Freud and dreams The thoughts of Freud and association of dreams Essay

Freud and dreams The thoughts of Freud and association of dreams - Essay Example A theme of the paper is that the great contributor gave central importance to understanding individual meaning. He also addressed the challenges of understanding increasing developmental complexity, although neither acknowledged the challenge in these terms. The latter consideration frames a portrayal of the limitations of the ideas of each from our contemporary perspective. A final section of the paper looks to the future, invoking the creative spirit of these scientific ancestors as part of today's living history. I ask what the approaches of Freud offer us as we address the challenges of increasing complexity and seek new developmental advances in the 21st century. Freud's living contributions draw our attention to the meaning of individual experience. They tell us that much about the course of human development and its vicissitudes can be described in terms of lawful principles; priority, however, must be given to investigating individuality. In the discussion that follows in this paper, I shall emphasize Freud's influence on some key trends in today's developmental psychology, giving only brief mention to the history of child development between Freud's time and ours. It is hoped, however, that engaging in this kind of "back-to-the-future" journey will provide us with both pleasure and some fresh insights. Freud was a p DISCUSSION Freud was a practicing clinician who learned early that variations in private meaning cannot be taken for granted. Related to this point is another straightforward one, which, like the first, continues to permeate our developmental dialectics even today. This concerns the reality of psychic life and the assertion that understanding an individual's unique life and living perspective is worthy of both study and therapeutic attention. Strong contemporary statements of both points for developmental psychology can be seen in Bruner (2000) and in Stern (2003). PLAY Play offers a good way to begin taking a fresh look at Freud. We can envision Freud attending to the meaning of individual experience and theorizing in ways that are both simple and profound. Writing in 1920, Freud described observations of his 1 -year-old grandson who lived with him for some weeks. He commented that the child was not at all precocious in language development and frequently threw things away from himself-for example, in a corner or under a bed. On these occasions, the child often pronounced a long, drawn-out "Oooo"-an utterance that the child's mother and Freud agreed seemed to represent the German word fort (i.e., gone). One day I made an observation. The child had a wooden reel with a piece of string tied round it. what he did was to hold the reel by the string and very skillfully throw it over the edge of his curtained cot, so that it disappeared into it, at the same time uttering his expressive "Oooo." He then pulled the reel out of the cot again by the string and hailed its reappearance with a joyful "Da" (there). This, then, was the complete game-disappearance and return. As a rule, one only witnessed its first act, which was repeated untiringly as the game in itself, for there is no doubt that the greater pleasure was attached to the second act. (Freud, 1920/2003a. p. 15) Freud added a footnote to this work in which he documents a subsequent observation that seemed to confirm his

How has technology helped with air pollution problem Research Paper

How has technology helped with air pollution problem - Research Paper Example Interestingly, despite the fact that transportation sector is vital for economic and social development; the sector has been heavily criticized for contributing a large portion of environmental pollution, particularly with regard to air pollution. This is because the sector consumes a significant amount of fossil fuels that provide energy used to run engines used in transport. Combustion of fossil fuels leads to production of green house gasses that are detrimental to the environment. In this regard, technological solutions have been implemented in the transport sector to help reduce environmental pollution. Therefore, this essay will evaluate the extent to which technology and public transportation in trains, buses and planes has helped to reduce air pollution. To begin with, there are several air pollutants whose sources are closely associated with the transport sector in one way or another. In reality, the atmospheric components are not exclusively ‘pure’ in relation to the quantities of pollutants in the air. However, there are specific threshold concentrations of the pollutants beyond which the atmosphere is classified as being polluted and therefore posing serious health concerns to living creatures on the ground. According to National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI), atmospheric pollution is classified according to the type of effects associated to the pollutants hence resulting into atmospheric Acidification, eutrophication and formation of ground level ozone (2013). Atmospheric acidification, which results from pollutants such as sulphur dioxide (SO2), results into destruction of vegetations and buildings because of the chemical reactions that take place between acidic water and contact agents. Similarly, eutrop hication, which results from nitrogen containing compounds such as nitrogen oxides, leads to nutrient imbalances in the environment hence negatively affecting vegetations that are sensitive to

Companys Product Line and Product Mix

Companys Product Line and Product Mix ACKNOWLEGEMENT I am thankful to Mr. KRISHNA GOPAL for providing me the task of preparing the Term Paper on COMPANYS PRODUCT LINE AND PRODUCT MIX RELATION. We at Lovely believe in taking challenges and the term paper provided me the opportunity to tackle a practical challenge in the subject of MARKETING MANAGEMENT. This term paper tested my patience at every step of preparation but the courage provided by my teachers helped me to swim against the tide and budge against the wind. I am also thankful to my friends and parents for providing me help at every step of grounding of the Term Paper. INTRODUTION:- PEPSICO Company PepsiCo is a world leader in convenient snacks, foods and beverages. Learn more about our brand, our company, and our people. Our Mission and Vision At PepsiCo, we believe being a responsible corporate citizen is not only the right thing to do, but the right thing to do for our business. Our Brands Pepsi Co is home to hundreds of brands around the globe. Listed here are some of our most recognized. PepsiCo Values and Philosophy Our Values Philosophy are a reflection of the socially and environmentally responsible company we aspire to be. They are the foundation for every business decision we make. The PepsiCo Family Meet the three major divisions of the PepsiCo family: PepsiCo Americas Beverages, PepsiCo Americas Foods, and PepsiCo International. Our History Lifestyle ImagePepsiCo has enjoyed a long, proud history dating all the way back to 1898. Take a trip down memory lane with us and explore some of our more memorable moments. Our People At PepsiCo, our people have driven our success for over 100 years. Meet the talented folks at the helm now and learn how theyre helping steer our company into the next 100. Our Progress PepsiCo is proud to share the progress weve made on of our Performance with Purpose agenda journey over the last year. Take a look at some the most significant successes. PRODUCT LINE:- Group of products manufactured by a firm that are closely related in use and in production and marketing requirements. The depth of the product line refers to the number of different products offered in a product line. For example, General Foods has about a dozen different products in its coffee product line. Each of these items is promoted as distinctive, although they share the same distribution channels and similar manufacturing facilities. McDonalds has developed a food product line that includes several hamburger, fish, and chicken sandwiches. A product line may be targeted to a particular customer group, such as Skill home shop tools, or sold to various customer types through the same outlets Product lining is the marketing strategy of offering for sale several related products. Unlike product bundling, where several products are combined into one, lining involves offering several related products individually. A line can comprise related products of various sizes, types, colours, qualities, or prices. Line depth refers to the number of product variants in a line. Line consistency refers to how closely related the products that make up the line are. Line vulnerability refers to the percentage of sales or profits that are derived from only a few products in the line. The number of different product lines sold by a company is referred to as width of product mix. The total number of products sold in all lines is referred to as length of product mix. If a line of products is sold with the same brand name, this is referred to as family branding. When you add a new product to a line, it is referred to as a line extension. When you add a line extension that is of better quality than the other products in the line, this is referred to as trading up or brand leveraging. When you add a line extension that is of lower quality than the other products of the line, this is referred to as trading down. When you trade down, you will likely reduce your brand equity. You are gaining short-term sales at the expense of long term sales. Image anchors are highly promoted products within a line that define the image of the whole line. Image anchors are usually from the higher end of the lines range. When you add a new product within the current range of an incomplete line, this is referred to as line filling. Price lining is the use of a limited number of prices for all your product offerings. This is a tradition started in the old five and dime stores in which everything cost either 5 or 10 cents. Its underlying rationale is that these amounts are seen as suitable price points for a whole range of products by prospective customers. It has the advantage of ease of administering, but the disadvantage of inflexibility, particularly in times of inflation or unstable prices. There are many important decisions about product and service development and marketing. In the process of product development and marketing we should focus on strategic decisions about product attributes, product branding, product packaging, product labeling and product support services. But product strategy also calls for building a product line. Length, width, and depth. Length is the number of product linescollections and services. Width is the number of categories within a product line such as the SF or large print collections or the number of services for adults. Depth is the number of copies for each item or the number of times that a service is available. Thus the product mix can be expanded by adding length or new product lines, width of a new category to an existing product line [graphic novels], or depth [adding more copies to make particular content more accessible PEPSI PRODUCT LINE:- The Pepsi-Cola drink contains basic ingredients found in most other similar drinks including carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, colorings, phosphoric acid, caffeine, citric acid and natural flavors. The caffeine free Pepsi-Cola contains the same ingredients but no caffeine. Some of the different and varied brands of Pepsi are as follows: All Sport Aquafina Caffeine-Free Pepsi Crystal Pepsi Diet Pepsi Gatorade Izze Jazz Josta Mirinda Mountain Dew Mountain Dew AMP Mountain Dew LiveWire Mountain Dew MDX Mug Root Beer Pepsi Pepsi Blue Pepsi Cappuccino Pepsi Max Pepsi ONE Pepsi Samba Pepsi Tarik Pepsi Twist Propel Fitness Water Sierra Mist Slice SoBe Storm Teem Tropicana Products Tropicana Twister PRODUCT MIX:- The variety of product lines that a company produces, or that a retailer stocks. Product mix usually refers to the length (the number of products in the product line), breadth (the number of product lines that a company offers), depth (the different varieties of product in the product line), and consistency (the relationship between products in their final destination) of product lines. Product mix is sometimes called product assortment. PRODUCTS MIX OF PEPSICO:- PepsiCo makes products like Doritos, Lays, Cheetos, Fritos, Ruffle potato chips, Tostitos, Quaker Chewy granola bars, Sun Chips, Rold Gold pretzels, Stacys pita chips, Smartfood popcorn, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana Pure premium, Sierra Mist, Propel, Tropicana juice drinks, Dole, SOBE Life Water, Aquafina, Capn Crunch, Life cereal, Starbucks ready to drink coffee, Lipton read to drink tea, Quaker oatmeal, Aunt Jemina pancake syrup, and Aunt Jemina pancake mix. Product Mix Decisions The term product mix was already defined. In the area of product mix, marketing decisions are width, length, depth and consistency. Width refers to number of product lines (Refer the new product management article). Length refers to the total number of items in a product line (different brands in a line). Depth refers to variants of each product in a line (different pack sizes of a brand). Consistency refers to how closely related the various product lines are in end use, production requirements, distribution channels, or some other way. Kotler says explicitly that product mix planning is largely the responsibility of the companys strategic planners. The top management has to assess with the information supplied by companys marketers, which the product mix. Hence the product mix is a shared decision by various functions of the company and not that of marketing department alone. Elements of a Product Mix If an organization is marketing more than one product it has a product mix. Product itema single product Product lineall items of the same type Product mixtotal group of products that an organization markets Depth measures the # of products that are offered within each product line. Satisfies several consumer segments for the same product, maximizes shelf space, discourages competitors, covers a range of prices and sustains dealer support. High cost in inventory etc. Width measures the # of product lines a company offers. Enables a firm to diversify products, appeals to different consumer needs and encourages one stop shopping. PEPSICO example in class. Why so many different products? Different needs of different target markets for the same product. Channels of distribution economies etc. LITRATURE REVIEW: Past analysis of product mix;- PRODUCT-MIX ANALYSIS Since top management is ultimately responsible for the product mix and the resulting profits or losses, they often analyze the company product mix. The first assessment involves the area of opportunity in a particular industry or market. Opportunity is generally defined in terms of current industry growth or potential attractiveness as an investment. The second criterion is the companys ability to exploit opportunity, which is based on its current or potential position in the industry. The companys position can be measured in terms of market share if it is currently in the market, or in terms of its resources if it is considering entering the market. These two factors-opportunity and the companys ability to exploit it-provide four different options for a company to follow. High opportunity and ability to exploit it result in the firms introducing new products or expanding markets for existing products to ensure future growth. Low opportunity but a strong current market position will generally result in the companys attempting to maintain its position to ensure current profitability. High opportunity but a lack of ability to exploit it results in either (a) attempting to acquire the necessary resources or (b) deciding not to further pursue opportunity in these markets. Low opportunity and a weak market position will result in either (a) avoiding these markets or (b) divesting existing products in them. These options provide a basis for the firm to evaluate new and existing products in an attempt to achieve balance between current and future growth. This analysis may cause the product mix to change, depending on what management decides. The most widely used approach to product portfolio analysis is the model developed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The BCG analysis emphasizes two main criteria in evaluating the firms product mix: the market growth rate and the products relative market share. BCG uses these two criteria because they are closely related to profitability, which is why top management often uses the BCG analysis. Proper analysis and conclusions may lead to significant changes to the companys product mix, product line, and product offerings. The market growth rate represents the products category position in the product life cycle. Products in the introductory and growth phases require more investment because of research and development and initial marketing costs for advertising, selling, and distribution. This category is also regarded as a high-growth area (e.g., the Internet). Relative market share represents the companys competitive strength (or estimated strength for a new entry). Market share is compared to that of the leading competitor. Once the analysis has been done using the market growth rate and relative market share, products are placed into one of four categories. Stars: Products with high growth and market share are know as stars. Because these products have high potential for profitability, they should be given top priority in financing, advertising, product positioning, and distribution. As a result, they need significant amounts of cash to finance rapid growth and frequently show an initial negative cash flow. Cash cows: Products with a high relative market share but in a low growth position are cash cows. These are profitable products that generate more cash than is required to produce and market them. Excess cash should be used to finance high-opportunity areas (stars or problem children). Strategies for cash cows should be designed to sustain current market share rather than to expand it. An expansion strategy would require additional investment, thus decreasing the existing positive cash flow. Problem children: These products have low relative market share but are in a high-growth situation. They are called problem children because their eventual direction is not yet clear. The firm should invest heavily in those that sales forecasts indicate might have a reasonable chance to become stars. Otherwise divestment is the best course, since problem children may become dogs and thereby candidates for deletion. Dogs: Products in the category are clearly candidates for deletion. Such products have low market shares and unlike problem children, have no real prospect for growth. Eliminating a dog is not always necessary, since there are strategies for dogs that could make them profitable in the short term. These strategies involve harvesting these products by eliminating marketing support and selling the product only to intensely loyal consumers who will buy in the absence of advertising. However, over the long term companies will seek to eliminate dogs. As can be seen from the description of the four BCG alternatives, products are evaluated as producers or users of cash. Products with a positive cash flow will finance high-opportunity products that need cash. The emphasis on cash flow stems from managements belief that it is better to finance new entries and to support existing products with internally produced funds than to increase debt or equity in the company. Based on this belief, companies will normally take money from cash cows and divert it to stars and to some problem children. The hope is that the stars will turn into cash cows and the problem children will turn into stars. The dogs will continue to receive lower funding and eventually be dropped. PEPSICO PRODUCT MIX RELATE TO DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCT LINE: PepsiCo product line directs relate to has product mix. When companys product line is developed then product mix also developed. Because A product mix consists of all the product lines and items that a particular seller offers for sale. Avons product mix consists of four major product lines: cosmetics, jewelry, fashions, and household items. Each product line consists of several sublines. A companys. pepsico a fairly wide product mix consisting of many product lines, product mix has four important dimensions: width, length, depth, and consistency. Product mix width refers to the number of different product lines the company carries including paper, food, household cleaning, medicinal, cosmetics, and personal care products. Product mix length refers to the total number of items the company carries within its product lines. Procter Gamble typically carries many brands within each line. For example, it sells eleven laundry detergents, eight hand soaps, six shampoos, and four dishwashing detergents. Product line depth refers to the number of versions offered of each product in the line. Thus, pepsicos pepsi come into different different color and taste. Finally, the consistency of the product mix refers to how closely related the various product lines are in end use, production requirements, distribution channels, or some other way. Pepsico product lines are consistent insofar as they are consumer products that go through the same distribution channels. The lines are less consistent insofar as they perform different functions for buyers. PEPSICO product line delopment is closely relates to product mix because when product line is big then company product mix also developed. Product line and product mix have direct relationship. Depth of the product line:- Product line depth refers to the number of versions offered of each product in the line. Thus, pepsicos pepsi come into different different color and taste. Pepsico added depth to its product line more then width of product mix because companys product mix width is narrow and product line depth is good. (LIKE- PEPSI PRODUCT IS MORE THEN OTHER PRODUCT) Product mix WIDTH:- product mix has four important dimensions: width, length, depth, and consistency. Product mix width refers to the number of different product lines the company carries including paper, food, household cleaning, medicinal, cosmetics, and personal care products. Product mix length refers to the total number of items the company carries within its product lines. Pepsico typically carries many brands within each line. For example, it sells pepsi, Aquafina Starbucks (Partnership) Lipton (Partnership) WIDE WIDTH, AVERAGE DEPTH The product lines are defined in terms of academic departments. The depth of each line is shown by the number of different product items-course offerings-offered within each product line. (The examples represent only a partial listing of what a real university would offer.) The state university has made the strategic decision to offer a diverse market mix. Because the university has numerous academic departments, it can appeal to a large cross-section of potential students. This university has decided to offer a wide product line (academic departments), but the depth of each department (course offerings) is only average. In order to see the difference in product mix, product line, and products, consider a smaller college that focuses on the sciences represented in Table 2. This college has decided to concentrate its resources in a few departments. CONCLUSION:- PEPSICOS PRODUCT LINE IS MORE DEVELOPED THEN PRODUCT MIX. PEPSICO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ALSO DEVELOPED ITS PRODUCT MIX. PEPSICO ADDED PRODUCT LINE DEPTH IS MORE THEN PRODUCT MIX WIDTH BECAUSE PEPSICO USE LIMITES OF DIFFERENT PRODUCT ITS INCREASE HAS PRODUCT LINE DEPTH. FOR INCREASING PRODUCT MIX. REFERANCE: http://pgdba.blogspot.com/2008/05/product-mix-product-line.html http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=enq=+PRODUCT+MIX+RELATE+TO+PRODUCT+LINEbtnG=Searchmeta=aq=ooq= http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=ensource=hpq=wikipediabtnG=Google+Searchmeta=aq=0oq=wi Assel, Henry. (1985). Marketing Management Strategy and Action. Boston: Kent Publishing Company. Bernhardt, Kenneth L., and Kinnear, Thomas C. (1983). Principles of Marketing. Scott, Foresman and Company. Dickson, Peter R. (1994). Marketing Management. Harcourt Brace College Publishers. Kotler, Philip (1980). Principles of Marketing. NJ: Prentice-Hall. Myers, James H. (1986). Marketing. McGraw-Hill. Schewe, Charles D., and Smith, Reuben M. (1983). Marketing Concepts and Applications. McGraw-Hill.

Epic Theatre: The Influences of Bertolt Brecht Essay -- Theater, Dram

Response Essay â€Å"Theatre makes us think about power and the way our society works and it does this with a clear purpose, to make a change.† The ideas of Bertolt Brecht (1898-1965) changed the theatre in many ways. Brecht along with Erwin Piscator developed the style of Epic theatre style contrasting to previous accepted styles. Presentational in form, Epic theatre is a vehicle for social comment through techniques such as: alienation, historification, eclectic influences (highly Asian), constructivism in scenery, disjointed and illogical scene placement, ordinary clothing and lighting, the use of music to detach the audience from emotion, placards and signs and projected images. Didactic in nature Brecht’s works aim to challenge the audience to assess socially accepted norms and educate them to injustices often overlooked by the public. The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Brecht, 1944) written during the time of Nazi Germany occupation has a clearly political and social focus. The Caucasian Chalk Circle (CCC) is a play of two stories which eventually are interweaved. Scene 1 is a prologue to the action of the play that serves as a metaphor for the entire play â€Å"struggle between what is right legally and what right socially†. The protagonist from the first story is Grusha, a simple maid who sacrifices her safety and youth to protect Governor’s child. Scenes 2-4 focus exclusively on Grusha’s story. Scene 5 introduces the protagonist for the second story, the drunk judge Adzak. Scene 6 brings the two protagonists together and is the climatic action of the play. Scenes 5 and 6 focus more on social problems being that the base of society- the justice system. The audience experiences the drunken judge take bribes and rule in favour of thos... ...onal connection. The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht is a perfect example of the conventions Epic theatre uses to alienate the audience form emotion connection in order to allow an objective viewing of the themes and issue presented. These being ones of social order: is the social structure and legal systems providing fair and just rulings and procedures? By examination of Post World War Two damages we see the effects of war then as a result consciously attempt to prevent it and change our situation. This is an effective way of challenging and informing the contemporary audience as it is visual and audibly dynamic as well as informative, the medium of live theatre is intense and it allows audience members to ascertain meaning together. This sparks discussion which will lead to the individual assessing and attempting to change the way in which society works.

Out of This Furnace Essay

Out of This Furnace is a historical fiction that was written by Thomas Bell in 1941 and describes the life of immigrant workers in America. Bell grew up in Braddock in Pennsylvania, a mill town that was typical of many of the industrialized areas in America at that time. His novel reflects the hardships his family faced as they struggled to survive in the â€Å"new country† and he utilizes the medium of a fictional story to challenge the capitalist ideals of the government of that period through the trials and tribulations of his immigrant steelworkers. The book focuses on the lives of four individuals and describes how the four individual characters; Kracha, Mike, Mary and Dobie’s lives change as a direct consequence of changes which occurred in general for America immigrants between the mid 1800s and 1920s. Through encompassing the life experiences of four generations, Bell is able to provide the reader with insights into the way in which these individual’s lifestyles and beliefs became more liberal. Alongside this the story of the development of the labor unions is staged and the reader gains impressions into how these unions were viewed and approached by the people they were designed to help. Many workers had no political freedom or even a voice in the company that employed them. However, through all of these hardships, the immigrants continued their struggle for a better life. For many people America, during the economic and evolution of the mid 1800s, represented a country of hope and dreams, a place that could provide them with great opportunities and better economic prospects. As a result of this many European immigrants, many without skills, left their countries of origin in order to work in the many factors and steel mills. Whilst jobs were in abundance the work was hard, laborious and very poorly paid. The Slovaks of Thomas Bell’s Out of this Furnace are representative of these immigrants. The first of the three generations described within the story is Djuro Kracha, a Slovak peasant (p. 3) who left behind his nation of birth in the hope of ending the poverty and oppression he suffered there. Kracha initially works on the railroad before landing a job in a Dubrik mill through a friend. The descriptions of the work he endured provides the reader with the impression that employment at the mill was dangerous, arduous and relentless. The hours of work were long and tiredness of the employees often led to accidents thus evidenced by the death of Dubik’s best friend George who is killed as a blast furnace explodes. Whilst such accidents were typical on a daily basis in the mills of America but no actions were taken to improve safety or the working conditions of the employees in the mill. In Bell’s book, Kracha eventually terminates his employment at the mill in order to become a butcher. This however, does not make his situation any easier and he inevitably turns to alcohol as many immigrants of the time did. The scenes described by Bell in the novel are not limited to the workers themselves but also point out the environmental damage the industrialization created: â€Å"The mills had filled in the shore line for miles up and down the river, destroying trees, obliterating little streams and the pebbly beaches where as recently as the turn of the century campers had set up tents in summer, burying the clean earth under tons of cinder and molten slag. The banks no longer sloped naturally to the water\’s edge but dropped vertically, twenty-foot walls of cold slag pierced at intervals with steaming outlets and marked by dribbling stains. (Bell 153) The second major character within the novel is Mike Dobrejcak, another Slovak immigrant who came to America whilst still in his teens and married Kracha’s daughter, Mary. Although still aspiring and yearning for the American Dream, Mike is a second-generation immigrant who is more aware of the politics of the US and the potential of his vote during election periods. One of the significant themes of Bell’s book is that of the lack of republican form of government for all the people. The countries decisions were made to benefit the financial and business interests of the few. Many of the mill workers did not vote and, for those that did, their input made very little difference. This is reflected in Bell’s description of the division of power: â€Å"There are men in that mill who were born here, whose fathers and grandfathers were born here. They know more English than you’ll ever learn. And what good is their vote doing them? They have to work in the mill and eat dirt like any greenhorn. Let me tell you, I’ve been in America enough to know that it’s run just like any other country. In Europe your emperors and grand dukes own everything and over here it’s your millionaires and your trusts. They run the country to suit themselves, and don’t think they’re going to let you interfere every few years with your miserable vote. Get that into your head. Your vote means nothing. The company man always wins. If he isn’t a company man to start with, he becomes one afterward; the millionaires see to that. (Bell 66-67) Workers were not encouraged to vote, and if they decided to vote, they were strongly encouraged to vote for the politicians the company endorsed, â€Å"Mike had registered as a Republican, anything else would have been suicidal, but had determined to vote for Eugene Debs, the Socialist. He knew the risk. Should he be found out, and that the company had ways of learning how a man had voted nobody in Braddock doubted. e would be fired†. (Bell 189-190). Through Bell’s description of Mike’s opinions, it becomes clear that whilst the workers wanted progress, their view of how this would be achieved contradicted that of the capitalists. The capitalists aimed for generation of wealth and industrialization whilst the workers simply wanted a better way of life and greater equality. Such conflicting aspirations cause a number of disputes between the two representative groups. Mike unfortunately is killed during an accident at work and the story progresses onto describing, through Mary, the reality of families attempting to survive and support themselves after the death of their partners in the mill. The final part of the novel concerns a character called Dobie, the son of Mike and Mary. Dobie’s life and experiences differ greatly from Mikes as he matures during a period of policy reforms and changes. The Unions have become more prominent and workers rights and working conditions have improved. Dobie himself has become a symbol for these changes as he becomes a Union leader and campaigns tirelessly to gain the rights his father and grandfather were denied. Dobie’s stories depict how the mill workers in the US eventually overcame the capitalists and achieve political freedom: â€Å"It was the way you thought and felt about certain things. About freedom of speech and the equality of men and the importance of having one law — the same law — for rich and poor, for the people you liked and the people you didn’t like. About the right of every man to live his life as he thought best, his right to defend it if anyone tried to change it and his right to change it himself if he decided he liked some other way of living better. About the uses to which wealth and power could honorably be put, and about honor itself, honor, integrity, self-respect, the whatever-you-wanted-to-call-it that determined for a man which things he couldn’t say or do under any circumstances, not for all the money there was, not even to help his side win. (Bell 411). Dobie’s story in Out of This Furnace took place during a crucial time in America’s history that, through the creation of a number of legal acts, allowed unions to establish themselves. The first of these, The National Industrial Recovery Act paved the way for psychological acceptance of the concept of union negotiations and bargaining. Dobie confirms this by mentioning that the act removed the fear of unionization that had previously been established by the company and gave the men the confidence to fight for their rights. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) is also of significance in the novel. Through establishing the AFL in Braddock, Dobie was able to cement the concept of a group formed to protect their rights and such groups inevitably allowed for mass strikes and movements. This was further enhanced by the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) which was formed to represent specific industries such as the Steel Workers Organizing Committee. Unlike the AFL, the CIO, explicitly represented unskilled workers and were able to run campaigns that yielded significant results. One example of this during this period in history was the rubber workers in Akron, Ohio who staged a strike on the job in 1936. 70 workers were initially sacked as a result of their actions but this led to a further strike of 1400 workers. Unable to sustain operations the managing company, Goodyear, was forced to negotiate with the workers and changes to hours of work and payment terms were ultimately agreed. One of the most significant acts of this period was the Wagner Act that created the National Relations Board. This board provided the workers with the rights to select their own union representatives and therefore create a fair, unbiased representation for their rights. These legal Acts and the events they sparked allowed much improvement for workers and, although the road to their acceptance and implementation was long and arduous, by the end of the 1930s 1/3 workers belonged to a union and were able to freely and fairly fight for fair pay and working conditions. Out of this Furnace is not simply a story of three generations of mill workers; it is also a reflection of Americanization and the development of political rights for the immigrant workers in America. Within the novel, each generations development and success was related to the previous generation’s failures and learning. As time progresses the mill workers gain a better understanding of American culture and its politics and the domino effect of family generations.

Iliad as a war literature Essay

Homer’s epic poem, â€Å"The Iliad,† is probably one of the best stories that tell us about war. In this poem, we see humans fighting with humans, gods fighting with humans, and even gods fighting with gods. Even though it was made some time around the 7th century BC, we can associate with our modern warfare. In Homer’s â€Å"Iliad,† we see how the gods manipulated the people in fighting their own wars, just like how political leaders of different countries manipulate their army to fight another country. We can also see that modern wars, just like the Trojan war in â€Å"the Iliad,† can be caused by small matters which were just blown up to huge proportions by those who manipulate these wars. The book can be seen as Homer’s perspective of war. It is somewhat an anti-war literature because it showed how wars usually end. Both sides lost great lives, including some of their respected heroes. In the Greeks’ side, they lost Achilles’ best friend, Patroclus (23. 1-7). On the Trojans’ side, they lost their prince, Hector (24. 21-23). Achilles eventually died some time after, when he was shot by Paris, Hector’s brother in the heel of his foot which was his weakness. It showed that no one really reigns victorious, even after winning the war. This is because both sides suffer great losses, not only in properties, but also the lives of those who are involved in the war, both armies and civilians. Some attitudes towards war that Homer depicted in Iliad were the possible motives of engaging in wars. The most evident motive in the Trojan War was to retrieve the wife of Menelaus, the brother of the Greek King Agamemnon. They decided to launch an all out war, deploying a fleet of more than a thousand ships in order to retrieve Helen (of Troy) who was abducted by a Trojan prince, Paris (3. 29-31). Another attitude towards war shown in this epic poem was the intervention by higher powers. With the intervention of the Olympian gods and goddesses, the war to regain Helen of Troy was blown up to greater proportions. It became a personal war for these gods and goddesses, especially when they chose to take sides between the Trojans and the Greeks. The gods and goddesses who took the side of the Greeks include Hera, Athena, Poseidon, and Hermes (4. 37-49). On the other hand, the gods who took the side of the Trojans include Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, and Leto (1. 10-15). They backed up the soldiers whenever they fight and are usually the ones who decide on how the fight would end. Only Zeus remained in the middle, wherein he forbade the intervention of these gods in the war. Homer was able to depict a war which is similar to our modern day warfare. His depiction of gods was like the political leaders of various nations who would encourage their people to engage in wars against other nations. These are the leaders who are not physically in battle, but are the ones who actually dictate how the wars would go. Also, the wars that they often start would usually mean great losses for both warring sides. The reasons for these wars were very much the same like that of Homer’s â€Å"the Iliad. † These are usually small things which could be solved by negotiations, but the pride of the leaders is usually the ones that fuel the war. Leaders like Menelaus and Agamemnon are the same as the political leaders that we have today, who prefers violent negotiations rather than peaceful means to solve conflicts. This usually leaves the country with great problems, like loses of lives and property and a bad economy. Works Cited: Homer. â€Å"The Iliad†. 2006. Spark Notes. October 15 2007. . Sienkewicz, Tom. â€Å"The Gods in the Iliad†. 2002. October 15 2007. .