‘A View from a Bridge’ by Author Miller Essay Example for Free

‘A View from a Bridge’ by Author Miller Essay The play, ‘A View from a Bridge’, by Author Miller has the theme of a Modern Greek tragedy. A Greek tragedy is a play where fate runs it’s ‘bloody course’, which will lead to the tragic hero’s downfall. A tragic hero is usually a character of noble stature. Just like all people, tragic heroes aren’t perfect but what separates them from the others is that they have a hamartia, a tragic flaw. This flaw will be the cause of the downfall for the tragic hero. Eddie Carbone is somewhat a tragic hero. He doesn’t fit as a tragic hero because in the play, he is a normal longshoreman, which is fairly ordinary in Red Hook. Just like all men, †he worked on the piers when there was work, he brought home his pay, and he lived.† He doesnt have a high status position. On the other hand, he can still be categorized as a tragic hero because he has a tragic flaw and an inevitable downfall. In the start of the play, he is also respected, just like a tragic hero. Eddie’s tragic flaw is how much he loves Catherine. His fate is unavoidable due to the tragic flaw in his personality. His unnatural love for Catherine made him jealous of Rodolpho. This again is a device used in Greek tragedy, and can be described as a weakness of the tragic hero. This is a feature that all tragic heroes have; hence they are called â€Å"tragic† heroes. At the start, the tragic hero will be a good person. In the play’s case, Miller portrayed Eddie in the beginning of the play as a loving and caring man. He loves Catherine a lot. He said, â€Å"I want you to be in a nice office.† This shows that he cares a lot for Catherine and her future. At this stage, the audience should see Eddie as a respectable man. Miller also uses the technique of foreshadowing to imply to the audience that betrayal is going to happen. Miller used the ‘Vinny Bolzano’ example. Vinny â€Å"snitches† on his own uncle. In the play, Eddie said â€Å"†¦. hidin’ in the house and he snitched to the Immigration.† Catherine’s response was fairly surprised. She said â€Å"What, was he crazy?†. Vinny Bolzano was publicly humiliated by his own family and shunned from the community. He was not seen in the area since. . Miller added this to foreshadow the fact that Eddie is going to do something similar in the play. This is also an example of how the community functions. They believed that ‘snitching’ is always bad therefore he got punished for it, although the actual law will find it as a righteous act. Eddie tells Catherine that â€Å"you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away†, and with this advice, Eddie gains the audience’s respect. It is also ironic because later on in the play, Eddie â€Å"snitches† on Marco and Roldopho. This loses all sympathy and respect towards Eddie. In the play, Alfieri’s role in the Greek Tragedy is a chorus. Alfieri refers to fate’s â€Å"bloody course†, which immediately brings us to the thought of destiny or fate. This is an ominous statement as it gives the sense that unavoidable tragedy will happen, and he is won’t be able to change the outcome. Alfieri said â€Å"heard the same complaint and sat there, as powerless as I†. This proves that he is merely a bystander looking at something way out of control. He also said â€Å"I could see every step coming, step after step, like a dark figure walking down a hall to a certain door†, which reinforces Eddie’s fate that awaits him. Eddie’s tragic flaw is soon exposed, as he will not accept the love between Catherine and Rodolpho. As Eddie realizes that their relationship is becoming more serious, he degrades Rodolpho by questioning his sexuality. While Eddie was talking to Beatrice, he says that Rodolpho is â€Å"like a chorus girl or sump’m†. Eddie infers that Rodolpho is less of a man. Since it didn’t work, Eddie took matters up to Alfieri. Eddie told Alfieri that Rodolpho â€Å"ain’t right†. He is trying to get the law on his side. Once Eddie is frustrated, he says, he’s stealing from me!†. This shows that deep down, Eddie believes that Catherine belongs to him. Eddie starts to show his jealous side by telling Catherine that Rodolpho wants Catherine only in order to become an American citizen. He told Catherine that Rodolpho is â€Å"only bowin’ to his passport†. Eddie still wants Catherine therefore he challenges Rodolpho directly by teaching him how to box. Miller demonstrates the tension between them through the stage directions. For example, Eddie hits Rodolpho, which â€Å"mildly staggers him†. It seems that Eddie needs to prove himself to be manlier than Rodolpho. This is also the beginning of his downfall. Marco then challenged Eddie by picking up the chair. This grows the tension between them, foreshadowing that something bad will happen. In the final scene, in which Eddie died in, it is also very similar to Greek tragedy. The tragic hero will die reconciled with others and will end regretfully to his actions. Miller conveys Eddie’s remorse and had him reconcile with Beatrice as he cries â€Å"My B.! My B.†, and dies in her arms. Eddie also dies in his own hands. He brings the knife into the duel, therefore it would seem, like most tragic heroes, Eddie is the cause of his own destruction. This gives the play a more complete ending. All problems have been solved. Then again, it can be argued that Eddie is different from a tragic hero because at times he appears to have more control over his actions than a tragic hero does. For example, Eddie was driven to call the Immigration Bureau because of his love for Catherine. Alfieri presents him with another option, to â€Å"let her go. And bless her.† It seems like Eddie has selected his route, which lead to his downfall, whereas traditional tragic heroes usually dont have an alternative option. This is unsympathetic because he had another option, but it was his choice not to take it. Not only did he betray Rodolpho and Marco, he also betrayed his community. He lost all his respect and reputation. In conclusion, Eddie is very similar to a traditional tragic hero from Greek tragedy. His tragic flaw drives him to desperate actions, and in this case he cannot let Catherine go. Fate â€Å"runs its bloody course† as the inevitable death of Eddie is shown. Eddie is stubborn and refuses to â€Å"settle for half†, constantly wanting something he can’t have. His tragic flaw leads the fateful path to his death.

Governance and Enterprise Restructuring of Macedonia

Governance and Enterprise Restructuring of Macedonia Abstract: This paper is a case study of the Republic of Macedonia (Southeast Europe), which focuses on examining governance and enterprise restructuring. Governance and enterprise restructuring is already defined indicator in EBRDs studies and transition reports, measuring the effective corporate governance and corporate control exercised through domestic financial institutions and markets, fostering market-driven restructuring. As of the beginning of the transition process, governance and enterprise restructuring remains in the center, as essential pillar, that moves forward the society towards developed market economy. The data used in this article are analyzed with an econometric regression model, which as employed in this study examines the interrelationships between governance and enterprise restructuring and set of policies that influence the governance patterns. JEL Classifications: G30, G32, G38; L33; O11; P31 Keywords: governance, corporate governance, management strategy, transition, Southeast Europe, Macedonia Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Prof. Nicola Bellini for the continuous support, as well as, the PhD Program in Management and MAIN Lab of Scuola Superiore SantAnna, Pisa, Italy Introduction The research in this paper is to be focused on examining governance and enterprise restructuring in Southeast Europe economies and in particular a case study of the Republic of Macedonia. EBRD has governance and enterprise restructuring as basic indicator of economic transition and defines it as effective corporate governance and corporate control exercised through domestic financial institutions and markets, fostering market-driven restructuring. The corporate governance is most often defined in terms of the roles, responsibilities, and interactions of top management and the board of directors. Using data of South-East Europe i.e. case study of Macedonia, will be examined the interrelationships between governance and enterprise restructuring and set of policies that influence the governance patterns. Literature Review There are several contemporary theories that set the foundations of governance and enterprise restructuring within a framework important for this research. The institutional setting is of essence when governance and enterprise restructuring is analyzed in transition economies. Further, the literature on corporate governance is extensive and is linked to important theories, of which the agency theory is fundamentally predominant. The established agency theory highlights the function of corporate governance in the overall enterprise restructuring, ensuring that the firm protects the interests of shareholders in a given institutional context . Thus, the institutional setting has impact on the outcome of companies performance through the very nature of countrys ownership structure and policies undertaken to shape the governance system. When companies are analyzed, it is important to state the presence of different agency conflicts between shareholders and management in a given ownership structure of each country. Hence, different countries have divergent governance systems leading to variations in the nature of the agency problems, where ac cording to the law and economics viewpoint, legal systems craft institutional specificities . The literature further proposes that different national governance systems are also influenced by cultural and historical features in addition to their specific legal system . The links between agency theory and institutional theory explain that divergences in national institutions may have significant impact on the effectiveness of governance at the firm level . The law and economics approach (e.g., ) puts the focus on the fact that the ability to enforce financial contracts and thus increase the effectiveness of governance depends on institutional characteristics . Further, it is stated that in order to complete the frame already set by the agency theory it is necessary to merge it with institutional theory . There are two principal strings of institutional theory fitted to the analysis: a) the first, origins in political science and b) the second is derived from organizational theory . The political science approach focuses on the setup where political and economic institutions create incentives for managers and the way the outcomes are shaped. On the other hand, the organizational theory approach is concerned with the adjusting function of organizations while creating the institutional environment. In this regard, Aggarwal and Goodell argue that national corporate governance differences between countries used in their study are determined by legal, cultural, and other national characteristics . 1. Corporate Strategies in transition economy environment As countries undergo serious system transformations the managers are faced with complex decision-making environment , and thus it is closely regarded that the performance of large enterprises should be linked to managerial flexibility in making strategic decisions within the context of the firms governance. Furthermore, there arent many sources that can point towards emerging corporate governance mechanisms in South-East Europe, although prior research suggests that independent managers and board of directors (corporate governance) may be an important necessity for managerial ability to undertake performance-enhancing strategies . Before restructuring, the revenues were generated by monopolistic structure through a handful of specialized state-owned companies. As the reforms progressed towards free market economy in environment with sluggish internal demand, adopting better strategies may be closely linked to better financial performance of the firm . Moreover, we can see that previo us research has linked strategies with performance , and governance directly with performance , and consequently in this research we will make an essay to implement the governance and enterprise restructuring EBRD indicator as measure against set of policies. Economic reforms introduced in Southeast Europe aimed at increasing enterprise efficiency and making their products internationally competitive and thus reforms were tied with structural crisis . The pre-reform environment that was characterized by import protection and export promotion through monopolistic, state-owned foreign trade companies which in many terms crippled the enterprises to meet overseas threats and as a result made the internationalization of their work very difficult. As liberalization of the market forces and privatization progressed they were meant to eliminate the constraints imposed on managers by state ownership and command economy system . In the case of the Southeast Europe, companies were privatized using range of methods . Thus, the privatization process resulted with diverse range of ownership structures and governance mechanisms . The corporate governance affects enterprises restructuring and financial performance . Indeed, when firms from transition economies are involved in international activities, they are likely to develop their capabilities . As a consequence of the peculiar characteristics of the capital markets in South-East Europe i.e. lack of well developed capital markets, limited portfolio diversification and liquidity, it is often stated that large shareholders could wish to utilize potential upside of a particular business strategy, but they are frequently restrained and affected adversely by the companys idiosyncratic risk . Due to this phenomenon they chose to impose sub-optimal strategies on managers. Moreover, large shareholders in transition countries where the protection of minority investors is low, most often endeavor to take advantage of their power and grasp private benefits of control. This expropriation can be found in a range of forms, such as related party transactions, use of trans fer pricing, assets stripping and other forms of tunnelling of revenue and assets from firms . Therefore, in such economies high ownership concentration was investors response to low levels of protection of minority shareholders in emerging markets . Even though we analyze and focus specifically on Macedonia, variations in governance regimes indicate sufficient international analyses of governance and enterprise restructuring in the specific group of economies that undergo serious difficulties in transformation. Corporate governance and enterprise restructuring in Macedonia 1. Institutional and legal framework The institutional framework is essential in the development of the governance and enterprise restructuring process. There institutions that carry of the process are the Securities Commission and the Macedonian Stock Exchange and are aided by the Central Securities Depository . The legal framework is comprised of sets of laws and regulations including the first 1996 Company Law its enactment of 2004, as well as, the Securities Law, the Law on Takeovers, the Bankruptcy Law, and the Macedonian Stock Exchanges corporate governance code and listing rules . 2. Overall assessment of corporate governance characteristics Macedonias corporate governance model is consistently built since the beginning of transition to modern market economy. Thus, it complies with the notion that each country shapes its particular way of governance due to its own history, culture, and legal and regulatory framework . The main characteristics of the Macedonian corporate governance model are : Gradual concentration of ownership which is reflected through policies leading to dispersed ownership structure of companies to become concentrated over time in a more regular manner. As 2007 IFC Corporate Governance Manual for Macedonian Companies indicates around 300,000 individuals become shareholders in the first phase of the privatization process. Later the process reinforced itself and eventually resulted with 255,000 in 2004 and 105,000 in August 2007 individuals as shareholders. This was result due imposed regulatory reform (Company Law, 1996) and also the development of the capital market urging for voluntary decisions of shareholders to sell their shares on the Macedonian Stock Exchange, characterized with constant default on minority shareholders and investor protection during this period. However, with creation of the Central Securities Depository (state authority for securities registration), the quality of the process had improved. Company shareholders as company employees and vice-versa, describes the phenomenon of the dual role and mutual interaction of these two categories as most of the employees are at the same time shareholders in the company. Thus, there is conflict in the rights and the duties as these two roles, which in essence oppose themselves and exclude each other. Indeed, this characteristic is problem of many transition economies and needs time to be resolved, while is still producing mixed outcomes. As a consequence of the previous two, there is the third main characteristic of the Macedonian economy in light of governance and enterprise restructuring i.e. lack of separation of companys ownership from companys control. This practice, despite the introduced regulation, is still lagging, hence the unfortunate problem where majority-vote shareholders who most often hold companies top positions, trigger overwhelming influence over comprehensive daily work of the enterprise. Further, this reduces and prevents the control systems vigilance and reporting to and from shareholders and investors. The forth important feature derived from the previous, is the inadequate oversight of managements work. This is due the fact that members of the supervisory board are individuals with lack of experience directly appointed by the controlling majority shareholders or in submission to the very persons that they are supposed to control. Research hypotheses Two basic hypotheses to test governance and enterprise restructuring: 1st Hypothesis: Governance and enterprise restructuring depend on set of policies : large-scale privatization, small-scale privatization, price liberalization, competition policy, trade and foreign exchange system, banking reform and interest rate liberalization, securities markets and non-bank financial institutions and overall infrastructure reform; and , 2nd Hypothesis: Governance and enterprise restructuring is significant and improves over time due to imposed policies. Sample selection and Data It this paper it is used the same econometric model as in the first article. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Transition Report series have the latest information on the countries that are classified in transition. The data that this prominent organization offers are based on wide network of sources that they obtain from national and international authorities . EBRD tracks reforms and assesses the overall process of transition using set of transition indicators, which are formed in comparison to the standards of industrialized market economies. Further, the data sample is mainly drawn from the extended research and data bases of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Transition Report publication series. Consequently, the data used in this research are taken from their index structure economic statistics and forecasts . The scale used in shaping the transition indicators ranges from 1 to 4+, where 1 represents little or no change from a rigid centrally planned economy and 4+ represents the standards of an industrialized market economy . There are detailed numbers for the countries in transition analyzing the period of 1989 to 2009 in different areas. These indicators are sorted by sector and country and are analyzing nine arias: large scale privatization, small scale privatization, governance and enterprise restructuring, price liberalization, trade and foreign exchange system, competition policy, banking reform and interest rate liberalization, securities markets and non-bank financial institution s, and overall infrastructure reform .ÂÂ   Model and Econometrics The econometric model that is used in this study is a regression model where we have estimated the fallowing equation : (1) (2) Thus, applied to our research this model has the fallowing shape: (3) where the dependent variable, . shows governance and enterprise restructuring; the independent variables, are as follows : large-scale privatization; small-scale privatization; price liberalization; competition policy; trade and foreign exchange system; banking reform and interest rate liberalization; securities markets and non-bank financial institutions; overall infrastructure reform; ÂÂ  is aÂÂ  p-dimensionalÂÂ  parameter vector ; ÂÂ  is theÂÂ  error term orÂÂ  noise. Results and Effects The first hypothesis is that governance and enterprise restructuring depend on set of policies: large-scale privatization, small-scale privatization, price liberalization, competition policy, trade and foreign exchange system, banking reform and interest rate liberalization, securities markets and non-bank financial institutions and overall infrastructure reform. The transition theory explains well the effects of privatization, restructuring, competition, budget constraints, policies of governance and management . The country results of the OLS regression for Macedonia (Figure 2) show that there are good results on correlation and dependence of governance and enterprise restructuring to large-scale privatization. However, the coefficients are negative pointing towards possible lag of governance mostly because of country specific dispersed ownership and agency conflicts as analyzed before (CG Manuel-IFC, 2007). The variable explaining trade and foreign exchange system and its relation to GOV behaves with mixed outcome depending on the model. Further, the price liberalization variable shows good results and there is good evidence and correlation between countrys governance, as well as, positive impact on GOV. The banking reform of the system and the interest rate liberalization demonstrated good results in contribution to the governance and enterprise restructuring. In this analysis the overall infrastructure reform has given important input in improving the overall economic governance, but the negative sign suggests some concern, as the disinvestment in infrastructure is constant lag in transition countries. On the other hand, governance and enterprise restructuring have strong relation to the small-scale privatization; competition policy and securities markets and non-bank financial institutions. In the case of these variables, the models have shown evidence i.e. p Figure I. Results of OLS on Macedonia The second hypothesis is that the variable governance and enterprise restructuring is significant and improves over time due to imposed policies. In the analysis (Figure 1) the results confirm this hypothesis with some mixed outcomes i.e. sluggishly improves over time. In fact, the close relation with number of these policies shows the significant impact of these policies to the way the governance and enterprise restructuring was imposed, positively or negatively. Thus, there is significant correlation to SSP, CP, BRIRL and SMNBFI, presenting outcomes to how each of these variables impacts GOV. Nonetheless, over time most of the variables improved and it is clear that there is relationship between them moving upwards. Further in Figure 2 we can see the movements of governance and enterprise restructuring over time. Also, in this case the analyzed variable moved alongside the increase of the other variables and towards positive upward climb. Figure 3 indicates that even though there is positive movement up, governance and enterprise restructuring is still at the bottom of estimated policies progress. Figure I. Macedonias Governance and Enterprise Restructuring Figure I. Indicators Dynamics Discussion On the first assumption that governance and enterprise restructuring depend on imposed set of policies, the analysis showed that there are mixed outcomes. There are positive and negative influences that eventually bring satisfactory picture for the overall governance and enterprise restructuring. On the other hand, due to analysis of the second assumption it is clear that as the transition process progressed along with the imposed reforms and there is a positive inclination of governance and enterprise restructuring. However, there is still more to be done in order to bring these economies closer to the standards of developed ones. Indeed, it is needed considerable improvement of corporate governance, institution-building to control agency problems and imposing already adopted regulation, as well as, enforcing new enterprise restructuring policies, within existing policies of overall transition economy restructuring.

bb king :: essays research papers

B.B. King Back in 1951, a young blues guitarist named Riley King had his first hit song titled "3 O’clock Blues.'' The song was so great, promoters whisked the young man from his Memphis, Tennessee home to the big top of New York City, where he shortened his stage name from Beale Street Blues Boy to "B.B.'' Boogie woogie pianist Robert "H-Bomb'' Ferguson recalls the first time he met B.B. King before the legendary guitarist's first show at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. "When I saw B.B., man, I laughed. This cat came out on stage with a purple suit, red shirt and green tie,'' says Ferguson. King agrees with Ferguson's memory, but notes that the color scheme was different. " It was a red suit with a red tie with red shoes. Red and black sock and black shoes,'' notes King. Over the past forty years, King has established himself as the indisputable king of blues guitarists. His creative style of blending gospel, jazz, and deep Delta blues has influenced two generations of blues and rock guitarists. Unabashedly, King admits that he's an original: "There's a whole lot of things I don't do as well as other people, but I can do and do very well being B.B. King.'' King launched his career as a professional musician on the streets of Memphis during the 1940s. He played gospel and blues on street corners for tips. Standing in-between blues and gospel, King took the path offering the promise of more financial rewards. At 66, King remains indefatigable. He does about 300 concert dates annually. Few artists who have attained the success that King has continue to drive themselves at such a grueling pace. The force pushing King to stay in front of the spotlight is simple. He wanted to be remembered. "If you're out there, people never forget you. That is one of the things I believe in today, never being forgotten. I would like to be remembered as a person that loved people and wanted to be loved by them''. King has wrought a unique style of blues often imitated, but never duplicated. Despite an unorthodox approach to the music, King has helped to shape the blues by bringing it into the mainstream. He hates when people label the blues as sad music. "Blues to me is many things,'' notes the King. "It has to do with people, places and things.

Pride And Prejudice :: essays research papers

Elizabeth’s Pride and Darcy’s Prejudice?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a timeless social comedy which is both satirical and full of sentiment. The title refers to the personalities of the two main characters and cues the reader to Austen’s broader thematic purpose: to satirize nineteenth century manners and morals, especially as they relate to courtship and manners. Although both characters contain both these traits, it is mainly Mr. Darcy who exemplifies ‘pride’ while Elizabeth Bennet exemplifies ‘prejudice.’ However, one of the book’s many ironies is that the prejudiced Elizabeth thinks it is Mr. Darcy who has the overall prejudiced disposition. Likewise, proud Darcy thinks it is Elizabeth who is most often proud. Through the course of the novel, these characters grow and through each other, discover their own foibles-- Elizabeth is indeed prejudiced and Darcy is indeed proud. Armed with this growth and heightened moral insight, the couple is rewarded wi th happiness and fulfillment at the end of the novel. But what if their initial beliefs were correct? Let’s say that Mr. Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudice were switched within the context of Austen’s plot and narrative structure. Could a proud Elizabeth and a prejudice Darcy grow in self-awareness through the circumstances of the novel and gain a better understanding of human condition? Before Austen allows her characters to have a ‘fairy-tale’ ending, they must undergo self-growth. Given Austen’s overall view of English class structure and her empathy towards independent and spirited young women, it would be unlikely that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy would resolve their differences and grow as human beings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is Mary, Elizabeth Bennet’s younger sister who seems to pinpoint a working definition of “pride'; as it is portrayed in the novel. She says: “Pride is a very common failing I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary... Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves...'; (67) Both Elizabeth and Darcy’s characters show evidence of pride, yet Austen clearly takes Darcy’s pride to an extreme. His character is first introduced at Netherfield Ball-- he quietly keeps to himself, occasionally speaks to one of the upper class, and declines all introductions to any young ladies.

Impact of World War One on American Literature Essay -- Literature Ess

The Impact of World War One on American Literature As people mature, their beliefs evolve; as a child it is easy to be guided by adults, to believe in adults. As adults, people have their own beliefs. It is the period in the middle that is the hardest. As children begin to grow, they begin to push limits and question authority. The modernist period in American literature is comparable to those teenage years. In the early stages of American literature, America looked to her mother England for guidance. The very traditional literature that resulted had a strong emphasis on religion, family, and country. In early literature it was scandalous to question God; the family was only to be portrayed as a supportive, loving community; and dying for one's country was the ultimate act of bravery and honor. This glorification of war in early American literature and attitude created unrealistic expectations in Americans concerning war. When these same young Americans marched into World War I, they were struck by the true horror of war; the result was a backlash at the society that had deceived them. America has a long history of glorifying war. Many of America's early presidents were war heroes, a tradition that started with America's first president, George Washington, who was a soldier in the American Revolution. Being a war hero was sometimes all that was needed for a candidate to be successful in his bid for the presidency. Zachary Taylor, for instance, had never even voted in a national election prior to his becoming president, but he was a war hero (Tindall 513). This exalted view of war filtered into American literature. American literature portrays war as the true test of manhood. Any "real" man should be more than willing to d... ...orks Cited Eliot, T. S. The Waste Land. McQuade, et al. 2: 1382-1399. Faulkner, William. "Barn Burning." McQuade, et al. 2: 1137-1150. Howells, William Dean. "Editha." McQuade, et al. 2: 362-371. March, William. "The Fate of Honor, Courage, and Patriotism." Company K. McQuade, et al. 2: 931. McQuade, Donald, et al., eds. The Harper American Literature. 2nd ed. 2 Vols. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. Owen, Wilfred. "Dulce et Decorum Est." The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th ed. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1993. 763. Pound, Ezra. "Hugh Selwyn Maubery." McQuade, et al. 2: 1325-1329. Stevens, Wallace. "Sunday Morning." McQuade, et al. 2: 1273-1276. Tindall, George, and David Shi, eds. America: A Narrative History. 5th ed. New York: Norton, 2000.

Increase In Suicide And Crime Among Youth

The headlines of one of the leading newspapers often goes like, â€Å"A professor beaten to death by his own students†. Going through such headlines has become a routine affair for us. The country is plagued by many catastrophic, socio-economic issues like poverty, terrorism, illiteracy and corruption. The involvement of the youth in overcoming these problems is of great importance. The youth, in a rising nation like ours, plays a strong role in bringing reforms to restructure the nation. They protest and demand what is best for the nation.However, lately, in order to earn quick bucks and the need to fulfil their dreams and desires at the earliest, young people have resorted to unlawful means to achieve them. Is the future of the nation becoming its own destructor? According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 44 per cent of the arrested criminals belong to the age group of 10 to 30 years, which is the ‘youth’ There is a section of the youth who have been achiev ing their goals through unlawful means. Crimes ranging from thefts to kidnapping, murders, rape and sex scandals involve such people. The crime rate has been drastically increasing.Why has the youth of this nation become so pugnacious? Is it due to under-employment or the lack of law enforcement in the country? On one hand, we are fighting to reduce the minimum age of consumption of alcohol while on the other, we are consuming it, driving recklessly and killing people. We are raising our voices on women’s safety and we are the one raping them. Youngsters belonging to well-to-do families have also been caught in cases of hacking bank accounts. According to leading psychiatrists, the lack of adequate opportunities frustrates young people to an extent where they use any method possible to attain success.Many also believe that youngsters who take the path of crime are the troubled ones. This could be true in some of the cases but people in their 20s, committing a murder over who should get a prantha first is something beyond imagination, as seen in an incident that occurred at midnight in a posh area of South Delhi. Such cases are endless. Many cases like sexual assaults and minor rapes go unreported and the youngsters feel free to commit the same again. Even the judicial system shows leniency towards the accused and no stern action is taken.It is time for the country to revamp its judicial system and processes. Most of the accused are not afraid of being caught after committing the crime. The criminals know that their case will simply pile up with the rest of the cases and by the time the punishment is announced, they might not even exist. Further, the government should take appropriate measures to revive the economy so that employment opportunities are created, not just in metros but in rural areas as well. An alarming report on increasing suicides in India is calling for urgent intervention and rethinking of our system.What's wrong with Indians? Our coun try had shown the world the path to eternal happiness. And, now, Indians are an unhappy lot!†¦ If you probe further deeper into reasons, you will see many cultural, genetic and religious factors Young people in India are committing suicide at a much higher rate than in the West, says The Lancet report, entitled Suicide Mortality in India released on June 23, June 2012. The first ever national survey of deaths in India found that some 56 percent of all women who took their own lives in 2010 and 40 percent of men were aged between 15 and 29.The suicide rates are highest in the 15-29 age groups, peaking in southern states that are considered richer and more developed with better education, social welfare and health care. Opportunities that have come with two decades of economic boom and open markets have also brought more job anxiety, higher expectations and more pressure to achieve, mental health experts said. This is calling for urgent intervention and rethinking of our institut ion called India or Bharat. Added to it, many suicide cases still go unreported as people hide what is still an illegal act in India.The higher rates may come from â€Å"the greater likelihood of disappointments when aspirations that define success and happiness are distorted or unmet by the reality faced by young people in a rapidly changing society,† said Dr. Vikram Patel, one of the report's authors. He also noted online social networking was making â€Å"loneliness more common. † He admits his conclusion is conjecture, but says â€Å"I cannot think of any more plausible explanation. † People in his neighborhood remember Kunju Shivankutty as a likable youth.But the 20-year-old, from Manjeri in North Kerala, was troubled deeply by having failed three times to pass the admissions testfor a government-run engineering college. On August 15th, 2011, coinciding with India's Independence Day, Shivankutty wrote a letter to his parents. â€Å"I am sorry, Acchan-Amma (Dad-Mum), for not having been a good son. I could not fulfill your dreams for me. I let you down before the relatives. Shame is the only feeling I have at present and I can’t bear it any more. Please forget about me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then he hung himself.His father Parameswaran, a transport companyemployee, had invested heavily in his son's education, hoping the boy could lift the family's circumstances by becoming a career engineer – a sure road to middle-class prosperity. Such familial pressure, however, can push a young person to the breaking point. â€Å"The case of failing one's parents, or not succeeding in meeting targets set by the family, is one of the chief reasons for young Malayalis [a Kerala ethnic group] taking the extreme step â€Å"I was weak, I thought I could be strong but I was weak! I was so so weak, the fault is my own.Hope something good happens with my death. I have left the building† These are not words from a Chetan Bhagat best seller thou gh I wish they were. These were the last words of Nitin Kumar Reddy before he flung himself from his hostel roof at IIT Madras. As India celebrates year on year economic growth we have started putting a lot of pressure on our youth. In our rush to win we have crushed the hopes and aspirations of our youth. We have started a race to win at all costs. In 2009, almost 3000 children below the age of 14 committed suicide. If we look at the 15-25 age group the number jumps to 50,000.But the scariest statistic is that for every successful suicide there are almost 14 unsuccessful attempts. Clearly the youth of our country are in distress. But the symptoms are there to see †¢ Toddlers are made to compete in talent shows. †¢ Teenagers are entering singing and dancing competitions †¢ High school students go through a grueling schedule to balance school curriculum with preparation for entrances to elite institutions like the IITs. Who is responsible for this? Who killed Nitin? So me people might say it is the system that is responsible for this, but aren’t we responsible for creating this system.We are forever drawing comparisons between our children and the others and this is just leading to a unsustainable situation. Is this what we have been reduced to? Is that what we want? To compete and win at all costs. A recent survey showed that almost 85% of parents in urban India do not allow children to take up professions of their choice. This is probably the greatest reason for stress among India’s youth, being stuck in professions that they don’t enjoy or are not suited for. Like I said we all know what the symptoms are, but the challenge is to treat the disease and not the symptom.How can wechange the situation for our children and the youth of tomorrow? I propose these four steps. 1. Identify- The key is to listen, observe and identify activities that the kids enjoy and are attracted to. Which activity draws them more, what they enjoy do ing? 2. Analyze- based on our observations, we need to map the activities and likes of the child to sustainable careers that that activity can sustain. If we are not experts in that field, there is a high possibility that there is someone in our network that will know someone. Also councilors both in school and outside can be used for the same.3. Decide- Once the mapping has been done, we can decide on a few career choices of the child’s liking and also something where his passion lies. 4. Monitor- Once the decision has been made it is important to monitor the children. Often they grow and once they grow their preferences change, it is important to monitor those changes and incorporate that into their plan. People are usually very good at what they do, once they enjoy it. A good example is cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who enjoys cricket and has been the best for the last 20 years..A few weeks ago, I got a text from my friend saying that a guy, who had been my classmateduring hi gh school, had committed suicide. I seriously thought that this friend was playing a prank on me. Later I discovered the truth. He did commit suicide. I had always seen this guy to be one with great self-esteem and self-confidence. Then why out of nowhere should he take this decision. That was all people spoke for a couple of months. Everyone had only one question. The same question, to be exact. Why? Now thinking about this issue of suicide, I did a little research and the results I got were too shocking.Statistics show that every five minutes, someone, somewhere in India, attempts suicide. This makes suicide the third major cause of death. Also, annually more than 1,00,000 people commit suicide in India, of which one-thirds are youth. Diverse backgrounds, diverse goals and diverse opinions! But same decision! Today, the youth in India form one of the most vulnerable groups, who on the one hand are expected to be the leaders, the backbone of tomorrow’s India, while on the ot her hand, are a browbeaten and baffled cluster.There is an imbalance between the youth population and the limited opportunities for admission in schools and colleges, and specifically in professional courses. This puts the youth under great pressure. First class and second class are hardly adequate results anymore. Parents are helpless too, as both public and private institutions have caused economic burden to them. If you think getting admission is the toughest thing that youth can ever experience, rethink! Placements are another hell. You need to get everything right.And even after getting placed, the comparison in relation to the pay received, causes all the more pain. A person with the pleasure of working but with limited salary is certainly not welcome in this society. People have come to a point where they are ready to trade their work pleasure for money. Tough deadlines and hectic work atmosphere have taken the lives of many youth. Friendships and relationships have also play ed equal parts in this gamble for life. Youth are too sensitive to sort any sort of relationship problem.The problem may be anything; fight with best friends, bitter misunderstanding with girlfriend/ boyfriend followed by an even bitter break-up, family issues with parents fighting over their lives or over financial issues. But the youth are greatly affected. They bundle up all these grievances in their hearts and eventually give their hearts a complete rest so they will never have to face the same, again. I am blaming all. There are plenty of youth who have followed their heart to be what they wanted to be. But the fact that this suicide virus is taking away the lives of millions of youth is alarming.Something has to be done to cripple it. In battle between the thirst to have their dream life and the urge to fulfill the expectation of the society, many are shattered. While a very few regain their stand, the rest take the ultimate decision of ending their lives. When they have the g uts to face the pain of ending their lives for one moment, why aren’t they having the same guts for a moment longer to face the battle? If a person is disturbed, all that has to be done is just talk. Words can do wonders, even help see beyond the mist. And you will never know what marvels are awaiting you!

How does samules shape the ending to Act 1 and how effective do you find it? Essay

How does Samuels shape the ending to Act 1 and how effective do you find this ending? (30 marks) Samuels uses different ideas and techniques in order to shape the ending in order to make it an effective piece of writing. He creates suspense and emotion in order for the audience to feel attached to the plot and show the true feelings of the characters. Samuels does this by not only highlighting the vast emotions of both charters but also mixes this with a novel called ‘The Rat-catcher’. This book was one from Evelyn’s childhood and both she and Eva were haunted by it throughout her life. The first way in which Samuels shapes the ending of Act 1 is by exaggerating the drama and emotion of the situation in order to emphasis the great truth that is revealed in this situation; that Faith is a Jew, effected by the Holocaust. For example Faith says, â€Å"Jesus. How could I possibly not be a bad child with such a terrible mother?† Then later in the conversation, â€Å"I could kill you†. During this last section the truth is being revealed to Faith of her past, of her being a Jew and of her grandfather’s death during the holocaust which had been otherwise hidden from her previously. Here Samuels highlights the flying and rising emotions of the conversation, in order to spark a more interesting and viewable final act. Another way in which Samuels shapes the ending of Act 1 is by creating a link between Eva, Evelyn and the dreaded Rat-catcher, in an on stage masterpiece. He uses the layouts of the play to not only create drama between the same person, in different periods of time but also between them and a mythical being. For example, Evelyn: â€Å"He’s not coming† and Eva: â€Å"He’ll burn my fingers till they melt†. Here both characters are talking about someone who does not actually appear to them but is rather just a being that gets inside their consciences in order to question what they are doing. This means that a dramatic contrast is created between Eva and Evelyn, the past and present, which impacts by allowing the audience to understand the difficultly between the choose of leaving her old life behind of facing the reality of what is a daughter discovering her hidden past.