William Faulkner: Translating His Life into His Works Essay -- Literar

Humankind through years of evolution has become a glorious race with an inexhaustible capacity to think. Each mind is filled with a profusion of ideas and other abstractions, which are sought to be expressed. Often, people find their medium of expression through art. Jean de La Fontaine, a renowned French fabulist begins his poem, The Hornets and the Bees with the line: â€Å"by the work one knows the workman† (The Hornets). If art is a method of self-expression, the creator, is thus, significant. In essence, art as the reflection of a being is inseparable from the being. To examine a masterpiece, the creator must be investigated, too. In 1917, the United States aided the Triple Entente during the First World War. Faulkner enlisted for the Armed Signal Corps from which he was rejected for his height and frailty (Leary +). Despite his rejection, Faulkner was undeterred. With a British accent, a borrowed England address, and an added â€Å"u† to his name, he went to a recruiting office in New York, and enlisted for the Royal Air Force in Canada. Faulkner was accepted, and was ordered to report for Toronto immediately. Although, his efforts were successful, he set himself up for disappointment, for the war ended in 1918 without him having set foot in any battle. When he returned to Oxford a month later, however, he was outfitted in a British uniform paired with a swagger stick to support his injured legs. Early on, he said his injury was a result from a crash during training. Later, the injury would be of several various other causes (Parini 39-47). Although his lies mortified him for the rest of his life, Fau lkner illustrated how he was inherently a storyteller, and his tales were his masterpieces. Through that incident he showed how concoc... ...y Criticism. Vol. 1. New York: Helvetica Press, 1988. 145. Print. Leary, Lewis. "The County and the Man." William Faulkner of Yoknapatawpha County. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1973. 1-37. Print. Minter, David. William Faulkner: His Life and Work. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1980. 1-90. Print. Parini, Jay. One Matchless Time: A Life of William Faulkner. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2004. 39-47. Print. Shute, Sarah. "Absalom, Absalom!." Literature Online. Cambridge: Proquest Information and Learning Co, 2002. Literature Online. Web. 8 May 2012. . "The Hornets and Bees, The Oak and Reed." Jean de La Fontaine. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2012. .

Importance of Fear in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Importance of Fear in Macbeth Fear motivates many to act upon matters, be they right or wrong. In the play Macbeth it was fear that was the main motivating factor that influenced the outcome of the play. Macbeth was fearful of being caught and having to pay for the wrongs he had done – this led to the murders that followed after the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth's actions were also driven by fear of the witches' prophecies - he was afraid they would come true and tried to stop them from happening. Lady Macbeth, was also plagued by fear as evidenced by the constant washing of her hands, sleepwalking and other similar behavior. This entire play was inspired by fear and what it and do to a person. To begin, we'll address Macbeth's subsequent murders, following Duncan's. For Macbeth, he's just killed the King of Scotland and blamed it on his son. It worked and he became King, however he remembered the witches' prophecies. They claimed that Macbeth would be King, but it would be Banquo's children that would follow after him. This made Macbeth very angry, he risked everything to become King and after him none of his family will follow. As well Lady Macbeth is being comsumed by fear and guilt, she is slowing losing her sanity. This is a result of her not being able to handle what she has done to Duncan. As shown in this quote "Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? [Act V, S I, L 32-35] Here Lady Macbeth is trying to wash out what she sees as being blood on her hands. As well she mentions hell an obvious fear of going there for what she has done. At the start Lady Macbeth was the one pushing on Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth takes her life right before the battle against the english is about to begin. This taking of her own life demonstrates her fear and in the end what that fear can do to a person. Now we come to the witches prophecies, these are a main source of fear for Macbeth, after all where has he learned everything from. With each new vision,Macbeth falls deeper and deeper into an evil spiral.

Financial Comparison of Ryanair and British Airways Essay

Ryanair is considered as the pioneer of the low-cost business model, while British Airways is constantly ranked amongst the world’s best legacy carriers. Both of these airlines are dominant companies in their segment with high passenger numbers and vast network coverage. Therefore the following question rises – how these airlines are different in terms of finance and which business model is more fruitful in the middle of an economic downturn? In order to find the answer a thorough financial investigation has been conducted relying on the data outlined in the airlines’ annual reports. In the first section of the report the emphasis is put on the current financial situation of the airlines, while outlining the existing sources of finance. These sources are investigated thoroughly in the second part. The final section evaluates the possible or available sources to finance future investments. Review of Ryanair’s and British Airway’s current financial situation Ryanair in the fiscal year of 2012 has generated a total of â‚ ¬4,390.2m operating revenue mainly through scheduled revenues. The company has increased its operating revenues since 2010 by â‚ ¬1,2bn primarily due to fare increases. In 2012 the total operating expense was â‚ ¬3,707m. This is also the peak in the last three years, mostly attributable to fuel and oil costs, which have almost doubled since 2010. Hence the net profit for the 2012 fiscal year was â‚ ¬560.4m, the highest in the history of the company. British Airways in the fiscal year ended 2011 December 31 accounted a profit of  £672m after paying the taxes. This can be considered as a significant improvement after 2010’s profit of  £170m. These figures do not provide enough in-depth information on the airlines’ real situation. In order to identify the sources of finance and the real position of BA and Ryanair further investigation with the use of ratios is required. Liquidity Current ratio is a liquidity measure that compares the liquid or current assets of the airline with its current liabilities. (Atrill, McLaney 2002) For the fiscal year of 2012 Ryanair’s CR was 2.1355, which represents high liquidity. Generally the higher ratio is considered to be the better. According to Morrell the industry general ratio is 1.00. This suggests that Ryanair is capable of financing its short term commitments towards banks and suppliers However, it must be noticed that the airline has significantly high cash reserves, namely â‚ ¬2.7bn. Such rate suggests for the banks and suppliers that the company is low risk for investment and has high liquidity, but also proposes that the cash is being accumulated to finance future aircraft orders or other investments. The fact that the cash reserves has grown with â‚ ¬1.2bn in the last two years also underpins these assumptions.(Morrell 2007) British Airways has a low current ratio of 0.7531. It points out the problem that BA cannot finance its current assets from its current liabilities. Thus, it can be assumed that the short term debts are financed through the more expensive long term loans. The company’s cash reserves are  £1.7bn, which is considerably lower in comparison to Ryanair’s reserves. This can result in higher interest rates as the airline is not considered as a safe investment for lenders. According to Moody’s credit rating company BA’s credit ratings were B1 and BB in 2011. Also being a legacy airline BA works with more third party suppliers like travel agents and these issues can mean that the pay-outs are delayed. It is important to note that Ryanair and the low-cost business model do not use travel agents. Performance and earning The operating margin gives an indication of management efficiency in controlling costs and increasing revenues as it represents the operating profit as the percentage of total revenues. Comparing to last year’s results, both airline’s ratios have remained flat, namely 14% for Ryanair and 5.2% for BA. It means that on every pound or euro BA makes  £0.05 profit, while Ryanair â‚ ¬0.14. However, the low-cost model seems to be more profitable, but it must be taken into account that they are also operating in a lower cost structure. Also, BA has managed to generate a positive operational margin as in 2008 and 2009 its values were negative. Return on Equity (RoE) is the net profit after interest and tax expressed as percentage of shareholder’s funds. BA has achieved a 26.2% RoE in 2011, while the same value for Ryanair was 16.9%. It means that BA is making more profit from the shareholders money. The shareholder’s money is only the one-third of BA’s asset, while Ryanair is half founded by the investors. Solvency Gearing ratio is a measurement of the contribution of long-term lenders to the long term capital structure of a business. Ryanair’s gearing ratio was 53.98% in 2012, which is considerably high for a low-cost airline. In other words it means that the company is financed half from borrowing and half from own capital. The lower the gearing ratio of the airline the greater the firm’s capacity to borrow more money at a lower interest rate, due to the lower risk to banks and lenders. Oppositely, BA has an even higher gearing ratio of 65.5%. Around one third of British Airways’ capital is funded by the shareholders, while the remaining is sourced from long-term loans and debts. The following table summarises the previously outlined performance and liquidity ratios of the airlines. BA( £) Airline Ryanair(â‚ ¬) 9,987 Total revenue 4,390.2m 672m Profit after tax 560.4m 0,7531 Current Ratio 2,135 63,80% Gearing Ratio 53,98% 570m Cash Reserve 2708m 26.2% ROE 16.9% 5.2% Operating Margin 14% Fleet commitments Ryanair Replacing the aircrafts is not only increases the airline’s prestige but can mean a significant reduction in operating costs as the new generation of aircrafts are much more fuel efficient or can carry more passengers than the predecessors. As the core of the LCC business model Ryanair only flies Boeing 737-800s thus reducing the maintenance costs significantly. The carrier has one live contract from 2005 with the American aircraft manufacturer that covers the procurement of 197 brand new 737800s for which the unit cost is $51m. (Ryanair 2012) ï‚ · Ryanair’s long-term debt for aircraft commitments, including current maturities was â‚ ¬3,625.2m at March 31, 2012. The airline has funded a significant portion of its acquisition of new aircraft and equipment through borrowings under facilities provided by international financial institutions on the basis of guarantees issued by Ex-Im Bank. At the end of fiscal year 2012 the carrier had a fleet of 294 Boeing aircraft of which 199 were funded by Ex-Im Bank guaranteed financing. Other sources to cover aircraft costs are Japanese Operating Leases with call options (30 aircrafts) and commercial debt financing (6 aircrafts). According to the bookings, 235 aircraft are owned by Ryanair, which are financed through long-term bank loans. Operational leases funded 59 aircrafts at March 31, which means that Ryanair operate these aircrafts, but does not own them. The aircrafts are leased to provide flexibility within the aircraft delivery programme. 55 aircrafts is being financed through fix-rate debts, while for the remaining 4 aircraft Ryanair is paying variable rental payments. Out of the 25 aircraft, which has been delivered in the 2012 financial year, 11 were funded through sale-and-leaseback financing and the remainder through Ex-Im Bank guaranteed financing. To convert a portion of the floating-rate debts into the fixed rate debts, Ryanair has used interest rate swaps and cross currency rate swaps. As a result â‚ ¬1,314.7m of the aircraft loans are remained at floating rates. The remaining â‚ ¬2,310.5m is in fixed-rate euro-denominated debts with the maturities of 7 to 12 years. On all of the above mentioned borrowings the weighted average interest rate was 2.9%. The effective rate is the rough estimate for the weighted average cost of capital. It is calculated by dividing the interest paid for the year with the long term borrowings. For Ryanair it is 3.01%, which is really close to their given figures. Accordingly their cost of long term borrowings is 109.2m, which can be considered as low. The low rate also represents trust from the lenders and investors. But, on the other hand it must be noted that at March 31, 2012 aircrafts with a net book value of â‚ ¬4.8bn were mortgaged to lenders as security for loans. This may be the explanation for the low interest rates. In general, Ryanair has been able to generate sufficient funds from operations to meet its nonaircraft acquisition-related working capital requirements. Between 2008 and 2012 March Ryanair had sold and re-delivered a total of 39 aircrafts and also the company plans to dispose 8 additional before March 2014. Ryanair may choose to dispose of aircraft through sale and or non-renewal of the operating leases as they expiree between 2012 and 2013. In the next year the company has a total obligations of â‚ ¬1,143.3m out of which the third, around â‚ ¬571.8m is â€Å"purchase obligations†, i.e. buying the remaining 15 aircrafts. Each of the aircraft loans have similar terms – maturity of 12 years from drawdown date and being secured by a first priority mortgage. The overall aircraft debts (â‚ ¬3,625.2m) represent around 80% of all long-term liabilities, hence if the airline is capable of paying these commitments Ryanair should be able to preserve its current financial status in the upcoming years. As it can be seen the low cost carrier Ryanair has built up a well-functioning system to finance all its aircrafts, including the 15 Boeing 737s that will be delivered in the future. Furthermore by currency swapping and low interest rates the company is in total control of its costs. British Airways The transparency of BA’s financial situation is significantly lower comparing it to Ryanair’s. This can be explained in two ways, either they prefer not to reveal their financial strategy and sources as it can provide valuable information for the competitors or the company does not have the adequate financial background to finance its long term commitments. British Airways has a completely different fleet to cover both its short- and long-haul routes. The fleet is owned by the company or held in finance and operational leases. The 245 aircrafts take up two thirds ( £5.7bn) of the company’s total non-current assets. Also, 95% of the overall revenue is generated through the fleet. The aircrafts comprise different sized jets from various manufacturers making the operational and maintenance costs higher. In the annual report of year ended in December 31, 2011 BA outlined its current fleet and future aircraft deliveries and options. These include 50 firm orders and 84 options. The new fleet is made up from A320s, A380s, Boeing 777-300s and 787s, which are expected to enter service between 2012 and 2017. Furthermore, in Note 13 the airline states that the cost of these aircrafts is going to be  £4.1bn. But, no other information is provided about the sources that will cover these expenditures, thus it can be assumed that the future cash flows contain relevant information on these funds, but they have not been published yet. (British Airways 2012) The non-current liabilities of loans, finance- and operational leases add up to  £4.904, which is 30% more than Ryanair’s â‚ ¬3.8bn total long-term commitments. According to BA the bank and other loans at the end of 2011 equalled  £1,324m, comprised of fixed- and floating rate loans.  £693m is in floating-rate debts, while the remaining  £823m is in fixed rate loans and bonds. The average interest rate for the fixed rate debts is around 6.5%, which is significantly higher than Ryanair’s 2.9%. The floating rate loans are generally determined to be 0,5%+LIBOR. The lenders consider the airline as a higher risk firm that is why the interest rates are higher. Generally, the loans are repayable between 2014 and 2018, with one exception none of the loans need to be repaid until 2014 and on. Such conditions allow BA to use the debt to generate cash in the next 2-4 years. BA uses finance leases and hire contracts to acquire aircraft. These leases have both renewal options and purchase options. The total finance lease contracts worth  £2.227bn and similarly like Ryanair, it consist of different currencies namely US dollar, Euro, Japanese yen and Sterling. The non-current side of these contracts are  £1.12b, but around half of this is due obligatory in five or more years. Four of the new 777-300s are being leased through GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS). The finance lease agreements are mainly in place to fund the existing fleet. Therefore additional leases are required, if the new fleet is wished to be funded through such construction. The operating leases for BA’s aircraft range from five years and some leases contain options for renewal. However, this type of contract accounts for only  £316m of which is  £253 is not payable within one year. Comparing to 2010 BA has halved its operational leases from  £635m, it can be assumed that company took the lease contract for an aircraft or more, which was expected to be delivered in 2011, but it has been delayed so the company terminated the contractual agreement until the new aircrafts are delivered. Accordingly, it can be assumed that operational lease commitments are going to rise in the next two financial years. Unlike Ryanair, British Airways does not provide any kind of information about the structure of the leases. The following assumption can be made though; BA offered worse interest terms with the loan contracts than Ryanair because of its weaker liquidity and performance. British Airway’s effective rate shows the same trend as its 4.301%. The company paid  £161m in 2011 as cost for long term borrowings. Financing in the short run As it has been outlined above, Ryanair has a current ratio of 2.1, which provides a solid base for the assumption that the airline is financing its short-term liabilities from its current assets and operational profit. In fact Ryanair could repay all its short term liabilities from its â‚ ¬2.7bn cash reserve and would still be left with â‚ ¬0.9bn cash. Moreover, Ryanair’s current liabilities are half of BA’s short run commitments. In less than 1 year Ryanair will need to finance 1,1bn for obligations, like current maturities of long term debts and purchase obligations. But then again, Ryanair has the capacity to pay these. BA is more interesting in the short run as the airline’s current ratio is 0.75. Logically the question arises – if the short-term liabilities cannot be covered from the operating revenue then how is it financed? Possibly the long-term loans are used in such case which is leading to future liquidity issues. The main problem is the â€Å"trade and other payables† entry which accounts for  £3,117m within current liabilities. But, from this total amount the real credit is  £1,457m, which is the money BA owes to creditors like suppliers and travel agents. The remaining are mostly prepaid flights that the airline will accomplish in the new financial year. Having the suppliers wait for their money is a way to improve cash flow. The cash operating cycle for the company has been calculated by dividing the trade payables with operation expenses (less employee costs and depreciation). The average pay out period for British Airways is 80.1 days, which can be considered as high and nevertheless it also shores up the liquidity problems of the airline. On the other hand, Ryanair makes these to the creditors payments within 22.1 days. Note 28 describes BA’s liquidity risk in more detail. The results suggest that within the next 12 months British Airways is going to need around  £2.203bn to finance all its commitments for that period. Where the money is coming from? This question remains unanswered, but it can be presumed that BA is going to need new sources to fund this  £2.203bn short-term liability combined with the  £4.1bn commitments for the new fleets. Shareholders’ equity and dividend policy Ryanair has significant retained earnings, namely â‚ ¬2.4bn, even though there was a â‚ ¬500m dividend pay-out in 2010 October and also a similar sized one is planned in 2012 November. Seeing the results and pay-outs it can be assumed that the shareholders are happy with the dividend policy and this can serve as a basis for future capital injections, if necessary. On the other hand BA’s directors declare that no dividend to be paid for the years of 2011, 2010 and 2009. Such dividend strategy can be explained by the airline’s current liquidity problems. Depreciation Both companies included their depreciation strategies in the annual reports. Ryanair states accounts the Boeings for 23 years, while British Airways calculate with 18-25 years of lifetime for their aircrafts. From these numbers it can be assumed to lower the depreciation costs the amortisation rates are underestimated by both airlines thus saving millions in the accounts. British Airways 50 2012-2017  £4.104bn 4.301%  £161m  £3.683bn  £4.904bn Data not disclosed 80.1 days 31 March 2012 Airline Fleet commitments (no. of aircrafts) Delivery date Capital commitments for new aircrafts Effective rate Long term cost of borrowing/year Total current liabilities Total non-current liabilities Total non-current liabilities for fleet Average pay out period Financial year ended Ryanair 193 2007-2014 ~$10bn 3.01% â‚ ¬109.2m â‚ ¬1.815bn â‚ ¬3.879bn â‚ ¬3,625bn 22.1 days 31 December 2011 Future financing Ryanair Through the analysis of the financial statements it has been revealed that Ryanair has a stable financial structure that is capable to fund the various liabilities in the short- and long-run. The remaining aircraft deliveries are funded through operational revenues and cash reserves. But, it must be kept in mind that the latest fleet contract is from 2005 and all aircrafts will be delivered by 2014. The next couple of months are going to be important in terms of long term strategy for Ryanair. The accumulated cash reserves point that the airline is preparing for some sort of investment. It can be the acquisition of Aer Lingus or the procurement of new aircrafts. The acquisition of the Irish carrier is currently delayed by the EU, but Ryanair is putting all the effort to buy become major shareholder in the firm, which would enable them to appear on the long-haul market through Aer Lingus. It also has been outlined in the annual report that Boeing has granted to give significantly lower prices for Ryanair in return of bulk orders, promotional and other activities. In other words, they are inspiring the airline to go invest into a new fleet in the middle of an economic downturn. In such case the shareholders might be willing to finance the new requirements as they are kept â€Å"happy† and also the airline has been maintaining a steady growth rate both in profits and network coverage. Banks are also aware of the securitized aircrafts also of the vast amount of cash reserves. This background could enable Ryanair to obtain loans with lower interest rate. Ryanair is aware of the favourable contract conditions with Ex-Im Bank as the carrier has stated that they expect any future commitments or guarantees issued by Ex-Im Bank to contain similar conditions. Any inability to obtain financing for the new aircraft on advantageous term might have an adverse effect on the business, operations and financial conditions. However, easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou calls for a slower fleet expansion plans in the next years as he believes that the annual growth is not equal with the number of aircrafts on order. Ryanair should also consider this perspective of growth as they ground 80 of their aircraft for the winter period. A great bulk of aircrafts without sufficient demand could destabilise the airline’s financial position and could make Ryanair to reassess its financial sources. (Rothwell 2012) British Airways Additionally to the current-liability problems (see above), the other main financial issue for BA is to pay for the new fleet. Like mentioned above the company has firm orders for 50 aircrafts for  £4.1bn and options for additional 84. The following question needs to be answered pretty soon – who is going to lend money for British Airways? How much is it going to cost the airline? ï‚ · The British flag carrier could try to increase its funds from shareholders money, but it can be assumed that due to the lack of the profitable dividend policy shareholders are not ready to invest more money into the airline. Also, BA belongs to International Airlines Group (IAG) which also incorporates the Spanish carrier Iberia. The problem is Iberia is making losses, thus even if British Airways makes profit this or next year IAG is going to use that money to reduce the losses at Iberia. In other words, the Spanish carrier is pulling British Airways back at the moment. Shareholders may consider additional funds risky, therefore BA need to show that it can preserve its leading position as a legacy airline. ï‚ · Cash can be generated by selling off assets or reducing costs. In December 2011 BA had only  £39m available-for-sale financial asset. The airline has different amount of equities in various companies – these could be sold as well to gain cash in the short run. By selling aircrafts, which are not necessary needed, the airline could generate income. It would not be unreasonable if BA focused more on the long-haul routes and would reduce the number of aircrafts (114) flying within Europe as the company may not be making sufficient operational profit on some of these routes due to the low cost carriers. The third option for the company to finance its future commitments is to obtain loans from banks, financial institutes or sovereign wealth funds. The latter is a possible solution as Chinese or Gulf wealth funds could be willing to inject capital into the airline, but the question is at what interest rate? The lenders know that BA is struggling with the payment of the shortterm liabilities and they are using the long-term loans, the â€Å"more expensive† money to fund the operational commitments, hence the interest rate for the credit can expected to be high. This would solve the liquidity question in the upcoming years, but such financial funding would also mean difficulties in the period after 5 years. However, if the carrier can continue its recovery from the downturn then there is a good chance for a financially stable British Airways that can pay all its liabilities. Financial and operational leases may work, but they would only relate to the aircrafts. Also, it can be assumed from the drop in the operational lease that BA has these contracts ready and sorted out, they are not just not live as the new aircrafts have not been delivered yet. Conclusion The report has investigated two different business model’s financial structure. Results show the quantity’s victory over quality. Ryanair can maintain its market leading position and increase profits from year to year. This is attributable to the steady and well-functioning financial and operational system, which enables growth, investments and also controls liabilities and aircraft commitments. The search for new financial sources is only necessary, if Ryanair decides on a fleet expansion plan and the airline cannot agree with Ex-Im Bank about future fleet procurement. On the other hand, British Airways seem to struggle with its existing funds hence new financial sources are required to survive the upcoming years. The decision on these funds is hard as in BA’s current situation none of them can be called advantageous. But, to choose the best solution financial advice is recommended for the carrier. Despite all the differences, the two airlines have one thing in common – the next twelve months are going to have a great effect on both carriers’ long term operations. Reference list ATRILL, P. and MCLANEY, E., eds, 2002. Accounting and Finance for Non-Specialists Fourth edn. Pearson Education Limited. BRITISH AIRWAYS, 2012. Annual Report and Accounts Year ended 31 December 2011. British Airways. MORRELL, P.S., ed, 2007. Airline Finance Fourth edn. Ashgate.

How does Alan Bennett make the audience feel empathy for Doris in A cream Cracker under the Settee?

A cream cracker under the settee is a dramatic monologue written by Alan Bennett in 1987 for television, as part of his Talking Heads series for the BBC. Doris is in her seventies. This hints at her being old and vulnerable in need of care and assistance. Moreover, she outlines that she does not â€Å"attempt to dust†, this is maybe because she is physically unable or consumed by her thoughts. Zulema says that her â€Å"dustings days are over†. This makes you feel sorry for Doris and deeply empathise with her. She may have a fear of dirt – rupophobia or she may just be an exceptionally sanitary person. Furthermore, Zulema exploits Doris' old age and feelings by saying she â€Å"doesn't have the sense she was born with†, this maybe true but it is inconsiderate towards Doris' feelings. Then again, Zulema does have the right to speak her mind, as she has to put up with Doris's nagging all week. Doris is never satisfied with Zulema's housekeeping saying, â€Å"Zulema doesn't dust, she half-dusts† This emphasises Doris obsession with cleanliness, maybe suggesting that she has OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Alternatively, maybe occupying her mind with such things helps her forget the melancholy she feels deep within. However, as we progress through the monologue we learn that Zulema in fact intimidates Doris. Ultimately, making Zulema the more dominating character. She does not hesitate in telling Doris â€Å"I am the only person that stands between you and Stafford House.† In spite of this, Doris is adamant that she will not lose her independence and is sure that she will remain in her own home. Another good example of this is when â€Å"she shoves the duster down the side of the chair†. We can only assume that Doris does this to avoid a lecture or confrontation with Zulema, preventing further distress. Again, we feel empathy for Doris as important issues such as treatment of the aged, growing old and life choices are brought to our attention. Therefore, we can conclude that she sometimes feels unhappy and unsettled in her own home. In the midst of all this, the fact remains Doris is suffering from a â€Å"numby† leg. Alan Bennett deliberately places talk about her leg between pauses so that the audience has time to focus on and consider Doris's current situation and therefore feel a great deal of compassion for her. These strategic pauses are used constantly throughout the monologue, giving us plenty to sympathise with. Throughout the monologue, the ending of each scene is indication by the simple stage direction â€Å"Go to black†. This maybe connotes a temporal shift or the passing of time. Moreover, before each scene fades to black, Alan Bennett gives the audience something to ponder over and keep in the back of their heads. For the whole of the monologue, Doris speaks to us directly. This enhances her vulnerability, yet she maybe biased, as we only know her point of view and nobody else's. This leads us to believe that Doris thinks everything revolves around her and she may come across as self-centred or self-obsessed. Then again, we feel great sympathy for Doris as she is isolated, cut off from reality, and maybe unwanted by a society, which considers her as an outsider. The setting changes throughout the monologue, as Doris travels to various parts of her home, nevertheless she remains in the same location. This connotes a very static nature, suggesting that Doris hardly ever goes out and mostly stays in the same room. According to her, â€Å"I never get a bona fide caller†, this tells us the only visitor she probably has is Zulema. We feel great empathy for Doris because she is lonely, lacking a faithful companion. Furthermore, the moving from the comfy position of her settee possibly indicates the movement from a secure and comfy position in life to her current situation. Still, this isolated place is her comfort zone, perhaps signifying that she is more likely to tell the truth as she is under no pressure and can speak of her own free will. Subsequently, she does in fact unravel the truth about various stages in her life. Another clever device Alan Bennett uses to make the audience feel empathy for Doris is humour and Doris certainly has a sense of humour, we realise this when she says, â€Å"Love God and close all gates.† The audience finds it easier to empathise with her because they can laugh with her and not at her. Her dry, sarcastic humour is a hit with audience off all ages. As Doris discusses her husband Wilfred, she talks about him â€Å"getting mad ideas†, stating how absurd they were and how he â€Å"never got round to it†. Yet, according to her, â€Å"A kiddy'd've solved all that†. This makes us wonder why Doris does not have a child and whether she has any family at all. We suddenly feel a great deal of compassion for her because her only family, Wilfred, has passed away. Later on, we discover that she did have a baby, which also passed away. â€Å"If it had lived I might have had grandchildren now,† she explains. Our degree of sympathy for Doris expands to greater lengths. Death is certainly one of Alan Bennett says of gaining empathy for his characters. Further on in the monologue we discover that Doris and Wilfred were not very outgoing people. Doris plainly explains, â€Å"We weren't the gregarious type.† This implies that even when Wilfred was alive, Doris was a secluded, reserved individual. Then she refers to Wilfred, â€Å"he thought he was, but he wasn't†. This gives us the impression that Wilfred could have been a sociable person except Doris stood in his way as she essentially controlled their relationship. We feel empathy for both characters here since they never really experienced anything amazing in their lives; except for grief and now for Doris, loneliness. This could all change though if Doris decided upon leaving home and moving to Stafford House but apparently â€Å"You go daft there, there's nowhere else for you to go but daft† according to Doris. Perhaps Doris is against the idea of leaving home because all her memories of Wilfred will remain there or she might just feel afraid and unprepared to face the real world on her own at a late stage in her life. Towards the end of the monologue, Doris hears the voice of a police officer, enquiring as to why her home lights are off. Instead of asking for his help, she lets him leave. It is assumed by the audience that Doris later dies, because she feels the time is right. Also as the conclusions to Bennett's plays are usually miserable. Her last words are â€Å"Never mind. It's done with now, anyway.† Then the â€Å"LIGHT FADES†, a sense of desperation and sadness fill the readers heart and mind, no greater empathy can possibly be felt for Doris at this stage. This dramatic and powerful text leaves the audience wondering, hoping. This is without doubt Alan Bennett's cleverest writing technique!

Immortality

Possibly one of the greatest achievements in life is to attain immortality. Generally, immortality means being able to have eternal life or sustain life for an infinite amount of time. However, for a lot of people, the word can have different meanings if it is viewed from various perspectives. For soldiers or heroes of war, the only way to attain immortality is through fighting in the battlefield. However, contrary to the purpose of immortality which is to sustain life, for soldiers or heroes of war, death is another way to become immortal. Basically, more than receiving honor and glory after a battle or a war, it is also important for soldiers to be remembered. And for some, the best way to do this is to die honorably. Dying in the battlefield makes soldiers heroes almost instantaneously as they are given medals and other posthumous recognitions. Although they are no longer alive, the names and accomplishments of the soldiers who die valiantly and honorably are always glorified and in effect, this makes them immortal. In other words, soldiers who die in battle become immortal as their names are forever imprinted in history. On the other hand, other people believe that immortality can only be attained if they remain young. In this aspect, the concept is that if one stays young, he or she will not acquire age-related diseases or sicknesses which could cause his or her death. While there are a lot of methods and ideas being used to preserve one’s youth, most of them only have temporary effects. For example, one of the most conventional methods to stay young is exercising as studies show that this promotes good circulation of the blood in the body which subsequently results in good health. Although this method does not make a person immortal, it sustains his or youth for a short period of time. However, aside from conventional methods, some people believe that one way to attain immortality is through supernatural or magical means. One example is the legendary fountain of youth which is a spring that restores the youth of any person who drinks from it and is believed to be located in Florida. While modern day society has dismissed the existence of this fountain, certain people still believe in its youth-restoring effects and even drank the water themselves. Moreover, according to the basic concepts of most religions, people are immortal as they possess in them souls or spirits, which never cease to exist. For example, in Buddhism, one of the strongest beliefs is that people go through a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Although Buddhists believe that there is no such a thing as an eternal soul, they still believe that after biological death, a person will still continue to live and attain eternal happiness. On the other hand, in Christianity, the strongest belief regarding immortality is that everyone who dies will eventually be resurrected depending on the â€Å"Final Judgment† of God. Based on this belief, those who are born again after the â€Å"Final Judgment† will live forever or attain immortality. However, for other people, one sure way to attain immortality is to publish a book. Whether it’s a novel, an autobiography, a reference material, the authors of these books can attain immortality as their thoughts and ideas are printed and read by people from all over the world. Even if these authors die, they will still continue to live on through their ideas and stories that have been published in their respective books. Furthermore, for some people, attaining immortality is simply being the first in accomplishing extraordinary feats. For example, Edmund Hilary, who recently died due to a heart attack, became immortal because he was the first to successfully climb Mount Everest. In reality, Hilary was an ordinary person. However, since he was the first to conquer the world’s tallest mountain, he was able to imprint his name in history books and attain immortality. Another venue to attain immorality is sports. In the world of basketball, Michael Jordan was able to achieve immortal status by being named â€Å"the greatest basketball player of all time† by the National Basket Association (NBA). Aside from his legendary stint in the NBA, Jordan has also become a highly successful brand name. Up to his day, kids and even professional basketball players from all over the world continue to idolize Jordan, which further solidifies his immortality. Furthermore, in sports, height is also another way of attaining immortality. In basketball, aside from his superb talents and numerous accomplishments, Magic Johnson is also remembered as the tallest point guard to ever play the game. On the other hand, Shawn Bradley is the tallest player to every play the game. Although in terms of accomplishments, Johnson outweighs Bradley, both their names are already imprinted in history books simply because of their heights. In this regard, fame is also another way of attaining immortality. Like in the case of Jordan, famous people such as rock stars, professional athletes, and actors, among others, are able to attain immortality by simply showcasing their skills and talents in their respective fields or specialties. However, for some, immortality is attained by simple passing on objects, lessons, and other things to younger generations. For example, a father has already attained immortality if he is able to pass on good values to his children, who in turn, pass on the lessons they have learned to their children. Even if the father dies, he will continue to live on through the lessons that he has passed on to his children. In short, immortality is not simply through prolonging life. It can also be achieved if one passes on memories, legacies, and lessons to future generations.

Movie Industry Essay

1)What competitive forces have challenged the movie industry? The movie industry is challenged by increased levels of high-speed Internet access, improved PCs with DVD readers and writers, easy-to-carry video devices, and leading-edge file-sharing services. These forces make the video download easier and faster than ever before. 2)What problems have these forces created? Meanwhile, benefits are not the only things came with these competitive forces, problems came as well. The movie industry has a recession. They cannot make revenue as much as before by releasing movies, people more like to download a free movie or even it is illegal rather than buy tickets or buy a DVD home. At the same time, these free download things also involve copyright infringement. Most of these download sources are from people who have no permission to upload these movies or clips. 3) What changes have these problems caused the movie and television studios to make? Movie companies have to make some changes to adapt to the market. They cooperate with sites such as CinemaNow and Movielink to sell downloadable movies online with a 24-hour watch time limitation. Describe the impact of disruptive technology on the companies discussed in this case. YouTube, a video-sharing website, started their operation up in 2005. Many YouTubers upload movies or movie clips without permission which infringe the right of major studios, including NBC Universal, Time Warner’s Warner Brothers Entertainment, and News Corporation’s Twentieth Century Fox. YouTube cannot deal with this situation well, because hot movie clips are from multiple users and they can be moved as quickly as they were posted. Major studios have a recession on the DVD market, and this infringement behavior leads they lose money in cinemas. Q3. 1)How have the movie studios responded to YouTube? The movie studios are seeking $1. 25 billion from YouTube. And before 2007, after Google purchased YouTube, the movie studios seek a way to cooperate with YouTube about establishing licensing agreements which make copyright content available legally. 2)What is the goal of the response? The goal of the response is to protect their rights from infringement. And their negotiation shows that the movie studios have realized it is important to put more attention to online digital market. The movie industry should move forward to a new potential market. 3) What can the movie studios learn from the music industry’s dealings with online digital music and copyright infringement? The movie studios should know it is an irresistible trend that improvements of the movie and music markets move towards to digitized media. Digitized media can promote new releases on time-saving and money-saving bases. And it is important protect copyright if you do not want to lose revenue in a biggest movie and music market. Q4. Should motion picture companies continue to use YouTube to promote their new films? Why or why not? Motion picture companies should continue to use YouTube to promote their new releases. There are three reasons. First, promotion on YouTube is time-saving. YouTube, this heavy traffic website, has millions of visitors which are much more than other video-sharing websites. Thousands of people around the world upload, download, watch and comment on YouTube every second. YouTubers can see a new release at the same time its promotion posted. Second, it is more money-saving. Promotion online saves the cost of advertising expenses (prints and related fees), DVDs stocks, shipping expenses and salaries of salesperson and other expenses in real-life stores. Third, it is trend that world is becoming smaller because of the Internet, and online promotion or release will be the most efficient way for a new product.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Case Study Example generic fluoxetine, etc.) (1). To prevent other pharmaceutical companies from grabbing a large portion of Eli Lilly’s market shares in the selling of antidepressant drugs, Eli Lilly and company is considering the need to replace Prozac with its successor. Eventually, the successor of Prozac is expected to be launched at least 18 months prior to the date wherein Prozac’s patent right would expire (18). The New Antidepressant Team (NAT) is composed of people from Eli Lilly’s R&D and marketing department (7). During the initial stage of searching for Prozac’s successor, members of NAT investigated a total of five (5) assets known as: (1) R-fluoxetine; (2) olanzapine-fluoxetine combination (OFC); (3) 5HT2 antagonist SSRI; (4) business development opportunities; and (5) Cymbalta (duloxetine) (7 – 8). In general, there are serious constraints in the first four (4) assets. Therefore, the members of NAT decided to pursue the future development of Cymbalta a s the best option. For instance, even though the use of R-fluoxetine can prevent the side effects of Prozac which include sexual dysfunction and insomnia, this particular drug composition is patented by Sepracor. In the process of entering a license agreement with Sepracor, Eli Lilly will have to share part of its profit with the said company. Furthermore, the use of R-fluoxetine can trigger serious side effects on the part of the patients. Therefore, it is not advisable for Eli Lilly to invest in the future development of R-fluoxetine. Although OFC has been approved by the FDA, investing in the future development of OFC is also questionable because of the small market size of people with bipolar depression (2.5 million patients or less than 1% of U.S. population) as compared to individuals with major depressive disorder (10% of U.S. population). It means that focusing on the development of OFC would mean less sales and profit on the part of Eli Lilly. The 5HT2 antagonist SSRI is ef fective in terms of reducing side effects such as anxiety, agitation, insomnia, restlessness, and sexual dysfunction. However, it is not advisable to invest further on this option because of its toxic effects on animals. Lastly, there was an issue of business conflict in Eli Lilly’s in-license compound from other pharmaceutical companies (8). As a potential successor of Prozac, the NAT has to decide on three (3) options for Cymbalta before the official NDA submission. These options include: (1) the need to prove the efficiency or effectiveness 60 mg of Cymbalta once a day (QD) when treating major depressive disorder; (2) conduct a clinical trial which aims to allow the company to come up with an entirely new pain indicator for Cymbalta on top of presenting the drug efficacy using 20 to 40 mg of Cymbalta at least two times a day (BID); and (3) postpone the NDA submission for several years until option 1 and 2 has been satisfied (15). Analysis and Evaluation In search for Proza c’s successor, conducting a marketing research is important in terms of determining the target market and the future expected sales and profitability of Eli Lilly. Specifically the end users of Cymbalta include all individuals who are suffering from major depressive disorder. In line with this, it is necessary to take note that consumer behavior about certain drugs is highly dependent on what they physicians would prescribe to them. In this context, it is clear that