The Wasp Factory Essay Example for Free

The Wasp Factory Essay After the bleakly comical last line of the first chapter, we are introduced to the routines of Frank, and the meticulous detail that he attaches to them.  In the opening passage, we are reminded of the fact that he lives on an isolated island, which can be considered as a key gothic theme, that of a removed or mysterious setting for the plot to unravel. A gothic story always seems to employ a setting that has particular obscurity or mystery, one that is removed from society. The ruins of gothic buildings gave rise to multiple linked emotions by representing the inevitable decay and collapse of human creations. Protestants often associated medieval buildings with what they saw as a dark and terrifying period, characterised by harsh laws enforced by torture, and with mysterious, fantastic and superstitious rituals. On page 22, Frank describes his actions of killing a jellyfish while running along the beach. His actions are described in painstaking detail, to the extent that the entire passage could probably be shortened down to a few sentences. This helps to reinforce the impression that Frank is fundamentally an unhinged persona, describing his actions in an almost autistic manner. Secondly in this instance, we are presented with the uncanny, a term coined by Freud as the class of frightening things that leads us back to what is known and familiar. We recognise the features of Franks life which are in accordance with that of a modern society. The quotidian things that he talks about we can (generally) relate to. However it is the contrast between these everyday terms and things like the sacrifice poles that creates the typical gothic tool of the uncanny. On the one hand we can relate to some of Franks views, but on the other we are shocked by the gruesome and graphic nature of his actions. On pages 23-24, Frank describes the wars that he enjoying carrying out. Ostensibly, these are simple childlike war games, something we are all familiar with, but Frank takes it a step further, employing real explosives, something that is not so normal. His obsession with his routine which must be carried out exactly the same every time also makes use of another gothic feature, that of a ritualistic aspect. This coincides particularly with the mood and themes of the Victorian gothic novel, with their morbid obsession with mourning rituals, mementos, and mortality in general.There is something sinister about the fact that Frank feels the need to return to the sacrifice poles in order to smear blood on them and consequently mark his territory. By doing so, he is further cutting himself off from the rest of the world by stating that they are not allowed onto his land, and what will happen if they do. Another typical feature of Gothic Fiction that of graphic violence or suffering. The description of the violence coincides with Franks detailed approach to life in general. Acts of violence are described in a clinical manner. It is from this that the true horror emerges. Violence is portrayed as cold and menacing, so that the killer is very methodical in his or her ways. Certainly Frank embraces the need to document his every move when he kills a large rabbit, even going as far as to say that he slit the buck in the anus. The Wasp Factory is very much a Gothic novel. Apart from all the elements included above, it also hold true to that other staple of Gothic Fiction, the idea that the Gothic Novel transcends time. Whether set in the Victorian Era, the 18th Century or the modern day, the themes stay the same. The idea is that while times may change, the fundamental elements of the Gothic are eternal and universal.

Authors Playing With Our Emotions Essays -- The Fear, Speaking Bittern

Authors Playing With Our Emotions in Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Fear†, Chuck Palahniuk’s â€Å"Speaking Bitterness†, Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†, and Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† Some authors are very clever in the way they toy with our emotions. It is not uncommon to find yourself giggling at a story while simultaneously realizing you probably should not be laughing at something that is actually quite gruesome. These mixed emotions are stressful for a reader, and this anxiety is an author’s way of creating paranoia. Paranoia is a fear caused mainly by extreme anxiety, and in many cases the anxiety is a result of dissonant emotions that create tension. Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Fear†, Chuck Palahniuk’s â€Å"Speaking Bitterness†, Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†, and Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† all utilize dissonant emotions to cause stress for the reader. Frost and Palahniuk focus on the conflict between fear and a lack of reason for fear. Jackson and O’Connor focus on the dissonance between humor and gore, and also the conflict between a need to feel sympathy for a character and a lack of connection to said character. But there are also the fearless, bold, and strong-minded people. There are people who may not be affected by the tricky ways of these authors. However, they are the exceptions, and just because they do not feel it does not mean they are not supposed to. Despite these exceptional people, authors design their stories specifically to include the tension from dissonant emotions in order to elicit paranoia-related anxiety. It is natural to want to identify the source of an emotion, so when authors create an overwhelming sense of fear without explanation, the reader experie... ... author wants them to be guided. The paranoia aspect is a theme that the authors are trying to utilize as a means to a certain end of their choosing, and that is why they induce such anxiety in their readers. A sense of paranoia is elicited by the tension created by conflicting emotions. Works Cited Frost, Robert. â€Å"The Fear†. Robert Frost’s Poems. New York: St. Martin’s, 2002. 107-111. Print. Jackson, Shirley. â€Å"The Lottery†. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Ed. Ann Charters. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 586-592. Print. O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Ed. Ann Charters. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 1042-1053. Print. Palahniuk, Chuck. â€Å"Speaking Bitterness†. Haunted. Chuck Palahniuk. New York: Doubleday, 2005. 258-268. Print.

High School Reunions Essay

An observation of a high school re-union was followed by an interview with two of the people attending for this ethnography. The two attendees used for the interview were one male and one female. After identifying some of the possible rationales regarding the culture of the reunion in the observation, the interview was conducted on the basis of the rationales. This was then analysed and compared to some of the findings from cultural research and theory before a conclusion of sorts was made. Observation The group environment and context for the observation was that of the Aliso Niguel High School Class Reunion, Class of 1999. The High School is located in Aliso Niguel CA. The reunion being observed took place in Irvine, CA. There were approximately 300 people present. The general patterns of behaviours amongst the people consisted of lots of mingling and idle chat. Some of the people were notably more reserved than others. It seemed as though the single people were working harder to start conversation and were far more approachable. In contrast, couples didn’t seem to portray the same type of inviting body language when on their own, but became more confident when with a spouse or friend. Approximately, 80% of the attendees held drinks in their hand as a norm and there were also presents and cards being exchanged from the outset. From overhearing the participant’s conversation it seemed as though many of them still lived in the Southern California area and this became a main source of conversation throughout. The interaction was generally based upon excitement, smiling and heightened voices at notably louder than normal volume. With regards to dress codes, there didn’t seem to be much evidence of diversity. This was particularly notable in the case of the females. The majority of them had light hair past their shoulders and the clothing style that was adopted by the attendees was strikingly similar. There were very few obese or overweight people that attended. These people perhaps did not attend as failed invites were not taken. There were clear indications of sub-groups at the gathering, although they seemed to carry conversation with the rest of the attendees in accordance with the larger group. Amongst the males there were indications of many stereotypes such as â€Å"meat head† or â€Å"gym jocks†, as I overheard one female state. Although as many of these people are now approx. 27-30 years old, it was harder to categorize them in such terms. There did seem to be a stronger merge between coupled groups and singled groups rather than any cross over. There appeared to be a symbol of people trying to meet a certain criteria throughout. For instance, there was a group of approximately 15 females. I overheard that all of them got married within the last 2 years and many of them either attended and/or where present at each other’s wedding. This could be indicative of a desire to follow patterns and trends in behaviour as though as everyone else is getting married then so must they, so that they aren’t left behind. Contrastingly, the males seemed to compare status in relation to possessions, such as career, cars, and houses paying particular attention to the location of the houses. There appeared to be a great deal of stereotypical role playing. This was perhaps due to the situation and the fact that earlier identities were known by other attendees. Expectation of success may have accentuated the desire for the attendees to exaggerate their status so as to appear successful. I felt that many of the attendees really liked re-living the past. They may have either really enjoyed their high school years, or were very curious as to what their classmates were doing now. However, this could also be a test of identity or serve as a self measuring experience on the basis of their peer’s behaviours and successes. Interviews The questions that I asked were qualitative, semi structured and thematic in nature focusing mainly upon stereotypes and reasoning. This was to see if the thoughts of the interviewees compared with what seemed apparent about the culture of the re-union gathered from the observation. That is to say, was this something of a self regulation exercise for the attendees or was it an exercise in cultural normality? On being asked for their reasoning in relation to the re-union, the male interviewee stated that: ‘No one takes it seriously. Certainly not me. ’ The second female interviewee stated in relation to the same question that: ‘You kinda get to know everyone personally again‘. These responses suggested two different rationales. In the case of the male, it appeared as though the reunion was something of a casual affair that could turn out to be fun as long as it wasn’t taken seriously or that anything was invested in the occasion. Whereas the female’s response indicated that there was a personal form of intimate gratification involved in seeing other people again. The latter response would suggest that there is some form of self regulation going on in relation to peers (Devine, 1989). Whether this was merely for the purposes of satisfying interest or to measure oneself against the progress of other peers was less clear (Tajfel, 1982). On being given and questioned about some of the stereotypes of others observed at the re-union, the male interviewee stated that: ‘The stereotypes you have mentioned are generally applied to people you haven’t interacted with. They’re based upon ignorance. They go away once you get talking’ This indicates a difference between known and unknown people, which is common in western individualistic society (Hofstede, 2001). It appeared that the male attendee was not willing to accept or perhaps did not realise the significance of stereotypical role playing and instead took everyone at face value once a conversation took place with another. This rejection of stereotypes was also found in the response of the female attendee who stated that: ‘I don‘t really know, I always talk to people at parties and they always seem friendly, bar one or two. Is that a stereotype? †¦ha ha! ’ This raised some interesting points. For instance, although the attendee may well have pre-conceived notions about certain stereotypes, the individuals may have felt that they were the only people that perceived them in that way (Devine, 1989). Due to the experience of the situation that reinforced certain social norms, this stereotype may diminish or grow regardless of the former social group. This was put forward by Gudykunst, who suggested that, â€Å"Some of our stereotypes are unique and based on our individual experiences, but some are shared with other members of our in-groups. The stereotypes we share with others are our social stereotypes. We may know what the social stereotype of a group is, but still hold a different view of the group. † (Gudykunst, 1997, p127) On asking about what they felt they had gained from the experience of the re-union and what others may have also gained, the male attendee stated that: ‘I found out all the different directions that people have taken. It’s not just about getting married, buying a house and having kids. Most people have branched right out since then’ The second female attendee stated in relation to the same question that: ‘I feel good that everyone seems to be doing so well. Everyone’s the same, but do their thing differently, if you know what I mean’ The notion of difference was clear in the responses of the interviewees. It would appear that although the roles and social norms were fairly similar and the content of the conversations were uniformly based upon success, the overview was based upon everyone’s success and happiness maintained through a degree of different life styles. This was again perhaps unsurprising given the individuality that is so common to western cultures (Hofstede, 2001). The emphasis on success and progression was also unsurprising for similar reasons. However, the amount of actual difference that was displayed at the re-union in terms of dress code and normative behaviour could be seen in contradiction of this difference (Tajfel, 1982). It would appear that such difference was only referred to in conversation rather than in actual behaviour. It would appear that sub-cultures were compromised at the re-union and stereotypes were overlooked as long as the attendees followed the correct social norms whilst at the re-union. Bibliography Devine, P, G. , (1989) Stereotypes and Prejudice: Their Automatic and Controlled Components. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 5-18. Gudykunst, W. , & Bond, M, H. , (1997) Inter-group Relations Across Cultures. In J. W. Berry, M. H. Segall, & C. Kagitcibasi (Eds. ) Handbook of cross-cultural Psychology: Social Behaviour and Applications, 3, 119-161. Hofstede, G. (2001) Culture’s Consequences, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Tajfel, H. , (Ed. ) (1982) Social Identity and Inter-group Relations London: Cambridge University Press.

Economic freedom Essay

Does economic freedom help explain why the standard of living improves in some countries and declines in others? First of all we have to understand, what economic freedom is? Economic freedom according to William W. Beach and Tim Kane, PhD. â€Å" Economic freedom is that part of freedom that is concerned with the material autonomy of the individual in relation to the state and other organized groups. An individual is economically free who can fully control his or her labor and property.† (Taken from 2007 Index of economic freedom chapter no.3 by William W. Beach and Tim Kane, PhD). Or in simple words we can also say that everybody in his or her own country is said to be economically free, if their respective government protects their rights in every possible way and without any constraint. i.e. if an individual wants to learn anything, to do any kind of business or wants a job, then, he or she has a right to do that, while it is the responsibility of the government to make it convenient and possible for them. The first study of economic freedom was published in the year 1995, and it was improved over the years. There are about ten different types of economic freedoms, which are known as index of economic freedoms. The main purpose of defining these freedoms is to rank the countries in order to pave the way for foreign investment. Following is the list of ten economic freedoms: (taken from 2007 Index of economic freedom from chapter no.3 by William W Beach and Tim Kane, PhD). 1) Business freedom: To check the status of starting, operating and closing any business in how much time. 2) Trade freedom: To check the barriers and constraints in tariffs, import and export in the country. 3) Monetary freedom: To check the measure of price stability and how governments are controlling the prices, inflation etc. 4) Freedom from government: To check either state is providing public goods with minimum expenditure or not. 5) Fiscal freedom: To check the burden on the government with respect to revenue side. 6) Property rights: To check whether the public have keeping the private property rights, defined and secured by the laws, and are clearly defined by the government. 7) Investment freedom: To check whether the government deserves to have the foreign investment or not. 8) Financial freedom: To check the operation of financial institutions i.e. banking systems; are they out of government control or not. 9) Freedom from corruption: To check the status of corruption in the society, i.e. in the business system, judiciary, and administrative system in the country. 10) Labor freedom: To check the status of growth of labor and business either they are working without government interruption or not. (Taken from 2007 index of economic freedom from chapter no.3 by William W Beach and Tim Kane, PhD). Each one of the ten freedoms is measured on a 0-100 percent scale, 100 as the maximum freedom while 0 is the least or minimum freedom. The study of economic freedom was conducted on about 157 countries of the world. To show how it works, I choose two countries that are North Korea and South Korea. North Korea has a communist form of government and is ranked at no.157 in the index of 157 countries, its economy is 3% free. It has exports of $1.3 billion, it exports: minerals, metallurgical products, manufacturing (including armaments), textiles, fishery products etc. and imports of   $2.3 billion, it imports: petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textile grains etc. In communist form of government every asset in the country belongs to the state, therefore there is no business freedom i.e. 0 % (in 0-100 % scale) in N. Korea. Also government controls all the imports and exports so trade freedom i.e. 0 % is also nil. No data on income or corporate taxes is available so fiscal freedom i.e. 0 % is also zeroed. Also government owns all the property including businesses therefore freedom from government i.e. 0% is also nil. No publicly record of inflation data therefore monetary freedom i.e. 0% is also zero. Also no private financial sector, therefore financial freedom i.e. 0% is also nil. Wages and incentives are also controlled by government therefore labor freedom i.e. 0% is also nil, also corruption is heavily present in the country so corruption freedom i.e. 10% is also negligible, but there is some investment freedom i.e. 10%, after the opening of foreign investment zone in the far remote area of rajin sonberg where basic facilities are also not provided till date. The government does not cover property rights i.e. 10%, so they are also negligible.   (Taken from 2007 index of economic freedom from chapter no.5). While South Korea has democratic form of government and it is ranked at no.36 out of 157 in the index of economic freedom, and its economy is 68.6% free. S. Korea has export of $299.2 billion, it exports: semi conductors, wireless telecommunication, equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships and petrochemicals etc. It has imports of $269.8 billion, it imports: machinery, electronics, electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport, organic chemicals and plastics etc. As South Korea has democratic form of government, in that form, the government tries every possible effort to please its citizens, therefore starting, operating and closing the business in that country is relatively easy, there is a lot of business freedom i.e. 83.1% present in the country. S. Korea as compared to N. Korea has good trade freedom i.e. 64.2% present but there are some restrictions in its some activities like import, non-transparent regulations and standards etc. S. Korea has high income tax rate of about 38.5% and relatively low corporate tax of about 27.5%, so we can say that it has a good fiscal freedom i.e. 0-100 bracket it has about 81% free. After the foreign investment promotion act of Nov 1998 the government opens the doors to foreign investment in almost every sector except media, electric power and some agricultural sectors, and also residents and non residents can now holds foreign exchange accounts, so there is a lot of investment freedom i.e. about 70% free. The private property right i.e. 70% is secure by the government; corruption i.e. 50% is present at some extent in the country. The labor i.e. 57.7% market is working under restrictive employment regulations due to which employment and production growth rate is very low. Government interference in private sector is negligible, so freedom from government is 81.5%. The government regulates the prices in some sectors like agriculture, telecommunication and other utilities, which monetary freedom 79%, the government in retained some ownerships, second largest domestic bank is under them, which makes the financial freedom about 50% free. (Taken from 2007 index of economic freedom from chapter no.5).   In short economic freedom in South Korea is much superficial than North Korea, and it is mainly due to democratic and communism forms of governments, democratic people are enjoying the fruits of freedom while others do not.

role of witches in macbeth essays

role of witches in macbeth essays Origins, Interpretation, and Roles of the Weird Sisters in Macbeth Often the role of the Weird Sisters in Shakespeare's Macbeth is overlooked by Shakespearean scholars. Macbeth is obviously a violent play about the downfall of man. However, its connections to the world of the supernatural are often disregarded. It is the only Shakespearean drama, in which witchcraft, black magic, and the supernatural do not merely play an important part, but provide the vital pivot on which the entire play depends. Furthermore, the complicity of the Weird Sisters is intriguing as many diverse interpretations exist concerning the origins and the role of these essential characters in Macbeth. The belief in the existence and power of witches was widely accepted in Shakespeare's day, as demonstrated by the European witch craze during which an estimated nine million women were put to death for being perceived to be witches (Ellwood NP). The credence in such an illogical belief was due to society's inability to explain tragedies (i.e. illness, death, natural disasters) because of a lack of technology and knowledge that existed. It was much easier and comforting for people to blame something on a person who seemed a little out of the ordinary than to try to understand a deep scientific explanation. The practice of witchcraft was seen to subvert the established order of religion and society and hence was not tolerated. Witch hunting was considered to be a respectable, moral, and highly intellectual pursuit through much of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries (Riedel NP). The conception of witchcraft can be divided into two discourses - "elite" and "popular" traditions. The elite tradition (also known as a "scholarly-clerical" tradition) was based upon both Church teachings and the speculations of scholarly men and was dispersed in written form. Witches were seen as a threat to the authority of both King and God. Elitists either expla...

Philosophical Martial Arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophical Martial Arts - Essay Example Vertonghen and Theeboom (2010) emphasize that what many people hold concerning martial arts is misleading. The report summarizes the points against such beliefs as originating from the media prejudices. The media houses are responsible for having distorted the value and image of martial arts among the people (Vertonghen & Theeboom, 2010). As a result, there are generalized perceptions that those involved in the practice end up acquiring anti-social characters. Despite the negativity, which martial arts receive, there are those who have dual opinions. Some view the art as providing those involved in it a chance to learn, especially the youth. Vertonghen and Theeboom (2010) argue that the art is one of the topics for European Secondary schools because it gives the learners an opportunity to acquire new things. Some other parties do not understand their involvement in the sport. Vertonghen and Theeboom (2010) use analysis of research findings to demonstrate the perceptions of the people concerning the practice. A great part of the study focused on the physiological relationships of martial arts and its participants. The studies indicate that the practice was more prevalent among vulnerable youths. Many of these youths engaged in the practice because they expected to change some social traits for personal development. Participants developed positive qualities such as an increased level of physiological well-being and a decrease in the levels of violence. The article suggests that the negative opinions held by some people do not have proof (Vertonghen & Theeboom, 2010). I had never imagined that martial arts have an effect of improving the character of participants. Based on my viewpoint, the only benefits of the practice according are physical fitness and as a sport. I did not imagine that the practice could have physiological importance such as reducing aggressiveness. I discovered that there are some countries around the globe, which have

Unit 4-Money & Finance (ASUSTek) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 4-Money & Finance (ASUSTek) - Research Paper Example In 2013, the companys profit index was 59, 570.1 (ASUSTek Computer Inc, 2015). Consequently, the profit margin in 2014 was 65, 383.8 was a significant increase from the year 2013. The sales in 2013 were impressive as most of the products in various markets were sold off. The company sold about 50% of its stock in 2013. In 2014, the companys stock positive rallied with the market registering 63% of the sales (ASUSTek Computer Inc, 2015). The companys profit index has been on the incline over the last two years. In 2013, the company had a profit margin of about 59, 570.1. ASUSTek was productive in the subsequent year gaining by almost 3% to register a profit margin of 65, 383.8 (ASUSTek Computer Inc, 2015). The companys productivity can be linked to better strategic orientation and planning. ASUSTek Computer Inc uses its resource to create revenues based on a combination of factors. Most of the companys resources go into the development of strategies aimed at enhancing the organizations productivity. The company conducts frequent market surveys to determine key sectors of the market that require certain products (Global Sources, 2010). Consequently, the company employs its resources to promote its products through advertisements and branding. Moreover, most of the resources are used in the technological processes. Such tendencies aid the company to gain leverage over other entities in the market. One of the most important lessons learned about the company is that it has continued to grow over the past few years after the recession period. Over the past four years, the companys profit index has significantly increased effectively making it one of the global market leaders. The companys growth can be linked to the unique strategic instruments employed by the company. The areas of promotion, pricing and distribution mix are key to the companys productivity in the market. The company has registered significant