Human Resource Management in its environment Essay

Human Resource Management in its environment - Essay Example In the Harvard map or Harvard model of HRM, Beer et al argue the need for methods to assess the appropriateness of policies chosen by general managers of companies. Thus when general managers do choose human resource policies, strategies or practices for their organizations they also require proper methods to assess the effectiveness of such policies or strategies implemented. To assess the effectiveness of management policies, the Harvard Map or model as proposed by Beer et al seems to be rather useful. The model by Beer et al has an informal rather than a formal approach to management and brings out analytical description of the determinants and consequences of HRM policies. According to Beer’s Harvard model, the human resource policies within any organization are influenced by situational factors and stakeholder interests. The situational factors in a business environment would be related to management philosophy, business strategy, task technology, labor market conditions as well as legal and societal values and structures. These factors tend to shape yet constrain HRM policies and place limits in such policies although these factors are in turn shaped and influenced by human resource policies. So situational factors such as business strategies and labor conditions influence the HRM policies used or followed by general managers of companies although other factors such as stakeholder interests would be as important in determining the type of policies followed by businesses . Stakeholder interests would be policies that are influenced by or in turn influence stakeholder interests such as interests of the shareholders, governments, communities, management, employees, and investors of the business. According to Beer et al, human resource policies of companies should not only influence stakeholders but also in turn should be influenced by all stakeholder motives, wishes and interests. If human resource policies do not meet the

The Seven Wonders of the World Essay Example for Free

The Seven Wonders of the World Essay One of the most famous structures on the list of the seven wonders of the ancient world is The Great Pyramid of Giza. What makes this structure the most recognizable on the list? Not only is this pyramid the oldest structure on the list, but it is the only structure that still remains. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man made structure in the world for 3800 years which is not only a testament to its durability but to its mark as one of the most remarkable structures built. It is no wonder that The Great Pyramid of Giza was placed on the list of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Great Pyramid of Giza is a fairly typical pyramid. It is not decorated with reliefs or inscriptions, and it is built in the same shape as all other pyramids. The Pyramid of Giza was not the first pyramid to be built, yet this pyramid has become one of the most famous structures in the world. Why has this particular pyramid gained all the fame and glory? The Pyramid of Giza, though not much larger than most pyramids, is in fact the largest pyramid ever built. This pyramid exemplifies the advancements and accomplishments of architecture in Egypt. The pyramid is large, precise and required an overwhelming amount of organization. It is not the pyramid that is so fascinating, but it is the process and method used to create it. Even today, Egyptologists are not completely sure how The Great Pyramid of Giza was built. In about 2,550 B. C. Pharaoh Khufu ordered the building of his tomb on the plateau of Giza which lies on the outskirts of Cairo. The tomb was designed to protect the Pharaoh’s body as well as his possessions. This would ensure a safe trip with all his belongings into the afterlife. Some believe that Khufu’s vizier, Hemiunu, was the architect of the pyramid whose seated statue was found in the tomb at Giza, but it is not known for sure. The pyramid took just under 30 years to build. The pyramid consists of 2 million limestone blocks each weighing from 2. 5 to 15 tons. The corners of the base of the pyramid coincide almost exactly with the four cardinal points, and the base is level to within in an inch. The pyramid is estimated to stand 481 ft tall. Right by The Great Pyramid of Giza lay three smaller pyramids which are believed to hold the Pharaoh’s queens. The second largest pyramid as well as the sphinx was commissioned by Pharaoh Khufu’s son, Pharaoh Khafre, in 2520 B. C.. It appears at first that this pyramid is the largest, ut do not be fooled. Pharaoh Khafre built his tomb on a plateau 33ft higher most likely to out due his father. The last and smallest pyramid was built by Pharaoh Menkaure around 2490 B. C.. Much like most old kingdom pyramids, the inside of The Great Pyramid of Giza consists of three chambers. The entrance is on the north face of the pyramid and placed up high. The entrance leads to a passageway that descends 191 ft through the pyramid into an underground chamber. There is a passageway from this chamber that is wide enough for only one man, but it leads to a dead end. On the east-west central axis of the pyramid remains the Queens Chamber which was misnamed by early explorers. This chamber was sealed off from the rest of the pyramid and is now believed to once be the location of the king’s ka (spirit) statue. Connected to the descending passage, there is an ascending passage as well. The ascending passage is only big enough to crawl in (approx 1m high and 1m wide). This passage leads you to the Grand Gallery which ultimately leads you to the Pharaoh’s Chamber. All that remains in the Pharaoh’s Chamber today is Khufu sarcophagus. The room is built in red granite, and it is believed that the pyramid was built around the sarcophagus. Also discovered were airshafts in the pyramid. The four airshafts are believed to be â€Å"escape routes† for the Pharaoh’s soul. Two of the airshaft point to Orion and the other two point towards the polar stars. The Pyramids were commissioned by the Pharoah, but the Pyramids were built by the people. With little tools or technology, the Egyptians were able to move heavy blocks of stone as far as 500 mi as well as place the blocks on top of one another so that the pyramid would reach 481ft tall. It is a mystery even today how the Egyptians maneuvered these heavy blocks, but some theories have been drawn. Many believe that the stones were carried using wooden sleds, levers and papyrus twine to the pyramid using ramps. The gradual ramps were made of mud, stone and wood. The ramps were used to move the blocks not only to the pyramid but around and up it as well. The Nile River was also used in transporting materials and equipment. Over 100,000 laborers worked on the project. The people that built the pyramid were skilled and well-fed builders who lived in nearby cities. Help from many ommunities across Egypt most likely occurred to create the pyramid. Originally, the pyramid had casing stones of highly polished white limestone lying on the outside of the pyramid. However in the Middle Ages, massive earthquakes loosened the casing, and the materials were reused for other projects. Erosion, grave robbers as well as tourists have also attributed to the Pyramid’s deterioration over the years. However, steps have been made to protect the pyramid. Now the pyramids are protected by organizations, Egyptologist and the people so that it may remain unharmed for future generations to see. Originally, The Great Pyramid of Giza was built as a symbol of Egypt’s wealth and power. Now, the pyramids are a symbol of Egypt and its rich history and culture. The Great Pyramid of Giza is a testament to the intelligence and technological advancement of Egypt’s ancient civilizations. Pharaoh Khufu was able to create one of the largest structures in the world as well as one of the oldest. The pyramid was an amazing feat of ancient civilization which is why it made the list as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Antebellum Slave Culture Essay -- Analysis, The Slave Community

Since the late 1960s, ante-bellum slave narratives have experienced a renaissance as dozens of the thousands still extant have been reprinted and as scholars have published major works on the sources, art, and developmentof the narratives; the people who produced them; and their on-going influence on later work. Drawing upon slave narratives as well among other sources, John Blassingame's The Slave Community (1972), for example, drew attention to the complex social interactions developed in antebellum slave culture. Examining the milieu that spawned the narratives and their development, and providing insights into what the narratives can tell about slavery as well as what they omit, Frances Smith Foster's Witnessing Slavery (1979) gave readers a book-length analysis of the genre. Robert B. Stepto's From Behind the Veil (1979) situated slave narratives at the center of African-American written narrative. John Sekora and Darwin Turner's collection of essays, The Art of the Slave Narrative (1982), focused closer attention on how the narratives achieved their rhetorical effects. In The Slave's Narrative (1985), Charles T. Davis and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. gathered excerpts from some of the best-known narratives and essays about the narratives as history and autobiographical literature. William L. Andrews's To Tell a Free Story (1987) examined the narratives as public autobiographies, at once exploring and demanding freedom. Today, hardly a book is published on American autobiography without a chapter on slave narratives. Not only do scholars writing about African-American literature often refer to the slave 0026-3079/93/3502-073$ 1.50/0 7o Sv'n her babes, so dear, so young, The*e, ev'n these, were torn à ¢way ÃŽ And... ...ased; unlike the narratives written by men, women's narratives do not emphasize this factor. While male narrators accentuate the role of literacy, females stress the importance of relationships. Given the importance of relationships in the lives of most women, this is hardly surprising. Through their narratives, both male and female fugitives and exslaves strove to counter the racial stereotypes that bound them even in "free" societies. Black men and women, however, faced different stereotypes. Black men combated the stereotype that they were "boys" while black women contested the idea that they were either helpless victims or whores. For a male fugitive, public discourse served to claim his place among men; for a female her relationships— as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend—demonstrated her womanliness and her shared roles with women readers.

How have human activities shaped the landscape between Prawle Point and Start Bay?

On day two, we analysed the human home settlements found in the villages of Hallsands, Beesands and Torcross. The whole aim of doing this was to find how these man made homes and settlements have affected the land at each village, and how other human activities have affected these settlements vulnerability to coastal damage, as how the natural coastline has developed due to this. We also looked at how these settlements have used man made sea defences t help protect them from coastal attacks. Route Firstly, here is the route we took along the coast from Start point (red) to Torcross (green), passing both Beesands and Hallsands along the way. Hallsands – Description When we visited Hallsands we noticed that it was had very small population, with little human settlements which were all near each other. Hallsands also had many narrow rough roads throughout the village and was ear the shore. Hallsands – History Between the years 1894-1903 the shingle beach close to Hallsands was lowered by 1.4m, due to the continuous taking of the shingle to build the dockyards at Plymouth. This made the village of Hallsands extremely vulnerable and open to floods from the waves of the sea. In 1917 a storm with 10m waves destroyed the now unprotected village of Hallsands which was no longer protected by the defensive beach it once had. Hallsands – Present Sea defences Since the destructive storm of 1917 Hallsands has created new man made sea defences to ensure is constantly protected from future storms. You can see present day evidence of this when visiting Hallsands as it now has rip-rap, groups of large rocks stacked together, which break up strong waves and the energy they contain whilst they travel, reducing the impact when they hit these rocks. Beesands – Description Compared with Hallsands, the village of Beesands had more human settlements dispersed throughout its land, with large areas of space between them, although thy were all generously within the same perimeter. Like Hallsands however, Beesands also had various narrow roads and is located near the shore. Beesands – History The village of Beesands is continuously vulnerable to flooding due to its beach having a lack of shingle moving northwards along the coastline, by long shore drift. There is no new source of shingle as its origins are 40km out in Start Bay. Beesands – Present Sea defences In the village of Beesands rip-rap was put down to help defend against the sea waves, but was quickly eroded and in 1992 a sea wall was built, along with gabions, which still stands today. The sea wall works by pushing the wave back on itself therefore breaking the impact of the wave and the energy it carries, Gabions work similar to rip rap meaning the also break up the energy of the wave and reduce its impact in the collision. Tocross – Description Tocross, like Beesands also had a larger amount of human settlements which were found generally close to each other. However, tit was easily noticeable that the houses were pointing at different angels and varied in different shapes ad seizes. Also, compared to both Beesands and Hallsands Torcross was further away from the shore, although still near. Torcross – History In 2001, a destructive storm occurred near the village of Torcross and the continuous collision of waves, due to its vulnerability damaged the road along Slapton sands. Torcross – Present Sea defences Like Beesands, the village of Torcross choose to build a sea wall after the destructive storm to help protect against sea waves in the future. This still stands today and can be seen when visiting the village. Sea Defences – Disadvantages Although these man made sea defences provide secure safety for many years to these human settlements within the villages, they come with a disadvantage of being incredibly expensive, which can therefore weaken the overall economy of the village itself. You can see the scale of how expensive these defences are when calculating the cost of the rip-rap and sea wall found at Beesands. Below is the calculation of the cost of these sea defences: Rip-rap Rip-rap = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,000 per metre Length of Rip-rap = 254metres Cost of Rip-rap in Beesands – à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,000 x 254 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½762000 Seawall Seawall = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3500 per metre Length of Seawall = 254metres Cost of Seawall in Beesands – à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,500 x 254 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½889000 Gabions Gabions = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 per metre Length of Gabions = 254metres Cost of Gabions in Beesands – à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 x 254 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½254000 Value of property Now we know the full cost of the sea defences found in Beesands we need to find whether these sea defences are actually worth the money provided they protect these homes. To find this we need to calculate the cost of all the properties found in Beesands and compare it the cost of the sea defences'. Below is the calculation for the value of these properties found in Beesands: Residential Properties Residential properties = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½150,000 per floor 25 houses (2 floors each) Cost of residential properties – à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½150,000 x 50 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½750,000 Commercial Properties Commercial properties = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½170,000 per floor 4 businesses (3x2floors, 1x1floor) Cost of commercial properties = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½170,000 x 7 = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1190000 Overall cost of sea defences = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1905000 V Overall cost of properties = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1940000 As you can see the cost of the sea defences in Beesands appears to be worth the safety of the properties which are there, although there is only a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½35,000 difference in the values of the sea defences compared to the value of the properties. This means that although the sea defences aren't costing more then the settlements which are there, the overall economies of Beesands would be affected by the costs of it. The Future Although for now Beesands, Hallsands and Torcross are generally protected from minor occurring storms, the face major dilemmas on what they will need to do to help protect them in the future. This will be determined by two major factors. Ageing Population The first is the increasingly ageing population dispersed throughout Britain. In the years to come more and more people will be retiring and face the possibility of moving nearer to the coast. If this were to happen then the village will need to consider whether they will gain enough money to support the village with more sea defences. Global Warming The second major factor is global warming. With the frequency of occurring storms continuously increasing will the village be able to protect itself from the increasing occurring storms in the future. Possibilities There are two major possibilities that these three villages could consider to do. The first is to simply stop spending money on sea defences and allow nature to take its course, possibly resulting in many storms and therefore floods to the village. The second is to continue spending money on further sea defences although they cant be sure how successful they will be and for how long. My Conclusion I personally think that the villages should invest in further sea defences even though they will cost the economy of the villages dearly. This is because if they chose not to invest in the defences and admit defeat then these villages will eventually be completely destroyed and lost forever; therefore these sea defences are vital in securing the long term protection of these settlements. I also think that even though sea defences seem extremely expensive and someone people may think they are not worth it, if there are no sea defence mechanisms at all to protect these settlements then there will be no hope at all for these settlements to survive from whatever they are exposed to in the future.

Manifestations of vandalism Essay

Some say that the youths of today are irresponsible. This view merits consideration because it is debatable. Nowadays, vandalism become a trend around the teenagers. According in the Oxford Dictionary vandalism means a destruction by vandals. This vandalism has become a culture for the teenagers. This issue is making a country so ashamed towards the others country. There are many factors, effect and resolution for this issue. We must take a action to reduce this vandalism among the teenagers. Teenagers are the product of a community system. Dysfunctional society will eventually produce a flawed product. Attitude of some people now who cared more about materialistic and indifferent to social issues certainly complicate the existing problem. According to many studies vandalism occurred in the city. Youth scribbling and damaging public property rather than not educated but the generation born in the city is difficult to control. In urban areas some people do not care for what is happening around them. By the youth feel that they are free to pursue this regardless of the negative symptoms of a sense of responsibility towards public property. Vandalism activities also have adverse effects on society. Activity causing vandalism of public property such as public telephones and so destroyed. It will be difficult for the community if they had to use public facilities for emergency purposes. Vandalism is often underestimated by the local community. They just sit back while the vandalism happened in front of their eyes. Finally people also suffer from the heinous activities. Community is difficult to make contact during emergency situations. Example public phones damaged during house is on fire. In addition, the community is not comfortable while using other public property. Example wet while waiting for the bus because the bus stop damaged roof could not stop because of the rain. Graffiti on the walls of public toilets worsen and encourage the younger generation to emulate these unhealthy symptoms. In addition, vandalism activities also affect the country. Vandalism activities cause and affect the country’s image tarnished Malaysia’s economic position. This is due to the lack of the arrival of tourists from outside to Malaysia because of the bad environment and attitudes of the  people who do not care. In effect, the country’s tourism industry will decline. Industries in tourism is among the contributors to the country’s economic position. Decline in tourism caused by losses due to unemployed people had to repair and improve infrastructure and public facilities have been destroyed. Read more:  Causes of Vandalism Essay Many vandalism phenomena that can affect the eye can see and this certainly affects the image of the country. Total losses due to this vandalism is enormous. Allocation of funds used for refurbishing and repairing damaged facilities is better if used for other projects that are more beneficial. This course will benefit the nation as a whole. There are many factors of being this vandalism among the teenagers. The first factors is peer influence. Peer influence can lead to vandalism. Teenagers usually easier to copy and influence by their peers. Peer influence will shape the attitudes, values and behaviours among the youth, especially youth who have dropped out and family problem. Usually, teenagers who commit vandalism is a teenager in the group, they do not have a purpose and when gathered arise include scribbling ideas and damaging public property. Peer influence also make the teenagers become incautious about their studies and not focus about their education. Moreover, parenting and family also one of the factors of being the vandalism among the teenagers. Parents are the impetus for the nature of vandalism among teenagers. For example, when driving parents littering or skin of fruits such as rambutan and oranges while ignoring the speed limit signs. Some teenagers who get caught in symptom vandalism comes from troubled families or families that practice negative life. According to a study carried out revenge vandalism by teenagers who want to be free and a troubled family background. Besides lack of proper control and guidance of parents also among the main factor influence youth stuck in negative symptoms. Therefore, the measures to overcome the problem of vandalism among teenagers should be implemented immediately.First of all, parents should carry out an important role in cleaning up the vandalism. They need to monitor the activities of their children so as not slipping into the negative. Not only that, but mixing children should also be monitored in order to not make a mistake in choosing a partner. Moreover, parents should inculcate in themselves divinity children since childhood. This is so because of religious knowledge can become a major fortification in preventing young people from influenced by negative elements like  vanadalisme activities. If parents fulfill their roles properly, definitely vandalism can be easily overcome. Furthermore, role of society and the school should have to help this issue to reduce the vandalism among the teenagers. Every member of society should be concerned about and pay attention to their children not to do this wrong, and people should be aware of what is happening around them. Community needs to be proactive against vandalism symptoms that occur in their area. In addition members of the community can play a vital role to provide an understanding of how bad moral vandalism. The school should provide advice and guidance to students about the importance of public property. Younger generation should be explained in detail about their responsibility for public property. Explain to students what their feelings if their school bags defaced or torn by irresponsible people such awareness will partly reflect the importance of attitude and responsibility. Therefore, all parties, particularly the parents, the community, the government and schools should work together and carry out their obligations in order to reduce the symptoms of this increasingly serious. If the intention is successfully implemented, it is possible our country can stand, sit low in developed countries. Hopefully, with this solution, we are able to realize the Vision 2020 and is famous the world over.

The eNotes Blog eNotes Book Club January(Noir)

Book Club January(Noir) In this month’s installment of our book club series, we gave ourselves a theme: â€Å"noir.† If you’re looking for a snappy, dark whodunnit, grab a magnifying glass and read on! â€Å"A Study in Emerald† by Neil Gaiman I kicked off our noir-themed round with Neil Gaimans â€Å"A Study in Emerald.† Tasked with writing a story combining the worlds of Doyle and Lovecraft, Gaiman presents a London full of grisly mystery and ruled by a Great Old One. If that isnt tantalizing enough, this short story is freely available online, delightfully laid out newspaper-style, and full of allusions. But I am woolgathering. Forgive me. I am not a literary man. This darkly fantastic â€Å"whodunnit† is told from a Watson-esque character’s point of view as he recounts the events that surround the titular study in emerald. Having moved into rooms on Baker Street with his roommate, London’s premier- and only- consulting detective, the narrator is drawn into a mystery surrounding the murder of the Queen’s favorite nephew. My dear Lestrade. Please give me some credit for having a brain. The corpse is obviously not that of a man- the colour of his blood, the number of limbs, the eyes, the position of the face, all these things bespeak the blood royal. We all thoroughly enjoyed the little details of the story: the dark atmosphere, the peculiar investigation, and the stunning subversion at the conclusion. Will the consulting detective catch the Tall Man and the Limping Doctor? Read to find out! - Wes â€Å"Indie† by Steven Schwartz When I think of noir fiction, I think of a good murder mystery, so what I ended up searching for was a good thriller that got me thinking and asking questions. Although my pick might not be considered noir (as the rest of the group made pretty clear), I still think it fit the bill of the kind of story I wanted to find. â€Å"Indie† is a short, ten-part story about a history teacher who suddenly stands with a gun to his head at the front of his classroom. The story events span maybe ten or twenty minutes but- appropriately- feels like forever. Each chapter jumps from character to character, allowing the reader to view the narrative from a different person’s perspective. Despite the subject matter at hand, we felt that aspects of this story were humorous. The jumps from one character to the next caused the tension to switch back and forth from an impending suicide to something as mundane as a teenager reflecting on their recent shopping trip with a friend. Interestingly, the piece failed to illicit a response of empathy or sadness. Instead, we ended up discussing the different ways people cope with trauma. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking investigation on different responses to trauma and tragedy, definitely pick up â€Å"Indie.† - Kate â€Å"Start with a Corpse† by Larry Holden Trying to find public-domain and good noir was a bit of a challenge. That was until I came across a fabulous website full of digitally preserved pulpwood magazines: The Pulp Magazine Project, created by University of Pittsburgh English Literature professor Patrick Scott Belk. This â€Å"open-access digital archive is dedicated to the study and preservation† of pulp magazines. It’s quite a treasure trove for the pulp fan and anyone simply fascinated by older, influential magazines, artwork, and advertisements. (Thank you, Professor Belk!) Why was it that no one wanted it known just whom the Rutherford girl had killed? I picked â€Å"Start with a Corpse† due to the intriguing title, cool two-page art spread, and no-nonsense noir mood. Barring a few plot holes we identified and a lack of whodunnit-nuance, this short story provided us with your cynical P.I. complete with a blood-stained dress, mysterious coins, abrupt bar fights, and deadly shoot-outs all leading up to a tidy ending. The only thing missing was a femme fatale and a dreary drizzle. You wont find much literary depth or character exploration, but if youre in for a solid little 25 ¢ pulpy piece, pick this one up next. - Sam â€Å"Bodies Piled Up† by Dashiell Hammett Hammett wrote a series of stories in the 1920s that feature the Continental Op, an unnamed private detective in San Francisco. â€Å"Bodies Piled Up,† published in The Black Mask in December of 1923, is the fifth of Hammett’s Continental Op stories. The story centers around a trio of bodies mysteriously stashed in the clothespress of a room in the Montgomery Hotel. As the Continental Op pulls on the threads of the three mens identities, he unexpectedly finds himself on the trail of a mob conflict. The writing is as stiff and dry as a martini without vermouth. The story has more holes than a wheel of Swiss cheese. The characters are as flat as the pages the story was printed on. If you’re looking for noir fiction with any punch, verve, or intrigue, then move right along- there’s nothing to see here. It seems like Hammett dashed this story off. - Zack Black Maria by Kevin Young Taking excerpts, however judiciously, from a book-length work can create confusion. This proved to be the case with Kevin Youngs Black Maria. Its chapters- â€Å"reels†- of poems track a plot, but characters and motives are hard to follow. So, with the story- a detective, a woman, a crime- out the window, what was left was the poetry itself. There’s an inherently earnest quality to lyric poetry that stands at odds with the cynicism and world-weariness of the first-person noir narrator. Young writes almost exclusively in couplets, which could be read as the taciturn, repetitive diction of the private dick, but somehow none of us seemed inclined to defend that take on things. Instead, we read a tension between form and function- familiar tropes through an unfamiliar lens. A heavily discussed excerpt runs, His real home was six feet beneath ground, he was just up here renting breath with the rest of us, short term lease he’s fallen behind on. The first four and a half lines are good, solid noir, but we felt the â€Å"short term lease† pushes the image too far. Short lines and short stanzas keep the reader â€Å"pitching forward† but contribute to this tonal inconsistency, reading as intricately composed spoken-word rather than foggy, atmospheric noir. Black Maria is clever and fun but not â€Å"smelling of catharsis / cheap ennui† in the way we’d hoped. - Caitlin â€Å"Parting Gift† by Frank Ward If you consider a characteristic of noir to be fatalism, then Frank Ward’s â€Å"Parting Gift† fits the bill. This ten-minute read follows a husband’s revenge plot on his cheating wife until the story takes an unexpected turn. As we picked apart Ward’s writing, we found the short story comparable to a work of O. Henry. Considering that one of the most recognized elements of O. Henry’s fiction was a surprise ending, also known as the â€Å"O. Henry twist†, Ward’s short story possesses a similar structure. It focuses on the series of events rather than an exploration into the lives of the characters. The standout feature of this story was the â€Å"expensive bronze table lighter fashioned after a globe of the world, with the ignition plunger where the north pole should be,† which makes for the ultimate noir accessory. While lacking emotional depth, the story does make for a quick, entertaining read equipped with stealth movements and mystery. Above all, â€Å"Parting Gift† is a reminder that some things in life are simply out of our control. - Savannah

Palamon accuses Arcite Essay Example

Palamon accuses Arcite Essay Example Palamon accuses Arcite Essay Palamon accuses Arcite Essay Saturn (the planet that rules chaos), says Arcite, must have given them this misfortune. This is a rational attitude regarding fortune, but it quickly changes when Arcite sees Emelye and falls in love with her himself. Suddenly he is willing to forego his oldest bond of knighthoodhis bond with Palamonfor the sake of a lady he has not even met. They start to quarrel, and Palamon accuses Arcite of breaking their sworn oath. Like a child, Palamon claims that Emelye is his because he saw her first.Arcite notes that theres a difference in each ones love: Palamon loves her in holinesse, not even knowing whether shes a woman; while Arcite loves her as a fellow creature (lines 300-301), that is, as a woman. It may be that Arcite is right, but he uses the argument to prove that alls fair in love, which justifies breaking his vow. Does it? Well have to see which vowlove or bloodis the more lasting. When Arcites fortune changes through the love of Perotheus and the mercy of Theseus, hes unable to see that its really Gods purveyaunce (providence) (line 394) thats setting him free.Instead, he can see only as far as the physical things of nature, and moans that not erthe, water, fyr, ne air/Ne creature (lines 388-389) can help him. (He also uses a classical image of man being drunk, meaning that his brain is muddled by seeing only lower things and not spiritual heights. But Arcite cannot see that he is doing exactly that. ) Palamons prison, he complains, is really Paradise, and fortune has thrown him good dice (line 380). Meanwhile Palamon is saying the same things about Arcite.While Arcite wonders why people cant just accept Gods will and fortune (which he himself cant), Palamon asks what governaunce (justice or reason) there is in Gods foreknowledge (line 455). Each knight refuses to accept his fate and is torn between what he wants and what he has, between passion and duty. One is in prison and can see his lady; one is exiled and cut off from his beloved. Which of them, the Knight asks us with a sly grin, is the worse off? Arcite, pale and ill from love, has a dream in which Mercury, messenger of the gods, tells him, To Attenes shaltou wende [go],Ther is thee shapen of thy wo an ende [there the end of your woe is arranged]. (lines 533-534) Believing this means he will win Emelye, he risks death by returning to Athens. What he doesnt know is that his ende means his death. (In Christian imagery, Mercury often stands for the Devil. ) Fortune takes over from the time that Arcite, al alone, returns to Athens in disguise. NOTE: The idea of aloneness versus company, the ideal of the common good, appears throughout the tale. Theseus, the good ruler, consults his parliament and travels with others.Aloneness, some readers believe, means the way to death. In a circular pattern, we are back in May, and Were it by aventure or destinee (As, when a thing is shapen, it shal be) (lines 607-608) Palamon escapes just in time to see Arcite reveal his identity in the grove. Palamon threatens to kill him for breaking their knights code and his promise to Theseus not to return. Again, we are meant to see which promises are the more important. As we see later, Palamon considers the knights honor (which is tied to Venus) to be more important than winning a battle.Arcite believes the battle the most important thing. They agree to fight to the death the next day. Destiny is so strong that it determines what happens, in this instance and also in all situationsAll is this ruled by the sight above (line 814), i. e. , Gods knowledge. According to the divine plan, Theseus, Hippolyta, and Emelye arrive in the middle of the battle. Here is where Palamon shows honor by confessing the whole mess and asking for death. Theseus is angry that they are fighting withouten judge or other officer (line 854), in other words, outside the order imposed by law and reason.He agrees to spare their lives when the women plead for mercy and he sees that the fight is over love. He is still angry in his heart, Yet in his reason he them both excused (line 908). Theseus decides to settle the problem in an ordered game of battle where no one will be killed. This battle will determine whether love or might triumphs. Part III opens with a lavish description of Theseus building of the joust arena and the altars prepared for the gods of the main characters: Venus for Palamon, Mars for Arcite, Diana for Emelye.Each god is depicted in the cruelest termsVenus as the goddess of lovers broken sleeps and cold sighs (line 1062); Mars as the war god that brings death and destruction; Diana, goddess of chastity, as a cruel huntress. Each knight prays for victory and gets a sign that he interprets as meaning that hell be victorious. At the same time, the gods argue it out in the heavens, with Saturn, the god and planet of death, promising Venus that her man Palamon will win eventually. But she and Mars must keep peace between them for awhile, since their opposition creates swich divisioun (line 1618).Even though Saturn is a mean spirit, his main purpose here is to create harmony among the gods and the mortals below. Life cant exist without harmony or without pain, Saturn is saying; the suggestion is that this is the reason behind fortunes ups and down. The final section takes us onto the battlefield where Arcites knights fight for Mars (and Emelye) and Palamons for Venus (and Emelye). The rhetorical description of the battle, which some say represents sexual struggle, embodies human conflict the way cowboy films do; knights fall off horses and the crowd cheers or boos.Finally Mars knight Arcite wins the contest. When Arcites short-lived victory is literally overturned by his pitching horse, were told that the expulsive, animal, or natural virtues couldnt help him. NOTE: Three virtues, the vital, natural, and animal, were believed to control the body. In Arcite, the animal virtue, connected with the brain, cant expel the poison from the natural virtue, connected with the liver. Nature loses her hold on his life. He dies Allone, withouten any company, without having gained the desire of his dreams.The only consolation for Arcites death comes from Theseus old father Egeus, who knows the worlds transmutation and has seen it change both up and down (lines 1981-1982). This reminds us of love as well as life, for weve been told before that lovers go now up, now down, like a bucket in a well (line 675). The world always changes according to fortune, Egeus says, and he reminds us of the wider context of the tale when he says This world is just a thoroughfare of woe, And we are pilgrims, passing to and fro.(lines 1989-1990) There is even some humor in the orderly telling of Arcites funeral, which the Knight describes by saying what he wont describe. But after this ritual of death and honor, life begins again with Theseus explaining the point of the tale, that lifes order is a natural one, of fortune, love, life, and death. Everything is part of a perfect whole established by the First Mover (God), but lives its allotted time before the next generation succeeds. Then it is wisdom, as it seems to me,To make a virtue of necessity. (lines 2183-2184) In other words, Theseus makes the best of the nature we are given. Pain and death are inevitable, but lets enjoy it all to get the most out of life. What Palamon and Arcite couldnt settle between themthe problems of passion, duty, and fortuneare resolved by Theseus in this wise speech. The marriage of Palamon and Emelye is the outcome of this philosophy, and also shows how, within the wheel of fortune, happiness can exist along with, even because of, sadness and suffering.