Corporate social responsiveness analysis

Corporate social responsiveness analysis Corporate social responsiveness refers to how business organizations and their agents actively interact with and manage their environments. In contrast, corporate social responsibility accentuates the moral obligations that business has to society. Responsiveness and responsibility can be viewed as a balance in that responsiveness can be shaped or triggered by public expectations of business responsibilities. Generally speaking, these responsibilities implied by the term of the social contract, which legitimises business as an institution with the expectation that it provides a service whilst adhering to societys laws and ethical norms. From this perspective, businesses are in a dynamic relationship with society of which responsiveness is a key aspect. More broadly, there is the issue of why business should bother. After all, as neoclassical economists have long argued, business owes abstractions such as society nothing-shareholders are the owners of business and it is the organizations obligation to do everything legal and legitimate to advance shareholder value, not waste it on well-meaning but irrelevant CSR projects. On the other hand, the stakeholder model of the firm would insist that shareholders are only one set of stakeholders and that there are plenty of other significant stakeholders, including customers; non-governmental organisations (NGOs); and communities more generally; as well as activist groups claiming to articulate the interests of the environment and climate change and other silent stakeholders. If businesses serve only shareholder value interests in the short term and do so in such a way that jeopardises other stakeholder interests, this can have an adverse impact on the business by attacking its legitimacy or reputation. It may well be that in standard business practice that the primary responsibility of companies is to create wealth for their shareholders. The emergence of CSR and activists associated with it however adds another dimension, in order for companies to do well financially; they must also be good, ethically, by acting virtuously. Civil society organisations have increased the energy they devote to directly lobbying and exposing the malpractice of companies, which has helped to change consumer preferences and citizens attitudes towards human rights, the environment, and exploitative relationships. This paper has been divided into several headings. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the state of corporate social responsibility at multinational corporations (MNCs), using the examples of Shell and Emirates Airlines. Introduction Corporate Social Responsibility at MNCs There have been increasing demands on multinational enterprises (MNCs) to provide community development programmes and assistance to their host communities, particularly, in developing countries. In other words, meeting locally defined social and economic goals. This is mainly because developmental projects and other social infrastructures are lacking in most of these countries and most of all the time that are not provided by the government. For example, oil companies, particularly, those operating in developing countries are now constantly under pressure to be more open and accountable for a wide range of actions, and to report publicly on their performance in the social and environmental arenas. Because of their impact on politics, economics and society in host nations, they must be more attentive that others in demonstrating social responsibility through initiatives to reduce their negative impact. Blowfield and Frynas (2005) mention that MNEs need to take account of the social, ethical and environmental perceptions of their operations and how these are likely to shape the future attitudes and actions of stakeholders. Following this argument, oil companies attach greater importance to their social and environmental impact and they engage more with local communities that they used to do in the past. Various community and environmental initiatives may be seen as a response to the threat of stakeholder sanctions (Blowfield and Frynas, 2005). The purpose of the report is top discuss the state of corporate social responsibility at multinational corporations (MNCs) using the examples of Shell and Emirates Airlines in a comprehensive way. First the paper will start with a brief on each of these companies. Secondly it will go on to the Stakeholder Salience model and the Stakeholder Power Interest matrix followed by a basic chart illustrating stakeholder dynamics for both companies. The third section will focus on Corporate Social Responsibility at Shell and Emirates Airlines and Shell Oil and Emirates Airlines Launched in 1985 in Dubai with just two leased planes, the global air giant Emirates Airlines now consists of a fleet of over 120 planes and approximately 44,000 employees. The privately owned Emirates Airlines group consists of Emirates Airlines and a number of subsidiary companies including Emirates Airlines Holidays Limited. Emirates Airlines is one of the worlds leading airlines with a network that provides passenger and freight services to 149 destinations in 72 countries. Shells head office is based in The Hague, Netherlands and the parent company of the Shell group is Royal Dutch Shell plc, incorporated in England and Wales. Shell currently operates in over 100 countries and employs 102,000 staff worldwide. Shell produces 2% of the worlds oil supplies and 3% of the worlds gas supplies. Shell Stakeholder Power Interest Matrix LOW INTEREST / LOW POWER Sub-contractors HIGH INTEREST / LOW POWER Country Leaders (if corrupt) Employees Proximate Communities Future Generations Community Initiatives LOW INTEREST / HIGH POWER Government Suppliers / Supply Chain Customers Shipping Industries Oil Reserve Companies HIGH INTEREST / HIGH POWER Price Governing Bodies Shareholders Competitors Petrol Price Governance Environment Lobbying Groups Legal Representation Companies Marketing Web Design Emirates Stakeholder Power Interest Matrix LOW INTEREST / LOW POWER Government (as privately owned) Future Generations Price Governing Bodies Sub-contractors Community Initiatives HIGH INTEREST / LOW POWER Employees Proximate Communities LOW INTEREST / HIGH POWER Suppliers / Supply Chain Customers Air Space Control HIGH INTEREST / HIGH POWER Shareholders Competitors Petrol Price Governance Environment Lobbying Groups Legal Representation Companies Marketing Web Design Corporate Social Responsibility at Shell and Emirates Airlines Shell Canada attempts to make all levels of management and corporate governance aware of these guiding Business Principles through strong Lines of communication between all organizational levels for the management of health, safety, environmental and social responsibility and must also consider having regard to the legal industry and community standards in those areas (Cannon, 1992). In Shell Canadas reports are regarded as their commitment to SD, and SD is used as an overarching corporate goal, alongside growth and profitability, each essential to delivering long-term value to their shareholders. The companys reports are part of its commitment to two guiding principles, transparency and stakeholder engagement, which attempts to strengthen the linkages between its conduct, and societys expectations. (Miles, Munilla and Darroch, 2006). Furthermore, decline in economic and social development in host communities due to neglect and lack of development initiatives from host governments, has sparked a global debate about the social responsibility of corporations. According to experts, stakeholders increasingly are looking to the private sector for help with a myriad of complex and pressing social and economic issues (Blowfield and Frynas, 2005). Similarly, it has been argued that it is good business to actively engage all stakeholders in the development of sustainable strategies that reflect both economic and socially responsible outcomes (Eweje, 2001). Emirates mission is to deliver services that matter to people who value how they fly. To realise this, Emirates Airlines recognises the importance of working in partnership with its stakeholders. This has influenced its approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Its approach has also been influenced by the recognition that airlines generate major social and economic benefits, but also have significant impacts on the environment (for example, through noise and air quality) and on communities around airports. (needs referencing) There are several reasons why Emirates Airlines chose to engage in CSR. The first is because it is a tool to help achieve the companys long term strategic goals in providing growth opportunities around Heathrow airport. Secondly, improving business efficiency and reducing costs through waste and energy programmes provided a strong business case for CSR (Frynas, 2005). The company also thought CSR could help them with risk management by identifying risks to health, safety and environment that could hinder its opportunity to attract investors and grow the business. Lastly, it recognised that it needed to act to enhance its corporate reputation, and customer feedback (both corporate and from the general public) revealed that they expected Emirates Airlines to do the right thing. (Warhurst and Mitchell, 2000). Climate change is increasingly relevant to Emirates Airlines as aviation is a growing contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions, a main greenhouse gas, and consequently to climate change. The increase in emissions-stimulated by a rise in a passenger and freight travel-coincides with many politicians and civil society groups calling for industry to reduce carbon emissions. this presented a problem for Emirates Airlines, especially when it seeks to be a leading player in the industry for environmental issues (Eweje, 2001). In response to this Emirates Airlines board decided to develop a programme of work on climate change. The programme first sough to identify ways in which the company could reduce its own impacts. By auditing its emissions and energy use, targets for reduction in these areas were developed-for example, a fuel efficiency target of a 30% improvement between 1990 and 2010. To date this represents a saving of 50m tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (Eweje, 2001). Emirates Airlines set a target of total reductions in annual emissions of 125,000 tonnes of CO2, to be achieved over five years (Culverwell, Lee and Koziell, 2003). One inhibiting factor has been the increase in fuel surcharges, which may have made passengers less interested in paying for other additional costs (Frynas, 2005). Emirates Airlines has attempted to deal with these challenges by improving understanding of the issues, proactively leading and stimulating the debate through direct advocacy with government and participation at various fora (Miles, Munilla and Darroch, 2006). Feedback from government and from experts on the environment has revealed that the climate change programme has positioned Emirates Airlines as a responsible airline. By becoming more involved in the debate, it has been able to steer that debate towards (in its view) the most sensible proposal of emission trading, rather than other interventions that could be expensive for the industry. In this way Emirates Airlines has been better able to manage its risks. The investment community has acknowledged this, and because of this it has enable Emirates Airlines to attract investment. A final benefit has been that, owing to its and other companies attitudes to environmental sustainability, there is a genuine prospect of expansion at Heathrow airport offering new opportunities for growth to Emirates Airlines (Warhust and Mitchell, 2000). The climate change programme is CSR because it is about taking actions to reduce its impact on the environment. Growing threat to the environment and to societies everywhere. Emirates Airlines actions on climate change go beyond compliance demonstrating that it is taking voluntary actions to reduce its contribution to carbon emissions and better understand its impact on climate change (Eweje, 2001). Emirates Airlines wishes to maintain its industry leadership position by continuing to develop policy and advocacy for cost effective instruments that benefit the environment. As part of this, it seeks to improve its customer engagement on climate change, to raise awareness and communicate Emirates Airlines work in the area. It will further develop its ground energy strategy to include actions to further reduce its internal impacts, for example, improving energy efficiency in its maintenance hangers. Lastly, it is continuing to develop and seek improvements in meeting its fuel efficiency target with a view to settting a new target for 2010 onwards. In Nigeria today, the most critical issue that affects the oil and gas is the Niger Delta (oil-producing region). There has been enormous pressure on both the Nigerian government and the MNCs to double their efforts and develop the region that contributes more that 80 per cent of Nigeria foreign earnings. Experts such as Carson, 1993 argue that oil companies have initiated, and implemented significant community development schemes. For example, MNCs provide education, scholarships, and build roads in Nigeria. He also suggests that global spending by oil, gas and mining companies on community development programmes in 2001 was over 500 million dollars (Carson, 1993). It could be argued that in economic terms, these are not the functions of businesses, but in less developed countries these roles, or rather duties, are expected from MNCS. Indeed, there have been times when local people in oil-producing regions have turned against MNEs precisely because they feel, as Mitte the president of Movement of the survival of the Ogoni people. One of the communities in the Niger Delta put it: they were not getting enough social and economic infrastructures/assistance from the MNEs that operate in their communities (Carson, 1993). Regrettably, the lack of visible and positive impact of CSR initiatives in oil-producing communities has been questioned. Evidence suggests that there is a gap between the MNCs stated CSR objectives and the actual results on the ground. What follows is the criticism of the community development initiatives of the companies because the host communities believe that MNCs CSR initiatives are not addressing both the social and environmental problems they are intended to resolve (Cannon, 1992). This assertion is somewhat similar to the argument of experts who suggest that numerous claims have been made about the contribution CSR can make to poverty alleviation and other development goals (Culverwell, Lee and Koziell, 2003). They further argue that contributes to this issue have reached the conclusion that currect CSR approaches do not warrant such claims. MNCs CSR initiatives in the Niger Delta have many aspects which include employment issues, environmental issues and local community issues (Cannon, 1992). MNCs CSR Initiatives in the Niger Delta In Nigeria, Charges of unethical behaviours include: total neglect of the Niger Delta (oil-producing areas in Nigeria) and lack of educational facilities such as classroom, teachers, and scholarships which will enhance the literacy development of the indigenes of the communities (Culverwell, Lee and Koziell, 2003). Over the years, the oil exploration and producing companies witnessed endless communal agitation, as the host communities have looked up to them for support and assistance in the provision of social and economic infrastructure and employment The poorests parts of Nigeria are where these oil companies are, and this has heightened conflict (Miles, Munilla and Darroch, 2006). Recourse to violence has resulted in a lot of damage to property and casualties on both sides. In some instances, it has resulted in the withdrawal of operations by oil companies form some locations. While planned seismic and drilling activities have been abandoned in others (Miles, Munilla and Darroch, 2006). In the past, the oil companies approach was to help or appease the communities whenever the need arose. More recently, however, they have established a more proactive and thoughtful approach to community assistance. This has resulted in the emergence of a fully developed community relations department in each of the companies, solely set up to anticipate and plan the needs of the communities (Miles, Munilla and Darroch, 2006). The Nigerian Petroleum News, 1998, who understand better their own real needs and future aspirations. During interviews with senior managers of oil companies in Nigeria, it was confirmed that community relations departments were created solely to meet local needs and situational politics. The argument here supports the theoretical position of experts who argue that corporations tend to listen to the demand of powerful stakeholder groups. In this case, the MNCs listen carefully to the demands of host communities and changed their approach towards them. The host communities also demand social welfare projects from the MNCs. In many developing countries, national and local governments have taken a more hands- off approach (Frynas, 2005) to regulating business due to such things as changing policies, the globalisation of commerce and shrinking resources. Against this background, companies are relying less on government for guidance, and instead they are pursuing their own policies with regard to such matters as environmental performance, working conditions and ethical marketing practices. This approach can be problematic. The secretary of the chiefs council of the oil-producing village of Bonny in the Niger Delta accused the oil companies of: Apartheid in its residential areas where all the state of the art welfare facilities including good water, constant electricity, good roads, super markets, schools with high-tech equipment, swimming pools and other facilities were in existence while the people of Bonny, the host community suffer absolute squalor and neglect (Frynas, 2005). This is one example of a charge of double standard brought against multinationals in developing countries. The host communities believe they should have the same facilities that are on offer to the companies workers since the bulk of profits of the MNEs comes from their land. As one observer pointed out: Communities in the Delta area in particular, where most of the exploration and production activities take place, feel generally ill-treated in the entire process of oil prospecting and production and consider themselves as being at the end of only the adverse effects of these activities (Frynas, 2005). They believe that they have not received an equitable share of the tremendous oil revenues which are being derived from their land and territories, especially in the light of disruptive consequences on their health and sources of livelihood. Nor have they been recognised as the inhabitants of oil-producing areas who should benefit from the natural resource that abounds in their ancestral lands. Trust and Discontent Issue It is argued in this paper that issue of trust plays a significant role in the relationship between the host communities in the Niger Delta and the MNCs. The past behaviour of MNCs for unfulfilling promises to the host communities has created a negative perception and mistrust. Hence, any CSR initiative no matter how laudable it is, does not always receive positive reaction in host communities. According to experts, managers can find a wealth of benefits from trust, including cost savings and enhanced organisational capacities. According to these researchers, what is evident is that the willingness of managers to create mutually trusting relationships is a matter of strategic choice. In other words, managers can, through their behaviour, help determine levels of trust in relationships between their firm and its various stakeholders. Trust is thus define as an integral part of the strategy formulation process (Warhust and Mitchell, 2000). High figures suggests that the Nigerian government rakes billions of US dollars in form of revenue from the oil industry. However, the host communities in the Niger Delta are neglected; corruption and mismanagement is rife amongst officials hence some projects earmarked for the development of the region are never completed (Warhurst and Mitchell, 2000). Charges of unethical behaviour include: total neglect of the Niger Delta and lack of educational facilities such as classrooms, teachers, and scholarships which will enhance the literacy development of the indigenes of the communities. Over the years, the oil exploration and producing companies have borne the brunt of endless communal agitation, as the host communities have looked up to them for support and assistance in the provision of social and economic and infrastructure and employment. The host communities believe they should have the same facilties that are on offer to the companies workers since the bulk of profits of the MNEs come from their land. On the issue of electrification of the communities, the companies are accused of neglecting the areas where they work by only providing electricity to their installations. The communities do not benefit from the same developments that the companies undertake for their installations and workers (Warhurst and Mitchell, 2000). Conclusion In short, the paper presents the examples of two multinational corporations and their responsiveness towards corporate social responsibility. The main points of the paper can be summarised that corporate social responsiveness, corporate social responsibility, and corporate social impacts are encapsulated in the phrase corporate social performance. Of these three concepts, responsiveness is the most forward looking, action-oriented, and malleable, since it is based on the precept that corporations have the capacity to anticipation and adapt to environmental factors. The potential is that corporate managers can learn to prevent or minimize the kind of unwelcome surprises that necessitate crisis management and government intervention while responding proactively to public expectations of how business can serve the greater good.

Martin Scorsese And Mean Streets Film Studies Essay

Martin Scorsese And Mean Streets Film Studies Essay Authorship is important in every art form, for reason of intellectual property rights and for reasons of status and identification. The film critic Andrew Sarris became the proponent of what is now called auteur theory. Sarris claimed that film at its best constitutes the kind of inspired personal expression from a director that we expect to find in a major author, Sarris therefore said we can treat great directors who develop a signature style as auteurs. http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~simpsone/Connections/Film/Author/index.html. The word author is a driven from the French word auteur. Sometime the word used as auteurism marks a major part played in the critical debates by French film critics, especially those associated with journal Cahiers du Cinà ©ma in the 1950s and 1960s.the directors were claimed and considered to be the author of the film. This did not however mean that every director was to be considered to be an auteur (http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Academy-Awards -Crime-Films/Auteur-Theory-and-Authorship.html).Auteur theory suggests that a director, can use the same apparatus of filmmaking in the same way that a writer uses a pen or a painter uses paint and a paintbrush. (http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/siryan/Screen/Auteur%20Theory.html). The auteur theory became the basis of the French cinematic movement, the nouvelle vague also known as the new wave. (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44609/auteur-theory). http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~simpsone/Connections/Film/Author/index.html In this assignment I am going to be talking about Martin Scorsese in terms of authorship in relation to mean streets. Martin Scorsese is considered one of the most influential directors of his era. Born in 1942, Martin Scorsese grew up in the lower Manhattans Little Italy neighborhood, (which was later the setting for several of his films). Growing he was captivated by Friday night broadcasts of Italian- neo realist films, from then Scorsese was drifted toward the European cinema. He became attracted to a style of filmmaking that was different from Hollywood. After high school Scorsese entered the priesthood and spent a year at a catholic seminary before dropping out, (this had a big influence on his films). He studied at New York City University, where he was greatly influenced by the cinematic realism of French and Italian new wave. The impact of Scorsese can be shown in a number of ways including such as his directing style, the films he has made and the relationships he has made in the industry. Scorsese has a uses film as a mode of personal expression, he uses film as an emotional and artistic passage. We can see the expression of his upbringing in several of his films, e.g. in whos knocking at my door (1968), which feels a lot representative of Scorseses own up-bringing as it introduces themes of catholic guilt, (also introduced in mean streets 1973), as he had a Roman Catholic up-bringing. [Data gathered from (http://www.notablebiographies.com/Sc-St/Scorsese-Martin.html) and V.LoBruto; Martin Scorsese a biography 2008; Praeger Publishers Inc The themes and tendencies use by Scorsese have remained the same. He addresses such themes as Italian American identity, violence, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption. His authorship styles include a feel for New York Italian American street life, rapid editing, eclectic soundtracks and a troubled protagonist. Another typical Scorsese technique which stands out is his use of the voice over narration. We can see this in most of his films including Mean Streets (1973). Scorseses use of voice over allows him to add vital elements to his characters. It also allows the audience to enter the characters minds and determine what he is really thinking, this will make the audience relate more and understand the characters. I am now going to apply these in Mean Streets (1973) and also analyse the final sequence from the movie. Mean Streets is a film about a young Italian American who is trying to cope in the tough environment streets of New York. All of the above authorship styles apply to Mean Streets. Mean Streets powerfully portrayed life in Little Italy where he grew up. The film also showed off talent and started a relationship with Robert De Niro, who went on to star in eight more of Scorsese films. The scene that I am analysing is all shot in low key lighting; this is done to give the night time effect. Scorsese uses low key lighting in a few of his other films but notably in Goodfellas (1990), which contains low key lighting throughout. In the scene there is a fast paced electric rock soundtrack playing. This is also one of Scorseses signature techniques. The music is setting up the mood raising interest to the audience. The electric soundtrack plays so sudden that the audience excitement just builds up. Overall the music that Scorsese uses portrays the mood as well as the setting of the film. For example in GoodFellas (1990) and Casino (1995) 60s Italian music is played to make the scenes seem as though they were set at the time. The scene is shot in a tracking shot as the cars are being followed in the road. Scorsese is well known for showing off his tracking shot skills in all of his films. In the scene, there are a lot of mid shots, these is to show off the character and t he emotions so that the audience can sympathise and relate with or vise-versa. In the scene the action begins when the shooting begins, the blood in the scene is exaggerated but this is to raise excitement, anxiety and a dramatic effect to the audience. The shooting sequence is really fast paced, distorted and consists of a fast paced dialogue, though this is another one of scorseses signatures, it has a dramatic effect to it. Scorsese films tend to have unflinchingly graphic and realistic violence, we can see this thought the film for example during the bar fight. The electric music still playing in the background has no meaning with what is happening in the scene, however this may make the film more appealing to the audience that know the soundtrack, thus attracting more audience by the soundtrack, this requires cultural knowledge. However I can argue that the rock electric music is connotating the meaning and message of the film, thus associated with sex, drugs and bad boys. The intensity in the scene in increased more when they show the close up of the foot on the brakes, this raises tension as the audience want to know if the car is going to crash or not. It is interesting how the music suddenly stops when the car crashes, this may be to give effect of shock to the audience. And the water pipe bursts we can only here the diegetic sound of the water. This scene raises enigmas to the audience as they are curious as to did anyone die? The camera also show a mid-close up of the two guys in the car to show that they are curious as well as to did anyone die, get hurt etc. suddenly again with a signature movie slow paced music unexpectedly starts though this time it matches with the action in the scene. The character get out of the car in a kind of slow motion take, this is often used by Scorsese, this is to give dramatic effect to the scene in this case when bloody Charlie falls on to his knees, this is a dramatic shot and it builds emotions to the audience. Sc orsese has used the slow motion effect throughout the film, Mean Streets (1973) as well as in GoodFellas (1990), Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980). The water from the pipe was shown to have the effect as if it is raining; this is to signify that it is over. This scene is followed by several scenes from other character in different places. Then there is a long shot of New York City probably to show on more time were the action happens. Scorseses films are usually set in New York City where he grew up. The scene then fades to black which usually connotates the pass of time, then the credits are shown. In the analysis I have evaluated most of scorseses signature cinematography techniques in from one scene. Martin Scorsese has always done something different to distinguish himself from other directors.

Use of Rhetorical Appeals and Diction in Richard Wright’s Autobiographi

Use of Rhetorical Appeals and Diction in Richard Wright’s Autobiographical Work, Black Boy In his autobiographical work, Black Boy, Richard Wright wrote about his battles with hunger, abuse, and racism in the south during the early 1900's. Wright was a gifted author with a passion for writing that refused to be squelched, even when he was a young boy. To convey his attitude toward the importance of language as a key to identity and social acceptance, Wright used rhetorical techniques such as rhetorical appeals and diction. In Black Boy, Wright used many rhetorical appeals. For example, in passage one, Wright was describing his first day on a job working for a white family. The white woman gave him stale bread and moldy molasses for breakfast and he refused to eat it. This is an appeal to emotion, or the pathos appeal. It is heartbreaking that this woman would only give Richard inedible food to eat for breakfast and then be shocked when he refused to eat it. This passage also makes the reader’s pride swell when Richard refused to eat the food. Also in the first passage the whit...

Cancer Essay -- essays research papers

Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate gland. The prostate is part of the male reproductive system. This gland is locates inside the body at the base of the penis, just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is composed of the glandular and fibrous tissue enclosed in a capsule of connective tissue. The prostate is in the shape of a donut and about the size of a walnut. It surrounds the first inch or so of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder. Normal functions of the prostate depend on the presence of the male hormone testosterone, which is produced by the testes. The prostate produces semen, the thick, whitish fluid that carries sperm. Cancer of the prostate has become the number one cancer in American men. In the United States, approximately 1 in every 11 men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime. Prostate cancer becomes increasingly common with each decade of life. Over 80 percent of all cases are diagnosed in men over 65. The incidence of prostate cancer increased 47 percent from 1973 to 1987, about a 2.6 percent increase each year. It is estimated that 106,00 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the US during the 1990. Black men in the US have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world. Little is known about the cause of prostate cancer, and it is seldom possible to explain why a man has developed this disease. Scientists believe that cancer of the prostate develops over a period of many years as a result...

A Mongoliod Child Handling Shells On The Beach by Robert Snyder :: essays research papers

Diction, Theme and Imagery in Richard Snyders Intro To Poetry "A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach" When you first read Richard Snyders narrative poem, "A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach", it may be perceived that the poem is indeed about a child, happily gathering shells upon the shore. However, if we closely consider the diction and connotations that Synder uses, we can speculate that the meaning of the poem depicts a deeper and darker theme. The title itself gives us an idea from the beginning. The word Mongoloid, as identified in Websters New World Dictionary (675), is an early term for Down's Syndrome, a state of mental retardation. Therefore I believe that the poem represents the child as an outcast from the norm of society. There are several words in the text that refer to the child that we usually wouldn't associate with youth. An early clue would again be found in the title, "A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach". Notice that Snyder used the word "handling" instead of playing or collecting, words wich we might think of while envisioning a young girl investigating sea shells. Snyder also uses the word 'slow' to describe the child on more than one occasion, as we see in line one and line eight : "She turns them over in her slow hands/ ...hums back to it its slow vowels." Yet another example could be in line four, which reads: " they are the calmest things on this sand." Calm is yet another word that we would not most likely use to portray a young child. It very well could be that the author is trying to paint a picture of her impairment and symbolize her condition through her actions. Considering Snyder depicted the ocean as "..the mazarine maze,"(3) instead of simply stating that it is the "deep blue sea", it is easy to speculate that the ocean represents life itself. Her being outside of the water while all the other children are swimming is a key example of her being isolated. The way that she is presented, which is slow and rather solemn, contrasts with the other children who are "rough as surf, gay as their nesting towels."(6). I feel that this kind of symbolism is repeated throughout the remainder of the poem. The sea shells, for instance, are another important representation of her isolation. It reads in line three: " broken bits from a mazarine maze,". If we look at the mazarine maze as being life, and the shells are broken bits of it washed ashore, it becomes clear that

Poetry Walt Whitman I Hear America Singing Essay

In I Hear America Singing Walt Whitman paid tribute to the workers of America. Whitman included every worker that he could think of, including the women and the girls who stayed home and do house chores. Whitman pictured them as happy and contented people who put dignity and respect in labor. In the poem the worker carried the physical burden of his work with a light heart that made him sing. In the first line, the entire country was euphoric and they sang different songs in unison. Whitman used varied carols to describe the emotion of America. Carols were usually sang on Christmas seasons when people were upbeat and matched perfectly the celebratory mood of the holidays. In the poem the Americans did not sing ordinary songs but those like carols which were mostly cheery and bouncy. He started off with the mechanic whose song he characterized with strength and blitheness. The carpenter lay down the plank and put up the beam. His job was physically demanding but he still managed to sing. The mason looked forward to another day of work and he sang along the way. Anything that we are eager to face everyday as something that gives us pleasure is reason enough for us to sing out our feelings, which was exactly the case of the mason in the poem. The boatman sang out the things he needed for his boat was a novel way of doing his job of checking the tools of his trade. The deckhand sang from the deck where he can see the vast expanse of the sea. This was how he gave in to his feelings of exhilaration, freedom and joy. Creativity flows from the shoemaker and the hatter as they each went about their routine work. Whether sitting down or standing up they were at their most comfortable that singing came naturally easy for them. In the woods and in the farms, the song came from the cutter and the farmer as they labored from sunlight to sundown. Their task can be back-breaking but by singing they lightened their burden and provided themselves respite especially at midday. The women who did the cooking, sewing and washing also sang to cast away their boredom and in its place welcomed the gladness in doing their domestic chores for their love ones. Walt Whitman spoke of lightness of feelings, despite the demands of work. He used contrasts in the poem. He associated work with heavy and song with light. He made an attempt and succeeded in uniting or putting the contrasts together by making the worker sing. The worker sang not to please an audience but he sang for himself. Singing did many things to the workers: sustained the jolly mood of the mechanic, lightened the load of the carpenter, opened the exciting day of the mason, puts novelty in the boatman’s job, let the thrill in to the deckhand, fed creativity in the routine for the shoemaker and the hatter, provided a restful break for the woodcutter and the farmer, and took the boredom away and inspired the women in their home chores. Walt Whitman used free verse in I Hear America Singing as well as imagery of men with different occupations giving in to the urge and lightness of feeling to want to burst into a song. With free verse he was able to compose a picture of uncontained happiness of a man in doing his job. Free verse was suggestive that work was not a bondage to the man but the source of his joy. Whitman made an unrestrained enumeration of workers who sing as they work, giving the readers an impression that there were many of them with similar attitudes and feelings towards their work. In the title, it was not the workers he heard singing, but the whole country of America. Again, with the free verse, his scope was not limited to those he enumerates. He collectively hears everyone in America. The working man is America, whatever his occupation may be. He gives tribute to the workers, he gives tribute to America.

Drug Is Dangerous to the Society Essay

Drug abuse is a matter of concern because at this time many teens and youth succumbed to drugs. Once they are falling very difficult to stop from it. This is because the drug makes a person feel invoiced. When are addicted, often drug addicts will feel desperate to get back with whatever way they could. They can not stand to bear the punishment invoiced. This is what causes penaqgih difficult to stop drug addiction. However, strong determination and high resilience and spirit of repentance for the encouragement and support of family members to help them get back to the basics. Drug abuse adversely affects not only the individuals themselves but also to their families, communities, nations and countries. The youth is an important asset in a country. The youth as a catalyst to the country’s future development. Youth today face challenges that require quality equipment themselves. It does not give any benefits but also contributes to the monetary losses, moral decadence and so on. It also makes one tempted to engage in activities that are prohibited by religion, such as theft, murder and so on. Friends much it influences the behavioral development of children growing teenagers. Typically, they are easily influenced by the suggestions of friends that leads to destruction, but they do not listen to the advice of parents, school truancy and many more they do that may be harmful to them. Early prevention in order for an individual that does not succumb to the drug is the role of parents through the process of socialization preformance educating and nurturing their children with the values and teachings of religion With the perfect upbringing informally will avoid them from falling from substance abuse. In schools, teachers will be instrumental in giving teachings and guidance to students so that they will not succumb to the drug so that they understand the dangers of drugs, according to their thinking is more mature and can be educated through subjects such as in the eye civics. With this not only encourage them to follow even indirectly will learn and understand about drug abuse. The government, especially the Narcotics Control Bureau, the police and customs authorities will monitor and observe to check carefully through land and sea. The headman and village heads must be careful to monitor the safety of a particular village houses are empty. This is because houses are always a hive of drugs. The cooperation of the village chiefs and villagers will allow Arrangements are eradicate the problem of drugs in their area. If there is anything suspicious, let us join hands together to investigate and report to the authorities, if there are people who are drug addicts. With the availability of these measures, the authority to act and include drug addicts to rehabilitation centers, the earlier the treatment the greater are their hopes to recover and return to the beginning. In addition as a result of drug abuse or drug dealer is liable to punishment such as law to death. In conclusion, we have determined with a renewed determination to fight drugs. Drugs will we bury me and triggered an atmosphere of zero drug. Let us all drugs eliminate the â€Å"destruction† of society continue to be present in Malaysia. We had no choice but just a slogan at heart and in mind at all times that â€Å"All-Out War Against Drugs†.