Imagery and Symbolism in David Guterson’s The Country Ahead of Us, The Country Behind :: Guterson Country Ahead of Us Country Behind

Imagery and Symbolism in David Guterson’s The Country Ahead of Us, The Country Behind In David Guterson’s anthology, The Country Ahead of Us, The Country Behind, characters are portrayed effectively and succinctly through the imagery of their surroundings. Many of his stories are symbolic in that they reflect relationships and feelings of characters. Guterson’s titles have a more complex and deeper connection to the story than is first apparent. They too are often symbolic of a main character, or of relationships. In "Angels in the Snow," Guterson describes the world as fragile because of the snow that has fallen. This fragility of the world, at that particular time, is representative of the relationship between John and Cora. The next morning the world is described as ‘a fragile, white place’ and this symbolises their relationship which has also become very fragile because of what John has revealed. The whiteness of the snow symbolises innocence and purity, but at this moment, through Cora’s eyes, John has lost the last of his innocence. Guterson also uses the act of making angels in the snow to portray innocence that is rapidly fading. We made angels in the snow, Cora and myself, swept our arms through the powder, left an impression of wings that would melt before the new year. It is as if John already knows what is to come, and is aware of how soon it will be. He is aware that his relationship with Cora has changed. She now has confirmation that John is not as innocent as he might have liked her to think. Through making the angels he is making one last attempt to seem innocent, for this is a very innocent act. John appears to think that if he can some how act innocently, he can convince Cora that he really is so. In "The Flower Garden," Guterson continues his exploration of the fragility of a relationship between a man and a woman and again portrays this by drawing parallels with what is happening in nature. The relationship between Anna and the narrator is a very fragile one like the garden they ‘planted with nursery sets and fragile garden cuttings.’ The relationship and the garden are at the beginning of their being, and both are very fragile. Both have to be thought out, then nurtured carefully. Any mistake or misjudgment can have long and lasting consequences.

Hamlet: An Instrument of Life - Hamlets Contribution To the Play :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: An Instrument of Life - Hamlet's Contribution To the Play Samuel Johnson writes "Hamlet is through the piece rather an instrument than an agent." This statement is true, it is exhibited in several ways. The manner in which Hamlet's father manifests himself is an indication of his true intentions. Hamlet acts as an earthly means of revenge, he is the output for actions directed by a mortal being. Inner weakness has riddled Hamlet's life, it runs rampant in his decisions, or lack of, and has plagued his fate. His inability to overcome insecurity, procrastination, and an over analytical mind contribute, overwhelmingly, to his downfall. Hamlet allows negative character attributes to steer his life, the point being, He is an instrument of his own indecision, which spawned from flaws within his character. Establishing Hamlet's sanity is a difficult task. It's stability in his life is questionable, but his contemplation of madness has left him vulnerable to its control. This control has led Hamlet to act outside of character and in an extremely peculiar fashion. Hamlet is an instrument of his father, his own self, and of sanity. The appearances of the Ghost, although sporadic, do not come without meaning. Hamlet Senior, arguably, is one of Shakespeare's finest creations. The character was molded using the Elizabethan view on death and apparitions. Such belief stated hauntings had a communication value that was used to seek resolve in unfinished business. The basis for Hamlet Senior's untimely visits should be sought. "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." (Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. United kingdom: Longman Group UK Limited, 1995. Act One, Scene Five, ll 29.) The above quotation provides insight into the Ghost's purpose. Hamlet is a device that is readily available for use, he is the bridge between death, vengeance, and reality. Hamlet had been already effected by the marriage of his Uncle, Claudius, to his Mother, but the factor that remains liable for Hamlet's eventual downfall is the involvement of the apparition. To classify Hamlet as an instrument of his father is not farfetched. His obsession with life and it's happenings cannot be attributed to his madness, the revenge that coursed through Hamlet's veins provided a platform for his antic disposition to finally be laid out. One must not lose sight of the fact that Hamlet's vengeance was spurred by his father, thus making him a tool of Hamlet Senior's involvement and wishes. Flaws in character have also proven to be costly for Hamlet. Instead of relying on positive characteristics, Hamlet emphasizes weakness in will, procrastination, and indecision. "He seems incapable of deliberate action, and

500 Word Commentary on West London

Matthew Arnold critical commentary West London raises multiple literary observations. These include the type of language used, the structure of the poem and the use of poetic techniques, such as imagery. The first striking feature is the rhyming structure that follows the criteria of an Italian sonnet, with a slight variant in the last tercet. This can be seen as Arnold attempting to tweak the model to emphasise the final three lines. This ending can be interpreted as the heightened and emotionally charged culmination of feelings of the central characters.The Italian sonnet commonly produces a statement followed by a counter statement, by means of an octave, which consists of two quatrains, followed by a setstet which is displayed by two tercets. This poem conforms as the first two quatrains provide negatively charged language, such as â€Å"ill,† (â€Å"West London† 2) and, â€Å"their feet were bare. † (West London† 4) The mood of the poem shifts dramatic ally after the turn and the language changes, suggesting that Arnold is deliberately showing the reader opposite attitudes.This is evident by, â€Å"this spirit towers,† (â€Å"West London† 9) and â€Å"she will not ask of aliens, but of friends. † (â€Å"West London† 10) The use of the turn can be seen as an attempt to show the readers the complexity of the situation on the streets of London, during this era of industrialisation. This is further explained by the two quatrains, which display a common view of the homeless, while the sestet provides a romantic and humble image of gratitude, evidenced by how the girl, â€Å"begg'd and came back satisfied,† (â€Å"West London† 7) from the passing labour workers.The poem finishes with the image of the unfortunate girl that, â€Å"points us to a better time than ours,† (â€Å"West London† 14) which can indicate the level of ignorance of passers by. It also suggests a sense of untold experiences, due to social neglect. Various prominent images run throughout the poem. One example can be seen on lines six and seven with the girl begging the workers, which can be used in conjunction with, â€Å"of sharers in a common human fate. (â€Å"West London† 11) These images indicate a type of alienation the lower classes feel, when compared to wealthier members of society. This image is used aptly with the image on line eight, â€Å"the rich she had let pass with frozen stare. † (â€Å"West London† 8) This can be seen as Arnold deliberately exposing the ignorance of the wealthy. This sentence is the shortest of all in the poem, which indicates a definitive response. Another notable image can be seen on line nine, â€Å"above her state this spirit towers. † (â€Å"West London† 9) This is the most powerful image of the entire poem.Arnold deliberately uses such emphatic language to conjure this image, on the pivotal first line of the turn, to demonstrate the strength of the human spirit. This image also alludes to the idea of the towering human spirit contesting the new skyscraper buildings that claimed the landscape of London during the nineteenth century. West London is full of unique imagery, and carefully selected language, for its time period. Arnold uses an Italian sonnet structure to speak about controversial issues, in a style readers would have been familiar with.

Functional Benchmarking: Learning from best practices to improve service quality in medium and small hotels

Despite the prevalent debate of organizational education, there is modest learned contribution on promoting learning through the realistic purpose of management apparatus. This is particularly correct in a complex domestic supply series milieu of an institute. Benchmarking is documented as a vital means for constant enhancement of quality. A large amount of publications by a variety of authors reveal the significance of this practice. Reviews of literature on benchmarking have been prepared in the past by a small number of authors. However, bearing in mind the contributions in the recent times, a more complete examination is attempted here.In this essay, the authors have reviewed benchmarking literature in a manner that would help researchers, academicians and practitioners to take a deeper look at the expansion, development and applicability of this method. The authors have examined a range of papers and have anticipated a diverse plan of categorization. In addition, certain gaps th at would present clues for extra study in benchmarking have been recognized. Study Questions A study of small hospitality businesses was undertaken in order to address the following research questions:1) How extensive is the formal and informal practice of benchmarking in small hospitality businesses? 2) What kinds of practices and approaches are more or less likely to be benchmarked in small hospitality businesses? 3) How is the corporate culture of firms in the small hospitality industry associated with their interest in benchmarking best practices? Principal Findings Comparing performance figures is the procedure in the benchmarking processes that seem to be accepted and applied by tourism managers rather than more complex procedures like analyzing or optimizing.However, there is a growing body of researchers assuming that benchmarking is not exclusively a comparison practice. Studying the business feat of a number of hospitality sectors (attractions, restaurants and caterings, m otels); Bergin et al. (2000) found that benchmarking is frequently confused with the practice of viable assessment studies. Terms such as benchmarking, interfirm comparisons and competitive comparison analysis are inaccurately interchanged. Benchmarking is thought to be a more potent tool than competitive comparison. Key WordsBenchmarking, competitive comparison, comparison analysis, interfirm comparisons, hospitality sectors. Introduction Benchmarking is concerned with obtaining information through relative study and applying it to develop internal procedures or practices (Smith, 1997). Whilst Business Week has described benchmarking as â€Å"a euphemism for legally ripping off someone else’s idea† (McGonagle and Fleming, 1998), meaningful analysis and successful implementation is shown to be a complex task. As McNary (1994) observes â€Å"what often gets copied in benchmarking are only the symptoms of success instead of the causes of success†.This review check s existing literature on benchmarking, particularly with respect to context, procedure, needs and benefits. The applicability to higher education is examined and results drawn. Decision makers are continuously on the look out for methods to make possible quality upgrading. Benchmarking is one such technique that has developed into a popular process in the recently. Benchmarking is one of many total quality management tools, which comprise problem solving, procedure reengineering and process improvement. According to DeToro (1995), benchmarking needs to be positioned within this larger context.From the strategic perspective, â€Å"benchmarking could only be a piece of the jigsaw of initiatives needed to achieve substantial improvements† (Smith, 1997). The challenge is to match the process with the optimal tool or technique (Keehley, 1997). Though benchmarking is not up-to-the-minute, it has now found more users, and takes up a major place, helping quality development. Quite re gularly, the benchmarking notion is understood to be an act of imitating or replicating. But in actuality this proves to be an idea that aids in originality rather than imitation, as stated by Thompson and Cox (1997).Many authors have contributed to the literature on benchmarking ensuing in more than 350 publications as of June 2002. Taking in the growth of publications, some efforts have been made in the past to review the literature. Despite the widespread discussion of both organizational learning and the learning organization (Yeo, 2005), there are few practical tools to promote learning within a supply chain context that also give implementation advice for practitioners (Garvin, 1993; Shipton, 2004). This paper, aside from providing a review of literature on benchmarking, envelops the following objectives:(1) Assembling the publications in a methodical way to allow easy and quick search; (2) Classification of literature; (3) Analysis of result of publications; and (4) Discover gaps plus presenting hints for further research. As benchmarking relevance is rising considerably in large organizations, they have, as yet, had restricted application among small hospitality businesses. Much interest has been paid to small businesses in current tourism and hospitality literature, but this has centered on savings, finance and the use of technology (e. g. Buhalis, 1993; Kwansa, 1994; Ozer, 1996).There has been little research to quantify performance points of small hospitality businesses either as singular organizations or as workings of tourist destinations. This paper argues that benchmarking offers benefits for small hospitality businesses and for the destinations where they are situated. This is mainly true of grading schemes, where most of the fee is sustained by grading organizations, not by the small business themselves. Awards or grades give customers self-assurance and at the same time present a yardstick of competitiveness within the location area.Literatur e review The literature review focuses on exploring the potential of benchmarking to facilitate learning. It signifies the critical performance areas in classification and grading schemes in small to medium hotels. In the following part it specifies how people benefit from the stated grading schemes and how benchmarking is a useful grading scheme for hotel managers. Tourist destinations: components of attractiveness Mill and Morrison (1992) make a note that tourist destinations are made of attractions, facilities, infrastructure, transportation and hospitality.Laws (1995) spots chief essentials contributing to the attractiveness of a tourist destination as being climate, ecology, culture and traditional architecture and less important rudiments specifically for tourist groups, e. g. hotels, catering, transport and entertainment. Goodall and Bergsma (1990) consider total cost a fifth constituent, in addition to attractions, facilities/services, accessibility and image. Destination ch oice, image and pleasure have all been the center of extensive tourism research(McLellan and Fousher, 1983; Pyo et al. , 1989;Selby and Morgan, 1996; Sirakaya et al. , 1996).The subsequent inventory demonstrates components of tourist destination attractiveness, amassed from these sources, which were literature reviews concerning tourist destination choice, image and tourist satisfaction. Attractions †¢ Scenery/natural resources; †¢ Climate; †¢ Culture; †¢ Food; †¢ History; †¢ Ethnicity; and †¢ Accessibility. Facilities and services †¢ Accommodation; †¢ Airports; †¢ bus/train stations; †¢ Sport facilities; †¢ Entertainment; †¢ Shopping centers; and †¢ Food and beverage facilities. Infrastructure †¢ Water systems; †¢ Communication networks; †¢ Health care; †¢ Power sources; †¢ Sewage/drainage areas;†¢ Streets/highways; and †¢ Security systems. Hospitality †¢ Friendliness; â₠¬ ¢ Helpfulness; and †¢ Responsiveness to complaints. Cost †¢ Value for money; †¢ Accommodation prices; †¢ Food and beverage prices; †¢ Transportation prices; and †¢ Shopping prices Directly or indirectly, small businesses participate in an dynamic role in granting roughly all the physical and intangible components of attractiveness acknowledged in the lists shown above. Thus, they contribute significantly to visitor satisfaction/dissatisfaction and to tourist opinion and images of destinations. Small hospitality businessesHotel firms provide products which include tangible and intangible elements that combine into an exclusive combination of production and service. While room provision is a pure service activity, food and beverage functions involve processing and retailing processes. This might signify that the actual delivery of hospitality services may diverge widely and that the benefits derived are associated with feelings or emotions. The repercus sions are that consumers use biased and contradictory frames of reference to judge the quality of services, presenting difficulties for the hotel operative in satisfying the customer.Customer prejudice is emphasized in Day and Peters comments that â€Å"Quality is rather like pornography in this respect. We may not be able to describe it easily, but we know it when we see it†. Its ambiguity is amplified because high quality service is often delivered by impulsive and since reacts by hotel staff which cannot simply be practiced or scripted, but are even so an important means of client satisfaction. In order to endure and be successful, a business has to make sure that it is producing the goods or services that the customer wants, that it gets its quality right, and that it brings on time.There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that are straight links with the satisfaction of the server and customer, repeat sales and profits. Heskettet al. implies that quality, repea t usage, profits and investment form a self-reinforcing rotation. As a result, despite the apparently indefinable nature of the hotel product, service improvement can represent an important source of competitive advantage because quality in service delivery can lead to more repeat custom and greater sales revenue.Augmented presentation may also benefit managers and staff whose tangible and intangible benefits include job satisfaction, profit sharing and esteem. Small businesses are imperative to the financial health of both developed and developing countries. Gavron et al. (1998) makes a note of the vitality of the hospitality and tourism sector in this regard, in which low barrier to access generally ensure a steady supply of new businesses; at the same time as unproductive or inefficient ones are going through difficulty. Quinn et al. (1992) remarks on the somewhat low capital investment required to start new small tourist businesses.Entry costs can be abridged even for relatively asset-intensive businesses such as hotels, through leasing or through mortgage/loan agreements. Welshand White (1981) describe as resource poverty the inclination of small hospitality businesses to be short of financial backing and management skill and Gavron et al. (1998) refer to this as the reason why 64 per cent of UK small businesses fall short within four years. In Germany, where an inspection is required before an industrialist can start up in business, the rate is 32 per cent.Specific tourism-related statistics are limited, but, for example, Chelland Pittaway (1997) report that almost 50 percent of restaurants did not endure the first two years in their study. The British Venture Capital Association (1996) makes a note that many small business managers are provoked by life style rather than economic and success issues. While this does not automatically mean that they function to insufficient professional standards, it does simply that they may not be motivated to endeavor f urther improvement in a business which already produces adequate profits.Eggers et al. (1994) note that businesses either look for stabilization or have an expansion orientation. They categorize a series of central business stages and comment that a business which is thriving at one stage may not have the knowledge crucial to uphold success in others. Thus, although small businesses have a vital part in creating tourist satisfaction, they are neither a homogeneous group, nor able to give constantly high service delivery.

Final exam case study's answers Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final exam 's answers - Case Study Example The marine project is likely to boost tourism by transforming Queensland into a home of Australia’s largest tourism infrastructure development that will lure both tourists and international investment. Therefore, the research problem in this case study is the feasibility of the Queensland Government Multibillion Marine project, its allied socio-economic benefits, and impacts, especially to the environment and the residents. Purpose statement The purpose of this research is to establish the viability of the Broadwater Marine Project proposed by the Queensland Government and its potential impacts on the tourism and construction sectors, the environment and the livelihoods of the residents adjacent to the Broadwater. Significance of the Research This research is significant because these findings will provide justifiable evidence concerning the viability of the Broadwater Marine project, and its potential impacts on the environment and the residents of the Spit. This information will be useful for all the stakeholders in the Broadway Marine project because it will provide a formidable foundation for planning to maximise the benefits while limiting the impacts on the environment and the residents of the Spit. ... What are some of the socio-economic benefits of the Broadwater Marine Project to both the government and the residents of the Spit? d. What are some of the potential environmental and social impacts of the Broadwater Marine Project? e. How can the social and environmental negative impacts of the Broadwater Marine Project be reduced, and where possible eliminated all together? Q.2 1) The Research Philosophy The research philosophy that best fits the research questions and objectives is Positivism, an ideology that is characterised by hypothesis/theory testing through measurement of observable social realities. According to the positivists, the social world exists objectively and independently, knowledge is viable only is it is based on the observable reality and that universal theoretical models explaining cause-effect relationships are generalizable and can be used to predict outcomes. The research objectives can be best achieved if the research is guided by values of the positivism philosophy such as reason, truth and validity; the research will focus purely on observable facts. The research data will be gathered through direct observation and experience, measured empirically using quantitative methods such as statistical analysis, surveys and experiments. The viability of the Broadwater Marine project, its perceived socio-economic benefits to the Queensland Government and the Spit residents, and its potential environmental and social impacts can be measured empirically. Positivism provides the relevant tools for data gathering i.e. through observation and experience, measuring using quantitative methods- surveys and experiments, and statistical analysis; given the vast scope of this research, it must be

Life after death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life after death - Essay Example In order to be free form sins and wrongdoings and to lead a permanent life among the lambs around the Lord, one must ‘hear’ that belief in Christ is necessary. Here, ‘hearing’ translates into understanding, perceiving and comprehension of this truth, wholeheartedly. Baptism translates into meaning that the mortal body, dies in the process and is resurrected to eternal spiritual life with the Lord in His Kingdom. This is akin to the manner in which Jesus Christ gave up His life to redeem man of his sins. Sheer belief and the urge to surrender and repent are the key essentials for a profound Baptism. Personally, the very belief in the Lord and His love for me as his child, is very reassuring and comforting. This also acts as a guiding voice in troubles and tribulations, trauma and pain, and helps one cross the bridge without flinching for a moment, since the knowledge that the Lord is with you is all powering and humbling at the same moment. This way, it also helps one lead a morally sound life on Earth and depart from one’s mortal body as a soul worthy of leading permanent life with the Lord. As a allegorical reference, the Hindu religion of the Eastern world is one of the most spiritual faiths and it advocates life after death, but in different light. The spiritual faith says that one’s soul is subject to re-birth till one is enlightened spiritually of God’s ways. After this, the soul or the ‘aatma’ gets into union with the higher spirit or the ‘Paramaatma’.... In order to be free form sins and wrongdoings and to lead a permanent life among the lambs around the Lord, one must 'hear' that belief in Christ is necessary. Here, 'hearing' translates into understanding, perceiving and comprehension of this truth, wholeheartedly. Baptism translates into meaning that the mortal body, dies in the process and is resurrected to eternal spiritual life with the Lord in His Kingdom. This is akin to the manner in which Jesus Christ gave up His life to redeem man of his sins. Sheer belief and the urge to surrender and repent are the key essentials for a profound Baptism. Personally, the very belief in the Lord and His love for me as his child, is very reassuring and comforting. This also acts as a guiding voice in troubles and tribulations, trauma and pain, and helps one cross the bridge without flinching for a moment, since the knowledge that the Lord is with you is all powering and humbling at the same moment. This way, it also helps one lead a morally sound life on Earth and depart from one's mortal body as a soul worthy of leading permanent life with the Lord. As a allegorical reference, the Hindu religion of the Eastern world is one of the most spiritual faiths and it advocates life after death, but in different light. The spiritual faith says that one's soul is subject to re-birth till one is enlightened spiritually of God's ways. After this, the soul or the 'aatma' gets into union with the higher spirit or the 'Paramaatma'. Coming back to Baptism

Economic Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Economic Development - Research Paper Example Economic development is important in regard to urban planning. Vibrant economic development is deeply rooted in optimal resource allocation and coordination of productive activities in an economy. Economic development transfers these attributes to urban planning, thereby enhancing its efficacy and contribution to national goals of economic welfare. Economic development also fosters the interrelationship of different sectors of the economy. Urban planning is undertaken by metropolitan authorities under planning bodies of the larger governance. It therefore outlines an indication of the position of urban planning prior to the desired land use patterns. Policy makers have considerations to make in regard to infrastructure requirements. Diversity and dynamism of both local and international infrastructure requirements require that policy makers assess both local and international infrastructure demands in order to come up with viable plans and projects that account for these requirements in the short run and the long run (Levy 257). Social, economic and political factors should characterize policy makers’ considerations in the context of infrastructure