Characteristics of Okwonko in Things Fall Apart

This essay aims to reveal the significance of Okwonko, the central character in Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart. It exposes the characteristics of Okwonko, the village hero by how he relates with his family, friends and community. In addition, it traces his love for his community, passion for war and violence. Finally, it displays his hopelessness when his community accepts the British.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Characteristics of Okwonko in Things Fall Apart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In his most acclaimed book, Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe depicts Okwonko as a hero. The story is set in colonial Africa under the rule of British imperialists in Nigeria. Okwonko is man who believes in African values and customs, but he has a big ego. He treats his mates and family (Nwoye) arrogantly and shamefully. Okwonko thinks he should be the leader of his community. He also feels Africans should not imitate white man’s traditions and customs. In addition, Okwonko thinks women are supposed to be slaves to men as revealed in the way he treats them violently. When finally his community embraces the ways of the white man, Okwonko commits suicide to show his hopelessness. In behaving this way, Okwonko is proving his manhood in a society that does not respect women. He also calls his mates ‘women’. It reveals that he is a boastful man who does not value his friends. Okwonko is also obsessed with war and violence. This is revealed the way he picks quarrels with his friends and challenges them for a fight. He also beats up his wives and children (Nwoye) whenever they have done wrong. On the other hand, Okwonko is a community defender. This is by sticking to the African customs and traditions. Finally, in killing himself, Okwonko reveals the despair that engulfed most communities when the colonialists succeeded in corrupting the minds of Africans. Okwonko depicts m any African characteristics in his behavior. First, his passionate defense of his community reveals Africans had their own ways of living. They had their methods of schooling and entertainments in the form of village duels where Okwonko became a hero by beating his rival. Second, the way he treats his wives without respect and decorum show Africans who looked down upon women. Their roles were only to cook and sire children. Third, by treating his friends arrogantly, Okwonko displays a community that believed in manhood. A man had to stand up to be counted. Lastly, on taking his own life, he becomes the voice of hopeless Africans who detested the imperialists. Generally, Okwonko is a symbol of uncolonised Africa.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Okwonko does all these to make an African point. First, when he bullies his wives and sons in the homestead, he reveals to the whit e man that, in Africa, a man is the head of the family. Second, when he calls his mates ‘women’ and challenges them for war, Okwonko proves to his community heroism and strength is the epitome of a village warrior. Okwonko is ready to defend his community at all costs. Third, his hatred for British colonizers and adoration for African values e.g. their own governance, education and entertainments, the village hero confirms to the white man the superiority of Africa. Finally, in committing suicide, Okwonko demonstrates to his community a terrible hopelessness of accepting the British values and customs. In conclusion, Chinua Achebe aims at revealing Africa that had it forms of education, governance and entertainments before coming of the British. Through Okwonko, the writer reveals the village fights, the family traditions and the challenges of Africa. Heroism of Okwonko is the courage of Africa during the colonial period. In addition, his destruction is the hopelessness and despair Africa felt under British colonization. This essay on Characteristics of Okwonko in Things Fall Apart was written and submitted by user Houston Hendricks to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Donald Trump

Donald J. Trump Donald Trump is a true success story. He has made billions of dollars in real estate such as Trump Tower, casinos such as Trump Taj Mahal, sports and entertainment like beauty pageants and now he is the star of his own televisions show â€Å"The Apprentice†. I feel that he is a good leader because he has come a very long way since his childhood. He worked with his father Fred C. Trump, whom he admired very much, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. They were both dealmakers in both the area of construction and real estate. Donald Trump felt his father was his mentor and had a great deal of respect and love for him. â€Å"Years later Fred Trump stated that, some of his best business deals were made by his son† (NBC.com). His leadership skills really came through when he ventured into Manhattan real estate. His first purchase was the Trump Plaza Hotel on Park Avenue. He made that a success and continued to buy buildings and turn them into palaces. Some of his other buildings are Trump Tower, the world famous building that is residential and is also the home of his reality show. â€Å"Trump recently ventured into a major project in New York City, building a series of â€Å"trump landmarks† called, Trump Place† Donald Trump also expanded his corporation by buying property in Florida where the Mar-a-lago Hotel is located. Donald Trumps hit reality show has not only branched off to second and third seasons but also is going to have a new version of the show starring Martha Stewart. Without Donald Trump starting the show (and co-producing it) it would have not given Martha Stewart the opportunity to do her very own version of the show show. Some might say Donald trump is a trendsetter because he does stuff no one else dares to do. â€Å"He ventured into Atlantic City, New Jersey and opened several casinos† (cs.uh.edu). His leadership skills came through by making jobs available to thousands of pe... Free Essays on Donald Trump Free Essays on Donald Trump Donald J. Trump Donald Trump is a true success story. He has made billions of dollars in real estate such as Trump Tower, casinos such as Trump Taj Mahal, sports and entertainment like beauty pageants and now he is the star of his own televisions show â€Å"The Apprentice†. I feel that he is a good leader because he has come a very long way since his childhood. He worked with his father Fred C. Trump, whom he admired very much, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. They were both dealmakers in both the area of construction and real estate. Donald Trump felt his father was his mentor and had a great deal of respect and love for him. â€Å"Years later Fred Trump stated that, some of his best business deals were made by his son† (NBC.com). His leadership skills really came through when he ventured into Manhattan real estate. His first purchase was the Trump Plaza Hotel on Park Avenue. He made that a success and continued to buy buildings and turn them into palaces. Some of his other buildings are Trump Tower, the world famous building that is residential and is also the home of his reality show. â€Å"Trump recently ventured into a major project in New York City, building a series of â€Å"trump landmarks† called, Trump Place† Donald Trump also expanded his corporation by buying property in Florida where the Mar-a-lago Hotel is located. Donald Trumps hit reality show has not only branched off to second and third seasons but also is going to have a new version of the show starring Martha Stewart. Without Donald Trump starting the show (and co-producing it) it would have not given Martha Stewart the opportunity to do her very own version of the show show. Some might say Donald trump is a trendsetter because he does stuff no one else dares to do. â€Å"He ventured into Atlantic City, New Jersey and opened several casinos† (cs.uh.edu). His leadership skills came through by making jobs available to thousands of pe... Free Essays on Donald Trump Donald J. Trump Donald Trump is a true success story. He has made billions of dollars in real estate such as Trump Tower, casinos such as Trump Taj Mahal, sports and entertainment like beauty pageants and now he is the star of his own televisions show â€Å"The Apprentice†. I feel that he is a good leader because he has come a very long way since his childhood. He worked with his father Fred C. Trump, whom he admired very much, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. They were both dealmakers in both the area of construction and real estate. Donald Trump felt his father was his mentor and had a great deal of respect and love for him. â€Å"Years later Fred Trump stated that, some of his best business deals were made by his son† (NBC.com). His leadership skills really came through when he ventured into Manhattan real estate. His first purchase was the Trump Plaza Hotel on Park Avenue. He made that a success and continued to buy buildings and turn them into palaces. Some of his other buildings are Trump Tower, the world famous building that is residential and is also the home of his reality show. â€Å"Trump recently ventured into a major project in New York City, building a series of â€Å"trump landmarks† called, Trump Place† Donald Trump also expanded his corporation by buying property in Florida where the Mar-a-lago Hotel is located. Donald Trumps hit reality show has not only branched off to second and third seasons but also is going to have a new version of the show starring Martha Stewart. Without Donald Trump starting the show (and co-producing it) it would have not given Martha Stewart the opportunity to do her very own version of the show show. Some might say Donald trump is a trendsetter because he does stuff no one else dares to do. â€Å"He ventured into Atlantic City, New Jersey and opened several casinos† (cs.uh.edu). His leadership skills came through by making jobs available to thousands of pe...

The American Journalist Robert Kaplan stated that anyone who Essay

The American Journalist Robert Kaplan stated that anyone who disbelieves Hobbes' state of nature argument has never visited Co - Essay Example One of the most famous journalists from America, Robert Kaplan has attributed such a term to the society of Cote da’Ivoire, also called in English has the Ivory Coast. To make a statement of such magnitude, there must be some sense going behind it. And indeed, when one sees the current crisis in the Ivory Coast on both the social and political fronts, one is ought to come to the conclusion that Hobbes description of ‘state of nature’ is still prevalent. (Volkov 2011) The troubled lands of West Africa saw an unusual development in political and societal fronts through the land of Ivory Coast. After its independence from the French in 1960, there was a line of hope within the minds of people of this country to stand tall amongst other nations. But, it all came down when the first political crisis rose in Abidjan in 2002. Irrespective of the presence of the French troupes in the country, deployed primarily to seize any such rebellions against the government, the poli tical scenario was split into two with the rebels occupying the entire northern half of the country. When the United Nations came into picture, a deal was struck wherein the rebels, the Ivorians and the ruling government would combine together to form a united governance.

The nursing profession has lost sight of the importance of core values Essay

The nursing profession has lost sight of the importance of core values at the expense of evidence based practice - Essay Example Evidence alone is not sufficient to complete health recovery of the patient. Consultation on the patient’s preference coupled with nursing ethics and core values have been known to yield better results (CNA Centennial, 2008, p. 2). Evidence based practice assumes that scientific knowledge is used in the context of a particular problem affecting a number of people in a population (Beyer & Slattery, 2006, p. 1; Houser, Oman, 2011, p. 4). This is regardless of whether these are resent or past results. Newly established health problems may not benefit from the research when the treatment is depended on past research (NCIRD, 2014, p. 1). For example seasonal research studies on how well flu vaccines work has registered varied result based on study design applied (NCIRD, 2014, p. 1). The differences thus make it impossible to use an old research finding as a solution to the recently discovered type of flu. When old evidence is used, the patient’s healing process is hence compromised since it requires real-time solutions that uphold core values to solve newly developed problems (Thomas, Burt, Parker, 2014, p. 14). The core values are related to the basis on which nursing profession was formulated. The core values to a holistic response to the patients and family needs safety, competence, and ethical care, respect for the patient’s rights, decisions, dignity, right to privacy and confidentiality (Nelligan, et al., 2002, p.64). For example treatment care for patients with cancer involves ethical care and respect for patients decision (Nelligan, et al., 2002, p.66). The nurses are guided by the intention of the patient to achieve good health. They therefore identify and respect the patient’s rights likely to be affected by the treatment decision taken. Some patient may prefer never to go for chemotherapy especially when the disease is at an advanced stage.

Impact of Foreign Direct Investment in an Emerging Market Dissertation

Impact of Foreign Direct Investment in an Emerging Market - Dissertation Example This study will adopt a rational position in evaluating the impacts that FDI flows towards emerging economies, and this will be holistic in order to establish the impacts in either positive dimensions or negative dimensions.  This paper has the main objective as being to measure the impacts of FDI in developing countries in general (without particular preference towards any country in particular). This discussion stresses that there are various and distinct methods that researchers employ while conducting such a research study as the current one. In this section, methodology will be used to refer to the systematic processes that will be adopted in conducting this study for data collection analysis and derivation of qualitative conclusions in answering the lead questions identified. It is however worth noting that research methods are part of the methodologies in any research study. The basis of choosing the various methods that are applied in this study is on first investigating literature through reviewing the methods that have been used in the past while studying the topic of such a related theme. This study notes that many of the past studies on FDI in emerging economies have been done through qualitative and deductive methodologies. This study also adopts a qualitative deductive methodology in analyzing the information presented through the literature reviewed for testing of the hypothesis guiding the study and effectively answering the questions posed for this study.

High Yield Explosives (CBRNE) Analysis

High Yield Explosives (CBRNE) Analysis Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Yield Explosives (CBRNE) Analysis The terrorist group that has been chosen for this analysis paper is ISIS which is also known as ISIL. ISIS means the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or Levante and was created in the year 2014. In the previous years, this terrorist group was an affiliate of the Al-Queda terrorist group that was responsible for the infamous 9/11 attacks and warcrimes in Iraq and its neighboring nations such as Iran and Syria. The organization was responsible for driving the Iraqi government military out of key cities in Iraq and has also been responsible for many attacks in Syria making it the most dangerous terrorist group currently. The primary means of attack that is normally used by ISIS is the decimation attack. In this form of attack, the terrorists plant explosives in strategic places and detonate them in order to inflict havoc. This form of attack has been the main form of attack being used by this terrorist organization as many suicide bombers and mass shooters have been able to use this form of attack in not only Syria and Iraq, but also in the recent Paris attacks which took place in the year 2015. The organization is primarily against inasion by western nations such as the U.S. and the EU and retaliates by targeting the citizens of these nations, making them the primary targets. On the other hand, the citizens who get attacked in their domestoc nations are the secondary targets. This organization likes to publicize its attacks in order to inflict terror. This method is very effective for the organization. Besides that, the organization is also very quick to claim responsibility over many terrorist attacks taking place all over the world, which is a clear indication that ISIS is very effective. Attack Mode Evidence Color Code Firearms This is one of the major atatck mode that is normally used by ISIS as firearms are relatively easier and cheaper to acquire than explosives. November 13, 2015, separate attacks were launched using assault weapons. Shootings took place in Brussels, leading to the dealth of three individuals on May 24th, 2014 (Lister, Sanchez, Bixler, OKey, Hogenmiller Tawfeeq, 2017). Shootings at Orlando, Florida led to the death of 49 people and the death of the attacker after the attcker shot a crown at a night club known as Pulse. IEDs Three suicide bomber attacked Atatruk International Airport in Instanbul, Turkey, killing 44 people on June, 28, 2016 according to (Lister, Sanchez, Bixler, OKey, Hogenmiller Tawfeeq, 2017). Explosions in Belgium at Brussels airport while a different explosion went off at a subway station leading to the death of 32 people. Paris attacks on Novermber 13, 2015 leading to the death osf 130 people. Biological Given the fact that the organization uses IEDs and firearms as its primary form of attack, this could be a threat if the organization gets access to biological weapons in future. Radiological Given the fact that the organization uses IEDs as its primary form of attack, this could be a threat if the organization gets access to radiological weapons in future. Chemical Given the fact that the organization uses IEDs as its primary form of attack, this could be a threat if the organization gets access to chemical weapons. Hostage Taking ISIS has been known to use this tactic to intimidate its enemies. Common victims of these attacks are: soldiers, journalists and foreigners. The following is a list of such attacks. Shootings at Orlando, Florida led to the death of 49 people and the death of the attacker after the attcker shot a crown at a night club known as Pulse. Although the attacker used a firearm, it was a hostage taking form of attack (Lister, Sanchez, Bixler, OKey, Hogenmiller Tawfeeq, 2017).. On January 9 2015, a lone attacker was killed in Paris after a botched hostage attempt at a grocery shop. Cyber Attacks Coordination of the Paris attacks was coordinated and facilitated using encrypted communications. References

Euthanasia Essay -- Euthanasia Essays

Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Individual cases presented to justify legalizing physician assisted suicide fail to deal with underlying medical failures to control pain, creating an illusion of control over death, and not acknowledging the thousands of patients murdered inappropriately. This is an interesting and a very controversial issue in today’s society. Euthanasia has negative sides, it can hurt society, and everyone needs to learn more bout it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The word Euthanasia is Greek in origin. It arrived from the prefix â€Å"eu†, meaning fear, easy, and fortunate and from the word â€Å"thanatos† meaning death. The main idea of Euthanasia is that someone has a conscientious death or a fortunate one. In other words, we attempt to ease one’s pain by murdering another human being to give him/her a so-called â€Å"easy death† which is illegal and morally wrong. The key element of one human being taking the life of another human being is not present. It is exactly this element that causes euthanasia to be morally wrong (Gay-Williams,288)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are different cases that might be hard to distinguish whether it is, or isn’t Euthanasia. There are murders in â€Å"just†, war, when trying to protect oneself, and in federal executions. It can be said that one of those is amiss; it would be arduous to prove that they are always amiss. When someone looks at those examples above and euthanasia, he/she can tell their inequality. The person who is murdered above is considered by the murderer as an adversary, an assaulter, or criminally culpable. But the individual in Euthanasia is neither of the three we mentioned (Gay-Williams, 288). As I defined earlier, euthanasia is taking someone’s life, either his/her own or of another person to add to that, the human being whose life is confiscated must be a person that is assumed to be experiencing a disease or injury from which regaining life cannot reasonably be anticipated. Ultimately, the attempt must be deliberate and intentional. Thus, euthan asia is purposely confiscating the life of a believed hopeless person, whether it is the person’s own or of a relative or friend, it is still euthanasia. It is critical to be apparent about the deliberate and intentional appearance of the death. If a desperate person is injected with the incorrect drug unintenti... ...Cited Darr, Kurt. â€Å"Physician-Assisted Suicide and the Supreme Court: Implications for Health Services   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Delivery.† 22 Jun. 1997. On-line. Netscape. 1 Oct. 2002. Dekker, Diana. â€Å"Life or Death.† The Evening Post. 23 Jun. 2001. On-line. Netscape. 1 Oct.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2002. Gay-Williams,J. â€Å"The Wrongfulness of Euthanasia† Taking Sides: Clashing views on Controversial Moral Issues. Ed. Stephen Satris. 5th ed. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw Hill, 1997. 288-289, 290-293. Hending, Herbert.†Selling Death and Dignity: Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Bioethical Issues. Ed. Stephen Carol Levine. 7th ed. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/Mcdraw-Hill, 1997 80-81, 87-94, 95. Hupfer, Sherrrie. â€Å"Ethical deisions at the Darkest Hour.† Radiologic Technology. 11 Jan. 1996.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On-line. Netscape. 1 Oct. 2002 Komp, Diane. Assisted Suicide. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Pres. 1998 Shapiro, Joseph P. â€Å"Expanding a Right to Die.† U.S. News and World Report. 15 Apr. 1996: 63. Vallis, Mary. â€Å" Study Pinpoints Fear that pushes some to Euthanasia: A Means of Limiting a loss of Self.† National Post 3Aug. 2001. On-line. Netscape. 5 Oct. 2002

Pestel Philips Essay

POLITICAL FACTORS Because Philips is an international company, it has to deal with many political factors such as: tax policy, employment laws, environmental regulations, trade restrictions and political stability inside each country they are in. Philips is a manufacturer, a sales company and needs to maintain service organization too, so it must deal with many varieties of laws and policies that are changing, depending the country and the time. For example in many countries of European union now taking place dynamic changes in employment law. (Federation of European employees, 2007) ECONOMIC FACTORS Depending on the country and the economic growth of it, the purchasing power of the population is not the same everywhere. In fact, as Philips is present in many countries, it has to adapt its products and sales processes to the buying habits and the standard of living. For Philips high economic growth means the increasing purchasing power of the population that is desirable for the company. SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS The social and cultural influences on business vary from country to country, region to region. It is very important that such factors are considered. Then, it is necessary for Philips to understand the consumer needs and habits in order to meet its expectations. Moreover, in developed countries nowadays, customers are paying more and more attention to ethics, respect and culture of the company. TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS Because of the international presence of Philips, each country doesn’t have the infrastructure to welcome properly Philips’ technologies, including online processes. So Philips needs to adapt its products to the country where they are. Moreover, Philips Company is very dependant on technology. New innovations can significantly improve operations of the company. Also, it’s important not to neglect the Research and Development department even if it’s the most expensive one. ECOLOGICAL FACTOR: Many countries are now environment concerned and try to reduce pollution. Philips as a large manufacturer can face some problems because of that, even more as it is a lightening company. With the important development of the LED, Philips has a real challenge even if the LED market is not as profitable as the lamp market. LEGAL FACTOR Each country has its own legislation even countries which are parts of the same organization, for example, in Europe, there is the European legislation and the country’s legislation, so Philips needs to be aware of every aspects of this system and adapt quickly.

Matilda Dixon and The Curse of Port Fairy Professor Ramos Blog

Matilda Dixon and The Curse of Port Fairy Matilda Dixon was adored by all the children of Port Fairy for her generosity and kindness. The question is, why did this kindhearted individual turn into a vengeful evil spirit that haunts and murders the children of Port Fairy? There may not be one specific cause, but several reasons could have contributed to Matilda’s metaphoric process from a loving childhood icon to a child murdering banshee. Contributing factors could be traced back to the loss of her husband, her unorthodox practice of collecting teeth, the prejudice that she experienced from the town’s people, and her lynching that ended with her cursing the town’s peopleThe first contributing factor for Matilda’s transformation was dealing with the loss of her husband.   Matilda Dixon, born Matilda Schultz, was like everyone else in the town of Port Fairy. She led a normal life working hard at a bakery and had married a sailor by the name of Sonny Dixon. One night, in 1836, Sonny’s ship t he Guiding Light was lost at sea during a storm. In this storm, 15 sailors lost their lives including Sonny Dixon. Matilda was devastated that the love of her life was gone, and his death left a gaping hole in her heart that could not be filled. The loss of a loved one is shattering and leaves us with so many unanswered questions that we would have longed to communicate with those who have passed away. Throughout the centuries many cultures believe that communication with the dead is possible and claim that the living can reach out to the dead by using special techniques and rituals. Senior Lecture in the school of Psychology Dr. Tassell-Matamua explains â€Å"humankind has told of conversing with the dead for millennia. The tales transcend civilizations and time† (Tassell-Matamua 107).   It could be said that Matilda longed to hear from her long-lost love Sonny and sot ways to reconnect with him choosing a path which would lead her down a dark road. Matilda would find a wa y to bridge this connection using the baby teeth of the children of Port Fairy.    Another contributing factor was Matilda’s unorthodox collection of baby teeth. Matilda was childless and had no other family to comfort her in her time of loss. Matilda loved to bake and would try to pass the time spreading cheer among the children of Port Fairy, but the loneliness was unbearable, and the time spent with the children was not enough. Matilda longed to speak with her husband Sonny, so she decided that she would try to find a way to do this. Whenever a child would lose their tooth, she would bake them a special cake in exchange for their tooth, earning her the name The Tooth Fairy. The towns people thought this practice a little odd but ignored it because it brought joy to the children, and Matilda seemed harmless enough. What was unknown to the people of Port Fairy was that Matilda was collecting the teeth for their magical properties. Matilda wanted a way to communicate with her dead husband Sonny and would use the teeth to obtain this desire. According to Professor Charles Allen, â€Å"few people have ever thought about or given consideration to the large place the teeth occupy in magic, sorcery and folklore. Since the earliest times and among all primitive races, teeth, especially human teeth have occupied an important place in magic ceremonies, sorcery, incantations, the practice of magic, and the working of charms† (Allen 722). Tooth lore and practices have changed throughout the ages, thus some people believed that it was important to dispose of baby teeth correctly in fear that a witch would obtain them and put a curse on the individual. Teeth were swallowed, burned or buried so that this would not happen.   Further evidence of her unorthodox practices leads the towns people to believe she was practicing witchcraft. The Children of Port Fairy would continue to seek Matilda whenever they would lose a tooth in order to get a taste of her yummy treats, until one night an oven fired swept through her kitchen. The towns people hurried to her home to put out the fire, but Matilda had already put the fire out, but not before she had burned her face and most of her body. Matilda refused to let the town’s people in her home to help her and sent them away. Matilda had become more reclusive and she did not allow the children to come over anymore from that time on. She hid her face behind a porcelain mask and dark cloak because of her burns and sensitivity to sunlight. The town’s people became suspicious of what had happened that night of the fire. It was said that it was not her baking that caused the fire in her kitchen, but that Matilda was practicing witchcraft and, that she co nsorted with evil spirits to gain the ability to communicate with the dead. Matilda crossed a line that she will never be able to return from and her punishment was to live a life in darkness never to feel the sunlight on her face again due to her burns. Cohen states in thesis V that â€Å"the monster stands as a warning against exploration of its uncertain demesnes† (Cohen 12). Matilda’s sadness caused her to explore the realm of witchcraft which is forbidden in most cultures. Witches have been around for centuries; they are the mediators between human beings and spirits. One of the earliest records of a witch (medium) is found in the Bible in the book of 1 Samuel. It tells the story of when King Saul consulted with a medium to summon the dead prophet Samuel’s spirit for advice for how to defeat the Philistine army. Matilda isolated herself from the rest of the town except for that her desire to collect the children’s teeth continued. Matilda would conti nue to collect the baby teeth of the children of Port Fairy but under the cover of darkness. The children placed their tooth in a handkerchief and tacked it to door of their home. Matilda would wait for the town to sleep before going and collecting the teeth but instead of leaving a baked treat she replaced it with a gold coin. The towns prejudice towards Matilda grew and she was soon under scrutiny. Another contributing factor of Matilda’s metamorphism into an evil specter was the growing prejudice of the town’s people. Matilda was no longer seen as a kind generous woman who had lived amongst them. The town’s fear and gossip had turned Matilda into something monstrous. Cohens monster thesis IV tells us that â€Å"the exaggeration of cultural difference into monstrous aberration is familiar enough (Cohen 7). The town’s fear of Matilda grew in their eyes, so she was no longer one of them but an outsider, a monster. One day two children had supposedly ventured off to visit Matilda’s home but never returned home that night. The town’s people were enraged with anger stemming from fear of the unknown. The father of the children formed a mob from the drunken men in the tavern. Without question the town’s people made their way to Matilda’s house, drug her out from her home, and hung her on a nearby tree till she was dead. The children were found later that night returning from the next town over. The whole town witnessed the death of Matilda, and the whole town was guilty of murdering an innocent woman. The town of Port Fairy turned into the very monster that they feared and would have to live with their actions for the rest of their lives. The town buried Matilda along with their secret but secretes have a way of resurfacing. Cohen tell us in his monster theses VII that â€Å"this thing of darkness I acknowledge mine† (Cohen 20). The murder of Matilda Dixon was the town’s contribution to the creation of a vengeful spirit that Matilda would become. Matilda was dead, but this would not be the last time that the town of Port Fairy would see her. Matilda had cursed the town with her dying breath saying, â€Å"what I took in kindness I will take in vengeance.† This was the precipitating cause that transformed Matilda Dixon into an evil child murdering banshee of Port Fairy. She would return to visit the children of Port Fairy when they would lose their last baby tooth killing all those who looked upon her porcelain masked face.    The conclusion is that Matilda Dixon was not really a monster, but she was someone who became a monster because of her vengeful spirit. Investigation into the life of Matilda Dixon and the sequences that lead Matilda down a road to her inevitable transformation from kind heart soul to a tooth collecting killer leads one to believe that there was not just one event that caused this spiral into a life of monstrosity but multiple contributing factors.   Factors such as the experience of dealing with the traumatic loss of her husband and her unorthodox practices of tooth collecting, also the prejudice of the town’s people that lead to her a hanging and her cursing the town. These were contributed to the creation of a monster. Work Cited Allen, Charles Channing. â€Å"The Teeth in Sorcery and Magic.† American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 3, issue 12, 722-728 Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. â€Å"Monster Culture: Seven Theses.† From Monster Theory: Reading Culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1996. 3-25. â€Å"movieweb Darkness Fall The Legend of Matilda Dixon MovieWeb com.† YouTube, uploaded by Samuel Thompson, 8 April 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GYSf32mJ_Yt=33s Tassell-Matamua, Natasha A. â€Å"Brief Report: Phenomenology of Near-Death Experiences: An Analysis of a Maori Case Study.† (2013).

King Cotton and the Economy of the Old South

King Cotton and the Economy of the Old South King Cotton was a phrase coined in the years before the Civil War to refer to the economy of the American South. The southern economy was particularly dependent on cotton. And, as cotton was very much in demand, both in America and Europe, it created a special set of circumstances. Great profits could be made by growing cotton. But as most of the cotton was being picked by enslaved people, the cotton industry was essentially synonymous with slavery. And by extension,  the thriving textile industry, which was centered on mills in northern states as well as in England, was inextricably linked to the institution of American  slavery. When the banking system of the United States was rocked by periodic financial panics, the cotton-based economy of the South was at times immune to the problems. Following the Panic of 1857, a South Carolina senator, James Hammond, taunted politicians from the North during a debate in the U.S. Senate: You dare not make war on cotton. No power on earth dares make war upon it. Cotton is king. As the textile industry in England imported vast quantities of cotton from the American South, some political leaders in the South were hopeful that Great Britain might support the Confederacy during the Civil War. That did not happen. With cotton serving as the economic backbone of the South before the Civil War, the loss of enslaved labor that came with  emancipation  changed the situation. However, with the institution of sharecropping, which in practice was generally close to slave labor, the dependence on cotton as a primary crop continued well into the 20th century. Conditions Which Led to a Dependence on Cotton When white settlers came into the American South, they discovered very fertile farmland which turned out to be some of the best lands in the world for growing cotton. Eli Whitneys invention of the cotton gin, which automated the work of cleaning cotton fiber, made it possible to process more cotton than ever before. And, of course, what made enormous cotton crops profitable was cheap labor, in the form of enslaved Africans. The picking of cotton fibers from the plants was very difficult to work which had to be done by hand. So the harvesting of cotton required an enormous workforce. As the cotton industry grew, the number of slaves in America also increased during the early 19th century. Many of them, especially in the lower South, were engaged in cotton farming. And though the United States instituted a ban against importing slaves early in the 19th century, the growing need for slaves to farm cotton inspired a large and thriving internal slave trade. For example, slave traders in Virginia would transport slaves southward, to the slave markets in New Orleans and other Deep South cities. Dependence on Cotton Was a Mixed Blessing By the time of the Civil War, two-thirds of the cotton produced in the world came from the American South. Textile factories in Britain used enormous quantities of cotton from America. When the Civil War began, the Union Navy blockaded the ports of the South as part of General Winfield Scotts Anaconda Plan. And  cotton exports were effectively stopped. While some cotton was able to get out, carried by ships known as blockade runners, it became  impossible to maintain a steady supply of American cotton to British mills. Cotton growers in other countries, primarily Egypt and India, increased production to satisfy the British market. And with the cotton economy essentially stalled, the South was at a severe economic disadvantage during the Civil War. It has been estimated that cotton exports before the Civil War were approximately $192 million. In 1865, following the end of the war, exports amounted to less than $7 million. Cotton Production After the Civil War Though the war ended the use of enslaved labor in the cotton industry, cotton was still the preferred crop in the South. The system of sharecropping, in which farmers did not own the land but worked it for a portion of the profits, came into widespread use. And the most common crop in the sharecropping system was cotton. In the later decades of the 19th-century prices of cotton dropped, and that contributed to the severe poverty throughout much of the South. The reliance upon cotton, which had been so profitable earlier in the century, proved to be a severe problem by the 1880s and 1890s.

EBay Stock Option Plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

EBay Stock Option Plans - Essay Example When the figures are compared between the two methods, the figure that denotes eBay’s unprofitable operations can be turned to a profitable one with the choice of the accounting method. Thus, ethical considerations which should be based on accurate reporting of its performance to its investors, are of little importance to eBay in choosing the method for reporting its options. Certain financial considerations seem to play part in the choice of eBay’s financial reporting for stock options. As the choice will impact a handful of items in the financial statements of the company, financial considerations seem to be very relevant as for eBay’s choice of intrinsic value over fair market value (Bradshaw 2004, 3). According to an article from Darden Business Publishing, University of Virginia, the main advantage of choosing intrinsic value over fair market value is that firms will not record compensation expense when the market price is equal to the exercise price (2004, 12). This gives a firm a significant financial advantage as it reduces the effect of compensation expenses to the company’s operating expenses, which then affects the company’s net income. When a company like eBay can choose to report its stock options based on the intrinsic value method, it is required to put footnotes in order to show the figures if fair market value method is used for financial reporting. However, because this is just a footnote and does not require recognition in the financial statements of the company, the choice has some strong relevance to the financial considerations that are associated with it. According to the article from the University of Virginia, the shift from intrinsic value to fair market value method of reporting stock options will impact eBay’s financial statements by recognizing a deferred tax asset for the estimated future benefit, which will

An examination of the efficacy of Behavioral Finance Essay

An examination of the efficacy of Behavioral Finance - Essay Example 383) -The weak form hypothesis asserts that stock prices already reflect all information that can be derived by examining market trading data such as the history of past prices, trading volume, or short interest. Numerous papers have demonstrated that early identification of new information can provide substantial profits. Insiders who trade on the basis of privileged information can therefore make excess returns, violating the strong form of the efficient market hypothesis. Even the earliest studies by Cowles (1933,1944), however, make it clear that investment professionals do not beat the market. It has already been stated that an efficient market is one where the prices of securities fully reflect all available information, but then what are the sufficient conditions for capital market efficiency? In an idealized world, such conditions would be The debate about market efficiency has resulted in thousands of empirical studies and literature attempting to determine whether particular markets are in fact ‘efficient’, and if so to what degree. In fact, the majority of studies and researches of technical theories have gone to the result that it is difficult to predict prices. Moreover, the random walk theory indicates that price movements will not follow any trends and so by knowing the past price movements it’s not possible to predict the future price movements. All these state that markets are in fact efficient. However, researchers have also exposed many stock market anomalies that seem to be inconsistent with the efficient market hypothesis. Trading strategies seem to be widespread among fund managers and there is little evidence that they would generate excess returns in practice (Malkiel, 2003). Evidence proof that the use of trading strategies might be closely related to behavioural anomalies. It is impossible to consistently make abnormal returns using a