Oystercard – Electronic Ticketing System

[pic] Oyster Card – Electronic Ticketing [pic] â€Å"Time is money, we are told, and increasing mobility is a way of saving time, but how successful are modern transport systems at saving time? â€Å" (John Whitelegg, â€Å"Time Pollution†, Ecologist 23, no. 4 – 1993) Service choice reasons [pic] If you live in London, you will probably know the Oyster Card fairly well. More or less everybody has one. You use it to pay for bus or tube travel – top up some money on the card and instead of buying a paper ticket each time, just place your card on a yellow reader, and it will work out how much the journey cost and automatically deduct it from your card. It does save a ton of time, and quite a bit of money too (tickets are cheaper on Oyster). When I first came to London, I found extremely benefcial using the Oyster Card to move around the city and realized how crucial is this service in order to make people travel fast and saving time during their journey. I come from a place where the concept of â€Å"Public Transport† is missed at all. We do not have underground systems, buses are few and always late. In my hometown, Palermo, there are neither tram nor boat services and if you want to cycling you have not to be fussy: bicycle paths are just in the historical centre, which is the â€Å"car† kingdom. Last but not least, people are not used to walk even if distances are very short. I have chosen to analyse the Oyster Card as I honestly think it is a light, useful and well-designed service supporting another service, in other worlds: an electronic ticketing serving the public transport system. Travelling around London, I have been using my Student Oyster Card and I rarely had problems. When it has happened, I have always found punctual and kind help from the London Underground Staff. In a Metropolis as London is, where our journey is not an easy one, we need to go fast, simplifying all the touch points that allow us to buy a ticket, to board on a bus or to finally come back home. My experience with this service has been pleasant and easy so far, and I guess most of the people who live in London will agree with me. [pic] Piccadilly Circus – picture taken by myself. Value proposition [pic] Project: Oyster Card Designer: Transys Year: 2002 [pic] The Oyster Card, developed as part of the ? 1. 2 billion Private Finance Initiative, was introduced for three reasons: first, to reduce queuing at ticket offices during peak periods; second, to make better use of staff; and third, to reduce fraud. Transport for London placed the contract with Transys, a consortium of specialist firms, for the provision of an advanced ticketing system. It was hoped that the Oyster Card would eventually replace most paper tickets. The smartcard system went live in November 2002 when the Oyster brand was launched and the first cards were made available to 80,000 staff. [1] Fraud, estimated to be running at ? 43million per year, was the main driver of the project. The main loss of revenue stemmed from customers either travelling without tickets or using tickets not valid for the whole journey. Other countries have similar smart cards and some of them are used for other types of micro-payments as well as transport – for example Hong Kong's Octopus card and Japan's Suica card. At the moment about over 70 similar systems are runned across 5 continents. Since the Oyster card has been introduced in London, the advantages for the customer have been the speed and ease with which they can get through barriers and on to the station, and also in the savings that they make through using the Oyster Card. It can currently be used on the London Underground, London buses and trams, Docklands Light Railway and National Rail Services in London, providing â€Å"seamless journeys across London†. In future, the Oyster Card will be linked to the provision of other services including shopping. This is a great example of advances in technology being applied to improve customer experience. [2] Core service [pic] What it is for? The  Oyster Card  is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the  Greater London  area of the United Kingdom. Where can use it? Oyster Card is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems across London, including: o London Underground; o buses; o the  Docklands Light Railway  (DLR); o London Overground,  trams; o some  river boat services; o most  National Rail  services within the London Fare Zones. How it looks like? A standard Oyster Card is a blue  credit-card-sized  stored value card  which can hold a variety of single tickets, period tickets and travel permits which must be added to the card prior to travel. It is also a  contactless smartcard  which passengers must touch onto electronic reader when entering and leaving the transport system in order to validate it or deduct funds. [pic] [pic] Front and back of an early Oyster card. How it works? The way Oyster works is pretty simple: you purchase the card, buy tickets or concessions either at terminals or online, then swipe the card at a reader when you take a train or bus trip. The Oyster card makes ticketing much more efficient for the consumer: no paper tickets, no handover of cash, little to no interaction with ticketing staff, speedier processing when entering the train station or bus. For the transport authorities, there are cost savings and instances of ticket payment avoidance / counterfeit are greatly reduced [pic] Oyster Card aims to replace the paper Travelcard by storing period tickets electronically. [pic] [pic] Examples of card readers at London Tube Stations. The cards may be â€Å"recharged† in person from numerous sales points, by  recurring payment authority  or by  online purchase. Usage is encouraged by offering substantially cheaper fares on Oyster than payment with cash. [3] The card was first issued to the public in July 2003 with a limited range of features and there continues to be a phased introduction of further functions. By March 2007 over 10 million Oyster cards had been issued[4], and more than 80% of all journeys on services run by Transport for London used the Oyster card. [5] Technology [pic] The Oyster card is a  contactless smartcard, with a claimed proximity range of about 8  cm (3  inches). The scheme is operated by  TranSys, and is based on  NXP/Philips'  MIFARE  standard 1k chips provided by Giesecke & Devrient  and  SchlumbergerSema. [6] [pic] A damaged card, revealing the microchip in the lower right corner, and the aerial running around the edge of the card. MIFARE DESFire  is now being rolled out on newly issued Oyster cards starting January 5th 2010. It is the same contactless smartcard as  Touch ‘n Go  card in  Malaysia  which is mainly used for tollway fares. [pic] The  malasian Touch ‘n Go  or  TnG  smart card. The technology used for the Oyster card is known as  radio-frequency identification  (RFID), which is the same technology used in other electronic pass cards like Japan's  Suica  fare cards and other cards used all over the world. [7] [pic] The japanese Suica  ( Suika )  smart card. Suica Smart Card additional services: – Operating lockers; – Airport check-in; – Coupon; – Bank account access. Advertising, Brand Identity and Analogies [pic] The London Tube Oyster card resides inside a plastic thingie that opens up, just like a clam (oyster) does. According to Nicole Carrol, then of EDS, the name reflects the way â€Å"the oyster protects a pearl in much the same way that the card protects the cardholder's money. â€Å"[8] [pic] [pic][pic] Oyster Current more popular Oyster card wallet By Ikea Yellow background, blue writing, unmistakably IKEA. But it is not justt the colours of the most popular Oyster Card which remarks the sponsor, it is also the sentence(s) on the leaflet: â€Å"Travel is a means to an end. Home. † Fact behind the story: It’s the IKEA latest campaign about putting the concept of HOME in the Londoners minds. Two years ago, in fact, Swedish home store Ikea is launching a ? 2 million outdoor campaign which included sponsorship of the Ideal Homes Show 2008. Since the Oyster Card has been introduced, several different type of wallets have been launched and produced such as: Designer Oyster Card Wallets, Oxfam, Pimp My Oystercard (by Ben Jarvis and Tim Crook -badoyster, a Company that makes satirical oyster card wallets. [9]), Virgin, and so on. Every one aimed to advertising or sponsoring a Brand or a Company just because a Oyster Card wallet is a good launch window. [pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic] Exaples of Oyster card wallet. Adverstising Campaigns examples: Agency: M & C Saatchi Client: Transport for London a. One poster was headlined â€Å"Blue is the new pink†. It showed a photograph of a one day Travelcard and an Oyster card. Text below stated â€Å"Faster Smarter Easier Oyster†. b. A second poster was headlined â€Å"The correct change†. It showed a photograph of an Oyster card. Text below stated â€Å"Faster Smarter Easier Oyster†. c. A third poster stated â€Å"Did you know? Using Oyster is cheaper than buying daily single tickets. Ask our staff about Oyster Pre Pay. † d. A fourth poster stated â€Å"Still paying cash for single and daily tickets? Using Oyster Pre Pay is: cheaper quicker – avoid queues more convenient – no need to plan your journey in advance †¦ â€Å". [10] Features Registration and protection Oyster Cards can be registered or protected for loss or theft. Full registration can be done at a  London Underground  station, an Oyster Ticket Stop (shop) or a Travel Information Centre: an Oyster registration form must be filled in (either at time of purchase or subsequently). Registration enables the customer to buy any product for the card and to have an after-sales service, and it protects against theft or loss. All adult Oyster Cards purchased online or by phone are fully registered. (This does not include Visitor Oyster Cards. ) Oyster Cards obtained at stations or shops cannot be fully registered online. However customers can  protect their Oyster Card online by setting up an Oyster online account and recording their card to that account. Sales Oyster Cards can be purchased from a number of different outlets in the London area: London Underground or London Overground ticket windows; o cash-only vending machines at some stations, they charge ? 5 for the card (? 3 refundable deposit and ? 2 worth of credit); o about 2,300 Oyster Ticket Stop agents (usually newsagent shops); o selected National Rail stations which are also served by London Underground; o Travel Information Centres; o online via the Oystercard website; o by telephone sales from TfL. [1 1] [pic] Oyster Card Machine installed at London Bridge station in December 2006. A refundable deposit of ? 3 is paid for all new Oyster Cards. 12] A registration form is provided at the time of purchase. If the form is not completed the Oyster Card is restricted to Pay as you go and weekly tickets. Most National Rail stations and termini do not sell or top up Oyster card products; TfL publish a list of the participating stations. At several main line termini, TfL run Travel Information Centres which do sell Oyster. Reporting Touch screen ticket machines report the last eight journeys and last top-up amount. The same information is available as a print-out from ticket offices, and also on-board London Buses by request. The balance is displayed on some Underground barriers at the end of journeys that have caused a debit from the balance and can also be requested at newsagents and National Rail stations that provide a top-up facility. A complete 8 week ‘touch' history can be requested from Transport for London: For registered and protected Oyster Cards, Transport for London can provide the history for the previous 8 weeks, but no further back. The Oyster website gives details of the most recent journeys charged to pay as you go if and only if credit has been purchased online, but not for other journeys, or those paid for by Travelcard. Renewals When the Oyster Card Travelcard is due to expire, it can be renewed at the normal sales points and ticket machines at London Underground or London Overground stations, Oyster Ticket Stop agents, or some National Rail stations. Travelcards can also be renewed online via the Oystercard website, or by telephone sales from TfL; users must then nominate a Tube station where they will swipe their card in order to charge up the card with the funds purchased. This can only be done the day after ordering. [13]Travelcard renewals cannot be added from a reader on a bus. Recharging When the PAYG balance runs low, the balance can be topped up at the normal sales points or ticket machines at London Underground or London Overground stations, Oyster Ticket Stops or some National Rail stations. All ticket offices at stations run by London Underground will sell or recharge Oyster cards, or handle Oyster card refunds. However, some Tube stations are actually operated by National Rail train operating companies, and their ticket offices will not deal with Oyster refunds. DLR ticket offices do not sell any Oyster Card top-ups or handle refunds. PAYG funds and Travelcard season tickets (but not Bus & Tram Passes) can also be purchased online via the Oyster online website or by calling the Oyster helpline; users must then select one station or tram stop where they will validate their card in order to load the funds or Travelcard purchased. This should be done as part of a normal journey to avoid the risk of paying an Oyster maximum fare. If the customer is purchasing PAYG, the top up will be at the gates of their nominated station, or Tramlink stop the  next  day (ready for first train, provided they made the purchase before 11 PM the previous night). It will remain at the gates for 7 further days before dropping off the system. If the customer purchases a Travelcard season ticket, it will ‘arrive' at the gates, up to 5 days before the start date of the ticket and will remain there until 2 days after the ticket has started. If the customer does not make their pick up in time, it will take a further 14 days to refund automatically to the bank card they made the purchase with. [14]Top-ups of this type cannot be added from a reader on a bus. Auto top-up Customers can set up and manage Auto top-up online for their existing Oyster Card. They register a  debit  or  credit card, make a payg top-up purchase (minimum ? 5) and select either ? 20 or ? 40 as the Auto top-up amount. Alternatively, a new Oyster card with Auto top-up and a mimimum of ? 5 pay as you go can be ordered via Oyster online. Whenever the pay as you go balance falls below ? 5, ? 20 or ? 40 is added to the balance automatically when the Oyster Card is touched on an entry validator. A light on the Oyster reader flashes to indicate the Auto top-up has taken place and an email is sent to confirm the transaction. Payment is then taken from the registered debit or credit card. To ensure successful transactions, customers must record any changes to their billing address and update their debit or credit card details as necessary. [pic] Top up machine Touching in and out system [pic][pic][pic] London Underground ticket barriers with yellow Oyster readers Travellers touch the card on a distinctive yellow circular reader (a  Cubic  Tri-Reader) on the automated barriers at  London Underground  stations to ‘touch in' and ‘touch out' at the start and end of a journey (contact is not necessary, but the range of the reader is only a few inches). Tram stops and  buses  also have readers, on the driver/conductor's ticket machine and, in articulated buses, near the other entrances also. Oyster Cards can be used to store both period  travelcards  and bus passes (of one week or more), and a  Pay as you go  balance. The system is  asynchronous, the current balance and ticket data being held electronically on the card rather than in the central database. The main database is updated periodically with information received from the card by barriers and validators. Tickets bought online or over the telephone are â€Å"loaded† at a barrier or validator at a preselected location. [pic][pic][pic] Oyster validators are placed at most entrances on London buses. Pay as you go system Oyster Route Validators [pic] The yellow symbol for Oyster validators. In addition to holding  Travelcards  and bus passes, Oyster Cards can also be used as  stored-value cards, holding electronic funds of money. Amounts are deducted from the card each time it is used, and the funds can be â€Å"recharged† when required. The maximum value that an Oyster card may hold is ? 90. This system is known as â€Å"pay as you go† (abbreviated PAYG), because instead of holding a season ticket, the user only pays at the point of use. The use of PAYG differs across the various modes of transport in London, and passengers are sometimes required to follow different procedures to pay for their journey correctly. [pic] The pink symbol for Oyster Route validators In 2009, TfL introduced a new form of Oyster Card validator. These validators, distinguished from the standard yellow validators with a pink-coloured reader, do not deduct funds but are used at peripheral interchange points to confirm journey details. Oyster Pay as you go users travelling between two points without passing through Zone 1 are eligible for a lower fare, and from the 6 September 2009 they can confirm their route by touching their Oyster Cards on the pink validators when they change trains. By doing this, they can be charged the appropriate fare without paying for Zone 1 travel. [pic] A Thames Clipper river bus service As with Underground, Buses, River Buses and DLR journeys, Oyster PAYG users on National Rail must swipe their card at the start and end of the journey to pay the correct fare. PAYG funds may also be used to cover any additional fares due from season ticket holders who have travelled outside the valid zones of their season ticket. Many large National Rail stations in London have Oyster Card-compatible barriers. [pic] National Rail ticket barriers with yellow Oyster readers [pic] Standalone Oyster readers provided at interchange stations between National Rail and the Tube. Pricing The pricing system is fairly complex, and changes from time to time. The most up to date fares can be found on Transport for London's FareFinder website. To encourage passengers to switch to Oyster, payg fares (including Bus and Tram fares) are generally much cheaper than cash fares: A cash bus or tram fare is ? 2, while the single Oyster fare is ? 1. 20, but capped at ? 3. 90 for any number of trips in a day. Using pay as you go, a single trip on the Tube within Zone 1 costs ? 1. 80 (compared to ? 4 cash), or from ? 1. 30 (? 3. 50 cash) within any other single zone. Penalty fares and maximum Oyster fare In order to prevent â€Å"misuse† by a stated 2% of passengers, from 19 November 2006 pay as you go users who do not both ‘touch in' at the start and ‘touch out' at the end of their  rail network  journeys are charged a ‘maximum Oyster fare' – currently ? 6 (Mon – Fri 06:30 – 09:30 & 16:00 – 19:00) / ? 4. 30 (at all other times) for most journeys, or more if the journey begins or ends at certain National Rail stations. Depending on the journey made, the difference between this maximum fare and the actual fare due is automatically refunded to the user's Oyster Card upon touching out. Users must touch in and out even if the ticket barriers are open. At stations where Oyster is accepted but that do not have ticket barriers, an Oyster pass validator will be provided for the purposes of touching in and out. The maximum cash fare applies even if the daily price cap has been reached and does not count towards the cap. Maximum cash fares may be contested by telephone to the Oyster helpline on 0845 330 9876. [15] This involves providing the Oyster Card number and the relevant journey details; further journeys appearing on the card are helpful to validate the user's claim. If the claim is accepted then the maximum Oyster fare minus the cost of the journey will be refunded. The customer should make the pick up as part of his or her regular travel pattern. This is because when they touch the reader with their Oyster Card, not only will the refund go on to the card, but a new journey will start. Oyster users who do not touch in or out when making a journey (in only for bus and tram journeys) may be liable to pay a penalty fare (currently ? 50) and/or reported for prosecution if caught by a revenue protection inspector. Issues Technological and security issues The system has not been without technical setbacks and criticisms. Passenger groups have expressed concern that buying single travel tickets with cash is far more expensive than using Oyster Cards, and it is suggested that this is putting many tourists off coming to London. Oyster has been promoted by Visit Britain and TfL, who sell them on their website and in their offices around the world. Despite this, visitors to London have often never heard of Oyster and its benefits, and are paying higher cash fares unnecessarily. 3 deposit is also seen as a deterrent to tourists. Another complication is the confusing terms of validity on National Rail services which serve many popular tourist sites on the outskirts of London. The system has been criticised as a threat to the privacy of its users. Each Oyster card is uniquely numbered, and registration is required for monthly or longer tickets, which are no longer available on paper. Usage data are stored bot h on the card and centrally by Transport for London; recent usage can be checked by anyone in possession of the ticket at some ticket machines. Privacy groups consider it a form of mass surveillance and are concerned with how these data will be used, especially given the introduction of the London congestion charge by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone in February 2003. The police have used Oyster card data as an investigative tool, and this use is increasing. Between August 2004 and March 2006 TfL's Information Access and Compliance Team received 436 requests from the police for Oyster card information. Of these, 409 requests were granted and the data was released to the police. [16] The system has been criticised for usability issues in general system, website and top-up machine design. The most significant usability issue is that pay as you go customers who for whatever reason do not â€Å"touch out† at the end of their journeys will not be charged correctly. Users who have run up a pay as you go debt of as little as ? 1 are prohibited from using any period travelcards on the card until the debt is repaid. Another criticism is that problem diagnosis by London Underground staff is generally poor[citation needed] as the system is new and complex, and the staff unfamiliar with all its workings and insufficiently trained; this causes passenger frustration. On 10 March 2005 a software fault meant that the Oyster system was inoperable during the morning rush hour. Ticket barriers had to be left open and pay-as-you-go fares could not be collected. [17] On the day that the pay-as-you-go went live on all Oyster cards, some season ticket passengers were prevented from making a second journey on their travelcard. Upon investigation each had a negative prepay balance. This was widely reported as a major bug in the system. [18] However, the reason for the â€Å"bug† was that some season ticket holders, either knowingly or otherwise, were passing through zones not included on their tickets. The existing paper system could not prevent this kind of misuse as the barriers only checked if a paper ticket was valid in the zone the barrier was in. Touching Points and Journey Mapping [pic] Mapping the user journey from buying an Oyster Card, touching in at the barrier, catching the tube, touching out, going to work and coming back home following the backwards corse. Highlighting all the touching points: †¢ ticket machineoffice to purchase or top up the Oyster Card; †¢ barriersvalidators in and out; †¢ Tfl website; †¢ Tfl green-line; †¢ travel information center; †¢ member of the staff for questions or problems; †¢ crime department in case loststolen cards; †¢ mailletter for student or photo cards [pic] Touching points [pic] [pic] Mapping the journey Surveys and Service Implementation [pic] Source: http://www. transys. com/whatwedo/oystercardproject/results. php [pic] Source: http://www. transys. com/whatwedo/oystercardproject/implementation. hp Conclusions In Principles of Marketing, Philip Kotler defines a service as â€Å"any activity or benefit that one party can give to another, that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything†. [19] I, like millions of other people travel to and around London every week day for work and so have found the Oyster Card an invaluable tool to help me in my journey. I think the main advantage of this card is that it means I can load a certain amount onto it for the month and then not have to worry about having actual cash on me to buy a new ticket each day. The Oyster Card can be carried in your wallet just like a credit card and so is small, handy and easy to use. The other great thing about the Oyster Card is that it's cheaper to use per journey than if you buy a ticket with cash. Another thing I like is that if you swipe in and then there is a long delay on you line and you have to swipe right out again without going anywhere you can go back up to the ticket office and have them refund your money back onto the card. This however, must be done within 15 minutes of swiping out again otherwise they will not refund it for you. I also like the fact that if you journey is delayed for fifteen minutes or more (this happens quite a bit to me, sitting in tunnels for ? hour at a time) you can log onto the website given above and ask for a refund. You can enter your Oyster Card details so they can see you are telling the truth and then you will be sent a credit voucher in the post that you can then put back onto your Oyster Card to compensate you for your inconvenience. One of my criticisms though with the Oyster Card is that it does not always swipe first time and you are given a red light meaning you have to swipe your card again. This often causes backup at the gate, especially at rush hour in the mornings or evening. Generally I find it is because you are standing too close to the gate and so if you back away a bit you should be ok to swipe after that. One thing I would urge is that you need to make sure that you swipe in and then remember to swipe out to complete a full journey and to avoid being charged a full amount. On one hand we can safely assume that such services are an optimized solution for our current need of travelling fast. On the other hand, we do not know the unpredictable consequences of our design actions. As John Thackara worn us, increases in mobility cause negative impact on the environment [20] and we use time gained by speed in order to travel further [21]. ———————– [1] http://www. transys. com/whatwedo/oystercardproject. php [2] Bill Hollins – http://www. designcouncil. org. uk/About-Design/Design-Disciplines/Service-design-by-Bill-Hollins/13-lessons-in-service-design/. [3] â€Å"What is Oyster? â€Å". Transport for London. Retrieved 10 August 2008. 4]  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mayor to give away 100,000 free Oyster cards†. Media Centre  (Greater London Authority). 17 April 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2007. [5] â€Å"New deal with Visit London and Superbreak makes Oyster even more convenient†. Press Centre  (Visit London). 28 August 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2007. [6] MIFARE. net  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Easing travel in London’s co ngested public transport network [7] â€Å"Smart-card ticketing goes Underground†. ZDNet. 20 October 2002. Retrieved 8 October 2007. [8] http://www. rfidnews. org/2002/12/01/a-tube-full-of-oysters-london-goes-contactless -A tube full of Oysters? London goes contactless . [9] http://londonist. com/2007/03/pimp_my_oysterc. php [10]http://www. asa. org. uk/Complaints-and-ASA-action/Adjudications/2005/11/Transport-For London/CS_40497. aspx [11] Transport for London  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Oyster online shop [12] Changes to Oyster card deposit from 17 May 2009  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Transport for London. Retrieved 27 September 2009 [13] Transport for London. â€Å"Oyster online help†. Retrieved 17 November 2007. [14] Transport for London. â€Å"Oyster online help†. Retrieved 17 November 2007. [15] â€Å"What should I do if I can't touch out at the end of my journey? . Transport For London helpsite. Retrieved 19 June 2008. [16] OysterCardRFI – Letter from TfL in response to a freedom of information request [17] BBC News – ‘? 50,000 lost' in Oyster failure. [18] BBC News – Inquiry into Tube's Oyster card [19] Philip  Kotler, Gary Armstrong – 2005 – Business & Economics- Chapter 9-pp 276. [20] John Thackara. In the Bubble – Designing in a Complex World. The MIT Press, Massachussetts – 2006. [21] John Thackara. In the Bubble – Designing in a Complex World. The MIT Press, chussetts – 2006.

Compare and Contrast Luther and Calvin Essay

Compare and Contrast Martin Luther and John Calvin. Martin Luther and John Calvin were both very important leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Although they were both against the Roman Catholic Church, they brought about very different ideas in religion. Martin Luther founded the group that are today known as Lutherans. He was ordained a priest in 1507. He dealt with questions dealing with the structure of the church and with its moral values. These questions were important in Luther’s eyes, but the most important was how to find favor with God. Luther tried to pray, fast, and repent, but he never felt self-satisfaction. He eventually concluded that God’s love was not a prize or a reward to be earned or won, but a gift to be accepted. Luther further concluded that until man stops trying to achieve God’s favor through his own achievements he cannot truly understand God’s grace. Luther also had the idea that one did not need a priest to talk to God, he believed that one could pray and repent without the help of anyone else. This was the idea for which Luther became famous. In 1517, Luther was involved in a controversy which involved indulgences. Indulgences were the idea that a person could donate money to a worthy cause in exchange for forgiveness of their sins. Luther opposed this idea and stated his beliefs in his Ninety-Five Thesis, which he posted on the castle door in Wittenberg, Germany. In 1519, Luther had a debate in Leipzig with Johann Eck, a Roman Catholic theologian. During this debate, Luther denied the supremacy of the Pope and stated that church councils could make mistakes. In 1521, Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X. Luther was then ordered to appear before a council which demanded that he retract his teachings. Luther intern stated that unless he was inspired to do so by scripture he would not since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Possible the most important contribution of Luther to society was his translation of the Bible into German. This made it possible for those who were not fluent in Greek to study the Word of God. Luther also wrote another influential work, Small Catechism of 1529, which was also known as the layman’s Bible. It summarized Christian beliefs into clear, simple language and told how they should live. During the Reformation, Luther discovered that he had founded a new church. He complained that his name should not be given to a group whose name should only be taken from Christ; but Lutherans still believe in the doctrines he originated. John Calvin teachings were especially influential inSwitzerland, England, Scotland, and colonial North America. Calvin’s followers in France were known as the Huguenots, and in England they were know as the Puritans. During the Reformation, the people were insisting that anyone, not just the hierarchy, be involved in political and religious policy making. This inspired Calvin’s teachings. The Calvinists developed political theories that supported constitutional government, representative government, the right of people to change their government, and the separation of civil and church government. The Calvanists originally intended these ideas to apply to the aristocracy, but democracy eventually arose in England and America. Calvinâ⠂¬â„¢s basic religious beliefs were the superiority of faith over good works, universal priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the basis of all Christian teachings. The concept of universal priesthood was that all believers were considered priests. This was unlike the Roman Catholic Church which had various ranks of priests. Calvin also believed that men could only be saved by the grace of God. He believed that only the Elect would be saved and that no one knew who the Elect were. He also believed in Predestination, which is the idea that your entire life is already planned for you. Many of Calvin’s ideas were controversial, but he improved the morals of the Church drastically. Calvin developed the pattern of church government that is today known as Presbyterian. Martin Luther and John Calvin achieved great results, but went about it in different ways. Luther was more concerned with his own spirituality, and therefore set an example by changing himself. Calvin on the other hand, was more concerned with changing society and the government. They both believed in being saved through God’s grace, but Calvin believed in Predestination a nd the Elect. Martin Luther and John Calvin were both key assets Protestant Reformation.

Medea can be forgiven for her rage but not her calculation

Medea’s rage is a result of Jason’s betrayal, and with both desire and passion, it prompts her calculation- causing her to commit unimaginable crimes. Her rage is forgivable, yet her actions that follow are contemptible. Jason’s betrayal is recurring throughout the novel, and as it progresses, Medea’s fury worsens also. When Jason claims â€Å"he has acted like a true friend† to Medea and his children, Medea reacts angrily, knowing that he has acted in contrast. Jason’s obliviousness to his actions and lies insults Medea, forming her resentment to develop. Although Medea’s calculation doesn’t add up to Jason’s betrayal, he is still to blame for being the cause of such frenzy. Medea’s rage, passion, and desire for Jason are the origin of her actions. For Medea to â€Å"suffer the mockery of her enemies† was something she wouldn’t tolerate. Her vindictive mind allowed her to believe that she would rather do wrong, than be ridiculed by Jason, Glauce and Creon. By killing her children, Glauce and Creon, Medea knew she would â€Å"have her claws† in Jason’s heart as he deserved. These children live no more; I say this to wound your heart†. Medea commits these actions to hurt Jason and get revenge, yet was unaware of the extent of which they would affect her. The audience is unable to distinguish Medea’s rage from her calculation as they are all a source of the same cause. â€Å"My passion is master of my reason, passion that causes the greatest suffering in the world†. Medea knows that in order for her to pursue with murdering her children, she will have to suffer tremendously. Her manipulation and vigilant arrangements allows her to accomplish results which reflect on her fury and â€Å"special knowledge†. Although Jason is to blame for Medea's rage, the results are solely Medea's fault. We are able to sympathise with Medea; to some extent, for the distress she undergoes through killing her children. Although Medea cannot be forgiven for her actions, the audience is able to understand the reasons for the revengeful way Medea retorted. Neither Jason nor Medea can be forgiven for their actions, but condemned.

What would You do if YouI won 200 million dollar lottery Research Paper

What would You do if YouI won 200 million dollar lottery - Research Paper Example While most individuals believe they would relish this opportunity, it’s been noted that many of these people end up facing considerable problems in their lives because of the sudden influx of money (Veneziani). I recognize if I suddenly won 200 million dollars I would make the best use possible of it. In winning 200 million dollars one of the first things I would recognize is that I need to preserve some sort of structure within my life. Past lottery winners have even gone as far as keeping the jobs they held before winning the lottery (Celezic). While I don’t believe that I would keep working the same job I would attempt to preserve many of the aspects of my current life. In these regards, I would continue to live in the same town. I would also work at keeping the same group of friends. Rather I would implement my money to stay within the general structure of my current life, but enjoy it in fantastic ways. For instance, I would buy a much larger house, with a pool, an d an excellent view. I would then throw large parties at this home. This way I would be able to keep some semblance of my current existence, while enjoying the thrill of the million-dollar prize. Another important element of winning a million dollars is making safe investments. .

Humor Depending Upon the Social Norms and Acceptable Standards Essay

Humor Depending Upon the Social Norms and Acceptable Standards - Essay Example Every culture around the world has its own taste of humor depending upon the social norms and acceptable standards o*f morality. Whatever the standards, human beings are naturally inclined towards enjoying humour in matters of daily life. Depending upon the available means of communication, different forms of humour have been developed in human societies. From humorous stories to stage performances, there is a wide variation in the manner by which humorous ideas are communicated. Humour serves the purpose of connecting people in a manner that leaves them satisfied and happy. A novel idea is the creation of pranks to allow strangers to become part of this activity and in doing so create a situation that makes the audience laugh. Vitalyzd is famous for making pranks that engage common bypassers or strangers, and in doing so makes them become part of an activity that is amusing for the viewers. Such pranks are interesting due to the fact that they are performed in real-life scenarios wi th real people who are not expecting themselves to become part of an activity that is recreational for others. Hence, such people perform in a natural manner, speak in a natural way and react to situations in completely natural ways. These natural reactions are reflections of the cultural processes that are norms of that society. The pranks created by vitalized are also reflective of the prevailing cultural trends in society. The pranks can also take into account ongoing events and political or social situations and allow the participants to respond to such events in a natural way, thereby allowing expression of hidden emotions.

Roman Art Plaza Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Roman Art Plaza - Essay Example Fontana del Nettuno or the Fountain of Neptune is found at the north end of the piazza. This fountain was designed in 1574 by Giacomo della Porta and sponsored by Pope Gregory XIII. The fountain is composed of a basin made of white marble and on top are mythological nereids or sea nymphs and the god Neptune wrestling with an octopus. Overall, the three fountains in the Piazza Navona are antiquities that show the craftsmanship of the Romans. The piazza, with its unique and precious landscape, may be unparalleled for its beauty. Notably, however, the subjects of the sculptures are all male. This reflects the power of the male figure in the Renaissance time, and in turn, the elites because they were the ones who had access to education and the arts. Apparently, the cost of materials used to construct the fountains reveals the elitist view of both the Church and the government. The said fountains now serve as legacies of art but at the time they were constructed, the common people did no t have enough to eat, thus they resisted the construction of the Fontana Dei Quattro. In response, the government was after prestige and power, thus it held a stiff look at the qualms of the people. In many works, the Renaissance people lavishly proved their high taste in art, which later earned them prestige and praise. The Piazza Navona strictly conforms with High Renaissance requirements of drama, physical presence and balance. In particular, the facial expressions and hand gestures of the statues.

Self-Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Self-Reflection Paper - Essay Example I was experienced just as much as he and therefore, I expected the company to offer me no less than $65,000. The manager said that he would let me know after consultation with the owner of the company. I agreed. The next day, I received the offer letter via an email that showed that my annual salary would be $60,000. I was disappointed, but since it was a period of financial crisis and there were not many jobs out there, I decided to take a chance if the manager agrees to increase my salary to $65,000 once the probation period of 3 months would be over. I talked to the manager about it and he agreed. I joined the company. From day one, I worked very hard. I wanted to impress the manager and the owner so much with my performance that they would feel obliged to reward me by increasing my salary by the end of the probation period. I started off by studying the organizational culture and identifying loopholes in it, so that the obstacles in the way of organizational progress can be found and eradicated. My focus was on improving the workers’ productivity by facilitating them with everything as part of my duty as the HR Generalist. I was new in the organization and had a spark in me to do something to bring a positive change in the organization. ... He often talked to me and discussed work-related matters with me. One day, he called me and said that he was afraid he might be fired because the branch manager was not very satisfied with his performance. Compared to him, my bosses were very satisfied with me. The productivity of our branch was more than the branch in which my cousin worked. I was very happy and I could almost see my salary being increased by the end of the probation period. Day after day, time passed and we reached the end of the probation period. On the first day of the fourth month of my job, I received an email that read that considering my outstanding performance, I had been made a permanent employee from a temporary employee and that my salary would be $55,000. I was startled to find that my salary had not been increased. What to talk of that the owner had instead decreased my salary. The next day, the first thing I did was ask the manager what was wrong. The manager told me that in order to cope with the fina ncial crisis; the branch manager has decided to cut down the salary of the key staff members. He congratulated me on becoming the permanent employee, but it felt very out of place for the moment. I called my cousin and asked him if his salary had been affected by the company’s efforts to survive through the financial crisis. He said that it had remained the same. When I discussed this issue with the branch manager, he said that the company had a decentralized system and that every branch served liked a distinct company with distinct principles, but I was not convinced anyway. I knew that I had set my foot in the wrong place where people did not care how hard I tried to get there. What was more shocking for me was that the branch manager had broken his

Family history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family history - Essay Example My parents would also take us out for a treat after these classes and this was another thing that made us always look forward to Fridays. Both my paternal and maternal uncles and aunts are also staunch Muslims and as a result of this factor, all of my cousins have been brought up to become Muslims. In retrospect, I guess that I never really understood what it meant for one to be a Muslim until my grandparents paid us a long visit during one summer vacation when I was about 9 years old. When my grandparents paid us a visit, I soon noticed that my grandfather had the habit of rolling out his prayer mat and praying up to five times a day. To me, this was oddly peculiar as I was accustomed to seeing my family pray in the morning before everyone left the house for the day and in the evening when we all got back home safely. My curiosity led me to question my grandfather why he was always praying. I will never forget the genial smile that he gave me as his old wrinkled face beamed at me. He picked me up and settled me on his knees and then explained to me that to him, being a good Muslim was not just praying and going to the Mosque every Friday, instead Islam for him was a way of life. He explained to me that to him being a good Muslim should be evident in all his actions and thoughts. As a nine year old kid, what my grandfather said to me that day did not really make any sense but as I grew older, I came to gradually realize the profound wisdom that was embedded in tha t short talk that I had with my grandfather. Although all my paternal and maternal relatives are all Muslims, their devotion to the faith is quite different. While my father’s family is quite devote to the faith, my maternal family is a bit more liberal and most of them do not pray on a daily basis and at times, some of my cousins sometimes fail to go to the mosque on Friday and instead stay at home either watching movies or playing video games.I once asked one of my maternal aunts why

Global mgmt wk 3 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global mgmt wk 3 - Research Paper Example This software assists in decision-making that helps increase margins and enhance cash flows. Microsoft Dynamics NAV improves your confidence and visibility on all levels of your business by providing â€Å"an intuitive RoleTailored user interface, built-in workflows, and integrated systems† (Microsoft, 2012). It also offers self-help tools to its end-users and real-time information that minimizes the need to ask assistance from IT personnel. It also provides third-party solutions. This system requires only low investment and is highly compatible to your existing technology, thus, avoiding the need and costs for upgrade. It is available in different countries and provides translation to selected languages. It provides service plan that allows users to upgrade to newer versions. Costs start at $2,610 per single user, but the final pricing is determined by the purchasing partner. Pros: Suitable for any organization size, simple and user-friendly, offers self-help tools and third-party solutions, minimizes upgrade costs, widely available and multilingual, compatible with existing technology DBA Manufacturing is software for small businesses. It is good for 5-50+ users and combines the core functions of ERP and MRP. It resolves the complexities of ERP systems. It offers process workflow that is suitable to any company. It enhances operational performance, quality and efficiency, while minimizing inventory and work in progress status. This software provides a unique self-help sales model that allows users to freely navigate the software. It offers a lower price and incurring costs. There is also a downloadable free evaluation tool on their website, where the mentioned sales model was derived. It includes sample company data on a sample version of the software. DBA is self-implemented unlike other ERP systems which outsource consultants for implementation. It allows its end-users to start up the system on their own. Inquiries

SYSCO Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SYSCO - Case Study Example The supervisory training program depicts the strategic agenda of Sysco in terms of recruitment, selection and quality management of human resources (Mathis & Jackson 13). As an administrative expert, HR at Sysco has shed the role of a policeman and eliminated unnecessary activities within the system by means of Virtual Resource Center (VRC) which provides enhanced ways of monitoring and controlling the workforce. As an operational guide, the VRC has again contributed in making employees accountable and modifying the mental contract of them with the company. This is visible from the positive implication received in terms of increased retention rates, satisfied customers and augmented savings for the company. Increasing globalization and technological inputs in maneuvering the HR function could have affected the benefits reaped in by Sysco. With globalization, diversity workforce is becoming the talk of the town having cultural and ethical considerations at the top of priority list (Mathis & Jackson 17). Further, cost efficiency drive of companies operating internationally could have put extra pressure on HR strategies of Sysco to turn more agile and proactive in order to sustain the growth and stay

Economic for Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Economic for Managers - Essay Example The failure in major financial markets exists because of either of these conditions. Prior to the financial crisis, the financial markets such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds markets are considered markets where the invisible hand operates. The stock market has always been referred to as an efficient market by economists. According to Brealey, Myers and Marcus, â€Å"the competition [in this market] to find misvalued stocks is intense. So when new information comes out, investors rush to take advantage of it and thereby eliminate any profit opportunities (2004, 165).† An efficient market, according to Samuelson and Nordhaus in their book â€Å"Economics† is defined as â€Å"one where all new information is quickly understood by market participants and becomes immediately incorporated into the market prices (2004, 534).† This characteristic of the stock market as an efficient market is attributed to the availability of timely information which is incorporated in the prices of the stocks. The stock market indeed needs investors who believe that the market is inefficient in order to make the market efficient. As investors think that there is a certain degree of inefficiency in the market, these investors’ notion of the stock prices are that they are underpriced, and there is a chance to profit from this situation. Therefore, as investors believe in this inefficiency, and the possible reward of profiting from these undervalued stocks, they are driven to action. When investors are driven to action, they look for more sources of information, analyze the information and push the prices up or down depending on the value of the information as regards the certain stock. When investors are prompted to take action either by driving the prices of the stocks up or down depending on the information, the direction of the prices tend to be that which incorporates the value of the information—thus, eliminating the possible profits from buying

Swot Analysis of Toyota Essay Example for Free

Swot Analysis of Toyota Essay We have analyzed Porter’s Five Forces of Toyota and PESTEL Model of Toyota. Thus in this post, I will list the SWOT of Toyota. 1. Opportunities -Recovery of auto industry: The automotive industry showed the signs of recovery, which is predicted to be gradual. The market will reach a volume of 129. 9 million units in 2013 (Durbin, and Krisher, 2010). This provides positive information to the automotive manufacturers and stimulation to the investors. -Hybrid electric vehicles: The increasing energy costs and stringent emission regulations enhance the demand of the hybrid electric vehicles because of its high fuel efficiency. It is estimated it will reach 4. 0 million units by 2015. Besides US, Western Europe and Japan, China is estimated to be next large market. -Opportunities in Asian market: The Asian automotive market became the main increasing point and is estimated to increase in the following several years. Thus, the automotive corporations should concentrate on the Asian markets, such as China, and India. 2. Threats -Competition in the global automotive market: The worldwide automotive market is highly competitive, and becomes stronger due to the globalization, which is involved into every factor of automotive. The competition may lead to reduce the automobile unit sales, which may influence the company’s financial condition. -Tightening emission standards: The tightening emission standards adopted by the EU increase the additional costs for product development, testing and manufacturing operations for the automotive manufactures. 3. Strengths -Leading brand recognition: Toyota is one of the leading automotive brands in the world. And its brand Lexus values around $3. 1 billion. The other brands Corolla, Camry, Sienna, Prius and Scion are popular. The leading brand image gives it significant competitive advantage and charge premium prices. -Focus on RD activities: Toyota strongly focuses on RD to expand its product. The company’s strong focus on RD allows it to uphold the technological leadership in most of its product segments. It has also enabled Toyota to develop innovative products, leading to strong sales. -Strong distribution network: The company has a strong distribution network. Strong distribution network helps Toyota to improve its sales and to strengthen its market position all over the world. -Toyota production system: The Just-in-Time and Jidoka Production System will help Toyota to build quality with the low defects and costs. 4. Weaknesses -Lapses in product quality: Toyota announced two recalls recently that cover some of its most popular models, and recalled about 10 million vehicles across the world. These recalls not only reduce the share prices, but also impact the brand image and the consumer confidence. -The unfunded pension: In 2009, there was about $6537. 7 million unfunded for the projected pension and post-retirement benefit. There are some unfunded retirement pensions in Toyota, which may influence the cash flows.

Poile Sengupta and the Theatre of Protest

Poile Sengupta and the Theatre of Protest Abstract Drama is a reflection of life as we know it. Hence it becomes a very effective tool to gauge the changes in social perspectives. In India, the later decades of the twentieth century have seen comparatively more women producing some very intense work. Most plays written by women during these decades are honest, reflexive, often violent and at times extremely disturbing. They try to seek an answer to the question of power imbalance that is prevalent in our society. In this paper I have tried to analyse current trends in Contemporary Indian Drama in English especially with regard to Women’s Drama i.e. plays written by women playwrights, about women and their experiences. I’ve chosen Poile Sengupta as a representative playwright and analysed her plays for my study. Keywords Protest, Society, Theatre, Women. Poile Sengupta and the Theatre of Protest. A few years back, I was watching a movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding wherein a mother advises a grown up daughter saying, â€Å".You must always remember, a Man is the head of the family and the woman is the neck. It is the neck that turns the head in the direction it wants to see, whatever it wants seen..† It was at this precise moment that this journey of mine began. A journey to find out the truth behind the words as well as to see if they held true in our world /culture as it is so similar to that of the Greeks. Objective I chose to study Drama as it is the closest art form to life as we know it. And I chose contemporary women playwrights for study so as to be able to gauge the relevance of the words in a world that I am a part of. The objective of this paper is to analyse a new trend in theatre – the Theatre of Protest and showcase its relevance in the plays of Poile Sengupta, one of the foremost contemporary Indian playwrights. Traditionally women have never had, nor were allowed a voice of their own. â€Å"Because a woman has patience, She is not allowed to speak; And she never learns the words.† Narrator in Mangalam Women, as per social construct and social device, were considered inferiors and had to play domestic roles in the family and familial role in the society. Cultural restrictions, traditional barriers, religious norms, poverty, illiteracy, subjugation and suppression have been the blocks on the way for women to pen down and articulate their points of views History is proof that male writers have often written about women. In many of their works, the central character is a woman. However, in these works, the women characters are almost always seen primarily in relation to men, and they are usually of interest largely in terms of their romantic and sexual relationships. Women writers, likewise, often deal with the topics of Love, sexuality and marriage, but they deal with other aspects of a womans life as well. The women playwrights in India have focused on their appearance on stage and breaking all the myths and barriers they have boldly taken steps to represent themselves. They do not have to be dependent on the male playwrights to be represented and act according to their choice anymore. Women have found drama as a means of expression of their innermost feelings, and exposition of personality. They have been able to reach common people through staging and characterizing themselves in the plays from their own point of view. These women writers consciously or unconsciously establish themselves through a cultural identity and the outcome of their literary art is to journey towards self identity. They long and focus for an ultimate change in the society. Theatre of Protest The new trend that leads Indian English drama is undoubtedly plays of women, by women for everyone. Women’s theatre has emerged as a distinct dramatic force which stages the various issues of contemporary Indian society. Women dramatists have courageously written serious and social plays portraying day to day life of women in the family, profession, community, and the society at large.It is in these texts that one feels the pulse of the people of the country, their daily struggles, their problems and difficulties as tangible realities. The issues raised in these plays are amazing in their variety and range, especially with regard to the women’s experiences. Such plays are a source of empowerment; they enable women to speak out. It is at the intersection of art, activism, and social relevance. Such theatre acts as an instrument of real change in women’s lives. It is an exploration of women’s own unique idiom their own form, their language, and ways of communication. It is a challenge to the established notions of theatre. It can thus be attributed as a ‘Theatre Of Protest’ because women writers expressed their resentment against the politics of exploitation on the ba sis of gender discrimination. These plays do not confine themselves only to the domestic sphere or love and romance. They touch upon every domain of life and offer a range of analyses of the position of women and different strategies that need to be adopted to negotiate social change. In fact, through their examination of the material circumstances of human life, the work of these dramatists demands a reconsideration and reformulation of the comfortably established paradigms of society. As Tutun Mukherjee, eminent Critic and professor at Hyderabad Central University says about these Women Playwrights, â€Å"Their plays have no author-defined conclusions, no resolutions, and no happy/sad endings. They do not aim at mental or emotional peace but close in irresolution, just as life’s experiences often do. The plays disturb and roil the equilibrium; they provoke and demand response. They try to forge a new kind of audience that will not expect to be entertained but will participate in the dialectics since the issues concerning women and children are of the kind that have invariably been and continue to be side-stepped and neglected by the society.† Thus, in some form, each of these plays deal with some form of resistance, sometimes trying to analyze women’s sexual exploitation in the domestic and public sphere, sometimes accepting women’s own complicity in such exploitation. In either way, they try to define women’s theatre against male-dominated ideologies and try to represent the under-represented aspect of sexual abuse in women’s lives. Themes There are many issues that bar women from writing plays as gender differences, religious barriers, cultural restrictions, lack of economic support, prevailing prejudices against women (women cannot produce good plays), family responsibilities and above all lack of standard education. In spite of these restraints, a few women playwrights have succeeded in their endeavours to write and produce plays in India and have been acclaimed internationally as well. Dina Mehta, Manjula Padmanabhan, Poile Sengupta and Tripurari Sharma are some of the names to mention who have been working tirelessly in the field of drama and have published many plays. These plays are linked by a commonality of themes and their intention bound by a common vision. A recurrent theme is that of psychosexual abuse and how women cope with sexism in everyday life. The spotlight is on women marking out their anguish, the pain, and often the inferiority that they suffer. Raju Parghi in his article ‘Indian Drama and the Emergence of Indian Women Playwrights: A Brief Survey’ claims that plays written by women can be broadly categorized into four broad categories. He says, â€Å"The themes of the plays written by women mostly deal with the issues related to women, at the same time they also depict children’s world and the issues related to men. The women playwrights are conscious of contemporary issues blended with troubling past memories, expectation of better and blissful future attempt to present balanced views on both society and family. Their multifarious themes can be compressed under four broad categories of plays. The Plays of Relationships include themes like motherhood, intricate baffling relationship of men and women, incest and adultery. The Plays of Violence focus on various types of violence as physical, emotional, psychological, and the exploitation of women at home and in profession. The Plays of Resistance present the themes of , voicing against rape, injustice and inequality, poverty illiteracy and gender discrimination. The Plays of Revolution suggests the themes of voice of the voiceless, political issues, religious and supe rstitious practices conservative values and traditional restrictions.† Poile Sengupta Poile (Ambika) Sengupta is one of India’s foremost playwrights in English. She has written many plays and all her plays have been performed every now and then in Banglore. Mangalam, was written in 1993 and produced the next year. Her other plays include Inner Laws,(1994), A Pretty Business (1995), Keats was a Tuber (1996), Collages (1998), Alipha and Thus Spake Shoorpanakha, So Said Shakuni (2001) and Samara’s Song(2007). Mangalam was published by Seagull in Body Blows (2000). In the Preface to an anthology of her plays, Poile Sengupta says, â€Å"when I write, I do so with the consciousness, the sensibility that is mine. However I’ve always been troubled about the status of women, and children, who seem to be the worst sufferers in any conflict, whether familial, social or political.† She also claims to enjoy the challenge of fashioning the grammar of an English sentence into what is essentially an ‘Indian’ syntax. Her first play Mangalam won The Hindu Madras Players Play-scripts Competition in 1993. It is a remarkable play that revolves around a dead person. The interaction among the characters probes the past that hides many skeletons. Each character is nuanced and individualised and each memory adds flesh and blood to the absent Mangalam. The invisible is made visible through memories. Mangalam is the female character in the play within the play, whose death becomes, in a way, the basis for much of the action. Throughout the first Act, we can feel her ‘absent presence’, through references to the time of her life when she was alive. At first, we are told that she probably committed suicide by swallowing pills, but we are not given any reason for her having done so. It is only the narrator’s choric commentary that provides insights like â€Å"Women die many kinds of deaths; men do not know this.†(102). Gradually we learn that she was carrying someone else’s child when she got married to Dorai. Her sister Thangam’s response to this accusation is, â€Å"Did you ever think that it could have been forced upon her?†(122). Not willing to relent on this, Dorai is keen on presenting himself as the victim, until Thangam retorts, â€Å"What about that married woman who used to come to the temple everyday and take prasaadam from your father? She took prasaadam from you also, didn’t she?†(121). While any hints of a woman’s unchaste conduct can malign her reputation for life, a similar act on a man’s part, is forgivable and can be easily ignored. Dorai, however, still has the audacity to justify himself, â€Å"It’s different for a man†(121). The shamelessness with which such private aspects of a woman’s life are openly discussed, slandering her reputation even after her death, is nothing more than a war of ideologies between the characters, none of whom are really sensitive to the loss of Mangalam. The female voice offstage comments: â€Å"Because a woman is strong, she is not to be protected; others violate her, and she must pay for their trespass.†(123). It is at the end of the first Act, that we get to know that Mangalam was molested by her own sister Thangam’s husband, alongside which news, Dorai’s daughter Usha too arrives, having left her husband’s house, because the oppression there, had got the better of her. Domestic space, which is the marker that tradition sets for the preservation of women’s chastity (Sita was abducted when she crossed the boundary marked by Lakshman), has now become a space of sexual violence and has led to an impasse for women. Act Two is, in a way, a comment upon Act One, because one realizes that the first Act was a play within the play one is reading. However, the same themes recur here, too. In fact, Sengupta uses the same actors in this Act as in the previous one, to depict the ruthless repetition of exploitation, even though in the second Act, ‘modernity’ has set in. Suresh is a modern-day ‘rake’ who values only conquest over women. This is why his sister Sumati is led to remark, â€Å"†¦the moment a woman doesn’t fit into the category of being a mother or a sister, she’s baggage†¦sexual baggage.†(129). Very soon, Thangam learns that her husband Sreeni has been having a clandestine extra-marital affair with another woman, which leaves a sense of hopeless reconciliation in the reader’s mind. It gets further aggravated when Radha tells Vikram: â€Å"[Sumati] had gone out with [a] man and I think he was violent with her. She didn’t r ealize†¦he suddenly†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (146). Towards the end, just when Thangam has gained courage enough to leave her husband, a sudden terrified scream is heard, which one soon learns, is Sumati’s, trying to escape from the advances of her uncle. Another play titled Keats was a tuber was short-listed for the British Council International New Playwriting Prize in 1997. Very realistic and humorous, it presents a group of English teachers in a provincial college and brings into play our ambivalent attitude to English and the way it is generally taught. The mindless memorizing of facts, often not the essential ones, is what gives the play its title. The students memorize the line ‘Keats was a tuberculosis patient’ by breaking it into two meaningless portions: â€Å"Keats was a tuber, Keats was a tuber† and â€Å"culosis patient, culosis patient†¦.† The memorized line does little to explain Keats’ poetic genius and illustrates the mechanical and spiritless teaching that drains a language and a literature of their beauty and appeal, and in no way aids learning. As the human relationships unfold in the play, Sengupta makes brilliant use of the English language – with each character demon strating an individualizing inflection as a bridge between those who teach and those who are taught. Some of her other very well known works are Inner Laws (1994), a satirical sit-com about five mothers-in-law and their five daughters-in-law whose names are drawn from the epics; and a woman-centred play called A Pretty Business (1995). Her play Dream makers of Calcutta with its backdrop of football was published in Telegraph in 1998. Sengupta explains that she wrote Collages in 1998 after she met a dear old lady at the British Council Library who talked to her for hours as though she was desperate for someone to talk to. She seemed a sad and lonely woman. The play too is grim and reflective in its tone and style. A 1999 play, Samara’s Song , deriving its name from an Iraqi city, is a mournful socio-political reflection on the violence that wipes out all traces of culture and civilization. In its wake comes the sense of irreparable human loss. The play Alifa (2001) recalling the first word in the alphabet in Hindusthani, dramatizes the obstacles in the way of women’s e mpowerment. There are just two characters, a woman and a man, totally unrelated and unknown to each other and extremely different in temperament and character yet at certain points their narratives intersect. The stage lights up one and the other alternately as they tell their stories. The play is both appealing and relevant. Sengupta’s Thus Spake Shoorpanakha , So Said Shakuni (2001) is an ambitious play which takes its characters from two different epics. They meet as two travelers at an airport. Gradually they start talking and reveal their innermost thoughts about the way they have been ill-treated by history. Sengupta explains that she was fascinated by a folktale about Shakuni’s brothers being imprisoned and killed by the Kauravas when Hastinapur kingdom was extended to Qandahar in the northwest. Only Shakuni had survived and he swore revenge upon the Kauravas. His dice were made of his brothers’ bones. Shoorpanakha, on the other hand, represents all those women who are bold enough to remain single and declare their desire for male companionship without taking recourse to false modesty. Such women threaten the male world so they are described as â€Å"dangerous rakshasis† (un-Aryan demonesses) who must be controlled/contained/ punished before they can upset the patriarcha l set-up. When these two characters meet in a contemporary situation, another crisis begins to threaten the world. Finally it is Shoorpanakha who dissuades Shakuni from provoking another bloodbath. Conclusion The Indian women playwrights consider drama a more serious tool of expression and representation. They have dealt with certain issues which the men playwrights have failed to do. They have adopted the genre as a more practical means to present serious familial, social cultural and political issues, the heinous crimes and practices of the society in satirical way. Their aim is to bring awareness of certain harsh realities, to protect every individual’s basic rights, to live freely, and to respect every individual irrespective of different gender caste or creed. The above mentioned four types of plays can be again compressed into one umbrella term as ‘The Plays of Change’ a new trend that perhaps goes hand in hand with the theatre of women. As Poile herself says through the narrator in Mangalam â€Å"As for the women, the gods said Let them be strong, rooted like trees For it is they who shall hold The ends of the world together, And there will be storms And the winds will blow very strong But the women will stay like trees, They will hold the world together .† References Kaushik, Minakshi (2012), Struggle and Expression: Selected Plays by Manjula Padmanabhan, Poile Sengupta and Dina Mehta, Galaxy: International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 1(1). Mukherjee, Tutun (2005), Ed. Staging Resistance: Plays by Women in Translation, OUP, New Delhi. Mukherjee, Tutun (2007), Finding a Voice: Forging an Audience: Women Playwrights in English, Muse India (Web-Zine,), Issue 14. Parghi, Raju(2010), Indian Drama and the Emergence of Indian Women Playwrights: A Brief Survey, Impressions : An e-journal of English Studies, 1(1) Sengupta, Poile(2010), Women Centerstage : The Dramatist and the Play, Routledge, New Delhi. Singh, Anita(2009), Feminist Interventions: A Reading of Light’s Out, Getting Away with Murder and Mangalam, Muse India, Issue 26.

Inter-professional Working and the Needs of the Patients

Inter-professional Working and the Needs of the Patients QUESTION I Not sharing information is detrimental to inter-professional working Indeed, the needs of patients are best met by the inter-professional team, the evidence indicates that collaboration can promote coordination, cooperation between carers and significantly improve patient outcome and resource management (DoH, 2000, 2001a, 2001b). ‘Inter-professional’ working has thus become popular following pivotal policies drafted to structurally re-shape the National Health System (NHS) and influence how professional groups work together (DoH 2000, 1998, 1997). The literature has thus seen an upsurge in studies investigating patient oriented inter-professional collaborations with evidence for the positive impact of good, innovative inter-professional practice (Freeman et al, 2000), some of which have been seen in the areas of acquisition of clinical skills via inter-professional approach (Freeth, 2001, Freeth and Nicol 1998), management of acutely ill patients (Smith et al, 2002), palliative care (Vickridge, 1998) and in the sphere of care of older peo ple (Tierney and Vallis, 1999). Collaboration between professionals and their teams, mutual respect, the sharing of knowledge, skills, decisions and the recognition of the contribution of participating professional/teams highlight the integrated nature of inter-professional work (Molyneux 2001; Ovretveit (1997). Nevertheless, several factor militates against inter-professional working; these include information unshared, poor communications skills/methods and language differences (Caldwell and Atwal 2003; Pietroni, 1992; DOH, 1991), role overlap and confusion (Caldwell and Atwal 2003), conflicting and unequal power relationships (Caldwell and Atwal 2003; Blane,1991), different ideologies (Caldwell and Atwal 2003), differing perception of patients needs and treatment goals (Stevenson 1985) role confusion (Opuko, 1992) and a persisting tendency to promote professionalism in work settings. Areskog (1988) and Carpenter (1995) suggested that if collaboration ideologies is included in the qualification programmes of professionals and exemplified at that early stage, it will lead to better inter-professional working as issues of differing perceptions of treatment goals and patients’ needs will be tackled along with professional ‘stereotype’ that become impediments of meaningful inter-professional work. In view of this, the work of Freeth and Nicol (1998, attached) is an important study that sheds light on the barrier, opportunities, benefits and perhaps the way forward for inter-professional education and practice. The study was described as innovative programme of shared learning in acute care, involving final year medical students and newly qualified staff nurses and was developed in response to the indistinct professional role of junior doctors and the expanded roles of nurses. The programme utilized patient scenario which was pertinent to the partic ipants area of practice for the training purpose. The authors defined inter-professional education as â€Å"learning with and from each other† and reports from a supportive climate, the description and analysis of an inter-professional clinical skill course for newly registered nurses and senior medical students. While the benefits of inter-professional working was a strong motivation for the training/study, the authors deemed inter-professional learning as difficult and fraught with practical problems; the non-resolution of which may lend further support to critics of the initiative. The Clinical Skills Initiative was a collaborative venture between a School of Nursing Midwifery and a Medical School (Studdy et al 1994). The importance of information sharing was underscored by the fact that the entire programme had communication skills taught, and role played using realistic patient scenarios. This was thought to have made for a balanced diet of clinical and communication skills that is vital for high quality patient care. A background to this was the development of the Inter-professional Skills Centre that ensured that the channels of communication between the two Schools were strengthened and inter-professional relationships was well established. This in the opinion of the authors provided the inter-professional initiatives with an infrastructure, and a supportive climate underpinned by common understandings, thus, enhancing the chances of success (Freeth and Nicol 1998). The course provided an inter-professional arrangement that allowed for an inter-change of information thus enabling members of the nursing and medical professions to learn from each other. Such sharing of information was shown from the analysis of field notes, interviews, flip chart and questionnaires to have promoted mutual appreciation of expertise and the roles of both profession in contributing to overall patient care. In a case scenario where the participants were told that conservative management of a patient’s leg ulcer has failed and surgery was needed, it was interesting to note that both professionals, in small inter-professional groups, explored issues surrounding informed consent, focusing on the information needed to make an informed decision and the way in which this should be communicated to patients and relatives (Freeth and Nicol 1998). Undoubtedly the sharing of information here improved the outcome of the deliberation. The result suggests that the study was a positive experience for the participants; they were able to contribute something to the overall patient problem solving, drawing upon each other’s practical experience, and specialized knowledge. They shared information even during social interactions, as much of any waiting time was employed to enquire about each others ward-based experiences (Freeth and Nicol 1998). The registered nurses saw the inter-professional training as a great chance to learn new clinical skills and commented that the education made obvious what should have been done in their past experiences. Additionally, some participants from the medical profession had technical questions relating to ward procedures and their rationale. These were addressed to the staff nurses and information exchange was again beneficial to both team members, thus confirming the authors’ assumption that nurses ward experience is an asset for inter-professional training. A member of the medical team considered the inter-professional education to have ‘un-smudged’ some of the boundaries in roles and highlighted the need to work together and communicate. Overall, this article is relevant to the understanding of the vital ingredients needed for an inter-professional education that will promote current health policies and maximize patients’ benefits. The article indicates the im portance of ‘information sharing amongst professionals’ for the success of inter-professional collaborations. Caldwell and Atwal (2003) highlighted a number of problems of hospital inter-professional practice, a significant number of which can be attributed to ‘not sharing information’. A case involving a staff nurse, a consultant, an occupational therapist, social services, the patient and a hoist was described. The staff nurse considered the hoist as important for the authorised discharge of the patient and was concerned that one has not been issued; this was expressed at a multidisciplinary team meeting. However, underlying the ill-feelings of the professionals is the fact that information about varying perception of what should be the optimum care strategy for the patient has not been shared or negotiated. According to Caldwell and Atwal (2003), uknown to the occupational therapist the staff nurse had received pressure from the consultant to discharge this patient, and unknown to the staff nurse the occupational therapist is contending with social services who are suggesting that this patient could benefit from further rehabilitation and therefore should not be issued a hoist. It is thus reasonable to suppose at this point that team members’ innate un-willingness or the inability to share information or communicate is detrimental to inter-professional working. Professionals in such teams or settings should necessarily share information to promote an understanding of each others role and care plan thus fostering the approach of a team working toward optimum patient oriented goals in a well orchestrated manner (Cooper et al, 2001). The issue of role boundaries was also highlighted in the Freeth and Nicol (1998) study; sometimes however, it is a case of role overlap and confusion amongst professionals, for example, nurses and junior doctors. This has become apparent especially since Government policies now favour expansion of nurses’ role and reduction in the hours worked by junior doctors (DoH (1994). Clarity of these professional functions is important for practitioners in the ever changing inter-professional interface (Taylor 1996). It may be argued for instance, that why should a physiotherapist wait to have a wheelchair prescribed only after patient assessment by an occupational therapist when the former also have the requisite assessment skills. Clear definition of roles and optimum utilisation of professional resource capacities will make for an enhanced inter-professional practice and patients benefit. Other issues of importance to inter-professional working identified in the article included stereotypes, inter-professional barriers, and a tendency for some professionals to minimize the importance or value of the work of other professionals owing probably to excessive emphasis on professionalism during training. These issues are constraints to effective patient care and need be properly addressed for the optimum functioning of an inter-professional initiative. While works, such as those of Freeth and Nicol (1998) clearly demonstrate the benefits of inter-professional education, background schooling for the majority of professionals still take place in mono-disciplinary settings that fosters professionalism and stereotyped image/ expectations of other professionals (Leiba 1996). This trend cannot achieve the policy aims of effective collaborative working (DoH, 2000; 2001a; 2001b; 1998; 1997). A key solution will be the provision of support for inter-profession education/training as exemplified by Freeth and Nicol (1998); it is an integrated approach with potential for preparing professionals to encourage inter-professional practice. QUESTION II Part A: Points learnt include: The benefits of inter-profession working A positive outlook on multi-disciplinary teams that inter-relate for better patient outcome The need for interest in other professions and an understanding of their roles. The importance of ‘sharing information’ effectively with other healthcare professionals, patients and relatives while maintaining patient’s autonomy and confidentiality Professional need for effective communicate skills The need to be involved in therapeutic decision making and care plan formulation that earns patients’ concordance. An important practical message in the considering of inter-professional education/work is the need for attitudinal changes; the immediate effect of which in clinical practice, includes the readiness to share relevant information with clinicians to promote effective delivery of care, the perception of other professional as equally making valuable indispensable contributions to patient care as well as a positive outlook on inter-professional working. These attitudinal changes are necessary for the efficient local practice of inter-professional working. McGrath (1991) showed that the benefits of inter-professional working includes but is not limited to (1) efficiency in human resource allocation and the optimum utilization of capacity within the team, i.e. specialist staff focus on specialist skills/cases (2) efficient delivery of health care with improved patient outcome and (3) increase in job satisfaction for members of the inter-professional team arising from the support of willing team members and an enabling work environment. Inter-professional working could thus have improved the clinical outcomes in a number of the hospital cases that in my experience has led to grave loss or patient suffering. The recent experience was in the care of hospital in-patients with a clinical diagnosis of osteoporosis without any history of fracture and on a frailer group of patients with advance bone changes usually having sustained fracture/s (CSP 2002) and for which NICE (2005) has provided a guideline for the secondary prevention of fragility fractures. The patients were managed at any of the 11 wards representing medicine, surgery, orthopaedic and elderly care wards of a tertiary care facility in London during an 8-week placement period. Gross observation revealed treatment gaps in meeting guideline recommendations for the management of these patients in the areas of risk of fall assessment and referral to multi-factorial fall risk assessment and intervention clinic. There did not seem to be a unified format or standard for the assessment of fall risk within the 11 wards and risk of fall was not assessed in more than 50% of the cases in which this was a guideline requirement, perhaps, due to confusion in role identity and the location of this responsibility amongst the professional concerned. The clinical records of these patients showed that both nurses and physiotherapist assessed fall risk criteria and reported this in different formats. Proper integration of the services and communications between these professionals as prescribed within the frame work of inter-professional working will avoid needless duplication of effort, the waste of resources and clinicians time. Saved time could then be expended by either of the professionals in improving quality of care and quality time spent with patient; this is in addition to improved consistency in patients’ records and the ease of continued care should there be a need for patients to moved between wards of the unit. Part B: While Government policy has reflected a cultural shift by way of imposition of radical changes to the way in which health services are organized and delivered, there are distressing problems that make inter-professional working an arduous task. The issue of power and its distribution within the health institution is here of prime importance. There exist unequal power distributions between health care professionals, often leading to organizational and working structures that are impediments to inter-professional working. (Carrier and Kendall, 1995; Kgppeli’ 1995; Blane, 1991). Power is often in the domain of the older, more established medical profession; and there has been a pattern of domination over other professionalized disciplines, such as nursing, social work and other allied health professions (Kgppeli’ 1995; Hugman, 1991). The study of Manias and Street (2001) revealed that nurses faced many difficulties that practically precluded them from participating in therapeutic decision making for patients to whom they maintain permanent physical, emotional and sensitory closeness (Kgppeli’ 1995). Manias and Street (2001) found that nurses on medical ward rounds answered ‘doctors’ questions only, were not encouraged to give unsolicited information about the patient and hence found it very difficult to present relevant patient issues during a medical ward round. An enormous amount of literature has been written on the nurse-doctor relation; a significant portion of these appear to imply that the powers and influences of medical profession are hindrances to development of nursing. From a historical standpoint, it is logical to think of health professions as complementary to each other, however, the fact that they are organised ‘around’ a patient, that they ought to cooperate for his benefit seems secondary if not trivial (Kgppeli’ 1995). There is a lingering tendency to maintain professionalism and to expect ‘predetermined behavior’ of other health care professionals. The domination of one professional over the others within a health team is a major factor that can strengthen the boundaries between the professional groups engaged in inter-professional working and constrain effective teamwork (Beattie, 1995). Power in-balance within the inter-professional team will also encourage the making of many ‘rules’ and regulations that are capable of controlling major aspects of professional practice (Kgppeli’ 1995), thus making un-necessary any substantial discussion intended to individualise care and improve clinical and social patient outcome. The care and management of a hospitalised patient cannot be achieved by one person, neither is one professional group capable of the task. It is always a complex multidisciplinary phenomenon (Kgppeli’ 1995) in which the integrated knowledge and skill of people with different professional backgrounds makes for better clinical and social patient outcome. Hence, leadership within inter-professional team should not be ‘zoned’ to one profession as such will be detrimental to the optimal functioning of the initiative. The leadership need be more inspirational and stimulating, enabling other team members to respond positively to opportunities presented by developing improved knowledge and skills in managing professional practice and inter-professional relationships. According to Colyer (1999), non medical professional members of the team who are willing to assume the demanding responsibilities of full membership of the inter-professional teams should also be made to feel a sense of belonging and responsibility to the integrated patient oriented goal of the team. References: Areskog N-H (1988) The need for multiprofessional health education in undergraduate studies. Medical Education 22:251-252 Beattie A (1995) War and peace among the health tribes. In: Soothill K, Mackay L, Webb C, eds. Interprofessional Relations in Health Care. Edward Arnold, London: 11–26 Blane D (1991) Health Professionals. In: Scambler G ed. Sociology as Applied to Medicine. Bailliere Tindall, London Caldwell K and Atwal A (2003) The problems of interprofessional healthcare practice in hospitals British Journal of Nursing 12 (20)1212 1218 Carpenter J (1995) Doctors and nurses: stereotypes and stereotype change in interprofessional education. Journal of Interprofessional Care 9 (2): 151-161 Carrier J, Kendall I (1995) Professionalism and interprofessionalism in health and community care: some theoretical issues. In: Owens P, Carrier J, Horder J, eds. Interprofessional Issues in Community and Primary Health Care. Macmillan, London: 9–36 Colyer, Hazel (1999) Interprofessional teams in cancer care. Radiography 5: 187-189 Cooper, H., Carlisle, C., Gibbs, T. and Watkins, C. (2001) Developing an evidence base for interdisciplinary learning: a systematic review, Journal of Advanced Nursing 35(2): 228–37. CSP: Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP, 2002) www.csp.org.uk. DoH (1991) Working Together: A Guide to Arrangements for Inter-agency Cooperation for the Protection of Children from Abuse. DoH, London DoH (1994) Implementing Caring for People: Training and Development. HMSO, London DoH (1997) The New NHS: Modern, Dependable. The Stationery Office, London DoH (1998) A First Class Service: Quality in the New NHS. DoH, London DoH (2000) The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment, A Plan for Reform. The Stationery Office, London DoH (2001a) National Service Framework for Older People. The Stationery Office, London DoH (2001b) Working Together, Learning Together: A Framework for Lifelong Learning in the NHS. The Stationery Office, London Freeman M, Miller C, Ross N (2000) The impact of individual philosophies of teamwork on multiprofessional practice and the implications for education. J Interpr of Care 14(3): 237–47 Freeth G (2001) Sustaining interprofessional collaboration. J Interprof Care 15: 37–46 Freeth D and Nicol M (1998). Learning clinical skills: an interprofessional approach. Nurse education Today 18, 455-461 Hugman R (1991) Power in the Caring Professions. Macmillan, London Kgppeli’ Silvia (1995) Interprofessional cooperation: why is partnership so difficult? Patient Education and Counseling 26: 251-256 Leiba Tony (1996) Interprofessional and multi-agency training and working British Journal of Community Nursing 1 (1): 8 12 Manias E and Street A (2001) Nurse–doctor interactions during critical care ward rounds. J Clin Nurs 10:442–50 McGrath M (1991) Multi-disciplinary teamwork. Avebury, Aldershot Molyneux J (2001) Interprofessional teamworking: what makes teams work well? J Interprof Care 15: 29–35 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE 2005) Bisphosphonates (alendronate, etidronate, risedronate), selective oestrogen receptor modulators (raloxifene) and parathyroid hormone (teriparatide) for the secondary prevention of osteoporotic fragility fractures in postmenopausal women. Technology Appraisal Document No 87. Opuko D K (1992) Does Interprofessional cooperation matter in the Care of Birthing Women? Journal of Interprofessional Care 6(2): 119-25 Ovretveit J (1997) Evaluating Health Interventions: An Introduction to Evaluation of Health Treatments, Services, Policies and Organizational Interventions. Open University Press, Buckingham Pietroni P C (1992) Towards Reflective Practice The Languages of Health and Social Care. Journal of Interprofessional Care 6(1): 7-16 Smith G, Osgood V, Crane S (2002) ALERT: a multiprofessional training course in the care of the acutely ill adult patient. Resuscitation 52(3): 281–6 Stevenson O (1985) The community care of frail elderly people: co-operation in health and social care. Br J Occup Ther 48: 332–4 Studdy S J, Nicol M J, Fox-Hiley A (I994) Teaching and learning clirdcal skills, Part 1: Development of a mullidisciplinary skills centre. Nurse Education Today14:177-185 Taylor J (1996) Systems thinking, boundaries and role clarity. Clin Perform Qual Health Care 4(4): 198–9 Tierney A, Vallis J (1999) Multidisciplinary teamworking in the care of elderly patients with hip fracture. J Interprof Care 13: 41–52 Vickridge R (1998) Collaborative working for good practice in palliative care. J Interpr of Care 12: 63–7

Accounts Settled: A Review :: essays research papers

Accounts Settled: A Review In the book, Accounts Settled, there is only one major character named Gordon. Gordon is seventeen, six feet tall, and has the beginning of a beard. The main setting is in a forest-filled valley that is a mile from Gordon's home. The story does not give a specific date but the most logical time this story takes place is in the winter during the early 1900s. The inciting incident in the story is when Gordon's dad came down with flu-pneumonia and Gordon must take his place in taking care of the trapline that he had set up in the forest. The conflict of the story is internal and external because Gordon had to face himself and nature. The rising action started when Gordon had a sense of fear as he went into the valley. The, the porcupine stole his food and Gordon was going to kill it but remembered an old woodsman tale that it's bad luck to ill a porcupine. Gordon then goes to bed, hungry and it took him awhile to fall asleep. He later wakes up to find a cougar ready to pounce on him. The cougar dose not strike yet because it is waiting for Gordon to move. Gordon knows better and stayed in the same position for what seemed like hours. Suddenly, the porcupine returns to look for more food and this disrupts the cougar. The climax is when Gordon quickly reaches for his gun and shoots the cougar. The resolution is when Gordon "cries the final tears of his boyhood" and he is finally a man. This writer used suspense in his story many times. For instance, "his eyes held the boy unwinkingly as he waited in the fiendish way of cats for the moment when the man must stir, or make an attempt to escape, the moment when his ingrained fear of man would be swallowed up by the rising tide of his blood- lust" and "moments passed, horrible heart-thudding moments, during which neither

Temptation in the Fellowship of the Ring Essay -- literary Analysis, J

â€Å"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,† (55). The One Ring controls Gollum, Bilbo, Boromir, and Frodo in attempts to return to Sauron, Its Creator, the Lord of the Rings, and the utmost evil present in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. But the Ring never achieves Its goal because each character possesses a unique set of skills which resist the evil temptations of the Ring. Gollum is the first victim of the Ring, with no knowledge of Its powers or guidance away from Its control. Bilbo is the second ring bearer, with an almost complete knowledge of the Ring’s power still has difficulty resisting the Ring’s temptation. Gandalf guides Bilbo to constantly resist the evil of the Ring. Boromir never gets his hands on the Ring but craves Its power thinking he can use it for good, ignoring the guidance offered to him at the Council of Elrond. Frodo has the most knowledge and guidance of all the char acters but also seems to have the strongest temptations. J.R.R. Tolkien uses characterization in the Fellowship of the Ring to prove that people without a longing for power resist temptation through knowledge, good habits, and guidance. Gollum cannot resist the Ring’s temptation because he has no knowledge of the Ring and no guidance to form good habits and prevent addiction to the Ring. Gollum, originally, Smà ©agol wanted the Ring because of Its beauty but his friend, Dà ©agol found it first. After Dà ©agol refused to just give the Ring to Smà ©agol because it was his birthday, â€Å"†¦he [Smà ©agol] caught Dà ©agol by the throat and strangled him, because the gold looked so bright and beautiful. Then he put the ring on his finger,† (58). But after he found the Ring, he had no guidance to form good ... ...; and if by life or death I can save you, I will,† (194). Aragorn, also known as Strider, accompanied the hobbits from the Prancing Pony Inn all the way to the Council of Elrond. Gandalf was also a guiding path for Frodo keeping him updated on the evils of the Ring. I CAN’T FIND A QUOTE. But even with all his guidance Frodo still feels temptation from this Ring of power. â€Å"A sudden unreasoning fear of discovery laid hold of Frodo, and he thought of his Ring. He hardly dared to breathe, and yet the desire to get it out of his pocket became so strong that he began slowly to move his hand. He felt that he had only to slip it on, and then he would be safe,† (83). Frodo Baggins with knowledge and guidance was able to make good choices throughout his journey to Mordor in the Fellowship of the Ring because of his knowledge of the Ring and the guidance that surrounded him.