Jewish American Literature Essay Example for Free

Jewish American Literature Essay Jewish American Literature holds an essential place in the literary history of the United States. It encompasses traditions of writing in English, primarily, as well as in other languages, the most important of which has been Yiddish. While critics and authors generally acknowledge the notion of a distinctive corpus and practice of writing about Jewishness in America, many writers resist being pigeonholed as Jewish voices. Also, many nominally Jewish writers cannot be considered representative of Jewish American literature, one example being Isaac Asimov. Beginning with the memoirs and petitions composed by the Sephardic immigrants who arrived in America during the mid 17th century, Jewish American writing grew over the subsequent centuries to flourish in other genres as well, including fiction, poetry, and drama. The first notable voice in Jewish- American literature was Emma Lazarus whose poem ‘The New Colossus’ on the Statue of Liberty became the great hymnal of American immigration. Gertrude Stein became one of the most influential prose-stylists of the early 20th century. The early twentieth century saw the appearance of two pioneering American Jewish novels: Abraham Cahans The Rise of David Levinsky and Henry Roth’s Call it Sleep. It reached some of its most mature expression in the 20th century ‘Jewish American novels’ by Saul Bellow, J. D. Salinger, Norman Mailer, Bernard Malamud, Chaim Potok, and Philip Roth. Their work explored the conflicting pulls between secular society and Jewish tradition which were acutely felt by the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island and by their children and grandchildren. More recent authors like Nicole Krauss, Paul Auster, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Safran Foer andArt Spiegelman have continued to examine dilemmas of identity in their work, turning their attention especially to the Holocaust and the trends of both ongoing assimilation and cultural rediscovery exhibited by younger generations of American Jews. Arguably the most influential of all American- Jewish novels was Leon Uris Exodus. Its story of the struggle to create the modern state of Israel translated into Russian became the inspiration for hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants to Israel. Modern Jewish American novels often contain (a few or many) Jewish characters and address issues and themes of importance to Jewish American society such as assimilation, Zionism/Israel, and Anti-Semitism, along with the recent phenomenon known as New Anti-Semitism. Two Jewish- American writers have won the Nobel Prize, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Saul Bellow. Bernard Malamud is considered one of the most prominent figures in Jewish –American literature. BERNARD MALAMUD ( 1914-1986). Malamud’s stories and novels, in which reality and fantasy are frequently interfaced have been compared to parables, myths and analogies and often illustrate the importance of moral obligation. Although he draws upon his Jewish heritage to address the themes of sins, suffering, and redemption, Malamud emphasizes human contact and compassion over orthodox religious dogma. Malamud’s characters, while often awkward and isolated from society, evoke both pity and humor through their attempts at survival and salvation. Sheldon J. Hershinow observed: â€Å"Out of the everyday defeats and indignities of ordinary people, Malamud creates beautiful parables that capture the joy as well as the pain of life; he expresses the dignity of the human spirit searching for freedom and moral growth in the face for hardship, injustice, and the existential anguish of life. BIOGRAPHY Malamud was born on April 28, 1914, in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants. His parents, whom he described as â€Å"gentle, honest, kindly people,† were not highly educated and knew very little about literature of the arts: â€Å"There were no books in the house, no records, music, pictures on the wall. † Malamud attended high school in Brooklyn and received his bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York in 1936. After graduation, he worked in a factory and as a clerk at the central bureau in Washington, D. C. Although he wrote in his spare time, Malamud did not begin writing seriously until the advent of the Second World War and the subsequent horrors of the Holocausts. He questioned his religious identity and started reading about Jewish tradition and history . He explained: â€Å"I was concerned with what Jews stood for, with their getting down to the bare  bones of things. I was concerned with their ethnically –how Jews felt for they had to live order to go on living. † In 1949, he began teaching at Oregan State University; he left this post in 1961 to teach creative writing at Bennington College in Vermont. He remained there until shortly before his death in 1986. Starting in 1949, Malamud taught four sections of freshman composition each semester at Oregon State University (OSU), an experience fictionalized in his 1961 novel ‘A New Life’. Because he lacked the Ph. D., he was not allowed to teach literature courses, and for a number of years his rank was that of instructor. In those days, OSU, a land grant university, placed little emphasis on the teaching of humanities or the writing of fiction. While at OSU, he devoted 3 days out of every week to his writing, and gradually emerged as a major American author. In 1961, he left OSU to teach creative writing at Bennington College, a position he held until retirement. In 1967, he was made a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1942, Malamud met Ann De Chiara (November 1, 1917 March 20, 2007), an Italian-American Roman Catholic, and a 1939 Cornell University graduate. They married on November 6, 1945, despite the opposition of their respective parents. Ann typed his manuscripts and reviewed his writing. Ann and Bernard had two children, Paul (b. 1947) and Janna (b. 1952). Janna Malamud Smith is the author of a memoir about her father, titled My Father is a Book. Malamud died in Manhattan in 1986, at the age of 71. WORKS OF MALAMUD Malamud’s first novel, ‘The Natural’ (1952 ) ,is considered one of his most symbolic works . While the novel ostensibly traces the life of Roy Hobbs, an American baseball player , the work has underlying mythic elements and explores such themes as initiation and isolation. For instance, some reviewers cited evidence of the Arthurian legend of the Holy Grail; others applied T. S. Eliot’s ‘wasteland’ myth in their analyses ‘The Natural’ also foreshadows what would become Malamud’s predominant narrative focus: a suffering protagonist struggling to reconcile moral dilemmas, to act according to what is right, and to accept the complexities and hardships of existence. Malamud‘s second novel, ‘The Assistant’ (1957), portrays the life of Morris Bober, a Jewish immigrant who owns a grocery store in Brooklyn. Although he is struggling to survive financially, Bober hires a cynical anti-semitic youth, Frank Aloine after learning that the man is homeless and on the verge of starvation. Through this contact Frank learns to find grace and dignity in his own identity. Described as naturalistic fable, this novel affirms the redemptive value of maintaining faith in the goodness of the human soul. Malamud’s first collection of short stories, ‘The Magic Barrel’, (1958) was awarded the National Book award in 1959. Like ‘The Assistant’, most of the stories in this collection depict the search for hope and meaning within the grim entrapment of poor urban settings and were influenced by Yiddish folktales and Hasidic traditions. Many of Malamud’s best known short stories, including ‘The Last Mohican’, ‘Angel Levine’, and ‘Idiots First’, were republished in ‘The Stories of Bernard Malamud’ in 1983. ‘A New Life’ (1961), considered one of Malamuds most true-to-life novels, is based in part on Malamuds teaching career at Oregon State University. This work focuses on an ex-alcoholic Jew from New York City who becomes a professor at a college in the Pacific Northwest. It examines the main characters search for self-respect, while poking fun at life at a learning institution. Malamuds next novel, ‘The Fixer’ (1966), is one of his most powerful works. The winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, this book is based on the historical account of Mendel Beiliss, a Russian Jew who was accused of murdering a Christian child. With ‘The Tenants’ (1971), Malamud returns to a New York City setting in a contrast between two writers—one Jewish and the other African American—struggling to survive in an urban ghetto. Malamud further addresses the nature of literature and the role of the artist in ‘Dublin’s Lives’ (1979). In this work, the protagonist, William Dublin, attempts to create a sense of worth for himself, both as a man and as a writer. Malamuds last finished novel, ‘Gods Grace’ (1982), studies both the original Holocaust and a new, imagined Holocaust of the future. The novel is a wild, at times brilliant, at times confusing, description of a flood similar to that in the Bible story of Noahs ark. Malamud continued to place stories in top American magazines. Mervyn Rothstein reported in the New York Times that Malamud said at the end of his life, With me, its story, story, story. In Malamuds next-to-last collection, ‘Rembrandts Hat’, only one story, ‘The Silver Crown’, deals with Jewish themes. Malamud is also renowned for his short stories, often oblique allegories set in a dreamlike urban ghetto of immigrant Jews. Of Malamud the short story writer, Flannery OConnor wrote: I have discovered a short-story writer who is better than any of them, including myself. He published his first stories in 1943, ‘Benefit Performance’ in Threshold and ‘The Place Is Different Now’ in American Preface. In the early 1950s, his stories began appearing in Harpers Bazaar, Partisan Review, and Commentary. ‘The Magic Barrel’ was his first published collection of short stories (1958) and his first winner of his first National Book Award for Fiction. Most of the stories depict the search for hope and meaning within the bleak enclosures of poor urban settings. The title story focuses on the unlikely relationship of Leo Finkle, an unmarried rabbinical student, and Pinye Salzman, a colorful marriage broker. Finkle has spent most of life with his nose buried in books and therefore isn’t well-educated in life itself. However, Finkle has a greater interest – the art of romance. He engages the services of Salzman, who shows Finkle a number of potential brides from his magic barrel but with each picture Finkle grows more uninterested. After Salzman convinces him to meet Lily Hirschorn, Finkle realizes his life is truly empty and lacking the passion to love God or humanity. When Finkle discovers a picture of Salzman’s daughter and sees her suffering, he sets out on a new mission to save her. Other well-known stories included in the collection are: ‘The Last Mohican’, ‘Angel Levine’, ‘Idiots First’, and ‘The Mourners’. This last story focuses on Kessler, the defiant old man in need of social security and Gruber, the belligerent landlord who doesnt want Kessler in the tenement anymore. Malamud’s fiction touches lightly upon mythic elements and explores themes like isolation, class, and the conflict between bourgeois and artistic values. His prose, like his settings, is an artful pastiche of Yiddish-English locutions, punctuated by sudden lyricism. Writing in the second half of the twentieth century, Malamud was well aware of the social problems of his day: rootlessness, infidelity, abuse, divorce, and more. But he also depicted love as redemptive and sacrifice as uplifting. In his writings, success often depends on cooperation between antagonists. For example, in The Mourners landlord and tenant learn from each others anguish. In ‘The Magic Barrel’, the matchmaker worries about his fallen daughter, while the daughter and the rabbinic student are drawn together by their need for love and salvation. Malamuds third story ‘Rembrandts Hat’ collection is noteworthy for its consistently pessimistic tone and theme of failed communication in stories such as ‘My Son the Murderer’, ‘The Silver Crown’, and ‘The Letter’. ‘The volume The People’, and ‘Uncollected Stories’ contains an unfinished novel about a Russian Jewish peddler in the American West who becomes a marshal and is kidnapped by Indians. It also includes fourteen stories written between 1943 and 1985. LIST OF OTHER NOTABLE JEWISH AMERICAN WRITERS †¢ Aimee Bender — novelist and short story writer, known for her often fantastic and surreal plots and characters †¢ Saul Bellow, novelist that won the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts †¢ Bernard Cooper, novelist, short story writer †¢ E. L. Doctorow, novelist †¢ Richard Ellmann, literary critic, won National Book Award for Nonfiction †¢ Barthold Fles, literary agent and non-fiction writer †¢ Emma Goldman, anarchist writer †¢ Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22 †¢ Christopher Hitchens, literary critic and political activist †¢ Irving Howe, literary critic †¢ Roger Kahn. The Boys of Summer 1972 †¢ Jerzy Kosinski, author of The Painted Bird †¢ Emma Lazarus, poet and novelist †¢ Fran Lebowitz, author, known for her sardonic social commentary on American life through her New York sensibilities †¢ Seymour Martin Lipset, political sociologist. †¢ Reggie Nadelson, novelist known particularly for her mystery works †¢ Mark Obama Ndesandjo, author, half-brother of President Barack Obama †¢ Cynthia Ozick, short story writer, novelist, and essayist †¢ Jodi Picoult, novelist †¢ Ayn Rand, novelist and founder of Objectivism †¢ Lea Bayers Rapp, non-fiction and childrens fiction writer †¢ Philip Roth, known for autobiographical fiction that explored Jewish and American identity. †¢ Norman Rosten, novelist †¢ J. D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye †¢ Gary Shteyngart (born 1972) Russian-born writer †¢ Isaac Bashevis Singer, leading figure in Yiddish literature, won Nobel Prize †¢ George Steiner (born 1929) literary critic †¢ Daniel Stern, novelist] †¢ Leopold Tyrmand, writer †¢ Judith Viorst (born 1932) author, known for her childrens literature †¢ Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and author of 57 books CONCLUSION The situation and the position of the Jewish-American writer have always been different from that of the other ethnicities in America and still remain so until today. One difference is highlighted by a comparison with the African-American writers. The marginal position of black authors has disappeared on the book market in the United States, but the themes of alienation and anger will not vanish as readily from their works. Instead of integration into the Literary and artistic mainstream, black writers and artists wanted, especially since the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, to arrive at their own forms of literary expression which would have direct relevance for their lives. They wished to answer the question of their relationship to white mainstream culture by implementing a multicultural strategy: their literature is not that of assimilation, but in many ways that of establishing difference, separatism, and cultural resistance. While with the African-American writers there is no sense of the success or even desirability of social and cultural integration into the predominantly white mainstream of American society, many Jewish-American authors felt it as necessary and desirable, and as a result even managed to acquire it. Indeed, a great number of contemporary Jewish-American writers such as Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, Joseph Heller, Bernard Malamud, Arthur Miller, Philip Roth and others have had literary success. The language employed by these writers is standard American English, they are socially accepted, and their works are read by a wide Jewish and non-Jewish audience. For this reason it is widely considered that their texts form part of a recognized literary canon, and belong to the American literary center or mainstream, as far as this may still be defined today. As much as we agreed to this idea we cannot ignore several facts which underline the necessity to view Jewish American literary productions as shaped by strong ethnic forces, and Jewish American literature as both belonging to and standing out in the multicultural American landscape. BIBLOGRAPHY Books Sanford, Sternlicht Masterpieces of Jewish American Literature Cristina, Nilsson Jewish American Literature: Bernard Malamud, Philip Roth and Cynthia Ozick Websites http://en. wikipedia. org http://www. swiftpapers. com http:// Top of Form.

Background of the Amway Business Venture

Background of the Amway Business Venture Amway was co-founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Rich Devos, they worked together in a variety of small entrepreneurial ventures since their teens whereby they found that they shared many common values, interest and aspiration. Amway is well known for direct selling, and it started by developing and selling their own product line of high quality, high concentrated home care products. Multipurpose Liquid Organic cleaner, known as L.O.C. product line was the first companys product(httl://www.amway.com). Amway is a part of the Alticor group of companies (parent company) with headquarters in Ada, Michigan, USA. Company has wide range of products which reaches to some where around 450 quality of products. Amway has always been at the centre of Global market for the last 50 years hence their phrase Think Global, Act Local Amway is good at direct selling where they sell their product person to person manner generally in their home or home of others or other places away from permanent retail location whereby direct sales occur through explanation or demonstration by salespersons normally referred as Direct Sellers. This has proven successful, with direct selling in 2007 alone generating an annual turnover of close to 111 billion US $ worldwide. Amways trend has shown significant growth from when the company was founded. In 1960s its first years sales reached an impressive US$500,000 while the business continued to grow in United States, where Co-founders decided to expand to Canada in 1962. In 1989 Amway was recognised as a corporate leader in promoting environmental awareness and education when it received the United Nations Environmental program Achievement Award. In 1990s Amway saw a dramatic international expansion. In just half of the decade, Amway doubled the number of its international affiliates. Annual sales kept growing, by the end of decade more than 3 million sales people in some 80 countries and territories were involved in the Amway business worldwide and the retail sales reached and estimate US$5 billion. Around the world Amway affiliates continued to support their distributors with the launch of e-commerce sites that extends the Amway Business opportunity into cyberspace. The web-based Amway business around the globe, supported by the local distribution and manufacturing and warehousing facilities, has assured on time and accurate order processing and delivery of products. Amway today still remains under the parent company Alticor Inc.(www.alticor.com) today Alticor has net sales of US$7.1 billion (fiscal year 2007) sales force of more than 3 million independent business owners and contracting agents more than 13,000 worldwide em ployees, 160 distribution centre and among other developments. Amway has a long-standing tradition of Corporate Citizenship which since the company started has been an important goal. Amway is subjected to different laws in different countries and Amway goes beyond mere compliance with applicable legal requirements and always places importance on maintaining the highest ethical standards. This is ensured through; treating employees with due respect, maintaining a relationship with Amway Business Owners, which is based on trust and partnership, ensuring trustful relationship with customers, providing high quality products, caring for the environment through the conservation of resources committing themselves to the wider community. Social Responsibility since the founding days has always been an integral part of the company with its Global One by One campaign, Amway wants to provide children with a chance to live a better life, and to achieve this aim the company supports various projects promoting education and health as well as cultural advancement among children in more than 50 countries.. Amway have been successful because of their clear vision of the business, it has formulated strategies which has helped them achieve their goals and objective and also assist them in meeting their stakeholders needs and promoting corporate social responsibility in a global way and also acting in an ethical way, all these drives have enabled them in becoming one of the most successful direct selling company in the world. Cited on (www.amway.co.uk) LITERATURE REVIEW STRATEGY: It is important for any organisation to have a long term plan in order to achieve their objective. Hence strategy can be defined as long term objectives and general means by which an organisation/business intends to achieve them, it is an area of management that is concerned with general direction and long term policy of the business as distinct from short term tactics and day-today operations (Karami, 2007) according to one American Business historian, he defined strategy as the determination of the basic long term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the adaptation of causes of action and the allocation of resources for carrying out those goals (Chandler, 1962). Strategy as both position and perspective can be compatible with strategy as plan and or pattern although these definitions can be involved more than just stating what a strategy is, in relation to these definitions Johnson and Scholes (1993) describe the strategy as concerned with: Full scope of an organisations activities Strategic Management: Mainly Strategies are created and designed for the whole organisation by senior managers therefore managing strategy should start from the top to bottom. Effective strategies involve discussion and communication. Strategic management focuses on integrating managerial abilities and techniques such as; marketing, financial/accounting, human resource management, production management, research development to achieve organizational success. (David 1995). Corporate Strategy: organisations should be able to sustain competitive advantage in a discrete and identifiable market, It is the way a company creates value through the configuration and co ordination of its multimarket activities. When all these are carefully managed then the organisation is able to achieve its competitive or corporate advantage. Corporate strategy involves the following; vision which is the ambitious aspiration of a company, for example; Amways CSR global strategic vision is to make life better for children, Goals and Objectives; short and medium-term quantitative targets e.g. Amway raising funds for good causes, resource; these are skills assets and capabilities of the firm, business; this is the industry by which the firm operates, Amway sells health and beauty products and it has extended its product portfolio to household. Structure; the way the corporation is divided into discrete units Systems; set of formal policies and routine and Processes; informal elem ents of the organizational activities. (Bower, 1970). Corporate Advantage results from a harmonious combination of the above elements which work together to create value of the company. The Strategic Planning Process The top down model which has a structure of top down is followed my quite a few big companies in the year 1970. According to this model the process in which strategic planning takes place became deliberate which involves high level managements who constructs the company strategy and further they push is over to organization for execution.(Nolan 1993). . The following is a flowchart model of this process: Mission | V Objectives | V Situation Analysis | V Strategy Formulation | V Implementation | V Control Organizational Mission The mission of the company is basically reason of its existence. Mission is generally presented in the form mission statement, which mainly explains the reasons for employee and work also the companies market image to customer. In the process of strategic formulation, this statement decides where company basically wants to go. Organizational Objectives Objectives are fixed targets that the organization wants to reach, generally in terms of most of organization its earning profit. The objectives is always challenging but should be reachable. The objective is countable enough for company as it can keep a track on its progress and also areas in which improvement needed. Organizational Situation Analysis Once firm has decided its target, it starts with its existing situation to make a strategic plan to reach those targets. Modification in the surrounding environment normally creates new opportunities and new ways to reach the targets. An environmental scan is performed to identify the available opportunities. The firm should know its own merits and demerits in order to select the scope that it can pursue with a more chances of success. The external surrounding consist of two aspects: the macro-environment which generally has affects on all companies and a micro-environment that impacts only the companies in a specific industry. The macro-environmental analysis consist of political, economic, social, and technological factors and sometimes is considered as a PEST analysis. ( Ansoff,1987) The situation analysis can produce huge amount of data, which is not mainly related to strategy building. To create the information and make it more manageable, it sometimes is beneficial to separate the internal factors of the company as strengths and weaknesses, and the external environmental factors as opportunities and threats. Such an analysis often is referred to as a SWOT analysis.( Brooksbank,1996) http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_swot.htm Organizational Strategy Formulation Once a clear image of the company and its surrounding is with you, particular strategic alternatives can be produced. While multiple company having multiple options differing from their situation. Michael Porter identified cost leadership, differentiation, and focus as three generic strategies that may be considered when defining strategic alternatives. Porter advised against implementing a combination of these strategies for a given product; rather, he argued that only one of the generic strategy alternatives should be pursued.( MIcheal Porter,2004) Organizational strategic Implementation The strategies are mostly shown in top-level specific terms and priorities. The existence of strategy in functional policies mainly highlights all the topics which are not easily visible or even accessible at higher level. Generally the strategy are shifted to particular policies in functional domain like Marketing, R D, Procurement, Production, Human resources, Information systems. The one of the important task involved in this process is identifying all the available resources and then further arranging them at right place in the company. Organizational Control After any strategy being implemented then further ahead at each stage the strategy gets measured and recalculated in order to make changes subject to requirement. The special control system is generally being facilitate to look after this. Performance is generally standardized to particular level and every individual performance is cross checked to ensure the success of the objective. The whole process and the end result of success generally can be seen via tools such as Dashboard etc STAKEHOLDERS: Stakeholders is generally a person, group or company which has direct or indirect share in an cmpany. The concept stakeholder was developed by R. Edward Freeman in year 1980. They can be either external or internal to the organisation. There are various types of stakeholders which can be one of the following: Employees, Communities, Shareholders, Investors, Government, Suppliers, Labour Unions, Government regulatory Agencies, Industry Trade Groups, Professional Associates, NGOs, Prospective employees, Prospective customers, Local communities, National Communities, Public (Community), and Competitors. Further more internal stakeholders are the ones who are generally a members of the business organisation and they can also inclusive of Owners and shareholders, managers, staff and employees Mainly External stakeholders are not considered as a part of the company; where as few groups has both internal and external stakeholders. Such as staff or shareholders who are also local residents. Also External stakeholders present outside the company but has a direct interest in what it does. All stakeholders are not essentially equal and are entitled to different considerations. First is to establish who exactly your stakeholders are. Communication of Strategy With stake holders Amway have a wide range of stake holders, whereby each one of them have interest in the company. These are as follow: Global headquarters Amway Europe; they are interested in the growth of the business and want to see the CSR strategy matches with the company strategy as a whole. Amway regularly communicates with them through publications and updating their sites regularly. ABOs; the main interest is that they want to see the company (Amway UK) being a responsible caring organization at the same time as helping them earn some money. Communication is through face to face i.e. regular meetings example in 2005 they organized a joint briefing for ABO leaders, printed materials and Emails Customers; they are more interested in good quality products which meet their needs as well as being efficient. Normally Amway uses direct selling for their product which is door to door hence they are able to meet them face to face. Staff; it is at interest of any staff in a company to work for an organ ization which does the right thing and which make them feel comfortable at work place, this could be in terms of having good training in place among other needs. Main method of communication is face to face either with their managers etc. AMWAYS Business Strategy Amway being a global direct sales company, works with around three million ABOs in over 80 countries. These ABOs form the links with consumers and the communities in which they operate by offering and selling them a wide range of Amways own branded products. ABOs are stakeholders in Amway. Amway manufactures and then distributes a range of their branded products to the ABOs worldwide, the typical products that ABOs sell include: Skin care and cosmetics, Personal care, e.g.; fragrances, body care, etc, Clothing and footwear, Cookware, Water treatment systems and Nutrition and wellness products such as food supplements, food and drinks. The ABOs are self employed and are highly motivated people, hence the Amways support in enabling people to have their own businesses. The ABOs operate their business independently as small businesses and develop direct supply channels and sell the products to people who they know or meet. They also introduce others to the Amway business, this chain is shown in a simple diagram on the following page: Source: www.thetimes100.co.uk The ABOs work to Amways rules of conduct and code of Ethics, which are about being honest and responsible in trading, Amway places strong emphasis on the ABOs since they are more able to focus on individual customers and their needs, hence serving them better and building lasting relations with them. They work in a self regulatory environment, and should also have a flexible approach to business. However as mentioned earlier they sign a contract to work within Amways rules of conduct and code of Ethics, since they are the final and the most influential contact with the end consumers in the supply chain, and if they do not operate within the set rules it could bring a bad impression on the company. CONCLUSION: Base on our findings we have been able to find out how Amway have been successful in doing their business. Amway have been able to succeed in developing hundreds of product they sell through direct selling, though they engage in direct selling method they have few retail outlet whereby customers can purchase their products. Stakeholders are integral part of the business today and their contribution shape the success of the business as a whole, clearly Amway ensures that by meeting their needs at all aspects of their business. Today many businesses need to have a Strategy the way they do their business it is important because it reinforces the strength between the business owners and the stakeholders at large. Amway take this aspect seriously in the way they do their business and tries to be ethical in what they do especially when they are conducting business in different countries it is important to respect rules and regulation of each country. Good communication is important in any business today, either internally or externally, Amway have strategic communication in place and this enables them to be able to do business and they continue to improve on their communication through innovation and development of software and communication networks. All this have helped to shape Amway and enabled them to be one of the best Corporation Globally today.

Interpretation And Appreciation Of The Floral Motif Arts Essay

Interpretation And Appreciation Of The Floral Motif Arts Essay Since this is a historical based paper focusing on the way in which wallpaper designers communicate through the use of visual language, different interpretations of the subject of botanical forms, historical background information must be provided to make a fuller understanding possible. This chapter is vital to the study of two dimensional surface design as it will explore the history of wallpaper and the reason one desires to decorate ones surroundings. 2.2. Literature review As well as the research carried out exploring the innovations of 20th century wallpaper design and the exploration of different interpretations of the floral motif, some considerable time was also dedicated to investigate the early history of wallpaper. The basic intention of undertaking this research was to examine the way in which wallpaper appeals to society and to provide a more in depth understanding of the sophistication of wallpaper design, which is a vital element of this study. Questions that are deriving the construction of the historical chapter include: Where did the concept of wallpaper originate from? What was the function of wallpaper? When were flowers and botanical forms first used as a form of decoration? The above objectives were explored by the study of literature surrounding the topic of the history of wallpaper, combing knowledge from books, journals, interior design magazines, and the information from internet sources. The final dissertation will answer these questions and draw relevant conclusions concerning the innovations of two dimensional surface design. The literature review in this section is intended to name the sources used and does not attempt to evaluate the categorised research which underlies them. For this historical chapter a number of sources have been thoroughly researched however some of the sources were more informative than others. Wall Papers of France 1800-1850 by Odile Nouvel (1981) gives a comprehensive narration of the history of wallpaper dating back to wallpapers before the nineteenth century and also refers to British wallpaper design. A similar book in terms historical background information which was also studied, Wallpaper in America From The Seventeenth Century to World War 1 by Catherine Lynn(1980) concentrates more on the styles of wallpaper and refers to British and French influences on American Wallpaper design. Chapter three Eighteenth-Century English wallpaper styles devotes 36 pages of typical wallpaper styles, motifs and patterns from this century including an in depth section on floral patterns. Whether printed in distemper or varnish colours, or whether flocked, floral motifs derived from textile prototypes form the largest category of repeating pa tterns in this relatively large group of wallpapers known to have been used. (Catherine Lynn 1980 p52) this chapter will be more relevant to later sections of this paper due to the specific information on the interpretation of the floral motif and also the detailed annotations of the provided images which clearly demonstrate the style as well as the predominant characteristics of wallpaper from the 18th century. The Floral home Introduction by Leslie Geddes-Brown (1992) is a very good informative source referring to the history of the floral motif which was a more difficult subject to track down using internet sources. More up to date sources which were looked at closely include Lesley Jacksons Twentieth Century Pattern Design and Off The Wall by Lena Lencek and Gideon Bosker which both examine pattern as a quintessential part of the 20th Century design history. Both authors provide a brief, informative history of wall coverings since the 15th century and suggest that wallpaper often reflects the cultural climate of the era of which it was produced. Timothy Brittain-Catlins A Papered History states that wallpaper was for, who chooses it, who pays for it, who it applies to and who appreciates it are all questions that have had different answers at different times. (A Papered History p7) The three books mentioned above will be very useful in terms of putting into context how wallpaper designers, historic and contemporary, are influenced by their social surroundings which in result affect the aesthetic qualities of their designs. The most valuable source however has been the wallpaper history website which lists and allows access to online articles which provide a very detailed insight to the history of wallpaper. The most relevant articles relating to this chapter have been by Alan Benjamin (2009) and Babara Krasner Khait (2001) where both texts are designed as an aid in comprehending the many facets of todays products. Benjamin in particular refers to evidence of wall coverings which dates back to thousands of years B.C, with the use of cave drawings and although this does not resemble wallpaper as we know it today it does signify mans earliest desire to decorate ones surroundings. The history of wallpaper chapter in his article provides a very specific and technical overview referring to the development of wallpaper and how it was used functionally as well as aesthetic purposes in the 16th century to keep out the cold and damp. Both articles are very well written, being short yet adequate and objective his torical accounts which are essential for this paper. Where did the concept of wall coverings originate from? According to archaeologists, the tradition of decorating walls dates back to several thousand years B.C in the form of cave drawings and still to this day it is uncertain as why ancient ancestors chose to decorate their surroundings. The two major theories concerning the reasons behind these graphics are explained as wish fulfilment and aesthetics of art. Although this does not resemble wallpaper as known today, it does signify mans earliest desire to decorate his surroundings. (Benjamin 2009) The ancient Egyptian and Roman civilization are also noted in history to have painted their living environment in a highly individual manner expressing two dimensional portrayals of visible and invisible worlds Earth and the domain of the Gods. (Benjamin 2009) Wallpaper actually begun in ancient China, first because the Chinese invented paper, and secondly because they glued rice paper onto their walls as early as 200 B.C What is the function of wallpaper? The use of wallpaper initially began as a cheap substitute for tapestry and panelling. Some historians believe that the use of wallpaper dates back to the 1400s. (Krasner-Khait 2001) The first wallpapers in England were individual sheets, decorated with geometrical woodcut patterns and printed in black ink on pale paper by a hand operated press. These papers could have been used for anything from covering up an unfortunate space, concealing uneven plasterwork or as an innovative alternative to hanging pictures on the wall. (Brittain-Catlin p7) Homes were built of stone during this period so the main function and practicality of these hangings was used to keep out the cold and damp. Wallpaper was soon to become the poor mans tapestry, an imitation of the expensive textiles used in royal households. Elizabethan England saw a higher demand for wallpaper as its popularity increased. The elite of society were accustomed to hanging large tapestries on the walls of their homes, a tradition from the middle ages. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia) These tapestries added colour as well as providing an insulating layer between the stone walls and the room, thus retaining heat in the room. However, tapestries were very expensive and therefore only the very rich could afford them. For the not so rich members of the elite, they turned to wallpaper to brighten up their rooms as they were unable to but tapestries due to price or wars preventing international trade. Throughout Europe, a fascination began with these papers that offered protection against dampness and improved ability to handle fireplace smoke. In the twentieth century, when mass production, innovated materials, and printing techniques cross pollinated with an unprecedented fluidity of traditions and designs, wallpaper leapt from its privileged position as a covering for the elite to become the truly democratized and democratizing purveyor of domestic elegance refinement and in some cases, downright kitsch. (Lencek and Bosker, 2004, p9) When were flowers first used as a form of decoration? It is extraordinary how floral art crops up in every century and civilization. There is evidence of a detailed wall painting from ancient Egypt that depicts geese grazing from grasses and tiny red flowers which dates back from 2550B.C. Indeed if a tribe or nation does not respect and recreate the beauties of nature, it has little claim to be called civilized. (Geddes-Brown 1992 p8) The flower was used as a symbol and sometimes reflected religious beliefs. The Iris and Lily were both symbols of royalty and the Virgin Mary and were popular subjects of renaissance painters. It is a mistake to identify floral art and decoration only with the chintzy, the countrified and the cosy though all these styles have tremendous charm. Flowers can be architectural (the Greeks used palm and acanthus leaves for their capital), political (roses and thistles were secret Jacobite signs) and perhaps even sinister (the blood thirsty cultivated dahlias and zinnias). (Geddes-Brown 1991 p8) SUMMARY!!!! 3 Victorian wallpapers Introduction Being noted as important era in the history of wallpaper design, a considerable amount of time was dedicated thoroughly researching Victorian wallpaper. This is an important chapter in the study of the floral motif as this period not only put British design on the map but also redesigned wallpaper all over the world and is still, to this day, popular within the interior market. As well as the typical characteristics of Victorian wallpaper, much attention will be given to the research of British designer William Morris, who not only was a one- man pattern-making phenomenon, but was also the founding father of the arts and crafts movement. The overall aims and objectives of this chapter will draw conclusions as to why this period of design was so revolutionary and why Morriss designs are still used to influence todays designers. It will put into perspective how wallpaper has developed with the ever changing society and how the subject of the floral motif has morphed from a realistic representation to a more abstract and simplistic form throughout the centuries. Literature review The Victorian era, was a grand time for wallpaper featuring over embellished designs. Floral Prints were very popular in Victorian England. Print upon print lined the interior walls of rooms, mostly in a rich and heavy colour palette. Dark red, bottle green, chocolate brown, maroon and deep glowing blue were predominant in a great profusion of pattern and ornament. The advent of mass production of wallpaper put the cabbage rose and arabesque patterns within the budget range of practicality of every home. Designers such as William Morris and his lyrical interpretations of nature, hand-printed by the wood block method, came to symbolize Art Nouveau. William Morriss first wallpaper designs started to appear in the 1860s. They came as a slightly later edition to the textile designs. Morris himself was not a big fan of wallpaper for interiors. He much preferred the idea of using hung textile work, such as tapestry or heavy fabrics framed as panels, which he saw as more traditional for interiors than the fairly recent wallpaper industry. Another reason was the difficulty in achieving a good and faithful reproduction of initial design work. Morris was a definite perfectionist and was not prepared to take on a medium if the results were to be less than perfect. William Morris maintained that beautiful surroundings improve the quality of life, and that all of the elements which play a part in the overall style of an interior, textiles and wall coverings are among the most important. Whatever you have in your room, think first of your walls, for they are that which makes your house a home William Morris (1834-1896). William Morris Floral wallpaper designs. Naturalistic flowers and fruit were characteristics of early Victorian wallpapers; initially, they were superimposed on classical architectural backgrounds but in the 1840s they were intertwined with elaborate scrolls and cartouches. By the 1850s, however, design innovators such as Owen Jones and AWN Pugin had rejected this naturalism in favour of flat, formalised patterns. John Ruskin whose theories on design had a big effect during the second half of the nineteenth century, rejected the whole repertory of Renaissance-Classical decorative motifs as prefabricated. William Morris, the guiding light of the arts and crafts movement of the 1870s and 1880s generally shared the views of Pugin, Jones and Ruskin. He believed however that flowers used in textiles and wallpaper designs should be seen to be growing naturally. Motifs from nature, though flattened and stylised, were clearly outlined and recognisable in is patterns. They retained their fundamental characteristics, yet their style was so emphasised. Morris and other Arts and Crafts artists were drawn to the natural world for their imagery. Morris himself dismissed the exotic hothouse plants so popular with the Victorians and instead drew his floral motifs from his garden and the English countryside. Marigolds, honeysuckle, jasmine and lilies were among the flowers depicted in his wallpaper designs. Morris believed that the structure of patterns was of crucial importance, as he explained à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦if the lines of them grow strongly and grow gracefully, I think they are decidedly helped by the structure not being elaborately concealed. His designs were rigorously constructed, on either a symmetrical diamond design framework or a branch framework that created a bower effect. Willow boughs or scrolling acanthus leaves were used as a structural background in a number of Morris designs. Many of his designs also included complex, subsidiary patterns of small flower growing from meandering stems. His insistence on the highest standards of design is apparent in this quotations: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ no amount of delicacy is too great in the drawing of the curves of a pattern, no amount of care in getting the leading lines right from the first. Remember that a pattern is either right or wrong. It cannot be forgiven for blundering. A failure forever recurring torments the eye. William Morris (1834-1896). (images) Wallpaper analysis Morriss first commercial wallpaper designs, as can be seen in the first two images here, Daisy and Pomegranate, were very much a case of stamped motifs on a fairly simple and plain background. Some of the motifs were actually reproduced from Morriss medieval style tapestry work, usually from incidental backgrounds or lower foregrounds where they were used to fill in spaces around the more important human figures. Both Daisy and Pomegranate were produced in the mid-1860s and reflect very much the simplicity of much of Morriss early textile work. In fact, many of the designs initially produced for textiles did end up as wallpaper patterns, with very few changes in the design, if any. By the 1870s Morris wallpaper design work had become much more accomplished, and therefore much more complex. There is very little, if any plain background to be seen, and whereas the earlier examples were largely independently stamped on to a surface, the later examples are clearly intertwined with each other, making it difficult to see any obvious motifs. The three designs shown, Larkspar, Pimpernel and Chrysanthemum were all produced in the 1870s. They clearly show the confidence in the design work and the medium, and are therefore much more fluid and free form than the earlier, more tentative work of the 1860s. It would be tempting to see some of the fluid and meandering flower stems, rich, full flowers and languid leaves, as an indication of the roots of Art Nouveau, and while there is a certain similarity in some of Morris work, it is also firmly rooted within both the British Arts Craft movement and the styles and fashions of the mid-Victorian design world. What makes Morris wallpaper design work stand out from others of the same era is the intensity of the compositions. There is a real observational passion for the natural world that is missing from so much of Victorian floral derived work. To Morris, these designs could not just be interpreted as pretty, or attractive, they were much more. They were indeed part of his lifes work and passion. They were a record of the British traditional rural landscape, one of nature and human in a harmonic symbiosis. The intertwining of much of his floral work could be interpreted as a framework in which we are all a part, which is one of the reasons that Morris disliked geometry as a design tool, as he interpreted it as a man-made system for trying to quantify the natural world, rather than allowing the natural world to quantify itself. The Acanthus wallpaper The Acanthus has been widely used since early times. A plant with boldly indented and scrolled leaves; it was a common element in Greek and Roman architectural ornament as noted in chapter 1 and a widely used Renaissance Motif. It has appeared in textiles over and over again, from Italian velvets to Arts and Crafts prints. William Morris said of it, No form of ornament has gone so far or lasted so long as this; it has been infinitely varied, used by almost all following styles in one shape or another, and performed many other office besides its original one. Large lead verdure tapestries, employing foliage in soft greens, tans and browns on a dark blue background were manufactures in France and Flanders in the Sixteenth century and greatly influenced William Morris designs for wallpaper. Many designs of the 1890s including a number of William Morris prints incorporated the large swirling patterns of Acanthus scrolls or other classical floral motifs from the sixteenth and seventeenth century. (type up literature review) British Wallpaper in the 1970s The Revival of Art Nouveau in the 1970s Over half a century after the initial movement of Art Nouveau, it re-emerged for a second time in the 1970s. This however was not the only art movement that was rediscovered and re-energised in 1970s wallpaper design. The Art Deco movement was of particular interest which influenced two dimensional surface design, but also aesthetic qualities from a number of Victorian art styles were reincorporated including the works of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. What where the reasons for the re-emergence of the Art Nouveau movement? However, the generation that came after the Modernist outlook the 1950s and 1960s, started to trawl through the ephemera that had been left behind by nearly a century of Victorianism. A new generation of textile and wallpaper designer, who had little if any of the prejudice against nineteenth century design that was shown by previous generations, were keen to examine the design work and if possible produce work that was inspired by the original, but with a contemporary twist. There was a wide range of work produced in this neo-Art Nouveau style. Some was close to the original idea of using florals and incorporating the sinuous line that was present in the original style. Interestingly however, although this seemed like a kick against the ideas of modernist design, many of the ideas and philosophies of twentieth century design were incorporated into these new Art Nouveau inspired patterns. Many of the colour schemes for example, were heightened and changed altogether to fit in with interior schemes that were based on an entirely different set of parameters than the turn of the century originals. There was also less of an emphasis on the portrayal of floral design and much more on a vaguer, even abstract quality to the design work, which placed the emphasis firmly on pattern and shape, rather than any form of representational design. Much of the design work reproduced here (refer to images) is interesting as, although it does represent a re-emergence of interest in past styles, it does not descend into pastiche or plagiarism of the original decorative style. This is not the Laura Ashley style of design, which was more or less a slavishly faithful copy of the period; it is more an interpretation of a design style as seen over the gulf of the twentieth century. Designers saw no point in reproducing faithful copies of the Art Nouveau style, as reproductions were already available. However, they also saw no point in producing new work that copied the style exactly as no one could pretend, as Laura Ashley did, that seventy years of the twentieth century had not happened. These Art Nouveau revival wallpapers give a fascinating opportunity to picture two points in the history of design, the gap between them and how that gap affected the process of design and interpretation. Wallpaper design was still popular in the 1970s, though beginning to lose out to painted walls. However, it was still a mainstay in many homes and would continue to be so for the rest of the decade. This popularity meant that the choice and range of design work available was fairly large compared to todays choices. Geometrically derived patterns, as the ones shown here, were still popular throughout the decade, as were all forms of floral, from the traditional realistically looking flower patterns, to popular graphic interpretations. All of the patterns shown here are of wallpaper designs from around the 1970s. They all take the flower as their source of inspiration and its subsequent decorative effect. All are basically flat pattern designs, some more abstract than others, but all still using the flower as a standard motif. Wallpaper Analysis Taking a flower down to its basic components, you are left with four petals and a circular centre. There are of course endless variations on this theme, with the petals multiplying or decreasing, though four tends to be the lower limit. The centres can also range from a fairly complex pattern with a number of different centres, to a very simple but effective circle. Some of the flower motifs in these examples have become little more than geometric shapes with the flower becoming so abstract that it is barely recognisable as such. However, that does mean that the design is not a floral, no matter how far removed it has become from the original inspiration, it could still justifiably be classed as a floral decoration pattern. Often, by including more than one type of flower motif, the pattern can take on a more complex appearance. In this way patterns can then sit within patterns, so while the petals and centre of the flower can produce a decorative effect within its own right, a self contained pattern, these can then be used as multiples, creating another pattern. If a different flower motif is then introduced, that flower has a decorative effect of its own and if juxtaposed with the original flower motif, they contrast with each other, thus creating yet another pattern effect. This can go on so that a number of more complex layers are added, though care should be taken not to overload the design, which can become confusing the more elements that are added. This can be a particular problem with wallpaper design whereby a pattern effect has to be able to be interpreted easily from a distance, but must also be effective when seen close up. Another interesting effect that can be used is when flower motifs overlap each other, creating an opportunity to produce yet another flower motif, and by changing the colour tone slightly, this new flower design will appear as if still connected to the overlapping decorative flower motifs, while retaining some independence from them at the same time. Colour and tone is an important element, particularly within flat pattern where it is sometimes difficult to give the design elements that make up the pattern enough differentiation for it to have any effect, particularly from a distance. By using similar colours or one colour with different tones, it becomes much easier to see separate elements of the pattern while still maintaining a balanced piece that appears to be both harmonious and effective. The art world has introduced countless ideas and methods that have been reinterpreted by both textile and wallpaper designers. Abstraction and colour and paint techniques in all their modernist facets, have been used repeatedly and constantly by designers who were keen to add to the repertoire of the industry. Large bold patterns, still with the flower as its centre of inspiration, have been part of the wallpaper industry for a long time. By interpreting and often reinterpreting for the medium concerned, effective large repeat patterns have been produced that seem to have little to do with a mass production industry, but are still mass produced nonetheless. These patterns often appear to be less constructed and less precise, often giving the illusion of spontaneity and creativity, the hallmarks or at least the common interpretation of much of the twentieth centurys fine art output. This is by no means a comprehensive interpretation of flat design. It only gives a few ideas as to the complex nature of this style of design and the number of variations that are easily achievable. In Conclusion flat design appears to be much more creative and inspiring than traditional floral realism for example, with endless opportunities to both simplify and complicate the same pattern motif. (Images of 1970s wallpaper) Methodology Introduction When embarking on a topic of research, all of the possible methodological factors must be taken into account as sources of information are of great importance. Decisions ave o be made into which method of data collection to use to achieve the greatest information specific to the question at hand. In order to try and find out as much information about the topic and area being disgussed, a variety of acedemic sources were needed, such as books, journals and the internet. These academic sources wer all accesed in a selection of different places. Despite a wide variety of ways to find all of this information, the information did not come without its problems. Finding the information There are many ways of findng the information that is needed. Most of the information in relation to this study was found in the university library in the textiles department. This was done by searching for and looking through relevant literature in the books that were available in the library. Finding books for relevant information was one of the first things that had to be done in order in order to find background inforation on the topic, such as what work had already been done in the area. Books were also then found in order to find informaton in relation to the question being asked through the use of search engines, which produces a list of books/journals with relevance to keys words, authors etc. The internet was also used as a method of secondary resourcing. This was used to find websites such as the Wallpaper History website which provides links of online aricles referring to the history of wallpaper and the innovations of wallpaper design. The internet also allowed journals to be found online, this allowed access to more up to date literature which was not provided by the available books in the library. Journals are also quick and easy to find, simply using the search engine tool online, a large number of journals become available to read. These journals were used in the same way as books, to find background knowledge and to help find information towards the question. The books and journals especially, helped to find vital information on the topics of the innovations of wallpaper design and how designers have put their own stamp on the very popular floral motif which has developed with te ever changing society. This is all acedemic wock which was needed in order to answer the question as thoroughly as possible. Interviews Interviews give a ricj insight to peoples biographies, experience, opinions, values, aspirations, attitudes and feelings. Interviews were taken place in The Temple Newsome Museum which is celebrated for its wonderful collections of fine and decorative arts, especially paintings, furniture, silver, ceramics, textiles and most importantly wallpapers. James Lomax the exhibition curator who specialises in the 17th 18th and 9th century was interviewd. This was to obtain an insight of a professionals view on the matter. Using interviews as methods of colecting data proved to be a reliable source of researc. This is because of the specific questions are asked with a reliable reply relating to the subject matter. Data can be obtained easily and resourcefully using certain questions. Interviews can be delivered in a structured or unstructures form. Consideration was given to the type of interview that was carried out to gain the best results. There are both advantages to consider when chossing the most appropirate one. Structured interviews are seen as having set questions. These questions are asked and recorded on a standardised schedule. The question cannot be modified during or after the interview. In contrast an unstrctured interview is less formal, where the interviewer has a greater flexibility and freedom. It was thougt that an interview towards the less structured theory would be more effective as the researcher did not want to domain the interview. Planning was essential for the process. Limitations Limitations include trying to find books that were relevant and that were also up to date. As a way of traking this because the university library only had a limited amount of books available on the floral motif, inter library loans were used, this is when books can be loaned form other university libraries. This however can be very time consuming because people may already have the books out and even if they havent it can take a few days before the ooks arrive to be collected. Another disadvantage of using the library which proved to be a problem in the stages of research was the opportunity for others to put a reserve on books which were already loaned out. This not only adds pressure to the researcher but limts the time available to read through the books and to thoroughly digest and understand the information provided.

Social Oppression in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway :: Mrs. Dalloway Essays

The physical and social setting in "Mrs. Dalloway" sets the mood for the novel's principal theme: the theme of social oppression. Social oppression was shown in two ways: the oppression of women as English society returned to its traditional norms and customs after the war, and the oppression of the hard realities of life, "concealing" these realities with the elegance of English society. This paper discusses the purpose of the city in mirroring the theme of social oppression, focusing on issues of gender oppression, particularly against women, and the oppression of poverty and class discrimination between London's peasants and the elite class.

Fighting Kerry Keenan :: Film Movies

Fighting Kerry Keenan Theme: This film is loosely based on the story of Lola Bardem, who as a student at Sarah Lawrence college was convicted of killing her lover and roommate, Sara Shield with a compound bow. Lola, an All-American archer, and three time cover-model for Sports Illustrated was the defendant in the case brought against her by the victim's family. The case, which I'm sure we all remember was important for many reasons, not only due to the strange nature of Sara's death, but also for the evidence brought against, and in support of Lola, including issues concerning her upbringing in a low-income neighborhood, her sexual orientation, and her gender. Although Lola's case has been closed for almost five years now, the ramifications of the suit are still being felt. Since then, many of the nations colleges and universities have cut funding for sports that are considered "out-dated" and "dangerous", although many traditional sports like football, ice-hockey, track and field, and sailing still continue to receive a large sum of funding—often being cited as sports that are associated with the identity of the school, and therefore untouchable due to pressure from alums and television networks that broadcast the games nationally. However, and perhaps more importantly, the film will mainly be concerned with the case itself, and the uproar it caused in the media. Protagonists: For our purposes, Lola's name has been changed to Kerry. Although the film is ultimately constructed temporally along the events of Kerry's case, the main protagonist is an 18 year old high school senior named Darby Brennan, who is at the time of the case is being pursued by elite universities to join their basketball team. The news that we as viewers gather about the case is filtered to us through Darby's perspective. Although initially naà ¯ve with respect to the world of competitive women's sports, Darby's experience watching the case ultimately influences her decision about playing sports in college. Other than her testimony, Kerry herself doesn't have much of a main part. Rather, it is the media's portrayal of Kerry's case that occupies much of the narrative, and should lead the viewer to question the portrayal of women in sports. Often scenes in the movie will be filmed to give the viewer the feeling of being the audience of news telecasts. However, in order to emphasize narrative perspective, Darby will often comment on the information we receive, questioning how her own life could possibly be construed by the media, and her own activities misinterpreted in the interest of television ratings.

Part Three Chapter V

V Ruth stood alone in her lamp-lit sitting room, continuing to grip the telephone she had just replaced in its cradle. Hilltop House was small and compact. It was always easy to tell the location of each of the four Prices, because voices, footfalls and the sounds of doors opening and shutting carried so effectively in the old house. Ruth knew that her husband was still in the shower, because she could hear the hot water boiler under the stairs hissing and clanking. She had waited for Simon to turn on the water before telephoning Shirley, worried that he might think that even her request about the EpiPen was fraternizing with the enemy. The family PC was set up in a corner of the sitting room, where Simon could keep an eye on it, and make sure nobody was running up large bills behind his back. Ruth relinquished her grip on the phone and hurried to the keyboard. It seemed to take a very long time to bring up the Pagford Council website. Ruth pushed her reading glasses up her nose with a trembling hand as she scanned the various pages. At last she found the message board. Her husband's name blazed out at her, in ghastly black and white: Simon Price Unfit to Stand for Council. She double-clicked the title, brought up the full paragraph and read it. Everything around her seemed to reel and spin. ‘Oh God,' she whispered. The boiler had stopped clanking. Simon would be putting on the pyjamas he had warmed on the radiator. He had already drawn the sitting-room curtains, turned on the side lamps and lit the wood-burner, so that he could come down and stretch out on the sofa to watch the news. Ruth knew that she would have to tell him. Not doing so, letting him find out for himself, was simply not an option; she would have been incapable of keeping it to herself. She felt terrified and guilty, though she did not know why. She heard him jogging down the stairs and then he appeared at the door in his blue brushed-cotton pyjamas. ‘Si,' she whispered. ‘What's the matter?' he said, immediately irritated. He knew that something had happened; that his luxurious programme of sofa, fire and news was about to be disarranged. She pointed at the computer monitor, one hand pressed foolishly over her mouth, like a little girl. Her terror infected him. He strode to the PC and scowled down at the screen. He was not a quick reader. He read every word, every line, painstakingly, carefully. When he had finished, he remained quite still, passing for review, in his mind, all the likely grasses. He thought of the gum-chewing forklift driver, whom he had left stranded in the Fields when they had picked up the new computer. He thought of Jim and Tommy, who did the cash-in-hand jobs on the sly with him. Someone from work must have talked. Rage and fear collided inside him and set off a combustive reaction. He strode to the foot of the stairs and shouted, ‘You two! Get down here NOW!' Ruth still had her hand over her mouth. He had a sadistic urge to slap her hand away, to tell her to fucking pull herself together, it was he who was in the shit. Andrew entered the room first with Paul behind him. Andrew saw the arms of Pagford Parish Council onscreen, and his mother with her hand over her mouth. Walking barefoot across the old carpet, he had the sensation that he was plummeting through the air in a broken lift. ‘Someone,' said Simon, glaring at his sons, ‘has talked about things I've mentioned inside this house.' Paul had brought his chemistry exercise book downstairs with him; he was holding it like a hymnal. Andrew kept his gaze fixed on his father, trying to project an expression of mingled confusion and curiosity. ‘Who's told other people we've got a stolen computer?' asked Simon. ‘I haven't,' said Andrew. Paul stared at his father blankly, trying to process the question. Andrew willed his brother to speak. Why did he have to be so slow? ‘Well?' Simon snarled at Paul. ‘I don't think I – ‘ ‘You don't think? You don't think you told anyone?' ‘No, I don't think I told any – ‘ ‘Oh, this is interesting,' said Simon, pacing up and down in front of Paul. ‘This is interesting.' With a slap he sent Paul's exercise book flying out of his hands. ‘Try and think, dipshit,' he growled. ‘Try and fucking think. Did you tell anyone we've got a stolen computer?' ‘Not stolen,' said Paul. ‘I never told anyone – I don't think I told anyone we had a new one, even.' ‘I see,' said Simon. ‘So the news got out by magic then, did it?' He was pointing at the computer monitor. ‘Someone's fucking talked!' he yelled, ‘because it's on the fucking internet! And I'll be fucking lucky not – to – lose – my – job!' On each of the five last words he thumped Paul on the head with his fist. Paul cowered and ducked; black liquid trickled from his left nostril; he suffered nosebleeds several times a week. ‘And what about you?' Simon roared at his wife, who was still frozen beside the computer, her eyes wide behind her glasses, her hand clamped like a yashmak over her mouth. ‘Have you been fucking gossiping?' Ruth ungagged herself. ‘No, Si,' she whispered, ‘I mean, the only person I told we had a new computer was Shirley – and she'd never – ‘ You stupid woman, you stupid fucking woman, what did you have to tell him that for? ‘You did what?' asked Simon quietly. ‘I told Shirley,' whimpered Ruth. ‘I didn't say it was stolen, though, Si. I only said you were bringing it home – ‘ ‘Well, that's fucking it then, isn't it?' roared Simon; his voice became a scream. ‘Her fucking son's standing for election, of course she wants to get the fucking goods on me!' ‘But she's the one who told me, Si, just now, she wouldn't have – ‘ He ran at her and hit her in the face, exactly as he had wanted to when he had first seen her silly frightened expression; her glasses spun into the air and smashed against the bookcase; he hit her again and she crashed down onto the computer table she had bought so proudly with her first month's wages from South West General. Andrew had made himself a promise: he seemed to move in slow motion, and everything was cold and clammy and slightly unreal. ‘Don't hit her,' he said, forcing himself between his parents. ‘Don't – ‘ His lip split against his front tooth, Simon's knuckle behind it, and he fell backwards on top of his mother, who was draped over the keyboard; Simon threw another punch, which hit Andew's arms as he protected his face; Andrew was trying to get off his slumped, struggling mother, and Simon was in a frenzy, pummelling both of them wherever he could reach – ‘Don't you fucking dare tell me what to do – don't you dare, you cowardly little shit, you spotty streak of piss – ‘ Andrew dropped to his knees to get out of the way, and Simon kicked him in the ribs. Andrew heard Paul say pathetically, ‘Stop it!' Simon's foot swung for Andrew's ribcage again, but Andrew dodged it; Simon's toes collided with the brick fireplace and he was suddenly, absurdly, howling in pain. Andrew scrambled out of the way; Simon was gripping the end of his foot, hopping on the spot and swearing in a high-pitched voice; Ruth had collapsed into the swivel chair, sobbing into her hands. Andrew got to his feet; he could taste his own blood. ‘Anyone could have talked about that computer,' he panted, braced for further violence; he felt braver now that it had begun, now that the fight was really on; it was waiting that told on your nerves, watching Simon's jaw begin to jut, and hearing the urge for violence building in his voice. ‘You told us a security guard got beaten up. Anyone could have talked. It's not us – ‘ ‘Don't you – fucking little shit – I've broken my fucking toe!' Simon gasped, falling backwards into an armchair, still nursing his foot. He seemed to expect sympathy. Andrew imagined picking up a gun and shooting Simon in the face, watching his features blast apart, his brains spattering the room. ‘And Pauline's got her fucking period again!' Simon yelled at Paul, who was trying to contain the blood dripping through his fingers from his nose. ‘Get off the carpet! Get off the fucking carpet, you little pansy!' Paul scuttled out of the room. Andrew pressed the hem of his T-shirt to his stinging mouth. ‘What about all the cash-in-hand jobs?' Ruth sobbed, her cheek pink from his punch, tears dripping from her chin. Andrew hated to see her humiliated and pathetic like this; but he half hated her too for landing herself in it, when any idiot could have seen †¦ ‘It says about the cash-in-hand jobs. Shirley doesn't know about them, how could she? Someone at the printworks has put that on there. I told you, Si, I told you you shouldn't do those jobs, they've always worried the living daylights out of – ‘ ‘Fucking shut up, you whining cow, you didn't mind spending the money!' yelled Simon, his jaw jutting again; and Andrew wanted to roar at his mother to stay silent: she blabbed when any idiot could have told her she should keep quiet, and she kept quiet when she might have done good by speaking out; she never learned, she never saw any of it coming. Nobody spoke for a minute. Ruth dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed intermittently. Simon clutched his toe, his jaw clenched, breathing loudly. Andrew licked the blood from his stinging lip, which he could feel swelling. ‘This'll cost me my fucking job,' said Simon, staring wild-eyed around the room, as if there might be somebody there he had forgotten to hit. ‘They're already talking about fucking redundancies. This'll be it. This'll – ‘ He slapped the lamp off the end table, but it didn't break, merely rolled on the floor. He picked it up, tugged the lead out of the wall socket, raised it over his head and threw it at Andrew, who dodged. ‘Who's fucking talked?' Simon yelled, as the lamp base broke apart on the wall. ‘Someone's fucking talked!' ‘It's some bastard at the printworks, isn't it?' Andrew shouted back; his lip was thick and throbbing; it felt like a tangerine segment. ‘D'you think we'd have – d'you think we don't know how to keep our mouths shut by now?' It was like trying to read a wild animal. He could see the muscles working in his father's jaw, but he could tell that Simon was considering Andrew's words. ‘When was that put on there?' he roared at Ruth. ‘Look at it! What's the date on it?' Still sobbing, she peered at the screen, needing to approach the tip of her nose within two inches of it, now that her glasses were broken. ‘The fifteenth,' she whispered. ‘Fifteenth †¦ Sunday,' said Simon. ‘Sunday, wasn't it?' Neither Andrew nor Ruth put him right. Andrew could not believe his luck; nor did he believe it would hold. ‘Sunday,' said Simon, ‘so anyone could've – my fucking toe,' he yelled, as he pulled himself up and limped exaggeratedly towards Ruth. ‘Get out of my way!' She hastened out of the chair and watched him read the paragraph through again. He kept snorting like an animal to clear his airways. Andrew thought that he might be able to garrotte his father as he sat there, if only there was a wire to hand. ‘Someone's got all this from work,' said Simon, as if he had just reached this conclusion, and had not heard his wife or son urging the hypothesis on him. He placed his hands on the keyboard and turned to Andrew. ‘How do I get rid of it?' ‘What?' ‘You do fucking computing! How do I get this off here?' ‘You can't get – you can't,' said Andrew. ‘You'd need to be the administrator.' ‘Make yourself the administrator, then,' said Simon, jumping up and pointing Andrew into the swivel chair. ‘I can't make myself the administrator,' said Andrew. He was afraid that Simon was working himself up into a second bout of violence. ‘You need to input the right user name and passwords.' ‘You're a real fucking waste of space, aren't you?' Simon shoved Andrew in the middle of his sternum as he limped past, knocking him back into the mantelpiece. ‘Pass me the phone!' Simon shouted at his wife, as he sat back down in the armchair. Ruth took the telephone and carried it the few feet to Simon. He ripped it out of her hands and punched in a number. Andrew and Ruth waited in silence as Simon called, first Jim, and then Tommy, the men with whom he had completed the after-hours jobs at the printworks. Simon's fury, his suspicion of his own accomplices, was funnelled down the telephone in curt short sentences full of swearwords. Paul had not returned. Perhaps he was still trying to staunch his bleeding nose, but more likely he was too scared. Andrew thought his brother unwise. It was safest to leave only after Simon had given you permission. His calls completed, Simon held out the telephone to Ruth without speaking; she took it and hurried it back into its stand. Simon sat thinking while his fractured toe pulsated, sweating in the heat of the wood-burner, awash with impotent fury. The beating to which he had subjected his wife and son was nothing, he did not give them a thought; a terrible thing had just happened to him, and naturally his rage had exploded on those nearest him; that was how life worked. In any case, Ruth, the silly bitch, had admitted to telling Shirley †¦ Simon was building his own chain of evidence, as he thought things must have happened. Some fucker (and he suspected that gum-chewing forklift driver, whose expression, as Simon had sped away from him in the Fields, had been outraged) talking about him to the Mollisons (somehow, illogically, Ruth's admission that she had mentioned the computer to Shirley made this seem more likely), and they (the Mollisons, the establishment, the smooth and the snide, guarding their access to power) had put up this message on their website (Shirley, the old cow, managed the site, which set the seal on the theory). ‘It's your fucking friend,' Simon told his wet-faced, trembling-lipped wife. ‘It's your fucking Shirley. She's done this. She's got some dirt on me to get me off her son's case. That's who it is.' ‘But Si – ‘ Shut up, shut up, you silly cow, thought Andrew. ‘Still on her side, are you?' roared Simon, making to stand again. ‘No!' squealed Ruth, and he sank back into the chair, glad to keep the weight off his pounding foot. The Harcourt-Walsh management would not be happy about those after-hours jobs, Simon thought. He wouldn't put it past the bloody police to come nosing around the computer. A desire for urgent action filled him. ‘You,' he said, pointing at Andrew. ‘Unplug that computer. All of it, the leads and everything. You're coming with me.'

What kind of relationship does God want with us

There is a great story behind creation which made man wonder who the superior being is, and from scratch it eventually evolves to a deeper relationship of mankind with God. There are series of stages wherein the people began to be aware of God’s existence and atheism or paganism gradually lost its concept because they become attractive to the doctrines of the church leaders which merely addressed human needs superior than their foe. A religious movement was started in first century by Judaism before they had favored the religion of the Roman Empire. 000 years ago in Judea, Christianity started with Jesus Christ, a Jew, together with His disciples who are faithful to him (Pierrakos, 1996). By that time, Jews hated Roman rule as it was governed by the Emperor of Rome and their beliefs are pagan and it is disturbing to Jewish life. The Jews studied the Jewish law and wait for the eventual coming of their promised Messiah and so the ministry of Jesus began. Jesus’ disciples were taught the â€Å"new covenant† wherein God will bring to humanity through Him. Mankind lost its relationship with God because of sins which is why, the new covenant comes to purpose that those who accept it will have a renewed fellowship of forgiveness and love with God. This covenant happened when Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins of all humanity. Three days later rose again to become their Messiah. Since His disciples began to proclaim this gospel of hope, the Church has then been built, and the Christian faith has since spread to the world. When we take a glimpse of it, we can see that the history Christianity's origin seems improbable for people living in the 21st century to consider such events in reality took place. On the other hand, the Christian faith has been a key importance to mankind. So when the church stood up and was established, sermons had been preached by the priest where the first Roman Catholicism emerges. There has been a promise of salvation so the people started to attend the mass every Sunday and asked God for blessings and grace. Man found himself in the likeness of God. God also gave us freewill and we have the power to choose whether we want to believe him or not. What is good about God is that there are people who believe in him because he has many faces. And with this, no two people believe in exactly the same God. Every person has his or hers own individual image of God, thus, different religions arises like Protestants, Catholic, Orthodox and the like. From then on, man’s relationship to god becomes intimate and it is usually done through prayers. God as what people believes to be the creator of everything, has been the ultimate source of everything and since he sent his son, Jesus, people have faith that they will be saved when the judgment day comes. It is by faith that we can recognize and believe the death of Christ as payment for our sins. We can feel that is only by faith that we had a relationship with God; however, it will also show us that faith in God seems to deepen by showing our desire to follow His will, and try to follow the life that Christ lived while He was on earth. The development of mans relationship with God has been started several decades ago and now, we are enlighten that we should be in union with Him if we want to be saved. Numerous messengers from heaven tried to teach the world how to serve God. Relationship becomes deeper when there is a give and take bond and so, we should abide by the rules that He has given us. This relationship with Him tends to be a give and take since man received blessing from God ,hence, man should serve God not only by going to His house and praise Him or pray for selfish favors, but by doing good to our friends, neighbors, relatives and even enemies. What unites man with God is love and it allows man to find peace and harmony with every creation which was wholly developed that allows one to reach the union with God.