Symbolism in Lord of The Flies Essay Example for Free

Symbolism in Lord of The Flies Essay What message does Golding attempt to convey through symbolism in Lord of The Flies? In the book Lord of the Flies (LOTF) William Golding tries to convey strong messages through a story of mankind in its purest form. He uses symbols to show * the disintegration of order, leadership and civilisation * the primary disregard for intelligence and childish innocence * the raw presence of savagery, power-hunger and the self gratification in mankind Due to the above themes being those of a very philosophical nature Golding uses simple symbols to represent these actions and relationships which make it easier to understand the basic points he is trying to get at. In LOTF Golding uses a mixture of people and objects to represent these various concepts. In essence this novel represents the struggle between good and evil, civilisation and savagery etc. I will now discuss the various symbols Golding uses and what concepts they represent. Piggy and his Glasses Piggy is the stands for intelligence, Piggy for all his ludicrous body, had brains, and the fact that intelligence, logic and rational play an important part in society. Although mocked and told Fatty/You cant come his glasses are the object on which the groups rescue lies. His glasses are used to start a fire and this luxury is taken for granted, however as homesickness overrules the boys the need for rescue overcomes even the need for food and it is only later on that Jack recognises the importance of Piggys Glasses. Jack steals the glasses and as the oldest boy on the island and leader of the rebel camp he realises the significance of intelligence and innovation to create hope and gain the trust of the boys. However, unlike Ralph and Piggy he uses this power for his own good. Jack realises that strength, power and popularity may not be able to compete in terms of usefulness with intelligence but he resorts to using these attributes to get the intelligence. The Island The island I think that the island is in constant change along with the boys. at first the island represents a fun paradise as many of the boys had associated with such as Coral Island. They had read the books and in many ways had tried to recreate these stories in their time on the island. The island is often described as a living thing and then becomes the unknown to the fact that it may not be adequate protection from the Beast. The island then becomes a place in which anything goes the savage tendencies are allowed there and the boys can forget their values. Often times the island is used as an excuse for this savagery as but for this circumstance the boys would not have to resort to this behaviour. The Conch The conch is the symbol of democracy and is first used to call everyone together for a meeting, another example of civilisation. The conch gives the holder the right of free speech and the holder can have his point heard in relative freedom. As the island sways towards savagery the conch starts to lose its power and influence over the boys and Ralph fears that if he blows it that it will not evoke the slightest of responses. This prophecy becomes reality as the other boys ignore Ralph and throw stones at him when he attempts to blow the conch in Jacks camp. In fact, Jack says that the conch doesnt matter on [his] side of the island. This shows Jacks blatant disregard for democracy an open agenda for a dictatorship with himself at the head. The murder of Piggy also crushes the conch shell, showing the end of civilization and democracy on the island. There is a link between the Conch and Piggy. Earlier in the book he claimed Its ever so valuable but due to his medical restrictions he is unable to use it. His intelligence and knowledge give Ralph the power of the conch. If Piggy had not had these restrictions perhaps the story could have been completely different. Although payed little attention to on the island this is another example of intelligence being key to any society. This being said Golding throughout this novel tries to show us that a mixture of useful skills is needed in any one civilisation. In this instance in spite of Ralphs leadership ability, charm and good looks without Piggys he may not have even got a look in. The Beast/The Parachute Man It is first important to note that there is no beast. The Beast is simply just a figure of the boys imagination, a nightmare. However, as Simon point out, when he says What I meanMaybe its only us. The Beast is each boys individual fear. It encapsulates the fears of the boys concerned including the fact that they are stranded on a desert island with no real hope of getting rescues except for an inefficient fire which they cant even control. As the novel goes on the need to attach this fear to physical object becomes greater. Singling all this fear into one place makes it easier to ignore, live with and the leaders on the island find it easier to control this fear. The do this by making sacrifices to the beast, pretending its not even there and even killing it. If as some of the boys suspect and various titles suggest the Beast is unpreventable e.g. from air or water then the boys would probably die of worry. I also notice that Golding seems to make the importance of the Beast greater the more savage-like the boys become. The Parachute man is simply a physical object to attach the fear to. However Golding writes the story so that the fear of the parachute man is foolish because he is already dead. Fire/Smoke The function of the fire is to alert passing ships of the boys existence and it is key to their chances of rescue. However as the boys become more savage-like the fires main function becomes that of a cooking fire. When boys act as civilised people they have a greater desire to join the world from which they came they do their best to keep the fire going. But when the boys become contented with fun times and feasts the rescue fire becomes a secondary issue. The fire not only has the power to rescue but also to destroy as the boys find out when they set the island alight. Face Paint The face point represents two things. Firstly the uniformity of a savage life under the rule of Jack and secondly a mask to hide behind. Due to the change in atmosphere to that of savagery and uncivilisation the boys hide from the values they know they should keep by putting on the masks. It would seem that when the boys put on the masks they become different people. For example Jack He [Jack] began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. Here we see the different Jack we also see that when Jack becomes the Chief and wears he is able to make decisions such as torture seemingly without remorse.

The Amazing Color-coded Campus :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

The Amazing Color-coded Campus At a glance ours had seemed the perfect school, with its large remodeled buildings, looming green trees and a campus filling a whole city block. Everyone wanted to go there, just so that they could cut class and escape to the real world. For me, leaving a private school where everyone looked and acted the same for a school known for having the largest and most diverse student body in the United States was nothing less than a dream come true. On my first day, though, I realized why my parents had originally yanked me out of public school. I had rejoined all those same kids who six years before had been stapling their ears, whispering talk of sexual things I'd never heard of, and literally gluing themselves to their seats after being told to do so figuratively. In a way I was glad, having spent six years at a school whose students' only quirks were random temper tantrums and acting out scenes from the latest novel they'd finished. The school had fences protecting us from the outside world, and how it might make us feel about ourselves. I had learned to disappear in that crowd, to appear as one of them when I felt like an outsider. I would listen to their stories of shoplifting, knowing their allowances covered anything their hearts desired, and lie about my own shoplifting experiences. I couldn't help but think that there was more beyond those gates, things that mattered and things that were real. The sky seemed to hang dangerously low above my head that day, the clouds so thick and gray it was if the universe ended at their edges. I had survived a week of high school, but still walked around campus feeling anxious, as if everyone could see I was shaking inside. My eyes scanned the people pouring from the buildings, desperately wanting to find my best friend. Through the undulating sea of students, which lightened and darkened every couple of feet, I finally spotted Kay doing her best to be invisible. The path to where we ate curved through "The Slopes," where black and Latino football players hung out, and "The Bricks," which held mainly white seniors. Ashamed of our nervousness to walk through "The Slopes," we looked only at each other and talked in hurried tones.

Instrumental Conditioning

When one hears the term instrumental (operant) conditioning they tend to immediately think of the â€Å"Skinner-Box†. Skinner conducted classic experiments where he trained rats and pigeons to press a lever in order to obtain a food reward. The experimenter would choose a suited output to pair it with a consequence. After a training period, the animals would show the behavior (BH, e.g. pressing the lever) even in absence of any reward, if the BH-US association had been memorized. Instrumental conditioning differs from classical conditioning in that it operates on the environment and refers to the modification of voluntary behavior. For the purposes of this paper I will evaluate the application of instrumental conditioning to learning how to use the toilet (potty-training). I will describe the process of potty-training, and compare and contrast the concepts of positive and negative reinforcement as they relate to potty-training. I will explain the role of reward and punishment in potty-training as well as explain which form of instrumental conditioning would be most effective in potty-training. What is Instrumental Conditioning? â€Å"Instrumental conditioning is a process by which humans and animals learn to behave in such a way as to obtain rewards and avoid punishments. It is also the name for the paradigm in experimental psychology by which such learning and action selection processes are studied† (Staddon & Cerutti, 2003). All behavior is guided by consequences. Dogs beg/perform tricks for treats; politicians study poll results in order to steer the directions of their campaigns. Instrumental conditioning similarly is goal-oriented behavior. The selecting consequences that guide operant conditioning are of two kinds: behavior-enhancing (reinforcers) and behavior-suppressing (punishers). The most important factor in instrumental conditioning is the consequence of the response. â€Å"Responding often seems to be under exquisite control of the reinforcement conditions: Larger and tastier rewards provoke more vigorous response, delayed rewards weaken responding, and satiation of drive leads to a reduction in responding† (Terry, 2009). This consequence takes place because of an arranged contingency (relationship) between the occurrence of the response and the delivery of the reinforcer. The response is â€Å"instrumental† in acquiring the reinforcer, which is the reason this type of conditioning is referred to as instrumental conditioning. The response in turn â€Å"operates† on the environment causing a kind of change which is why it is also known as operant conditioning. Instrumental Conditioning and Potty-Training The Process of Potty-Training. Potty-training—the process of training a young child to use the toilet. Children typically begin to exhibit signs of readiness between the ages of 12 to 18 months and the process is usually fully completed by the time the child reaches 4 years old. Generally it takes longer to learn to stay dry during the night, however most children have mastered this by age 4. Cultural factors also play a role in determining the appropriate age of readiness for potty-training, with Americans usually beginning training later than other cultures (Paul, 2008). Potty-training is a mutual activity requiring cooperation, understanding and agreement between the child and the caregiver. The best methods emphasize consistency and positive reinforcement (over punishment) in order to make it a pleasant experience for the child. Research suggests that around 18 months old is the ideal time to start training due to the child's eagerness to please his/her parents. Positive and Negative Reinforcement. Positive reinforcement refers to the presence of a response-to-reinforcer relationship. â€Å"In positive reinforcement, the reinforcer is contingent on performance of the instrumental response† (Terry, 2009). Each action is followed by an outcome or consequence. Negative reinforcement involves particular behaviors being strengthened (increased) by the consequence of stopping or avoiding a negative condition. It is often confused with punishment, but they are very different. Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior whereas punishment weakens (decreases) behavior because a negative condition is introduced as a consequence of the behavior. For example, driving in rush hour traffic is a negative condition for most people. One day they decide to leave home a little earlier, and avoid running into the heavy traffic. They leave home at the same time the next day and again avoid heavy traffic. Their behavior of leaving home earlier is strengthened by the consequence of the avoidance of heavy traffic. Positive and Negative Reinforcement as they Relate to Potty-Training. According to Terry (2009) when teaching our children we most often tell them the rules between behaviors and consequences. In some instances the contingencies are simply left for the subject (child) to discover on his/her own. In potty-training, the child must discover what response is necessary to stay dry and receive a reward. Positive reinforcement is the basic practice of rewarding a child for displaying a desired behavior, such as using the potty. The most successful method is to find what your particular child likes most of all, which for the majority of children is either a treat or a toy. When your child acts as desired you use positive reinforcement by rewarding him or her with this highly preferred item as close to the behavior as possible. Add in praise and positive reinforcement has been achieved. The main reason positive reinforcement works so well for potty-training is the way in which a child learns– through association. In contrast, children are not in a rush to move from diapers to using the potty on their own. New behaviors are seldom if ever, accomplished perfectly the first few times. During this time there will be mistakes. That is what learning is all about. When negative reinforcement is used for mistakes then the child learns that new growth experiences should be avoided at all costs, no matter what the new growth opportunity is. Negative reinforcement will likely cause negative outcomes not only in potty training, but in the way the child grasps future experiences. The Role of Reward and Punishment in Potty-Training Rewards. There are many different types of rewards that can be used to motivate toddlers to potty-train. What is most important is that the reward be given immediately following any successful attempt to use a potty. The best rewards are verbal praise, however some may wish to use a small treat as a reward. Positively responding to the child's achievement shows the child that you approve and support them. Positive attention increases the chance of the child repeating the behavior. Rewards and verbal praise should be easy, quick, and inexpensive. Rewards should be given immediately, are not used in place of praise (social reinforcement), used specially for potty-training and not made available any other time, given for the tasks the child can already manage. As the child is managing new skills, praise should be continued and other types of rewards gradually reduced. Punishments. Punishment should not be used if a child has an accident. Some children become upset and frustrated while potty-training so it may help to use clever phrases like â€Å"That silly pee pee just wouldn't wait for the potty, let's see if we can catch it the next time†. Caregivers should remain calm and relaxed rather than punitive when potty-training because it is supposed to be a fun and educational experience. In my own quest to potty-train my children, I have found positive reinforcement to be the most effective training method. The times I got upset and showed anger in response to accidents only served to frighten them and discourage them from trying again. The Most Effective Form of Instrumental Conditioning in Potty-Training In my opinion, the most effective form of instrumental conditioning in potty-training is the use of positive reinforcement so that the child learns to generalize his/her behavior across situations. Positive reinforcement gives the child the courage and confidence s/he needs to be able to use the potty not only in the home/caregiver setting, but in other places as well, thus generalizing his/her behavior. â€Å"The potential strengthening effects of a reinforcer are usually confounded with its reward or incentive effects, both of which lead to improved performance† (Terry, 2009). In other words, the more positive and frequent the praise (and other rewards), the more likely the child is to repeat the desired behavior. Conclusion Instrumental conditioning is dependent on people to act upon their environment and their behavior is subsequently shaped by the response their behavior solicits. Those responses that evoke an increased state of satisfaction are generally repeated as opposed to responses that render a person dissatisfied are likely to decrease. A vital factor in instrumental conditioning is the concept of positive and negative reinforcement. In potty-training a child, the use of positive reinforcement is the most highly effective form of motivation as it increases the likelihood of them repeating desired behavior. In closing, I have evaluated the application of instrumental conditioning to learning how to use the toilet (potty-training). I have described the process of potty-training, and compared and contrasted the concepts of positive and negative reinforcement as they relate to potty-training. I have explained the role of reward and punishment in potty-training as well as explained which form of instrumental conditioning would be most effective in potty-training.

Colonial Language, Behavior and Identity Formation in Two Tempests

Colonial language, behavior and identity formation in Two Tempests Shakespeare in his last work, The Tempest tells the story of Proespero, the duke of Milan who is exiled to an island. The conflicts throughout the play arise from the desire of power over nature and people. Prospero overtakes the power from the native people on the land and is fighting for his title; that has been stolen by his brother. The influence of colonization is present in The Tempest, and is demonstrated in the characters Caliban and Ariel; who become Prospero’s servers in order to get free.Cesaire writes A Tempest, based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, to help the reader understand its message better. The theme remains the same, but Cesaire emphasizes more deeply on the characters Caliban and Ariel. Cesaire presents them as people of the new world, who are under the influence of a foreign power, Prospero. Cesaire presents Caliban and Ariel with slightly different characteristics as Shakespeare, sh owing the important role of their language, behavior and actions.The very first change that Cesaire made in A Tempest we can see at the beginning of the play where the author mentions Ariel as a mulatto slave and Caliban as a black slave. Their change in color is significant because Cesaire expresses the post-colonial influence on the characters. The example of colonization is presented by a white conqueror, Prospero, who takes over the native people on the island, Caliban and Ariel. The two Characters, Caliban and Ariel are described differently in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Cesaire’s A Tempest.A Tempest is a post-colonial writing, and Cesaire forms his characters with stronger and more significant characteristics. Caliban’s personality becomes more important than in Shakespeare’s play. In The Tempest, Caliban is an insolent, uneducated slave who is controlled through magic by Prospero, while in A Tempest; he becomes an aggressive and defined black ma n. In The Tempest, we can see Caliban as a child of a witch, Sycorax, who is a poor judge of character, acting like an animal and willing to get free.In Cesaire’s play the way he enters the scene is already telling us that he becomes a strong and brave character with a personality. Caliban’s word to Prospero, â€Å"Uhuru† (Cesaire 1. 2. 10-11), shows his rebellious attitude towards his master, letting him know about his eagerness to become free and independent on his island again. â€Å"Uhuru† in Swahili means freedom and for Caliban means his life. With this word, Caliban is showing to Prospero his defiance towards the situation, in which he becomes a slave of his own land.Caliban is the one who introduced the island to Prospero, and he expects to be treated with respect. Caliban is a fighter who is ready to choose death over humiliation: â€Å"Call me X. That would be best. Like a man without a name. Or, to be more precise, a man whose name has been st olen. You talk about history and everyone knows it. † (Cesaire 18) With Prosepero’s arrival to the island, Caliban becomes a slave of its own land. In spite of difficulties and his situation, Caliban does not easily admit defeat.The fact that he wants to be called X rather than Caliban, shows his fight for his free will that he has as a person. In Cesaire’s play Caliban becomes aware of his situation and he knows that a person can be considered a person, if that has the right to take decisions over himself. Prospero has power over Caliban, gives him a new name, and with that Prospero steals his identity and his whole being as a human. This contrasts with Shakespeare’s play where Caliban’s fight for his personality is less important; he just exists and obeys as a slave.Caliban represents the suppressed category of people who are under foreign intruders’ power and forced to obey their commands. The language that Cesaire uses for his characters is more aggressive and eloquent than in Shakespeare’s play. Caliban is arguing furiously with Prospero, showing the injustice of Prospero’s power over him: â€Å"You lied to me so much, about the world, about myself, that you ended up by imposing on me an image of myself. † (Cesaire 3. 5. 22-24) The way Caliban talks to his master shows the tormented relationship that they have.Caliban uses the language that Prospero taught him in a way that expresses his anger and his suffering as a slave of his land. The way Prospero treats Caliban is an example of the colonized lands where the new rulers used the native people for their advantage. The colonizer’s influence on native people is presented by Shakespeare and Cesaire too, just in different languages. For Caliban, there is no importance in speaking Prospero’s language: â€Å"You taught me language, and /my profit on’t/Is, I know how to curse. † (Shakespeare 1. 2. -4); he is forced to do that in order to obey his commands. The colonization of the island took away Caliban’s own language, his name and his home that now he calls â€Å"ghetto†. (Cesaire 13) Shakespeare doesn’t focus as much as Cesaire on Caliban’s character. The language what he uses is from 1400s, and the characters are used mostly for their role in the play and not as a symbol of the colonized lands as in Cesaire’s play. Changing the character’s color and language, Cesaire shows the essence of the diversity in people and their important role in life according to their skin and language.Ariel’s change is substantial, too. He is presented as a mulatto slave, which is another character of colonized lands. His identity is totally different from Caliban’s; he is the naive and obedient slave and not the fighter like Caliban. Ariel is representing the category of people who are ready to obey the master’s command and waiting for changes to happen. Ariel knows that Prospero uses him for his own purpose, and despite of all that, he approaches his tasks with enthusiasm, reporting any activities that he observes.Even though Shakespeare describes Ariel as a sprite, he has human qualities; he is longing for his liberty. He is invisible, but his actions are important, and he reflects human emotions: â€Å"ARIEL. If you now behold them, your affections / would become tender. / PROSPERO. Dost thou think so, spirit? / ARIEL. Mine would, sir, were I human. † (Shakespeare 5. 1. 35-39) Throughout the play, Ariel, the mulatto slave, is described as a compliant server and is treated in a nice way comparative to Caliban, who is treated horribly and threatened.The different treatment of slaves shows us that even between slaves are classifications, and they all have their place in world according to their skin color. In contrast with Shakespeare, Cesaire represents the two characters on a deeper level and focuses more on their personal ities. Throughout the play, Cesaire describes Caliban and Ariel as two servants with different desires and places in the colonized land. Caliban is ready to fight for what belongs to him, including his identity, in contrast with Ariel, who accommodates to the situation and waits for a better future.

Effects of the Great Depression (internationally) essays

Effects of the Great Depression (internationally) essays The Great Depression had a major affect on the United States but soon the Depression was spreading to the rest of the world, especially to Europe. In Europe the single country that was most affected was Germany, whose extremely weak economy could not deal with the slow loss of American capital. The United States pushed Great Britain and France to pay them back for the debts they owed from World War One, forcing the allies to push Germany to pay back their debts; this created a big cycle of lending and paying back that really just put Germany into a bigger debt. At the time of all of this confusion the German dollar was devaluating. During this time the United Kingdom also represented another global economic force in the world. The British economy was not hit as hard or as fast as Germanys. However, as the set-backs of the world crisis became more and more clear, Great Britain experienced a large decline in its exports which was even greater than the decrease in its imports. Those two factors contributed to generate a deficit in its balance of payments. Still, compared to most other industrialized countries, the U.K. got through the Depression in better economic health. The case of Great Britain was different than others because the U.K. got through the Depression years easier than other nations. The British economy recovered easier for three reasons: the abandoning of the gold standard in 1931, the adoption of higher tariffs and the devaluation of the pound. When the U.K. abandoned the gold standard, it gave itself a competitive advantage over the countries which didnt. The new tariff laws helped by protect ing domestic industries and the 30 percent devaluation of the pound added to the competitive edge of the U.K. because it made British products cheaper to the rest of the world. With France, things went much differently. First off, out of the four biggest industrialized countries of the time (U.S., Germany, U.K. ...

Strategic Management Unit 5 DB SA Final Week Essay

Strategic Management Unit 5 DB SA Final Week - Essay Example These differences could be due to misunderstanding and inability to tolerate each other’s weaknesses. Examples are the merger between Alcatel with Lucent and Daimler with Chrysler which were brought down by disagreement on approaches of various strategies and language barrier. According to Sherman (2011), acquisition of other companies also needs proper strategies and adequate information about the company that is to be acquired to make sure that they have complete knowledge of how the company they plan to acquire is doing and what problems are facing that particular company. This then ensures that when a company is acquired the business will not collapse at some point. The successful acquisition of Google on Picasa and Where 2 must have been due to adequate research before acquiring the two. Acquisition can also fail when a company goes head on to acquire a certain businesses without identifying and establishing its nature and its problems well Sherman, (2011). The presented template shows well how acquisition fails when Microsoft failed on acquiring Danger Company without full knowledge of its internal problems. It also failed to establish the compatibility of the Place Ware Place before it went on to acquire

Use of Derivatives in Risk Management Term Paper

Use of Derivatives in Risk Management - Term Paper Example Following are the major sorts of instruments applied by organizations to manage the financial risks associated with business activity. Futures and Options In this type of instrument, one individual or business signs a contract with another one to purchase the commodity on some future date with an agreed-upon price. However, in futures both of the parties have to go through with the contract while in options both of the parties reserve the right to withdraw the contract upon paying in monetary terms. Agreements: This instrument is localized in nature, and governments do not interfere with its transactions. Nevertheless, the purpose of these agreements is the same as that of futures and options, which is to hedge against fluctuations in the market price of the commodity or an industrial product. It is also important to note that these kinds of agreements are more common in economically distressed nations. But, recently they are intensively deployed in order to ensure a supply of raw material in US, which is necessary because of the prevailing recession in the local market. So, it is safe to assume that businesses are preparing themselves for increasing adversities of the future by contracting with their suppliers on a long term basis, which also enables them to attain economies of scale as a result, driving their financial and operational costs down that allows them to lower their prices in order to increase their market share. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to acknowledge that various businesses are paying close attention towards managing financial risk through using statistical models in order to assess the current level of risk, which can disrupt the expected pattern of their cash flows (Benson & Oliver, 2004). However, they often lack the proper translation of this analysis into practical plans, so in this way they cannot benefit from the concept of derivatives effectively most of the times. On the other hand, manufacturing sector of Europe is using derivatives more extensively than American ones (SpricIc, 2007). The prime reason for this trend is prevailing and growing uncertainty of the European market as compared to that of America. Along with this, managers who deploy derivatives in order to evaluate the degree of risk in financial terms are viewed as trustworthy by stockholders because they consider it as the proper and desirable means of minimizing financial threats (Koonce, Lipe, & McAnally, 2008). However, managers are found to falter by not basing their business decisions on the results of derivative analysis, therefore portraying the image of rational business decision making when in reality it is not the case. At the same time, derivatives are not rated as an effective mean for minimizing the possibility of default (Yi, Lin, & Chen, 2008). Therefore, derivatives can only be utilized as the mean of predicting future financial position of a particular firm. However, it is important to note that firms that base their decisions on derivative analysis often outperform those that do not consider derivatives as an ideal method for predicting financial future (Lin, Pantzalis, & Park, 2009). Another advantage of successful risk management is contentment of stockholders (Berk, Peterlin, & Cok, 2009). Through effective management, risk managers can handle them and are