Gods and Humans Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gods and Humans - Assignment Example Part of the reason both Oedipus and Antigone are considered to be classic works is that they feature characters who are larger than life and whose deeds are truly remarkable. Even centuries and millennium later the human and divine figures featured in these stories astonish us with their extreme and powerful qualities. We can marvel at these classical figures but we can also examine the different ways they interact with one another and the sorts of relationships they have with one another, plus the different ways Sophocles portrays them. Surely this interplay is one of the reasons these figures continue to resonate in our modern days and continue to excite us so much. The conflict between the world and laws of humans and those of gods is one that is truly timeless.In both quoted passages, the laws of the gods and the laws of human beings are examined and discussed. There are two clearly different principles at play. In both works the human heroes are at odds with the political system which is trying to subjugate them. In both cases, the heroes stand up for what they believe. They are willing to obey a higher law, a higher order which is in conflict with the human law before them. They do not recognize the arbitrarily exercised power of the regent. They operate under a different, more powerful law which they think is more objective, or more fair. Oedipus serves Apollo. Although he is blind he is capable of seeing that real life, full of human laws, is corrupt and false. The higher world of gods and forms is truer and more just. His blindness is perhaps something of an asset as it separates him somewhat from the human world and allows him to imagine or perceive of a more just world where the law of gods such as Apollo dominate. In Antigone much the same idea is presented. Antigone also must deal with Creon and the law of the human system. â€Å"[M]y reverence only brands me for irreverence!† she exclaims, weeping at the injustice of it. She has obeyed the religious ritual of burying her dead brother at the expense of the human law forbidding her to do so. That is why she is being punished. For her, obeying the gods is more important than obeying the king. And that is why she is willing to endure her punishment even if it is unjust in the human world.

Analysis of conversation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of conversation - Assignment Example Analysis of a conversation is the study of trying to describe the structure and order that a conversation takes place in. every dialogue or interaction that takes place between people has a particular way of functioning attached to it. Presented forth are two conversation analyses that have taken place in two different instances and situations. Both conversations are fairly informal in nature, with the second conversation having a hint of formality between the speakers. Conversation Analysis 1 Speech Acts and Moves: In the first conversation, speaker A is very hesitant and is holding himself from completely speaking what he wants to, perhaps due to certain inconsistencies in his character. The use of a directive speech act has been made by A in lines 1 and 3 in the form of a request. He asks questions in lines 6, 10 and 13 whereas B asks a question in line 4. Future actions or Commissives have also been used in lines 15A and 14B. He does not wish to come across as someone who is not able to afford the paint, and thus messes up his sentences in trying to clarify their costs with the shop keeper. He takes a number of pauses in his speech and conveys a lot of uncertainty in his dialogue whereas B is very sure of himself and promptly replies to everything he is asked. Illocutionary acts involve making conversation very concisely, in a manner that helps to put forth clearly the message that one wishes to speak. However, as compared to Conversation 1, conversation 2 is much clearer in conveying what the speakers want to ask each other. Moves are also present in the discourse at lines 3 and 4 as the conversation moves gradually from one speaker to another. Turn taking and Pauses: Taking turns to speak is a very fundamental aspect of any conversation. Turns are taken between speakers participating in a conversation when one wants to compare the conversation to a certain norm or make a comparison between two dialogues. B helps A speak by giving him chances to voice his opinions and takes his own turns with great patience to speak except for when B interrupted A at 4 with his line 5. Also, in line 10, B began his dialogue beforehand, as an appended term tag, already predicting the answer to A’s dialogue in line 11. There are many pauses in the conversation, for example in lines 5, 15 and 16, all by A as he was very unsure of his speech. Adjacency Pairs: This is an aspect of conversation analysis where the conversation tends to take place in responsive pairs. In the first conversation, an adjacency pair is noticeable as the conversation is taking place between A and B side by side with both parties trying their best to carry on the conversation and help the other speak the next sentence. The answer to A’s question in line 6 has been answered by B in line 9. Much the same way, 9 has been replied to in line 10 and finally 16 and 17 are another adjacency pair as B apologizes in the final line. Cooperative Principle: Cooperative principles help to define how people react and speak with one another. A person who makes use of this principle always helps to add more to the conversation and take it further to another level. This involves cooperating with the sentences and dialogues spoken by the other parties engaging in the same conversation in a manner that helps to take the conversation ahead. All these actions indicate uneasiness and hesitance which further tell us that he is not interested in carrying on the conversati

What Determines A Good Service Encounter?

What Determines A Good Service Encounter? When giving examples of my service encounter I will, each time try to explain the reasons for my service encounter, a brief description of what the firm did and provided for myself, my level of satisfaction through a rating system between one to seven, from lowest to highest possible satisfaction, and lastly my reasons for this satisfaction rating. I feel this information will allow me to most effectively analyse the service encounter, and identify the determinants of a good service encounter whilst allowing me to compare different service encounters. I will firstly look towards the 7ps concept (Booms and Bitner 1982) which is an extended version of the marketing mix. What is crucial here, for the purpose of the essay, is determining if some Ps are more important than other Ps in terms of having a greater impact on a service encounter outcome. I will therefore proceed through each P, systematically and in turn evaluate its importance in determining a good or bad service encounter. The introductory marketing texts suggest that all parts of the marketing mix (4Ps) are equally important, since a deficiency in any one can mean failure (Kellerman, Gordon and Hekmat, 1995). Number of studies of industrial marketers and purchasers indicated that the marketing mix components differ significantly in importance (Jackson, Burdick and Keith, 1985). Robicheaux (1976) found that key marketing policies had changed significantly. Pricing was considered the most important marketing activity in Robicheauxs (1976) survey, although it ranked only sixth in Udells (1964) survey. Udell (1968) found that sales efforts were rated as most important, followed by product efforts, pricing, and distribution. LaLonde (1977) found product related criteria to be most important, followed by distribution, price, and promotion. Perreault and Russ (1976) found that product quality was considered most important, followed by distribution service and price. Thus, it appears from the studies above that business executives do not really view the Ps as being equally important, but consider the price and product components to be the most important (Kellerman, Gordon and Hekmat, 1995). Brunner (1989) argues that the marketing mix should be extended to include more factors affecting the services marketing and thus actually becoming mixes themselves. He provides examples of Concept Mix, Cost Mix, Channels Mix and the Communication Mix So far we have mainly touched on the 4 core Ps but what Ps can affect and determine the outcome of a service encounter? Fryar (1991) argues that differentiation and segmentation is the basis of a successful service. Further, the personal relationship with the customer and quality of the service are important elements of the service marketing. This may be referring to the extended Ps of the marketing mix. Heuvel (1993)seems to agree with Fryar stating that Interaction between the one delivering the service and the customer is very important and has direct effect on the service quality and quality perception. He goes on further to state that the Product element can be better demonstrated as having two components, the primary and secondary service elements as well as the process. Both Heuvel and Fryar seem to be heavily referring to the People and physical Ps of the extended marketing mix (Grove et al. 2000) compares service marketing to a theatrical production. How the service is performed is as important as what is performed. The critical factor is therefore the customer experience. He goes on to state that the traditional Marketing Mix does not adequately capture the special circumstances that are present when marketing a service product. As such it could be concluded that the 4Ps for the purpose of service marketing and thus as a determinate of a service encounter can be seen as outdated. Rafiq and Ahmed (1995) state that 7Ps is more comprehensive, greater refined and includes important participants such as people and process. For the purpose of Service encounters the three new Ps of People, Process and Physical design can be seen as equally if not more important than the four core Ps. This can be supported through the extended Ps widespread acceptance in recent years The customer satisfaction Kano model helps to understand and evaluate consumer acceptance and satisfaction, and can be used in many different disciplines. The model classifies product attributes based on how they are perceived by customers and their effect on customer satisfaction (Kano, Seraku et al. 1996). According to the model, there are three types of product attributes that fulfil customer satisfaction to a different degree: 1) basic or expected attributes, 2) performance or spoken attributes, and 3) surprise and delight attributes. A competitive product or service meets basic expected attributes, maximises performances attributes, and includes as many delighted attributes as financially feasible. In the model, the customer endeavours to move away from having unfulfilled desires. The basic or attributes are basic attributes, which customers take for granted and are not worth mentioning due to their obviousness. While the presence of these attributes is not really taken into account, the nonexistence of these attributes could be very dissatisfying for the customer. The performance or spoken attributes are those voiced by customers in what they are wanting from the product. These requirements can satisfy or dissatisfy consumer depending on the level of their satisfaction by a product or a service. The surprise and delight attributes if present can excite the customer, but their absence does not dissatisfy, as customers do not expect them. A competitive advantage can be achieved through successful use of both expected and exciting attributes Kanos model of customer satisfaction will now be looked at. According to various researchers, product life cycles are getting shorter, thus businesses are looking for ways to reduce product development time and to introduce their products to the market more quickly and efficiently (Tan , 2000) Further, in many of the competitive markets, customers are getting more selective, demanding greater features in products and services. As a result, identifying customer needs and transferring this information through to the product design stage is imperative for any business to be able to stay competitive in the market (Sireli et al., 2003, Tontini, 2003,) Kanos model helps deal with these new trends and in turn hopes to meet customer requirements in the most efficient and effective way Through traditional customer satisfaction tools, used to evaluate customer feedback, a strong correlation is assumed between product performance and customer satisfaction. For example, customer satisfaction is assumed to increase or decrease proportionally to the product performance improving or deteriorating respectively (Huiskonen and Pirttila, 1998). However according to Mazler, increasing fulfillment of customer expectations does not always mean a proportional increase in customer satisfaction as this change also depends on the type of expectation (Matzler et al., 1996). The different types of customer expectations can have different effects on customer satisfaction fulfillment. Kanos model of customer satisfaction tries to address this issue in providing particular types to each expectation such as attractive and indifferent. This can help companys understand the customer requirements. SERVQUAL can be used to determine if there are any differences between perceptions and expectations and if so whether this difference (if it was positive) contributed to a happy service encounter. SERVQUAL can only be defined in a consumers mind as it is a psychological difference between perceptions and expectations. Gronroos (1982) suggests that the perceived quality of a service is the result of an evaluation procedure whereby customers compare their perceptions of service quality delivery and the outcome against what they expected . Expectations can be can be defined as the customers frame of reference with respect to a product/service that allows anticipation of product/ service performance (Bitner et al. 1990). Due to the fact that the model involves perception it means judgment may differ among individuals and thus could be based on the cultural framework that the person brings to the encounter (Ueltschy et al., 2007). While customers can judge the quality of manufacturing goods in terms of functions and standards, they may find it difficult to measure service quality because they have to assess not only the outcome of the service, but more importantly the process of the delivery of that service. Therefore, before customers purchase a service, they have expectations about service quality that can be based on a number of variables such as word-of mouth recommendations, individual needs, past experiences and a service providers marketing communications (Parasuraman et al., 1988). Parasuraman et al., (1988; 1991) attempts to define the dimensions of service quality. Five major dimensions have be identified, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles and empathy. Reliability is the ability to execute the service as promised. Responsiveness refers to the willingness in providing the service. Assurance concerns the politeness in delivering the services and trustworthiness expressed to customers. Empathy can be defined as the understanding of customers specific requirements and their individual needs. Finally, tangibles include the physical evidence of the service such as facilities and personnel. It has been widely accepted that these dimensions of SERVQUAL are able to capture the construct of service encounter quality (Raajpoot 2004). The concept of customer relationship management will now be looked at which has emerged from relationship marketing. There is no doubt that in recent years there has been a greater emphasis on customer relationship management then ever but why is this? And is relationship marketing that important with regards to a service encounter? The emphasis on customer relationship management could be attributed to technological advancements which have allowed businesss to create increasingly intimate relationships with their customers. ÃÆ'-sterle (2002) suggests that electronic commerce, supply chain management, one-on-one marketing [and] customer profiling to name a few are developments which can be attributed to the dramatic changes in the supplier-customer relationship observed. It is this amalgamation of business functions which could loosely be referred to as modern customer relationship management. Stone et al. (2000) asserts that the concept of RM always included a very strong focus on the consumer. But possibly, CRM takes this a step further in its integration of business functions which contribute to value maximising services for the consumer via the management of customer relationships, and in turn increasing customer retention Relationship marketing has been successful in creating strong relationships with customers on a large scale. The technique has traditionally looked to apply its marketing communications to its customers depending on their relative needs. This entails customising marketing and product/service offerings to the various individual consumer groups to create a more personalised service as well as to develop a relationship based on interactivity. CRM, on the other hand, provides more to the individual marketing needs. This is due in the main part to the technology to make such a system technically and economically feasible (ÃÆ'-sterle 2002), organisations are now able to further customise their marketing and product offerings, not just to groups but to individuals themselves. This has meant there is no longer a need for customers to be grouped together into lifecycles with others, as businesss can mould their services around individual requirements. As such it can be concluded that CRM is an evolution of RM and has utilised advanced technology as an instrument to meet and surpass individual customer requirements. Discussion Section I will first mention my service encounter with Dominos pizza; in short I was throwing a small party with my friends from home as I had recently returned from university. My freinds were very hungry and fancied some fast food that wouldnt be too expensive. Thus I ordered three large pizzas over the phone. I was very happy with the service encounter and would rate it at a six. My high satisfaction from this service encounter can be attributed to the following. Firstly when I phoned up Dominos pizza the staffs were very friendly and polite, swiftly taking my order. We were also informed on the phone about a seasonal special offer that was ongoing at the time. This special offer allowed us to reduce our expenditure on the Pizzas which surpassed my expectations of what I thought would be the price. The pizza was then delivered to us within thirty minutes, as promised and was absolutely delicious and still fresh. Thus, I would be very happy to order from Dominos Pizza again; however I was initially put on hold for three minutes which is why I am not rating the encounter at a seven. This nearly left me hanging up the phone and browsing for a close competitor, which of course would have been detrimental to Dominos Pizza. I will first look towards the 7ps concept (Booms and Bitner 1982) to determine why and how a good service encounter has occurred. Clearly the price had a major impact on our decision to choose Dominos Pizza. It can be see that Dominos pricing scheme is competition based, due to the high competitiveness of this industry driving the prices down. However our decision to buy from Dominos pizza was not solely based on the price, as we had options to look for a cheaper competitor. What did determine why we decided to choose Dominos Pizza was based on the brand name, reputation it holds, convenience and peoples past experiences with Dominos Pizza. The convenience and price alone would not have persuaded us to buy from Dominos Pizza thus the main determinant of why we purchased from Dominos Pizza could be accredited to the brand name. But what actually determined a good service encounter? One must look further and concentrate on the extended Ps, namely People, Physical Evidence and Processes . The personnel on the phone and the friendly delivery staff certainly contributed towards a good service encounter. The staff taking my order were clearly well trained and well informed, providing me information on the latest deals and being polite. The process was a high determinate of a happy service encounter. The Pizza was delivered within thirty minutes; failure to do so may have meant unhappy hungry customers who would not have been willing to repeat purchase from Dominos Pizza. Indeed the three minute wait I needed to endure on the phone nearly left me hanging up and not completing the service encounter. The physical evidence is not really relevant to this service encounter. It can be seen that the fast process, polite personnel, product and place (convenience) contributed greatest to a happy service encounter from the 7ps perspective. SERVQUAL will now be used to determine if there were any differences between perceptions and expectations and if so whether this difference (if it was positive) contributed to a happy service encounter. SERVQUAL can only be defined in a consumers mind; it is a psychological difference between perceptions and expectations. The SQ can be measured using Parasuraman et al.s (1985) Gaps Model. The Gaps model is made up of five so called gaps. Firstly, the knowledge gap is the difference between what customers want and managers think customers want. In this case as customers, we wanted a tasty pizza delivered to our door within a reasonable time at a reasonable cost. We got everything we wanted, thus it would appear that there was no knowledge gap. However being put on hold for three minutes could be seen as a slight knowledge gap which may have been detrimental to Dominos pizza. This knowledge gap could have been caused by the manager not hiring enough or enough productive staff. The standards gap is the gap between managements perception of customer expectations and actual results for the service delivery. In this case there is probably a positive gap. Although Dominos pizza stated the pizza would be delivered within thirty minutes we didnt actually believe it. Thus the actual delivery outweighed our expectations and can be seen as a positive gap. Gap 3 Delivery gap The promises of a delicious pizza and a fast delivery were fulfilled and thus we were happy and didnt have any quarms. From the above it can be seen there were little if any gaps between our expectations and what was delivered and this clearly heavily contributed to a happy service encounter. The customer satisfaction Kano Model will be now be used to determine how Dominos Pizza satisfied us. Kano uses three types of relationships between attributes and the levels of customer satisfaction they generate. We must determine which attributes account for the largest proportion of customer satisfaction. The first type of attribute is the must have attributes. These are expected by the customer, all our must haves were met by Dominos Pizza. The linear satisfier attributes keep the customer satisfied, the delighter attributes are not expected or required, but help create customer satisfaction and can make the difference in brand choice for a consumer especially in competitive markets. The convenience, speed of delivery and tastiness of the pizza could come under the heading of linear satisfiers. The polite personnel over the phone and great offers provided on the phone can be seen as delighter types of attributes and most contributed to my happiness on dealing with Dominos Pizza, further it was these delighters which have made me want to repeat purchase from Dominos in the future. From using the relevant theories it can quite clearly be seen that the main determinants of a good service encounter which Dominos Pizza offered was the speed of the delivery, the special offers that ensured the price of the pizzas were less than first expected and the freshness of the pizzas which can be related to the speed of delivery. Thus, a manager working in the take-away service industry should ensure that his /her staffs are well trained and informed to not only take peoples orders over the phone but to answer peoples queries and provide information on ongoing special offers. A manager should also ensure there is an efficient distribution process so the delivery is undertaken as quick as possible. The service encounter that Dominos Pizza offered delighted me and my friends as customers, further I would be very happy to order from them again and recommend them to others. Therefore Dominos Pizza have provided a good service encounter. My next service encounter I will mention is my orthodontist appointment with my local NHS hospital Northwick Park. I was referred to the orthodontist by my dentist, who advised that I needed braces. I thus made an appointment for 9:00am on the 24/09/2009. I was pretty unhappy with this particular service counter for a number of reasons. Ultimately I was unhappy that I needed to wait an hour and fifteen minutes for my appointment after arriving prompt at 9:00am meaning me missing my train back to university. I was also upset because my actual appointment was rushed only lasted ten minutes, thus not all my queries were answered sufficiently. I would rate this service encounter at a two. I will again look towards the 7ps when analysing why and how bad services was encountered by myself. Firstly, the price for my appointment was free and therefore started my service encounter on a good note. The place of my appointment was however quite inconvenient for me as it meant me coming back from university especially for the appointment. The actual service was rushed and incomplete, this made me dissatisfied with the service. The process was slow and very inefficient which contributed heaviest to my dissatisfaction of the service encounter. As a customer I would have ideally preferred an NHS orthodontist to be located nearer my university for convenience, furthermore, I sought after a brief waiting time and a productive and effective appointment which would fully answer my questions. I got none of these things and thus there most certainly was a knowledge gap. This knowledge gap could be decreased through an efficient process, a more thorough appointment and a local NHS orthodontist for my convenience. My expectation pre appointment was that I would need to wait about twenty minutes for my appointment which I was happy to do and that I would be provided an appointment lengthy enough to ensure all my queries were answered. My expectations were not met at all and therefore clearly there is a negative standards gap. Review | Back To The Future Review | Back To The Future The movie Back to the Future, is filled with an all star cast and dynamic visual effects that were stunning in nineteen eighty-five and still stunning by todays definition. It was an appealing movie in which all ages could relate to the fun and entertainment that it was meant to portray. The movie was set in the fictional town of Hill Valley and focused upon the antics of Doc. Emmett Brown played by Christopher Lloyd and his sidekick Marty Mcfly played by Michael J. Fox. The film was written by Robert Zemeckis, who also directed the movie and Bob Gale,who came up the story idea. Steven Speilberg was the producer for the film. The story idea came to writer Bob Gale one day when at his parents home he found an old yearbook of his fathers. He thought to himself, Would he and his father been friends if they had gone to school together? Gale returned to California and shared his idea with Robert Zemeckis. They decided to take the project to Columbia pictures and made a developmental deal with Columbia for the script in September of 1980. (Klastornin) The rough draft of the script was finished in February, nineteen eighty-one. The film turned out to be more than just a thought about his father. The film had only a nineteen million dollar budget and brought in more than three hundred-eighty million dollars. Back to the Future was a critically acclaimed best movie of nineteen eighty- five. Critic Christopher Null claimed it to be a quintessential nineteen eighties flick that combines science fiction, action, comedy and romance all into a perfect little package that kids and adults will devour.(Null) It won the Hu go Award for dramatic presentation, the Saturn award for best science fiction film, academy awards and Golden Globe nomination. The film marked the beginning of a franchise with the sequels Back to the Future ll in nineteen eighty- nine and the sequel Back to the future lll in nineteen ninety. There was an animated series, a theme park ride and a video game released as well. The movie has a scene in which Marty is asked who is president in nineteen eighty- five and replies, Ronald Reagan. The person he is talking to laughs and tells him that Ronald Reagan is an actor, not a president. When watching the film for the first time Ronald Reagan himself was so amused by the joke about his being president that he had the theater stop the movie and rewind the reel so he could see the part again. He even referred to the movie in his nineteen eighty-six State of the Union address. He stated, Never has there been a more exciting time to be alive, a time of rousing wonder and heroic achievement. As they say in the film, Back to the Future, where were going, we dont need roads.(cspan) Many years later president George H.W. Bush used references from Back to the Future in his speeches. The film had to shoot at Universal Studios in California because no town would allow producers to redo their town to fit the nineteen fifties setting. Hill Valley scenes were shot at Courthouse Square on the back lot. Industrial Light and Magic created the thirty- two special effect shots. (Freer) Designers set the fifties in a wonderful way to make the town look beautiful, they shot all the scenes from the fifties first so they could make the town look bleak and ugly for the scenes in the eighties. Back to the Future had to shoot differently than how most movies are filmed. Michael J. Fox was working weekdays on the hit television series Family Ties. This made him only available to work on the movie set from six-thirty p.m. to two-thirty a.m. on weekdays. They were forced to save exterior scenes until weekends because that was the only time he was available during daylight. This routine gave him only five hours for sleep each day. He found this schedule exhausting but worthwhile bec ause he was simultaneously living his dream of being on television and in movies. The movie took one hundred days to film and finally wrapped up on April twentieth of nineteen eighty- five. Producers and editors worked twenty-four hour shifts making sure the movie would be ready for its July third release date. Only eight minutes of filming was omitted when editing was completed. A lot of hard work went into the making of the movie Back to the Future. It was a risk at the time with lots of wondering whether the movie would flop or be a success. It proved a risk worth taking because now, twenty-six years later, it is movie that most all generations have seen. Back to the Future will continue to remain a film title known worldwide. This is a film that closes the generation gap and brings old and young together as one. Future generations will continue to enjoy this film for years to come.

Politics in the Novel Imperium by Robert Harris Essay -- Robert Harris

Imperium begins when Cicero as a young man from a middle class family. He leaves his small town behind and comes to Rome, looking to make a name for himself in politics. He begins as a lawyer and is immediately noticed for his outstanding oratory skills and daring composure . Gradually, he gains influence in the realm of the courts until he has achieved the title of "the second best advocate in Rome," only beaten by his bitter rival, Hortensius. His next triumph is to take on a daring case against the governor or Sicily, Verres, who has extorted his people for decades and wrongfully imprisoned hundreds of them. Though Cicero has a bounty of evidence of this corruption, he has other huge disadvantages. A huge majority of the court is biased against him because he is new blood, and is not yet a respected lawyer compared to Hortensius who has very good lineage. Verres is also an aristocrat, and is thus backed by nearly the entirety of the aristocracy of the Senate, who would be the jury in his case. However, Cicero won the favor of the jury with his charisma and his courageous and controversial courtroom maneuvers. Now that Cicero is on the political board, he marries into an affluent family so that he might advance his status. He then enters the senate by showing that he has the money to hold a seat and from that moment on he has branded himself as a politician, ever aspiring to up his position on the rungs of the Roman political ladder until he has achieved the power of life and death in politics, known to the Romans as imperium. The idea behind this novel is that Rome had a very complex political system that can only be fully understood from an inside source such as this novel. This novel got extremely complicated, especially wi... ...tic system of election such as America?s and how inefficient it is. Changes that Cicero himself put into play all that time ago have been incorporated into our system today simply by him speaking up in a session of the senate. It is awesome to consider how dedicated to the republic these ancient politicians were compared to todays politicians who abuse the system that has been set in place and have only popularity and selfishness. This novel reminds the reader of how great these people that we have heard about from ancient times are and it gives us proof that what they did really did make a difference. We cannot know if people from our century will influenced history forever because they have yet to stand the test of time, but significant Roman figures have and the evidence of that lies in the difference they left on Rome, and eventually all of western civilization.

‘America’ by Jean Baudrillard

During the dawning of the new age, America has always fascinated foreigners with its magnificence and grandeur as if alluring then to come and explore its endless possibilities. Even philosophers of arts and sciences as well as well known personalities in the field of literature describe their American travel as exciting and memorable. They are all captivated by the country’s vast wide open spaces, people’s culture and advances in technology.One of France’s leading philosophers Jean Baudrillard, well known for his postmodernism and mysterious philosophical views on historical and present events was also captivated by America’s great elements of cultures and advancement. Baudrillard became more encouraged to launch his own travel when he learned of French philosopher Tocqueville’s American journey. And so in the mid-1980s, Baudrillard made his own travelogue and documented his findings in his book, America (1988).This book was originally written in F rench and presented Baudrillard’s observations of American culture, advancement in civilization as well as the illness of America itself. According to him, what can be read from this book is merely his observation on his visit and should not be taken seriously but not necessarily for granted. Baudrillard was known for his witty and opposing views which he clearly shown from his other writings.His use of metaphor and linguistic style may not be so common to everybody but reading his lines altogether and understanding his motives will bring you to conclusion that he was really an observer and a critic with extra-ordinary perception on events (Baudrillard, 1989) Most part of the book talk about some of the states he visited as well as his discovery of the people, what is within them and how they live in their societies. One can notice his astonishment with America which he wrote in his most charmed but satirical manner.Part of the book which described best what America is all ab out was â€Å"Astral America†. On this section, he said that being in America was like being in the land of Utopia where everybody seems to be living in their blissful society, complete with amenities, freedom and the advantages using the latest technology. The book America also discusses many significant observations and his analysis which he put in many sections such as Vanishing Point, New York, Utopia Achieved, The End of US Power and Desert For Ever and Astral America.Astral America described the highest point where America already has its lead in innovations, extensive urbanization and great industrialization among other industrialized nations. Although Europe was already enhanced in terms of industrialization during the 1980s , America has always been the leader in the aspect of economic advantage. This probably encouraged Baudrillard to travel to America and see deeply for himself the status of a grand nation that is continually moving and upgrading itself to be more secured and independent.Reading Astral America, you could feel Baudrillard’s awe for America’s vast territory and its advancement in many angles. Its modern populations spread among great cities and lands where everybody lives in glorious days. His description of this nation was of a prosperous country where Disneyland is a place people from all over the world want to visit. Furthermore, he said that you could find in this nation the perfect combination of entertainment and fantasy. Everybody do their job with their modern machines and the use of their technology for entertainment is endless.As he was quoted on following: Astral America. The lyrical nature of pure circulation.. As against the melancholy of European analyses†¦ The exhilaration of obscenity, the obscenity of obviousness, the obviousness of power, the power of simulation†¦Sideration. Star-blasted, horizontally by the car, altitudinally by the plane, electronically by television, geologically by deserts, stereolithically by the megalopoloi, transpolitically by the power game, the power museum that American has become for the whole world (Baudrillard, 1989, p. 27).However, throughout his American travel, Baudrillard made the impression that he was conscious of his status as a European because of the comparison on what he saw. In between the lines, he described Europe as an inescapably old, ethnic, contrived, confined and accustomed with lesser modernization wherein he view America as more than the reality, formed into a vast realization of cultures and colorful depiction of replication from different cultures. Such as on the following excerpts: Why should I go and decentralize myself in France, in the ethnic and the local, which are merely the shreds and vestiges of centrality?I want to excentre myself, to become eccentric, but I want to do so in a place that is the centre of the world. And, in this sense, the latest fast-food outlet, the most banal suburb, the blandest of g iant American cars or the most insignificant cartoon-strip majorette is more at the centre of the world than any of the cultural manifestations of old Europe (Baudrillard, 1989) But Baudrillard also declared some critical views about America. Here, he said that other Europeans see the grand nation as a land of barbarism. That although it was a great nation full of life and abound with opportunities, it has also its own disease and flaws.In Astral America, he does not see America as all glory although it is unlike Europe that had its dark historical days on wars. He sees America as a vast desert where culture, politics and gender are in a state of commotion. There is also hunger, internal conflict, discrimination and prejudice. He wrote that: America always gives me a feeling of ascetism. Culture, politics – and sexuality too – are seen exclusively in terms of the desert, which here assumes the status of a primal scene†¦Even the body, by an ensuing effect of undern ourishment, takes on a transparent form, lightness near to complete disappearance.Everything around me suffers this same desertification (Baudrillard, 1989). Even at the rural sides of America, the grandest of homes and the beauty of the landscapes cannot hide the over simplicity that is embracing the monotonous life of the American people. Thus the Utopian dream cannot be in full reality itself but only a temporary solace from the harshness of the Western life. America after all is not free of problems but unlike other nations it is undeniably one big nation that faces its problem head on. As Baudrillard was quoted on the following: On the aromatic hillsides of Santa Barbara, the villas are all like funeral homes.Between the gardenias and the eucalyptus tress, among the profusion of plant genuses and the monotony of the human species, lies the tragedy of a utopia dream made reality†¦This is America’s problem and, through America, it has become the whole world’s p roblem †¦(Baudrillard, 1989), p. 30) But even as Baudrillard’s depiction of life to the harsh environment of the Americans, he said they can take setbacks squarely. That even in war one can observe their presence of mind is always intact. Also he never failed to observe America’s ruler and their influence on their people.Nevertheless, he also took notice of American politics as well as he sees political power in America as a uniting factor which binds people in one great nation. Although he never mentioned of France’ leaders in America as well as its absence on the section on Astral America, his discussion with America’s leaders did signify that there is also a difference between his country’s rulers as well as America’s political leaders. His mentioned of America’s leaders as they influence the whole America in their fight for freedom and justice were properly justified.In Astral America, he wrote some lines on the countryâ€⠄¢s leader’s influence on their people. As he wrote that: The smile of immunity, the smile of advertising: â€Å"This country is good. I am good. We are the best†. It is also Reagan’s smile – the culmination of the self-satisfaction of the entire American nation – which is on the way to becoming the sole principle of government (Baudrillard, 1989). In terms of advancement, Baudrillard’s depicted America’s perfect expansion of technology with the latest use of transportation and communication.Cities were alive with people and modern structures. All kinds of recreations and sports are there recognizing it as the power museum of the world. He even asks himself why he should stay in France and be with the shadow of France when he can even stay in America and do what the Americans do. But comes here comes Baurillard’s strict observation. He theorized that America could just be a dream or a reality. He said that although he considers this country much like Utopia where everything may be in realistic and in unrealistic state he only see its population as if living in simulation.They can be the model of lesser nations and ideal material of the modern world but they also have flaws and infirmities. He further discusses that America was like a giant hologram as if all information is contained in one whole element and holds everything in place. For example, every state from every direction offered the same services as he delightfully stated: America is neither dream nor reality. It is a hyperreality. It is a hyperreality because it is a utopia which has behaved from the very beginning as though it were already achieved.Everything here is real and pragmatic, and yet it is all the stuff of dreams, too†¦The Americans, for their part, have no sense of simulation. They are themselves the simulation†¦(Baudrillard, 1989). The book America also talks about the hostility of the Wild West, the dazzling sound of the jazz, the vacant and morbid deserts of the South-West, the neon lights of the motels and gang warfare in New York City. He also sees America as a vast empty space with savage and mixed-cultured people populating the cities.In short, he sees America as an advance nation existing with all its special effects but taking a deeper look inside its system is a hollow society living in an artificial world. During his class film lectures, he always discusses about the Vietnam War in the 1960s. He claimed that in reality, America did not win the war on the ground but only paralyzed the small Asian country. Although the US was always portrayed as victorious such as on popular movies like The Apocalypse Now and Platoon, accordingly these films did not significantly depicted reality but were made only for entertainment with the use of modern cinematography.From the French journal Liberation, Baudrillard stated that the 1991 Gulf War did not actually take place. That everything people have seen o n TV was only â€Å"hyperreal images† created and manipulated by no less than the newest technology on cinematography. That America has only made a perfect visual art that artificially portrayed realism to achieve a striking and realistic effect but actually did not presented the real photographic representation of what is behind the event.Throughout the 1990s, almost all of Baudrillard’s work focus on hyperreality theme of the postmodern culture and yet his writings are sometimes disjointed and aphoristic. To simply said, his works expresses his own opinion or even the general truth but not necessarily the reality itself. On the 20th of November 2005, Deborah Solomon of the New York Times Magazine interviewed the French philosopher regarding some background and belief of the archetype â€Å"French† intellectual. Solomon wants to dig deeper to discover what is behind the man’s quality as a journalist and a philosopher.From the interview, Baudrillard alway s respond with alertness and proudly discussed his philosophical views on life, the realities of war, and the attitude of man toward logical thinking and simple reasoning. Although the interview leads to a seemingly ridiculous question such as how he believes that the US invasion of Iraq was to spread freedom and not war, Baudrillard answered his most rhetoric answer. He stated that: What we want is to put the rest of the world on the same level of masquerade and parody that we are on, to put the rest of the world into simulation, so all the world becomes total artifice and then we are all-powerful.It's a game (cited by Parker, 2005). This led to Solomon’s conclusion that Baudrillard’s ideas although are unfathomable at first glance, they are however most fascinating and compelling. That this man who uses his intellect to surmise and analyzed things in his most amusing and bewildered manner was a serious man. He normally uses words like â€Å"hyperreal† and â₠¬Å"transistorize† to commonly describe on what he believes in. Baudrillard writes with a kind of unstoppable electric lyricism that is fast-paced but transparent. He diced his statements with jargon and sometimes uses technological idiom that provides his prose a metaphorical suppleness.His accounts which he diligently introduced in his book America were put through most depictive and striking description while identifying the facets of the modern American life. Of New York for example, he wrote that: It is a world completely rotten with wealth, power, senility, indifference, puritanism, and mental hygiene, poverty and waste, technological futility and aimless violence, and yet I cannot help but feel it has about it something of the dawning of the universe (Parker, 2005). His great influence on literature can also be seen on the blockbuster movie â€Å"The Matrix†.Filmmakers Andy and Larry Wachowski picked the idea when they discover of Baudrillard’s book â€Å" Simulacra and Simulation†. Although Baudrillard do not like the idea that his work would be represented in a film that is not real, he said that the scheme of using his work was not properly advised and called for. Some people consider his works as unbiased literature that are constantly intriguing while they cross the borders of normal criticisms. Mr. Baudrillard tackled different subjects ranging from race and gender, art and literature, to the present day trauma such as the September 11 terrorism.Although his comments are openly misquoted and misunderstood they altogether sparked controversy. Nevertheless he was clearly known as more than an observer with alarming analytical mind and always opinionated with his own subliminal eccentricity. The editor for Lire literary magazine Francois Busnel said of Mr. Baudrillard that he was unique in his own ways because he is very independent in his ideas and does not take sides. Considered as a postmodern guru of our time, his observa tion and analysis of today’s society emanate from his own distinction to shape in with any theoretical category.Wearing thick glasses, his look emanates a warm personality although many know him for his black humor and witty aphorisms. He was always quoted for his postulation of today’s world where everyone lived in his simulated world that the real thing has vanished and everything was replaced with artificial feelings and situations. As a proof that things were getting unreal in our world were the establishment of shopping malls, amusement parks, sensationalized TV programs and news programs. Television shows and films are only animated by no less than actors devoid of authenticity and meaning.He always advises the media that the pursue for reality cannot be truly accomplished because the world today abounds with illusions. His interview in 2005 by no less than The New York Times was all about his beliefs on today’s values and the need for freedom. Baudrillard was quoted that all of man’s values are simulated and that freedom was the most abused of all the given privileges. That anybody have a choice between buying material things because it is a simulation of freedom. He also criticized the practice of the consumers in which they buy material things out of necessity but of the status and label on the product.Again, as we refer in his travelogue Astral America which he originally wrote in 1986, he was remembered writing that America has all the simulated freedom in purchasing and having things that is not really necessary. For him, America’s advantage in terms of product availability is the original version of modernity as the French were just a copy with subtitles. He could be implying that although America having to exist in complete state of unreality was still adored and looked upon by no less than another great nation as France.Although he was always aloof and shunned media most of the time, his articles can frequently be found on newspapers in Paris. â€Å"The Spirit of Terrorism: And Requiem for the Twin Towers† was one of his recognized writings which he made in dedication of the 9/11 attack. He argued that through creating self reality, the Islamic fundamentalists have made their own simulation that the West would constantly be their targets for terrorism. Baudrillard was oftentimes branded as obscure, indifferent and reversely opinionated because he was unlike other postmodernists as he always disagrees with simple reasoning.Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont, both author and publisher of the 1998 book Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals’ Abuse of Science also have something to say on Baudrillard’s attitude and comments. They said that, â€Å"if the texts seem incomprehensible, it is for the excellent reason that they mean precisely nothing† (Cohen, 2007). But the French critic does not give a damn on such acid remark. He said that, â€Å"what I’m goi ng to write will have less and less chance of being understood but that’s my problem† (Cohen, 2007),On March 6 this year Jean Baurillard died in Paris of long time illness at the age of 77. The internationally celebrated and influential French intellectual who achieved world fame for his rhetoric that is always incomprehensible by the simplest of mind and the author of more than 50 books left a vacant space in the midst of a denser and over-apocalyptic mesh of misunderstood scenarios. A legend of his own kind, he will never be forgotten by those who believe in his underlying principles and unusual philosophical views (Cohen, 2007).Jean Baudrillard may not be so popular to many because of his indifference to the common postmodernist literary figures. But upsetting common analysis of a situation through independent reasoning and protracted logic somewhat separated him from the ordinary that are overused and boring. We may never see one like him in our modern age but someb ody might dare to be different in reasoning just like him and might also provide us a more in-depth perception of things and events.His book America provides us the view on how an intellectual personality like Jean Baurillard sees America from different perspective. In Astral America he introduced us more with a deeper understanding on how a European see America as a modern world but full of artificial elements that produces artificial excitement. Although his intention in writing this travelogue was only to write about a simple travelling experience, many considered this literature as his way to present America to the people in Europe what in reality America is.References Baudrillard, J. (1989). America: Verso. Book. http://books. google. com/books? id=73CCg_I_rKsC&pg=PA27&dq=Jean+Baudrillard+Astral+America&sig=RRWmj6kYLk-pDpemPyPahbeMouk Cohen, P. (2007, March 7, 2007). Jean Baudrillard, 77, Critic and Theorist of Hyperreality, Dies The New York Times from http://www. nytimes. com /2007/03/07/books/07baudrillard. html? _r=1&oref=slogin Parker, H. (2005). Old Europe, Astral America On Jean Baudrillard, Nassau Weekly. Magazine. http://www. nassauweekly. com/view_article. php? id=408.

Eight Important Duties of an Agent Towards the Principal Essay

1. Duty to follow principal’s directions or customs (Sec. 211): The first duty of every agent is to act within the scope of the authority conferred upon him and perform the agency work according to the directions given by the principal. When the agent acts otherwise, if any loss be sustained, he must make it good to the principal, and if any profit accrues, he must account for it.   Illustrations: (a) Where the principal instructed the agent to warehouse the goods at a particular place and the agent warehoused them at a different warehouse which was equally safe, and the goods were destroyed by fire without negligence, it was held that the agent was liable for the loss because any departure from the instructions makes the agent absolutely liable (Lilley vs Doubleday). (b) An agent being instructed to insure goods neglects to do so. He is liable to compensate the principal in the event of these being lost (Pannalal Jankidas vs Mohanlal). If the principal has not given any express or implied directions, then it is the duty of the agent to follow the custom prevailing in the same kind of business at the place where the agent conducts business. If the agent makes any departure, he does so at his own risk. He must make good any loss so sustained by the principal. Illustrations (Appended To Sec. 211): (a) A, an agent, engaged in carrying on for B a business, in which it is the custom to invest from time to time at interest, the moneys which may be in hand, omits to make such investments. A must make good to B the interest usually obtained by such investments. (b) B, a broker, in whose business it is not the custom to sell on credit, sells goods of A on credit to C, whose credit at the time was very high. C, before payment, becomes insolvent. B must make good the loss to A, irrespective of his good intentions. 2. Duty to carry out the work with reasonable skill and diligence (Sec. 212): The agent must conduct the business is generally possessed by persons engaged in similar business, unless the principal has notice of his want of skill. Further, the agent must act with reasonable diligence and to the best of his skill.   If the agent does not work with reasonable care, skill (unless the principal has notice of his want of skill) and diligence, he must make compensation to his principal in respect of ‘direct consequences’ of his own neglect, want of skill or misconduct. But he is not so liable for indirect or remote losses. Illustrations (Appended To Sec. 212): (a) A, a merchant in Kolkata, has an agent B, in London, to whom a sum of money is paid on A’s account, with orders to remit. B retains the money for a considerable time. A, in consequence of not receiving the money, becomes insolvent. B is liable for the money and interest from the day on which it ought to have been paid, according to the usual rate, and for any further direct loss such as loss by variation of rate of exchange, but nothing further. (b) A, an agent for the sale of goods, having authority to sell goods on credit, sells to B on credit, without making the proper and usual enquiries as to the solvency of B. B, at the time of such sale, is insolvent. A must make compensation to his principal in respect of any loss thereby sustained. 3. Duty to Render Accounts (Sec. 213): It is the duty of an agent to keep proper accounts of his principal’s money or property and render them to him on demand, or periodically if so provided in the agreement. 4. Duty to communicate (Sec. 214): It is the duty of an agent, in cases of difficulty, to use all reasonable diligence in communicating with his principal, and in seeking to obtain his instructions, before taking any steps in facing the difficulty or emergency. 5. Duty not to deal on his own account (Sees. 215 and 216): An agent must not deal on his own   account in the business of agency; i.e., he must not himself buy from or sell to his principal goods he is askedto sell or buy on behalf of his principal; without obtaining the consent of his principal after disclosing all material facts to him. If the agent violates this rule, the principal may repudiate the transaction where it can be shown that any material fact has been knowingly concealed by the agent, or that the dealings of the agent have been disadvantageous to the principal. The principal is also entitled to claim from the agent any benefit which may have resulted to him from the transaction. Illustrations: (a) A, directs B to sell A’s estate. B buys the estate for himself in the name of   . A, on discovering that B has bought the estate for himself may repudiate the sale, if he can show that B has dishonestly concealed any material fact or that the sale has been disavantageous to him. [Illustration (a) Appended to Section 215 ( b)A directs, B, his agent, to buy a certain house for him. B tells A that it cannot be bought and buys the house for himself. A may, on discovering that B has bought the house, compel him to sell it to A at the price he gave for it. [Illustration appended to Section 216] 6. Duty not to make any profit out of his agency except his remuneration (Sees. 217 and 218): An agent stands in a fiduciary relation to his principal and therefore he must not make any profit (secret profit) out of his agency. He must pay to his principal all moneys (including illegal gratification, if any) received by him on principal’s account. He can, however, deduct all moneys due to himself in respect of his remuneration or/and expenses properly incurred. If his acts are not bonafide, he will lose his remuneration and will have to account for the secret profit to his principal. 7. Duty on termination of agency by principal’s death or insanity (Sec. 209): When an agency is terminated by the principal dying or becoming of unsound mind, the agent must take, on behalf of the representatives of his late principal, all reasonable steps for the protection and preservation of the interests entrusted to him. 8. Duty not to delegate authority (Sec. 190): Subject to six exceptions stated earlier (under the heading Delegation of Authority), an agent must not further delegate his authority to another person, but perform the work of agency himself.