Reason People Attend College or University Essay Example for Free

Reason People Attend College or University Essay Why do you think people attend college or university? Use specific reasons examples People attend college or University to become skilled or educated person. College/ university is a platform where we can learn anything effectively such as we can improve our knowledge, we can know about different career lines and we can get knowledge about any career line and college or university provide very friendly environment through which we experience How to behave with friends and How to do team work? First reason: People attend college or university to improve their knowledge. They can get knowledge about particular subject from their skilled teachers. During class /lecture session, their knowledge is increased because everyone has its own way of perception, if someone have doubt on any topic, then teacher will provide solution for that problem. In this way, rest of students get chance to think about topic in different ways. They can share their knowledge with their friends and they can also do group discussion about difficult topics with their friends. Second reason: They can opt different profession according to their wish and then they can join particular course which is relevant to their career. So that they can become efficient in their career line because they have sufficient time to do practical and to improve their skills effectively. Or they can learn from their mistakes while studying. So that they would never repeat mistakes in their professional life. Third reason: During college or University , Students experience many different phases of life. During studying, Students make project with 4 or 5 team members and they play games or sports in team, in this way, they learn How to do work in team ? and How to co-operate with team members. This thing helps them when they are in profession life. Students also learn to work in different situation for example sometime Students do work with their teachers, while working with teachers they learn to behave with seniors. At last, I want to say that everyone must attend college/ university because college/university is a heaven for students or you can say that this is a place which make their life great. Reasons for Attending College or University Summary: People attend college or university for many different reasons, such as new experiences, career preparation, and increased knowledge. Many people attend colleges and universities all over the world to study and conduct research. What are their expectations of the academic experience? In my opinion, people involved in collegiate programs have two main purposes: to gain the experiences and certificates that prepare them for future careers and to increase their knowledge about different aspects of life. Many people desire stable careers that deeply affect their lives. Therefore, good preparation for a future career is a necessity. To maintain and promote your position at a company, especially in certain kinds of jobs, you must have the knowledge and experiences that come from attending a college or university. The skills, spirit, and confidence you gain from studying help equip you for your work. Moreover, it is easier to find a good job when you have qualified certificates. Many well-educated people can carry out their tasks smoothly and methodically with more economization of time and strength than people who manage their work by learning from their failures. Another advantage of attending a college or university is the relationships you build with other people. These relationships help you improve yourself. In a collegiate environment, you learn how to work in groups and how to cooperate with your partners. You also learn to achieve mutual understanding, an essential and useful skill in your future work. The second reason for attending a college or university, increasing knowledge about many aspects of life, might seem a little impractical, but it is, in fact, very practical. Some people have the misconception that studying in college provides them only with knowledge relating directly to their major and that getting certificates is the most important purpose of attending college. With those goals in mind, they often neglect subjects that dont seem to be applicable to their work. However, knowledge from college is not just useful for your job; it also is useful for many other things in life. For example, people with basic knowledge about literature, history, art, psychology, etc. might enjoy their lives more than unlearned people. They also might overcome difficulties and stress more easily, as well as have an acceptable and   optimistic attitude toward obstacles and failures in their lives. Furthermore, cultivated people might treat others in their communities with more regard. Nothing you study in college is useless, and increasing knowledge is as important as getting certificates. The more knowledge you have, the more poetic your life is. Generally speaking, its always necessary to have a good education. In addition to obtaining the appropriate certificates, attending a college or university gives you a great opportunity to learn about many different things on both macroscopic and microscopic levels. While the specific reasons people attend colleges and universities might differ, the fundamental purposes are the same: they want to obtain the necessary training and education for their future careers and they want to learn about a variety of different subjects that will apply to their lives outside their future careers. Therefore, everyone who chooses to attend a college or university should always strive to reach their goals and aspirations. People attend college or university for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, and increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend college or university? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Essay: Some people say attending college is an indispensable way to find a job. Actually, I think most of people going to college are not just for a future job. First of all, I think everyone who attends a college will make some good friends. In fact, some people claim the best friends of their entire life are met in the college. Friends in college have more opportunities to spend time together finishing their paper in the library, doing sports, having classes, etc. Consequently, they will get a deep understanding with each other and last a long-term relationship. My dads several close friends are all met in college. Secondly, I think some people attend college because their curiosity for knowledge or the keen to know the truth about this world. During the studying life in college, people can learn a lot not only about those courses , but also the spirit of science , the great of humanity and the basic of this world .Colleges are the center of scholar and research , there are numerous scientists, writers, physicians, historians benefit form colleges studying. Thirdly, we are always trying to find ourselves a life-long purpose but have no idea what we really want or who we really want to be. In college , those books, lectures and courses can give us an answer. It is not just about jobs ,but peoples dream. It may encourage you to become a writer after a plenty of reading or you dream of becoming a philosopher after get familiar with Aristoteles. You may find yourself interested in chemical change or principle of universe. It is never as simple as finding a job. In college, you learn what you are really into and that will enlighten your future and life .One who knows nothing about himself will never walk out of the confusion or begin to chase his own dream. NO.2 Nowadays, education no doubt plays an important role in professional and social life. Many students attend college or university for many reasons. Although people think that universities are available for career preparation and increasing knowledge, in my opinion it is correct to say this aloud, that colleges represent a new experience on life  personally speaking, education is about learning to think, learning different ways to analyze a problem and to find a solution to resolve it. Participating in colleges and universities would be a great opportunity to have a general formation in order to be able to think clearly, critically, to have broad range of knowledge. When people at times could confront debates or situations, they would be able to know where to start to analyze and to have a solution for that. Moreover people want to attend college because they want to achieve great success in life .Pursuing a college they would be able to gain more good skills that will be helpful for their future  careers. Professionally, the conventional view is that education increases one earning potential, so college is one ticket to a high-paying job. Actuality people who want to go to a college and university often thinks about the job and the high salary they can earn in order to have a comfortable lifestyle and to provide themselves Similarly since the competition of jobs is higher and the number of job applicants are getting increased everyone should be well educated and to have e degree in order to get a good professional job. So in one way or another a college education is a requirement of many professional jobs In a social perspective , going to college and university is e new experience in life and through such live experience people become more wiser, mature and responsible . Student that attend colleges are separated from their parents and their homes Now they are forced to face another reality but this time at different rules, being alone and not having the support of their families. Through that they use to be more mature and to handle the world by themselves. Similarly, participating a college could be very useful for people because only in this way they can come across to diverse social, cultural and multi language groups. By meeting new people that are not from their hometown and further that they do not speak the same language could be e new experience that each one of them can have.

E Business Analysis In Retail Industry

E Business Analysis In Retail Industry E-Business has brought revolution in the traditional value chain structure of the firms. Intermediaries are changing, not disappearing. Companies are found reluctant to bypass their traditional intermediaries. Instead, companies are searching for new ways of working with the middleman. For example, some companies are attempting to turn their retailers into customer-service agents. For online distribution, companies are developing a portfolio of options rather than drive customers to a single sales channel. The main obstacles to e-business are internal. The greatest barriers to e-business lie within the corporation: a need to re-engineer business processes, a lack of e-business skills and a lack of integration between front- and back-end systems (KPMG, 2005). Companies are using e-business to expand products and services to meet escalating customer demands and to keep products and services from becoming commodities. Companies are using the Internet to provide value-added products and services. The Internet is turning out to be an effective way of reaching new customers beyond geographic boundaries. E-BUSINESS IN RETAIL SECTOR Retail industry, on a global scenario, has become highly competitive due to increasing consumer preferences and the growing need of differentiation in terms of product with respect to the diverse markets across the globe. Introduction of E-business in retail sector has helped in creating new activities and features for retailing. It includes shopping 247, seven days a week, from the comfort of your home; gathering information to be a more informed consumer; creating the appearance of a relationship with the customer; and stream lining business to business ordering to reduce prices for the consumer. This focus on cost reduction throughout the value chain has become the prime element for gaining competitive advantage in this business landscape. This is due to accelerating pace with which new products have been introduced in the market day after day, which put tremendous pressure on firms to optimise their value chains. In the retail sector, companies use Information and Communications Technology to facilitate e-business processes for a broad range of applications along the value chain including procurement, warehouse management and logistics, and for marketing, sales and customer services activities. The basic goals of e-business identified are highly relevant in this sector: reducing costs by increasing the efficiency of processes, optimally serving customer by innovative means of information provision and communication and enabling growth by increasing market reach. As competition in the retail industry is strong and barriers to entry are low, ebusiness can take important roles in this industry. Retail firms trade goods and service and retail customers are end-consumers of the goods and services. Hence, while the retail industry is not a goods-producing industry, opportunities for improving business processes through e-business are numerous (Empirica GmbH, 04/2008). In retail sector, Focus on companies supply chain management is of imminent importance to realize above mentioned e-business goals. Following are some of the vital elements of supply chain: E-procurement: It improves performance of routine tasks like transaction processing, monitoring and enforcement of regulatory compliance. It increases transparency, eliminates middlemen overhead cost, improves competition amongst suppliers and eases management reporting (Vivekanand B Khanapuri et al., March 2011). With the implementation of e-procurement solutions, automation of buying and selling over the internet has been accomplished There are many types of e-procurement: Web-based ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning): In this type they can generate recommended purchasing schedules in order to achieve an ideal just in time production cycle. E-MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operating Supplies) E-sourcing: This is used to identify new suppliers for a specific category of purchasing requirements using Internet technology E-informing: this is used to gather and exchange purchasing information between buyer and seller (BPC, Article and glossary; 2012) E-procurement also has some disadvantages. There are financial costs, from computers to extra phone lines to learning the technology. Privacy of the information is one critical issue. Another disadvantage is that e-procurement is often conducted using credit card facilities for payments, so as a result very small and very large transactions tend not to be conducted online. If e-procurement system is implemented appropriately, it will benefit both buyer and seller. The in-house supply chain: As retailers do not transform goods, operation is not concerned with organising a production process but with arranging the in-house processes of receiving, distributing, and selling goods. Computerised systems that mainly serve processes inside a company are considered as internal electronic operations. These are valuable for making internal business processes more effective. (Abend, J. Penny, G, 2000) An e-business allows manufacturers and other members of the supply chain that do not have direct contact with customers in traditional channels to enhance revenues by bypassing intermediaries and selling directly to customers. SCM systems: These are the software systems specifically developed for supply chain management. SCM systems provide an overview of the flows of products/materials, information and finances (Claudia-Maria Wagner et al, 2010). In the most advanced form, they cover the whole process and value chain from suppliers/manufacturers to wholesalers, retailers and to consumer. In an effective e-business, the following SCM independent processes must be highly integrated. Demand management: These are shared functions including demand planning, supply planning, manufacturing planning, and sales and operations planning. Supply management: These include products and services for customer order fulfilment. Inbound/outbound logistics: These include transportation management, distribution management and warehouse management Success of the firm highly depends upon to what extent it has successfully integrated above processes using SCM systems. ERP (Enterprise resource planning: It helps to integrate and cover all major business activities within a company, including product planning, parts purchasing, inventory management, order tracking, human resources and finance.(Simchi-Levi,et al. 2003). The ability to access information from various parts of the organization has helped  ¬Ã‚ rms to streamline their business processes and reduce in ef ¬Ã‚ ciencies. Although ERP systems were implemented before the boom in e-business, their potential could not be explored and expanded due to lack of common standards and cost of access. The growth of e-business allows and requires that the information made available from the ERP systems be shared with other  ¬Ã‚ rms in the extended supply chain through the Internet. Advantages of such real time information sharing system are as follows: Inventory requirements for buffer stocks are likely to be lower, because the uncertainty in forecasts and demand can be reduced across the supply chain. As more supply chain execution information becomes available, firms can plan for future operations using advanced planning and optimization tools. The ability to share information creates an opportunity for firms to have collaborative planning and design, which removes the inefficiencies in these processes. CRM (Customer relationship management): It is a concept that enables an organization to tailor specific products or services to each individual customer. In the most advanced scenario, CRM may be used to create a personalized, one-to-one experience that will give the individual customer a sense of being cared for, thus opening up new marketing opportunities based on the preferences and history of the customer (Wilson et al., 2002). It seeks to maximise competitiveness, revenues, and customer satisfaction. These are the very same areas on which most e-business firms concentrate heavily (Tim Coltman et al., 2010). Reasons for CRM e-Business growing to such enormous heights are many. Some of the important points are: Traditional business methods have proved tiresome, costly and very time consuming due to lack of integration across supply chain elements. CRM e-Business increases the chances of building sales and increasing the sales revenue by increasing the area of operation, reducing operating costs, increasing productivity and thereby improving the efficiency of the supply chain. CRM solutions give companies a well-planned and easily integrated e-Business strategy that caters to both the customer needs as well as the corporate needs. Both these need to be appropriately catered to in order that company objectives be fulfilled. E-selling and e-marketing: Sales side business activities consist of three aspects. The first focus is on actual sales, i.e. transactions, and on related customer support activities, a second one on marketing activities. The diffusion of internet technologies among consumers enables retailers to sell their products via the internet to consumers. Online sales are normally done through an own company or through a portal hosted by a different company (Empirica GmbH, 04/2008). Also, e-selling enables retailers to go beyond geographic boundaries as far as customer base is concerned. it appears that online sales helps to extend the geographic focus slightly from regional to national sales while the international focus remains on the same low level. Because of the low barriers to entry of competitors, the perceived first mover advantage and the feeling that any competitor was only a click away from your customers, the internet generated an intense need for marketing and brand awareness. Internet changes the way of mixing 4Ps of Marketing- Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Requisite actions for e-business firm include creating awareness of their website, engaging customers through the same and effectively closing the sale by consistent follow up with the customer. Viral Marketing is one of the powerful forces extensively used by e-business. The product is spread by word of mouth or by passing on a copy or a URL to friends and colleagues. Success in e-business depends upon first mover advantage, obtaining customer lock-in, and network externalities. Barriers to entry by competitors are low. Brand recognition is important. These have combined to create a sense of desperation for new dot-com companies as they enter markets crowde d with competitors. This has also generated a surge in print, billboard, and media advertising to establish brand awareness (Empirica GmbH, 04/2008). E-support for Logistics and Distribution: logistics are a core issue for mail order retailers and for retailers selling goods online that need to be shipped to customers. Efficient customer-facing logistics are crucially important to lower the costs of goods sold in the internet and to satisfy customers who want to receive their orders swiftly, safely and at low shipping costs (Virpi Kristiina et al., 2005).Logistics management in e-business is mostly driven by e-logistics. E-logistics is the mechanism of automating logistics processes and providing an integrated, end-to-end fulfilment and supply chain management services to the players of logistics processes. Those logistics processes that are automated by e-logistics provide supply chain visibility. A particular challenge in logistics is to manage fluctuations in demand which may be considerable. Further challenges are reverse logistics. Current Scenario: Some Transport service providers give retailers the opportunity to check the current status of shipping on the internet. Online shops themselves may offer their customers the opportunity to check the delivery status online. Another trend is an increase in outsourcing of services to specialised logistics providers to benefit from their specialised services. CASE: AMAZON.COM; THE PIONEER OF E-BUSINESS IN RETAIL (Pankaj Ghemawat, 1998) Amazon.com is an American multinational electronic commerce company. It is worlds largest online retailer. Jeff Bezos incorporated the company (as Cadabra) in July 1994, and the site went online as amazon.com in 1995.Amazon began by selling books online through a bulletin board service in 1992 and now offers a huge variety of books and other merchandise through their own website, mostly to members. Following is the analysis of its value chain on the basis of three aspects: Procurement and Logistics: While Amazon offers more than million titles to its customers, it carries only fraction of it t its own warehouse. Amazon depended more on wholesalers than publishers, to stock its books. This helps Amazon to ship the book within 4 to 7 business days resulting in faster deliveries and cost reductions. Advantages: multiplied inventory turns and reduced working capital requirements and risk of obsolescence. Store Operations: Amazon.coms business model revolved around virtual storefront. But Amazon had its office located in Seattle, Washington. Choosing this location had four advantages: Close to the largest book distribution warehouse in the world, owned by Ingram Large pool of high tech talent Relatively relaxed tax system, allowing Amazon to provide customers from other states, tax free purchase of books. West Coast location permitted more (in-stock) books to be shipped the same day to the East Coast than would have been possible the other way around (Bacheldor, Beth; 2004). Amazon had a cost reduction approach while setting up its offices. Half of the manpower was involved in packing, shipping, customer service and other half in computer programming, marketing, accounting, and management. Top managers background was mostly computer related. Amazons investment in computer technology was focused on software rather than hardware. Marketing: By 1995, for Amazon, repeat customers accounted for more than 50% of orders. Amazon was the largest discounter in the world market. Some of the features of Amazon: Customers were able to shop at Amazon any time of the day, any day of the week Catalogue, with wide range of variety of items Easy process for membership and secure payment transfers Customers were instantly informed of the prices and inventory status of the items they had ordered. Customers were informed in timely manner, when their order was shipped from Amazons warehouse. Range of value added customer services like- Interviews with book authors Book reviews and recommendations by other customers and media Links to other sites, new release data Two personalized services, Eyes and Editors, which helped build traffic by emailing customers when books by selected authors, on selected subjects in selected categories became available. INDIAN E-RETAIL SCENARIO Indian online retail market, also known as e-tail market, is one of the fastest growing in the world. according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAIMA), the Indian online retail market has grown from US$250 million in 2008 to US$300 million in 2009, US$400 million in 2010 and US$600 million in 2011. In 2012 it is expected to more than double to US$1.3 billion and by 2015 to US$6.7 billion (Have Global E-tailers Missed the Bus in India?, 2012). Some of the prominent players in Indian market right now are Flipkart.com and Infibeam.com. Several new players with ambitious growth targets Firstandsecond, Librarywala and Tradusbooks, to name a few are also hoping to gain a foothold in the market. Growing evidence suggests that book e-tailing will eventually surpass retailing. The many advantages are seen: Potentially infinite shelf space: can post number of listings online for sale No real estate costs: firm need not invest in physical shop. As for the stocking inventory, maximum inventory can be managed at vendors location itself minimising the cost incurred in warehousing locations. An absence of the personnel and infrastructure expenses involved with running a physical store Lower prices and no inter-state taxes Global players entering Indian market: Many e-tail global players are gearing up to enter this growing market with future profit prospects. Some have already started making their moves despite the restrictions. Amazon, the worlds largest online retailer, entered the India market through Junglee.com which is a comparison site it bought more than a decade ago. eBay also entered India in a small way in 2004 with the acquisition of Baazee.com. eBay does not stock the products, but provides a platform for third-party merchants to sell to registered users. The firm recently also launched its own shipping service, PowerShip, which enables sellers to deliver their products to the buyers. Another foreign firm that has entered India is LuxeYard from the U.S. known for flash sale i.e. heavy discounts on items that are available for limited periods (Have Global E-tailers Missed the Bus in India?, 2012). LuxeYard has partnered with serial entrepreneur Sashi Chimala, who will launch a local venture that LuxeYard plans to buy after two years. ISSUES FACED AND CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR INDIAN E-RETAIL LANDSCAPE: Low levels of Internet penetration: According to an I-Cube (Internet in India) study conducted annually by IMRB International and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), India had 52 million active internet users as of September 2009. But only 10% of those users indulge in e-commerce (Indias Online Booksellers Try to Write a New Chapter, 2010). But recently the government has shown keen interest in developing an IT mandate for India, the reflections of which we find in the actions of regulators and policy making bodies. Examples: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ TRAI Recommendations on a National Broadband Plan-December, 2010 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Budget 2011-12, Ministry of Finance Delivery Delays: Locally available books take three to five days to arrive, and those that have to be ordered from international suppliers can take anywhere from two to six weeks (Indias Online Booksellers Try to Write a New Chapter, 2010). Factors causing this are mostly beyond companies control, since they deal with poor technological infrastructure at airports, inefficient transport connectivity.Global players typically use third-party logistics. But in India, this sector is not adequately developed. Another reason for concern is many of the companies are offering their own branded delivery. These companies have been investing heavily in creating their own delivery networks for a country like India, which has poor infrastructure and high diversity. Thus it also failed to achieve economies of scale. Supplier Relations: This is directly related to the inventory management. The amount of inventory the companies carry is dependent on supplier lead times. If the lead time is 24 hours, the business will carry only one days worth of inventory in its warehouse. That makes optimization of the existing supplier-inventory-shipping network a priority. These Retailers are always dependent on third-party information about the availability of products, which at very best is modest. Global players tend to deal with a few large suppliers (Indias Online Booksellers Try to Write a New Chapter, 2010). In India, e-retail firms have relationships with thousands of suppliers of all sizes. Psychological barriers: Indians are reluctant to use their credit cards online, and Indias banking regulator, the Reserve Bank of India, only recently introduced fraud checks on credit card misuse. More than 80% of payments are made as cash-on-delivery, in line with the traditional Indian consumer behavior of paying for goods only after receiving them (Indias Online Booksellers Try to Write a New Chapter, 2010). Cash-on-delivery model has its own issues: cash gets blocked, inventories are high and returns have to be managed. This model is contrary to the typical e-commerce model, and global players will find it challenging. Difficulties in e-procurement: Companys faces lot of issues in e-procurement process due to following reasons: High initial investment: E-procurement requires new IT systems that are often a significant financial investment. Also problems like technical issues hinder implementation for both buyer and supplier Suppliers Resistance to Changes: Buyers have to deal with the technological immaturity and unpreparedness from the suppliers side during the course of implementing e-purchasing initiatives (Rebecca Angeles and Ravi Nath, 2007). Limited Knowledge Pool: The consultant expertise on e-procurement initiatives is still not at par with global standards because of typical differences among industries in its procurement strategies. Weakness of IT Act: The present IT Act in India is weak and a sound legal framework is vital for the success of e-retailing in India. Hence, there is a strong need to introduce separate law for e-retailing in India as the existing laws are incapable to deal with the various issues that are emerging with the increasing implementation of e-retailing in India. CONCLUSION E-Business has indeed brought revolution in the traditional value chain structure of the firms. An e-retailer can gain a competitive advantage if they implement IT that enables them to have more effective and efficient supply chains. But to sustain that in ever increasing competition e-retailer has to implement innovative solution for continuous improvement of its value chain. Indian retail sector is growing fast. The retail scene is changing really fast. But still Indian consumers feel more secure transacting with a retailer who is present in online as well as physical format, so a clicks-and-bricks hybrid model can be a way forward for Indian e-retailers. India needs to invest in infrastructure to improve transportation and distribution capabilities of e-retailers. As more and more firms begin to integrate their online and traditional operations and share more information over the Internet, real-time supply chain management and ability to create value for customers using e-value ch ain on consistent basis are going to become all the more important.

The Difficult Life of the 19th Century Scandinavian Essay -- History,

In the present day, Scandinavian countries are generally viewed as prosperous, progressive, and egalitarian societies. The citizens of these nations are largely urbanized and receive significant social assistance from the welfare state. However, life in 19th century Scandinavia was markedly different. Scandinavian social life in the 1800s was defined by its provincial character, as the majority of inhabitants resided in rural agricultural communities. Society as a whole was heavily stratified: women had very limited social and economic opportunities and poverty was widespread among Scandinavia’s common citizens. Thus, life in 19th century Scandinavia was generally difficult, and this fact is revealed in the books and films that chronicle social life during this time period. Though Scandinavian nations are currently considered to be some of the most equitable countries in the world, 19th century Scandinavian societies were characterized by rigid social hierarchies. As Nordstrom depicts in his history of Scandinavia, those who lived during this time period rarely advanced beyond the social and economic positions that they were born into (Nordstrom, 2000: 166). Vilhelm Moberg’s novel The Emigrants further illustrates this point through its portrayal of a rural Swedish parish in the mid 1800s. Moberg describes how generation after generation within a single family labored as farmers on the same land. He suggests that this pattern persisted for centuries, only to be disrupted by the mass migrations that took place in the middle of the 19th century (Moberg, 1949: xxvii). The information presented in Nordstrom’s book echoes the localized and provincial nature of Scandinavian villages described by Moberg. Before the technolog... ...en and the common laborer. Wealth and privilege were mainly dictated by birth and enjoyed by a select few. The agrarian masses, on the other hand, generally endured poverty and extreme hardship. Women’s lives were also tremendously difficult, as they had essentially zero social or economic independence from men and minimal opportunities for education. The generally poor quality of life faced by most 19th century Scandinavians inspired many of these citizens to seek a better existence by immigrating to America. Ironically, the countries that were left behind by these suffering immigrants are generally considered to have achieved a far higher quality of life than is experienced by the average American. Considering the hard lives endured by most Scandinavians in the 1800s, the progress that has been made in this region over the past century is truly remarkable.

Art - A Culturally Constructed Myth :: American Culture Essays

Art - A Culturally Constructed Myth The development of semiotics in the 20th century revealed much about ideology in mass culture. Structuralist Roland Barthes' texts on the matter are very much products of their times, yet many still have a troubling modern-day relevance. Barthes' Mythologies demonstrates the possibilty to find meaning through the 'trivia' of everyday life. He claims to want to challenge the 'innoncence' and 'naturalness' of cultural texts and practices, as they are capable of producing a multitude of supplementary meanings, or 'connotations'. Although objects, gestures and practices have a certain utilitarian function, they are not resistant to the imposition of meaning. Barthes wants to suspend consideration of function, and concentrate rather on what things mean and how they function as signs. Mythologies is a study of the ways in which mass culture constructs this mythological reality and encourages conformity to its own values. Barthes' analysis of signs reveals that there are very few 'innoncent' objects, that almost everything is 'coded' (assigned meaning). Barthes arrives at this conclusion based on his theory of myth: that a form (expanded from Saussure's sound-image, which was limited to linguistics) and a concept create mythologies: sign systems that render one dominant meaning (or 'signification'). For the receiver, this signification arrives automatically and smoothly, thus seemingly denying the intentional re-coding. Barthes believes that this constant creation of myth is how a culture invents its beliefs and narratives, and is able to find meaning in the world. This premise draws a particular parallel in our contemporary society: for it is my hypothesis that our culture now locates meaning through mythological art (whether fine, commercial, popular, industrial etc.). Has art truly become myth? In order to 'read' or deconstruct myth, Barthes suggests, one must (1) accept the myth as a cultural construction, thus emptying its meaning; (2) rear the myth as full, identifying all possible signs and significations; and finally (3) recognize the signifier as both empty and full, capable of signifying many things, yet with only one clear, dominant meaning. It is my argument that such a deconstruction can render art as myth. Having realized art as a structured cultural phenomenon, and having emptied its direct and apparent meaning, it is possible to identify all its possible significations. Interestingly enough, I find that art reveals many diametrically opposed significations: expression and oppression, bias and acceptance, individual and society, creativity and confinement, and freedom and convention, among others. Art signifies the de-politicization of our culture, for even the most political of pieces cease to cause a stir among the masses.

Ghost Story of Split Rock Road :: Urban Legends Ghost Stories

Split Rock Road This tale was told by a twenty-year-old Caucasian male from Boonton, New Jersey, who was very excited to share his paranormal experiences. According to the narrator, Split Rock Road runs through a nice residential neighborhood. However, at one point the pavement stops and turns to gravel. At this point, there are no lights on the road, which is surrounded by woods. As you continue down the road, you come to a bridge on top of a dam and an abandoned guard tower. Legend has it that if you turn off your headlights and stop the car while on the bridge, everyone in the car dies. The narrator attempted this once with his friends late at night. He managed to turn off the headlights and stop the car, but all of his friends started screaming and begging him to go back, so he left very quickly. He said that it was one of the scariest experiences of his life. Additionally, there is rumored to be a ghost that wanders on Split Rock Road, a young girl in a white sundress. However, the narrator ha d never personally seen this ghost. Split Rock Road is a notoriously creepy place in New Jersey, with references on both the â€Å"Weird New Jersey† website and the â€Å"Lost Destinations† website. While neither site directly states that if you turn off your headlights and stop the car that you will die, the â€Å"Lost Destinations† site mentions the urban legend that if you try to drive across the bridge at night, gangs will block the exits on either side and trap you in. Additionally, while there is no specific mention of a girl in a white sundress, there are rumors that the bridge is haunted by drowning victims, mostly teenagers who get sucked into the underwater drain and smash into the concrete â€Å"waterfall† on the other side. Both sites also mention practices of the occult allegedly performed on Split Rock Road; the â€Å"Lost Destinations† site describes piles of bones and structures shaped like furnaces that are supposedly haunted by ghosts late at night. Similar furnaces can be found on Clinton road, another creepy spot in New Jersey. The primary scary feature of the story is the concept that doing something as innocent as stopping a car can cause death. Death is something that most people fear, or wish not to encounter until they feel that they have lived their lives to the fullest.

Of Mice and Men – the American Dream

According to Dictionary. com, the American Dream is defined as â€Å"The ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American; a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U. S (American Dream). † But everyone’s idea of the American dream is an altered version of this idea whether it meant being independent or becoming richer. In the book Of Mice and Men, many characters try and pursue the life consisting of the American dream, and in the end, all of their work was in vain.At one of the ranches that George and Lennie go to, they meet a man named Candy, who is an old ranch handyman, who is starting to think that the boss will soon fire him because of his old age and disabilities. One day, he over hears George and Lennie talking about their ‘American Dream. ’ â€Å"S’pose I went in with you guys†¦ I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some† (Steinbeck, pg 59). Although he knows that he isn’t that useful, he hopes that George and Lennie will accept his offering and let him have a piece of their dream.After Candy finds out about Lennie killing Curley’s wife, he knows that his dream had just become more impossible. Crooks, the black stableman, is another character that has a dream. â€Å"I remember when I was a little kid on my old man’s chicken ranch. Had two brothers. They was always near me, always there. Used to sleep right in the same room, right in the same bed- all three. Had a strawberry patch. Had an alfalfa patch† (Steinbeck, pg 73). He wanted what his old man had: a ranch, family, and independency.He also asked George if he could be apart of their ranch†¦ which later we find out that he later told George to forget about it because he knew that in the end, it wouldn’t have worked out. Curley’s Wife is another individual who o nce had a dream. One day she was talking with Lennie and how she almost fulfilled that dream. â€Å"Well, a show come through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show†¦ ‘Nother time I met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers. Went out to the Riverside Dance Palace with him. He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural.Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it†¦ I never got that letter†¦ I always thought my ol’ lady stole it†¦ so I married Curley. Met him out to the Riverside Dance Palace the same night† (Steinbeck, pg 88). She clearly had a dream consisting of fame and fortune. After that dream was crushed by her mother, she followed up with her back up plan to get hitched. It didn’t work out so great, if you ask me. According to Steinbeck, it was nearly impossible, if not, impossible, to achieve the American dream. Anyone who tried to do so was doing it in vain.After we see each character describe his/her dream, we see someone/something that gets in the way and prevents that certain dream from turning into a reality. So, according to Steinbeck, pursuing the American Dream is to vain as an infant is to hard labor, each being impossible. ————————————————- Work Cited â€Å"American Dream. † Dictionary. com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 01 Mar. 2012. . Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. A Penguin Book Literature, Print.

The Diary of Lady Murasaki Reflection

The Diary of Lady Murasaki, gives the reader a glimpse of the imperial court during eleventh century Japan. Being an attendant in the imperial court, Murasaki is frequently involved with the activities of elite. As a woman, Lady Murasaki's descriptions are oriented around clothing, appearance, and the position of woman in Heian Japan. Lady Murasaki was the most educated woman in the court. She acknowledges learning the Chinese classics from listening to her brother’s lessons.She cautiously expressed for discretion in regards to her knowledge, since education was restricted for women due to the prejudices against women in the Buddhist convictions. Murasaki kept a personal diary, and spent her days filling it with notes from the daily activities of the court. I was a form of entertainment for Murasaki due to the lack of â€Å"excitement† in the court. The notes were almost making a mockery of the court and their way of life. She talked a lot about women and their role dur ing the time period in Japan. There wasn’t much going on inside the imperial court.The ladies-in-waiting spent there days engaged in gossip they had no other real responsibilities. The woman of the court wore lavish colorful garments. There were very strict rules on what colors the women were allowed to wear. For example, only woman from a certain rank were allowed to wear yellow-green or red, but it was restricted to only jackets, figured silk and printed trains. Only on special occasions, like the birth of a prince, were all ranks dressed in white. The woman also had very long luxurious hair. This was also a sign of rank in the imperial court.The way Lady Murasaki describes the women of the court, it seems that their true position was to serve as the eye candy. They weren’t educated, except for a small number of them, and they didn’t have any real power in the dynasty. During this time women faced severe isolation with limited education. Women in the Heian per iod were defined by restrictions of what was not permitted. Custom influenced by Buddhism, enforced strict physical limitations on women, not to be seen by men and sometimes even other women. It seems like more of a hassle to have women present in the court then not.Without women in the court there wouldn’t be children. Without children, there wouldn’t be any heirs to the throne. Lady Murasaki diary gave third party view in the life of the imperial court. The priorities of the women were more focused on appearance rather then education because of the Buddhist convictions. Even thought the women were held at different ranks in the court they all had the main purpose of keeping the dynasty alive via childbirth. Due to the advance in Murasaki’s education, her writings gave way to the beginning of education for women in Japan.