The Roman People Were A Overly Proud And Highly Religious People, Whos

The Roman people were a overly proud and highly religious people, whose sense of identity as romans came primarily from their accomplishments in war and their respect of their ancestors. By examining Livy's The Early History of Rome, we can identify these traits through roman patterns of behavior and the foundation myths that their nation is built upon. The romans repeatedly display not only an overdeveloped personal sense of pride, but an exceptional pride in their nation - taking precedence over even family loyalty. The first example of this Roman pride is seen in the very first foundation myth of Rome, the tale of Romulus and Remus. The second of the two versions of this story tells how after the auspices have indicated Romulus as the rightful leader of this new nation, "Remus, by way of jeering at his brother, jumped over the half-built walls of the new settlement, whereupon Romulus killed him in a fit of rage, adding the threat, ?So perish whoever else shall overleap my battlements( P.40 Livy) .'" Not only do we see a foreshadowing of Rome's violent nature in this tale, but it seems to indicate a strong belief in the superiority of this ( barely existant ) nation, one that necessitates a national pride of greater magnitude than the even the strength of the loyalty between brothers. This kind of loyalty to country, as displayed by the Rome's founder, certainly sets a precendent for later roman citizens. Not surprisingly then, we see this same kind of pride with similar consequences later on following a battle between Rome and the Albans. The victory had been decided, not by a full scale war, but by a contest between three men from each country ( two sets of three brothers ). This contest left Rome victorious and five people dead - only one roman brother stood living. The victor returned to rome carrying the ?triple spoils' and,"slung across [ his ] shoulders was a cloak, and [ his sister ] recognized it as the cloak she had made with her own hand for her lover. The sight overcame her : she loosened her hair and, in a voice choked with tears, called her dead lovers name. That his sister should dare to grieve at the very moment of his own triumph and in the midst of national rejoicing filled horatius with such uncontrollable rage that he drew his sword and stabbed her to the heart( Livy 62)." Again we see the word "rage" used to describe this similarly extreme exhibition of extreme national pride. Back in the foundation myth of Romulus and Remus, we see another aspect of Roman pride. There is some indication that, In Livy's time, there was some suspicion that Greek infulence in Rome was detrimental to Roman society. Livy seems to emphasize the absence of any kind of formal schooling ( which would have been greek ) in the adolescence of both Romulus and Remus ( P.38 Livy ) The idea that Romulus in particular, was a self-made man, shows that Rome owes nothing to previous and other nations like Greece and so the pride of such a great nation is all theirs. There is plenty of evidence that Rome was always a highly religious nation. From even as early as the founding of the nation we see their dependance on auguries of the gods to make important decisions - namely the choice between Romulus and Remus as their leader. " As the brothers were twins and all question of seniority was thereby precluded, they determined to ask the tutelary gods of the countryside to declare by augury which of them should govern the new town once it was founded, and give his name to it ( p.40 Livy )." More than any one other aspect of Roman behavior, I feel that recognition and respect of the ways of their ancestors as the ways of ?True' Romans was the most primary source from which Romans defined there identity. This respect stemmed from oral tradition and early historians works that have not survived to us, but which Livy owes his knowledge. From the respect of great deeds that made their cultural history so worth of pride, came their habits of

Genomic Health Company Case Analysis Essay Example

Genomic Health Company Case Analysis Essay Example Genomic Health Company Case Analysis Essay Genomic Health Company Case Analysis Essay Genomic Health company was formed in the twelvemonth 2000 by among other peoples Randy Scott, who was one of the Key laminitiss of the company, it president and the CEO. The vision on which Genomic Health was found was to venture in new research countries in the field of biotechnology and cistron research with an purpose to do a discovery in new research findings that would enable individualized medical specialty that would turn to challenges faced in direction of chest malignant neoplastic disease. Earlier on Randy Scott, so as the co-founder of Incyte Corporation has resigned from that company after the board declined his petition to perpetrate Incyte Corporation resources in chase of individualized medical specialty research. After origin of Genomic Health Company, Randy Scott and his squad of five other people who shared same vision and were passionate about revolutionising health care began seriously researching on this field from where he had left during his clip at Incyte Corporation. After 3 old ages of research and a cost of $ 30 million, the company come up with the first of its sort Oncotype DXtm, a merchandise that would enable to find the chance of return of chest malignant neoplastic disease among patient and hence provide patients with informed picks on whether to take up chemotherapy intervention after surgery based on their cistron make-up. : The fact that Genomic Health was able to establish such a radical merchandise within a short frame of clip can be attributed to the Randy Scotts leading, squad vision, handiness of fiscal resources and the wealth of experience and cognition from the squad members. Randy Scott holding undertaken initial research in the country during his clip at Incyte Corporation meant he has overcome the initial dentition jobs that would hold been associated with the early phases of the research. After Co-founding Genomic Health with fellow research workers Joffre Baker and Steve Shark who were at the clip working at another company Genentech, that besides carried research in the countries of chest malignant neoplastic disease. Randy Scott embarked on enrolling two other research workers every bit qualified and experienced. It is this combination of this squad abilities and experience that united to do it possible for Genomic Health to come up with Oncotype DXtm, a merchandise that proved more effectual than was ab initio thought during it pilot clinical tests among instances. It provided the ability of wellness practicians for the first clip to find with a immense significance degree if breast malignant neoplastic disease return was likely to happen among patients. Besides Randy Scott has at the clip construct up and compiled a database of resource on cistron research country that was really helpful at the clip of research. But after the impressive pilot consequences of Oncotype DXtm merchandise that was really convincing, Genomic Health faced a challenge on how best to present the their diagnostic testing in the market at low monetary value, that would enable market incursion and at the same clip warrant return on the dearly-won research procedure at a sensible clip frame. In visible radiation of other viing diagnostic merchandises that were low priced and which were favored by the medical practicians, Randy Scott and the squad knew that Oncotype DXtm merchandise would turn out difficult introducing and take clip before it could be widely used. Furthermore Oncotype DXtm was a new merchandise that was unknown non merely to the medical fraternity but besides to the population at big who would be the consumers. Possibly it with this bow sight that has made Randy Scott to enroll Pat Terry to concentrate on Cancer protagonism community, but even this was non plenty to turn to these market topographic point challenges. In about the same clip the authorities Torahs that regulated and licensed the nosologies merchandises were amended to let merchandises in the market that met and provided grounds of partial tests. This in consequence aggravated constellating in market topographic point of diagnostic merchandises that were non needfully effectual but which handiness and use by the medical forces was pegged on their low cost. Other challenges that faced Genomic Health was the demand to transport out more clinical tests in order to to the full formalize the consequences and ability of Oncotype DXtm merchandise to foretell chest malignant neoplastic disease return, but clinical tests required clip and committedness of extra resources. In pricing of the Oncotype DXtm merchandise the quandary was in striking the right balance instead than hazard low pricing that would compromise return on investing, or high pricing that would close off most of the possible consumers. Another country was in reimbursement of the use of the Oncotype DXtm merchandise by the insurance companies who harmonizing to the market studies indicated would lend to 75 % of all income at Genomic Health. It was indispensable that this concern be addressed due to miss of clear guidelines on the country on what happens when the companies or the patients defaults on payment. Having looked at all the challenges that faced the launch of Oncotype DXtm it is clear that even with more studies being carried out in each country to turn to each challenge would non needfully supply unfailing grounds or complete informations of how the market topographic point will act one time Oncotype DXtm was launched nor will all the parametric quantities that dictate success or failure of the Genomic Health foremost of all time merchandise in the market topographic point, Oncotype DXtm determine if it will win or neglect. It is my belief that the lone manner forward of finding how the market will act is through the launch of Oncotype DXtm and thenceforth reference all other concerns and challenges as they come through consumer feedback, monitoring of merchandise success, rating of patients and continued betterment of the merchandise to turn to other factors that were had non been foreseen.

The Nature and Effects of the Emergence of 'Globalisation' as a Essay

The Nature and Effects of the Emergence of 'Globalisation' as a Feature of the World Economy over the Last 30 Years - Essay Example So what does globalization really mean to the overall world economies in general and what are the real reasons for the increased expansion and global integration of the financial and the general goods and service markets? The concept of globalization is not a new one, with individuals, from scholars, politicians and economists having different viewpoints as to the reasons for globalization as well as the positive and negative consequences of increased economic and industrial integration. Even during the 1960’s and 70’s multinational corporations started to shift their long term operational focus from a domestic to a global operational infrastructure (Colander, 2002).The were a lot of reasons that contributed to the paradigm shift that help drive the globalization of our manufacturing and service infrastructures as well as our financial and monetary systems. Advances in transportation methods such as cheaper air transport made it economically feasible for corporations to transport goods quite quickly and affordably. Starting in the 1980’s, the personal computer has created a revolution in the way business and individuals interact with each other and it has provided cheaper data processing and storage costs. It has increased worker productivity and operational efficiency for all businesses in general. Coupled with the advent of the internet the computer with its inherent functionality of quickly being able to share technical information, ideas and the ability for a team of individuals to be able to cooperate and share information, solutions and ideas seamlessly from different corners of the world has simply revolutionized the way we do business, especially with the wider availability of broadband services starting in the 1990’s (Emilian, Marcel, Hurduzeu, Vlad, 2011). The computer age, technological and communication advances have allowed multinational corporations and nations to expand their economies to more easily integrate themselv es to the global trade and financial markets therefore benefiting from increased economic prosperity for many previously underdeveloped economies. The increased trade has allowed unprecedented levels of economic growth for many of the countries that have successfully positioned themselves in the global arena (Imf, 2008). The ability for a company to choose to operate out of any country is a very important aspect of globalization, where an organization can choose among many nations to source its materials, manufacturing and headquarters and therefore has shifted the industrial operational structure towards one driven by efficiency and profitability instead of national barriers. The nullification of previous import tariffs and general protectionism previously played by many countries has played an important part in the globalization of economic trade by decreasing the amount of tariffs and other obstacles in the international trade of goods and services. It has become a driving factor in the advent of economic and financial globalization. The minimization of trade barriers was created with the idea of optimizing trade, financial flows and providing the maximum level of opportunity for economic benefits to the participating corporations and international economies in a bid to drive a general economic shift to a more fully integrated globalize trade

Why are Oligopolies Tempted to Collude Even if it Means Breaking the Essay

Why are Oligopolies Tempted to Collude Even if it Means Breaking the Law - Essay Example A firm achieves maximum profits when it operates where its marginal revenue equals marginal cost (MC=MR). However, it is mostly not as easy as a question of operating at this point; the more competition the firm faces, the lesser it will be able to manipulate the consumers for its own economic gain (Sloman and Wride, 2009). The two extremes in market structures are (i) Perfect Competition and (ii) Monopoly. However, in real life, firms often operate somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. Such market structures are characterized by Imperfect Competition. There are two main kinds of markets that practice imperfect competition: (i) Monopolistic Competition and (ii) Oligopolies. Some famous oligopolistic firms are Pepsi, Coke, Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Nintendo (Sloman and Wride, 2009). In an oligopoly, the number of competitors is less and limited and there are high barriers which prevent frequent entry of new firms into the market. Barriers of entry may be created in the form of brand names, sunk costs, firm size, economies of scale, and large firm advantage (Boyes and Melvin, 2009). Competition between firms in an oligopolistic market is high and intense, it sometimes leads to price wars which become extremely detrimental for their effective functioning. In other instances, these firms choose to collude amongst themselves to minimize the downsides of operating in an oligopolistic market and to simultaneously maximize their profits. The products these firms make can either be differentiated or homogenous. Depending on the product type, there emerge two distinct kinds of oligopolies: pure oligopolies which produce homogenous products, for example the steel industry. Sometimes, however, an oligopoly may produce differentiated products; such oligopolies are called impure oligopolies. An example of such an oligopoly would be the automobile industry. The demand curve for both types of oligopolistic firms is downward sloping and fairly inelastic, there is also a degree of dependency on the reactions of competitor firms to price changes. Another key feature is mutual interdependence, which means that each firm is affected by the actions of its competitors and thus, whenever any firm is going to take an action, it does so with its competitors’ possible reactions in mind. Due to these circumstances there is a high degree of uncertainty in an oligopolistic industry because firms can never accurately predict how exactly their competitors will react to their actions and this any sort of action involves an inherent degree of risk (Sloman and Wride, 2009). In oligopolistic markets, there is price rigidity because setting product price is not at one firm discretion but a decision in which all firms are factored in. If one firm lowers price below market price, this can cause a price war where all firms start lowering their prices to match the initial decrease and this will continue and form a vicious downward price spiral. However, if one fir m raises its price above set market price, no other firm will raise its price to match it and the firm who raised prices will lose out as all its customers will shift to competitor firms who have the old, lower price (Bhaskar, 2007). Thus, in an oligopolistic market, prices mostly remain rigid and are not often seen increasing or decreasing as the prices in a perfectly competitive market that respond to the dynamic demand and supply levels. Therefore, the demand curve faces a kink at the existing market price level and market price will not change for small changes in production cost etc. (Sen, 2004). This is shown in the diagram below:

Tim Hortons Company Analysis Essay Example for Free

Tim Hortons Company Analysis Essay The Tim Hortons chain was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario. The chains focus on top quality, always fresh product, value, great service and community leadership has allowed it to grow into the largest quick service restaurant chain in Canada specializing in always fresh coffee, baked goods and home style lunches. The first Tim Hortons restaurants offered only two products coffee and donuts. The selection of donuts to enjoy was highlighted by two original Tim Hortons creations, the Apple Fritter and the Dutchie. They became the most popular donut choices in the 60s, and remain two of the most popular today. But as consumer tastes grew, so did the choices at Tim Hortons. The biggest change in the chains product focus took place in 1976 with the introduction of the phenomenally successful Timbit (bite-sized donut hole), today available in over 35 different varieties. The chains growth into the 1980s brought about a whole series of new product introductions: muffins (1981), cakes (1981), pies (1982), croissants (1983), cookies (1984), and soups ;amp; chili (1985). Sandwiches, which were originally introduced in 1993, were re-introduced as a new and improved line-up of 6 varieties, called Tims Own, in 1998. Also, in the 1990s, bagels (1996), flavoured cappuccino (1997), Cafe Mocha (1999) and Iced Cappuccino (1999) were introduced. In 2003, the Turkey Bacon Club sandwich and Maple Pecan Danish were successful menu additions. In 2005 Tim Hortons introduced, Yogurt amp; Berries, Cinnamon Roll and Hot Smoothee to the menu. Many new great products were added to the menu in 2006 such as the Chicken Salad Wrap and the hot Breakfast Sandwich (eggs, sausage or bacon, processed cheese on a toasted home style biscuit). The chains biggest drawing card remains its legendary Tim Hortons coffee. To ensure the coffee is always fresh, Tim Hortons serves its coffee within 20 minutes of being brewed or its not served at all. The premium blend is also available in cans, as are Tim Hortons hot chocolate and flavoured cappuccinos, allowing guests to enjoy these great tasting products at home. GLOBAL RESTAURANT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT The first Tim Hortons restaurant was opened in 1964 by Tim Horton, a National Hockey League All-Star defenseman. In 1967, Tim Horton and Ron Joyce, then the operator of 3 Tim Hortons restaurants, became partners and together they opened 37 restaurants over the next 7 years until Tim Horton’s death in 1974. Mr. Joyce became the sole owner in 1975. In the early 1990s, Tim Hortons and Wendy’s, now owned by The Wendy’s Company (â€Å"Wendy’s†), entered into a partnership to develop real estate and combination restaurant sites with Wendy’s and Tim Hortons restaurants under the same roof in North America. In 1995, Wendy’s purchased Mr. Joyce’s interest in the Tim Hortons system and incorporated the company known as Tim Hortons Inc. , a Delaware corporation (â€Å"THI USA†), as a wholly owned subsidiary. In 2006, Tim Hortons became a standalone public company pursuant to an initial public offering and a subsequent spin-off of its common stock to Wendy’s stockholders through a stock dividend on September 29, 2006. Tim Hortons restaurants operate in a variety of formats. Tim Hortons’ standard restaurant locations typically range from 1,000 to 3,080 square feet. The non-standard restaurant locations include small, full-service restaurants; self-serve kiosks, typically with a limited product offering, in offices, hospitals, colleges, airports, grocery stores, gas and other convenience locations; drive-thru-only units on smaller pieces of property; and full-serve locations in sports arenas and stadiums that operate only during on-site events. Also Tim Hortons developed co-branded locations in its restaurant system. Tim Hortons is party to an agreement with Kahala Franchise Corp. the franchisor of the Cold Stone Creamery brand, pursuant to which Tim Hortons has exclusive development rights in Canada. Tim Hortons is also party to an agreement with Kahala Franchising, L. L. C. in the U. S. , pursuant to which Tim Hortons has the right to use the Cold Stone Creamery trademarks in specified locations in the U. S. The development process for each standard restaurant location typically takes 12 to 18 months. Development of non-standard restaurants an d self-serve kiosks usually requires much less time. Tim Hortons typically oversee and direct all aspects of restaurant development for system restaurants, from an initial review of a location’s demographics, site access, visibility, traffic counts, mix of residential/retail/commercial surroundings, competitive activity, and proposed rental/ownership structure, to considerations of the performance of nearby Tim Hortons locations, projections of the selected location’s ability to meet financial return targets, restaurant owner identification, and physical land development and restaurant design and construction costs. As at December 30, 2012, the number of Tim Hortons restaurants across Canada, both standard and non-standard locations, which for this purpose includes self-serve kiosks, totalled 3,436. Standard restaurants constitute approximately 71. 4% of this total. In the U. S. , Tim Hortons has a regional presence with 804 restaurants, including self-serve kiosks, in 13 states, concentrated in the Northeast in New York and Maine, and in the Midwest in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania with standard full-serve restaurants representing approximately 59. % of all U. S. restaurants. Notably, Tim Hortons owns, rather than leases, the land underlying a higher percentage of standard system restaurants in the U. S. than in Canada. Restaurant owners operated substantially all of Tim Hortons restaurants both in the CANADA and U. S Recently Tim Hortons has granted a master license to Apparel in the GCC States of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, which is primarily a royalty-based m odel, together with ongoing supply chain margin and an upfront license fee. Apparel is responsible for capital spending, real estate development, operations, distribution and marketing. At the end of 2012, there were also 190 and 55 Tim Hortons kiosks in the Republic of Ireland and United Kingdom, respectively, which generally offer self-serve premium coffee, tea, specialty hot beverages and a selection of donuts and muffins at gas and other convenience locations. DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM Tim Hortons distribute items to its restaurants through 5 distribution centres located in Langley, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Kingston, Ontario; Guelph, Ontario; and Debert, Nova Scotia. The Guelph and the Kingston facilities distribute frozen, refrigerated and shelf-stable products and dried goods to restaurants in our Ontario and Quebec markets. Under the franchise arrangements, each Canadian restaurant owner is required to purchase substantially all food and other products, such as coffee, sugar, and restaurant supplies, from Tim Hortons or it designated suppliers and distributors. Canadian and U. S. restaurant owners and international licensee are also required to purchase par-baked Maidstone Bakeries products from either Tim Hortons or an outside distributor, depending upon the restaurant location. Tim Hortons own or lease a significant number of trucks and trailers that regularly deliver to most of its Canadian restaurants. Tim Hortons uses third-party distributors to deliver all products to U. S. restaurants and to deliver to certain limited geographic areas of Canada. The international licensee, Apparel, is responsible for local delivery of all products in its market in the GCC through the use of third-party distributors. BUSINESS MODEL Tim Hortoms primary business model is to identify potential restaurant locations, develop suitable sites, and make these new restaurants available to approved restaurant owners. As at December 30, 2012, restaurant owners operated 99. 5% of Tim Hortons’ system wide restaurants. Tim Hortons directly own and operate (without restaurant owners) only a small number of company restaurants in Canada and the U. S. Tim Horton also have warehouse and distribution operations that supply paper and dry goods to a substantial majority of its Canadian restaurants, and supply frozen baked goods and some refrigerated products to most of its Ontario restaurants and Quebec restaurants. In the U. S. , Tim Hortons supply similar products to system restaurants through third-party distributors. Tim Hortons’ operations also include coffee roasting plants in Rochester, New York, and Hamilton, Ontario, and a fondant and fills manufacturing facility in Oakville, Ontario. These vertically integrated manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution capabilities benefit Tim Hortons’ restaurant owners and are important elements of Tim Hortons business model which allow it to: improve product quality and consistency; protect proprietary interests; facilitate the expansion of our product offerings; control availability and timely delivery of products; provide economies of scale and labour efficiencies; and generate additional sources of income and financial returns. Tim Hortons have a unique, layered business model that adds to the scale and success of its system. First, franchising takes account of more than 99% of Tim Hortons’ restaurant system. Tim Hortons have a long-standing history of building positive relationships and collaborating with its restaurant owners to grow collective business. Restaurant owners typically operate an average of 3 to 4 restaurants and have a significant stake in the success of the restaurants they operate. Second, Tim Hortons maintains a controlling interest in a significant majority of the real estate in the full-serve restaurant system in North America to maintain brand integrity and control development. Third, Tim Hortons operates with a â€Å"we fit anywhere† concept that allows it to adapt brand presence to take advantage of both standard and non-standard development opportunities. Fourth, Tim Hortons leverages significant levels of vertical integration that exist in the system. MANUFATURING Tim Hortons has 2 wholly owned coffee roasting facilities in Rochester, New York and Hamilton, Ontario, to blend all of the coffee for restaurants. Tim Hortons also own a facility that produces fondants, fills, and ready-to-use glaze, which are used in connection with a number of the products produced in its Always Fresh baking system. Until October 2010, Tim Hortons owned a 50% joint-venture interest in Maidstone Bakeries. Maidstone Bakeries continues to manufacture and supply all par-baked donuts, Timbits and selected breads, following traditional Tim Hortons recipes, as well as European pastries, including Danishes, croissants, and puff pastry. Those products are partially baked and then flash frozen and delivered to system restaurants, most of which have an Always Fresh oven with the Company’s proprietary technology. The restaurant completes the baking process with this oven and adds final finishing such as glazing and fondant, allowing the product to be served warm to the guest within a few minutes of baking. The Company sold its 50% joint-venture interest in Maidstone Bakeries to its former joint-venture partner, Aryzta, for gross cash proceeds of $475 million in October 2010. For additional information regarding Maidstone Bakeries, see â€Å"Source and Availability of Raw Materials† below. TIM HORTONS IN U. S We continued to focus on accelerating the time it takes to create critical mass for convenience and advertising scale in our most developed U. S. markets, primarily through deployment of the substantial majority of our U. S. restaurant development capital into core growth markets to increase awareness of the brand. We also continued to seek other marketing means, such as community involvement, sponsorships, event site product agreements and other forms of communication, to supplement traditional advertising to reinforce our brand position with guests and to broaden our brand awareness as a Cafe and Bake Shop destination; and sought to complement our U. S. standard format restaurant development activity with non-standard formats and locations through strategic partnerships and relationships. In 1995, Tim Hortons merged with Wendys International, Inc. giving new focus and impetus to the expansion of the Tim Hortons concept in the United States. Tim Hortons locations can presently be found in Michigan, Maine, Connecticut, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York, with responsible expansion continuing in these core markets. The Canadian operation is 95% franchise owned and operated, and plans in the U. S. call for the same key strategy to be implemented as expansion progresses. Currently, there are more than 3,000 restaurants across Canada, and over 600 locations in the United States. In March 2006, Tim Hortons completed an initial public offering of the company and was fully spun off as a separate company as of September 29, 2006. Tim Hortons trades on the NYSE and TSX (THI). As one of the largest publicly traded quick service restaurant chain in North America based on market capitalization, and the largest in Canada, Tim Hortons has 4,264 system wide restaurants, including 3,436 in Canada, 804 in the United States and 24 in the Gulf Cooperation Council as of December 30th, 2012. Since the early 1990s, Tim Hortons and Wendy’s formed a partnership, owned on a 50/50 basis, and jointly developed the real estate underlying â€Å"combination restaurants† in Canada that offer Tim Hortons and Wendy’s products at the same location, typically with separate restaurant owners operating the Tim Hortons and the Wendy’s portions of the restaurant. The combination restaurants have separate drive-thrus, if the site allows for drive-thrus, but share a common

The Importance of Celtic Culture in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Ess

The Importance of Celtic Culture in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, one can discover a variety of reasons why the Green Knight is indeed green.   Some can be found in open text while others one has to search for.   There is possibly another aspect involved in the holly leaf he carries in his first appearance.   The deeper aspect of the Green Knight is how he ties into the beliefs and culture of the Celts.    The most obvious reason why the green knight is green are stated throughout his introduction.   "Fellow, and his hands were green, and his face.   And his armor, and his shirt, were green, all green...everything about him was elegant green" (line 150-55,66). Every piece of clothing that the Green Knight is in is green.   His skin color was green and he was elegantly dressed in all of it. This gigantic man was the total opposite of Arthur's Knights.   They were smaller and clean-.   The Green Knight had a manly beard to symbolize Celtic culture.   He rides in on his great green horse!   "He seemed half an ogre, a giant, but clearly the biggest creature in the world" (line 141-42). The most frightening thing any of the Knights of Camelot could ever see.   The combined aspect of being green and a giant to the knights is what makes him so frightening.    Not only the great knight is green but his horse too!   "It was carved with lovely green symbols...what it meant that a knight and his horse could have such a color, could grow as green as grass, or greener!" (lines 216 233-235).  Ã‚   Today in many cultures "different" people are always striking fear into people. He is dressed in all green with his Celtic symbols surrounding him.   If any man represented their religion to the fullest i... ...re not worthy to fight him.   They don't have any beards and in his religion would be considered feeble and unrespectable.   He demonstrates his strength the entire scene he is talking with Arthur and his knights.    The Green Knight is the perfect representation of the Celtic culture   He is protected by his Celtic magic from the holly branch and the power of the god Cernunnos.   This enables him to be strong in his own beliefs and to challenge the Christian Knights.   The author created the Green Knight based on factors that all lead up to the perfect representation of the Celtic people.    Works Cited    "Coverage of Youth Crime Promotes Fear, Study Says."   (Online) Available   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.childrennow.org/newsroom/news-01/cam-ra-4-10-01.htm. 1 Dec. 2001. Wood, Juliette.   The Celts   New York: Duncan Baird Publishers, 1998.   

Bladerunner †Humanity and Nature Essay

The central theme of Bladerunner is the relationship between humanity and nature. More specifically it has a purpose in showing how science can negatively influence this fragile relationship. Set in Los Angeles of 2019 we see the decadence of western society into an inhumane harsh impersonal, technology-dominated realm. The inhabitants who fight for their daily survival are in desperate want for nature, contact with which is denied to them by the unrestricted scientific progress and the consequent exploitation of the natural world conducted for the sole purpose of profit. Humanity is also losing touch with it’s own nature. The compassion, the empathy, the love and the emotion are all rare or absent. This ailing relationship between humanity and nature is conveyed through the means of scene setting, dialogue, plot, camera techniques and other film features. All these elements of cinematography synthesise to create an effective portrayal of the unifying theme. In Bladerunner the most prominent element of cinematography is mise en scene. It generates a context for the film and therefore makes the plot and themes acceptable. To set an appropriate scene different variables need to be controlled. These variables include location, props, lighting and colour. In general the location of the plot is in the vast urban canyons of 2019 LA. The imposing dark buildings, the dirty fog, perpetual rain and the crowded dark streets devoid of vegetation make up the backdrop of most scenes. All this is filmed in dark lighting, which complements the effect produced by the fog in obscuring the living details. From this the responder acknowledges the deterioration of society, the harsh conditions that the humans are subjected to and the way the human spirit itself is progressively destroyed under such conditions. Filming such a location at night provides the director with the opportunity to use chiaroscuro (a technique of strong contrast) to further convey the dominance of technology over humanity. For example in outdoor scenes the garish flickering neons are obtrusively visible but they fail to illuminate the obscure, dark, fogged surroundings, including the multitudes of faceless people. The prominent visibility of artificial things over human presence together with the qualities of the location indicates the degradation of human life under the rule of science. The clothing worn by characters is an important choice made as part of setting the scene. Most of the street people wear hooded dark clothing covering their whole body. This is possibly to protect them from the rain but it also hides their faces and their eyes from the camera and from us, creating an impersonal atmosphere in conjunction with the harshness of the surroundings. We get a feeling that everyone hides from everyone else and human interpersonal interaction is limited to the bare necessity. Sometimes the style of clothing worn by characters tells us something about the characters themselves. For example the trenchcoat style garments worn by Deckard are a throwback to the ? 20s and ? 30s detective genre in film, and the responder instantly sees Deckard as such. There are times when the clothing worn gives us an insight into the themes of the film. When we first see meet Racheal (and we think she is a human), her outfit with geometric â€Å"power dressing† shape, the black hues and the perfect hair create an impression of power and efficiency, qualities that are valued in androids. The next time we meet her we see her in a fur coat and underneath, a soft white blouse. Then when she lets her hair down the transformation is complete. By now we know that she is a replicant and for a replicant to be so human is ironic when the ? real’ humans don’t show such qualities. This irony elucidates the deteriorated nature of humanity very effectively. The film is not only able to show the way humanity has lost contact with nature but also how much they appreciate and want it back in their society. The unicorn dream-scene conveys this effectively. The soft back lighting, the low tonal contrast, the colour and the lush vegetation create a setting that is very different to the usual scenes. It is contrasted with real world to further reinforce the lack of nature in society. The short length of the scene, and the fact that the scene is only Deckard’s dream, conveys the elusiveness of nature and shows us that humans still ? dream’ of having the presence of nature back in their world-weary lives. Another method used by the cinematographers to show the want for nature is through the presence of artificial animals. While the artificiality of the animals shows the destruction of nature the way humans still keep them as pets conveys their yearning to bring back nature. The decay of human spirit is also shown through the dialogue. In Bladerunner the scarcity of the dialogue itself potrays the lack of human interaction and consequently the lack of empathy or emotion. Characters only speak when it is necessary for their own survival and comfort but not for the sake of emotional involvement. However, the replicant slaves, who supposedly feel no emotion, interact more sensitively with each other. This irony again has the effect of showing the dehumanisation suffered by this society. The absence of nature and the way society deals with this is revealed through the way they refer to nature. For example at Tyrell’s office Decker asks Racheal if the owl is artificial, to which she replies â€Å"of course it is. † A similar conversation that occurs later between Salome (Zhora) and Decker about artificial snakes, further reinforcing the sad truth. Another common literary language feature that is used in Bladerunner is symbolism. The film is filled with visual symbolic codes. The unicorn, a mythical creature, which, according to myth, is a fragile and elusive being of beauty known for its rarity. In the film it symbolises the rarity of nature and it’s beauty and fragility. There are other symbols that signify the elusive presence of nature in human life. One is the unnaturally weak and indistinct sun. The sun is the source of all life on earth and nature’s sustaining energy. The weakened presence of the sun is possibly due to the fog but the importance lies not in the cause of the weakness. The dim sun is an indication that nature is being destroyed or is already destroyed. Another symbol is the motif of the human eye. Close to the beginning of the film we are presented with an ECU of Holden’s eye reflecting bursts of flame. The fiery human spirit. The motif carries on throughout the film, the close up of eyes during the Voigt-Kampff tests, Mr Chew’s eye shop, the glowing eyes of the owl and the gruesome death of Tyrell. In many cases we encounter human figures whose eyes are hidden. The important example is Tyrell whose eyes are hidden by the thick glasses, but this is also true for the â€Å"little people† or the street people. If the eyes symbolise the human spirit then it is also true that the concealment of the eyes represent the destruction of this spirit. The characters and the way they respond to events in the plot is the most significant way through which the creators of the film express their concerns about the relationship between humanity and nature. It is through the characters and the way they are influenced by the society in which they live that the audience are able to receive the majority of information about that society. To make up a character the director (Ridley Scott) has to synthesis the acting, the physical qualities of the actors, the costume, the lighting and the camera work. Harrison Ford plays Deckard; a Detective who is forced to put up in insensitive wall around him so as to carry out his job properly, but with the help of Racheal and Batty his soul comes through. The seriousness, the no-nonsense speech and the mechanical execution of his tasks all contribute to this image of a tough guy cop. It is also sad to see that he is forces hide his emotions and sentiments for the sake of survival in this harsh world. By the end of the film we sense that if Batty and Racheal had not saved him his spirit would have been lost under the pressure. Rutger Hauer has possibly the most appropriate natural qualities to play Roy Batty (robot? ). The ? Aryan look’, a western cultural assumption of superiority and the Swedish accent with the concise overtones which is particularly effective in a quiet voice make him the perfect super/sub-human replicant. To enhance the effect the hair is died white, his body and face is always lit up to prominence, and almost always the image is shot from underneath making him look surrealistically handsome and at the same time imposing. However the way he responds to the events in the plot show that he has more ? humanity’ in him that the people who consider themselves human. The most memorable instance is they way he moaned for the death of Pris. He is not ashamed to return to the most basic instinct of openly showing emotion. This beautiful scene along with other such human responses from a replicant serves to convey the suppression of human nature in the society. Rachael is played by Sean Young as the replicant who doesn’t know she is an android. The character’s function is similar to that of Batty. To show the deterioration of everything ? human’ in the world of 2019. Her transformation itself carries the message. When she thought she was a human her conduct was much like a robot; the emotionless soulless state of mind everyone is in. But once she begins to realise that she is replicant her appearance becomes increasingly ? human’. This humanisation is portrayed through the use of costumes, the use of varying light and the use of ECU. Tyrell is the other character who has an important function in conveying the themes. Genuinely lacking emotions or empathy, his main objective is the profit margin. He is part of the corporate dictatorship that has suppressed the spirit of the people and destroyed the natural world. His character is the total antitheses of Batty. The overconfidence in his intelligence, the impersonal way in which he addresses other characters, the opulent surrounding in which he lives show him as powerful tyrant. The irony is that he holds the status of God when he is not even fit to be a human. Thus through the development of characters and their response to the events of the plot, Ridley Scott and the actors communicate the way relationship between humanity and nature has evolved (deteriorated) into the world of 2019 LA. In effect all the techniques mentioned above portray a society of individuals who are weary of the world they live in. They are rejects who lead a pitiful existence in a wasteland called earth because they are not fit enough to go the out-world colonies. Suppressing their own natural instincts for the sake of physically surviving they really the walking dead. Scientific progress conducted not for the best interests of humanity but for the best interests of business has effectively brought about the progressive degradation of society. By exploiting and destroying the natural world human can no more find solace or beauty so as to recuperate their weary minds and rekindle their dying spirits. In summary the techniques that are unique to film such as camera, lighting, costuming, colour and location works in conjunction with common literary techniques such as visual symbolism, irony and characterisation to effectively convey the relationship between humanity and nature.