Brand Evaluation of Paul Smith Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Brand Evaluation of Paul Smith - Assignment Example brand value, brand position, and brand image. Moreover, to present comprehensive outlook of the brand’s successiveness, the paper has also implied the multidimensional approach of brand evaluation. Subsequently, the discussion of the paper initiated to suggest few strategic measures to eradicate the shortcomings of the brand. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 1.0. Introduction 4 2.0. Brand Evaluation of â€Å"Paul Smith† 5 2.1. Brand Value 6 2.2. Brand Image 7 2.3. Brand Positioning 9 2.4. Multidimensional Evaluation 10 2.4.1. Branding Vision of Paul Smith 12 2.4.2. Organisational Culture 13 2.4.3. Brand Objectives 13 2.4.4. Audit Brand Sphere 14 2.4.5. Brand Essence 14 2.4.6. Internal Implementation 15 2.4.7. Brand Resourcing 15 3.0. Conclusion 16 4.0. Recommendations 17 References 18 1.0. Introduction Evidences reveal that the concept of branding has changed drastically from that of the past. In the present era, brands are perceived to be assets. According to the Oxford American Dictionary, brand can be defined as â€Å"a trade mark, goods of a particular make†¦.† (Clifton & Ahmad, 2009). According to many marketers and analysts, it is also referred as â€Å"a promise of satisfaction† which exists between the manufacturers, sellers, performers, and the consumers and environment at large in an unwritten form. While brand is termed as an intangible property, branding is recognised as a multidimensional process through which a marketer continuously strives to improve its products and/or services to develop the trust relationship with the customers. Thereby, brand emerges to be one of the crucial components of businesses in the highly competitive environment of the 21st century. With all its virtues, a well-developed brand rewards numerous advantages to an organisation. It reinforces a superior reputation of an organisation, assures quality-performance from its end and above all, builds customer loyalty besides their stimulate d confidence on the product and/or services. This in turn facilitates shareholder values rewarding the organisation better growth and strength (Healey, 2008). Realising all these aspects of brands numerous companies have initiated to enhance their brand value, brand image and brand reputation in their targeted markets, e.g. Marks & Spencer, Wal-Mart, Gucci, D & G, and others. On the similar context, Paul Smith can also be recognised as a brand. However, in the modern context, few brands can be identified as successful while few others can be recognised as inefficient and less beneficial to the organisations. With this concern, the paper will intend to discuss the various features of branding initiatives adopted by Paul Smith. The objective of the paper is to critically examine the brand, â€Å"Paul Smith† in order to identify its successiveness in the international market. Perpetually, the paper will aim to document the various branding strategies adopted and benefits gained by the organisation, through an extensive research. 2.0. Brand Evaluation of â€Å"Paul Smith† Paul Smith is recognised as a marketer of fashion wears and accessories to the international customers of the fashion industry. The first initiation was taken by Sir Paul Smith, the owner of the organisation in 1970. However, for the first time he showcased his designs as menswear collection in Paris in the year 1976 with his own name. This initiative made the young marketer famous in the region and also rewarded the recognition

Romeo and Juliets Changes Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliets Changes Essay By the end of act 2 Romeo and Juliet have changed considerably from how they were first presented to us. By the end of Act 2, Romeo and Juliet have changed in different ways. It is not evident that the changes they have made are that considerable. Juliet becomes much more mature and less like a young girl. Romeo on the hand, doesn’t seem to have changed as much as Juliet. He does become more responsible and seemingly more mature, but his impulsive behaviour leads to his death. Romeo changes by the end of Act Two in the case of his maturity. He is first presented as a â€Å"lovesick puppy† over Rosaline, although he hardly knew her. He states â€Å"sad hours seem long† which shows him pining over Rosaline, whom he apparently ‘loved’. When he attends the Capulets’ party however, he then claims to have fallen in love with Juliet. This shows that he is a rather â€Å"fickle† character who perhaps doesn’t know the meaning of love. However by the end of Act Two, it seems that he remains firmly in love with Juliet, which shows that he has matured and no longer â€Å"loves only with his eyes†. He also shows more courage and bravery to love Juliet no matter the consequences. His attitude towards his friends changes as well and he is no longer as crude and jovial as them. He shows a more serious outlook on life. Although he does perhaps mature as the play progresses, his immature and impulsive behaviour remains as it was before. This recklessness is what leads to his banishment and death. Juliet is first portrayed to us as mild-mannered and obedient. The images Shakespeare presents us are of Juliet as a young child who is very innocent. As the play progresses however, she is shown to be falling in love with Romeo. This shows that she is maturing and she is now portrayed as a young women and not a little girl. She also defies her parents in marrying Romeo which shows that she now changed from the mild, innocent girl that we first see. She is brave enough not to trust her Nurse after she â€Å"betrayed† her. Her Nurse was previously her best friend and she had trusted her with everything, so the fact that she was able to lie to the nurse and defy her shows that she is no more strong-willed and independent. She advances from an dutiful child to a more mature woman who defies her parents and is braver by the end of act two. Throughout the play, the characters change in maturity and in their attitudes towards their parents and friends. Romeo and Juliet appear to love each other deeply and this is what makes them more mature, rebellious and strong-willed. Although they change in these ways, Romeo still remains impulsive and reckless and this leads to his downfall.

Strengths And Weaknesses Of Eliminative Materialism

Strengths And Weaknesses Of Eliminative Materialism Eliminative Materialism puts forward serious arguments that are worth into consideration and ultimately embracing. It is viable and holds very valid arguments that can shape the course of philosophy in order to slot it within the modern thought that is driven by empiricism. It has its weaknesses and strengths even though its effects have cut across the world within the platforms of both formal and informal philosophical debates. Of great influence is the view that the much celebrated folk psychology is a distasteful idea whose existence will ultimately be cut short in the wake of cognitive science (also dubbed as neuroscience). The hope that folk psychology will be done away with by neuroscience is not guaranteed considering that many people and philosophers still have a soft spot for the folk psychology. The argument to embrace eliminative materialism views is propelled by the realization that folk psychology invokes ideas from a weird and ghostly world that are based on extra-fiction creatures that no modern science can authentic. The inherent transformation of many of folk psychologys ideas into the epiphenomenalism puts it at a more precarious condition. Eliminative materialism appreciates the fact for philosophy to continue making any sense, it must take note that folk psychology merely leads us to admitting that our mental content is influence by factors out of the head or otherwise; this sidesteps the power of the human mind which has the power to coalesce all the two instances and more While eliminative materialism is valid and should be upheld, the notion that there are no beliefs, desires and that philosophical contributions should shun discussions to the opposite of this claim remains a matter of discourse. Discussion From as early as the 16th century when Descartes invited other thinker to query the complexities and conflicts of body and soul, the obscurity on the scope of body-soul conflict has remained elusive. The biggest challenge has remained what actually the body and the mind are. The mind that is attributed to be the source of human thoughts, regarded as the second public and the drive of many of the human actions, has been investigated by many scholars to understand what gives the human mind commands. From the16th century numerous view points have been served on the academic table of philosophy with a majority of them being less compelling or even too obfuscated to explain the obvious problem. In an attempt to unravel the mystery that makes the body and the mind complex, Paul Churchland and other proponents of the eliminative materialist approach have presented a number of arguments that are blatant shots at the folk psychology. According to philosophers who argue along the grains of eliminative materialism, the only way out in understanding the complex but practical nature of the body and mind will be embraced when we do away with the greatest stumbling block which is the folk psychologys concept of mental states. In his spirited fight to knock sense in the heads of folk psychologists, Churchland argues that it is impossible match physical states with their corresponding mental states and the nation propounded by folk psychology should be eliminated from the human ontology; a view that justifies the name eliminative materialism. This view becomes the materialistic approach towards the human mind which Churchland claims eliminates. The culture of individualism is also referred to as Capitalism. In philosophy, the notion that all facts concerned with the human way of thinking are dependent on physical process that the body is involved in. some families can be considered materialistic due to their metaphysical understanding. These theories can be best defined as those that almost resemble paradigmatic opinions. This is also referred to as the mechanical opinion. These opinions or theories are of different types. Most of them are covered in this article.          Many researches conducted come up with the opinion that use of concepts can reveal what state a persons mind is. Based on Nigel Warburtons comment, it is noted that philosophers can become more knowledgeable from neuroscience. This pushes them to revise some of the words mostly used by folks. This is unlike Pat Churchlands opinion that there is absolutely no need to interfere with words used by folks. It states that they should not be replaced with neurobiological words. This is true to the fact that use of neurobiological words would really shut many people out. This would work in league with their economy and the culture that they follow in their whole life.       It is still argued that most of the issues concerning human beings are mainly neurological cases. It can also be noted that a human being are built by the occupations that they hold in life. They are also built up of the objectives that they share and the kind of relationships they are involved in. many philosophers recognize Pat Churchlands opinion as an attempt to bring out the clear meaning of materialism. Her beliefs are quite different from all other ones associated with the issue. It is agreeable that the words used by folks really need to be revised. This is in further support of Churchlands opinion. This is however, objected by noting that neurological words are not necessarily the immediate options. This makes philosophers wonder if humans are really, what they think they are or they are creatures in human forms.  Ã‚   There are some problems and weaknesses associated with the eliminative materialism. Most notable is its approach to the body and mind that out rightly ignores the significance of material culture and its obvious effects on human beings daily encounters. This puts the credibility of the proponents of the eliminative materialism at an awkward position considering the fact some philosophers like Bruno Latour argues that it not possible for a reductionist scientist to be essentially reductive. It is argued that the thin line walked by Churchland and crew is one that does conform to critics view that eliminative materialism disregard for material culture makes positions it wrongly for amending the folk psychology and like any other dream becomes unreachable just like it is not possible to be alive without a body. Unlike the disregard that eliminative materialism holds against material culture, this notion is very impactful in discussing the body and the mind. In the notion of material culture, the term qualia defines anything that could not be any more familiar; it is the way we view things according to how we have been experiencing them. Philosophically, speaking, it is easier to understand terms accompanied by examples than the crude manner in which we would want to define them. As such our states of mind are far influenced by issues that our bodies have experienced in the past than mere talk of facts that our bodies have not yet experienced. When we view images like a cup of tea simmering our future references on cups maybe influenced by this qualia. Again when we experience sounds we like or dislike they become our auditory qualia. There can never be anything that is more vivid than an individuals qualia. An individuals qualia is made of different conscious and unconscious properties that constitute ones sole view of the world. Even if the rest of the world is an illusion defined by utmost obscurity, our qualia becomes the solace in understanding the world since what we know and have experienced can never change in our minds.

Benefits Of Technology In Business

Benefits Of Technology In Business The term Technology is derived from the Greek word Technologia techne means craft and logia means the study of something. Technology is a very broad concept and is used to refer to several braches of science and study. Some examples are information technology, medical technology, biotechnology, etc. As the term technology branches into various fields of science and study, so do its benefits. Let us look at the benefits of technology in some major areas of day-to-day life: Benefits of Technology in Business: The days when the Chief Information Officer (CIO) took implementation decisions and passed the responsibility down the line are passà ©. Today, the CIO is an individual who possesses business as well as technical skills, understands the new IT issues facing a business, and drives the IT changes from the top down. This is a clear indicator of the benefits businesses are enjoying through the implementation of technology. Today technology is an integral part of any business right from the purchase of computers and software to the implementation of network and security tools. This helps businesses to: Remain up-to-date Drive business forward Sustain and survive competition In short, technology has become one of the significant factors that maximize an organizations ROI. Benefits of Technology in Communication: From hand-held computers to touch phones, technological advancements in the field of communication are endless. The means and the modes of communication are unlimited. Some of the benefits of technological advancements in the field of communication are: Speed time is no longer a constraint in communication Clarity With megapixel images and video, and high fidelity audio systems clarity in communication has become a never-before experience Proximity technological advancements have made the world a smaller place to live in Dissemination whether spreading information, broadcasting news, or sharing knowledge, technology has made it faster, easier, and smarter Benefits of Technology in Education: Technological advancements in the field of education are fast evolving. Today, e-learning is a familiar and popular term. Some of the benefits of technology in this field are: Personalized learning experience: Learners are able to take control and manage their own learning. They set their own goals, manage the process and content of learning, and communicate with peers. Immediate response: Most e-learning programs provide immediate feedbacks on learner assessments. Similarly there are features such as chat, discussion boards, e-libraries, etc that allow clarifications at a faster pace than in traditional classrooms. Self-paced: Learners can chart courses at their own pace. This ensures higher levels of motivation both in terms of completing the course as well as in performance. Greater access: Technological advancements have opened education to learners with learning disabilities and in remote locations. Benefits of Technology in Healthcare: The marriage between medicine and technology has reshaped healthcare and revolutionized the medical profession. Some of the major benefits are: Secure environment: Technology allows physicians and patients to interact in a secure and comfortable environment to discuss sensitive issues. Flexibility: Physicians can answer routine and less critical queries at a convenient time. Cost- and time-saving: Physicians can follow-up, provide advice, and re-direct patients to resources on the Internet. This saves cost and time by reducing office visits. Medical devices: Medical aids allow patients to continue recovery at home reducing their hospital stay. Vulnerable population: Technology aids the very young, elderly, and patients with complex birth defects, chronic illnesses, and disabled children by alleviating their problems so that they can continue living in their homes. Benefits of Technology in Society: Today technology pervades almost all aspects of our daily life from shopping, banking, making travel arrangements to university admissions. Some of the benefits are: Convenience: Provides a great deal of convenience in expediting personal and business transactions be it shopping, banking, or simply paying bills. Speed: From sending gifts to making payments everything gets a done with a few clicks. Communication: The world is a smaller place and technology allows everyone to keep in touch with their families and friends at a more affordable cost. Accuracy: Technology has reduced errors in mundane and monotonous chores, saving time and cost. Development: Technology has brought about development in many fields such as medicine, government, business, education, etc. Technology has evolved and transformed our lives and society. Overall, it has brought about tremendous growth and benefit to mankind. What Are the Benefits of Technology in Business? Whats This? Technological advances in the past few decades have greatly increased the competitive nature of the economic business world. Companies have used software, computers and the Internet to transform their businesses from local places of business to national and global market competitors. Many companies have responded to these changes by automating their business processes and capturing industry-related information and using it to their advantage. Technology has also forced businesses to remain flexible, adapting their operations to newer and better technological advances. Better Reporting Functions Companies that have multiple locations, whether nationally or globally, have used technology to implement better communication services and software modules that communicate to a home base via the Internet. This allows companies to penetrate new economic markets without sacrificing the needs of communication or financial and operational reporting. Additionally, companies can improve their management information system (MIS) to capture information for specific locations when making business decisions. Financial reporting has also benefited greatly from technology; rather than sending external auditors to multiple locations, it is possible to create a centralized accounting office to record and report financial transactions. This improves financial reporting and lessens the expense related to external audits. Increased Employee Productivity Computers and business software packages have exponentially increased employees productivity by allowing them to provide data entry functions or review automated reports. Companies have automated several traditional manufacturing processes; instead of using manpower to manually create and assemble goods, machines and/or robots now complete these functions. While these improvements may increase capital expenditures, they lessen the impact of consistent labor expenses related to productions. Fewer employees are needed to monitor the machines and ensure they are working properly. Other areas, such as customer service, accounting and administrative support, have also seen an increase in employee productivity. Employees now review and report electronically collected data to ensure they are accurate and timely, rather than manually gathering information. Improved Business Mobility Technology has also improved companies sales and service departments by allowing employees to use personal electronic devices to create sales displays and transmit orders and customer information to the home office. These electronic devices shorten the lead time companies spend on receiving and delivering goods or services, creating an instant competitive advantage in the industry. Companies can also send sales representatives to multiple markets at the same time, allowing them to penetrate multiple markets with few overhead costs. Companies may allow their internal employees to work from home using a company Internet connection, reducing the fixed overhead expenses from a large corporate office. Read more: What Are the Benefits of Technology in Business? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_5990693_benefits-technology-business_.html#ixzz0rNlSC9sC Effects of Technology on Business Businesses have been at the forefront of technology for ages. Whatever can speed production will draw in more business. As computers emerged in the 20th century, they promised a new age of information technology. But in order to reap the benefits, businesses needed to adapt and change their infrastructure. For example, American Airlines started using a computerized flight booking system, and Bank of America took on an automated check-processing system. Obviously, now, most business is conducted over personal computers or communication devices. Computers offer companies a way to organize dense databases, personal schedules and various other forms of essential information. As information travels faster and faster and more reliably, barriers of distance disappear, and businesses are realizing how easy it is to outsource jobs overseas. Outsourcing refers to the practice of hiring employees who work outside the company or remotely and even halfway across the world. Companies can outsource duties such as computer programming and telephone customer service. They can even outsource fast-food restuarant service dont be surprised if youre putting in your hamburger order with a fast-food employee working in a different country entirely. Outsourcing is a controversial practice, and many believe that U.S. companies who take part are hurting the job market in their own country. Nonetheless, from a business perspective, it seems like the wisest route, saving companies between 30 and 70 percent [source: Otterman]. Another technology thats starting to revolutionize business is actually not very new its just cheaper these days. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is infiltrating and changing business significantly in a few ways. Microchips that store information (such as a number equivalent of a barcode and even an up-to-date history of the chips travels) can be attached to product, and this helps companies keep track of their inventory. Some businesses have even begun to use RFID chip implants in humans to tighten security. An access control reader detects the chips signal and permits the employee access to the door. But many people are concerned about privacy issues if this were to become widespread practice. Handheld devices like BlackBerries have become wildly popular for businesses because they let users check and send email from anywhere, and browse the Internet. Internet Business: The Internet enables airlines to provide online flight booking, banks to offer online account management and bill pay and allows any company to sell any product online. In general, the Internet has proven to be an inexpensive way to reach more customers. Nowadays, if you cant find a business online, or if it has an outdated, ugly Web site, it looks downright unprofessional. Many businesses have succeeded in using the Internet as their primary, or sometimes only, medium. (Youre, of course, aware of this, given that youre reading a HowStuffWorks article. HowStuffWorks started as a hobby for college professor Marshall Brain, and it eventually grew into successful company.) Small businesses, too, have become easier to start up using the Internet. If youre a stay-at-home mom who makes a killer batch of cookies, you can easily sell them over the Internet and ship them to your customers. But, its not always as simple as it sounds. Any business conducted online must consider security, privacy or even copyright issues. Copyright issues would include making sure your business doesnt use someone elses original work (such as a logo, for instance) or even making sure no one else is profiting from your businesss creative work. One of the biggest ways the Internet has changed business is through targeted advertising. Using Google, companies can specify the keywords that will drive certain customers to their ad. For instance, if you were to plug the word baking into Google, you might click on a page from epicurious.com. That epicurious page will have Google ads from sponsors who sell baking-related products. A company that sells rolling pins can pay to have its ads show up for people who search for specific words, like baking, pies or dough. It makes good business sense people who search for baking on Google will be much more likely to click on a rolling pin ad than the average person. Despite what weve discussed in this article, we havent even scratched the surface of what new technology can do for business communications. The next page provides links to even more articles on information technology and products that have business implications.

A Problem-Based Approach to Teaching about Pollution Essay example --

A Problem-Based Approach to Teaching about Pollution Science is a very important subject for students to study in middle school. It is â€Å"More than a body of knowledge or a set of answers, science is a way of thinking about the world† (Beamon 20). Science forces students to think critically about ethical issues, such as pollution. This is often difficult for students because they must make the jump from the narrow parameters of their own lives to the issues that affect many people living on this planet. In studying pollution, students must come to realize that even throwing garbage on the ground and not recycling will in some way affect many of the living things in the ecosystem. The feeling commonly described by students by the words â€Å"I hate science† is often the result of science frustrating them. One reason why students might feel this way is that there are two types of sciences. One is â€Å"school science†, which has in many cases become a listing of facts and definitions, and the other is â€Å"real science†, which is what scientists practice. Maybe the students spend too much time on â€Å"school science† and do not make the connection between what is learned in science class and the world around them. The teacher’s job is not only to make the science material manageable for the students to learn, but it is also to show the students how science applies to everyone and everything. Using the problem-based learning approach is a great way for a teacher to combine these two sciences (Uyeda et al. 24). It is the key that a teacher uses to open the door to the minds of students who need to know how what they are learning applies to the real world. Problem-based learning as an instructional model is associated with the new... ... Works Cited Beamon, Glenda W. â€Å"Guiding the Inquiry of Young Adolescent Minds.† Middle School Journal. 33.3 (Jan. 2002): 19-27. Goodnough, Karen Ph.D. â€Å"Preparing pre-service science teachers: Can problem-based learning help?† 22 April 2003. EBSCOHOST. The College of New Jersey Lib. 05 Feb. 2005. Kim, Younghoon, et al. â€Å"Science teachers’ perspectives of web-enhanced problem-based learning environment: A qualitative inquiry.† 23 April 2003. EBSCOHOST. The College of New Jersey Lib. 05 Feb. 2005. Problem-Based Learning. 04 March 2003. Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University. 05 Feb. 2005. . Uyeda, Steve, et al. â€Å"Solving Authentic Science Problems: Problem based learning connects science to the world beyond school.† Science Teacher. 69.1 (Jan. 2002): 24-29.

Epic of Beowulf Essay - Beowulf as Tragic Hero -- Epic of Beowulf Essay

Beowulf as Tragic Hero By definition, a tragic hero is a protagonist that due to some tragic flaw loses everything he has. Throughout history, literature has always been filled with main characters possessing some tragic flaw. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his enormous ambition to become king. In Hamlet, Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his need for revenge for the death of his father at the hands of his uncle. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s tragic flaw is his need to be remembered. In the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, Beowulf also has a tragic flaw, excessive pride and the search for fame, which ultimately leads to his demise. Beowulf was a highly skilled and great fighter, but because of his over-confidence in himself the fire-breathing dragon kills him. Beowulf’s excessive pride is evident from the very beginning of the epic. He is almost always boasting about himself to one person or the other. In the first part of the epic, when Beowulf first travels to Hrothgar’s kingdom to rid him of Grendel, he talks about the mighty deeds he has done in his life. â€Å"Hail, Hrothgar, health ever keep you! I am Hyglelac’s thane and kinsman; mighty deeds I have done in my youth†¦they saw themselves how I came from combat bloodied by enemies where I crushed down five, killed a tribe of giants, and on the waves at night slew water-beasts; no easy task, but I dove out trouble from Geatland-they asked for it, the enemies I killed.†(Beowulf p73) One can easily picture him standing proud and tall in front of a multitude of fellow warriors, proclaiming all the deeds he has accomplished in h is lifetime. Beowulf has no doubt in his mind that he is more than able to kill the wretched Grendel. But because of his overconfidence and populari... ...soon after his death his kingdom was taken over. Beowulf perfectly fits the definition of â€Å"tragic hero† as evidenced in the epic poem, Beowulf.   He is defiantly the hero in the story, but as a result of his tragic flaws of having too much pride and seeking fame, he loses his life and his kingdom falls into the hands of the enemy. Works Cited and Consulted Chambers, R. W. Beowulf: An Introduction. Cambridge: Univ. Press, 1967. Emmerson, Richard K. and Bernard McGinn. The Apocalypse in the Middle Ages. Ithaca: Cornell, 1992. Garmonsway, et. al. Beowulf and Its Analogues. New York: Dutton, 1971. Gang, T. M. "Approaches to Beowulf." RES 3 (1952):.6-12. Hieatt, Constance B. "Envelope Patterns and the Structure of Beowulf," English Studies in Canada 1 (1975): 249-265. Sandars, N. K., trans. The Epic of Gilgamesh. London: Penguin, 1972. Epic of Beowulf Essay - Beowulf as Tragic Hero -- Epic of Beowulf Essay Beowulf as Tragic Hero By definition, a tragic hero is a protagonist that due to some tragic flaw loses everything he has. Throughout history, literature has always been filled with main characters possessing some tragic flaw. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his enormous ambition to become king. In Hamlet, Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his need for revenge for the death of his father at the hands of his uncle. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s tragic flaw is his need to be remembered. In the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, Beowulf also has a tragic flaw, excessive pride and the search for fame, which ultimately leads to his demise. Beowulf was a highly skilled and great fighter, but because of his over-confidence in himself the fire-breathing dragon kills him. Beowulf’s excessive pride is evident from the very beginning of the epic. He is almost always boasting about himself to one person or the other. In the first part of the epic, when Beowulf first travels to Hrothgar’s kingdom to rid him of Grendel, he talks about the mighty deeds he has done in his life. â€Å"Hail, Hrothgar, health ever keep you! I am Hyglelac’s thane and kinsman; mighty deeds I have done in my youth†¦they saw themselves how I came from combat bloodied by enemies where I crushed down five, killed a tribe of giants, and on the waves at night slew water-beasts; no easy task, but I dove out trouble from Geatland-they asked for it, the enemies I killed.†(Beowulf p73) One can easily picture him standing proud and tall in front of a multitude of fellow warriors, proclaiming all the deeds he has accomplished in h is lifetime. Beowulf has no doubt in his mind that he is more than able to kill the wretched Grendel. But because of his overconfidence and populari... ...soon after his death his kingdom was taken over. Beowulf perfectly fits the definition of â€Å"tragic hero† as evidenced in the epic poem, Beowulf.   He is defiantly the hero in the story, but as a result of his tragic flaws of having too much pride and seeking fame, he loses his life and his kingdom falls into the hands of the enemy. Works Cited and Consulted Chambers, R. W. Beowulf: An Introduction. Cambridge: Univ. Press, 1967. Emmerson, Richard K. and Bernard McGinn. The Apocalypse in the Middle Ages. Ithaca: Cornell, 1992. Garmonsway, et. al. Beowulf and Its Analogues. New York: Dutton, 1971. Gang, T. M. "Approaches to Beowulf." RES 3 (1952):.6-12. Hieatt, Constance B. "Envelope Patterns and the Structure of Beowulf," English Studies in Canada 1 (1975): 249-265. Sandars, N. K., trans. The Epic of Gilgamesh. London: Penguin, 1972.

Haruki Murakami’s Short Stories Essay

Haruki Murakami pens many a short story about a disenchanted character walking through life without much of a reason to be there. His protagonists share a sense of isolation from the other characters; their siblings, significant others, parents and coworkers all fail to get through to them in their different quests to find answers to life’s most important questions. Example: why did a strange man appear at the foot of my bed and lead to my eventual inability to get a good night’s sleep? The literal isolation of the characters from meaningful relationships creates an overarching sense of isolation in the mood of the stories, making the reader too feel as though no one understands them. The protagonists of each of Murakami’s stories share a sense of loneliness and disconnect with the people around them. In â€Å"Sleep,† the protagonist is a woman who has inexplicably lost her ability to sleep. This leads to her discovery of her disinterest in her life. The mundane aspects of her marriage, her relationship with her son, her duties in her everyday life, all become suddenly and horribly apparent to her. However, she does not feel propelled to tell her aforementioned husband or son about her problems with sleep. â€Å"Neither my husband nor my son has noticed that I’m not sleeping. And I haven’t mentioned it to them. I don’t want to be told to see a doctor. I know it wouldn’t do any good. I just know. Like before. This is something I have to deal with myself. So they don’t suspect a thing.† This inability to share experiences with family members illustrates the general attitude Murakami creates within his stories. Obsession with things separate from the self is very apparent in Murakami’s work. â€Å"The Kidney Shaped Stone that Moves Everyday† is a short story in which the protagonist himself is a short story author. Junpei’s own life experiences, in particular his father’s advice that only three women in a man’s life have real meaning to him, informs a story Junpei himself writes, about a doctor who finds a stone that eventually overtakes her life: â€Å"She is engaged in hurried coupling with her lover one evening in an anonymous hotel room when she stealthily reaches around to his back and feels for the shape of a kidney. She knows that her kidney-shaped stone is lurking in there. The kidney is a secret informer that she herself has buried in her lover’s body†¦ The lady doctor grows gradually more used to the existence of the heavy, kidney-shaped stone that shifts position every night. She comes to accept it as natural. She is no longer surprised when she finds that it has moved during the night†¦ After a while, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to take her eyes off the stone, as if she has been hypnotized. She gradually loses interest in anything else.† These excerpts from the story illustrate Junpei’s inability to rid himself of the advice given to him from his father, and in a way illustrate a person’s inability to let things go, how small things like stones grow to large sizes inside of us, and when we try to cast them away, it is not always easy to rid ourselves of them. â€Å"Having cast away the stone, she feels a new sense of lightness. The next day, however, when she goes to the hospital, the stone is on her desk, waiting for her.† This metaphor is a two-layer cake (excuse the metaphor to explain a metaphor!) in which the top layer is, of course, Junpei’s inability to let go of his father’s possibly misguided advice, and the bottom layer is our culture’s inability to unplug the phones, and get off the internet. Social networking digs inside of humanity to create a deep addiction that cannot simply be cast away. Nearly all of Murakami’s stories use a sort of emptiness in the life of his characters to show the effects of the narcissism of the modern age on people and their loss of faith, disconnection from family and friends and the general sense of loneliness. The isolation in Murakami’s work is an elegant metaphor for the isolation social networking creates in modern day society. The hilarious juxtaposition between being just the touch of a button away from someone, whilst being incredibly far away from them at the same time, is shown in Murakami’s character’s inability to truly connect with his or her families. This loneliness and disconnect is created by showing a deep-set misunderstanding between the characters and those around them. In â€Å"Sleep† the protagonist feels unable to share her problems with her family partly because of the fact that previously, people did not notice her going through major turmoil, â€Å"I lost fifteen pounds that month, and no one noticed. No one in my family, not one of my friends or classmates, realized that I was going through life asleep.† She believes that her family truly will not notice, or understand her predicament. She does not want to go to a doctor, because she believes her problem to be something she must go through alone. While this belief that she should not see a doctor could arguably be seen as misguided, it stems from the sense of isolation she already feels from the world. In a certain way this character is invisible to her family. They see her everyday, they quietly appreciate the meals she prepares for them, how she keeps the house for them, but they do not understand the deeper aspects of her personality, or so she feels. The protagonists in Murakami’s stories often feel as though no one in their lives truly knows them, or understands the way that they are feeling. The elegant metaphors in Murakami’s stories hit readers where we least like to be hit. They outline the aspects of our culture’s narcissistic obsessions with the self. Self help books, carefully, obsessively groomed profile pages, meticulously managed comments, and continuously growing corporations all geared towards making a better ‘you.’ For this essay I specifically addressed two of Murakami’s stories, â€Å"Sleep† and â€Å"The Kidney Shaped Stone that Moves Everyday.† These two stories exemplify the aspects of isolation in Murakami’s work, and how that isolation bakes the double layer cake, with the top layer the general goings on in the stories, and the bottom layer the overarching themes of narcissism, and cultural collapse. Pessimistic viewpoint and objectifying attitude towards women aside, Murakami weaves a tight tapestry that is certainly beautiful to look at.