Finance in International Markets Essay Example for Free

Finance in International Markets Essay Describe the tradeoffs that are involved for each method (such as exporting, direct foreign investment, etc. ) that Snyder could use to achieve its goal. ANSWER: Snyder can export the clubs, but the transportation expenses may be high. If could establish a subsidiary in Brazil to produce and sell the clubs, but this may require a large investment of funds. It could use licensing, in which it specifies to a Brazilian firm how to produce the clubs. In this way, it does not have to establish its own subsidiary there. b. Which method would you recommend for this firm? Justify your recommendation. ANSWER: If the amount of golf clubs to be sold in Brazil is small, it may decide to export. However, if the expected sales level is high, it may benefit from licensing. If it is confident that the expected sales level will remain high, it may be willing to establish a subsidiary. The wages are lower in Brazil, and the large investment needed to establish a subsidiary may be worthwhile. 15. Impact of Political Risk. Explain why political risk may discourage international business. Some foreign projects would have been feasible if there was no political risk, but will not be feasible because of political risk. 17. International Joint Venture. Anheuser-Busch, the producer of Budweiser and other beers, has recently expanded into Japan by engaging in a joint venture with Kirin Brewery, the largest brewery in Japan. The joint venture enables Anheuser-Busch to have its beer distributed through Kirin’s distribution channels in Japan. In addition, it can utilize Kirin’s facilities to produce beer that will be sold locally. In return, Anheuser-Busch provides information about the American beer market to Kirin. . Explain how the joint venture can enable Anheuser-Busch to achieve its objective of maximizing shareholder wealth. ANSWER: The joint venture creates a way for Anheuser-Busch to distribute Budweiser throughout Japan. It enables Anheuser-Busch to penetrate the Japanese market without requiring a substantial investment in Japan. b. Explain how the jo int venture can limit the risk of the international business. ANSWER: The joint venture has limited risk because Anheuser-Busch does not need to establish its own distribution network in Japan. Thus, Anheuser-Busch may be able to use a smaller investment for the international business, and there is a higher probability that the international business will be successful. c. Many international joint ventures are intended to circumvent barriers that normally prevent foreign competition. What barrier in Japan is Anheuser-Busch circumventing as a result of the joint venture? What barrier in the United States is Kirin circumventing as a result of the joint venture? ANSWER: Anheuser-Busch is able to benefit from Kirin’s distribution system in Japan, which would not normally be so accessible. Kirin is able to learn more about how Anheuser-Busch expanded its product across numerous countries, and therefore breaks through an â€Å"information† barrier. d. Explain how Anheuser-Busch could lose some of its market share in countries outside Japan as a result of this particular joint venture. ANSWER: Anheuser-Busch could lose some of its market share to Kirin as a result of explaining its worldwide expansion strategies to Kirin. However, it appears that Anheuser-Busch expects the potential benefits of the joint venture to outweigh any potential adverse effects.

How Did Nazi Propaganda Influenced The Regime Politics Essay

How Did Nazi Propaganda Influenced The Regime Politics Essay Between the years 1933 and 1939 the Nazi regime in Germany grew incredibly fast. Hitler entered the National Socialists cabinet in January 1933, and two months after this, Hitler had strengthen his political power by supposedly, entirely legal means. In order to consolidate their power as a strong political party, the Nazis were determined to convince people of the value of their regime. One of the most direct means to convince the German people of the value of the National-Socialist ideas was through propaganda that appeals to the emotions and feelings of the German people after the crisis they had to experience after the First World War. In this paper I will attempt to identify the methods used by the Nazi party in order to acquire the attention of the people and to establish the National-Socialism as the main party in Germany, as well as the importance that the Propaganda had in the outcome of the National Socialist regime and of the actions taken by them during the years of the S econd World War. To achieve this I will analyze Germanys situation in the period of 1933 to 1939, where the National Socialist regime achieved its main aim -to become the main political power in the country- using propaganda as the main way to get the people ´s attention that would lead them and would give support to all the path of actions that were taken during the years of the war. I will analyse, for example, the importance of various legislative and administrative changes made by Hitler, the achievement of economical recovery as something that was used to appeal to the honour of the German people who were devastated by the consequences of the First World War, the creation of the sensation of fear through the use of imagery and language to control the people and how every ideal of the National-Socialist party was developed through propaganda. B. Summary of Evidence Although there are other very important factors to attribute the consolidation of power of the National Socialists, propaganda was definitely one of the major causes of this. Even though it is extremely difficult to measure the exact extent in which propaganda affected the Nazi consolidation, the huge propaganda campaign in which Hitler was portrayed as the savoir of Germany, had an enormous impact and influence on the German people. The master propagandist of the Nazi regime, Joseph Goebbels, was convinced that the Ministry had the mission of achieving mobilization and mind of spirit on Germany  [1]  . In 1930 he became the headmaster of the propaganda division of the National-Socialist party, in this position he built the basis of the mass manipulation through propaganda. When Hitler finally achieved power he was named Minister of Popular Illustration and Propaganda and it was then when he became determined to switch the ideals and the mind of the German people to act in favour of the Nazi party. As a consequence of the idea of changing the German people ´s mind as well as other National Socialist thoughts, Joseph Goebbels created a propaganda campaign in which Hitler was portrayed as a great man that helped the economical recovery of Germany -that was an important appeal to the German people considering the economic crisis they had to assume after the First World War-; he was portrayed as Germanys saviou r. Goebbels, in his attempt, to consolidate Nazi power and convince German people to support them, used the technique of total propaganda. In other words, the government had control over the media  [2]  . Goebbels took control of the newspapers, and although their writing style did not change, most the newspapers promoted fascism and Nazi German nationalism. Thanks to Goebbels ´ work and the impact of the total propaganda technique, he was undoubtedly responsible for the rise of Hitler to the power and too the centre of the political situation in Germany. His position as the Minister of public enlightenment and propaganda, gave him an absolute control of the mass communications media such as the press, radio, cinema and others. The culture created by the propaganda technique implemented and used by Goebbels created an entirely new era of mass manipulation. After they tested the effectiveness of the ministry of propaganda, and when the Nazi party was convinced about the importance of mass manipulation through media, they decided to split the Ministry into seven different departments. Once they had taken over most Germany, the propaganda ministry was split into seven different departments that included Radio, Film, Theater, Music, Literature, Visual Arts and, of course, Propaganda. Every aspect of the life in Germany was permeated by the Ministry, the re-education and the mobilization of mind and spirit of the German People stopped being just an ideal of the National-Socialist party and became a fact and a way to proceed to accomplish a Nazi state with Nazi ideals supported by all the German people. As the Nazi party was trying to convince German society that the National Socialist regime was the best for them, they were also taking part of the World War II. It was extremely important to convince people that fighting was necessary in order for Germany to stay stable. Propaganda played a highly important role in the confidence of German people that supported the war, the ministry of propaganda made sure that the moral of the German people and of the soldiers fighting the war stayed focused on the ideals of the Nazi party. Most of Nazi German propaganda consisted of material sustaining the wartime effort. Besides this, Hitler and the higher Nazi leaders encouraged racism and wished to begin the extermination of races that they considered inferior. Although there were already some unhappinesss between the German Jews and other Germans, it was still necessary to convince the German population that action against them was necessary. The Nazis used the idea of the perfect and pure rac e that was planted into the people ´s mind and that would lead to atrocities such as the Holocaust. They used posters stating facts like this to assure that the idea of the pure race would become important to every German person: The Aryan race is tall, long legged, slim. The race is narrow-faced, with a narrow forehead, a narrow highbuilt nose and a lower jaw and prominent chin, the skin is rosy bright and the blood shines through . the hair is smooth, straight or wavy possibly curly in childhood. The colour is blond. Of course, to state the priority of the German Maser Race, the propaganda ministry made the people believe that one of the reasons why Germany was defeated in the First World War (and that would lead to all the economic problems and the shattering of the German spirit) was because the German race had become impure when the Aryans began marrying non-Aryans. This implied that, in order to make Germany a strong country again and to make the people strong and confident, the Nazi party had to ensure the purity of the Aryan race. The use of the word pure was fundamental i n Nazi propaganda. Propaganda must not investigate the truth objectively and, in so far as it is favourable to the other side, present it according to the theoretical rules of justice; yet it must present only that aspect of the truth which is favourable to its own side. () The receptive powers of the masses are very restricted, and their understanding is feeble. On the other hand, they quickly forget. Such being the case, all-effectivepropaganda must be confined to a few bare essentials and those must be expressed as far as possible in stereotyped formulas.  [3]  This would explain why the use of simple words and formulas that appeal to the emotions of the audience were effectively used in Nazi propaganda  [4]  . These kind of statements, written by Hitler himself, prove that not everything said by the government was truth and that they were trying their best to convince people of the truths expressed in stereotyped formulas and repeated incessantly though every type of media communication owned by the Ministry of propaganda. It also shows Hitlers main intention by introducing Nazi propaganda, which was to convince everyone that the National Socialist regime was the best for Germany. Even when there were lots of types of propaganda, all of them ended in the same conclusion and had the same intention of persuading people to support the National Socialist regime ideals and everything implied by them-. Some historians think that the main reason why the Nazi Germany regime remained in place was, in fact, due to the fear factor created by the Nazi propaganda and the language used to appeal to people  [5]  . Language became, through the use of propaganda, a tool to manipulate and to lead society to obey without question the government and the radical ideas the Nazi party had. Organizations such as the SS  [6]  would work to wipe out anyone who didnt agree with what the Nazi propaganda said. Although the fear factor influenced and was seen in a large majority, it affected a small minority. Thanks to this fear people would stop speaking about issues related to the National Socialist regime, they stopped disagreeing about what the Nazi party was trying to impose. We could say that both fear and propaganda were the main factors that may have helped to consolidate the Nazi power. Nazis justified their actions through the use of propaganda, the manipulation of language and images, t he emotions and fears of the people and the idea of the pure race. An important example of this fact is what is known as The Night of the Long Knives, an opertation that took place on June 30th 1934 where the SS executed a series of political leader who were opposing to the Nazi ideas and to Hitler himself. The SS executed seventy men on charges of treason. Most of them were members of the SA also known as Sturmabteilung (Storm Section) or Brownshirts. This organization was openly against the National Socialist regime. This series of executions obviously caused more fear in society and decreased their rebellion intentions. C. Evaluation of Sources. Source 1:Randall L. Bytwerk , Bending Spines: The Propagandas of Nazi Germany and the German Democratic Republic. This sources main purpose is to show why the Nazi propagandas had such a fast effect and how it impacted society from that time. It examines the range of techniques used by Nazis. It talks about how people were embraced by the propaganda; it describes how the propaganda was in control of basically every media of communication that is what made it a very good source for this paper. However the book also says that the effect of the propaganda did not last much and it explains that in a way, Nazi propaganda failed since they expected more of their propaganda than what it actually was able to do. This is one of the weaknesses if the source since it is a contradiction to what I am trying to prove which is that the Nazi propaganda had a huge effect in the outcome of the Nazi regime. Source 2:Kallis, Aristotle A. Nazi Propaganda and the Second World War. This is a great source since it analyses every aspect of the effects of the Nazi propaganda, it explains how society was affected by it. It shows different kinds of perspectives, as the first source this one also says that the effect of the Nazi propaganda was not as big or as shocking as it is generally thought. It explains that the National Socialists were expecting propaganda to have a greater effect that what it had, however it had a part of the influence in the outcome of the Nazi regime. D. Analysis. Anyone who produced, distributed, broadcasted, published or sold any form of media or press had to first join one of the propaganda ministry departments and follow all the publishing rules they had. Hence, without the ministry license to practice their businesses, all artists, writers, publishers, producers and directors could not work in their field. Along with these guidelines, they brought up the prohibition of all Jewish newspaper and media. Due to the abolition of every anti-Nazi publications and media in general, public felt that the overall mood of all the media was pro-Nazi. German people knew that disagreeing could cause a calamity, the terror present in German society at the Nazi time of government was ultimately what caused the consolidation of power in the Nazi Germany. The Nazi party conducted some symbolic acts such as the ceremonially book burning in 1933 that was proclaimed as an action against the un-German spirit that wanted to end with all the Jewish intellectualis m through a purge by fire, all of this was proclaimed by the Press and Propaganda Ofiice of the Deutsche Studentenschaff (Student Association). Without a doubt, the propaganda used by the Nazis was influential on the actions of the German society, the popularity of the propaganda used in ht theatre and in the movies was evident if we consider the increase of movie viewers between 1933 (1 million viewers) and 1942 (250 million viewers). The moral and confidence of the German people was increased as well through propaganda and even through architecture  [7]  . All the arts were involved with the propagation of Nazi ideals. The significant number of movie viewers was thanks to Goebbels idea that movies should not be overly propagandists and must be entertaining. However as in every other media, the ultimate goal was to influence people and drag them into Nazism. Goebbels considered that the appropriate propaganda to be used in the movies should be using dramas centred on historical and influential figures. There were also some very straightforward war films that contained clear pro-German and pro- nationalistic messages, other films that performed a slightly different propaganda function, such as 1936 Olympia, which showed that Germany could put on a magnificent show for the Olympics. The huge success of the films during this period conveyed to the public the sense that Nazi regime was a regime of modern progress, breaking barriers in technology, convincing public that remaining with the Nazi party would be the only solution in order to progress. The Olympic Games of 1936 were handed to Berlin before the Nazis came to power, and Hitler thought of this as the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the world how efficient the Nazi Germany was. The Berlin Olympic Games were also the perfect scenario for the Nazis to prove the power of the Master Race. The Nazis gave an outstanding performance in the use of radio for the reporters. Twenty transmitting vans were put at the disposition of the foreign media along with 300 microphones. The radio broadcasts at the Olympics were given in 28 different languages. The director of NBC in America congratulated the Nazis for this service; this was a great triumph for the Public Entertainment and Propaganda MinistryRadio could also be considered as one of the greatest and most convincing propaganda. For example the Volksempfanger; in 1933, 4.5 million German houses had broadcast access and were listening to it. This was thanks to the availability of inexpensive radios. A factor of success of the radio was its personal nature, while the cinema was experienced with others, the radio had the ability for the Nazi party to talk to people in their own home, and also they could share it with the public thanks to the speakers in the streets. E. Conclusion The National Socialist regime held absolute control over Germany between the years 1933 and 1939. The Nazis dominated every aspect of the everyday life of ordinary people and made it almost impossible for people to escape the influence of Nazism in their family, their work, and even thinking. Even though the Nazis did bring some prosperity to Germany in economic ways at that time, the overall Nazi regime was based on terror and it was centred on the transformation of Germany which could only be completed by affecting the lives and thoughts of most, if not all of the German citizens. Most of the Nazi ideals were mainly promoted through films, radio, theatres and newspapers controlled by the National Socialist regime. There was no way of avoiding it; it was spread across every form of entertainment and media of communication. A significant percentage of Germans seem happy with Nazi control, however, those who were not, were harshly punished by either the Gestapo or the SS. The propagan da used in the wartime had a massive effect in people causing lots of German Citizens to join the National Socialist ideas and helping the Nazis to gain control over almost every German citizen. F. Sources and Word Count Word Count: 1994 Bytwerk, Randall L. Bending Spines: The Propagandas of Nazi Germany and the German Democratic Republic. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2004. Kallis, Aristotle A. Nazi Propaganda and the Second World War. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Nazi and East German Propaganda, Guide Page, German Propaganda archive. The Holocaust History Project ,

Oedipal Complex in Hamlet Essay -- Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet and the Oedipal Complex    In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the title character's main, and only flaw, is his delay. This seems to constitute the central part in Hamlet. By the definition of tragedy, there should exist a flaw in the character of the main hero, who is a great personality that is engaged in a struggle that ends catastrophically. Various reasons for Hamlet's delay are given. Important issues like madness, melancholy and cowardice are discussed, but the evidence reveals that he is capable of swift action, we deem him as an intelligent man and can therefore conclude that he is only pretending madness. To regard him simply as suffering from melancholy is not a sufficient explanation as he is eager to avenge the death of his father, but cannot bring himself to take action. It is obvious that the reason for not carrying out the revenge is not due to any moral apprehensions or fear of divine retribution. There is something special about this task that makes it impossible for Hamlet to carry out th e deed. The inability to take action stems from distinctive feelings within Hamlet, his Oedipal Complex. Hamlet has the perfect opportunity to kill Claudius in Act 3 Scene 3, yet he fails to seize it. He fears that killing Claudius will automatically send Claudius to heaven without punishment. Hamlet himself remarks: "And now I'll do't. And so `a goes to heaven; and so I am revenged. That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and for that I, his sole son do this same villain to heaven." (3.3.74-78). Hamlet may believe he is delaying from fear of sending Claudius to a "heavenly" afterlife; however, there are times when Hamlet could have killed Claudius when he was not at prayer. Claudius is not ... ... he is delaying out of fear is invalid. Hamlet also may have plenty of time to kill Claudius when he is not in prayer, so any interpretation that includes Hamlet's concerns for Claudius' afterlife is also invalid. Both of these interpretations rely on Hamlet being conscious of his actions. If Hamlet is not conscious of his behaviour, it must be because his desire stems from that part of him in which he is unaware, his id. Works Cited and Consulted Guerin, Wilfred L., Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reeseman, and John R. Willingham. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Leong, Virginia. "The Oedipal Complex." 06 December 1997. (07 December 1997) Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The Riverside Shakespeare. ED. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Haughton Mifflin Company, 1974.

Utilitarianism :: Philosophy essays

Utilitarianism    This was written in responce to the following questions:    What is the principle of utility? Do you regard it as an adequate basis for judging the progress of society or the desirability of different social institutions? What are its virtues and limitations? How would a utilitarian aproach to judging society differ from a more traditional moral approach?    The principle of utility was Jeremy Bentham's idea on how society progresses through maintaining the greatest happiness / good for the greatest number of people. The ideology utilitarianism, was later formed by John Mill who offered the phrase and an explanation with regards to its moral implications. It sounds logical for a society to want the greatest happiness or good for itself. In general we regard individuals who are well (cultured) and who do not do (bad things) to be happy and we respect them for it. However, that depends on what we see (cultured) and (bad things) to mean.    We have already seen that the idea of what is morally correct and the notions of what is (more morally correct) are philosophical, sociological and theological problems that almost every philosopher has tried to answer; and all come up with varying responses. Everyone sees murder as being wrong and as being an act that could not bring happiness or good. However, this does not account for those who like to kill. They are part of society, so does their happiness not matter? Now if you had a population of murderers or even people who did not necessarily kill but liked seeing others kill/killed (maybe on TV or the movies), does their happiness still show a society of progress? I would hope not. To this Mill would say that I was probably right, but that people would not choose to live like that. Instead they would opt for a moral happiness. They would look for the (higher) levels of happiness like knowledge and culture. I would then reply that he has either left our human nature or his timeline for people moving towards a (higher) level of happiness is insane.    I do believe that utilitarianism is the means by which we live; in general people do whatever they want as long as it brings them happiness (at least what they think is happiness). The fact is that we cannot truly equate happiness to being (good) so we cannot use it as means of judging progress.

Charles Dickens Contempt for Lawyers Revealed Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

Charles Dickens Contempt for Lawyers Revealed Great Expectations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Charles Dickens viewed lawyers as being mean, cruel, and relatively heartless (Collins 175). Throughout much of Dickens' literature, lawyers are stereotyped through characters and these characters are used as a means of commentary about the lawyers of the time. Jaggers, from the novel Great Expectations, seems not to be an exception. Through the character of Jaggers, an understanding of Dickens' view of early nineteenth-century lawyers can be obtained.    Dickens felt that lawyers were overly concerned with power and not concerned enough about truth. Through Jaggers, the first evidence of this claim can be seen by his name alone. By sound, the name "Jaggers" creates an image of something that cuts. In a similar vein, "Jaggers" closely resembles "jagged" which portrays a rough and sharp image. The images produced by this name aptly describe the business attitude of Jaggers, an attitude that Dickens seems to revere as efficient, but condone as heartless.    The first meeting with Pip reinforces the idea of Jaggers as the power-centered lawyer. In explaining his presence there to Pip, Jaggers states, "If my advice had been asked, I should not have been here" (140; ch. 18). After reading about the business that Jaggers is there to conduct, this statement begins to take on some meaning. Jaggers is saying that if he were asked, he would not advise anyone to throw away such money on a trivial charity case. Jaggers, wrapped up in the power of his profession, could not possibly advise such a careless handling of money. For Jaggers, power is not about helping the little man for charitable purposes. Dickens seems to suggest here ideas about how power has corrupted the intentions of lawyers, people who are in a position to help those in need.    Even Jaggers' mannerisms seem to suggest the image of power. For example, Pip observes Jaggers eating a sandwich and comments that "he seemed to bully his sandwich as he ate" (167; ch. 20). It is as if Dickens wants to make a point about how lawyers are power hungry all of the time, even in the handling of their inanimate meals. The way that Jaggers bullies his sandwich is not unlike how he bullies the clients that he is supposed to be serving.

The Lottery: Litterary Response

The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, is a compelling story about the human race and how it is affected by its surrounding traditions. When the 27th of June arrives, a village is overtaken by a two hour lottery, which includes the picking of stones, a black box and ends in a fight for the â€Å"winners† life. One of the prominent themes in this story is human hypocrisy. Although most of the characters are shown through their words and actions, one particular person stands out: Mrs â€Å"Tessie† Hutchinson.At the beginning of the story, Tessie heads towards the town square, stating that she â€Å"forgot what day it was† to her neighbour Mrs. Delacroix as they both chuckled softly. Soon enough, phrases are shared between Tessie and her soon to be rivals: Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie†, (Mr. Summers), â€Å"Your in time, though†, (Mrs. Delacroix). Throughout the story, Mrs. Hutchinson doesn’t seem to mind the fact that so meone, close to her or not, will be stoned to death.Her attitude at the start of the lottery is calm and cheerful; Tessie is unaffecyed by what the outcome of the lottery might be, since she thinks that she wouldn't be in that situation. When it is her family's turn to pick up their lottery ticket and finds out that her husband got the â€Å"winning paper†, her character completely changes. Mrs. Hutchinson starts to lash out at Mr. Summers, the lottery director, saying that â€Å"you didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair! â€Å".Tessie's character evolves by a simple change in the lottery: her family becoming the center of it all. She tries to find ways of getting out of this situation, like including her eldest daughter Eva and her husband Don, in her family, but, little does she know that â€Å"daughters draw with their husbands' family†. Tessie continues to state that â€Å"it isn't fair† and I think we ought to start over. I tell you it wasn't fair†. When each member of her family takes turns to pick out their papers, Tessie becomes hesitant as her turn arrives.Her time is up as she is revealed as the â€Å"winning ticket† holder. She becomes upset and desperately tries to change everyones mind by saying her most famous last words: â€Å"It isn't fair† Tessie now realizes that she is in the once ignored position that all the other unlucky winners ahve been in the past and, soon enough, her â€Å"luck† comes to an end as she is stoned to death. Hypocrisy is a very big part of our society; everyday, someone is saying or creating false assumptions of an appearance of virtue or religion.They might indicate that it's wrong to practice a certain religion when they do it themselves . Even if hypocrites are a part of this world, we can learn that not everyone is as they seem. The second prominent theme is sacrifices. This village is run by a very old tradition which incl udes the sacrifice of a human being to please the gods, who will send down fresh food and crops to them. Everyone in the village, including the children, take part in this sacrifice, wether or not they fully understand why thay are doing this.Little Davey is handed a stone at the end of the story so that his mom can be stoned. He is a little boy, so he doesn’t understand what’s going on. Since he has been brought up in this society, he might start to accept that fact that at least he will have plenty of food on the table every day, even if the total number of people has gone down. This story shows us that the traditions we practice are still being questioned as a part of our society today. Such as imitating fath , going to church every Sunday because everyone else does.What happened in The Lottery was a necessary sacrifice in their struggle for the meaning of this ritual. If this sacrifice didn’t hurt or kill the person it was being done to, there wouldn’ t be any meaning to it. The villagers woulnd’t have sacrificed many innocent beings to please such gods. This all turns toward us: our inability as human beings to question such monstrosity is still an unanswered question above our heads. Shirley Jackson is trying to tell us that sacrifices have been around for centuries and aren’t uncommon, but our thoughts about them are common.A young child might ask,†What gods are we pleasing? †,and, â€Å"Are you sure we are doing the right thing? †, but they would still get the same answer: â€Å"because the bible said so† or , â€Å" We’ve been doing this for centuries†. The Lottery illustrates that we are living in a world where you are ostracised for believing in nothing at all and being brainwashed into believing in another. The first technique present in this story is symbolism. Two items are used during the lottery: a black box and stones. In a way, the black box holds each and every persons destiny and fate.The fact that it is black is a symbol of what they ahve witnessed every year: death. Every year, the lottery is taken place and, at the same time, death makes its mark. It comes back to take whoever’s been left behind. Like the old saying â€Å"It is always darkest before dawn†, death hangs over them until they have pleased the gods; until they have a lifetime supply of crops. This story brings us into the darker side of the lottery. The side where not everything is as it seems. If it weren’t for the color of the box, it would have been harder to interpret where the story was heading off to.The second items where the stones: â€Å"the young boys begin to gather their stones and make a pile in the corner, guarding them like their most prized weapon†. The stones symbolize the beating of a person, in this case. Someone is going to get beaten to death by these stones, which is an important part of the lottery. At least in the eyes of twisted beings. The second technique present is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is found at the beginning of the story, where we are being introduced to a somewhat pleasant event that is about to take place.The fact that the lottery in this village takes less than two hours and, in others, two days, gives us an indication that this lottery is bigger than it seems; it isn’t some regular event, but a sinister one. While reading this story, a novel that shares one of the themes comes to mind. â€Å"Nothing†, a book by Janne Teller, tells the tale of a boy named Pierre Anthon who has known, for a long time, that nothing matters, just realized that nothing is worth doing and decides to leave his classroom, climb a plum tree and stay there. His friends and classmates try, with every attempt, to get him down but he won’t budge.So to prove to Pirre Anthon that there is a meaning to life, they set out to build a heap of meaning in an abandoned sawmill. Their plans slowly st art to take a defferent turn when their heap of meaning includes the scarification of a beloved neighbourly dog, Cinderella. They give up all their special belongings to find out what the meaning of life really is until it gets out of hand; they get upset towards Pierre Anthon for making them go through great lengths to discover the meaning, that they lash out and end up killing him.There is a primary connection between both stories: the sacrifice of a human or animal to obtain food or to re-discover the meaning of life. Globally, sacrifices and traditions have been around for entiries. They’ve shaped the cultures that are present in this generation, such as one ancient tribe of our civilization: the Hurons. Many decades ago, they used to have a special way of thanking the gods for the food they received. Every year, the leader of the tribe would dress in elaborate, colourful clothing and lead a family up a sacred mountain.There, the leader would dress the middle child, a gir l, between the ages of six and nine, in clothing similar to his. If the middle child was a boy, he wouldn’t be sacrificed; the family would wait until they gave birth to a girl. The family of the child would then sit in a circle around a large fire as the leader recites prayers to the gods. The child is then laid on the wood of fire and burnt alive. To this day, you can still hear the cries of the little girls, but those cries are memoirs of their lives. Memoirs on the sinister sacrifices that took place

Methods Armitage and Duffy Use to Convey Their Ideas About Essay

Both Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage use a range of methods in their exploration of the theme of change. Duffy’s poems tend to be more personal although in her poems about change, such as ‘Pluto’ and ‘The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team’ she writes in a male voice which then distances her from the speaker. Armitage writes more universal poems, few of which are written of personal experiences in the first person. Both write about change in a mostly negative manner, particularly seen in ‘Pluto’, ‘The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team’ and ‘Afterword. The use of form and structure contributes considerably to the exploration of the theme of change. It is used variably through their poetry. In ‘Man with a Golf Ball Heart’ by Armitage, he uses what could be a sonnet to express change. The poem has fourteen lines and at the sixth line begins with ‘but’ which signals change. It could therefore be a modernised petrarchan sonnet. This would be appropriate as one of the poem’s themes is change and would be an original way to explore that theme. The poem is written in prose-like free verse as Armitage is telling a story of what happened when he opened up a golf ball and is then likening it the man’s heart. By doing so he uses more description and creates clear visual images. The graphic description of the golf ball uses words such as ‘bitter’, ‘bad’ and ‘weep’ which have negative connotations. The view of change in this poem is negative and tells of how the man became. The prose technique is again used by Armitage in ‘Goalkeeper with a Cigarette’ in which the poem is written entirely in that style. This poem is a detailed description of an old-fashioned goalkeeper and therefore is helped by this writing style. By using an effective description technique Armitage is able to explore the theme of change in a different way in that this poem looks upon change in a nostalgic way that is not negative. However, in the poem ‘Afterword’ Armitage uses a very different structural technique. It is written in three quatrains and a couplet which is organised in a style preferred by Duffy. This is used as the poem is quite  straightforward in its description of when two twins become distanced. It does not look at how, merely focuses on an instance when they are reunited. The structure then enhances the simplicity of the poem. The tone of the poem is less romantic than that of Duffy’s work. Its tone is cold. Alliteration accentuates the ‘f’ sound in the first stanza which sounds harsh. This highlights change as it is not a tone that one would associate with twins who grew up together so therefore a change must have occurred. It also uses lots of rhyme where the words are matched up, in a way that twins are. In the second stanza all the rhymed words rhyme with twin. The rhyme also creates a steady internal rhythm. Carol Ann Duffy also uses form and structure to accentuate meaning. It is used in a very particular way in ‘Pluto’. In this poem the layout is different to others. Rather than the normal organised stanzas they are uneven and the second and third stanzas are indented. Duffy does this to represent a change in tense. This is done quite dramatically, as the style is very different to her preferred method, and so emphasises the change in tense and the emotions the speaker is feeling in being different to how he once was. His thoughts are written in italics which further adds to the uneven form of the poem. The form and structural techniques used in ‘The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team’ more like Duffy’s style. The stanzas are organised and all are end stopped. It looks organised on the page and is preferred by Duffy. The first three stanzas are spoken as if from the past and the final stanza jumps to the present, therefore highlighting a change in the speaker’s life. Duffy uses italics again here to highlight quiz questions, answers and sounds. This breaks up the rhythm of the poem which could be a reflection of the speaker’s dissatisfied attitude to his current state and how his mind is still in the past before the change to his life occurred. Duffy again uses organised stanzas in ‘Before You Were Mine’ which are five lines long and each is end stopped. The way the poem is told is unusual as it is talking about the future from the perspective of a child before that child was born. The change in the poem is therefore told from a different  and unusual angle. This method compares how the speaker’s mother was to how she is now. Both Armitage and Duffy use register and lexis to give their poems a certain feel. In ‘The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team’ Duffy uses words with connotations such as ‘satchel’ and mentions icons such as the ‘Supremes’ in order to give the poem a 1960s feel. This highlights the change from ‘then’ to ‘now’. The poem has a negative view towards change shown in its negative tone and register. The speaker is bitter about how his life has turned out. This is revealed in Duffy’s lexical choice such as referring to his children as ‘thick’ only because they do not know what their father does. Duffy distances this poem from herself by using a man as the speaker and therefore making the poem more universal. They also both use an informal register and colloquial expressions. These can be seen in ‘Goalkeeper with a Cigarette’ by Armitage and ‘Before You Were Mine’ by Duffy. In ‘Goalkeeper with a Cigarette’ the poem has a nostalgic, ‘good old days’ theme and so in keeping with that theme the lexis used is old fashioned. Duffy chooses colloquial expressions such as ‘jersey’ and ‘cadging’. The register is informal in ‘Before You Were Mine’ as Duffy is talking directly to her mother. She also uses colloquial language such as ‘eh?’ By using this register both Armitage and Duffy suggest times gone by and therefore change to what exists now. Such as, people do not particularly wear jerseys anymore. A technique also used by both is that of metaphorical language and, more specifically, imagery and symbolism. Armitage uses symbolism and metaphors in ‘Man with a Golf Ball Heart’ as he uses the metaphor of the golf ball to symbolise the man’s heart and the change it went through; how it was an apple once. This particular poem is all a metaphor for the man’s heart, however, in other poems by both Armitage and Duffy symbolism and metaphors are used more to create certain images. In ‘Goalkeeper with a Cigarette’ it is used to create a certain image. By using phrases such as ‘pouch of tobacco and skins’ and ‘sausage-man gloves’ a clear picture of the keeper is formed in the reader’s mind. Further imagery is used in ‘Afterword’ when Armitage describes how the brother’s relationship has become. He writes: ‘each eyeing the other through a telescope which had once been a mirror.’ Armitage uses the metaphors of mirror and telescope to highlight the distance that has grown between them. Duffy uses imagery in a similar way. In ‘Before You Were Mine’ she likens her mother to Marilyn Monroe. This creates an instant image of what her mother may have been like, or how the speaker saw her. In ‘Pluto’ Duffy uses imagery in a way more similar to that of ‘Man with a Golf Ball Heart’. The way the speaker is feeling is compared to the existence of Pluto. Pluto is imagined to be a very lonely, dark place. This is likened to the existence of the old man, alone in a Home. He refers to ‘another world out there’ which can be taken as a double meaning for both Pluto and his previous life which now feels like another world away. By creating this metaphor Duffy is able to illustrate the emotions of the speaker. She also creates images for physical descriptions such as ‘brown coins on my face the size of ha’pennies’. Using metaphorical language in these poems contributes to the exploration of change. By creating images it forms comparisons of what was and what is and shows the difference between them. It highlights the changes that have taken places and the speaker’s view of them. Duffy and Armitage have different general styles in their writing techniques. Both use different themes, tones and forms. However in their poems which portray their ideas of change they often both use similar techniques to each other, although each maintains their own style and none  of the poems could be confused for one of the others’.