become successful both in school and in the real world. He sat oon the sidelines wawtching as I blocked the ball that would try to fly past the other defensive players as they hopelessly failed to defend the goal. This man will fade to a memory that will burn forever in my mind like a vivid portrait that hangs in museums, a distant voice, a guide in life who utters words of encouragement into my ear. Hes always right there next to me watching over me, telling me whats wrong and rihgt and the difference between good and evil. Even on the gloomiest days, I can see his smile break through the clouds and brighten up my rainy days

President Jackson Essays - Cherokee Nation, Cherokee, Andrew Jackson

President Jackson President Jackson and the Removal of the Cherokee Indians The decision of the Jackson administration to remove the Cherokee Indians to lands west of the Mississippi River in the 1830's was more a reformulation of the national policy that had been in effect since the 1790's than a change in that policy. The dictum above is firm and can be easily proved by examining the administration of Jackson and comparison to the traditional course which was carried out for about 40 years. After 1825 the federal government attempted to remove all eastern Indians to the Great Plains area of the Far West. The Cherokee Indians of northwestern Georgia, to protect themselves from removal, made up a constitution which said that the Cherokee Indians were sovereign and not subject to the laws of Georgia. When the Cherokee sought help from the Congress that body only allotted lands in the West and urged them to move. The Supreme Court, however, in Worcester vs. Georgia, ruled that they constituted a domestic dependent nation not subject to the laws of Georgia. Jackson, who sympathized with the frontiersman, was so outraged that he refused to enforce the decision. Instead he persuaded the tribe to give up it's Georgia lands for a reservation west of the Mississippi. According to Document A, the map shows eloquently, the relationship between time and policies which effected the Indians. From the Colonial and Confederation treaties, a significant amount of land had been acquired from the Cherokee Indians. Successively, during Washington's, Monroe's, and Jefferson's administration, more and more Indian land was being commandeered. The administrations during the 1790's to the 1830's had gradually acquired more and more land from the Cherokee Indians. Jackson followed that precedent by the acquisition of more Cherokee lands. According to Document B, the first of which is by raising an army, and [destroying the resisting] tribes entirely or 2ndly by forming treaties of peace with them, under the existing circumstances of affairs, the United States have a clear right, consistently with the principles of justice and the laws of nature, to proceed to the destruction or expulsion of the savages. The use of the word savages, shows that the American had irreverence toward other ethnic backgrounds. Henry Knox wanted to destroy the cherokee tribes inorder to gain land for the United States, although he questions the morality of whether to acquire the cherokee land, his conclusion forbode's the appropriation. According to Document C, That the Cherokee Nation may be led to a greater degree of civilization, and to become herdsmen and cultivators, instead of remaining in a state of hunters, the United States will from time to time gratuitously the said nation with useful implements of husbandry. The statement made by Henry Knox shows an ethnocentric view toward the indians. Knox viewed them as savages, and said that the role of the United States is to propagate their evolution into herdsmen and cultivators instead of hunters. What Knox did not realize was that he was attempting to change the culture of the Cherokee Indians, and that would be an infringement upon their sovereignty. According to Document E, [In exchange for Georgia's cession of claims to certain western lands] . . . the United States shall, at their own Expense, [obtain for] the Use of Georgia, as early as the same can be peaceably obtained on reasonable terms, the indian Title . . . to all the other Lands within the State of Georgia. The statement above, explains how the United States is being avaricious in expanding the State of Georgia into cherokee lands. Manifest Destiny and irreverence toward the Cherokee Indians can be explained by this. According to Document F, The Indian tribes . . . have for a considerable time been growing more and more uneasy at the constant diminution of the territory they occupy, although effected by their own voluntary sales, and the policy has long been gaining strength with them of refusing absolutely all further sale on any conditions . . . . In order peaceable to counteract this policy of theirs and to provide an extension of territory which the rapid increase of our numbers will call for [they should be led to an agricultural way of life, thus lessening their need for land], In leading them thus to . . . civilization . . . I trust and believe we are acting for their greatest good. Thomas Jefferson believed that some people were dependent(slaves, women, indians) and some people were independent (White males), he believed that the independent of society should help the dependents to become independent.

Analysis of Elizabeth Bishops The Fish Essay Example

Analysis of Elizabeth Bishops The Fish Essay Example Analysis of Elizabeth Bishops The Fish Essay Analysis of Elizabeth Bishops The Fish Essay Essay Topic: Bishop the Fish Esther Zamora Jon Schneiderman ENC1102-09 03/12/2013 Analysis of Elizabeth Bishop’s â€Å"The Fish† All battered and scarred from many years of trials, Grandma always has a smile on her face. Grandpa died when she was still young, her three sons have also died, and only her two daughters remain. In spite of these difficulties in her life, she manages to be happy and accepting of what life has tossed her way. An older person has scars from life and doesn’t have the strength to fight for it. The elderly have gone through many trials and afflictions that life has tossed at them. With age, they have gained wisdom and understanding through these hardships. Life has a tendency to cruelly throw darts at humanity without any kind of reservation or remorse. In Elisabeth Bishop’s â€Å"The Fish,† the narrator is the fisher woman. Upon catching a tremendous fish and analyzing it carefully, she is reminded of her life. She notices the fish is not fighting to stay alive. He just hung there, still, and ready to die. This reminds her of her own life. She is now faced with the memory of the many scars that life has brought her. She’s not willing to fight as she once did. Age has really taken a toll on her, demanding her once youthful strength. The author speaks of the fish saying, â€Å"He hung a grunting weight, battered and vulnerable and homely† (7-9). The fisher woman found a similarity with her life and the fish’s life. She made a distinct connection between her life and this small creature. Older and more experienced, the fisher woman is reminded of her past afflictions. Now old and gray which are signs of aging, as the fish’s lips that give away his age. The lips are an important sign because the hooks and lines they have in their mouth demonstrates their experience. The fish in the poem declares â€Å"hung five pieces of fish- line† (51), showing how many times the fish had previously been caught and released again. Each line represents the many endeavors the fish had accomplished by conquering those hooks. As with people who overcome adversity and scars inhabit their life, the fish also has scars that remain as an indication of previous struggles. Wisdom and understanding is gained as things in life happen. For the fish, he gains wisdom and understanding each time he escaped a net or a line which is shown by his scars. A person gains wisdom and understanding with the trials they are faced with and that age has brought them. These are reminders to people as well as for fish. A person may have loved ones who have passed away, or possibly experienced some kind of trauma. All these tribulations serve for gaining wisdom and understanding in life. In conclusion, the fisher woman, by looking and observing the fish closely, is reminded of all the previous trials she had in her life. The scars in his lips, the â€Å"five-haired beard of wisdom† (62) helps her think of herself. She notices the rainbow of colors reflecting from the oil on the boat, reminding her of the fish’s accomplishments. Even though the fish is small, it somehow provokes a sense of relation with herself. She relates these attributes of the fish with maturity, adversity, trials, wisdom, and understanding. She encounters a close identification with the fish. Filled by this emotional connection and compassion for the fish, she let him go.

Looking At Globalization And The Effect On Cultures Religion Essay Example

Looking At Globalization And The Effect On Cultures Religion Essay Example Looking At Globalization And The Effect On Cultures Religion Essay Looking At Globalization And The Effect On Cultures Religion Essay With the coming of globalisation and vanishing of boundaries between the states, it is really common to see people from assorted geographicss, civilizations coming down and working or analyzing. It is a common scenario even at a work topographic point or a college where we can descry people from assorted states interacting with each other, making concerns, analyzing or being portion of each other s life in a large manner. Before traveling in front and depicting about my experiences let s seek specifying cultural and its importance at workplace. Culture could be defined anything related to art, civilization, life style, music, etc associating to a peculiar community or a group of people populating together or holding and following the same set of beliefs. Now looking at the importance of civilization in the workplace, it plays a really critical function. Cultural defines the values, the beliefs of the persons or a community, even their twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours behaviour is influenced by it. So it has a direct impact on their on the job manner and relationships with people at workplace, their behaviour at workplace, etc. Now when we talk about this, we should besides see the organisation civilization and its impact on the person. Of class, the organisation or the establishment plays a important function in determining the behaviour and the civilization of the person at work topographic poi nt, now how does he suit into this is of import. By and large people opt for such organisations or establishments where they fit in on or where similar values and civilization exists. Now let us look how things are today with the coming of organisations which consists of diverse squads. But before that Lashkar-e-Taiba me portion some of my experiences One thing I was truly looking to when I decided to come to UK was to run into and interact with assorted people. But at the same clip I was really nervous. I had all kinds of uncertainties in my head besides. Would I be accepted? Would I suit into the civilization? Bing lived in India throughout my life and non interacting with anyone from outside India, I had all impressions in my caput. Even I had apprehensivenesss sing the life styles and the behaviour of the people. But after I landed in UK my perceptual experience changed a batch. I was non the lone cat who had left his state and had come down here. There were 1000s like me. And even the people were really receptive. Though I mingled with my community and state folks in the beginning, it was merely after I came into college and started working and run intoing other pupils I realized that it was non bad really. All my perceptual experiences and frights were a complete false. My first interaction was so during one of those assignments. My group had perceived me as a geek and person who would be good at mathematics so would hold by birth analytical accomplishments being an Indian. But I truly had to state them that though we have rather a good figure of the population who was good at these things back place, but I was a awful batch at mathematics. This was when we all realized how we had pre-conceived impressions about people based upon their cultural and geographical backgrounds. Like I thought, Pakistanis were a closed batch who would be tough to interact but they were as a affair of fact merely like me. Of class, people ever find comfort in people with similar involvements or similar community and background. Like for illustration, I was merely with my Indian friends for about a month after I came to UK. I was merely excessively diffident and scared to interact or do friends with any one else. And I had so many Indians that I did nt happen the demand to besides. But shortly I realized that by making so I am halting myself from spread outing my skylines in cognition besides. I got to cognize about a batch of things through my series of interactions with assorted people. Benefits of Cross-Culture Teams With the squad being more and more diverse, the thought will be different and it will ensue in truly different positions and thoughts fluxing in. The squad would non merely make consensus but truly believe of many solutions or different replies. This would promote creativeness and innovativeness. It makes the group insight effectual. Common benefits The whole squad being diverse would carry through the short approachs of each other to some extent. And besides it is a learning experience. Geting to cognize about other civilizations, linguistic communications, and people is ever interesting. Enhancement of interpersonal accomplishments. Working with such a squad, broadens your thought and you come across new avenues and positions. Brands you more adaptable to any environment and people. Continuous betterment groups with such diverseness ever inquiries, therefore doing it more and more ambitious and endeavoring to acquire the best out of the group. Sometimes people in homogeneous groups do non take part much believing everyone thinks the same. But in such instances relatively the engagement degrees of the group is high. Because everyone bring in a different thought and position before the group. If I have to speak about my experiences, good I must state I have gained vastly. At first I used to be soundless and non-participative. But now I feel I can pour in really of import points because I think really otherwise from the remainder of the group, so I bring in a different set of thought. This really benefits our treatments. I have truly developed great interpersonal accomplishments besides. Now I feel free to speak to anyone and from anyplace. I am non diffident or scared any longer. Even being in a diverse group, we use each of our single strengths and unite them to organize the strengths of the group. For illustration, one of my squad members is good at placing and roll uping the information, I am good at analysing it, some one else is good at showing it and the other at placing mistakes. So all these strengths are combined together so that we eventually present the chef-doeuvre. Problems faced with cross-culture squads Language: This is one of the major issues. Though English has emerged as the common International linguistic communication but there is a batch of difference in British English and American and of class Indian. Even the pronunciation and the spoken linguistic communication differ a batch. This can sometimes do miscommunication. Language barriers can besides take to non-participation or inability to show thoughts freely. Apart from verbal and written communicating, a major portion of communicating happens through Non-verbal communicating. Now across assorted civilizations we have different communicating manners and besides different significances to certain things. Now it is highly of import to better cognize before we communicate anything as others might acquire pained if we do non understand decently. Cultural clangs Sometimes, there can be a entire clang in the civilizations and their beliefs. Such things should be handled decently and non merely ignored. Time this is a really of import factor while working in groups. The attitude of the squad members towards clip is really of import. Sometimes few of them group members emphasize on clip a batch but others do non see it that of import or neglect it because of their old beliefs and patterns. This could take to a struggle of involvement. Pre-conceptions and stereotypes: Peoples have a batch of preconceived impressions in their heads sing people from some civilizations and topographic points. Now that could be wholly incorrect. The individual might be wholly different. So it is non good to judge anyone merely because they belong to a civilization or a location. Difference in executing of work. False Consensus consequence: Sometimes people think that others besides think precisely like them or they feel that everyone would hold the same set of beliefs. Wayss to get the better of troubles faced when working in an international squad Effective communicating: This is one of the most of import facets. The members should look into if their points are decently understood. And look into for any miscommunication. Adhere to certain regulations, which can be framed consequently, so that everyone sticks to it. For illustration, we talked about the importance of clip. Now its better if the group decided that clip has a batch of importance and no 1 is late for the meetings, etc. Having a planetary mentality ever helps instead than transporting those old beliefs to the group. Every member of the group should workout on their strengths and failing so that we can work out of the overall strengths and failing. Avoiding prepossessions and stereotypes The whole energy of diverseness is good if used positively and for the improvement of the group. But we have to be careful and avoid any negativeness or struggles. Now allow me come to my personal experiences. I have already mentioned about the benefits I had got working with such a group. But I excessively faced many jobs. Like for illustration, in the beginning I was non so good at understanding the linguistic communication. Though I had learnt English throughout my instruction in India, but sometimes the degree of vocabulary and the pronunciation was really hard to hold on in the beginning and I used to sound amusing with my Indian speech pattern. Those were my tough times when I sometimes kept shut so that I do nt abash myself or even I did nt understood anything I would non reiterate it. But so of class during the class of clip, things settle down. There was a similar experience with clip. Bing a lazy Indian, I was non used to the promptness in my school or college. Back place it was a kind of a relaxed environment. But here every 2nd counts, hence I had to truly alter myself to accommodate to the current values and beliefs of the group. One of the effectual ways of get the better ofing such jobs is by increasing the Cultural Intelligence of the squad members. Now what is this Cultural Intelligence? It is seeking to understand other s behaviour and seeking to understand his values and beliefs so that to interact with him in a manner he is comfy. Peoples can be classified into 6 classs of Cultural Intelligence: The Provincial: Such individual is effectual merely when working with people from a similar civilization and background of his ain. Lacks the ability to work with others. The Analyst: He is the individual, who would analyse the civilization of his fellow mate and seek to acquire the strengths and frame schemes consequently. The Natural: Relies wholly on intuition and is non interested in analysing or larning new beliefs and about new civilizations. The Ambassador: He is nice and friendly. Though he is non cognizant much about the people or persons from other civilizations and backgrounds, but he is confident he can manage them. The Mimic: He gels in really good and has enormous assurance and he knows he will suit into the function. The Chameleon: Changes his colourss consequently. He is sometimes even baffled about his beginning. He fits into really absolutely. Now the work would be sorting all the members into the above class and work out how to manage them. Decision We have seen through this paper and through the penetrations and experiences of the writer about the cross-culture squads and their benefits and challenges. But these yearss, with the coming of globalisation such squads are ineluctable. Hence, we should work to get the better of the challenges and utilize the strengths of the persons to construct up the strengths of the squad. It is of import to truly understand persons and their civilizations and work consequently so that there is no miscommunication or struggle.

1. Interest Groups2. Political Party3. Bureaucratic Agency (Gov Essay - 1

1. Interest Groups2. Political Party3. Bureaucratic Agency (Gov. Agency) - Essay Example All the relevant and necessary information concerning this group are available in their main webpage (www.girlsnotbrides.org). As per the detailed website, some of the objectives of this group include mobilizing all the required financial and policy support to fight child marriages, enabling coordination and learning between groups working to halt early child marriages, and, importantly, creating global awareness of the damage that early child marriages portend to the individual, the community and the world at large. The group seeks to amplify the cries of girls often forced with or coerced into early marriage. The administrative and financial management of the group is the function of the Board of Trustees, whose members are equally legally responsible for the decisions and actions of the board. Aside from finance and administration, this board also safeguards the culture of the group and protects its good name. The Advisory Committee advises the Board of Trustees on the policies and strategies of the group. The Executive Director (currently Lakshmi Sundaram0 serves to ensure the group delivers on its stra tegies and draws ever closer to eliminating child marriage. Members of the group are called to exceptional commitment to good governance, accountability and transparency in the group’s goals of eradicating child marriage, work actively with other members, governments and relevant players on all levels towards realizing said goals, and contributing in any way in the group’s activities (Girls Not Brides, 1). The Girls Not Brides group received funding from donors such as the Ford Foundation, IKEA, Nike, Open Society, Skoll, the Dvaid & Lucile Packard Foundation, Kendeda, Sabanci, NoVo, Human Dignity Foundation, amongst other well-wishers (Girls Not Brides, 1). This site can be critical to one interested in politics in order that they may develop better comprehension and enlightened engagement in political processes by enabling one to know how such groups

Who has the right to write literature about war Essay

Who has the right to write literature about war - Essay Example The first novel about war was written by the male because of their active participation in the war compared to women. Poem about with the theme of men, who walk away, is an explanation of the soldiers in the war. The poem serves as an example of the future generation of the behaviour of men during the war. The pre-war novels were about the role of women during the war. The women responsibility to take cares of domestic chores and had no voice during the war. Most women, who advocated their independence, challenged the novel. Women poets came up with poems that describe their role in the war as opposed to those written by men. Other writers wrote poets that explain if the war occurs or not, the authors state the reasons for the war to occur. For the war to happen there should be a reason. African American literature has been incorporated as part of American literature. However, it is independent of its styles and voices from the American literature. The independence has assisted in reach for many audiences of black origin. In United States, African American literature is criticized for the separation of the writing styles. The separation in literature advocated for women to write about their fellow women and African American to write about the blacks. The new policy in it literature was opposed by the many writers because hinder the literature to explore the entire human race. All the writers have equal right despite the race or the gender background to express their opinion in the literature about the war. In the past, the natives ignored the African American literature. Recently the diverse groups in America have accepted the literature written by the blacks in America because of the reduction in the racial discrimination. In conclusion, all the individuals have a right to write literature about war. The Africa American writers believe that that literature gave them political liberation. The literature presents the truth

Feminism and Homosexuality in Theater Essay Example for Free

Feminism and Homosexuality in Theater Essay Feminism in theater has a very close relationship with the depiction of homosexuality onstage. Playwrights and performance artists who advocate feminism have seen theater as a powerful tool to make the public understand their views. The work of artists such as Lillian Hellman, Holly Hughes, and Anna Deavere Smith shape the discussion of feminism and homosexuality in the theater. Lillian Hellman was a playwright who’s known for plays that discussed the psychological and social manifestations of evil. Her work was revolutionary because she created strong female characters at a time when men ruled American theater. On the subject of homosexuality, Hellman’s most relevant work was â€Å"The Children’s Hour† (Champion and Nelson 156). While â€Å"The Children’s Hour† sends a powerful message on the topic of homosexuality, Hellman herself wasn’t a homosexual and her work may have reflected her attitude toward the subject. Hellman described the play to a reporter as â€Å"not really a play about lesbianism, but a lie (Griffin and Thorsten 27). † According to Hellman, the bigger the lie, the better it gets. â€Å"The Children’s Hour,† which opened on Broadway on November 20, 1934, painted a grim but clear depiction of Hellman’s view. â€Å"The Children’s Hour† is about the lives of two young women who opened a school for girls. Eventually, their lives are gradually ruined when one of the students accuses them of lesbianism. The characters of Martha Dobie and Karen Wright were realistically rendered by Hellman, resulting in a Broadway hit that would have 691 performances. This was a milestone of an achievement since America at the time was very conservative and homosexuality was a taboo subject (Griffin and Thorsten 27). Homosexuality was so taboo a subject in the Western world that the play was banned in Chicago, Boston, and London. While the play earned critical success in France and New York, it wasn’t awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1935 because the subject matter was still thought to be too sensitive at the time. Critics from New York however, protested the refusal of conservative bodies in the theater industry by forming the Drama Critics’ Circle. The organization has since then presented its own awards for plays they thought were relevant to art and society (Griffin and Thorsten 27). Hellman’s guardedness toward the issue of homosexuality is reflected on the play’s morality, which though clearly controversial and shocking at the time, was nevertheless morally acceptable to the majority of audiences. One glaring example of this is the fact that in the play, the accusation that Martha Dobie and Karen Wright were engaged in a lesbian relationship was simply a lie. An archetypal malicious teenager named Mary Tilford who studied in the school for girls fabricated the story. In fact, Karen was engaged to Dr. Joe Cardin, whom she really loved. Martha may have really been a lesbian in the story, but fearing for her sexuality, she committed suicide after revealing her thoughts and feelings to Karen (Griffin and Thorsten 28). Despite her sensational plays often associated with left-wing politics and feminism, Hellman considered herself largely a â€Å"moral writer. † The issue of homosexuality was primarily just a tool in the story to illustrate Hellman’s view that good people sometimes bring about harm because of their unwillingness to challenge evil. Karen was clearly painted in the play as a heterosexual and Martha seemed to have paid for her crime (homosexuality) with her life. Aside from reaffirming the norms of American society at the time, the play also apparently satisfied the morality of the conservative audience (Griffin and Thorsten 28). â€Å"The Children’s Hour† may have shied away from directly defending homosexuality, but it nevertheless showed the gradual opening of society to the broader roles of women. Martha and Karen were women who earned their own money, thus sending a message that they were independent and had some sort of power to satisfy their desires. These female characters were different from another of Hellman’s characters named Regina in â€Å"The Little Foxes. † While Regina depended on others’ money and the things she got from her manipulation of men, Martha and Karen had the education and administrative skills which led to the success of the all girls’ school they founded. Joe, Karen’s partner, also symbolized the growing number of egalitarian men at the time. He was very supportive of his partner’s wish to continue her career after their marriage and he also respected her dedication to the school she co-founded. He even defended Karen and Martha to his aunt after Mary’s mother convinced other parents to take their children out of the school because of the lesbianism charge (Griffin and Thorsten 28). In effect, while the play was hesitant to probe the reality of homosexuality more deeply, it did affirm in the audience’s mind the expanding role and power of women in society. Hellman might have been too guarded about lesbianism, but performance artist Holly Hughes was definitely vocal about her views about homosexuality and homosexual relationships. Hughes was an openly homosexual performance artist and writer of various plays and books that center on the topic of homosexuality. Her work has both been debated and celebrated by artists and intellectuals. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) refused to fund Hughes’ work in the summer of 1990 because of its sensitive subject matter, which resulted in a fierce debate and controversy in the world of performance art. One of Hughes’ most controversial pieces is a play entitled â€Å"Well of Horniness. † Lynda Hart, Assistant Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote that the â€Å"Well of Horniness† is both â€Å"transgressive and aggressive† because it dismantles the audience’s preconceived notions about lesbian homosexuality. The play is loosely based on a classic novel about lesbian homosexuality written by Radclyffe Hall. Hughes’ play became very successful and eventually inspired two sequels: â€Å"Part II: Victim Victoria† and â€Å"Part III: In the Realm of the Senseless (Hart and Phelan 60-61). † The play is mostly representational, with the plot repeatedly interrupted by mock commercials and commentaries (Hart and Phelan 60-61). The memorable characters of â€Å"Well of Horniness† include Georgette, Rod, and Vicki. Georgette is Rod’s sister and Vicki is Rod’s fiancee. Vicki and Georgette are members of a sorority called Tridelta Tribads. Georgette meets Rod and Vicki at a restaurant, and Georgette soon recognizes Vicki as someone she knows from her past sorority. Vicki instantly desires Georgette and stares at her longingly. While dining at the restaurant, Vicki drops her fork underneath the table. As she goes down to pick it up, she’s drawn instead to Georgette’s legs, which Hughes writes, were â€Å"two succulent rainbows leading to the same pot of gold (Hart and Phelan 61-62). † The aggressive affirmation of homosexual reality masked in comedy is performed in the play as Vicki continues to give Georgette cunnilingus while Rod delivers a monologue on honeymoon getaways. In productions of the play at East Village, Manhattan, this scene is performed explicitly with Georgette in a comedic manner to Vicki underneath the table. Vicki then gets up and says she’s feeling â€Å"a little too hot† and goes to the bathroom (Hart and Phelan 62). Rod tells Georgette that he senses â€Å"something fishy† but he can’t â€Å"put his finger† on it (Hart and Phelan 62). Georgette then replies, â€Å"I’m working on it. † The comedic conversation happens in the context of a play that is filled with references to fish, eager beavers, muff-divers, and other terms associated with lesbianism (Hart and Phelan 62). In contrast to â€Å"The Children’s Hour†, â€Å"Well of Horniness† certainly drives home its message on homosexuality in a more direct, striking manner. Hughes’ play doesn’t hide behind other issues or concerns such as the â€Å"lie† or â€Å"evil† in Hellman’s play, and instead hits audiences with the reality of homosexuality right away. It is this controversial nature of Hughes work that has made her notorious for conservative critics and even lesbians and other homosexuals who review her work. Hart though, thinks that Hughes’ play effectively challenges heterosexual hegemony. Its borderline messages and controversial nature opens up a â€Å"hopeful new space of visibility† for feminism and its supporters (Hart and Phelan 62). The popular scene from â€Å"Well of Horniness† is even more notable because it shatters lesbian stereotypes. Lesbians at the time were thought of as homosexuals who generally assumed male identities. Vicki though, was already engaged to Rod and yet still desired other women. Vicki’s performance of oral sex for Georgette in close proximity to her fiance destroys any notions the audiences might have regarding lesbianism and the sexuality of women. Since the play is representational, Rod’s character mainly stands for heterosexual hegemony, which explains why the character is named â€Å"Rod† to refer to male phallic symbol. Hughes shows that homosexual realities are happening throughout society despite the blind functioning of heterosexual institutions, such as marriage, as the play points out. Unlike Hellman, Hughes seems more concerned with homosexuality than feminism, although the empowerment of women might also be addressed by her aggressive plays. Through the clear depiction of women as freely desiring beings, Hughes is able to free women from societal stereotypes. â€Å"Women† isn’t a category of human beings who can only desire men. Instead, it’s a fuzzy category that mostly refers to female human beings who may desire any sex and express that desire in different ways. Overarching Hellman and Hughes’ work may be the amazing work of Anna Deavere Smith, performance artist, playwright, writer, and professor. Smith has received numerous awards and is widely known for her performances which have her assuming the identities of more than twenty people. Smith employs few props, such as chairs and tables to differentiate identities in her performances. All the identities she plays are real people who are interviewed beforehand about a social issue. The result of her lengthy monologues is a stunning commentary on the differences that fracture a community. One of Smith’s most popular acts is called â€Å"On the Road,† which she has been performing since 1982. In one of her performances, Smith interviewed twenty-five men and women from Princeton University on subjects such as the university’s eating clubs which are exclusive to men, assault against women, and the condition of black students among others. The fifty-minute dialogue that results from this research entertains and delights audiences at the same time. Smith usually invites her subjects to attend her performances and their reaction is usually positive. Many of them even laugh out loud when they recognize their own selves in the numerous identities performed. Some of them though, get unsettled when they see their views juxtaposed with others from the community (Hart and Phelan 35). This unsettling of the self may be one of the main goals of Smith in structuring her acts through such a unique manner. According to Smith, her goal is â€Å"to find American character in the ways that people speak (Cohen-Cruz 148). † She said that the spirit, imagination, and the challenges of the time can then be captured by inhabiting the words of the people in the community. Unlike other actors who try to project realistic characters on the stage, Smith’s emphasis is more on the filtering of the self through a single actor. She doesn’t assume that she has all the experiences of her subjects, but that she can learn many things from these experiences (Cohen-Cruz 148). Feminism has been one of the subjects of Smith’s performances for a very long time. In one Princeton performance entitled â€Å"Gender Bending,† Smith reminisced how women from Seven Sisters colleges had been imported to Princeton throughout history to provide weekend entertainment for members of fraternities. Feminist definitions of the body, the AIDS crisis, and modern literary representations of homosexuality are also discussed in the show. Smith tackled all these issues by impersonating the subjects she interviewed and playing them onstage (Hart and Phelan 37). In a way, Smith’s work is closer to reality than both Hellman and Hughes’ work because it merely projects the voice of real people onstage. What makes Smith’s performance more striking though than a simple video recording of interviews is that only one face speaks for all of the subjects. Through this technique, Smith is able to erase the immediate symbols of color, gender, and other characteristics of her subjects. Without the physical characteristics that differentiate one subject from another, audiences are forced to consider each subject’s view as a part of a unity that is the community. Stereotypes are then magnified as audiences realize that differences are oftentimes imaginary and unjust. Instead of masking the call for the empowerment of women through discussions about â€Å"evil† such as what Hellman did, or aggressively attacking the audience with controversial representations of lesbians such as what Hughes demonstrated, Smith is able to give voice to real women by simply putting their views side by side with others from the community. Smith puts real context in her performances, which makes the issue more immediate to viewers. Her acts send the message that gender discrimination is really happening right now and many people are unconsciously participating in it. They call for an immediate response to pressing social issues while entertaining audiences at the same time. For ordinary citizens, norms in society are always difficult to challenge, let alone break. Revolutionary works by Hellman, Hughes, and Smith are very valuable in that they help people to cross the bridge, so they can see the other side. While some audiences may dislike the oftentimes crude and vulgar images in their work, their act of watching alone is enough to gradually bend the norms of society. Norms always have to be challenged so that society’s morality and humanity doesn’t remain oppressively stagnant. Once taboo subjects are discussed, they cease to haunt the people concerned and become an issue for everyone. As modernity pushes people to think more about the effects of gender on society and the self, feminism and homosexuality will continue to be relevant topics in theater and other forms of art in the future. Hellman, Hughes, and Smith’s work will also continue to shape the discussions on these topics. These three brilliant writers represent different sides of the spectrum and their work should be read by anyone interested in exploring the relationship between feminism, homosexuality and theater arts. Works Cited Champion, Laurie and Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. American Women Writers, 1900-1945: a Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000. Cohen-Cruz, Jan. Local Acts: Community-based Performance in the United States. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2005. Griffin, Alice and Geraldine Thorsten. Understanding Lillian Herman. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1999. Hart, Lynda and Peggy Phelan. Acting Out: Feminist Performances. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999.

Theprince By Machiavelli Chap :: essays research papers

The Prince Chapter Analysis The Prince, by Machiavelli, was written for the Italian deMedici family and intended to be used as a guidebook for retaining political power. In the chapter entitled "That We Must Avoid Being Despised and Hated," Machiavelli describes the traits that a leader should avoid. He also describes the traits a leader must have in order to have the respect and loyalty of his subjects. Machiavelli writes, "He is rendered despicable by being thought changeable, frivolous, effeminate, timid, and irresolute." Machiavelli believes the leader should never vacillate. The leader's words would become meaningless for he cannot gain anything by constantly changing his goals and his decisions. An example of this would be a manager wishes to complete a task and he orders his workers to begin this task. The manager later decides to change this task abandoning his first task, and he instructs his workers to begin the new task. The manager instructs his workers to return to the first task. The workers begin to become frustrated, and the manager has yet to accomplish a task. Thus, a leader must not vacillate in order to accomplish any goal. A leader must always accomplish the goals he sets out to accomplish, for if he chooses to attain a goal which he has no hope of gaining, then he is a frivolous ruler, and according to Machiavelli, deserves to become despised. A t imid ruler would be too weak and too scared to rule his people, and he would never get a task done. An effeminate ruler is thought to have feminine qualities. In those times, someone who was feminine could not be taken seriously. A leader must always resolve a problem for all problems allowed to "get out of hand" tend to become large problems, and this will show the leader's inability to resolve things. An example of this would be a king becomes aware that his crops were not as productive one year. The king decides nothing on it. Later that winter, his people begin to starve, but the king has done nothing to help. The starving people begin to revolt against this irresolute king. Therefore, a king must not be irresolute. Machiavelli describes these traits so the traits may be avoided by the leader. The leader would become despised and not respected by his citizens and fellow rulers if he is thought to be changeable, frivolous, effeminate, timid, and irresolute.

Character Analysis for Maus by Art Speigleman

Character List- round or flat Art Spiegelman- r * Art Spiegelman is the author and narrator of Maus, and also one of the story's main characters. * Born in Stockholm after the Holocaust, he is the only surviving child of Vladek and Anja Spiegelman. * He is married to Francoise, a French woman who converted to Judaism upon their engagement. * Maus centers around two primary narratives: Vladek's experiences as a Jew in World War II Poland, and Art's relationship with his aging father. * When the story opens, Art lives in New York and does not see his father very often, though he lives only a short distance away in Queens. But as Art begins to draw this story about Vladek's Holocaust experiences, he begins to visit his father more and more frequently. * Their relationship is strained, as Vladek's gruff demeanor and unwillingness to spend money routinely infuriate his son. * Art is filled with complex feelings towards his father ranging from admiration for his survival in Auschwitz, to f rustration towards his aggravating tendencies, and guilt for his own neglect of a father who has lived through so many difficult times. * Art also has complex emotions towards the Holocaust.Though he did not live through it personally, he feels that he is constantly affected by it. * His father's personality was largely formed from his experiences in Auschwitz, and this personality in turn directly affected the way in which Art was raised. Vladek Spiegelman- r * Vladek is Art Spiegelman's father. * He grew up in pre-war Poland, and much of Maus traces his experiences in the Holocaust, as told in his own words to his son. * As the story opens in 1978, he is married to his second wife, Mala. The couple does not get along * Vladek's personality is largely dominated by his Holocaust experiences. During the Holocaust, he exhibited a spectacular resourcefulness, work ethic, and presence of mind that often enabled him to secure food, shelter, and safety for himself and his family. * He was a shrewd businessman, and in the most troubling times he saved everything of use. In 1978, he still saves everything and tries to exchange those things that he no longer needs. * Once so resourceful and competent, he is still constantly working on small projects, some of which he is incapable of completing. Anja Spiegelman- r * Anja is Art's mother and Vladek's first wife.The couple meets in Poland while Vladek is in a long-term relationship with another woman, Lucia Greenberg. * Always an anxious woman, she suffers an acute depression shortly after the birth of her son and spends three months recovering in a sanitarium. * She survives the Holocaust with her husband, and they immigrate to the United States a few years after the war. * Anja commits suicide in 1968, leaving both Art and Vladek in emotional turmoil. * Art's last memory of his mother is recorded in a comic called â€Å"Prisoner on the Hell Planet,† in which she enters Art's room and asks him if he still loves he r.His response, a terse and dismissive â€Å"sure,† haunts him for years. Lolek- f * Vladek's nephew and Uncle Herman's son. * Lolek lives with Anja's family for much of the initial German occupation, first at Anja's father's house and then in the Srodula ghetto. * When the situation deteriorates and Vladek makes preparations to hide in a shelter until the Nazis have evacuated the town, * Lolek tells his uncle that he is tired of hiding, and he is soon transported to Auschwitz. He survives the camps and eventually becomes a college professor. Richieu Spiegelman- f Richieu is Vladek and Anja's first child, born in Poland in 1937. * In 1943, Vladek and Anja send him to live under the protection of Uncle Persis, where they think he will be safer. * Richieu travels with Anja's sister, Tosha; * But soon after, Zawiercie is liquidated by the Nazis. Rather than be taken to the gas chamber, Tosha poisons herself and the children under her care, including Richieu. * After his death, V ladek and Anja keep a photograph of their first child hanging on the wall of their bedroom. Mala Spiegelman- f * Mala is Vladek's second wife, and a friend of his family from before the war. The couple does not get along. * Mala is consumed with frustration towards Vladek's inability to part with money, while Vladek views his wife with considerable distrust and accuses her of trying to steal his money. Francoise- f * Art's wife. * She is French and converted to Judaism in preparation for their marriage to please Vladek. * She is intelligent, kind, and opinionated, and their relationship is strong. * She plays a relatively minor role in the story, serving mostly as a means for Art to discuss his relationship with his father and the Holocaust. Mr. Zylberberg- f Anja's father. * Before the war, he is a wealthy manufacturer who owns a factory. * When Vladek and Anja are married, he provides Vladek with a factory of his own. * He survives with his family in German-occupied Poland, until the family is captured and sent to await transport to Auschwitz. * By bribing his cousin, Haskel, Vladek is able to arrange for the release of himself and Anja. Orbach- f * A friend of Vladek's family in Poland. * When Vladek is a prisoner of war, Orbach claims him as a cousin, so that Vladek is released into his custody and eventually returns home to Sosnowiec.Vladek's father- f * Vladek's father is a tough and deeply religious man. * His wife dies of cancer before the worst of the Holocaust. * Before the war, Vladek's father intentionally starves his son so that he will be declared unfit for the army. * Later, the Nazi grip tightens, and all Jews are made to register in a nearby stadium. Those who are fit to work are sent to one side, while the elderly and women with many children are sent to their deaths at the concentration camps. By registering at a table manned by his cousin, Mordecai, Vladek's father is spared. Before he leaves the tadium, however, he sees his daughter, Fela (Vladek's sister) and her four small children standing with those destined for Auschwitz. He crosses over to be with her, and all die in the camps. Uncle Herman- f * Anja's brother. * Along with his wife, Hela, he is visiting the New York World's Fair when the war begins, and they remain in the United States to escape the horrors abroad. Tosha- f * Tosha is Anja's older sister. * At the beginning of the German occupation of Poland, she lives with Anja's family in her father's house, along with her husband, Wolfe, and their small daughter, Bibbi. As the situation deteriorates Uncle Persis offers to keep her safely in nearby Zawiercie ghetto, where he is a prominent member of the Jewish Council. * She agrees, and leaves with Wolfe, Bibbi, and Vladek's son Richieu. Soon, though, the Germans slaughter the Jewish Council and begin to evacuate the Jews of Zawiercie to the camps. Rather than be sent to the gas chambers, Tosha poisons herself, her daughter, Herman's daughter Lonia, and Vlad ek's son Richieu. Mr. Ilzecki- f * A former customer of Vladek's from before the war. The two meet again after the German occupation and begin conducting business on the Sosnowiec black market * Mr. Ilzecki has a son about the same age as Vladek's, and he offers to send Richieu along with his own son to a Polish friend to hide until things get better. Nahum Cohn- f * A friend and business partner of Vladek's during his black market days in Sosnowiec. * Nahum is arrested along with his son for selling goods without coupons. * The Nazis decide to make an example of them and they are hanged in a well-know black market center and left there for a full week. Anja's Grandparents- f During the initial period of the German occupation, they live in Anja's father's house with the rest of the family. * Later, they are told to relocate to a â€Å"community better prepared to take care of the elderly. † * The family hides them for over a month, until the authorities arrest Anja's father a nd threaten to arrest more of his family if the grandparents are not given over to the Germans. * Anja's grandparents are taken away to Auschwitz, where they are killed. Haskel Spiegelman- f * Haskel is Vladek's cousin, and chief of the Jewish Police in the Srodula ghetto. He is the brother of Miloch and Pesach. He is what Vladek calls a kombinacya, or â€Å"schemer. † * While he is a rather unsavory character, he is a good person to know in the ghetto. * When Vladek's family is discovered in the â€Å"chandelier† bunker and sent to a compound to wait for transport to Auschwitz, Haskel arranges for Vladek, Anja, and Lolek to be released in exchange for valuables. Miloch Spiegelman- f * Miloch is Vladek's cousin, and brother to Haskel and Pesach. * He is Vladek's supervisor at the shoe repair shop in the Srodula ghetto, and an honorable man compared to the scheming Haskel. When the Germans make plans to eliminate all Jews in the ghetto, he prepares a hidden shelter behi nd a pile of shoes at the shop, where Vladek, Anja, and 15 other people hide for days. Pesach Spiegelman- f * Pesach is Vladek's cousin, and brother to Miloch and Haskel. * Like Haskel, he is a schemer and a rather unsavory character. * His most significant involvement centers on a scheme to sell cake to the inhabitants of the ghetto. * He makes a fortune, but everyone who eats it becomes sick – the cake was accidentally made with laundry soap in addition to flour. Mr. Lukowski- f The janitor at Anja's father's house. * When Vladek and Anja escape from the Srodula ghetto, they knock on his door and he allows them to stay in a shed behind his house. Mrs. Kawka- f * Mrs. Kawka is the owner of a small farm on the outskirts of Sosnowiec, and for a price she allows Vladek and Anja to hide in her barn. * Mrs. Kawka is the person who tells Vladek about the smugglers who can take him to Hungary. Mrs. Motonowa- f * Vladek befriends Mrs. Motonowa at the Sosnowiec black market after the liquidation of Srodula, and she offers to hide him and Anja at her farm, with her seven-year-old son. She is a kind woman, and the house is comfortable, except for a ten-day period in which Mrs. Motonowa's husband returns home from Germany on vacation, and they are forced to stay in the basement. * After Vladek and Anja attempt to escape to Hungary, she shelters Miloch and his family for the remainder of the war. Mandelbaum- f * Before the war, Mandelbaum owned a pastry store in Sosnowiec where Vladek and Anja often shopped. Abraham- f * Abraham is Mandelbaum's cousin. * He agrees to accompany the smugglers, and promises to write Mandelbaum and Vladek if he arrives safely in Hungary. He is betrayed, however, and forced at gunpoint to write the letter anyway. The Karps- f * The Karps are Vladek's neighbors at his Catskills bungalow. * When Art visits his father there, they take him aside and tell him that Vladek cannot possibly take care of himself. Vladek's Kapo- f * A â€Å"kapoà ¢â‚¬  is a Polish supervisor at a concentration camp. * Soon after Vladek arrives at Auschwitz, Vladek's kapo asks the Jews in the barracks if anyone there can speak English. Pavel- f * Pavel is Art's psychiatrist. * Like Art's father, Pavel is a survivor of the Holocaust. Art sees him once a week, and the sessions always seem to make him feel better. Mancie- f * Mancie is a female Hungarian Jew at Birkenau with Anja, * has higher status as a result of an affair with S. S. guard. * She acts as a go-between for Vladek and his wife, carrying notes and food. The Frenchman- f * After Vladek is transferred from Auschwitz to Dachau, he befriends a Frenchman with whom he converses in English. * Because he is not Jewish, the Frenchman is able to receive packages of food through the Red Cross, which he shares with Vladek, probably saving his life. http://www. gradesaver. com/maus/study-guide/character-list/

Allowance Essay

â€Å"Please Dad, Can I? † â€Å"No, you can’t. † That is the answer of most parents, when asked by their child if he can have an allowance. Parents believe that allowance makes a child unappreciated money. The truth however, is the opposite. Allowance helps the child turn into a financially secure adult by teaching him money management. Also, because it is their own money, children will feel independent and important. Finally, allowances teach kids that to earn money and succeed as an adult, one has to work hard and be responsible. Parents should give children allowances to help the child prepare for the future. Every parent wants their child to grow up, and become more successful than they were. To do this, the child has to learn to manage money properly, especially nowadays since swiping a card is all it takes to bankrupt oneself. Starting an allowance system will help a young person manage money better. If a child uses up their money for immediate gratification instead of saving it, they might regret it later because they cannot afford something. By learning to save up money the child will be learning to prepare for the future. Allowance help kids learn that spending your own money is different than spending someone else’s. For the same reason, children with allowances can grow up to be independent adults. Because it is their own money they are spending, children will not have to rely on their parents all the time. Instead of asking their parents – which is annoying and even degrading for the child, and irritating for the parents – they are able to use their own money. This makes the child feel important and helps increase their self esteem. When an adult, the child will not borrow too much money from banks or people and obtain a large debt. Instead, the person will learn responsibility and use the money he himself owns. Which leads us to our third reason: allowances teach responsibility and hard work. By earning ones allowance by doing chores and work around the house, a child understands that money does not grow on trees; instead one has to work for it. As an adult this person would work hard at his job to get money. Additionally, the money will not be wasted on unnecessary items because the child knows that there is a limited source. So as one can see, contrary to popular belief, allowances actually make kids appreciate money. For that reason, allowances help children become responsible, independent, and financially secure adults. Essay Topic: Allowances By: Tarim Shahab September 17, 2008 Mrs. de Mestral 7/8-3

4 Ways That Business Writing Courses Can Improve Your Grammar

4 Ways That Business Writing Courses Can Improve Your Grammar Even the best writers the ones who make six figures writing for the most prestigious magazines and websites slip up with their grammar; though, fortunately for them, they have full-time editors who catch those rare mistakes. But for the hard-working business employee who is juggling six different projects at once, sitting down for long hours of proofreading the kind of intense refining process that a professional writer undergoes is simply not practical. But the hard truth is that in the business world impeccable writing skills is a must, whether you're writing marketing pitches, internal reports, or a proposal. That's where business writing courses come in. Writing courses can improve your awareness of grammar, for example, to such a degree that your work does not require much proofreading. Before you know it, you become a grammar master who instantly knows the answers to common grammar conundrums like these four: 1. Affect vs. Effect Possibly one of the most common errors in business writing (or any writing, for that matter) is the confusion over using "affect" or "effect." Fortunately, the usage follows a simple rule. If you memorize it, this grammar pitfall will never trouble you again. "Affect" is a verb. "Effect" is a noun. Example: The presentation affected my understanding of sales. However, if you try to phrase the sentence this way, "The presentation had an effect on my sales," you are no longer using the verb "affect." You've switched to the verb "had." The word "effect" is a noun because it is the thing that the presentation "had." 2. Sink, Sank, and Then I Sunk - Help! This is another example of confusing verb tenses. In an email your colleague writes, "Our profits sunk last quarter, but that company's earnings also sunk." With the verb "to sink," the present tense is "sink." The past tense is "sank," and the past participle is "sunk," which is always paired with the auxiliary verb "had." Your colleague is using the past participle instead of using the past tense. The correct version: "Our profits sank last quarter, but that company's earnings also sank." 3. Should I Use "Shall" or "Will?" This is a situational problem. If you are using "shall" in the third person i.e. he shall complete that report then it obliges the subject of the sentence to perform the verb. In other words, it is a command. It's like when your mother says, "You shall clean your room," in a very authoritative tone. However, if you're using "shall" in the first person, there is no sense of obligation. It means simply that you intend to do that action sometime in the future: "I shall go to the cafeteria today." When you use the word "will" in the first person I will complete this spreadsheet it expresses a sense of determination. It is meant to convey your strong desire to do whatever is necessary to complete the task. But when you use "will" in the third person i.e. he will leave work early today it simply indicates that the person will do something in the future. 4. I "Sit," But She "Set" An easy way to remember when to use "sit" or "set" is to ask this question, "Is someone placing an object somewhere?" If the answer is yes, you use "set." For example, someone wants to bring some indoor plants into the office. They ask you where to put them. You would use the transitive verb "set" which always requires a direct object: "Set them on the window sill." If there is no direct object involved if no one is placing anything anywhere and you're just talking about people being in a location you would use "sit": "He sits at the conference table." This also applies to nouns that are not being moved by anyone i.e. The computer sits on the table. But if Bob comes over and moves the computer to the table, you would say, "Bob set the computer on the table." All of our business writing courses include instructor review of your individual grammar issues, resources, and correction strategies. Improve your grammar so that you spend less time proofreading and more time working. Not sure which course is right for you?

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement Subject-Verb Agreement Subject-Verb Agreement By Guest Author This is a guest post by Jacquelyn Landis. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. My copyediting students occasionally stumble when they see a sentence like this one: All the shirt needs is/are buttons. Which is it? The singular is or the plural are? Most of us know instinctively that the verb form must match the subject form in number. This is called subject-verb agreement. But sentences such as this one seem ambiguous since all can be either singular or plural when it’s used as an indefinite pronoun. It would be an easy choice if all were followed by a prepositional phrase to help us determine whether it’s singular or plural: All of the water is draining. (singular) All of us are tired. (plural) So, what many writers would do with the problematic sentence is turn to buttons to help them make the decision. And since buttons is plural, then the verb should be plural, too. Right? Well, not quite. Buttons in this sentence is whats called a predicate nominative. Now, I know grammar terms like this are enough to send most people screaming into the night, but stick with me. A predicate nominative is simply a noun that is the same as the subject. It describes it further, just as buttons describes all. Predicate nominatives do not determine the verb form; only the subject can do that. And the subject of our puzzling sentence, all, is a singular pronoun even though what it substitutes for (buttons) is plural. It stands on its own with no help from a prepositional phrase. When this is the case, it’s singular. Thus, the correct verb form is also singular, so this is how our sentence should read: All the shirt needs is buttons. Follow the same logic when the subject is what: What he ordered was steamed clams. Whenever Im tempted to use a plural verb in sentences such as this, I remind myself of a song: All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth. The songs authors were teachers, and they got it right. Jacquelyn teaches an online copyediting course to students from around the world Education to Go. Check it out. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquireList of Greek Words in the English LanguageUsing "zeitgeist" Coherently

Capstone Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Capstone Project - Research Paper Example The foremost factor that has to be understood before representing the misstatement as a fraud is the ‘nature of misstatement’. Nature represents as to whether the misstatement has been made intentionally or unintentionally. According to the specifications within SAS No. 82, fraud is an action that is conducted intentionally and as a result of which ‘material misstatements’ occur within a firm’s financial statements (American Institute of CPAs, 2011). There are several indicators of fraud that have been represented within the SAS No. 82. These are also considered as factors of risk, few of which have been listed below. The consideration of these cases will definitely help in identifying fraud in the given five scenarios within the case. Indicators of Fraud in Relation to Financial Reporting: (a) A massive amount of compensation for the management has been stated to be in structure of bonuses. (b) The management of the firm is dominated by an only indiv idual or a very small group without allowing any role of the board of directors. (c) Involving into regular disputes with the present or previous management or auditors on issues related to auditing and accounting. (d) Limitations imposed on the auditor for improperly restricting activities related to key information and people. (e) Failure to pay the bills while there is reportedly huge earnings. (f) Transactions within related party apart from the normal courses of business. Indicators of Fraud in Relation to Assets Misappropriation: (a) Inadequacy of management supervision (b) Massive amount of cash is in hand or are processed on a regular basis (c) Inappropriate screening of the applicants for job (d) Inappropriate activities of record keeping (e) Inappropriate isolation of duties (f) Inappropriate process of approval of transactions (g) Non compliance with the time limit for presenting documents related to transaction (h) Inadequacy in controlling physical assets (i) Inappropri ate provision of compulsory vacations for the employees (Porter & Pope, 2011). The fraud indications described under SAS No. 82 can well be compared with that of the given company for identifying whether fraud is taking place or not. If it is found that the management is guilty of the above fraud indications, the SAS specifications provide that the auditor can undertake the following activities: (1) Acquire a clear and concise understanding of the accounting process being carried out within the company along with verification of journal entries along with adjustments. (2) Categorize and choose particular journal entries along with adjustments for verifying. (3) Decide on the verification timing. (4) Investigate the individuals associated with activities in relation to financial reporting and make inquiries regarding lack of appropriation in journal entries as well as adjustments. (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, 2011). Effectiveness of SAS No. 82 towards Minimization of O rganization’s Fraudulent Activities After the incorporation of the standards under SAS No. 82, the various companies have started evaluating the impact of the rules to reduce frauds within the organizations. An internal analyst of financial activities can become successful through following the rules mentioned under SAS No. 82. However, there is requirement through the rules that the assessment of risk has to be conducted by an external auditor (Public Oversight Board, 2

Budgeting Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Budgeting Coursework - Essay Example The second difference is that the first three stages entail the writing of the budgeting while the last three stages have to do with implementation. Being the writing stages, the first three steps encounter concrete discussion and contradiction among the involved stakeholders. There is a lot of debate at this stage due to its impact on the entire process. This is different from the last three stages which do not require a lot of debate. Professionals in the implementation stage are expected to meet the prerequisite of the budget with limited need for debate. They are not supposed to make any amendment to the budget unless advised. Their ideas that professionals are only expected to meet the expectation of the budget makes the second stage more technical than the first stage. This is contrary to the first section where the players have to ensure the desires of the public are met. The third difference is that the first three stages and most specifically the second and third stages invo lve the budget policy-making process. The fourth stage has to do with the implementation of the agreed policies. Policymaking process requires the politician who represents a definite section of the population. Implementation of the policy requires competent experts who are knowledgeable enough to put into practice the formulated policies. In the political section, the public is involved either through their representative in the legislature or through the media. The interest of the public is addressed during the first three stages.... Being the writing stages, the first three steps encounter concrete discussion and contradiction among the involved stakeholders. There is a lot of debate in this stage due to its impact on the entire process. This is different from the last three stages which do not require a lot of debate. Professionals in the implementation stage are expected to meet the prerequisite of the budget with limited need for debate. They are not supposed to make any amendment to the budget unless advised2. There ideas that professionals are only expected to meet the expectation of the budget makes the second stage more technical than the first stage. This is contrary to the first section where the players have to ensure the desires of the public are met. The third difference is that, the first three stages and most specifically the second and third stages involve budget policy making process. The fourth stage has to do with the implementation of the agreed policies. Policy making process requires politic ian who represent a definite section of the population. Implementation of the policy requires competent experts who are knowledgeable enough to put into practice the formulated policies. In the political section, the public are involved either through their representative in the legislature or through the media. The interest of the public are addressed during the first three stages. Implementation stages involve the experts only. Public members are passive participant in this level. On the other hand, public involvement is not pertinent. Technicians have the biggest role in the last two stages. Why the differences exist All the stages are very imperative in the budget process. One stage cannot be

Disadvantages of herbal remedies Speech or Presentation

Disadvantages of herbal remedies - Speech or Presentation Example The government does not support any institutions as such that help prepare these herbal remedies so there is no quality control and the user may end up buying a low quality treatment. Also, herbal remedies do not work in serious illnesses and injuries. Herbs cannot replace surgeries, laboratory tests, and operations. Sometimes, herbal treatment negatively interacts with the formal medicines like anti-depressants and thus may hinder with their effect. Since, herbal remedies do not come with an instruction manual or package insert, so this becomes very likely that the user will overdose the remedy. Also, some herbs get poisonous when they are harvested in wild, or some part of the plant gets venomous, so when these are extracted into a remedy, the user will also catch that poison. In short, the use of herbal remedies depends mainly on the user himself because he should know what kind of herb he is using, what he is using it for, and for how long he has to use it.

The main cause of the Wall Street Essay Example for Free

The main cause of the Wall Street Essay I do not agree wholly with that statement. The panic selling of shares was the immediate cause to the Wall Street crash. However, if there had not have been the panic selling of shares then there would not have been such a dramatic slump but a smaller one. America was doing well in the end of the 1920s; the boom had made half the population happy. However, now that all the people who could afford it had brought electrical goods, cars etc there was no one else left to buy the surplus products. This is called overproduction, this means that there are too many products and the market is saturated, this usually starts off a slump. The companies were then starting to do not as well, this meant a fall in the share prices. The people in the know at the time had sold their shares and then all the other people who had invested in them panicked to sell their own shares causing the Wall Street crash. In the 1920s the wealth had not been evenly split, blacks, immigrants and farmers were not doing as well, this meant that half the population could not afford to buy the new products being mass-produced causing overproduction to happen quicker, if the wealth had been evenly spread then I do still think that there would have been a crash, however, it would have been a few years later. To increase the boom in the 1920s America put taxes on products coming in from abroad to make it a stronger economic country. The countries in Europe then retaliated and put a tax on all American goods. This meant that there were a lot of extra products not being sold; this was a part of overproduction. In the stock market a lot of speculators were playing with borrowed money from the bank because they felt that they were confident enough to win it back. Speculators were people who knew nothing about stocks but saw that a company was making profit in shares so they would invest in them if they were confident enough. This meant that companys products were worth a lot more in stock than they were in real life. This meant that at the time of the crash there was a hell of a long way to go down causing many people to go bankrupt. Because of overproduction many experts in the know decided to sell their shares, other people who owned shares in the same company then started to panic and quickly tried to sell there shares causing the prices of the company to plummet. The panic selling of shares technically was the Wall Street crash. I do not think that the panic selling of shares was the main cause for the Wall Street crash; I think that it was overproduction. Overproduction was always going to happen, it could have been postponed a few years if the wealth in America had been spread evenly or if Europe hadnt put a tax on all American goods. Even if this had been the case overproduction would have happened sooner or later. Overproduction caused some people to sell their shares that then lead to everyone panicking to sell their shares causing the Wall Street crash. If speculators had not have put in so much money there would not have been such a big slump but there would have been one. The panic selling of the shares was the last thing to happen and probably the most influential thing to happen before the crash. However, the thing that started the crash off was overproduction.

Romeo And Juliet Essay -- essays research papers

The story, Romeo and Juliet carried a constant theme of love and death. William Shakespeare wrote this play with several different ideas in mind. He tried to have a romance story that still incorporated violence as well as comedy making a play that all classes of people would enjoy. He succeeded by making one of the most famous plays of all time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immediately as the play is commenced, the plot of the story is unfolded. The chorus begins revealing the story about two equal ranked families, battling over an ancient grudge carried out from their ancestors. The theme of fighting is already revealed in the opening line to the story. Following the line of fighting and anger comes the second theme, love. Shakespeare writes about two “star - crossed lovers,'; referring to Romeo and Juliet. The term “star – crossed lovers,'; sets the reoccurring theme of love and death and represents the entire play in those three words.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Romeo and Juliet met one night at a party where they immediately fell desperately in love at first sight. Both were happily in love until they found they were in love with their enemy. The theme of teenage rebellion becomes an issue at this point. Romeo and Juliet love each other but this love is rejected throughout their families being both their families have had a grudge carried out from their ancestors. The only way for Romeo and Juliet to have a relationship is to keep ...

Helon Habila’s Waiting For An Angel

Helon Habila developed his talent for writing when he took up Literature in the University of Jos. Being a gifted prose fiction writer and poet; he was given the MUSON poetry prize award in the year 2000. Before going to Lagos to work for Hint Magazine, Helon lectured first at the Federal Polytechnic in Bauchi in a span of three years and was also the Vanguard Newspaper’s arts editor. He is now currently spending his time in the University of East Anglia as a writing fellow. The beginnings of his first famous work started as a compilation of short stories entitled Prison Stories that was published in Nigeria in 2000.Two years after, the full version of the book was released in the UK having the title of Waiting for an Angel. This work of his was then acknowledged as the best first book in the African region and made him won the 2001 Caine Prize for African Writing and the Commonwealth Writers Prize Award in 2003. His latest work was published in 2007 under the title of Measuri ng Time which is a story about twin brothers living in a village in Nigeria. II. Type of Work Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel is a fiction that mainly centers on the real events that happened in Nigeria during General Sachi Abacha’s reign.Though the story and the characters were plain fictional, the fact that the people suffered under the military government back then was true. Habila used history as the backbone of his work, weaving stories that tells the real accounts and incidents that the people of Nigeria experienced back in the 1990’s. III. Type of Plot The type of plot used in the novel is mainly geographical. The story took place in the country of Nigeria in the city of Lagos. Most of the events, however concentrated on the slums of Poverty Street where the main character Lombo was working as a journalist.By reading about the lives of the people living in Poverty Street, the readers will be able to have an understanding of the condition in the whole of Nigeria. IV. Setting/ Time of Plot The setting of the story was in Lagos, Nigeria in the time of the 1990’s. Nigeria was in a terrifying state back then and Lagos was known to be the most dangerous city in the world during that time. Nigeria was excluded from the Commonwealth of Nations and almost every country had authorized against it. The country’s human rights abuses were horrifyingly brutal and cases of atrocious violence reigns on the hearts and minds of the people of Nigeria.Military rulers were aimed in plundering the national treasury and the country’s most intelligent thinkers and writers who question the democratic thinking of the military were exterminated by the government under the rule of Sani Abacha. Lagos was in a depressing state and the citizens were trying to preserve a bit of hope in their seemingly hopeless world. The novel shows a time when living an everyday life is a struggle and opportunities are almost illusory. Yet despite the drag ging effects of the dictatorial government to the citizens, the young people still kept their hopes and dreams in the corners of their shadowed existence.(â€Å"Mostly Fiction: Waiting for an Angel†) V. Setting/ Locale The locale of the novel was set in Lagos, a city in Nigeria. Back in the 50s and 60s, the idea of a city was a new thing in Africa since most of the rural citizens were living in villages. This was the cause why Lagos was seen as an alien, a new creation. The city was considered by many as a place where people go and become someone else, forgetting their identity, and the old ways and customs they had when they were still staying in their villages.People have the impression of Lagos as a violent place wherein you have to be able to lose your innocence just to survive in the midst of chaos. The citizens of the place should be wise, strong, independent, and cunning in able to live in such a place that was labeled as the Devil’s City. Yet beneath the cityâ €™s image of chaos and sufferings, there is a representation that Lagos was the kind of vicinity that makes you able to stand in your own feet, giving you a kind of maturity that you will never achieve in a world that was far from pain and hardships. (â€Å"Bbc News: Lagos†)The story features accounts on the lives of Lomba, the primary character, and ordinary citizens living in Poverty Street. The story’s events mostly took place in the slums of Poverty Street which is described as only one of the many feeble, disease-infested residences in the city of Lagos. This is where the climax of the story took place in the event of the demonstration of the people which primarily caused Lomba’s imprisonment for two years. This was also the setting where most of the characters in the story found their respective crossroads. (â€Å"Bbc News: Lagos†) VI.Social and/ or Political Context The context of the story revolves on the political concept of dictatorship of S ani Abacha and the sufferings of the people under his rule. The military governance was more concerned in looting money from the nation’s treasury above anything else and this was the time wherein any hint of disloyalty was mercilessly punished. Nigeria was under the scrutinizing eyes of the military and you can found restlessness in the actions of the people as intimidating Peugots of secret police and patrolling army jeeps inhabit the streets of the city of Lagos.The very air that the citizens breathe in the country was noticeably charged with threat and danger as seen in the perspectives of Lomba, his first love Alice, and in the stories and experiences of the ordinary citizens in the story. Poverty Street was constantly enveloped in fumes and smoke, a nagging sign that solidifies the fact that Nigeria was under the power of a cruel and ruthless ruler. General Abacha’s reign of terror from 1993 to 1998 made his people live with constant fear and shaking hopes. (â₠¬Å"Village Crunch†)Life was made difficult during that time as the people of Nigeria struggled to survive amidst the danger that always seemed to overcome them. People were thrown to prison without trial, as like what happened to the main character Lomba, and some were executed just because of the plain reason that they had the strength to question the military government. The civilians were chained to unjustness and everyone was drowned in their delusion of hope and fairness. The context of the novel centers on the struggle of the people under the heavy weight of unjustness hurled at them by the government.Waiting for an Angel shows a world where comfort was just an illusion and justice non-existent. (â€Å"Village Crunch†) VII. Characterization/ Character Analysis The main character of the story is Lomba, a journalist in the city of Lagos who was imprisoned for two years as a political prisoner because of his unintended participation in a demonstration in Poverty Stre et. He waited vainly for a fictitious trial while in jail but the time came when he finally realized and accepted the fact that his hopes wouldn’t be answered as long as the government was run by the military and General Sachi Abacha.In the novel, Lomba has gone beyond different phases of emotions and perspectives. From beyond anger to the state of tranquility that made him swallow acceptance to his fate. In the middle of his second year in prison, he was able to obtain pencil and paper which were forbidden materials for prisoners and started writing a diary. He wrote in secret about his thoughts and feelings during his detention and hid his pile of papers under his mattress after. The diary became his refuge. It served as his only sanctuary and listener to his private thoughts that were never allowed to be spoken of behind bars.His first entry was dated on the Friday of July 1997 yet he headed most his entries with only the days of the week. Some of his writings which he ent ered using exact dates were mostly incorrect. Two months after he started writing, he unfortunately got caught and his diary, which was actually only piles of papers were confiscated from him. (â€Å"Bookmunch†) Lomba may have accepted his terrible fate as a prisoner but he never lost his hope in regaining back his freedom. An incident came when his jailer, seeing his gift for words, asked him to do love poems for the well-educated woman he is courting.Lomba used this chance to send cryptic messages to the woman named Janice to communicate his need for help and succeeded in the end. (â€Å"Bookmunch†) Lomba was only one of the many people whose lives were severely affected by the coup of the general Sachi Abacha. He lived dark days in prison, losing his identity, belief, and faith. Yet somehow he regained his conviction and fought till the end using his ingenuity. Lomba may have suffered the tortures brought upon by the government but he never lost his ground, molding him into someone with unyielding determination, conviction, and strength.The other characters of the story were Alice, Lomba’s first love who was forced to marry an old and wealthy soldier and his teacher Joshua who served as the main force in engaging Lomba in the demonstration in Poverty Street which caused his imprisonment. Muftau and Janice were also significant characters in the novel. Muftau was the jailer who asked Lomba to write love poems for Janice who in return brought Lomba’s freedom in the end. Also, General Sachi Abacha’s identity has a huge impact in the novel since it is during his time of rule that the complications and climax of the story happened.(â€Å"Bookmunch†) VIII. The Story in the Main The novel is mainly about the sufferings of the people under the rule of General Sachi Abacha for five years. Nigeria was infused with terror and the people lived in fear as the military government took hold on the whole country. The setting of the story took place in the city of Lagos but most of the events were centered on the slums of Poverty Street. Lomba, the main character was a journalist in the city who was put into jail as a political prisoner because of his participation in a demonstration that was supposed to oppose the doings of the government.He was detained for two years in prison without trial until he came to the point where he finally accepted his grim fate. On the middle of his second year in jail, Lomba was able to gain access on some pencil and paper and started writing a diary. His first entry was on the Friday of July 1997 though he simply used the days of the week as heading to his succeeding entries. After two months of writing in secret, someone informed the head of the prison about the diary which caused its confiscation. Lomba’s only refuge in his dark days in prison was snatched away from him and he yet again entered a time of depression and loneliness.(â€Å"Village Crunch†) Another event, however, gave Lomba another chance to hope when Muftau asked a favor from hi. Muftau was his jailer and seeing Lomba’s work on his confiscated diary, he asked him to write some love poems to woo the woman she likes. Lomba, on the other hand never missed the chance he was given and started using his poems as tools to ask for help. He intentionally plagiarized some lines form famous poets which have secret meanings behind them to communicate what he wants to say. Lomba was able to pass his message without making the poorly educated Muftau to suspect by using his ingenuity in writing.Janice on the other hand was fortunately well-educated and so was able to decode the meaning behind the poems that was given to her. In the end, she was the one who served as the tool in giving Lomba his freedom. There are also other events in the novel that made it look non-fictional by using characters in real life. Some of these events were the hanging of Ken Saro Wiwa, the killing of the editor of the NEwswatch magazine Dele Giwa, and the shooting of the wife of Abiola who was actually the nemesis of General Abacha.There was also a part in the novel where Lomba met Helon Habila himself which made the story even more realistic. (â€Å"Village Crunch†) Waiting for an Angel communicates the hardships of the people under the unjust government of Abacha during that time in such a way that the reader will even wonder what kind of life they will have if they lived on the same timeframe. The debut novel of Helon Habila centers on fear, exposing the atrocities of the years under Abacha’s reign. One of the main highlights of the story however was the people’s conviction in having hope despite of the sufferings they are experiencing.The characters of the novel possesses a kind of touching, inspirational kind of humanity that tells the fact that hope can still exist in times when comfort can only be achieved in dreams. IX. the Analysis of the Work Habila di d an exquisite work on this debut novel of his. He was able to turn the story into something that was still interesting despite of the heavy themes it possesses. Because of the artistic sequence of the story and the interesting non-fiction quality of it, Waiting for an Angel can be considered as one of the best fictional works about real events. X. Thematic Structure/ Development of Various ThemesThe main theme of the story is about sufferings of the people under the regime of Sachi Abachan. Fear, the longing for justice, and fighting for hope are also just some of the themes that the story have. The citizens of Nigeria’s silent struggle for a new life despite of their unending struggles are just one of the most important highlights of the story. Waiting for an Angel revolves around the concepts of wretchedness, fate, and death but in such a way that it not so overly depressing compared to other books because of the unsentimental approach that focuses on the details of the li fe of the characters.XI. Language, Structure, and Style Helon Habila presented his work in a language that was easily understood even by the not so deep reader. He structured his novel in such a way that the first chapter was actually the first in chronological order. It begins with the event in which Lomba was already imprisoned and was writing the beginnings of his forbidden diary. The succeeding chapters then narrate the life of Lomba before he was put in jail as well as the lives of the people he knew that intersected his.Through this presentation of structure, the readers were able to know what will become of Lomba’s fate in the end. The readers were put in the place of a dreamer who hopes with every passing page that Lomba will somehow find a resolution the can change his fate. The novel’s structure strengthened the book’s effect and made it clarifying instead of turning it into a confusing one. In presenting the book in this order, the readers were able t o recognize the characters, places, or situations and something of its past or future.Through this, simple actions or phrases that tend to have little significance were given more importance. XII. Literary Techniques and Devices Like what was mentioned above, the most noticeable technique that Habila used was not presenting the events in chronological order. He also made his work look realistic by inserting himself in one of the parts of the story as well as other events and people that were fictional. Waiting for an Angel was as factual as life can be because of its genuine expression of the hardships and sufferings of the people in Nigeria.XIII. Critical Evaluation/ General Assessment Waiting for an Angel possesses the kind of prolonged existence that exceeds most of the current contemporary fictions released today. The novel was able to converse clearly the message that Habila wants to communicate about. The story was also not so overly depressing despite the fact that most of it s themes were about death, unjustness, and sufferings. Habila was able to write about these emotional themes in such a way that the novel was not so boring and dragging.Yet at the same time, the readers were able to feel the emotions in the story in such a way that they could almost see themselves in place of the citizens in Nigeria. Helon Habila did a great job in this novel of his, giving life to a world that was still waiting for the arrival of their angel. There could be another Habila and another Lomba in this part of the world and their struggle would not be heard. And yet there will be another injustice. It is a never-ending cycle of struggle and fight for freedom. There is only one thing sure. That at the end of the story the victim always loses.Lucky for Lomba he was only fictionalized in a way that he could give hope to those who are in his struggle today. Let the world know that fighting for your right to live in a free world is not a sin but a privilege. And the world kn ow that you are doing it not for yourself but for the next generation who are bound to be helpless and alone. And for the final words, let those who come upon this novel that there is hope after all the storm. REFERENCES: â€Å"Bbc News: Lagos. † (2007). â€Å"Bookmunch. † (2007). â€Å"Mostly Fiction: Waiting for an Angel. † (2007). â€Å"Village Crunch. † (2007).