Roles of Women in the Early Europe

In early, medieval Europe, everyday life and the duties of people were greatly different than they are today. Obviously, there was no technology and life was a lot simpler. However, some of the former ways of life are not always praised as something good. For example, women during the time were treated very inadequately. Yes, this has happened in just about every society in history, but it seems like most women during this period were used and disrespected more notably than in others. In Philippa Gregory’s novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, this theme is seen greatly. In the story, the narrator, Mary, is defending her sister, Anne, after she is sentenced to death for producing an incest baby instead of a son for the king, King Henry. Mary, pleading for her sister, yells out â€Å"We did nothing more than that was ordered. We only ever did as we were commanded. Is she to die for being an obedient daughter? †(Pg. 650). During this time period, many women in the royal courts were used to produce male heirs, mainly to keep the name of the king and the family continuing. I strongly agree with the quote by Mary because killing a human being for a reason such as that is immoral and women are not just objects for men. In the story, Henry did have a choice to kill Anne or not, but I understood why he did end up taking her life. When Mary claims that the two Boleyn girls â€Å"did as they were commanded†, something drew to my attention. Mary was completely valid in saying that. Anne and Mary were mainly just used to birth a son. Several members of their family, including their uncle, demanded for one of them to bed the king. At first it was Mary who had an affair with the already married king. Even though Mary produces two children, one being a boy, it is not legitimate due to the fact that Mary is merely a mistress and not the queen. When he was done with Mary, King Henry moved on to Anne, who was more determined to become queen and have the child be legitimate. She eventually becomes the Queen of England, but it is proven that Henry was just using her for her child after he kills her. I do not agree with this concept by any means. However, this was a common role for women at the time. Kings and royal families were so concerned about keeping their name going in the court that they would risk the lives of women in doing so. You would think that one of King Henry’s seven wives would pick up on this trend at some point, or any woman in any court for that matter. It seems like women were treated as objects in the royal courts. The women were the croc pot that prepared the kings’ stew. And, if that stew was not one hundred percent correct, the croc pot would be set aside and replaced with a new one. I do not feel this is morally acceptable at all. I understand that kings wanted to have a male heir to keep the name going, but they should have had to complete that task so viciously. In this case, I do not agree with King Henry’s tactics at all, but I understand why he killed Anne. I believe that it was so common to banish or kill a wife for such crimes as adultery or incest that Henry had no choice, but to kill her. He was a very strong, determined man with a bold reputation for being so. By beheading Anne, he was retaining his reputation, but also proved that it was never true love between him and Anne. He had women lined up to take the place of Anne. â€Å"He is at her house every night. He is as he was in the old days, when it was her. † (656). This quote just proves the fact that Henry wanted nothing more of Anne than a son, which is a common theme of the roles of women during this time period. I do not agree with the concept of using women for the production of male heirs because it is immoral and women should not be viewed as objects. That is a major theme in The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. It is prevalent throughout the story and in history that King Henry of England used women as devices used to produce male heirs. This was also seen throughout history. Kings were so determined to keep their name going that they would execute their wives for such faults as not producing a boy, or in this case, birthing an incest baby. The kings had to maintain a strong reputation. I understand that, but do not agree with how they did so.

How to make friends?

Good morning Principal, teachers and fellow students, Welcome all new Form 1 students. This is the first school assembly. It's our honour to have all come back to our school and to feel the harmonious atmosphere around the school. Form 1 stage is a critical period in which students need to adapt to the new environment. It's a transitional period for you and you have to overcome these sorts of psychological changes. In the new school year, you will meet different people who are new to you, you will have many subjects that you haven't encountered in primary school. I am the Chairman of the school counseling service. My name is Chris Wong from 6S. I am going to give all Form 1 new students some suggestions on how to make friends. Firstly, let me tell you the importance of making friends briefly. According to Confucianism, ‘friends' are one of the five important elements in interpersonal relationships. Friends give consolation, point out the mistakes you make and urge you to correct them. Friends are to be trusted and have the responsibility to ‘monitor' each other. Friends are spread all over the world. Confucius even said, ‘Teachers are also your FRIENDS because they not only teach you knowledge and learning tactics, but they also teach you social ethics and morals. Morals are clues to guide you – not to act improperly, not to go astray.' You see, friends are so important to us! Okay, let us move to ‘what attracts people to each other'. There are two definitions. From a micro-view, people are always attracted by same gender, same age, same school, same residential building, and so on. This is because making friends depends on the interpersonal distance between them. The closer they are and the more often they see each other, the greater chance there is of making friends. From a macro-view, friends are not limited to the aforementioned factors – friends are spread all around the world. There are no boundary limitations to making friends. If people only have the same hobbies and feel good to meet each other, they will become friends. I hope you will catch what I mean. Maybe I give you some real examples on ways to make friends, then you will have a better understanding on what I mentioned before. Firstly, ‘being active' is of the utmost importance in making friends. Try not to be shy and dare to initiate the conversation. This is ‘interaction' because the relationship of friends is bilateral, it can never be unilateral. For example, you can start the conversation by saying, ‘Hi! It's hot. It'll be good to go swimming. I like swimming, do you like swimming?†¦' The content of the conversation is mainly about the same hobby. Of course, there are other ways to make friends, say, inviting somebody or even a group of people to a party, to a ball, to a feast, etc. Invitations are a symbol of sincerity. People like to see someone else treat them in a friendly manner, so it is another good way to make friends. Ah†¦May I add a point? Just now, I talked about making friends who have the same hobby as you. You may even bring your actual stuffs along with you and give them a look. Say, if you like collecting stamps, you may being a stamp album along. So, when you feel bored, you can take out the album and discuss with your friends the meaning of collecting stamps, like learning others' practices and customs and enhancing cultural awareness. Or if you like playing ball games, you can take a ball with you. You'll find it very useful in case you need it. There are additional benefits, playing sports is fun and improve our cardiovascular functions. Let me discuss the ways to make friends. In the ‘Age of the Information Explosion', people can make friends on the Internet with the aid of devices, like ICQ, MSN and Skype. If you have a web camera and a microphone connected to the computer, you can even have audio and visual conversations with your acquaintance on the other side of the world. Making friends in the Net is not ‘virtual' as some people say, but it may be risky sometimes. So, let's move on how to make friends carefully. Not everyone is kind-hearted, some are criminals and crooks, especially when we make friends on the Net, and we need to be very careful since you don't have a face-to-face contact with the other even though you have a web camera. So, my advice is first, don't meet the ‘friend' you make on the Net alone, in case. Meet him or her along with your parents. Second, don't tell your private personal information, say, ID cxard number, phone number, address to them under any circumstances. Of course, we need to be self-disciplined when making friends. Don't tell lies on the Net! Indeed, there are two kinds of friends. One kind is called ‘true friends' and another kind is called ‘acquaintances'. It is very difficult to find true friends who totally have no barrier between you and him or her. But, you can make acquaintances very easily. So, the best way to do is to ‘turn your foes into your acquaintance.' An enemy is no good, so you can turn them to acquaintances by just saying hello and goodbye to them. In this way, you can keep him with certain distance but the relationship is not antagonistic. In the meantime, you should try hard to consolidate and enhance your relationship with your true friends. Treasure them! Value them! Don't lie to them! In conclusion, it's never difficult to make friends unless people become extinct. So, try your best to make good friends who are beneficial to you. I hope all you guys adapt to our school life this year. Thank you!

Opening remarks. President of ASO Essay

Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. First, let me warmly welcome you all to this meeting of the Associated Students Organization (ASO). I hope that my introductory remarks will help to give us all a sense of direction and a common purpose for our work within the guidelines set out in the ASO Charter of July 2005. Let me begin by briefly revisiting last year’s ARO sponsored career day: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · Over 7500 students attended 550 businesses had booths 15 distinguished speakers ( Steve Jobs, Colin Powell to name a few) All branches of services were represented 45 business development services offering workshops on starting businesses The responses last year were some of the largest we have ever seen even with this weak economy. The goal for this year is to aid our students to get hired before they leave for the day. I would like us to focus on more career planners and workshops to help these students plan for their life long career. When our students graduate, they are competing with a high unemployment rate, thus making securing the job as well as keeping it difficult. Business development can aid our business majors with the consideration of starting their own business and being their own boss, not to mention maybe if they are successful, they can hire others within their communities that need employment. Our challenges are tough, but I believe that we are successful if 80% of our graduates get hired as a result of this career day, we have been a success. Thank You.

British Airways Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

British Airways - Case Study Example Business risks: It is seen that the higher the risks of the business, the lower should be the dependence on debt, or outside funds. In the context of British Airways, it is seen that gearing percentage has come down from 67.7% in 2004-05 to just 28.8% in 2007-08. In other words, it indicates that the dependence for debt capital has come down by nearly 58% in just 3 years, averaging nearly 20% drop each year. (Financial highlights). One of the main reasons for the drop in gearing to 28.8% in 2007-08 could be the better operating performance and the build-up of retained profits and reserves during the years, all this despite high rises in fuel, employee and other operating costs. It is also seen that "Despite increases in the UK and US floating rates, our interest payable on bank and other loans reduced, mainly as a result of lower debt levels." (Chief financial officer's report continued p.4). Further, it is seen that due to growth in retained profits, the debt equity ratio was only 28.8% during 2008, which is lower than last year. Again, considering operating leases, debt/total capital ratio was 38.4%. (Chief financial officer's report continued p.5). Market value of a firm is determined by its earning ... They areissuing shares or borrowing from banks. Debt equity ratio: It is the ratio of debt to the equity. A company's financial leverage can be calculated by dividingits total liabilitiesbystockholders' equity. It indicates the proportion of equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets.It is also known as the Personal Debt/Equity Ratio, thiscan be applied to both personal financial statements and companies' financial statements. A high debt/equity ratio shows that the company has been aggressive in financing its growth or equity with debt. This can result in high earnings as a result of the additional expense. If a company is using lot ofdebtfinance in its operations (high debt to equity), it can generate more earningsthan it would have without thisoutside financing.If this were to increase earnings by a greater amount than the debt cost (interest), then the shareholders will get higher amount of earnings as dividend. However, the cost of this debt financing may outweigh the return thatthe companygenerates on the debt through investment and business activities and become too much for the company to handle. This can lead to bankruptcy, which would leave shareholders with nothing. The main advantage of debt financing is that it is a cheaper source of finance. It means that required rate of return on equity will always be higher than the interest rate on debt, there is a "hidden" cost involved in the cost of equity. And the cost of equity rises when we utilize more debt financing. This is one reason for using the average cost of capital in valuing a project or company which is more appropriat e, even if we intend to borrow all the money to finance it. While we may use cheap debt to finance a project, the

Answer questions related to psycholgy subject Coursework

Answer questions related to psycholgy subject - Coursework Example According to the video, a teenager needs more than nine hours of sleep for his well-being. My parents always made sure that I get enough sleep especially during my exams. Although the quantity of time they spent with me in my teenage was less as they were both working; still, the quality of time they spent communicating with me was high which compensated for their not being present 24/7. Sometimes, I wished they could talk to me more often when I would feel stressed out or emotionally disturbed. The only thing that I wish my parents would have done in my teenage is taking me out so that we could spend some time together outdoors as well. I have learned that, in order to reduce stress, it is important to drag myself to relax physically and mentally. I should do meditation or yoga function to de-stress myself. I should calm down my muscles and tell myself to relax no matter how much stress I am into. Since stress affects one’s ability to increase blood pressure and shut down pregnancy, it is something I should manage to save future inconveniences. High blood pressure cause cardiac problems which I definitely would not like to have, thus I will learn stress management techniques. How much control should parents have over their child’s genetic makeup is decided by Nature and not by the parents. No parents till date have been able to create the best baby according to their desires by manipulating with the genes, as the video says. Scientists believe that man knows very little of the complex machine that carries genes, and playing with genes is rather more complex. Man has been able to genetically modify animals and plants, but making changes to the genetic makeup of a child has not been possible as yet. Parents might want to operate with their unborn child’s genes but Nature has not given them full control over the genetic machinery. To foster healthy relationship with children, parents need to enjoy the bonding they share with them, play with them,

What Were The Causes Of World War One Could The War Have Been Research Paper

What Were The Causes Of World War One Could The War Have Been Prevented Who Was At Fault For The Outbreak Of War - Research Paper Example However, the European continent had experienced less destructive wars such as the Crimean war, the short wars in German as well as the wars that resulted into Turkey withdrawing from the continent. 2The great powers of Europe had avoided any war that emerged for very long time and the outbreak of the World War I was viewed as inevitable. The First World War engaged many nations from Europe including others like the North Americans, The Near East, and Asia. 3Approximately ten million people died as a result of the war in which over sixty five million men fought in the war. It is also estimated that out of the sixty five million men who participated in the war, one out of every eight people were killed by the concomitant disease. 4The aftermath of the First World War resulted into the deaths of more than twice the number of deaths caused by the previous wars. More than fifteen million people were also injured as a result of the war and another eight million soldiers were taken as POWs. 5The war was therefore very destructive and if any participant nation of the world would have known the consequences, they could have not participated in the war but instead could have prevented its occurrence. The immediate cause of the First World War may be stated to be the failure of diplomacy as a result of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. However, there are certain underlining issues that resulted into the outbreak of the war. 6Few leaders in Europe were able to correctly determine the causes of the war in 1914 and therefore its avoidance was difficult. 7Most Neorealists believe that it was a conflict that was beyond the control of the people who participated in it and the people never wanted nor expected it. This is the reason why the events that preceded the five weeks of crisis and the crisis itself could not prevent the war. Generally the war was inevitable due to certain foundation issues and therefore could have not been avoided. Structuralism

Future work performance of students Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Future work performance of students - Article Example Here, it is assumed that in all but owner- managed organisations the owner or owners (known in agency theory as the "principal") of an organisation must vest authority to an "agent"-corporate management- to act on their behalf. Harrison & Kessels (2004: 25-26). Given this perception, the principal in an organisation feels unable to predict an agent's behaviour in any given situation and so brings into play various measures to do with incentives in other to tie employee's needs to those of their organisation. In economic literature, the significance of information asymmetries, innovation and strategic behaviour has long been recognised. There exists a considerable literature on how incentives affect a variety of management problems and the methodology for analysis of incentive problems most notably the principal agent model (Muller & Turner 2006).Against this background, this paper centers on what motivating factors are more likely to influence students of my university future job performance. In order to be able to conduct an in-depth analysis of the importance, relevance and functions of effective human resource policies, I have chosen to encompass only a specific number of elements, on the role of motivation towards our university student's future performance. There are basically two-research approaches, the deductive approach in which you develop a theory and hypothesis and design a research strategy to test the hypothesis, or the inductive method in which you will collect data and develop theory as a result of your data analysis (Bryman & Bell 2004, Saunders et al 2007). A research method involves collecting data, with specific instrument such as a self-completion questionnaire or a structured interview schedule or where a researcher listens to and watches others (Bryman & Bell 2004). There are however two research methods from which the above examples stem from. The qualitative and quantitative research methods. None of the method is better than the other, as each of the methods becomes efficient and effective once used in the proper context (Bryman & Bell 2004). The proposed research questions were investigated on a convenience random sample of 50 students at the University. The selected University (Our campus) o'ers an

Physilogical birth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Physilogical birth - Essay Example Physiologic birth is often relegated in the periphery, particularly by nurses tasked with giving care to pregnant women on the verge of the delivery process. Noteworthy, it is utterly pointless to intervene if such is not necessary. Physiological birth should, thus, be promoted to erase the horrible birth memories. As Jenifer Block notes in her piece titled â€Å"Pushed: The Painful Truth about Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care†, a woman is more likely to have a positive birth experience when she feels in control. Such thoughts and emotions lessen the impact of labor pains. Interestingly, the doulas, the check –box birth plan, the Bradley method, Lamaze, and hypnobirthing classes –all give women some sense of control. The question is, if all these give pregnant women the needed control, then â€Å"why are there only 20% having optimal birth experiences, with a whooping 43% suffering morbidity in childbirth?† asks Block (2007). The answer seems quite straight forward as it is; a great deal of misunderstanding exists over what physiological birth really means. Consequently, that very misunderstanding finds its way to ruin that special moment of happiness due to knowledge inadequacy. While Obstetricians are trained to intervene in cases of emergencies, it is important to incorporate the perceptive lenses of natural birth when rendering care to the laboring women. As a specialist trained in this area, I will not only spread the very importance of physiological birth, beginning with my own family, but ensure as a medic that I only intervene when it is absolutely

Would a World without Nuclear Weapons be more or less secure Essay

Would a World without Nuclear Weapons be more or less secure - Essay Example Every other day, we listen to different kinds of debates related to nuclear technology and weapons present with different nations around the world. These debates are for and against the nuclear weapons but this fact cannot be denied that a world without nuclear weapons would be more secure as people will not have an option for massive destruction. Chernobyl incident, Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attack and Japan’s Fukushima nuclear radiations are the worst lessons which nuclear weapons and energy have taught humankind. Nations must endeavour to use nuclear energy for power generation for meeting the rising energy needs. We cannot say that without nuclear weapons, there would be no fight on this earth but massive massacre can be controlled by putting a check on nuclear weapons and eradicating them altogether from the face of the earth to save humanity. Nuclear weapons can kill not hundreds but thousands and millions of people residing in any country and belonging to any natio n within no time and this capability of the weapons makes them extensively vicious and fatal. In the Second World War, United States attacked Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two cities of Japan with nuclear bombs and its residents are still bearing the consequences of that damaging occurrence. The cities got destructed wholly and this happening cannot be forgotten as it informed about the destructiveness through nuclear weapons (Weart 58). Nuclear technology’s negative usage started from Second World War and at this juncture, many states have nuclear power and can use it when they feel a need. These cities are still suffering from the radiations of nuclear attacks that took place almost half a century ago. After effects of such disasters are long lasting and nations suffer for a prolonged period. People around the world agree that nuclear weapons are disadvantageous for the masses. Perkovich & Acton (2009) inform, â€Å"States possess nuclear weapons because they fear they might fac e threats of massive destruction. If they all get rid of nuclear weapons, major warfare might not break out immediately, but the chances of such conflict coming about would rise dramatically.†this tendency have speed up the race to acquire nuclear weapons for creating a deterrence in the world. This has given value to get nuclear weapon and indulged nations in arm race. (p. 21). The nuclear states around the world feel that a unilateral disarmament must be there to eradicate all the nuclear weapons altogether but this step is quite difficult to take for the countries and their governments, as unilateral disarmament is not accepted by all the countries. Separate disarmament is also a difficult step to be taken by the governments having the nuclear capability because they consider that disarmament will allow other States to attack them. Nuclear states have doubts of outside attack due to which, they do not want to get rid of their nuclear weaponry power. US and Russia have agree d to take measures to reduce the number of nuclear weapons. This step will help the great powers to avoid falling of such lethal weapons in the hands of terrorist organizations (Drell & Goodby 25). Third world countries must be encouraged to dismantle the nuclear facilities and resolve the core issues through peaceful negotiations. Big nations must take first step to save future of world. Russia and America will soon sign strategic arms reduction treaty (START). This treaty would decrease the number of deployed warheads of both the countries from 2200 to 1500. Still both countries will maintain large stocks of short-range nuclear weapons. Both countries still need to negotiate to cut down the stock of 500 warheads each (Eland 2010). With these 500

Property Law - Formal Legal Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Property Law - Formal Legal Advice - Essay Example THE FACTS 2. The basic facts appear as outlined. 3. Leo has drafted a will that expresses his intentions. The draft will contain several clauses. 4. In the first clause he offers income from his building society shares to be for Ben as long as he lives. The main issue in this clause is the gifts that Leo gives to Ben. The income from Leo’s building shares will be given to Ben as long as he lives. An issue may arise in the transferability of such shares.1 5. He gives reasonable income to Kasim from the rent on his blue chip shares for as long as he shall live. The main issue in this clause is the ascertainment of â€Å"reasonable income†. As an executor and trustee, Kasim can also be a beneficiary as law does not prohibit executors and trustees from being beneficiaries. Also, it is important that Leo specifies the shares rather than simply saying blue chip shares.2 6. He gives one of his two dogs to Ben and the other to Toby. The main concern will arise if Ben dies befor e choosing because he is required to choose first, as this will result to uncertainty of subject matter. Ben is an executor and trustee, and he can be a beneficiary as well.3 7. Leo offers a bulk of his residuary estate to Sonya and Adaeze. The main issue here is lack of sufficient certainty. The actual size should be provided and the mode and ratio of splitting between Sonya and Adaeze determined in advance.4 8. He offers ?70,000 for the erection of a suitable monument to himself at the university. An issue may arise as to whether the monument is considered as part of the fabric of the university, as well as whether it involves maintenance of the university yard.5 9. He has offered ?50,000 to be invested by his trustees and the interest used to maintain the monument. The main issue in this clause is whether the erection of monument has been considered as part of the university fabric the first place. If it has the trust for the maintenance should not offend the rules against perpet uities. 10. Leo gives ?10,000 to the purposes of promoting the use of a new alphabet to simplify the English language. The main issue in this clause is whether this gift is considered a charitable purpose for education.6 11. He has offered ?100,000 to promote the freedom of small newspapers to compete with large media companies. The main issue is whether the beneficiaries are ascertainable. The intended beneficiaries (small newspapers) should be made more precise because such newspapers may be so many. 12. He has given ?19,000 for the welfare of his grey parrot and tortoise for as long as they shall live. Since this clause provides for the welfare of his animal, the only issue that can arise is that of execution of the wish in regards to the perpetuities period on animals. 13. He has offered ?5,000 for the purposes of anti-vivisection campaigns. The main issue is that the gift achieves the charitable trusts threshold. Such a gift is considered as other charitable purposes that seek to promote the welfare of animals.7 14. Leo has given ?500,000 for a sports field for the recreation of employees of Canterbury Christ Church University and any other people his trustees see fit to include. An issue might arise concerning the purpose of the gift rather than the beneficiary. The consideration of whether the gift is a charity or not will depend on the determination of whether it benefits the public or a significant section of the public.8 15. He has offered ?1,000,000 for

Google wallet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Google wallet - Research Paper Example With the help of Google Wallet, people can successfully make secure payments by simply tapping the mobile phone and then entering the security code on PayPass enabled terminal checkout. The overall process of making transaction is simple and convenient for the users. Despite of the fact that Google Wallet technology has recently been introduced and it is still in its early stages, however it has been predicted in next few years and it would grow and increase its users. Google do not be charging any amount from users and merchants for having access to wallet. Debit or credit card if stolen can be used in some situations without signature or personal identification number however Google wallet has an extra layer of security as additional security is required to complete transactions (Google Wallet). Google has claimed that it is just the starting of a new era and in future Google Wallet would become a necessity for everyone (Google Wallet). Also it is expected that with the passage of time, compatibility of Google Wallet would extend to all Google Android smartphones. Google aims to support all the cards that an individual would keep in his wallet so that Google Wallet can take place of these cards (Google Wallet). According to Drew Sievers, CEO of mFoundry, sales volume of Google wallet would grow as the number of merchant increases, more banks sign agreement with the company and new phones are made compatible. He further added that merchants would be able to have an increase in the number of qualified customers as Google Wallet grows (Tode. 2011). Google has to face different challenges in order to ensure growth of Google Wallet and make it a success and the most important hurdles or challenges that it has to face are providing different variety of cellular phones compatible with the software, making the software easy to use and interested cardholders and merchants ready for the software. However, considering the

Htc Business Model Essay Example for Free

Htc Business Model Essay Executive summary Using Googles Andriod platform has given HTC a boost, but now the Taiwanese handset maker are vulnerable to underwhelming sales in America and Europe. Their hope? China. HTC only entered China in early 2010, much later than its established peers. It is playing catching up with international premium brands, such as Apple, Samsung and LG, where HTC is currently aiming to get a slice of the pie. However, the company is also facing stiff competition from local brands who operate at the lower price market. In this Global Marketing proposal, we propose several initiatives for HTC to grow its current 1% marketshare in the China mobile phone market, including new products for HTC to tap into the lower price market as well as localized promotion campaigns to sell phones in rural areas. It is time for HTC to sway away from satisfied with being quietly brilliant. Context analysis Company Background HTC Corporate, founded in 1997, was a relatively obscure Taiwanese original design manufacturer (ODM). Incorporated as High Technology Computer, HTC focused on manufacturing of computer notebooks. The company created the worlds first pocket size PC in collaboration with Microsoft in 1998[1]; it later developed the iPAQ, one of the earliest PDA for Compaq in 2000. HTCs close tie with Microsoft led them to develop XDA[2] in 2002, first ever smartphone operated on Windows. The company remained true to ODM principles when it produced smartphones by efficiently catering for carriers specifications and requests. HTCs ODM smartphones continued to generate profit margin as high as 20% compared to industry average of 5%[3]. According to Harvard Business Review, HTC shipped more than 70% of the worlds Windows smartphones in 2006 at its peak. HTC won a reputation for excellent smartphones. But it wanted more, and began to invest more in innovation before eventually creating its own brand in 2007. HTC set up a unit called Magic Labs[4], where engineers from various disciplines come up with lots of ideas, even if most were quickly discarded. From this unit bred several ground breaking ideas, including HTC touch, a touch screen device that appeared few weeks before Apples first iPhone; and first ever Android phone in collaboration with Google. Reaping from the Androids high penetration rate, the company experienced unprecedented growth from 2008 onwards and became the top seller of smartphones in America in 3Q of 2011, according to Canalys Research. HTC has recently eclipsed Nokia in market capacity and has climbed up to the no.3 spot for smartphones sold worldwide, behind Apple and Samsung. In terms of brand equity, the company has invested heavily in developing its own brand and broke into Interbrands top 100 Brands 2011[5] (no. 98) . China: Macro-environmental Factors Politics China remained a single party directed country since the founding of Peoples Republic of China in October 1949. Putting political ideologies differences aside, efficient decision-making is widely seen as a characteristic of Chinas political system. The profound changes that have taken place in various fields of this nation: from Deng Xiapings Special Economic Zone in the 80s to the economic leaps in the turn of the century. Inefficiencies in the political system such as corruption still exist today, but Chinas communist party has taken bold steps for reform. The party has embraced market socialist economy to lead China out of poverty and soar to one of the most powerful nations in the world. Economic Despite China has mounted new heights in her economy, outshining Japan as the second largest economy in the world, the slowdown in economic growth has not abated. The housing boom in the past decade is now over, implying that growth now weigh on heavy industry and local consumption. In the past, China has offered massive infrastructure stimulus, as it did to prop up growth following SARS and the global financial crisis. However, local governments have learned not to overheat the economy, as evidenced by the late 2011 credit crunch in Wenzhou[6]. Central government is expecting a moderate GDP growth of 6%, but China is due for correction in its property and possibly stock market. Social Chinas Communist Party maintained its strong foothold in the nation, as the country enjoyed a period of unprecedented prosperity in the past decade. As Chinas economy take flight, the number of local billionaires and millionaires grew by leaps and bounds. The wealth gap, at the same time, widened drastically. As a consequence, there have been several localized pro-democracy campaigns since 2011. Termed Jasmine revolution, citizens used social network site such as microblogs to organize public protests demanding fairness, housing and food – social issues that are often overlooked during economic boom. Such unrests were quickly put to rest as Beijing aims to mitigate any form of dissidents since learning the hard lessons from Tiananmen protests in 1989. Other than localized protests and occasional controversy in human rights, Chinas social order have been maintained. Technology China has sparked its technological boom since it gained accession to the world trade organization in 2001. Internally, China has developed a matured internet market which now boost one of the largest internet users in the world. In mobile phones, the market evidenced a dynamic growth due to the rapid development of mobile subscriptions and growing third-generation (3G) networks. China: Smartphone Market Industry analysis After Chinas telecommunications operators acquired 3G licenses, they formed several strategic alliances with mobile phone brands. For example, China Unicom has established alliances with Apples iPhone and Lenovos LePhone, whilst Motorola and HTC and strategic partners with China Telecom. Customer analysis According to government statistics in 2012, China has become to first country to top 1 billionThe cell phone users, a soar from 2010s 787 million users. The number of users is equivalent to 74% of Chinas population. That being said, only 14% of users are 3G users. Mobile phones are seen as a necessity, as customers regularly use phones for texting and micro-blogging. Competitor analysis Mobile phones are relatively consolidated in China, with the top five brands deriving nearly 72% of total retail volume stales in 2010[7]. Top five brands are Nokia (34.2%) , Samsung (18.1%), LG (6.8%), ZTE (6.3%) and Huawei (6.3%). Apple (1.4%) and HTC (0.7%) are late boomers in the market, with both companies having entered China in 2009 and 2010 respectively. According to market research by Canalys[8], international brands such as Samsung, Apple and HTC should continue to dominate in the space above RMB2,500 (US$400). Leading local tier-one brands, such as Huawei and ZTE, are diversifying beyond the entry level by launching a number of high-profile, flagship smart phones. As of late, Lenovo has made efforts to penetrate the low cost, rural market by introducing models starting from RMB700 (US$158). Company Analysis HTC in China HTC only entered China in 2009 and occupied a market share below 1% as of figures in 2010. Its strategy is to challenge Samsung and Apple as the biggest smartphone players in Mainland, but it also faces stiff competition from local brands such as Tianyu and ZTE Despite its geographic proximity in Taiwan, HTC started off late in China than in richer parts of the world largely because the countrys 3G structure was not as matured in 2009 as today. Targeting Positioning HTCs mission statement is â€Å"to become the leading innovative supplier of mobile information and communication devices by providing value-added design, world class manufacturing and logistic and service capabilities.† Whilst this may have been a successful formula over the past 10 years in geographic location, HTC is in danger of falling behind competitors in China. HTC currently has 10% of the market for smartphones costing more than RMB2,000 (US$320). Its strategy is to target those high-end customers who utilizes 3G network and appreciates international brand. As if HTCs Magic Lab works tirelessly to come up with numerous innovative products, HTC currently adopts a similar volume approach in its phones. HTC regularly pushes forward phones in the market. In 2011, when Apple had launched one new iPhone, HTC introduced fifteen new models. HTCs Challenge After a meteoric rise which placed it briefly atop the U.S. smartphone sales charts, HTC revenue as a whole in the first two months of 2012 was a staggering 45% down on last year. HTC has run afoul of punitive legal juggernaut Apple, which delayed the availability of HTCs handsets. Determined to avoid the fate looming over troubled rivals like Research in Motion, HTC saw a big revitalization push in China, championed by several flagship phones such as HTC One X and Evo 4G Lite. Sales in Europe have been dropping but HTC saw better than expected revenue in China. The rise of HTC in China despite its late entry could be partially attributed to their advanced operating systems with Android and excellent hardware, such as dual core processing units and friendly features where the phone rings louder when in a bag. But with competitors catching up hardware specifications overnight these days, can HTC sustain its China growth? The challenge of HTC faces is not neither simply in hardware nor software. HTC needs to formulate a marketing and branding strategy for China, as to fend off the fierce challenge by international brands (Apple, Samsung) and local players. Proposed Marketing Campaign For the proposed marketing campaign, we propose a bi-polar approach to target existing high-end customers of HTCs and also tap into the basic customers specturum, an area HTC has not entered so far. High-end customers HTC is currently focusing on high-end customers who are tech savvy, able and willing to pay for premium mobile phones. These high-end customers are currently up and coming professionals, live a fast moving lifestyle and mostly reside or work in first or second tier cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Xi Chuan. All of these customers have subscribed or are going to subscribe 3G network, in order to make the most of out HTCs smartphones. In addition to product quality and operating system, high-end customers nowadays also care about brand reputation and image. The proposed marketing campaign for HTCs high-end customers is therefore to enrich the brand experience and differentiate HTCs personality. Basic customers As mentioned earlier, 3G users accounts to less than 20% of Chinas mobile phones market. According to market analysis, local players, best represented by ZTE and Huawei, are more popular amongst price sensitive mass and lower-end customers. These basic customers reside in third tier cities or rural areas, demand basic functions for their phones and also aspires to own a smartphone one day. Product Designers collaborations are nothing new. Indeed, they are now a well-established marketing tool – as well as source of income. Standard Hotel Group in America has joined forces with the likes of surfwear brand Quiksilver to provide exclusive trunks and bikinis that guests can purchase in the groups resorts. HM, the Swedish fashion behemoth, took rise after asking Karl Lagerfeld, designer for Chanel and owner of Fendi, to come up with a special collection back in 2004. For mobile phones,it is no different story. RIM collaborated with Porsche design and launched a high-end luxurious blackberry in 2011. LG and Prada started working together in 2006[9] and continued to attract fashionistas for their crossover phones. For high-end customers, HTC should leverage connection with a renowned brand within the Chinese community and produce collaborate products. Nike would deem to be an appropriate choice, given the brand is held in high regards among Chinese and its innovative brand image aligns with that of HTCs. Nevertheless, Nike has strong connection with Apple as Nike currently produces Nike+ a tracking device that connects an athletes performance data with iPhones, iPods etc. If there is a brand for up-and-coming professionals which matches HTCs pricing and targeting strategy, Adidas would be a great fit. Rather than choosing a luxury brand such as LVMH or Gucci, a partnership with Adidas could not only appeal to the sports lovers, but also be perceived as socially acceptable. Partnering with luxurious goods might risk further alienation as the wealth gap widens in China. Adidas is actively investing on its mi adidas platform that rivals Nike+. The sports company enjoys a good reputation in China after sponsoring Team China in Beijing Olympics, and its innovative roots in products and designs could enrich the HTC brand experience. For basic customers, HTC could build 2G or even very basic 3G phones to attract the mass. With much reduced functionality and a lower price point, HTC could attract the 80% users who have not yet subscribe to 3G network. While the simpler handsets should have less fancy functions, embodying the HTC names mean that that the phones should still be innovative. HTC could be more localize with these phones by having local functions such as Chinese keyboard and improved durability that adapts to environment in rural areas. Perhaps basic phones could have a brighter screen for users to view the screen easily in open rural areas, or made in anti-sand materials as desertification is common in northwest China. Aside from hardware reengineering, HTC needs to redesign its software capabilities. HTC is relatively weak in content when compared to rivals such as Apple. It has no plans to launch its own app store, preferring instead to reply on Android marketplace and its apps. HTC acquired French content provider Abaxia in June 2010[10] to develop innovative apps for its devices. Recently, it has installed digital map apps in HTC Sense interface. Currently, there is a market gap in smartphone manufacturer originated apps in China. Almost all of the apps available on Android/iPhone system are developed by individual software company. HTC could potentially develop operating system with apps linked to popular Chinese social media sites, such as QQ and Sinas Microblog. Price HTC should continue to target upper tier price points for its high end customers. Its currently price point closely resembles Apples and Samsungs, averaging around RMB2,500 (US$400). The high price setting strategy further illustrates HTCs ambition to compete with the international brands but the company could consider undercutting its price by a fraction, say less than 10%, than the leaders so as to gain stronger market share. Price reduction should not be advertised aggressively, as it might signal a loss in quality. For products in the lower end market, HTC should try to be a price leader in the arena. Lenovo markets its cheaper line of phones around RMB700, and HTC should try to undercut Lenovo. It is important to capture the basic customers first, with the hope that HTC could persuade basic users to switch to more expensive phones over time. Place According to Economists, HTC now as 2,300 authorized retailers in China. Apple has 3,500 – not withstanding its flagship Apple store and website – while Nokia and Samsung have 9,000 each. HTC could open more shops by granting authorized retailers license, but it is easier said than done as brands jostle retailers for shelf spaces. Rather than investing heavily in opening its own shop, HTC could form a strategic partnership with popular online shop Taobao or Alibaba to reach customers in the second or third tier cities to compliment its e-shop. Further place promotion could been referred in HTC ambassador campaign in People section. In first tier cities, HTC could theoretically leverage on Adidass store presence and distribution network. Nonetheless, HTC should adopt a selective approach by opening flagship store that can illustrates its customer experience. Promotion In HTCs incumbent global marketing campaign, the company slogan is quietly brilliant. HTC commercials do not focus on the precise functionality of their handsets but the way people use them. The concept itself is intuitive, but the campaign is not as much advertised in China as other places – the slogan does not even has a Chinese translation. As a result, HTCs promotion in China is product focused. HTC One X advertisements were filmed where a photographer takes pictures with HTC phone while skydiving – stressing the superior camera quality of the handset. To revamp the promotion campaign, HTC should first come up with a better slogan for China or even for its global campaign. Stressing on the way people interact with HTC cell phones is a good idea, but conceptually the slogan could be more straight forward – Nokias connecting people or LGs life is good are good examples. For China specifically, HTC needs to build on build on enriching users experience. Yan Siqing, chief operating officer of China Telecom said HTC grew rapidly despite its late start because it provided a â€Å"good user experience†. Nationwide promotion campaign should focuses on how HTC helps people to capture their moments in life. Whether is at work, in sporting moments or vacation, a user-friendly HTC handset is always there to make things happen. People Simliar to Unilevers â€Å"Shakti Revolution† to help women in rural India to become entrepreneurs[11], HTC could foster partnership with non governmental organisations, banks and local counties, to promote handsets at rural areas through employing HTC ambassadors. Ambassadors are underpriviledged residents in country sides and they are invited to become direct-to-consumer sales distributors for HTCs basic handsets for second or third tier cities. Contrary to normal mom-and-pop shops, HTC should provide training in selling, commercial knowledge and bookkeeping to help ambassadors become micro-entrepreneurs. This proposal could not only expand HTCs reach in the lower tier markets, but also been seen as a socially responsible act of goodwill. [1]Kim R. Yoffie D., HTC Corp. in 1999, 8th Dec 2009, Harvard Business Review [2]Sourced online: http://xda.o2.co.uk/ [3]Kim R. Yoffie D., HTC Corp. in 1999, 8th Dec 2009, Harvard Business Review [4]HTC: The brand from no where; The Economist, 7th Apr 2012, sourced online from [5]http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/best-global-brands-2008/best-global-brands-2011.aspx [6]Wolfe A, Gurushina N Gassambe I, China Outlook: The Tao of Hard Landing, 28 May 2012, Roubini Global Economics Report [7]Mobile Phones in China, Category Briefing, 19 Sep 2011; Passport GMID [8]http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120619PR203.html [9]http://www.gizmag.com/lg-prada-collaborative-phone/20862/ [10]http://www.ubergizmo.com/2010/06/htc-acquires-abaxia-to-strengthen-its-software-capabilities/ [11]http://www.unilever.com.au/sustainability/casestudies/economic-development/creating-rural-entrepreneurs.aspx

Environmental Noise Management Plan

Environmental Noise Management Plan Environmental Noise Management Plan for a proposed Outdoor Music Event University of Derby Online Learning, University of Derby, UK Iwona Typek- Ryszka 100381110 This Noise Management Plan has been completed to regulate the potential noise issue during proposed three days outdoor music event. The objective of this plan is to provide control measures to prevent noise impact on the local residents during the event and to ensure that balance is achieved between providing good entertainment and controlling potential adverse effect of noise pollution. (Legislation.gov.uk, 1996) 2.1. Site details The outdoor music festival is intended to operate over a 3-day weekend period and it will be held at the Hainault Forest Country Park, Romford Rd, Chigwell, London IG7 4QL. Live music is proposed to be performed from the main stage and the secondary stage. There also will be two Dub music marquees. 2.2. Operational hours The following operational hours are understood to be representative for main and acoustic stages over the entire duration of the festival: Main and secondary stages will play live music on: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 23:00. The two marquee tents will play dub music on: Friday and Saturday from 12.00hrs to 02.00hrs Sunday from 12.00hrs to 24.00hrs. 2.3. Additional venues Additional venues will be available for guests: Adjacent camping area capable of holding up to 200 tents Onsite bar and refreshments area Car park area capable of holding up to 500 cars 3.1. The maximum Music Noise Level for main and secondary stages with live music The usual noise level for outdoor festival has been described as energy averaging (LAeq,T) 98 decibels (dB) measured at the concert mixer position about 40m from the main loudspeaker and at a height of 10m to 15m in the audience area (Colthurst and Fisher, 2011). Organisers will set the maximum noise level to (LAeq,T) 95 decibels (dB) to allow margin for error. This must not be exceed over 15-minute period during the entire event (Sound Solution Consultants Ltd, 2010). Maximum Noise Level set in The Code of Practice are shown in table 3.1.1. This guidance is set for events which finish before 23:00h. For events carry on beyond 23:00h, guidance recommendation is that the music noise should not be audible within noise-sensitive premises with windows open in a typical manner for ventilation (Noise Council, 1995 p.7). Reggae festival will more likely fit into category other urban or rural venues so a 15 minute Leq of 65 dB(A) is the guideline limit. Concert Days/Calendar Year/Venue Venue Category Guideline 1 to 3 Urban Stadia or Arenas The MNL should not exceed 75 dB(A) over a 15 minute period 1 to 3 Other Urban and Rural Venues The MNL should not exceed 65 dB(A) over a 15 minute period 4 to 12 All Venues The MNL should not exceed the background noise level by more than 15 dB(A) over a 15 minute period *dB(A) the A-weighted sound pressure level weighted to reflect the way the human ear responds to different frequencies (Noise Council, 1995). Table 1. The maximum Music Noise Level (MNL) where the MNL is expressed as a Leq (Adapted from the Noise Council, 1995 p.6). 3.2. The maximum Music Noise Level for the noise sensitive areas The World Health Organisations (WHO) Guidelines for Community Noise document says that for outdoor living area noise levels of 55 dB LAeq cause serious annoyance during daytime and evening. The noise levels of 45dB LAeq (measured from outside) cause sleep disturbance to residence. The Guidelines recommends an internal LAeq of 30dB for optimal sleep conditions (and no more than 35dB for internal rooms during daytime). Organisers will set maximum noise level to 45dB LAeq (measured from outside) for operational hours of 12:00- 23:00 and 30dB LAeq (measured from outside) for event which carry on beyond 23:00. 4.1. Characteristic of reggae music The drums and bass guitar play significant role in reggae music and attention is drawn to low frequencies (En.wikipedia.org, 2017). This type of noise will travel substantially further, and it can easily pass through the barriers and structures. (Colthurst and Fisher, 2011). 4.2. Local Geography and Topography Hainault Forest Country Park is large park located in Greater London, which combines woodland and open space. This is a rural area and is relatively flat (Redbridge.gov.uk, 2017).The festival is planned on the open field which allows sound to travel without interference (Everest and Pohlmann, 2009). 4.3. Noise sensitive areas The closest noise sensitive receptors to the proposed festival site are summarised below: Receptor 1 Properties located at Lambourne End, approximately 1.33 km to the north of the proposed festival venue. Receptor 2 Properties located at Chingwell Row, approximately 1.45km to the west of the proposed festival venue. Receptor 3 Newly built housing development located behind a golf club, approximately 1.3 km to the south of the proposed festival venue. Receptor 4 Houses located alongside Romford Rd. approximately 1.3km to the south-west of the proposed festival venue. Picture 1. Location of noise sensitive areas 4.4. Noise Sources Main noise sources for the reggae festival have been identified as follow: Amplified music (recorded and live) Sound systems Sound checks Car parking and camping and bar area Departing patron noise The build and break down 4.5. Noise controls put before the event 4.5.1. Background Noise Survey The background noise, also known as ambient noise is defined as unwanted or harmful outdoor sound created by human activities, including noise emitted by means of transport road traffic, rail traffic, air traffic and from sites of industrial activity (The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, 2002). There is no doubt that large music events may cause disturbance to local neighbourhood due to high powered amplification involved. Therefore there is a need to complete a background noise survey before the event, to predict noise emission levels, and to ensure the health and welfare of those who live nearby is maintained (Noise Council, 1995). Background noise survey will be undertaken end of April 2017 to determine background noise level at the mixer location and in the noise sensitive areas. Weather will be taken into account, as wind speed and direction or temperature may influence the transmission of sound. (Colthurst and Fisher, 2011). 4.5.2. Acoustic consultant Fully qualified and registered acoustic consultant will be employed by festival organisers to help with event planning, to complete noise survey and monitor noise levels throughout the event. (Code of Practice and Guidance Notes on Noise Control for Concerts and Outdoor Events, 2012, p.16) 4.5.3. Communication arrangements The communication network between the team members involved in noise monitoring will be established via handheld radios (Noise Council, 1995 p. 11). There will be hot line step up where local residents could use to complain about noise level. The hotline will be open for whole duration of the event. All complaints will be logged, investigated and remedial action will be taken. Log will be kept to demonstrate compliance (Code of Practice and Guidance Notes on Noise Control for Concerts and Outdoor Events, 2012, p.17) 4.5.4. Public relations 3 months before the event, first briefing note will be delivered to the noise sensitive premises, informing neighbours that the concerts will take place and advising them about the precautions taken to minimise noise impact. The second note will be delivered to the residents no later than 2 weeks before the event. This note will remind them about the festival, asking for their tolerance and providing a telephone number for the noise complaint hot-line where someone responsible can be contacted in case of any problems. (Noise From Open Air Events Guidance for Applicants, 2014, p. 10) 4.5.5. Sound preparation tests and set ups Sound propagation tests will be carried out at the day of the event to ensure that sound levels are correct and meet the targets. (Noise From Open Air Events Guidance for Applicants, 2014, p. 10) The weather condition on the days of the event also will be taken to consideration and level of noise will be correctly adjusted to meet specified criteria. To avoid unnecessary disturbances to the local residents, sound propagation tests will be carried out no earlier than at 10am. (Code of Practice and Guidance Notes on Noise Control for Concerts and Outdoor Events, 2012, p.12) 4.5.6. Sound system Circuit speakers system will be adopted for the main event stage. This system will help minimise noise level by positioning several low powered speakers around the audience. The system will be used instead of two large banks of speakers on either side of the stage. (Noise From Open Air Events Guidance for Applicants, 2014, p. 8) Loudspeakers will be positioned away from the noise sensitive areas properties in Chigwell Row and development near Romford Rd (Code of Practice and Guidance Notes on Noise Control for Concerts and Outdoor Events, 2012, p.13). Loudspeakers will be directed onto the area where audience will be, to avoid over-spill into the surrounding area (Soundadvice.info, 2017). The roof will be placed on the main and secondary stages to help to decrease the noise exposure outside the stage (Asselineaut et al., 2010). There will be no speakers positioned outside of two Dub Shacks and speakers located inside the tents will be positioned downwards, away from any doors. Several small speakers will installed to ensure an even distribution of sound (Sound Licensing Limited, 2015). Sound engineer will be strictly responsible for controlling the low frequency level of the music (bass) as its causes the most nuisance to local residents (Code of Practice and Guidance Notes on Noise Control for Concerts and Outdoor Events, 2012, p.12). 4.5.7. Rules for car park, comping area, bar and refreshment area The car park and the camping areas will be strictly monitored during and after licensable hours to avoid any unnecessary noise e.g. recorded and live music. Use of Portable PA systems and car stereos will be strictly prohibited in the car park and camping site. Patrons will be informed about this rule before entry to the site and on entrance to the site. This will be communicated via clear signage and through Terms and Conditions of use of both car park and camp site. If there will be a breach of this condition, the equipment will be confiscated and if there will be repeatable offence, the offenders will be removed from the site. The active patrols will be taking place during and after licensable hours and logbook will be kept to demonstrate compliance (One Love Management, 2015, p16, p.28). Bar and refreshment area will be monitored by Designated Premises supervisor. Bar will be closed at 22.30pm to ensure party will not carry on after licensable hours of event (One Love Management, 2015, p.12). 4.5.8. Traffic Management Road traffic noise is one of the main sources affecting sleep and causing annoyance (Ohrstrom et al., 2006). There is only one road leading from the festival venue to the main road. This road will serve as an access to the venue. To keep traffic to minimum organiser will encourage guests to use alternative methods of transports e.g. trains, buses or car share. There will be dedicated traffic management team in place to ensure that parking is done efficiently and without unnecessary disturbance to local residents (One Love Management, 2015, p.16). The unnecessary use of horns and use of heavy vehicles at night time will be also forbidden (WHO, 1999). 5.1. Monitoring noise level Monitoring of noise levels will be in place during licensable hours, and sound checks will be completed daily for the duration of the event. Those measurements will be completed at following locations: mixer position, stage, Dab Shacks and noise sensitive locations (Lets Rock London, 2015). Fixed sound level monitoring device will be used at the mixer position (Lets Rock London, 2015) and sound limiter device will be installed inside Dub Shacks to ensure that agreed limits are not exceeded (Sound Licensing Limited, 2015). The mobile sound level monitoring device will be used to measure sound level for each of new act performs on the stage. The remote sound level monitoring device will be set up at least one of the Noise Sensitive Locations and this device will be configured to record the sound levels for the duration of the event. There will be system put in place to alert the responsible person if any levels are exceeded. (Lets Rock London, 2015) 5.2. After the event All the results of the noise monitoring completed during the event will be kept and send to the Local Authority after the event, along with any complaints received, with documented corrective actions taken (Code of Practice and Guidance Notes on Noise Control for Concerts and Outdoor Events, 2012, p.17). The aim of the noise management plan is to address all noise related challenges and ensure that there is balance maintained between the needs of the event organisers and the local residents. The actions have been taken to reduce and manage the noise impact on the surrounding area and to ensure great entertainment for patrons. Asselineau, M., and Serra, M (2010) Music and outdoors: are they meant to work together?. Proceedings of 20th International Congress on Acoustics, ICA. Sydney; pp.1-7. Code of Practice and Guidance Notes on Noise Control for Concerts and Outdoor Events. (2012). Bath, p.12-17 Colthurst, A., and Fisher, S (2011) Noise and Vibration. Cited in: Battersby, S. Clays Handbook of Environmental Health. 20th Edition. Spon Press. London and New York. Ebook. En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Reggae. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae [Accessed 12 Mar. 2017]. Everset, F. A., and Pohlmann, K. C (2009) Master Handbook of Acoustics. 5th Edition. Mc Grow Hill. London. Ebook. Legislation.gov.uk. (1996). Noise Act 1996. [online] Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/37/crossheading/summary-procedure-for-dealing-with-noise-at-night [Accessed 12 Mar. 2017]. Lets Rock London. (2015). Lets Rock London 2016 Noise Management Plan. Noise from Open Air Events Guidance for Applicants. (2014). Portsmouth: Portsmouth City Council, p.8-10 Ohrstrom, E., Skanberd, A., Sevensson, H., and Gidlof-Gunnarsson, A (2006) Effect of road traffic noise and the benefit of access to quietness. Journal of Sound and Vibration 295(1/2); pp. 40-59. One Love Management, (2015). One Love Festival Appendix 2. EVENT SAFETY MANAGEMENT PLAN. Basingstoke: Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, pp.12- 28. Redbridge.gov.uk. (2017). Redbridge Hainault Forest Country Park. [online] Available at: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/leisure-sport-and-the-arts/parks/hainault-forest-country-park/ [Accessed 12 Mar. 2017]. Sound Solution Consultants Ltd, (2010). The Black Horse Festival Noise Impact Assessment TECHNICAL REPORT. Rother: Rother District Council. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (2002) Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise. Official Journal of the European Communities. L 189; pp. 12-25. The Noise Council (1995) Code of Practice on Environmental Noise Control at Concerts, London, The Noise Council. World Health Organisation (1999) Guidelines for Community, Geneva. Sound Licensing Limited, (2015). NOISE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT 3 CROYDON LANE SM7 3AS.

Contributing factors of airline industry globalistion

Contributing factors of airline industry globalistion This report vividly covers the factors which drive airline industry to globalization. Critical analysis of external and internal environment using strategy tools has also been considered. For internal environment a particular firm, i.e., British airways has been taken into consideration on which the assignment task is based. Research for the report includes a review of academic books, journals, articles and websites. It also covers the critical account of globalization on British Airways stating its strengths and weaknesses .The concept of core competencies is also explained briefly and applied on the chosen firm. Airline industry is a large and growing industry. It facilitates economic growth, international investment and world trade and is therefore central to other industries as well for globalisation. There are various forces which lead to globalisation in airline industry. Yip provided some major key drivers of change. Key drivers of change are forces likely to affect the structure of an industry; sector or market (Johnson, G et al 2005).Yips model provides a good example of the drivers that are increasing the globalisation of industries. Market globalisation Similar customer needs Global customers Transferable marketing Cost globalisation Scale economies Sourcing efficiencies High Product development costs Country-specific costs Globalisation of government policies Trade policies Technical standards Host government policies Global Strategies Globalisation of competition Interdependence Competitors global High exports/imports (Source: Johnson, G et al 2005) Market globalisation in airline industry is a increasing trend because of various reasons of customer needs and preferences as globally they are becoming similar (Johnson et al 2005).For business or leisure customers do move outside their origin. In past decade, air travel has grown by 7% per year. Travel for both business and leisure purpose grew strongly worldwide. Scheduled airlines carried 1.5 billion passengers last year. In the leisure market, the availability of large aircraft such as the Boeing 747 made it convenient and affordable for people to travel (adg.stanford.edu).As market globalise, those operating in such markets become global customers and may search for suppliers who operates on global basis (Johnson et al 2005).Business travel has grown as companies are becoming increasingly global in terms of their investments, their supply and production chains and their customers. The rapid growth of world trade in goods and services and international direct investment are als o main drivers of globalisation in airline industry (www.scribd.com). The development of global communication and distribution channel may also drive globalisation-the obvious example being the impact of internet.(Johnson et al 2005).Online booking of tickets and advertising may all be developed globally. This further generates global demand and expectations from customers. Airline industries are subject to similar trends. Cost globalisation gives potential for competitive advantage through economies of scale. There might be cost advantages from the experience built through wider scale operations. It can be achieved by central sourcing efficiencies from lowest cost suppliers across the world (Johnson et al 2005). The activities and policies of government have also tended to drive the globalization of industry. Changes in macro environment due to government policies are increasing global competition which in turn encourages further globalization. Technology innovations in industry li ke the invention of Jumbo jet in 1950 for commercial use also gave a push to globalization. Although there are various enabler of globalisation in airline industry, paradoxically the airline industry itself remains subject to highly restrictive national controls on cross border competition and investment. Government to government bilateral agreements often limit the routes that international air carriers can fly, the number of flights they can schedule and the fares they can charge.(Hamilton and Quinlan 2005).The global airline industry operates in an international regulatory environment that ranges from strict regulation and protectionism in some countries or region to almost complete deregulation in others. The long-term trend would seem to be in the direction of further deregulation and liberalization, with the unified market created by the EU and the proliferation of bilateral and multilateral open skies agreements marking major advances in this direction since the early 1990s.National ownership requirements, even in the economically developed regions on the world, pers ist an important barrier to a full globalization of the industry. There is also a strong trend toward privatizing the many Government-owned national carriers that had long dominated air travel outside the boundaries. There has also been concern expressed that the airline industry is moving from a being highly regulated one to one dominated by global alliances and co-operation amongst airlines, both of which are a priori anti-competitive structures.( Belobaba et al 2009 ) Answer 2: In todays contemporary organisational environment, the external marketplace is dynamic and rapidly evolving. PESTLE analysis, which provides a framework from which to consider the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors which influence an organisation (Worthington and Britton, 2006) has been undertaken. In addition, Porters five forces model analyses the structure of the industry and the relative attractiveness of a particular industry in terms of its potential to generate superior economic returns and its framework considers the impact of the power of buyers and suppliers, the threat of substitutes, barriers to entry and the degree of competitive rivalry (Porter, 1980; 1995; Barney and Hesterly, 2008). The airline industry has been subject to a number of changes and dynamic forces in the external environment. In recent times, the airline industry has undergone a turbulent history which has led to bankruptcies, mergers and acquisitions and an increase in costs and therefore a reduction in the profit margins (Berry and Jia, 2008). Over the past five years, the rising cost of fuel, which saw oil prices reach around $100 a barrel is one of the major reasons why airlines are filing for bankruptcy. In 2005, Delta Airlines and North West Airlines, the third and fourth largest US carriers filed for bankruptcy (CNN, 2005). The US Airport Transport Association estimated that between 2001 and 2004, the US airline industry faced losses of over $30 billion. In addition, in 2008, the UK airline carrier, XL collapsed leaving 85,000 holiday makers stranded (BBC News, 2008). This occurred because the rising costs make it unviable for smaller carriers to operate efficiently. As a result, industry an alysts predict a period of consolidation will occur within the industry (BBC News, 2008). Social factors include changes in consumer behaviour. This is largely attributable to technological changes, which includes the emergence of airline websites and multiple price comparison websites, which provides consumers with increased availability of prices and therefore reduces information asymmetry. This therefore, increases the power of buyers (Porter, 1985; Barney and Hesterly, 2008). In addition, the global downturn in the economy has placed an increased financial strain on the industry. This is especially the case amongst business travellers who are less willing to pay premium prices for business and first class travel. This has placed a strain on the financial viability of airline operators within the industry. An additional change amongst consumer behaviour is the decline in customer loyalty. This is partly due to the spread of information and the increased price sensitivity of consumers, which means that the most important factor when making a purchasing decision is price and has little to do with the differentiation strategies implemented by any given airline (Porter, 1980; 1986; Barney and Hesterly, 2008). In terms of political factors, post 9/11 a number of security measures and regulations has been implemented in an attempt to avert any future threats from terrorism. This has added increased the costs of airline operators in terms of training and providing the necessary training and personnel to deal with these rules and regulations. In addition, the initial period following 9/11 saw a decrease in passenger and consumer demand which had a negative effect on the profitability of the airline industry. The degree of rivalry within the airline industry is high. Since the 1980s the industry has undergone a period of deregulation and privatisation which has increased competition within the industry and reduced the barriers to entry. Privatisation is essentially involves changing the structure of the industry from public to private ownership. This has had a negative effect on market incumbents, such as British Airways, which has undergone periods of financial turmoil as a result of deregulation, privatisation, reduced barriers to entry and increased competition (Barney and Hesterly, 2008). ). Deregulation is the removal of government rules and regulations, which are said to constrain an industry. In the past decade, the industry has seen the emergence of low cost airline carriers (Cho et al., 2007; Centro, 2008). These include companies such as easyJet and Ryanair, which operate low-cost flights to a wide variety of European destinations. Low cost airline carriers have had a significant impact on changing the structure of the industry, which has meant that consumers are increasingly price sensitive when it comes to airline travel (Cho et al., 2007; Centro, 2008). ). The low cost sector appears to bucking industry trends and is expanding at a rapid rate. Low cost airlines focus on short-haul flights and try and pack in as many passengers as possible to increase turnover. These companies also generate savings, which are passed on to the consumer by providing customers the ability to book their flights directly over the Internet. As a result, the degree of rivalry within the industry is high (Porter, 1980 1985; Barney and Hesterly, 2008). Despite the deregulation which has occurred and the opening up of the market, barriers to entry are still relatively high. This is because the capital, skills and expertise required to set up an airline company are relatively high (Porter, 1980; 1985; Berry and Jia, 2008; Barney and Hesterly, 2008). As such, airline operators need to be able to compete both in terms of cost leadership and differentiation in order to incentivise consumer purchasing behaviour (Cho et al., 2007; Centro, 2008). Airline operators also need to operate a delicate balance between maintaining a tight control over costs and implementing cost saving measures whilst maintaining high standards of customer service and safety (Cho et al., 2007; Berry and Jia, 2008). Overall, there exists opportunities and threats in the external market environment, which affects the overall profitability and industry attractiveness of firms operating within the airline industry. Therefore, the level of profits that firms can earn a re based on these factors, nonetheless, the internal management of a firm is also critical to organisational performance, which will be discussed in further depth in the next section. Answer 3: The airline which has been chosen in order to address the key themes and issues highlighted in this section is British Airways (BA). BA is the largest airline operator in the UK, flying to over 150 destinations across the globe. BA started out life in 1975 and was the national airline for the UK, as such, the company operated a monopolistic structure before it was privatised in the 1980s. The purpose of the privatisation was to make the industry more competitive by exposing the company to completion and external industry forces to improve the operational efficiency of the company as well as improving the overall customer experience. However, since changes such as privatisation and industry deregulation, BA has had undergone periods of turbulence, which has been characterised by major successes and major weaknesses. During the 1990s, BA was hailed as one of the most admired and most profitable airlines in the world. However, by the late 1990s BA experienced a massive reduction in prof its as a result of decreased demand, increased economic pressures and employee disputes and poor relations. In the period between 2008 and 2008, BAs turnover was  £9 billion. However, overall, the company made losses of  £401 million. This is the greatest loss ever reported by the company and represented a massive loss compared to the previous year when the company made a profit of  £922 million. The airlines major hub is situated at London, Heathrow, the busiest airport in the world in terms of the number of passengers, which pass through daily. BA operates around 220 aircraft. Within the last few months, BA made a preliminary announcement that it was to merge with Spains largest airline, Iberia (Rothwell, 2009). The purpose of this merger is to mitigate weaknesses within the internal operations at BA and develop its strengths through capitalising on synergies which can be obtained through the merger with Iberia airlines (Barney and Hesterly, 2008; Rothwell, 2009). In order to address the current issues facing BA, including the highest ever reported losses, the company has been forced to undertake significant cost cutting measures, which includes reducing the salaries of existing employees as well as reducing the overall firm headcount. However, this has resulted in a number of problems for the company. One of the major weaknesses of BA is its history of industrial disputes and tentative history in terms of employee relations. In December, 2009 cabin crew announced a 12 day strike over the Christmas and New Year period, however, this was postponed as it was found to be an illegal strike as the ballot system implemented by the trade union was not considered to be fair. At the time of writing, the industrial dispute is still an ongoing issue which represents a major weakness to the airline (Milmo and Webb, 2009). The cost of such a strike would run into hundreds of millions, as well as the impact on the damage on customer and employee relations. This represents a critical weakness for the company. Nonetheless, BA has a strong brand and is renowned for safety and customer service. The brand is also trusted across the globe and is a popular choice with business travellers. The heritage of the brand has a strong resonance in the mindset of the British and indeed global consumer. This represents a unique strength, which is difficult for competitors to imitate. Therefore, this represents a source of sustainable competitive advantage for the company (Barney and Hesterly, 2008). This is based on the notion of core competences and how an organisation is able to deploy its resources to develop a distinct set of core competences and strategic capabilities (Barney and Hesterly, 2008). If these resources are distinct, rare and difficult to imitate then this will lead to a source of sustainable competitive advantage (Barney and Hesterly, 2008). As a result, these core competences will translate into superior economic performance when co mpared with rivals. In the case of BA, external market conditions, as well as internal weaknesses have contributed to recent poor financial performance. However, in the long run, the company will be able to leverage its strengths and core competences to remain competitive within the industry and obtain a source of sustainable competitive advantage.

Animal Farm, by George Orwell :: Animal Farm Essays

The Significance of Squealer The novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is an allegory portraying the dangers of a totalitarian government. It seeks to show how a society where all live completely equal has not been, and cannot be achieved. Orwell, through the use of the character Squealer, shows how propaganda can affect members of a communist society in a negative way. By drawing parallels to events in communist Russia, Orwell’s Animal Farm illustrates how propaganda was used to control the Soviet people by deceiving them, threatening them and keeping them ignorant in an attempt to maintain order. The story uses simple language to explain and expose the corruption of communist Russia. Throughout the story, Orwell uses Squealer to illustrate how propaganda persuaded and victimized Russian citizens. Squealer is a sly, crafty pig who is not only intelligent, but a manipulative speaker as well. His cunning is key to the deception of the other animals. In chapter three, Squealer deceives the animals of the farm for the first time. The animals find out that the milk and apples are given solely to the pigs, and Squealer is sent to explain the uneven distribution of farm resources. â€Å"‘Comrades’ he cried. ‘You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?’† (Orwell 42) He goes on to explain, â€Å" ‘Milk and apples (this has been proved by science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being Williams 2 of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers (42). Here, Squealer tries to convince the animals that it’s for health reasons that they take the apples and milk, but he tries to persuade them in other ways as well. Squealer continues, â€Å" ‘The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us†¦. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples’†(42). Finally, he convinces them with fear. â€Å" ‘Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back!’† (42) Here, Squealer frightens the animals into submission with the threat of the return of Mr. Jones, the abusive farmer that was driven out of the farm by the animals. Squealer is desperate to obtain the apples and milk and will stop at nothing to manipulate the other animals into believing that the pigs should be the sole recipients of this luxury. By masking their true intentions by misleading the animals, the pigs are soon able to acquire whatever they want with little resistance. Orwell uses Squealer to represent the Pravda, the Russian newspaper controlled by the government during Joseph Stalin's regime.

College Admissions Essay: A Life Changing Experience :: College Admissions Essays

A Life Changing Experience    The experience of the APEC Youth Science festival was incredible. It has had an enormous impact on me in many ways, changing the way I look at the world and connecting me with people and events far beyond my formerly limited experience. I am extremely glad to have had this opportunity. It was a wonderful experience on multiple levels. It challenged me and expanded me intellectually and socially. I feel that this experience has had an immense impact on me.    Through this program I had first-hand access to some of the brightest young minds in both the United States and the world. The sharing among students of ideas and experiences in science, and in other areas as well, was enlightening. I felt like I had the chance to absorb knowledge from those around me. This environment spread beyond the students and also included the faculty and speakers. We had access to incredible faculty who were able to give much to the experience and share their own science insights. The program also brought in speakers and other science professionals from around the world who were at the top of their respective fields. This festival gave me real access to the movers and shakers of the science world, an experience beyond any available to me anywhere else.    The most fascinating aspect of this experience, for me, was the exposure to new cultures. This includes the twist culture puts on science. I found huge difference in the viewpoints of many cultures towards science related issues surprising. For instance many cultures had vastly different ways of looking at the forthcoming issues surrounding the implications of genetic engineering. The Asian and American cultures were very different in many work habit areas as well. There was an interesting group dynamic as culturally mixed groups strove to collectively complete group projects. The cultural sharing in science went beyond how questions were answered to how they were asked to which questions were most important and even which questions were addressed. while observing the cultural spin on science and work habits was an interesting pastime, the true wonder was cultural sharing on a greater scale.    This program exposed me to Asian cultures in a way I had never thought possible. Living in an Asian country, even for only a week, and being mixed with students from around the world brought me face to face with cultures I had never before truly experienced.

A Raisin in the Sun Essay

The significance of Lena Younger in the screenplay and movie A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Kenny Leon In the movie A Raisin in the Sun derived from the screenplay by Lorraine Hansberry, the character of Lena Younger is effectively portrayed to show the importance of the plant as a symbol of Lena being in possession of a garden to call her own. However, the theme of dreams, especially Lena’s, is not made prominent enough to show Lena as a symbol of African American’s in the 50’s owning a house and moving up in society. In the screenplay of A Raisin in the Sun, Lena Younger is a sensitive mother and grandmother to the Younger household. She is very religious, and demands of her kids to thank God for their lives. This is shown when Lena slaps Beneatha for challenging the idea of God in her life. Lena says, â€Å"Now you say after me, in my mothers house there is still God† (Hansberry 39). This scene is effectively remade in the movie. The actress that plays Lena makes her anger and shock in Beneatha’s comment very believable, which further emphasizes the fact that Lena’s values are portrayed just as effectively in the movie as they were in the written screenplay. Lena also stands up for herself, much like her daughter Beneatha. This is shown in the scene where Lena goes to the market to buy some apples that are in very bad condition. Lena says, â€Å"Got the nerve to be askin’ people thirty-five cents for them apples look like they was on the scene when Moses crossed over†¦ Wouldn’t be tryin’ to sell ’em over yonder where I work† (Hansberry 54). In this scene of the screenplay, Lena’s character seemed very headstrong. In the movie however, this quote was not included. Instead Lena told the clerk, in a sarcastic tone, â€Å"Am I being charged for the worms too? † (A Raisin in the Sun), which means that the quality of the apples was not good. Although the scene was different, the point Hansberry was trying to make came across both ways. Lena came across as a headstrong woman who only wants the best and nothing less, within her budget. In these ways Lena Youngers character was portrayed effectively, however, her character has more significance that just good acting. One of the most important symbols in the screenplay A Raisin in the Sun is the plant. Throughout the screenplay and the movie, no one else in the Younger household cares for the plant except for Lena, which is why the symbol directly links to her. In the screenplay, as soon as Lena enters her apartment she goes to open the window. â€Å"Lord, if this little plant don’t start getting more sun, it ain’t never going to see spring again†. (Hansberry 66). This shows that after a long day, she still cares for her feeble little plant, and its growth. In the movie this scene was not portrayed effectively, mostly because the apartment the director chose does not accurately fit the description in the screenplay, thus making the symbolism of the plant ineffective. Despite that, the true symbolism of the plant is that Lena was longing for her own garden, and that was shown effectively in the movie. The quote from the movie corresponding to this scene is â€Å"If that plant don’t get more sunlight than it’s been getting, it’s just gonna give up† (A Raisin in the Sun) which shows that Lena does care for the plant, but can’t do anything about its well-being. Later on in the screenplay Lena starts to get stressed and worried about her children. The only thing she turns to then is her plant, which shows that Lena is in control of at least one thing in her house. When Ruth brings up the fact that Beneatha is home later than usual Lena replies, â€Å"I don’t believe this plant’s had more than a speck of sunlight all day† (Hansberry 76). This could be to direct her worries elsewhere, which makes sense because in other emotional scenes, such as when Lena is hearing about Mr. Linder, the camera focuses in on Lena touching the plants soil with her hands. The reply could also be because she sees her dream in the plant – she sees it is in a weak state and that it is barely growing. Lena also sees that Beneatha and Walter, her children, are experiencing new things and are growing to become people of the new generation. Because of this, she may turn to the plant and hope the same for it – hope for it to blossom into something better and of that generation. Lena’s dream of owning a garden represents not only her dream, but the dream of all the lower class african americans of the 50’s. Although Lena tries to keep her run down apartment looking polished, she makes it clear that she dreams for bigger things. While conversing with Ruth about when her and Big Walter bought the house Lena said, â€Å"†¦ But Lord, child, you should have known all the dreams I had about buying me that house and then fixing it up and making me a little garden in the back† (Hansberry 69), which clearly shows Lena’s dream. Not only does she want a nice garden for herself, but she wants a house for her family, so they can all enjoy living. This scene was not effectively shown in the movie mostly because, as mentioned before, the apartment they were living in did not look run down as was described in the screenplay. Due to this, when the characters were talking about the â€Å"ratty-ness† of the apartment it did not make sense, because their dialogue did not fit the visual. The ultimate dream for african americans of the time was to live in a place full of life, and of course with less rent. The screenplay implies that the apartment is small and that â€Å"weariness has, in fact, won in this room† (Hansberry 23), which means that the room is in poor condition. The movie shows the living room as small but it does not show it as tattered, like the screenplay implied. At that time and now, this is considered poverty, however the movie displays the room as well kept and does not appear worn out, which is what Lena tries to make it seem like. After Mr. Lindner comes to the Younger household, Beneatha, Walter and Ruth explain what he wanted from them, which was to buy their house off of them. Lena does not completely understand at first why he would come, which shows that she does not comprehend that there will be complications with moving into a white neighborhood. â€Å"Father give us strength. (Knowingly and without fun:) Did he threaten us? †(Hansberry 169). This shows that although Lena feels threatened by Mr. Lindner, she does not realize that the new generation does not directly say what they feel. This creates the tone that, just like Beneatha and Walter have been telling Lena, she is not educated enough on the new generation. Since Lena represents the African Americans of the 50‘s expanding in society, it was ineffectively shown in the movie and the screenplay, because of he automatic assumption that they were threatened. All in all, the character of Lena is ineffectively portrayed in the movie to symbolize what the african american’s of the 1950’s should have been like. Taking a look at Lorraine Hansberry’s idea of having a character like Lena in the screenplay, one understands that she is a statement rather than just a character with a dream. Lena Younger is a statement to show that women in the 1950‘s can work all day to provide for their families and still be caring rather than miserable. The condition the Youngers were living in was one where Lena could easily have been sour to her family members rather than nurturing. This is what Hansberry wanted to show. Also the plant symbolizes Lena’s nurturing side, that she will do anything to make the people (or things) she cares for grow and succeed. Overall, the directors of the movie A Raisin in the Sun did a decent job in interpreting Lena’s role in the screenplay. A Raisin In The Sun Essay In my opinion, the most prevalent theme in, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is the real meaning of money because all of the family members have dreams that require money in order for them to be fulfilled. Walter is always trying to get money to open up a liquor store and believes that the only way he can be a successful man is if he reaches this goal. Throughout the book, Walter is envious of wealthy people and is somewhat embarrassed of his career of a chauffeur. He would like for his son to have a better life and wants him to have everything that he could ever want. While talking to Mama in the book, Walter states, â€Å"Mama, sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass by them cool, quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking bout things, turning deals worth millions of dollars, sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me.† (page 73) Walter pays so much attention to these rich â€Å"white boys† and this causes him to not appreciate what he has, he just always wants more. Walter believes that if Mama gives him the money to invest in a liquor store then he will be successful. Mama doesn’t understand why Walter is s o focused on money and she asks him, â€Å"Son-how come you talk so much ‘bout money?† Walter replies, â€Å"Because it is life, Mama!† (page 74) Mama doesn’t see money as such a big necessity in life and believes more in family, love and faith. She tries to show Walter and Beneatha that not everything in life is about being wealthy and having money. For example, after Walter tells Mama that he thinks that money is life on page 74, she says, â€Å"Oh-So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life- now it’s money. I guess the world really do change†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 74) Mama is trying to teach Walter not to be so materialistic. She wants him to focus on other aspects of life that Walter just can’t seem to understand. Also, when Mama says how the world is changing, she is talking about how money has a negative influence on the people of that time and how sad it is that money  is such a necessity. During the conversation between Mama and Walter, Mama sys, â€Å"You something new, boy. In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 74) Mama is talking about how Walter should appreciate his freedom and how in her time, they had to fight for their freedom and could care less about money. Beneatha doesn’t seem to show as much interest in money until she realizes that all of her family’s money is one. In the beginning of the book, Beneatha is kind of the outcast of the family because she doesn’t seem too concerned about the money and has different views than the rest of the family. For example, Beneatha and Ruth had a conversation about why Beneatha won’t marry George and Beneatha says, â€Å"Oh, I just mean I couldn’t ever really be serious with George. He’s- he’s so shallow.† Ruth replies, â€Å"Shallow- what do you mean he’s shallow? He’s rich!† Beneatha then says, â€Å"I know he’s rich. He knows he’s rich too.† (page 48-49) Beneatha wants more from a man than money, she has more depth than that. She is an independent woman and refuses to marry someone just because they are wealthy. In the beginning, Beneatha isn’t too focused on money; however, she comes to the realization that in order to fulfill her dream of being a doctor, she needs money for medical school. When Walter lost all of the family’s money, ruining any chance of Beneatha becoming a doctor she tells Asagai, â€Å"Asagai, while I was sleeping in that bed there, people went out and took the future right out of my hands! And nobody asked me, nobody consulted me- they just went and changed my life!† (page 134) A Raisin in the Sun Essay A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, was written perhaps with some personal experience. When Lorraine was younger, a mob surrounded her home in a white middle class neighborhood and threw a brick in her window (Literature and Language, 913). However, racial prejudice is just one of the themes discussed in the play. The play takes place during the Civil Rights Movement, and the obstacles overcome are obstacles we still face today. Racial prejudice, family strength, and a sell out are the several strong thematic elements in the play. When the Younger family is introduced, they are introduced together. Despite the hardships endured throughout the play, the family stays together even through quarrels. Mama is almost like a Buddha of the Younger family by acting as the backbone of the family; Mama is the strong one (A Raisin in the Sun, 854). When Walter explains to Mama how he wants to start a liquor store with the money she tells him she doesn’t want to go into the liquor business. She decides then to tell him he needs to sit down and talk to his wife, which is more important, because she’s family (A Raisin in the Sun, 869). Mama notices also how Walter and Ruth’s relationship is uncertain (A Raisin in the Sun, 855) which is why she wants him to talk to Ruth about her pregnancy (A Raisin in the, 869). If the baby isn’t kept, Ruth and Walter might separate and Travis will have to go back and forth, and Mama won’t have another grandchild. If that had happened, the family would be broken up, and it seems to be a constant fear in Mama that the family might someday divide. Another sign of family strength is when Beneatha denies Walter as her brother (A Raisin in the Sun, 907). When Mama hears Beneatha shun her brother, she reminds her that her brother is just the same as her when she says: † You feeling like you better than he is today? † They are both strong-willed, live in the same apartment, and have the same economic situation. Mama scolds her for acting like the rest of the world. Looking down on him as a colored man doing low pay jobs to support them, and no one wants to claim that they know that poor sod. Mama tells Bennie not to write his epitaph like the outside world because she doesn’t have the privilege, because she’s just like him. Mama isn’t trying to remind Bennie that she suffers the same ordeals, but perhaps if she was the man of the family she might do the same. Bennie herself would try to provide for them, and Walter’s actions were meant out of kindness, and the least Bennie could do is to be with him in his time of need. Maybe Bennie’s attempts at being a doctor were partly out of love for her family to help provide for them, not out of pity or personal honor, but for unity. It’s not the characters that make the family struggle but mostly the conditions their forced to endure. Socially, they are shunned for being Negroes. When Mr. Lindner bribes the family to move out, the idea threatens to tear the family apart. The idea is at first easily denied because of the money they have to support themselves (A Raisin in the Sun, 892). However, when Walter loses the money, Mr. Lindner’s offer appeals to him (A Raisin in the Sun, 909). The family becomes shocked and tries to support him in his decision, but Walter realizes the importance of family and he turns Lindner away. However, the climactic theme of the story is Walter’s selling out point. A typical reader would want to hate Walter for using the money to start up a liquor store, but then it’s realized that he was only doing it for his family (A Raisin in the Sun, 896-897). When Walter gave the money away, he gave away the family’s future too. Beneatha wasn’t securely in school anymore, Travis would have to keep sleeping in the living room, and there isn’t money for Ruth’s baby. Not only did that affect their futures, but it hurt Mama as well. In a way, Walter gave away their memories and values. When Walter finds out the money is lost, he says that the money was made out of his fathers flesh, because it was his father who helped them to receive that money. Walter gave it away anyway though because he thought it would help the family (A Raisin in the Sun, 897). He gave away the family’s values by deceiving them into thinking that he did the responsible thing with the money, what the family wanted done with money. He fooled Mama into believing he was grown up and could become the head of the family. When the family learned of his mistake, the family became away of what he had done. Furthermore, it insulted them for how he had went about it. Bennie felt like low class, and didn’t feel she could be a doctor anymore (Raisin in the Sun, 901). Ruth felt insulted because she can’t believe her husband is going to take the bribe from Lindner (Raisin in the Sun, 905). Mama took it even harder because her husband’s blood, sweat, and tears went into it; and their dreams were lost because of it. They wanted their children to live out their dreams but instead Walter gave them away in a day (Raisin in the Sun, 856, 897). Perhaps the biggest struggle in the play is the racial prejudice the family endures together. Only because of their color, they end up working in a low pay job in a poorly attended apartment (A Raisin in the Sun, 897). Mr. Lindner is the main symbol in representing racial prejudice. Symbolically, Mr. Lindner could show that stereotypes even come in nice packages. On the outside, Mr.  Lindner was a polite man, but on the inside, he was racist and not accepting, like when he left their apartment the first time he visited and told Walter that you can’t change what’s in peoples hearts (A Raisin in the Sun, 891). Despite the simplicity of the message, it’s perhaps the most powerful of the themes. Although an entire neighborhood, an entire race, wants the Youngers to move out, they stand together and defend themselves and fight back, even when they feel like they have nothing left. However, Walter realizes that he does have something, which is family, and his pride, which he almost lost in taking the bribe (A Raisin in the Sun, 909). The Youngers, when standing together, show that with strength and defiance, they can pull through anything together. Together, the Youngers battled racism from a middle class white neighborhood. Together, the Youngers fought a loss of a dream when Walter sold out. Together the Youngers remained united by giving up their personal dreams for the one family dream of staying together. A Raisin in the Sun Essay In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry you go back in time to when segregation was still aloud. In this play you meet a cast of people with dreams of a better life. The American Dream, to be specific. This dream is portrayed differently for each character, all of which impact the play. Two of these character`s are Walter Lee Younger and Lena Younger. In Raisin in the Sun Mama and Walter’s American dreams conflict and impact the family through materialism and desire to be the ideal American family in society. Mama and Walter both desire to provide for their family. They both look at money as success. When the $10,000 insurance check comes along, Mama sees it as a chance for her family to finally live up and be more like the rest of the American society. She aspires to look after her family, by giving them a house, a car, and most of all- happiness. Walter on the other hand becomes obsessed with his dreams of business, which he believes will result in financial independence to provide for his family. He feels ashamed when he can’t give money to his son. When Travis asks for fifty cents and Ruth tells him they don’t have it, Walter gives him fifty cents anyway. â€Å"In fact, here’s another fifty cents†¦ Buy yourself some fruit today- or take a taxicab to school or something†(12) He yearns for his son Travis to look up to him. He adds another fifty to make this more real or true. This also shows how Walter looks at money as success. Walter believes this will be true if he has his dream of owning his own business or all in all- wealth. Success to both them means that they no longer have to struggle, and live up to what people perceive. Mama distinguishes herself from Walter when it comes to materialistic matters. The first thing mama does when she gets the insurance money is buy a house for her family. This shows how the capitalistic society is having a materialistic effect on Mama. Mama’s dream consists of a house and happy family. Mama’s plant is a perfect indication of her dream. It symbolizes her family in a way. When the family is down, the plant is down. Mama is constantly in protection of the plant, in hopes of holding on to her dream. Walter in comparison is always looking to be somebody and make it in life. Walter sees wealth as the only solution to this. He longs for financial support. He becomes corrupted by society -to find his identity through money. Walter tells his mother, â€Å"I want so many things†(60). This shows his greediness. All in all Mama and Walters dreams both involve money. Mama shows us her longing for the acceptance of society when she immediately buys a house in a white neighborhood, to provide for her family. Walter shows us his desperation to be a valuable human being when he steals money in hopes of starting his liquor business. Walter wants to be respected and live a happy lifestyle for this family. He longs to be the head of the household. Walter see’s himself with a liquor store as having power. It isn’t till the end until he rethinks the values of himself and his family’s future about how there is more to living than just having material riches. Mama only yearns for her family to be respected and live up to what society perceives. No matter what you perceive The American Dream to be, it is possible to attain it and be successful. The American Dream is whatever your dream of success perceives to be. Hansberry shows how hard it was for colored people to find their identities during segregated times. Walter and Mama learn that money doesn’t possess much when it comes by itself. In Raisin in the Sun Mama and Walter’s American dreams differentiate and impact the family through their wanting to be accepted in society and live in peace. Anyone in this country can undertake happiness and success if they work at it. A Raisin in the Sun Essay 1.When Asagai arrives at the apartment, how does his mood contract with Walter’s and Beneatha’s? He is very positive and is looking toward the future. Walter and Beneatha appear defeated. 2.How has the loss of the money changed Beneatha’s optimism? What does she tell Asagai? What is Asagai’s response? She has given up and admits defeat. She tells Asagai there is no hope and everything is over. Asagai is very critical of Beneatha’s feelings and tells her if she has dreams and wants a positive future, she needs to make it herself. He also asks her to go to Africa with him. 3.How does Asagai define idealists and realists? Which group does he prefer to be associated with? Idealists have dreams and go after them. Realists only see the circle of life and the things that are right in front of them. He would rather be an idealist. 4.What alternative view of the future does Asagai offer to put Beneatha’s depression in perspective? Go to Africa with him. 5.Asagai leaves and Walter comes into the living room. How does Beneatha attack Walter? What does Walter do? She attacks him by speaking down about who he is as a man. Walter ignores her and looks for something in the apartment. 6.How has Mama’s physical appearance changed? Why does Mama put her plant back on the windowsill? She is depressed and seems defeated. Mama puts her plant in the window because she feels as if she is going nowhere. 7.Who does Mama blame for the current situation, and how does she plan to deal with it? She blames herself for this because people have always accused her of dreaming too big. 8.Up until now, Ruth has been the practical one. How does she react to Mama’s new attitude? She tries to lift Lena’s spirits. She doesn’t know what to think or how to really handle Mama’s new attitude. 9.When Walter arrives back home, what does he say he has done? What does he plan to do? He has called Mr. Lindner, and the family is going to take the money that was offered to them. 10.Describe Walter’s new view of life as being divided between the â€Å"takers† and the â€Å"tooken.† He feels that life is full of takers and tooken. His family has been, he feels, has always been â€Å"tooken† From this point forward, they are going to be â€Å"takers.† 11.What does Mama mean when she tells Walter that if he takes Lindner’s money he will have nothing left inside? He will loose his dignity and pride of he takes the money. 12.Beneatha says Walter is no brother of hers. What lesson does Mama have to remind Beneatha about? Mama tells her she has no right to feel that way or say that about her brother. Regardless of what has happened, she has always taught Beneatha to love. 13.When Lindner arrives, why does Mama insist that Travis stay in the room? She wants him to learn from his father 14.What does Walter tell Lindner? Why? He talks to him about his father and how he worked all his life for others. He continues to tell Lindner that his family is not going to take his money because his father earned the house for the family. 15.Why does Lindner decide to appeal to Mama? What is her response? He appeals to her because he says she is older and wiser. He feels that she will bend to the demands of the neighborhood. 16.What is the importance of having Mama return to the empty apartment to grab her plant? That plant represents her dreams and the spirit of her family. Wherever she goes and the family goes, so does the plant. She isn’t one to walk out on her family or her dreams. A Raisin in the Sun Essay Lorraine Hansberry’s play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† was far ahead of its time in both depicting the everyday life of black people in a way that everyone can understand and discuss the oppression that black people still felt even though strides had been taken towards civil rights. According to NPR, Hansberry shared the aims for this play with her husband. â€Å"Hansberry told her husband she wanted to write a social drama about blacks that was good art. Instead of stereotyped characters that would bear no resemblance to actual people, she invented a situation that was sometimes painfully realistic. The plot revolves around what her characters do given the opportunity to escape their cramped surroundings† (NPR). Much of the material from this play is based on Hansberry’s own life experiences. They are real characters. The reader can feel Mama’s love for her family and her desire for them to better themselves. Travis should not have to sleep on the couch. Beneatha should be able to be a doctor, but she must be careful not to overspeak according to Mama. Beneatha’s frustration with the â€Å"outdated† ideas of her mother and her brother’s traditional marriage are felt. She is a dreamer and yet the reader wants to believe with her. Walter’s anger is perfectly justified although it gets him nowhere, and Ruth’s increasing frustration with her husband is also justified, especially as they are about to bring another child into the world. The reader hopes that Walter’s scheme will work even though he/she knows it never will. In the end, the family triumphs against daunting odds. They will have to work harder than they ever have to keep their house, and they will never fit into their neighborhood. They will likely face acts of discrimination even more pronounced, but they do not swallow their pride and submit to the demands of Lindner and their neighborhood. Her characters even speak in the dialect of a real Chicago neighborhood. She uses a non-standard dialect that would only be spoken in black communities. The use of the poem of Langston Hughes called â€Å"Dream Deferred† makes the subject and characters even more real. It asks the reader to think about what would happen if someone worked all their lives for a dream and was unable to achieve it. The poem then gives options that fit various people within the play. Anyone who reads the play can definitely see the struggles of African Americans. Hansberry was deeply committed to the fight for civil rights just as her parents had been. The struggles of the Younger family parallel the struggles of African Americans in a time where the discrimination was just beginning to be faced. According to Books and Writers, in 1959 Hansberry had said in a speech: â€Å"The unmistakable roots of the universal solidarity of the colored peoples of the world are no longer â€Å"predictable† as they were in my father’s time – they are here. And I for one, as a black woman in the United States in the mid-Twentieth Century, feel that I am more typical of the present temperament of my people than not, when I say that I cannot allow the devious purposes of white supremacy to lead me to any conclusion other than what may be to most robust and important one of our time: that the ultimate destiny and aspirations of the African peoples and twenty million American Negroes are inextricably and magnificently bound up together forever. † (Books and Writers). This sums up Hansberry’s ideas about the race and shows us how the play deals with the supremacy of whites. It is clear that the white characters like Karl Lindner and Walter’s boss are better off. Even the blacks who sell out in one way or another like George Murchison or Willy Harris are in better places than the Youngers. This family finds it almost impossible to get ahead as the whole social structure is opposed to them. And while this is a play about the American Negro, it is also one with a universal theme. It is also about the failure of the American Dream, which anyone in any time period can relate to. Writing in Commentary, Gerald Weales pointed out that â€Å"Walter Lee’s difficulty †¦ is that he has accepted the American myth of success at its face value, that he is trapped, as Willy Loman [in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman] was trapped by a false dream. In planting so indigenous an image at the center of her play, Miss Hansberry has come as close as possible to what she intended–a play about Negroes which is not simply a Negro play. † (Gale Research). In other words, she has succeeded in discussing an American Negro family, and yet, making it understandable and relatable to everyone of every race. This was no easy task. This is reiterated by Critic Harold Clurman, in the Nation, noted that â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is authentic: it is a portrait of the aspirations, anxieties, ambitions, and contradictory pressures affecting humble Negro fold in an American big city. † (Gale Research). Much of the historical information in this play comes from Lorraine Hansberry’s own life. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, just like in the play. Hansberry’s parents were activists as well as intellectuals and her father was a real estate agent. He violated a covenant law and moved into a white neighborhood. Their white neighbors tried to evict them. Hansberry’s father actually won an antisegregation case that he fought with the aid of the NAACP with the Illinois Supreme Court. These events are the events on which A Raisin in the Sun was loosely based. When Lorraine was eight, her parents bought a house in a white neighborhood, where they were welcomed one night by a racist mob. Their experience of discrimination there led to a civil rights case. Her father won the case; the Supreme Court declared that the discrimination was unconstitutional. However, nothing really happened in reality as a result of winning this case. Hansberry’s family also learned about the results of fighting the system as they faced many prejudices and acts of discrimination because of their fight, such as a brick being thrown through their window. . Hansberry also worked for Freedom, a progressive black newspaper from 1950 to 1953, which is seen in the play’s emphasis on civil rights (PAL). Also according to PAL, â€Å"In 1963 Lorraine Hansberry became very active in the civil rights movement in the South. She was a field organizer for CORE† (PAL). Again, her emphasis on civil rights in the play comes out of her own beliefs and actions. In the play the topic is covered very thoroughly as the Younger family buys a house in a white neighborhood. Houses in black neighborhoods were double the price, and their dream is to get out of the run-down apartment. In discussing this, Hansberry outlines the discrimination built into housing in Chicago and other urban areas. So, they bought the house in the white neighborhood and are elated, but their elation is short-lived because Mr. Lindner shows up. The family fights back as he tries to talk them out of moving by saying things like, â€Å"I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities† (Hansberry 2. 3. 65). He ends with a statement about Linder hoping the family knows what they are getting themselves into. In the end, even after Walter loses the money, the family decides to move anyway. They will take extra jobs to make sure that their children have a better life. Hansberry’s interest in Africa began at an early age. According to Books and Writers, in an unfinished, partly autobiographical novel Hansberry wrote: â€Å"In her emotions she was sprung from the Southern Zulu and the Central Pygmy, the Eastern Watusi and the treacherous slave-trading Western Ashanti themselves. She was Kikuyu and Masai, ancient cousins of hers had made the exquisite forged sculpture at Benin, while surely even more ancient relatives sat upon the throne at Abu Simbel watching over the Nile†¦ † (Book and Writers). This love of and interest in Africa is shown through both Asagai and Beneatha. Beneatha and Asagai show this interest in African pride in a time in America that was well before Africans began taking interest in their roots or going back to Africa. Asagai is from Africa and has great pride in it; Beneatha is interested in her roots even though she does things like straighten her hair, which Asagai says is assimilationist. Asagai even woos her with his pride in his country. For example, â€Å"I will show you our mountains and our stars; and give you cool drinks from gourds, and teach you the old songs and the ways of our people† (Hansberry 3. 1. 55). While Walter makes fun of all the African conversation, that is also historically accurate ahead of its time. Many Africans were interested in their past and wanted to learn about their terrible past. Some, such as Malcolm X, even went so far as to change their name to reflect their former slave status. Others thought the interest was dumb, a part of their past, not their future. Lorraine Hansberry also puts Beneatha forth as a feminist long before women began demanding their rights. The National Organization for Women was not formed until the late 1960s. Yet Beneatha is a feminist. When Asagai makes the statement, â€Å"For a woman it should be enough†, Beneatha replies, â€Å"I know—because that’s what it says in all the novels that men write. But it isn’t. Go ahead and laugh—but I’m not interested in being someone’s little episode in America† (Hansberry 1. 2. 114). She wants to be a doctor, and her conviction is so strong that the reader believes her. Hansberry was also a feminist ahead of her time to put these ideas into writing. Even though Beneatha seems to â€Å"flit† from one thing to another, she is in the process of finding her identity. Exploring options and experiencing life is the way that she will find herself as well as having diverse friends like Joseph Asagai. Even her name implies that she believes everything is beneath her. Sometimes irritating, Beneatha is a true feminist before her time. Feminist as anything else is a progression in coming into womanhood. For example, Mama speaks matter-of-factly of her husband’s womanizing ways. She does not condemn him, but seems to accept that womanizing is what men do. Ruth would not put up with that from Walter although she does defer to him on a number of occasions. She also has a more gentle way of getting him to come around. Beneatha represents the â€Å"new woman† or feminist in that she would not put up with any of this. She wants to forge her own identity independent of a man. She believes that people must accept her as she is and refused to â€Å"be nice† as Mama tells her. This play also shows the change in black arts and intellectualism. According to Schmoop, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is part of broader shift in black art towards depicting working-class, ordinary African-Africans. Previously, black intellectuals did not use literature, art, or the stage to portray working-class African-Americans for fear they would perpetuate undesirable stereotypes. † (Schmoop). Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes both thought this idea ridiculous. They, in fact, felt the opposite. They felt that they could challenge these stereotypes by writing about them. Also according to Schmoop, â€Å"By focusing on the dreams and aspirations of one particular working-class black family, moreover, Hansberry was able to show audiences the universality of black aspirations while also demonstrating that their race posed a significant barrier to achieving those goals† (Schmoop). That is precisely what Hansberry did. She showed the trials and struggles of one family. The family is black, and some of the themes only those of color could relate to but others are universal—family love, sibling rivalry, wanting the best for children, wanting to make money and have more, etc. A Raisin in the Sun is a masterful play. While some see it overly simplistic, Hansberry gives us the gamut of African American response to the oppression that was still occurring. Walter is just angry. Mama and Ruth are more concerned with just getting by and providing better opportunities for the next generation. Willy Harris steals from his own to get ahead, and George Murchison rejects his own upbringing. Asagai also rejects American ways, but he is African. Beneatha most represents Lorraine Hansberry as she tries to fight the system, fight society’s expectations of her as a black woman, and forge her own identity. All emotions are represented in this play. Works Cited Books and Writers. http://www. kirjasto. sci. fi/corhans. htm http://www. shmoop. com/intro/literature/lorraine-hansberry/a-raisin-in-the-sun. html Colas, Brandon. Lorraine Hansberry. A Raisin in the Sun. The Ghetto Trap. Retrieved November 28, 2008 at http://www. literature-study-online. com/essays/hansberry. html Corley, Cheryl. A Raisin in the Sun. March 11. 2002. NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2008 at http://www. npr. org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/ Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. â€Å"Lorraine Hansberry. † Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 25. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale. 2007. http://www. edupaperback. org/showauth. cfm? authid=93 Reuben, Paul. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature. Retrieved November 27, 2008 at http://www. csustan. edu/English/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry. html A Raisin in the Sun Essay Lorraine Hansberry’s play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† was far ahead of its time in both depicting the everyday life of black people in a way that everyone can understand and discuss the oppression that black people still felt even though strides had been taken towards civil rights. According to NPR, Hansberry shared the aims for this play with her husband. â€Å"Hansberry told her husband she wanted to write a social drama about blacks that was good art. Instead of stereotyped characters that would bear no resemblance to actual people, she invented a situation that was sometimes painfully realistic. The plot revolves around what her characters do given the opportunity to escape their cramped surroundings† (NPR). Much of the material from this play is based on Hansberry’s own life experiences. They are real characters. The reader can feel Mama’s love for her family and her desire for them to better themselves. Travis should not have to sleep on the couch. Beneatha should be able to be a doctor, but she must be careful not to overspeak according to Mama. Beneatha’s frustration with the â€Å"outdated† ideas of her mother and her brother’s traditional marriage are felt. She is a dreamer and yet the reader wants to believe with her. Walter’s anger is perfectly justified although it gets him nowhere, and Ruth’s increasing frustration with her husband is also justified, especially as they are about to bring another child into the world. The reader hopes that Walter’s scheme will work even though he/she knows it never will. In the end, the family triumphs against daunting odds. They will have to work harder than they ever have to keep their house, and they will never fit into their neighborhood. They will likely face acts of discrimination even more pronounced, but they do not swallow their pride and submit to the demands of Lindner and their neighborhood. Her characters even speak in the dialect of a real Chicago neighborhood. She uses a non-standard dialect that would only be spoken in black communities. The use of the poem of Langston Hughes called â€Å"Dream Deferred† makes the subject and characters even more real. It asks the reader to think about what would happen if someone worked all their lives for a dream and was unable to achieve it. The poem then gives options that fit various people within the play. Anyone who reads the play can definitely see the struggles of African Americans. Hansberry was deeply committed to the fight for civil rights just as her parents had been. The struggles of the Younger family parallel the struggles of African Americans in a time where the discrimination was just beginning to be faced. According to Books and Writers, in 1959 Hansberry had said in a speech: â€Å"The unmistakable roots of the universal solidarity of the colored peoples of the world are no longer â€Å"predictable† as they were in my father’s time – they are here. And I for one, as a black woman in the United States in the mid-Twentieth Century, feel that I am more typical of the present temperament of my people than not, when I say that I cannot allow the devious purposes of white supremacy to lead me to any conclusion other than what may be to most robust and important one of our time: that the ultimate destiny and aspirations of the African peoples and twenty million American Negroes are inextricably and magnificently bound up together forever. † (Books and Writers). This sums up Hansberry’s ideas about the race and shows us how the play deals with the supremacy of whites. It is clear that the white characters like Karl Lindner and Walter’s boss are better off. Even the blacks who sell out in one way or another like George Murchison or Willy Harris are in better places than the Youngers. This family finds it almost impossible to get ahead as the whole social structure is opposed to them. And while this is a play about the American Negro, it is also one with a universal theme. It is also about the failure of the American Dream, which anyone in any time period can relate to. Writing in Commentary, Gerald Weales pointed out that â€Å"Walter Lee’s difficulty †¦ is that he has accepted the American myth of success at its face value, that he is trapped, as Willy Loman [in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman] was trapped by a false dream. In planting so indigenous an image at the center of her play, Miss Hansberry has come as close as possible to what she intended–a play about Negroes which is not simply a Negro play. † (Gale Research). In other words, she has succeeded in discussing an American Negro family, and yet, making it understandable and relatable to everyone of every race. This was no easy task. This is reiterated by Critic Harold Clurman, in the Nation, noted that â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is authentic: it is a portrait of the aspirations, anxieties, ambitions, and contradictory pressures affecting humble Negro fold in an American big city. † (Gale Research). Much of the historical information in this play comes from Lorraine Hansberry’s own life. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, just like in the play. Hansberry’s parents were activists as well as intellectuals and her father was a real estate agent. He violated a covenant law and moved into a white neighborhood. Their white neighbors tried to evict them. Hansberry’s father actually won an antisegregation case that he fought with the aid of the NAACP with the Illinois Supreme Court. These events are the events on which A Raisin in the Sun was loosely based. When Lorraine was eight, her parents bought a house in a white neighborhood, where they were welcomed one night by a racist mob. Their experience of discrimination there led to a civil rights case. Her father won the case; the Supreme Court declared that the discrimination was unconstitutional. However, nothing really happened in reality as a result of winning this case. Hansberry’s family also learned about the results of fighting the system as they faced many prejudices and acts of discrimination because of their fight, such as a brick being thrown through their window. . Hansberry also worked for Freedom, a progressive black newspaper from 1950 to 1953, which is seen in the play’s emphasis on civil rights (PAL). Also according to PAL, â€Å"In 1963 Lorraine Hansberry became very active in the civil rights movement in the South. She was a field organizer for CORE† (PAL). Again, her emphasis on civil rights in the play comes out of her own beliefs and actions. In the play the topic is covered very thoroughly as the Younger family buys a house in a white neighborhood. Houses in black neighborhoods were double the price, and their dream is to get out of the run-down apartment. In discussing this, Hansberry outlines the discrimination built into housing in Chicago and other urban areas. So, they bought the house in the white neighborhood and are elated, but their elation is short-lived because Mr. Lindner shows up. The family fights back as he tries to talk them out of moving by saying things like, â€Å"I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities† (Hansberry 2. 3. 65). He ends with a statement about Linder hoping the family knows what they are getting themselves into. In the end, even after Walter loses the money, the family decides to move anyway. They will take extra jobs to make sure that their children have a better life. Hansberry’s interest in Africa began at an early age. According to Books and Writers, in an unfinished, partly autobiographical novel Hansberry wrote: â€Å"In her emotions she was sprung from the Southern Zulu and the Central Pygmy, the Eastern Watusi and the treacherous slave-trading Western Ashanti themselves. She was Kikuyu and Masai, ancient cousins of hers had made the exquisite forged sculpture at Benin, while surely even more ancient relatives sat upon the throne at Abu Simbel watching over the Nile†¦ † (Book and Writers). This love of and interest in Africa is shown through both Asagai and Beneatha. Beneatha and Asagai show this interest in African pride in a time in America that was well before Africans began taking interest in their roots or going back to Africa. Asagai is from Africa and has great pride in it; Beneatha is interested in her roots even though she does things like straighten her hair, which Asagai says is assimilationist. Asagai even woos her with his pride in his country. For example, â€Å"I will show you our mountains and our stars; and give you cool drinks from gourds, and teach you the old songs and the ways of our people† (Hansberry 3. 1. 55). While Walter makes fun of all the African conversation, that is also historically accurate ahead of its time. Many Africans were interested in their past and wanted to learn about their terrible past. Some, such as Malcolm X, even went so far as to change their name to reflect their former slave status. Others thought the interest was dumb, a part of their past, not their future. Lorraine Hansberry also puts Beneatha forth as a feminist long before women began demanding their rights. The National Organization for Women was not formed until the late 1960s. Yet Beneatha is a feminist. When Asagai makes the statement, â€Å"For a woman it should be enough†, Beneatha replies, â€Å"I know—because that’s what it says in all the novels that men write. But it isn’t. Go ahead and laugh—but I’m not interested in being someone’s little episode in America† (Hansberry 1. 2. 114). She wants to be a doctor, and her conviction is so strong that the reader believes her. Hansberry was also a feminist ahead of her time to put these ideas into writing. Even though Beneatha seems to â€Å"flit† from one thing to another, she is in the process of finding her identity. Exploring options and experiencing life is the way that she will find herself as well as having diverse friends like Joseph Asagai. Even her name implies that she believes everything is beneath her. Sometimes irritating, Beneatha is a true feminist before her time. Feminist as anything else is a progression in coming into womanhood. For example, Mama speaks matter-of-factly of her husband’s womanizing ways. She does not condemn him, but seems to accept that womanizing is what men do. Ruth would not put up with that from Walter although she does defer to him on a number of occasions. She also has a more gentle way of getting him to come around. Beneatha represents the â€Å"new woman† or feminist in that she would not put up with any of this. She wants to forge her own identity independent of a man. She believes that people must accept her as she is and refused to â€Å"be nice† as Mama tells her. This play also shows the change in black arts and intellectualism. According to Schmoop, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is part of broader shift in black art towards depicting working-class, ordinary African-Africans. Previously, black intellectuals did not use literature, art, or the stage to portray working-class African-Americans for fear they would perpetuate undesirable stereotypes. † (Schmoop). Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes both thought this idea ridiculous. They, in fact, felt the opposite. They felt that they could challenge these stereotypes by writing about them. Also according to Schmoop, â€Å"By focusing on the dreams and aspirations of one particular working-class black family, moreover, Hansberry was able to show audiences the universality of black aspirations while also demonstrating that their race posed a significant barrier to achieving those goals† (Schmoop). That is precisely what Hansberry did. She showed the trials and struggles of one family. The family is black, and some of the themes only those of color could relate to but others are universal—family love, sibling rivalry, wanting the best for children, wanting to make money and have more, etc. A Raisin in the Sun is a masterful play. While some see it overly simplistic, Hansberry gives us the gamut of African American response to the oppression that was still occurring. Walter is just angry. Mama and Ruth are more concerned with just getting by and providing better opportunities for the next generation. Willy Harris steals from his own to get ahead, and George Murchison rejects his own upbringing. Asagai also rejects American ways, but he is African. Beneatha most represents Lorraine Hansberry as she tries to fight the system, fight society’s expectations of her as a black woman, and forge her own identity. All emotions are represented in this play. Works Cited Books and Writers. http://www. kirjasto. sci. fi/corhans. htm http://www. shmoop. com/intro/literature/lorraine-hansberry/a-raisin-in-the-sun. html Colas, Brandon. Lorraine Hansberry. A Raisin in the Sun. The Ghetto Trap. Retrieved November 28, 2008 at http://www. literature-study-online. com/essays/hansberry.html Corley, Cheryl. A Raisin in the Sun. March 11. 2002. NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2008 at http://www. npr. org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/ Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. â€Å"Lorraine Hansberry. † Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 25. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale. 2007. http://www. edupaperback. org/showauth. cfm? authid=93 Reuben, Paul. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature. Retrieved November 27, 2008 at http://www. csustan. edu/English/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry. html A Raisin in the Sun Essay A Raisin in the Sun is a story of the Younger Family dealing with racial problems in Chicago slums. Ten thousand dollars arrives in the mail and Lena has to decide what to do with it. Bennie wants it for tuition money, Walter wants it for down payment for the liqueur store and Ruth just wants everyone to be happy. So there is three major events happening: (1) Lena decides to buy a house in a white neighborhood, (2) Lena entrusts the rest of the money to Walter telling him to save a good amount for Beneatha’s schooling and (3)Walter loses all the money in the liquor store scam. In all these dilemmas Lena has a plant that she talks and takes care of it through out the story. Mama’s plant symbolizes hope for the future. In act one scene one Mama says â€Å" Lord, if this little old plant don’t get more sun than it’s been getting it ain’t never going to see spring again.( Hansberry, 40)† In the beginning that the plants needs sun because its in a room with a little window and Mama worries that it will not spring so it shows that even thought it does not have enough sun and it is still surviving so it wants to holding because it knows it will be in a better place and become stronger in the future. In act one scene one Mama says â€Å"They spirited all right, my children. Got to admit they got spirit- Bennie and Walter.. Like this little old plant that ain’t never had enough sunshine or nothing – and look at it†¦(Hansberry,52)† Mama Knows that Bennie and Walter are strong and do not just give up like that plant which shows hope for the future for both them to hold out for that soil and that house even thought it has racism they can get through it like the plant without the sun. Beneath: â€Å"Mama, what are you doing?† Mama:â€Å" Fixing my plant so it won’t get hurt none on the way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Beneatha: Mama, you going to take that to the new house?(Hansberry,121)† Mama: †un-huh-† Beneatha: â€Å" that raggedy-looking old thing?† Mama: It EXPRESSES ME!† Even thought Beneath tells Mama how the plant is old and worthless she knows that expresses her. Mama’s plant does not symbolizes anything because all she talks about is getting the garden since all she has is one plant so she says the houses in her neighborhood have their garden. â€Å"well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home. This plant is close as I ever got to having one.(Hansberry,53)† Lena just wanted to have a garden since she could not have one when she was little because she was a slave. So that plant is the  closest thing she ever had to a garden. Although some may be able to argue that Mama’s plant does not symbolizes anything because she only wants a garden with her house. She wants a garden and that plant is the only thing she can have but it does mean the plant symbolizes hope because sh e treats the plant like one of her children she nurtures it and wants to take it to a new house to live. Mama’s plant is hope for the future because it thrived or lived through not having a lot of light through that small window in the apartment just like the family went through racism.