Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Henchard and farfrae contrast

Henchard and farfrae contrast Henchard and Farfrae contrast each other, both by the states of their characters, and by the ideas they evoke. Farfrae is testament to the power of modernity and change and, in Casterbridge, an actual impetus of it. He implements new farming and harvesting techniques. Henchard, however, is representative of tradition and unprogressive stability; while Henchard is Mayor the town merely survives, while under Farfrae it flourishes. Unlike the contrast that is presented between Henchard and Farfrae, Henchard and Lucetta are presented as compliments. They are very much alike: inclined to strong, irrational passions, characterized by willful, independent natures, and compelled by love as well as ambition. However, Lucetta is not a woman of character. Unlike Henchard, Lucettas primarily obligation is to her own happiness, whereas Henchards is to a higher sense of interpersonal responsibility and the moral amendment of past mistakes. This commitment to the right-course is what both compels Henchard to improve his moral and material condition and what prevents him from taking possession of his happiness. Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane are also presented as compliments to each other. They are both emotionally moderate, not excited into extremes of emotion the way that Henchard and Lucetta are (although Farfraes infatuation for Lucetta was rather impulsive). I think that Elizabeth-Jane is truly the most admirable character in the book. She seems to have a subtle, unobtrusive beauty and reserved manner that I find more compelling than Lucettas sophisticated prettiness and flirtatious demeanor. Lucetta is not a deep or especially intelligent woman; we get the sense that Elizabeth-Jane is very much is both of those things. She is kind, compassionate, empathetic and beautiful; yet she is not, however, a one-dimensional doormat the way Tamsin is in The Return of the Native. Although Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane are presented as similar characters, I think Elizabeth-Jane is still more admirable. Farfrae is ambitious, smart, successful, and very kind, yet Elizabeth-Jane seems to exude a greater deg ree of profound empathy, perhaps because she has suffered so much herself. The tone of this novel is both very much like Hardys other novels and somewhat different. There is a strong sense of determinism in the novel; I sense that the lives of these characters are almost predestined- their life-courses are inevitable, it is only the emotions that they feel that are subject to the change. I think that Hardy suggests that the natural world, fate, time, and chance are not antagonist to human life, but rather somewhat indifferent to it- for individual people are so inconsequential amidst the greater profundity of Life itself. This gives the book a somewhat melancholy, but not necessary pessimistic tone. Ultimately, Hardy suggests that the novel is like life itself: ambiguous, neither good nor bad, triumphant or self-defeating.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Chivalry :: essays research papers

It is apparent in today’s society that the definition and application of chivalry has changed through history. During the Middle Ages, chivalry was a code of brave and courteous conduct for knights. According to this system of morals and manners, a knight was to remain faithful to God, loyal to his king, true to his lady-love, and helpful to their less fortunate kinsmen. Chivalry is still alive today but to a lesser extent than in the Middle Ages. I think chivalry will exist in the future, but only time will tell.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table molded chivalrous conduct. The Knights of the Round Table possessed many aspects of chivalry, but each of them had flaws. Sir Lancelot, for example, wasn’t entirely loyal to King Arthur because of his desire for Guenevere. He remedied the situation by fighting for his king in the battle against Sir Modred. While the chivalry of the Middle Ages is thought by most to have been reserved for royalty, this was not the case. Common folk also exhibited chivalrous conduct, though in less glamorous ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chivalry has greatly diminished since the Middle Ages. Respect, courtesy, and honesty have little meaning to today’s youth. There are exceptions to this. Helping the elderly, family, and friends are just a few things young people can do to resurrect chivalry. I don’t think it’s possible to be as chivalrous as the knights in the Middle Ages were because our lifestyles have changed so drastically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As of now, the future of chivalry looks bleak. If society doesn’t change its ways soon, the quality of life and chivalrous behavior will continue to decline.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Osim swot analysis Essay

Introduction to the segment of holistic lifestyle products and their need in today’s market Short intro to brand osim and its heritage A short study on what has been osim’s market standing in asia (this will help ease the swot analysis in the essay) Introducing what the essay will be about – will & How osim can survive in the market Starting with strength Asia’s no.1 preferred healthy lifestyle brand Since it already has top of the mind recall and customer trust (and loyalty) behind it, it can position itself in America just as it positions itself in the Asian markets. It can position itself as an Asian holistic brand in the American markets. Given its already numero uno status in asia – osim can increase its sales by changing up its method of advertising (tvc, print and more outdoor) and creating more brand awareness. Weakness & opportunity Luxury brand – expensive turn around and introduce a need to make it seem as a medically beneficial product needed by one and all It’s main weakness is that it is priced as a luxury product which ensures that biggest consumer base of middle class looks at it as a luxury rather than a necessity. To take care of this, osim can price itself competitively and concentrate on its product placements (example, residential areas – lobby’s) it can also try the free product use for a limited period, so people can first hand see the benefits of the product. Given its business model (u.s) osim can also innovate its products to suit the needs of the American consumer. Threats Cheap products which make use of the same technology that osim uses Less priced local products Any competitor who will sell the same array of products at a lower price. Long shelf life of its products (no one will buy a massage chair everyday) threatens the business model itself. Introduce the big question, whether or not you think osim will survive? Answer : yes, it will. Why? Because it places innovation and global market domination as one of its mission statements. A breakaway from the traditional advertising will suit its needs. Expansion of the brand will help with its evolution. OSIM – EXPANSION IS THE KEY TO SURVIVAL Technology ushered in the 21st century and with it came countless innovations and products aimed at our well being. With long working hours and even longer waking hours, the health of the average individual has been on a constant decline. This has resulted in a huge market opportunity for many health-based brands, world over, as people today want the comforts of the gym in their homes. And given the lack of products or brands that cover this field extensively has resulted in certain brands having a monopoly over this segment. But as we know, monopoly is no guarantee for a long shelf life in a constantly changing consumer market, so what do these leading brands do in order to survive and extend their brand life is highly imperative. A brand facing these very questions is OSIM – Asia’s leading health and lifestyle product brand. With monopoly over the health-based product markets in China, Osim rapidly captured markets all over major nations in Asia and established itself as a leading brand in the segment of holistic healthcare. Founded in the year 1980 by Ron Sim, it grew rapidly from its humble beginnings as an electric and household appliances company to a hugely successful health and lifestyle brand as we know it today. The brand underwent a lot of changes initially when founder Ron Sim having discovered the enormous untapped potential of health and lifestyle products in the Asian market, decided to abandon the original electrical and household appliance route of Osim and dove headlong into the health and lifestyle market in Asia. Consumers were very accepting of Osim’s product offerings and the stock of Osim rose very rapidly in this initial period. But as every coin has two sides to it, Osim’s business model is in itself a threat to its survival! With health and lifestyle based products having a long shelf life, people are unwilling to buy Osim’s product offerings repeatedly. An apt example of the same would be the signature massage chairs that they are renowned for, while this product is their no. 1 seller, it also has the longest shelf life, making the time period between a repurchase really long. Other similar weaknesses that threaten the brand’s very survival are market saturation. As other local products flood the market using Osim’s innovative technology, consumers are bound to be swayed by the promise of cheap price and good technology. While these problems are unavoidable and run parallel to the brand’s very nature there is a bigger problem that threatens Osim – limited market reach. As mentioned before, Osim leads brand markets all over Asia, especially in China. Enjoying a top of the mind recall value as being â€Å"Asia’s no.1 health and lifestyle brand†, Osim has all but saturated its own expansion opportunities within the Asian Continent. This fact coupled with the long shelf life of its products and a high price bracket make international expansion the only long term and viable solution for Osim to ensure its survival in the long run. Ironically, Osim recognized this very problem and they had also made a move to correct the very problem in 2005 when they acquired American national level specialty retailer Brookstone such brand is OSIM, asia’s leading health and lifestyle brand. Founded in the year 1980 by Ron Sim, it grew rapidly from its humble beginnings as an electric and household appliances company to a hugely successful health and lifestyle brand as we know it today. The brand underwent a lot of changes initially with Founder Ron Sim having discovered the enormous untapped potential of health and lifestyle products in the Asian market saw a huge reversal in Osim’s sales and revenues as people started buying Osim’s unique health based products. Based on this performance and the market’s reaction to his brand, Ron Osim officially launched brand OSIM in the year 1993. Riding high on its initial success, brand Osim opened up 60 new point of sale product distribution outlets within Asia. Further reaching out it opened up stores across Malaysia and Indonesia too. This aggressive expansion strategy combined with its business model saw brand OSIM garner the top spot in the Asian markets within a short period of time.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Definition and Examples of That Clauses in English

In English grammar, a that-clause is a  subordinate clause that usually begins with the word that. Also known as  a declarative content clause  or a that-complement clause. A nominal that-clause can function as a subject, object, complement, or appositive in a declarative sentence.  Chalker and Weiner point out that relative clauses beginning with that (e.g., Whats all this nonsense that youre repeating) are not always included in this category (Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar). In some circumstances (especially in less formal speech or writing), that may be omitted from a that-clause. Such a construction is called a zero that. Examples and Observations The two restrictions of the form of the that-clause are that it may not be a question (*that does coffee grow in Brazil) and it may not be an imperative (*that buy some Brazilian coffee!). In other words, there may be no disruption of the normal [declarative] word order.In all cases, the that-clause has a nominal function; it is functioning as an NP would: it answers the question what? In fact, that-clauses may serve virtually all of the functions served by NPs. -(Laurel J. Brinton, The Structure of Modern English: A Linguistic Introduction. John Benjamins, 2000)That both defendants were lying was obvious to everyone in the courtroom.- But this does not necessarily mean that both defendants were lying. -(Oskar Garstein, Rome and the Counter-Reformation in Scandinavia. E.J. Brill, 1992)- Because some people looked like they were lying didnt necessarily mean they were lying.He denied that we had come to the end of our conversation and the end of the relationship. -(Maya Angelou, The He art of a Woman. Random House, 1981)Anorexic individuals may deny that they are ill, deny that they are thin, deny that they want to be thin, and deny that they are afraid of gaining weight. -(K. Bemis-Vitousek, Developing Motivation for Change in Individuals With Eating Disorders. Challenge the Body Culture Conference Proceedings. Queensland University of Technology, 1997)I keep thinking that shes in trouble somewhere. -(John Connolly, Dark Hollow. Simon Schuster, 2001)- He tells me to sit down on the couch. Of course, at first, Im thinking Im in trouble as usual. -(Tim Tharp, Badd. Knopf, 2011)[S]ince the judge had made it clear that he didnt find any of the key witnesses believable, there seemed to be little ground for appeal. -(Mary Lou Finlay, The As It Happens Files: Radio That May Contain Nuts. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009)- He had made it clear he would like to be physically separated from the rest of the firm.-(Barton Biggs, Hedgehogging. John Wiley Sons, 2006)In general, you nee d to be sure that you understand the repercussions of renting out your home. -(Danielle Babb, The Accidental Landlord. Alpha Books, 2008)We were so sure of the printers capabilities that we voided the warranty on our $126,000 Iris by hacksawing off the heads. -(Photography and the Art of Digital Printing. New Riders, 2007)Adjective That-Clause PatternsThe search results from the British National Corpus show that two constructions are possible as exemplified in (1) and (2). (1) We need to be sure that they respect us and trust us. (CEF 981)(2) Were so sure about the reliability of our washing machines that weve given them a full 5-year parts guarantee. (CFS 1672) In both examples, the adjective sure is followed by a that-clause. The difference is in that (1) there is no adverb that precedes the adjective sure whereas in (2) the adjective sure is preceded by the adverb so. The latter construction has been recognized in grammars as the so . . . that structure but will be referred to i n this study as the resultative construction. The that-clause depicts a result in relation to the matrix clause. In contrast, the that-clause in (1) provides an explanation in relation to the matrix clause. This type of construction will be referred to here as the explanative construction.(Ilka Mindt, Adjective Complementation: An Empirical Analysis of Adjectives Followed by That-Clauses. John Benjamin, 2011)Reporting Statements With That-ClausesWhen we report statements, we often use a that-clause in the reported clause: He said (that) he was enjoying his work.- The members of the Security Council warned that further action may be taken. After the more common reporting verbs such as agree, mention, notice, promise, say, and think, we often leave out that, particularly in informal speech. However, it is not usually left out-- after less common reporting verbs such as complain, confide, deny, grumble, speculate, warn (and after the common reporting verbs answer, argue and reply)- in formal writing- if the that-clause doesnt immediately follow the verb . . .. (Martin Hewings, Advanced Grammar in Use, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2005)Extraposition and End Weight-  In the following example, the subject (in bold) has been extraposed: It is likely that you will also become interested in filmmaking. The subject of the sentence is the that-clause, but placing this element first (in order to maintain the canonical SVC [Subject-Verb-Complement] order of clause elements in a declarative) results in a sentence which is quite difficult to process: That you will also become interested in film making is likely. Therefore, the lengthy clausal subject is placed after the complement (likely) and the empty subject position is filled with dummy it.(Michael Pearce, The Routledge Dictionary of English Language Studies. Routledge, 2007)- Although that-clause complements can work well in subject position, there is a tendency . . . to avoid placing long, heavy clauses in thi s position. This reflects a more general preference for . . . end weight. Instead, it is very common to move a that-clause to a place later in the construction--a process generally known as extraposing (or postposing or heavy shifting).(Martin J. Endley, Linguistic Perspectives on English Grammar: A Guide for EFL Teachers. Information Age Publishing, 2010)