The Characteristics of a Compelling Introduction

An introduction is the opening of an essay or speech, which typically identifies the topic, arouses interest, and prepares the audience for the development of the thesis. Also called an  opening, a lead,  or an introductory paragraph. For an introduction to be effective, says Brendan Hennessy, it should  persuade readers that what you have to say is worth close attention. Etymology From the Latin, to bring in. Examples and Observations In addition to appealing to readers and helping them to anticipate tone and substance, the opening passage can also help readers read by helping them to anticipate the structure of what will follow. In classical rhetoric, this was called the division or partition because it indicates how the piece of writing will be divided into parts. Methods of Introducing an EssayHere are a few possible ways to open an essay effectively:State your central idea, or thesis, perhaps showing why you care about it.Present startling facts about your subject.Tell an illustrative anecdote.Give background information that will help your reader understand your subject, or see why it is important.Begin with an arresting quotation.Ask a challenging question. (In your essay, youll go on to answer it.)Example of Introductory Paragraph in an Essay Bill Clinton loves to shop. On a March day in an elegant crafts store in Lima, the Peruvian capital, he hunted for presents for his wife and the women on his staff back home. He had given a speech at a university earlier and just came from a ceremony kicking off a program to help impoverished Peruvians. Now he was eyeing a necklace with a green stone amulet. Four Goals of IntroductionsAn effective introduction has four basic goals:Catch the audiences attention and focus it on your topic.Motivate the audience to listen by pointing out how your topic will benefit them.Establish credibility and rapport with your audience by creating a common bond and letting them know about your expertise and experience with the topic.Present your thesis statement, which includes clarification of your central idea and main points.Examples of an Introduction in a Speech The first thing I would like to say is ‘thank you.’ Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honour, but the weeks of fear and nausea I have endured at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight. A win-win situation! Now all I have to do is take deep breaths, squint at the red banners, and convince myself that I am at the world’s largest Gryffindor reunion. (J.K Rowling) Quintilian on the Appropriate Time to Compose an Introduction (or Exordium) ï » ¿I do not, on these accounts, agree with those who think that the exordium is to be written last; for though it is proper that our materials should be collected, and that we should settle what effect is to be produced by each particular, before we begin to speak or write, yet we ought certainly to begin with that which is naturally first. No man begins to paint a portrait, or mold a statue, with the feet; nor does any art find its completion where the commencement ought to be. Else what will be the case if we have no time to write our speech? Will not so preposterous a practice disappoint us? The orators materials are, therefore, to be first contemplated in the order in which we direct, and then to be written in the order in which he is to deliver them. Pronunciation in-tre-DUK-shun Sources Brendan Hennessy, How To Write Coursework and Exam Essays, How To Books 2010.Richard Coe,  Form and Substance: An Advanced Rhetoric. Wiley, 1981X.J. Kennedy et al.,  The Bedford Reader. Bedford/St. Martins, 2000Introduction to Its Not About Bill, by Peter Baker.  The New York Times Magazine, May 31, 2009Cheryl Hamilton,  Essentials of Public Speaking, 5th ed. Wadsworth, 2012J.K. Rowling, commencement address at Harvard University, June 2008Quintilian,  Institutes of Oratory, 95 AD

Heroes Are The People In The Society That We Admire For

Heroes are the people in the society that we admire for or venerated for the courage they portray, noble qualities, and the outstanding achievements associated with them. In every community, anyone who attains the hero status, he/she creates ideals and ideas that the community creates and strives for. Heroes are individuals who assist in shaping the culture of the community they are associated with in the literature, the community also shapes the heroes too. The motivation and zeal of the heroes to attain more are always shaped by their culture (Heroes and The Homeric Iliad). Social conditions and culture create the essence of the hero in which the people need at the time. In my case, I will be making a comparison of the Achilles,†¦show more content†¦Achilles is portrayed as the selfish character because he wanted the community to honor him and compensate him while Beowulf on the other side, he wanted the opposite. He didn’t want the honors but instead fought to assist his community. Beowulf had a fight with Grendel and Grendel’s mother to save Hrothgar and his community. He also went into a fight with the dragon to save his people. Achilles for honor and rewards. Aeneas went into battle for the sake of rebuilding what had been snatched from his community. Aeneas and Beowulf portrayed almost the same characters even though one dies while the other one is picked by the gods and lives. They both represented great piety. Something else they portrayed is they was presented with quests. In this quest, it is written they were both controlled by the gods. Aeneas did accept the god’s choice even though there were passionate impulses which were feared might get into his way. Throughout Aeneid, Aeneas quest shows devotion, fortitude and the acceptance of his fate to become the hero of his people and the Roman culture. He accepts the quest to find a home for the Trojans. Beowulf quest was to fight off three giant monsters. â€Å"The monsters were, Grendel, Grendel’s nanny, and the dragon -and the superhuman hero who fights against them appear beside other examples of nonhuman nature (Puchner, 1230). â€Å"Beowulf emerges as a written work of literature only at the end of generations of transmission as song,Show MoreRelatedA Hero Can Have a Flaw707 Words   |  3 Pageshero? Most people will immediately imagine a superhero, unbeatable athlete or noble warrior. Despite their superhuman achievements, they all have something in common with even the meekest people-- a flaw.These flaws give us a chance of becoming heroes ourselves. We are all humans and make mistakes, so their are no chances of a perfect hero. However, if a perfect hero does exist, his or her good qualities may become a flaw in a certain situation. Like a person who sees all good in people is naive andRead MoreEssay on Heroes in Our daily Lives667 Words   |  3 Pages Growing up as a child in America I did not have a hero. Although I was exposed through my own reading and television to many revered and â€Å"famous† people, I never aspired to be like any particular individual. I looked at people’s ac complishments and achievements, as remarkable as they might have been, as normal. I saw their feats as something that I myself can achieve if I made an effort. I remember my friend, Ben, always talking about Charles Barkley, a legendary basketball player. He would followRead MoreThe Amazing Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1287 Words   |  6 Pagesbook heroes have had a significant impact on American society since the first issues were released. As people, we naturally look for qualities in others that we can relate to and admire, and that is what sparks a connection between the two. The same can be said for people and comic book heroes. People admire comic book heroes because they are fascinated by their characteristics. Not all superheroes have the same qualities, and that is what makes them different from each other, much like people. TheRead MoreEssay about The Hero843 Words   |  4 Pagesmeaning of the word hero adjust it’s self to the people using it. Thus, the defin ition of a hero changes parallel to the evolution of society, religion, and politics, in order to placate the desires of the people involved. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;If we look back, over a thousand years ago before Christianity became the omnipotent religion of the West, we hear of stories of heroes being passed down orally from generation to generation. In â€Å"Beowulf† we have this invincible brute tearing the limbsRead MoreBeowulf As A Hero910 Words   |  4 PagesLinden Mrs. Jorgensen English III 6 October 2017 Why We Need Heros A hero, â€Å"a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character†(â€Å"Hero†). A hero shows much more than honor and glory, they sacrifice their own life to selflessly help out the lives of others. By having heroes it gives us hope, wisdom, and justice throughout the nation. The three main types of heroes include an epic hero, superhero, and your own personal hero. These heroes show that it s more than the cape or armour they wearRead MoreThe Epic Of Epic Heroes984 Words   |  4 Pagescharacter’s heroic potentials. Epic heroes are somewhat similar to superheroes, yet they are also different. Like epic heroes, superheroes endeavor challenging events to protect civilians and defeat villains. While the two types of heroes are broadly alike, epic heroes are generally an evident source in society, while superheroes are typically called upon in time of need. This may be the reason as to why they are known as superheroes and not epic heroes. Heroes such as Beowulf and Sir Gawain are theRead MoreThe Ramayana As A Hero Essay1508 Words   |  7 Pagescharacters, is how the ancient Indian heroic society takes the ideas of heroism, with specific focus on the epic poem ‘The Ramayana’. Along with the examining of the major characterstics of heroic archetypes, specifically the hero who works with a partner or companion, the hero who works alone and the figure of the hero who plays a background role in the context of the epic, there will also be a brief focus on the importance of the ability of heroes to work as a team, even when they may not necessarilyRead MoreThemes Of Humanism And Ethnic Pride1704 Words   |  7 Pagesexpressed in this chapter. Humanism is first seen through the gods’ human like nature. For example rather than being, all knowing, sinless god, Zeus â€Å"was not omnipotent or omniscient [and] could be opposed or deceived.†(21) Additionally Zeus like people, experienced lust and was â€Å"fal ling in love with one woman after another and descending to all manner of tricks to hide his infidelity from his wives.†(21) Humanism is also expressed through the Gods physical appearance. Hamilton writes â€Å"The GreeksRead More The Die Hard Trilogy: Mcclain An Example Of A Hero In America619 Words   |  3 Pagesera, now our hero isnt always perfect and has his flaws. The hero in todays movies needs these flaws and needs to travel through a combination of paths to become a hero. In order to sell movies which decide who a hero is in todays society. 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Unemployment and Saudisation in the Saudi Economy Free Essays

The labor force is a main factor for any economy. therefore, Unemployment is a big problem for the economy. â€Å"An unemployed person is the one who is willing and able to work but unable to find a job†. We will write a custom essay sample on Unemployment and Saudisation in the Saudi Economy or any similar topic only for you Order Now This means those people who don’t work and don’t want to work are not considered as unemployed. Two decades ago, the Saudi government started to help Saudis to find jobs by Saudisation program, which aims to replace the non-Saudis workers by Saudis workers.. Thesis Statement Lack of the education system and the high cost of Saudi employee are the main reasons for the high rate of unemployment.The sharp increase in the population in Saudi Arabia compared to the available jobs shows dangerous signs of higher rates in unemployed Saudis. As known, unemployment has many bad effects on society and economy. Therefore, the government must work hard to decrease that risk by applying Saudisation program and support the private sector to solve this problem. Lack of The Education System The education system has failed to prepare country’s youth for jobs which are required in the marketplace. Unfortunately, one of the biggest spending in the national budget goes to the education system.But this high expenditure doesn’t show good effects. There are many subjects are taught at the Saudi universities are not required in the marketplace. At the same time, many subjects are required in the private sector are not existing or exists in few universities such as, jobs requiring technical expertise and also the medical subjects. In fact, the education system is not the only guilty. The Ministry of Economy and Planning and the Ministry of Labor also share that fail. So, there must be a cooperation between these ministries to avoid the problem of mismatching between the education output and the marketplace requirements.The High Cost of Hiring Saudi Worker The high cost of Saudi workers compared to the foreigner is also a main reason for the high rate of unemployment in Saudi Arabia. The companies in the private sector usually try to reduce the cost as much as they can, therefore, they prefer to bring non-Saudi workers. In fact, hiring more foreigner has a bad effect. Every year those foreigners send their money to their families. According to statistics department of Ministry of Economy Planning, â€Å"remittances of expatriates amounted to SR 59. 45 billion in year 2002†³.Since these huge amounts of money are spent out of our economy, this is so bad for the national economy. The Saudi workers feel shame The third reason is that some Saudis feel shame to work in services field as cleaners, taxi drivers or waiters. However, in the last few years, Saudis started giving up that shame. Especially, with the high rate of unemployment and the government efforts to educate people that, there is no shame to work in the services field. Unemployment Effects on the Economy and the Society The employment has a direct effect on the national economy as a main factor of any economy. he main cost of unemployment is to those who are unemployed. There are many bad effects of unemployment on the economy and the society. Economically, the longer youth unemployed the more they may lose their skills and this is bad for the economy. The unemployed could be producing goods and services and if they aren’t, then total production is lower than it could be. This causes decrease in the national income which mean economic loses. Socially, unemployment also has bad effects on the society. If the unemployment keeps increasing for a long time, this will lead to increase the number of poor people which means more ills in the society.Some youth could work in bad things to find money such as, drugs and stealing. Unemployment also increases the gab between the classes of the society. As we can see, as unemployment increases, as more bad effects happen to the economy and the society. Saudisation As a result of the continuous increase in youth unemployed, the government started the initiative termed as â€Å"Saudisation†. This program aims to fight unemployment and to help youth to find appropriate jobs. Saudisation is started about two decades ago and it is defined as â€Å"the replacement of the non-Saudi workers by Saudi workers â€Å".This program considered as a main solution for the high rate of unemployment. Saudisation doesn’t aim only to reduce the unemployment, it aims also to decrease the huge amount of money going out by foreign workers. Saudisation program has shown success in some fields such as the commercial bank, the medical field and also in services field. The Saudi government has succeeded in applying the Saudisation program in the banking sector. According to the ministry of labor, The number of Saudi worker has increased by 100% from 2000 to 2007, whereas the percentage of non-Saudi workers has decreased by 35%.At the same period. New Industrial Cities The current boom has brought the creation of six economic cities which will offer many opportunities for jobs. That of course will lead to a sharp decrease in unemployment. According to the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, SAGIA, these six economic cities will offer more than 1. 5 million jobs. The most important and largest city is King Abdullah Economic City. This city will offer about one million opportunities of jobs. The government really work hard to build these cities.However, the government also should work hard to prepare the Saudi youth to work in these cities. Conclusion Summary Unemployment is one of the biggest problems concerns the Saudi economy. The government has worried because the bad effects of unemployment, especially if the unemployment continues for long time. The unemployment rate increased sharply during few years ago. This high rate caused mainly by lack of the education system and the high cost of hiring Saudi workers. Therefore, the government started applying the Saudisation program as a main solution for the high unemployment rate.Saudisation has been applied successfully in some fields especially in the banking sector. The government also has other solutions such as building the industrial cities which will solve the unemployment problem and develop the national economy as well. Prediction If the government works as hard as possible to apply the Saudisation program, support the private sector, and reform the education system, this will decrease unemployment, increase the national income, the standard of living of Saudis and create a strong national economy.In conclusion, the government must work harder to decrease the unemployment rate. Especially, with the high rate of growth of population. The government also must exploit the current boom and the huge amount of revenues to increase the employment. Finally, I really hope the best for the Saudi economy, I hope to see in the near future more development and reforms in Saudi Arabia.Works Cited Al Farsy, Fouad. † Saudisation † King Fahd bin Abdulaziz site 1 January, 2006 [accessed 28 December 2008 http://www. ingfahdbinabdulaziz. com/main/j600. htm gt;]. Robert, Looney. † Saudisation and Sound Economic Reforms: Are the Two Compatible? † Center for Contemporary Conflict February 2004 [accessed 27 December 2008 http://www. ccc. nps. navy. mil/si/2004/feb/looneyFeb04. asp#references gt;]. Roberts, Lynne † Saudisation quota to stay † ARABIANBUSINESS. COM 24 July 2007 [accessed 28 December 2008 http://www. arabianbusiness. com/496542-saudization-quota-to-stay gt;]. How to cite Unemployment and Saudisation in the Saudi Economy, Papers

Concept Analysis Essay free essay sample

There Is Power In Words Racism is still alive in America. It is not as overt but its presence is still felt. I believe there is power in words. The Bible says there is death and life in the power of the tongue. Words can either be used to edify, uplift and encourage or they can be used to tear down, demoralize and debase. Which do you choose? In this essay I will attempt to analyze how African Americans have reclaimed a term that has been used for numerous years to negatively characterize their race and them as people.By changing the spelling of Niger to enigma and using it to express positive attributes such as brotherhood and inclusion It has aided them in affirming their Identity. I live In a very small town In Louisiana where Bible thumping ministers still preach fire. Brimstone, hell and damnation. This is a place that still holds memories, remnants and scars of an era where men draped in white sheets burned crosses in the yards of anyone off different race or those who dared to disagree with their beliefs. We will write a custom essay sample on Concept Analysis Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This Is a town where white cashiers will place the change from a black patrons purchase n the counter so they would not have to touch their hand.There are still some establishments in this town where employees will wait on white customers first even though black customers were in the place first. In this little town you can hear the word Niger whispered behind the backs of African Americans. The World English Dictionary defines rugged as a derogatory name for a black person or a member of any dark skinned race. (Dictionary Reference) From the earliest usage It was the term that carries with it all the obloquy (abuse, humiliation, attack or shame) and nonempty and rejection which whites have Inflicted on blacks. Cited In Growers 1965} Growing up In the Deep South I have heard many words used to debase and lower the self esteem of black men and women. For Example; a grown woman being called gal or an adult male being called a boy and both being called Niger. This word has always intrigued me because of the power it gave to one race and the dignity It took from another. Enigma Is a unique Intra-racial form of the word Niger popularized by rap artist and hip hop music. In most African American spinsterhood, enigma is commonly used to refer to both males and females.It is not considered derogatory but evokes a sense of community and oneness among black people. (Coat, Kevin) When I open my door In the morning I see the young black men and women standing on the corner. I can hear them greeting each other with Whats up my Niagara I have known most of these young adults since they were children so I decided to go and talk with them. I asked them, how would you feel if a white person walked up and greeted you using those same words? I could instantly e the change In their demeanor. The hostility In their eyes and voices was unbelievable!They confessed that even though they do have friends who are white it 1 OFF claim to the word enigma as their word. It is not used by them to put each other down but to greet one another and show camaraderie. When this word is used by a Caucasian or anyone other than an African American it is perceived as offensive. The word enigma is used daily, mostly by African Americans, as a term of endearment. This word can be heard in general conversation and in Hip Hop music. It is a slang rod for friend even though it is derived from the derogatory word Niger. Niger is what Enigma is. There is no getting around it. Consider this the word Niger is defined in more than thirty different languages throughout the world. Regardless of how it is pronounced the definition stays the same. Regardless of how it is written the definition stays the same. Except in our community where we have tried to erase and embrace. (Dews, 2007) African Americans have taken a derogatory word used to offend them for over one hundred years and turned it into something positive. When all is said and done there are still steps we must take if racism is ever going to be completely alleviated. It must start with each of us teaching our children that any word that is used to hurt, humiliate or embarrass someone else is unacceptable. It is disturbing to me that a culture felt the need to change the spelling of an offensive word in order to gain self respect, and to remove the sting, torment and power the word Niger has held over them. After analyzing these words I have come to the conclusion that although one is primarily associated with malicious origins and offensive nature and the other is all about building a sense of pride in who you are the context and the speaker actually determine the intended meaning and how it is received.

Langston Huges Essays - African-American Literature, Jazz Poetry

Langston Huges Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His father was James Nathaniel and his mother was Carrie Mercer Langston Hughes. His grandfather was Charles Langston, an Ohio abolitionist. As a young boy he lived in Buffalo, New York, Cleveland, Ohio, Lawrence, Kansas, Mexico City, Topeka, Kansas, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Kansas City, Kansas. In 1914 his parents divorced and he, his mother, and his stepfather moved to Lincoln, Illinois. In high school back in Cleveland, he was elected class poet, and editor of the senior class yearbook. He taught English to some families in Mexico in 1921 and also published his first prose piece, Mexican Games(Davis). In an excerpt from an article about Langston Hughes in Encarta 97, it says that he was discovered in 1925, while he was working as a busboy in a restaurant in Washington, D.C., when he accidentally left three of his poems next to the plate of Vachel Lindsay, an American poet. She helped him ge! t publicity for his works and she got him seriously started in writing(Encarta). In an article about Langston Hughes in The Reference Library of Black America it talks about all the places in the world that Hughes has traveled. He probably used much of the information of the cultures of other countries to write. Hughes traveled all over the world as a seaman. He went to the Soviet Union, Haiti, Japan, Spain, Genoa, France, and other parts of Europe. Hughes was an author, anthologist, librettist, songwriter, columnist, translator, founder of theaters, and a poetical innovator in jazz technology. Hughes liked to write in many genres such as prose, comedy, drama, fiction, biographies, autobiographies, and TV and radio scripts. Langston Hughes was the father of the Harlem Renaissance and made many contributions on the behalf of African- Americans which led to the end of discrimination and segregation(Davis). Hughes was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance because he was one of t he most talented and famous black writers in his time. The Harlem Renaissance was the black movement during the 1920's. Many African-Americans got famous during this time and more people in the United States and the world got to see another side of African- Americans which had never been seen before. People saw that blacks could do things the same or better than white people and many, but certainly not all, barriers like segregation were decreased noticeably. He wrote numerous protest poems in which he used irony to get his points across to the reader. Hughes was influenced by Jean Toomer, another black writer and poet. It seemed as though Hughes used his poetry as a way to combat against the ongoing struggle that African- Americans still face today. Many believe that his best poems were inspired by the city of Harlem. He was even called the Poet-Laureate of Harlem because of his unders! tanding for the city. Hughes best volume of Harlem works is Montage of a Dream Deferred. Hughes was the author who during the Harlem Renaissance used much of the Black culture in his work. He began to use the Blues, Ballad form, dance rhythms, folk speech, and Jazz in his poetry. Hughes had success in many different fields of writing. His best drama, Mulatto, a play, was performed on Broadway 373 times in 1935. In his best comedy, Little Ham(1935), again he uses themes from Harlem. Hughes's best fiction is in his Simple series. In his lifetime, Langston Hughes won several awards. In 1925 he won his first prize for poetry in the Opportunity contest and third prize for essay in the Crisis contest. In 1926 he published his first volume of poems, The Weary Blues. In 1953 he won the Anisfeld-Wolfe Award. Hughes also won the Witter Bynner Prize for undergraduate poetry while attending Lincoln University. Even West Indian poets, such as Leopold Senghor, saw Hughes as the father of the Negritude Movement(Davis). One of Hughes's works mentioned in the book, The Langston Hughes Reader, is entitled, My Most Humiliating Jim Crow Experience. This short story of his is a true story of his childhood. It shows all the themes he is fighting for and the things he

Free Essays on Why Does God Allow Suffering

Why is There Suffering? The question many ask in the midst of adversity is, â€Å"If God is loving, why is there suffering?† This question is not an easy one to answer. Christianity does not exempt one from pain, from disappointment, or from the hardships of this life. God disciplines those he loves. Romans 3:23 states, â€Å"We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.† God is forever by the side of His children and is constantly there to help handle the trial that has been dealt. God says in Matthew 11:28, â€Å"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.† God loves His children more than the human mind can conceive. He places trials and tribulation in their lives to strengthen and deepen their spiritual relationship with the Lord God Almighty. These adversities also contribute to strengthen their personal character. The testing of one’s faith develops perseverance and, in turn, reinforces that one constantly requires a personal relationship with God. â€Å"Every disappointment is a trial of your faith†¦a test that proves the genuineness of your relationship with your God and His word† (Arthur, 1997, p. 29). God continually tests one’s faith to keep them on the right path. James 1:2-4 says, â€Å"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.† Experiencing these trials, the individual is greatly strengthened and develops perseverance. The hardship fortifies and shapes one’s character, and in turn, one acquires many amazing attributes through the midst of affliction. Romans 5:3-5 states, Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because... Free Essays on Why Does God Allow Suffering Free Essays on Why Does God Allow Suffering Why is There Suffering? The question many ask in the midst of adversity is, â€Å"If God is loving, why is there suffering?† This question is not an easy one to answer. Christianity does not exempt one from pain, from disappointment, or from the hardships of this life. God disciplines those he loves. Romans 3:23 states, â€Å"We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.† God is forever by the side of His children and is constantly there to help handle the trial that has been dealt. God says in Matthew 11:28, â€Å"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.† God loves His children more than the human mind can conceive. He places trials and tribulation in their lives to strengthen and deepen their spiritual relationship with the Lord God Almighty. These adversities also contribute to strengthen their personal character. The testing of one’s faith develops perseverance and, in turn, reinforces that one constantly requires a personal relationship with God. â€Å"Every disappointment is a trial of your faith†¦a test that proves the genuineness of your relationship with your God and His word† (Arthur, 1997, p. 29). God continually tests one’s faith to keep them on the right path. James 1:2-4 says, â€Å"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.† Experiencing these trials, the individual is greatly strengthened and develops perseverance. The hardship fortifies and shapes one’s character, and in turn, one acquires many amazing attributes through the midst of affliction. Romans 5:3-5 states, Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because...

SME's Agains Large Corporations Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

SME's Agains Large Corporations - Dissertation Example For the paper, the researcher had chosen the single case study for the reason that through case study one would be able to understand the phenomenon within   real—life context and the event being studied was further clarified through the review of literature related to the subject matter. In this regard, as the a the paper seeks to understand and clarify the current status of the connection between SMEs and technological development and whether the adoption of a technological development of SMEs leads to a competitive edge, the researcher had conducted survey of literature pertinent to the subject matter. Likewise, the researcher also conducted a qualitative research using interview to get an idea as to how SME managers-owners look at the problem of the research. This approach is chosen on the premise that the problem of the research can be best addresses following an interpretivism , since the researcher believes that it is the research philosophy that will help the clarify the issue of teh study. This study declares that  as the single case study is adopted for the research methodology. As the research sought to understand whether technological developments bring advantages to SMEs over LEs, the case study provided the researcher the chance to undertake   â€Å"an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real-life context†.  To address the question of the research, the research was conducted in two phases. The first phase is the literature review and the second phase is the qualitative research which used interview approach. A literature review is an evaluation of the work that has been published by scholars in a particular topic area (Patton 1990). The purpose of the literature review is to summarize and synthesize the available research in such an area. By evaluating the work of others, it is possible to identify research trends and research that still needs to be done in the chosen topic area (Patton 1990). As such, the reader gets an idea as to how contemporary scholars are presenting and discussing the problems raised in this study (Scott, 2006). For this research, the researcher conducted a documentary research to get the necessary academic literatures addressing the issue of this study. Literatures written about small and medium –sized enterprises, technological development, large enterprises, globalisation, internalisation, e-commerce and global market had been searched in order to shed light to the possible conceptual ambiguities that maybe inherent in the concepts inherent in the study. For the second phase of the study, primary research has also been conducted. The primary research allows the research to understand the concepts and problems of the research based on the actual experienced of actual people involve in SMEs. Primary research entails the first hand

Marketing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Marketing assignment - Essay Example which is concerned with partitioning or dividing the market into one or more segments which can be targeted by the organization for selling and marketing their products / services by developing marketing mixes which are specific to such market segments. Dividing a market into various parts / segments helps in configuration of a company’s value chain and gives a competitive edge to the organization as compared to its competitors1. Segmentation helps organizations in developing a market mix which caters to the specific needs and concerns of the customers belonging to a particular market segment and helps in offering higher value to their target customers. In economic terms, the process of segmentation can be viewed as creation of monopolistic or oligopolistic market conditions whereby organizations seek to realize the highest price that their target customers in the particular market segment are willing to pay. Targeting refers to targeting a product to a specified market segment which comprises of customers who are most likely to consume the company’s products. Targeting helps the organizations in achieving best return on their investments, reach their core customers, gain a wider market share and achieve strategic positioning in the industry. The targeting strategies available to the marketers include2: This involves selling a single product to the entire (mass) market and is based on the assumption that the needs and demands of the consumers to whom the product is marketed are more or less identical. For instance, products such as Colas, Burger King, K – mart etc market and sell a unique product to a mass market. It involves selling different products to different market segments in a way which is appealing to every set of customer according to their respective market segments i.e., the marketers try to match the product with the needs of the customers in each of the identified market segment. For example, airline companies offering different services to

B2B Exchanges and Supply Chain Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

B2B Exchanges and Supply Chain - Assignment Example Supply webs (or vortals) serve industry sectors by integrating the supply chain systems of various buyers and sellers creating virtual trading communities (Turban et al, 2006). An example of how B2B exchanges might operate is shown in fFigure 4. E-marketplace operators hoped to create a true value-added experience for their customers (marketplace participants) and to reach the aspired scale (Schneider, 2000). [I do not understand what the previous phrase means] Currently, B2B exchange platforms can support whole trading networks from the planningprocurement of the raw materials upthrough to to the sellingsale to the final customer, supporting new structures and relationships in the supply chain (Hayes, 2005). [You should use an example of these structures/relationships to make your meaning more clear] Thus, the value proposition of B2B exchanges can move away from price minimization towards cost optimization through improved efficiencies and tightened coordination between buyers and sellers. According to Lejmi (2005) researchdefines, supply chain management (SCM) involves as the coordination of both online and traditional delivery channels. This includes the settlement phase of each transaction on e-marketplaces, which must be taken into consideration when planning demand and supply in a given network. On the other hand, e-marketplaces can be used as supplementary channels to the efforts to get rid ofto ameliorate inefficiencies in the supply chain in order to remove excess inventory. B2B exchanges, which are centralized systems, can build the basis for SCM. Moreover they allow solving two of the major problems faced by SCM systems: discontinuities in the information flow and the lack of trust among the different partners (Knolmayer et al, 1999). Figure 5 describes different types of B2B exchanges offering different advantages for the participating companies and can support specific SCM functionalities in different ways. The private exchange1 could be the most useful type for introducing the supply chain optimization between member companies. This type of e-marketplaces enables a companyan organization with dominant position in the supply chain to strengthen the collaboration and synchronization with its trading partners. The mostA knownwell known example among of a private exchanges would beis Dell's eHub accessible from Valuechain.dell.com from Dell. Figure 5: B2B exchanges support for SCM functionality Source: Lejmi, 2005 B2B applications are offered online so they can serve as supply chain enablers that offer distinct competitive advantages. Hoffman et al (2002) argues that various B2B types have different effect on supply chain relationships. B2B prA ivateprivate B2B e-marketplace provideprovidess a companyan organization with high supply chain power and high capabilities for online interactions. This is basically how much bargaining and control power a companyan organization has. On the other hand, joining a public e-marketplace, provides a businessan organization with high buying and selling capabilities, but will result in low supply chain power. Companies that choose an intermediary to do their buying and selling

Public Praise and Its Impact on Purchasing Decisions

Public Praise and Its Impact on Purchasing Decisions Public Praise on Blogs: An investigation into its impact on brand advertising and customers purchasing decision-making in Chinese business market The Aims AND Objectives The proposed research is expected to produce an insight into the role performed by public praise and its impact on purchasing decisions. Web blogging is a new-marketing approach emerged only ten years (Dyrud, Worley and Quible, 2005). It enables business executives and traders to create and develop their own brand advertising and pose an impact on how purchasing decisions are made. The previous studies on the influence of the public praise are mostly concentrated on personally verbal exchanges (Wright, 2006, p. 46), but the current research will focus on the public praise by blogs and their influence in Chinese customers. The overall aims of the investigation are to demonstrate how the reliability and underlying impacts of public praise on blogs intervene in the brand advertising and purchasing decision-making of Chinese customers. The research objectives are listed as follows. Assess the influence of public praise through blogs in Chinese business market; Infer how public praise on blogs can be further improved in China; Explore what extent Chinese customers trust these blogs; Discuss the degree to which public praise effects Chinese consumers purchasing decision-making; Examine the degree of public praise that influences brand advertising in China (focusing on two groups of people: having a preference or not for specific brands). Peoples opinions on blogs will be collected to help learn how brand advertising and the purchasing decision-making are influenced by the power of public praise, so that I can acquire sufficient data for review. The outcomes of this proposed research will also aim to provide facts on Chinese public praise on blogs. The Context Of The Proposed Research Since people have written down their thoughts and share them through spoken communication, the public praises have emerged. They are depicted as a ‘view-spread from peoples mouths or ‘word-of-mouth (Christiansen and Tax, 2000, p. 185). Public praise is a strong traditional item in Chinese culture and plays a very important part in Chinese consuming notions. Nowadays, it is recognized as a powerful marketing instrument to support the sales of both tangible and intangible commodities to customers. When marching into the knowledge era, public praise is drawing more attention by people than traditional methods of distributing information. Many printed formats have been transformed to electronic forms published on the websites and blogs (Keng and Ting, 2008). The universal application of Internet is growing rapidly. With a pointer and click button, people can convey and receive information. In fact, it offers an opportunity for prospective customers to gain relevant information about their potential purchasing from various sources: through individual communication with different people who used to be strange but had knowledge of the corresponding articles. This proposed research will specifically discuss the functions of blogging as a platform for marketing and purchasing in China. A Preliminary Literature Review The Development Of Blogs In Marketing Before the emergence of Internet, people were seeking information about a particular purchase either in person or in words to their familiar people. It is the traditionally face-to-face marketing. The development of the Internet means that web communications have become attainable and presented a convenient way for information exchange. A potential buyer has only to input the brand or product name to online search engines. Then, diverse forms of online information providers like websites, blog or forum will give him/her the relevant information. Recently, consumers are becoming progressively aware of the articles displayed on blogs. Bloggers prefer to share their experiences in blogs. Accordingly, these blogs become the information exchange media of consumers. This sort of media gradually develops a tendency for consumers to seek information about new products or brands through blogs. According to the recent results of Neilsons research (2007), about 80% of global consumers allege that they are ready to accept and trust the suggestions of other people for commodities and services. In addition, around 90% of individual future buyers in China depend on recommendations from other buyers. Although blogs have developed into an advanced tool for merchandising, it is still not a corporate domain investigated by many investigators (Bokaie, 2008, p. 17). This research aims to fill this gap. The information exchange online is composed of various actions, such as uploading, downloading, balloting and participating. For businessmen, whether it is beneficial to invest in online advertising via blogs becomes a serious issue for consideration (p. 17). Nevertheless, there is no existing research on this matter to answer their inquiries. With this in mind, the proposed research attempts to reveal the factors that can have impacts on brand advertising and purchasing decision-making. Purchasing Decision-Making The decision-making in purchase links to consumers determination of buying. It is also related to their response after receiving the advice of marketing (Chang and Wildt, 1994). Customers decision-making in purchasing is highly correlated to their perceptions of charge and benefit in commodities (HÃ ¤ubl and Trifts, 2000, p. 6). Hence, it should be more accurately regarded as an aspiration rather than a taste. It has also searched for recognising why knowledge of different products and brands substantially impacts a buyers decision-making. The existing literature makes evident that public praise has a visible impact on consumer-purchasing behaviour (Christiansen and Tax, 2000). Customer satisfaction is widely recognized to be a crucial effect for a consumers future decision-making. Satisfied consumers will share their positive experiences with others and provide praise for advertising. By contrast, discontented customers incline to change their decisions and engage in negative feedbacks on advertising. From the above phenomena, it can be seen that public praise is an effective manner allowing consumers to reduce the time and perceived risks for decision because it can provide the detailed information about products or services. Thus clearly, public praise is a means of avoiding risks when purchasing and also a method of obtaining favourable or adverse knowledge on commodities, so that customers can make a valuable buying decision. Hypotheses Based on the aims and preliminary literature review, I deem the following hypotheses are my research focus. H1: Trust of public praise in blogs can pose a positive impact on brand advertising and purchasing decision-making. H2: The influence of public praise in blogs will have a positive impact on brand advertising and purchasing decision-making. H3: For brand supporters, trust of public praise on blogs can create a favourable impact on brand advertising and purchasing decision-making. H4: For brand supporters, the impacts of public praise on blogs will be beneficial in brand advertising and purchasing decision-making. Methodology And Sources Of Data Methodology Considerations Two research approaches will be used in this study. The first is a deductive approach, which is a well-established method for analysing the existing theories to describe certain phenomena (Gallaire, Minker and Nicolas, 1984, p. 153). It can also predict whether theories are expected to develop and allow the possibility of their altering in the future. The second is an inductive approach, which aims to establish a theoretical framework based on the empirical study (Thomas, 2003). This method can be used in conjunction with the deductive approach. The leading concern of this proposed study is the impact of public praise blogs on brand advertising and purchasing decision-making in the Chinese market. Consequently, it should concentrate mainly on understanding customers dispositions and gaining insight into customer behaviors linked to public praise. A deductive approach will be adopted for analysing the consequences of the statistical reviews. The data and any possible future tendencies for public praise blogs will be tested simultaneously based on the relevant theories. I attempt to design a concise questionnaire for Chinese blog writers and also their readers to complete, so that I am able to evaluate how public praise is spread by blogs and how it influences the consumers perceptions of brands and their purchasing decisions when they are considering what to buy. Additionally, this research intends to clarify the relationship between public praise, brand advertising and the customers purchasing decision-making. This research studies will take trust and influence as independent variables. Two dependent variables are brand advertising and purchasing decision-making. Brand supporters and non-brand supporters are the main focus groups in this research. The conceptual framework related to these variables will be presented in a model form. Apart from this, interpretive research will allow me to investigate and illustrate the relationships between variables, especially the cause-and-effect one. What is more, employing the survey strategy for the collection of data is appropriate here for hypothesis testing, and it is more useful in a quantitative context – the nature of the proposed study. There are three formats of question outline which can be applied in this survey. The first is nominal in nature. The replies to these questions are only ‘yes/ no or ‘true/false, which are predictable and very friendly in statistical analysis. The second requires respondents to use a five-point scale with the extreme ones matching strongly agree or strongly disagree. The third form is multiple options. All respondents are expected to sort out no more than three choices. Sampling Considerations Sampling design commences by defining the target population (Emory, 1980). This is a collection of elements or objects that hold the data searched by the investigators and with respect to which conclusions are to be drawn (Korn and Graubard, 1991). A non-probability sampling method will be adopted for this research because I have many suspicions about the practicality of the approach of employing a mixed interview group. Particularly, convenience sampling will be considered in this study and the surveys will be retrieved online by around 200 Chinese consumers (both blog writers and readers) who were selected randomly. The sample selection is ended when the sample size for pilot study has been obtained. Although this technique of sampling is widely used, it is likely to introduce bias and its influences can be beyond control. However, for a wide-ranging questionnaire survey, it is the simplest sampling strategy to collect reliable data. Data Collection In order to guarantee the reliability, validity and integrity of this study and avoid possible difficulties, the survey will be piloted on a group of ten Chinese blog users (5 males and 5 females), aged from 20 to 35. They will evaluate the validity and clarity of the entire framework and the inquiries of the survey. The question outline will be set in the three types I mentioned in the section of Methodology considerations, which can allow the respondents to reply following the instructions and regulations as principals without the probability of being an unstable or unpredictable response. This research concentrates on blog users in China and the review procedures are according to the application of a questionnaire offering a sample of the target population. The survey is employed to infer the relationship between public praise, brand advertising and the customers purchasing decision-making. It is possible to collect the associated facts by either empirical or library-based studies. With regard to this proposed research, the survey asks respondents several sets of questions to explore their opinions about Chinese bloggers and their subscribers. The survey will be retrieved using an online survey website and people from all walks of life will be encouraged to fill it out and forward the survey information to their acquaintances. The convenience of arranging an Internet group to complete the questionnaire is the greatest benefit of carrying out a question-based investigation online. Furthermore, the speed of response is relatively fast and the research expenditure is rel atively low because I do not need to encounter printing, paper or stamp costs. The questionnaire will be separated into four sections. Section one refers to individual data linked to the websites and blogs. The aim of the queries in this part is to conclude the respondents using habits related to the websites and blogs and to comprehend the principal incentive of web users both as blog subscribers and bloggers. Section two is to determine how public praise in blogs affects brand advertising and purchasing decision-making by concentrating on responsibility, strength, disposition and effect correlated to public praise in blogs. Section three deals, particularly, with how the consumers shared knowledge with other people by means of blogs influences their purchasing decision-making. Section four further collects the individual information. Secondary data are also applicable to giving contextual knowledge and academic support relevant to the empirical inquiry, the questions adopted and hypothesis formulation. In addition, it is normally the situation that documentary data has been summarised intentionally other than their applications in prompt research. There has also been a study of any existing documents linking to public praise, blogs, brand advertising and purchasing decision-making. Therefore, this research has comprised the use of periodicals, archives and online articles. All these resources will be explored and analysed. Even so, the enquiry of documents can certainly not be sufficient to support the proposed study. For this reason, it has been indispensable to collect primary data for this research. Data Analysis The data sets collected from questionnaires will be processed by statistical analysis. Statistics is a group of approaches and theories that can be employed to quantitative data when making judgements in the aspect of doubtfulness. Quantitative analysis methods help to compose plain charts or figures that indicate the frequency of event via setting up statistical associations between variables and complicated statistical models (Bernard, 1996, p. 24). Quantitative analysis enables the figures collected from the survey to be transcribed into diagrams and graphs, which gives the figures comprehensibility and makes it easier to grasp. The proposed study will use quantitative analysis and display results from the survey through statistical analysis with investigating the connection between the variables. Employing this means, it is likely to examine the association between public praise, brand advertising and customers purchasing decision-making, and display the results in unsophisticate d diagrams. When I finish gathering all the required information through online questionnaires, the unprocessed data will be coded into variable divisions using statistical analysis. The validity and accuracy of the data need to be confirmed before the hypothesis testing. In this situation, it may be essential to think about the correctness or faulty of hypotheses because they can be refused based on the testing results. The research will use the software SPSS to verify the research hypotheses. SPSS is usually applied by those scholars or investigators who involved in the social sciences, such as the fields of policy and educational research. The proposed project will be used to analyze the outcomes and identify factors that have been influenced by variables, so that the validity of the hypothesis can be proved. This research will first use descriptive statistics to analyze personal information, including all sorts of reliable variables. Subsequently, regression and one-way ANOVA analysis may be adopted to verify the four hypotheses. Research Limitations The research sample is initially randomly selected from my acquaintances in China, which may comprise the first inadequacy. Moreover, that the samples are all from the 20-35 identical age group also introduces some bias. It is rational to deduce that such a confined age group may have related experiences and attitudes linked to the matters scrutinized in this research. In this case, it is likely to affect the research outcomes and overall quality. The number of participants involved in the proposed research is also likely to be too small to show the sample representativeness. Furthermore, because the entire empirical stage will be processed online, it may be unattainable for me to have any in human liaison with the participants. As a result, it may be unlikely to examine whether the personal information is in detail or not. The participants will give their replies on the web survey. When they read it online, they may change some of their answers intentionally. Ethical Considerations The proposed research will follow the ethical guidelines of business studies based on the ‘code of ethics for author in Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) (2007). I will contact with my friends and acquaintances to obtain their permissions to complete my web survey. Also, the researcher stance should be considered. I need to be an outsider of their questionnaire completion. What is more, the guidelines suggest some items in relation to protection of individual privacy, such as informed consent, the right to withdraw, protecting the anonymity, participant reviews of data and so forth. Although the targeted blog users will be encouraged to engage in the study, it should be clear that they are not forced to fill in the online questionnaire and they may thus choose withdraw their answers. When I post my questionnaire survey online, I will write a general introduction about my background and interests to the respondents. Then, inform them in written form about my purpo se of the survey and my general intentions regarding the research. I will also welcome their questions left on my research blog, and answer them honestly. In order to protect the respondents anonymity, aliases will be used for all involved blog writers and readers as soon as the data are transcribed. Anticipated Outcomes The anticipated outcomes are expected to effectively test all the listed hypotheses and achieve the aims of the proposed research. As I mentioned before, although public praise as distributed by the Cyberspace has come to be a prevailing marketing instrument, it has not been considerably scrutinized yet. The main results of this proposed research will try to clarify the relationship between public praise, brand advertising and purchasing decision-making. The outcomes will be capable of implying fresh thoughts to firms when they intend to engage in public praise spreading in order to improve the positive effect of their brands and encourage purchasing in consumers. Bibliography Bernard, H. (1996), Qualitative Data, Quantitative Analysis. Cultural Anthropology Methods Journal, 8 (1), 23-26. Bokaie, J. (2008), Corporations get Personal: A growing number of company chiefs are bypassing copywriters to speak direct to consumers. Marketing, pp. 17. Chang, T.-Z. and Wildt, A. (1994), Price, Product Information, and Purchase Intention: An empirical study. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 22 (1), 16-27. Christiansen, T. and Tax, S. (2000), The Questions of Who and When to Measure the Word of Mouth. marketing communications, 6, 185-199. Dyrud, M., Worley, R. and Quible, Z. (2005), Blogs: A Natural in Business Communication Courses. Business Communication Quarterly, 68, 73-76. Emory, W. (1980), Business Research Methods. Irwin: Homewood. Gallaire, H., Minker, J. and Nicolas, J.-M. (1984), Logic and Databases: A Deductive Approach. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR) 16 (2), 153-185. HÃ ¤ubl, G. and Trifts, V. (2000), Consumer Decision Making in Online Shopping Environments: The Effects of Interactive Decision Aids. Marketing Science, 19 (1), 4-21. JIBS. (2007), Code of Ethics. [Online]. Available at: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jibs/jibs_ethics_code.html. Last accessed 07/09/2009. Keng, C.-J. and Ting, H.-Y. (2008), The Acceptance of Blogs:Using a Customer Experiential Value Perspective (pp. 1-13). Taipei. Korn, E. and Graubard, B. (1991), Epidemiologic studies utilizing surveys: accounting for the sampling design. American Journal of Public Health, 81 (9), 1166-1173. Neilson, B. (2007), Consumer-Generated Media in the Age of the Web-Fortified Consumer. [Online]. Available at: http://www.nielsenbuzzmetrics.com/whitepapers. Last accessed 06/09/2009. Thomas, D. (2003), A General Inductive Approach for Qualitative Data Analysis: University of Auckland. Wright, J. (2006), Blog Marketing: The revolutionary new way to increase sales, build your brand, and get exceptional results. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Analysis of Baldwins Giovannis Room Essay -- Giovannis Room Baldwin

Baldwin portrays sexual oppression in his novel entitled, Giovanni's Room. Sexual oppression is exemplified through individual homosexual white men who are unable to find happiness or contentment in themselves or in everyday relationships. In Baldwin's 'Everybody's Protest Novel' he writes, 'but our humanity is our burden, our life; we need not battle for it; we need only to do what is infinitely more difficult-that is, accept it.' Giovanni's Room is about each individual's need to accept their own humanity and societies need to embrace the universal theme of suffering. Baldwin uses the main character David to exemplify an individual's struggle to accept himself, unfortunately his rite of passage is thwarted by his inability to accept his humanity in a world of socially ascribed sexual categories. One of the main themes expressed in Giovanni's Room is that of societies loneliness. Baldwin portrays this universal suffering among all of his characters and he uses this suffering as a means of motivation. Loneliness plagues each of the characters, regardless of whether or not they have accepted their humanity. Everyone from David?s father to Jacques to Hella is searching for a love or a meaningful connection in the world. At the beginning of the novel, when we are first introduced to the narrator, David, we learn about his friendship with Joey. This relationship provides David with his first sense of joy and contentment, yet his fear of falling outside of societies sexual definitions overpower these feelings and leads him back into the arms of loneliness. The narrator reflects on his experience and Baldwin writes, ?the power and the promise and the mystery of that body made me suddenly afraid. That bo... ...revents him from ever grasping his true humanity. Baldwin exemplifies his words in ?Everybody?s Protest Novel? through this novel by painting a picture of how difficult it can actually be to accept our own humanity. Baldwin clearly states a message which promotes universal understanding in a world of complex individuals. He portrays the reality of human beings common suffering, while campaigning for humanity to accept and not define individual categorizations. Baldwin uses David to show the power of love and human connection in society, along with the negative effect socially defined roles can have on individuals development. Work Cited Baldwin, James. Giovanni's Room. New York: Random House Inc., 2000. Work Consulted Mengay, Donald H. "The Failed Copy: Giovanni's Room and the (Re)Contextualization of Difference." Genders. No 17, Fall 1993.

Natsume Soseki has written Kokoro

Natsume Soseki has written Kokoro in such a way that the reader be acquainted with Boku and Sensei.   Through them, Soseki believed that a person’s actions should be coming from their true emotions and not by what others perceive of it.   A person should always do things in accordance to what he thinks is right and not by merely considering what the people dictates to him.   Sometimes people tend to live up to what the people tell them because their reputation is at stake.   Just like the planned graduation party of Boku[1].   Even though Boku did not want to have a party, his parents insisted because his father has a reputation to maintain in their community. Kokoro was also written in such a way that there is a special connection between Sensei and Boku in being able to see their imperfections by means of their shallowness.   Despite the two characters having different worldly views, they still found company in each other’s presence.   Boku is somewhat a person who wants to know who Sensei really is and Sensei was not the type of person who would reveal the real him. The style of the first part of Kokoro resembles that of a detective novel, and helps first to establish the reader’s curiosity towards Sensei. Narrator Boku provides no self-introduction and no adequate explanation for his interest in Sensei. Instead, he continuously feeds the reader small ‘clues’ – pieces to the puzzle of Sensei – to gain the reader’s curiosity. ‘â€Å"I cannot tell you why,† Sensei said to me, â€Å"but for a very good reason I wish to go to that grave alone. Even my wife, you see, has never come with me.† [End of passage]’[2] Sudden breaks in narrative are often used to leave these clues hanging, helping to compound the suspense felt by the reader. Additionally, despite having already experienced all the events he describes, Boku chooses to present them in the original chronological order and to narrate his original thoughts regarding each event.    â€Å"I wondered also why Sensei felt the way he did towards mankind.†[3] Revealing his thoughts and experiences in this manner assists Boku in linking with the reader, as it constructs between them a shared interest towards Sensei. Soseki seeks to direct this interest, as evident in the sentence: â€Å"Had I been curious in an impersonal and analytical way, the bond between us would surely not have lasted.†[4] This explanation of the nature of Boku’s curiosity can be interpreted as a suggestion to the reader; in order to complete the puzzle of Sensei, the reader needs to explore Sensei on a more personal level – not simply to analyse from a third person perspective, but rather to attempt to interpret Boku’s regard for Sensei by examining the similar attitudes and values that the two espouse. In the third part of Kokoro, Soseki switches to a new narrative frame, and we read Sensei’s letter through the eyes of Boku. Sensei directly addresses Boku in the letter – driving us as readers even closer to Boku, as we to try to interpret Sensei’s words through the mindset of Boku. Contrastingly, despite the title ‘My Parents and I’, part two of the novel serves to distance the reader from Boku’s family. As readers, our interest draws to a peak when Sensei agrees to tell Boku about his past. However, Sensei does not, and instead Boku’s father’s illness forces Boku to leave for home. This is frustrating for Boku, and for the reader, as is revealed in the passage: ‘†¦ there was much that I did not know about Sensei. He had not told me about his past, as he had promised. I could not be content until he was fully revealed to me.’[5]  Even as Boku’s father lies on his deathbed, Boku’s thoughts wander towards Sensei – physically represented by his moving back and forth between his bedroom and his father’s bedroom. In the process of affiliation with Sensei and Boku, the reader is exposed to the two characters’ disdain towards external appearances and opinions.  Both Sensei and Boku show their disregard for academia. Boku shows little regard for his diploma – he ‘pretends his diploma is a telescope’ surveys the world outside his window in it, and then throws it down on his desk. Similarly, Sensei does not know where he put his diploma.  In contrast, Boku’s parents hold Boku’s diploma in the highest regard. They scold Boku for not having taken better care of the diploma, and display it in the house. Boku’s narration shows that he also is not interested in the appearance of things.   He tends to observe, conclude and investigate on it.   Just like what happened when he saw Sensei at the beach centre.   He overlooked at Sensei’s appearance and focused his attention more on his behaviour thus speculating Sensei’s state of mind.  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"He was always aloof and [†¦] seemed totally indifferent to his surroundings†.[6] Sensei bears a similar disregard towards appearances to others and describes it:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I used to consider it a disgrace to be found ignorant by other people. But now, I find that I am not ashamed of knowing less than others †¦Ã¢â‚¬ [7]  Sometimes people tend to pull themselves down because they think they know less about things.   But come to think of it, even though a person does not graduate high school or college, it means that he is more ignorant than those who have graduated.   People know different things and not all individuals can learn everything. With these, it forms a sharp contrast with Boku’s parents.   The parents of Boku have a high regard for the physicality of things while Sensei and Boku do not.   Boku’s parents seem to relate the physical aspect of a thing with its value just like the diploma.   For them, being able to have a diploma is something that should be cherished, treasured and be well cared of.   While for Sensei and Boku, a diploma is somewhat like a representation of the knowledge acquired while in the university.   A diploma is just a paper, nothing more, nothing less.   What is important are the learning obtained during the years studying in the university. In conclusion, Kokoro is a classic example of presenting two characters that may turn out to be indifferent from one another at first but later on saw their similarities.   Even though these two characters obviously come from different generations, they still were able to find a common ground.   These two started out as complete strangers and tended to avoid the fact that they needed each other’s company but in the end, it just proves that no matter the distance of two persons, they still are close when always remembered. Bibliography Soseki, Natsume. Kokoro (Part 2) Chicago: Regnery Gateway, 1957. 21 Jan. 2000. http://www.eldritchpress.org/ns/k2.html [1] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Online Version, 2001. part 2                                                                                                                               [2] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p11 [3] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p22 [4] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p11 [5] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p65 [6] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p5 [7] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p37

Micro Final Paper

Micro Final Paper Micro Final Paper Term Paper: The Economics of Domestic Poverty December 11, 2014 Table of Contents: Page 2-5: Evaluation of poverty rate and suggested improvements Page 6-8: Causes of U.S income inequality Page 9-10: Describe and evaluate the welfare reform efforts of the past decade. What measures are still needed? Page 10-12: Scriptures View On Poverty Page 13-14: Bibliography Evaluation of poverty rate and suggested improvements Who are the poor in United States? The World Bank defines the poor as those who live on less than $2 a day. In the United States, however the most common way of measuring poverty is if a family’s income falls below the official â€Å"threshold of poverty†. The United States Census Bureau defines those being below the threshold of poverty as, â€Å"households who do not have a sufficient income to meet minimal food and basic needs.† The poverty threshold varies between households with more or less occupants and members under the age of 18 or over the age of 65. For example a household with one member under the age of 18-65 in 2014 has a weighted threshold average of 12,119 per year, while a household with one member over the age of 65 have a threshold of 11,173 (Census Bureau, 2014). U.S. poverty was first measured in the 1960’s through the Social Security Administration1, under the help of economist Mollie Orshansky. Orshansky helped establish the official poverty threshold, by using the cost of the Department of Agriculture’s economical food plan. She estimated families in United States spent on average a third of their income on food and, thus conceived the poverty threshold should be three times the of minimal food requirements for adequate living. In 1969, the U.S. government adopted her poverty threshold as the official statistical definition of poverty (Kolesnikova and, Liu 2012), One very disconcerting finding of the poverty threshold is it has seen little to no improvement overtime. In 1973 we had a poverty level of 11.1%, which is slightly lower compared to 2005 of 12.6%. Economists conversely have found many problems with the official measure of poverty especially with comparing poverty rates between decades (Eberstadt, 2006). The official poverty threshold most importantly fails to include changes in: food prices, higher standards of living, and government in-takes services. The official poverty threshold is based on three times food consumption, however food prices are not stagnated and have changed drastically over the years. Orshansky found the poorest fifth of American families were forced to devote nearly 30 percent of their expenditures to buying food, however in 2004 the poorest fifth of American families spent only one-sixth on food. In the 1960’s hunger and undernourishments were common problems regarding those living in the poverty threshold, however ironically today we face the opposite issue. Most poor households today in fact eat too much, which is why government programs like â€Å"Lets Move!† have rose in order to reduce obesity (Let’s Move, 2014). Eight percent of Children in low-income homes for example were surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control to be underweight; on the other hand in 20014 the rate was below 5 percent. The lower percent spent on food per families, means that Orshansky’s multiplier of three used for calculating the poverty threshold has become outdated and the poverty threshold needs to adjust accordingly (Kolesnikova and Liu, 2012). Food is one of the many improvements provided over the years. Housing in 2004 for example had only six percent of the country's poor households living in crowded dwellings2 compared to 25 percent in 1970 (Census Bureau, 2014). Poor households have many new modern luxuries such as telephone service or televisions. According to the Department of Energy survey in 2001, â€Å"most poverty households have microwaves, VCRs or DVDs, and cable television.† The poor have also seen improved health records over the years. The CDC's National

40 Quotes About Writing That Are Keeping It Real

40 Quotes About Writing That Are Keeping It Real Wondering what its really like to be a prolific, famous writer? Wish you could learn from the masters how to craft a great story that readers cant put down? Here are some quotes from some of the best writers on the process of their craft and some brutal truths about writing that keep it real.Im a failed poet. Maybe every novelist wants to write poetry first, finds he cant and then tries the short story which is the most demanding form after poetry. And failing at that, only then does he take up novel writing.William FaulknerWhen you catch an adjective, kill it.Mark TwainMy own experience is that once a story has been written, one has to cross out the beginning and the end. It is there that we authors do most of our lying.Anton ChekhovWriting a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.E. L. DoctorowYou learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The moneys in novels, but writing short sto ries keeps your writing lean and pointed.Larry NivenEverywhere I go Im asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they dont stifle enough of them.Flannery OConnorEverybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people dont see any.Orson Scott CardFinishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it.Truman CapoteAll good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.F. Scott FitzgeraldRead, read, read. Read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! Youll absorb it. Then write. If its good, youll find out. If its not, throw it out of the window.William FaulknerHere is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show youve been to colle ge.Kurt Vonnegut Jr.,†¯A Man Without a CountryLet me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.Sylvia Plath,†¯The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia PlathWriting is like sex. First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money.Virginia WoolfWriting books is the closest men ever come to childbearing.Norman MailerA blank piece of paper is Gods way of telling us how hard it is to be God.Sidney SheldonAnd by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.Sylvia Plath,†¯The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia PlathThe most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them – words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when theyre brought out. But its more than that, isnt it? The most important things lie too clos e to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what youve said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. Thats the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.Stephen KingDont tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.Anton ChekhovThere are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.W. Somerset MaughamIf you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. You must write every single day of your life. You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads. I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you. May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories - science fiction or otherwise. Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.Ray BradburyAlways be a poet, even in prose.Charles BaudelaireA short story is a different thing altogether – a short story is like a quick kiss in the dark from a stranger.Stephen King,†¯Skeleton CrewI write differently from what I speak, I speak differently from what I think, I think differently from the way I ought to think, and so it all proceeds into deepest darkness.Franz KafkaLearn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.Pablo PicassoWhat an astonishing thing a book is. Its a flat ob ject made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and youre inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.Carl Sagan,†¯CosmosAny word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.Stephen Kinggreat writers are indecent peoplethey live unfairlysaving the best part for paper.good human beings save the worldso that bastards like me can keep creating art,become immortal.if you read this after I am deadit means I made it.Charles Bukowski,†¯The People Look Like Flowers at LastA non-writing writer is a monster courting i nsanity.Franz Kafka [Letter to Max Brod]The only way you can write the truth is to assume that what you set down will never be read. Not by any other person, and not even by yourself at some later date. Otherwise you begin excusing yourself. You must see the writing as emerging like a long scroll of ink from the index finger of your right hand; you must see your left hand erasing it.Margaret Atwood,†¯The Blind AssassinThe first step ― especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money...the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the art.Chuck PalahniukAdvice? I dont have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If youre writing, youre a writer. Write like youre a goddamn death row inmate and the governor is out of the country and theres no chance for a pardon. Write like youre clinging to the edge of a cliff, white knuckles, on your last breath, and youve got just one last thing to say, like youre a bird flying over us and you can see everything, and please, for Gods sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that were not alone. Write like you have a message from the king. Or dont. Who knows, maybe youre one of the lucky ones who doesnt have to.Alan W. WattsIf you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second-to-least of your concerns. The least of all should be polite society and what it expects. If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.Stephen King,†¯On Writing: A Memoir of the CraftI write almost always in the third person, and I dont think the narrator is male or female anyway. Theyre both, and young and old, and wise and silly, and sceptical and credulous, and innocent and ex perienced, all at once. Narrators are not even human - theyre sprites.Philip PullmanIndeed, learning to write may be part of learning to read. For all I know, writing comes out of a superior devotion to reading.Eudora Welty,†¯On WritingIf youre just starting out as a writer, you could do worse than strip your televisions electric plug-wire, wrap a spike around it, and then stick it back into the wall. See what blows, and how far. Just an idea.Stephen King,†¯On Writing: A Memoir of the CraftFinishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it.Truman CapoteThe poet or the revolutionary is there to articulate the necessity, but until the people themselves apprehend it, nothing can happen ... Perhaps it cant be done without the poet, but it certainly cant be done without the people. The poet and the people get on generally very badly, and yet they need each other. The poet knows it sooner than the people do. The people usually know it after the poet is dead; but thats all right. The point is to get your work done, and your work is to change the world.James BaldwinThe author must keep his mouth shut when his work starts to speak.Friedrich NietzscheYou know how writers are... they create themselves as they create their work. Or perhaps they create their work in order to create themselves.Orson Scott CardFind out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.Rainer Maria Rilke

China Is Going to Become the Next Superpower Assignment

China Is Going to Become the Next Superpower - Assignment Example Before embarking a discussion specifically in a China-centric context, it will be really pragmatic to delineate the salient characteristics of a superpowerFirst and foremost, a superpower always has a robust and stable economy that is sufficient enough to churn out the resources for its fast-expanding ambitions. A superpower is also backed by a strong army, navy and air force that could well do the job of projecting it as a power throughout the world. A superpower also needs to have a strong and well-developed culture that is worthy of extending the requisite philosophical and ideological influences, that well demark and define the approach and strategy of that superpower. Geography can certainly play role in consolidating and encouraging the superpower status of a country, as it did in the case of the erstwhile USSR and the USA. A country that has a vast sea and land area under its control is mostly not only endowed with abundant and rich natural resources but does also enjoy a dist inct tactical advantage in the case of a war. If one takes into consideration the contemporary economic and military power of China and the other related attributes like culture, geography and the like, no doubt China qualifies to be an ideal candidate for becoming the superpower of the future (Mahtaney 7).  Also, not only the Chinese goods are flooding the Western markets, but rather China has emerged as a manufacturing hub for the entire world. China also has embarked on an ambitious plan to modernize its military. It goes without saying that in the recent times, China’s sway in the world affairs has increased over time and China is doing its best to gain a strategic edge not only over its rivals in Asia but also over the Western powers (Mahtaney 4). All these facts constitute a good reason as to why China is poised to achieve a superpower status in the future. China’s Economy In the last three decades, China’s economic growth has been quietly impressive and the nation does seem to have the potential to sustain this growth in the times to come. Simply speaking, China has one big population that not only serves the purpose of creating a big and lucrative domestic market but also extends to China ready access to cost-effective and affordable labor. Not to mention that China is a country endowed with ample natural resources and big sea and land area, which further contribute to and facilitate its economic growth. It was Deng Xiaoping who introduced economic reforms in China in the late 70s. Since the introduction of these reforms, the Chinese economy has developed spectacularly. In the period 1979-1993, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of China registered an average growth rate of 9.3 percent (Cass, Williams & Barker 91). It was indeed a great achievement, going by the fact that in the same time period, the average growth rate of the entire world stood at 2.6 percent (Cass, Williams & Barker 91).  

The Artificial Nigger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Artificial Nigger - Essay Example Their trip was filled with conversations, with each grandfather and grandson asserting his wisdom. One point in particular that the child said is, the trip is his second, the first being when he was still a baby. Moreover, he insisted that he would know what a nigger looked like once he saw one because he was born in a city where they abound. The old man said he could not have known any of what he was talking about because he did not have the intelligence then and the boy got his first test on the train when Mr. Head asked what kind of man was the one who passed them by. When he did not get the answer he was expecting, he pointed out to the boy what he previously said, that he would be able to know a nigger when he sees one but then he proved not to be able to do so. When they got off the train, the old man who looked at himself as a sage who is supposed to fill the mind of the young boy with learning soon discovered he also had a lot to learn. Nelson in turn learned the lessons his grandfather authored for him and more and therefore decided not to go back to the city. The aforementioned circumstances came about due to an instance wherein the boy was placed in a dilemma when he hurt a woman who was carrying some groceries when he went frantic looking for his grandfather who left him at a distance, trying â€Å"to teach him a lesson†. When Mr. Head was threatened by the women who were trying to seek justice from the accident his grandson caused, he denied that he knew the boy. Nelson, who looked up to him as a savior at such a dire situation was angry that his own grandfather would disown him. When the two continued to find their way to train station, the old man learned how it felt to need mercy and forgiveness because this was still the first time he had ever failed his grandson. Nelson in turn learned how he needed his grandfather. The story is meant to show how an educator needs to be educated as well. The grandfather does not just represent old age b ut also wisdom which should be gained through years of experience. Mr. Head knows that his grandson should learn many things about his birthplace and decides to make him experience how it is to live in the city. His intention is to make Nelson see that there is nothing to boast about in being born in the city so just as he gained wisdom through experience he contemplates that the best way to open the eyes of the young boy is to let him experience a day in the city. Although Mr. Head only meant the trip for the learning of the boy, he is to find out that there is also a lesson waiting for him. The grandfather, being an old man, always thought he is better than his grandson and when they got lost, he still was too prideful to admit his mistakes. He insists on concentrating in teaching Nelson that the place they are in is where he was born and that there is nothing good about it that he should be proud of. When the two realize that they left their lunch at the train, the boy blames his grandfather of getting them lost and leaving their food. However, instead of admitting his lack of judgment, the old man tried to blame things back to the young boy. The old man is too proud to stoop down and admit his mistakes to his young grandson. On the other hand, the young boy learns little by little

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Philosophy - Essay Example Modern philosophical thinking tries to explain the theory of cognition thereby trying to explain why and how the events take place and subsequent pattern of behaviour of man under certain condition involving emotional and metaphysical reaction. Philosophy can be broadly defined as an attempt to explain the sequence of events or happenings around us that directly or indirectly influence our actions and reactions in our daily life. It makes special efforts to examine and evaluate the thought processes and principles regarding truth, duty and knowledge about the things in general. Hence, philosophy is that branch of social science that tries to interpret everything and anything in the wider empirical consideration of our experiences of conscious and unconscious manifestations of our being. It therefore, can be said that each of us, follow a definite philosophy which guides our actions and our efforts to gain knowledge. Philosophy, with its wide ranging implications and its inherent tendency of examination and evaluation of ideas and events, is amalgamation of all areas of learning and encompasses all fields of social sciences. â€Å"Philosophy is the most inclusive of all branches of learning, and acts as a touchstone to all other aspects of human knowledge† (Sw. Krishnanand). Where all other branches of social sciences like biology, physics, sociology, history etc., work towards explaining and researching subjects and areas that come within its precinct, philosophy and philosophical thoughts promote learning through the application of various fields of social science as well as explaining through the metaphysical aspect of the experiences and events. Various philosophers like Aristotle, Pluto, Hume etc. have espoused philosophies regarding different aspect of our life’s ideologies and concept of living a moral and ethical life. The philosophy is part and parcel of every human being and he or she exhibit

Psychology Reflective Essay Example for Free

Psychology Reflective Essay After having various lessons, I would like to have a deeper evaluation of the chapter â€Å"Behavior in Social and Cultural Context† especially the concept of attributions . It is known that there are two types of attributions which are internal attributions and external attributions that we generally use to explain our own or other’s behaviors. Internal factors concern a person’s traits while external factors concern the external environment. In addition, I am actually shocked by the fact that there is a fundamental attribution error when we are explaining others’ behaviors. There is a real-life example that I would like to share. Last Monday, I was stuck in a traffic jam for half an hour on Nathan Road. I had a lesson at 8:30 am in Core A and I reached the pedestrian bridge at 8:25 am, so I was rushing to the classroom. At that moment, a scene annoyed me most and stopped my way to school. A boy who was around six years old was too energetic. He dashed and rushed around on the footbridge that disturbed others’ way. He also guffawed and touched or played with anything and everything he saw. Suddenly, he paced around and glared at his mum. Don’t walk like a stupid pig! Do you know how to walk? I have been waiting for you for so long! †He shouted at his mum. At that moment, I was very angry and strongly believed that the boy was so naughty and disrespectful that he showed his emotions with no restraint and did whatever he likes without regard for consequences. Based on the above case, the correspondence bias leads me to explain the boy’s behavior by ignoring the influence of situation on behavior. For example, actually he is a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, so he cannot be patient and always dash around. However, we tend to emphasize the dispositional attribution that the boy is so naughty and disrespectful. Apparently, we tend to overestimate internal factors and underestimate external factors when explaining others’ behavior. After understanding the concept of fundamental attribution error, I have an enquiry related to it. Is there an error too when we explain our own behaviors? In order to find out the answer of it, I do some researches on it. Afterwards, I found out that the concept of actor-observer bias which is proposed by E. E. Jones and R. E. Nisbett in 1971 gives a clearer picture on the error of explaining our own and others’ behaviors. It states that we as an actor are more likely to attribute our own actions to the particular situation than to a generalization about our personality while the reverse asymmetry held for people being an observer and explaining others’ behaviors. Nevertheless, I have doubts about both the fundamental attribution error and the actor-observer bias. In my opinion, I think that both of the ideas only firmly established when describing negative events. For instance, on the one hand, as an actor, when we get bad result on an exam, we usually attribute the reason to the difficult exam (situational). On the other hand, as an observer, when our friends get bad academic result, we usually attribute the reason to his or her lazy character (dispositional). If the event is positive, the reverse error occurs. With the same example but with the condition that both we and our friends get high marks in the exam, we will attribute the reason to hard-working (dispositional) and easy exam (situational) to explain behaviors respectively. Malle (2006) agrees that a reverse asymmetry held for positive events after conducting a mental-analysis. He states that the discrepancy may indicate a self-serving pattern in attribution that we attribute success to internal factors and failure to external factors. Therefore, I believe that we are explaining others’ by using both the self-serving bias and fundamental attribution error. Overall, the lessons build up my foundation for the psychological concepts and theories and we need to explore the psychological world by ourselves in order to find out more details, conflicts about and relationships between different ideas. For instance, in order to finish this reflective journal, I used Google scholar to search about the actor-observer bias and the criticisms about it that I did not learn on the book and in lessons. By experiencing the searching process, I have deeper understanding on it and it strongly impresses on my memory. The process also enhances my analysis skill, to determine which sources are useful and which sources are not related to my topic. Therefore, I enjoy the process of exploring the psychological knowledge by ourselves.