Assignment#2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

#2 - Assignment Example A model is the earthy colored eyes allele that is prevailing over blue eye allele. A person with both blue and earthy colored eyes alleles would have earthy colored eyes.<br/> The term depicts a living being that has two unique alleles for a specific characteristic at a particular locus. The two alleles are spoken to with the lower and capitalized of a similar letter. A genuine model is a plant with a couple of alleles that decide if it would have smooth or serrated edge. The pair would be composed as (Ss) to signify the diverse hereditary data carried.<br/> This is the hereditary make-up of a life form that depicts the hereditary data contained by alleles in the cells of the life form. A genuine model is a quality that would characterize a person as defenseless against a specific disease.<br/> The guideline declares that, allele sets speaking to a specific characteristic in a living being isolated during the development of gametes and arbitrarily joins after the procedure of treatment. This is as dependent on the accompanying defenders; a specific quality can exist in various structures, new creatures acquire a couple of alleles for every attribute from guardians, and meiosis result to cells where each secure a solitary allele for a given characteristic. A couple of various alleles results to prevailing and passive alleles that are communicated distinctively phenotypically. A normal inquiry is the shade of seeds in peas. Arrangements of gametes lead to partition of alleles that decide shading in the seeds. They haphazardly join during preparation. Seed shading in the peas become an issue of which allele is prevailing; either the green shading allele or yellow shading allele. Yellow shading allele is predominant over green shading allele. Nearness of the two alleles in a pe a results to yellow pees. (YY) and (Yy) genotypes result to yellow seeds. (yy) genotype results to green peas.<br/> The standard expresses that, for qualities situated on various chromosomes,

Zara Case Study Free Essays

Notwithstanding the current concentrated appropriation model functioning admirably and at beneath limit, persistent quick extension outside of Spain for Inedited brands (display 8) would bring issues of; bigger amalgamation of scattered system pictures, rater request and customization for Ezra contributions from purchasers. This would additionally bring the impacts of vexes of scale; expanded transportation costs, top substantial Organization, possibly surpassing working limit, expanded hazard if focal circulation community comes up short. No normalized showcase position †Sara’s extension approach have driven them to be situated contrastingly in each topographical market notwithstanding focusing on a similar shopper fragment, Ezra as of now use organization focused information to decide cost and situating techniques for various land sections. We will compose a custom exposition test on Zara Case Study or then again any comparative subject just for you Request Now This has caused conflicting customer view of their image e. . Americas and Spain. Being in a globalizes commercial center, this represents an issue to the worldwide observation and position of the Ezra brand. Serious Environment - ? Ezra is contending in a serious market where the opposition are seeing comparable development in stock costs and income (Exhibit 3, Exhibit 5). Contenders, for example, have just accomplished comparative capabilities to Ezra as far as assortment and stock invigorate, and have gotten further developed abilities, for example, confinement of appropriation focuses, lessening the upper hand that Ezra has as far as adaptability in their items cluster and empowering the danger f replacement. Different contenders, for example, Unique have additionally increased upper hand by separating themselves in the soaked market of quick retailing by utilizing an undifferentiated promoting approach focusing on a bigger client base, prompting an income development rate more prominent than Ezra from 2009-2010 (Exhibit 5). Potential Solutions A potential answer for Ezra is the chance of framing a joint-adventure conveyance focus in China as an antecedent for limitation of plan and creation in Asia. This joint-adventure advances multilateral trades with other monetary on-screen characters inside the system. Helping Ezra keep up an upper hand over rivalry by considering Ezra to evaluate their ‘STEP dependent on organize knowledge to more readily normalize their market situating. Be that as it may, interior conflicts can emerge from a move from an incorporated to decentralized dispersion plan of action. Likewise both association can conflict because of the dismissal Of the accomplice organization’s basic rationale, targets and business culture. Another potential arrangement is for Ezra to extend their internet business nearness in Asia and America to increase upper hand, for example, the developing business sector of web based business in America. This takes into consideration Ezra to stretch out their span to clients, and further gives them an upper hand over contenders, for example, who still can't seem to arrangement an internet business nearness in Asia. This would likewise commend the fast venture into the Asia district explicitly focused at India and China. Notwithstanding, this technique would involve higher outbound shipment costs as individual things should be sent from the focal appropriation community in Spain to the purchaser in Asia or America. This prompts another potential arrangement on concentrating on their current gracefully tie competency in Europe to additionally grow internet business nearness past the 8 nations that utilization an Ezra online store. This would use Sara’s existing brought together gracefully tie in Europe to extend reach to the current client base. Nonetheless, this would give Ezra minimal long haul upper hands over rivalry as contender brands can without much of a stretch actualize a similar advertising approach. Ezra may likewise need to consider receiving an undifferentiated methodology by growing their fundamental line to additionally rival a bigger client base as Unique have finished with a lot of achievement (display 5). This arrangement anyway would to be a suitable long haul arrangement and has the chance of influencing their general image discernment if less trendy things of apparel were being pushed to the purchaser. Best Solution The best answer for Ezra is open a joint-adventure appropriation focus in China as a forerunner to opening limited structure and creation offices in Asia, this fits into Sara’s target to grow quickly in a serious scene (Exhibit 5). This is likewise reliable with their joint-adventure with Data bunch in opening up Ezra stores in India with the potential for Network Insight. The general issue to this arrangement is that Ezra should discover an accomplice to shape a joint endeavor with, this may likewise require trades with nearby financial on-screen characters in China to pick up knowledge. China is a fast developing business sector for Ezra with 71 stores opening in 4 years and on track to turning out to be Sara’s second biggest market. Opening an appropriation community in China involves the accompanying; 1 . System Insight for ‘STEP’ Competitive preferred position †Whilst opening a dispersion community in China itself is certainly not a significant serious competency in contrast with RM’s confined conveyance places, by working a joint-whole in China and through the recursive trade in the joint-adventure structure alongside trades with other monetary on-screen characters, this advances multilateral trades which will prompt a reasonable and better comprehension of the market. This can be utilized by Ezra to help better intermittently assess their ‘STEP’ because of changes in shopper needs, this guarantees augmented long haul achievement and intensity by surveying activities against present day arrange bits of knowledge 2. Diminished re-stock time †Currently the current dispersion model for Ezra implies that they can just transport to 1 geological area for each ay. By incorporating a dissemination place in Asia, it implies that stores inside the developing business sector can be restocked significantly more adequately to all the more likely fulfill buyer needs 3. Permits the presentation of web based business in Asia - ? with a conveyance community in Asia, this takes into account the chance of setting up online business in China in front of Sara’s rivalry. This can likewise be utilized to additionally accumulate purchaser knowledge into inclinations. By working as a joint-adventure, dangers will be imparted to the accomplice association, this, however assets can be shared to accomplish most extreme productivity. In any case, by opening a dissemination place in China, it will begin to break up the current brought together structure that Ezra has made. In any case, to extend abroad, Ezra can't depend on organization focused surviving information for development and comprehension of new clients, as observed through their current separated situating in Americas and Spain. Ezra must begin to adopt a progressively decentralized strategy as far as worldwide extension. The idea of decentralization may accompany aversion from Ezra partners due to Bonnet’s disappointment with a decentralized plan of action, anyway as Ezra uproarious keep up and own an enormous stake in the joint endeavor, they would in any case keep up a huge control. With more noteworthy system understanding, this gives a pathway to Ezra to Open structure and creation offices in Asia to improve operational proficiency in the long haul; 1 . Economies of Scale †in spite of the current brought together conveyance model not affecting gross benefit development (display 4), the fast venture into Asia can cause unsettles of scale through higher transportation costs. By having plan and creation neighborhood, this will diminish transportation expenses to transport to Asian areas, this would hereford be able to be advantageous in further decreasing Sara’s carbon impression and improving CARS 2. Effective Amalgamation of Consumer Feedback †With quick extension, there will be more noteworthy buyer criticism. By opening up plan and creation in China, it takes into consideration proficient and centered amalgamation of Asian buyer observations through having a set up organize understanding. This will permit both quicker reaction time to client criticism and potential for trade of plans among Asian and European markets to grow Sara’s item portfolio. 3. Closer to Fabric Suppliers †Currently, Ezra curves texture from their Hong Kong office, this office could be utilized to additionally use Asian providers to flexibly texture for Asian creation offices, hence lessening costs in bringing in texture from abroad providers. Generally this arrangement expects to give manageability to Ezra to future development in Asia. Utilization of Concepts From the accessible contextual analysis, we can see the 3 segments of a Market; the providers, item and client become possibly the most important factor. For providers, we can see that providers, for example, H and Inedited offer a huge assortment of item sections, while Fast Retailing offer item specialization and have a little lessen portfolio. Anyway the most significant segment inside this case is the client viewpoint, because of the huge impact that clients have on item arrangement of Inedited and H. Quick retailing extraordinary has embraced an undifferentiated methodology by regarding purchasers as a homogeneous portion. In this way they endeavor to arrive at an enormous client base through a solitary showcasing system of offering a huge assortment of nuts and bolts in a huge cluster of hues. This is distinctive to the methodology made by and Inedited, who use a separated advertising approach. Inedited has numerous brands such s Ezra and Berserk using distinctive Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. This comparative idea is utilized by in which sub-brands are advertised to various portion gatherings. This along these lines implies that Inedited and H expect to have a full-advertise inclusion by offering a wide assortment of contributions to various fragments. In any case, as Unique is the biggest retailer to utilize an undifferentiated advertising approach, it has successfu

Can I Use Wellbutrin for ADHD

Can I Use Wellbutrin for ADHD ADHD Treatment Print Can I Use Wellbutrin for ADHD? By Jacqueline Sinfield facebook twitter Jacqueline Sinfield is an ADHD coach, and the author of Untapped Brilliance, How to Reach Your Full Potential As An Adult With ADHD. Learn about our editorial policy Jacqueline Sinfield Medically reviewed by a board-certified physician Updated on August 14, 2019 ADHD Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Living With In Children Sturti/Getty Images Wellbutrin is an antidepressant medication that is sometimes prescribed to treat ADHD symptoms. Wellbutrin might be prescribed in conjunction with a stimulant medication, such as Adderall or Ritalin if a person has ADHD and a co-existing  condition of depression, or it could be prescribed as a single medication to try and address both conditions. Stimulant medications  are the first line of treatment as they are known to be the most effective medication ?in reducing ADHD symptoms such as impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattentiveness. Non-stimulant medications are second-line treatment options for ADHD. Wellbutrin, Strattera, and Clonidine are examples of non-stimulant medication options for the treatment of ADHD. Why Take a Second Line Medication? If stimulants are known to be the most effective treatment, why would someone take a second line medication?  There are three common reasons why a person living with ADHD would be prescribed a second line medication: Not everyone who takes stimulant medication finds relief for their ADHD symptoms. If this is the case for you or a loved one, your doctor will explore second line medication options with you.You may  not able to tolerate stimulant medication and could experience severe side effects.Sometimes there is an underlying medical condition that makes the use of  stimulant medications more problematic. For example, a heart condition, sleep disorders, a history of addiction, and some psychiatric conditions such as bipolar disorder.?? The History of Wellbutrin Wellbutrin is the trade name for the drug bupropion. It was approved by the FDA to treat depression in 1985.  From 1986 to 1989 it was removed from the market due to  reports of epileptic seizures. The seizures were found to be dose-related, so when Wellbutrin returned to the market in 1989 the maximum dose was lowered.?? Wellbutrin SR, the sustained-release version, was approved in 1996, and Wellbutrin XL, the extended release version, in 2003. In 2006 it became the first medication approved to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD).?? The FDA has not approved Wellbutrin for the treatment of ADHD. However, it is prescribed by doctors as an off-label treatment option. Research on Wellbutrin for ADHD is being carried out. For example, one study found it significantly lessened ADHD symptoms when compared to a placebo. Other studies on the effectiveness of Wellbutrin in aiding ADHD symptoms in adults have been promising.?? Dose and Forms Wellbutrin comes in three forms: WellbutrinWellbutrin SR (sustained-release)Wellbutrin XL (extended release) Usually, Wellbutrin XL is prescribed for ADHD so that the medication is effective throughout the day and the possibility of side effects is reduced. A typical daily dose for someone who is 12 years and older is 3 to 6 mg per kg of body weight per day, although the starting dose is usually lower.   In contrast to stimulant medication, which starts to work within approximately an hour, Wellbutrin (like other antidepressants) can take approximately 3-7 days before you notice the benefits. In addition, it can take 4-6 weeks to reach full effect. This means it can take several weeks to find the right therapeutic dose for you or your child.?? What Is the Difference Between XL and SR? Both Wellbutrin SR and Wellbutrin XL are time controlled release formulations.  This means the drug is slowly released in the body over many hours, and there is a consistency of the drug in the bloodstream. The Sustained Release formation lasts 12 hours and is taken twice a day, while the XL version lasts 24 hours and is taken once a day. Taking the XL version usually means better patient compliance as there is less opportunity to miss a dose. How Does Wellbutrin Work? Wellbutrin is a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), and it works by keeping the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine available to the  brain’s neurons for longer. This helps improve concentration, focus, and other ADHD symptoms. Since Wellbutrin does not influence serotonin, it works differently than many other antidepressants. For example, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) affect serotonin whereas tricyclic antidepressants [TCAs] increase  norepinephrine and serotonin levels as well as blocking acetylcholine which can lead to side-effects. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)â€"the first antidepressantsâ€"increase norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine by suppressing the enzyme monoamine oxidase.?? Side Effects Possible side effects include anxiety, excitement, agitation, increased motor activity,  insomnia, tantrums, tremors, tics, dry mouth, headaches, and nausea. There is also a risk  it can increase  seizures in people who are susceptible to them or who have a history of eating disorders.?? Wellbutrin is a Category C drug, which means it is considered unsafe to take during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.  It is important to talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.?? Black Box Warning The FDA puts a black box warning on certain prescription drug labels to bring attention to any serious or life-threatening risks that you need to be aware of. Wellbutrin, like some other antidepressants, carries a black box warning for the possible increased risk of suicidal thoughts or action in children, teens, and young adults. It is important to talk to your doctor to discuss the benefits versus the risks of this medication and to remain in close contact with them while taking Wellbutrin. In addition, parents and caregivers are encouraged to keep an eye on  any possible changes in their child’s behavior. Will Wellbutrin Help Me Quit Smoking? Wellbutrin and Zyban are both brand names for the drug bupropion. Wellbutrin has been approved by the FDA as an antidepressant, and Zyban  has been approved to help people stop smoking. If you smoke cigarettes and are prescribed Wellbutrin, you might find that it also acts as a smoking cessation drug. It does not contain nicotine; however, some smokers report that it removes their interest or desire to smoke.?? A Word From Verywell While Wellbutrin is not a first line medication for ADHD, it can be helpful in treating ADHD symptoms, particularly if you have co-existing conditions of depression and anxiety. It might be prescribed combined with another ADHD medication or as a stand-alone option. If you are interested in Wellbutrin as part of your ADHD treatment, discuss it with your doctor. They will be able to help you decide if it is a good option for you.

The Function of the Federal Reserve System in the US Economy

When countries issue currency, especially fiat currency that is not specifically backed by any commodity, it is necessary to have a central bank whose job it is to monitor and regulate the supply, distribution, and transacting of currency. In the United States, the central bank is called the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve currently consists of the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C., and twelve regional Federal Reserve banks located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Kansas City, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, San Francisco, and St. Louis. Created in 1913, the history of the Federal Reserve represents the federal government’s   ongoing effort to achieve the goals of any central banking system — ensure a secure American financial system by maintaining a stable currency backed by the benefits of high employment and minimal inflation.   Brief History of the Federal Reserve System The Federal Reserve was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act. In crafting the landmark legislation, Congress was responding to a series of economic panics, bank failures, and credit scarcity that had plagued the nation for decades. When President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law on December 23, 1913, it stood as a classic example of an all-too-rare politically bipartisan compromise balancing the need for a consistently regulated centralized national banking system with the competing interests of established private banks backed by a strong â€Å"will of the people† populist sentiment. Over the more than 100 years since its creation, responding to economic disasters, such as the Great Depression in the 1930s and the Great Recession during the 2000s, have required the Federal Reserve to expand its roles and responsibilities. The Federal Reserve and the Great Depression As U.S. Representative Carter Glass had warned, years of speculative investments led to the disastrous â€Å"Black Thursday† stock market crash of October 29, 1929. By 1933, the resulting Great Depression had resulted in the failure of nearly 10,000 banks, leading newly inaugurated President Franklin D. Roosevelt to declare a banking holiday. Many people blamed the crash on the Federal Reserve’s failure to stop the speculative lending practices quickly enough and for its lack of an in-depth understanding of monetary economics necessary to implement regulations that might have lessened the devastating poverty resulting from the Great Depression.  Ã‚   In response to the Great Depression, Congress passed the Banking Act of 1933, better known as the Glass-Steagall Act. The Act separated commercial from investment banking and required collateral in the form of government securities for Federal Reserve notes. In addition, Glass-Steagall required the Federal Reserve to examine and certify all banking and financial holding companies. In a final financial reform, President Roosevelt effectively ended the long-standing practice of backing U.S. currency by physical precious metals by recalling all gold and paper silver certificates, effectively ending the gold standard. Over the years since the Great Depression, the duties of the Federal Reserve expanded significantly. Today, its responsibilities include supervising and regulating banks, maintaining the stability of the financial system and providing financial services to depository institutions, the U.S. government, and foreign official institutions. How Does the Federal Reserve System Work? The Federal Reserve system is overseen by a seven-member board of governors, with one member of this committee chosen as the chairman (commonly known as the Chairman of the Fed). The president of the United States is responsible for appointing Fed chairmen to four-year terms (with confirmation from the Senate), and the current Fed chair is Janet Yellen. (The regular members of the board of governors serve fourteen-year terms.) The presidents of the regional banks are appointed by each individual branchs board of directors. The Federal Reserve system serves a number of functions, which generally fall into a couple of categories: first, it is the Feds job to ensure that the banking system stays responsible and solvent. While this does sometimes mean that the Fed has to work with the three branches of government to think about explicit legislation and regulation, it more often means that the Fed works in a transactional sense to clear checks and to act as a lender to banks that want to borrow money themselves. (The Fed does this mainly to keep the system stable and is referred to as the lender of last resort, since the process is not really encouraged.) The other function of the Federal Reserve system is to control the money supply. The Federal Reserve can control the amount of money (highly liquid assets such as currency and checking deposits) in a number of ways. The most common way is to increase and decrease the amount of money in the economy via open-market operations. Open-Market Operations Open-market operations simply refer to the process of the Federal Reserve buying and selling U.S. government bonds. When the Federal Reserve wants to increase the money supply, it simply purchases government bonds from the public. This works to increase the money supply because, as the buyer of the bonds, the Federal Reserve is giving out dollars to the public. The Federal Reserve also keeps government bonds in its portfolio and sells them when it wants to decrease the money supply. Selling decreases the money supply because the buyers of the bonds give currency to the Federal Reserve, which takes that cash out of the hands of the public. There are two important things to note about open-market operations: first, the Fed itself isnt directly responsible for printing money. Printing money is handled by the Treasury, and there are multiple channels by which the money gets into circulation. (Sometimes, for example, the new money just replaces worn-out currency.) Second, the Federal Reserve doesnt actually create or issue the government bonds, it just handles them in secondary markets. (Technically, open-market operations could be conducted with a number of different assets, but it makes sense for the government to manipulate the supply and demand of an asset that was issued by the government itself.) Other Monetary Policy Tools Although not used nearly as frequently as open-market operations, there are other tools that the Federal Reserve can use to change the amount of money in the economy. One option is to change the reserve requirement for banks. Banks create money in an economy when they loan out customers deposits (since both the deposit and the loan count as money), and the reserve requirement is the percentage of deposits that banks have to keep on hand rather than lending out. An increase in the reserve requirement, therefore, restricts the amount that banks can lend out and thus reduces the money supply. Conversely, a decrease in the reserve requirement increases the number of loans that banks can make and increases the money supply. (This, of course, assumes that banks want to lend more when they are allowed to do so.) The Federal Reserve can also change the money supply by changing the interest rate that it charges banks when it acts as the lender of last resort. The process by which banks borrow from the Federal Reserve is called the discount window, and the interest rate that the Federal Reserve charges is called the discount rate. When the discount rate is increased, it is more expensive for banks to borrow in order to cover their reserve requirements. Therefore, a higher discount rate causes banks to be more careful about reserves and make fewer loans, which reduces the money supply. On the other hand, lowering the discount rate makes it cheaper for banks to rely on borrowing from the Federal Reserve and increases the number of loans they are willing to make, thus increasing the money supply. Decisions regarding monetary policy are handled by the Federal Open Market Committee, which meets approximately every six weeks in Washington in order to discuss changing the money supply and other economic issues. Updated by Robert Longley

Gay Marriage Should Be Legal - 1169 Words

Gay marriage should be legalized. Our civil rights and the Constitution give us many liberties. One of our civil liberties is the pursuit of happiness, which homosexual people are not allowed to chase. They cannot be married to the person they love and it violates their freedoms. According to professorshouse.com, â€Å"In Alaska, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Nebraska, Missouri, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama, not only is gay marriage banned, but so are civil partnerships.† The 1st amendment of the Constitution states that a person’s religious beliefs or a lack of thereof must be protected. Legislatures also cannot discriminate against marriages of the†¦show more content†¦Since gay marriage is not legal, said person’s spouse is not recognized as their next of kin and care is delayed. Who would be affected if homosexual marriage was legalized? No one. Everyone believes there is one person who is out there to love us. Gay people feel the same way. Parenthood is a benefit of marriage and gay couples cannot have children by themselves, without some type of help, so they look to adoption agencies. In some cases gay couples are put on longer waiting lists or denied completely. There are other benefits to being married as well, such as tax breaks. On the website professorshouse.com it reads, â€Å"When we hit our mid-thirties, we wanted only true friendships- friendships that were durable.† This is a perfect example of matrimony and what it should be based on. . According to dictionary.com a marriage is, â€Å"The legal or religious ceremony that formalizes the decision of two people to live as a married couple, including the accompanying social festivities.† If this is a marriage why are gay people not included in this? Even though gay marriage should be legalized, some people have different beliefs. In most religions including, Christianity, Islam, and Orthodox Judaism same sex preferences are a sin. People believe in procreation to repopulate the world, but are against gay marriage and homosexuals adopting children because they cannot procreate on their own. If this is aShow MoreRelatedGay Marriage Should Be Legal1205 Words   |  5 PagesHoward Sociology 1301-93431 Gay Marriage Getting married is something that most people do when they find love, which it is an important event in their life. The GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) community now get the legal right of same-sex marriage, which they have fought for throughout the years; on the other hand, some opponents of same-sex marriage have called for a constitutional change towards it. Although there were some countries that allowed gay marriage before the United StatesRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1159 Words   |  5 PagesAmendment, which puts a ban on gay marriage. This amendment entitles to equal rights to the gay community, ending toleration of discrimination in jobs, rights protecting gays from hate crimes,rights allowing advancement in government. However, the concept of gay marriage is still not considered a right the American people should extend to homosexuals. II. The vast majority of opponents believe marriage should be between one woman and one man, meaning marriage should be between members of the oppositeRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1574 Words   |  7 Pagesequal rights. Gays and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbian couples are denied the right to marry even if they are outstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop, because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples. Marriage is about love andRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1564 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is marriage? Recently, people argue with respect to the definition of marriage. What happened to marriage? To get married is a very important event for almost everyone. Especially for women, marriage and giv ing a birth could be the two biggest events of their lives. Many people believe that getting married to the one whom he or she loves is natural. However, what do you think if you cannot get married to him or her because it is socially unacceptable? 100 years ago different colored peopleRead MoreShould Gay Marriage Be Legal?778 Words   |  3 PagesShould Gay Marriage Be Legal? â€Å"†¦I now pronounce you husband and wife†¦Ã¢â‚¬  One would normally hear this when attending a wedding. In tradition marriage has been between one male and one female who love each other. But how would one feel if they heard â€Å"I now pronounce you groom and groom† or how about â€Å"†¦bride and bride...†? In the last 50 years the number of same-sex couples has increased. The on-going argument between the government and the people is â€Å"Should gay marriage be legal?† Although some sayRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1126 Words   |  5 PagesJune 26, 2015 for gay marriage to be legal in all fifty states, thirty seven out of the fifty and Washington D.C already legalized gay marriage. Many support gay marriage and many do not, with widespread values and reasons for and against it. Due to religion and rights people across the nation have differing views and opinions of it.In a five to four vote in the Supreme Court gay marriage becam e legalized in all fifty states. Shortly after that a few marriage officiators and marriage licenses peopleRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1179 Words   |  5 PagesGAY MARRIAGES Some states such as Iowa legalized gay marriage through the action of judicial interpretation based on the state’s constitutional stipulations while other states such as Vermont legalized gay marriage through legislation initiatives. These cases demonstrate the government is the sole body that can dictate the validity of whatever is to be regarded as a marriage, and in this case gay marriage. The power to validate marriage is still observed among the private citizens, religious institutionsRead MoreThe Gay Marriage Should Be Legal947 Words   |  4 PagesDefending Gay Marriage During the last few years, homosexuality has become an important issue for debate. Moreover, homosexuals have taken their case further by claiming their right to marry. Same-sex marriage, usually known as â€Å"gay marriage†, is the marriage between two people from the same biological sex (Doskow1). Since 2000, eleven countries have approved the legalization of gay marriage worldwide: Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, ArgentinaRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1480 Words   |  6 PagesNew World Dictionary defines the word married as being husband and wife, yet there are millions of gay activists who are fighting for a new meaning. They believe marriage is more than a piece of paper and a set of rings. The hope is that marriage could be defined as a â€Å"public recognition of a private commitment† or â€Å"emotional, financial, and psychological bond† between two people (Sullivan 53). Gay activists belie ve that taking away the ability to have a publicly recognized relationship or an acceptedRead MoreGay Marriage Should Be Legal1351 Words   |  6 Pageshappened for United States, gay marriage became legal in all 50 states. In most states it already was but the remaining 13 became legal this year. There are many concerns regarding gay marriage, and the effects of them involve many legislative, cultural, religious and family issues. Gay marriage is controversial because a lot of people do not approve of it, they think it is immoral, unnatural, and not what the traditional concept of â€Å"marriage† really means. Opponents of gay marriage say it is only meant

Heaven Is for Real Book Review - 2042 Words

Heaven is for Real I) The Title of this literature is â€Å"Heaven is for real† and the author is Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. II) The Brupo family lives in Imperial, Nebraska. Sonja and Todd Burpo are the parents of four wonderful children. Cassie, Colton, Colby, and one daughter that passed away due to maternal complications, are the children of Sonja and Todd Burpo. While on vacation during 2003, The Burpos family visited Denver Butterfly Pavilion. It was to celebrate Todd’s recovery from a shattered leg, kidney stones, and hyperplasia (a lump in his chest). Colton falls ill to feverish symptoms and what appeared to be a â€Å"stomach virus† (uncontrollable vomiting), so the fun ended early for the Burpo family. When he is transferred to†¦show more content†¦Colton shows this to his Daddy through physical demonstration. Colton also explains to his Dad that â€Å"Everybody has wings† in Heaven. Everybody but Jesus has wings, so when the angels are flying, Jesus is ascending. Another one of Colton’s experiences is when he met Pop, his Great Grandfather. His father finds this out because Colton asked whether if Pop was his mom’s father or his dad’s father. However, when Todd showed Colton a picture of Pop when he was old Colton had responded by being unfamiliar with the picture. He told his father that â€Å"nobody is old in heaven†¦and nobody wears glasses.† When Todd showed him a picture of Pop when he was younger and without glasses though Colton recognized him. When Colton went to Heaven, he also met his baby sister. Colton described her as being small and having dark hair like her mom. Colton said that his sister wanted everyone to know that she was okay and she was doing well, â€Å"Jesus adopted her.† This was significant for Colton’s mother because it helped her defeat her guilt for having a miscarriage and it helped her to start healing. VI) Jesus said, â€Å"unless y ou change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.† I agree with this quote because it describes children as being pure. Children are honest, humble, and they live life happily doing the things they love. These attributes are â€Å"hard-wired† into children; you can’t get them to change. Children are able to accept reality and to acceptShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book Heaven Is For Real 1703 Words   |  7 PagesBook Review of Heaven is for Real Daddy, you know I almost died. When I was screaming for you after surgery, that s because I just came back from Heaven (Burpo 44). Imagine hearing this from your four-year-old son after an emergency surgery where doctors said he may not survive. When Colton Burpo was four-years-old he had a ruptured appendix and had to go into surgery leaving his parents in tears wondering if he was going to survive. Together with Colton s father and author, Todd Burpo, weRead More Comparing Black Elk Speaks and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven1679 Words   |  7 PagesComparing Black Elk Speaks and The Lone Ranger and Tonto FistFight in Heaven      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Traditionally, Native American Literature has been an oral genre. Although Native American Literature was the first American literature created, it has been the last to be recognized -and, to some extent, is still waiting for full recognition (www.usc.edu). With the Indian being forced to assimilate, their literature was forced to take on a written form. Although the traditional way of storytelling has changedRead MoreThere s No Heaven By Salman Rushdie930 Words   |  4 Pagesescalating in severity as more and more instances of terrorism are associated with radical religious groups. As a result, many tend to share many of the same feelings as those expressed by author Salman Rushdie in his article Imagine There s No Heaven. 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My Last Name Starts With A G So I Have Essay Example For Students

My Last Name Starts With A G So I Have Essay My last name starts with a GAG 1 have the following topics Discuss the pros and cons of two-way immersion programs. Children who introduced to immersion programs at an early age learn how to speak in a new language learn it fluently without accent. These children also have been seen to be more thoughtful about problem solving and decision making. Discuss the pros and cons of transitional bilingual education programs. Bilingual education programs are very costly. Bilingual education programs allow minority language speakers to avoid the dominant language. Compare and contrast two-way immersion program and transitional bilingual education programs. Both programs would be beneficial because both programs promote learning different languages. However the Immersion program would be best because it would not give room for the student to overlook the desired language to be learned. Which one do you think is more effective for the student you created a refill for in Weeks One and Two? Why? I think the Immersion program would be best for Lilly because it would not allow her to fall back to mainly Chinese. With the Bilingual programs Lilly would he tempted to use the language that comes easiest to her rather than learning to speak English and conquering the challenges she is having with the new language.

Including Contingencies of Self-Worth free essay sample

November 17, 2012 Professor Sheats Definitions Define self-esteem, including contingencies of self-worth. When might the pursuit of self-esteem be harmful to individuals? When might threats to self-esteem be helpful? Self-Esteem refers to the evaluative component of self-concept ( Baumeister, 1998; Coopersmith, 1967). This is the feelings that one gets when doing self-evaluations. It is how a person sees themselves and judges themselves. The contingencies of self-worth may be a favorable view of themselves, thinking that they are competent, likable, attractive and successful may help them to believe they are worthy and increase levels of self-esteem. Self-esteem may also be influenced by the expectations of others. The approval of others is one example of the contingencies of self-esteem. Other examples of the contingencies of self-esteem are: appearance, competition, academic competence, family support, virtue and God’s love. There is a darker side to self-esteem, people that constantly pursue elevated levels of self-esteem have traits that are similar to those that are associated with materialism. We will write a custom essay sample on Including Contingencies of Self-Worth or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People that make choices based on others perceptions of them rather than what makes they happy are depriving themselves of well-being. They give up their own autonomy, intrinsic motivation, and personally expressive actions. Threats to self-esteem can also be helpful. While experience threats to self-esteem people may learn to come up with better coping skills than they may have previously possessed. By experiencing these threats, they learn to overcome obstacles in turn, they may actually boost their self-esteem by learning that they are capable of overcoming these challenges.

Designing Computer Based Training

Designing Computer Based Training Free Online Research Papers Recent popularity and consumer interest for individualized multimedia computer based programs within technical education training industries has created a demand for high quality software products. This demand has stimulated corporate training departments and educational institutions to invest large capitol resources for software and hardware to satisfy customer needs. Some training managers have chosen to outsource the responsibilities of the computer software development to expert programmers, experienced in this technology. But, many of the programmers developing the software do not have a background in curriculum development and instruction. Other managers have responded by hiring full time educators with computer skills and related professional technical experience to create or supervise the development of these computer based training programs. To aid these educators, software developers have created various levels of authoring and multimedia programs for those companies who prefer to write their own customized programs. Goals The primary goal of this paper is to provide a condensed review of the basic design principles necessary to create a quality computer based programs for technical training applications. This paper can then be used by industry as a resource or a supplemental guide for professional educators in other technical training programs at industrial organizations, associations, and schools. It will identify educational design principles for text and graphics within the software programs. Additionally, this paper will reference relevant research to support important concepts and learning theories as they apply to the learner. This paper will confirm my understanding regarding the use of instructional computer based training programs to teach technical information by reinforcing key principles. Core Instructional Events The core instructional events should be identified to be sure they are included during the development of the multimedia authoring software package. The beginning of the program should gain attention to the learner to make them interested and motivate to continue. The learning objectives should be stated to identify specifically what new knowledge the learner will acquire. The learning should be guided with clear directions and instructions of what steps and processes the student will be expected to take during the program. There should be a link to prior knowledge, if possible. In other words the program should build upon previously learned information. For example, a electronics course would build upon basic electrical ohm’s law theory. The software program should provide new and useful information for the learner. Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to continue using the program. There should be a required response on the screen, forcing learning involvement. This may be just a simple prompt to go to the next screen, or it could be a mini-quiz. By giving a quiz occasionally during the program, you are require continued response from the user. This will provide feedback to them that they are actually learning something. The quiz will enhance retention and learner interest. After the instructional materials are produced, the process of formative evaluation begins. The purpose of formative evaluation is to improve the materials through an organized system of field tests. Once the program is complete, a summative evaluation procedure should be developed to provide information and feedback on the final effectiveness of the materials. Components of Good Graphic Screens Keep the graphic simple as possible. Distilling the message to its barest essentials is important. Create an outline that you will be followed during the computer program with sub-components that clarify complex ideas. Follow your original outline throughout the program. The message on the computer program should sequence the outline while bringing materials together to provide the opportunity for understanding. Keep the graphic organized while creating a path for the eye to follow consistently across every screen. Remember that students from western cultures have learned to read from left to right. This means that when designing the program, the text and graphics will be read from the left side of the page first. Recognize that if a graphic is divided into quadrants, most readers read the upper left quadrant first, and the lower right last. Thus, do not place essential information in the lower right quadrant. Make some component of the graphic dominant. Use color and highlighting so that main ideas stand out. Use clip art graphics as cues to students, so they do not waste time trying to figure out the message. Divide the space in an interesting way. Students are easily turned off by graphics that consistently present information the same way on each screen. Use the different quadrants of the screen to make the student think cognitively of the topic. But, remember that the graphic must lead the eye to the written text, not distract from the message. Frame Protocol and Functionality Zones There are three typical types of instructional computer frames , they are: * Instructional * Practice-Question * Transitional. Instructional frames provide instructional content to the student. Practice and Question frames provide interactive opportunities for the students to practice what they have learned at whatever level is appropriate such as recall, recognition, or application. The Transitional Frames bridge lesson information between major parts of the program. Frame protocol is the consistent designation swof various zones as applied to each frame. These include the: * Header Zone * Information Zone * Directions Zone. The header zone or headline lets the student know where they are in the program. A headline is used here to draw the student’s attention to the topic of the particular screen. A headline mentally prepares the student for what follows and serves to reinforce the main idea. Present one idea per graphic is also critical. This principle helps to focus the reader and to avoid any distraction. Begin with a large font at first to capture the attention and help students concentrate on the subject. The information zone provides the instructional materials either through text, illustrations, or both. Graphic types within in this zone can be static (still) pictures, graphs, charts, or dynamic video clips The directions zone presents directions to the learner of what actions are required or available. This zone is normally found on the bottom or on the side of the screen. It provides the student with directional options such as forward, backward, or to the beginning. Graphics to Enhance the Learning Environment The graphic can be used to clarify the subject material while emphasizing a point by highlighting a particular piece of information. The graphic becomes another method of simplifying a complex topic. Adding variety to the computerized lesson is an effective way to keep students interested. Sustaining interest is difficult when all the student sees or hears is words. The use of good graphics can also help students to change focus, particularly helpful if the material being presented is complex or difficult to follow. Furthermore, good graphics help students to mentally record and remember main points during complex material. Graphics should only be used when appropriate. They should match the learner, content, and learning tasks. They should not distract, but they should serve their function. There are four types of graphics found within computer based training programs, they are: * Cosmetic * Motivational * Attention-getting * Presentation Graphics. Cosmetic graphics do not carry instructional value, but helps make the materials more attractive to the learner. However, these graphics should be designed with a true motivational impact to keep the learners interested in the program while giving a finished, polished, and commercial image. They should be planned early and not added to give length or quantity. They can be used to provide useful backgrounds and transitional screens. Motivational graphics provide meaningful context for learning while increasing the innate motivation of the learner. They should avoid distraction while increasing interest. Photographs and video can be included into these screens to trigger emotion and affective responses from the learner. Attention-getting graphics are designed to catch the eye of the learner and pull them back to the instruction of a particular task. The opposite or enemy to attention-getting graphics are boring repetitive and monotonous screens. Contrasting screen elements, such as animated dancing penguins or flashing bullets can also attract attention to a particular subject. Presentation graphics should be harmonious and relevant to the text. This graphic may be used as the primary vehicle of the lesson content. It may be used to supplement the verbal information via text or audio. When the text alone produces educational competency, graphics may not be necessary. A well constructed verbal message or text can sufficiently cue a learner to internally form the appropriate message intended by the designer. Additionally, reliance on external visual graphics may decrease with the age of the learner. Therefore, using pictures and other graphics may not be as important with adults as with children. The designer can use a framing device to distinguish a line of text or a illustration on the presentation graphic. This technique emphasizes text, while providing a visual graphic. Avoid Distracting the Learners Irrelevant clip art and pictures that detract from the message of the training program. Don’t use outdated pictures that won’t help reinforce current subject materials. Avoid illustrations that causes students to concentrate on the illustration and not the message. Don’t use poor quality illustrations. If illustration does not supplement, explain, or clarify the concept-don’t use it. Use visuals that fit the audience, especially the age or technical level. A graphic for entry level technicians may disinterest high level experienced personnel. Conversely, a sophisticated graph or chart may loose the attention and interest of the beginner technician because they cannot figure out why the graphic is used. The Impact of Color in Program Design Color is effective for attracting and focusing attention. However, the more color is used, the less effective it will be, because attention is not always drawn to disturbing colors. The attention-getting effect of color can and should be used to focus on important information. Color should function as a redundant cue, not as an essential part of the instructional program. Some colors, especially yellow and green, are easier to perceive than other. Red and blue are the most difficult colors to perceive. Also, be aware that color blind students cannot perceive either green or red. The use of color should be consistent with common usage’s in our society. Green signifies growth and movement and is often used by business personnel on illustrations when discussing fiscal growth. Blue conveys calm and peaceful. It is extremely useful when students attention span is limited or when introducing difficult to understand concepts. Red, although snappy and peppy, can over emphasize and indicate danger, especially when used with a green background. Yellow serves to highlight and is best used to get students to pay attention to a particular concept. The Role of Color in Documents Color have many roles in documents, especially in computer based training programs which instructional designers can use to improve comprehension. There are five important general functions that color can have in documents. They are: Directing attention Delimiting shapes and areas Clarifying complex ideas Facilitating identification Creating affect The first two, directing attention and delimiting shapes are considered preattentive processes. These processes operate rapidly, automatically, in parallel, and with little demand on cognitive processes. Clarifying complex ideas is a mixture of preattentive and controlled processing. Facilitating identification and creating effect are considered attentive processes. Attentive processes are under cognitive control, which means they operate in response to what we already know, to what are needs and interests are. Direction Attention-draws attention to the display that stands in contrast to other features on the screen. This effect is optimal when two colors are used, and attentuated when more colors are used or when features differ in color and at the same time shape and size. Shapes and Areas-applies various color to whole pages or text. Color can also be used to emphasize differences among blocks of text. Clarity-color cueing has the effect of clarifying the structure of a document as used with cartographers during the creation of a map to differentiate the various objects and figures. The same principle can be used to clarify the organization of text, with common features printed in black, and unusual features printed in red. Facilitating identification-color is a critical characteristic to identify many type of illustrations. For example, the St. Louis Cardinal baseball team use the red bird, the cardinal, as their team identifier. All of their marketing and merchandising products have the red bird on their products. Without this color, the team would not be recognized to a team like the Baltimore Orioles who use a orange bird as their team emblem. Many companies will use this color identification to enhance and develop product recognition by their customers. These same principles can be used with the computer based program by corporate logos or background colors. Creating effect-the color of text, backgrounds, graphics, and pictures influence the affective reactions we have to certain images. Thus, people tend to like colored materials more than black and white graphics. However, younger people react more to color but adults tend to react to the content of the material rather than the color. Text Appearance and Its Message The appearance of text has a message of its own, depending upon font size, color, and style. Fleming and Levie wrote that â€Å"text, like pictures, diagrams or charts, communicates a great deal of information by its appearance on the screen that is independent from the information conveyed in it words.† The look of text impacts on learning as much as the message. Therefore, the text format on the screen is critical to its effectiveness. The message should be distilled to its absolute core. Research Papers on Designing Computer Based TrainingOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office SystemBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseEffects of Television Violence on Children

How the films depict the discomfort of individuals within societies Essay

How the films depict the discomfort of individuals within societies that often seem oppressive.As well as the films' political social and economic messages - Essay Example This definitely gives light and a deeper discussion of the matters present in film. Two films that I shall discuss in this paper are the â€Å"Spirit of the Beehive† and the â€Å"Bicycle Thieves.† Both films are considered to be rich in socio – political and economic messages. At the same time, there will be a synthetic analysis of both the films in terms of the content. To further amplify the discussion in this paper, certain film elements like the camera angle, music and movement shall be assessed in connection with the aforementioned messages. In the film â€Å"Spirit of the Beehive†, the political context seems to be in a problematic condition. The camera has shown how a child tries to struggle between the social conditions that beset her and other people. At a very young age, it can be seen, through the lens of the camera, that the child is having a questioning of her own status. With a melancholic music, her curiosity is amplified about why such an old person is allowed to suffer in a lonely and deserted place. As the characters interact, the sharing of experience about how life is difficult already signals how things are in a despicable condition. Most of the time, there are several cuts and editing that happened to employ the political message but there is continuity present (Butler 2005, p. 24). In terms of economics, it is seen clearly, that the barren houses, deserted landscape and candle lights are already manifestations of uneven economic development. Also, the richness of honey coming from the bees, are signs of richness and hard work by the old man in the film. The camera, focused on the man, upon doing the chores on the bees and the capturing the acts of the bees, strengthen further the need to work harder and taking care of resources that can help one’s condition in a society. This is considered a long shot,

Wit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wit - Essay Example Two major types of knowledge emerge in this play. Academic knowledge represented by Vivian, Dr. Kelekian and Dr. Jason gained through proper university education whose actions displays academic elitism between teacher-student and doctor-patient. Humanitarian knowledge gained through interaction. Vivian gained it after interacting with Susie when this nurse was always available during the time when in pain and lonely (69). Academic knowledge bestow on the bearers power and high regard in the society as demonstrated by Vivian’s feeling of helplessness at the hospital compared to the power she wielded over her students at the University. â€Å"Once I did the teaching, now am taught† (37). On the other hand, other forms of knowledge are poorly regarded as Jason asserts this regarding his take on bedside manners as â€Å"colossal waste of time for researchers† (55). The two types of knowledge are related since they complement each other. Vivian realized the significance of human contact when under lots of pain and alone appreciated the role Susie played during this moment. Acquisition of knowledge should not be at the expense of

Male Bias In Heart Of Darkness English Literature Essay

Male Bias In Heart Of Darkness English Literature Essay It seems that the essential uncertainties and inconsistencies in Conrads metanarrative, the indirectness and ambiguous nature of the narrative Marlow gives. Marlow in Conrads Heart of Darkness has the typical nineteenth century view of women; women are not as good as men, they are not as smart and are not worth as much. There are only 3 women in the text, Marlows aunt, Kurtzs fiancà © and Kurtzs Amazon lover. None of these characters are not important to tale Marlow is telling. Marlow even says its queer how out of touch with truth women are, they live in a world of their own, and there had never been anything like it, and never can be (Conrad, 27). Even though there are few women in the text and they have very small roles, Marlow makes women seem significant when he talks about them. Marlow outright talks about the relationship between men and women The mind of man is capable of anything because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the futureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Very well: I hear: I admit; but I have a voice too, and for good or evil mine is the speech that cannot be silenced. (Conrad, 51) He goes on this rant the he believes only men are intelligent enough to understand what he is saying. He is saying that men cannot be silenced, but by saying this he is implying that there is a chance that male voice can be silenced. Its like he secretly believes women can somehow silence men. It seems that Conrads goal is to silence the women in the text. Marlow states They, the women I mean, are out of I, should be out of it. We must help them to stay in that beautiful world of their own, lest ours gets worse (Conrad, 63). The language he uses makes it seem like women keep the world of men from falling apart. Of course this is a male narrative telling the story of a man doing manly things. The Heart of Darkness exhibits a biased male view of women demonstrated by Marlows use of the sexual metaphor of penetration and other diction used in the text. Gilbert and Gubar argue that Heart of Darkness penetrates more ironically and thus more inquiringly into the dark core of otherness that had so disturbed the patriarchal, the imperialist, and the psychoanalytic imaginations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Conrad designs, designs for Marlow a pilgrimage whose guides and goal are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ eerily female (Conrad, 44) (Gilbert and Gubar). The narrative seems to keep with the male-controlled design, with a hero conquer whom defeats hurdles and becomes one of the socially elite. The plot itself follows the typical male hero who saves the day and becomes a hero, just like the stories Bewolf, and the Odyssey. The storyline, however Marlow seems to sit on the fence as to whether he sides with the colonialists or the natives, and the story itself doesnt provide a closing and we never really know which side Marlow is on. Conrad shows some characters in his writing style that portray the Congo women, as well as his attitude toward the moral issues of social system in Heart of Darkness, as Là ©criture Feminine (Kristeva). He shows characteristic of feminism, which Kristeva associates with a genderless, pre-oedipal stage. Kristeva relates the semiotic as a female whose sexuality has not yet been constructed (Kristeva). While acknowledging that the fictive world of Heart of Darkness belongs to men, nineteenthcentury, imperialistic, European men, Sedlak, for example, says that Conrads women do display a separate consciousness (Crouch, 2). French feminists, such as Helene Cixous, state that the diction is essentially bi-sexual, one which proposes to analyze all the rigorous binary by bewildering the boundaries between the masculine and feminine and the binaries, such as; proper and improper, normal and divergence, rational and irrational, expert and subservience, by which civilizations live on. According to Eagleton, Most women are like this: they do someone elses-mans- writing, and in their innocence sustain it and give it voice, and end up producing writing thats in effect masculine. Great care must be taken in working on feminist writing not to get trapped by names: to be signed with a womans name doesnt necessarily make a piece of writing feminine. It could quite well be masculine writing, and conversely, the fact that a piece of writing is signed with a mans name does not in itself exclude femininity. Its rare but you can sometimes find femininity in writings signed by men; it does happen. (, 232). Bode claims that Heart of Darkness portrays a powerful female network, which frequently takes charge and assumes control of the novellas events (20). This may seem absurd because as the story opens, the narrator describes the Thames as a manly domain crowded with memories of men and ships it has borne to the rest of home or to the battles of the sea (Conrad, 18). It is a place to think about the dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germ of empires (Conrad, 19). However these ships sailed only for the glory of the Queens highness, and when she meets the ship, it thus pass out of the gigantic tale (Conrad, 19) of masculine venture and splendor and into a domanin which apparently allows women on board. The issue is not one of elaborating a new theory of which woman would be the subject or the object, but of jamming the theoretical machinery itself, of suspending its pretension to the production of a truth and of a meaning that are excessively univocal (Irigaray). Therefore is it possible for a male text such as Heart of Darkness also be as popular if it was on a feminine text and not a masculine one? Well, while listening to Marlows narrative about his journey to fill in the blank spaces on the earth (Conrad, 22) or in this case Africa his journey seems to seem quite feminine; because he has to rely on others to help him, his motives are questioned, and he makes moral decisions that dont seem masculine. This is first evident when he has to get help from his aunt to get a job. This is something that was typical of women in the late 1890s. He seems humiliated when he has to ask would you believe it? I tried the women. I, Charlie Marlow, set the women to work- to get a job. Heavens! (Conrad, 23). Then before leaving for the Congo he has tea with his aunt and says good by, she gives him her blessing, like mothers of the Great War who send their sons of to battle, expcecting to have him return a hero. However, Marlow returns more tame than hero, m ore feminie than conquering hero. Then Marlow questions himself about being able to become a conquering hero when he says I dont know why a queer feeling came to me that I was an imposter (Conrad, 27), which is considered a feminine quality. Then when he gets to the Congo he eavesdrops on a conversation involving the station master and his nephew where they are plotting to foli Kurtz. Then he doesnt let anyone know what he heard. This makes him seem incapable and weak, which is again making him seem feminine. Why would Marlow still make this journey with all these doubts? The answer rests in his masculine boyhood when he was a child, there were many blank spaces on the earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map I would put my finger on it and say, When I grow up I will go there (Conrad, 22). When he got to the Congo it was no longer this virgin space, it now has rivers and lakes that have already been explored. All that was left for him was a river that is reminiscent of a giant snake with its head in the sea and body turning through the country. He concludes, the snake had charmed me. (Conrad, 23) According to Straus, It is Conrads text itself that stimulates the notion that the psychic penury of women is a necessary condition for the heroism of men, and whether or not Heart of Darkness is a critique of male heroism or is in complex complicity with it, gender dichotomy is an inescapable element of it (125). Marlow first views the map of the river as a snake in a Brussels office, where two knitting women operate as protectors of the gates of Hell. Marlow says, it was fascinating-deadly-like a snake-ugh! (Conrad, 23). When Marlow enters the chief officials office he is metaphorically entering the underworld of the snake river, the sinister female power Marlow wishes to explore in order to purge the feminine inside himself; however he ends up embracing this femininity instead of purging it. From the very start of the text Conrad exposes Marlows feminity, by first showing him as a submissive man, because he follows Buddha who believes in obtaining peace by being enlightened. This idea is directly contrasting the attributes of a conquering hero, which he is supposed to be in this story he is telling us. Then the text itself leaves us full of questions about who Kurtz is and how Marlow feels about Kurtz and his crime. Furthermore we dont really know what Kurtzs crime was. All of theses questions make us question Marlow. As Marlows expedition continues, we see more binary oppositions, as his compassion shifts between the white colonialists (whom are viewed as superior) and the blacks whom have been robbed of their culture and deprived of their homes. This is evident when he is outraged by the treatment of the natives as less than human as they are moving around as ants (Conrad, 29). He cannot stand the fact that the natives, who are creating the railway that will support the expansion of the colonialst, are being treated worse than most animals. You can see this viewpoint is evident in Conrads picture of the chain gang: A slight clinking behind me made me turn my head. Six black men advanced in a file, toiling up the path. They walked erect and slow, balancing small baskets full of earth on their heads, and the clink kept time with their footsteps. Black rags were wound around their loins, and the short ends waggled to and from like tails. I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar around his neck, and all were connected together with a chain, whose bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking (Conrad, 30). Then he goes on to depict them as black shapes crouchedin all the attitudes of pain, abandonment and despair and further describes standing horror-struckas one of these creatures rose to his hands and knees, and went off on all fours to the river to drink (Conrad, 32). Chinua Achebe in his article An Image Of Africa, states that Conrad in this passage is stereotyping the African as savage and primitive, deserving of our compassion but not our respect. However you can look at this passage as Marlow identifying with the natives and being disgusted by their treatment at the hands of the colonialists. Therefore he would be taking the natives side over that of the white colonalists; he feels sympathy for the unempowered female, because he may end uo powerless like the natves he has come to defeat and the marginalized women at home. Nevertheless, Brook Thomas (as quoted in Murfin) believes there is another way of looking at this depiction of the natives in a chain-gang; Even though Conrad had himself been there, he chose to tell his story indirectly through an idiosyncratic, first-person narrator, Marlow, whose narrative is in turn relayed by another narrator who presumably has not even been to Africa. This elaborate structure makes us aware of structure as structure; thus, the novel, doesnt pretend to offer us a perfectly clear, uncluttered, unbiased, perfectly natural view of the facts of the past (Murfin, 236). Thomas viewpoint validates the idea that the language and structure of this story allow for a lot different interpretations. Another important fact that most people overlook is that Conrad is Polish and is actually exiled in England. His second language is English and therefor he was also not always accepted as normalin the English society. Edward Said declares: Because Conrad also had an extraordinarily residual sense of his own exilic marginality, he quite carefully qualified Marlows narrative with the provisionality that came from standing at the very juncture of this world with another, unspecified but different (Culture and Imperialism, 24). Furthermore North describes how Conrads polish nationality was viewed as a racial differentiation by his friends in England. Conrads Polish accent was associated by them with the Orient, and further that his appearance and mannerisms were considered by H.G. Wells and Ford Mad Ford to be Oriental. Several critics thought he was Jewish. Another found him positively simian (North, 50). This view of him being different from his English friends also made him seem inferior, and may have lead to his understanding for the women and natives in the text. Marlows expedition is a journey toward the realm of multiple perspectives caused by the exiled life of Conrad. Said commented on the imperial background of Conrads Heart of Darkness; Like most of his other tales, Heart of Darkness is not just a recital of Marlows adventures; it is also a dramatization of Marlow telling his story to a group of listeners at a particular place in a particular time Neither Conrad nor Marlow offer us anything outside the world-conquering attitudes embodied by Kurtz and Marlow and Conradthe circularity of the whole thing is unassailable. Except as I said a moment ago that Conrad is self-conscious about setting and situating the narrative in a narrative moment, thus allowing us to realize after all, that far from swallowing up its own history, imperialism has in fact been placed and located by history, one that lies outside the tightly inclusive ring on the deck of the yawl Nelly. (Said, 49) Therefrore Conras is self-consciousness, and this causes multiplicity in the perceptions within the narrative. This idea is further repeated by Kristevas feminist viewpoints about the obliqueness, uncertain and ambigious perceptions essential in a narrative genre. In Marlow journeys to the semiotic he avoids his real feelings about Kurtz because he is worried that he may identify that his is like Kurts, therefore he can end up like Kurtz. Marlow states I think it had whispered to him [the wilderness] things about himself which he did not know, things of which he had no conception, so he took counsel with the great solitude and the whisper had proved irresistibly fascinating (Conrad, 73). Conrad displays a comparable uncertainty in describing Marlows conflict with the feminine standards personified in Kurtzs mistress, who is viewed a dominant female goddess as well as a sumptuous temptress, both connected with the native savage race by the white English males. Marianna Torgovnick contends that the African woman is the crux of Heart of Darknessthe representative native the only one fully individualized and described in detail, except for the Helmsman, who also dies in the story. She is, the text insists, the symbol of Africa (154-55). Kurtzs mistress has a sexual power that Marlow fears, because he fears the female inspiration within himslef. This female inspiration shows herself in the uncertainties and oversights of the narrative. Conrad has a hard time getting through to his narrator, Marlow. He struggles to speak about the conquest over the savage temptress; however he is unable, or unwilling to do so. Marlow is articulate in his ability to deacribe, however at the end of the text the silent look from the savage native woman is more powerfulk than Marlows own words; And from right to left along the lighted shore moved a wild and gorgeous apparition of a woman. She walked with measured steps, draped in striped and fringed cloths, treading the earth proudly with a light jingle and flash of was done in the shape of a helmet; she had bright leggings to the knee, brass wire gauntlets to the elbow, a crimson spot on her tawny cheek, innumerable necklaces of glass beads on her neck; bizarre things, charms, gifts of witch-men, that hung about her, glittered and trembled at every stepShe was savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent; there was something ominous and stately in her deliberate progress, and in the hush that had fallen suddenly upon the whole sorrowful land, the immense wilderness, the colossal body of the fecund and mysterious life seemed to look at her, pensive, as though it had been looking at the image of its own tenebrous and passionate soul Her face had a tragic and fierce aspect of wild sorrow and a dumb painSuddenly she opened her bare arms and threw them up rigid above her head, as though in an uncontrollable desire to touch the skyA formidable silence hung over the scene. (Conrad, 76) This section of text shows Marlows split attitude toward female power; on one side Conrad and Marlow are concerned by the native womans sexual ambiguity, and on the other side they are captivated by her. Kurtzs savage lover is seen as almost mute in the text and this silence is symbolic of the undiscovered and unexplored spots in Africas jungle that Marlow and secretly Conrad had longed to travel. However these blank spaces, unexplored areas are fantasy; as he admits the muteness of the women to be fantasy, on the linguistic level. The idea of a silent female is in fact a fantasy because he shows the savage mistress to have a very powerful diction, just as powerful as that of the colonists. This is evident when she rushed out to the very brink of the stream. She put out her hands, shouted something, and all that wild mob took up the shout in a roaring chorus of articulated, rapid, breathless utterance (Conrad). According to Gilbert and Gubar, she is a silent symbol in the text that expresses her unknown history as well as her intimidating hystery. The mistress is the typical monster female in the text. She is not only a threat to the men because of her voice she is also standing in direct opposition to Kurtzs Intended. She is seen as the strong hostile monstrous monster woman while Kurtzs fiancà © is seen as the angle, pure Victorian fantasy. Torgovnick states that, Marlow clearly conceives of her as a substitute for, an inversion of Kurtzs high-minded, white intended. Like the Belgian woman, she is an impressive figure, but unlike the Intended she is not high-minded: she is presented as all body and inchoate emotion. The novella cuts from the figure of the African woman with outstretched arms to the Intended: one woman an affianced bride, one woman all body, surely an actual bride (Torgovnick, 146-147). The British code states that miscegenation is wrong and therefore Marlow is scared to fall in love with a savage native woman and end up like Kurtz. However the savage woman is so attractive and seductive, as exposed by the texts illustration of her, that Marlow has a hard time fighting it; this is seen as a representation of Conrads true feelings about femininity. The African woman, who purposely remains unnamed, represents Conrads natural idea of the savage female, because not lonely is she seductive, she is also deadly, just like Africa . Kurtz has been ruined by a devastating femininity; while this femininity is mesmerizing it also destroys men because it is forbidden. The Savage native woman is the femininie standard that Marlow needs to block in order to triumph. Torgovnicks and Gilbert and Gubars, are the only studies of Conrad that notice that the native woman may have something to do with his concerns with inptralism. This native woman makes Marlow tackle his boyhood desire for filling up the blank spaces on the African map he pointed to as a child. He travels all the way to the Congo and instead of finding blank spaces he finds other humans who have their own culture. So the question is: how can he fill up a blank space on a map is another people are already living there? This question or a variation of this question has been contemplated by Conrad regarding the connection concerning masculinity and feminity, when looking at the power of colonialism and their weakness, and Conrads racism and his compassion for the conquered Conjoins. Is this not woman as dark continent which Marlow fears in himself but cannot re-press (Kristeva). The savage womon in the text is seen in three differet ways, the first being as the other, as an African temptress, and as a mute savage with no individual characteristics. Faced with anything foreign, the Established Order knows only two types of behavior, which are both mutilating: either to acknowledge it as a Punch and Judy show, or to defuse it as a pure reflection of the West. In any case, the main thing is to deprive it of its history (Barthes, 96). The native African woman cannot be seen as just one of these things, she is walsy multi-dimensional and will never be understood in Marlows view of the world. Conrad places the African temptress in the middle of his issues with colonialism, by making her speechless. I ascribe a basic importance to the phenomenon of languageone of the elements in the man of colors comprehension of the dimension of the other. For it is implicit that to speak is to exist absolutely for the otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (He argues) further that Existence is language, and language is always a matter of politics (Fanon, 17-18). Therefore, in order to exsits you must have language and the subordinate of the colonialists must learn their conquorers language in order to be viewed as human. Therefore when Conrad makes the African temptress mute he is making her unable to speak with her master and therefore less than human, except through her sexual power over Kurtz. Eric Cheyfitz points out that; The conception of the orator as emperor, conquering men with the weapon of eloquence, is a classical and Renaissance commonplace, and argues that this imperial common place finds its place in the story of the orator as the first settler, that is as the first civilizer and colonizer of humans (112-113). Marlow learns about the various accomplishments of Kurts and his eloquence through stories he hears, however by the end of the story his articulacy is gone and all he can utter is the horror, the horror. A colonized person confronts the language of their civilizing nation; that is with the culture of the mother country, the colonized is elevated above the jungle status in proportion to his adoption of the mother countrys cultural standards. He becomes whiter as he renounces his blackness, the jungle (Fanon, 18). As you can see with Kurtz the opposite is true, he accepts the blackness of the jungle, and he doesnt loose his western way of behaving. According to Marlow, All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz (Conrad, 65). Fannons belief that the colonized will assume the language and philosophy of their colonizer, the native seductress remains her darkness, whereas Kurtz loses his whiteness. Conrads representation of the savage temptress insinuates that you must look at her with all three perspectives, instead of just looking at her with one or two opposing perspectives. Therefore Conrad echoing the feminist ideals of vagueness, obscurity, and various perceptions characteristic of most female narratives, thus Marlows arrival back to England is reiterating Gilligans psychosomatic interpretations regarding female moral growth. There is very little written about Marlows motivation for being dishonest with Kutzs Intended. What I did find didnt even look at the idea of female awareness that has been evident in the anaylsis so far in this research. For example, Marlow never shrinks from judgement, but he judges without abstract ideals, without general principles, indeed without consistency. He derides moral absolutes and willingly suspends universals in favor of concrete discriminations (Levenson, 56). We know from his characterlization in the text that he hates lieing and believes that Kurtz is due honesty; however when he meets with the Intended he is not fully honest, and doesnt even speak about justice. Instead he acts like a saint who would rather, not hurt her feelings, than tell the truth. Marlow explains his motivation for lying to Kurtzs Intended, he doesnt try to bring up their progress, or show pity on her. He merely believes that the truth would have been too dark-too dark altogether (Conrad). In this text the darkness becomes a moral sensation (Levenson, 56-57), which promotes the idea of several different perceptions in Conrads moral replies to racism, feminism, imperialism, and colonialist exploitation. Nevertheless, the ridicule of moral fundamentals in Marlows choice to lie, as pointed out by Levenson, is a female focused approach that Gilligan creates the framework for and Levenson doesnt seem to contemplate. The moral development and judgemnet of women, according to Levenson, is linked to Marlows reaction to Imperalisim and also to Kurtz. This makes it seem like he was being compassionate and not sexist when he lied to Kurtzs Intended. Therefore due to Marlows experiences in Africa his moral awareness has taken on a feminine characteristic. In her text In A Different Voice Gilligan hypothesizes that womens ethical rationalizing is not founded on the ideas of right and wrong, however unlike men, it is based on the situation and the observations of anguish and compassion. The reluctance to judge may itself be indicative care and concern for others that infuse the psychology of womens development and are responsible for what is generally seen as problematic in its nature (Gilligan, 172). Women will usually choose the option that will not hurt anyone, or hurt the least number of people. Why should we believe that the moral sequence through which boys pass constitutes moral development tout court? (Gilligan, 174). Perchance, females are more concerned with kinship and accountability; furthermore not moral in the formal tone of the word, but more reasonable morality. Whereas Men have a more definite idea of right and wro ng, neutral justice (so they would have us believe). If Marlow was judged by Gilligans philosophy for his conclusion to lie to the Intended, then he would be believed to have lied to her to safeguard her from unnecessary pain that telling her the truth would have caused her. In this critical reading of Heart of Darkness Conrads text has been viewed as having a feminine writing style. It has also been revealed that Conrad was viewed as an outsider, exiled by his own Polish people and an immagrant to his home of England, and this created his compassion for the subjugated people of the colonlized Congo. This does not mean that Conrad isnt racist and isnt imperialistic. The reading advocated that the lot of women are unable to making moral choices based on a more definite idea of right and wrong. Marlow uses various sexual metaphors, such as penetration, and other diction used in the text; exhibit a male biased view of women and their roles in society.

Life of a Slave in the Caribbean Essay -- Slavery Caribbean History Cu

Life of a Slave in the Caribbean The experience of Caribbean slavery is vital in understanding the contemporary social structure of the region. It was the introduction of an estimated four million Africans to the Caribbean which made these islands melting pots of culture and society. Since Africans had such a tremendous impact on the region, it is important that we recognize the nature of slavery and how it transformed their lives. Although most agree that the institution was dehumanizing, the social relations of slavery help to explain the development of the Caribbean’s identity. In order to understand slavery it is imperative to recognize that it’s introduction to the Caribbean was driven by colonizers need for economic expansion and development. The growth of the sugar industry throughout the region during the seventeenth century was intimately connected with the enslavement of Africans. The slaves were the means for extracting agricultural resources which could then be sold at a profit in Europe. The leaders in colonization during this period were the French, Dutch, English, and Spanish and initially slaves were simply an input for their final product. Thus slaves were not seen as human but part of a larger machine that was being profited by colonizers. As slavery developed an complex social hierarchy emerged on plantations. At the bottom of the social order, but at the backbone of the plantation economy, were the field slaves. The field slaves were divided into "gangs" depending on the strength of their bodies. For example, "the first gang on any estate comprised the most able-bodied males and females, with subsequent gangs organized according to a descending order of physical strength and ability" (Knight 130). The ... ...show their resistance for slavery. Again, when involved in maroon communities they had tactics for defending their runaway slaves. Although this occurred throughout the exploitation colonies the maroon communities were vital for the success of the Haitian revolution. Ultimately there is no single way of defining the slave experience in the Caribbean. It was a complex institution which developed in a variety of ways on the different colonies. It was the diversity in plantation system which can be attributed to the variance in the development of what the racial and cultural mosaic of the Caribbean today. Works Cited Beckles, Dr. Hillary, Verene Shepherd. Caribbean Slave Society and Economy. The New Press, New York. New York, N.Y. 1991. Knight, Franklin W. The Caribbean, The Genesis Of a Fragmented Nationalism. Oxford University Press, New York, N.Y. 1990.

Book review †cold blood Essay

Book review of Cold Blood by the author James Fleming The surname (he is Ian’s nephew) and terse title might lead one to expect something purely commercial and hard-boiled of James Fleming’s Cold Blood. But this sequel to White Blood, though in the thriller genre, is both more idiosyncratic and awkward than that. The tone is set on page one with the hero-narrator’s introductory self-description: â€Å"I, Charlie Doig†¦ six foot two, strong across the shoulders and through the loins. † Set during the Russian revolution and its bloody aftermath, this is as much tongue-in-cheek historical romp as page-turning cliffhanger. The novel’s opening finds Doig, an entomologist with a taste for derring-do, in western Burma, where he is glorying in his discovery of a new species of jewel beetle. We are briefly whisked back to his ancestral home in Russia – his ancestry is exotically cosmopolitan – for a whirlwind reprise of some of the principal elements of White Blood, notably the rape and torture (so hideous that Doig feels compelled to put her out of her misery with a bullet through the brain) of his beloved wife, Elizaveta, by the evil Bolshevik Prokhor Glebov. Cold Blood tells the story of Doig’s single-minded pursuit of Glebov across civil-warravaged Russia. First stop is St Petersburg, where, with his Mongolian sidekick, Kobi, he witnesses the Bolshevik seizure of power and discovers that Glebov has become one of the revolution’s leaders, up there with Lenin and Trotsky. With the struggle of Red v White spreading across the land, Doig is forced to step up a gear in his pursuit of vengeance, assembling a ragbag troop of henchmen and women and commandeering an armoured train. Thus equipped, Doig will take on not only Glebov, but the whole of the Red Army. If Doig is single-minded, his creator certainly isn’t, for he throws any number of other odds and sods into the narrative stew. There’s a cache of stolen tsarist gold that everyone wants to get their hands on. There’s a mysterious American who proves to be up to no good. There’s an erotic interest called Xenia who also proves to be up to no good. There are any number of colourful bit parts that flit into the narrative, command attention for a couple of pages and then flit out again. If writers can be divided into minimalists and maximalists, then Fleming is out there on the militant wing of the maximalists. Thrillers need variation of pace: moments when the grip is relaxed, the better to sock the reader with the unexpected. Fleming’s relentless energy and garrulous black humour – as Doig and his band of eccentric ne’er-do-wells career across the steppes to an explosive denouement – produce flashes of brilliance, but at the expense of tension. Cold Blood has an original and talented voice behind it, but in the end perhaps goes to show that the comedy thriller is one of the trickiest of literary hybrids to pull off. Cold Blood by the author James Fleming.

Russian Folklore Baba Yaga as a Symbol of Mother Nature

Russian folklore plays an important role in contemporary Russian culture. Children learn folktales from a very early age and are taught folk sayings and proverbs, songs, and myths. While the most well-known manifestations of Russian folklore are folktales, there are many others, including Russian myths (bylina), the short funny songs called the chastushka, and various riddles, fantastical stories (nebylitsa), sayings, lullabies, and many more. Key Takeaways: Russian Folklore Russian folklore comes from the Slavic pagan tradition.Main themes of Russian folklore include the journey of the hero, the triumph of kindness and humble attitude over the clergys arrogance, and the dual nature of Baba Yaga, who initially symbolized Mother Nature but was depicted by Christians as a scary creature.Main characters of Russian folktales are Baba Yaga, Ivan The Fool or Ivan The Tsarevich, the Bogatyrs, and the Hero, as well as various animals. Origins of Russian Folklore Russian folklore has its roots in the Slavic pagan traditions. Long before Russia adopted Christianity in the 10th century, folk tales, songs and rituals existed as an established art form. Once Christianity became the official religion in Russia, the clergy did all it could to suppress folklore, worried that it was too pagan at its core. As the members of the clergy were often the only people who knew how to read and write, there was no official collection of folklore until the 19th century. Until then, only haphazard collections were made in the 17th and 18th centuries by foreign enthusiasts interested in Russian culture. In the 19th century, an explosion of interest in folklore resulted in several collections. However, the oral lore underwent significant editorial changes as it was being written down, and often reflects ideas that were prevalent in the 19th century. Themes and Characters of Russian Folklore The Hero The most common theme of Russian folktales is that of a hero who most often came from the peasant social class. This reflects the fact that folklore originated among the peasants and described themes and characters that were important to the common people. The hero was usually humble and clever and was rewarded for his kindness, while his opponents, usually of higher social standing, were often portrayed as greedy, stupid, and cruel. However, whenever the Tsar appeared in a tale, he was most of the time presented as a fair and just father figure who recognized the true value of the hero and rewarded him accordingly. This is an important point in Russian folklore, as it has remained a big part of the Russian psyche in modern times. Failings of various officials are often blamed on their greed and stupidity, while the current ruler is considered to be unaware of what is going on. Open book illustration russian fairy tale. iStock / Getty Images Plus Ivan the Fool Ivan is most of the time the third son of a peasant. He is considered to be lazy and foolish and spends all his time lying on the great house stove (a unique feature of Russian peasants houses, the stove was traditionally in the center of the log hut and retained heat for hours) until something forces him to go on a journey and fulfill the role of the hero. Although others think of Ivan as unintelligent, he is also very kind, humble, and lucky. As he goes through the forest, he usually meets characters whom he helps, unlike his two older brothers who have been on the same journey and failed. As a reward, the characters that he helps end up helping him, as they turn out to be powerful creatures such as Baba Yaga, Koschei the Immortal or the Vodyanoy. Ivan can also appear as Tsarevich Ivan, also the third son, who is often lost as a baby and doesnt know about his royal blood, as he is brought up as a peasant. Alternatively, Ivan Tsarevich is sometimes seen as the third son of the tsar, treated badly by his elder brothers. Whatever Ivans background, it always involves the role of the underdog who proves everyone wrong with his wit, enterprising qualities, and kindness. Baba Yaga Baba Yaga is the most popular and complex character in Russian folktales and traces its origins to the ancient Slavic goddess who was the link between life and death, or our world and the underworld. There are many versions of the origins of her name, including one that links Yaga to the verb yagatj meaning to be cross, to tell someone off, and others that connect the name Yaga to several languages with meanings such as snake-like, ancestral, and forest-dweller. Whatever the origin of the name, it has come to be associated with a crone-like character who sometimes catches and sacrifices children and is unpredictable in her behavior. However, this association is far from the original meaning bestowed on Baba Yaga, which was of nature, motherhood, and the underworld. In fact, Baba Yaga was the most beloved character in Russian folklore and represented the matriarchal society where it originated. Her unpredictable nature was a reflection of the peoples relationship with the Earth when the weather could affect crops and harvest. Her blood-thirstiness comes from the sacrificial rituals of the ancient Slavs, and the nastiness attributed to Baba Yaga is due to the way the clergy liked to portray her in order to suppress pagan Slavic values that remained popular with the common people despite Christianity being an official religion. You will come across Baba Yaga in most Russian folktales. She lives in a forest—a symbol of the crossing from life to death in Slavic lore—in a hut that rests on two chicken legs. Yaga likes to catch travelers and make them do the kitchen work, but she also welcomes travelers with food and drink, and if they answer her riddles correctly or display humble behavior, Yaga can become their biggest helper. The Bogatyrs Bogatyrs (1898) by Viktor Vasnetsov. Bogatyrs (left to right): Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich. Oil on canvas. Viktor Vasnetsov  / Public Domain The Bogatyrs are similar to the Western knights and are the main characters in Russian byliny (Ð ±Ã'‹Ð »Ã ¸Ã ½Ã'‹)—myth-like stories of battles and challenges. Stories about the bogatyrs can be divided into two periods: pre- and post-Christianity. Pre-Christianity bogatyrs were mythological knight-like strongmen such as Svyatogor—a giant whose weight is so great that even his mother, the Earth, cannot bear it. Mikula Selyaninovich is a super-strong peasant who cannot be beaten, and Volga Svyatoslavich is a bogatyr who can take any form and understand animals. Post-Christianity bogatyrs include Ilya Muromets, who spent the first 33 years of his life paralyzed, Alyosha Popovich, and Dobrynya Nikitich. Popular Russian Folktales Tsarevich Ivan and the Grey Wolf This is a magical folktale—one of the most popular folktale types—and tells the story of the youngest son of a tsar. When the Firebird begins to steal golden apples from the Tsars garden, the Tsars three sons set off to catch it. Ivan befriends a talking wolf who helps him find the Firebird and free Elena the Beautiful in the process. The Hen Ryaba Perhaps the most well-known Russian folk tale, it is read to Russian children as a bedtime story from a very early age. In the story, an old man and an old woman have a hen called Ryaba, who one day produces a golden egg. The man and the woman try to break it but it doesnt break. Exhausted, they put the egg on the table and sit outside for a rest. A mouse runs past the egg and with its tale manages to drop it on the floor, where the egg breaks. Tears follow, with various inhabitants of the village crying, including the trees, cats, and dogs. The tale is considered to be a folk representation of the Christian version of world creation: the old couple represents Adam and Eve, the mouse—the Underworld, and the golden egg—the Garden of Eden. Tsarevna the Frog Illustration to the fairy-tale The Frog Princess. 1930. Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin / Public Domain This famous folktale tells the story of Tsarevich Ivan, whose father the Tsar orders him to marry a frog. What Ivan doesnt realize is that the frog is actually Vasilisa the Wise, the beautiful daughter of Koschei the Immortal. Her father, jealous of her intelligence, turned her into a frog for three years. Ivan finds this out when his wife temporarily turns into her real image, and he secretly burns her frog skin, hoping that she will forever remain her human self. This forces Vasilisa to return to her fathers home. Ivan sets off to find her, making animal friends on his way. Baba Yaga tells him that in order to kill Koschei and save his wife, he needs to find the needle that represents Koscheis death. The needle is inside an egg, which is inside a rabbit, which is in a box on top of a giant oak tree. Ivans new friends help him get the needle, and he saves Vasilisa. The Geese-Swans This is a tale about a boy who gets taken by the geese. His sister goes to look for him and saves him, with the help of various objects such as a stove, an apple tree, and a river.