Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano - Essay Example It was one of the earliest first-hand accounts of slavery, documenting the experiences of an immigrant to England and the tortures he suffers as a slave to white men. The identity that Equiano adopts in his work is that of a native of Essaka, a village near the river Niger that is located in modern day Nigeria. In the village, his father occupies a respectable position as an elder in the village. But Equiano is sold off to slave traders at the tender young age of ten and a half years. This is the first indictment against slavery, because in narrating his experiences in being exchanged among various owners, Equiano is also able to highlight the bitter travesty that had denied him his heritage as the son of a respectable village elder, stripping him of the respect that could potentially have been his, in exchange for an oppressive existence. Throughout his book, Equiano narrates several incidents to demonstrate how demeaning and oppressive the practice of slavery was. One of these was his arrival in Virginia where he was purchased by a Navy lieutenant named Pascal. One of the first things Pascal did upon buying Equiano was to change his name to Gustavus Vassa. Equiano resisted this name change and boldly demanded another name that he liked. But his master forced him to accept the name he had chosen by beating and shackling him until he agreed to do so. The name Gustavus Vassa was an uncommon choice and was not a name that Equiano particularly liked. Simon has offered the view that one of the reasons propelling Pascal to the choice of such a Latinized name could have been that the lieutenant had served on a ship with that name and therefore experienced a sentimental attachment to it (Schama, 161-162).

Cady and Brutus Essay Example for Free

Cady and Brutus Essay Brutus and Cady emerge as the most complex characters in Julius Caesar and Mean Girls respectively. They are each stories tragic heroes. In each of their soliloquies, the audience gains insight into the complexities of their motives. Brutus is a powerful public figure, but he appears also as a husband, a master to his servants, a dignified military leader, and a loving friend. Cady starts off as virtually nothing, but eventually becomes a direct parallel in terms of Brutus’s power. The conflicting value systems that battle with each other in the play as a whole are enacted on incredibly small level in Brutus’s mind. Even after Brutus has committed the assassination with the other members of the conspiracy, questions remain as to whether, in light of his friendship with Caesar, the murder was a noble, decidedly selfless act or proof of a truly evil callousness, a gross indifference to the ties of friendship and a failure to be moved by the power of a truly great man. Brutus’s rigid idealism is both his greatest virtue and his most deadly flaw. In the world of the play, where self-serving ambition seems to dominate all other motivations, Brutus lives up to Antony’s elegiac description of him as â€Å"the noblest of Romans.† However, his commitment to principle repeatedly leads him to make mistakes that cost him much: wanting to curtail violence, he ignores Cassius’s suggestion that the conspirators kill Antony as well as Caesar. In another moment of rampant idealism, he again ignores Cassius’s advice and allows Antony to speak a funeral oration over Caesar’s body. As a result, Brutus forfeits the authority of having the last word on the murder and thus allows Antony to incite the shocked Roman crowd to riot against Brutus and the other conspirators. This is similar to when Regina George incites the entire school into chaos using the â€Å"burn book.† Brutus later endangers his good relationship with Cassius by self-righteously condemning what he sees as dishonorable fund-raising tactics on Cassius’s part. This is similar to how Cady views Regina, with respect and with friendship, but also with contempt. In all of these episodes, Brutus acts out of a desire to limit the self-serving aspects of his actions; ironically, however, in each incident he dooms the very cause that he seeks to promote, thus serving no one at all. The changes that shape Brutus and Cady are very interesting because they correlate so well. These changes occur because of the spurring of other characters. In Julius Caesar, Brutus is spurred on by Cassius and his conspirator band. In Mean Girls, Cady is spurred on by Janice (who is Cassius’s parallel). This spurring directly influences the characters actions and thoughts. Brutus probably wouldn’t ever have acted on this plot if it wasn’t for Cassius’s flattering comments. Cady wouldn’t have followed her path if she didn’t befriend or follow Janice’s ideas. Brutus and Cady develop along the same line in their respective stories, which is to be expected as they are the same character in similar settings.

The Vision Of Audi Company Marketing Essay

The Vision Of Audi Company Marketing Essay Mr.August Hoch originated a company named Horch and Co in 1899 and then he developed his first automobile in 1901. As he encountered management problem, he left his company in 1909 and created a new company called Audi afterward. The brand of Audi Automobile in 1910 was GmbH and Audi continue to produce cars until the First World War. In 1931, Auto Union was formed. Before Second World War, this union among manufacturers had prodigious success. Manufacturers had a new start in Ingolstadt, Germany after the war as a lot of military vehicles maintenance and spare parts were needed. Since Auto Union unable to generate massive profit, the company was closed in 1960 and coincidently permitted the rediscovery of Audi. The vision of Audi Company is Audi- the premium brand. Audi Company emphasized its core brand Audi on the challenges of the future when adopting its strategy 2020. This strategy became firmer contour since Year 2011 because the mission of Audi Company We delight customers worldwide was explored deeper. Audi products are convincing in its brand values, sportiness, permissiveness and also superiority. The mission statement also plays an important role on the path to lead Audi to become the leading premium brand. Audi defined its customer delight in four areas of action which are, we define innovation, we live responsibility, we create experience, and we shape Audi. There are also four objectives of Audi Company which are continuous growth, superior financial growth, global image leader and attractive employer worldwide. Generally, target market is defined by gender, age, social-economic grouping, geography or any other combination of demographics. Audi Company targets on upper middle class consumers which comprises of professional employees at the upper level of company ladder, celebrities and businessman. Besides that, most of the Audi products are designed to be high in velocity therefore Audi targets male rather than female as according to surveys, majority of the female will not purchase a automobile because of its high velocity but they are only focusing on the artistic design and comfort level that a vehicle can offer whereas for men, high velocity will be the main criteria. Moreover, male which have age ranging from 30 to 65 years old are more preferred because Audi, for now, are non-economical product, it is impossible for young men who are still fresh in the society to afford a luxury car. Marketing Mix Strategies Promotion Promotion is one of the key elements of marketing mix strategies that informing, persuading and influencing a consumer decision. The components of the promotion mix are personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, publicity and direct marketing. Audi implemented a strong marketing strategy consisting of digital and television advertising in order to hit their target sales. According to the journal Audi all-time sales record driven by strong digital advertising, it stated that Audis TV advertising helping it top 100,000 vehicles sold in United States for the first time in 2010(Rachel Lamb, 2010). Besides that, another Audi strong initiative is its social media and digital strategy. For instance, Audi consistently updates its company news or products new feature through social networking sites such as Facebook and its own Web to make sure consumer can get the latest news instantly. Direct marketing is a channel that allows business to communicate straight to the customer. As a major car manufacturer, Audi does not only focus on innovation but also tried to attract new customer. Audi targeted prospective buyers with a mailer which using Royal Mails Mailsort ® 1400 service to deliver it. This mailer would deliver the new technological features that the new vehicle model had. Sales promotion is one of the key elements in promotion strategy that offer incentives for buyer to purchase the selected items. However, Audi doesnt do much sales promotion compare to other car companies such as Toyota, Nissan and Honda. The sales promotion of Audi company deals offered only happen at dealership level. They usually dont rely on these kinds of promotions because Audi has already established their brand in the automobiles world. Moreover, Audi utilizes personal selling techniques in their entire retail store. The salesperson in Audi retail stores are knowledgeable of the brand and should be trained to understand what their customers are looking for. Personal selling can be considered as an important source of marketing information. The salesperson should act as problem solvers and advisor for customer rather than using hard-selling strategy, it might help Audi to build a long-term relationship with customers. Besides that, Audi also sends representatives to retail stores to keep sale associate up to date on their merchandise and the technology behind to give the consumer better feel of the product. Pricing Marketers are concern on the pricing strategy with the objectives to be competitive and to raise profit as well as return on investment. Setting the right price is vital to trigger the companys impressions towards the potential customers. Audi as a luxurious brand with prestige brand image hires premium pricing as one of its pricing strategies. The price of a product will affect customers perceptions towards its quality. Customers often associate prestige with high prices because it is common that high quality raw materials and components are never cheap. Therefore it is reasonable for Audi to position its brand through premium pricing. According to Bojan IliĆ¡ and Vesna MiliĆ¡eviĆ¡, the business history of a number of enterprises proved that reducing in price for certain prestige products brought negative effect on sales. In fact, Audi automobiles, the quality leader, are always for society of at least upper-middle class. Below is a diagram regarding price-quality strategies. pricing strategy.jpg Source: www.atkinson.yorku.ca Besides, like other automobile companies, Audi also uses optional product pricing. All companies will not hesitate to increase the amount customers spend once they start purchasing, so do Audi. There are optional or extra products or equipment for customers to add on to their automobiles. For instance, customers can choose to equip their vehicles with pearl colour effect with an additional charge of RM4,000 or the normal one. Other optional equipments that Audi offers are Bang Olufsen sound system, electronically opening closing tailgate, panaromic glass roof and MMI navigation system with reverse camera. Another pricing strategy that Audi employs is geographical pricing strategy. This pricing strategy is quite useful as there are variations in prices in different parts of the world. A very good example is that Audi vehicles are cheaper in Langkawi Island than in Peninsular Malaysia. This strategy may not seem fair for areas which pay higher price but Audi makes professional pricing decision based on the distance and economic situation of the those areas to avoid negative impact on the demand of its products. Product Product strategy includes tangible and intangible elements. Tangible products are things that we can see, touch, and feel whereas intangible products comprise things such as the image of the offering and the psychological aspects of pricing. For instance, customer will form a perception that expensive goods are usually high quality products. As known worldwide, Audi produces different types and classes of luxury cars to suit the taste and preference of the demanding customers. Automobile that Audi offer ranges from normal family suite sedan car to throttling speed sports cars. However, the technology use in building each automobile is similar which fulfill two of the product strategy criteria- product features and product quality. The body frames of the cars that Audi produces are fully galvanized to prevent corrosion and rusting. Additionally, the full-body zinc coating has proved to be very effective in preventing rust. Moreover, the bodys resulting durability even surpassed Audis own expectations, causing the manufacturer to extend its original 10-year warranty against corrosion perforation to currently 12 years and this factor has form a perception for the customer that Audi automobiles are superior in quality and cars made to last. Besides body frame, even the space frame and engine, all are building using high quality materials. Furthermore, the design and layout of the automobile are attractive and unique. Audi refused to adopt the traditional rear-wheel drive layout favored by its two arch rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW, preferring either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Besides, Audi also have a deep length of product line. Audi Company target both upper class and middle class customers by producing normal sedan cars to sports cars and even MPV cars. The models are classified into normal Audi cars, Audi coupà ©s and SUVs, S (Sport) and RS (RennSport/Racing) models. With each of these category lines, Audi came out various models with different design and specification so that it can further penetrate the market of automobiles. Additionally, Audi also apply branding strategy where the brand of Audi symbolizes the four overlapping rings. The four rings represent the four labels of Auto Union: Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. Place Under marketing mix strategy, place actually is refer to distribution of the product. This means that all aspects which related to how goods and services are transfer from the producer to the end consumer. This also indicates that how is the coordination of wholesalers or retailers involved in moving those products from head office, factory or warehouse, to the end consumer. Audi sites comprise the two German plants in the worldwide network, which are in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm. There are seven production facilities which are in China, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Slovakia, Spain and Belgium. The channels using by Audi is from producer to distributor to wholesaler to dealer and to customer. Euromobil Sdn Bhd is one of the distributors for Audi who buys large quantities of Audi cars from manufacturer and then creates smaller units and delivers the cars to their customer. It opened a state-of-the-art Audi Hangar which cost around RM30 million to provide as a one-stop centre for Audi customers. With well-equipped work bays, Euromobil intend to provide a complete services support and convenience to Audi customers. Audi also expanded its distribution network by opening a brand new showroom in the financial capital which located in Mumbai. Car dealers are important in promoting and selling their products. A dealer network and team understand what a brand, product, enterprise, competition and consumers really mean is the key to Audis success in marketing. Audi City London is an innovative dealership experience delivered by one of the most advanced technology retail environment. This digital environment features multi-touch display help configuring Audi vehicle from millions of possible combinations. This will help people place greater emphasis on a direct personal bond of trust with their vehicle brand. In addition, Audi are very convenience to access, there are sold in specialized outlets, shopping mall and also major department stores. For example, there was an Audi Display zone from 31 August to 2 September 2012 at Orion Mall, Malleswaram. Therefore, people will easily get the latest information about Audi and can easily get them. Market Opportunities Audi was known as one of the top automobile producer in the world for its sports series cars and also normal sedans which are the dream cars of almost all car owners. By just relying on the current market will not be sufficient for the rapidly changing customer preferences but to come up with new innovative ideas to maintain and expand its market opportunities. We discovered a way that Audi Company might find it useful way in grabbing its market opportunity by modifying its cars especially the S (sports) and RS (RennSport/Racing) models to strengthen the image of the company by building fantastic sports series cars that no one ever built. To be outstanding, Audi must produce car which beyond what everyone is doing which is having a jet powered engine with the complement of rocket building material which are able to withstand intensive heat and even can absorb large impact during collision, and the last one will be the fuelling system will be 100% eco-friendly and economical. The first step is to use a jet engine instead of the normal valve engine to be empowered its car. By applying the jet powered engine inside our sports cars which approximately will reach a speed of 450mph, it will replace Bugatti Veyron to be the fastest sports car in the world and lets name it as Audi TurBoo. It is a limited edition product. Although Audi TurBoo is such a high velocity sports car it still can withstand a large impact when collide with object. To complement its high velocity, Audi company should joint venture with one of the rocket building company that supply rocket and rocket spare parts to NASA- Rockwell International company, by having their supply on building material, technology and labor power (expertise) they can build the car chesses using titanium and aluminum to help keep the car weight down which contributes to faster velocity and higher resistance against any impact. Furthermore, the car body will be build using the same material but in the middle of the two pieces of metal it contains the Reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) and thermal tiles which are the components that provide for the most heat protection for a during breaking through our atmosphere and out to space, these material are used where reentry temperature exceeds 1,260  °C (2,300  °F). For the last thing that customer ever considers about is the fueling system. The fuel is cheaper than the price of a liter of petrol can cost. First of all, for the fuel part, the cars are going to run on liquid hydrogen and oxygen, Hydrogen, a light and extremely powerful propellant it has the lowest molecular weight of any known substance and burns with extreme intensity (5,500 °F). In combination with an oxidizer such as liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen yields the highest specific impulse, or efficiency in relation to the amount of propellant consumed, of any known propellant and yet they also are storable, transportable, reliable, less complex and the most important thing is it just 98cents per gallon. Other than modifying a sports car, Audi should form a subsidiary company to target younger middle market which is the majority population. The subsidiary company adopts operation of the parents company and is under the supervision of Audi. We suggest that the name of the new subsidiary company to be JIMT, this name is created based on the initial of four founders of the new subsidiary company and it is easy to be pronounced and remembered. JIMT Atom is a mini sized economical car produce under Audi Company which target at young and upper-middle class buyers. The small but perfectly formed JIMT Atom takes the small luxury car spoils for comfortable compare to other mini sized car. On the move, it makes consumer feels as solid and composed as Audis bigger and more expensive models vehicle, while the petrol and diesel engine delivers a strong blend of performance and economy. As despite its premium image, Audi would not cost a fortune to run this project. An attractively priced, low tax bills, rock-solid resale values and pre-paid servicing package help Audi keep running costs to a minimum level. Besides, standard feature of JIMT Atom include LED interior lighting package, Xenon plus headlamps, light and rain sensor as well as automatic air conditioning. The LED interior lighting provides several alternatives of lighting for the interior of JIMT Atom. Furthermore, Xenon plus headlamps use less energy consumption and last longer than standard dipped lights. The light, rain and air condition sensor is an optional feature in which headlights, wiper and air condition function automatically according to the weather. Among the advantages of owning a small car like JIMT Atom is fuel saving because it consumes lesser fuel and energy without affecting the performance standard. As many people emphasize on maneuverability of vehicles, small cars are easier to control and are much easier to park in crowded parking spaces. Moreover, JIMT Atom is able to pick up speed more quickly than other heavier vehicles. Recommendations To implement the market opportunities that mentioned above, Audi Company is suggested to hire world famous celebrity to be the spokesperson of their developed products. Celebrities not only bring enormous impact toward their adorers but also influence the publics purchasing behaviour. The reason behind this phenomena is because public has the psychological perception that a product is of superior quality with the renowned spokesperson. This also indirectly promotes the new innovated products through the spokespersons popularity. For instance, we suggest Audi Company to hire a young pop star such as Girls Generation, Justin Bieber and Hyuna to advertise JIMT Atom. JIMT Company will sponsor JIMT Atom to the contracted spokesperson for the usage in his/her concert, movie or music video. By this way, the rate of exposure of JIMT Atom will be higher rather than displaying in the traditional showroom. Therefore, the chain effect of hiring young pop star is increase in sales by obtaining support from younger generation as they would like to imitate their idols trend. Moreover, increasing rate of exposure leads to strong brand position and preference which caused JIMT Atom to become the first brand choice whenever the public think of buying a vehicle. As for Audi TurBoo, we would like to recommend Audi Company to hire a famous racer such as Michael Schumacher and sponsor him a brand new Audi TurBoo for racing competition. With his professional skills and techniques, we are pretty sure that this sports car best suited him as he has the capability to bring out the innate qualities of Audi TurBoo. Thus, the strengths of this product are explicitly revealed and intensely impress the public. Hence, public confidence towards Audi Company will be greatly boosted making the reliability of Audis product to be increase undoubtedly. In order to obtain higher profit, we propose Audi Company to organize a tour which permits Audis loyal customer to have a visit at Audis manufacturing department with the main objective to deliver the information about Audis high credibility and guaranteed product quality. Potential customers will have the opportunity to recognize the utmost effort of Audis management before a product is being commercialized to the market. Paying a visit to the manufacturing department also allows the visitors to witness the conscientiousness of Audis workers in accomplishing their tasks. In return, loyal supporters will definitely transform as advocators and circulate the good name of Audi to the people whom they associate. Since buying a vehicle is a high involvement purchasing decision, inviting potential customers for a tour to the manufacturing department, in fact, is helping them to collect as much information as possible which they absolutely need in making a purchasing decision. By comparing the information gathered, customers can easily differentiate the merits of JIMT Atom or Audi TurBoo with other similar products such as Mini Cooper Coupe, Volkswagen Beetle, BMW Z4 coupe and Lamborghini Gallardo. As for the welfare of potential customers, this may assist them in making a right investment decision as well as improve customer satisfaction. As mentioned, Audi TurBoo is a limited edition product in which its core purpose is to enhance the brand image rather than gain profit because of its high technological product which signifies a logo of success. Although Audi TurBoo is unaffordable for majority, producing Audi TurBoo will not cause a penny loss to the company but instead the up surged brand image boost up the sales of other products of Audi, a few example, JIMT Atom, Audi R8 and Audi A6. Audi TurBoo symbolizes the highest achievement of prestige automobile industry, resulting Audi Company as the quality leader and placing Audi in the most competitive position in continuous motion. In a nutshell, we strongly recommend Audi to set up subsidiary company- GIMT and produce GIMT Atom under the umbrella of Audi and implement the concept of Audi TurBoo into practice to enhance the sales of all ranges of Audi products. Conclusion In summary, Audi Company fully utilized the 4Ps marketing mix strategies to produce their products with its luxurious, exclusive capability to display style and comfort together to improve customers satisfaction and attract new customers. Audi keep tracks with the needs and wants of the people and designs its cars to meet the requirements of the people to gain sales for its company. Moreover, Audi has shown its significant progress in the field of technological innovations and superiority as it puts a lot of attentiveness and effort to success in automobile industry. The Audi Company also employed workers who are dedicated and hardworking and those workers really formed Audi excellently with their innovative, creative and class-apart design. From this assignment, we can understand and gain more knowledge about 4Ps marketing mix strategies. Besides that, we also know that how important marketing strategy and marketing mix for a company to success in the market and also the way how company can use marketing mix effectively to sustain competitively in the market. Through this assignment, we also know that creativity and innovative in developing new products is very important to gain competitive advantages among its competitors. 3483words

Film Analysis: South of the Border

Film Analysis: South of the Border South of the border- Film Analysis Social media has been a great influencer in this present reality. This current generation has been depending so much on the social media to the extent of believing all the things they have been reporting. Recently, a certain new report of a local station about the ‘mysterious disease’ immediately got the attention of the people. The said province in which the disease was found is Pangasinan. After a few moments, a hashtag trended, people were tremendously scared concluding that a prediction was fulfilled. This is an example of how mass media has fed informations to its audiences. Later on, they found out that it was a skin disease which can be cured. Facebook, twitter and instagram are just some of the social networking sites that communicate news and most of the Filipinos are subscribed to them. Imagine how fast these news travel just by clicking the post or tweet button. That button has been an empowerment for an ordinary person to tell the world what is happening. Soc ial media, specifically, the current news programs are the source of our knowledge regarding the current economic status of our country, current social issues which affect our country and other aspects related to the Philippines. A primary reason why Filipinos are really into social media is that they want to be updated and be a part of the hot issues. The film â€Å"South of the Border† exhibits how the mass media influenced the minds of the people. At the start of the film, newscasters are telling the audiences that a certain dictator chews coca everyday. They were pronouncing it like cocoa and considered it as a joke. They said that the leader was a drug addict. Hugo Chavez is the president of Venezuela. He won the 1997 presidential race to a Ms. Universe, in the film the race was coined the Beauty and the Beast. Even though he was imprisoned, the Venezuelan people still believed and elected for him. He aims to fight against corruption and economic inequity. He did what he can to fulfill his promises to the people of Venezuela. However, the US government announced that they are concerned about Venezuela and controlled the media, mostly private media. A businessman in Venezuela is believed to be fit for the position. Chavez claimed that the US government has 3 motives. One of which is oil. Second and third are Saddam and I raq respectively. As shown in the film, Venezuela is the third largest supplier of petroleum. A coup for Chavez was formed. The media and other known printing press have been communicating false information about Chavez. Many people died due to numerous killings. Chavez was captured and imprisoned. A new leader is seated but it is believed that he is a puppet of the US government. The prices of oil and petroleum products, as described in the film, dramatically went down. Hugo Chavez went back to his position due to the insistent public demand of his supporters even the military. The newspapers, news stations and other well-known media companies apologized for the false statements they released. The director, also the narrator and interviewer, Oliver Stone visited other countries in the Latin America. He went to Bolivia and met the president, Evo Morales. Coca leaves is different from cocaine, contrary to what the US citizens believe. Coca will be a drug if it is mixed with other chemicals. Oliver Stone even chewed a few leaves of coca. This product of Bolivia is like a stimulant similar to caffeine. Next stop is Argentina with Cristina Kirchner. In Argentina, there have been five presidents who ruled in just two weeks. She is also the only female leader among the presidents of the Latin America. Her husband, Nestor Kirchner is the ex-president of the Argentina. She shared that unemployment and poverty in Argentina is spread all over the country. his husband also shared that Bush claims that war is the answer to revitalize the economy. Fernando Lugo in Paraguay was also interviewed by Stone. He is a bishop who entered the politics. Another country that he visited is Brazil. Lula da Silva is the president of Brazil. What he wants is for them to be treated equally. He shared that Argentina and Brazil have been trading in their own currency. He also told Stone that all their debts are paid off. The second to the last country Stone visited is the Cuba ruled by Raà ºl Castro. And last but certainly not the least, Ecuador. Like what Silva said, Rafael Correa also aspires for equality. He is worried about the military base of the US in Ecuador. It is quite amusing that a filmmaker would have the courage to do things like this. He aimed to let the people know what kind of leaders these people are. Who are they, really? Are they really dictators? Are our perceptions about them true? What is the current status of each government? Stone showed their point of views regarding the media perceptions about them. The film exposes several issues regarding the conflict between Bush and the Latin American presidents. Hugo Chavez is greatly emphasized on the film. Those presidents in the south are friends. Kirchner even showed a picture of them during an inauguration. This film basically emphasizes the media’s role to what happened to these countries and their presidents. Mass media has been showing and telling a lot of audiences about what is happening in these countries. Graber (2009) claimed that mass media are â€Å"powerful guardians† to people because Americans believe that media should inform them about the current h appenings in the government. During the coup of Chavez, mass media is the main influencer to the behavior of the Venezuelans. They have been feeding the people’s minds with false information about Chavez. The New York Times even apologized for their statement during the coup. Stone described these events as ‘deeply troubling’. At one point, the US government hosted the people involved in the coup, and then they were not involved in the coup. They also stated that there was a resignation not a coup. This, for me, is entirely confusing. The first issue introduced is about the use of drugs by Chavez. The reporters told the audiences how the â€Å"dictator† chewed coca leaves from Bolivia. They referred to him as a drug addict. This is a case in which the media showed how they communicated false information. As I have mentioned in the summary above, coca is just a stimulant like caffeine. They also called Morales as â€Å"Evil Morales† during news segments or frames. These informations are fed to the minds of people. Eventually, these affect the views of people. For the lack of decipher, people will believe what newscasters say, whether truth or not. Chavez in our country is somehow like our late president and now a mayor of Manila, Joseph Estrada. He captured the minds of the people in his presidency. With a slogan of ‘Erap para sa masa’, poor people developed the like for him. They loved him for being concern with the poor. He gave them hope. But after being impeached on the second People Power Revolution, he still won the mayoral election in Manila. Why is this happening? Are we even looking back in the past? I think these are because of our power to speak; the freedom we have empowers us to create our own version of the truth. But this is absurd; each and every one of us deserves and has the right to know the truth, the real truth. We need to decipher whether the media are telling the truth or they are hiding something from us. Another issue present in the film was about the global capitalism. As stated by Robinson (2008), â€Å"The US state is the key instrument of the global capitalist system reproducing, or seeking to reproduce, the global capitalist system and defend the interests of global capital over national capital, and over the globally repressed and exploited sectors and those that would oppose the global capital system† (p. 9). The price of petroleum in Venezuela is relatively high during the time of Chavez but went down after he was imprisoned. This is the primary motive why they hated Chavez. The Bush administration wanted the oil residue in Venezuela since it is a major source of some of their refineries. The lowering of prices in Venezuela will give way to global capitalists. They will import low prices for petroleum which is definitely good for them, obviously. Another controversy is in Bolivia wherein they prevent people from getting water from rain. The water prices are expensive a nd the monopoly of water is getting concerned about people getting water for free. These are just some of the examples of the growing capitalism in this world. We are surrounded with capitalists aiming for the betterment of their business, some, not considering the fact about poverty and other social issues. In the Philippines, Meralco and Maynilad are some examples of monopolists. Recently, there is an issue regarding the increase of prices in the power supply. Many people are complaining about the current increase. Capitalists’ main goal is to have profits and to increase their wealth. The president of Argentina, Kirchner also the former first lady, is the only female person interviewed among the Southern American continent. She claimed that women are always asked about their clothes, jewelries and other things but men are never asked about the same things. Well, media is one of the reasons why we have this notion about women. Sometimes, they show unrealistic and wrong view of women in the society. Women are always described and shown as fashionable, bossy, pushy and extravagant. Men are never like that. In sociology, this is a feminist view. In this certain part inequality arises. Another reason is that maybe because we live in a patriarchal type of community. This gender inequality must be put to a stop. As a woman, this inequality reflects the current perception of people on women. Social media and mass media itself is pervasive enough to affect and influenced the views of people regarding women and their function in the society. The president of Brazil told Stone in his interview that they were worthless; Americans are worthy same with the Europeans but not them. The Marxist view of Sociology shows that there are two classes the oppressed and the oppressor. In this case the oppressed is the Latin America. There is inequality between them. Lula just wants to be treated equally as the United States. There is a growing gap between the US government and the Latin American government. As I view the role of social media or mass media to influencing the views of people to the presidents of the South America, I wondered if the mass media in our country behaves like them. Are our local networks and print media controlled by our government? Are they somehow feeding us false statements regarding the social issues? Do they have biases on the social issues present in this country? These questions are running on my mind right now. According to Gitlin (2003), people are pressed to depend on media too much to bear with the change in this world. My fellow Filipinos are consistently watching news, listening to radio programs and opening their social networking sites accounts. Due to that, they are being updated every hour of the day. The media always create a notion about everything. This information is being fed to us and then creates a so-called truth. The media can also fool and confuse our minds just by showing us ads and commercials. We are now trapped in a world which is shaped by the media. And we are living in a world full of lies, though I am not saying that all that we know are lies. But generally speaking, the media has contributed a lot of benchmarks and notions in our world. They can manipulate our minds. You can fool some of the people all of the time or all of the people part of the time, but you cant fool all of the people all of the time. -Fidel Castro. References: Gitlin, T. (2003). The Whole World is Watching: Mass Media in the Making Unmaking of the New Left. California, United States of America: University of California Press. Graber, D. A. (2009). Mass Media and American Politics (8th ed.). United States of America: SAGE. (Original work published 1980). Haris III, W. E. (2010, October 6). South of the border documentary film review. Retrieved from http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_61299.shtml Reuters (2007, October 28). Fidel Castro pokes fun at George W. Bush. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/10/28/us-cuba-castro-idUSN2843263920071028 Robinson, W. (2008). Understanding global capitalism. The development round table series, 1-26.

Truth and the Majority View :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Truth and the Majority View The majority view occurs in a wide range of judgments from a few friends arguing over a football game to worldwide opinion of global ecology. The purpose of this essay is to explore the formation of a majority view and test the validity of its judgment using the reality principle. The reality principle Wittgenstein's private language argument attacks the idea of the private object. Essentially, his claim is that if I cannot be wrong about 'the colour blue looks to me' then I cannot be right either. His reasoning is that no one else can see what is in my mind, therefore, there can be no objective corroboration of that which is my subjective judgment. The prime target for the reality principle is also the private object. In Dr G. Klempner's Pathways to Philosophy — Metaphysics 2/23 the reality principle is used as a tool to test whether a judgment is genuine or not. Our judgments are statements about how things seem to be to us, but we must accept the possibility that our judgments may be false. However, my beliefs about the world can be false only if there are possible circumstances that would lead me to override my conviction that I am right. The point of using the reality principle is that if we do not accept the possibility of our own judgment being wrong then there can be no distinction between truth and falseness. By applying the reality principle to a majority view definition of truth we can say that it must be possible for the majority view to be false. If this definition of truth produces judgments that cannot be wrong, then they cannot be right either. However, the judgments of the majority can be false only if there are possible circumstances that would lead them to override their conviction that they were right. Forms of majority view The term majority is imprecise and simply means the major part of a population. The part may be anything between fifty and one hundred per cent, and the population may be any number. We need to consider the way a majority is formed before we can value the majority view as a genuine judgment. (i) A majority view may form where individuals do not know what judgments are being made by others. Suppose a canvasser stops passers-by at random and asks each one 'How many times did Bjorn Borg win the Wimbledon men's single's tennis championship?

Architecture of the New Capitalist Society Essay examples -- essays re

Architecture of the New Capitalist Society INTRODUCTORY THEME Daniel Libeskind’s winning design for the new World Trade Center takes a sentimental and metaphorical approach. He claims that the completed WTC would become the representation of America’s belief in humanity, its need for individual dignity, and its beliefs in the cooperation of human. Libeskind’s original design focused on restoring the spiritual peak to the New York City and creating an icon that speaks of America’s vitality in the face of danger and her optimism in the aftermath of tragedy. The design considered the city’s neighborhood and residents, rather than simply the economic demands of the commissioners. However, Libeskind’s revised plan that revealed in September 2003 altered his original humanistic vision of creating buildings that respond to the neighborhood, and an environment that will have richness and openness. Pressured by the leaseholder of the WTC site Mr. Silverstein, Libeskind’s new plan added an emphasize on the commercial purpose of the site. The marketability of office and retail spaces has become the major concern of the project. The new World Trade Center project has stirred a significant amount of debates among authorities and the public since Daniel Liberskind first revealed his original mater plan in February 2003. Some have proposed to redesign and decentralize lower Manhattan; others have questioned that if New York really needs another world’s tallest building, or maybe something more modest like affordable housing, linear parks, and true public spaces and institutes. However, beyond these issues, there is a far more intricate question cannot be easily answered: How the architecture profession has been influenced by the new capitalist society? And what is the role of the architects in the twenty-first century? Architecture has been known as the product of aesthetics, structure, and function that serves to address social needs, resolve environmental and humanitarian problems through built form. Architecture not only shelters, but also has the ability to consolidate boundaries within our society. It realizes the role by physically defining space and by imposing its symbolic, representative meaning onto our living environment. As Ludwig Wittgenstein once said, â€Å"Architecture immortalizes and glorifies something†. Indeed, architecture must be documentary and didac... ...uld be one of the most significant lessons September 11th attack has taught us. BIBLIOGRAPHY Abby Bussel, â€Å"As the World Trade Center Turns†, Architecture, V. 92, N.9 (Sept 2003), 11. Andrew Mead, â€Å"Close Inspection of a Capitalist World [book and exhibition review]†, Architects’ Journal V. 206, N. 17 (Nov 1997), 59. Anthony Burke, interview held during meeting, University of California, Berkeley, November, 2004. Colin St. John Wilson, â€Å"Speer and the Fear of Freedom,† Architectural Review V. 173 No. 1036 (June 1983):22. Christopher Hawthorne, â€Å"Not the Object but the Emptiness†, Metropolis V. 23, N.9 (May 2004), 113. Joseph A. Demkin. The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice (John Wiley & Sons, Inc: 2002), 13. Karrie Jacobs, â€Å"The Power of Inadvertent Design†, Metropolis, V. 23, N. 6 (Feb 2004), 50. Peter J. Larkham, â€Å"Planning the twentieth-century city: the advanced capitalist world [book review]†, Planning Perspectives. V. 18, N. 8 (Apr 2003), 245. Reg McLemore, â€Å"City Planning in an Economy in Transition†, Plan Canada, V. 39, N. 4 (Sept 1999), 22. Sam Lubell, â€Å"Libeskind’s World Trade Center Guidelines Raise Doubts†, Architectural Record, V. 192, No. 6 (June 2004), 47.

Water Imagery in the Works of Eudora Welty, Teresa de la Parra, Kate Ch

Water Imagery in the Works of Eudora Welty, Teresa de la Parra, Kate Chopin, and Marà ­a Luisa Bombal â€Å"’The pouring-down rain, the pouring down rain’ –was that what she was saying over and over, like a song?†. Eudora Welty, â€Å"A Piece of News† â€Å" Usually I prefer to stay at the pool because there the river holds a serene and mysterious charm for me†. (Por regla general yo prefiero quedarme en la toma, porque es alla en donde el rio tiene para mi aquel encanto sereno y misterioso). Teresa de la Parra, Iphigenia (The Diary of a Young Lady Who Wrote Because She Was Bored) (Ifigenia (Diario de una seà ±orita que se escribà ³ porque se fastidiaba)) â€Å" The voice of the sea speaks to the soul†. Kate Chopin, The Awakening â€Å" And like this, naked and golden, I dive into the water† (Y asi, desnuda y dorada, me sumerjo en el estanque). Marà ­a Luisa Bombal, The Final Mist (La à ºltima niebla) Water imagery occurs repeatedly in the works of Eudora Welty, Teresa de la Parra, Kate Chopin, and Marà ­a Luisa Bombal suggesting that it is intimately connected with the inner worlds of the female protagonists in these stories. The storm dramatizes Ruby’s death fantasy in â€Å"A Piece of News† by Eudora Welty. The river provides a place for Marà ­a Eugenia to express herself in Iphigenia (The Diary of a Young Lady Who Wrote Because She Was Bored) (Ifigenia (Diario de una senorita que se escribo porque se fastidiaba)) by Teresa de la Parra. The sea elicits Edna’s deepest desires in The Awakening by Kate Chopin, and the mist triumphs over the nameless narrator’s attempt to escape death in The Final Mist (La à ºltima niebla) by Marà ­a Luisa Bombal. According to Carl Gustav Jung, water is the commonest symbol for the unco... ...h. Furthermore, Jung’s explanation of water as â€Å"carnality heavy with passion† is linked with life, or the conception of children. However passion is also linked with death, because extreme passion is traditionally linked with sinfulness, which leads us to death rather than to eternal life in the Christian tradition (Archetypes 19). Jung also writes of â€Å"the longing to attain rebirth through the return to the mother’s womb† and the idea that the mother’s womb is described using water imagery (207). Water thus links death, passion, birth, and life. But for the protagonists in these stories, these forces are somewhat out of sync. Failures of individuation, and the completion of transformational journeys which lead to madness, resignation, and death point to an inability of the characters to reconcile their wants and needs with their actual lives.