Alice Walkers depiction of men in The Color Purple Essay Example for Free

Alice Walkers depiction of men in The Color Purple Essay Alice Walkers depiction of men in The Color Purple has been controversial. Explore the opinions of the two critics printed below and explain your own view of the way Walker presents men in The Colour Purple. In The Color Purple, Alice Walkers depiction of men has been seen by some as controversial. Walker seems to be attacking black men because of their mistreatment of black women. Although, there is another force at work in this powerful, and emotional, book. That force is the unwitting testimony which Walker cannot control, because it was not deliberately written to be part of her story. Between the lines of her story is the strong message of personal rage: rage which cannot be hidden. The rage can be seen throughout the novel in numerous forms; the words used by Walker, that are strong and emotive; the portrayal of the characters, from innocent, like Celie, to evil, like Mr. Alphonso and the realism in which the characters are brought to life, because of the real anger used to describe them. Therefore, in considering the opinions of the two opposing critics, this circumstance must be borne in mind. The first critic, Tony Brown, wrote an article about The Color Purple for the Carolina Peacemaker. He has many views on the book, and expresses those views confidently. Brown admits in his article that some men have raped their daughters, some black men have raped their daughters, However, immediately afterwards, he is stating his defence of black men. He defends himself instantly, saying that the majority of black men have not. He then speaks of the problem that black men have when it comes to loving, saying the love has been drained out by the brutality of a society panic-stricken over black masculinity. Brown then goes on to tackle the issue of lesbian affairs in the book, and that they give women emotional and sexual salvation He defends his position saying that this is not the case in the real world, even though many frustrated black women seem to want to believe. Brown then admits that some black men are like Walkers characters, he says they are but, sad examples He also says the book focuses only on the failings of black men, and that black men are being abused by a white mans movie. He is blaming everyone else. Famous black men are mentioned by Brown in his argument, and the fact that they were non-incestuous and non-brutalizing and had healthy relationships with women. He states that, Their women never needed a Shug. Brown fails to support his argument about famous black males though, he merely mentions their names briefly. Brown blames the publishers in the final part of the extract. He says that white men and women only publish books by black women, or homosexual black men, and then label them as being the black experience. Brown is constantly blaming others throughout his extract, he never accepts responsibility for the actions of black men; he merely shirks the blame to other people. The second critic writes as a response to Browns article, their name is not given. Their argument defends The Color Purple, and retorts to Browns scathing attack of Walkers depiction of men in the book. The critic opens their response with the line that states the book is, strictly fiction They stress though, that Walker has written about real suffering, and the ideas were not conjured up by the imagination of Walker. The critic then speaks of the books content, and speaks of Walkers characterisation. The critic gives Celie as an example of a woman who grew from her own strength, a self-assured, strong woman even if it was at the expense of a few male egos. After stating the facts in the book and showing the main character development, the critic then launches a scathing attack upon black men, saying that, the shoe is such a good fit that it becomes downright uncomfortable Meaning that, the black men are offended, because the book is too truthful for their liking. The critic then emphasises that Walkers message is that of oppression, and that it is, ugly no matter what colour it is. They state that oppression is wrong, and that the message given by the book mustnt be forgotten, or else the ugliness will live on, and continue to breed. In the closing lines of the critics argument, the critic states that the book is a story about black women; not a book that is against black men. Brown is then contradicted by the anonymous critic, as they write that Walkers is a feminist book, and that it is not specifically against black men, even though black men are on the defensive because of it, black men protesting and licking their wounded egos. Both critics focused on actual events in the book; relationships in the book; the powerful difference between men and women; the differences between sex and the raw influence in sexual matters. In spite of this, both critics overlooked the power in the book, that being of Alice Walkers real message which encompasses so much of bitterness and grief experienced by black people in the USA. In my opinion, the men in The Color Purple presented during anger, Walkers anger when writing. Therefore, the presentation of men is biased. Personally speaking, I think the depiction of men in the novel is true; that is, all aspects of the male personality are represented by Walkers characters, from kindness in Reverend Mr (Samuel) to brutal cruelty, seen in Albert. The way in which Walker writes, with such conviction and passion about her characters makes the depiction true, it cannot be fained. The slightly biased view on the male characters in the novel is so because Walker only shows two good black, male characters; Samuel and Harpo. Harpo cares deeply for his family, and loves them sincerely, but his sensitivity causes him to be dominated over by his wife. Samuel does so much to help Nettie; he takes her in after Alberts assault on her. He educates her, shows her new and exciting places abroad. The marriage between Samuel and Corrine also knows no cruelty, no violence or sexual abuse. This example is compared to several other male characters that are portrayed as raging, unprincipled creatures. An example of a raging, unprincipled creature, as shown by Walker, would be Mr. Alphonso, he rapes his own step-daughter, on more than one occasion, and then when Celie gave birth to two children, he gave them away. This was not the act of a decent human being.

School Of The Future Inititative Education Essay

School Of The Future Inititative Education Essay Roxboro Community School (RCS) today announced its highly anticipated RCS School of the Future Initiative to students and parents. The RCS School of the Future Initiative was developed over many months with the goal of enhancing the core mission of the school, one facet of which was to be a school that used technology in unique ways to enhance the student learning experience. The RCS School of the Future Initiative is primarily shaped by the fact that RCS is committed to being on the cutting edge of technology and its use in education, that middle school students will have regular access to computers in the school, and high school students will have their own take home computer to be used in all curriculum areas. It is also shaped by the following more specific objectives: Enhance the learning environment and teach children to be critical thinkers through the use of technology, Prepare students for using technology in a post secondary school environment including college and the professional work environment, Eliminate the boundaries set by traditional school environments; students learn at different paces based on their abilities and their specific needs, Support parent involvement in their childrens educational experience through the use of technology. The RCS School of the Future Initiative represents a significant investment of the schools resources and the RCS Board of Directors has committed to spend in excess of $1.5 million over the next 10 years to support technology in the school. This isnt something were just planning on doing one year and then forgetting about, said RCS Board Chair Donald Long, We are committed to the long term education of our students and as such we must be commited to long-term funding of their technology needs and their technology education. We want our parents and students to know they are going to get an education at RCS that is like no other. We have exceptional teachers and we plan to enhance their abilities with technology that helps students learn better. The RCS School of the Future Initiative is a comprehensive approach to incorporating technology into every aspect of the school and its curiculum. The plan is highlighted by the following features: Provide laptop computers to our Senior class as a pilot project for all high school students to have laptop computers August, 2009, Install an internal television system and create RCS-TV, with monitors in the Bulldog Cafà ©, the main lobby/foyer area, and the media center August, 2009, Provide a Mobile Computing Lab for use by teachers and students August, 2009, Install the infrastructure to support the new RCS School of the Future Initiative. This includes wireless access points, backup devices, switches, cabling, file servers, increased internet bandwidth, etc. August, 2009, Create unique student computer login accounts with email, data storage, and appropriate security August, 2009 Replace all teacher desktop computers with laptop computers January, 2010, Transform the Bulldog Cafà © into the Bulldog Internet Cafà © with the installation of 40 computers to serve students during lunch and as an additional computer lab when lunch is not being served February, 2010, Install television monitors in all classrooms, making RCS-TV available to the whole school April, 2010 Beyond the end of the 2009-2010 school year, the plan will be fully implemented for the 2010-2011 school year, so expect the following to be implemented by August, 2010. Provide laptops to all high school students, Develop, identify, and purchase all software and technology items for teacher classrooms that are specific to the curriculum, Incorporate multimedia presentations, the internet, and other technology into the lesson plans where appropriate. The object is to change the way students learn and to use the technology available to us to do it. (Please visit the web site http://www.microsoft.com/education/lessonplans.mspx for sample lesson plans that demonstrate how teaching might change once students have all of the technology available to them). Develop an advanced Network Administration curriculum for Junior and Senior level students. The students will be managing and maintaining the schools technology systems in a way that few other schools are currently doing. Courses will be developed to teach students how to run a professional computer system with the same technologies used in the business world. Provide an internship opportunity for up to three students. Students would apply for three open positions to work on the RCS computer system during the summer. These will be full time, paying summer jobs for those who qualify. The RCS School of the Future Initiative is not just about putting computer equipment in the hands of students and teachers. It is about changing the way students learn and teachers teach, so the RCS School of the Future Initiative calls on teachers to develop new lesson plans that might not be focused so much on opening a book to a certain page, reading a passage, and answering questions. The school of the future will use technology so that teachers and students meet objectives in ways that take into account differences in personalities, individual abilities, and learning styles. The School of the Future will not be a mass production facility, rather it will produce a customized learning experience. According to RCS Principal Walter Finnigan, The workplace of the future will continue to be technology driven. The college of the future will continue to be technology driven. It makes sense that middle school and high school should also be technology driven so that our students have a better shot at succeeding both acedemically and professionally. Finnigan continued, As Ive said before, our goal is to be to be among the best schools in the nation and the RCS School of the Future Initiative is just one of the ways we plan to acheive that goal. We want to offer a tailored educational experience to our students and the only way we can do that is by using the same technology currently being used in the private sector. There are very few schools accross the nation who have embraced this idea like RCS is embracing it, but it really just makes sense to do so. It should just ring true to people.

Airtel Pest Analysis and Porters Five Forces

Airtel Pest Analysis and Porters Five Forces AIRTEL PEST Analysis Political The ministry of telecom industry hiked FDI limits from 49% to 74% which enabled Indian promoters of telecom sector to spark off the competition and consolidation by selling their stakes to foreign entities. Airtel already have tie up with foreign partner SINTEL which is going to help in investing more in infrastructure and latest technology to provide the best services to their subscribers. Also due to this increase in foreign direct investment in telecommunication market, Airtel will be able to modulate the foreign stakes in their companies that have already acquired a range between 67-69 percent of their assets. With the increase in globalisation and tremendous growth of Indian telecommunication sector, Airtel launched its mobile services in Srilanka in Jan 2009 and investing to expand its network with latest technology in next five years. Recently Airtel have also acquired Zain for Africa operations which is the second biggest overseas purchase by an Indian company. Economical In telecom budget 2008, raw material for the manufacture of specified electronic hardware items have been exempted from excise duty which lowers the network equipment costs to benefit major mobile services provider, so Airtel can expand their network coverage to more rural areas at much cheaper cost. During the recession period Government policy to reduce the custom duty on convergence product from 10% to 5% helped in establishing parity devices used in communication sector, so this will help Airtel in lowering their cost for DTH expansion. Government has announced per second billing tariff for the subscriber along with the per minute billing plan. Though the per second plan is not beneficial for the telecom operators as this could reduce the sectors annual revenue by 10-15%.Operators are already struggling with the low Average Revenue Per user (ARPUs) due to high taxes (30 % of the gross revenue earned by the operators goes as various taxes) levied by government will now struggle more with this new plan. To overcome this situation Airtel has launched low tariff per minute plans along with per second plan. As majority of the subscribers make longer duration calls and the per second call could be detrimental for them with the new reduced per minute plan. Airtel could also launch pay per character for SMS services to increase the VAS revenue. Social Government has hiked FDI limits which would lead to better infrastructure in telecom due to intake of more investment by the foreign investors. As 70% of Indian population still resides in rural areas, improvement in telecommunication infrastructure and services will reduce isolation, increase business viability, farming productivity and access to educational and medical services. Airtel has already announced to set up 100000 service centres and telecom infrastructure in rural India by march 2010. Rollout of national rural employment scheme to all 596 districts in India with a provision of Rs.160 billion, to aid faster penetration of mobiles and consequently faster growth of Airtel as they hold major Indian telecom market with 24% growth at the end of 31st March 2009. Government has announced the auction for 3G and BWA spectrum and Airtel is one of the qualified bidders for the same and Airtel has already signed a deal with Ericsson to upgrade their network for 3G. It will help Airtel to undertake social initiatives of the government such as e-education, tele medicine, and e-health and e- governance, providing affordable broadband and mobile services to sub urban and rural areas.   As demand for the value added services and high speed broadband is increasing among the youth. Airtel being the leading private broad band service provider in the country has introduced the ultra fast speed of 50 Mbps for the broadband users on next generation VDSL2 technology which will allow users, the convenience to download a full feature film in less than 3 minutes. Along with it is providing free value add services like parallel ringing, website builder (Basic), PC secure (Anti-Virus software), online storage, unlimited gaming on games on demand. Increasing competition with the entry of many new operators in the telecom industry has forced in reduction of tariffs. So consumers get more options and can change their network operator according to their need. In this Airtel has introduced many low tariff plans like youth Plan for young people, ladies special, and friends prepaid plan, family celebration plan according to the requirements of the different customer segments. Segmentation strategy aims towards understanding the need gaps of specific consumer segments and creating special segmented products for them. Technological Increase in FDI limits also benefited inflow of latest technology with improved infrastructure, as AIRTEL is well established with better infrastructure so it can provide better services to its customers in urban and can expand its network in more rural areas. Introduction of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) which allows the consumer to retain their existing mobile number, even when they change the service provider. This will increase the competition among the service providers as the subscribers can change their network if they are not happy with the services of the existing service provider. Airtel has the edge over his competitors as their services are much better than other service providers.   Government has announced the auction for 3G and BWA spectrum which will allow telecom companies to offer additional valued services like high resolution video and multimedia services with high data rate transmission capabilities. Airtel has already qualified to bid for the auction. Also Airtel has signed a 1.3 billion deal with Ericsson to expand and upgrade its network for 3G services in 15 of Indias 22 telecom circles. Porters 5 Forces Analysis Threat from competition High Fixed Cost: The industry also suffers from high fixed cost which makes the entry barrier also very high for the industry. It comes as no surprise that in the capital-intensive telecom industry the biggest barrier to entry is access to finance. To cover high fixed costs, serious contenders typically require a lot of cash. When capital markets are generous, the threat of competitive entrants escalates. When financing opportunities are less readily available, the pace of entry slows. Meanwhile, ownership of a telecom license can represent a huge barrier to entry. There is already 6-7 players in each region excluding 3 -4 big players like Bharti Airtel, reliance, Vodafone and BSNL. Very less time to gain advantage by an innovation: Every company in this industrial sector in investing a huge amount in research and development and marketing strategy. That is why we see when any offer launched by any company is always counter attacked by other companies very soon. This makes the industry rivalry most prominent. E.g. Caller tunes, Life time cards. Price wars:  The price war is really very fierce in this industry. Price war in telecom industry has commoditized the market that branding has taken a backseat. New players are reducing their tariffs to get better hold in the market and in turn the existing big players like Airtel, reliance etc. also have to compete by introducing low tariff new plans such as youth plan for younger generation, ladies special etc. Threat of New Entrant Both potential and existing competitors influence average industry profitability. The threat of new entrants is usually based on the market entry barriers. They can take diverse forms and are used to prevent an influx of firms into an industry whenever profits, adjusted for the cost of capital, rise above zero. In contrast, entry barriers exist whenever it is difficult or not economically feasible for an outsider to replicate the incumbents position. The most common forms of entry barriers, except intrinsic physical or legal obstacles, are as follows: Economies of scale: In telecom industry the economies of scale exists from the supplier side. That is why companies try to increase their subscriber base at drastic rate. Distribution channels: Distribution channels are also providing a major determining factor. These channels are not loyal to any company and competitors can easily access them and make out work for them. Though huge licence fee to be paid upfront and high gestation period reduces the threat of new entrant and discourages investment and infrastructure in the telecom sector. Limited Spectrum availability, Regulatory issue which again leads to high licence fee also restrict new players from entering into the market. Rapidly changing technology and setup the efficient Infrastructure for the same accordingly is also the major factor which stops new player to enter into the telecom sector. New entrants are ready to enter huge capital considering the attractiveness of the market. Increase in FDI limits to 74% is bringing competition from foreign players. Huge investments are being made by the foreign companies to setup better infrastructure and getting latest technology into the country. Threat from the non telecom background brand which could foray into the telecom industry by the ease of outsoucing. Customer switching cost is very low, as cost of new connection is really low. And new connection offers more benefits to the customers Threat of substitute The threat that substitute products pose to an industrys profitability depends on the relative price-to-performance ratios of the different types of products or services to which customers can turn to satisfy the same basic need. The threat of substitution is also affected by switching costs that is, the costs in areas such as retraining, retooling and redesigning that are incurred when a customer switches to a different type of product or service. It also involves: The potential major substitutes for telecom industry are as follows: Products and services from non-traditional telecom industries pose serioussubstitution threats. Cable TV and satellite operators now compete for buyers. The cable guys, with their own direct lines into homes, offer broadband internet services, and satellite links can substitute for high-speed business networking needs. Wireless phones are also getting cheaper each year over the last decade; this has provided consumers with more convenience and mobility, to the extent that the younger demographic now considers a fixed line phone redundant. Just as worrying for telecom operators is the internet: VOIP i.e voice over ip telephony is becoming a viable vehicle for cut-rate voice calls. Delivered by ISPs not telecom operators internet telephony could take a big bite out of telecom companies core voice revenues. Applications like Skype have been extremely popular among younger generation users and are fast emerging as preferred means of communication. BUYERS POWER Buyer power is one of forces that influence the appropriation of the value created by an industry. The most important determinants of buyer power are the size and the concentration of customers. Other factors are the extent to which the buyers are informed and the concentration or differentiation of the competitors. Kippenberger (1998) states that it is often useful to distinguish potential buyer power from the buyers willingness or incentive to use that power, willingness that derives mainly from the â€Å"risk of failure† associated with a products use The following points influence the buyer power: Lack of differentiation among the service provider: As telephone and data services does not vary much regardless of which companies are selling them. Cut throat competition: Competition level has increased a lot with increase in new foreign as well as domestic players in the industry. Operators are engaging in an intense price war which is benefitting to the buyers in every way. Customer is price sensitive: Every operator is offering low tariffs with better services due to high level of competition among the operators which has made customer more sensitive to price. Low switching costs from one operator to other operator. The consumer now has access to several means of communication like email, instant messaging which are diminishing the importance voice services Attractive Schemes for new connections. Availability of all operators everywhere. SUPPLIER POWER Supplier power is a mirror image of the buyer power. As a result, the analysis of supplier power typically focuses first on the relative size and concentration of suppliers relative to industry participants and second on the degree of differentiation in the inputs supplied. The ability to charge customers different prices in line with differences in the value created for each of those buyers usually indicates that the market is characterized by high supplier power and at the same time by low buyer power. In the drawback of Indian telecom industry the following should be kept in mind: Large number of suppliers: The industry basically has a large number of suppliers, which helps them to choose from a lot of options. So they try to select the best option to deliver the value to the customers and to have a competitive advantage from their competitor. Shared tower infrastructure: Technology has helped them to share the tower infrastructure. This basically helps them to reduce the initial investment a lot. Limited pool of skilled managers and engineers especially those well versed in the latest technologies which put companies into weaker side in terms of hiring and salaries. Medium cost of switching since changing their hardware would lead to additional cost in modifying the architecture.

My Metamorphosis :: Pyschology, Informative

My Metamorphosis For many years I thought that extroverts were selfish. That they deliberately sought attention in order for people to think well of them. I have slowly come to the realization that this is a case of sour grapes on the part of we introverts. In fact we are the selfish ones. Introverts hold themselves back from social interaction out of a fear of negative reaction. We feel that if we become visible to a group then we will somehow look foolish and therefore feel totally embarrassed. It is our belief that until proven otherwise, we are potentially perfect in the eyes of all strangers. If we can therefore navigate the perceptions of other people well enough, they will continue to believe we are perfect. And with any luck they will come to feel positively towards us. This is such a joke on so many levels. The obvious fallacy is that even if people do form a friendship or some other relationship with us, it will not be our true self that they are seeing. This is the reason we feel so unworthy of the love that people offer us. In the back of our minds we know we have been conning them and do not deserve their love. Extroverts on the other hand, seek to amuse and educate others by their own actions and words. They are not usually concerned with how good they will look but how happy or entertained those around them are. They are not self-conscious and are therefore more likely to show their

Spielberg Bio :: essays research papers

Steven Allan Spielberg was born December 18, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to parents Arnold, an electrical engineer, and Leah, a former concert pianist. Spielberg was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where his love for film and business savvy were always apparent. At age 12, he used the money he earned from his tree-planting business to fund his first amateur film, for which he also wrote the script. stardom is no science fiction Despite his early experience with filmmaking -- he made Escape to Nowhere, a 40-minute war movie at 13, and a 140-minute film entitled Firelight at 16 (science-fiction, of course) -- he was still rejected from USC's prestigious filmmaking program twice. Spielberg attended California State University instead, where he received his BA in English, and where he also studied cinema. The aspiring filmmaker finally got his rite of passage into television after his short film, Amblin' (also the name of Spielberg's independent company) received much praise at the Atlanta Film Festival. A 20-year-old Spielberg landed a 7-year contract with Universal-MCA, making him one of the youngest TV directors there. Spielberg worked on television shows such as Marcus Welby, M.D. and Colombo, and the pilot episode for the series Night Gallery, which starred Joan Crawford (he and Crawford had remained close friends until her death). As for film, Spielberg worked on made-for-TV movies like Something Evil (1972) and Savage (1973), but it was 1972's Duel which made everyone raise their eyebrows. It became a cult classic and helped forge his way into cinema. express to success Spielberg's entrance into film was marked by 1974's The Sugarland Express, which marked him as a Hollywood up-and-comer. But it was the film Jaws that would not only instill a fear of the ocean for people; it also launched Spielberg to A-list status and solidified what we now know as the summer blockbuster. When Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released in 1977, it was clear that Spielberg was a force to be reckoned with; the Academy also recognized his skills by honoring him with a Best Director Oscar nomination. With hits come misses, and Spielberg had some of those too, namely, his first comedic attempt, 1941. The film flopped, but with the coming of a new decade, Spielberg had the force to strive ahead and become the most powerful director of his time. Spielberg and his buddy, fellow movie powerhouse George Lucas, joined efforts to make a little film called Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, which Spielberg directed.

Good Night Essay

Michelle Magorian’s heartwarming novel, Good Night, Mr. Tom, is not only a touching read but an intriguing one. It tells the story of eight-year-old William Beech, the abused boy of a troubled single mother. He is evacuated from London to a cozy town in the English countryside at the beginning of World War II, and finds himself in the care of Thomas Oakley. â€Å"Mister Tom,† as he is endearingly called by Willie, is known around the village of Little Weirwold as apathetic and gruff. Caring for Willie is just the kind of medicine he needs to turn his personality around, and it does Willie wonders as well. What really makes Good Night, Mr. Tom such a moving read is that it is easily relatable and sets readers up to care about the characters and appreciate their life in modern-day Maine. The events, characters, and setting of the story are very realistic, making the book easy to connect to. Magorian pays attention to detail and never skimps on descriptions, which makes a big difference. Take the dialog, for example. In Little Weirwold, where Willie stays with Mister Tom, villagers use a unique slang that is clearly recognizable in even the shortest of lines: â€Å"’E’s a spry ole thing, but he’s as soft as butter, ent you, ole boy? † This particular sentence is uttered by Tom himself as he convinces Willie that his dog is nothing to be afraid of. There’s more than just slang to be examined in that quote, however. From one simple sentence, it is easy to see how much Tom loves his dog. Phrases such as â€Å"ole boy† are associated with affection and fondness and are usually used by caring pet owners, a fact recognizable if you are a pet owner yourself. In addition to dialog and terms of endearment, Magorian creates situations that ninety-nine percent of the population has been through. In one instance, Willie and a few of his newly befriended pals walk into the school hall on the first day. They see the last remaining chairs to sit in right in the front row and excitedly grab them â€Å"afore the big uns get them. † Too late, the boys realize why their seats had been left empty: the children in front of them are sitting on the floor, â€Å"†¦ so that the five of them were now very exposed. † This prevents them from whispering or, as George says, slipping toffees in their mouths. Nearly everyone has been in a similar predicament when they think there is a great opportunity and then regret the decision to jump on it. Additionally, Magorian incorporates memorable elements of childhood. For example, classroom jobs are assigned in Willie’s homeroom: â€Å"Patsy was the milk monitor for the week. Mrs. Hartridge had taken to heating the milk, now the weather was so cold. She poured it into cups and Patsy carried them two at a time to the desks. † It is easy to picture the whole scene as the students thank Patsy for their milk and Patsy shrugs in response, eager for next week to arrive when she will be assigned the role of table cleaner. It is the specifics that Magorian includes that really make the book relatable to a broad audience. Perhaps it is partly due to this connectability that readers come to care about the characters so deeply. In the very beginning of the book, Tom is portrayed as an irritable recluse who has not yet overcome the loss of his wife and son. As soon as he takes in Willie, however, his attitude warms up and it is plain to see that he loves the boy. He still tries to hold on to some of his crustiness, but it becomes harder and harder for him not to melt around Willie. Take a look at this quote from early on: â€Å"‘You can put that ole bag down,’ he said gruffly. ‘You ent goin’ no place else. ’† Compare it to this one, an excerpt from the later half of the book: â€Å"‘Now you takes care of yourself, boy. You keeps up that ole drawrin’. You’ve a fine gift. If you runs out of pencils, you lets me know. ’† Since readers have watched Tom’s character brighten, they are able to establish a bond with the old man. They are proud of him for opening up and want others to see how he has changed. Just as Tom’s personality blossoms caring for Willie, Willie’s changes for the better under Tom’s care. When readers are first introduced to Willie, they take pity on him. He is a â€Å"†¦ timid, sickly little specimen† whose mother beats him regularly with a belt buckle. Readers read with wonder and glee as Willie grows mentally and physically. He becomes a playful country boy with a taste for adventure and lots of friends, and upon seeing this transformation the hearts of the readers burst with joy. Speaking of friends, the reader comes to like Zach as well because he welcomes Willie into the village with enthusiasm. The two boys become best buddies, and readers are thankful to him for befriending Willie in such a new and intimidating place. This appreciation is proved when Willie and Tom receive the awful news that Zach has been killed while visiting his parents in London. The story suddenly feels empty without Zach’s â€Å"wizard! Out of all the characters that the reader comes to care about, Zach is probably the most profoundly felt. There is no doubt, however, that readers think of all the characters with affection. While indulging in Good Night, Mr. Tom, readers have a lot going through their mind: not only are they relating to the story and connecting to the characters, but also coming to appreciate their own life in modern-day Maine. Between the mesmerizing crashing of waves on rocky beaches and the majestic mountains bordering the sea, there’s just not much to complain about Maine. Racism, sexism, and crime hardly ever make headlines in the local papers; besides, here in the twenty-first century such events are rare to begin with. However, when readers immerse themselves in this novel, all of that changes. Suddenly it is not out of the ordinary for such outdated crimes to be committed. Some of these offenses are minor, such as when Willie’s friend Carrie complains that her mom won’t let her wear shorts: â€Å"She’d been asking her mother for ages if she could wear shorts, but had been told that she’d turn into a boy if she did and no man would want to marry her. † A rule like that seems almost laughable now, and the stark difference in terms of acceptability is wake-up call to readers. Taking it a step farther, the condition of Willie’s mother’s London apartment is dreadful. It doesn’t help that a war is raging, but in comparison to today’s standards it is atrocious nonetheless: â€Å"There was a strong dank smell coming from somewhere. It was as if an animal had opened its bowels or peed somewhere. † To think that a grown woman is allowed to raise a child in such a place is incomprehensible. Perhaps it is not so unbelievable, however, when you consider a final example: the fact that the same lady abuses her son terribly both mentally and physically. She instills unrealistic ideas in Willie’s head such as the color red being sinful and that God will send him to hell for his wrongdoings. Not only this, but she beats him savagely, leaving large welts and bruises all over his body: â€Å"Something heavy hit him across the head and he sank into a cold darkness. He could still hear her screaming and he knew she was hitting him, but he felt numb and separated from himself. He had become two people and one of his selves was hovering above him watching what was happening to his body. † No one should go through anything like that, especially not a child. Such an experience seems even more appalling today because it is strictly against the law. Readers recognize without question how much twentieth century Maine has changed for the better after reading this novel. Because of the easy relatability, developed affection towards the characters, and grown appreciation of present-day Maine, Good Night, Mr. Tom is a truly touching read. Those who immerse themselves in its pages are in for a treat; they will find themselves connecting with the plot and really caring about the characters without even realizing they are doing so. Not only this, but after they put the novel down they will become aware of the fact that they are more thankful of what modern Maine has to offer. There is no doubt that you will be impressed and deeply moved by Michelle Magorian’s book.

Compare the Evidence of a Nordic Presence in the Americas

Compare the evidence of a Nordic presence in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus with the evidence of a West African presence during that period. It has been said by historians that the Nordics and the West Africans were in the Americas before Columbus arrived in 1492. Though evidence, such as oral sagas, tracing routes which it was said they took, artifacts, skeletal remains, among others, have been found to prove that they could have been present; there are still debates as to whether or not they actually came to the Americas before Columbus.Some believe that the evidence of the presence of the Nordics is more admissible than that of the West Africans. The Norse (also known as the Vikings) got their name from the language they spoke, ‘Old Norse’. They were originally from Scandinavian countries. It believed that they came to the new world for several reasons such as; the fact that it had a rich supply of salt to preserve their goods, they were explorers, the co untry they lived in, Greenland, soon became over populated and they experienced a great famine in 975. It is also believed that there was a political unrest between the cans in Northern Europe.There has been many pieces of evidence to support the theory that the Vikings were, in fact, present in the new world during the pre-columbian era. Some of the settements of the Vikings were found, still standing, such as ‘York’ and ‘Dublin’. There was not much written records on the Viking so most of their history was passed down orally through sagas, through which we first heard of their exploration into Europe and the Americas, there were two sagas which survived; these are the Greenlander’s Saga and The Saga of Erik the Red. The sagas claim that the Vikings interacted and traded with the native people that they found in the Americas.The sagas led to the finding of some substantial evidence such as the archaeological remains found in ‘Newfoundland†™ and there it was discovered that there was a Viking settlement in the town called ‘L’Anse aux Meadows’, in this town historians discovered that the Vikings did travel further south into the Americas and explored the land they spoke of in their sagas, Vinland. When they ventured further down into Vinland historians discovered butternut wood and butternuts, which were not native to the area so it is believed that the Vikings brought it there from further south (lands surrounding the Gulf of St.Lawrence). Other artifacts such as architectural structures, woodworking items, boat rivets and personal items were found in the region, which historians dated back to about AD 1000 with the use of scientific method. Another hard piece of evidence found in ‘Vinland’ was a Norse coin which was found off the coast of Maine and was dated back to between AD1065-1080 which suggests that there was interaction of these people and the indigenous peoples. This gave hi storians physical evidence that coincided with the oral sagas. All this evidence pre-dates European arrival by as early as 500 years.It is also believed that the West Africans came to the New World centuries before the arrival of Columbus. Ivan Van Sertima is one of many who argue that West Africans made contact with the new World before Columbus. According to Sertima the Africans travelled from the African coast from the north to the west and crossed the Atlantic. According to the famous Egyptian Scholar, Ibn Fadi Al-Umari, in 1342, there were two large voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, before Columbus’ voyage, both of these voyages were pioneered by one man, Mansa (king) Abubakari II. In the year 1311, Abubakari abdicated his thrown to Mansa Musa.Not a son of his son but in fact his brother. He (Abubakari) equipped 1000 of his ships with the finest men, sorcerers, physicians, sailors and navigators. Every ship had supply ship attached to it. The number of ships totalled 20 00. The other 1000 ships were loaded with foodstuffs, drugs, fruits and drinks to last his team for 2yrs. It was believed that Abubakari arrived on the other end of the Atlantic in the year 1312. Proof of the Malian expedition can be noted in the names given to places in Haiti as the Malians renamed places after themselves. Examples of such are Mandinga Port, Mandinga Bay and Sierre de Mali.It is said that the African mariners that came to the western hemisphere were looking for trade and knowledge of what lied beyond their coasts. They brought with them flora and fauna, cloth, their scientific knowledge, technology and the arts. Modern experiments have shown that the ancient African boats could have made the journey across the seas to the new world as they were strong enough. Boat builders in Central Africa’s Lake chad made a papyrus craft that was sailed from North Africa to Barbados in eastern Caribbean in 1969, there were similar journeys that showed that even the small b oats could with have survived these crossings.Some of the evidence that the West African’s were in fact present in the region before Columbus’ arrival are; the linguistic continuities in the region, an example of this is when it was recorded that the indigenous peoples referred to the Africans as ‘guanine’ which was the first piece of evidence that west Africans were in the region, it, however, was not seen as strong enough by many historians to hold up such a theory. There were no written evidence that they were there, it could be assumed that they could have been lost, or destroyed as it was seen that the Europeans were not always tolerant of these other cultures in their explorations.History has recorded some incidents where the writings of natives and precious metals and gems were destroyed (in the case of the precious metals and gems, they were used or melted down) by the Europeans when they came to the land of the natives, as they saw some of these a s pagan items. Another piece of evidence found by historians were the archaeological remains that were found, the age of these remains were dated back according to how deep the archaeologist had to dip for it.The successive layers of dirt only built up over time, so the archaeologists knew the date of the dirt layer then the date of the artifacts to the layer which was found. Additional evidence that supported the thesis that both these cultures came in contact came from clear evidence of the facial features of the images and figures, which were done using various materials such as clay, gold and copper that were found in the relics which were dug up.The images and figures found in the relics were unmistakably inspired by an African as the phenotypical and cultural characteristics were clearly of an African origin, this could be told by â€Å"†¦their colouration, the fullness of lip, prognathism, scarification, tattoo markings, beards, kinky hair, generously fleshed noses, and even in some instances, identifiable coiffures, head kerchiefs, helmets, compound earrings†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Sertima 1976). † Also, there were huge head sculptures which were discovered in the Central and South America that also had African features.Skeletal remains which belonged is believed to have belonged to Africans were found. Further evidence is seen in the religious rituals of the people in Mexico, as their gods and ceremonies are closely modelled to those of the African society. Also, the use of shells as currency rather than just symbolic items and also the botanical continuities such as the presence of species of African origin, for example; banana, jack bean, yam and others. Other evidence which came directly from the natives themselves when they explained to the Europeans that they â€Å"received an alloy called guanine’ from the Africans†, the alloy which they spoke of consisted of a mix of precious metals. It was also noted that some of the artifacts of the natives which Columbus collected, such as the cloths used by the natives closely matched the weave, colouration and style of cloths used by African communities in Guinea. An explorer, Balboa, also recorded that he came across scattered groups of people who looked very much like Africans in regions that he had ‘discovered’.This shows that the Europeans themselves came across Africans in the region. There is also the scientific evidence (oceanography) which points to the fact that the Africans were very capable of getting to the new world before Columbus, The Atlantic World’s coastline was linked to the African coastline by the ocean currents which moved between the two areas, which meant that the Africans who were seen in the Americas would not have had any problems using these ways to make their way to the new world.In both cases, as relating the presence of the Nordics and the west Africans in the western hemisphere before Columbus, the main problem is t he fact that there are not much written accounts by the people themselves, and so it is easy to call the evidence inadmissible as in the world today facts are based on what is written in the books.There is, however, more admissible evidence for the Nordics as it relates to how they got the western hemisphere as there route can be traced easily, though it is said that the Africans got to the western hemisphere using Pacific current known as the Kouro-Siwo and the Equatorial currents of the Atlantic Ocean. In both case, settlements were uncovered, and evidence of things they left behind such as flora and fauna, personal items among other things.It can be said that though there was not much written accounts of their presence, there is sufficient evidence that they had, indeed, been present in the Americas in the pre-columbian era.BIBLIOGRAPHY Africaspeaks. com Bornblackmag. org Campbell, John and Heather Cateau. History for the Caribbean in the Atlantic World. Ghanaweb. com Shepherd, V erene Liberties Lost. Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom, Worker. org