Evaluating The Banality Of Evil Thesis

Evaluating The Banality Of Evil Thesis The word evil exists in many cultures universally around the world. The word evil was previously, on the whole, limited to religious and secular beliefs. However, although the word exists around the world, the meaning of evil is not collective. James Waller (2002:12) argues that part of the reason for this is because the word has been overused. Waller explains that people replace wrong or shocking with the term evil. Waller notes two types of evil: human evil and natural evil. Natural evil occurs due to natural processes of changes and is not due to human involvement. An example is an earthquake resulting in loss of lives. Human evil occurs as a result of conscious intentions and decisions made by humans. Introduction to Arendt and the book The origin of the term the banality of evil is the caption from the American philosopher, Hannah Arendts book published in 1963 called Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. In 1961, Arendt was present at the Adolf Eichmann trial in Jerusalem whilst working as a reporter for The New Yorker newspaper. She held an interest in the trial as she wished to understand what led an ordinary person to become involved in the mass murder of Jewish citizens during the Holocaust. Arendt examines the actual trial and other issues related to the trial such as; the personality of Eichmann, nature of evil and she also wrote a considerable amount regarding the flaws of the trial. Arendt stated the trial is show trial where the trial was just a formality as Eichmann was already convicted. Arendt mentions throughout the book that Eichmann was not appropriately defended nor was he allowed adequate access to his lawyer. Eichmann was hanged on May 31, 1962 after being found guilty by the I sraeli courts on fifteen counts of crime against the Jewish people and humanity. About BON Evil takes place due to excessive thoughtlessness by those who are not evil as a nature. Eichmann did not possess the ability to think independently therefore he did not question the moral activities of the state (Arendt, 1961). Eichmanns weakness was that he was extremely shallow and therefore he was unable to think from another individuals viewpoint. Due to this, he was unable to understand that by following Nazi orders, he became involved in the bloodbath which ultimately led to his death sentence. Eichmann strived for a work promotion and therefore, Arendt summarised that there were no motives at all. Clarke suggests that Arendt planned to contrast with Kants notion of radical evil and to suggest Eichmanns as a thoughtless individual with no satanic or other shockingly evil aims. Arendts study of the Eichmann trial assured her that Eichmann was ordinary and that his banality was apparent in his thoughtlessness. The phrase the banality of evil is mentioned once in the book and this is during the last chapter of the book. Arendt did not elaborate on what she meant by the phrase but readers can understand what she meant due to hints throughout the book. The banality of evil thesis is the notion that ordinary people commit barbaric acts without realisation of what they are doing. About (thoughtlessness) However, it is clear from Arendts report of Eichmann that he had knowledge, and that he was able to rationalise and showed willpower. Eichmann would face difficulties in common social situations if he did not possess these senses. Due to no known difficulties in using his judgement to will and reason, Eichmann had success in the Third Reich. There is theoretical implication in the claim that Eichmann did not think. This is indeed a fundamental element of her analysis of the threats of modern civilisation. Arendt believed that Eichmann was an extreme illustration of the risks of thoughtlessness. Arendt argued that thoughtlessness was a common feature of this time period and she therefore proposes, that it is important to think what we are doing (Arendt, 1958: 5). Arendt deemed the psychology of thinking, willing and judging as independent components and supports Hume with the view that reasoning alone cannot influence the willing (Arendt, 1978: 70). Arendt commonly treated thought and action as separate components which were a key to understanding her political beliefs. Arendt explained that judging is simply reflecting on thoughts and viewing situations to create judgements but this does not tell you how to act. (Arendt, 1978: 58). According to Arendt, although action is always social and collective, it is the will which is the most unique of all the human capabilities. The will is what presents the foundation for characterisation of the person. This characterisation caused by the will then creates problems for the concept of freedom. According to Arendt, freedom without any barriers is frightening (Arendt, 1978: 195-6). Support for BON Historian Dick de Mildts review supported the banality of evil thesis. De Mildt studied individuals on trial for alleged involvement with the Nazis. He explained that the individuals he studied were not killers by conviction but somewhat killers by circumstances. Eichmann was unable to view the consequences of his decisions. It appeared that he could only understand that he was doing his job. During the trial Eichmann asserted that he simply sat in his office and completed his work, Ich sass am Schreibtisch und machte meine Sachen (Papadatos, 1964: 29). Carnahan and McFarland (2007) note that there is a general understand, that evil only prevails because normal and honest human beings become fiends when they are in egregious situations; particularly, when their judgment is sabotaged by compliance to a more authoritative mass. This view is epitomised in the notion of the banality of evil thesis. Lozowick (2002) notes the banality of evil thesis has become a lasting aspect of understanding in the West, and is therefore a gist of what occurs in the present society. At the same time that Eichmann was appearing in court for his crimes, Stanley Milgram (1963, 1974) was carrying out his studies on obedience. In his study, normal and psychologically stable men participated in a false memory test, as the role of teachers. These men were willing to administer electric jolts of increasing level to another person, who acted as learner, whenever the latter answered incorrectly. Every single participant was ready to deliver powerful tremors of 300 volts. Sixty-five per cent complied with all the experimenters requirements, distributing shocks of the highest voltage at 450 volts. Milgrams conclusion therefore supports Arendts argument that ordinary individuals can be responsible for harmful acts, but also, his reasoning reflected hers too. Milgram explained that when people are faced by authoritative individuals, they surrender responsibility for their actions to those in charge. Critics state that the explanations from Arendt and Milgram are merely coinci dental but further evidence suggests otherwise. Blass (2004) noted that Milgram worked without any influence from previous theories during his 1963 study. Further support comes from the field of psychology in the form of the Stanford Prison Experiment. This experiment was conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1973. In this study, participants were randomly allocated to the role of a prisoner or a prison guard. The aim was to monitor the group interactions which developed over a two weeks period. The study had many intricate details, but the main point that is of relevance for this essay is that the guards embraced their positions with violence and therefore the study was discontinued after six days. There were increased fears about the safety of the prisoners, who were restricted by the guards to a continuous cycle of mockery, deprivation, and ill-treatment. As with Milgrams work, the influence of Zimbardos ideas has also been strengthened by their correlation with supports from other academic fields. An example is, Brownings (1992) review of the actions of Reserve Police Battalion (RPB) 101 between 1942 and 1943. Members of the RPB would travel around Poland and gather the groups of people targeted by the Final Solution- predominantly Jews. The battalion was responsible for the murder of at least 38,000 Jews (Browning, 1992). Browning emphasises that the members were not extremist nor anti-Semite who were aware that their action was not obligatory. Browning agrees with Milgram that these ordinary mens moral judgement suspended after entering an agentic state. Browning agrees with Zimbardo that this happened without leadership. Browning uses the Stanford Prison Experiment to suggest that the situation in Poland in the 1940s was adequate to turn ordinary people into mass murderers (Browning, 1992: 168). Against BON Psychologists and medical analysts who examined Eichmann had formerly maintained that he was a man obsessed with a dangerous and insatiable urge to kill who had a dangerous and perverted personality (Arendt, 1963: 21) According to Arendt, Eichmann was merely ignorant of his own evilness. He believed he had neither murdered anyone himself, nor had he instructed anyone to be murdered. Arendt also believed that Eichmann seemed alarmingly normal. Ardent explained that Eichmann was not a serial killer whose intentions were evil but that he was determined to stringently follow rules and obey orders. According to the Israeli investigators who interviewed him, Eichmann showed no dislike for the Jewish people. Although he ordered the death of many, Eichmann did not feel emotionally involved in the incident. Arendt (1963) notes that Eichmann killed people instinctively and obediently. Ardent noted the fact that Eichmann had lost his ability to make moral decisions. Due to a passion with perfecting the practical aspects of the holocaust (e.g. organising vehicles to carry the Jews), Eichmann and his colleagues had no understanding that what they were doing was immoral. Michael Selzer (1977) is an American researcher who sent images drawn by Eichmann to six psychologists. Their job was to analyse the images using personality tests, such as the Bender-Gestalt and the House-Person-Tree Tests. The psychologists were made aware of the age, sex and the importance of the person who drew the pictures. The majority of the psychologists concluded that the subject had a violent and a neurotic personality. Once the psychologists were presented with the name of the person who drew the images, Selzer concluded that the psychologists were not surprised to learn that his name was Adolf Eichmann. Thomas Litwack (1977), however, criticised the study as the researchers may have been aware who they were evaluated. Litwack explained that as Michael Selzer, a renowned psychologist was in charge of the tests, the psychologists who were examining the images may have guessed that the subject may be a figure who is well-known. Furthermore, as a psychometric test was require d, the subject may be mentally unstable or may have committed something inhumane. These hints may have led the psychologists to guess that the subject is Adolf Eichmann. Stephen Whitfield (1981) notes that the results would have been more plausible if the psychologists chose Eichmanns drawing from a selection of other subjects, who may also have also committed atrocities or be alleged to be psychologically unstable. Nevertheless the psychological tests did not create a relationship between his destructiveness and the intolerance towards Jewish people, which the prosecutor ascribed to him (Whitfield., 1981). To challenge the notion that Eichmann was not banal, Cesarani (2004) observes that Arendt only attended the first few days of Eichmanns trial in 1963, in which he gave a statement. Cesarani argues that Eichmann used this opportunity to weaken the claims made by the prosecution team that Eichmann was an evil extremist, thus he purposely appeared ordinary and dull. Due to an early departure from the trial, Arendt did not witness the evidence from victims who indicated that Eichmann was anything but a banal member of the government. Vetlesen (2005: 5) claims that by suggesting that Eichmann was thoughtless, Arendt only believed his portrayal of himself in court. A thorough inspection of evidence from the past also approves the negative image of Eichmann. Haslam (2007: 618) points out that Eichmanns views changed after becoming more involved with the Nazi movement. Above all, his views on how to deal with the Jewish people changed from one of leaving the country voluntarily to one of implementing and organising transportation to the death camps. Haslam argues that Eichmann had more involvement in the deaths of many, instead of merely following orders; that is, Eichmann developed new ways to carry out deportations, to such an extent that he was appraised and acknowledged by his superiors. Haslam provides evidence that on an occasion, Eichmann was involved in a conflict with his superior (by the name of Himmler) due to Himmler adopting a more pacific strategy to the one recommended by Eichmann. Haslam concludes that Eichmann was aware of his actions and in court displayed no repentance not remorse as he was not banal. Rees (1997) notes that the orders issue by superiors in the Nazi movement were vague, in terms of what was expected. Therefore, Eichmann had to use his imagination to impress the FÃ ¼hrer. This explanation is supported by Vetlesen (2005) who reviewed evidence showing that Nazi members were consciously aware of what they were doing, believed in the cause and once the orders were followed, celebrations were held. Vetlesen provides an example in Schutzstaffeln (SS) officers ensuring every member was involved in the ethnic-cleansing at least once; therefore administrators working in offices were also involved in the crimes. In this way, previous views of Eichmann, the banality of evil and the holocaust are challenged with evidence suggesting that these incidents are not normal and do not occur due to thoughtlessness. Rather Haslam points out that sheer determination and planning is needed. Further support discrediting the banality of evil is from Lozowick, (2002: 279) who states that, Eichamnn and his fellow bureaucrats worked hard and thought hard, over a lengthy period of time, over how they would carry out their crimes. Goldhagen (1996) questions Brownings (1992) attempts to make the Reserve Police Battalion (RPB) 101 appear banal. Goldhagen (1996: 168) categorises battalion members into three groups: enthusiastic killers, shooters and ghetto clearers and refusers and evaders. Goldhagen notes that the enthusiastic killers were actively looking for ways to receive more involvement in their tasks. Although their acts are not entirely due to the civilisation and group contexts in which they took place, neither Hitlers agents, members of the battalion, Milgrams participants, nor Zimbardos guards became insensitive machines. Therefore, the true shock is not that those involved in the holocaust were unaware of the nature of what they were doing. It is actually that they genuinely believe what they are doing is right. Rees (1977) argues that their actions occurred not due to a mechanical compliance but due to ingenious and fanatical reasons. By arguing that Nazi criminals were not banal, means that there are attempts to disregard Milgrams research on obedience. It is unclear whether the participants in Milgrams obedience and Zimbardos prison study entered in an agentic state due to the presence of an authority. This explanation does not explain why the participants in Milgram study experienced chronic doubts and showed conflicts in their moral judgement as a result of their role as a teacher. Self-categorization theory states that what people learn about particular groups, before deciding to join them, leads them to understand more about themselves. Turner Oakes (1986) use this theory to explain that groups play a role in transforming its members by changing the personality of their members and the way they express particular moods. Therefore when members behave according to group norms, they are less likely to speak out and express their true beliefs. Therefore Eichmann held authoritarian views before being involved with the Nazis but as involvement increased, his views became extreme and to a different depth. However, it is not enough for effective tyrants to be more violent, they need to hold a certain degree of social influence so that individuals holding similar but less radical views do not attempt to interfere or oppose them. As social circumstance change, individuals who were insignificant previously, begin to be seen as symbolising group values. This leads them to take a position where they order other group members on what is right and what (Turner, 1987). From this, they become leaders who achieve the authority to manipulate activities through their control over others (Turner, 2005). Moreover, leaders do not just take advantage of the transformed social context; they actively try to change the social context in order to suit their needs (Reicher et al., 2005). This demonstrates the expansion and the success of the Nazis. Nazi members in the early days made various attempts to weaken the Weimar Republic and to create a civil unrest. Later, they were also able to claim power by providing a solution to a problem created by them. The Nazi regime offered authoritarian solutions promising that such solutions would bring back traditional german values. As Nazism was accepted as the way forward, the political system and the legislative system changed according the Nazism requirements. Ardent initially attempted to explain the banality of evil through the concept of radical evil; this was the highest form of evil. She believed that radical evil was the reason for concentration camps; the victims were treated as valueless not as human beings. Criticism of Zimbardo The key feature from Zimbardos study was that, the acts of aggression by the guards occurred, as a consequence of constantly dressing in the attire of a guard and delivering the authority which is intrinsic to this job. (Haney et al., 1973: 62) note that people do not essentially need the pressure of strong leaders (as Milgram previously stated) in order to stop using their sense of moral judgement and commit atrocities. Alessandra Stanley (2006) agreed with Haney et al. because the participants in the Stanford Prison Experiment were instructed to play the role of a guard not to be abusive. Therefore by being abusive, the participants conformed to their own ideas of how a prison guard should behave and of how to hold authority. Similar criticisms have been made of Zimbardos study. It was found that Zimbardo instructed the guards that the prisoners must sense fear and must be under constant surveillance. By doing so, Zimbardo gave ideas to his guards on how he would like them to torment the prisoners. This does not show Zimbardo as a neutral experimenter (Haslam, 2007: 620). Carnahan and McFarlands (2007) conducted a study to understand which types of people are attracted to tyrannical groups. They studied the Stanford Prison Experiment and noted that those participants who volunteered to participate in this study were not necessarily ordinary individuals. These individuals tended to be aggressive and egotistical by nature, than the individuals who volunteered for controlled and safer experiments. This explanation fits in with Vetlesens (2005) understanding that the individuals who were drawn to the Nazism or similar extremist groups do so as they feel a connection with the groups principles and believe this will give them an identity. Vetlesen also highlights the importance of tactical issues and career enhancement when analysing individuals who were linked with the Nazis. This explains why doctors and engineers were amongst the Nazi members as they believed it gave them unlimited opportunities to follow their aspirations. Hence he argues that for organised evil to work there needs to be a mergence between individual and institutional factors to work towards a similar goal. Radical Evil Arendt argues that radical evil is perpetrated through a three step process. Firstly, all of the individuals legal right are taken away. Concentrations camps fulfilled these criteria as the inmates held there were not recognised as individuals who hold legal rights. The ability to make moral judgements is the second criteria, which is also taken away. As the person lacks a moral self, he is unable to choose good over bad. The final step to the radicalisation process is spontaneity. According to Arendt the concentration camps depicts how human spontaneity can be destabilised by the occurrence of dictatorship. Conclusion: Arendt suggests that evil is not limited to callous individuals. Cesarani (2004) notes that although on one hand there was nothing from Eichmanns life before the Nazi, which could suggest his reasons for committing crimes, but he was nevertheless different. It was his personal background which attracted him to Nazism; the more involved he became, the more callous his actions were. According to Cesarani this meant he had more role in the Nazis than Arendt understands; he was involved on a creative dictatorial level which demands deeper level of thinking. Looking at tyrarny and group dynamics it can be argued that evil can appear banal in these situations. However, the developments of the groups and their motives are a complex process. Therefore, Haslam argues that the normalisation of evil is not banal. The phrase banality of evil is left to interpretation due to a lack of clarity by Arendt. This has rendered the phrase open to interpretation and attacks by critic. This theory has instilled the view that every human is capable of committing evil. This means that those who commit evil acts are not different from normal human beings. From Arendts work, it is possible to understand that ordinary individuals can commit evil acts depending on the correct circumstances. From this insight it is learnt that the ability to commit evil lies in everyone. However, it does not explain how so people commit evil. Browning (1992) thus assumes that as the members of Reserve Police Battalion 101 were capable to commit mass murders; all other men are also capable to do this under the right circumstances. This theory has powerful and convincing support from multiple disciples (eg., Haney et al., 1973; Zimbaro et al., 1973; Milgram, 1963). To understand the Banality of evil thesis, its important to acknowledge that when humans are banal it does not mean that they are simple. As previous examples (e.g. Milgram; Zimbardo) have demonstrated, humans do not act decidedly and mechanically. For those who do act in an evil way, they are consciously aware and are involved in a moral conflict.

The Greek Underwood Essay -- History, The Erinyes, Zeus

THESIS STATEMENT The Greek Underworld can be a dark place, especially for those who have angered the gods, where one can see how the punishments often times fit the crime. PURPOSE STATEMENT Throughout this research paper the Underworld is portrayed as a dark place where those who committed crimes are punished for them which can be extremely brutal. INTRODUCTION The Underworld is often times portrayed only as dark place for criminals, which it is, but it’s where everyone goes after death. â€Å"Souls of the dead who carried an ancient Greek coin in their mouths were ferried across another underworld river, the Styx, by Charon, to begin eternity as citizens of his dark kingdom. Those who did not have a coin remained, lamenting, by the riverside.† (Evans 16). The Underworld is where everyone spent the rest of their afterlife. It was a strict place and there was no escaping. Each person was judged when they entered. â€Å"Osiris became king and judge of the dead in the underworld.† (Ingpen, Perham 18). The Erinyes or the Furies are who punishes the people who have committed crime. Virgil is the one who places them as to where they go. â€Å"The Erinyes – or the Furies – were regarded by some of the poets as his [Hades] daughters, and the three (or sometimes four) of them are often shown standing beside his throne. They were of fearsome appearance, often garbed in black cloaks soaked in blood†¦above all those who murdered their own kin.† (Allen 52-3). The Erinyes ruled with the God of the Underworld, Hades. He was the god who controlled everything that went on in the Underworld. â€Å"Hades was seen as a dark and unattractive god, hard-hearted and merciless.† (Allen 52). Hades was not always the nicest god to be around. But he was ... ...ping from them. They spent the rest of their life being tormented. The underworld has different meanings to it. It’s not just a place for punishment. It is the afterlife for everyone. The underworld is where people go after death. There are different ways to go through it depending on the life that person had lived. They have to sail across different rivers. When they arrive, they are sent to be judged on where they will spend their time in the underworld. If they did not live a good life they will be punished for it. If they lived a good life they go to a place that’s like paradise. Some people who committed serious crimes are sent down right away and they are tortured for all eternity. The underworld cannot always just be a place for those who have not lived the way they should have but also a place for those who did live the life they should live.

Analysis of Alexander Popes An Essay on Man -- Pope An Essay on Man

Analysis of Alexander Pope's An Essay on Man    There are three main issues that Pope talks about in his long poem "An Essay on Man." First, the poet evokes a timeless vision of humanity in which the universe is connected to a great chain that extends from God to the tiniest form of life. Secondly, Pope discusses God's plan in which evil must exist for the sake of the greater good, a paradox not fully understandable by human reason. Thirdly, the poem accuses human beings of being proud and impious. Pope feels that man claims more insight into the nature of existence then he possesses. In "An Essay on Man" Pope is trying to make clear the relationship of humanity to the universe, himself, society and also to happiness. He states "For me health gushes from a thousand springs; seas roll to waft me suns to light- me rise; My footstool earth my canopy the skies" (330). Pope implies that the universe is created for man's pleasures and needs and so therefore we are all connected to the chain of universal order. Through this connection man realizes that all are part of one stupendous whole. He then suggests that this order extends further then we know; any interference with it could destroy the whole. Pope asks in the poem,   "Is the greater chain, that draws all to agree,   upheld by God or thee?" (327). Here he explains that by conforming to the order of the universe we can all agree on and connect to one goal. Through this connection, we would then reach the purest form of humanity. The belief in this poem is that although things do not turn out well for some individuals, everything falls into place in the great chain of the universe. In the long run everything works out for the best, Pope argues. Because humanity is ignor... ...m with these words: "Whatever is, is right" (333). This implies that things are done or happen for a reason. When humanity tries to change things for individual gain rather than the improvement of the whole it weakens the chain, which in turn affects the rest of the universe. I believe we are all individuals who are connected to a higher power, whatever that power may be. The beauty of humanity is exactly that individuality. I agree with Pope in the sense that we are all connected somehow, but I do not agree with total submission in order to achieve total unity. Rather than total submission, I believe our mission is to connect with the universe by using the special gifts given to us by the power that unites us. Works Cited   Pope, Alexander. "Essay on Man." Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces 6th ed. Ed. Maynard Mack et.al. New York: Norton, 1992. 326-333

A comparison between to Modern poems Essay

The two poems that will be compared both concern the topic of old age, but each has it’s own interpretation on the subject. The first, â€Å"Warning† by Jenny Joseph, is about a woman who wishes to live her life recklessly, instead of aging stereotypically. The second poem, â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† by U.A. Fanthorpe, expresses the effects of how old age can dramatically change a person’s perspective of their own life. Both poems concern the topic of old age, but after just a single reading of each it is clear that the tone differs tremendously. This is possibly where the most obvious observation can be made when considering the poems. â€Å"Warning† has a distinctive spirited feeling about it, where as â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† is able to convey the feelings of sorrow and remorse felt by the person concerned, with ease. This is an important aspect of any poem, and is a useful tool to assist a poem in its direction. Another important aspect of each of these poems is the actual topic of old age, and how it is perceived by the person in question. During â€Å"Warning†, old age is thought of as a rather mundane event for a person that signals the end of a life, and allows the person to fade away. This is also very much the case in â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† because of its tone, which is more sorrowful than in â€Å"Warning†, which portrays that the sarcastic stereotypical attitude shown in the third stanza of â€Å"warning† is actually a reality for some people. This is where the subject of each of the poems can be clearly seen. â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† is about a man that old age has crept upon, and has produced an unrecognisable person who is quite different from his original character. Past â€Å"Lord once of shed, garage and garden† Present â€Å"I’ve lost my hammer.† The above quotes provide reasonable evidence supporting this idea, as they represent how the man in the poem went from king of his domain- to something quite unrecognisable. However, the woman concerned in the poem â€Å"Warning†, shows a great will to change from her present character into what can only be described as a second childhood. It tells us that she is not only willing to become a different person, but that she is willing to attempt to stray away from the stereotypical view of old age. â€Å"And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves, And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.† It’s not just the tone that adds effect to the poems, but the titles also give us further insight into the poems they belong to. In the title Old Man, Old Man, the repetition of old man emphasises the man’s age, and the title’s repetition within the poem allows us to see that this aspect is quite important. Repetition is used throughout the poem, trying to show us that things such as his missing hammer and that he is unable to find his way to Drury Lane are important to the man in question. They also tell us that he is no longer as independent as he used to be. â€Å"I can see you, you said to me, but only as a cloud.† This comment within the poem explains to the narrator (who is possibly one of the man’s children) that the old man acknowledges that they are there, but becomes unaware of them. If we carry on through the final stanzas, we can see that the narrator wishes to assist the old man, but only as a cloud. This means that the old man can receive aid without losing his independence. The previous idea placed before the last quote can be supported as can this idea of having lost independence, without adding ridicule: â€Å"Let me find your hammer, let me walk with you to Drury lane. I am only a cloud.† â€Å"Warning’s† title, however, is slightly less obvious, but if it is analysed it can clearly be seen that the poem is not a warning for old age, but of being stereotypical, as this is exactly what the women doesn’t want to be. Repetition is also used within â€Å"Warning†, but not to the extent that it was used by â€Å"Old Man, Old Man†. It is used here not only for effect, but to emphasise things that the writer perhaps feels is important and should be taken into consideration. A good example of this during â€Å"Warning† can be found on the first and last lines, First line: â€Å"When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple.† Last line: â€Å"When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.† In this context, it shows us that old age will only be realized when she starts doing the things she planned upon doing as an elderly person. This is similar to â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† because within the poem, is a similar realization of old age. The poems mixture of tenses allows us to see this analysis of the aging process; this mainly refers to â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† but does occur during â€Å"Warning†. From reading the two poems, I have realised that old age makes a great impact on a person’s life, and it is up to them as to how they spend that time. Both â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† by U.A. Fanthorpe and â€Å"Warning† by Jenny Joseph contain different interpretations of old age from different perspectives. â€Å"Old Man, Old Man† could be seen as the stereotypical form of old age mentioned in â€Å"Warning†, and shows us that the woman doesn’t wish to be anything like the man, even though she probably knows that’s what she will be. This realization of old age is one thing that each of the poems has in common, although it is an experience in one, and an anticipation in another. Perhaps the poems are related to their writers, and consist of memories or feelings that they’ve had towards a relation (in the case of â€Å"Old Man, Old Man†) or even themselves (â€Å"Warning†). Each of the poems express similar use of different tenses, as do they use repetition to effect key sections, which adds depth. The titles of each of the poems also accomplish this, and are important because they set the tone for the poems. Although the content and tone of each of the poems is drastically different, it can be seen that they are really quite similar in the way they explain their opinions and views of old age, and their concerns when considering the topic. Each leads to a convincing perception of old age and a valid interpretation of their lives from that point onwards.

Annalitical paragraph Miriam

Deanne C Why did Capote end the story this way? In the story â€Å"Miriam† by Truman Capote he purposefully created dual endings of this story. The dual ending theory is one that has been debated for years. One of the creepiest endings in this popular story is one where the character Miriam is actually an apparition that haunts Mrs.. Miller and refuses to leave. For example, in the last line of the story Mrs.. Miller says â€Å"Hello to Miriam† implying that Miriam has never left and plans to torment Mrs.. Miller forever.Capote chose this ending because it epic's mystery, suspense and creates an overall creepy undertone. This ending is a more â€Å"Hollywood† ending, thus increasing the enjoyment of the short story. However, in Capote's second ending this was a more light and upbeat ending that infuses hope into the reader. He ends the story with a clear moral message, always live your life to the fullest, and enjoy the little things. In this ending Mrs.. Miller investigates herself, and experiences a rude awakening when she finds out her real relationship with Miriam.As Capote illustrates In the story uniquely; Mrs.. Miller admits to herself â€Å"For the only thing that she had lost to Miriam was her Identity'. From this direct line from the story Capote conveys to the readers Mrs.. Millers anxiety was not really directed to Miriam, but the abrupt loss of her solitude life In which she has become so accustom to. In conclusion, Capote ended the story with dual endings depending on the reader's interpretation of the story. Capote's goal was to force the reader to choose an ending that best suits the person reading It.

Boston Matrix - Refresher Essay Example for Free

Boston Matrix – Refresher Essay According to those two figures and based on some sales figure from Unilever’s marketing department, it is clear that most of its products are in the maturity stage and ‘Cash-Cow’ products except for some new products which are undergoing the introduction stage or growth stage because there are many similar new products which are developed in China and focusing on Chinese consumer. The annual sales figure appear that, in personal care sector, its products have been kept in a slightly increase or decrease lever and tend to grow to a stable maximum level. However, because of in the huge market, the amount of sales normally is significant. This situation, therefore, could be effective for Unilever China run and maintain its business owing to the enormous cashflow. It also contributed to launching Unilever’s sixth Research and Development (R & D) Laboratory in China, 2000 in order to meet the everyday needs of the Chinese consumer and develop more products for the Chinese market. Facing the pressure form not only another large firm ‘P & G’ but also a lot of local booming manufactures, Unilever China has adopted a lot of effective measures in order to compete with them. For instance, frequent products promotion with the purpose of offering more profits to the customers and keeping the lower price. In addition, in order to maintain the awareness of brands, Unilever launches a lot of brilliant advertisements by using many famous pop stars in every season. Commentary on the three underlying systems: Technical, People, Economic (including: Organisational use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) A. Technical When I was working in ChinadotCom corporation Shanghai branch, I had had a lot of opportunities of communicating with IT staff of Unilever China. According to the information which I have gained form them, it is clear that if there was no supporting from Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), possibly, all of its business and management would be out of control. ICT plays a significant role of management in lots of successful western firms as well as in Unilever. Thus, when Unilever re-entered China in 1990, it also brought some advanced management systems especially Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software which it had already operated in most of its subsidiaries into Unilever China. Throughout six years’ development, based on original ERP system, Unilever China has been building a brand-new Management Information System (MIS) which is different between the common MIS during current years. This new MIS concentrates in generating and analysing date source which forwards to provide efficient reports rather than the function of information communication. Unilever China has launched a number of separated information systems such as Dealer Management System (DMS), Sales Information System (SIS) and Supplier Management System as well. All of them have integrated with MIS through ERP in order to offer standard data source. Moreover, it has planned to launch a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system owing to maintain high proportion of royalty among its consumers. As we know, most multinational companies adopt single united globe standard for their IT equipments including hardware and software as well as Unilever. It should be easy and effective for the companies to manage and maintain the whole systems for example, once any engineer of Unilever turns on any PC of Unilever, there would be the same operation system and application software in the PC. However, for Unilever China, this situation could lead to some problems when it would like to merge other companies. It also has cost Unilever China much money and labour to integrate all the different systems which the fourteen joint ventures had been used, when it was carrying out the two revolutions. B. People In a world where technologies and markets are speedily changing, as well as in China, both local knowledge and globe proficiency have been required to deeply understand and meet the complex needs of the 150 million customers who choose Unilever’s products everyday. It is very important, therefore, for Unilever China to make its employees localising as possible as it could. At its beginning stage, Unilever China had employed more one hundred foreign staffs including managers and professionals. Although they had more working experience and good management approaches, there still had been some disadvantages of this state. Firstly, it had led to the high cost of labour because Unilever should pay nearly six times more than employing local people. Secondly, most of foreign staffs, they had not had enough knowledge of Chinese economy environment. This might provide some wrong decisions in both marketing and manufacture areas. Finally, because they had been so proud of their characters and positions, they tended to be difficult to communicate with local people. All in all, thus, Unilever China has modified its mind to reduce the number of foreign staffs and offer more opportunities to local employees. (Unilever China, 2001) In every recent year, Unilever China has sent numbers of its local managers abroad to practise for senior positions in their own countries. Its target of 95 percent local management in China includes five percent of local managers who are also working overseas at any given time. On the other hand, in purpose of reducing the cost of workforce, Unilever China decided to cut down the number of workforce in Shanghai which is in the highest level of working payment in China, and move its manufactures to the lower cost place. C. Economic Inside Unilever China, the significant motive of two revolutions is to decrease their working expenditures and utilise all the business resource efficiently. The production lines of most its products such as shampoo and shower are quite similar including the raw material as well. There had been several same production lines among the fourteen joint ventures, before Unilever China re-structured them. In addition, the waste also happened to the IT departments, administration department and supporting department. Once Unilever China had held a new joint venture, it had had to build an individual business system for it. It seems to be more efficient and having more abilities of competition, when the two revolutions have been accomplished. Furthermore, the changes also facilitate Unilever to concentrate its brands in order to meet the needs of different markets. For instance, in Shanghai which is the huge developed city in China, its key products are in the personal care and wash area including Lux, Dove, Hazeline and Ponds. Due to the changing of Chinese government economy policy, China is going to be more open for the foreign companies. As a result that China has joint World Trade Organisation (WTO), more foeign companies will enter China. Most local manufactures tend to become stronger because they will have more chance to gain the advanced management approaches and learn the business skills by competing with more foreign companies. They also could the big challenge to the Unilever China. Another purpose of its changes, thus, is to maintain its leader position in China. Since these changes, Unilever China becomes more flexibility because it clearly to allocate its business targets to three groups. Every group has its own responsibility of manufacturing and selling particular products. Thus, both of them could be the professional in their own economical environment. Discussion of management activities and approaches (including â€Å"typical† errors) Until this section, it seems that there has been no obvious evidence which could show that Unilever China has made some clear mistakes of management so far. However, there might be no completely perfect result once you have accomplished some changes. In the short-term, we could regard it as more positive than negative but no one could image the future. Also, before the two revolutions happened, there had been some typical management errors which Unilever China had made. Inside most of joint ventures in China, there are two different manager teams: one group of them are assigned straight by foreign companies; another are the people who have already worked in the companies which are going to co-operate with the foreign companies. However, both of them have the responsibilities of managing the new companies which we exactly classify as Chinese-foreign joint ventures in China. Thus, because of different working background in different economics system, these two manager teams provide two different management styles. For the managers who have been worked in Unilever world group for a period of time, because of underlying the western developed management theory, their management approach could be considered as ‘Proactive & Positive’. The management approaches have been argued and developed by a lot of western researchers for a long time. Those effective management approaches, such as ‘team work’, ‘business culture’ and ‘management information system’, have been widely utilised in Unilever. This also could contribute good forecast of marketing and sales, efficient decision making and powerful capability of competition. Those advantages could be clearly embodied in the two revolution of Unilever China. In particular, in order to avoid more waste of resource, Unilever China terminated some business in 2002 in Shanghai and transferred them to the low cost place which was in HeFei. During this process, certainly, it should deal with the loss of re-investment and high risk of changing. Nevertheless, due to some typical management errors which it had made at the beginning of re-entering China, it has had to change its temporal situation. The typical mistakes could be ‘Market Share wars’ and ‘The â€Å"big project†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ. The evidences of these errors could be discovered by some investigation in its process of growth. For instance, only in a decade, it had constructed fourteen joint ventures in China to take the leader position of Chinese market and compete with ‘P & G’. Following its step, ‘P & G’ China also carried out some measures which might beat its challenge. Finally, that lead to both of these two firms had to reduce their products’ price in order to obtain more market share. Those fourteen joint ventures had caused numerous waste of fix assets, labour and operation cost. Boston Matrix – Refresher. (2017, Aug 20).

Civil Disobedience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Civil Disobedience - Essay Example Mack, like Rosa Parks, takes the smallest of moves and starts a chain reaction that results in freedom for all regardless of class/race distinctions. Rosa Parks and Mack are further connected by virtue of the fact that they both expose social injustice and oppression from the bottom down. Like, Rosa Parks, Mack is positioned at the lowest stratum of society and yet, they both dare to challenge an established regime. Where Rosa Parks is arrested for her challenge, Mack is reprimanded and reminded of his rightful place in the social order. In other words, both Mack and Parks are reminded by established authority of their rightful place in society. However, both emerge heroic. Mack emerges as the real king of the pond whereas, Parks becomes an historical icon symbolizing the civil rights movement. Thus Parks is associated with freedom and equality and Mack is likewise associated with freedom and equality. Parks and Mack are further united by their observance of and displeasure of the di sparity and oppression forced upon their peers. Both observe the reluctance and fear that accompanies obedience and both determined that something needed to be done to break the cycle. Therefore both Mack and Parks spoke out in different ways, but with the same outcome: freedom for all although Mack’s freedom came at lot easier and faster than Parks. Naturalize Me Naturalization is defined by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (2011) as the qualification process that non-US citizens must successfully complete before becoming US citizens. The qualifications are set forth by the US Congress and are reflected in the Immigration and Nationality Act (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2011). In other words, naturalization is a process by which foreigners obtain the right to be citizens of another country. In order to become naturalized under the US Immigration and Nationality Act, there are a number of qualifying factors. If the applicant has been permanently living in the US for a minimum period of five years and is eligible for citizenship, naturalization will occur. An individual is eligible for citizenship if the individual has had a green card for a minimum of five years prior to applying for naturalization. Other eligibility requirements are: resided in a state for a minimum of 3 months before applying for naturalization; is in the US for no less than 30 months of the five years prior to applying for naturalization; lives in the US between the time of applying and the time of naturalization; is literate in English and knows US government and history; and is of good character and adheres to the US Constitutions (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2011). An individual may also qualify for naturalization if that individual is qualified as a the spouse of a US citizen and has been permanently living in the US for at least 3 years. A spouse of a US citizen is qualified for naturalization if the foreign spouse had been married to and liv ing with their US spouse for at least three years as a green card holder; is at least 18 years old; the US spouse was a US citizen for the three years that the applicant lived with him or her; has resided in a US state for a minimum of 3 months before applying for naturalization and all other qualifications applicable to the acquisition of US citizenship (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2011). In addition, members of the US armed forces, their family and dependants are also