The Girl in Hyacinth Blue in Manhattan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Girl in Hyacinth Blue in Manhattan - Essay Example The shower, too, was carpeted-a special type of water-proof carpeting. And finally, the walls were carpeted-water proof and dirt-proof. Across from Myra mounted on the wall was a painting of a young girl in blue; she was given the painting as a gift from a customer, and when faced with the dilemma of where to place it, she decided the bathroom would be best. It's the only time she sat down for more than a minute, after all. Myra was always busy. Her work followed her from the office back to her small apartment. She was an inventor. Her larger efforts involved magnetizing roads and cars, but she could also be credited with the invention of the water-proof carpeting that covered her bathroom, and many others across the city of New York. The bathroom was something of a lab to Myrna, and she was constantly testing out new ideas for carpeting. She was fiddling with a few new ideas currently, none of which were fully complete. Carpeting, it must be understood, was essential in Manhattan. New York was a hard city, and especially welcome to something that would round the corners of its acute, looming skyscrapers. The Hudson River has swelled so much, too, that water-proof anything was sure to be a best-seller. After a solid two hours of sleep, Myra awoke to the shoes of the little girl in the painting. She had somehow fallen asleep on the bathroom floor. Something about the girl in blue was so comforting. Perhaps that was why she placed it in the bathroom. But the girl is not herself surrounded by carpeting. How, Myra thought, could she be so at ease in a room full of jagged, hard edges What was protecting her Perhaps she was painted in a time far less dangerous, Myra reasoned. Myra brushed her teeth and left for work wearing the same thing as the day before, with childhood and comfort on her mind. The skies today were as unforgiving as a mother bear protecting her cubs (simile). It seemed that any small move could provoke hostility, could open the skies to let down floods not unlike those of the Hudson. It was cold and harsh, like the corners of the high rise steel buildings sprouting up all around Myrna (simile) on her walk to work. Cars now outlawed in Manhattan, streets were narrowed, leaving room for more and more buildings to be built. Myrna took her pocket-umbrella out and laughed to herself at fate of a once environmental friendly mandate given way to destruction of a different form. She made her way to her building, a three-hundred story high rise with the sign, "Carpet Your World", lit above the door, surrounded by green water-proof carpeting. There was no grass in Manhattan, only grass-like carpet. Myrna eyed the door; its two handles reached out to her, forcefully inviting her to enter (personification) the bane of an office lying a short distance beyond the doors. Not today. Today was not a day for working. Myrna kneeled down, picked an artificial flower from the bed of carpeting, and turned towardwell, anywhere except the office. Walking several blocks, Myrna stopped at the gate of Central Park. Paved over fifty years ago with cement, Myra's company had succeeded in carpeting the entire park in its latest faux grass line, like the green carpeting in front of her office building. The rain had stopped momentarily, and she lay down beside a large, comforting, artificial maple tree. Staring up into the sky, Myrna's thoughts fell on the painting in her bathroom. Outside of

Design project Essay Example for Free

Design project Essay For this project and the particular way in which I chose to construct this clock I was extremely lucky to be benefited with the knowledge of how to use the timber cutting and sanding equipment. However the skill of decoupage was one I still had to achieve. I was lucky enough to have Miss Brett provide some scrap pieces of timber left over from previous work done by design and technology students. I researched my theme, which was a retro style. I wanted something different to everybody elses, as this was my project. I soon found clock ideas on the Internet and used them as my inspiration. Finding these was a great help. They helped me create an innovative design. Deriving from the French verb decoupage, meaning to cut out. Decoupage is a way of decorating almost any object or surface with cut out pieces of paper. The raw materials are all very easy to find, for example: magazines, greeting cards, wrapping paper, postcards and illustrated catalogues. Surfaces for decoupage need to be clean, dry and smooth. Lightly sand wood surfaces, then wipe with white spirit (paint thinner), porous surfaces should be sealed with matt emulsion (latex) paint. I did not encounter many problems in the making of the clock. Not any significant problems. The only problem I did encounter was the black numbers and hands of the clock, I found you could not clearly see them so I used red paint and brushed it over them. The only other problem was that I did not know at one stage what I was going to use to connect the pieces together. THE 70S The seventies were a very hip and happening time, when fashion and design were at a peak. Some of the most peculiar yet interesting objects came out of this era. I have just included some pictures as an example of what I mean by retro design. Research The following research has been carried out: 1. Research of literature: I made reference to many books about clocks to make sure that this had not been done before. There were slight comparisons but nothing great. A number of ideas and technical information had been included in this section as well as technical information. I also made reference to decoupage books and to books about woodwork. I made reference to the woodwork books for more information about the machinery. When I first received this project I decided on the theme of the 70s retro design. I then took myself as soon as I could to Newtown for this is a place where retro is a theme of many stores. I was Unfortunately I was unable to take photos of most of the stores because I was asked not to, so I respected that. After going to Newtown I had an instant idea of talking to a designer who was designing in the 70s. It was then that I phoned my uncle Terry Doyle and asked him what it was like to design during the seventies. He told me that it was the seventies that bought his products to the market for he said to me had bold ideas, which many did not necessarily like. However because everyone became more accepting of new ideas and thoughts, his ideas were now accepted and he had become a hit. He told me that the seventies was the best era. He said he absolutely loved it. So my idea had to be bold, however not to bold. Today I went to Newtown and I a spent the day looking for recycled pieces to make my clock. I found a record, which I am going to use for the back of the clock. I will have to however experiment on making the hole in the centre of the record larger, so that I can fit the clock mechanism through it. I also bought an old clock to use as an example and to use pieces from it. For this project and the particular way in which I chose to do this clock I was extremely lucky to be benefited with the knowledge of how to use the timber cutting and sanding equipment. However the skill of decoupage was one I still had to achieve. I was lucky enough that Miss Brett had some scrap pieces of timber left over from previous work done by design and technology students. I researched a theme that was a retro style; I wanted something different to everybody elses so this was the project for me. I soon found clock ideas on the Internet and used them as my inspiration. Finding these was a great help. They helped me create an innovative design. This pattern was the major inspiration to my whole design. It features squares in the way in which I created my clock. I was then going to create squares just like these and so I searched through my mums wrapping paper collection and I found one which would be perfect. So I adapted it to my design and I was away. With the design process underway I was nearly finished and only one minor problem was stopping me as to how to join the squares. This would be a great area for investigation. What was I going to use to join these slightly out of shaped squares together? What kind of adhesive or nail was I to use to then join these pieces to the plywood? The plywood is recycled scrap from the year sevens work. This plywood then has the pattern decoupage sealed to it and this would be the square/rectangle. The back of the ply is where I wanted to fix whatever I was to use to join the square/rectangles together. I also researched about decoupage and this enabled me to understand the technique and how to complete this section of a clock. I wrote up an experiment to which this will be what I will do with apiece before I try it on the other projects. I made reference to many clock books to make sure that this had not been done before. There were slight comparisons but nothing great. A number of ideas and technical information have been included in this section as well as technical information. I also made reference to decoupage books and to books about woodwork. I made reference to the woodwork books for more information about the machinery. When I first received this project I decided on the theme of the 70s retro design. So I took myself as soon as I could to Newtown for this is a place where retro is a theme of many stores, I went to the stores and unfortunately I was unable to take photos of most of the stores because they asked n me not to, so I respected that. After going to Newtown I had an instant idea of talking to a designer who was designing in the 70s. It was then that I phoned my uncle Terry Doyle and asked him what it was like to design during the seventies. He told me that it was the seventies that brought his products to the market for he had bold ideas, which many did not like. But because everyone became more accepting of new ideas and thoughts, his ideas were now accepted and had become a hit. He told me that the seventies was the best era. He said he absolutely loved it. So my idea had to be bold, however not to bold.

Puritan effect on Literature Essay -- essays research papers

Literature has always revealed a great deal about the attitudes and beliefs of different cultures. Puritan authors in the late 17th and early 18th centuries wrote poems, persuasive speeches, stories, and first hand accounts that reveal their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Described especially was the Puritan’s deep regard for religion and their fear and love of God. William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation was written in 1630 as a description of Bradford’s experiences in the New World. The main purpose of his account was to persuade those who remained in England to come to America. He described in detail the benefits of religious freedom. Religion played an extremely important role in the lives of early Puritans. Bradford described how God helps the Pilgrims make their way safely across the perilous waters to safety. He wrote: â€Å"†¦they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean†¦again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bradford was appealing to the high interest in God’s divine intervention amongst the people. Bradford also described in his documentation the sickness and famine faced by the people and the communal effort to help the suffering. Bradford said: â€Å"†¦in the time of most distress, there was but six or seven sound persons who to their great commendations, be it spoke, spared no pains night or day, but with abundance of toil and hazard of their own health, fetched them wood, made them fire...

The Role Of Husband And Wife In The Middle Ages :: essays research papers

Many pamphlets and books were written during the reformation era which explained how to be a good wife or husband. At this time there was a widespread change in the way people viewed the roles of husbands and wives. Reformation thinkers believed that the role of the man in a marriage was to care for the needs of his family by providing for their shelter, food, and safety. The role of the woman in the marriage was to support the male, take care of the household, and raise the children. Neither the male or the female were considered to be higher than the other in the marriage. As Ozment states in When Fathers Ruled, the husband's duties were to ensure his families well-being and to rule over his family and servants with a firm hand.1 The bad husband was one that had no self control because without self control the husband could not provide for the family properly. A bad wife was one who did not know or respect her place in the family. Ozment writes that many reformer thinkers believed that the husband should have the rule in the household. This is because " a wife required proper deference... Because of her perceived physical and temperamental weakness, compared to men; magnanimity, pati ence, and forbearance befitted the superior nature and position of men."2 Reformation thinkers believed that husband and wife were on the most part equal with the male heading the household because of his stronger characteristics. The ideas of the reformation thinkers on the roles of husband and wife differ in some ways to the ideas of their roles today. In the eyes of some the man is still the head of the household. More so the husband is considered to be a figure head in today's family. The man is seen to have the power in a relationship but in reality the power of both husband and wife is for the most part equal. In some instances the woman is considered to have more say or power over the family. In present times more women are going out into the job fields and making as much as if not more money then their husbands. In this essence the roles of husband and wife have switched since that of the reformation era. Today what makes a bad husband is much the same as it was in the reformation era.

Eating Disorders: Anorexia

It has been stated that nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder. This paper will show the danger and effects of Anorexia Nervosa. A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that ten percent of anorexics die within ten years after contracting the disease. Anorexia has four primary symptoms Resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height. Intense fear of weight gain or being â€Å"fat,† even though underweight. Disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight, loss of menstrual periods in girls and women post-puberty. Eighteen to twenty percent of anorexics will be dead after twenty years and only forty percent ever full recover. Treatment of an eating disorder in the US ranges from %500 per day to about $2,00 per day. The average cost for a month of inpatient treatment s about $30,00. It is estimated that individuals with eating disorders need anywhere from three o six months of inpatient care. Health insurance companies for several reasons do not typically cover the cost of treating eating disorders. Do you ever think that right now, one percent of all women are starving themselves, some literally starving and exercising themselves to death? Eating disorders are becoming an epidemic; they are confusing, complex diseases that many people know little about. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia nervosa may starve themselves or exercise excessively. Anorexia Nervosa is described as â€Å"one of the least understood and most intractable of all mental illnesses† (Schindehette, Sandler, Nelson and Seaman, 2003, p. 136). Many of the victims of this disease will battle it for the rest of their lives. However, if Anorexia Nervosa is diagnosed early, during the teen years, it is possible to cure it with appropriate treatment (Cooper, 2001). Over time, the weight loss becomes a sign of mastery and control. The drive to become thinner is actually secondary to concerns about control and/or fears relating to one's body. Therefore, women struggling with Anorexia Nervosa need effective treatment, and after four decades of research, there is an increasing number of treatment options ranging from counseling, to nutritional therapy, to medication. Yet, some researchers and victims still advocate that there is a need for further research in this area (Kaplan, 2002; Hendricks, 2003). In order to formally diagnose an individual with Anorexia nervosa, clinicians turn to the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, 1994). The DMS-IV lists four criteria that an individual must meet in order to be diagnosed as anorexic, generally: A. The individual maintains a body weight that is about 15% below normal for age, height and body type. B. The individual has an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though they are underweight. Paradoxically losing weight can make the fear of gaining even worse. C. The individual has a distorted body image. Some may feel fat all over, others recognize that they are generally thin but see specific body parts as being too fat. Their self worth is based on their body size and shape. They deny that their low body weight is serious cause for concern. D. In women, there is an absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. A woman also meets these criteria if her period occurs only while she is taking a hormone pill (Orstoff, M & Hall, L. 1999). Recognizing symptoms, such as strict dieting, weight loss, binge eating or fasting, feeling dizzy, weak, and/or depressed, in addition to insomnia; family members should seek out the advice of a health care provider. The health care provider will take a complete medical history as well as do a physical examination (Cooper, 2001). After this process is complete, then the doctor can begin treating the patient with Anorexia Nervosa, which may include referrals to specialists in counseling, nutrition and other medical fields. One traditional forms of treatment is counseling, the goal of psychotherapy is to work with the patient so that through therapy she or he will be able to control eating and maintain body weight. There are two primary types of psychotherapy, and they are individual therapy and family therapy. Individual therapy counsels one on one with the patient. Sometimes there is a team of medical specialists, yet the therapy sessions are between the patient and her doctor(s). This type of therapy has mixed results. According to an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (1999), individual therapy is superior when used in treating older adolescents and those who have late-onset Anorexia Nervosa (Robin et al. ), and a 2003 publication in The American Journal of Psychiatry concurs with this finding (Pike, Walsh, Vitousek, Wilson and Bauer). However, both articles’ findings state that individual therapy is not the best treatment for young adolescents or those with early-onset Anorexia Nervosa. While individual therapy does not work well with young adolescents or patients with early-onset Anorexia, family therapy seems to have made significant strides in treating this group of patients. In fact the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry stated, â€Å"without the involvement of the parents and family as therapeutic allies, weight gain is extremely difficult to achieve† (Geist, Heinmaa, Stephens, Davis and Katzman, 2000). Family therapy may not only employ the assistance of parents and other family members, it can also call on schools and friends as part of the treatment strategy. One such strategy is a program called the Maudsley Method. This radically new treatment option was developed in the 1980’s at the Institute of Psychiatry and Maudsley Hospital in London. This method â€Å"coaches parents to help their kids gain weight by whatever means necessary—by preparing their favorite foods, with 24-hour monitoring to prevent purging and hours of cajoling at the dinner table† (Schindehette, Sandler, Nelson and Seaman, 2003, p. 36). Many studies report significantly greater success with family based therapy. People magazine (2003) reports that while the mortality rates for AN still average around 5 to 20 percent, the Maudsley Method is reporting success rates as high as 90 percent five years after treatment was initially sought. Other studies agree that family therapy is one of the b est treatments for young adolescents and those with early-onset AN (Robin et al. , 1999; Geist, Heinmaa, Stephens, Davis and Katzman, 2000). While individual and family therapy two of the more traditional methods of treating Anorexia Nervosa, nutritional therapy, which is called psychoeducational therapy, is also commonly used. The aim of psychoeducation is the process of giving information about the nature of the disease in hopes to cultivate behavioral and attitudinal changes in the patient. Furthermore, a study has reported that family based psychoeducation produces the same results as family therapy while costing less (Geist, Heinmaa, Stephens, Davis and Katzman, 2000). However, these results may not be replicated with a group of older adolescents (Pike, Walsh, Vitousek, Wilson and Bauer, 2003). Medication Medication is another method used to treat AN. Using medication, pharmacological therapy, to treat AN also has some promising results. According to European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, â€Å"recent evidence suggests a role for medication in the relapse prevention stage of the illness† (Kotler and Walsh, 2000). Medication is commonly used along with another form of treatment, as are many of the treatments, too. This is referred to as a multidisciplinary approach. Pharmacological therapy uses medicines that help the patient reduce the fear of becoming fat, depression and anxiety as well as weight gain (Cooper, 2001). While each of these treatments reports success in various groups or when combined with other treatments, there are still individuals who do not feel that the treatments are effective. One such person is Jennifer Hendricks who authored Slim to None, which is a book that chronicles her daily struggle with AN. Many times throughout the text Hendricks stated that she did not feel that the treatments she was receiving were of any benefit. Christopher Athas, President of the American Institute of Anorexia Nervosa, stated in the foreword of Slim to None, â€Å"There is a glaring inadequacy of the mental health system to treat and fully understand this disease† (2003, p. ix). Eventually Jennifer lost her battle and died. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry also states that there is a significant need to find â€Å"effective management that truly impacts on long-term outcome† (Kaplan, 2002, p. 236). Anorexia is not about feeling thin, proud or beautiful; take the time to listen to an anorexic and hear that they are feeling fat, unattractive and inadequate.

What Harvards Asian Admissions Lawsuit Reveals About How You Should Approach College Applications

What Harvard's Asian Admissions Lawsuit Reveals About How You Should Approach College Applications SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The hottest news in college admissions these days is the release of documents from thelawsuit filed against Harvard University for unfair admissions practices against Asian-Americans. For the first time in recent memory, an elite institution's opaque admissions practices have been laid bare. More than 90,000 pages of internal Harvard admissions documents have been made available for use in the lawsuit, with excerpts made publicly available in court filings. In this article, I'll summarize what this lawsuit is about and what we learned about how top-tier schools like Harvard choose which students to accept. (Spoiler: most of it confirms what I wrote about in my How to Get Into Harvard guide. If you haven't read that, I suggest you open it in a tab right now, and read it after you finish this article). Most importantly, we'll cover what this means for how YOU should be preparing for college admissions. Caveats: Since this lawsuit (and admissions in general) has a lot to do about race, I'll talk about race explicitly here, understanding that these are triggering topics for many people. I suggest trying to focus pragmatically on what you can get out of these news. I'm a Harvard alum and also Asian-American, which depending on your personal viewpoint could mean I'm biased in any direction. Generally, I don't have enough information to have a strong opinion about the merits of the lawsuit. As I'll explain below though, my opinion about this lawsuit doesn't matter since we're really looking at the admissions data and what it means for your acceptance rates into Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, etc. What the Harvard Admissions Lawsuit is About First, a very simplistic introduction. A subset of Asian-Americans are frustrated that they are possibly discriminated against in college admissions. More specifically, assuming the same academic achievements - SAT/ACT scores, coursework, and grades - Asians feel they are less likely to be admitted than white, black, and Hispanic applicants. Disgruntled college applicant Michael Wangis a representative example. Despite being 2nd in his high school class, having a 36 ACT score, and several national-level awards, he was rejected by 6 of 7 Ivy League colleges in 2015. "I saw people less qualified than me get better offers...what more could I have done to get into your college? Was it based on race?" Spotting an opportunity, Edward Blum of the Project on Fair Representation pushed a lawsuit against Harvard. The lawsuit alleges that: "holistic admissions" is actually a cover to practice racial discrimination Asian-Americans are discriminated against in admissions - meaning, lower admissions rates controlling for qualifications. In their words, "an Asian-American with a 25% chance of admission would have a 35% chance if he were white, a 75% chance if he were Hispanic, and a 95% chance if he were African American." the % of Asian-Americans in Harvard's student class has stayed the same (~20%) despite increases in the qualifications of Asians, suggesting a strict racial quota This echoes controversy in the 1920s withHarvard's discrimination against Jewish candidates. Now, why should the public care what a private institution like Harvard does? Because it receives federal funding (e.g. in research grants). And Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964prohibits racial discrimination in recipients of federal financial assistance. (If you're interested in the legal aspects of this case,here's an insightful analysis.) While Harvard is the sole defendant in the lawsuit, this is really an attack on admissions practices for ALL top-tier colleges like Princeton, Yale, and Stanford. Harvard, given its reputation and size, is just the juiciest target. In response, Harvard generally defends its admissions practices as promoting diversity, promoting "opportunities to engage with and learn from classmates who come from widely different backgrounds and circumstances...which would leave students ill prepared to contribute to and lead in our diverse and interconnected nation and world." "A significant reduction in the number of African-American and Hispanic students on campus would inhibit...the benefits of a diverse student body and significantly undermine [Harvard's] educational mission." How You Feel About This Doesn't Really Matter for Admissions Results Like most matters dealing with race, this is controversial with a wide spectrum of opinions.You might think Harvard is totally in the right in how it does admissions. Or you might think that discrimination really is happening and the system needs to change. Whatever you believe, the pragmatic question is this - what does this mean for you and YOUR college applications? If you or your child are in high school, you're relatively powerless to change the system in the time that it matters for you, no matter what you believe. The first decision point for you is whether you want to play the college admissions game or not. In the extreme, this controversy might sound so outrageous to you that you become a conscientious objector, and you don't want to support the college admissions machine. This might mean you refuse to apply to possibly discriminatory schools. If so, all the power to you. But most likely, you're likely not in this group. You still want to get into the best college you can because of its impact on your future. This means that you need to deal with whatever disadvantage you're dealt, and make the most of it.You need to learn the rules of the college admissions game, andyou need to prepare yourself for the best chance of success. That's what the rest of this article is about. I'm not going to opine on the morals of the situation, but rather objectively talk about how college admissions at places like Harvard works, and what it means for you. What the Lawsuit Has Revealed About the Harvard Admissions Process I'll cut to the chase. Released legal documents show for the first time that Harvard application readers rate each applicant on a score of 1-6 on these categories: Academic Extracurricular Athletic Personal Recommendation letters (2 teachers, counselor) Alumni (interview) personal and Overall rating 1 is the highest possible score. Each score can also have a "+" or "-", just like A+/A- grades. We'll explain in a second how you get 1's on these categories, but I want to focus on the big picture for now. From my reading of the legal documents, it seems like the first 4 factors are really the most heavily considered (since they're mentioned most often), with the recommendation letter and alumni ratings used as supplementary factors. All of these ratings are combined by the application reader in an Overall rating, again from 1 to 6. This Overall rating is CRITICAL for admissions, as we'll discuss below. The Overall rating is "not a formula" and doesn't involve adding up other ratings. It's a holistic grade. Harvard instructs readers to assign the score by "stepping back and taking all the factors into account and then assigning that Overall rating." (In reality, I suspect the grade is close to your top 2 scores - you can get a 1 on academic and personal and a 4 on athletic, and the 4 won't bring down your total score.) From released legal filings, here's a description of what the overall ratings mean: 1. Tops for admission: Exceptional - a clear admit with very strong objective andsubjective support (90+% admission). 2. Strong credentials but not quite tops (50-90% admission). 3. Solid contender: An applicant with good credentials and support (20-40%admission). 4. Neutral: Respectable credentials. 5. Negative: Credentials are generally below those of other candidates. 6. Unread. The application is given to two readers to give ratings. Finally, a third, usually more experienced reader adjusts the ratings for accuracy. In one example, the first reader gave a student a 1, but the third reader adjusted it downward to a 2+. How strongly does your Overall rating correlate with your admission rate? VERY strongly. Here's a quote from legal documents: "Those who have an Overall score of 3- or worse are almost always rejected. Those who receive an Overall rating of a 1 are always accepted." What are your chances of admission depending on your Overall score? Here's more detail on admissions rates for all domestic applicants across 6 years, in the Classes of 2014 to 2019. This dataset includes only regular decision students (Harvard didn't have early action in years 2014-2015) and excludes special situations (athletes, legacy, Dean's list, faculty/staff kids) and international applicants. Rating Population Population % Admit % Admitted Number 3 56825 47.23% 0.02% 9 3 44472 36.96% 2.35% 1047 3+ 14289 11.88% 9.14% 1306 2+/2/2- 4674 3.88% 65.15% 3045 1 50 0.04% 100.00% 50 To explain the columns: Population: number of applicants with that rating Population %: % of total applicants who have that rating Admit %: % of applicants with that rating who were admitted Admitted Number: number of applicants with that rating who were admitted Through all of this, remember that the total admissions rate is around 6%. Anytime you can beat this number, you have a better shot at getting in. Here are the takeaways: If you get an Overall score of 1, you have guaranteed admission. However, this is very rare - with 30,000 applicants in a year, you can expect only 12 students to get this score. These are truly exceptional people who stand out even among the incoming class. If you get a score of 2+/2/2-, you have a 65% chance of getting in.Furthermore, this comprises the top 3.9% of all applicants - in a group of 30,000 applicants, 1,164 will get a 2 score. These are much better chancesthan average, and much more realistic than a score of 1 for us mortals. I wish they separated out the 2+/2/2- from each other, but this wasn't available. If you get a score of 3+, you start getting into the crapshoot.These get into the well-rounded, but not stand-out students. Even though you're still in the top 15% of all applicants, your admissions rate is just 9%, a bit above the overall average. Furthermore, you're competing against 3,000 other students. If you get a score of 3, you're in the average. Average is bad for Harvard admissions.Your admission rate drops down to 2.4% (just 1 out of 40 people in this group get in). If you get a score of 3- or below, you have nearly zero chance of getting admitted.This is also the most common category to fall into - nearly half of all applicants score a 3- or below. This strongly confirms my framework of admissions for world-class students(from my How to Get Into Harvard guide). The 6% admissions rate is just an average, and it doesn't apply to everyone - the stronger your application, the more likely you are to be admitted. For a select group of ~1,000 students per year, their admission is MUCH better than the average admissions rate.These students are likely to be standouts on a national or international level, not just on a state or regional level. Again, I want to emphasize, this is likely more or less what happens at all elite institutions - including Princeton, Stanford, and Yale. The exact rating scales and criteria may differ, butthis type of grading is a very common model in college admissions. Simplifying your application into a score allows for faster comparisons across thousands of applicants. If you want to get into Harvard, Princeton, or other top-tier schools, you need to try to get into that select top 5% of applicants, with a 2 score. You do NOT want to be part of the masses in the 3+ and below group - this is where the crapshoot happens, and the crapshoot is a terrible place to be. Want to get into Harvard or your personal top choice college? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. More Data, for the Data Nerds Here's the table again, this time including early action applicants and special situations (roughly 3,000 per year): Rating Population Population % Admit % Admitted Number 3 61707 44.43% 0.13% 79 3 51483 37.07% 3.97% 2042 3+ 18131 13.06% 13.40% 2429 2+/2/2- 7466 5.38% 74.00% 5525 1 94 0.07% 100.00% 94 The conclusions don't strongly change. By adding in early action applicants (who tend to be better qualified than regular decision ones), you see a higher % of 1 and 2 ratings.In a year with 30,000 applicants, there are 21 students with a 1 rating, and 1,614 students with a 2 rating. We can now take this chart, subtract the Regular Decision students chart further up, and see the admission rates for only early action applicants and special situation students(athletes, legacy, Dean's list, faculty/staff kids): Rating Population Population % Admit % Admitted Number 3 4882 26.29% 1.43% 70 3 7011 37.75% 14.19% 995 3+ 3842 20.69% 29.23% 1123 2+/2/2- 2792 15.03% 88.83% 2480 1 44 0.24% 100.00% 44 A big question on many students' minds is - how much does applying early improve my chances of admission, with the same application? Some things seem clear: The (early action + special situation) population gets much better ratings as a population. 15% of the (EA + SS) pool gets 2 ratings compared to 4% in regular decision, and 20% of (EA + SS) gets 3+ compared to 12% in regular decision. This heavily suggests to me that the early action pool contains more talented students than the regular decision pool. Much of the higher admission rate for early action has to do with self-selection of more talented students.. For the same rating, the admission rate is higher in (EA + SS) than regular decision. For example, a 3+ has an admit rate of 29%, compared to 9% in regular decision. Some part of this is due to the early action effect - because of signaling early interest and commitment to the school, you likely do get a small admissions boost by applying early. However, much of this I believe is still due to the special population. Recruited athletes might tend to get an overall 3+ rating, for instance, but get a huge advantage by being recruited. Likewise, legacy students may tend to apply early AND get higher admissions rates no matter when they apply, which skews the early numbers up. Ideally we'd get the admission rate for the same regular applicants, controlling for special status and application strength. But the data don't go detailed enough to let us do that. For fun, here are statistics on the # of applicants and admit rate for early action as compared to regular decision: Regular Decision Regular Applicant Special Circumstances Year Applicants Admits Admit Rate Applicants Admits Admit Rate 2014 23,176 1,471 6.30% 1,200 515 42.90% 2015 27,016 1,408 5.20% 1,244 515 41.40% 2016 24,968 857 3.40% 728 155 21.30% 2017 22,963 754 3.30% 641 116 18.10% 2018 22,799 709 3.10% 591 108 18.30% 2019 24,134 690 2.90% 623 100 16.10% Early Action Regular Applicant Special Circumstances Year Applicants Admits Admit Rate Applicants Admits Admit Rate 2014 0 0 0 2015 0 0 0 2016 2,982 458 15.40% 600 367 61.20% 2017 3,448 487 14.10% 663 460 69.40% 2018 3,272 520 15.90% 686 451 65.70% 2019 4,238 524 12.40% 755 467 61.90% A few takeaways: for regular applicants, the early action admission rate is higher than the regular decision rate - for class of 2019, it was 12.4% vs 2.9%. a large part of this is student qualification - better students tend to apply earlier. a minor part of this is signaling your interest - Harvard practices Restrictive Early Action (as do Yale, Princeton, and Stanford), meaning you can apply only to Harvard early action. Thus Harvard knows you're more likely committed to Harvard, and since they want to protect their yield rate, this increases admission rate a bit. so while you might get a slight advantage from applying early through signaling interest, it won't be as large a boost as the early action admit rate suggests. special circumstances students get a HUGE advantage over regular applicants. athletes are admitted at 86%. This group makes up about 230 students per year. (Note this means recruited varsity athletes, not just having athletics as an extracurricular.) legacy students are admitted at 33.6%. This group makes up about 774 students per year. (Note these students are usually highly qualified in their own right - they may just get a second look and slightly preferable treatment.) dean and director's interest list are at 42%. (There seem to be no particular criteria for being included on this list, but they include applicants "encountered at recruiting events" and applicants "related to donors to Harvard." I believe this is not mutually exclusive with the other groups - ie you can be a legacy athlete on the dean's list.) If you're reading this, you're most likely not a special circumstances student (nor was I). So you have to make up for it with a world-class application. Matthias Neugebauer/Flickr How Do You Earn a *1* in Each Rating? Now the critical question - what do you have to do to earn a 1 in the Academic, Extracurricular, Athletic, and Personal ratings? Luckily, as we learned fromfilings for the lawsuit, Harvard readers are given a rubric to grade applicants on. Remember that the Overall Rating is a holistic combination of the ratings, not a strict average. I would believe that if you earn a 1 in Academic and Personal ratings, you're likely to get a 2 or above in Overall rating. You only need to be world-class in one way, with a Spike. Academic Rating: 1. Summa potential. Genuine scholar; near-perfect scores and grades (in most cases) combined with unusual creativity and possible evidence of original scholarship. 2. Magna potential: Excellent student with superb grades and mid-to high-700 scores (33+ ACT). 3. Cum laude potential: Very good student with excellent grades and mid-600 to low-700 scores (29 to 32 ACT). 4. Adequate preparation. Respectable grades and low-to mid-600 scores (26 to 29) ACT). 5. Marginal potential. Modest grades and 500 scores (25 and below ACT). 6. Achievement or motivation marginal or worse. This confirms what we already know - getting perfect grades and test scores is not impressive enough to be world-class in academics. As the Harvard Interviewer Handbook says elsewhere, "more than presenting the Committee with superior testing and strong academic records...the applicant admitted primarily for unusual intelligence also presents compelling evidence of creativity and originality." (emphasis mine) Legal documents reveal some useful details: out of 42,749 applicants for Class of 2022, 8,000 had perfect GPAs 625 had a perfect score on ACT; 361 had a perfect 2400 on SAT 3,500 had perfect SAT math; 2,700 had perfect SAT verbal. There are just too many students who perform at the top 1% of academics. With 4 million high school students per year, 1% is 40,000 students! Within academic-type applicants, Harvard is looking for the leading future scholars.To get a 1 in this rating requires demonstration of this in high school, likely through original research that is vetted favorably by a Harvard faculty member. As Harvard Dean of Admissions William Fitzsimmons said, "Several hundred of our admittedstudents each year have the kind of stunning academic credentials- well beyond test scores and grades- that our faculty believe place them among the best potential scholars of their generation. ..." For this, it's not enough just to do research - thousands of students do this every year. It might not be sufficient either to be a minor co-author on a paper. Ideally, you need to show original contributions and ideas, corroborated by your research supervisor (e.g. in a supplementary recommendation). You might also be nationally-ranked in a research competition like Intel ISEFor Regeneron STS. Extracurricular Rating: 1. Unusual strength in one or more areas. Possible national-level achievement or professional experience. A potential major contributor at Harvard. Truly unusual achievement. 2. Strong secondary school contribution in one or more areas such as class president, newspaper editor, etc. Local or regional recognition; major accomplishment(s).[in another filing]: "Significant school, and possibly regional accomplishments: for example, an applicant who was the student body president or captain of the debate team and the leader of multiple additional clubs." 3. Solid participation but without special distinction. (Upgrade 3+ to 2- in some cases if the e/c is particularly extensive and substantive.) 4. Little or no participation. 5. Substantial activity outside of conventional EC participation such as family commitments or term-time work (could be included with other e/c to boost the rating or left as a "5" if it is more representative of the student's commitment). 6. Special circumstances limit or prevent participation (e.g. a physical condition). 2: " 5: "Family responsibilities at home or very limited resources that make it unlikely that the applicant could participate in extracurricular or other activities." A 2 rating focuses on "school andregional accomplishments." To put it bluntly: big fish in a little pond. Remember - there are over 37,000 high schools in the country. Not every school has the same extracurriculars, but just think - in the US every year, there are at least 20,000 student body presidents (and vice presidents, treasurers, etc.); 10,000 captains of the debate team; 50,000 captains of sports teams; 100,000 presidents of clubs. There are a LOT of local achievers. To be world-class, you have to do something that is notable on the national or international scale. This doesn't necessarily mean that you literally need to build an international-level organization with branch offices in Paris. The point is that among all the applicants, your achievements stand out on the national stage - for instance, building a mobile app with hundreds of thousands of active users is likely pretty nationally distinctive. Athletic Rating: This is relatively more straightforward: 1. Unusually strong prospect for varsity sports at Harvard, desired by Harvard coaches. 2. Strong secondary school contribution in one or more areas; possible leadership role(s). 3. Active participation. 4. Little or no interest. 5. Substantial activity outside of conventional EC participation such as family commitments or term-time work (could be included with other e/c to boost the rating or left as a "5" if it is more representative of the student's commitment). 6. Physical condition prevents significant activity. 1 is for recruited varsity athletes. Personally, I was probably a 4 - I got an A in PE and that's it. And that was OK - Harvard stillwanted me! Again, it's not about being well-rounded, it's about having a spikethat makes you world-class. Personal Rating: Here it gets a bit tricky. Here are a few statements in the legal documents that I pulled out: The personal rating "summarizes the applicant's personal qualities based on all aspects of the application, including essays, letters of recommendation, the alumni interview report, personal and family hardship, and any other relevant information in the application." Characteristics include "applicant's humor, sensitivity, grit, leadership, integrity, helpfulness, courage, kindness," whether the person is an "attractive person to be with" and is "widely respected." This is a more subjective category than the other 3 ratings. It's based on the student's background, how the student presents herself (in the essays and interview), and how others perceive the student (recommendations). Note that just like having an Academic Spike, it's possible to have a Personal Spike too. A student might get a Personal rating of 1 (say, for having overcome tremendous difficulties and showing outstanding personal character), while getting non-1 scores for Academic, Extracurricular, and Athletic scores. And this might be sufficient to get the student admitted (though 1's in Personal are rarer than in the other categories). Here's the rubric description, which is not super helpful except for the bottom ratings: 1: Outstanding 2: Very Strong 3: Generally Positive 4: Bland or somewhat negative or immature 5: Questionable personal qualities 6: Worrisome personal qualities This is why the interview is important - no matter how much of a genius you are, Harvard doesn't want jerks in its community. And if you can't suppress being a jerk for an hour-long interview, you certainly won't behave well for 4 years of college. It's also bad to be "bland" - interviewers want to see some sort of spark or joie de vivre, partlysince this is indicative of passion and thus future impact on the world. Nearly all applicants who are admitted went through an interview - as the document says, "those who do not interview are rarely admitted." (FYI: The personal rating is where the lawsuit alleges Asian-Americans are punished. Despite having higher academic and extracurricular scores than any other racial group, Asians received the lowest score of any racial group on personal rating from Harvard admissions staff.) What % of Students Get What Scores? Now that you understand what it takes to get these scores, what % of students actually get these scores? We'll show you the data below, but here are some trends to keep in mind: getting a 1 in even just one section is rare (1% of applicants get it) if you get a 1 in any section, your chances of admission are between 50-70%. getting a 2 in any single section is much more common (20-40%) with a much lower chance of admission (between 12-26%) (Source) Academic Rating Academic Rating 5 4 3 2 1 Applicants 5969 17690 58061 60468 650 % of Population 4.2% 12.4% 40.6% 42.3% 0.5% Admitted 4 175 2429 7500 450 Admit rate 0.1% 1.0% 4.2% 12.4% 69.2% Extracurricular Rating Extracurricular Rating 5 4 3 2 1 Applicants 952 4639 102784 34038 425 % of Population 0.7% 3.2% 72.0% 23.8% 0.3% Admitted 52 187 3957 6147 215 Admit rate 5.5% 4.0% 3.8% 18.1% 50.6% Personal Rating Personal Rating 5 4 3 2 1 Applicants 24 604 112513 29660 37 % of Population 0.0% 0.4% 78.8% 20.8% 0.0% Admitted 0 1 2846 7687 24 Admit rate 0.0% 0.2% 2.5% 25.9% 64.9% Some interesting things to note: Extracurricular and Personal Ratings have a huge mass of people at 3 (above 70%). Per the rubric above, this likely means: their extracurriculars weren't anything special - school-level participation without any major distinction their personal qualities were positive but not extremely strong - of the "top 25%" of the class type Academic Ratings have a smoother spread, with roughly 40% scoring both 2 and 3. Letter of Recommendation Rating: Legal filings show the following scoring for "School Support," with separate ratings for teachers 1, 2, and counselor. 1. Strikingly unusual support. "The best ever," "one of the best in x years," truly over the top. 2. Very strong support. "One of the best" or "the best this year." 3. Above average positive support. 4. Somewhat neutral or slightly negative. 5. Negative or worrisome report. 6. Neither the transcript nor prose is in the folder. 8. Placeholder. 9. Transcript only. No SSR prose. This largely matches what's on the Common App teacher recommendation form: As a reminder, "Top Few" is shorthand for "One of the top few encountered in my career." I'm going to guess that a 1 rating for recommendation letter means all of the below: recommenders rated student as "Top Few" in most categories recommenders are credible and have seen a lot of students (i.e., not rookie teachers) the reader may be familiar with the recommender's historical quality of recommendation the school is a top-tier school (so the student has tough competition for being outstanding) Overall Rating: Let's come back to the Overall Rating, because the lawsuit revealed something interesting about well-rounded students: "Harvard readers use the label 'Standard Strong' to characterize an application that had strong qualities but not strong enough to merit admission." For example, an admissions reader wrote of one Standard Strong student (who was Asian): "busy and bright" but"will need to fight it out with many similar to him." This reminds me of the classic problem with well-rounded students. They're definitely not off-putting - but they're not particularly impressive either.Like thousands of toy balls in a bargain bin, they all look the same.This is where the crapshoot is - the committee has to tear their hair out choosing the last 500 applicants among 10,000 qualified ones. Don't know how to make your college application world-class? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. What Do You Do With This Information? Let's put it all together. The Harvard lawsuit has revealed these takeaways about top-tier college admissions: applicants are scored based on how impressive their academic, extracurricular, athletic, and personal achievements are the highest scores are reserved for people who are world-class, distinguishing themselves as some of the top in the nation (or even the world) in what they do the overall rating is NOT an average of all your scores. Most likely, it's weighted toward your most impressive achievement. Therefore, you don't need to worry about being very well-rounded. the higher the score you get, the higher your chance of admission. At Harvard, the average admissions rate is 5% to 6%. But students getting the highest score of 1 have a 100% admission rate; students getting 2+/2/2- have a 70% admission rate personal qualities are important and cannot be ignored. Ideally you are likable, charismatic, honest, kind, and funny - and this shows in your essays, your recommendation letters, and interviews. All of this means that as you become a stronger world-class applicant, your chances of admission become less like a random lottery. You need to spend LESS time trying to be well-rounded, trying to cover all your bases. If you try to be an equally good athlete, musician, debater, scientist, and volunteer all at once, you will be mediocre at them all. Especially if you don't actually enjoy doing some of these activities. There are other people who focus on their area of greatest talent and interest, who will achieve far more than you can. If you want to increase your chances of getting into Harvard, you need to develop a Spike. For a deep dive into how to do this, read myHow to Get Into Harvard guide. I guarantee you'll learn something new that will change how you prepare your college apps. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Influence of Women in the Yoruba Culture

Influence of Women in the Yoruba Culture Free Online Research Papers Soyinka’s play, Death and the King’s Horseman, is about a man who does not fulfill a tradition that has been carried on throughout his culture. When the King’s chief horseman, Elesin, does not complete his ritual suicide so that he can accompany the dead King to the other side, he breaks a tradition that has, for years, brought together the living and the dead. The tradition of the Yoruba culture is based on the position of the King and its passing down from father to son, as well as the same with the King’s horseman. Olunde, the oldest son of Elesin, knows this tradition and as soon as the King’s death is revealed, he is aware that his father will die a month later. When this does happen, Olunde is obligated to bury his father and then take over his role as the King’s horseman. The end of the play takes a turn when Olunde dies because his father has not succeeded is this tradition; no son is left behind to carry it out. This tradition has been broken and therefore it cannot be performed anymore. Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman presumably takes place in a world where males take control and women play a minor part in their central tradition. I do believe that an in-depth look at the women characters in Death and the King’s Horseman can show different ways of thinking about power, influence, and responsibility. There are many occurrences in the play in which you can tell how Elesin feels toward the women in his culture. For instance, in Act one, Elesin comes marching into the market and speaks about how all the women love him. The Praise-Singer then remembers the time Elesin was caught with his sister-in-law, ‘‘but I was only prostrating myself to her as becomes a grateful in-law† (Soyinka, pg. 14). In the same Act, Elesin becomes distracted by an object off-stage which is revealed later as a young woman who Elesin admires and must have. Another instance occurs in Act 3, when Elesin comes out of the wedding chamber with the stained sheet that shows the bride was a virgin and did not dishonor him. Lastly, in Act five, when Elesin is in the jail cell and Jane Pilkings tries to talk to Elesin about why her husband did what he did, Elesin is extremely impolite and basically shuns her from the whole thing, ‘‘That is my wife sitting down there. You notice how still a nd silent she sits? My business is with your husband† (Soyinka, pg. 54). Through these passages, we can understand that Elesin has a very important position in carrying out his tradition and he definitely does not see any influence in woman to help him. However, the women in the play seem to be in touch more with the spirit world than the men. Iyaloja, the Mother of the market, is the leader of all the women. In Death and the King’s Horseman, even Elesin shows Iyaloja her respect. Iyaloja is more insightful than Elesin. She sees the risk in Elesin’s request to marry and take the brides virginity and she warns him to be careful, â€Å"be sure the seed you leave attracts no curse† (Soyinka, pg. 18). Iyaloja also sees that the child between Elesin and the bride will be â€Å"the elusive being of passage† (Soyinka, pg. 17). However, Elesin, being the way that he is, does not listen to Iyaloja the same way that he does not want to hear Jane Pilkings. The women in this play appear to be more sensible compared to the male that they would be equal to, if rank mattered. Iyaloja is the leader of the women and is wiser than Elesin, the King’s horseman. In Act three, the women of the market make fun of Amusa and his constables, although police officers are higher in authority, â€Å"[with a sudden movement they snatch the batons of the two constables. They begin to hem them in.] ‘What next? We have your batons? What next? What are you going to do?’ [with equally swift movements they knock off their hats] ‘Move if you dare. We have your hats. What will you do about it? Didn’t the white man teach you to take off your hats before women?† (Soyinka, pgs. 29-30). The voices speaking are the characters labeled ‘girls’ therefore, the reader can presume that she is younger and still had that power to make the authority figure run off. Also, between Jane and Simon Pilkings, Jane is more alert a nd responsive to people’s feelings then her husband Simon. In Act 2, Jane and her husband are dancing around in their egungun costumes and Amusa comes in and feels awkward toward them (â€Å"the egungun costume is a long grass robe and a wooden mask representing the face or head of an animal that the re-incarnated spirits of the ancestors wear† [Soyinka, pg. 20]). Simon doesn’t really seem to care that Amusa is bothered by these costumes, but Jane senses Amusa’s distress and tries to find out more about why it bothers him. She even asks her husband to remove the clothing. Also, she understands that Simon has made fun of holy water and has offended Joseph (the houseboy). Jane does not value Roman Catholicism, but when she realizes Joseph’s angry she tells Simon to apologize because she does not want to lose her houseboy, â€Å"Calling holy water nonsense to our Joseph is really like insulting the Virgin Mary before a Roman Catholic. He’s going to hand in his notice tomorrow you mark my word† (Soyinka, pg. 24). After Jane tells Simon that he has offended the house boy, on the next page Simon apologizes for saying what he said, â€Å"[between gritted teeth] Er..forget what I said just now. The holy water is not nonsense. I was talking nonsense† (Soyinka, pg. 25). By Simon saying this through ‘gritted teeth,’ the reader can understand that he did not really want to apologize, but he did it anyway because of what his wife said. On the next page, Jane almost puts Simon in his place when he complains about what he did. Jane asks him how Amusa took the apology and Simon goes on to say, â€Å"Who the hell gives a damn? I had a sudden vision of our Reverend Macfarlane drafting another letter of complaint to the resident about my unchristian language toward his parishioners. I wanted to make sure that Joseph didn’t ‘lose’ my note on the way. He looked sufficiently full of holy crusade to do such thing.† (Soyinka, pg. 26). And then Jane come s right back at him saying, â€Å"If you’ve finished exaggerating, come and have something to eat† (Soyinka, pg. 26). Simon might be the Colonial District Officer and makes decisions that are important for his town, but through these passages, the reader can infer that Jane has a slight power over her husband that he cannot control. Also, Jane appears to be easier to talk to, according to Olunde. â€Å"I need your help Mrs. Pilkings. I’ve always found you somewhat more understanding than your husband† (Soyinka, pg. 42). Reading on in Act four, the audience understands that Jane does not understand Olunde’s reaction to his father’s death when she yells and calls him vulgar names. Unlike Simon, who does not care to learn anymore about the Yoruba culture because they are under his administration, Jane asks Olunde to explain what is going on. ‘‘Your calm acceptance for instance, can you explain that? It was so unnatural. I donâ€℠¢t understand it at all. I feel a need to understand all I can. I feel it has to do with the many things we don’t really grasp about your people† (Soyinka, pg 46). Jane wants to learn more about this tradition so she can understand why they do it. Aside from Elesin having the responsibility of continuing out the tradition of following the King, Iyaloja has to make a sacrifice of her own, but she has no problem completing it, unlike Elesin. This shows Iyaloja’s loyalty and her responsibility in her culture. Iyaloja’s son is to marry the bride that Elesin has chosen (the object off-stage). She let’s this happen so that Elesin can have his request for his last day. When this first happens, Iyaloja is very upset with this decision, but she does not want to speak up because Elesin is supposed to make a sacrifice for her so she feels she should make the same for him. She does not want to â€Å"burden him with knowledge that will sour his wish and lay regrets on the last moments of his mind† (Soyinka, pg. 16). The importances of these sacrifices are of the same significance and there is proof in the play that tells us so. In the beginning, the Praise-singer is commending Elesin for the way he is following through with his duty and the tradition, telling him, â€Å"Our world was never wrenched from its true course,† and â€Å"the world was never tilted from its groove, it shall not be in yours† (Soyinka, pg. 6). The Praise-singer is basically telling Elesin that this tradition has lived on for generations and if he breaks this tradition that he is of extreme failure to the culture. When Iyaloja has to make her decision of letting her son’s bride marry Elesin, the other women try to make her refuse Elesin’s request and Iyaloja states â€Å"don’t set this world adrift of your own time; would you rather it was my hand sacrilege wrenched it loose?† (Soyinka, pg. 16). The wrong action on Elesin or Iyaloja’s part will have an extreme consequence. The young bride that Elesin chooses also has an important task to fulfill and she also completes it, unlike Elesin. Throughout the play, the bride keeps to herself and does not speak. Her thoughts are never considered and we have no way of knowing how she feels about being with Elesin or how she truly feels about the man that she was supposed to marry (Iyaloja’s son). When the women return with the bride after getting her ready in the chamber, Elesin’s face â€Å"[glows with pleasure]† (Soyinka, pg. 18), but it is never mention how the bride feels or what her face looks like. Is she glowing with pleasure? Or is she miserable and wants to be with the one she really loves? Regardless of this, the bride marries Elesin and lets him taker her virginity. After, the bride comes out of the wedding chamber and is standing â€Å"[shyly by her husband’s side]† (Soyinka, pg. 32). When Elesin is imprisoned, his bride is â€Å"[seated on the ground to one side, her eyes perpetually bent to the ground]† (Soyinka, pg. 50). When Elesin speaks to his wife about how she took away his duty, she does not interfere or say anything back to him. Also, when Jane tries to speak to Elesin, he tells her that his bride knows not to interfere with the man’s problems. This is almost like the bride is a prisoner too, but when Elesin dies, the bride â€Å"walks calmly into the cell and closes Elesin’s eyes. She then pours some earth over each eyelid and comes out again† (Soyinka, pg. 63). The bride, throughout the play, does not show any feeling or emotion to what is happening. She knows that she has a duty and she takes full responsibility for it. Without speaking or showing this emotion, she just performs her duty. The women in Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman are passive when it comes to the men, but they have proven to be responsible, strong, and will carry out the future in the play. At the end, Elesin and his son Olunde are dead, and Simon will have to take the blame for it when everyone finds out what happened. The men have caused all the big problems in this play. The beginning of the play is all about the power a man has, Elesin flaunting through the market. At the end of the play, the women (Iyaloja and the bride) are focused on the future, what it holds, and how to carry out their culture. â€Å"Now forget the dead, forget even the living. Turn your mind only to the unborn.† (Soyinka, pg. 63). Soyina, Wole.Death and the King’s Horseman.New York, NY:W.W. Norton and Company, 2003. Research Papers on Influence of Women in the Yoruba CultureThe Fifth HorsemanComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionBringing Democracy to AfricaArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Honest Iagos Truth through DeceptionPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Character Development How to Write Great Characters [Worksheet]

Character Development How to Write Great Characters [Worksheet] Character Development: How to Write Great Characters [Worksheet] The character development in your story is vital for its selling.After all, people love and rave about books not always because of the story itselfBut because of the characters they fell in love with.In fact, it’s specifically because someone fell in love with the characters and care so much about them and their journey that theyre willing to follow them through the entirety of it.That is why you need to put an emphasis on the character development in the book you’re writing- or preparing to write.Here is your 12 step guide for good character development:Create a background for your characterGive your character strengths and weaknessesCreate nervous ticks for your characterAvoid making a perfect characterGive your character realistic motivesGive them a unique featureDevelop a wide variety of character personalitiesCreate an impact of your characters pastMake secondary characters foil typesGive each character a unique voiceCreate a diverse character castAvoid character s tereotypesStick with us through this post and you’ll learn exactly how to accomplish character development in a way that will make readers think about your characters as if they were real people.Once you nail all of these, you’ll be writing strong characters in no time.Get Your Character Development SheetSometimes its worth it to have a character development sheet to keep track of your characters. Not only will you be able to keep track, but you can zoom out and better see if youre creating two character archetypes who are too much alike.Are you ready to get started right now? Download your free character development sheet to keep track of each character you write. Download your FREE character development worksheet!Talk to an Expert to Discuss Your Character DevelopmentDid you know we have our experts on hand to help you with your books- for free!It’s true.Just book a call for a FREE 20-minute coaching call and our experts can help you gain clarity on what youre struggling with and how you can work through it to finish your book!BOOK A FREE COACHING CALL!Talk with one of our experts by clicking the button below and scheduling your free coaching call.Click Here to Book a CallWhat is Character Development?Character development is the process and execution of creating a fully rounded, complex, and lifelike character within your fictional writing with the purpose of making readers invested in them and their life or journey.Think of character development like the paper of your book. Without it, you simply dont have a book at all- you just have a mess of ink smeared between two cover.But before we get into the extensive details, I’m go ing to cover what constitutes a well-developed character as well as the different types of character development you may consider.What is a Well Developed Character?A well-developed character needs a full backstory, personality traits reflective of it, realistic actions and emotions, along with being highly relatable to the average reader and as complex as a real person.If you cant imagine your characters as a real-life person, theyre not quite complex enough to be well developed. The key with character development is crafting your characters to feel as if theyre people you know who just live far away.Get comfortable with thinking of them as real and you almost always will have a well-developed character.Types of Character DevelopmentWhen it comes to learning how to write characters and write them well you have to understand which type of character youre dealing with.These are the different types of characters to write:ProtagonistAntagonistSecondaryStaticFoilStockDynamic/RoundDonà ¢â‚¬â„¢t be alarmed if you think this is a lot of different types of characters. After all, we all have people in our real lives who would fill these character â€Å"types† and that’s why it’s important for your book to include them.Without them, you can’t go through with character development and expect a captivating cast.But let’s help you understand what each type of character brings to the story.With this information, you can better understand which character development to focus on with each of the fictional people you create.12 Actionable Character Development TipsNow that you know which type of character you’re focusing on here when writing your book, let’s dive deeper into the character development methods you can use and exercises to help you get it right. #1 Create a background for each characterOur realities are shaped by where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go.That being said, the one with the most influence on our lives is where we’ve been our past.The same is likely true for your character. Based on what their life was like prior to the start of your novel, they’ll have different interests, quirks, fears, and more.Your job is to fill out what their life has looked like up until the beginning of your book. Character Development ExerciseFill out a character development sheet so you can understand your characters as full-fleshed people instead of just two-dimensional beings you created. Cover these main ideas when crafting your character’s background: Their childhood (good, bad, poverty-stricken, spoiled, etc.) Their parents (divorced, never married, one missing, both missing) Their friendships Their hobbies and interests as a kid versus now Their motivations for feeling the way they do about any given situation Their personality type and how it affects their actions These are some basic elements you should understand about your character in order to shape their personality, opinions, and actions that appropriately fit their background.#2 Know your characters’ strengths and weaknessesOne of the biggest means of influence over your characters will be their strengths or weaknesses.We, as humans, constantly face our strengths and weaknesses on a daily basis, even in the smallest of forms.What your characters are good at and what they’re not great at will affect how they perceive different events, what actions they choose to take, and can affect their overall character arc (which we’ll touch on later).If your character’s strength is talking to strangers and gaining their trust, this might be an asset for them throughout their journey. However, if that is your character’s weakness and they’re forced to do so, it can cause conflict for them.These strengths and weaknesses will shape your character arc and the plot as a whole, so know them well before writing. Character Development ExerciseCre ate a list of 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses for your characters. Make sure these play into the plot in order to cause conflict and gain sympathy from readers who can relate.#3 Create nervous ticks or habitsIf you’ve paid attention to humans for long enough, you’re aware that we all have certain habits we don’t even realize we’re doing when we’re nervous.Me? I pick at the skin around my nails. It’s a pain (literally) and I never notice I’m doing it until later.This can be a key characteristic that will make your characters feel more real and help make them more relatable to your readers, which will make them want to give you those 5-star reviews. Character Development ExerciseMake a small list for each of your characters. Write down 2 odd habits for each of them and decide which is their go-to (the one they do without even thinking about it) and which is made worse through nerves or anxiety.#4 No character can be perfectIt can be real ly hard to write your favorite fictional person as having flaws. After all, we want people to love them, right?But a â€Å"perfect† character is not lovable they’re hateable because it’s not realistic.The more you try to make your character â€Å"flawless,† the less readers can relate and therefore, they’ll like them less. You have to build flaws into your character just like we all have drawbacks in real like. Character Development ExerciseList 3 major flaws your character has that can actually become problems within your plot. Think about any bad habits they have, situations they dislike, or even personality traits that aren’t seen as â€Å"good† in order to craft these flaws in a realistic fashion.#5 All characters need realistic motivesNo matter which character they or what they want in your story, they need to have a real and valid reason for feeling this way.Take He Who Shall Not Be Named from Harry Potter for example.Voldemor t (woops!) wants to kill Harry. That much we should all know even if you’ve never read or seen the movies. But if he was just trying to kill Harry Potter for the sake of murdering a child, it wouldnt’ make sense.Yes, he’s evil, but he also has a valid reason for wanting him dead, right?He has to kill Harry Potter because he’s the only person who was able to defeat him before and because the prophecy says so.If your characters no matter how minor they are don’t have a motive that makes sense, readers will be pulled out of the story and end up questioning what’s happening, and not in a good way.This is largely how plot holes arise so in order to avoid them, stick to this character development method. Character Development ExerciseWhen coming up with your antagonist’s motives, list at least 2 ways in which they’re valid. For Voldemort, it would be the fact that Harry can kill him and that he wants to rule the wizarding world. Your bad character has to have at least 2 strong reasons for opposing your protagonist and they should make sense given their history.#6 Give each character a unique featureThis is particularly for those of you writing Game of Thrones-esque novels with a large number of characters, but it’s important for others as well.When writing a book, you want your readers to easily visualize and differentiate the cast. You want each character to stand out as individuals.A perfect way to do this is to give each person an identifiable feature.For example, let’s use Harry Potter again because you probably know what the main characters look like.Harry has glasses. Hermione has buck teeth (up until she has them shortened a bit too much and this is only in the books for those of you about to argue), and Ron has flaming red hair.These are very distinct features that can help you picture them as wildly different characters.Now, you don’t have to give each and every character som e crazy hair color or style, but try not to have your entire cast look the same.If you have a main character with brown wavy hair, have the next with blonde curly hair, etc.Keep in mind that siblings can certainly look similar! Character Development ExerciseCreate a spreadsheet or other document that lists all your characters and document their features. If you have two characters who spend a lot of time together in your book and you see they look similar, alter their appearance until they’re differentiable.Take my own spreadsheet for my work in progress below as an example.#7 Develop a wide variety of personality typesMeaning, don’t create all of your characters to be the â€Å"dark and sarcastic† type or the â€Å"tough guy† type.You have to have a wide variety of personalities just like in the real world.You can even back up their personality with real-life psychology. As an example, I have two characters who both have a tragic background.However, th ey don’t process that trauma in the same way. One character takes on a very withdrawn approach while the other hides his pain with humor. This gives them very different personalities despite having similar histories. Character Development ExerciseReference your character’s backstories and do a little research into possible coping mechanisms and how that can affect their personality. Develop it from there in order to have realistic personalities that differ.#8 Match your character’s history with the effects of itThis is when some research will come into play, which should be required anyway. Looking into some psychological effects of trauma can help you accurately and realistically dive into character development.Now, not all characters go through trauma, but there are other big life events that can shape how they behave.If you have a character whose parents were very strict growing up, they may be a bit of a rebel and lack the decision making abilities others h ave mostly because they never learned how since their parents made those choices for them. Character Development ExerciseSince you know your character’s backstory, do a little research into how those specific struggles or realities can shape a person’s psyche in order to accurately and realistically craft their behavior.#9 Make secondary characters foil typesThis is largely to help with personality contract within your novel. Most of the time, this will happen naturally if you’re giving each character a unique personality but it’s great to keep in mind anyway.If you have secondary characters (characters who get a decent amount of page time but are not main characters), craft their personality types to show the opposite of the main characters’.Why? Because you want to firstly create more diversity and secondly, create some non-plot-specific conflict. Character Development ExercisePinpoint your secondary characters and development them in a way tha t makes them clash or oppose your main characters in certain ways. Think about what could annoy your main character the most and give your secondary characters some of those habits or personality traits.#10 Give each character a distinct voiceWe all speak differently and that means your characters should too. Depending on where they’re from, they could have different accents, slang, and even phrases they tend to use regularly.Think of a friend of yours for a minute. What are some specific phrases they use a lot?It’s likely you were able to think of something in just a few seconds because it’s so unique to them and something they say a lot.Your characters should be developed in the same way.If you write two characters from very different areas of the world and they have the same style of speaking, your audience will be pulled out of the story because it’s not realistic. Their voices have to be consistent and not the same. Character Development ExerciseThe se tips can ensure your characters speak differently: Choose a slang word each character likes to use Use different wording for the same meaning like â€Å"apologies† versus â€Å"I’m sorry† or â€Å"my bad† Use unique sentence structures to give each character a unique speaking rhythm Make sure your more educated characters speak like it and your less educated use simpler words and phrases Create phrases similar to â€Å"knee-high to a grasshopper† with unique meanings for your characters’ specific regions Read their dialogue out loud in the voice you image they have and make changes if necessary The point of giving your characters unique voices is to ensure your readers imagine them as real people instead of two-dimensional beings living in paper.#11 Create a diverse cast in every wayI’ll be honest, there is a very real problem in literature when it comes to diversity.You can debate this all you want, but coming from someone who reads many books, it’s a very real issue that only you and other writers going forward can correct.Your book should be just as diverse as the real world.If you don’t have characters with varying skin, hair, or eye colors along with varying body types, disabilities, and even mental illnesses, your characters are not diverse enough.You do not have to write a book about these things in order for you to include them in your novel.For example, one of my main characters has high levels of anxiety. His storyline does not revolve around this mental illness, but it is there, seen, and can affect his plot. Character Development ExerciseLook through your characters and their appearances as well as their personalities. If there isn’t clear diversity amongst them, create it. You want to make sure you are allowing diverse readers to feel included, heard, and represented.#12 Avoid stereotypes This is really a â€Å"do not do† tip versus a â€Å"must do† tip . The reason for this is because so many writers feel as though they need a â€Å"side character† (or even a main character) but is too lazy to do the real work.Which means they create a stereotype of a specific type of person that can oftentimes be harmful without the author even knowing.A great way to ensure you never have offensive stereotyped characters is to use a sensitivity reader or make sure you have a diverse group of beta readers who can speak on behalf of the characters you’ve developed. What is a Character Arc?A character arc is used to describe the inner and even outer journey, which can be physical, mental, emotional, or otherwise that a character experiences throughout the duration of the story or plot.You thought you were done learning about character development, didn’t you?You’re not! In addition to crafting well-rounded characters, you also have to think about including arcs for them.How to Create a Character ArcAt the very least, your protagonist, or main character, requires an arc for their storyline and journey to be captivating and satisfying for readers.As an example, I’m going to use Harry Potter from that series simply because it’s widely known and his character arc even within the first novel is distinct.Harry Potter starts the novel as an 11-year-old kid suffering from emotionally abusive relatives who care for him due to his parents passing away.But by the end of the movie, Harry has discovered he’s a wizard, learned of his prominence in the wizarding world, and even taken on Voldemort himself (well, sort of).This character arc is distinct in that his mental and emotional journey from start to finish is wildly different. Harry Potter is not the same at the end as he was in the beginning and this remains true throughout each book in the series.When your character comes out at the end of the book as a transformed person in certain senses, it’s a character arc.Above is an examp le of what a character arc looks like on paper and how you can utilize plot elements in order to further your character’s development.Character development questionsIf youre looking for a way to further develop your characters in order to create lifelike and realistic personalities, we have a way to help.Here are 50 character development questions to ask:What is their full name?Why did their parents choose that name?What are their parents like?Do they have siblings?What are their siblings like?Were they bullied by their siblings?What order are they in their family (first born, middle, etc.)?What do they look like (full appearance)?Do they have any quirks or nervous habits?What do they do when they get mad?What do they do when theyre happy?Do they have close friends?What are their friends like?Whats their worst habit?Whats their best habit?Whats their biggest weakness?Whats their biggest strength?What is something they want to improve upon?Whats something they excel in?Did the y go to school or an equivalent?What were they like in school?Do they like to learn?Are they a rebel?Are they an obliger (people-pleaser)?Are they internally motivated?Do they look to others for help in times of stress?What is their stress response?Do they think logically or emotionally to make decisions?Are they able to make decisions clearly when emotional?What are their beliefs on religion?Do they have a strong moral compass?What do they value most in life (money, happiness, etc.?)What is something that would trigger irrational behavior?Are they introverted or extroverted?Are they a troublemaker or do they play by the rules?Whats something that fulfills them?Do they know their lifes purpose?Whos someone causing emotional struggles in their life?Who do they go to when theyre upset?What type of weather do they enjoy most?What are their sleeping habits like?What are their eating habits like?Whats something they could change about their world if they could?Are they someone who speaks up for themselves?Are they a passive person?What are they like at their very worst?What are they like at their very best?What do they envision their life to be 10 years from now?What do they want for their life when theyre old and gray?What does the perfect life look like in their eyes?Your Next Steps But Only if You’re a Serious WriterIt’s time to get serious about your book. If you’re here, it means you want to learn how to write your book to the best of your ability.That’s exactly what we can help with.We put together this FREE training for you to understand what it takes to write and publish a book.Make sure to watch this because you can create incredible characters all you want, but they’ll never see the light of day without publishing.

Retail manaement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Retail manaement - Essay Example The proposed complex will have one department store and 40 other spaces of which many will be for office buildings. The boutique will encounter low competition which is a very positive factor. The Downtown Arcade also has its downside. The developers are placing an 8% corporate tax levy on all sales after $225,000. These types of taxes are common occurrences at malls, but it is a bit high and the $225,000 application tax point is too low. This area has been a business ghost town for over 50 years. There is a lot of uncertainly if the area can be transformed into a high level business activity area. The second potential location is called Tenderloin village. The place is an urban area in which there is business activity. The location has a lot benefits. The space is available for $1250 a month for a 900 square area lot. The contract is a short two year contract which gives the business owner flexibility. There are not extra charges related to large complex buildings. The landlord is a person Stephanie knows and trusts. The location has its disadvantages as well. There are three other small clothing stores in the area, so there is competition. The store is located in the basement of a home, thus the location has visibility issues and limited parking. The levels of walking traffic for this location are possibly low. The third location is called Appletree Mall which is an established mall with 8 years of existence. This location provides benefits for Stephanie’s boutique. The mall has lots of clientele and plenty of visitors. The sales of the mall went up by 12% last year. The space available is larger than the other lots with an overall space of 1200 square feet. The boutique would receive a large amount of walk-by traffic to the store which generates lots of sales. The mall is located just off an interstate highway which brings additional customers which are not necessarily residents of the region. The Appletree Mall also has its

Why is strategy important to business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why is strategy important to business - Essay Example ment with the knowledge of the way individual activities and organizational personnel are interlinked and connected to obtain the business objectives. The strategy sets the direction for business depending upon the threats and opportunities of the macro environment as well as the micro environment. The needs of a business change in reaction to the changes of the environment. There are numerous entities that bring a change in the environment. Such entities include but are not limited to the competitors, customers, stakeholders, rules, legislations, and political, technological and socioeconomic factors. With an increase in the change of the environment, there occurs an increase in the number of opportunities and threats for the business. Business does not only need to have a strategy in case of a change. Even with a stable environment, the stakeholders’ activities and intentions alter, thus causing a need for the business to review the current events and gauge the efforts to cr eate value for the consumers. The most fundamental element of strategy in the business is planning. Planning is an outcome of estimation. Estimation and assessment form the basic level of the strategic management process. First of all, the manager studies the scope of the product or service in the area that is intended to be produced from the business. Assessment of the buyer behavior aids the development of successful strategy (Pearce, 2008, p. 119). After this, the past, present and future trends in the design are reviewed with an aim to develop an innovative design that provides the customer with a product or service previously unseen or unused. The development of design and the product involve prudent planning and scheduling and usability of the resources. Once the product or service has been developed, no more than 50 per cent of the work is done. The rest of the 50 per cent is about the advertisement of the product or service. This is the most crucial step in the process of strategic

Mandatory Military Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mandatory Military Service - Essay Example The researcher states that then thought of every able bodied person serving in the military elicits mixed reaction in different societies and other quarters, where some are for while others are against it. Engaging in military service for able bodied raises debates world over, which makes it crucial to assess the options between service or lack of it, whether mandatory service is more beneficial as compared to lack thereof. Mandatory military service should be recommended for every nation and state for different reasons that are only for the benefit of its people and the enlisting individuals, as a whole. One of the main reasons is that taking part in military service is an act of loyalty, and the right thing to do for everyone as a citizen. This is a duty in which every citizen should participate rather than wait for other members of the society to step forward risking their lives to protect those of others. This service ensures ignorance is eliminated from all members of society, a s they all know their responsibilities and what the military goes through. This is before they get to criticize the works of the military prior to understanding the implications of handling conflict, both armed and unarmed. In such cases, responsibilities of protecting the nation should be shouldered by all able bodied persons as without the mandatory system, the entire military would be a professional one. This is where the cost becomes overwhelming since the military wants to retain as many personnel as possible, which is not the case with mandatory service. Mandatory service ensures that the military is always ready with personnel and trains reserves since those that leave the military become reservists. These reservists are equipped with skills that benefit all members of the society regardless of conflicts as the same skills can be applied in life situations. Moreover, mandatory military service for every able bodied citizen is crucial to creating a patriotic nation and instill ing a sense of nationhood amongst the people (Imran). Serving in the military serves as an opportunity to inculcate a sense of pride in serving their country thus allowing them to fight for it and guard it under all circumstances. Although there are many other options from which one can choose to instill patriotism, mandatory military service instills pride and should, therefore, be practiced. It is also one of the ways through which one can serve his or her country; before going into the world to serve one’s own needs and interests. As such, it creates a sense of identity with the men and women fighting for the country by connecting with them. This connection is because the citizens know what it takes to be in the military, and how patriotic it is of them to serve in it. Serving in the military, therefore, should be enforced for every able bodied person for a defined period in which one evaluates his or her loyalties. However, mandatory military service should not be practic ed for clearly visible reasons that decapitate the values of the society, any society that is. This is provided the society in question follows a democratic view that should allow its people to make their own choices by joining the military. Furthermore, it ruins the social system by having the military leaders and other leaders with the power to influence the military have their own way. Hence, mandatory military service ensures that there are no reforms in the military, a heavy consequence for the people and the nation as a whole. This is because this service leaves people who are exempt from the service as lesser members of the society as compared to those who are enlisted. Therefore, they are discriminated against and used to achieve the means of recruiting and assigning officers (Connolly). Those that do not enlist in the military are required to serve mandatory community service that involves the providing cheap labor for other members of the society, as is the case of Germany . It is for this reason that every able bodied

Cubism period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cubism period - Essay Example The ‘three musicians’ by Picasso was made of intensely colored, flat and abstract geometry in a superficial boxlike enclosure. A clarinet player can be seen on the left, a guitar player in the middle and on the right hand side there is a singer with sheets of music in his hands. They are all dressed similarly. Pierrot with a white suit and blue suit, Harlequin in a costume that has diamond patterns, and on the right there is a friar wearing a black robe. At the faà §ade of the Pierrot, there is a table on it a pipe and a number of things too, while under him is a dog whose tail is peeping out at the back of the musician’s legs. All aspects of this painting comprise of flat shapes and geometry. The painting is characterized by the use diverse textures, planes, collage rudiments, papier Mache. It was a pioneer of collage elements to be implemented as key components of a work of art. After World War I, Pablo Picasso painted one of his renowned and popular paintings of all time called â€Å"Bombing of Guernica†. This was a painting to interpret what the war was really like, because it was about how an innocent family was brutally caught in the heart of the war. One could look at this painting and perceive different meanings each time. It was a painting of accepted size on canvas of about eleven feet. This movement appeals because it was a rebellion of the contemporary artistic methods of painting. These contemporary methods followed stiff rules and regulations tying the imaginative nature of an artist.

Case study review Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case study review - Coursework Example However, one weakness reflected is that of high operating expenses. This is because the revenue is in â€Å"billions† whereby the net profit is only amounting to a few â€Å"millions†, thereby reflecting high expenses. High expenses could lead to operational inefficiency as well as higher prices for customers; therefore, they need to be controlled. On the other hand, the company has the opportunity to grow as it is currently only medium sized. By employing more people and increasing operations it can take advantage of economies of scale and lower prices for customers. Finally, it is likely that the company is facing the threat of high expenses owing to factors beyond its control such as rising labor costs and interest rates. 2. Fitness First Group Ltd Fitness Ltd’s strength lies in its geographic diversification as it is â€Å"international† in nature and has operations in 15 countries. Therefore, it can take advantage of lower costs in other countries as well as reduce legal and regulatory risks by operating in different countries. However, it may potentially possess weakness in the form of mismanagement of multi-cultural international markets. Furthermore, since the company is large in size and scale, HR conflicts and conflict between the strategies for home country versus host country is likely to be inherent. The company faces the opportunity of further expanding its geographic base and expanding into other countries, such as emerging BRIC economies, to take advantage of the rising health issues and increased demand for fitness by consumers in these countries. Furthermore, it can â€Å"go public† rather than remaining a private limited company as doing so will give it access to greater amount of finances and capital to run the business. This is particularly relevant because the company has international operations which may require share capital to sustain them. Finally, the company faces the threat of intense competition owing to its international operations. It is worth noting that the company may have to compete with already established players in countries other than its home country which would entail a potential risk of failing in those countries altogether. Furthermore, customers’ preferences, habits and lifestyle may be different in these countries and this is particularly relevant since the company is offering lifestyle-based service- fitness. 3. Oxford BioMedica plc The company’s strength lies in its association with an already established brand- â€Å"Oxford University† which shall give it enhanced reputation compared to its competitors. However, its weakness is that the company may require greater funds for further research and development as scientific research is typically cost. An amount of ?130mn may, therefore, be insufficient for this purpose. As far as opportunity is concerned, the company may have access to greater funding owing to funds provided by health and scientific organizations that generally have huge budgets for research and development. This funding can be used to develop innovative medicines as is the core mission of the company. However, the threats are also likely to be high owing to the controversy surrounding â€Å"gene-based† medicines. This means that lack of political will and regulatory compliance may delay patent protection which could ultimately put the large