Talking Heads Alan Bennett Essay Example

Talking Heads Alan Bennett Paper The following text is an essay based on two of the six Talking Heads monologues written by Alan Bennett: Bed Among The Lentils and Her Big Chance. The essay attempts to explain whether anything is lost or gained by reading these plays as short stories rather than seeing performances on television or the stage. The Talking Head monologues were originally written for performance on television, though they are also available as a collection of short stories. It has been suggested that Bennett created the pieces for specific performers, all of who are, to a certain extent, associated with him. It is therefore probable that he tailored the material to suit the individual actors styles. Bed among the Lentils starred Maggie Smith as Susan, who can be thought of as a typical English actress synonymous with intelligent, straight-laced, aloof characters, i. e. Miss Brody, while Her Big Chance starred Julie Walters as Leslie, who, at that time, was best known for her ditsy, flamboyant, comic roles. Casting of this kind makes a difference to the way in which the characters are accepted by the audience. The Actors individual nuances and deliverance would have been taken into account when the plays were written and would make a vast difference to the way in which the characters are shown. Being aware of a particular Actors performance strengthens the language the character uses. It makes the language used appropriate to the characters social background and since all the pieces were intended for performance, there is a musical quality to the text, which makes it sound more effective when read aloud. We will write a custom essay sample on Talking Heads Alan Bennett specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Talking Heads Alan Bennett specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Talking Heads Alan Bennett specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Though the text also stands reasonably well as a series of short stories, the fluent language used by each individual Actor as a repetitive musical rhythm of speech, i. e. Susan with her monotone delivery and Leslie with her high-octane quality, does add to the performance. One of the features of these stories is that there is an invisible barrier between the main characters and the real world. Each person has a secret which is well hidden but never revealed or acknowledged voluntarily. Each person hides her weakness Susans alcoholism and loss of faith Lesleys promiscuity and lack of talent. Each character keeps up a pretence of normality and Bennett shows us, through the eye of the camera, how each person struggles to maintain a facade. The characters dont seem to talk to the audience, but at it. Susan, the vicars wife, tells the story of her alcoholism and rehabilitation. She feels she is trapped in a loveless marriage to an Anglican clergyman, has taken to drink and begun an affair with an Asian grocer. Initially, Susan does come across as someone who is full of contempt for sex, with her description of sex as frightful collisions, or her own sex with Geoffrey as desiccated conjunctions. This at first suggests that she is simply a woman who lacks sexual desire. However, we later discover that it is a mere lack of desire with regards to Geoffrey. Her constant reference to Rameshs wonderful legs indicates great sexual desire. We therefore have this image of Susan as an unfulfilled woman in every respect, which is enhanced by the envious tone in her voice when she notices people, on a Sunday afternoon, Living, but when she refers to Mr Ramesh it is enhanced by the smile on the Actors lips. Susan despises her husband and his loyal band of parishioners and what they stand for but her involvement in the church is so fundamental to her life that she has even started to date important events in her life by holidays and occasions in religion. She remembers sleeping with Ramesh as being the second Sunday after Trinity. This is highlighted by the Actors voice, for example, when Susan is heard to recant part of the Lords prayer it is with a musical preaching tone which had been preceded and immediately followed by a mono-tonal quality, used when she is speaking of her life. Susans appearance is a good indicator as to how she is feeling about herself and her life. When the audience first sees her she is dressed in dull, shabby clothing and has unkempt, lank hair. She makes no mention of her problem with alcohol, except by allusion, until the final scene when she reveals that she has been to Alcoholics Anonymous. Even her rehabilitation is seen by her as another religion and Geoffreys attitude to it and to her are recounted with scant affection. It is apparent by the Actors delivery that there is no love lost between Susan and Geoffrey. He is, we are told, more interested in using the experience as a means of acquiring status as an upwardly mobile parson and according to Susan, this is what is in store for them both as Geoffrey brandishes Susans hand and tells her story all over the diocese. Susan is a changed woman at the end of the story, having, for the time being, given up drinking. This is clearly visible as the character is now well dressed, clean and smart with perfect hair and makeup. She is still Mrs Vicar, but the audience is left thinking that this might not last and there is an uncertainty to her future. Her attitude has not softened at all and this is obvious in the Actors delivery, the same mono-tonal voice and blank expression. It seems that though she is well aware of her situation, she has not yet decided what to do about it and her future is unclear. Susan remains, despite her reformation, a vicars wife who has lost her faith and is still dissatisfied with her marriage and her husband. With Leslie, in Her Big Chance, it would seem that Bennett based this character on various types he had seen in theatrical auditions and we can assume that she does have a certain accuracy. This is heighten by casting Julie Walters in this role. The character is first seen on a sunbed, a pastime considered to give the appearance of health though it is widely known to actually cause health problems. Using this in the opening of the play helps to build an image of Lesley of someone who is superficial and spends a lot of time on her appearance. Lesley believes herself to be professional to her fingertips when in fact she is almost completely lacking in any talent other than taking off her clothes and sleeping with the stage-hands. The parts she has played are minor, although she believes that they are important. From the first moment, Lesley builds up her small role in her head, ignoring the obvious facts that she has the part only because of the size of her breasts and that the (possibly soft-porn) production will have only a small audience. She tries desperately to improve herself, but her efforts at collecting people result only in more casual bed partners. Bennett makes her language very luvvie, and lards her story with theatrical jargon. This is delivered brilliantly by Julie Walters who is stereotypically cast in this kind of role. Lesley has no sense of humour at all, and displays a certain amount of waspishness when other characters puncture her ego. This is heightened by the expression on the characters face that shows that she is completely unaware of the sarcasm in others voices. Her naivety is displayed by the hopeless way in which she records others put-downs, and by her failure to see how distant she is from stardom. Fed by the flattery she receives from her lovers, she has an unrealistic idea of her success. Her self confidence is immense and in fact she is very difficult to like. Bennett, however, cleverly uses enough humour to prevent us from despising Lesley and we feel at the end rather sorry for her, left alone and determined to acquire another skill so that she can offer more as a person. She says at the end of her story that acting is really just giving but what she has to give is really not worth very much at all. The awful truth is that she is a victim of the fast dollar and doesnt even know that she is being exploited. Although neither of the characters intend to be funny, Bennett makes each of them speak in ways which cause the audience to laugh either at their situations or their turn of phrase, for example, Susans account of the flower arranging session with Mrs Shrubsole or Lesleys attempt to be interesting at a party. The humour comes from the seriousness of the characters, they use what they perceive to be appropriate language to recount their stories. The audience, therefore, laughs at their situations and at their pretentious behaviour and often their ignorance within those situations. They are touching and real, and at the same time both tragic and funny and this is heightened when it can be seen on the screen.

Rudy essays

Rudy essays At the beginning of the movie, Rudy's family holds him to a very meager image, a negative Pygmalion, laughing at his childhood determination to play football for Notre Dame. From being laughed at and told he was "too small" to his father telling him at the bus stop not to chase a "stupid dream", Rudy's family was not supportive of his ambitions to play football, nor did they believe that he could achieve such a feat. However, Rudy's friend Pete imposed a positive "Pygmalion" effect upon Rudy by giving him a Notre Dame Varsity jacket for his birthday, and telling him that he was "born to wear that jacket". Pete's words and unfortunate death we! re major factors in motivating Rudy to attain self-fulfillment. 2. Although Rudy did not have a lot of support from others, he did posses a "Galatea" self-fulfilling drives that enabled him to reach his goal of becoming a Notre Dame Football player. His behaviors and actions contributed to his success in several ways. Although a teacher once told him that "not everyone is meant to go to college", Rudy realized that he was better than just a laborer and decided to go for his goal of becoming a college football player. A lot of his inner drive was based on his desire to make his family proud of him, but he was also interested in his own sense of fulfillment. Rudy took a leap of faith by showing up on Notre Dame's campus, and his persistence and hard work after his several rejections, eventually lead to the transformation of his own expectations into reality. 3. After viewing the LAM movie and attending the Self Fulfilling Prophecy class, I have learned some valuable lessons that I will incorporate into my leadership style. I will make it a point to ensure that my subordinates work in a supportive and healthy work environment. I will speak to them in a friendly way and give them words of encouragement. I will be sure to provide adequate information pertaining to their tasks, and ...

Heart of Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Heart of Change - Research Paper Example All these transformations often require change in order to serve the customers in the most efficient manner. From American Competitiveness (2012), change is not easy to accomplish by managers in the organizations, as most companies believe that change is making people think differently. They more often base their ideas on idealistic, unseen promises of reward that makes it difficult in moving people into action. People often resist change because the risk of change might be seen to be greater than the risk to remain in the same position they were as before. Making people change requires them to have faith that enables them to believe in unseen promises or developments in the company. Moreover, other people resist change because they often want to be associated with people and companies who are identified with the old way. Humans live as social species and always wish to be connected with the people or companies they are familiar with. In addition to the above the employees of compani es fear change because reformers might have hidden agendas that may make them lose their jobs (Schuler 2003). Therefore, change requires competent managers who have to make people feel differently than changing their thoughts. Change therefore would be effective if it makes those to be changed see and feel the change. Companies should be heart centered rather than being mind when effecting change. Thus, winning people’s commitment to change requires managers to engage people emotionally and rationally. Companies do not well understand that emotional change goes a long way to making their workers accept the new ways of doing things in their offices. However, failure to listen to and respond to workers’ rational objections and their beliefs by organizations is a show of disrespect to them and making assumptions that the workers will be aware the importance innovative change would have to them (Costello 2012). By following the right procedure in effecting changes in an or ganization often boosts the morale of employees who feel that their culture is also taken care of. Forcing people to adopt certain changes is a show of lack of respect and the company would not achieve her goals by so doing. He continues to assert that managers and organizations often make mistakes in attempting to make changes. It is true that a few only companies manage in effecting change successfully unlike what happens in other organizations. Poor knowledge of how change should be done often leads to the loss of big sums of money by organizations may cause lots of pain and headache in trying to make workers believe the effectiveness of the change. With regard to this, there are steps that must be followed in trying to effect change. The first is the establishment of the need for change in the organization. As one who is articulating for reforms, the need to make the management and organization trust the need for any change is vital. Through this, the reformer gains enough coope ration. Should this be impossible, the team players would be dissatisfied and would lack a feeling of contentment for the change process. Knowing what complacency implies and coming up with proper strategies to overcoming complacency go hand in hand in establishing a sense of urgency amongst the team players. Next is the establishment of the right members in the team. Members who understand what it takes to bring about change. The members must have the

Walmart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Walmart - Research Paper Example Walmart stands distinguished among the crowd of aspiring organizations because the managers vigorously and regularly collaborate with employees to improve the policies and gain more customers. This proves that organizational designs which integrate such effective tools improve service behaviors of the employees and make them invest extra time, hard work, and brainwork in the functions they perform. Such motivated style service delivery inflicts a very different and fresh influence on the customers also. Apart from organizational design, the organizational culture of Walmart fully acknowledges the importance of both positive organizational behavior and diversity as a way of winning loyalty of more customers from diverse background. All such aspects of Walmart’s management will be analyzed in this research paper and will also be compared with the service practices of other large retail stores to find out how Walmart corporation manages to stand out of the crowd. Introduction: Wa l-Mart Stores, Inc. or simply Walmart is an American multinational retail corporation which runs a large chain of department stores around the world. The success of this renowned business corporation is such that Fortune 500 has revealed it to be the world’s third largest public corporation. As one of the world’s most prestigious companies, currently over two million employees are privately employed at Walmart. It is also the largest grocery retailer in the US. There are already 8500 stores operating in as many as 15 countries under different names and the head of Walmart has thrown light on more plans for growth on an international level. While addressing the Wake Forest University students recently, Mike Duke who is the president and CEO of Walmart claimed that in order to face the fierce competitiveness in the present global economy and to stay ahead of the other reputable national and international organizations, Walmart will have to speed up its growth process. In the same address, Duke announced plans to conquer Africa also â€Å"by making a preliminary offer to buy Massmart Holdings Ltd† (Daniel). This paper aims at reviewing literature as a way of finding out what it has to say on the success of Walmart and what management strategies are employed by the management of this corporation to satisfy the needs of both employees and customers. Role of innovation in sustaining business success and growth: The growth of the international Walmart business outside the US is described by Duke as absolutely phenomenal and accelerated in context of building new department stores and serving dynamic needs of a diverse line of customers (Daniel). It is claimed by the Walmart organization itself that innovative leadership, concerned management, and a deep commitment to save public’s money have together given this business a global reputation due to which it is still in

The Biology and Ecology of White Sharks Research Paper

The Biology and Ecology of White Sharks - Research Paper Example The research, therefore, includes information on the ecology and biology of the white shark, the species’ recent conservation status, a clear description of the major threats endangering the species’ survival in the Australian water bodies and appropriate recommendations for future research. Â   Other names for the white shark include the white pointer or great white shark. It is a close relative of the porbeagle shark and mako shark popular in the mackerel crook family Lamnidae. The white shark has an average stout and torpedo-shaped body, its color is blue-grey to grey-brown on the upper region and white beneath, has very big serrated teeth, and unique horizontal tip lengthways the physique middle line just near the semicircular designed tail. Another physical fact about the white shark is; large apex predator that grows to at least six meters in length. Some reports that are not yet proved to indicate that the white shark grows up to seven meters in length and can weigh up to a mass of three thousand kilos (Bright, 33). A unique heat-exchanging circulatory system allows the white shark to maintain a favorable body temperature of up to fourteen degree Celsius above that of the surrounding water masses of the sea. This enables the individuals to tolerate a wide range of temperatures. The white shark is a species that lives for a very long period of time that is approximately sixty years but this is not certain information. Averagely the reasonable period is in between forty to fifty years according to scientists and researchers. The species has a relatively slow development and low reproductive rate with a long pregnancy period that is close to eighteen months. These features indicate a low reproduction capability that has difficulties for the vulnerability of the white shark to non-natural mortality and the rate at which populations deplete and recover. These factors have substantial defects for the conservation of the white shark species.

Multiculturalism in Melbourne

Multiculturalism in Melbourne INTRODUCTION: It is indeed true that the world is getting smaller nowadays. More and more people are moving into different places for a myriad of reason, mostly for seeking greener pastures and finding their luck with hopes that they will earn higher income in places other than where they were raised. With this, more adjustments are necessary as someone who has been new in the place is indeed required to adapt to the new culture and environment in order to establish a living in that particular community. As more and more people are considering the possibility of immigration, more and more adjustments are taken into consideration as well. More often than not, immigrants were able to successfully adapt to the community of their choice because of the help of people around them and on efforts extended by the necessary groups to make them feel comfortable on what they will be considering as their new home for the next chapter of their lives. This paper will discuss briefly the Spanish community in Aust ralia including present demographics and other information which are related into their way of living. THE MELBOURNE COMMUNITY The population at Melbourne is very diverse comprising of different groups of people from a variety of ages and mostly was from different countries with varying tradition and culture. Most of the residents in the city include young professionals, international students, and elder couples who were looking forward into enjoying the city or the rest of time that they still have. In a recent survey conducted in the United Sates, Melbourne is one of the most livable cities in the world outstripping Sydney. This was mainly attributed to multicultural diversity because of the increasing number of expatriates and immigrants residing in Melbourne. Part of the citys population, which was mainly the reason why it was said to be diverse, include multicultural and indigenous communities. The city of Melbourne is said to have been the hub of the worlds most culturally diverse and harmonious nationalities, with residents from more than 140 nations brought about to the city by the four waves of migr ation in the citys history. These waves of migration happened during the European settlement in the 1830s, after the gold rush in the 1850s, during the post-World War II, and lastly during the time that the number of international students increased dramatically. The welcoming city of Melbourne serves as home for international communities such as those from New Zealand, Korea, and United Kingdom. SPANISH COMMUNITY IN MELBOURNE One of the international identities residing along the suburbs of Melbourne, joining other nationalities, are those from Spain forming the Spanish community and is also being influenced by the Australian culture in just the same way that they bring their culture, traditions, and beliefs in the rich heritage which was inherent to Melbourne. The start of the migration of the Spanish community in Melbourne the capital city of Victoria is attributed to the gold rush were seafarers migrated into the place to try their luck. At that time, 80 % of the immigrants are men and it continued to increase over the next years including the women population in Victoria. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there is a significant number of Spanish Australians and the majorities of them live in the area of Sydney and Melbourne and also in Brisbane and Perth but with a significant lower population compared to the first two mention. The statistics also holds that there are 16,114 Spanish Australians which are residing in Melbourne, placing second after Sydney with a total of 29,230 Spanish Australian residents. In Melbourne, most of the Spanish population has been concentrated in Fitzroy, one of its suburbs. In Fitzroy, a number of Spanish establishments can be found which was attributed to the Spanish community living in its suburbs. During the year 1950s, Spanish was even used as a language in schools in Victoria. This goes to show the acceptance of the Spanish community not just in Melbourne, but in Victoria in general. MODE OF LIVING IN MELBOURNE Just like any nationalities, most of which were with greater population in Melbourne compared to the Spanish, they have established their own lifestyle in Melbourne from dining and entertainment to their religion and other personal beliefs. There are a number of Spanish restaurants and clubs which abound the city in order for the Spanish community to experience Spanish living at the very heart of Melbourne. A number of civic organizations have been busy and very particular about putting up events and relevant organizations which will enhance the mode of Spanish lifestyle in the diverse city of Melbourne. There is also a number of Spanish architecture in Melbourne which goes to show that the Spanish community has been in existent for ages, just that it really has no significant population in the community. The erection of the Barcelona Terrace is one example of architecture influenced by the Spanish community. Spanish cultural traces in Melbourne, as of today, has become more evident and obvious especially in the suburbs of Fitzroy with the existence of restaurants, clubs, houses, organizations, and other activities which are showing the rich Spanish culture. The very strength pf the Spanish community in Melbourne is the fact that they have been there, although in very small population, during the very early years of migration history in Melbourne. This gives them the fact that they have exposed their culture for long to gain acceptance from the Australian community. It is evident that because of the relatively small population of the Spaniards living in Melbourne, too little attention has been given in them in terms of civic activities and other activities related to immigrant living. The Spanish community should be more active in establishing their rights as immigrant. Aside from their traditional celebrations commonly done in Fitzroy, they should spread more of their culture and make the Australians more aware of their heritage so that they will establish a better name in the city. Their relatively small population should not be able to hinder their function in the community. REFERENCES: City of Melbourne; Multicultural Communities; Accessed on April 2, 2010 from http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/MelbourneProfile/Pages/Multiculturalcommunities.aspx Exploring Abroad; Living in Australia; Accessed on April 2, 2010 from http://www.exploringabroad.com/australia/living-in-australia.htm Fitzroyalty; The Spanish History of Fitzroy; Accessed on April 2, 2010 from http://indolentdandy.net/fitzroyalty/2009/05/22/the-spanish-history-of-fitzroy/ Museum of Victoria Australia; History of Immigration from Spain; Accessed on April 2, 2010 from http://museumvictoria.com.au/origins/history.aspx?pid=57 Valverde, Estella; Unlocking Australias Language Potential: Profiles of 9 Key Languages in Australia; 1994

Two Or Three Things I Know For Sure :: essays research papers fc

Two or Three Things I Know For Sure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Allison illuminates the fact that we as women must appreciate each other and our beauty before we can truly cherish other forms of beauty around us. â€Å"Two or three things I know for sure, and one of them is that of we are not beautiful to each other, we cannot know beauty in any form†(86). We are so conditioned to see female beauty as what men see as beautiful, that we don’t even know what it means to us. If we can get to the point where women feel beautiful even if they don’t fit the societal ideal, it will allow us to open our minds to all other forms of beauty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Morgan asserts in her article, â€Å"Women and the Knife†, â€Å"Rather than aspiring to self-determined and women-centered ideals of health or integrity, women’s’ attractiveness is defined as attractive-to-men...†(119). This ties in to a story that Allison tells in her book about a conversation with her sister. She had always thought her sister was beautiful and was jealous at the attention and admiration it entailed. Many women are envious of women that men view as beautiful...even lesbian women who possibly would have a different view of female beauty. Society ingrains in everyone what the standard of beauty is so much that we don’t even know why we believe it. As Allison talks with her sister, she discovers what it meant for her to be attractive growing up. She was constantly harassed by boys and goaded by mothers and sister who didn’t want her near their sons and brothers. People assumed that she thought she was better than them, without her having to say a word. So while Allison wanted to be just like her, she dealt with â€Å"...the hatred that trailed over her skin like honey melting on warm bread†(78). Though this story points out that beauty has its cost as well, the power of being beautiful holds a great deal of weight in our society as individuals and social beings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"...a woman’s pursuit of beauty through transformation is often associated with lived experiences of self-creation, self-fulfillment, self-transcendence, and being cared for. The power of these experiences must not be underestimated†(Morgan, 120). This is a major reason so many women are now choosing to have cosmetic surgery. But, as Morgan also points out, â€Å"elective† surgery is now becoming less of a choice for women. As more and more women transform their bodies into society’s ideal figure of femininity, the higher the standards become. If women begin seeing many other women having

Death of a Salesman Analysis Essay

To Linda’s considerable chagrin and bewilderment, Willy’s family, Charley, and Bernard are the only mourners who attend Willy’s funeral. She wonders where all his supposed business friends are and how he could have killed himself when they were so close to paying off all of their bills. Biff recalls that Willy seemed happier working on the house than he did as a salesman. He states that Willy had all the wrong dreams and that he didn’t know who he was in the way that Biff now knows who he is. Charley replies that a salesman has to dream or he is lost, and he explains the salesman’s undaunted optimism in the face of certain defeat as a function of his irrepressible dreams of selling himself. Happy becomes increasingly angry at Biff’s observations. He resolves to stay in the city and carry out his father’s dream by becoming a top businessman, convinced he can still â€Å"beat this racket.† Linda requests some privacy. She reports to Willy that she made the last payment on the house. She apologizes for her inability to cry, since it seems as if Willy is just â€Å"on another trip.† She begins to sob, repeating, â€Å"We’re free. . . .† Biff helps her up and all exit. The flute music is heard and the high-rise apartments surrounding the Loman house come into focus. Analysis Charley’s speech about the nature of the salesman’s dreams is one of the most memorable passages in the play. His words serve as a kind of respectful eulogy that removes blame from Willy as an individual by explaining the grueling expectations and absurd demands of his profession. The odd, anachronistic, spiritual formality of his remarks (â€Å"Nobody dast blame this man†) echo the religious quality of Willy’s quest to sell himself. One can argue that, to a certain extent, Willy Loman is the postwar American equivalent of the medieval crusader, battling desperately for the survival of his own besieged faith. Charley solemnly observes that a salesman’s life is a constant upward struggle to sell himself—he supports his dreams on the ephemeral power of his own image, on â€Å"a smile and a shoeshine.† He suggests that the salesman’s condition is an aggravated enlargement of a discreet facet of the general human condition. Just as Willy is blind to the totality of the American Dream, concentrating on the aspects related to material success, so is the salesman, in general, lacking, blinded to the total human experience by his conflation of the professional and the personal. Like Charley says, â€Å"No man only needs a little salary†Ã¢â‚¬â€no man can sustain himself on money and materiality without an emotional or spiritual life to provide meaning. When the salesman’s advertising self-image fails to inspire smiles from customers, he is â€Å"finished† psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. According to Charley, â€Å"a salesman is got to dream.† The curious and lyrical slang substitution of â€Å"is† for â€Å"has† indicates a destined necessity for the salesman—not only must the salesman follow the imperative of his dreams during his life, but Miller suggests that he is literally begotten with the sole purpose of dreaming. In many ways, Willy has done everything that the myth of the American Dream outlines as the key path to success. He acquired a home and the range of modern appliances. He raised a family and journeyed forth into the business world full of hope and ambition. Nevertheless, Willy has failed to receive the fruits that the American Dream promises. His primary problem is that he continues to believe in the myth rather than restructuring his conception of his life and his identity to meet more realistic standards. The values that the myth espouses are not designed to assuage human insecurities and doubts; rather, the myth unrealistically ignores the existence of such weaknesses. Willy bought the sales pitch that America uses to advertise itself, and the price of his faith is death. Linda’s initial feeling that Willy is just â€Å"on another trip† suggests that Willy’s hope for Biff to succeed with the insurance money will not be fulfilled. To an extent, Linda’s comparison debases Willy’s death, stripping it of any possibility of the dignity that Willy imagined. It seems inevitable that the trip toward meaningful death that Willy now takes will end just as fruitlessly as the trip from which he has just returned as the play opens. Indeed, the recurrence of the haunting flute music, symbolic of Willy’s futile pursuit of the American Dream, and the final visual imprint of the overwhelming apartment buildings reinforce the fact that Willy dies as deluded as he lived.

Digitizing Family Movies - Transfer Videotapes to DVD

Digitizing Family Movies - Transfer Videotapes to DVD Somewhere in your house is a box or drawer full of videotapes - aging home movies full of birthdays, dance recitals, holiday gatherings, a childs first steps and other special family moments. You havent watched the movies in years but, unfortunately, the years are still taking their toll. Heat, humidity and improper storage cause videotapes to deteriorate, decaying the magnetic particles that represent your precious family memories. By converting those old VHS tapes to digital form, you can effectively stop the deterioration in its tracks. It also allows you to use your computer to edit out the boring and blooper moments, add music or narration, and make extra copies for your family and friends. What You Need The basic requirements are easy- a computer and a camcorder or VCR which can play your old videotapes. Other important items youll need include a device to get the video in and out of your computer (video capture), the software to edit it, and a DVD-burner to copy the video onto DVDs. Video Capture HardwareTransferring videotape to DVD is actually pretty easy to do yourself, but will require some special hardware. Depending on your computer setup, you may already have what you need. Three major options for transferring footage from old videotapes to computer include: Transfer footage via a video cardTo transfer video footage to your computer youll need the right cables and hardware. If you have a newer computer, you may already have what you need. Check the back of your computer and follow the cord coming from your monitor. If you see multicolored (red, white and yellow) plugs on the same card, then youre in luck. With a RCA A/V (audio/video) cable youll be able to directly connect your video camera or VCR directly to your computer. If your video card also has a round S-Video jack, use a S-Video cable in place of the yellow RCA video input for superior video quality. If your video card doesnt have RCA input jacks, you can also choose to replace it with a new video card. Transfer footage via a video capture card or deviceA cheaper and often easier alternative to replacing the entire video card in your computer is to add a video capture card. Youll need an empty PCI slot in the back of your computer to install one. Alternatively, there are some wh ich will plug into an available USB slot, which is easier than having to open your computer to plug in the card. Video capture cards usually come with software on CD which will walk you through the steps of transferring video from your VCR or Camcorder to your computer. Transfer footage via a video capture cardIf your computer doesnt have a DVD burner, then the best solution may be to purchase an external DVD recorder. These connect to the computer via a USB port and have built-in video capture technology, allowing you to capture video, edit it, and burn it to DVD with a single device. Digital Video SoftwareIn conjunction with the hardware, youll also need special software to capture, compress and edit the video footage on your computer. The digital video software assists you with capturing the video from your video camera or VCR, and also allows you to cut/edit the footage or add fun special effects such as narration, transitions, menus and background music. In some cases, digital video software may have come with your video capture card or device. If not, there are a number of free video editing programs, such as Windows Movie Maker, that can perform some of these functions. If you want to get fancy, then programs such as Adobe Premiere Elements, Corel VideoStudio, Apples Final Cut and Pinnacle Studio make it easy to get your movies on DVD with professional results. Plenty of Hard Drive SpaceIt may not sound like a big deal, but the hard drive on your computer will need a lot of free space when youre working with video - as much as 12-14 gigabytes (GB) of space for every hour of footage you import. If you dont have that much space to spare, consider purchasing an external hard drive. You can get a 200MB external hard drive for less than $300 enough room for plenty of video, plus a place to backup your photos, genealogy and other files. Working with such large files means that youll also need a powerful computer. A fast processor (CPU) and plenty of memory (RAM) will make it much easier to transfer and edit video. Transfer Edit Your Video Whichever video capture option you use- a special video card, a video capture card or a DVD recorder - the steps for capturing and editing the video from your camcorder or VCR are basically the same: Make the connections. Connect the cords from the output jacks on your old camcorder (if it plays videotapes) or VCR to the input jacks on your video capture card or DVD recorder. Capture the video. Open your video software and select the import or capture option. The software should then walk you through the steps necessary for recording the video to your computer. Save the video at the highest quality possible. Old videotapes are already of poor enough quality, without further degrading the footage more than necessary during the compression process. If youre short on space, then capture, edit and burn small sections of video at a time. Once youve burned the resulting video to DVD you can delete it from your hard drive, freeing up space for more video transfer. Edit out unwanted footage. Once youve transferred the video to your computer you can edit and rearrange the scenes into a nice finished product. Most digital video editing software will have already automatically separated yo ur raw video footage into scenes, making it easy to shuffle things around. Now is also the time to delete the boring stuff and edit out dead time, like the 20 minutes of footage you took with the lens cap on! Generally, this process is as easy as drag and drop. You can eliminate choppiness in the final product by adding cool transitions from scene to scene, such as fades and page turns. Other special features you may want to play with include titles, photos, narration, menus and background music. Create Your DVD When youre satisfied with your edited movies, its time to transfer them to DVD. Again the software will walk you through the steps. Just as with import, youll probably be given a choice of quality settings. For the best image quality limit the video you save on a single DVD to an hour or less. Choose a high-quality DVD-R or DVDR disk (not the rewritable version) on which to burn your video. Make at least one backup copy as well, maybe more if you plan to delete the digital video from your computers hard drive. Other Options for Transferring Video to DVD If you dont have a computer, there are options available for transferring video to DVD, sans PC, using a DVD recorder unit. If you want to do any editing before burning to DVD, youll need a DVD recorder unit with a hard drive. Fancy editing is still best done on a computer, however. Alternatively, you can pay a professional to convert your VHS tapes to DVD, although this service doesnt usually come cheap.

Personal Marketing Plan Essay Example

Personal Marketing Plan Essay Example Personal Marketing Plan Paper Personal Marketing Plan Paper OBJECTIVES Combining business school education, professional/personal development training, self education along with life experiences directed me toward beginning a career as an entrepreneur. Many years have been spent taking classes and exploring various business opportunities. I started my college career as a business major. During that time, I also studied various art mediums to explore creative talents. In my junior year, I decided to combine those strengths and interests into my career path. Now that graduation is closer it is time to formulate and began executing a plan for the next 5 to 10 years of my life. Short Term Goals I have five main short-term goals, which include goals before graduation, educational career and professional goals. Before graduation, I aim to increase my grade point average to a 3. 0 minimum. Improving my resume and working knowledge through VCU’s small business mentorship program. And starting a part time personal home inventory service business while in school will enable me to apply previous knowledge, and use the many resources and services that are available. Start up cost for this venture is moderate compared to other businesses. My plan is to invest the minimum, $3000 during start up. Also I have employed the services of a professional coach to assist with personal and professional development. After graduation, (May 2008), my career goal is to expand my home inventory business, â€Å"Professional Home Inventory Services† from part time to full time operation. I plan on continuing education at Virginia Commonwealth University or the University of Maryland. Here, the goal is to earn a certificate in International Management. With a personal interest in the African culture (African Art and History), I plan to begin my travels to Africa through a Study Abroad Program. I intend on completing the certificate program in 2011. My personal interest in Africa will be a lifelong study. This certification and additional coursework will help my career by opening up the passageway to a new business venture, security and most of all spiritual growth in knowing more of my African heritage. I have and investment goal to save 15% of my annual income in addition to current savings, for a second business, which will be a combination of Importing African Art for resale online and business consulting. Long Term Goals My long-term goals include the continuation of my career, personal and investment objectives. I plan to be operating the consulting firm, â€Å"Robinson Business to Business Consulting† by 2013. I anticipate opening my import business,† Africa All Around â€Å"by 2015. I have estimated that it will take a minimum of 25,000 to 35,000 to start; therefore the money I have saved in addition to profits gained from the inventory service business will be used to help finance this venture. I want to continue to save a percentage of my income for future investments. Situation Analysis SWOT In order to understand what strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that I might encounter, I performed a SWOT analysis. As for my strengths, I am a highly creative and friendly person, I possess strong analytical skills, and I enjoy working alone and with small groups. I also have strong interpersonal skills. Patience and attention to detail are definitely virtues in the home inventory business. My main weakness is communicating in large groups. Improvement is needed in the areas of personal and professional development, writing and communication skills. At times, multitasking can be a challenge. I could be more effective with improvements in focusing, and time management. And I lack advanced training in computer software programs such as Microsoft Office. Also, a fair understanding and working observation of product values and knowledge of market values are needed for the inventory industry. That additional understanding will come with experience. There are several opportunities in front of me at this time. The first is the great need for small businesses for future economic growth, locally and internationally. There is a tremendous need for small business to keep up with technological advances and environmental changes. Small business can innovate and create new jobs at a faster rate than their larger competitors. Unfortunately, living in times of high crime, recurrent natural disasters and, bad weather conditions all in the mist of being extremely busy due to work and family demands is where I find opportunities to provide a service that is in demand . Owning a small business can be very challenging but with planning and organizing, allotted time will allow for personal interest endeavors such as travel and art. Finally, the threats I have include average competition, which is expected with a low cost high profit margin start up venture. Through research, I have found two companies in the Richmond Virginia area. There are companies on the internet that market home inventory software and not the bells and whistles of technology nor the personalized service aspect of the business like I will offer. But, the homeowner himself can accomplish this task if they choose to invest the time and effort. Another consideration is the rate of expansion, which is lower on average, than other businesses but once again, this business has high profit margins, on average than other businesses. Personal Marketing Strategy Target Market When targeting my market I will directly seek middle to upper class homeowners, current homebuyers and sellers (movers) in the market. Estate owners or their deceased relatives’ estates are good targets for asset documentation and estate sale planning and management. Demographically, services will be offered in Richmond VA. and surrounding counties and Northern VA. Marketing Mix –The 4 P’s There are many factors to consider in why I (my company) should be hired. In order to improve my chances for consideration I must present myself as a product, promote myself, set my price and finally determine my place. Product: Since I am the product I am a marketable asset. I have several important skills that will make me a successful business owner. I have excellent customer service skills. I posses a since of business practices, and product knowledge. As mentioned in my SWOT analysis, I have patience and strong attention for detail. Change in external environmental conditions; weather, crime and consumer behavior leads to new marketing opportunities that may call for internal environmental changes. Staying current with the industry connective components over the industry span such as; insurance company practices, homeowner’s insurance policies, new real-estate developments, market value, safety and security, will be critical at all stages. Being able to deliver this information will add value to my product while marketing and adapting to changes. Promotion: Now that there is a product, it needs to be successfully promoted. There are several possible ways to do this. The first is networking; developing business contacts with insurance companies, real estate agents, close friends and relatives. Social functions, and community events are other ways offering information about myself and my work. Being affiliated with non profit organizations that assist with business ventures will be a romoting factor. I will treat every opportunity as if I was on an interview I will position myself as a serious career professional and not just a college student. Always taking advantage of every opportunity that may arise. Price: The earning of an inventory specialist varies depending on the size of the home. For example, a 1200sq. ft. home could cost $300 to $350 for about a 4 hour job. Following graduation, I expect to be earning between $35,000 and 45,000 a year. These numbers are based on demographics, the experience that I will have, and salary based on he industry. I will be willing to negotiate and discount services, providing that multiple services are purchased or if a business contract is landed thru a referral. Place: There are two cities in which I would want to live, Northern Va or Maryland. When considering where I want to live, several factors came into play. First, I weighed the average salary, cost of living, cultural activities. Demand and competition in this industry was also evaluated. Either of these areas could offer great opportunities for this field. I could pursue the same class of target customers. An informal network with current contacts of friends and family homeowners and organizations would be a channel for promoting and advertising. Also low cost mailings online advertising would be appropriate distribution method. Conclusion: The purpose of this personal marketing plan was to identify and evaluate my short and long term goals, determine my strengths and weaknesses, examine opportunities and threats that I face to create a action plan to determine my marketability as a entrepreneur. I will be able to target specific markets in which I want to work through specific methods of research geared to segmented markets. I will be able to choose and determine specific locations, salaries, organizational cultures which I believe I will be the most functional in. My conversation with professionals currently in the field have given me a better perspective and have caused me to think more about both the pros and cons of being a entrepreneur in the inventory management field. With the completion of this project I feel more prepared and focused towards what I need to accomplish in order to reach my ultimate goal in life.

Global Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global Financial Crisis - Essay Example Many professionals and experts around the world believe that a true economic recession can only be confirmed if GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth is negative for a period of two or more consecutive quarters. The roots of a recession and its true starting point actually rest in the several quarters of positive but slowing growth before the recession cycle really begins. While the "two quarter" definition is accepted globally, many economists have trouble supporting it completely as it does not consider other important economic change variables. For instance, current national unemployment rates or consumer confidence and spending levels are all a part of the economic system and must be taken into account when defining a recession and its attributes. An economic recession is primarily attributed to the actions taken to control the money supply in an economy. The Central Bank is the agency responsible for maintaining the delicate balance between money supply, interest rates, and inflation. When this delicate balance is tipped, the economy is forced to correct itself. In an environment where inflation is prevalent, people tend to cut out things like leisure spending. They also budget more, spend less on things they usually indulge in, and start saving more money than they did. As people and businesses start finding ways to cut costs and derail unneeded expenditures, the GDP begins to decline. Then, unemployment rates will rise because companies start laying off workers to cut more costs, because consumers are not spending like they were. It is these combined factors that managed to drive the economy into a state of recession.(Sources: Recessiom.org) The paradigm shift in the US economy was a big contributing factor. The economy shifted to a service based economy from a predominant manufacturing sector. By the year 2009, manufacturing and agriculture constituted less than 10% of the whole economic base. Decline in manufacturing took place mainly due to off shoring or outsourcing but vastly increased productivity was the bigger factor. Lack of security became an issue as the employments trend changed from a long term employment relationship to a short term attachments. The result of the shift from manufacturing to service, in short, has been a disaggregation of employment in which the attachments of workers to particular firms is more tenuous, expected tenures are shorter, and workplaces themselves are often on a smaller scale. The new portable employment included portable pensions; that is a pension plan that moves with an employee when he or she changes the employer. Pension investment became a big business dominated by institut ional investors. With a portable defined contribution systems pension is based on investment returns which created pressure for high returns and also removed employee incentives to stay with a single firm. This resulted in a vicious circle of profit pressure and employment instability. (G.F. Davies, 2009) Following a period of economic boom, a financial bubble-global in scope-has now burst. A collapse of the US sub-prime mortgage market and the reversal of the housing boom in other industrialized economies have had a ripple

Product Liabilities Cases. Confidential Business Information Essay

Product Liabilities Cases. Confidential Business Information - Essay Example Though product liability is a valid legal requirement, the Supreme Court pushed the limits too high that many manufactures have shied away from the market. The Supreme Court denied the fact that in some cases, though a supplier may be certain of the functionality of a product, systems may go haywire lidding to unforeseen damages or fatalities. Though consumer activists explain that such products liability suits would make manufactures more responsible on the threat of product liability, the fact is that such suits are hurting the manufacturing sector and preventing thousands of innovations from getting into the market (Andre & Velasquez, 2010). Increased product liabilities cases lead to increased cost of goods to the consumer, which implies that the cost of the litigations outweigh their benefits to the society. Andre & Velasquez (2010) explains that the high cost of litigations in many companies, making up to 60% of litigation expenses is making cost of doing business to increase s ubstantially; as the cost of liability suits increases, the company passes the increased burden to customers in terms of high product processes. Therefore, such litigations by a few will hurt many customers in terms of increased prices. In some extreme cases, companies have been forced to scale dozen their operations due to the high costs of such litigations. This results to thousands of job losses. For example, a Conference Board report recently revealed that 15% of companies were forced to undertake massive downsizing, while another 8% were forced to close down plants due to such litigations (Andre & Velasquez, 2010). In addition to losing jobs, such a move hurts the economy as productivity and investments are forced to close as a result of litigations. Moreover, more companies with ingenious products fear introducing such products in the company. The above report revealed that up to 39% of companies delayed introducing new products in the market due to fear of litigations. In fac t, withe such litigations, vaccines to some diseases such as AIDS may never be realized as manufacturers shy away from the market due to such litigations. This hurts the overall economy and society in general. DQ 2 Every business has to abide to some legal agreements that are protected under the law. In order to act ethically, a business has to ensure that all information held about their clients is confidential and is not to be disclosed to any other party under any case, unless a court of law orders such information to be presented. According to British Law (2012) a confidentiality agreement or any non-disclosure agreement is a legally binding contract, with owner of the information disclosing such information to a third party; the third party is legally required to keep such information confidential and not disclose such information to any other party. According to IPR Help Desk (2012), trade secrets are any confidential information held by a business, which makes a business to a chieve an economic benefit that translates to competitive advantage. Such a secret is largely unknown to competitors due to the strategic efforts by the holder of such information to keep it a secret. Client contacts give a business a competitive advantage over its competitors in that a business with more clients will have more profitability and performance compared to others, which is form of competitive advantage. Customer emails are part of customer information that has to be confidential and