Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Appearance Versus Reality in Three Contemporary American Novels - Literature Essay Samples

Appearance versus reality is a major theme of contemporary American fiction. The characters of American Pastoral, We Were the Mulvaneys, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf may appear to be living one way, or portray a strong public face, but the reality of their lives contradicts the appearance that they adopt.Philip Roth creates an almost perfect and idealistic character, Swede, in his novel American Pastoral. The novel opens with Nathan Zuckerman and his high school reunion. As Zuckerman recalls his high school years he remembers Seymour Levov, or Swede, who was the picture of perfection. Swede was one of Zuckerman’s older brothers and someone to look up to and idealize. Swede was a star athlete, loved by all, successful in all that he attempted. As far as anyone could see Swede’s life was sure to be a success. After graduating from college Seymour, a Jew, married a Catholic woman and former Miss New Jersey. Swede had it all. In 1985 Zuckerman’s childhoo d model connected with him and asked to meet up. Zuckerman and Levov grabbed dinner in New York where Zuckerman had expected Levov to divulge his grief over the death of his father. Instead, most of the dinner was spent discussing Zuckerman’s home life. Swede wall a wall of bland exterior. He was polite, smooth, and cool, but it was clear that there was something he was not saying. Swede’s life was not as simple and glorious as Zuckerman had portrayed it to be early on.The initial appearance claims that the life of Seymour Levov will be one of a success. Then, his cool faced appearance at lunch present calm and control. In reality neither of these appearances holds to be true. Swede explains in the novel that â€Å"everything he shouts is wrong†¦ causes, clear answers, who there is to blame. Reasons. But there are no reasons. She is obliged to be as she is. We all are†¦. Jerry tries to rationalize it but you can’t. This is all something else, somethin g he knows absolutely nothing about. No one does. It is not rational. It is chaos. It is chaos from start to finish.† This quotation comes from Swede’s reflection on a conversation that he has with his brother, Jerry. Swede has been discussing his daughter Merry with Jerry. For the past five years Merry has been living a life away from her family in a world that the rest of the Levovs, particularly the older generations, cannot understand. Her father laments that his daughter has been raped, that she lives in a state of filth, and that she partakes in radical and dangerous bombings. Levov’s life, despite the original appearance, has been one of struggle, suffering, and difficulty as his familial life continually initiates stress into his situation.Jerry Levov blames Merry for the downfall of his brother. He claims that his brother’s life was destroyed by explaining her rebellion against her father and the subsequent stresses of her life choices. No matter how much evidence Jerry brings to the table, his claim cannot be as simple as it appears. Merry engages herself in political battles, partakes in bombings, runs away from her family, and much more. Jerry claims that these are the reasons his brother’s life fell apart. However, though it may seem that way to Jerry, the fact remains that Merry’s life can only be explained through chaos. In the aforementioned passage Swede seems to realize that there was no way to predict how Merry would react to any given upbringing. The result and her reaction of the way her father treated her and punished her are subject to many other things. It, like most in life, seems like pure chaos. The ability to predict an outcome, to know how a person will respond is nonexistent. The journey in which a single life take, that of Swede or Merry, cannot be fully understood and explained by the story of their life unless one accepts that chaos and a lack of concrete reasoning plays into how that p erson may end up. This reality is one that Jerry Levov cannot grasp, unlike his brother, due to the overwhelming appearance of the situation. So for many people, what appears to be masks the pure irrational nature of life.Another novel that addresses the theme of appearance versus reality is We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates. For the Mulvaney family public image is the key to life. This family, according to those around them, knows success and happiness. Michael Mulvaney, the father of the group, runs a successful roofing company whilst his wife, Caroline, runs the idyllic home and farm in addition to a small business. This power couple has everything one could ever dream for. Along with their multiple talents and financial stability the couple parent four children. Their children are well liked and great students. The picture of the perfect family is painted through what appears to be the Mulvaney way. However, despite the shiny exterior of the family, after Marianne, the daughter, experiences a trauma all they know and love falls apart. Suddenly, the Mulvaneys, a strong-willed and successful family was hiding behind anger, shame, and pain.Marianne is raped at a school dance and attempts to hide it from her parents. After the truth comes out her father moves to press charges against the boy, but Marianne will not testify against her rapist in court. Everything Michael ever was proves to be a lie. Michael could do nothing to regain his status as father, leader, and success. His world view collapsed upon him when he could not accurately protect his family and ensure success for every member. He could not help Marianne and that was a failure to large to face. Instead, he forgot about her presence; at least he tried to forget about her presence. In the novel, and to Marianne, it seemed that Michael no longer recognized his daughter at all. In appearance, he had erased her completely from his life. Eventually, Marianne was physically exiled from the home, and the appearance that Michael had forgotten his daughter grew stronger. In reality, this was simply a front to mask the pain he was suffering from. Michael failed his daughter through his inability to protect her. His ideal and perfect world proved to be a complete sham and his only way of coping is to resort to another sham: the faà §ade of forgetfulness instead to reality of shame and anguish. As a result, Michael turned to alcohol as the life he knew crumbled apart.Michael lost his business, his daughter, his pride, and even his wife. Each member of the Mulvaney family slowly departed in order to independently find a way to live with themselves and cope with the destruction they had witnessed. This family could never really be the picture that everyone took them to be. If the Mulvaneys were as truly perfect and strong as the original public view would account, then the rape of Marianne would not have so harshly affected the family unit. It tore them apart. This can only be ra tionalized through the concept that the family, despite appearances, was operating under false pretenses of perfection when in reality the unit was weak enough that just one blow would bring them tumbling down. The dynamics of this family was redefined by one event, and individual reactions to that event. Michael and his family allow the public to see only one version of them, which allows for their downfall to be even more tragic to the public eye. Yet another piece of literature that presents the theme of appearance versus reality is Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This play is compounded by the idea of illusions, games, and hidden truths. Martha and George, a middle-aged couple, welcome Nick and Honey into their home one evening. Nick and Honey hope to learn from the more experienced couple about life at the college they are involved with. They have come to gain knowledge from the seemingly happy and wise couple before them. Martha and George are noth ing what one would expect. Instead of living in a life of normalcy and truth, the couple partakes in what they indicate as games. These games, each framing a different section of the play, are ways in which illusion, or appearance, are introduced to the work. The most shocking game that the couple plays concerns the life of their child. According to Martha and George, they are parents to a child of their own. The reality is, there is no child. Martha and George, in reality, are not parents. However, in creating a game, they allow themselves to raise a child together. They often fight over the child, though no child truly exists. Finally, George kills off their fictional child by claiming that the child died. Martha is beside herself with grief. Their kid, though simply a game, was something the couple created together. Though not real, it allowed the two of them to be together in imagination and falsified memories. They created their own lives in illusion so that their appearance is starkly different than the truth. George and Martha are not a happily married couple raising a child together as they attempt to appear, but are simply two people struggling to cope with the truth set before them.This struggle can be related back to George and Martha’s actual marriage. The couple lives their lives through illusory games, allowing appearance to become their realities. Throughout the play the couple tries to one-up each other while playing the games. This is how they find joy and happiness, through a false reality. The creation of this alternate reality gives George and Martha a chance to live out their appearance. In reality, in the real world, George and Martha would be challenged to confront emotions and situations that may be difficult for anyone. The faà §ade is safety net, protecting them from the difficulty of the real world, real emotions. The games that they play in marriage allow them to feel a rush that they compare to reality, that they make seem like reality, but in fact, it is their escape from reality. The appearance they put up in their games drives the marriage to absolute insanity. Martha exerts her fear of reality when sharing that she in fact is â€Å"afraid of Virginia Woolf†. Martha and George are both terrified to face real life, real emotions, and the struggles of their real marriage. The illusory games give them an opportunity to live falsely in a perceived reality, a simple appearance of the truth. It appears, after the â€Å"death† of the false child that the couple may choose to leave behind their appearance and begin to live in reality after the play closes. There is a possibility that the walls and appearance created in their games will be tumbling down slowly to allow both Martha and George to embrace the truth in reality, no matter the drastic pain and suffering this may cause.In the literary works American Pastoral, We Were the Mulvaneys, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf the theme of appearance versus reality is a crucial issue. The appearance of life allows for a misrepresentation or false reality for the characters encountering it. They may hide behind their appearance in safety or simply fail to live up to their appearance. Either way, what seems to be hardly ever is the reality of the situation. Contemporary American fiction continually explores the relationship that appearance and reality have with each other, and the underlying problems that they pose to one another and the people who must face those problems.

Monday, May 18, 2020

Environmental Concerns Of The Energy Industry - 1495 Words

Over the past 70 years, energy use and energy sources alike considerably shifted in the United States. With these shifts, the environmental concerns associated the energy sources changed as well. Whether it meant regulating coal use to minimize air pollution or funding alternative fuel source research, the government has played a significant role in how the energy has been used. In addition, worried consumers attack the industries by rallying for them to eliminate pollution. This dual sided advance on the energy industry sometimes leads to slow advancement, such as the case with nuclear energy. Typically, energy policy has shifted to minimize the effects on the environment. However, there were situations in which the government actually†¦show more content†¦Not long after the clean air act and the environmental impact standards were passed, the Arab countries placed an embargo on petroleum products to the United States. This was due to the United States’ support of Is rael. As a result of this political debacle, the United States actually began ordering electrical utilities to continue or resume using coal as a source instead of petroleum. Although only 15% of electricity produced in the US at the time originated from petroleum products, this was still the use of more than 1 million barrels per day. Eliminating this use of petroleum would allow the United States more independence from the world oil market. Clearly, this contradicted the clean air measures put into place in 1967. However, after the embargo was lifted, the government provided large new amounts of funding for alternative fuel sources. Among the energy sources they were researching was nuclear energy. Although a very clean source of energy with regards to carbon emissions, concerns about radiation emissions exist when discussing nuclear energy. Thoughts of Chernobyl, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki come to mindShow MoreRelatedEssay on Going Green In The Hospitality Industry989 Words   |   4 PagesEnvironmentalism has become a great concern in all sectors of business, evidenced by the recent jump in energy prices, and empirical data provided by several different environmental and scientific agencies. The Hotel industry is no different, in fact, it would benefit greatly from the recent push for all businesses and business sectors to Go Green. Yet, the industry has long resisted the changes, and is only recently catching up to other industries that have converted their operations to have greenerRead MoreEssay On Whats Next For U. S. Energy975 Words   |  4 PagesWhat’s next for U.S. energy? The coal industry in the United States has been a substantial job industry in states such as Wyoming, Kentucky, and Ohio providing up to over 76,000 mining careers in 2014 that area essential for the areas surrounding the mines but employment number is less than that of Arby’s, the fast food chain (Ingraham 2017). This size of the career poll brings into question what direction would be most beneficial for the United States in terms of our energy industries and where we shouldRead MoreTravel and Tourism Industry: Environmentally Responsible Behavior1041 Words   |  5 PagesIn travel and tourism industry, the focus on the environmentally responsible behaviour has grown dramatically over the years from hardly being talked about to has been a major concern (Gustin Weaver, 1996). Deterioration of the environment happened from the growth of the global economy, over consumption and utilization of natural resources. Everyone in the world faces great challenges from the climate c hanges that have occurring now dues to the human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and fossilRead MoreCritical Analysis of Fracking1054 Words   |  5 PagesProblem The United States is facing an energy crisis. Dependence on foreign oil has led to geopolitical conflict, and global fossil fuel consumption is damaging the environment at an alarming rate. Add to this an exploding world population, and it is clear that the US needs to find an alternative source of energy. Question Can the natural gas deposits in the Marcellus Formation, extracted through fracking, be the solution to the United States’ energy problem? Purpose The purpose of thisRead MoreThe Effects Of Hydraulic Fracturing On The United States1518 Words   |  7 Pagesexperts that the current energy sources we use in the United States today are in need of a change. How we rely on the fossil fuels of coal and oil is a concern for two main issues: which is the negative impact on the environment and how the U.S. relies on other countries for supplies. This too has created issues on the political standpoint of the situation. This is where hydraulic fracturing comes in to play. Hydraulic Fracturing is a horizontal drilling process by the energy industry that has presentedRead MoreTwo major world concerns today are the energy crisis and economic instability. Hydrofracking may be1400 Words   |  6 PagesTwo major world concerns today are the energy crisis and economic instability. Hydrofracking may be the key for finding the solution for both of these issues, because this technique allows the oil and gas areas which could not be developed prev iously to be productive. Cooley and Donnelly (2012), experts on global energy policy; state that the world natural gas reserves will be more than enough for the next 130 years, and the latest extraction technology of shale gas can bring a significant contributionRead MoreThe Challenge Of The Auto Industry935 Words   |  4 PagesAs many other industries auto industry, despite its tremendous development through time, is facing strong contests from different directions arising from an assortment of perspectives. These provocations roots out from the business behaviour (such as market competition in the industry), environmental issues and the effect of other related technologies in the setting. Thus, by this article, I’m going to analyse the challenge in the auto industry in America with respect to its relation to theRead MoreSmall Hydro Project Essay934 Words   |  4 PagesSalmonid Populations Small hydro (run-of-river) is a clean form of energy that invests billions of dollars into the economy, creates thousands of construction jobs, and empowers First Nations. However, until a few years ago, there was significant public concern that small hydro projects were impacting fish. Much of what the public knew about small hydro facilities was based on media coverage noting incidences of fish kills. One environmental group stated that â€Å"run-of-river hydro projects are killing fishRead MoreA Brief Note On Texas s Fracking Conflict1076 Words   |  5 Pagesof the issues that Texas is currently facing is rooted in a populous industry, fracking. Texas has always been known for being oil and gas friendly, but cities are becoming weary about this industry invading highly populated suburban areas. While local governments have been able to block out drilling and gas wells for some time now, the state has taken a position that is becoming increasingly supportive of the oil and gas i ndustry. To define fracking in latent terms, it’s the process of injectingRead MoreEssay about Environmental Issues1192 Words   |  5 Pages The topics of: Energy, agriculture, pollution and climate change, biodiversity, and random miscellaneous environmental incongruities bring up some of the most crucial concerns of todays environmental issues. There is so much going on in todays world revolving around environmental concerns, and the information in newspapers serve as a great informational tool to inform the economy of what is going on around them and possibly what they can do to help. The environmental issues associated

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois Impact the Fight for...

Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois Impact the Fight for Racial Equality The beginning of the early twentieth century saw the rise of two important men into the realm of black pride and the start of what would later become the movement towards civil rights. Both Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois influenced these two aforementioned movements, but the question is, to what extent? Marcus Garvey, born in Jamaica, came to the United States on March 23, 1916 to spread his program of race improvement (Cronon, 20). Originally, this was just to gain support for his educational program in Jamaica, but would soon become much more. Because of conditions at the time, the American Negro World took a great liking to him and his ideas of race†¦show more content†¦This resulted from a divergence with the beliefs of Booker T. Washington, the one Negro who had commanded national respect from both races (Cronon, 34). Du Bois and other young, militant Negroes resented Washington’s narrow philosophy of industrial and agricultural education and denounced his apparent submission to the increasing curbs on Negro civil and political rights in the South (Cronon, 35). He felt that Washington was telling all blacks to accept their inferior role in society and to take on a vocation to improve their economic conditions. The NAACP, formed in 1910, appointed Du Bois director of publicity and research. He was also to edit the monthly magazine of the organization, the Crisis. Du Bois and the magazine pointed out the injustices and abuses of American race relations. Though the magazine was beneficial in spreading the message of Du Bois and NAACP, the true success of the organization came through legal proceedings (Cronon, 35). Du Bois resigned from the NAACP staff in 1934 because he was unwilling to advocate racial integration in all aspects of life. Garvey’s success was not in the fact that he accomplished his goal of forming a black nation in Africa, but he was a great orator who spurred a large following. Garvey’s U.N.I.A. had collected more moneyShow MoreRelatedRacial Leadership And The African American Political Thought From B Du Bois1260 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the history of United States we have had different views of racial leadership in Afro American political thought from W.E.B Du Bois to Booker T. Washington to Marcus Garvey who sought to lead African-Americans from the oppression they face. All three of these historical figures had different views on racial leadership and politics as well as the vision and direction that racial emancipation should take. W.E.B Du Bois argued that African-Americans should political, economic, and social freedomRead More The Origin of the Civil Rights Movement Essay1820 Words   |  8 PagesAmericans. As W.E.B. Du Bois provided the diving board that would allow blacks to dive into the pool of equality, he is found at the origin of the Civil Rights Movement. The Pan-Africanism movement, the rage following the Red Summer, and the Great Migration continued the efforts of W.E.B. Du Bois. The bold and striking words and actions of Marcus Garvey showed whites that blacks would not be called an inferior race any longer. Following World War II, many bounds toward racial equality were made andRead MoreEssay on Waiting Til the Midnight Hour1733 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican American history and I found an amazing amount of information that I was not aware of. Like most who claim to be Black History experts, I was aware of the roles of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey. However, I was not aware of the impact that so many lesser known figures had in the civil rights movement. It was refreshing to learn of the roles played by Harold Cruse, Arturo Schomburg, Richard Wright, Ella Baker and Robert F. Williams . Reading thisRead MoreIs Art A Universal Language?2130 Words   |  9 Pagesbe approximated between the years 1916 to 1940 with its location being in Harlem on Manhattan Island in New York City. This time period was a major development in art due to the fact that it allowed African Americans to express their thoughts on equality, individuality, pride, and other significant viewpoints aesthetically. African Americans utilized their past and present experiences to create cultural pieces of artwork during the creative and intellectual era that has come to be known as the HarlemRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance Essay1977 Words   |  8 Pagesblack. Blacks had finally created a middle class in America. Those blacks were expecting to be treated fairly and have the same life as white Americans. In 1896 equal rights for all races came to a halt when the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court ruled racial segregation acceptable. Separate, but ‘equal’ was the motto. African-American s, in the south, were met with harsh conditions as they worked and lived among whites. Because of this, more blacks started moving to the north because it was considered

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Kant s Categorical Imperative For Moral Rightness Essay

Kant, the founder of Kantian ethics, believes that the moral rightness of an action is not dependent upon the consequences but rather the intentions of an action. Additionally, Kant believes in The Categorical Imperative which serves as a rubric for moral rightness. However, the implications of this principle apply to everyone and cannot be disputed1. One formulation of the principle is known as the universalization test where one must only act according to a maxim that can be willed as universal law. For example, Kant believes that under no circumstance shall someone lie. This statement can be applied to all persons and it can be rationally willed by all persons. Another formulation of The Categorical Imperative is the means-to-an-end test where humanity must always be treated as an end and never only as a means to an end2. An example of this would be a taxi driver whose occupation is the transportation of an individual from one place to another. The rider in the taxi must acknowled ge the autonomy of the driver of the taxi instead of simply viewing the driver as a means of transportation. If The Categorical Imperative can be passed, then the action is viewed as morally right. Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that focuses on what an individual should do, rather than what they must do. This division of ethical theory dictates an action to be morally right if the consequences of the action produce the greatest benefit for those affected by the action.Show MoreRelatedEssay on Immanuel Kant’s Non- consequentialist Ethical Theory 1369 Words   |  6 Pages1. Introduction According to Immanuel Kant the driving force behind our actions should be dictated by what is inherently good as sole consideration and not be based upon the effects of what such actions may produce such as the case in the consequentialist theory of cause. In this essay Kant’s ethical non-consequentialist theory will be briefly investigated and a comparison drawn between the two different theories in order to establish merit in employment thereof in practice. 2. Kantian Morality CentralRead MoreHappiness Is Principal Of Convincing People1502 Words   |  7 Pagesrelevant vices and that one must act in accordance with virtues in order to have a good character. Kant argues that happiness is not an appropriate gauge for one’s moral rightness, rather one must apply the categorical imperative to analyze the soundness of one’s morality. Mill argues that the greatest amount of happiness amongst the greatest number of people is the ultimate gauge for moral rightness. Los Angeles Pierce College Students attend college in an attempt to reach a goal they long for, andRead MoreKant And Mill On Animal Ethics Essay1365 Words   |  6 PagesIn this essay I will begin by explaining the overall views of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill, then compare and contrast the ideas and philosophies of Kant and Mill on Animal Ethics. I believe that Kant, the deontologist, will not care as much about the duty/responsibility between humans and animals as Mill, the utili tarian, who will see the extreme importance of animal ethics. After studying and explaining the views and teachings of these two philosophers I will see if my thesis was correct,Read MoreEssay on The Golden Rule in Kant and Mills Ethical Theories1320 Words   |  6 Pagespurpose. The two most important philosophers that deal with ethics are Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. Kant’s ethical theory is Kantianism or deontological ethics. Mill’s ethical theory is utilitarianism. Both philosophers’ theories have many differences; Kant’s theory deals with conduct, seeking reason for good action in duty. Mill’s theory deals with consequences and maximizing human happiness. However both Kant and Mill’s ethics relate to the important biblical principal of the Golden RuleRead MoreMoral Theories Can Help Justify The Decisions That Are Made882 Words   |  4 PagesMoral Theories Moral theories can help justify the decisions that are made. Each theory has separate viewpoints in which other theories borrow elements from. Moral theories attempt to explain what it is that makes some actions right and others wrong. These are then used as a guide to making choices. They operate at a more general level than moral or legal principles and rules. The four main groups that one should be aware of are: Utilitarian, Kantian, Aristotelian and Feminist. Utilitarian UtilitarianismRead MoreCategorical Vs. Categorical Imperative1929 Words   |  8 Pages An imperative can be described as either a requirement or an order such as an assistant manager being told to take inventory or being told by a personal trainer to do fifty squats. All imperatives, no matter what it is, can either be hypothetical or categorical. A hypothetical imperative would be defining an action to be good if there is â€Å"a means to do something else†. (Landau-Kant 93) An example of a hypothetical imperative would be to do an action in order to achieve a specific result. On theRead MoreJustified killing1476 Words   |  6 Pagesidea that the killing of an individual is morally wrong. Immanuel Kant is one of many philosophers who believed that certain types of actions including murder, theft, and lying are absolutely prohibited. Even in cases where the action would bring about more happiness then pain. According to Kant the ultimate end of the situation is not what ma tters most and what classifies something to be good or bad. Kant believed that the rightness or wrongness of an action is not determined based on the consequencesRead MoreWho Is A Soldier Refuse An Illegal Or Unjust Order?1309 Words   |  6 Pagesthe lower ranks take the position that obeying orders are a part of their duties that must be carried out, without question. There are instances when Soldiers must face virtues such as courage, which would be a principal virtue of any Soldier. One moral dilemma and a question that may arise, is should a Soldier refuse an illegal or unjust order given by his/her superiors? Some Soldiers pursuant to the dictates of their consciences, refuse to follow orders that are in direct conflict to their virtuesRead More Immanuel Kants Ethics Of Pure Duty and John Stuart Mills Utilitarian Ethics Of Justice2753 Words   |  12 PagesImmanuel Kants The Grounding For The Metaphysics of Morals and John Stuart Mills Utilitarianism Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill are philosophers who addressed the issues of morality in terms of how moral traditions are formed. Immanuel Kant has presented one viewpoint in The Grounding For The Metaphysics of Morals that is founded on his belief that the worth of man is inherent in his ability to reason. John Stuart Mill holds another opinion as presented in the book, Utilitarianism thatRead MoreEssay about Categorical Imperative1517 Words   |  7 PagesKant thinks that the basic moral principles of our society come from people’s rationality, and people must follow these principles unconditionally. These moral principles are the Categorical Imperative. Meanwhile, its common rules have different directions in society. To conclude these directions, it can be reflected from three different formulations. Among the three formulations, the first formulation of universal law has standout features in the maxim and the constraints about people’s behaviors

Analysis Of Greasy Lake And Barn Burning - 856 Words

Making Decisions is a Big Part of Life In life we are challenged daily in making the right or wrong decision. In order to do what is right it takes a strong will person who is a leader and not a follower of the masses. The authors T. Coraghessan Boyle and William Faulkner in the short stories â€Å"Greasy Lake† and â€Å"Barn Burning†, portrayed how individuals can be leaders and ultimate make good decisions against all odds. So what character traits help these young men to eventually become good decisions makers? In the short story â€Å"Greasy Lake† the young men were peer pressured into being someone that they thought was cool. These boys represented the average teenage boy trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be. During the boys century it was cool to be the bad guy that smokes and drinks. The author states in the short story that â€Å"There was a time when courtesy and winning ways went out of style, when it was good to be bad, when you cultivated decadence like a taste (Faulkner).† The boys believed if they were the â€Å"bad boys† that girls would like them. However, the protagonist were portrayed as being raised in a middle class home with parents trying to raise their children the proper way. This short story more so about how a group of young men try to against what they have been initial taught by their parents. The three boys encountered a ton of situations that they put themselves in. For example, the practical joke, the wrong car, wrong girl, another car/body,

Case Analysis of Jones Soda in the Canadian Market †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Case Analysis of Jones Soda in the Canadian Market. Answer: Introduction The study focuses on themarketing campaign of Jones Soda in the Canadian market. The case study of Jones Soda illustrates that the company has lost two important deals with Seahawks and American Airlines, that has lead the company to huge failure in themarketing aspects. It also lead to fall of sales of the company. However, the company is seeking potential market in Canada its early roots. The marketing campaign will be formulated for the Canadian market. Organizational overview Name of the organization The marketing plan will be formulated for Jones Soda Co., a beverage company based on Washington. The company is focused on bottling and distributing non carbonated beverages, soft drinks, candy and energy drinks of unusual flavours. Mission statement The mission statement of the company is Jones Soda. Your Photo. Your Soda. Your Brand. Run with the little guy! The mission statement focuses the brand as a little guy in the giant soda market pop world. However, the brand is passionate about their brand value and rage of products in the market. Opportunity The marketing plan for Jones Soda is formulated for the expansion of the products in the Canada market. The aim of the marketing plan is to reinvent the image of the brand in the Canada along with the target customers of the region. It can be said that Canada has a potential market in terms of soft drinks market and energy drink market. Situation Analysis (SWOT Analysis) Strengths Unique flavours of the soft drinks and other beverages Responsive brand that has a cult following Social campaigns and green initiatives Improved customer interaction through various communication channels Brand recognition with high range of product portfolios Weaknesses Limited numbers of products in the product portfolio Small brand in terms of comparison with the multinational beverage company (Huang Sarigll, 2014) Opportunities Huge opportunity in Canada market The marketing techniques will improve the brand popularity Expansion in other countries as well Unique flavours and high product portfolio will attract target customers Threats Dominance of giant multinational brands like Coca Cola and Pepsi The element of health conscious among the consumers of the Canada is a threat in reducing the amount of sales in the market (Leonidou, Katsikeas Morgan, 2013) Marketing Research: Competitive analysis The soft drinks market in Canada is highly competitive in nature. The market is captured with the giant companies like PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Monster Beverage Corporation, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Pulse Beverage, National Beverage, Celsius Holdings, Konared, Long Island Iced Tea, Uplift Nutrition, Sport Endurance, etc. Jones Soda should formulate strategies that must focus on the strategies of the competitors (Hanssens et al., 2014). Industry analysis The consumers in Canada nowadays are becoming health conscious day by day. The growing demand of the low calorie drinks in the market is the cause of the lower consumption of the soft drinks in the market. The behaviour of the consumer in the Canada is depended on the choice of them in terms of healthier beverage products. The trend of healthy products in terms of food and beverage in the Canadian market is the cause of sales of the unusual flavours of the products of Jones Soda. The interest of the consumer towards bottled drinks is still in demand in the market that the company can target while increasing the brand image in the market (Mintz Currim, 2013). Consumer analysis The company is targeting not only to the youth consumers but also to the kids of the country. The key demographic groups of Jones Soda consisted of Millenials, Teens and Hispanics. The trends of the consumers are changing day by day. They have a craze in the non-alcoholic ready to drink market. It can be seen that all these demographics will like the flavoured drinks of Jones Soda as they have unique packaging and tastes (Fan, Lau Zhao, 2015). Opportunity analysis The opportunities of the soft drink market in Canada are higher compared to the opportunity of United States. The soft drink manufacturer i.e. Jones Soda is focused in the different types of unusual flavours of the company that has been already popular in Western Canada. Now the company is again relaunching the brand and its products in the Canada market. It can be said that the company is focused in marketing the brand to the consumers mind so that they can reinforce it in the minds of them for the increase of sales and word of mouth promotion (Helm Gritsch, 2014). Differentiating and positioning It is earlier mentioned that big multinational giants like PepsiCo, Coca Cola, and other companies capture the soft drink market in Canada. It is important for Jones Soda in order to launch their product in a way so that they can differentiate them in the huge market. The USP of the brand is that it contains many product lines with unique blend of taste and flavours like root bear, cola, orange, cream, cream soda, green apple, blue bubblegum, fufu berry, bacon soda, gravy soda, Pure Can soda, Turkey Soda, etc. Apart from that, the quotes that are mentioned in the caps of the bottles are a tactics to attract customers (Davari Strutton, 2014). Packaging of the product along with the unique taste is the main point of positioning in the Canada market. Target customers and marketing mix Target customers that the marketing plan includes the three generations of people Hispanics, millenials and the teens. The age group targeted by Jones Soda ranges between 13 years to 40 years of age. The company has wide range of soft drinks for all categories of consumers. The geographic areas targeted are various metropolitan areas of Canada. The marketing plan will be formulated according to the segmenting, targeting and positioning of the products in the Canada market (De Mooij, 2013). The marketing mix of Jones Soda is described in the following: Product: The types of products that the company will be serving to the customers are energy drinks, soft drinks, flavoured drinks, etc. The products have innovative taste and refreshing flavours that will be preferred by the people of Canada. Place: The metropolitan areas of Canada are the target areas of Jones Soda in order to launch the product in the market. The places of Canada that will be chosen for the distribution of the products are supermarkets, departmental stores, convenience stores, etc (Shao, Jones Grace, 2015). Price: The pricing strategies that is applied by the company in the Canada market are penetration pricing. The company must conduct an extensive research regarding the pricing strategy adapted by them in the Canada market. The pricing of the products is initially sales oriented as the main target of the company is to penetrate the Canada soft drink market in order to capture a market share in the Canada. It can be said that the company must focus on the price quality relationship on the product. Promotion: The promotional techniques that will be used by the company in different types of the regions of Canada are internet, newspaper, sales promotion, website and social media, advertising including traditional media and digital media, etc (Shao, Jones Grace, 2015). Key success factors The key success factors that will contribute the marketing plan of the company in the success of the marketing plan of the company are the quality of the products along with the pricing of the products. Apart from that, the unique blends of the flavours of the soft drinks and the energy drinks are definitely will be a hit in the market. The promotional techniques of the brand along with its brand equity, brand personality, brand image, etc. are the unique selling proposition of the company in the market (Jones Slater, 2014). Goals and objectives The objectives and goals of the marketing plan can be divided into two categories such as long term and short term. The short-term goals of the marketing plan is to reinforce the brand name and brand image in the minds of the Canadian consumers. By the implementation of penetration pricing, the company will gain a substantial market share in the Canada (McAuley, 2014). On the other hand, the long-term goals of the company are to become the number one soft drinks company in the Canada market. The company wants to increase its profit percentage by 20% from the previous years. Apart from that, Jones Soda will also increase the sales volume by 30% in order to recover the loss that has been recurred in United States. In this way, the overall performance of the company will have to be increased in the market (Kponee, Siegel Jernigan, 2014). Conclusion It can be concluded that the marketing campaign of Jones Soda is formulated by keeping in consideration of the consumer behaviour and market characteristics of Canada. By doing the competitor analysis, it can be said that many multinational giants capture the soft drink market of Canada. Hence, the strategies are formulated in order to keeping in consideration of the techniques of promotion and other marketing activities by the rival beverage selling companies. References Davari, A., Strutton, D. (2014). Marketing mix strategies for closing the gap between green consumers' pro-environmental beliefs and behaviors.Journal of Strategic Marketing,22(7), 563-586. De Mooij, M. (2013).Global marketing and advertising: Understanding cultural paradoxes. Sage Publications. Fan, S., Lau, R. Y., Zhao, J. L. (2015). Demystifying big data analytics for business intelligence through the lens of marketing mix.Big Data Research,2(1), 28-32. Hanssens, D. M., Pauwels, K. H., Srinivasan, S., Vanhuele, M., Yildirim, G. (2014). Consumer attitude metrics for guiding marketing mix decisions.Marketing Science,33(4), 534-550. Helm, R., Gritsch, S. (2014). Examining the influence of uncertainty on marketing mix strategy elements in emerging business to business export-markets.International Business Review,23(2), 418-428. Huang, R., Sarigll, E. (2014). How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. InFashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors(pp. 113-132). Springer New York. Jones, D. M., Slater, J. S. (2014).What's in a Name?: Advertising and the Concept of Brands. Routledge. Kponee, K. Z., Siegel, M., Jernigan, D. H. (2014). The use of caffeinated alcoholic beverages among underage drinkers: Results of a national survey.Addictive behaviors,39(1), 253-258. Leonidou, C. N., Katsikeas, C. S., Morgan, N. A. (2013). Greening the marketing mix: do firms do it and does it pay off?.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,41(2), 151-170. McAuley, A. (2014). Reflections on a decade in social marketing.Journal of Social Marketing,4(1), 77-86. Mintz, O., Currim, I. S. (2013). What drives managerial use of marketing and financial metrics and does metric use affect performance of marketing-mix activities?.Journal of Marketing,77(2), 17-40. Shao, W., Jones, R. G., Grace, D. (2015). Brandscapes: contrasting corporate-generated versus consumer-generated media in the creation of brand meaning.Marketing Intelligence Planning,33(3), 414-443.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Lead Poisoning Among Children

Question: What are the physical and mental effects of pollution on children? Answer: Absolute risks are faced by growing children because of pollution as their lungs are growing and their activeness. Lead is a metal that is naturally occurring and used in almost everything and can cause serious health ailments to young children because their small growing bodies are more susceptible of retaining and captivating lead. Physical health problems in children: Lead is a dangerous metal once it gets into the body as it gets distributed in the whole body of an individual like iron, calcium and zinc etc. Lead is harmful inside the body like for example if it is in the bloodstream, red blood cells can be damaged by it that can result in limiting the ability of carrying oxygen into the various parts and tissues of the body and this can make the person anemic (Balbus, 2008). There can also be a problem of interference of lead with the blood cells and also the calcium will be absorbed that is needed for the growth of strong and healthy body. Calcium that is damaged by lead is essential for the proper growth of teeth, muscle contraction and effective functioning of blood vessels and nerves (Long, 2001). If lead remains for long-term in individuals, it can lead to dangerous results of increased risk of high blood pressure and damages to the kidney of human beings. Mental effects of lead pollution in Children: Central nervous system and brain of children is attacked by lead that causes convulsions, coma and can even lead to death among individuals. On the other hand, the survivors of lead poisoning may encounter severe health problems of disruptions in behavior and mental retardation (Binns, Ricks, 2003). The development of brain in children is also adversely affected by children that lead to reduced intelligence quotient (IQ). Children due to lead poisoning may face other serious health issues such as shortened attention span, condensed attainment of education and increment in the anti-social behavior in children. Other major health ailments caused by lead exposure are immunotoxicity, anemia, hypertension and renal impairment (Needleman, 2004, p-215). Children can also face an acute problem of toxicity to the various reproductive organs. It is believed that the behavioral and neurological effects of lead on children are irreversible. A cooperative initiative must be taken both by the government and the society for preventing lead poisoning among children. Children must be prevented from exposure to leaded paints that can cause them lead ailments and also the occupational exposure to lead contained paints will also be reduced. With this approach the manufacturing and sale of lead contained paints can be minimized that can even prevent children up to a great extent from the risks of lead poisoning. The dangerous nature of Lead has been causing lots of issues as well as tension for he parents. Lead can have physical as well as mental effects on the growing children. The above sections takes into considerations various effects and measures that can be taken to fight it. References: Balbus, J. 2008 Best reason yet for congestion pricing: Kids mental health Daily News 23 March, viewed 27 June 2008. Binns, HJ Ricks OB 2003, Helping parents prevent lead poising. Viewed 27 June 2008. Long, R. 2001, the effects of air pollution on children, in Lecture Ready 2, P Sarosky K Sherak 2006, Oxford University Press, Oxford p.57. Needleman, H., 2004. Lead poisoning.Annu. Rev. Med.,55, pp.209-222.