Emerson concepts in ‘Kite Runner’ and ‘Giovanni’s Room’ Essay

â€Å"Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. † (Emerson. 2) Thus we live in a world, where in order to fit we must ‘conform’ but Emerson believes that â€Å"whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist,† (2) and that â€Å"nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. † (2) Self reliance and independence of thought, which are fundamental to Emerson’s perspective, are integral to the understanding and analysis of the characters in ‘The Kite Runner’ (Hosseini, 2003) and ‘Giovanni’s Room’ (Baldwin, 1956). ‘The Kite Runner,’ is a tale of two boys in 1970’s Kabul; growing up amidst discrimination, bigotry and class structure in society – in this case Afghan society – Hassan, a Hazara – a minority group of Afghanis who follow Islamic beliefs called Shi’a – although a friend and half-brother, is a lower-class servant to Amir. Amir, a Pushtun – the majority, who believe they are a better class than the Hazara and who follow the Sunn sect of Islam – although raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse as Hassan, lives in a different sphere of existence. Amir is the legitimate son of Baba, a prominent and wealthy man, whereas Hassan is the illegitimate one and raised by Baba’s servant. Both lost their mothers – Amir at birth and Hassan a week after birth, when she ran â€Å"off with a clan of singers and dancers. † (Hosseini 4) â€Å"For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure,† (Emerson 4) and thus Baba, rather than be subjected to the displeasures of his society, opts to conform to its rules and customs that â€Å"loves not realities and creators, but names and customs,† (Emerson 2) and not reveal that Hassan is his son by a Hazara woman. His justice, or what Emerson characterizes as ‘compensation’ (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) is the loss of Hassan and his love. This same class difference between Amir and Hassan, largely dictates and limits their relationship. â€Å"It is easy enough for a firm man who knows the world to brook the rage of the cultivated classes,† (Emerson 4) and Hassan, the victim of such discrimination and class structure, remains completely devoted and loyal to Amir, both as his servant and as his friend. He shows his loyalty when he and Amir are terrorized by Assef, â€Å" a word for the creature that Assef was †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢sociopath’ (Hosseini 25-26) who admires Hitler for eliminating the Jews and with whom he aims to emulate by destroying the Hazaras. Hassan stands up to Assef and his friends. Although frightened, he holds â€Å"the slingshot pointed directly at Assef’s face† (Hosseini 28) and shouts â€Å"if you move, they’ll have to change your nickname from Assef the ‘Ear Eater’ to ‘One-Eyed Assef. † (Hosseini 29) Assef, never forgetting a slight, plots revenge. Just as Hassan makes Amir’s breakfast, folds his clothes, and cleans his room, so does he cater to Amir in kite tournaments. Even though Hassan shares in the excitement of kite fighting, he does not actually have control over the kite. Hassan may help the kite â€Å"lift-and-dive,† but Amir is the one who claims a victory. Hassan may catch a cherished rival kite and hold it in his arms, but always to bring it back to Amir, to whom it then belongs. His joy is explicit, special, and secondary just like his experience of wealth and privilege while living in Baba’s household. So it is that Hassan is subjected to rape because of his nonconformity to his position as a Hazara and he relies on himself to â€Å"go alone; to refuse the good models. † (Emerson 5) Assef and his friends attack Hassan after he runs for the ‘blue kite’ but although terrified of what is going to happen to him he claims â€Å"Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly, this is his kite. † â€Å"Amir agha and I are friends. † (Hosseini 50) Hassan is brutely raped by Assef but never gives up the kite and brings it back for Amir. Later, when the Taliban came to â€Å"investigate and interrogated Hassan† (Hosseini 149) and ordered him to leave the house – Amir’s father’s house – he again shows his loyalty to Amir by protesting. The Taliban â€Å"ordered him to kneel †¦ and shot him in the back of the head. † (Hosseini 150) Hassan dies because he â€Å"accepted the divine place that providence had† found for him; (Emerson 1) he had violated the social expectations of conformity by favouring â€Å"self reliance †¦ its aversion† (Emerson 2) by standing up to his aggressors in loyalty to Amir. Amir, contrary to Hassan, lacks self trust and conforms totally to society, and although enjoying time spent with Hassan, never really calls him his friend. When confronted with Assef the first time he shows his cowardice by wanting to tell Assef that Hassan is â€Å"not my friend,† â€Å"he’s my servant. † (Hosseini 28) It is ironic that when Hassan stands up for Amir against Assef, and calls him ‘Agha,’ Amir â€Å"wondered briefly what it might be like to live with such an ingrained sense of one’s place in a hierarchy. † (Hosseini 28) Yet he himself lives in such a way as to lose himself – his self worth and reliance by conforming to society and its customs. For many years, Amir feels as though he and Hassan are adversaries for Baba’s love and he is envious of this, together with Hassan’s abilities: â€Å"Hassan made his stone skip eight times. The most I managed was five†¦ Baba †¦patted Hassan on the back. Even put his arm around his shoulder. † (Hosseini 8-9) Amir greatly desires his father’s acceptance and approval and very seldom receives it. He overhears his father say that â€Å"there’s something missing in that boy† and that he believes â€Å"a boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. † (Hosseini 15) Amir decides â€Å"there was no other viable option† than to â€Å"win that winter’s tournament,† and ‘run that last kite. † (Hosseini 38) He believes that his â€Å"life as a ghost in this house would finally be over† and that he would show Baba â€Å"once and for all that his son was worthy. † (Hosseini 38) On winning the race, he experiences the â€Å"greatest moment of [his] twelve years of life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of [him] at last. † (Hosseini 45) Following Hassan, who has gone running for the kite, Amir wants â€Å"to make a grand entrance, a hero, prized trophy in [his] bloodied hands. †(Hosseini 46) He finds Hassan â€Å"standing at the end of a blind alley† (Hosseini 49) blocked by Assef and his two friends. But rather than help Hassan, even after seeing the â€Å"look of the lamb† (Hosseini 53) on Hassan’s face Amir runs, telling himself that â€Å"I was a coward† â€Å"afraid of Assef and what he would do† â€Å"afraid of getting hurt† (Hosseini 53) but in reality it is â€Å"the price [he] had to pay, the lamb [he] had to slay, to win Baba. His reasoning â€Å"He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he? † (Hosseini 54) After the rape, Hassan’s very existence infuriates and irritates Amir because it reminds him of his cowardice – his guilt. He tries to forget what he has done to Hassan and treats him like a servant instead of a friend; he lies about him being ill â€Å"he’s got a cold or something,† (Hosseini 56) he hits him with ripe pomegranates, he asks his father â€Å"have you ever thought about getting new servants? ’ (Hosseini 61) Finally he frames Hassan for theft and Hassan again takes the blame rather than reveal Amir for what he is. Nothing works however, because he cannot discard his guilt as easily as he can discard Hassan himself. Even after later leaving Afghanistan for America with his father, he is never really able to forget and later he realizes you can bury the past but that it â€Å"claws its way out. † He realizes that he has been â€Å"peeking into that deserted alley† where Hassan was raped â€Å"for the last twenty six years. † (Hosseini 2) After returning to Afghanistan and learning of Hassan’s death and his orphaned son Sohrab, Amir endeavours to right his wrongs – â€Å"there is a way to be good again† (Hosseini 2) by locating Sohrab, who is in fact his nephew. He finds Sohrab in the hands of Assef, now a Talib, and being used as a sexual plaything. This illustration of man’s inhumanity to man, gives evidence to Emerson’s belief, that â€Å"the differences among the members of a race are greater than the differences between races. † (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Amir must fight and defeat Assef if he is to redeem himself and his past; thus Amir finds his strength of character, the inner strength that he had all along, but believed was somehow missing – Emerson’s ‘self reliance’ and ‘trust in himself. ’ Ironically however, it is Sohrab who saves Amir in just the same way as his father Hassan had saved him before – with his slingshot. Amir’s lack of self-acceptance, his desire to win his father’s heart and his envy of Hassan causes him to live his life conforming to an unjust and class conscious society. He places blame on Hassan for the lack of his father’s love and blame on himself for his conformity and the terrible injustice he has caused on Hassan. According to Emerson, one must be able to find a â€Å"blameless living† if they are to be a â€Å"whole man,† (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) and Amir clearly illustrates his lack of living blamelessly. Just as Hassan was socially alienated, so to is David, in ‘Giovanni’s Room,’ wherein he is faced with a choice between his American fiancee (value set) and his European boyfriend, so ultimately he must grapple with being alienated by the culture that produced him. In other words, does he conform or does he not? Does he be honest with his true self and be reliant on himself? David, unlike Hassan, takes the easy way out and marries Hella. David has been running from himself since his first sexual encounter as a teenager, with Joey, and although he has a profound connection with Joey, he deserts him and spurns his friendship afterwards. In other words, like Amir he conforms rather than live with â€Å"the integrity of his own mind. † (Emerson 2). He becomes what Emerson terms as an ‘imitator’ and lives a life of deceit and denial. Although mixing with the gay crowd, he proclaims his heterosexuality. Later he meets Giovanni and they fall in love. Afraid to commit to Giovanni he has a one night stand with Sue, another American lost in Paris. As with Joey, David deserts Giovanni, whereupon Giovanni goes into a downward spiral and because of lies, false promises, abuse and humiliation he eventually kills and is sentence to death by the guillotine. Giovanni dies because of the people around him; they are envious of his beauty, openness and inward freedom; they pretend to be what they are not ‘imitators’. David remains forever trapped in his own ‘room’, closet, or hell of his irreconcilable identity. (Zaborowska, M. J. 1) He fails in his journey of self-discovery within a society where gender, race and sexuality impacts on national identity. David remains loyal to America, the land of the free but never finds happiness, becoming emotionally dead and hollow, unable to love others, but mostly himself. In summary, we can recognize the lack of Emerson’s concept of self-reliance in the pivotal characters of Amir and Baba in ‘The Kite Runner’ and David in â€Å"Giovanni’s Room,† while at the same time we see evidence of nonconformity to social standards by Hassan and Giovanni. â€Å"High be his heart, faithful his will, clear his sight, that he may in good earnest be doctrine, society, law, to himself. † (Emerson 10) References Baldwin, J. Giovanni’s Room. Dell Publishing, NY. 1956 Emerson, R. W. Essay II Self Reliance 1841 As published on http://www. emersoncentral. com/selfreliance. htm Hosseini, Khaled The Kite Runner courtesy of Shahid Riaz, 2003 http://esnips. com/UserProfileAction. ns? id+ebdaae62-b650-4f30-99a4-376c0a084226 The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Ralhp Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) http://www. iep. utm. edu/e/emerson. htm December 6, 2008 Zaborowska, Magdalena J. University of Michigan. 2003 http://www. litencyc. com/php/sworks. php? rec=true&UID=4964

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Fifteen

Elena watched Damon with mute dread. She knew that disturbing smile too well. But even as her heart sank, her mind threw a mocking question at her. What difference did it make? She and Stefan were going to die anyway. It only made sense for Damon to save himself. And it was wrong to expect him to go against his nature. She watched that beautiful, capricious smile with a feeling of sorrow for what Damon might have been. Katherine smiled back at him, enchanted. â€Å"We'll be so happy together. Once they're dead, I'll let you go. I didn't mean to hurt you, not really. I just got angry.† She put out a slender hand and stroked his cheek. â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"Katherine,† he said. He was still smiling. â€Å"Yes.† She leaned closer. â€Å"Katherine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes, Damon?† â€Å"Go to hell.† Elena flinched from what happened next before it happened, feeling the violent upsurge of Power, of malevolent, unbridled Power. She screamed at the change in Katherine. That lovely face was twisting, mutating into something that was neither human nor animal. A red light blazed in Katherine's eyes as she fell on Damon, her fangs sinking into his throat. Talons sprang from her fingertips, and she raked Damon's already-bleeding chest with it, tearing into his skin while the blood flowed. Elena kept screaming, realizing dimly that the pain in her arms was from fighting the ropes that held her. She heard Stefan shouting, too, but above everything she heard the deafening shriek of Katherine's mental voice. Now you'll be sorry! Now I'm going to make you sorry! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you! The words themselves hurt, like daggers stabbing into Elena's mind. The sheer Power of it stupefied her, rocking her back against the iron pickets. But there was no way to get away from it. It seemed to echo from all around her, hammering in her skull. Kill you! Kill you! Kill you! Elena fainted. Meredith, crouched beside Aunt Judith in the utility room, shifted her weight, straining to interpret the sounds outside the door. The dogs had gotten into the cellar; she wasn't sure how, but from the bloody muzzles of some of them, she thought they had broken through the ground-level windows. Now they were outside the utility room, but Meredith couldn't tell what they were doing. It was too quiet out there. â€Å"Hush,† Robert whispered quickly. â€Å"It's all right, sweetheart. Everything's going to be all right.† Meredith met his frightened, determined eyes over Margaret's tow head. We almost had you pegged for the Other Power, she thought. But there was no time to regret it now. â€Å"Where's Elena? Elena said she'd watch over me,† Margaret said, her eyes large and solemn. â€Å"She said she'd take care of me.† Aunt Judith put a hand to her mouth. â€Å"She is taking care of you,† Meredith whispered. â€Å"She just sent me to do it, that's all. It's the truth,† she added fiercely, and saw Robert's look of reproach melt into perplexity. Outside, the silence had given way to scratching and gnawing sounds. The dogs were at work on the door. Robert cradled Margaret's head closer to his chest. Bonnie didn't know how long they had been working. Hours, certainly. Forever, it seemed like. The dogs had gotten in through the kitchen and the old wooden side doors. So far, though, only about a dozen had gotten past the fires lit like barricades in front of these openings. And the men with guns had taken care of most of those. But Mr. Smallwood and his friends were now holding empty rifles. And they were running out of things to burn. Vickie had gotten hysterical a little while ago, screaming and holding her head as if something was hurting her. They'd been looking for ways to restrain her when she finally passed out. Bonnie went up to Matt, who was looking out over the fire through the demolished side door. He wasn't looking for dogs, she knew, but for something else much farther away. Something you couldn't see from here. â€Å"You had to go, Matt,† she said. â€Å"There was nothing else you could do.† He didn't answer or turn around. â€Å"It's almost dawn,† she said. â€Å"Maybe when that comes, the dogs will leave.† But even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. Matt didn't answer. She touched his shoulder. â€Å"Stefan's with her. Stefan's there.† At last, Matt gave some response. He nodded. â€Å"Stefan's there,† he said. Brown and snarling, another shape charged out of the dark. It was much later when Elena came gradually to consciousness. She knew because she could see, not just by the handful of candles Katherine had lit but also by the cold gray dimness that filtered down from the crypt's opening. Damon? she thought. It was only after she had done it that she realized the word had not been spoken. Somehow, Katherine's shrieking had closed a circuit in her mind, or maybe it had awakened something sleeping. And Matt's blood had undoubtedly helped, giving her the strength to finally find her mental voice. She turned her head the other way. Stefan? His face was haggard with pain, but aware. Too aware. Elena almost wished that he were as insensible as Damon to what was happening to them. Elena, he returned. Where is she? Elena said, her eyes moving slowly around the room. Stefan looked toward the opening of the crypt. She went up there a while ago. Maybe to check on how the dogs are doing. Elena had thought she'd reached the limit of fear and dread, but it wasn't true. She hadn't remembered the others then. Elena, I'm sorry. Stefan's face was filled with what no words could express. It's not your fault, Stefan. You didn't do this to her. She did it to herself. Or-it just happened to her, because of what she is. What we are. Running beneath Elena's thoughts was the memory of how she had attacked Stefan in the woods, and how she had felt when she was racing toward Mr. Smallwood, planning her revenge. It could have been me, she said. No! You could never become like that. Elena didn't answer. If she had the Power now, what would she do to Katherine? What wouldn't she do to her? But she knew it would only upset Stefan more to talk about it. I thought Damon was going to betray us, she said. I did, too, said Stefan queerly. He was looking at his brother with an odd expression. Do you still hate him? Stefan's gaze darkened. No, he said quietly. No, I don't hate him anymore. Elena nodded. It was important, somehow. Then she started, her nerves hyper-alert, as something shadowed the entrance to the crypt. Stefan tensed, too. She's coming. Elena- I love you, Stefan, Elena said hopelessly, as the misty white shape hurtled down. Katherine took form in front of them. Of course, thought Elena. How could I have been so stupid? Damon rode with us in Alaric's car over the river. He crossed running water then, and probably lots of other times. He couldn't have been the Other Power. It was strange how she could think even though she was so frightened. It was as if one part of her mind stood watching from a distance. â€Å"I'm going to kill you now,† Katherine said conversationally. â€Å"Then I'm going under the river to kill your friends. I don't think the dogs have done it yet. But I'll take care of it myself.† â€Å"Let Elena go,† said Stefan. His voice was quenched but compelling all the same. â€Å"I haven't decided how to do it,† said Katherine, ignoring him. â€Å"I might roast you. There's almost enough light for that now. And I've got these.† She reached down the front of her gown and brought her closed hand out. â€Å"One-two-three!† she said, dropping two silver rings and a gold one onto the ground. Their stones shone blue as Katherine's eyes, blue as the stone in the necklace at Katherine's throat. Elena's hands twisted frantically and she felt the smooth bareness of her ring finger. It was true. She wouldn't have believed how naked she felt without that circlet of metal. It was necessary to her life, to her survival. Without it- â€Å"Without these you'll die,† Katherine said, scuffing the rings carelessly with the toe of one foot. â€Å"But I don't know if that's slow enough.† She paced back almost to the far wall of the crypt, her silver dress shimmering in the dim light. It was then that the idea came to Elena. She could move her hands. Enough to feel one with the other, enough to know that they weren't numb anymore. The ropes were looser. But Katherine was strong. Unbelievably strong. And faster than Elena, too. Even if Elena got free she would have time for only one quick act. She rotated one wrist, feeling the ropes give. â€Å"There are other ways,† Katherine said. â€Å"I could cut you and watch you bleed. I like watching.† Gritting her teeth, Elena exerted pressure against the rope. Her hand was bent at an excruciating angle, but she continued to press. She felt the burn of the rope slipping aside. â€Å"Or rats,† Katherine was saying pensively. â€Å"Rats could be fun. I could tell them when to start and when to stop.† Working the other hand free was much easier. Elena tried to give no sign of what was going on behind her back. She would have liked to call to Stefan with her mind, but she didn't dare. Not if there was any chance Katherine might hear. but she didn't dare. Not if there was any chance Katherine might hear. There was a rectangle of gray light on the floor. Dawn light. It was coming in through the crypt's opening. Katherine had already been out in that light. But†¦ Katherine smiled suddenly, her blue eyes sparkling. â€Å"I know! I'll drink you almost up and make you watch while I kill her! I'll leave you just enough strength so you see her die before you do. Doesn't that sound like a good plan?† Blithely, she clapped her hands and pirouetted again, dancing away. Just one more step, thought Elena. She saw Katherine approach the rectangle of light. Just one more step†¦ Katherine took the step. â€Å"That's it, then!† She started to turn around. â€Å"What a good-† Now! Yanking her cramped arms out of the last loops of rope, Elena rushed her. It was like the rush of a hunting cat. One desperate sprint to reach the prey. One chance. One hope. She struck Katherine with her full weight. The impact knocked them both into the rectangle of light. She felt Katherine's head crack against the stone floor. And felt the searing pain, as if her own body had been plunged into poison. It was a feeling like the burning dryness of hunger, only stronger. A thousand times stronger. It was unbearable. â€Å"Elena!† Stefan screamed, with mind and voice. Stefan, she thought. Beneath her Power surged as Katherine's stunned eyes focused. Her mouth twisted with rage, fangs bursting forth. They were so long they cut into the lower lip. That distorted mouth opened in a howl. Elena's clumsy hand fumbled at Katherine's throat. Her fingers closed on the cool metal of Katherine's blue necklace. With all her strength, she wrenched and felt the chain give way. She tried to clasp it, but her fingers felt thick and uncoordinated and Katherine's clawing hand scrabbled at it wildly. It spun away into the shadows. â€Å"Elena!† Stefan called again in that dreadful voice. She felt as if her body were filled with light. As if she were transparent. Only, light was pain. Beneath her, Katherine's warped face was looking up directly into the winter sky. Instead of a howl, there was a shrieking that went up and up. Elena tried to lift herself off, but she didn't have the strength. Katherine's face was rifting, cracking open. Lines of fire opened in it. The screaming reached a crescendo. Katherine's hair was aflame, her skin was blackening. Elena felt fire from both above and below. She saw Stefan's arms, red where they had been exposed to the sun and bleeding where he had torn free of his ropes. She saw his face, saw the stricken horror and grief. Then her eyes blurred and she saw nothing. Meredith and Robert, striking at the blood-soaked muzzles that thrust through the hole in the door, paused in confusion. The teeth had stopped snapping and tearing. One muzzle jerked and slid out of the way. Edging sideways to look at the other, Meredith saw that the dog's eyes were glazed and milky. They didn't move. She looked at Robert, who stood panting. There was no more noise from the cellar. Everything was silent. But they didn't dare to hope. Vickie's demented shrieking stopped as if it had been cut with a knife. The dog, which had sunk its teeth into Matt's thigh, stiffened and gave a convulsive shudder; then, its jaws released him. Gasping for breath, Bonnie swung to look beyond the dying fire. There was just enough light to see bodies of other dogs lying where they had fallen outside. She and Matt leaned on each other, looking around, bewildered. It had finally stopped snowing. Slowly, Elena opened her eyes. Everything was very clear and calm. She was glad the shrieking was over. That had been bad; it had hurt. Now, nothing hurt. She felt as if her body were filled with light again, but this time there was no pain. It was as if she were floating, very high and easy, on wafts of air. She almost felt she didn't have a body at all. She smiled. Turning her head didn't hurt, although it increased the loose, floating feeling. She saw, in the oblong of pale light on the floor, the smoldering remains of a silvery dress. Katherine's lie of five hundred years ago had become the truth. That was that, then. Elena looked away. She didn't wish anyone harm now, and she didn't want to waste time on Katherine. There were so many more important things. â€Å"Stefan,† she said and sighed, and smiled. Oh, this was nice. This must be how a bird felt. â€Å"I didn't mean for things to turn out this way,† she said, softly rueful. His green eyes were wet. They filled again, but he returned her smile. â€Å"I know,† he said. â€Å"I know, Elena.† It seemed to her that it had been a long while since she'd really looked at him. Since she'd taken time to appreciate how beautiful he was, with his dark hair and his eyes as green as oak leaves. But she saw it now, and she saw his soul shining through those eyes. It was worth it, she thought. I didn't want to die; I don't want to now. But I'd do it all over again if I had to. â€Å"I love you,† she whispered. â€Å"I love you,† he said, squeezing their joined hands. The strange, languorous lightness cradled her gently. She could scarcely feel Stefan holding her. She would have thought she'd be terrified. But she wasn't, not as long as Stefan was there. â€Å"The people at the dance-they'll be all right now, won't they?† she said. â€Å"They'll be all right now,† Stefan whispered. â€Å"You saved them.† â€Å"I didn't get to say good-bye to Bonnie and Meredith. Or Aunt Judith. You have to tell them I love them.† â€Å"I'll tell them,† Stefan said. â€Å"You can tell them yourself,† panted another voice, hoarse and unused sounding. Damon had pulled himself across the floor behind Stefan. His face was ravaged, streaked with blood, but his dark eyes burned at her. â€Å"Use your will, Elena. Hold on. You have the strength-â€Å" She smiled at him, waveringly. She knew the truth. What was happening was only finishing what had been started two weeks ago. She'd had thirteen days to get things straight, to make amends with Matt and say good-bye to Margaret. To tell Stefan she loved him. But now the grace period was up. Still, there was no point in hurting Damon. She loved Damon, too. â€Å"I'll try,† she promised. â€Å"We'll take you home,† he said. â€Å"But not yet,† she told him gently. â€Å"Let's wait just a little while.† Something happened in the fathomless black eyes, and the burning spark went out. Then she saw that Damon knew, too. â€Å"I'm not afraid,† she said. â€Å"Well-only a little.† A drowsiness had started, and she felt very comfortable, but as if she were falling asleep. Things were drifting away from her. An ache rose in her chest. She was not much afraid, but she was sorry. There were so many things she would miss, so many things she wished she had done. â€Å"Oh,† she said softly. â€Å"How funny.† underground room. Only this was a doorway into a different light. â€Å"How beautiful,† she murmured. â€Å"Stefan? I'm so tired.† â€Å"You can rest now,† he whispered. â€Å"You won't let go of me?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Then I won't be afraid.† Something was shining on Damon's face. She reached toward it, touched it, and lifted her fingers away in wonder. â€Å"Don't be sad,† she told him, feeling the cool wetness on her fingertips. But a pang of worry disturbed her. Who was there to understand Damon now? Who would be there to push him, to try to see what was really inside him? â€Å"You have to take care of each other,† she said, realizing it. A little strength came back to her, like a candle flaring in the wind. â€Å"Stefan, will you promise? Promise to take care of each other?† â€Å"I promise,† he said. â€Å"Oh, Elena†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Waves of sleepiness were overcoming her. â€Å"That's good,† she said. â€Å"That's good, Stefan.† The doorway was closer, so close she could touch it now. She wondered if her parents were somewhere behind it. â€Å"Time to go home,† she whispered. And then the darkness and the shadows faded and there was nothing but light. Stefan held her while her eyes closed. And then he just held her, the tears he'd been keeping back falling without restraint. It was a different pain than when he'd pulled her out of the river. There was no anger in this, and no hatred, but a love that seemed to go on and on forever. It hurt even more. He looked at the rectangle of sunlight, just a step or two away from him. Elena had gone into the light. She'd left him here alone. Not for long, he thought. His ring was on the floor. He didn't even glance at it as he rose, his eyes on the shaft of sunlight shining down. A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Stefan looked into his brother's face. Damon's eyes were dark as midnight, and he was holding Stefan's ring. As Stefan watched, unable to move, he forced the ring onto Stefan's finger and released him. yours, too. Take it. Take it and go.† He turned his face away. Stefan gazed at the golden circlet in his palm for a long time. Then his fingers closed over it and he looked back at Damon. His brother's eyes were shut, his breathing labored. He looked exhausted and in pain. And Stefan had made a promise to Elena. â€Å"Come on,† he said quietly, putting the ring in his pocket. â€Å"Let's get you some place where you can rest.† He put an arm around his brother to help him up. And then, for a moment, he just held on.

Opening business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Opening business - Essay Example For example, Microsoft claims its MSN Hotmail (free of cost email service) as a global product. A global product or service can indeed be marketed as it is claimed by every major producer of global products. For example, Google markets its search engine in various countries with respect to the local social and cultural issues. Another example of car manufacturing and producing giant Toyota, who market their global products (such as Toyota Corolla) which are meant to be for the use in various regions of the world by different types of end-users with different specifications and different levels of customizations. However, this also is a very controversial claim. A true global product is the one which is produced with a same version for multiple regions of the world. For example, Michael Jackson's earth song is a global product, since it is meant to be for individuals belonging to different regions, ethnicities, social and cultural backgrounds. It is not like that a different earth song is made for people in India and there is a different version of earth song for people in Euro pe. Customer Relations Management (CRM) is the implementation of process of moving towards long-term, cost-effective, mutually beneficial trust with selected customers while maintaining interactive relationship2.

What issues of discrimination regarding Women in America since the Essay

What issues of discrimination regarding Women in America since the 1920's have been successfully resolved -- and which issues have not yet been resolved - Essay Example This has seen the inclusion of women in politics, educational and economic settings among many other clusters in society. Discrimination and the fact that it was a global scenario affected all women all over the world. In the American setting, in the 1920’s, women faced discrimination as a result of the innate capacities that patriarchal societies had imposed on them. In this era, women were to run home affairs and nothing more. It became worse for women who had other vulnerabilities. African American women, those disabled or from â€Å"inferior races† among other clusters faced severe discrimination as compared to their accepted counterparts. This paper aims to dissect all aspects of discrimination in the American society since the 1920’s that have been successfully resolved. It will also discuss those aspects that have not been actively dealt with in the society. This is with the view of ensuring that there is room for advocacy and agitation with the view of ac hieving a global society free from discrimination against women. One issue that has been successfully resolved is the opportunities given to women in political participation. Women are today given equal opportunities as men in politics. Women are allowed to vote for their preferred candidates to hold various political offices. Women are also allowed to contest for elective political posts. They compete equally with men for such positions. Even after achieving the right to vote, very few women were elected to hold political positions. Currently, women are being allowed to hold powerful and influential leadership positions. During those days, women were barely allowed to hold any positions. In the past, women’s roles were only confined to traditional roles such as working as teachers, domestic workers, nurses, secretary workers among other roles associated with women. Today, many women hold powerful leadership positions such as CEOs, secretaries of state and managers among others (Gregory

Critical Thinking Assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical Thinking Assigment - Essay Example In order to obtain views of students facing this problem, a questionnaire has been developed, which is attached to this report. There are five types of sampling that can be used for academic research, and they are briefly discussed below. Simple random sampling is the basis method which suggests that every individual has equal probability to be included in the sample. Systematic Sampling allows every kth individual to have a chance to be included in the sample (Babbie 209). Stratified Sampling chooses a grouping of individuals on the basis of certain specifics and then sample can be selected using random sampling (Babbie 212). Convenience Sampling is when the researcher gives the questionnaire to individuals irrespective of any other requisite and hopes that higher response rate can be achieved (Bryman and Bell 197). Snowball Sampling implies that the researcher approaches a small group of individuals who then ask others to participate in the research (Bryman and Bell 200). Quota Sam pling is used when the researcher creates sample groups so that sufficient representation from the population on the basis of their demographics can be achieved (Bryman and Bell 201). For the purpose of the current study, convenience sampling has been used. The reason for this was that the researcher sent the questionnaire to 20 students and requested them to complete it in their own convenient time and submit it via email. This has allowed respondents to take their time and complete their questionnaire with ease. In comparison to this sampling technique that has been adopted for the study it is understood that if different methods of sampling had been used then the researcher could expect different outcome. For example, if the sample population was selected using quota sampling then results representative of different demographic classes could have been achieved. Moreover, for stratified sampling a list of car owners driving to the college would be required to select appropriate sa mple. The response rate was 100% as all respondents returned the questionnaire after completing it. The questionnaire consisted of 10 questions including four demographic questions. Findings are presented below. Out of 20 respondents, 15 individuals are females and 5 are males, and each of them owns a car and uses it to get to the college. Majority of the respondents are 18-23 years old. Respondents are taking different courses at the PCCC College. Since, the study is not focused upon segregating and analyzing data on the basis of the demographics of respondents therefore, no further discussion is made regarding them. All respondents feel that there is a shortage of car parking at the PCCC College. Majority of the respondents are of the view that they are often late in reaching the college on time because they cannot find suitable car parking and they have to park their cars at far locations. Due to the shortage of parking slots in the college, most of the respondents think they sho uld stop driving cars to the college and should use other modes of transport. Moreover, they feel that the PCCC College management should be held responsible for providing alternate car parking space. On the basis of the findings of this report, it is suggested that college administration should rent out nearby parking slots from their owners and assign a specific number of parking space to students who drive cars to get to the col

Differences and Similarities Between Jane Eyre, Helen Burns, and Mr Essay

Differences and Similarities Between Jane Eyre, Helen Burns, and Mr. Brocklehurst - Essay Example Although all three characters share similar attitudes of their times regarding social priorities and personal concerns, they also have very unique perspectives on their individual role within this society and their expectations. Growing up in an unloving home, an orphan living in her aunt’s house and suffering cruel treatment from this aunt as well as her cousin, Jane knows what an unjust world she lives in and recognizes it as such. She is unable to keep quiet when the apothecary questions her about her melancholy spirit following the red room incident which eventually leads to her being sent to school. Throughout this early part of the book, she is shown to be a very thoughtful child, often thinking about the people around her and the ways of the world. In this respect, she is very much like her future friend Helen Burns. Like Helen, Jane does her best to control her emotions and her behavior to meet the expectations of her benefactors, but the injustice of the situations in which she finds herself often overwhelm her sense of decency. Unlike Helen, Jane’s passions often get the best of her. By the time she arrives at her new school, Jane has already developed her own philosophy on how to re late to other people she encounters in life: â€Å"If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way:  Ã‚  they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse.  Ã‚  When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard† (Ch. 6). Jane continues to question everything she is told to believe, indicating her own level of intelligence. Her understanding of God, shaped early by the hypocritical teachings of the adults around her, is characterized by this same deep questioning and analysis. This contrasts sharply with the opinions of her friend, Helen. Helen Burns becomes someone Jane can finally call a friend, despite their

Arab Spring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arab Spring - Essay Example This brief analysis essay will compare some of the positive and negative effects that this Arab Spring has had on Egypt as well as to discuss some of the key changes that have taken place as a result. Firstly, it is this author’s strong belief that the Arab Spring in Egypt has created a fundamentally good thing. Whereas before no level of democratic process typified the way in which the government ruled the people, as a result of the Arab Spring in Egypt, elections have been held, a president has been selected, a constitution drafted, and a representative parliament has been formed. As opposed to before where Mubarak’s dictatorship was a seemingly endless definition of the future of the nation, the people of Egypt are now able to take part in their own right to self determination, sovereignty, and the democratic process (el Faki 1). In this way, the effect of the Arab Spring has been profound in helping a nation to modernize and realize a long held wish that democracy would come to its inhabitants. The cons to such a process of course involve the painful transition to democracy. It is not the argument of this author that such a transition is without it’s drawbacks. Whereas Egypt has been controlled by one form of absolute monarch or dictator for the better part of the past several hundred years, providing a smooth and painless segue into democracy would be all but impossible. As such, some of the cons that have followed the process are the actions of key groups that feel that their rights have not been fully represented to a satisfactory extent within the confines of the democratic system. As such, these individuals have resorted to violence, coercion, and other illegalities as a means of expressing their own unique view. However, as has been stated, such is to be expected within the process of democratization and the untimely end of an

Identify the artifacts produced on the images during CT scans.describe Essay

Identify the artifacts produced on the images during CT scans.describe the method used to reduce or remove these artifacts - Essay Example ion, movement of patients during the scanning process or presence of metals on the body, problems with the scanner or during the reconstruction process (Barrett & Keat, 2004). The various types of artifacts and the methods used for reducing their occurrence are discussed below. The most common physics-based artifact is beam hardening which is caused due to differential absorption of low and high energy photons of an x-ray beam as it passes through an object. Such beam hardening phenomena can give rise to cupping and streaking or dark band artifacts. Cupping artifacts arise when the x-rays passing through the middle portion of an object become hardened which causes a reduction in its attenuation rate resulting in an intense beam reaching the detector. Streaking is another common phenomenon where streaks or dark bands appear between two dense objects again due to the hardening effect. This is usually visualized in scans taken in bony regions (Barrett & Keat, 2004). The methods used to reduce artifacts due to beam hardening include filtration of low energy particles, calibration correction, and use of appropriate software algorithms to correct the hardening (Barrett & Keat, 2004; Huang, n.d; Petit et al, 2010). Presence of a heterogeneous tissue mix can result in a CT number that is an attenuation average of all tissue types which can in turn result in a partial volume artifact as bands or streaks. Presence of off-axis objects in the path of the x-ray beam can result in the appearance of shading artifacts in the scan image. Such artifacts can be avoided using thinner sections and image noise can be limited by combining thinner sections to form a thicker section (Barrett & Keat, 2004; Huang, n.d). This effect occurs in parts of the body where attenuation of the x-ray beam is greatest such as the shoulders and the hip. This results in low number of photons reaching the detector which causes noisy projections that are in turn magnified during the reconstruction

Live Theatre Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Live Theatre Evaluation Essay I went to see the production ‘Blood Brothers’ at Wycombe Swan Theatre on the 24th April 2013. Blood Brothers is a musical about twin brothers Mickey (Sean Jones) and Edward (Mark Hutchinson) separated at birth who both find each other again and become blood brothers, but find out they’re brothers right before they die. Before I saw the play, my expectations were it was going to be boring and just plain acting, which I do not like. I was quite surprised to find out it was a musical. I was quite looking forward to see how they used the script to make it happy, sad or funny at times. When I looked at part of the script in class, I didn’t really understand what was going on The type of stage used was a proscenium arch which is looking through the fourth wall, which made the production effective because we could see what they were doing but they didn’t know the audience was there, which made it more naturalistic. The stage was also set up as a quite worn down estate, there was a wall with graffiti on in the background which made it look like it wasn’t a very nice area to live in. The lighting also helped create the effect by making it quite dark, dim and dirty. In the second part of the play, they moved to the country (Ms Johnstone, Mickey, Linda, Sammy etc. ) Which was much cleaner and a nicer place to live. They showed this by making the lighting brighter and whiter, changing the backdrop to a field and when Ms Johnstone hung her sheets on the line, they were much whiter and cleaner which represents peace and happiness. Costume represented the actor’s characters a lot during the play for example, Mickey was from a rough and dirty background so his clothes were dirty, ripped and stretched throughout the play, whereas Edward’s clothing were very smart and well looked after. Another key moment to represent Mickey and Edward’s friendship was that when Edward and Mickey first met, Mickey could pull his sweatshirt all the way over knees, because he played around a lot, and Edward couldn’t because he was seen as a ‘Mummy’s boy’ and listened to his Mother a lot. The closer Edward and Mickey got, the more Edward was coming away from his Mother and listening less to what she said. For example, when Mrs Lyons shouted at Edward he pulled his jumper right over his knees and also said to his Mother â€Å"You’re a fuckoff† which is very rude and not something a posh 8 year old should say.

Bilingual Education Essay Example for Free

Bilingual Education Essay Now, it seems to be universally accepted that increased education is a good thing. Thousands of colleges and millions of students spend vast amounts of time and money chasing pieces of paper. But what is the value of these qualifications? This essay will discuss whether education has been devalued. Supporters of education (usually teachers or educators, or those who have an interest in stopping people thinking for themselves) say that increased levels of education will open doors for students. Certificates, diplomas, and degrees are held up as a status symbol, a passport to a private club of money and power. However, the truly powerful are not those who have taken degrees, but people who have stood back and looked at what is really important in life. They have seen opportunity and followed dreams. These people are found in every part of society. Like many brilliant people, Einstein was a weak student at math. Like many successful businessmen, Bill Gates never completed college. Like many inventive and creative people, Edison never went to school. The greatest religious teachers do not have letters after their name, but have looked into their hearts for meaning. Similarly, the worlds political leaders do not have masters degrees or doctorates. These are the people who shaped our century, and they are too busy with real life to spend time in the paper chase. Students in college are being sold an illusion. They are made to believe that self-understanding and society approval will come with the acquisition of a piece of paper. Instead of thinking for themselves, and finding their own personality and strengths, they are fitted like square pegs into round holes. The role of education is to prepare masses of people to operate at low levels of ability in a very limited and restricted range of activities. Some of these activities are more challenging than perhaps the assembly lines of the past, but still the ultimate purpose is equally uninteresting. More worryingly, despite the increased level of education, people are still not genuinely expected to think for themselves. In fact, the longer years of schooling make the job of brainwashing even easier. There is still a role for study, research, and education. However, we need to examine our emphasis on education for the sake of a piece of paper, and to learn the real meaning and revolutionary challenge of knowledge. mean by education from the outset. That might make it easier for you to sharpen your arguments against it. You need to better deal with the opposing arguments. It is true of course that some people become millionaires by dropping out of school to become entrepreneurs. But, if one looks at the average income of dropouts compared to the average income of people who graduate high school, and then compare those rates to the average income of people who graduate from university, we see quite clearly that better education leads, on average, to greater career success (you could even do research and cite sources, using empirical evidence to back up your points! ) Also, education, especially liberal arts (or even liberal science) tends to improve people, giving them a capacity for critical thought that makes them more interesting and worth listening to. You even seem to acknowledge, in your conclusion, that people who do well without formal education may yet be considered self-educated. So, perhaps you should define what you mean by education from the outset. That might make it easier for you to sharpen your arguments against it. I am not sure that I am following your argument here. Education is devalued because it is akin to brainwashing and drains people of the ability to think for themselves. Truly powerful people have never been to college. The role of education is to transform people into automatons performing a limited range of activities. As an argumentative essay, youll need to back up those opinions. Your examples can help, but Einstein did attend university and had a doctorate degree from the school of mathematics and natural sciences at Zurich University. I dont think you can make the claim that Einstein had difficulty with math he was studying calculus at the age of twelve but he did have trouble with speech. Edison did not attend university, but at that time a mere 1% of the population attended college so the example loses impact. Bill Gates attended Harvard. He didnt graduate, but he still considers his Harvard experience valuable (it is where he learned that there are people smarter than he is and met business partner Steve Ballmer). Besides, Harvard gave Gates an Honorary Degree in 2007. Gates also blows the theory that brilliant people struggle with math he scored near perfect on the SAT. Steve Jobs quite college after a semester (I know that you didnt use him as an example, but I thought it was interesting Michael Dell is another computer guru who never finished college). Who are the worlds religious teachers and political leaders that you are referring to?. Heres an article that I found interesting: http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/29445201/ It talks about different things than your essay, but I can see where everyone getting a college degree would devalue those degrees . . . forty is the new thirty and a college degree is the new high diploma, blah, blah, blah. With 68% of high school graduates in the US enrolling in collage (2008), do we have a future with an over-educated, under-employed workforce? I could also see the argument that not everyone is suited for college life and we, as a society, need auto mechanics, plumbers, and grocery store clerks.

Principle Of Color In Multimedia Media Essay

Principle Of Color In Multimedia Media Essay Q1. Explain the principle of color in multimedia. How many dimensions are used in the color? Explain with suitable example. Color is a sensation produced by the human eye and nervous system. It is related to light, but an understanding of the properties of light is not sufficient to understand color, and is especially not sufficient to understand the art of color reproduction. Overwhelming experimental evidence tells us that the perception of a color is related to the strength of three signals which are transmitted along the optic nerve to the brain. Color is a phenomenon of light caused by how our eyes detect differing qualities of projected or reflected light. Because science and technology has allowed us to understand the physiology of the human eye, to measure wavelengths of light and chart energy patterns, we have come a long way in grasping the complexities of color. The importance of this is that: It is useful to represent a color by a set of exactly three numbers. In practice, the set of three numbers must be related to some actual color reproduction process. The numbers commonly specify portions of some set of primary colors such as: Color is the principal way the mind separates elements in space and chooses something to focus on. Thus you should use rich or bright colors like red and yellow sparingly, and generally only for items you really wish to emphasize. Use different colors rather than different shapes to distinguish features on a page. Beware of the negative effects of certain highly contrasting colors placed next to each other (such as green and red), as well as the off-putting optical illusions created, for instance, by a series of parallel lines. If navigational elements have color at all, make sure their hues dont distract viewers from focusing on the main content of the page. Web design publications often talk about using only web-safe or browser-safe colors, meaning a limited palette that will show up roughly the same in all browsers and operating systems. But, as the web designer Lynda Weinman has noted, very few computers still display only 256 colors, their capability when the web was young. Indeed, most people view the web in millions of colors now, and so historians just starting on the web may ignore the browser-safe palette and its often garish, overly bright colors chosen for their mathematical simplicity rather than aesthetic value. Those experienced with this palette can continue to use it with no harm, but others shouldnt bother. The possible exception to this rule is if many of your anticipated users will be using very old computers, in which case you should choose something from the web-safe palette for any major swath of color on your page, as well as any colored fonts. Dimensions of Color   Ã‚   There are three dimensions to color-hue, value and intensity. This makes color multidimensional-any color appearance can be described in terms of these three dimensions. 1. Hue:     Hue refers to the names of the colors. It is the contrast between redness, blueness and greenness. We most typically think of hues as coming from white light divided into the visible spectrum-red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet or as a circle of hues or color wheel. Of the three dimensions of color, hue is the simplest to identify. It is that element most often referred to as color. Looking at a rainbow, we can recognize the different dominant hues: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. We also realize that any hue can appear in many variations other than their spectral form. Red, for example, exhibits a broad range of appearance, running from light to dark and weak to strong. Regardless of their appearance in terms of light or dark, weak or strong, they would all belong to the hue family: red. Hues are generally arranged in a circular fashion (hue circuit) or color wheel. Red is the name of a broad color family. The popular term, pink, is a variation of that hue, as is the familiar name, maroon. 2. Value: Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. It is often related to a gray scale where white is the lightest value followed by a series of grays to black, the darkest value. The hues are located somewhere in between the extremes of white and black in value. A color value scale is a hue mixed with white to form tints and with black to form shades of that hue. Red plus white makes pink. Pink is a tint or light value of the hue red. Red plus black makes brown. Brown is a shade or dark value of the hue red. As an example, fire-engine red would carry a notation of R 5/16 on this variation of a Munsell chart. When a hue is lighter or darker that its original spectral state, the amount of light it reflects has changed: value is the dimension which refers to the lightness or darkness of a hue. Adding white to red produces a tint; adding black produces a shade. Some examples of red shades: maroon, brown, cordovan, chocolate. A pink shade is an oxymoron. Values are usually displayed in a series of about ten steps, but actually are unlimited. Value steps are displayed vertically, darkest at the bottom. 3. Intensity Intensity refers to the purity or impurity of a hue. The more pure hue a given color contains, the more intense it is. Opposing terms used to describe this contrast are intense vs. gray, saturated vs. desaturated or bright vs. dull. When a color is too bright and its intensity needs to be reduced, we will often say,Gray that color. The most typical ways to gray a color are to add gray (black and white) or by adding some of the complementary color. The complement of a hue is the hue opposite it on the color circle. Red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and violet are examples of complementary colors. 4. Chroma Pure red, as well as light and dark variations all belong to one hue family. When we encounter a weak red, i .e., a red that is neither lighter or darker of a sample hue, we are not dealing with value (light reflectance) but with the dimension of chroma. Synonyms for chroma: strength, purity, saturation, intensity. It is the degree to which a hue departs from full intensity and moves towards a neutral gray. A red rose and a red brick may be of the same hue and value, but the rose exhibits greater purity of saturation. Chroma steps are arranged horizontally, left to right- weakest to strongest. Each complementary hue at the same value displaying various intensities (chroma) Q2. How an appearance of an image on a monitor is depend on monitor resolution and monitor size? Ans. Imagine lying down in the grass with your nose pressed deep into the thatch. Your field of vision would not be very large, and all you would see are a few big blades of grass, some grains of dirt, and maybe an ant or two. This is a 14-inch 640 x 480 monitor. Now, get up on your hands and knees, and your field of vision will improve considerably: youll see a lot more grass. This is a 15-inch 800 x 640 monitor. For a 1280 x 1024 perspective (on a 19-inch monitor), stand up and look at the ground. Some monitors can handle higher resolutions such as 1600 x 1200 or even 1920 x 1440-somewhat akin to a view from up in a tree. Monitors are measured in inches, diagonally from side to side (on the screen). However, there can be a big difference between that measurement and the actual viewable area. A 14-inch monitor only has a 13.2-inch viewable area, a 15-inch sees only 13.8 inches, and a 20-inch will give you 18.8 inches (viewing 85.7% more than a 15-inch screen). A computer monitor is made of pixels (short for picture element). Monitor resolution is measured in pixels, width by height. 640 x 480 resolution means that the screen is 640 pixels wide by 480 tall, an aspect ratio of 4:3. With the exception of one resolution combination (1280 x 1024 uses a ratio of 5:4), all aspect ratios are the same. Here are some recommended resolutions for the different screen sizes: 14 15 17 19 21 640480 BEST GOOD TOO BIG HUGE TERRIBLE 800600 GOOD BEST GOOD TOO BIG HUGE 1024768 TOO SMALL GOOD BEST GOOD STILL GOOD 12801024 TINY TOO SMALL GOOD BEST GOOD 16001200 TERRIBLE TINY TOO SMALL GOOD BEST SCREEN RESOLUTIONS, MONITOR SIZES AND VARIATIONS IN IMAGES SIZE The dimensions of image on screen will often be very different to the size of the original we are scanning in. The size of the image on screen depends on monitor resolution and monitor size. Video cards are able to display a particular set number of pixels horizontally and vertically on the screen. For example, the card may display (width and height ) 640 x 480 pixels or 800 x 600 pixels. Physical dimension of the monitor. A large monitor set to 640 x 480 pixels uses larger pixels than a small monitor with the same setting. 1. Two monitors with the same physical dimension, fixed-size image, but different screen resolutions. Suppose you have a monitor that displays 800 x 600 pixels and you want your image to take up 1/4 of that screen across and 1/3 down, then: 800/4 x 600/3 = 200 x 200 pixels (Figure 1). However, the same image (200 x 200 pixels) displayed on a monitor of the same size but with different resolution (e.g. 640 x 480), will look much larger as it will take up a larger proportion of the screen (Figure 2). Figure1: Screen Resolution 800x 600 Image Size 200 x 200 Figure 2: Screen Resolution 640 x 480 Image Size 200 x 200 2. Two monitors with the same screen resolution, fixed-size image, but different physical dimensions. Suppose your image size is 200 x 200 and the screen resolution of both monitors is the same (e.g. they both have a 640 x 480 screen resolution). The monitors are of different physical proportion, (e.g. one is a 21 inch monitor, the other a 15 inch monitor). In this case the image will take up the same proportion of space in both monitors, although the absolute size of the image is different (larger in the larger monitor). Figure 3: Monitor Size 21 inch Screen Resolution 640 x 480 Image size 200 x 200 Figure 4: Monitor Size 15 inch Screen Resolution 640 x 480 Image Size 200 x 200 Q3. Discuss the physical and psychological principles as to why animation works, as well as how it is usually presented? Ans. The 12 basic principles of animation is a set of principles of animation introduced by the Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in their 1981 book The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. Johnston and Thomas in turn based their book on the work of the leading Disney animators from the 1930s onwards, and their effort to produce more realistic animations. The main purpose of the principles was to produce an illusion of characters adhering to the basic laws of physics, but they also dealt with more abstract issues, such as emotional timing and character appeal. The 12 principles are as follows: Squash and stretch Anticipation Staging Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose Follow Through and Overlapping Action Slow In and Slow Out Arcs Secondary Action Timing Exaggeration Solid Drawing (same or different as Weight) Appeal 1 SQUASH AND STRETCH The most important principle is squash and stretch. the purpose of which is to give a sense of weight and flexibility to drawn objects. It can be applied to simple objects, like a bouncing ball, or more complex constructions, like the musculature of a human face. Taken to an extreme point, a figure stretched or squashed to an exaggerated degree can have a comical effect. In realistic animation, however, the most important aspect of this principle is the fact that an objects volume does not change when squashed or stretched. If the length of a ball is stretched vertically, its width (in three dimensions, also its depth) needs to contract correspondingly horizontally. Illustration of the squash and stretch-principle: Example A shows a ball bouncing with a rigid, non-dynamic movement. In example B the ball is squashed at impact, and stretched during fall and rebound. The movement also accelerates during the fall, and slows down towards the apex (see slow in and slow out). 2 ANTICIPATION This movement prepares the audience for a major action the character is about to perform, such as, starting to run, jump or change expression. A dancer does not just leap off the floor. A backwards motion occurs before the forward action is executed. The backward motion is the anticipation. A comic effect can be done by not using anticipation after a series of gags that used anticipation. Almost all real action has major or minor anticipation such as a pitchers wind-up or a golfers back swing. Feature animation is often less broad than short animation unless a scene requires it to develop a characters personality. Anticipation: A baseball player making a pitch prepares for the action by moving his arm back. For special effect, anticipation can also be omitted in cases where it is expected. The resulting sense of anticlimax will produce a feeling of surprise in the viewer, and can often add comedy to a scene. This is often referred to as a surprise gag. 3  STAGING A pose or action should clearly communicate to the audience the attitude, mood, reaction or idea of the character as it relates to the story and continuity of the story line. The effective use of long, medium, or close up shots, as well as camera angles also helps in telling the story. There is a limited amount of time in a film, so each sequence, scene and frame of film must relate to the overall story. Do not confuse the audience with too many actions at once. Use one action clearly stated to get the idea across, unless you are animating a scene that is to depict clutter and confusion. Staging directs the audiences attention to the story or idea being told. Care must be taken in background design so it isnt obscuring the animation or competing with it due to excess detail behind the animation. Background and animation should work together as a pictorial unit in a scene. 4 STRAIGHT AHEAD AND POSE TO POSE ANIMATION Straight ahead animation starts at the first drawing and works drawing to drawing to the end of a scene. You can lose size, volume, and proportions with this method, but it does have spontaneity and freshness. Fast, wild action scenes are done this way. Pose to Pose is more planned out and charted with key drawings done at intervals throughout the scene. Size, volumes, and proportions are controlled better this way, as is the action. The lead animator will turn charting and keys over to his assistant. An assistant can be better used with this method so that the animator doesnt have to draw every drawing in a scene. An animator can do more scenes this way and concentrate on the planning of the animation. Many scenes use a bit of both methods of animation. Computer animation removes the problems of proportion related to straight ahead action drawing; however, pose to pose is still used for computer animation, because of the advantages it brings in composition. The use of computers facilitates this method, as computers can fill in the missing sequences in between poses automatically. It is, however, still important to oversee this process, and apply the other principles discussed. 5  FOLLOW THROUGH AND OVERLAPPING ACTION When the main body of the character stops all other parts continue to catch up to the main mass of the character, such as arms, long hair, clothing, coat tails or a dress, floppy ears or a long tail (these follow the path of action). Nothing stops all at once. This is follow through. Overlapping action is when the character changes direction while his clothes or hair continues forward. The character is going in a new direction, to be followed, a number of frames later, by his clothes in the new direction. DRAG, in animation, for example, would be when Goofy starts to run, but his head, ears, upper body, and clothes do not keep up with his legs. In features, this type of action is done more subtly. Example: When Snow White starts to dance, her dress does not begin to move with her immediately but catches up a few frames later. Long hair and animal tail will also be handled in the same manner. Timing becomes critical to the effectiveness of drag and the overlapping action. 6 SLOW-OUT AND SLOW-IN As action starts, we have more drawings near the starting pose, one or two in the middle, and more drawings near the next pose. Fewer drawings make the action faster and more drawings make the action slower. Slow-ins and slow-outs soften the action, making it more life-like. For a gag action, we may omit some slow-out or slow-ins for shock appeal or the surprise element. This will give more snap to the scene. The movement of the human body, and most other objects, needs time to accelerate and slow down. For this reason, an animation looks more realistic if it has more frames near the beginning and end of a movement, and fewer in the middle. This principle goes for characters moving between two extreme poses, such as sitting down and standing up, but also for inanimate, moving objects, like the bouncing ball in the above illustration. 7  ARCS All actions, with few exceptions (such as the animation of a mechanical device), follow an arc or slightly circular path. This is especially true of the human figure and the action of animals. Arcs give animation a more natural action and better flow. Think of natural movements in the terms of a pendulum swinging. All arm movement, head turns and even eye movements are executed on an arcs. 8 SECONDARY ACTION This action adds to and enriches the main action and adds more dimension to the character animation, supplementing and/or re-enforcing the main action. Example: A character is angrily walking toward another character. The walk is forceful, aggressive, and forward leaning. The leg action is just short of a stomping walk. The secondary action is a few strong gestures of the arms working with the walk. Also, the possibility of dialogue being delivered at the same time with tilts and turns of the head to accentuate the walk and dialogue, but not so much as to distract from the walk action. All of these actions should work together in support of one another. Think of the walk as the primary action and arm swings, head bounce and all other actions of the body as secondary or supporting action. Secondary action: as the horse runs, its mane and tail follow the movement of the body. 9 TIMING Expertise in timing comes best with experience and personal experimentation, using the trial and error method in refining technique. The basics are: more drawings between poses slow and smooth the action. Fewer drawings make the action faster and crisper. A variety of slow and fast timing within a scene adds texture and interest to the movement. Most animation is done on twos (one drawing photographed on two frames of film) or on ones (one drawing photographed on each frame of film). Twos are used most of the time, and ones are used during camera moves such as trucks, pans and occasionally for subtle and quick dialogue animation. Also, there is timing in the acting of a character to establish mood, emotion, and reaction to another character or to a situation. Studying movement of actors and performers on stage and in films is useful when animating human or animal characters. This frame by frame examination of film footage will aid you in understanding timing for animation. This is a great way to learn from the others. 10  EXAGGERATION Exaggeration is not extreme distortion of a drawing or extremely broad, violent action all the time. It ¹s like a caricature of facial features, expressions, poses, attitudes and actions. Action traced from live action film can be accurate, but stiff and mechanical. In feature animation, a character must move more broadly to look natural. The same is true of facial expressions, but the action should not be as broad as in a short cartoon style. Exaggeration in a walk or an eye movement or even a head turn will give your film more appeal. Use good taste and common sense to keep from becoming too theatrical and excessively animated 11 SOLID DRAWING The basic principles of drawing form, weight, volume solidity and the illusion of three dimension apply to animation as it does to academic drawing. The way you draw cartoons, you draw in the classical sense, using pencil sketches and drawings for reproduction of life. You transform these into color and movement giving the characters the illusion of three-and four-dimensional life. Three dimensional is movement in space. The fourth dimension is movement in time. 12 APPEAL A live performer has charisma. An animated character has appeal. Appealing animation does not mean just being cute and cuddly. All characters have to have appeal whether they are heroic, villainous, comic or cute. Appeal, as you will use it, includes an easy to read design, clear drawing, and personality development that will capture and involve the audience ¹s interest. Early cartoons were basically a series of gags strung together on a main theme. Over the years, the artists have learned that to produce a feature there was a need for story continuity, character development and a higher quality of artwork throughout the entire production. Like all forms of storytelling, the feature has to appeal to the mind as well as to the eye.Appeal in a cartoon character corresponds to what would be called charisma in an actor. A character who is appealing is not necessarily sympathetic villains or monsters can also be appealing the important thing is that the viewer feels the character is r eal and interesting. There are several tricks for making a character connect better with the audience; for likable characters a symmetrical or particularly baby-like face tends to be effective. Q4. What are the different color models? What is the need to use different color models? Ans. A color model is an abstract mathematical model describing the way colors can be represented as tuples of numbers, typically as three or four values or color components. When this model is associated with a precise description of how the components are to be interpreted (viewing conditions, etc.), the resulting set of colors is called color space. This section describes ways in which human color vision can be modeled. A color model is a 3D unique representation of a color. There are different color models and the use of one over the other is problem oriented. For instance, the color model RGB is used in hardware applications like PC monitors, cameras and scanners, the CMY color model is used in color printers, and the YIQ model in television broadcast. In color image manipulation the two models widely used are HSI and HSV. DIFFERENT MODELS ARE AS FOLLOWS: RGB Model CMY Model CMYK Model HSV Model HSL Model 1. RGB Color Model In the RGB color model, we use red, green, and blue as the 3 primary colors. We dont actually specify what wavelengths these primary colors correspond to, so this will be different for different types of output media, e.g., different monitors, film, videotape, slides, etc. This is an additive model since the phosphors are emitting light. A subtractive model would be one in which the color is the reflected light. We can represent the RGB model by using a unit cube. Each point in the cube (or vector where the other point is the origin) represents a specific color. This model is the best for setting the electron guns for a CRT. Note that for the complementary colors the sum of the values equals white light (1, 1, 1). e.g. red (1, 0, 0) + cyan (0, 1, 1) = white (1, 1, 1) green (0, 1, 0) + magenta (1, 0, 1) = white (1, 1, 1) blue (0, 0, 1) + yellow (1, 1, 0) = white (1, 1, 1) Media that transmit light (such as television) use additive color mixing with primary colors of red, green, and blue, each of which stimulates one of the three types of the eyes color receptors with as little stimulation as possible of the other two. This is called RGB color space. Mixtures of light of these primary colors cover a large part of the human color space and thus produce a large part of human color experiences. This is why color television sets or color computer monitors need only produce mixtures of red, green and blue light. Each color can be a point in the RGB color model cube. Red, green and blue are known as the primary colors. These colors can be added to produce secondary colors which are: magenta = red + blue cyan = green +blue yellow = red + green Other possible combinations: white = blue (primary) + yellow (secondary) white = green (primary) + magenta (secondary) white = red (primary) + cyan (secondary) RGB Color Cube Color Model 2. CMY Color Model CRTs produce color by emission and uses the RGB model. Printers produce color by reflective light so it is a subtractive process and uses a model based on the colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow. Remember that cyan = green + blue, so light reflected from a cyan pigment has no red component, i.e., the red is absorbed by cyan. Similarly magenta subtracts green and yellow subtracts blue. Printers usually use four colors: cyan, yellow, magenta and black. This is because cyan, yellow, and magenta together produce a dark gray rather than a true black. It is possible to achieve a large range of colors seen by humans by combining cyan, magenta, and yellow transparent dyes/inks on a white substrate. These are the subtractive primary colors. Often a fourth black is added to improve reproduction of some dark colors. This is called CMY or CMYK color space. The cyan ink will reflect all but the red light, the yellow ink will reflect all but the blue light and the magenta ink will reflect all but the green light. This is because cyan light is an equal mixture of green and blue, yellow is an equal mixture of red and green, and magenta light is an equal mixture of red and blue. 3. CMYK color model Unlike RGB, which is an additive color model, CMYK is a subtractive color model. Typically used in printing, CMYK assumes that the background is white, and thus subtracts the assumed brightness of the white background from four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (called key). Black is used because the combination of the three primary colors (CMY) doesnt produce a fully saturated black. CMYK can produce the whole spectrum of visible colors thanks to the process of half-toning, whereby each color is assigned a saturation level and miniscule dots of each of the three colors are printed in tiny patterns so that the human eye perceives a certain color. Like RGB, CMYK is device-dependent. Theres no straightforward formula to convert CMYK color to RGB colors or vice versa, so conversion is typically dependent upon color management systems. ColoRotate easily converts one system to the other. Still Life with Crystal Bowl, 4. Hue, Saturation, and Value Color Model First described by Alvy Ray Smith in 1978, HSV seeks to depict relationships between colors, and improve upon the RGB color model. Standing for hue, saturation, and value, HSV depicts three-dimensional color. If you think about HSV as a wheel of cheese, the center axis goes from white at the top to black at the bottom, with other neutral colors in between. The angle from the axis depicts the hue, the distance from the axis depicts saturation, and the distance along the axis depicts value. The angle from the axis depicts the hue, the distance from the axis depicts saturation, and the distance along the axis depicts value. The HSV (Hue, Saturation, and Value) color model is more intuitive than the RGB color model. The user specifies a color (hue) and then adds white or black. There are 3 color parameters: Hue, Saturation, and Value. Changing the saturation parameter corresponds to adding or subtracting white and changing the value parameter corresponds to adding or subtracting black. 5. HSL Like HSV, HSL was described by Alvy Ray Smith and is a 3D representation of color. HSL stands for hue, saturation, and lightness. The HSL color model has distinct advantages over the HSV model, in that the saturation and lightness components span the entire range of values. Based on the HSL color model, ColoRotate contains all the hues at different levels of saturation along its horizontal plane and with variant intensity along its vertical plane. In the bicone or diamond of the HSL structure, all the visible colors can be seen. These are the three dimensions in which our brain analyzes the colors we see. The first dimension is brightness (a vertical slice). The hue is comprised of the second and third dimensions (corresponding to round slices through the diamond).   HSV and HSL representations: Need to use different color models: We also use color model to indicate a model or mechanism of color vision for explaining how color signals are processed from visual cones to ganglion cells. For simplicity, we call these models color mechanism models. There are any numbers of approaches to describing colors using a mathematical model; each one qualifies as a color model. You can, for example, assign a specific hue, saturation, and brightness level to define a color (HSB color models); or a value of red, green, and blue (RGB color models); or a value of cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY color models); or a value of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK color models). Within these general descriptionsHSB, RGB, CMY, CMYK, and moreany model can use any arbitrary number of steps for each parameter. Some schemes, for example, use 100 steps each. Others use 256 steps, a convenient number for the digital world because you can define 256 steps for each color by assigning 8 bits to each color. All of these color modelsand moreare widely used to describe colors, both by software and by various types of hardware like digital cameras, scanners, monitors, and printers. Unfortunately, most of these have historically been device-dependent models meaning that the designation for a given color applies only to the particular device. And that makes it hard to move color information between devices without introducing errors. Two device-dependent models can share the same name, but they wont share the same descriptions for each color except by pure co-incidence. For example, some printers use CMYK color models. (Not all do. A printer can use an RGB color model, and translate the colors to the right amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink.) Suppose you define a color in a drawing program as cyan 120, magenta 75, and yellow 130, and then print on three printers, each of which uses a device-dependent version of a CMY or CMYK colo

The effect of the use of video texts on ESL listening test-taker perfor

Elvis Wagner investigated the use of video texts in testing the listening of ESL students within the experiment exhibited in his article, â€Å"The effect of the use of video texts on ESL listening test-taker performance.† While the article itself was based heavily around the experiment conducted to test the effectiveness of video texts in testing listening, Wagner posed very interesting questions which he hoped his findings would portray. Wagner’s first question was the most interesting and asked, â€Å"1. To what extent does the use of video texts on an ESL listening test affect test-taker performance on that test? Do those test-takers in the video condition score higher or lower than the test-takers in the audio-only condition?† (498); this question addresses the usefulness of testing listening with video texts while comparing its effectiveness to the control of audio-only. Studying the effects of video texts in listening test taking situations could help English language learners to better comprehend their test and ultimately improve their English skills, depending on the final data analysis. To better understand the constructs behind Wagner’s study, it becomes necessary to investigate the background in studies used to assess the use of video texts in listening testing. Wagner provides many conflicting studies and data in the background section to show that one way of presenting the testing has not been proven better over the other. By sharing that Kellerman’s (1992) observation that â€Å"The use of video texts allows listeners to view kinesic behavior of speakers† (494); Wagner not only provides one side of the listening in testing argument, but also aids his readers in establishing why his experiment was necessary. A view tha... ...texts in testing listening for English language learners, but further study is required before test formats are changed. Wagner makes sure to include that there are different forms of listening that we are trying to teach English language learners and the ways we test them should branch from those goals. For example, if we are trying to teach students how to listen to a radio broadcast, providing a video to teach that skill would not be as beneficial as an audio-only test, the inverse is true for teaching face-to-face communication and listening. While Wagner’s study showed that â€Å"the use of video texts on a test of L2 listening ability led to increased group test performance† (509), this study only focused on group results instead of individual. There is so much more that can be done to investigate the use of video texts, Wagner is just scratching the surface.

Discovering Books :: essays research papers

Richard Selzer / Discuss how reading books changes my life Richard Wright, in his essay â€Å"Discovering Books,† explains how reading books changed his outlook on life and eventually his life itself. The first book that widened his horizons was an overtly controversial book by H. L. Mencken. I have a story not so dissimilar from his. Coming out of High School, I had in my possession the perspective that I knew everything. So I started, straight off the bat, working in a variety of menial jobs, which would have lead me to a dead end, for as the good jobs in today’s society required college degrees. So, after working for two years with a white-collar full of frustration, I decided it was time to take matters into my own ink-stained, carpal tunnel syndrome-stricken hands. I immediately gave my two-weeks notice, and pontificated about going to college. Headed along the yellow brick road towards the registration office, I was intercepted by my malevolent manager, the â€Å"Ineffable John† as he was called by my fellow co-workers, and he said unto me, â€Å"Michael, you don’t want to go to college, stay here and you shall have bestowed upon your unworthy head all which you need to know. Here, fill up my coffee cup.† With his words still echoing in my mind, I wanted to sprint down the hallway, pole-vault over the cubicle prisons, hurdle the water ration cooler, and dive through the double-paned sliding glass doors. This spectacular display of athletic ability would have been terrific, but the ball and chain still shackled to my ankles would have slightly hindered my escape. One week after my pre-resignation notice and John’s wise words of discouragement, my manager’s secretary, Mary, who just had a baby earlier that day but wouldn’t take unpaid sick leave, approached me and said, â€Å"Don’t listen to John, college is a sure ticket to get out of this galley, otherwise you’ll end up having a baby and coming to work on the same day because this company doesn’t provide maternity leave.† A week later I was walking out the double-paned sliding glass doors and into college life. In the counselor’s office, my counselor advised me towards taking a psychology class, seeing as it is a requirement for an AA degree, and because I did not know what sort of degree I wanted at the point. So, I agreed to take the class. Bob Rice was the eccentric instructor of this introduction to the wonderful religion of psychology.

Brian Quinn

Dear Ms. Brummel: I have been involved in training clients and designing custom solution with Microsoft products for many years.  Ã‚  Ã‚   I would like the opportunity to see new Microsoft technologies first hand.   Specifically, I am writing to you about the System Administrator (Job code: XXXXXXX) and System Engineer ( Jobcode: 180703) positions I found while browsing the careers section of your website. I am a System Engineer specializing in Novell Netware and Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory.   For the last eight years, I ran a successful consulting business focusing on end-user training and Microsoft Systems support and administration.   Some of my former and current clients include: Onesoft Corporation, Novell, Oppenheimer Funds, Cal State Hayward, Energy Commission, Brigham Young University, Department of Justice, Franklin Covey and Anderson Consulting. In the course of pursuing my business interests I have acquired several professional certifications including: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer , Microsoft Certified Trainer, Microsoft Certified Desktop Technician, Cisco Certified Network Associate( CCNA )and Novell Engineer.  Ã‚   I have 14 years of experience in the IT field; my previous employment is further detailed in the enclosed resume. I feel I can bring my extensive field and training experience to exceed the expectations for a person in the positions available.   I would like to speak with you at your convenience to discuss how I can contribute to Microsoft’s continued success.   I can be reached at (916)789-1779 any time. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Brian Quinn

Do You Believe That The Diagnosis And Resulting Profile Prepared By Management Analysis

Do you believe that the diagnosis and resulting profile prepared by Management Analysis Corporation was a necessary step in the process of finding potentially successful general managers? ExplainThe profile prepared by Management Analysis Corporation is the first step in the process of finding a potentially successful of general managers, but it is not the only step. Actually, after MAC has understood very clearly the needs of Dancey Electronics, they could picture the perfect leader. Once this was done, they could see what skills must be innate and what skills can be learned to become a leader.Then, MAC could propose one more interview to the candidates. For example, the candidates are faced to a concrete leadership problem, and they need to solve it very quickly. MAC should analyze reactions of the candidates and pick the best one. This means picking the person who has the best ability to change and to adapt to a new situation. So, I do not know yet if Joe Morris could be the good candidate for leading Dancey Electronics.Moreover, I think that the analysis done by MAC is a good way to find a potentially successful group of general managers because it accually describes the ideal qualities of being an effective general manager and at the same time gives us ideas about the relationship and task orientation of each candidate along with analysis of some important environmental factors that might have some effect on their leadership style, such as the company’s expectation and the subordinated expectation for the behavior of general managers.However, I think Management Analysis Corporation should analyze the behavior of the followers more. This way, MAC will know what leadership style would be the best for the group.What alternatives are available to modify Joe Morris’s potential effectiveness in the new general manager position?Joe Morris has a high task orientation it means he can apply an initiating structure focused on goals and results. But it i s not enough to lead a team. Joe Morris has to be more relationship oriented. We know that Joe Morris has low skills in relationship orientation. But a leader needs to communicate with his team to have an influence on the behavior of the individuals. If Joe Morris does not change, he could only be a manager, but not a leader. As we learnt in class, â€Å"leaders do the right things, managers do things right†.According to the Fielder theory, Joe Morris can make changes to be more relationship-oriented. He can spend more informal time (lunch, leisure activities) with his subordinates. He can also request particular people for work in his group. He can be a volunteer to direct difficult or troublesome subordinates. He can suggest or affects transfers of particular subordinates into his unit. Finally, Joe Morris can raise morale by obtaining positive outcomes (special bonuses, time off, attractive jobs) for subordinates.Moreover, Joe Morris should follow a training session to dis cuss and analyze his leadership situation. This way, he can understand his performance and improve it. If Joe Morris increases his position of power, he could be a better leader because he would repair his lack in relationship orientation.Why will it be difficult for Joe Morris to modify his style of leadership?Joe Morris knows how to organize and define the relationships in the group and he establishes well-defined patterns and channels of communication, and spells out ways of getting the job done. So it is a good start. But it would be difficult for him to modify his style of leadership because it is very hard to change him. Moreover, he does not have an overall insight of the company. He needs to fit in the group to eventually change. Considering that Joe Morris is far away from a good relationship orientation, it might be very difficult for him to understand what changes he has to do to modify his style of leadership.It also may be hard for Joe Morris to change his style of lead ership due to the argument against the path-goal theory whereby subordinates play a rule  in the leadership style of the manager. In that, Joe Morris has a low score in relationship orientation which means that his relationship with the employees may not be as effective and efficient. As a result, although Morris my want to change his leadership style type, employees may not be as willing to change given his low relationship orientation which therefore makes it hard for him to change his leadership style.But on the other hand, according to the Leader-Member Exchange Approach, there is no consistent leader behavior across subordinates and Joe Morris can behave in different ways with his future followers than he used to. So he may not have to change his style of leadership and still be appreciated by his followers. Therefore he will become a good leader.

Marketing Plan for Snap Fitness Essay

Executive Summary With today’s society stressing a greater demand for flexibility, and ease of access to goods and services, a trend has emerged for extended trading hours for service organizations. One of the main profiteers of this trend is gym franchises. With over 1 billion people in the global population being overweight, and the still present economic uncertainty leading to longer working hours for most people, there is a demand for less rigid opening and closing hours of gyms. Consequently, the boom of the 24 hour gym came about. 3C’s Analysis The following section contains an analysis of the company, customer and competitors of Snap Fitness. Analysis of the Company The Snap Fitness franchise has become a global leader within the budget health club industry since starting in 2003. It has since established a large client base of over 1 million members in over 2000 clubs worldwide and 100 clubs throughout Australia (Sloan, 2014). Snap Fitness provides a 24/7 service with limited staffed contact hours ranging from 30 to 40 hours per week, and utilises a â€Å"no-contract† payment system. Additional services include high quality targeted fitness classes, nutritional consultation and access to accredited Personal Trainers. Snap Fitness was ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as No.1 â€Å"Best in Category’ for fitness franchises in 2009. As well, Inc. Magazine at No. 16 on its annual â€Å"Inc 500† which is a list ranked by Inc Magazine of privately owned businesses. (Snap Fitness, 2014) Customer Analysis A gym can essentially recruit any type of person interested in fitness to sign up because of the variety of services offered, such as weights, cardio machines, group fitness sessions, dieticians etc.. This being said, 60-70% of Snap Fitness customers in Australia are already â€Å"experienced gym users who just want to get in and get started† upon joining (Australian Leisure, 2010). This leaves around 30-40% of members to be inexperienced gym users  that will require help getting started, whether this is by group fitness sessions or personal training sessions. Snaps Fitness offers low prices and the gyms are open 24/7 meaning potential Snap Fitness members are seeking convenience rather than quality. Snap Fitness doesn’t have facilities such as saunas and pools etc. that other gyms such as Fitness First regularly feature and the size of these gyms are smaller in comparison to other big gyms such as Goodlife, and Genesis. This means that Snap Fitness will generally attract people who work out recreationally a few times a week as opposed to a bodybuilder who is training for competitions and would benefit from these additional services. In Australia 13% of the total adult population participate in fitness activities. Within this segment the most significant demographic is the age group bracket is 15 to 34 years in both the female and male segments and females aged 34 to 54 years. Overall there is greater female (16% of the population) participation then male (9.4% of the population) across all age brackets (Australian Bureau, 2009). Analysis of the Competitor With the market for gym-goers being so extensive, there exists steep competition between gyms for patrons. One such competitor of Snap Fitness is Jetts gym. A membership with Jetts is slightly more expensive than Snap, costing $13.95 per week, with an additional joining fee of $89 and $59 for an access card. Jetts also offer an advance 12 month membership, costing $549, paid in one lump sum at the time of joining. Jetts offers its members 24/7 access to all of its 200+ clubs in Australia with the use of the swipe card, delivering a high level of convenience for its members (see figure 1.2). However with Jetts, as opposed to Snap Fitness, once the card is registered in the security system, no further registration is required to gain entry to multiple clubs – the card is usable immediately, creating convenience for its members. (Jetts, 2014) However, unlike Snap Fitness, Jetts has no member benefits to retail outlets or other service centres. Jetts has received a Canstar award t wo years running. For the years of 2012 and 2013, Jetts was voted as the No.1 gym chain in Australia for customer satisfaction. (Jetts, 2014) Another similarly competitive gym is Stepz. As well as operating 24/7, Stepz is entirely Australia owned, with clubs only within Australia. While this, to some people, would be a selling point, it  also poses a threat to Stepz whereby is creates less convenience for its patrons by having fewer clubs members can attend (see figure 1.2). (Stepz, 2014) A Stepz Memberships costs $13 a week, with a one-off joining fee of $89, payable upfront and an access card fee of $55, with which the member has access to any Stepz club Australia-wide. (Stepz, 2014) As too with Jetts, Stepz has no membership perks for gym members that exist outside the gym, i.e., retail discounts, etc. Stepz employs a tactic whereby the number of members allowed to enrol in each club is limited. This is done to provide the members with a more personalized service, and the staff can cater to the members needs more specifically. Also, by limiting the number of patrons, it ensures that there will rarely be a wait time to use gym equipment. (Stepz, 2014) In today’s market, there exist other types of rival services in the gym racket. Not gyms that offer round-the-clock service, rather gyms that cater specifically to the specialty needs of their patrons – gyms such as Curves. Curves is a specially designed gym catering explicitly to the needs of women. Founded in 1992 in Texas, today Curves has clubs in over 70 countries, with over 300 clubs in Australia alone. Curves is the largest company being analysed in this competitor analysis (see figure 1.2). Memberships at Curves cost $18.24 a week, with a $149 joining fee. By far – out of Snap, Jetts and Stepz – Curves is the most expensive gym (see figure 1.1). However, Curves, unlike the others, has tailor-made programs targeted directly at women, for women, by women. This creates a community among the club members and enables the staff and trainers of Curves to have a competitive edge in the service industry, offering a one-of-a-kind service catering only to the needs of women. (Curves, 2014) Gyms such as Curves and Contours (another gym aimed specifically at the needs of women) has created a whole new market segment, which poses a threat to existing generic gyms, and even those that are 24 hours. Gyms that are specially designed for women may take business away from other gyms such as Snap, as a result of such gyms not exhibiting greater dedication or focus to individual needs of groups in the market segment (ie. Female gym-goers). Analysis of the 4P’s: Product Membership entitles the user access to all the gym equipment (including  cardio and weights), group workout sessions and, one initial free PT introduction session with a qualified instructor including; a weight and measure, guidance while using machines and an initial workout plan. Optional membership add-ons include PT sessions, consults with a qualified dietician and 8 week challenges. Price Single membership, joint membership and family memberships are available. The price for single membership is $25 a fortnight; this currently includes group workout sessions and access to all types of training equipment. Joint and family memberships are generally charged at a discounted rate such as $17 each a fortnight for a family membership consisting of a husband and wife. A membership with Snap is not a lock-in contract, and in addition to the fortnightly fee there is a one-off joining fee of $99, paid upfront and a further $29 for the Snap access card. Place A typical location for a Snap Fitness outlet is a high profile business strip or mall, with cafes, small convenience stores and a post office. Locations normally have access to close parking and provide a well lit exterior to ensure the safety of clients using the premise during irregular hours. Currently the most successful Snap Fitness business is located in Milton and through location analysis it was found that Snap Fitness Strathpine also possesses many of these important location characteristics (Australian Leisure, 2010). Promotion Snap Fitness promotes itself as a convenient (open 24/7 and membership grants access to any Snap Fitness location) and budget gym with a focus on physical wellbeing of young adults. Snap Fitness often has one core promotion consisting of a limited, one time offer of free joining and 1 week free gym access. If this offer is not running potential members do still get a free one day trial. Snap Fitness also have offers for current gym members such as â€Å"refer a friend† and get a month free. A consistent message present throughout promotional material is that there are no membership contracts. This means that if a member wants to leave it is a simple process and will be no cancellation fee. With a gym membership to Snap Fitness Strathpine, the member receives perks from organizations affiliated with Snap Strathpine. These benefits include a buy one, get one free scheme at the Strathpine Hyperbowl bowling alley, a 10% discount at Mega Choice and Mega Party variety stores, lunch deals at Outback Jacks Bar & Grill, and more. (Snap Fitness, 2014) Analysis of Customer Service Strategies (People/Processes) Quality customer service is key to an organisations survival in today’s market. For gym owners, the revenue source is in direct proportion to the membership base; i.e., if gym owners aren’t able to get people through the door, their profits will plummet. In order to ensure a gym maintains a competitive edge in the fitness industry, it is essential to provide a consistent level of high quality customer service. This plays a crucial role in member acquisition and retention. It is imperative that the quality of customer service is always top priority, to ensure repeat customers and positive word-of-mouth. (Fagan, 2013) A recent study has shown that customer referrals is the main reason why new customers hear about a business, or come into the business – with 30% of people stating a current member referred them. (Lewis, 2014) Snap Fitness offers a variety of customer services, such as being open 24 hours; having friendly, qualified staff; efficient handling of complaints; strong community presence through social initiatives and business partnerships; no lock-in contracts; 24 hour security surveillance; member benefits (i.e., retail discounts); and having innovative facilities to ensure convenience and comfort for members, such as having access to treadmills, cross trainers, rowing machines, free weights, shower and change rooms, bathroom amenities, stretching areas and group fitness rooms. (Snap, 2014) Snap’s main customer service strategies are promotions with neighbouring establishments, corporate tie ups, and social media facets. In March of this year, Peter Taunton, CEO of Snap Fitness, launched an initiative to coincide with National Public Health Week in the US. With word driven by the force of social media outlets, Snap Fitness, starting April 7, was offering seven days of free workouts, with no further obligations to Snap. This complimentary week was offered in support of public health and to get people motivated, and get potential members through  the door. (Taunton, 2014) With a strong presence within the community through ongoing social initiatives and partnerships with neighbouring establishments and other corporations, Snap fitness consolidates its standing as a people-friendly gym with a community-orientated outlook, making itself as attractive as possible for potential members. Analysis of the Service Environment One of the most significant problems Snap Fitness faces is during peak training times when the facilities are prone to becoming overcrowded (more demand than supply of equipment). Gym users dislike this mainly because of waiting times for machines and weights, and as a result some will completely avoid these peak times favouring a more secluded training environment. This is a difficult issue to resolve as Snap Fitness always wants more members, but at the same time if too many members are at the gym at a certain time members can become unsatisfied. Another issue with Snap Fitness is their process of making the entry cards inactive. It was found through a sentiment analysis (appendices) identified card denial as a significant area of dissatisfaction amongst users as often they have to come back during manned hours to resolve the problem. This problem stems from direct debits not clearing and is made worse by the fact that clients aren’t notified when this occurs (appendices blu eprint). Members of Snap Fitness have had to travel to the gym and be denied access, before realizing their card has been made inactive. A minor issue Snap Fitness faces is that its front counter is not always manned even during staffed hours. There are windows of time when all personal trainers who are in the gym are on the floor with clients, this could be for many reasons including assisting with a workout or maintenance to the facility. During this time if someone calls the gym or comes in to enquire about joining there may be no one available to meet these requests. This can lead to missed opportunities in gaining new clients, and a reputation for bad customer service. Recommendations In relation to the issue of equipment use during a session, one of the most viable solutions is to implement peak and off peak membership options. The way this would work is for people who choose to go to the gym during peak times would pay the rates currently being offered and would be able to also  go to the gym in off peak times. The members who purchase off peak membership are allowed access to the gyms at off peak hours for a discounted membership price. These members have the choice to attend during peak times when they swipe their card to enter the gym, however a small fee will be charged to their fortnightly bill enabling the membership to be flexible. It is worth noting that Snap Fitness aims to be a cheap, convenient gym, so without the option of expanding and adding more equipment, this is one of the best ways to encourage members to train at different times and prevent an overcrowded gym. The issue of card access can easily be solved through a change in the communication process meaning gym members should be informed if their payment doesn’t clear prior to the card being deactivated. This could be done by an automated text message or a phone call from a staff member at the gym. When a payment is declined Snap Fitness members should be given time (48 hours would be appropriate) to resolve this issue and make the payment. If a member still fails to make the payment after this 48 hour window they should then be informed that their card will no longer permit access to the gym until a payment is made. This will ensure members are always informed of when their payments don’t clear and if a member is unable to make this payment they can then contact Snap Fitness and work out a different payment method. A way for the manned counter be solved is having very clearly defined hours designated to man the desk (clear signage of hours at the shop front and on all adver tisement material including pamphlets). During this time there would always be someone answer phone calls and talk to people who physically enter the gym to respond to questions about joining. This way it’s clear when it is appropriate to enter the gym to ask questions in person and when the best time to call up would be. Phone messages should be kept track of and returned during these staffed desk hours to ensure all customer enquiries are being answered in a timely manner. From the evaluation conducted the recommendation with the most benefit would be introducing a distinction between on and off peak membership. This strategy could attract a lot of new members because people who train at off peak times at other gyms would see how cheap this option is and consider transferring. People already signed up to Snap Fitness could also be  interested in cheaper memberships and could change their workout times from on peak to off peak, which would reduce some of the clutter in the gym. This would then help to reduce overcrowded gyms during peak times, which would then increase the enjoyment of on peak members because they would have less waiting time for equipment. Currently the gym is often close to empty at off peak times and having this extra influx of people there at these odd hours is extra money Snap Fitness could capitalize on with its 24/7 system. Appendices Appendices 1: Price positioning map High Price Curves Snap Fitness Jetts Stepz Low Price Appendices 2: Size positioning map Large in size Curves Snap Jetts Stepz Small in size Small in size Appendices 3: SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Weakness Large established client base Known brand name Customised workouts Well trained staff/ PT’s Open 24/7 Can go to any Snap Fitness centre No contracts – monthly payment plan Yoga & fitness classes Range of machine types 7 day trial period Accredited dietician Lockers to secure valuables 8 week challenge programs – club bonding Limited staff resources – not always manned Waiting times for equipment in peak times Smaller gym – less equipment, space and more demand on staff Opportunities Threats Potential partnerships/ sponsors – currently have some with local businesses (e.g. cafe discount) New membership types e.g. based on consumption times/types Paying for one group class without buying a membership Additional services e.g. Steam room, juice bar New health trends – types of classes offered e.g. Zumba Community orientation Expand existing complexes Discounts for locals Widespread competition such as home gyms and other similar companies such as Jetts Unmotivated staff Decreased interest in fitness Being a small, budget gym expansion opportunities could deter clients as they prefer a smaller business Original Service Blueprint Within this blueprint several key bottlenecks were identified, these include contacting the gym Booking into sessions Equipment usage Updated Service Blueprint Reference List About Us – Overview. (2014). Retrieved 4th May, 2014, from http://www.curves.com.au/about-curves/ About Us. (2014). Retrieved 1st May, 2014, from http://www.snapfitness.com.au/about-us/ About Us. (2014). Retrieved 4th May, 2014, from http://stepzfitness.com.au/about-us/ Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Feature article 2: health and fitness centres and gymnasia (no. 4156.0.55.001). Canberra, Australia. Australian Leisure: Snap Fitness Plans for 200 Clubs. (2010). Retrieved from Current Levels of Customer Satisfaction at a CrossFit Gym. Digital Commons @ USU. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1241&context=gradreports Curves Community. (2014). Retrieved 4th May, 2014, from http://www.curves.com.au/community/ Fagan, L. (2013, October 4). What is gym customer service? Retrieved from http://blog.gyminsight.com/2013/10/what-is-gym-customer-service/ http://global.factiva.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=NLJ00000 20140217ea2h0000q&cat=a&ep=ASE http://www.ausleisure.com.au/news/snap-fitness-plans-for-200-clubs Lewis, S. (2013). An Online Customer Service Survey to Determine Memberships. (2014). Retrieved 4th May, 2014, from http://stepzfitness.com.au/memberships/ Prices. (2014). Retrieved 3rd May, 2014, from http://www.jetts.com.au/prices Public Health Week. Retrieved from