Sports And Children Essays - Childhood, Parenting, Learning

Sports And Children We no longer live in a society where kids run around actively throughout the neighborhood. The sandlot baseball games, pick up games in the park, and innocence in the children are gone in sports. Today children are more interested in television, computers, and video games and parents are afraid of letting their children run around the streets because of kidnapping. Kids are simply no longer interested in physical activity. A poll of over a thousand parents and one with students was done and the results show they blame inactivity on lack of time and homework. Whatever the cause is, we can see results with studies throughout the last few years. * 22% of children are physically active everyday of the week. * 49% in grade 4-12 are moderately to vigorously active. * 34% attend Physical Education classes daily. * 23% don't have these classes offered, because no all states have educational requirements for PE and some have budget cuts in the program. * 54% of children ages 6-11 are obese, with the obesity rates till on the rise (Hellmich 1997). * There are a number of federal, state, and local school programs to help students reach fitness goals. The missing link in having physically fit children seems to be the parents. They are allowing children to remain sedentary with the television and computers. Not enough children have parents who monitor their child's activity schedules, expose them to physical activity, and who serve as role models in being active themselves. Sports involvement and competition is very important in a child's life, but sometimes can go too far. Physical activity offers both positive and negative aspects in a child's life. Physical activity is an integral part of the learning process at all grade levels/ Unfit children develop low opinions of themselves, dislike activity, and develop antisocial attitudes. Children need the physical and mental benefits of sports. Kids involved in sports will physically feel better about their bodies by being fit, they are less likely to have the risk of obesity later in life, and more likely to learn new skills (Krucoff 1998). Mentally, sports stimulate the intellectual development, sharpen motor skills, provide emotional and social growth, help with depression, and increase self-confidence. A non-active child that becomes active in a sport program find increased energy, longer attention span, improved self-esteem, and better communication skills (Sports Psychology). Students learn about their bodies and want to improve them to lead a fulfilling life. Overall most children in sports enjoy themselves because they are having fun and meeting new friends. Athletics allow th ese children to interact with children of the same age with this similar interest thereby improving their social skills for later in life. This experience in sports will serve as a positive model to follow when approaching other challenges and obstacles throughout life. There is a strong connection between academic success and athletics. Athletes especially in high school perform better and remain in school more than non-athletes (Krucoff 1998). In middle school, high school, and college there is an athletic eligibility grade point average. If the student doesn't make the grades, they aren't entitled to participate in sports. With this push in academics students now work harder in the classroom so they can participate. Many students have sports to thank for being a college student. Without the athletic money from the talent in the sport most children of low-income families can't afford college. These students at the college athlete level tend to be successful because of the high demands and expectations of grades. In most schools the athletic eligibility is actually higher than graduation requirements. Studies also show in high school women have sew later, lowering the risk of pregnancy and disease. Young females also have higher self-esteem and a power to say no (Krucoff 1998). Competition is a very vital aspect of children involved in sports that offers many positive outcomes and teaches a variety of life skills. Competition is necessary for excellence and a child needs competitors who are not much better or worse at sports for this development to be essential. Without worthy opponent and challenges sports I not so much fun. The better the challenge the better opportunity a child has to go beyond his or her

Art Gallery Project essays

Art Gallery Project essays For the Arts group, we will present an artist (or genre) for about 30minutes to introduce the background and influences as well as techniques employed by a particular artist. The remaining hour will be devoted to each student creating their own representation of what we presented. For example, each student will create their own Van Gogh on the 1st of November. We will save all of their artwork throughout the 6 weeks. After the program has ended, we will have some sort of art gallery reception. The time/location is still up in the air because we may be able to use the caf that Kristen works at. If have the gallery at the caf, we are going to invite the parents and family and possibly even sell their art work. If not, we will probably have it the following Monday after the program completes during the after-school program hours. We are planning on having juice and fancy hors devours to create a real art gallery feel.For the Arts group, we will present an artist (or genre) for a bout 30minutes to introduce the background and influences as well as techniques employed by a particular artist. The remaining hour will be devoted to each student creating their own representation of what we presented. For example, each student will create their own Van Gogh on the 1st of November. We will save all of their artwork throughout the 6 weeks. After the program has ended, we will have some sort of art gallery reception. The time/location is still up in the air because we may be able to use the caf that Kristen works at. If have the gallery at the caf, we are going to invite the parents and family and possibly even sell their art work. If not, we will probably have it the following Monday after the program completes during the after-school program hours. We are planning on having juice and fancy hors devours to create a real art gallery feel. ...

HIST - Which battle in the Civil War contributed most to the Union's Case Study

HIST - Which battle in the Civil War contributed most to the Union's victory - Case Study Example The battle of Chattanooga gave a way to the Sherman to look into the Atlanta and later than that, he led his divisions to the sea. The battle of Chattanooga showed the best example of a fighting spirit. The battle of Chattanooga proved the Union’s supremacy in the region. As we take a look at the war, battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg also contributed well in the victory of the Union but the battle of Chattanooga played a major role in Union’s Victory. The importance of the battle of Chattanooga in Union’s victory is directly related to the grant to the Union’s army by the west, which allowed the Union’s army to march further and fight against Lee. Although Commander Sherman did not show his best performance but provided good results. The actions taken by the Sherman and the existence of the grant made the battle of Chattanooga significant in the

Print Advertisement Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Print Advertisement Marketing - Assignment Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Introduction Products and services are promoted to the Customers by Advertising (Petley) or in other words it can be defined as methods employed by organizations and companies to spread awareness to the target market about their offerings. (Monle Lee) As the Cooperations and companies managed to gain popularity and make many loyal customers in their localities , to further increase sales and earn more profits they expanded across borders. In doing so they stepped into new markets where they had to attract new customers to their services and products in which they faced a lot of trouble as the entertainment, hobbies, tastes and activities differed vastly (Marieke K. de Mooij) Also more and more products were being targeted for targets markets in these differi ng societies hence the companies started to focus on a more micro level that is the habits and behaviors of their customers rather than the macro knowledge of the society. (Seth) Keeping the globalization process under the focus , companies started to focus on the factor which can be altered and produced in more than one way for different societies. Hence the advertising and promotion efforts were done according to the culture, attitudes and norms of the native market. (Mooij) Hence Gestures, colors, actions, taglines and everything were strictly checked in accordance with the cultures of different societies so that is doesn’t haven’t any negative effect on the image of the company or the sales of the specific product. PRINT AD #1 Analysis: The target audience for this ad is the sporty youth, teenagers and adult – specially the Basketball fanatics. The theme of the ad is very aspiring. It shows the â€Å"will to win† tagline, which drives the viewer of th is ad to buy Nike products so as to engender an inclination in them for success. The ambiance of this ad fits the Nike products and accessories like a glove. The positioning has been very clever done. It doesn’t show anywhere about the product, but it generates an appeal that when you are associated with the Nike brand, you have a feeling of success. The punch line â€Å"You will notice. You will scream. Because you want it to happen† and the main tagline â€Å"Will to win† is the backbone of the print ad apart from the celebrity basket ball player. As soon as the customer reads these lines, they drive a certain impetus in him/her which has a stimulating effect on the reader. The very famous sign of Nike says it all. The victory sign is always there in the Nike ads to support their taglines. Usually in their ad, text insinuating victory and success is being followed by the Nike ad. Language and typeface used in the ad are very clear and comprehensive. The langua ge, as mentioned earlier is very positive and stimulating. The typeface used is also very clear and immediately draws audience attention. All the text, messages and signs are being focused in the centre so as to draw as much attention as possible. However there are some â€Å"white spaces† or areas on the print ad which are left unused. The background of the ad is black which is in complete contrast with the celebrity player’s red shirt. The background has been carefully selected so as to make the celebrity and the text of the taglines more vivid (Pages) The ad has a very positive feeling, in fact

The Battle of Nanshan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Battle of Nanshan - Research Paper Example The two imperial nations engaged in fierce diplomatic attempts over matters concerning Manchuria and Korea, both aiming to grab hold of those territories to expand their kingdoms. Widespread expectation in the Western hemisphere was that Russia would wipe out the military forces of Japan with her large defense forces (Steinberg et al. 2005), but most Japanese government officials were convinced that their highly trained and specialized armed forces will give them military advantage over Russia. The overconfidence and conceit of Nicholas II, the Russian Tsar, hampered concessions between the two superpowers; Japan attacked, then Russia, immediately after, received a Declaration of War (Steinberg et al. 2005). Nonetheless, after the battle at Tsushima, Russia was forced to surrender. It surrendered Manchuria, Port Arthur, and any efforts to occupy Korea, and had damaged irreparably the repute of several admirals and generals (Steinberg et al. 2005). The unfavorable outcomes for Russia are not possible to overstate, with the defeat of trained and veteran admirals and generals, the complete annihilation of the Pacific and Baltic fleets (Warner 2004), the defeat of the defense forces against a perceived lesser opponent. Although the Battle of Nanshan was a remarkable triumph for the Japanese Empire, it enabled for Japan the contagion of the most deceitful of all maladies: triumph malady. Overly assured in the methods and strategies used and taking for granted most of the lessons to be gained from the attacks, Japan went on being overconfident with its impregnability, assured that the willpower of its armed forces were sufficient to seize what the Empire wanted (Warner 2004). This essay will discuss the battle strategies and tactics of Russia and Japan at the Battle of Nanshan, as well as the political climate at the time, the military leaders, and the final outcome of the battle. II. Russian and Japanese Battle Strategies at the Battle of Nanshan To start with, the general power and strength of the Russian naval forces was more superior to those of Japan, but the flotilla of the latter was in home waters, whereas the Russian fleet was separated between the Pacific and Europe. Evidently, the Russian military manpower surpassed that of Japan, but the former was battling thousands of miles from home and the opponent was fighting within hundred miles from home (Steinberg et al. 2005). The Japanese were highly trained in Western military tactics and strategies, and were painfully disciplined and capably supervised. The Russians were undisciplined, incompetent, and were hindered by ill-equipped officers and obsolete military strategies (Steinberg et al. 2005). The resources of Japan were far more inadequate than those of Russia and the former had to achieve an immediate victory before the entire force and power of Russia emerged. Thus, Japan embraced the enormous risk of initiating armed forces movements at once, before the flotilla of Russian at Po rt Arthur had been obliterated (Warner 2004). The strategy of Russia was to postpone and deter final response until it had mustered its strength. Basically, the Battle of Nanshan was fought between a developing Asian superpower and a European imperialist. After the triumph of the Japanese at the Yalu River, General Yasukata Oku’s Second Army arrived at the Liaotung cape, quite near to Port Arthur (Steinberg et al. 2005). The Second Army was composed of roughly 39,000 combatants. Arrival was finalized by May 1904

Nintendo Market Analysis

Nintendo Market Analysis Introduction: The purpose of this assignment is to how do marketing research through analysis data of existing product, Nintendo Wii, competitors, and environment to achieve an increased understanding of the subject matter. Variety of marketing analysis tool, such as PEST, SWOT and Porter Five Force is illustrated in this report that evaluates marketing trend and future potential. Recommendation about Nintendo is given in the last chapter after identification key issue which includes customers, competitors and market place. Company background: Throughout its history in the home entertainment arena, Nintendo has created unique hardware and software as one integrated entertainment product, with software being the primary driver. Nowadays, Nintendo intends basic strategy that extends the worldwide gaming audience. For this purpose, Nintendo offers unique hardware and software to attract as many customers as possible around the world, which brings different experience to enjoy video game entertainment, regardless of their age, gender, language, culture background or gaming experience (Company Annul report, 2008). However, Sony usurps the pioneered static console market of Nintendo, even upstaged for a brief time by Microsoft, for years. It means that the GameCube console is not companys successful hope any more. In the same times, the console of choice for causal gamers the Wii falls short of convincing hardcore gamer that it is an essential purchase but with an estimated 3.5 million units sold in the UK, Nintendo will not be too concerned. (Mintel) Market summary The definition: The video games consoles market includes all video games used in conjunction with consoles and all associated hardware including consoles, peripherals and accessories such as gamepads, memory cards and cables. During in economical downturn, the global video game market maintains growth of 23.7% in 2008 to reach $ 49.6bn and expects to climb at a CAGR of 8.9% over the period 2008-2013, while the growth is slowly compared 2007. Console game dominates video game market as largest segment, however decreases from 54.1% in 2008 to 46.3% in 2013 by forecast. In 2008, the largest consuming market, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), occupies 35.3% of market share, which will reduce their market share in the total video gaming market by 2013. According to business insight forecast, Asia-Pacific will lead the video gaming market as the largest consumer. Nintendo, headquartered in Japan, is the largest video game publisher in the world. In the present, the majority of top 15 video game publisher exists in U.S. or Japan. There are three major players in console hardware market, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo is the market leader in the console hardware field, with around 50% share in global video game market in 2009. PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox owns similarly market share positioning at 2nd and 3rd respectively. Marco environment Macro environment is composed of broad environment factors which are considered the most general level environment. However, when many important changes take place in the environment, the organisation will be affected. PEST is illustrated to identify Nintendo future trends and determines the key drives of change. Porter five forces analysis is also used to understand how the competitive dynamics within and around the video game industry are changing from another point of view. PEST analysis PEST stands for the political and economic, social (including legal and cultural) and technological environment respectively. PEST analysis on video game industry is implemented on the followed context. Political Political environment consists of laws, government agencies, and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individual. (Kotter, 2003, P174) There are many factors impact on video game industry, such as taxation policies, foreign trade regulations and social welfare policies. Due to video game play has associated as emotion of people which introverts some people to threat peace and law, therefore, government control the contents of video game with strong attitude. Another problem is copyright, which one of the recent products launched by company, Nintendo Wii, is in a controversy involving patent infringement. The company has been sued by Maryland-based Hillcrest Laboratories, which filed a case alleging a patent infringement against Nintendo. The lawsuit that is currently placed with the US International Trade Commission in Washington D.C. alleges the company of being guilty of infringement in four patents, particularly the technology used in handheld pointing device and also regarding the display interface system that manages graphic content. This allegation, if proved right, could cause the company to pay up heavily for the damages and could also result the company refraining to use the product further. The Wii console, launched in 2006, has been a huge hit and a judgement against the company could have a material impact on the company ( ). Economic During the global economical downturn, the video game industry still continues growing, driven by expansion of software sales and installed new generation of console hardware. Some places, U.S. and Japan, video game business contributes their GDP with huge dominated market. Nintendo distributes its product globally with overseas sales accounting for approximately 80% of total sales (annual report 2008). Therefore, interest rates have less influenced the video game business as they produce their own units. However, the video game business is depended on disposable income of customer. Nintendo grasps this opportunity with low manufacturing cost that increases sales volume towards normal price. The exchange rates is another majority condition to be considered that company holds a substantial amount of assets consisting on cash deposit denominated in foreign currencies without exchange contracts. When the exchange rate fluctuates, the company revaluated for earnings while foreign currencies are converted to Japanese yen. In other hands, Japanese yen appreciation against the U.S. dollar or Euro would have negative affect Nintendos profitability. Social The social factors impact on the video game industry from population demographics, income distribution, lifestyle changes, social mobility, attributes to work, level of education, consumerism, and consumer behaviour namely. Nintendo use the World of Nintendo showroom to attract and show interest to customers in order to affect customer through satisfaction their needs. Games also have magic to influence the culture of people, especially brings violent to children. These all elements will be exercised influence over the industry. Technological Focused on technological is giving Nintendo higher competitive advantage than normal video game console. The speed of technological innovation always restricts gaming industry developing. Nintendo has attributed the success of the Wii to idea of blue ocean strategy that reflects from price, movie playing, graphics, physics, fun, game library, and magic wand. Nintendo create new technologies both in game and console. For game, brain training of Nintendo DS Lite, and Wii sport brings new experience to players which they never played before. For console, it is the most distinguishing technology, Wii Remote, which contains motion sensing capability that allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and point through the use of accelerometer and optical sensor technology. At last, the online capability of Nintendo Wii is a major change in the technology of the video game industry. Micro environment In this part, porter five forces and SWOT analysis are illustrated to analyze micro environment. Porter five forces Michael Porter established five forces to identify the intrinsic long-run profit attractiveness of a market or market segment (Kotler, 2003) which base on analysis supplier, customer, substitute product and potential entrants. Porter five forces model is identified source of competition in video game industry to determine competitive advantage. Supplier The Power of Suppliers is very high as there are more suppliers available to a handful of companies in the video game industry. The suppliers are companies themselves that companies are developing their own video games. There are lots of products to innovate and develop may consist of CDs disk, hard disk, electronic components, softwares, game writers, packaging of the consoles, printing of manuals and additional features like graphics and so on for marking the game more acceptable and popular. Potential entrant Although Sony and Microsoft are strong competitors to Nintendo, industry rivalry exists in the strategic alliances, for instance straggling to control market. These huge players such as Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, are already becoming tuff battle between companies to control market. This means that the threat of entrant into the industry can be ignored with existence of player during these big players. Customer The Power of Buyers in the video game industry is low as there are very few successful companies in the video game industry, therefore a small variety of video games available to the buyers. The individuals playing video games comprise an increasingly large and definition-defying group. According to the Entertainment Software Association, the average gamer is 35 years old and has been playing for 13 years. Today video players comes from different diverse segment of students, employees, military troops, seniors, mothers and fathers who have driven the evolution of games into new territory. When these first players grow up, their family will enjoy more fun during game with their children and parents. This is so called multiplying the pool of multi-generational gamers exponentially. As volume of player increasing, the market forces push the video game developed and bring new and diverse audience. Substitute product There are too many products, such as online game, PC game and mobile game; however, no product can replace console game. They have special fun during init, such as Wii Remote. Strengths Nintendo plays the important role of console hardware which is a market leader position. It means that the primary target is video game market instead of other product portfolios. This is considered to increase aggressiveness in bolstering sales through its existing formidable product line up. Nintendo also reduces the manufactory cost due to only focuses game function. As previously chapter, the console game depends on customer disposable income, which Nintendo low price strategy will reach an extensive number of loyal users transferring to customer expectation and demands into sales. Be worth mentioning, Wiis arsenal is totally different to its competitors, which innovates motion-sensitive controllers made for game. Weakness Nintendo is market leader in the moment, however still concentrates on remaining and expanding market share instead of developing new brand or games. Nintendo maintains profitability via extensive price competition. Designing new game requires large financial investment and research which cost numerous resources. That is why it depends on more existing brands rather new game. Nintendo abuses the strong censorship and restriction implement on new software game, which bound new game developer creative and innovation. For instance, Square Enix cooperates with Sony PlayStation for its Final Fantasy VI stand of Nintendo, owning to strictly censorship. Opportunities Online video game continuously grows and many of software sales also drive a growing base on console hardware and accessories. Nintendo also launch new product known as Touch generation DS, and Wii which expands new definition of video game industry. Specially, Wii promotes lots of fun via Wii Remote and accessories, conventional operation. Threats Development of hardware is complex and time consuming. With technology growing fast today, it is possible limitation factor if company may be unable to acquire necessary technology. It leads to delay hardware launched and lost market share. Cooperation with third party is also important element because third party manufactures key components and assemble final product. If some of these businesses are failed, Nintendo procures or manufactures its products difficultly. In addition, these elements, short of key components, quality of product and high base cost, causes margin decline and impairs the relationship between Nintendo and third party. Key issue Competitor analysis The major competitors of Nintendo are Sony and Microsoft. Microsofts Xbox 360 had been in market since November 2005 and Sonys next generation system, PlayStation 3, would to launch November 17, 2006. With a combined 93% existing market share, these industry behemoths shared a winning strategy: obsessing over the hardcore male gamer who invested tons of money and time into video gaming (Source: NPD, Sept. 2006). Sony: Sony has strong competitive advantage that Playstation 1 dominates 37% of the market and Playstation 2 (PS2) is even better, which only launch in the 4th quarter of 2000, shares 8% of the console market. Now, new generation product Playstation 3 (PS3) with improved technology controlled 21% market share for the latest generations of players in the U.S. in 2007. Sony still focuses 18-34 year old as target group, sophisticated video game consumers. Microsoft Xbox Live: Microsoft forays the console game industry that Xbox 360 has sold 2.4 million in UK by mid-2008 compared to around 2.3 million original Xbox console. Position somewhere between the hardcore players console that is the PS3 and the family-friendly Wii, the 360s main strength are its Xbox Live product and its exclusive games, such as Halo (Mintel). Xbox Live owns 12 million subscribers in worldwide, but less 3 million lives in Europe. Xbox is one of major online game provider. Market issue Global economical downturn influence too many areas, Japan, North American and Europe, which dominate Video gaming market. For example, Japans real GDP growth rate dropped from -0.7% in 2008 to -6.4% in 2009. Combination of unemployment and low wage of weight, customer purchases necessary goods instead of toy and video game. Wii launches into market until now to prove two strategies correct, which is low price of console and focuses family game. According to SWOT analysis, Wii markets issue is sub-standard software which means censorship. Fish Games CEO believes the Wii markets issue that have partly been the result of poor quality games that flooded the market, leaving consumers who had bad experience to spend money only on the key franchises. Nintendo relies on third party software developer and publisher, however the strictly censorship system leads to too many valuable and interesting game miscarried. Final Fantasy VI is good example of Nintendo censorship. It directly leads to limitation of game and loss aggressive to its competitors. As we known, the majority of players are made by male that are unable to accept childish and changeless game. They prefer more exciting game, such as activity game rather than Cook Mama female game. Nintendo attempts to create new market, home video game, overseas and expand the range of its product in the toy sector. In response this objective, the company is developing new characters other than Ben 10 and collaborating with overseas TV networks on their respective promotions (business inslight). Recommendation Nintendo should not only focus market share, but also develops variety of game to increase aggressive. Only depending on low price cannot win customer loyalty. PS3 and Xbox owns over 200 titles games attractive customers mind, whereas Nintendo Wii is only famous as Wii sport. Although there are a serve of sport games, customer do not satisfy monotonous games. They demand the more exciting, interesting and variable game. Nintendo works as global company, which do not only sale its products in several specific county or area. The company should develop more region as its market, such as China and Indian. Until now, there is no product sale in China, which loss lots of opportunity and margin as well. References Dibb, K. P. (1991). Marketing..Concept and Strategies European Edition. Houghton Mifflin. Doyle, P. (2002). Marketing Management and Strategy. Prentice Hall. Gerry Johnson, K. S. (2008 1st impression). Exploring Corporate Strategy. Pearsons education. Pettitt, F. B. (2000). Principles of Marketing. Prentice Hall (2nd edition). Philip Kotler, K. L. (2009). Marketing Management A South Asia Parspective. Pearson (Prentice Hall,13th edition). Raaij, G. A. (1998). Consumer Behaviour a European Perspective. John Wiley Sons Ltd. Scholes, G. J. (2008). Exploring Corporate Strategy. Prentice Hall. Barmazel S., (1993). Video Games: Asians in Canada say they Promote Hatered. Far Eastern Economic Review. Sept 3 p. 37. Cooper, Joel, Mackie, Diane. (1986) Video Games and Aggression in Children. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. v 16, n 8, 726-744. Crawford, Chris. (1984) The Art of Computer Game Design. California: Osborne/McGraw-Hill. Dietz, Tracy L. (1998) An examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior. Sex Roles. v 38, n 5/6, 425-443. Emes, Craig E. Is Mr. (1997) Pac Man Eating Our Children? Candadian Journal of Psychiatry. v 42, 409-414. Funk, J.B. and Buchman, D.D. (1996). Playing Violent Video and Computer Games and Adolescent Self-Concept. Journal of Communication. V 26 n 2, 19-32. Jackson, D.S., (1999) A Room Full of Doom. Time. V24 n 20, 37. Loftus, Elizabeth and Geoffrey. (1983) Mind at Play. New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers. Provenzo, Eugene F. Jr. (1991) Video Kids: Making Sense of Nintento. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Quittner, J., (1999). Are Video Games Really so Bad? Time. v 153 n 18, 30-34. Ward Gailey, Christine. (1993) Mediated Messages: Gender, Class, and Cosmos in Home Video Games. Journal of popular culture. v 27, n 1, 81-97. Web references The Video Gaming Market Outlook: Evolving business models, key players, new challenges and the future outlook (2009) Business Insights http://blog.royaltyuniverse.com www.money.cnn.com www.Nintendo System History.com www.revolutionportal.com www.businessweek.com www.gamespot.com www.mevuk.com www.ninetendowiifanboy.com www.nwiizone.com www.rpsite.net www.theesa.com/gamesindailylife/health.asp www.wii.com www.wiisworld.com

Wisdom of Parents in the Poem, Photograph of My Father In His Twenty-Second Year :: Photograph of My Father In His Twenty-Second Year

Wisdom of Parents in the Poem, Photograph of My Father In His Twenty-Second Year We have all grown up hearing our parent's advice "Do as I say, not as I do". When your parents give this advice you do not always listen at first, but later on in life you may catch yourself using it. I believe it is very important value, respect and listen to what your parent's say; their experience with life is their major tool in shaping their children into adults. Parents have lived life longer than their children that is a fact. And what they have gained is wisdom. Through out their lives they have learned from their personal experience and can use these experiences to try and guide their children in the right direction in a similar experience. In the poem "A Song In The Front Yard" (Gwendoly Brooks, Bridges 44) it gives us a picture of a child wanting to explore more of the world than her parents think she should. "I've stayed in the front yard all my life,"(Line 1) this line tells us that the child was a little sheltered. Not able to go out of the front yard the child was kept in away from the rest of the world. "I want a peek at the back" (Line 2) in this line the child wants to explore more than just the front yard, just to go into the back yard would be great. "To where the charity children play. I want a good time today. They do some wonderful things. They have some wonderful fun. (Lines 8-10) In these lines they show how the child sees the surroundings outside the fence. The child sees that the other children are doing fun things that the child wishes he or she could do. He or she sees the activities of the other children as wonderful. The other children are probably doing things that the child in the front yard doesn't get to do. "My mother sneers, but I say it's fine how they don't have to go in at quarter to nine. My mother, she tells me that Johnnie Ma will grow up to be a bad woman." (Lines 11-14) In these lines the poet depicts the mother's feelings of the other children. She doesn't think that they are the best crowd for her child to be influenced by or maybe the activities they are doing are quite appropriate.

A Letter to Seamus Heaney Commenting on His Poetry Essay

Coimisià ºn na Scrà ºduithe Stà ¡it State Examinations Commission LEAVING CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION, 2005 English – Higher Level – Paper 2 Total Marks: 200 Wednesday, 8 June – Afternoon, 1.30 – 4.50 Candidates must attempt the following:†¢ ONE question from SECTION I – The Single Text †¢ ONE question from SECTION II – The Comparative Study †¢ ONE question on the Unseen Poem from SECTION III – Poetry †¢ ONE question on Prescribed Poetry from SECTION III – Poetry N.B. Candidates must answer on Shakespearean Drama. They may do so in SECTION I, The Single Text (Hamlet, As You Like It) or in SECTION II, The Comparative Study (Hamlet, As You Like It) INDEX OF SINGLE TEXTS Wuthering Heights Silas Marner Amongst Women Hamlet As You Like It − Page 2 − Page 2 − Page 2 − Page 3 − Page 3 Page 1 of 8 SECTION I THE SINGLE TEXT (60 marks) Candidates must answer one question from this section (A – E). A WUTHERING HEIGHTS – Emily Brontà « (i) â€Å"Heathcliff deserves the sympathy of the reader of Wuthering Heights.† Write a response to this statement, supporting your views by reference to the text. OR (ii) â€Å"The novel Wuthering Heights portrays a clash between two worlds represented by Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.† Discuss this view of the novel, supporting your answer by reference to the text. B SILAS MARNER – George Eliot (i) â€Å"The story of Silas Marner has the magic of a fairy-tale, which leaves the reader feeling good about people.† Write a response to this view of the novel, supporting your answer by reference to  the text. OR (ii) â€Å"Godfrey Cass is not perfect, but, in the eyes of the reader, he is always a better man than his brother, Dunsey.† Write your response to this statement, supporting it by reference to the text. C AMONGST WOMEN – John McGahern (i) â€Å"Michael Moran undoubtedly loves his sons, but his love contributes little to their happiness.† Discuss this view of the relationship between Michael Moran and his sons. Support your answer by reference to the text. OR (ii) â€Å"Unlike the men, the women in Amongst Women support each other very well.† Discuss this statement confining your attention to the female characters in the novel. Support your answer by reference to the text. Page 2 of 8 D HAMLET – William Shakespeare (i) In your opinion, what is the appeal of the play, Hamlet, for a twenty-first century audience? Support the points you make by reference to the text. OR (ii) â€Å"We admire Hamlet as much for his weaknesses as for his strengths.† Write a response to this view of the character of Hamlet, supporting your points by reference to the text. E AS YOU LIKE IT – William Shakespeare (i) â€Å"Rosalind’s attitudes and qualities make her a very attractive character.† Do you agree with the above view? Support your answer by reference to the play. OR (ii) â€Å"The play, As You Like It, presents many opportunities for dramatic performance.† Write your response to the above statement, supporting it by reference to the play. Page 3 of 8 SECTION II THE COMPARATIVE STUDY (70 marks) Candidates must answer one question from either A – The General Vision and Viewpoint or B – Literary Genre. In your answer you may not use the text you have answered on in SECTION I – The Single Text. N.B. The questions use the word text to refer to all the different kinds of texts available for study on this course, i.e. novel, play, short story, autobiography, biography, travel writing, and film. The questions use the word author to refer to novelists, playwrights, writers in all genres, and film-directors. A 1. THE GENERAL VISION AND VIEWPOINT â€Å"Each text we read presents us with an outlook on life that may be bright or dark, or a combination of brightness and darkness.† In the light of the above statement, compare the general vision and viewpoint in at least two texts you have studied in your comparative course. (70) OR 2. (a) With reference to one of the texts you have studied in your comparative course, write a note on the general vision and viewpoint in the text and on how it is communicated to the reader. (30) Compare the general vision and viewpoint in two other texts on your comparative course. Support the comparisons you make by reference to the texts. (40) (b) Page 4 of 8 B 1. LITERARY GENRE Write a talk to be given to Leaving Certificate students in which you explain the term Literary Genre and show them how to compare the telling of stories in at least two texts from the comparative course. (70) OR 2. â€Å"Powerful images and incidents are features of all good story-telling.† (a) (b) Show how this statement applies to one of the texts on your comparative course. (30) Compare the way in which powerful images and incidents are features of the story-telling in two other texts on your comparative course. Support the comparisons you make by reference to the texts. (40) Page 5 of 8 SECTION III POETRY (70 marks) Candidates must answer A – Unseen Poem and B – Prescribed Poetry. A UNSEEN POEM (20 marks) Answer either Question 1 or Question 2. BACK YARD Shine on, O moon of summer, Shine to the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak, All silver under your rain tonight. An Italian boy is sending songs to you tonight from an accordion. A Polish boy is out with his best girl; they marry next month; tonight they are throwing you kisses. An old man next door is dreaming over a sheen that sits in a cherry tree in his back yard. The clocks say I must go – I stay here sitting on the back porch drinking white thoughts you rain down. Shine on, O moon, Shake out more and more silver changes. Carl Sandburg 1. (a) Do you like the world that the poet describes in this poem? Give reasons for your answer supporting them by reference to the text. (10) Choose a line or two that you find particularly appealing and explain why. (10) (b) OR 2. Write a personal response to the poem ‘Back Yard’. (20) Page 6 of 8 B PRESCRIBED POETRY (50 marks) Candidates must answer one of the following questions (1 – 4). 1. â€Å"The appeal of Eavan Boland’s poetry.† Using the above title, write an essay outlining what you consider to be the appeal of Boland’s poetry. Support your points by reference to the poetry of Eavan Boland on your course. 2. What impact did the poetry of Emily Dickinson make on you as a reader? Your answer should deal with the following: – Your overall sense of the personality of the poet – The poet’s use of language/imagery Refer to the poems by Emily Dickinson that you have studied. 3. Write about the feelings that T.S. Eliot’s poetry creates in you and the aspects of his poetry (content and/or style) that help to create those feelings. Support your points by reference to the poetry by T.S. Eliot that you have read. Write an article for a school magazine introducing the poetry of W.B. Yeats to Leaving Certificate students. Tell them what he wrote about and e xplain what you liked in his writing, suggesting some poems that you think they would enjoy reading. Support your points by reference to the poetry by W.B. Yeats that you have studied. 4.

The Trials of Becoming a Hero

The Trials of Becoming a Hero The Trials of Becoming a HeroHero worship has existed in this world since the beginning of time, from the Jews honoring Moses, to the Germans honoring Adolf Hitler. Becoming a hero is a very difficult thing to accomplish. One must be successful in gaining the reverence of one's peers while at the same time not developing to big of an ego. Two examples of men trying to become heroes are Prince Henry and Dr. Faustus. Both, in their respective plays, have the capabilities of becoming a hero, but only Prince Henry succeeds while Dr. Faustus fails.At the beginning of The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, Faustus is a well known doctor and is looked up to by his friends. Hal, on the other hand, starts out in Henry IV, Part I, spending much of his time in a tavern engaged in talk with robbers and hoodlums, therefore being looked down upon by the high society which he is supposed to live in.HalWhile it appears that Faustus seems to be headed to becoming a hero and Hal seems to be throwing awa y his chances, the audience can see from their soliloquies, that they both plan on changing their ways; Hal for the better and Faustus for the worse.Faustus has risen to a great point in his life. He was born to 'parents base of stock (line 11),' but still has managed to gain a degree from the University of Wittengberg, thus acquiring much respect from the professional world. From the onset though, Faustus has his mind set on other things; such as magic and necromancy. Hal, on the other hand was born to a high society. Even though he does all of these mischievous things, he plans on repenting and returning to his father.The audience can see from Hal's soliloquy at the end of Act I, scene 2, that no matter how unruly the individuals are that he hangs out with, they do not have an influence on him:Yet herein will I imitate the sun,Who doth permit the base contagious cloudsTo smother up his beauty from the world,That, when he please again to be himself,Being wanted, he may be more wond ered atBy breaking through the foul and ugly mistsOf vapors that did seem to strangle him. (line 152-158)From the onset, Hal informs the reader that he is only befriending these unruly individuals to have some fun, but when the time comes, he will take on the serious role of being a prince.In opposition to this, the only thing that influences Faustus is evil. When he calls upon his friends Valdes and Cornelius to teach him magic, he does this only to draw himself closer to evil:Philosophy is odious and obscure,Both law and physic are for petty wits;Divinity is basest of the three,Unpleasant, harsh, contemptible and vile.'Tis magic, magic that hath ravished me. (line 106-109)The reader can see from here how enthralled Faustus is with magic.From the magic that Faustus performs, he comes to sell his soul to Lucifer. Though Faustus brings this all upon himself, he is not doomed for an after-life of hell, but still has the chance to repent. Four different times, his conscience, in the fo rm a good angel and a bad angel, fight over his soul. Though Faustus has many thoughts not to go ahead with his deal with the devil, the audience can easily see that in the back of his mind, that Faustus knows that he will go through with it:EVIL ANGEL. Ay, but Faustus never shall repent (Line 194).'Once Faustus signs the contract with the devil, he does not once think about turning back towards God.Hal on the other hand, does not plan on staying on his corrupt path. He realizes at the beginning of the play that he will eventually have to take on the responsibilities of a prince, but for now, when there are no obligations to take on, he will enjoy himself.When Hal is rebuked by his father, King Henry IV, he takes this chance to change his ways and receives forgiveness from his father. In this scene, Prince Henry is taking that step towards becoming that hero which he is capable of becoming.Faustus though, does not jump on his opportunity. At the end of his life, his conscience appea rs to him, this time in the form of an old man who pleads with Faustus to leave his damned course and repent:Ah Doctor Faustus, that I might prevailTo guide thy steps unto the way of life,By which sweet path though may'st attain the goalThat shall conduct thee to celestial rest. (line 26-29)Mephastophilis, however, appears and presents Faustus with a dagger and threatens: ''Faustus, come thine hour is come!' (line 41).' Faustus asks Mephastophilis for forgiveness and offers to reaffirm his vow with Lucifer. This is Faustus' last chance to become a hero, but he lets it slip through his fingers.One might think that Dr. Faustus actually does repent, and that he does become the hero he deserves to be. In his final words he denounces Mephastophilis and wishes he had just a little more time so he could 'repent and save his soul (line 64).' However, when one delves deeper into the life that Faustus lived, it is obvious that he did not repent. During his twenty four years of 'voluptuousness ', not once does Faustus' conscience cause him to think about repenting. Only at the beginning of the play, before he begins to be served by Mephastophilis, and at the end of his life, when he realizes that he is damned and that he has no opportunity to repent, does he even entertain the idea of atoning. Thus, Dr. Faustus can never be considered a hero.However, unlike Dr. Faustus, Prince Henry does accomplish the feat of becoming a hero. While at the beginning of the play, it appears that Hal does not really care what happens to himself or his father's kingdom, throughout the play, he slowly takes on his role of prince. He finishes his destiny of becoming a hero with his defeat of the warring Percys.A hero is defined as 'b. a man of courage and nobility famed for his military achievements c. a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities and considered a model or ideal (Webster's dictionary).' Prince Henry exemplifies both of these definitions. After he defeats his enemy, Ho tspur, it is obvious that the people of England changed their view of him and began looking up to him. Now with this new found admiration, Prince Henry has gained the title of 'hero.' Dr. Faustus on the other hand, never reaches this point in his life. Numerous times, he has the ability to repent and turn around his life, but his desire for evil prevails. Both characters possessed the right qualities to become a hero, but only Prince Henry took advantage of them. As the audience can see, the only thing that matters is what someone perceives of themselves. No matter how much influence society has on someone, if they have it in them to succeed, they will. Consequently, anyone can prevail in becoming a hero.

An Introduction to the Romantic Period

An Introduction to the Romantic Period The categories which it has become customary to use in distinguishing and classifying movements in literature or philosophy and in describing the nature of the significant transitions which have taken place in taste and in opinion, are far too rough, crude, undiscriminating- and none of them so hopelessly as the category Romantic   Arthur O. Lovejoy,  On the Discriminations of Romanticisms (1924) Many scholars say that the Romantic period began with the publication of Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge in 1798. The volume contained some of the best-known works from these two poets including Coleridges The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Wordsworths Lines Written a Few Miles from Tintern Abbey. Of course, other Literary scholars place the start the Romantic period much earlier (around 1785), since Robert Burnss Poems (1786), William Blakes Songs of Innocence (1789), Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication of the Rights of Women, and other works already demonstrate that a change has taken placein political thought and literary expression. Other first generation Romantic writers include Charles Lamb, Jane Austen, and Sir Walter Scott. The Second Generation A discussion of the period is also somewhat more complicated since there was a second generation of Romantics (made up of poets Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and John Keats). Of course, the main members of this second generation- though geniusesdied young and were outlived by the first generation of Romantics. Of course, Mary Shelleystill famous for Frankenstein (1818)- was also a member of this second generation of Romantics. While there is some disagreement about when the period began, the general consensus is... the Romantic period ended with the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837, and the beginning of the Victorian Period. So, here we are in the Romantic era. We stumble upon Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats on the heels of the Neoclassical era. We saw amazing wit and satire (with Pope and Swift) as a part of the last age, but the Romantic Period dawned with a different poetic in the air. In the backdrop of those new Romantic writers, penning their way into literary history, we are on the cusp the Industrial Revolution and writers were affected by the French Revolution. William Hazlitt, who published a book called The Spirit of the Age, says that the Wordsworth school of poetry had its origin in the French Revolution... It was a time of promise, a renewal of the world - and of letters. Instead of embracing politics as writers of some other eras might have (and indeed some writers of the Romantic era did) the Romantics turned to Nature for self-fulfillment. They were turning away from the values and ideas of the previous era, embracing new ways of expressing their imagination and feelings. Instead of a concentration on head, the intellectual focus of reason, they preferred to rely on the self, in the radical idea of individual freedom. Instead of striving for perfection, the Romantics preferred the glory of the imperfect. The American Romantic Period In American literature, famous writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, and  Nathaniel Hawthorne  created fiction during the Romantic Period in the United States.

Turkey is pivotal to Europes middleeast policy.Discuss Essay

Turkey is pivotal to Europes middleeast policy.Discuss - Essay Example Presently, Turkey has relationship with most of the states in the Middle East. To illustrate, in 2009, Turkey signed High Level Strategic Cooperation Council agreements with Syria and Iraq. Also, there is a trade and visa free zone covering Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Here, one has to remember the fact that the EU failed to achieve this objective in any of these nations. Also, Turkey strongly opposed the Israeli use of military and expansionist strategies. Presently, Turkey acts as the one and only effective mediator in most of the international and micro-level issues affecting Middle East. It facilitated talks between Israel and Hamas, and West and Iran. In addition were its efforts to increase communication between Syrians and Iraqis. Thus, as Tocci (n.d) points out, turkey has proved that it has the ability to identify, intervene, and mediate micro-crises as it has access to even independent players like Hamas, and hostile players like Iran and Syria, with whom the EU and US have such relations which are marred by distrust; and in total, the future of EU policies in the Middle East will be purely dependent on how things turn out in the hands of Turkey. According to Barysch (2007) of the Centre for European Reform, Turkey has a strategic role in European energy security. This strategic importance of Turkey as an energy hub for the Europe arises from the fact that it enjoys the strategic location of a corridor between Europe and the oil rich Middle East (ibid). Admittedly, Turkey has a rising domestic energy need and is struggling to keep the energy prices down. However, the Europe is panicked by the fact that by the mid of this century, the energy requirement in Europe will rise by 25%. It is highly necessary for the continent to look for more long term energy supply despite the depleting energy sources within the region. Presently, Russia is playing an important role in providing gas to Europe, and according to

Fashion as Material Cultur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Fashion as Material Cultur - Essay Example The essay "Fashion as Material Culture" discovers the different kinds of value about clothes. Clothing fulfils its dualistic value differently. One of its main expressions as an agent and depiction of change is the concept of fashion. Clothing is at times a substantiation of change and at times a beginning of change. It is at times a way of establishing the conditions and nature of political dispute and at times a way of making an agreement. It is at times a tool of attempted dominance and at times an arsenal of opposition and disapproval. In this dualistic value, clothing functions as a communicative tool by which social change is considered, suggested, instigated, implemented, and rejected. Its analysis enables one to see the communicative part of material culture in its most revolutionary creative form. Basically, earlier research on clothing discloses the aspects of culture that can be explored in the clothing’s material culture. Cultural norms, forms, ideals, mechanisms, history, everyday communication, and social distance are all available to the scholar of material culture by means of research on clothing. The theory of the evolution of fashion appears distinct in the 21st century than in previous periods, yet so as to make sense of its current expression it may be useful to have a wide-ranging discussion of the history of the topic. Just like what Appadurai (1986) argued, â€Å"The commodity is not one kind of thing rather than another, but one phase in the life of some things.