Monday, September 30, 2019

Diabetes Mellitus II

Diabetes mellitus refers to â€Å"a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels that result from defects in insulin secretion, or action, or both. † (Mathur, 2009) This chronic medical condition occurs when the production of insulin, a hormone released by the pancreas in order to regulate the blood sugar levels, is absent or insufficient. Two major types of diabetes are 1. ) type 1 diabetes which requires the affected person to be insulin-dependent as his pancreas has been damaged by auto-immune attacks, making it unable to release the hormone and 2. type 2 diabetes which is also called non-insulin diabetes mellitus as the patients who suffer from this disease can still produce their own insulin.As a matter of fact, for the latter, excessive amounts of insulin are produced by the body. This, however, damages the beta cell, the part of the pancreas that releases insulin, and causes the depletion of the production of insulin in the long run. Th is paper will focus on diabetes mellitus 2, the causes of this chronic disease as well as the physiological limitations that it can impose on a person’s exercise program.It will also include the symptoms that a fitness instructor must watch out for when training an individual suffering from type 2 diabetes. This information will be used to create an exercise program for a subject with this chronic disease. In this section, the intensity, frequency, duration and the method for determining how the program should progress will be identified. Any prescribed medication that may affect the person’s performance should also be considered in the creation of this program.Although diabetes mellitus II is coined adult-onset diabetes as it normally develops in adults who are forty years and above, the number of children who have been diagnosed with this disease has also increased in number. Although genetics or complications during pregnancy may play a role in the development of th is disease, obesity is still identified as the major cause of this problem. An individual who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) that is 20% higher than the ideal has a higher chance of becoming diabetic.Other major risk factors associated with diabetes are age, family history, race, a history of previous impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), hypertension, a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and polycystic ovarian syndrome. (Votey & Peters, 2009) In the past, people ages 40 and above are more prone to this disease. But, now, due to the sharp increase in the number of children with this disease, this might as well be considered as a pediatric disease. A person’s family history should also be considered when determining a person’s risk to acquire this disease.People with first degree relatives who are diabetic can have a higher chance of acquiring this disease. They may have acquired the gene that stimulates the production of a protein that inhibits the role of insulin in cellular glucose transport. A person’s ethnic group can also increase a person’s risk of acquiring this disease. Afro-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Pacific Islanders, American Indians and Asians have a higher chance of becoming diabetic. A person’s blood pressure and cholesterol level can also determine if he is prone to diabetes.People with a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg and above, a cholesterol level of 35 mg-dL-1 or below or a triglycerol level of 250 mg-dL-1 will have a higher risk of becoming diabetic. (McArdle, p. 452, 2007) For people with type 2 diabetes, an increase in glucose levels occur because of relative insulin deficiency or the insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas, insulin resistance or the decrease in the effects of insulin on peripheral tissues, especially muscles, or a combination of these two problems.Of course, insulin resistance, doesn’t necessarily mean that a person has diabetes . This, however, can cause diabetes in the long run, especially if the person’s diet is rich in simple carbohydrates. Because of insulin resistance, glucose is converted to triacylglycerol and is stored as fat. Since fat cells have a tendency to be insulin-resistant due to its reduced insulin receptor density, the person’s insulin resistance can reach a level that exceeds the maximum output of the pancreas.Both resistance and aerobic training can help in the management of these factors by improving insulin are glucagon responses. Since skeletal muscles consume a lot of glucose, approximately 70 to 90% of the glucose present in the body, resistance training which increases muscle mass can increase insulin sensitivity, leading to better glucose control. Endurance training, on the other hand, â€Å"maintains the blood level of insulin and glucagon during exercise closer to resting values. † (McArdle, p. 451, 2007)Ideally, the management of diabetes involves dieting , exercising and taking in the prescribed medication, if there is any. There are, however, some cases when the blood sugar level of the patient is too high and exercise needs to be put off. At the same time, although exercise can be very beneficial to diabetics, it can be counterproductive if the condition of the client is not examined properly. Before a client is given a program, the instructor must first make sure that he has his doctor’s consent.The instructor should also know if the client has the following complications: retinal hemorrhage, increased proteinuria, acceleration of microvascular lesions, cardiac arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease, excessive blood pressure during exercise, postexercise orthostatic hyerptension, increased hyperglycemia, increased ketosis, foot ulcers, orthopedic injury related to neuropathy and accelerated degenerative joint disease. The exercise should be adjusted based on these factors.Obese individuals, for example, should be given lesser weight-bearing exercises. At the same time, they should also be given longer rest periods in order to avoid increase in blood pressure. People with heart and blood pressure problems must not be allowed to exercise when the temperature is too high or the atmosphere is too humid. They should also be given ample rest in between sets. They should also avoid isometric exercises as well as exercises that involve raising the weight overhead or holding positions wherein the head is lower than legs.Aside from the risks caused by complications, the instructor should also pay attention to signs of hypoglycemia, especially if the client is taking in insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents. Mild hypoglycemia is characterized by trembling or shakiness, nervousness, palpitations, increased sweating and excessive hunger. People with moderate hypoglycemic reactions experience headaches, irritability and abrupt mood changes, impaired concentration and attentiveness, mental confusion and drowsiness.In se vere cases, the individual becomes unresponsive and unconscious and experiences convulsions. For such instances, the instructor must be attentive to these symptoms so that he can react immediately. Since some patients take ß-blocker medication, hypoglycemic unawareness should be expected and it is up to the instructor to make the client stop exercising, measure his glucose level and have him eat some simple carbohydrates like hard candies and sugar cubes if hypoglycemia is confirmed. The client should then be asked to rest for ten to fifteen minutes.After that, his glucose level should once again be measured before allowing him to continue the exercise regiment. Another risk that should be avoided is late-onset hypoglycemia wherein the diabetic’s blood sugar remains low even after four to forty-eight hours has passed. This can happen if the client’s exercise is too strenuous for him. For this reason, high-intensity exercise should not be administered to a diabetic i ndividual, especially if he has been prescribed some insulin or hypoglycemic agents.He should begin with a low-intensity program that gradually increases in intensity. Changes in intensity must be made after a period of three to six weeks so that the individual would be given enough time to adjust. According to Erikkson's study (Janot & Kravitz, 2009), doing some resistance training twice a week is enough to show results. Beginning with this frequency is also advisable as the instructor would be given the time to observe the client's reaction to the exercise. He would also be able to clear him of late-onset hypoglycemia.The study done by Ishii and his colleagues (Janot & Kravitz, 2009) shows that the range of the load given to diabetic individuals should be 40 to 50% of their 1 rep max. They should do around 2 sets of 25 repetitions. And, they should be given 30 to 120 seconds of rest in between sets. Based on the FITT principle, people with type 2 diabetes can have 3 to 5 times a w eek of aerobic exercise. The intensity should be 40 to 60% of the maximum HR and the duration should be around 30 to 60 minutes, unless the person is taking hypoglycemic agents or insulin.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Contributing to the UCF Community

What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the UCF community? If there has been some obstacle or â€Å"bump in the road,† in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances. Embodying the qualities of a woo, developer, and competitor, I believe that I could further strengthen the UCF community. As a woo, I win others over- enjoying the challenge of meeting other people and not stopping until they do like me. Rarely at a loss for words, learning everyone’s names and finding things in common motivates me to continue making connections and making a stranger a friend.The characteristics of being a woo lead me to be a developer- seeing the potential in everyone. I understand that no two people are the same, and so when I do meet people I hope to help them in the growth to succeed. As a competitor, it allows me to be the developer I am because I don’t like to stop until I know what I came to do is fini shed. I am completely aware of others around me and thrive off their energy and competitiveness as well. I would take these characteristics and implement them into UCF.I would teach others to be yourself and embrace meeting others, enable the endless possibilities within each individual, and race to the finish line of anything you do with all your might. All my life was based around sports; they were the cheese to my Cheetos and the peanut butter to my jelly. After many captain positions, MVPs, and 1st place trophies, I entered my senior year of high school. However, I tore my ACL at one of the first football practices of the year. When the doctor told me I tore my ACL, I couldn’t believe what I heard.â€Å"Crutching† as fast as I could as if it were the last quarter of the game, I went home and researched what I could do to recover quickly. Each time I watch sporting games and a player goes down, that snapshot in time reoccurs in my mind as if it were featured on ESPN ’s Not Top 10 Plays and achieving that number 1 spot. Everything that I worked for now was just a fumble; I realized that I could not just rely solely on sports for achievements in my life- rather, have that athletic talent be my crutch to success.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

How The Patient Care Has Influenced Career Essay

How The Patient Care Has Influenced Career - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that whereas it can be beneficial to read a great deal of information concerning the healthcare profession and understand the palliative care that can be given with respect to a great range of health issues, nothing within a textbook or a laboratory manual can prepare an individual for the psychological and sociological implications that hands-on experience can provide. Most importantly, with regards to the ability to enhance a desire to further healthcare education, the experience in question was instrumental in helping me to appreciate the nuanced level of approach that the healthcare professional must be responsible for integrating in order to affect a positive resolution within the living patient. Further, even though the first section of this analysis has been concentric on the degree and extent to which no level of memorize Asian or classroom participation can prepare a student for direct patient care, it was also noted, during the expe rience, that a great depth of knowledge was yet to be attained with regards to ameliorating the issues that patients might have, an understanding of complex city of biological issues that might be evidenced. Of all of the factors that have thus far been discussed, it is the impact upon my desire to further my education within the field that is perhaps the most profound. Had it not been for the direct patient care and hands-on experience that was derived during this period of time, it is doubtful that I would have been further drawn to participating in additional education within the healthcare field. This is not due to the fact that I find the healthcare profession in and of itself unappealing. Rather, I would merely not had been presented with the full nuance of the health care profession as it exists for the actual practitioner. As a result of this experience, it is my firm belief that each and every individual, regardless of their career path, should have at least some modicum of hands-on experience so they will at the very least have an expectation for what they might come to experience each and every day of a professional career within such a field of study. Similarly, with regards to what I believe could be an important contribution to my engagement in the nursing profession, this must be understood in something of relative terms. Firstly, nursing, although within the medical profession, is a direct patient interaction that takes place on many different levels. As such, the importance of empathy, relationships, and interaction is of the utmost importance. One does not need to take an exhaustive course in psychology to understand that a great many different types of personalities exist. As such, it is not only important to consider the range of personalities that exist but also the range of cultures, religions, and worldviews that are likely to be presented to an individual but is interested in integrating with such a profession in the future. As such, on e of the unique talents and abilities that I have oftentimes been congratulated upon within my own life is the ability to engage individuals from a diverse background and provide them with a sense of security and belonging with regards to whatever needs they might have. Naturally, I expect this particular talent to be utilized within the medical profession. Moreover, I also expected to be honed and polished so that the needs of a diverse patient mixture will be able to be met within my work. Finally, identifying with individuals and getting along with them is not in and of itself the only talent or requirement that must be utilized in order to affect a positive level of patient care.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Surveillance and Privacy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Surveillance and Privacy - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that technology had apparently dominated the various area of business, communication, transportation, and even surveillance. Specifically, the application of technology for security purposes is continuously improving and evolving. As such, surveillance devices have been paired with telecommunication to efficiently accomplish military and civilian operations with ease and accuracy. One good example of tracking device that is being used today is the Global Positioning System (GPS) that provide users with precise timing, positioning, and navigation while using satellites to determine its location. On one hand, a beeper, also known as a pager is a good example of telecommunication device that augments chances for fast-tracking and forecasting by receiving a radio signal to initiate the process. Although GPS and beeper share a common goal for speedier connection, these two devices when paired together would be a valuable tool for surveillance an d in assisting security personnel for military operations. Moreover, as the technology of fast-tracking and navigation advances, several issues and controversy rose as to how GPS should be properly handled without violating individual’s right to privacy. Although GPS data have given much consideration in the criminal investigation, there are US states that did not consent the use of tracking devices like GPS to vehicles owned by suspected criminals or ordinary citizens without any warrant.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Company Law case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Company Law case - Essay Example In addition, a promoter is also expected to disclose any secret profits that he may have made in the process of promoting the company. This is illustrated in the case of Erlanger V New Sombrero Phosphates company limited (1878)2. In this case,Syndicate Erlanger purchased an island that was rich in phosphates at a price of 55,000 pounds; he later promoted a company and sold the sand island to the company he formed at 110,000 pounds which later failed. During the formation of the company, two of the directors were abroad while the rest had been nominated by Erlanger himself. When new directors took over the company, they filed a motion to rescind Erlanger. The court held that no proper disclosure on the sale was made and for this reason the company had a right to rescind the contract. Ricky is the individual who put everything together and saw to Ricky`s footwear becoming a legal company and is therefore the promoter of the company. He sold premises and stock and assets from his former business and made huge profits from the sales. The fiduciary duties that he owes the company would dictate that he discloses these profits. He however did not disclose them to either the members of an independent board or to all the new owners of the company as per the prospectus as was expected of him. For this reason, Ricky`s footwear limited has a legal claim against its promoter for making secret profits which is a breach of his obligations and it is therefore advisable that they pursue the matter in the relevant court of law. However, the company would not have had a case against Ricky had he disclosed the profits. In the event that Ricky`s footwear limited decides to file a motion against Ricky there are certain possible remedies that are available to the company at law should the court rule in their favor. These are: Under this remedy, the contract in question is reverted and relevant efforts are made

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Week 5 posts 6330 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 5 posts 6330 - Assignment Example Thanks for such a short and precise post on developing successful evaluation strategies on the course issues and trends in nursing. I agree that it is important to develop a rubric, which is very important in grading as it acts a reference point to check whether all the required documentation has been included. In the post, you have mentioned â€Å"Widespread use of technology makes it extremely easy to lose sight of the myriad individual pieces of a syllabus† (Habanek, 2005). However, you have not specified your take towards incorporating technology in the evaluation process. On my part, I think technology is an essential part in carrying out evaluation especially when you anticipate having a long and detailed syllabus. The central part is to ensure that you enforce a system that can easily be monitored and adjusted when need arises. I would agree with you that having active learning strategies is necessary to prepare students such that they are in a position to apply what they learn from a classroom setting into real life situation. Therefore, it is necessary for the faculty to have a clear and precise curriculum that will help them achieve these conditions. Similar to what Billings and Halstead (2012) explain in their text â€Å"rely on goals, objectives, and outcomes to guide program, course, or lesson development† (p. 423). Besides that, I would like you to clarify one area that I did not quite understand. You mentioned â€Å"the students will complete a concept map and case study in preparation for the teaching plan they create and present† kindly elaborate more on this part. Thanks for such an informative post on developing a curriculum that will incorporate cardiac disorders as one of the main courses. Cardiac disorders such as heart failure have become a common problem in the current medical field. Therefore, need to have professionals that are well educated in the field and

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Marketing Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Marketing Project - Essay Example ‘University of Chicago Medical Center’. In present day, the expenditure on health expenses has increased considerably. Advanced technology has made it much easier to test various health scans through imaging center. The imaging center service is a profitable business as people will become sick and thus there will be demand for the imaging scanning services. The report will describe the market analysis as well as the company analysis of University of Chicago Medical Center and its strengths and weaknesses in the health care industry of Chicago, its competitors and market environment. Further, the report will provide an insight about the marketing plan of the services of Cardiac Imaging Center. The marketing plan comprises of marketing mix and forecasted sales of the Cardiac Imaging Center. Table of Contents 1.0 Abstract/Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 2.0 The Challenge 4 3.0 Situation Analysis 4 3.1 Company Analysis 4 3.2 Customer Analysis 5 3.3 Competitor Analysi s 5 3.4 Environmental Analysis 9 3.5 Porter’s Five Forces Model 11 4.0 Market Segmentation 13 5.0 Alternative Marketing Strategy 13 6.0 Selected Marketing Strategy 13 6.1 Product 13 6.2 Price 14 6.3 Distribution/Place 14 6.4 Promotion 15 7.0 Short-Term and Long-Term Projections 15 8.0 Conclusion 17 9.0 References 18 Marketing Project 2.0 The Challenge The challenge of Cardiac Imaging Center of University of Chicago Medical Center is to provide imaging scanning services to the customer with superior quality while maintaining the cost and profitability. The Cardiac Imaging Center will offer solution to various diseases such as heart, lung among others by the experienced doctors and advanced machinery. The University of Chicago Medical Center is already famous for their specialization in Heart, Cancer, Gastroenterology, Diabetes and Neurosurgery. The clients of Cardiac Imaging Center will get advantage from the exceptional teamwork of medical experts. The Cardiac Imaging Center will perform by mutual association of both cardiologists and physicians which will make the cardiac center successful. The Cardiac Imaging Center will implement an incorporated approach for accomplishing the goal to offer accurate test for right person at right moment. Cardiac Imaging Center will provide full range of advanced imaging technologies such as CT scan which is a strong and quick imaging instrument that creates three dimensional pictures of the heart or Cardiac MRI scan which will provide detail picture about the beating of heart (The University of Chicago Medical Center, 2011). 3.0 Situation Analysis 3.1 Company Analysis The University of Chicago Medical Center is known as one of the top hospitals in Chicago city as well as in the USA. With regard to treating diseases such as cancer or diabetes the hospital is listed in the top 50 hospitals. The hospital’s operations are quite transparent and it provides every possible support to the customers regarding any enquir y. According to â€Å"The University HealthSystem Consortium† the University of Chicago Medical Center has effectively displayed performance compared to other medicinal services (The University of Chicago Medical Center, 2011). 3.2 Customer Analysis The facilities of ‘Cardiac Imaging Center’ will target the major insurance agents of insurance companies, famous doctors or physicians and various clinics of Chicago city as they can influence and motivate the patients or customers to use the ‘University of Chicago Medical Center’ for scanning and imaging purposes. The value driver of University of Chicago Medical Center will be to acquire customers through physicians, doctors and insurance agents. The patients will surely go to the imaging center according to their preference. 3.3 Competitor Analysis

Monday, September 23, 2019

Select 2 or 3 even 4 movies to conduct a comparison Movie Review

Select 2 or 3 even 4 movies to conduct a comparison - Movie Review Example ory of two men (Dieyi and Xiaolou) against the historical backdrop of a country in upheaval and how their lives are affected by the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s and the victory of the Communists in 1949. The two meet at troupe and become very close friends. They, craving freedom, escape from the troupe but later return (Farewell my concubine, 2006). Douzi and Shitou grow on to be stars of Beijing opera and assume the stage names Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou. Dieyi falls in love with Xiaolou while a patron, Yuan Shiqing, makes advances at Dieyi. Xiaolou develops affection for Juxian and they later get engaged. Dieyi and Xiaolou have a falling out. Dieyi takes up with Master Yuan who gives him Zhangs sword. Master Guan shames them into re-forming the troupe. The relationships of the three main characters are tested in the political upheavals that follow. Xiao and Douzi disagree on Xiao’s training and punishment after which Xiao threatens vengeance. He makes good on the threat by usurping Dieyis role as the Concubine. Deiyi becomes an opium addict but is aided to the path of recovery by Xiaolou and Juxian. On the eve of the Cultural Revolution, after a few drinks, they rekindle their relationship. Under pressure, Shitou admits that Douzi performed for the Japanese and may have had a relationship with Yuan Shiqing. Douzi, angered by the revelation, tells the mob that Juxian was a prostitute. Shitou is forced to admit that he indeed married a prostitute but swears that he doesnt love her and will never see her again. Juxian is hurt by these words and commits suicide from a crushed heart. Xiao is caught by the Communist cadre in a gym elated by taking Douzi’s position and practicing Concubine Yus role (Farewell my concubine, 2 006). The grandmaster, starring Tony Leung as Ip Man, is a 2013 Hong Kong- Chinese martial arts film directed and written by Wong Kar-Wai and tells about the life of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man from the 1930s in Foshan, his

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Cave present us with a coherent picture of Platos ideas Essay Example for Free

Cave present us with a coherent picture of Platos ideas Essay The purpose of the simile of the Sun is to show the difference between knowledge and opinion. In the world of opinion the sun gives light for us to gain empirical knowledge through sight. Objects (such as tables and mugs) and concepts (such as beauty and love) are part of the world of opinion because they are detected by our senses. The Form of beauty (or love) exists in the realm of the Forms. Plato believed that the Form of good gives philosophers knowledge of the Forms. The Form of Good gives the minds eye the power of knowledge and illuminates other Forms with truth and reality. In this way the Form of good allows us to see other forms and ultimately it allows us to see the form of good. The sun is also the source of all growth, and thus the Form of good is the source of all the Forms, and the cause of all existence. In the Sun, Platos idea is that visibility is opinion and the Form of good gives us the reality behind visibility knowledge of the Forms. The divided line goes into more depth on Platos previous idea. Although an abstract example, Plato uses it to try and make his idea simpler. Plato believed that there were four different states of the mind, and four different states of reality, both progressing from a lower level (illusion / images and shadows) to a higher level (intelligence / Forms). The lowest level is the second hand images of physical things. As Plato thought that physical things were just in the mind anyway, a shadow of a physical thing is the lowest form of knowledge, which corresponds to illusion in the mind. The next step up is physical things, which also covers sciences as they are based on the study of physical things. Belief is the empirical knowledge of physical thing, but is still opinion. The upper half of the divided line has mathematical reasoning, which is part of deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning does not rely on empirical knowledge and so mathematical reasoning is not based on belief. The reasoning perceives mathematical ideas, which are based on some belief (such as seeing a square, you have a mathematical idea about the square), but these ideas do not rely on belief. The highest kind of knowledge in the mind is intelligence, which can only be reached by the philosopher. Mathematical reasoning leads to intelligence, but mathematical ideas (part of the intelligible world) lead to knowledge of the Forms. In the idea of the Divided Line, Plato is showing us in more detail the differences between knowledge and opinion. He suggests progressions from both illusion to pure thought, and from the less real (images and shadows) to the truly real (the Forms). He also makes two clear distinctions between the world of knowledge and opinion (in the mind), and the world of appearances and the intelligible world (in reality). Platos idea of the Forms and the distinctions between the mind and reality have been coherent between the Sun and the Divided Line both showing very similar ideas but in different attentions to detail. There is a slight incoherence though. In the simile of the Sun, Plato tells us that the Form of good gives us power to see all forms, yet in the Divided Line it is unclear if the Form of good gives any power at all, as it appears to be mathematical ideas which allow us to perceive the Forms. It may be though that these mathematical ideas simply give way to the Form of good so it can allow us to see the Forms. The Simile of the Cave moves into more specific detail on the accent of the mind from illusion to knowledge, shown by the prisoners accent from the cave to the outside world (intelligible world). The simile is also an example of the divided line, using ideas put forward such as shadows, physical things, illusion, the Forms (the Sun) etc. Like the Sun simile Plato depicts the Form of good as the greatest of all lights. There is a road between the fire and cave, maybe to portray a clear conversion from illusion to intelligence. There are people talking outside holding statues. Their voices and the images of the statues are projected into the cave, and the prisoners believe these are real. The people trapped in the cave are all looking at shadows of statues (images themselves) projected against the wall, and therefore are doubly ignorant. Plato allows a prisoner to be released, and he walks towards the fire where he is dazzled. It hurts him, and he is told that the people on the road are real and that the shadows are nonsense. He returns to the cave: choosing illusion. Plato is showing a would-be philosopher failing his journey of knowledge, due to a flawed character. Later on, the prisoner is taken into the sunlight and held until his eyes grow accustomed to the sunlight. Once accustomed he can see shadows and reflections within time. Plato here brings in the idea from the simile of the Sun, creating a coherent idea between the two similes, that the Form of good (the Sun) allows the philosopher to see other things until finally he can see the forms, and finally the Form of good itself (the Sun). Through duty the prisoner returns to the cave and is blinded by the darkness. This is an idea Plato has that the eyes can be blinded by the light and by the dark, as the mind can be confused by greater and lesser minds. This continues a coherent idea of Platos from the Sun simile, the idea of the Sun and the Mind, or if we were to bring the Divided Line into this, Reality and the Mind. So far Plato has created a seemingly coherent picture of knowledge and opinion. After descending from the Forms the prisoner tells the other prisoners the statues. He has seen the Form of justice and they have only seen the shadow of justice, and so they hold different views and therefore he is put on trial. Plato here is showing societys view of the philosopher ruler in a similar way as he does with the simile of the Ship. The different states of the Mind in the Divided Line are straight comparisons to features of the Cave. Illusion is the shadows cast by firelight; belief is the statues of things and the fire; mathematical reasoning is the shadows and reflections of real things of which the images are made; intelligence is the things themselves (moon and stars), and finally the Form of Good is the Sun. Plato uses a coherent idea throughout as appears to use similar / the same ideas in each of his similes (i.e., The Sun the Form of Good). There are problems in each of the similes and they all have points where they break down and lose a certain amount of coherence. In the simile of the Sun, although Plato would not have known at the time, the eyes are not charged up by the Sun, like he wanted us to think. Within the simile, therefore, the Form of Good no longer charges the mind with the power of seeing the Forms, but rather casts light onto other Forms. This is not what Plato wanted to portray. In the Sun, Plato explores the idea of the Sun being the ultimate Form in detail, but in the Cave, the sun itself is forgotten, and is seen more as a goal, or object, than as a metaphor for knowledge. Plato uses the fire and statues in more detail than the sun in the Cave simile, giving a better explanation of knowledge, which creates incoherence between the use of the sun in the Sun simile and its use in the Cave. In the simile of the Cave, mathematical ideas are not mentioned at all, not even in the accent to the Forms. This breaks down the idea of the Divided Line. A solution would be though that in the Divided Line, mathematical ideas are implied rather than stated: Plato may not even have mentioned the idea of mathematical ideas. This may be a reason why Plato did not mention them in the Cave. Plato says the prisoners only perceive shadows, which means the lowest level of knowledge illusion. This implies that Athenians cannot even see physical things, which is absurd because, unless all Athenians are blind, they will be able to visibly see objects such as tables, chairs, knifes etc. He also contradicts what he said earlier in the section on the Philosopher Ruler, that people in general only experience opinion / belief. This is only a problem if we use a strict interpretation, and in that case it would not be a simile at all, as similes should be open to wide interpretation. Another problem occurring in the Cave is that the shadows are used to describe illusion once, and mathematical reasoning another time. If we take the Divided Line, shadows should show illusion, and mathematical reasoning should be based upon physical things and a certain amount of belief. Plato has misused his metaphor of shadows in one of these similes and created an inconsistency. Although Plato has given us a clear picture of what his idea of knowledge and opinion is, and how the Form of Good fits into it, he has left many questions unanswered and a lot of gaps which need filling. His similes have been written and laid out in such a way that they can be interpreted in many varying, some contradictory fashions. This leads to the question of did Plato actually know himself where he was going with his arguments, or did he make them up as he went along? I personally think he thought them out well, but had to manipulate some things to fit in with his line of reasoning. This is perhaps a reason why these three similes are partly incoherent.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Agriculture Revolution Essay Example for Free

Agriculture Revolution Essay The agriculture revolution occurred in the Eighteenth Century. It was the age of new inventions and methods which caused agriculture to boom and end the long problem of famine. The agriculture revolution also caused social and economic consequences. What are some of these methods, inventions an also, the downfalls and consequences of the agriculture revolution? In the eighteenth century it was important to improve agriculture to feed the rapidly increasing population. This meant they needed to make inventions to grow more food at a more rapid rate. This is about the time when they discovered crop rotation, which is rotationing the crop to refurnish the nutrients in the soil by switching the crops that used the nutrients in the soil with the ones that replaced it. This system gave farmers the opportunity to farm all their land at all times, instead of having to let some land set for a long period of time. Some of the important crops were peas, beans, turnips, potatoes, clovers and grasses. Other inventions like the seed drill, threshing machine, along with the enclosure of fields helped produce enough food for the growing population. The enclosure of fields was a new invention, which took a farmers scattered land and put it together in fenced in fields to farm a lot smarter and more efficiently. Not all the people of the eighteenth century went to farming in this new style, they were used to the traditional style and preferred to continue farming that way. The Low Countries and England were the main people that used crop rotation. New crops made ideal feed for animals, which meant farmers could increase their herds, which ultimately meant more meat and better diets for all. Some downfalls of the agriculture revolution meant that if a farmer wanted to experiment with new methods they would have to get all landowners in the village to agree. Enclosure didn’t seem to help the poor rural families; this meant that they couldn’t do the things they traditionally did. They liked using common pastureland to graze stock, forests and marshlands for firewood and berries, therefore the poor highly opposed the idea of enclosure and created allies with the wealthy land owners. The wealthy land owners were also against enclosure, because it required large risks and investments? The agricultural revolution had a very big impact on women; the new inventions and the machinery were much harder for them to handle. This meant women had to find another role in society, working at Cottage Industries or as Domestic Servants. The agriculture revolution was the start of a great stepping stone. The new inventions like Crop Rotation and Enclosure helped form the age we live in today. There were ups and downs to the agricultural revolution, as there is in any new ideas that are trying to be implemented. The revolution ended famine, the methods used caused distress with the poor and even the wealthy at times; they also wanted to keep the traditional ways of farming. The transformation and experimentation of new crops and systems of crop rotation was not completed until the nineteenth century. Agricultural revolution allowed farms to be more compact and increased investments. The agricultural revolution was an essential prelude to the Industrial Revolution.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Case study Del Montes vision

Case study Del Montes vision Brand Del Monte is a 118 year old brand which is synonymous with quality and taste. The brand  originated in the US and is now available all across the globe. Del Monte has branded processed food and beverage products. The Del Monte range include Fruit drinks, Ketchup Sauces, Packaged Fruits and the Italian Range consisting of Pasta, Olive Oil and Olives/Jalapenos and a Culinary range which is aimed at HORECA, Foodservices and QSR industries. Bharti Del Monte Joint Venture Del Monte came to India in 2007 courtesy a joint venture company known a FieldFresh Foods Pvt between Bharti Enterprises and Del Monte Pacific. It sells fresh and processed fruits and vegetables in the domestic as well as international markets, including Europe and the Middle East. Bharti enterprise has interests in telecom, agri business, financial services, retail and manufacturing businesses in India. Del Monte Pacific Ltd, headquartered in Manila, Philippines, is a company engaged in the production, marketing, and distribution of Del Monte products in the select Asian markets. Del Monte has following product lines in India: Sauces, Juices, Italian cuisine and Packaged fruit. The market size of these products approximately Rs 4000 crore and it will grow at 20% per annum and faces competition from players like Nestle, Hindustan Unilever, Dabur, Parle Agro, Pepsi, ITC, Heinz in India. The company has invested Rs 300 crore in a food processing plant at Hosur in Tamil Nadu and in research on fruit and vegetables which will be operational by 2011. It is now selling products in 25 cities in India. Product Lines in India Ketchups and Sauces Del Monte has launched following four variants in this product line in India and they are : Del Monte Tomato Ketchup: Is made from quality tomato paste and secret blend of spices natural fragrant oils. Del Monte Zingo: Is made from of Red chillies, Red Bell Pepper, Garlic and Ginger. It offers sweet and spicy eastern taste to the consumers. Del Monte Twango: Del Monte TWANGO is a tangy and fruity sauce specially aimed at the younger audiences, and brings a twist to the tomato taste with a splash of the goodness Del Monte Tomato Chilli Sauce: Del Monte Tomato Chilli Sauce is made from tomato paste and hint of red chillies it has a pungent and tangy taste. Packaged Fruit Corn Del Monte has launched Pineapple Tidbits, Pineapple slices, Peach halves, Prunes and Fruit Cocktails in India. Italian Range Del Monte has launched Olives, Pasta and Extra Virgin Oil in India. These product lines popularly used by Restaurants, Caterers and consumers are also using these products at home. Fruit Drinks Del Monte has launched 5 variants under the Fruit drinks in 240 ml cans and dispensers. Percentage Share of Different Product Lines The graph given below gives the current percentage share of different product lines in India: Chapter 5: Current Marketing Strategy Chapter Highlights: Target Market Positioning Product Strategy Distribution Strategy Pricing Strategy Promotional Strategy CURRENT MARKETING STRATEGY Target Market: The Indian youth segment residing in Indian cities age 16-25 is Del Montes primary target market. Positioning: Del Monte Fruit Drinks current positioning is delivering Refreshment, convenience and nutritional value to the youth. Product Strategy Del Monte Fruit Drinks have 5 flavours: Pineapple Fruit Drink (with real fruit pulp) Four Seasons Fruit Drink (a delightful mix of guava, pineapple and mango) Pineapple-Orange Fruit Drink Green Apple Fruit Drink Orange Fruit Drink Product Benefits: Del Monte fruit drinks are naturally fat and cholesterol free, they are rich in antioxidants, they are a good source of Vitamin C and Vitamin B1 and do not have any artificial preservatives. Packaging: Del Monte Fruit Drink is selling its juices in aluminium cans of 240 ml and so it possible to have a shelf life of 24 months. Del Monte Fruit Drink has setup dispensers which can dispense 20 cups a minute. Distribution Strategy COMPANY WAREHOUSE DISTRIBUTOR GENERAL TRADE RETAILERS/ WHOLESALERS MODERN TRADE RETAILERS END USER HOTELS RESTAURANTS CATERING B2B MARKET B2C MARKET Del Monte products are sold in B2C and B2B markets: B2B market In the Business to Business Market Del Monte fruit drink cans along with other Del Monte products are sold to and used over 2200 institutions in the HORECA: Hotels/Restaurants/ Catering(Airlines) segments. Restaurants like: Coffee Day Xpress, Dominos, Subway and Barista, and low cost airlines like: Jet Lite, Jet Connect and Indigo. Del Monte has over 70 persons they help the distributors to sell to institutions. B2C Market Del Monte operates in B2C market and these products are available in 25 cities including major cities like Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata. The company has Distributors and Retailers (Modern Trade and General Trade) as its Channel partners. Del Monte has also setup vending machines and dispensers in institutions and tourist spots to reach the end users more effectively. Distributors The company appoints distributors who supply Del Montes product lines (Ketchups Sauces, Italian Range, Fruit Drinks Packaged Fruit Corn) to general trade outlets and to some modern trade outlets in the major cities. Each distributor has approximately 200 -600 retailers under him and the average monthly sales for each distributor is between Rs 250000- Rs 1500000. Del Monte offers a margin of 7% to its distributors. General Trade Retailers/Wholesalers Del Monte supplies products to 30,000 retailers in 25 cities. It supplies to major General Trade Retailers or the Kirana Shops (neighbourhood grocery stores)/Wholesalers in these cities. These retailers/wholesalers get their supply from distributors who take orders on a fortnightly/weekly basis. These shops have an average purchase ticket of Rs 30,000 per month. Modern Trade Retailers Del Monte is supplying its supermarkets, convenient stores (In and Out store at IOCL Petrol pumps) and speciality food stores (Eg: Le Marche) and the company is selling to them directly through its sales force and some of the modern trade outlets are also supplied through distributors. These are organisations purchase their products weekly and their average purchase ticket vary between Rs 20,000 to Rs 2000000. Distribution Penetration Pricing Strategy Del Monte Fruit Drinks are available in 240 ml cans for Rs. 25. The Del Monte fruit drink offered through dispensers is available in 200 ml cups for Rs 20. Promotion Strategy Del Monte has relied on in store promotions for its Fruit Drinks i.e. price discounts, buy one get one offers and promotional material such as posters displays to promote Fruit Drinks in retail outlets. Del Monte launched Legend Brigade to popularise the range of Del Monte fruit drinks in pineapple, four seasons, pineapple-orange and the newly-launched green apple and orange flavours. This activation will travel to metros and mini-metros where the winner will receive a custom-made bike worth Rs 200,000. Del Monte has also launched an online biker game is on at its micro site, www.worldfoody.com to promote thrill of biking.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Pan American World Airways, Inc :: Economy Economics Economical Papers Research

Pan American World Airways, Inc Pan American World Airways, Inc ("Pan Am") is a New York corporation organized in 1927 which is engaged in commercial air transportation which it pioneered between the United States and most areas of the world. Pan Am Corporation ("the Corporation"), a Delaware corporation, is and since September 14, 1984 has been the parent of Pan Am, it's principal subsidiary. For the past few years Pan Am's financial condition has been very poor. The company reported a consolidated net loss for 1986 of $469.3 million. The 1988 net loss included a gain of $89.1 million resulting from the sale of Pan Am's Airbus A320 aircraft and delivery positions. This gain was partially offsetted by a reserve of $25.7 million related to the loss on sale of Pan Am's subsidiary, which is responsible for the marketing of excess inventory, and 18 million of year-end adjustments. Pan Am's passenger traffic was strong in 1988. An increase of 12.2 percent on capacity of 11.2 percent. This was due to the result of strengthening of various European currencies against the U.S. dollar, fare increases in the market, enhanced management systems and procedures, as well as programs to reduce the dependence on wholesale ticket distributions throughout the Atlantic, Latin America, Domestic, and systemwide. Eventhough revenue was strong in 1988, labor and other costs increased at a higher rate as a consequence of efforts to improve service and effectiveness of the operation. Labor costs were higher in 1988 due to the result of an increase in the number of employees during the year. Also the addition of increased fuel prices, commissions, purchased services, aircraft rentals, and a $24.0 million foreign exchange loss had a negative impact on the corporation. 1987 expenses were effected by increases in expenses for fuel, commissions, maintenance materials and other operating costs which exceeded expectations. Labor cost reductions were not achieved in 1987. Other losses which occurred was the settlement of an $18 million provision for the proposed settlement of an age discrimination suit, and as well as $42.0 million for increased allowances for inventory obsolescence, uncollected receivables and costs associated with the WorldPass frequent flyer program. COMPANY BACKGROUND Pan Am lead by it's founder Juan Trippe, virtually single- handedly opened up the world to commercial flight. Teeming with adventure, international intrigue, and financial manipulations, this sky-struck young man with immense ambition and vision took a seaplane carrying mail 90 miles from Key West to Havana and expanded the operation into the vast world-wide

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Contrasting Theories on the Extinction of Dinosaurs Essay -- Compare C

So what killed the dinosaurs? Without having any background education in science it is hard for the general public to comprehend such matters and they rely on the knowledge of the scientists in this field. Although there has been much research on the subject nobody has come up with a conclusive answer. And we are left to read the countless articles, all having their own opinions as to the mass extinction. One such theory is that a shift in the solar system could have caused the mass destruction. According to an article published in Nature magazine, â€Å"A bizarre wobble 65 million years ago, perturbing the orbits of Mars, Earth and Mercury, may have caused the demise of the dinosaurs, new models of the Solar System suggest.† The article suggests that an upset could have â€Å"disrupted the trajectories of asteroids-normally safely confined to asteroid belts-sending one or more into the Earth.† This is an easy enough idea for the general public to understand yet it is not stated if they know what caused the upset in the first place. And this is where we depend on the researchers to come up with a way of finding this out. They designed a model that would mimic the Solar System 100 million years ago, â€Å"based on natural variations in planetary orbits, their proximity to the Sun and their gravitational effects on one another.† What they did find was fluctuations in the model dating back 65 million years ago right when the asteroid supposedly hit. Even though it sounds like good solid evidence a lot of scientists are still not sold on the idea and need more convincing. In another article it is suggested that had a meteorite, large enough to cause mass extinction, hit the earth there would have been widespread wildfires wiping out eve... ... lack of information spreading to the general public. In the end we are left with countless more articles to read and decipher. Works Citied: 1. Ball, Philip. â€Å"Roast dinosaur off the menu?† Nature 03 Dec. 2013 Nature News Service/ Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2015 http://www.nature.com/nsu/031201/031201-3.html 2. Clarke, Tom. â€Å"Chaos killed the dinosaurs.† Nature 28 June 2011 Nature News Service/ Macmillan Ltd 2015 http://www.nature.com/nsu/010628/010628-15.html 3. Dalton, Rex. â€Å"Hot tempers, hard core.† Nature 04 Sept. 2013 Nature Publishing Group 2015 http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf?file=/nature/journal/v425/n6953/full/425013a_r.html&filetype=&dynoptions 4. Pearson, Helen. â€Å"Asteroid let dinosaurs rule.† Nature 17 May 2012 Nature News Service/ Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2015 http://www.nature.com/nsu/020513/020513-11.html

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Review of Kala Ghoda Essay

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival has begun from 2nd February and will run till 10th February 2013. The Festival enters into 14th year in 2013; its popularity is growing from over the years. It is a great festival held in the city of Mumbai every year with great vibrancy, excitement, drama and colors of cultures are experienced. This festival welcomes people from all over the country and from abroad. The festival includes street stalls, theatre, heritage walks, dance, music, films, literature, workshops for adults and children, visual arts, and much more. It is a nine day festival which refreshes everyone’s minds and inspires them for future. . Kala Ghoda used waste material keeping in their mind environmental issues. The music and dance events at the annual Kala Ghoda Arts festival was shifted from Kala Ghoda to Cross Maidan, after organisers agreed to not use loudspeakers in the silence zone. Silence zones are areas that are within 100 metres of courts, educational institutions, reli gious places and hospitals. The first thing you notice when you enter is the huge camera with few posters of Bollywood celebrities; a tribute to 100 years of Hindi Cinema. There is also an ode to Bollywood with an installation called ‘Cinemachi’. â€Å" Kapala’s Totems â€Å" exists to evoke awarenessof the danger of electronic waste – discarded electronic ,lech lead and other heavy metals. Where the â€Å"Plastic Rain â€Å" the pitter patter of rain gives way to the thump of falling plactic bottle. This installation is a reminder of how serious an effects plactic can have on our planet. While ‘Cycle Chalao City Bachao’ sends out a message of the urgent need of going eco-friendly while travelling, another installations points out the the hazards of noise pollution y Sumeet Sanjay Patil, which has vibrant cut outs of popular past and present film stars . Another installations has a car covered with coins. ‘Time To Change’ by 11-year-old Dev Mehta showcases a car, painted in vibrant hues as a symbol of the city that never sleeps constantly moving, changing and racing ahead. And an installation of of Mumbai’s ever-dependable dabbawallas towers over the crowd. While ‘Cycle Chalao City Bachao’ sends out a message of the urgent need of going eco-friendly while travelling, another installations points out the the hazards of noise pollution Among the many transport-themed pieces on display, this work is a call to more eco-friendly (and pimped out) modes of transport. Dhanda’ by Baaya Design this sculptural skyline of the city is meant to be a â€Å"visual pun† of sorts (the word â€Å"dhanda† means business or livelihood in Hindi). We’re seeing it as an accurate depiction of present-day Mumbai, with among other things the Bombay Stock Exchange (see the second â€Å"d†) looking down on a sea of slums. The horrific Delhi gang-rape case also found creative expression in the form of a broken doll house with newspaper reports of crimes against women. â€Å"Homogeneity in diversity â€Å"Brands have inducted homogeneity among people. And how can money not make it’s presence felt in the financial capital of the country. A popular installation, which evokes smiles and giggles from the thronging crowd, is ‘Corrupt Us’ by VikramArora. Showcasing government officials saluting a hundred rupee note fluttering above them. While on the other side there were food stalls , handmade painting stall and also a Mehendi stall. This year, like the rest of India, the Kala Ghoda Art Festival is also screaming ‘change’ and everything has been fashioned for children.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Olive Senior Essay

Olive Senior is a Jamaican poet of high repute and is the author of Gardening in the Tropics. In this poetry volume Senior seeks to tackle history, moral issues, travel and environmental crises. Senior’s poems are pervaded with irony, humour and sarcasm and her tone is conversational and calm. Senior’s style of writing aids in creating a diacritic voice which is evident in the poems â€Å"Seeing the Light†, â€Å"Meditation on Yellow† and â€Å"Stowaway†. Senior in an interview with Kwame Dawes entitled â€Å"Talk Yuh Talk† admits that she has been haunted by the absence of the Tainos and was always unsatisfied with the image of the Tainos being a simplistic group of people that existed before Columbus’ arrival and then they suddenly became extinct. Her interest in the Tainos is evident in her poems â€Å"Meditation on Yellow† and â€Å"Seeing the Light† where she sows seeds of discourse to the colonial notions that the Europeans achieved anything positive in their conquest. The poem â€Å"Seeing the Light speaks to the destruction of the Caribbean by the Europeans. Their conquest to the â€Å"New World†/Caribbean was aimed at introducing civilization to the Taino society and Christianity through evangelism. Au contraire, their conquest terminated the lives of the Tainos and resulted in severe deforestation. Senior employs a bracketed aside to express counter discourse to the productivity of the European systems. â€Å"(Though in their chronicles they may have recorded it by another name: Conquista? Evangelismo? Civilizacion? )† Senior manipulates Spanish diction which is the tongue of the European colonizers to embellish her argument of counter discourse by mocking and criticizing them. The question marks are utilized to interrogate the Europeans. Additionally, Senior skilfully exploits rhetorical questions to challenge and cast on doubt on the religion of the Europeans and supplement the counter discourse. The speaker proceeds to ask â€Å"Why did those who speak of Light wear black, the colour mourning? Why was their countenance so grave? Why on a dead tree did they nail the bringer of Light, One Cristo, torture and kill him and then ask us to come, bow down and worship him? † These questions subtly enhance the cynical tone of the speaker. The third question is the most crucial as it is a direct counter discourse to the Europeans’ religion and beliefs. The speaker wants to know why the Europeans would kill Jesus Christ, who they worship and then ask the Tainos to bow down and worship him. Furthermore, â€Å"Meditation on Yellow† centers around the theme of exploitation and this relates to the Tainos, Africans and contemporary worker, for example in the tourism industry. Senior deploys a bracketed aside â€Å"(for heat engenders gold and fires the brain)† this creates an extremely sarcastic and critical tone that interrogates the colonial narratives and seeks to question the motives of the Europeans and reveal their lust and desire for gold and their resultant insanity. Senior puts to use appropriate lineation which separates the innocent and peaceful nature of the Tainos from the lustful and insane Europeans. The break makes the distinction between the two groups and adds performativity. In addition, there is usage of pun and humour in the lines â€Å"a bit continent despite your vast holdings† the tone is sarcastic and it emphasizes that despite the Europeans’ immense possessions they cannot hold it in like waste. Moreover, the bracketed aside â€Å"(though I was gratified to note that despite the difference in our skins our piss was exactly the same shade of yellow,† is used to symbolize equality through urine and the diction; â€Å"piss† is extremely crude. In the lines â€Å"I wished for you a sudden enlightenment that† is ironic because the Europeans thought that they had brought or were bringing enlightenment to the Tainos, however it was the Tainos this â€Å"barbaric group of people who wanted to remind them of their location. The voice is again critical and sarcastic as there is counter discourse to the notion that the Europeans were more enlightened and knowledgeable than the Tainos. In these two poems Olive Senior is the vox populi. She has given a voice to the Tainos and Africans whose thoughts have been suppressed and effectively offers a afro -centric perspective to the historical events involving the Europeans and natives. In addition, â€Å"Stowaway† explores the journey of a man who decides to â€Å"stowaway† on a ship to a foreign country for a better life. The diction in this poem mimics a monologue as the reader feels like they are being spoken to. A double entendre appears in the first line, â€Å"there’s this much space between me and discovery† this pun makes the reader aware that the traveller has no space around him and that he will soon be discovered. This pun brings to light the terrifying condition aboard the ship and the uncertainty of the travel time. The repetition of â€Å"I† creates a distinctive voice and adds an element of performativity to the poem. One day light will enter this grave† is another double entendre conveying the idea that the man will soon be caught or he will soon discover this new land/territory. Grave is a metaphor for the ship and is a symbol of darkness and hence there is a biblical allusion to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The tone created is one of isolation, fear and anxiety which accompanies the theme of travel especially in this case as an â€Å"undeclared passeng er† a â€Å"stowaway†. When the speaker decides to just settle down and wait for the ship to dock his tone becomes calm and relaxed, the tempo is slowed down in contrast to the erratic and frenzied rhythm before. Olive Senior employs various poetic devices namely bracketed aside, metaphor, irony and double entendre to skilfully create distinctive voice in her poems with the aid of her effective and stylistic diction and lineation to create counter discourse. She blends these devices and techniques to create tones which contribute to her distinctive voice.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Intergrated marketing communications

The main form of research for my assignment will be through the library and Internet. I will do research into companies that are based out there as Motorola companies will produce company reports, which can be found either on the Internet or in libraries. This section provides a detailed account of the research undertaken to complete this assignment and further, goes on to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each particular method. It is used to give support of the benefits thought to be associated with each research method. With my knowledge of the Chinese markets mixed in as well, I will hopefully Produce assignment that will be unbiased and concise. Executive Summary As the number one of the foreign export-import electronic company in China, was in unique position, Motorola has established a strong infrastructure and developed powerful relationships in China. As the China become more open and developed today, all the world organisations are likely to build their business in China. As the first telecommunication company who is entry in their business in China, Motorola has successfully earned Chinese market, how does this communication skills as they used, this is the main topic of this assignments. 1) China market environment For the BBC news reports: the US businesses community see the world's most populous country as potentially their most profitable market, and the US interests hope an open Chinese market could help pull the economy out of its present slump. Why is that? Thought it took 10 years to build a mobile user base of 10 million in China, the number of subscribers increased from 10 million to 100 million in less than four years. Currently, China mobile telecommunication market is nothing short of Stellar – no other market in the world is adding 5 million mobile subscribes a month (2001) to their customer base. China's mobile communications market, with over 120 million user by mid-2001, has over taken the US to become the largest mobile phone market in the world. China is already the largest market for cellular phones in the world and expected to be the second largest PC market in the world. China is become the second largest telecommunication market by the end the 2003. 1.2) Economic environment — special economic zones in China China now is the biggest consumer market in the world, China have thirteen Special economic zones (SEZ), especially designed for the foreign and private owned investors. The first in Shenzhen in the province of Guangdong in 1979, since then, three further SEZS have been established in south China: Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou in Guangdong, at Xiameng in province of Fujian. After 1984, China making the condition more comfortable for the foreign investment, and in 1998, Hainan Island acquired SEZ status at the same time as being promoted to being autonomous province. The SEZ are able to accept foreign investment in virtually any area of economic activity of interest to China, including all the service and production area. Since 1990, foreigners are now to engage in land development, and to install electric power and telephone service to operate utilities in one of the designated investments zones. All the technologies investments are reduced of taxation. The all of 13 SEZ zones include Dalian, Fujian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hainan, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shantou, Tianjing, Xiamei, Zhandjiagang, and Shenzhen. Preferential administrative producedures and tax incentives would be available for the foreign investors with in economic zones. 1.3) China mobile market information Before we justified Motorola's marketing communications plan, we need look at what kind of market do we stay in at? What is in here? As this assignment's topic is Motorola PLC (China), So we need look at what is China mobile market current situation. As by report, China mobile communication market is developing rapidly. The number of mobile phone subscribers in China increased from 6.85 million in 1996 to 85.26 million in 2000. The year 2000 saw an additional increase of by 41.97 million, exceeding the number of new subscribers of fixed phone networks for the first time of history. From 1996 to the end of 2000, the average annual rate growth rate of mobile phone subscribes remained 95%. By the end of 2000, the population of the mobile phone hold reached 6.7%, it is estimated that the total number of mobile phone subscribers in China will reach 250 million in 2005. So that took 10 years to build a mobile user base of 10 million in China, the number of subscribers increased from 10 million to 100 million in less than four years. Wow, that is how cheerful news for the each company who want doing their business in Chinese market. 2) Organisation—Motorola (China) For the topic above that, I choose Motorola Company in China as my selected company. Motorola inc, the world's leading company in offering integrated communications and imbedded electronics solutions, was set up in 1928, beginning from marking rectifier and motor radio, Motorola grow up in 1940s and 1950s, gradually became a transactional company in 1960s from when it began to develop its overseas market. Now, Motorola has over 110,000 employees around the world. Its operations cover wireless communication, semiconductor, automobile electronic, broad brand, Internet and Internet access products. Motorola is the leader in mobile phone, paging, two-way radio, and commercial GSM and CDMA. In 2001, the company has scored a total sales volume of US $30 billion. Motorola Company established its branch in Beijing in 1987 and registered in Tianjin Motorola semi-conductor and car appliances. In 1992, Motorola has set up Motorola (China) electronics LTD. In Tianjin has begun to produce beep-pager, mobile phone, two-way radio, wireless communication facilities, semiconductor, automobile electronics etc. Motorola is the largest foreign investor in China. Over the past 15 years, company has invested 28.5 billion Yuan ($3.4 billion, about à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.7 billion). Motorola (China) has consisted of 1 owned factory, 1 holding company, 8 R&D facilities and 26 sales offices. Motorola china employs total revenue for 2002 reached 47 billion Yuan ($5.7 billion, about à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.85 billion), up to 16 % from when was ($3.6 billion, about à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.8 billion) one of the largest exports in China. Motorola entered China at a prime time when mobile communication novel idea and no one was selling. As a result, the company enjoy success in selling its pager as tens millions of Chinese wanted convenience and symbol of social status (this is Chinese momentum and a strong emphasis on design and marketing, Motorola hold the largest market share in China, about 28%, as its brand is with best in quality, features and form factor. In 2001, Motorola Company with a total sales volume of $4.9 billion in China entered into a 1.44 billion dollars network construction and expansion contract with suppliers like China telecom and Unicom. The company has a staff about 15,000 in China. Motorola is the number one provider of micro controller products, which more than 18 percent of the global market. Motorola Company has been first in its market share in China in three consecutive years. According to the 500 strongest foreign-invested companies in China, in place of Shanghai Volkswagen, which it has kept title in nine years. Over the years, Motorola has developed a unique strategy for the emphasizing technology transfer, continuing investment and association cultures. The company has invested all its profits from china back gradually localized its China operations (nearly all Motorola China company's Chinese, 75% of managers). At present, Motorola with eight co-invested companies in China is actively implementing various co-operation projects in the fields of new and hi-tech technology research and developments with famous universities, scientific research institutions and enterprise in China. Motorola is a major supplier of mobile communication equipment which including mobile switches, base stations and handsets for GSM and company is one of the few companies that can offer complete CDM (infrastructure and handsets). Until now, Motorola (China) has made up to 64 million (RMB) donations to China hope project, tertiary education, flood salvation and western development. The company has launched brand all of the China, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Zhejiang, Hunan, Tianjing, Suzhou, Hainan, etc. Anywhere have mobile user there is a Motorola. 3) Motorola China mission statement Vision – To be the standard against which others are measured Mission – To make aspiration quality accessible to all Values – Quality value, service, innovation and trust Motorola is China to stay and grow. Motorola has to date invested US $34.5 billion in china and employs 13,000 people on the Chinese mainland. It is the big foreign investor industry and it is one of the biggest American investors in the Chinese market. Motorola's relationship with Chinese government officials is continuing. Incapacity neighbour Beijing, manufacturing pagers, mobile phones, semiconductors and other wireless communications equipment. In April 1998, it moved its north Asian office from Hong Kong to Beijing. Comparing to other foreign competitors, Motorola have a long-term vision in the Chinese market. Motorola entered China in 1987 and registered in 1992 a company in Tianjin, a mu For us to fully understand the recent success of a greatest China â€Å"institution†, and how they can build upon its success, we must first examine the infrastructure of the company itself. 4) Model for Integrated Marketing Communication Integrated Marketing Communication is more than the coordination of a company's outgoing message between different media and the consistency of the message throughout. It is an aggressive marketing plan that captures and uses an extensive amount of customer information in setting and tracking marketing strategy. Steps in an Integrated Marketing system are: 1.Customer Database an essential element to implementing Integrated Marketing that helps to segment and analyse customer-buying habits. 2.Strategies Insight from analysis of customer data is used to shape marketing, sales, and communications strategies. 3.Tactics Once the basic strategy is determined the appropriate marketing tactics can be specified which best targets the specific markets. 4.Evaluate Results Customer responses and new information about buying habits are collected and analysed to determine the effectiveness of the strategy and tactics. 5.Complete the loop. 5) Customer target of Motorola China As the Motorola has wide range of mobile products, the vary of products designed as different of user group. For the Motorola (China), I selected four diverse of target marketing groups that are: fashion user; heavy user, social life lover user and high technology user. * Fashion user Most of young generation and between age 20-40, who loves to carry the new design and functional mobile phones, and change their mobile phone frequently. They more care about their appearance of mobile phones such as size, colour and diversified functions. The advertisement for this group should trend these side of behaviour. However, the product targeting of these group are only a short life cycle, the company should to contours move forward their product design, to lead the mobile market fashion. * Heavy user Normally they are successful businessman and woman, professionals and private company owner, are aged which above 30 years old, with a higher incomer. The people in this group as show in mobile as their necessary tools for their business or jobs, not kind of fashion staff. They always are early holders of mobiles phones, for them, it is good to stick with one brand, not always change, because they don't seems to have a time to use new manure. Therefore, for this group need have much high quality of the product and faultless customer service, also this group is much loyal in certain brands compare with other group, so it is very important to reach this group's customer. * Social life lover user This group might not that rich, but they are very active, enjoys pup, restaurant, nightclub all those kind of staff. They like to make friends and more care about their families. A mobile phone is the best tools for them to communicate with other and keeping in touch. They may not enjoy getting a very attractive appearance or very complicate functional mobile phones; the people in this group are much sensitive to the price of the phone than other groups, because they normally do not have very higher income and only got average salary. They normally are patient to wait about sales promotions in order to get good price with good deals. For this target of view, the profit margin of mobile phones targeting for this group are focused on lower price. However, with the increasing number of the mobile phones holder, this group's people are quickly growth and make more contribution to the growth of the market size. So, we cannot disregard the exist of this group. * Technology user This group's customer are normally male, high educated, the age of them are between 25-50. They are very interested to try advanced technology, and always seek new mobile phones with innovative technology and wide functions. Customers in this group are more likely try some new accessories connecting to the mobile phones and other personal digital equipment, such as ‘Is this mobile phone are good to connect to the laptop or Internet or is this mobile phone have a good camera'? 6) Promotion methods – Cross promotion Sometimes the cross-promotions that happen between different industries work so well. One company actually buys the expertise of the other and opens an outlet incorporating both. Benetton and Motorola rolled out an elegant line of pagers as â€Å"fashion accessories.† The cross-promotional partners' vision is to make the humble pager a fashion statement, with customers wearing matching clothing and pagers on their belts. Motorola persuaded Benetton to license its name and provide â€Å"creative consultation† to Motorola's paging division, which manufactures the new devices. Motorola Pagers, in colours ranging from â€Å"raspberry purple† to â€Å"buttermilk† will be advertised on Benetton models will have the United Colours of Benetton slogan stamped on them, which both gives Motorola and Benetton an advertisement, is called moving advertisement in the China. 6.1) Master card international and Motorola alliance MasterCard International and Motorola companies announced that each would commit resources in a joint effort to make m-commerce a reality for consumers worldwide. Motorola and MasterCard will collaborate on continuing research and development projects to assure interoperability between MasterCard's electronic payment systems and Motorola's wireless Internet devices and platforms. The two companies plan to develop next-generation m-commerce technologies that support the initiatives of the newly formed Global Mobile Commerce Interoperability Group (GMCIG), of which both companies are key members. The alliance also includes cooperation on a number of key initiatives to promote the benefits of m-commerce to consumers through joint marketing activities. The companies also plan to work together to adapt existing, intelligent payment systems for the mobile environment. These systems include MasterCard M/Chip(tm), its chip-based integrated credit/debit system, and Mondex(tm), MasterCard's chip-based electronic cash payment system. Motorola's alliance with MasterCard will enable Motorola to work closely with MasterCard's 22,000 member financial institutions. As a result, Motorola expects to realize continued improvements in the capabilities and functionality of its existing wireless Internet devices and platforms. Both companies also will benefit from the respective experience, leadership and brand recognition of the other – Motorola with its reputation as a global communications leader and pioneer of the wireless Internet, and MasterCard as the most widely-accepted electronic payment brand in the world and a catalyst for the development of m-commerce solutions. 7) List of stakeholders— Motorola China Manufactory & Products: Motorola have a range of products, which include pages, mobile phones, Internet and Internet access products. The integrated electronic system sector, we called them ‘IESS' in Motorola, formally as known as ACCES (automotive, computer and communication components and energy sector), consists as two parts: the energy system group (ESG) and the automotive and industrial electronics group (AIEG). ESG Tannin factory has several SMT assembly lines, with high-precision mounting capability and speed, the factory is capable of producing a wide range of PCB electronics products, to meet the requirements of customers. ESG Tianjin now produces nearly 100 types of batteries of various series for Motorola's company, V series, time port, talk about, two-way radio products and other electronic devices. The Motorola (China) factory is played an important role of Motorola's development strategy. Suppliers: Motorola have about 700 direct supplier or indirect supplier of Motorola China for total 13,000 employees. Distributors: These are the sources for companies to deliver their products throughout the market. The primary distributors are the state funded networks and the larger distributor networks throughout the China. A key government network, sponsored by china mobile, is a key network as it sells and distributes other brands. Another strong channels is companies like Cellstar and bright point which are the world's leading global providers of innovative, value – enhancing logistics services to the wireless communications industry. Another channel outlet is the smaller private exclusive distributorship agreements, which Motorola does not depend heavily on. These partner combinations are important for companies who depend on them to get their products to the ever-expanding market regions. Subscribers: By the year 2003, the Motorola mobile phone subscribes in China will reached 75 million, and the number will go up to 200 million by the year of 2004, but most of the market share will be taken by Motorola. The figure 2 is show in the growth of subscribers. Source: Temple University Customers: as I mentioned above, Motorola (China) separately with different customer user group, every group have their characteristics, we need try to carry out diverse of product design, plan and strategy for those various user group. Employees: Motorola has over 110,000 employees around the world, which Motorola (China) has about 13,000 employees, by the end of last year, Motorola (China) has about 700 managerial staff are Chinese, including about 200 female, which accounts 26% of total number. Government: China government structure plays an interesting role in the assumption that foreign companies will maintain dominance. Retailers: the retail distribution for the mobile phone is severely fragmented, but consolidating with industry growth and expansion. As mentioned previously, because of its dominant position, china mobile serves as a major distributor for mobile phone technology producers. Major department stores and retail outlets provide another key outlets for distribution. There is no one way to get products to consumers, as no one company has access to all of the markets in the nation, so providers must develop relationships with many types of outlets to gain market advantage. This is changing as the larger outlets and suppliers are buying up smaller retailers to consolidate their retail capabilities. 8) Marketing goals For the Motorola marketing goals, I think one of the most significant developments in business in recent years has been rapid growth of international activities. Exporting, foreign direct investment and sourcing of products and components abroad have expanded dramatically. Many firms enter new international markets make their company more competitively and new product growing more quickly. The market entry relates to the easy or difficultly with which a firm can become a member of a group of competing firms by producing a close substitute for the products they are offering. The firms must develop a range of products, assets, marketing strategy and management activities for the new market entered. Motorola will emphasis on facilities to make wireless telecom equipment, mobile phone handsets and semiconductors, it already told the largest investor in China electronics industry. Motorola will carries out a win -win development strategy from beginning and bring idea of taking China as its home and development base, to win the Chinese government and people's heart. Example as: with development over 15 years, Motorola has made a big success in China and been turned into a famous brand. In 2000, Motorola (China) is the leading company of 1,000 high-tech companies by china high-tech enterprise evaluation centre. In 2001, Motorola (China) was the biggest foreign import-export company in China. 8.1) Corporate goals In an effort to retake global market share, Motorola is relying on its long-standing local investments, self-expressive branding campaign, and redesigned products platforms to dominate critical emerging markets. Motorola company would continue to invest all of the proceeds of the company the company made from China in expanding production and China's accession into the world trade organization (WTO) and will sell a half of the company's products on the international market. 9) Case at Motorola pull strategy Motorola will purchase US $10.5 billion of components from the Chinese market and will export more than US $12 billion worth of commodities at 2004. Motorola will be using Japan's most popular 3D graphics technologies in its new mobile phones in an effort to claw back sales from market leader Nokia and rising star Samsung. 3D graphics are expected to be a standard feature on mobile phone handsets, especially. Just as with PCs, mobile devices will soon have separate processors for handling graphics because this eases the main processor's workload and allows more complex and better looking applications to be executed. The 3D games will pull some mobile phone users to upgrade. 9.1)) Motorola push strategy Motorola setting up a new application development centre to promote wireless data services among Chinese networks. The company plans to help local telecommunications operators link up with application developers to offer quality control, engineering and logistics support as well as sales and marketing help. Mobile phone companies worldwide are moving to set up data-oriented 3G networks to boost capacity, improve coverage areas, and offer services such as 2.4-megabit-per-second wireless broadband. The data-oriented services are also expected to help make up for plunging revenue from voice calls. 10) Example of marketing communication mix — Motorola Motorola, the world's second largest wireless phone market, held its 2003 product launch in Shanghai, China, with a line up of handsets clearly meant to appeal to buyers not just on functionality but also stylish. As Motorola has historically been perceived as engineering – driven company and its products have reflected that heritage. While that approach has yield some of the market's hall of frame products – such as the 1996 introducing of the star TAC – today's mobile handset market is increasingly focusing on the youth market, where designs that reflected their style s and ‘personal expression' are key. Motorola's product launch event in China was more that just an opportunity to release its new handsets. It was also a showcase meant to highli9ghtr the company's new mindset and marketing strategy that should help it build market share. The Motorola campaign and the 2003 product line seek to embrace that trend. The 2003 line showed off many evolutionary products, including phones with advanced colour displays, a new 3G phones, and a new technology called ‘haptics' that envelops the user in what is best described as a ‘vibration field' that differs depending on the caller. The new handsets also have a strong focus on picture messaging, with many models offering built-in cameras. The company is also keeping cost and manufacturing efficiencies in perspective. Motorola is increasingly adopting the practice of reusing the same chipset and wrapping different hardware and software ‘skin' around them to offer a different looking g product- build on products and sell it in four different ways, there by appealing to a wider range of audiences. Well, today, handsets are not only tools, there are fashion statements, and something can show with personal styles. Motorola now is appealing to there sense of style, in addition to offering advanced phone features. During that lunch, one thing is clear: this is a company that knows that brand equity and defining the brand are important factors. The 200 analysts and media who attend lunch events – every advertising surface between the airport and the hotel were covered with their ‘hello Motorola ‘ ad campaign. The product rollout was treated like a movie premier – something Motorola would never have done few years ago – featuring Motomodels, Motococktails and have course Motophones. The event clearly showed how management has completely retooled and refocused its product strategy for the better. 11) Motorola's strategy plan As Motorola kept their intimated relationship with Chinese government from the beginning of the time when they entered Chinese market, so Chinese government always is the strongest support for the Motorola (China). > The major investment focus will still be around north China's Tianjin area where it launched it production base in 1980s. It will put over two billion Yuan (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½151 million) on Tianjin based Motorola (China) electronic company with in next five years. > The strategy of Motorola is not to seeking quick money returns, but also has a long-term commitment to the China market. The Motorola (China) will adhere to a principle of introducing the latest technology to Chinese market and continues operate with smooth co-operation with domestic partners in the market. The famous 2+3+3 strategy for the Motorola of Chinese operation, this strategy which include building China into a worldwide manufacturing and R&D base for the telecommunications equipment giant. It includes three new growth areas including semiconductors, broadband and digital trucking systems and three $10 billions goals through 2006. > Local sourcing is an important development rule for Motorola in China. Motorola hope takes part of China economic construction by enforcing this rule and strengthening its co-operation with Chinese enterprise. > Motorola will choosing local company supplier, helping them improving their management, enhancing efficiency and promoting quality regulation system, or even will bring them into contract with foreign regulation system. Example as: in year 2001, Motorola had a RMB13.3 billion purchase from Chinese enterprise, including RMB 3.3 billion by overseas branches of Motorola, the amount which is much high than other foreign companies in China. > For the long-standing Chinese culture and specially background (Chinese government are controlled by the communist party), so that Motorola will choose their management team locally. Example: Motorola offering a huge range of training program for their Chinese employee, by the end of 2001, Motorola has a 767 managerial employees are Chinese, which is account of 26% of the total management number. 12) Localization Knowing that consumer preference in the Chinese market is quite different from that in the US or UK market, Motorola started to localize its product development after the initial poor performance of pure ‘global' strategy. Now Motorola adapts its models to meet the specific demand form local markets rather than simply throw the current products into the market without any adjustment. The R&D centre in China successfully developed software to show the menu in Chinese and input Chinese characters. In 1999, a combination PDA/phone, which was designed by Chinese engineers, was launched in China and spread to the us and European countries. Motorola localization strategy also includes local souring. The company takes initiative in establishing relationships with local suppliers. 7 years ago, 65% of components were imported, while 69% of components are purchased locally now. Local souring brings Motorola three major benefits: lowering manufacturing cost, reducing risks from currency fluctuation, and catering to Chinese government's requirements. 13) Advertising and promotions targeted to market groups According to my analysis above, Motorola has four target customer groups, and there are four sub-brands to respectively target the 4 market segments: time port to heavy user, accompli to technology user, V. to fashion user, and talk about to social-life lovers. Different advertisings and promotions are implemented to target these 4 specific categories, which are show in below: Figure 2. Advertising and promotions targeted to market groups

Saturday, September 14, 2019

A Separate Peace Essay

In the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles the question is presented â€Å"what is a true friend?† The author challenges the question by manifesting two main characters, Finny and Gene, to have a type of rivalry relationship. Finny is a self-confident, outgoing, and athletic person. Awhile on the other hand Gene is quiet, competitive, and intelligent person. Gene gains jealous thoughts which in the end lead their friendship too gradually to fall apart. The author creates a challenge that frustrates both Finny and Gene to test both side of their relationship. As an example the author shows Finny’s fall in the climax of the book is due to Gene being jealous of him which then leads to Finny’s tragic injury.†I was not of the same quality as he. I couldn’t stand this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Knowles 52). Gene was surrounded with depression and major guilt. I feel that, with friendship there is always going to be envious feelings towards the other party no matt er what, but not to a point of possibly injuring them or hurting them really bad. Another incident is when Gene wears Finny’s clothes while he is recovering from his injury. This brings out the thought that Gene missed Finny and he had a feeling of loneness, but however he is also replacing him in his athletics.†Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play for me† (Knowles 76). Due the past altercations, Gene will play for Finny, not only because he was the second best player but Finny was injured. So I guess you can say he qualifies for his replacement. This shows that in a friendship or relationship, when two friends have had an argument in the past that has lead to loneliness, an empty feeling, and non communication, but in the end this is the factors that makes a friendship stronger when they finally talk again for the first time in a long period of time and they both feel the love and welcoming type of feeling. The last incident that occurs shows the true feelings of friendship illustrated by the author is, this is when Finny falls down the stairs and  he breaks his leg for the second time. But sadly in the end e eventually dies in surgery when the doctor begins his procedure on Finny’s leg to try to fix it. The doctor then explains that the marrow of the bone escaped and went throughout his bloodstream leading to his heart killing him. Gene didn’t cry for one reason, when he was at Finny’s funeral, he felt as if this was his own.†I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case†(Knowles 184). Gene is mad at himself for endangering Finny’s life by bouncing and unbalancing the tree branch as Finny leaped out towards the water and in the end unintentionally ending his Finney’s life. John Knowles wrote the sad story of when friends obtain the feelings of envy or jealousy, on their journey to discover the true meaning of what they thought was a true friend. Their jealous cravings lead them to their tragedy and this is the major factor that brought their friendship to a end. The question â€Å"What is a true friend?† can only be answered in your opinion for there is no true definition of true friends because everyone is different and therefore think differently and has a different opinion on the subject. A Separate Peace Essay The book, A Separate Peace was written by John Knowles. It was first published in 1959. It tells the story Gene Forrester, a former student at a prep school in New Hampshire, who returns to the school after he graduates. While he is there, He remembers the summer of 1942. When he walks up to a tree by the river, he remembers his friend and roommate Phineas. Phineas was the best athlete in the entire school. From then on the story moves back to 1942 at the school named Devon. Phineas’ athleticism inspires Gene to become one of the smartest kids in the school. He starts to do well in school until he failed a test because of a trip to the beach with Phineas. When this happens, he blames Phineas for him failing. He begins to get angry with Phineas and tries to stay focused until one day when Phineas persuades Gene to go and jump from a tree into the river. Gene thinks this is just another attempt to pull him from his studies so when he and Phineas are standing on the tree limb, Gene Jounces the limb to cause Phineas to lose his balance and fall to the river bank. Phineas shatters his leg and this accident cost him his athletic career. Gene felt guilty about the incident and tries to confess to Phineas. Phineas refused to believe what happened and continued to think that it was just an accident. Once Phineas returns to the school, he convinced Gene to train for the 1944 Olympics. Gene tried to explain that this would be impossible with World War II going on so Phineas persuaded him to believe that the war is fake. Gene accepted his explanation and began to train for the Olympics. Then one day, Brinker Hadley brings the boys and some of their friends together for a mock trial to accuse Gene for being responsible for the accident. When another boy shares his view of the story saying that he saw Gene Jounce the limb, Phineas leaves the room in anger. While walking down the stairs, he fell and broke his leg again. While talking to Phineas in the hospital, Gene insists that he didn’t mean to hurt him. Phineas accepts his apology and they remain friends. The next day in surgery, marrow from Phineas’ leg leaked into his blood stream making its way to his heart and killing him. Gene looked back after the war and realized that his real enemy was his own jealousy of Phineas. A Separate Peace Essay In chapter four the doppelganger is starting to form. Gene is starting to believe that there is a deadly rivalry between Finny and him. Gene is striving to win the valedictorian which means he has to study hard. Gene thinks that when he wins valedictorian that Finny and him will finally be even. Gene asks Finny if he minds that Gene is trying to win valedictorian, Finny replies, â€Å"I’d kill myself out of jealous envy† (52). Gene believes this. Gene has a lot of bitterness towards Finny since Finny is a star athlete and can talk his way out of any trouble he gets in to. To help deal with the bitterness Gene starts to tell himself that Finny is also jealous of Gene’s academic abilities. This bitterness towards Finny helps Gene advance in classes to bother Finny. Gene starts to think that Finny purposely tries to ruin his study times. Gene is starting to realize that Finny was never trying to compete with Gene with him. Gene then goes into deeper bitterness than he was in before, Gene believes that Finny is superior. This foreshadows when Gene shakes the tree limb. When Finny falls off the tree, this is the climax of the story since Gene and Finny are doppelgangers and only one of them can exist, and the one that is trying to hurt the other Gene. Finny was never trying to hurt Gene in any way but it was all in Gene’s mind. The doppelganger is a conflict that goes on through out the whole book, Gene is always trying to get rid of Finny and compete with him meanwhile, Finny never means to harm anyone. When Finny dies, Gene shed no tears because Finny and him were one, and he couldn’t cry at his own funeral. A Separate Peace Essay It is important to confront reality, no matter how harsh it is. People will always face difficult situations, but avoiding them is often more dangerous than the situation itself. In his novel, A Separate Peace, Knowles explores what can happen when a person or even an institution tries to avoid painful circumstances. In the story, Gene, the protagonist, and his friends are students at the Devon boarding school; and the troubling issues they face are wars, the external, World War II, and the intimate conflicts that often arise between close friends. Knowles uses the motif of the transformation of Devon, Finny, and Gene to show the importance of confronting head-on the wars within and around them. Devon boarding school shields Gene and his classmates from the hardships of World War II. Gene’s class, the â€Å"Upper Middlers,† are too young for the draft. This causes the teachers at Devon to see them as the last evidence of â€Å"the life the war was being fought to preserve† (29). The teachers are afraid to expose the boys to the terror of war and so they hide it from them. While throughout the country, others participate in the war effort, Gene and his classmates remain apart and spend their time â€Å"calmly reading Virgil† (24). Because of this separation, the war becomes â€Å"completely unreal† (24) to the Upper Middlers. The entire world appears to be churning in the upheaval of the war, but Devon tries to remain the same, shielding the boys from its hardships. Unfortunately, when the effects of the war inevitably come to Devon, its attempts at avoidance result in a negative transformation with bitter and unintended consequences. In its efforts to deny the war’s existence, Devon changes from idyllic and relaxed in the Summer Session to rigid and uncompromising in the Winter Session. In the summer at Devon, the boys play games on the â€Å"healthy green turf brushed with dew† to the calming sounds of â€Å"cricket noises and the bird cries of dusk† (24). Such imagery makes Devon seem like a peaceful oasis for the Upper Middlers. However, this relaxed atmosphere of the Summer Session ends with Finny’s fall from the tree at Devon River. Jumping from the tree was an activity originally designed to prepare soldiers for war and Finny’s injury from it represents the boys’ first experience with the pain that war brings. To Devon, Finny’s fall proves that the relaxed atmosphere of the Summer Session could not protect the boys from the reality of war. As a result, Devon rejects the carefree environment of the Summer Session and changes into a strict school where â€Å"continuity is stressed† (73) in the Winter Session. This transformation proves negative as evidenced by Knowles stark change in his description of the Winter Session. For example, while in the Summer Session the boys freely roamed the â€Å"healthy green turf† of Devon’s fields, they crowd into the dark â€Å"Butt Room† a smoking room that Gene compares to a â€Å"dirty dungeon†¦ in the bowels of the dormitory† (88). Where once the boys played in beautiful fields, they are now confined in close, dark rooms. Gene further classifies the transformation as negative by immediately remarking that â€Å"peace [has] deserted Devon† (72) when he returns for the Winter Session. In attempting to avoid the effects of the war, Devon sacrifices its status as a haven for the boys. When the reality that the world is at war inevitably strikes Devon, its transformation makes it less able to deal with the effects of the war. Gene compares the inexorable arrival of the war to the snow that blankets the school grounds. He calls the snowflakes â€Å"invaders† that cover the â€Å"carefully pruned shrubbery bordering the crosswalks† and likens them to the â€Å"invasion of the war on the school† (93). In making this comparison, Gene seems to show that just as Devon’s â€Å"carefully pruned shrubbery† cannot escape the snowfall, its structured atmosphere cannot escape the war. In fact, it is that structured atmosphere that makes the war seem all the more attractive to the very boys Devon tried so desperately to protect. Representing this is the Upper Middlers’ decision to clear snow from train tracks designed to transport troops. This is their first serious contribution to the war effort and requires that they travel away from Devon, symbolizing their desire to leave their school and participate in the war effort. As they work, the boys see a train car of soldiers whom they view as â€Å"elite† in comparison to their â€Å"drab ranks† (101). Directly after seeing the troops, all they boys can discuss is the â€Å"futility of Devon and how [they] would never have war stories to tell [their] grandchildren† (102). The boys see Devon’s strict unchanging atmosphere as inadequate amidst the upheaval of the war. As a result, the Upper Middlers slowly reject Devon, resigning from clubs, leaving the school to enlist in the war, and losing their academic vigor. They resent Devon for keeping them from the war and remain forever distant from it. Gene exhibits this distance when he describes Devon after graduating. Gene calls Devon a â€Å"hard and shiny† (11) museum; he feels no connection to it. He finally concludes that â€Å"The more things stay the same, the more they change after all† (14). In trying to remain untouched by the war, Devon changed to a school that pushed its students to the very war it tried to avoid. Like Devon, Finny does not accept the hardships or existence of war in his life. Throughout the story, Finny embraces the glorified aspects of war, but refuses to accept its atrocities. For example, Finny wears his pink shirt to celebrate the Americans bombing of Central Europe. However, when he realizes that the bombing killed women and children, he tells Gene that he doesn’t think the bombing took place. He does not want to believe that innocent people are often casualties of war. Eventually, Finny decides that the war cannot exist because it causes too much suffering. Similarly, Finny calls Gene his â€Å"best pal† (48) and openly displays his affection for him. However, when Gene confesses to deliberately jouncing him from the limb out of jealousy, Finny refuses to listen. He cannot accept that a friend could become an enemy. Eventually, Finny’s denial of the conflicts in his life lead to a negative transformation. In trying to retain his rejection of the war, Finny changes from a confident, athletic leader into an embittered invalid. In the summer, Finny excels, becoming a natural leader of the boys and easily winning over teachers. Finny is also physically impressive as evidenced by Gene’s description of him playing in the Devon River. Gene says that Finny is in â€Å"exaltation,† with glowing skin and muscles â€Å"aligned in perfection† (34). In this description, Finny seems like an ideal, almost God like figure, completely in control and confident. Finny’s injury at the end of Summer Session, however, signals a dark transformation. Gene shakes the limb Finny is standing on while about to jump off the tree at Devon River and Finny falls and breaks his leg. Because Gene deliberately jounced Finny out of a tree used to prepare the seniors for war, Finny’s fall and subsequent injury symbolizes a forced confrontation with the potential pain of World War II and the war between Gene and himself. Rather than working through the hardship and pain, Finny rejects his former status as an athlete and leader and lets his injury define him as an isolated invalid. Instead of using his athletic abilities to overcome his injury, Finny seems to remain permanently maimed. Although his leg heals and his cast becomes so small that an â€Å"ordinary person could have managed it with hardly a limp noticeable† (157), Finny’s gait is permanantely changed. His inability to heal completely from his injury symbolizes his inability to confront and move on from the conflicts that caused it. Similarly, Finny loses his place as a leader among the Upper Middlers. When Finny returns to Devon for the Winter Session, he finds that the war dominates the Upper Middlers’ conversations. Finny does not believe the war exists and so he isolates himself and stops spending as much time with his peers. Where once he was a natural leader, he becomes an outcast to preserve his disbelief in the war. Finny’s negative transformation makes him more vulnerable to the wars in his life. At the end of the Winter Session, Brinker conducts a mock trial and convicts Gene of his role in Finny’s injury. Finny is again forced to face the reality of Gene’s jealousy. Furthermore, during the trial, Finny speaks to Leper for the first time after his return from the army. Leper’s insanity, induced by the war, forces Finny to confront its painful implications. Because of Finny’s transformation, he is even more susceptible to these implications. Symbolizing this are the events following the mock trial. After Brinker convicts Gene, Finny falls while trying to run away. He re-breaks his leg, reopening the wound of the summer and revisiting the pain of the wars in his life. Where before the injury only crippled Finny, this time, Finny eventually dies from it. Just as his invalid state made him more vulnerable to re-injuring his leg, Finny’s transformation in response to the war made him more vulnerable to it. Unlike Devon and Finny, Gene faces the reality of the war around him and his inner struggle with Finny. While Gene enjoys the peaceful atmosphere of Devon in the Summer Session, he recognizes its inadequacies. Gene explains, â€Å"Perhaps I alone knew†¦ Devon had slipped through their [the professors’] fingers during the warm over looked months† (73). Gene realizes that the Summer Session, and the realities it avoided, would be the undoing of Devon. Furthermore, while the other Upper Middlers deny the existence of the war, Gene understands it at a deep level. Gene explicitly says, â€Å"The war was and is reality for me† (32). He embraces the war instead of masking it. Similarly, Gene recognizes the inner war with Finny. Gene knows that he deliberately jounced the limb of the tree so that Finny would fall. He repeatedly tries to confess this to Finny, openly and inwardly confronting his jealousy. Finally, when Leper goes to war and is discharged for mental instability, Gene is the only student who visits him in his home and sees him in his worst state. Gene is able to witness the shock and horror of the war. Because of his ability to face the wars around and within him, Gene undergoes a positive transformation. Gene confronts the conflicts in his life and uses them to mature from a fearful, insecure boy to a balanced and strong man. Initially, Gene identifies the presence of fear in his life. As an adult reflecting on his childhood, Gene can see â€Å"with great clarity the fear [he] had lived in† (10). Gene is also initially in-athletic. While Finny garners many athletic awards, Gene does not often participate in sports and focuses on his studies. This makes Gene feel inferior to Finny and so he often succumbs to Finny’s desires, often at the expense of his own academic success. Gene feels inadequate and insecure in the Summer Session, but the Winter Session signals a change within him. Before returning to Devon for the Winter Session, Gene visits Finny and confesses his guilt. After confronting his jealousy and confessing to Finny, Gene returns to Devon and becomes increasingly independent and secure. Symbolizing this is Gene’s experience in the Naguamsett River. On his first day back to Devon, Gene falls into the â€Å"ugly, saline,† (79) waters of the Nagaumasett. Incidentally, Gene calls this encounter with the filthy waters a â€Å"baptism.. on the first day of this winter session† (79). This use of the word baptism, a term associated with initiation or rebirth, seems to convey that Gene is beginning a new life. Just as he emerges renewed from the gritty disgusting waters of the Nagaumasett, he emerges renewed from his painful, uncomfortable confrontation of his inner war with Finny. Directly following Gene’s â€Å"baptism,† Finny returns to Devon as an invalid and he and Gene’s roles reverse. Now, It is Finny who needs Gene, both physically and emotionally, to help him deal with his injury and his functioning at Devon. Gene’s sudden athletic prowess represents this role reversal. Since Finny cannot participate in sports, he trains Gene. As he excels in his training, Gene notices that Finny seems â€Å"older†¦. nd smaller too† (121). He then realizes that he is actually bigger and Finny is only smaller by comparison. Gene has used the conflict in his life to leave behind his insecurities and become a strong, independent man. Gene’s transformation proves positive as it enables him to grow from the conflicts in his life. The results of the mock trial do no break Gene like the do Finny. He has already confronted his jealousy and guilt, and is secure enough to withstand the pain. Likewise, when Gene finally graduates from Devon and enlists in the army, he endures the war without losing his sanity like Leper. Gene is able to do this because he â€Å"already fought [his] war† (204) at Devon. He learned to confront harsh realities, and therefore can overcome them. As an adult, Gene is able to return to Devon content and secure, having made his â€Å"escape from† (10) the fear that plagued his childhood. His ability to confront his wars enable him to mature through them. Devon, Finny, and Gene all transform throughout the story. However, Devon and Finny changed to avoid the war, but Gene changed to grow from it. These transformations and stark difference in their outcomes powerfully convey the importance of unflinchingly confronting wars without and within. A Separate Peace Essay One of the main focuses in the novel A Separate Peace is the friendship of Gene Forrester and Phineas. One would assume that two completely opposite people wouldn’t have such a strong relationship. They both have different views of the world. Where one would find strength the other finds weakness. With having two opposing personalities as the main characters, it’s easy for the reader to identify with one more than the other. It also gives the reader a chance to admire, as well as pity, both Gene and Phineas. One of the most important differences between Gene and Finny is their views of the world. Gene has a more cynical world view. On the other hand, Finny’s view of the world is very pure and naive. Finny truly believes that everyone is good in the world. Another thing that sets Gene apart from Finny is their strengths and weaknesses. Gene is one of the top students of his class, while Finny just gets by with below average grades. But what Finny lacks in academic achievements, he makes up for in athletics. Read more:  Write about a person you admire essay Finny also has the natural ability to lead others and has a non conforming attitude, whereas Gene is follower and has a more conforming attitude. As well as many other novels, A Separate Peace includes easily relatable characters. While reading the novel, I discovered that there are certain qualities of both Gene and Finny that I can identify with. After careful consideration, I realized that I most identify with Gene rather than Finny. He and I both are drawn to people with larger than life personalities. I can also relate to his insecure feelings that come with having friendships with those types of personalities. His strength in academics is another trait of his that I can identify with. Even though I identify more with Gene, I also pity him. I pity that his jealousy pushed him to do something so harmful to his supposed best friend. I also pity that fact that he doesn’t have enough self confidence to tell Finny the truth. That being said, the person I admire would be Finny. He has this natural ability for being a leader, and it’s said several times that he can get away with anything. I also admire that instead of him moping about his leg, he twisted his own reality just to be happy. In conclusion, the main relationship in A Separate Peace involves two people with opposing personalities. They both view the world differently. Gene has more of a pessimistic view of the world, while Phineas’s view of the world is very innocent. Where Phineas finds strength, Gene finds weakness. While I indentify more with the character Gene, I also pity him for the outcome of his poor decisions. Instead, I admire Phineas. I admire his self confidence and attitude towards life. A Separate Peace Essay In the book, A Separate Peace, the author, John Knowles, writes to us a novel about war, but happens to focus more on the war within the human heart. This novel tells a story of two boys’ co-dependency during World War Two, and explores the difficulties with understanding the self during adolescence. Identity is complicated enough as the narrator, Gene Forrester, enters adulthood in a time of war, but a difficult friendship with a fellow student and rival leads to a further confusion of identity. Early in the book, the boys’ relationship is charged by Gene’s jealousy and hate of Phineas’ leadership. However, after Phineas falls from the tree, Gene ejects his darker feelings from himself and turns their relationship in a new direction where co-dependency, instead of envy, drives it. The central relationship between Gene and Finny, involves a troublesome search to authorize identity outside of co-dependency. Gene Forrester is a boy with many conflicts that he must face throughout his high school year. The most significant of these troubles is, without a doubt, Gene’s struggle with his own identity. At first Gene is displeased with his personality, or lack thereof. He envies his best friend, Phineas’ (Finny’s), wit, charm, and leadership. Throughout the book, Gene repeatedly finds himself acting like his friend, a transformation occurring that Gene is unaware of. There are a number of significant transformations within this story. Phineas is transformed from an active athlete into a cripple after his accident and then sets out to transform Gene in his place. This change is the beginning process by which Gene’s identity begins to blur into Finny’s, a transformation symbolized by Gene’s putting on Finny’s clothes one evening soon after the accident. â€Å"I washed the traces off me and then put on a pair of chocolate brown slacks, a pair in which Phineas had been particularly critical of when he wasn’t wearing them, and a blue flannel shirt† (78). This is the first time in the book that we notice just how much Gene is codependent on Phineas, even when he is gone. From this point on, Gene and Phineas come to depend on each other for psychological support. Gene playing sports because Phineas cannot, â€Å"Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this allows Finny to train Gene to be the athlete that Finny himself cannot be. This training seems to be a path for Phineas simply to live vicariously through Gene. But Gene actively welcomes his attempt, for just as Finny acquires inner strength through Gene, Gene also finds happiness in losing the person he dislikes, himself, into the person he truly likes, Phineas. †¦and I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become part of Phineas. † (77) In this way, the boys’ relationship becomes a perfect illustration of co-dependency, with each feeling off of and becoming fulfilled by, the other. This newfound co-dependency begins the evolution of the boys’ individual identities. Finny knows himself throughout the book, and is comfortable in his own skin, at least at first. After his fall, he becomes more withdrawn and tends to hide his true feelings. He seems to lose himself as the book progresses. The innocence and general good nature that defined him early on is lost in later chapters, as he continually deludes himself as to Gene’s true intentions. Gene, on the other hand, hides his true identity from Phineas and the others through most of the novel. Yet Gene truly reveals himself at several key points such as pushing Finny from the tree. The boys are living in their own secret illusions that World War Two is a mere conspiracy created by old men and continuing to believe that Gene, Finny through him, will go to the Olympics and that the world can’t change their dreams. The boys are refusing to develop their own goals and responsibilities without each other. Not even Finny’s death, though it separates them physically, can truly disentangle Gene’s identity from Phineas’. Gene feels as though Finny’s funeral is his own. In a way, the funeral is indeed Gene’s own. So much of Gene is intermixed with Phineas that it is difficult to imagine one boy existing without the other. The entire novel becomes Gene’s recollection of building his own identity, culminating in his return to Devon years later, where he is finally able to come to terms with what he’s done. During the time I was with him, Phineas created an atmosphere in which I continued now to live, a way of sizing up the world with erratic and entirely personal reservations, letting it’s rocklike facts sift through and be accepted only a little at a time, only as much as he could assimilate without a sense of chaos and loss† (194). It is perhaps only his understanding that Phineas alone has no enemy that allows the older Gene to reestablish a separate identity. One that is inferior to Phineas’. A Separate Peace Essay One of the most asked questions for A Separate Peace is: who exactly is the protagonist and antagonist? Most would agree that Gene is the protagonist, however is it Gene or Phineas that is the enemy? I believe that the real ‘bad guy’ in this book is Gene. He envied Phineas from the very beginning but didn’t admit it until a little later on. Whether it was getting away from trouble, having a natural athletic ability, or simply being modest and humble about things, Phineas seemed to have been better at almost everything. In this novel, many events occur between Gene and Finny that foreshadow the inner conflict Gene faces. For example, Gene and Finny are rebellious and often end up in trouble with the teachers. However, because of Finny’s smooth words, he is able to get the both of them away from punishment almost every single time. After getting out of trouble multiple times, Gene admits that he couldn’t help but envy Finny â€Å"just a little bit.† Small events like those happened often, and the reader can sense a feeling of jealousy growing inside of Gene. As Finny continued to be absolutely great at everything, Gene began to envy him more. Due to Gene’s inner conflict, their friendship dramatically changes. Gene plays the main character also known as the protagonist. He’s the narrator and brings the readers back fifteen years before as he tells his story of his life at Devon School. His actions and discoveries are what create the plot. For example, because Gene becomes a bitter and jealous person, he ends up creating a theory that Phineas is his rivalry (discovery). The darkness inside himself subconsciously forces him to jounce the limb, making Phineas fall (plot). Although Gene is the protagonist, I believe he is also the antagonist. In the book, Gene and Phineas have a good friendship; there were no arguments and they got along just fine. Gene, however, begins to envy Finny with things as simple as smooth words and athletic ability. As time progressed, the darkness inside of Gene grew and eventually it was full on competition. An antagonist is someone who opposes the main character, and oddly enough Gene opposes himself. He creates this fake assumption that Phineas is trying to be the better person. Unfortunately he got his theory mixed up with reality causing his friendship with Finny to fall down hill. â€Å"I found a single sustaining thought; you and Phineas were even. You are both coldly driving ahead for yourselves alone.† When it all comes down, Phineas is both the protagonist and antagonist. He is the main character yet he is his own enemy. His inner conflicts and insecure thoughts caused him to ruin his best friend along with their friendship. This book can teach the readers a great lesson about friendship and consequences when you start losing yourself to jealousy and envy; it certainly taught me something! A Separate Peace Essay In John Knowles’ novel A Separate Peace, it begins with the protagonist, Gene Forrester coming back to his alma mater the Devon School in New Hampshire. Wandering through the campus, Gene makes his way to a tall tree by the river; the reason for his return. From here he takes the reader back to the year 1942 during World War II when he was in high school. During the summer session of 1942, he becomes close friends with his daredevil roommate Finny. Finny is able to convince Gene into making a dangerous jump out of a tree into a river, and the two start a secret society based on this ritual. Gene slowly begins to envy Finny’s athletic capabilities and his innocence, and thinks that Finny envies him in return. Gene finally realizes that there was never any rivalry between them when, one day, Finny expresses a genuine desire to see Gene succeed. While still in shock, he goes with Finny to the tree for their jumping ritual. When Finny reaches the edge of the branch, Gene’s knees bend, shaking the branch and causing Finny to fall to the bank and shatter his leg. He goes to see Finny and begins to admit what happened, but the doctor interrupts him, and Finny is sent home before Gene gets another chance to confess. On his way back to school from vacation, he stops by Finny’s house and tries to tell him the truth about what happened. Finny refuses to listen to him, and Gene rescinds his confession and continues on to school. World War II is in full swing and the boys at Devon are all eager to enlist in the military. Brinker Hadley, a prominent class politician, tells Gene that they enlist together, and Gene agrees. But later that night, he finds Finny has returned to school. Both Gene and Brinker decide not to enlist. Brinker organizes a meeting with their classmates and has Gene and Finny come without notice. The boys question the two about the fall. Finny does not say much because he cannot remember clearly, and Gene claims that he doesn’t remember the details of it. The boys now bring in Leper, who was sighted earlier in the day skulking about the bushes, and Leper begins to implicate Gene. Finny declares that he does not care about the facts and rushes out of the room. Hurrying on the stairs, he falls and breaks his leg again. Gene sneaks over to the school’s infirmary that night to see Finny, who angrily sends him away. The next morning, he goes to see Finny again, takes full blame for the tragedy and apologizes. Finny accepts these statements and the two are reconciled. Later, during an operation on Finny’s leg, something goes wrong, killing him. Gene receives the news with  relative calmness; he feels that he has become a part of Finny and will always be with him. At the end of the novel Gene reflects on the constant enmity that plagues the human heart—a curse from which he believes that only Finny was immune. I believe that John Knowles titled his novel A Separate Peace because Gene gains a separate peace with himself. Even though he hurt Finny and had lots of conflict with him and troubling finding himself, at the end he is able to feel at peace. It was a different peace than he was expecting. The novel focused on the inner wars we wage with ourselves. Even in the midst of a world war, Gene battles his inner demons and defeats his worst enemy inside himself and thus creates a different, a separate peace for himself. The four main characters in A Separate Peace are the protagonist, Gene Forrester, the antagonist, Brinker Hadley, and two of their classmates Finny and Elwin â€Å"Leper† Lepellier. If I were to describe Gene in five words, I would say that he is insecure, envious, loyal, competitive, and honest. I would describe Brinker as authoritative, demanding, intelligent, responsible, and mature. Finny is outgoing, free-spirited, mischievous, vulnerable, and charismatic. And Leper is gentle, contemplative, quiet, bright, and bold. My first impression of the protagonist, Gene was that he very much a follower and not a leader. Right from the start he â€Å"let Finny talk [him] into stupid things† (17) and felt that â€Å"he was getting some kind of hold over [him]† (17). But he still jumped from the tree anyway. Another time I was able to see this was when Finny suggested that they go to the beach and Gene had thought of all the risks such as â€Å"expulsion, destroyed . . . studying [he] was going to do for an important test the next morning, blasted the reasonable amount of order [he] wanted to maintain in [his] life, and . . . the kind of long, labored bicycle ride [he] hated† (46). But his response was still â€Å"’ [a]all right’† (46). These actions of continuing to follow what others do, specifically Phineas is on Phineas’ first day back after his fall. Finny tells Gene for the first time that he was working towards the 1944 Olympics, but with his broken leg, he can no longer achieve that goal, which gives him the idea to train Gene for them instead. â€Å"And not believing him, not forgetting that troops were being shuttled toward battlefields all over the world, [he] went along, as [he] always did† (117). Gene does not only show this willingness to go along with just Finny, but Brinker as well. My first impression of  the antagonist, Brinker Hadley was that he is very authoritative and that he is definitely a leader. The first time I was able to see this was after their long day of service to the war effort when a group of boys including Brinker and Gene were in the butt room, and Brinker had told everyone that â€Å"[he was] giving it up† (100) and that he would enlist the next day. I saw it as him taking advantage of his leadership position among the boys and to lead the way into serving in the war. A more obvious way of seeing his leadership is the way that he is described as â€Å"the hub of the class† (87). Hub is a synonym for the center of something, or the heart and core. If someone is described as the hub of the class, then it means that they are the person that keeps the class together. The final way I was able to see Brinker’s leadership was towards t he end of the book. Even though he had transformed to a more rebellious way, there was still a sign of his authority when he had arranged the trial in the Assembly Hall. His wanting to know the truth that was hidden from him drove him to hold the meeting in order to find it. Gene is definitely a dynamic and round character unlike Brinker who is a static and flat character. Gene changes very significantly in the story. He struggled a lot with finding himself and his identity, so much that he believes that he is a part of Phineas. Oddly enough, this sort of makes sense. One way to think about it is the guilt – Gene was so disgusted with himself for having caused Finny’s accident that he can’t bear to be himself, so he becomes someone else: Phineas. Another explanation is that because the struggle to define him is so difficult, he’s simply borrowed someone else’s identity instead of creating one for himself. But once Finny is gone, Gene has to rely on himself to make decisions and make up his own rules. At the end of the novel as Gene is reflecting fifteen years later, he says that â€Å"[his war ended before [he] ever put on a uniform . . . [because he] killed [his] enemy there† (204). I believe that the enemy he defeated was the part of Phineas that was in him, and by doing that he was able to gain peace. Brinker really does not transform much throughout th e story. His main change is when he steps down from his position in the Golden Fleece Debating Society and his behavior at the winter festival, but his strong and authoritative personality remains. â€Å"It wasn’t the cider which made me surpass myself, it was this liberation we had torn from the gray encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this  afternoon of momentary, illusory, special and separate peace.† (136,137) This passage stood out to me because in the midst of a raging war, these schoolboys were able to find their own peace with each other by having fun and seeing that the little things in life like a winter carnival could create such an escape for them. It was their idea of freedom that gave them such peace within themselves, and it was as if the war was not even going on. There were many themes in this novel, but the one that stood out the most to me was the difference between creating your own identity and dependence on someone else to â€Å"borrow† theirs. When Phineas told Gene that he would be participating in sports in his place, Gene had a realization that what he had been longing for was to be a part of Finny. This is very different than the end of the novel where Gene is looking back to that time and realizing that the part of Phineas that was in him had died when Phineas died. And because of that death, he had to rely on himself in order to craft his own identity and to finally gain peace. I think that one of the biggest decisions Gene had to make was to tell Finny the truth on his way back to school after the summer session. Even though Finny did not listen to him, the courage that it took Gene to do that was immense. I think that it was wise because it showed that he cared enough about Finny to tell him the truth. I also think that it helped him get rid of some of the guilt by just having Finny know what actually happened, whether he believed it or not. If I were in Gene’s position I probably would do the same thing just because I know from previous experience that if you lie, it can really hurt you in the end, and it is a pain to have it harboring over you all the time. Iâ€⠄¢ve learned two life lessons from this novel. One is to enjoy life, and not be so worried about what is going to happen next. I should not be completely apathetic to the future, but to live to the fullest and have fun. Another more serious lesson is the importance of forgiveness and love. If someone has wronged me, I should not keep a grudge against them or make them feel terrible about it, but instead I should do what Christ calls us to do which is to love one another as yourself, and to forgive. A Separate Peace has really reminded me how important these lessons, especially the latter are as I continue to mature. There really was not anything that I disliked about this book except for one quote. Gene is telling the reader one of Finny’s most important rules, and one of them was â€Å"[a]lways say your prayers  at night because it might turn out that there is a God† (35). I did not like this quote just because of what I believe in and what I know as truth. I believe that there is a God and that I should always pray no matter what. But other than this one quote, there was nothing I really disliked about it.