The Social Practice Of Untouchability Sociology Essay

The Social Practice Of Untouchability Sociology Essay Untouchability is the social practice of casting out a minority group by regarding them as ritually polluted and segregating them from the mainstream. The excluded group could be one that did not accept the norms of the excluding group and historically included foreigners, nomadic tribes, law-breakers and criminals. This exclusion was a method of punishing law-breakers and also protected against contagion from strangers. A member of the excluded group is known as an untouchable. The people who are said untouchable are from that section of society which is not only held in the lowest esteem, but which is behaved by the other castes as unclean. Who are found to be the sweepers, cleaner, and leather tanners are considered as unfit for human society or co-mingling. They are not permitted to take their water from the public wells. The word caste was loosely used by the Portuguese to denote the Indian social classification as they thought that the system was intended to preserver purity of blood. The system is such a peculiar and complex thing that no satisfactory definition is possible. Hence we find no unanimity among scholars on the subject. Senart states that a caste is a close corporation, exclusive and in theory at any rate rigorously hereditary. It is equipped with ascertain traditional and independent organization, including a chief and a council, meeting on occasion in assemblies endowed with less full authority. According to sir H. Risley, a caste may be defined as a collection of families or groups of families bearing a common name, claiming common descent from a mythical ancestor, human or divine, professing to follow the same hereditary calling, and regarded by those who are competent to give opinion as forming a single homogeneous community .the name generally denotes or is associated with a specific occupation. A caste is almost invariably endogamous in the sense that a member of the large circle denoted by the common name may not marry outside that circle, but within the circle there are usually a number of smaller circles each which is also endogamous. The untouchables have been referred to as Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes. Local names for the untouchables are in different parts of India and known by different names: Bhangi, Pakhi, Chandal, etc. Mahatma Gandhi called them Harijans, which means children of God. It is still in wide use especially in Gandhis home state of Gujarat. Harijans are now Dalits, which means broken people. Historical background: Hindu culture was made of four castes according to work of people. There are the brahmins, the highest or scholarly people, kshatriya, the caste of the ancient kings or warriors; the vaisya, the farmers and traders; and the sudras, laborers. The people, who come under the sudras caste, are treated with disdain, but not as outcasts. Today, the caste system is become more complicated and having many subdivisions, each forming a social organization whose function is to protect caste members. In Manu Smriti there is written that the first part of a Brahmins name should denote something auspicious, a Kshatriyas name should be connected with power, and that a Vaishyas name should reminds wealth. The first part of a Sudras name should express something contemptible and the second part should describe the service, because of the Sudras low origin. According to Hindu practice, only the upper castes are given right to study the Vedas. If the Sudra intentionally listens for committing to memory the Veda, then his ears should be filled with molten lead and lac; if he utters the Veda, then his tongue should be cut off, if he has mastered the Veda his body should be cut to pieces says the Manu Smriti. In the epic Ramayana, after Lord Ramas return from exile, a Brahmin accuses him of causing the death of his son by his toleration of Shambuka, a Sudra who recited the Vedas. In order to control the situation, Rama finds Shambuka and killed him. The Brahmin boy got life again. In Manu Smriti different punishments are given for the same crime, depending on the culprits caste. If this much punishments were for the Sudras, what was the treatment reserved for the untouchables who were outside the caste system, and placed even lower than the Sudras in society. In the 1500s, during the rule of the Marathas and the Peshwas untouchables were not allowed within the gates of the Poona between 3.00 pm and 9.00 am. The reason was that during this time their bodies were casting long shadows, with the reason that the shadow of an untouchable might fall on a Brahmin and pollute him. An untouchable used to carry an earthen pot around his neck so his spittle might not pollute the earth by the shadow. In Maharashtra an untouchable wore a black thread either in his neck or on his wrist for ready identification of upper caste people, while in Gujarat a horn was being worn for identification. It must be remembered that Dalit does not mean Caste or low-Caste  or poor; it refers to the deplorable state or condition to which a large group of people has been reduced by social convention and in which they are now living. Protection under constitution: Indias government and legal system when dealing with dalits or untouchables is fraught with contradiction. This is evident in the disparities between upper and lower castes, in terms of economic and political power, and is a consequence of the States differential treatment of these sections. The Indian Constitution the writing of which was chaired by the most powerful dalit advocate for dalit rights, Dr. Ambedkar embodies civil and legal rights providing for non-discrimination. However, secular legal and constitutional structures are contradictory to the prevalent ancient Hindu law: religious, social and economic practices that involve a discriminative hierarchy based on hereditary social status, occupation and ritual duties. Stratification of society benefits the upper classes as it secures positions of economic and social power, and allows the exploitation of the lower castes; Hindu beliefs and law sanction this. It is therefore not in their interest to remove discrimination by th e implementation of the constitutional principles and laws in favors of the dalits. The Indian state hasnt, to date, taken a serious approach to the betterment of the dalit situation because it is essentially aligned with the upper castes. The provision of reservations for government seats, employment and higher education has improved the living standard of some dalits, yet most remain in poverty. Reservations provide positive discrimination; ironically this also stereotypes dalits, resulting in their continual segregation in society. The state has not successfully provided due access to education, equitable employment, ownership of land and legal protection to break the cycle of caste based oppression. Dalit political parties and movements for the assertion of rights and self determination have been numerous and varied, but have been successfully quelled by the state and upper castes through the use of political power, violence, and police intimidation, all contrary to the constitu tion. Hindus maintain the caste system because their religion requires them to do so, and caste is a characteristic of Brahmanism, the Brahmans being at the top of the system.1 Dalits, as they will be referred to here, are a sub caste of people at the bottom of the Hindu social and religious hierarchy called Varna Dharma; due to polluting nature of their occupations which include handling dead animals, cleaning, and jobs to do with human excrement. They are forced to behave in de-humanizing ways such the eating of excrement. The interaction of the castes and 1 L.G. Havanur, Backward Classes, Judicial Meaning, Socio-legal Services and Research Centre, Bangalore, 1991, p.55 jatis, or endogamous sub divisions relating to occupation, is known as the jajmani system. Hindus have relied on this system to divide labour, social and commensally relations and ensure economic and social co-operation.2 On every level the dalits have been discriminated against, and subordinated into servitude.3 Ambedkar in his leadership role in the Indian constituent assembly sought to erase the oppressive caste system by raising dalit awareness and empowerment through provisions in the constitution. Article 15 and 17 prohibits the practice of untouchability and discrimination based on caste.4 In hindsight, these basic aims seem too lofty to be realized, given that dalits still remain disenfranchised in relation to the implementation of these articles. Forty years later, writing in 1994, Dr. B.D Sharma describes the Indian micro-universe as separated into the first world, where people exercise their rights and have access to courts and police for protection under the law and the o ther world where people do not.5 The first world comprises of only 15-20% of the population and the other world makes up the majority of disinherited and exploited people.6 In addition, The Civil Rights Protection Act, 1955, intended to abolish disabilities associated with backward classes including dalits. While creating an atmosphere where the inequalities suffered by the dalits have been publicly condemned, the constitutional measures have been rendered ineffective as they are mostly ignored in practice.7 Dalits make up 77% of agricultural labour which is classified as unskilled and unorganised. In the urban setting, they are labourers in construction, scavengers and sanitation workers, also falling into the unorganized category. Wages in the organized sector are regulated by the State so that they rise with increased prices, and are adequate enough for one wage earner to sustain a family. Labourers bear the brunt of the disparity between organized and unorganized sections. Viola tions of minimum wage, set very low in the first place, and payment in kind are common, and go unchecked.8 Consequently, one wage cannot support a family and children and the elderly are forced to work, children dont go to school and are trapped by poverty.9 The State allows illegal labour practices because exploitation results in economic benefits for landowners and employers who are mostly upper caste, if it should interfere, more 2 Sumit Ganguly Neil DeVotta eds, Understanding Contemporary India, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, London, 2003, p.233 -234 3 Robert.W.Stern, Changing India, 2nd edit, Cambridge university press, Cambridge, 2003. p.60-61 4 Sumit Ganguly Neil DeVotta eds, Understanding Contemporary India, p.243 5 Dr. B.D. Sharma, Dalits Betrayed, Har-Anand Publications, New Delhi, 1994, p.13 6 Ibid. 7Robert.W.Stern, Changing India, 2nd edit, p. 242 8 Prem.K.Shinde ed, Dalits and Human Rights, volume 1, (Dalits and Racial Justice) Isha Books, Delhi, p.84 9 Dr. B.D. Sharma, Dalits Betrayed, p.47 dalits may be able to enter the organised sector, and thus this exploitable labour resource would be drained. Although this massive failure of participation in the organised economy could be corrected by affirmative action policies, these have also been insufficient. Article 330 and 332 of the constitution call for affirmative action in the form of special reservations in government representation, government employment and higher education, intended to raise the dalit position in society. Reserved seats are allocated in the Lok Sabha, and the legislative assemblies of the states, effectively giving dalits representation. The scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (The Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 was designed to better punish offences such as injury or harassment directed at dalits. In addition, Article 14 of the constitution states that no citizen be denied equality before the law. Ghandi believed that the superior/inferior relations between dalits and upper castes could not be remedied by the state, but needed to be addressed by the upper castes themselves who were responsible for the system.10 10 Lelah Dushkin, Scheduled Caste Policy in India, p.632 Untoucability, A social Evil: Untouchability is basically not from India. It was practiced in parts of Europe until a few centuries ago, and Japan still has a large number of Untouchables, called the Burakumin. But it is in the Indian Sub-continent that this system survives, closely bound with culture, religion, history and politics. Today over 170 million people in India are considered Untouchable, and their development has been slow despite the Legal safeguards and the Government programs. According to the Manu Smriti there are four castes in Hindu society and each caste has assigned duties, responsibilities and privileges. The Brahmins are the learned, the Kshatriyas are the warriors, the Vaishyas are the traders, and the Sudras perform menial tasks and physical labour, and are considered as the lowest. And only uppers castes have the right to study the Vedas. The upper castes alone have the right to the thread ceremony which is performed as a rite of passage, allowing them to be termed twice-born. What is a Dharma? A study reveals that he who has the knowledge of Brahmagnan is called the Brahmana, and not by caste or not by the birth. Each one of us is an untouchable, because who among us is free from disobedience to Natures laws, from impurity of heart and mind, from fears of a thousand kinds, from selfishness and greed. Let us remove the untouchability in us. Anyone is not perfect, but through right dharma, by eliminating our differences and by strengthening our virtues, we move towards perfection. Let us develop the virtue of efficiency and skill to become Shudras; the virtue of charity and become Vaishyas; the courage and become Kshatriyas; the sacrifice and become Brahman, and make ourselves in the copy of the Great Purusha, the Radiant. According to the Bhagwadgeetha or The Bible or any other, written, or said, is the same, that all humans are equal. The Air we breathe, the Water we drink, the Fire, the Sky, the Earth are same. These days Indian students and citizens are being attacked in some countries, and we are discussing and talking about the RACISM and craving for justice. We should condemn these at any cost, but it would be fair if we stop those things in here. What is Untouchability? Untouchability in India is a practice where a particular community considers even touching another community person as polluting one.   A person who touches the untouchables is usually made to undergo cleansing process, like bathing, or spraying of water, depending on the regional practice. Who practices untouchability? There is an intense propaganda that untouchability is practiced by higher caste people over lower caste people.   But that is no right.   Untouchability is practiced by almost all castes, right from brahmin caste to the dalit caste. Even the dalit castes practice untouchability over others.  One dalit caste will not even drink water from another dalit caste. Does Untouchability mean segregation? Segregation in western sense, means, classification and isolating a certain groups of people, for varied reasons.   Segregation is mostly associated with authority based society like the western one.   Normally, the criminals, rebels, and other anti-social elements only are segregated from the mainstream society, and deported to far off lands or put in jail.   This is what happened in the western societies. In general, segregation  means, separation of different groups of people from one another, and no relationship exists among these groups.   For example, in Europe, the protestants and the catholics are segregated, and there is no healthy relationship b/w them, except for that both worship jesus.   Similarly, shias and sunnis are segregated people, without any interdependence. But, untouchability does not mean segregating. Because, untouchability was mutually practiced by all groups.  In caste system, even though people practiced untouchability, the different castes are interdependent on one another, thus always having some kind of interaction and relationship. Does Untouchability mean isolation? Definitely not,  there may be segregation of houses of castes in some villages.   But there is never isolation in any villages.   Almost all castes interact with each other, because, all castes depend on one another for some needs. The level of interaction differs from caste to caste.   For example, the dalits will strictly not mingle with other dalit caste, eg. Sakkiliars will never drink water from parayars.   But, they will get food and water from the dominant caste of that region.   Similarly, the dominant castes like chettiyars, devars, nayakkars, etc may have interactions on equal footing.   But still, they do not mingle with one another. There are few communities, who have to closely interact with one another.   Particularly in kongu region, the naavithars, vannan community, kosavar community, etc have close interaction with the dominant gounder community.   The naavithars (barbers) usually conduct most of the rituals, right from birth to death in the gounders family.   It is they who used to sing mangazha vaazhthu during gounders marriage. Why does a caste practice untouchability? There is no definite answer to this, as the reason may vary from place to place.   But based on my understanding, untouchability is practices because of extreme cultural contradictions.   Let me list out the possible reasons for untouchability, as i perceive. Life style: We all know India is a land of cultural diversity, and that the life style of one community largely differs from others.   For eg, a brahmin community follows strict hygiene, and are strict vegetarians.   On the other hand, the farmers and farm laborer castes usually work in fields; do not have hygienic life practices.   The dalit community works on cow skins, which is a sin to brahmin community. So its natural that the brahmins could not mingle with other castes. Commune Living: Most of the castes live a strong commune life, with a common profession.   So, the life styles of all the community members are aligned towards that lifestyle.   And there are strong inter dependencies among the community member.   In such commune living, people used to live as large families, with common interest.   In such cases, when a member of the family or community, elopes with the other community girl or boy, it creates a confusion in the large family.   The incoming girl/boy may not adapt to the family life style, and may not adapt to the community profession.   For example, a brahmin girl will not be able to work in fields if she marries a farmer.   Or a farming girl may not be able to work in leather products if she marries a dalit.   So, the society has evolved itself to an inbuilt arrangement, not to mingle with each other. Prisoners of war: On those days (before Muslim invasion), when a king was defeated in a war, he captures the prisoners of war, and deports to his kingdom to work as laborers   or current empire may be ruled by the enemy for few years, and recaptured by the original king. In such case, the people settled there by the former temporary ruler, may lose their status, and become laborers.   In such cases, the victorious king may take steps to suppress the settled external people, so that they dont again attempt to overthrow him.   Religious Differences: I need not mention about Hindu Muslim differences.   That is entirely a different subject.   However, there are many sub sects within Hinduism, which had opposed each other.   Particularly the influence of Buddhism had profound impact on suppressing those people who work on leather products, as Buddhist believed in ahimsa.   The vegetarian character of India is believed to have acquired during Buddhist rule.  Ã‚   Also, since anyone who left the caste is usually abandoned by the community, those who had converted to Buddhism might have been left out after Buddhism waned way. Today, for many of the dalit people, their kula deivam is Vishnu. Cultural Differences: Apart from life style, the cultural values of the castes also an important reason for untouchability.   For example, the ruling castes had stricter cultural values, which they have followed for generations.   For example, widow remarriage is not allowed in dominant castes.   But its normal in dalit castes.   The widow in dominant caste often follows sati, whereas it is not required in the dalit castes. Lineages: The common culture and profession resulted in a common lineage over centuries, which evolved the respective castes in to distinctive identities, which had made them not to mingle with others. Exceptions from Untouchability: The saints and rishis are mostly exempted from untouchability.   It means, almost all communities welcomed rishis and saints, and the saints also embraced all communities. Also, the saints are placed outside the caste system, as they have raised one level above in their life, towards the god. Most of the kings never practiced untouchability, and they were mostly secular.   Moreover, they did not have the situation or the time to do that. Good and Bad in this world are highly relative term rather than a universally defined one.  In the society of barbarians, murderers and rapists, a thief could be the best person among others. However, in a society of saints and nobles, the same thief would be the worst person.   Thus when we are judging anything as good/bad, we need to consider the environment and prevailing situation. There was heavy propaganda of dalit oppression and suppression by the Marxists, for around a century here.   But even assuming their propaganda to be true, lets see how the dalit people were treated here. The dalits lived in a separate colony in the same village. The dalits are not slaves.   They were mere laborers to the land owners.   They have the right to move to other village, if they feel, the current village is discriminatory or not able to live in. A typical dalit community is allowed to have their own commune life, simply because, untouchability prevented the dominant caste from abusing or exploiting them. The dalits had their own temple, their own festivals. The dalits had similar type of caste structure, with gothrams and kula deivams.   A dalit married from a different gothram of his caste from another village.   These ensured that the dalit people also had relations among multiple villages and have their own social structure to follow with. Since the dalit people were allowed to live as a community, their women had the inherent protection from exploitation.   In the case of American slave system each African women is an individual slave, which the owner can do whatever he want.   Other slaves cannot come to rescue if the owner rapes the slave women.   However, in our caste system, the women were part of the dalit community, and they could not be exploited.   Also, since the dominant caste practiced untouchability over the dalits, their youths refrained from mingling with dalit girls; as such an act would excommunication from his caste.   It is same for the dalit people too. The dalit people had their own panchayat for issue resolution.   This is the highest point of freedom that any community might have.  Ã‚   The elders in the dalit caste usually try to solve the problem.   If that fails, they take the case to the village panchayat head. To quote a recent history of India, the entire Kashmir valley had been ethnically cleansed of Hindus, just because the Muslims could not tolerate the presence of Hindus.   So when they became majority they persecuted the Hindus. However, it has to be noted that the Hindus, even though invaded by Muslims were able to tolerate them for thousands of years, by simply practicing untouchability. There are many other instances in the history where I find that untouchability would have prevented genocides, persecution and other horrors of the history. Comparing those incidents with our caste system, we find that untouchability is a practical system evolved as a solution to peaceful existence of conflicting communities. We all know that the urban people are classified as higher class, middle class and lower class.   But its a fact that these class peoples mostly lived isolated from others. For example, the higher class people live in posh areas, with neat roads, electricity water facility and spacious homes, public parks etc.   The middle class usually lives in comfortable homes, but in congested areas. The lower class people often were the slum dwellers who live in unhygienic and horrific conditions. Let me ask the following questions: How many upper class people live along with slum dwellers? Suppose a slum dweller roams in front of a posh bungalow, what will the security of the bungalow will do?   We often find that the rich people drive away the slum people through their securities. How many of the higher class people allow their children to play with middle class people? How many of the middle class people allow their children to play with the slum boys girls? In villages, even though castes follow untouchability, each caste knows the members of the other caste.   When the dalit caste had any needs, they always approach the dominant caste.   The dominant caste provides food to the dalit people, when they come to the home.   The dalit women often share their problems with the dominant caste women and seek solution.   Thus there is a mutually supporting life in villages, inspire of untouchability.   Let me ask, how many people in rich posh areas, know the people of the nearby slum.   Or how many rich people help the slum people in needy times? Lets take the case of gang wars in colleges.   Students belonging to one group wont interact with the other.   Its the norm in many colleges.   Its natural because, when there are differences, people chose to live away.

Analysis of I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died and Because I Could Not Stop

Analysis of I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died and Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson wrote many poems in her lifetime. She writes two of my favorite poems. They are: ?I heard a Fly buzz when I died? and ?Because I could not stop for Death?. They both have similarities and differences from each other. There are similarities in these two poems such as the theme and the observentness of the narrator. Both of the poems themes involve death. In ?I heard a Fly buzz when I died?, the poet writes, ? And then the Windows failed ? and then I could not see to see- ", which means that the narrator?s eyes would not open no more; they had died. In ?Because I could not stop for Death? it shows the theme even in the title. In this poem, the poet writes in a clearer way that her theme was of a deathly tone. ?Because I could not stop for Death- He kindly stopped for me?. The narrator in these two poems is quiet observant. In ?I heard a Fly buzz when I died?, the narrator can hear the buzzing of a fly just before he/she dies. The poet writes, ?-a...

Information about Financial Aid Essay -- essays research papers

Financial Aid Financial aid is money in the form of loans, grants and employment that is available to a student to help pay the cost of attending. Financial aid comes from the federal government, which is the largest provider of aid, as well as state government, the school and a variety of other public and private sources. If you think your educational expenses are more than you and your family can afford, you should apply for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You will need to apply for financial aid every year by completing a FAFSA. The FAFSA includes all the information necessary to determine your eligibility and must be completed if you want to be considered for any of the federal programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The FAFSA is available in two formats: paper and electronic. If you complete a paper FAFSA, you will mail it directly to the application processor listed on the FAFSA. Or you can apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov and list school code will receive your processed information. You should apply for financial aid (for the upcoming academic year beginning in August) as soon after January 1 as possible. Many financial aid programs have limited funding, therefore early application is recommended. Application should be completed at least one month prior to the semester you are planning to attend. If you apply for funding late, you will receive your funding late. Financial Aid Eligibility To be considered for financial aid you must: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  be enrolled as a degree- or certificate-seeking student. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  be a U.S. citizen or a permanent citizen of the United States. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  have a valid social security number. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  register with Selective Service (if required). †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  make satisfactory academic progress (successfully complete courses with grade of A, B, C, D or P at least 66% of the hours attempted each term with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above.) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  demonstrate an ability to benefit (see below). The following are the different types of Financial Aid available: GRANTS - funds that do not have to be paid back. Grants offered at: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pell Grants - Federal Pell Grants are available only to undergraduates with no prior b... ...fore, must demonstrate one of the following ATB requirements: 1. High school transcript showing graduation, or 2. General Education Development (GED) certificate, or 3. COMPASS test with a minimum score of 25 on Pre-Algebra/Numerical, 62 on Reading, and 32 on Writing, all completed in one test session, or 4. College transcript with 60 or more transfer hours. Return of Title IV Aid (formerly called Refund/Repayment) The Federal Government has set guidelines concerning students who receive Title IV Aid and completely withdraw from school or stop attending courses. Any student making a complete withdrawal or that stops attending their classes who received a Federal Pell Grant, SEOG, Subsidized Stafford Loan, Unsubsidized Stafford Loan or a Parent (PLUS) Loan, will be required to pay back money to the school immediately if they drop out or stop attending courses before 60% of the semester has been finished. After the calculations are figured, the Financial Aid Office will notify any student that might owe money back to the Federal Government. Your Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress status will also be evaluated at the end of the semester and you will be notified accordingly

Love and Morning: From the Perspective of John Donne and Sylvia Plath Essay

John Donne’s The Good-Morrow and Sylvia Plath’s Morning Song at first glance, seem to talk about two different things. However, if one were to analyze the depth of these two poems, it will eventually reveal its shared views about love and its distinct relation to morning. Both poems reveal an overwhelming feeling of love that is influenced by another individual. For Donne, it was his love interest while for Plath, it was one of her children. The two poems equally used colorful imagery of love in its early stages, although taken into different contexts. Donne’s first few lines in The Good-Morrow had described his romantic feelings toward his lover by throwing questions of his worthiness in love. In lines 2 to 4, he compares his past life to that of an infant being weaned from the bottle or breast, in order to satisfy his childish whims. This could also denote a lustful past in which he had looked for instant gratification as that of a child, only to find that the right love could only be understood with a mature outlook in life (3). With regard to Plath’s Morning Song, lines 13 to 15 paint a different picture of a child in the context of love as she sees the act of breastfeeding as a sign of her contentment in being a mother. Lines 1 t o3 expresses her joy in the birth of her child as she simply describes the invincible link of a mother to her child. In particular, line 3 indicates the wonderment of life through love when Plath states â€Å"Took its place among the elements† (48) when she describes the birth of her child. Line 4 conveys her happiness at the arrival of her child, associating the infant to a statue in a museum, and she, a mere astonished observer. This is in contrast with Donne’s view in his poem when he wrote in line 19 â€Å"Whatever dies was not mixed equally† (3). What Donne referred to in this line is an old belief that described the cause of death as an imbalance in the body. This line signifies Donne’s hope that the love that he and his lover shared would make them equally whole. Both lines described the powerful connection that they have with their loved ones, yet it was illustrated in opposing contexts as life and death. Another noteworthy similarity of the two poems lies in their views of being united with their loved one. Lines 7 to 9 of Plath’s poem basically illustrate the oneness that she feels toward her baby when she speaks of not seeing her own reflection in the presence of her child. In Donne’s poem, line 15 corresponds to a combined notion of oneself with his loved one, as he states â€Å"My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears† (3). In the context of morning, both poems take on a seemingly parallel course to describe the joy one feels in expressing love. Lines 8 to 14 of Donne’s poem vibrantly illustrates the connection he feels toward his loved one when he likens the meeting to a greeting of souls as they both start afresh, just as the dawn of a new day signals another day to live. Donne also describes this fortunate meeting as an acknowledgment of his loved one’s significance in his world as he points out that his existence merely coincides with the presence of his lover (3). As for Plath, the perspective of morning is wholly dedicated to her joy in being a mother as she creatively narrates her experiences in nursing her child. Lines 10 to 15 principally describe how she looks forward to waking up every morning as she awakens to the sound of her child’s cry due to hunger (48). Line 18 of Plath’s poem fully conceives the notion as to why she looks forward to anew day. Her morning song is the cry of her baby in the morning, describing it as â€Å"The clear vowels rise like balloons† (48). Based on the analysis of Donne’s poem, one could deduce that the references made to a child in describing infantile love is seen as a transitory phase from an unconstructive feeling to pure admiration and content. Donne shows the maturation of love as though it was a living and breathing creature. In Plath’s vision, love was embodied concretely in the bond between parent and child, specifically between a mother and her child. Plath depicts a sort of love that is basic and nurturing; one that does not expect reciprocity or uncertainty, but a depth of feeling that could only be felt through the birth of life. Both of these poems have described two types of love that we may experience in our lifetime and their poetic revelations indicate that life is riddled with moments that are full of love. Works Cited: Donne, John. â€Å"The Good-Morrow. † Poems of John Donne. Ed. E. K. Chambers. London: Lawrence & Bullen, 1896. 3. Plath, Sylvia. â€Å"Morning Song. † The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Booth, Alison, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 1961. 48.

Reebok Pursuing Generation X

Reebok: Pursuing Generation X Reebok is a global, American inspired brand, in a highly competitive athletic and sportswear industry, committed to creating products and marketing programs that reflect the brand’s unlimited creative potential (Reebok). The 2003 rankings place Reebok in third place of U. S. athletic shoe market share with 13%; Nike dominates at 36% while other athletic brands make up 26% of the U. S. market (Sporting Goods Intelligence). In 1982, Reebok was a main component in introducing a women’s athletic shoe designed specifically for the latest trend in exercise known as aerobic dance.This, as we all know, was not a trend but rather an athletic revolution towards women’s fitness and increase entrance into sports, which expanded the target market for the athletic and the sportswear industry. The acceptance of sneakers as an adult casual wear evolved in the 1980’s as well as a market prediction that was a catalyst to the early success of Re ebok as an athletic brand leader. Since the 1980’s, the market environment has changed dramatically and has proven to be a complex and highly competitive advertising arena. Print and TV ads of the past are no longer the premier marketing platforms as they once were.The athletic and sporting goods companies of today must bring to the consumers a compelling and gripping advertising campaign to earn the attention and revenue of today’s technology driven consumer. Target markets are evolving from the baby boomer era to the Gen Xers and with that shift, comes a new consumer ideology and therefore new marketing strategies. The advertising mediums that companies utilize are challenged to reach an elusive target audience guarded by TiVo technology, mobile internet as well as personal philosophies seeking purpose and added value, even in product selection.This case outlined advertising challenges, as well as opportunities Reebok faced in an expanding digital media world and its players; Generation X. Question 1: How would the team explain viral marketing to the class? Viral marketing wasn’t made up out of thin air; it started before the birth of the Internet under another name known as word-of-mouth. There are many differences between the two strategies but the principle is identical: exchange information about an event, place, person or idea from one outlet to another. So, to understand how viral marketing works one must understand word-of-mouth.Word-of mouth marketing is when a company provides consumers, a reason to bring up their company in normal conversation. This could be from an ad on the television, a flyer that you saw downtown in a deli, or maybe an advertisement that you heard on a radio station that caught your attention while you were driving. That sounds a lot like viral marketing, but a person only has so many hours in the day; so why would they ever think of calling all of their friends/family up to tell them about something they s aw, previous to their conversation?Unless it was a catastrophic event or something that was deeply related to them personally, that’s just not likely to happen. With viral marketing, there are two main components that are needed: a large audience, and a way to spread information exponentially, also known as the Internet. The first traces of Internet viral marketing were, according to â€Å"The Virus of Marketing†, in 1997 when Hotmail attached ads to outgoing messages. It was rather astonishing the reaction that the public had after forwarding the ads to other email addresses, allowing users to reach thousands of potential clients in the matter of a few easy clicks.These were only the primitive years of viral marketing, and it has become one of the most valued marketing strategies of the 21st century. The term ‘viral marketing’ is one that is used, both, on a regular and large scale. This is mostly due to the highly populated areas, such as YouTube and oth er social media outlets where video, music, photographs, ideas and other forms of entertainment, can be passed from one individual to another easily. Social media sources and YouTube allow users to be interconnected with millions of people in the matter of seconds.Over 500 million people around the world, have an account with Facebook, which not only makes marketing researchers drool, but also makes up a huge population of word-of-mouth users that are able to upload and send information to their ‘friends’. Within the past decade, viral marketing has taken exponential leaps thanks to the increased use of the Internet. A successful viral marketing campaign works when an individual views information online and passes it on to another; the individuals whom were showed the information to will also share it to their list of friends via the Internet.This creates a snowball effect and the subject in discussion becomes extremely popular in an impressive amount of time through ma ss word-of-mouth aka viral marketing. Question 2: How did Mickey Pant introduce viral-marketing to Reebok’s promotional strategy? To what extent does viral-marketing replace traditional media such as TV, radio, direct mail, etc.? Mickey Pant, the chief marketing officer at Reebok, understood the increasingly changing culture of consumers today.Gone are the days where TV advertisements and radio spots were enough to capture the mass audience of target consumers, waiting idly by to be swayed into purchasing the latest and greatest products. Evolved, is a new generation of consumers, known as Generation X; not easily penetrated by brand loyalty and logo suaveness, but are rather driven by a sense of worthiness and greater purpose. Gen Xers are characterized as skeptical of advertising and are active users of digital media, especially the Internet and are compelled to lead a life filled with meaning rather than monetary gains alone.According to OnPoint Marketing, Gen Xers make up 17% of the population and spend $125 billion annually on consumer goods in the U. S. With a growing target audience that thrives on digital media, Mickey Pant understood that Reebok would have to pursue a new direction in advertising that would resonate with the Gen Xers. This concept would have to connect and appeal to what drives the consumers and outshine the competition in an already saturated market dominated by Nike and Adidas.Pant chose the 2003 Super Bowl XXXVII as the platform, launching â€Å"one of the most popular viral marketing campaigns ever to be aired in history: the infamous Terry Tate Office Linebacker ad. † The commercial was a largely successful campaign that reached a market of consumers that were heavy users of the Internet and TiVo, which earned Reebok. com the ninth largest content provider on the internet. The Tate commercial became an instant hit with its office humor of politically correct antics and depiction of cubicle mishaps, which appealed to the undervalued Gen Xers and caused the ad to go viral across the Internet.After the Tate commercial aired, the Reebok website underwent 20 commercial downloads per second and the Reebok online store traffic increased seven-fold, creating a viral phenomenon. Ultimately, Mickey Pant understood the cultural changes that characterized the life of Gen Xers and relied upon the Internet to carry the campaign. Even though the ads weren’t aired on TV again, they will forever live on, on the Internet. With the undoubtedly increasing digital age, a shift from the more traditional media platforms such as newspaper and TV, to online and mobile advertising is inevitable. 003 was the year Reebok launched the first digital media campaign, and since then, numerous digital campaigns have followed. The growing need for companies to create a more interactive and transactional experience with its customers is expansive, allowing for such outlets as the Internet and mobile advertising to become more attractive. In the case, Reebok notes a shift in investments away from magazines and newspapers, to online and mobile platforms. The advertising breakdowns, according to an outside source, the Yankee Group, reports that TV advertising dropped 21. % during 2008-2009 and fell an additional 12% in 2010. The trend fairs similar for the newspaper industry, reporting that in 2005 the industry had revenue around $47 billion while today it is only half that amount. The report lists the 2009 statistics for U. S. consumer’s average time spent watching TV as three hours 17 minutes, while the average time spent online is four hours and 13 minutes and mobile phone usage average per day is one hour and 18 minutes. Due to consumers spending less time viewing television and extended time on the internet, online advertisements revenues grew 8. % between 2008 and 2009. While traditional TV advertising still has a large role in sportswear marketing strategies, viral marketing, digital adve rtising and mobile marketing are the platforms to focus in on to reach the largest consumer base. Question 3: What’s the Team’s assessment of the Terry Tate campaign? Did it increase Reebok’s brand equity? Was the central message effective? Memorable? In 2003, Terry Tate and Reebok teamed up to produce a series of 60 second T. V. ads, at a cost of $4 million, which aired during the Super Bowl; these commercials were an instant hit.Reeboks website, soon after the ad’s aired, was clocking 20 downloads per second. While the ads were an instant classic, having more than 20 million views to date, they did not produce an increase in sales or market share. How could an ad so popular and funny not create the brand equity Reebok was hoping for? Our team, after reviewing the Terry Tate spots, decided that was because the ads did not tie Reebok sufficiently into the ads. During the videos, Terry Tate wore a gold Reebok chain and the Reebok logo was shown at the end of the spot; this was not enough.One of the consequences of Reebok not showing its brand enough in the commercial was that people would not be able to tie Terry Tate to Reebok. The commercials were memorable, yes, but in order to have brand equity, the viewer needs to remember Reebok and Terry Tate, not just Terry Tate. Reebok’s marketing team believed that the Tate commercial brought a â€Å"new cool dimension† to the brand, even though Reebok’s brand perception and awareness had not changed. Overall, we think the central message was not entirely effective. While the ads were memorable and funny, they were not memorable and funny in a way that helped Reebok’s Brand Equity.Even though there main goal with the ads were not met, Reebok did create something that generated a massive â€Å"buzz† and hype around Terry Tate. Question 4: To what extent should traditional advertising effectiveness measures be relied upon in the Terry—Tate/Reebok case ? In this Reebok case, the traditional advertising method was the â€Å"Terry Tate Office Linebacker† television advertisements. The campaign was extremely successful on television and the Internet. The Gen Xers and the public related to the commercials because they were office based and because a large linebacker would tackle employees that everyone hates.We believed that Reebok understood that their target markets would see the commercial on television, like it, and then seek other ways to view or learn more about the commercials and the brand. Because Gen Xers were technology savvy and used the Internet on a regular basis, even after the commercials had stopped airing on television, the public would watch the commercials and advertisements on Reebok. com. Reebok decided to make longer Terry Tate films, and after that marketing move, Reebok’s website became the ninth largest content provider on the Internet, streaming 1 terabyte of data per day and using 16 servers.R eebok. com was averaging 20 downloads per second and 20 million downloads to date. The Reebok online store increased and even began to sell Terry Tate bobble head dolls and shirts. We believe that traditional advertising was relied on heavily to launch the Terry Tate advertisements, but once the commercials became popular, the Internet was the predominant method of exposure. The Internet gave Reebok more freedom and versatility to really push the limits and make their audiences fall in love with the brand. Mickey Pant was able to air longer films of Terry Tate and sell Terry Tate merchandise from the online Reebok store.Not only did the Internet help Reebok develop the Terry Tate character, it also increased Reebok sales and brand awareness to the world. Question 5: Is this type of campaign capable of capturing the attention of the Gen. X consumer? Why, why not? We felt like this type of campaign was very capable of gaining the attention and respect from members of Generation X, bec ause of one general thought: it was something that they could easily identify with. This series of commercials showed instances that Gen Xers were familiar with and had some sort of emotional connection to.In many office cultures, it is considered very rude to do such things as, drink the last pot of coffee and not refill the coffee pot, or to fart when in a small elevator when there are other people in there; those were the norms that the Reebok ads sought to use. According to Rawson Thurber, the man who played Terry Tate, â€Å"(the popularity) has very little to do with football and a lot to do with how much people hate office culture† (Thurber, 10). To us, that meant that Gen Xers enjoyed the commercials so much, not because they were dedicated to the Reebok band, but because the commercials depicted things that they could easily identify with.Even though there were so many different things that could have gone wrong with this campaign, it went off without a hitch. Gen Xe rs were drawn into this series of commercials because they enjoyed Terry Tate so much: he was the person who punished those who didn’t obey the unspoken etiquette rules that office life comes with. When looking back on this campaign and its success, Mickey Pant, the chief marketing officer of Reebok, mused that the success of the campaign was, â€Å"that the campaign was hysterically funny and immediately generated a massive â€Å"buzz† and hype around Terry Tate and, by extension, Reebok† (Pant, 10).In essence, the campaign worked because Gen Xers loved the spokesperson of Reebok, and not because they had some sort of brand loyalty to Reebok as a whole. Overall, we believe that the digital revolution played a major role in getting Reebok’s name out there. Even though the ads never really had any major ties to Reebok, as a brand, it still helped generate revenue to Reebok, through their website.As a team, we feel like the Terry Tate ads wouldn’t ha ve been as successful if they were just present in print or even if they were destined to remain on TV. TV ads are vastly different than Internet ads because of the simple fact that TV ads cost a lot more to produce. As mentioned before, Reebok spent $4 million to show the Terry Tate commercials on TV; having commercials on the Internet cost much less. The digital revolution has made cheaper, more widespread advertising possible and more available to everyone.

Lego

Lego Lego is a line of plastic toys that can be constructed into specific sets, characters from movies or books, and anything you want it to be. The Lego Group started out in 1932 and today it's one of the world's leading toy companies, In 2016 alone, Lego made 12.4 billion dollars from only lego sets. Today they also have amusement parks with lego rides, stores, and statues made out of legos, such as a pirate ship, Hulkbuster, and Hulk. The man who started the lego group was known as Ole Kirk Kristiansen, who grew up with five brothers and five sisters. By the age of seven he was working for a local smallholder, then a few months later he began to work at a nearby farm. In the year 1903 he was apprenticed as a carpenter with his brother, and worked hard until 1911 when he completed his training. Ole Kirk Kristiansen buys Billund Maskinsnedkeri for DKK 10,000 when the area is just a bunch of small farms and store fronts. This factory manufactures doors, windows, kitchen cabinets, cupboards, coffins, chests of drawers, and tools for digging peat. They also contributed for larger projects, such as fixing farm machinery or constructing buildings, such as the local church. With this skill set and the help of a local architect, he built a new house for him, his wife, and his kids all while paying little to nothing.During the great economic crisis, Ole Kirk Kristiansen was still trying to sell carpentry, but almost nobody could afford his works, forcing him out of work. After that, his wife left him with 4 kids and no money to take care of them. To make easy money during the crisis, Ole Kirk Kristiansen began to make toys, first wooden cars, then airplanes and yoyos. After that he began to make ironing boards, ladders, and christmas tree stands. This did get him through the crisis, but he doesn't make any real profit and his family doesn't think his store is very important. Kristiansen asked his brothers and sisters to be guarantors for a loan that would secure his company's future, they asked him,† Can't you find something better to do?†Ole Kirk Kristiansen ended up having kids during the 1920s, but the kid who had the most effect on the family company was the third son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen. He was helping his dad in the shop when he was only four years old. He always said his first memory in there was when they turned on the glue heater, and some wood shavings caught fire and burned the whole place down. The reason Ole Kirk Kristiansen and Godtfred Kirk Christiansen have different beginnings to their names is because people pronounced the name with the â€Å"Ch† and when casually spelling out the name they would use the â€Å"Ch† as well. Ole Kirk Kristiansen never minded the confusion but Godtfred was bothered by it so he had it legally changed to Christiansen.After World War II, Ole Kirk Kristiansen noticed that a new material for making toys was becoming more and more popular; plastic. Plastic was less more malleable than wood and could be acquired easier. Ole Kirk Kristiansen and other Danish toy manufacturers attended a demonstration of an injection-moulding machine in June of 1946, and the machine impressed Kristiansen so he made an order for an injection-moulding machine for his own shop. Ole Kirk Kristiansen's sons, who were all involved in the family company at the time, collectively disagreed with their fathers decision to invest money into this new technology. They thought while plastic could be used to make prettier toys, wood was the better material because it was the stronger of the two. Their father argued that if they got it right; they could produce toys for the whole world.In 1949, the first of the plastic lego bricks had begun production. They were known as Automatic Binding Bricks, but in 1951, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen changed the name to LEGO Mursten, or LEGO Bricks to further spread popularity of LEGO.By 1953 the LEGO company was ready to go international, starting with the Nordic countries, such as Sweden and Iceland. After that they turned to Europe; starting with Germany. At the time, Germany was the world's epicenter of toy production. Godtfred Kirk Christiansen during this time often said, â€Å"If we can conquer Germany, we can conquer the world!† In the end they did get to the whole world, but it did take them a while. In 1961, LEGO finally licensed an American company which would begin to sell around the country and in Canada. Once LEGO began to make a name for itself across the entire world, other people and companies started competition with LEGO, giving them a hard time. In 1960. Godtfred Kirk Kristiansen laid down the company rule: following the crucial decision to concentrate all efforts into the LEGO system, saying â€Å"No one must be able to do this better than us.† He also outlines all of their development so far, like this,†We know our idea is a good one. We want only the best †¦ we must make better bricks from even better material on even better machinery. We must get the best people that money can buy for our company.† In 1962, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen's cousin, Dagny Holm, joined the company and showed a very immense potential for model building with a skilled eye that seemed like it could make anything out of those bricks. She made buildings, castles, animals, people, and furniture. Her skill attracted the public eye and inspired anybody who worked with the LEGO product, making the company's golden age. Godtfred Kirk Christiansen came up with the idea to use his cousin's skill to make a display of LEGO models and contacted a few friends to startup the first LEGOLand. Thousands of pounds of earth and vegetation were removed to make ever-changing landscapes in the Miniland. The final product included a train, puppet theater, Native American camp, driving school, neighborhood, windmill, and church, all created by Dagny Holm and her creative team. Within the year of the first LEGOland's opening, around 625,000 people visit it to see the models or play with the thousands of LEGO bricks around the property.The LEGO company continued to expand and grow until today, where it is still achieving new things and breaking records every day. Almost everybody grew up playing with legos, either building the sets that they sell, playing with friends or making their own creations just for fun. You can ask almost anyone and they can tell you a few memories they have of playing with legos, whether it's going to Legoland to stepping on them getting out of bed. Today LEGO makes things called Lego Sets. They are meant to be little figurines or models from real life, movies, books, TV shows, and video games. Some examples of these Lego Sets are: hospitals, The Millenium Falcon, Helms Deep, The Death Star, and Space Ships. These sets are sold in boxes, which contain bags of pieces, big and small. Some of the are just meant to be walls, but some of the pieces are doors, stairs, cups, and windows. The sets always have a different number of pieces, depending on the size of the set. Sometimes the piece count is 50, other times it is over 1000. The box also contains a book of instructions, telling the builder where to put the pieces and when to move to other parts. People use these sets for many things. Some people put them up for observation in their rooms, other people play with them until they break, and a very special few people wait several years until that specific set isn't sold anymore and they sell it for a big price.

Tools for E-Businesses Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tools for E-Businesses - Research Paper Example Since the first website appeared online, organizations, companies and institutions have gone on a rush. It is not enough to be on-line with a domain name and a simple website. A useful and well-designed website is an important factor to consider. Website statics are a major concern for the management who want to realize a return on investment for their money1. Despite the overrated chants for this new-age business concept that has suddenly become the goal of many commercial organizations, not much has changed in the traditional way of handling various business processes. E-business maintains the same principles of business operation as traditional commerce: people, both sellers and buyers, come together to exchange commodities and services over a network of computers. Ordering, buying, bidding, selling, customer services, inquiries and virtually all the business processes still uphold the underlying principles of commerce. E-commerce is a subset of the overall e-business strategy. It chiefly seeks to improve the buy-sell transaction activities in a business; as a result it increases the revenue. In a way e-commerce covers a range of on-line business activities for services and products, both businesses to customer and business to business on the Internet as a platform. E-commerce breaks the process of online business into showing the scope activities and information that is provided to the customer to conduct business and online shopping. Multiple and different functions go into the requirements of e-businesses. For instance, there are some basic functional necessities that cover the sort of specialized that perform the functions that run on the e-business mode. There are also other functions that cover the software and hardware requirements to carry out the same services. An analysis of how e-businesses verity credit, process an order and how they fulfill the order as well as how they verity shipments and all or any post sales process needs to be considered wh ile assessing the performance of an e-business. Functionality, both technical and non-technical, is fundamental for an e-business2. Technical functionality refers to the information processing capability of the e-business systems. It points to the server requirements, Internet speed requirement etc. These functional requirements are the foundations and platforms of the e-businesses. The nature that makes business processes virtual in e-business is supported by these systems. Many stakeholders control the entire system and as such an e-businesses smooth operation especially when operating online is controlled by many other people or organizations. Additionally, e-businesses need other functionality such as security, scalability and reliability to be in place. This may make or break a venture and essentially are what keeps any e-business venture in operation. Without security, performing reliable business functions will not be with trust on the end of the consumer. Consumer trust is v ital just like with a traditional store. Building consumer confidence in your system is in this case a good sign of growing business. Order processing needs the transaction processing and database information mining. Speed and efficiency are factors that are considered in evaluating the usability of a system supporting e-business. Payment methods include credit cards, electronic checking and digital cash.