Frankenstein - The Humanity of the Monster Essay -- Frankenstein essay

Frankenstein - The Humanity of the Monster      Ã‚  Ã‚   Sometimes, in novels like Frankenstein, the motives of the author are unclear.   It is clear however, that one of the many themes Mary Shelley presents is the humanity of Victor Frankenstein's creation.   Although she presents evidence in both support and opposition to the creation's humanity, it is apparent that this being is indeed human.   His humanity is not only witnessed in his physical being, but in his intellectual and emotional thoughts as well.   His humanity is argued by the fact that being human does not mean coming from a specific genetic chain and having family to relate to, but to embrace many of the distinct traits that set humans apart from other animals in this world.   In fact, calling Victor's creation a `monster' doesn't support the argument that he is human, so for the sake of this case, his name shall be Phil.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Though Victor ends up abhorring Phil, it is important to understand his motives of creation.   When Frankenstein discovers the power to bestow life, he ponders whether he should attempt creation of a being like himself or one of simpler organization (81).   He ultimately decides on creating a man--a human life form.   He did make the frame of a larger size, however the structure was designed in the same fashion as that of man.   Victor even professes to have selected Phil's traits as beautiful, with proportionate limbs and parts in which he endeavored to form with such pain and care (85).         Ã‚  Ã‚   Once Phil is endowed with life, during the first days of his existence, he ambles into the forests near Ingolstadt.   Though not to the same degree as man, here he feels pain, hunger, and the sensations of temperatur... ... Phil, because he was giving no name.   He was either addressed as "monster" or "daemon."   The name `Phil' was given to the monster in order to argue his humanity, just as Shelley made the monster articulate and intelligent, caring and benevolent so that his humanity could be argued in the first place.  Ã‚      "I imagined they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle demeanor and conciliation of words, I should first win their favor, then afterwards their love."   (*Milton, John. Paradise Lost.   In Shelly 294-96.)    Works Cited    Milton, John.   Paradise Lost.   In Shelly, Mary. Frankenstein.   N.P.: Broadview., 1999. P249-296. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. Broadview.   1999. "Wolf Logs February 1-28, 2002"International Wolf Center. 26 Feb.2002.  Ã‚   http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/8388/wolf.html  Ã‚  Ã‚     

How Cultural Environment Impacts the Marketing

How cultural environment impacts the marketing Culture Culture as described by Herks, M. cited by Rai University (n. d) â€Å"culture may be viewed as the sum total of man’s knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, loves, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society†. It is the totality way of life for a man. The other definition by Hofstede (1980) cited by Jones, D. & McCarthy, J. (2004) states that â€Å"culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguished the member of one human group from another†. Culture can be different from one group to another and can distinguish the way of living of the human from such groups. As different societies have different cultures as believes and values, these eventually shapes the people living and growing in that society (Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. 2008). A culture of a certain society for example can shape the way of clothing for that society. People growing and living in that society will have a belief and value on the certain type of clothing. A Masai tribe from the northern part of Tanzania for example maintains their culture of wearing, where they wear a single peace of red or blue drafted sheet by wrapping it around their whole body. Marketing According to Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. (2008) marketing can be defined as â€Å"the process by which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return†. Marketing involves identify and satisfying customer needs and hence building strong relationship with such customers. Norris, B. 2006) describe marketing as a process of analyzing and identifying potentials buyers, attracting potential buyers, convincing or persuading them to accept and buy the products. Cultural impact on marketing As already described on the above paragraphs, cultural environment shape the way people do things which in turn has an effect on the marketing activities. Let’s take clothing as a case to analyze the impact of culture on marketing. Culture has a big influence on types of clothing that are used by different societies. The people in India have their specific type of clothing that has been built from their culture. If as well we look at Muslims societies, Chinese societies, the Masai societies, they all have their type of clothing that they believe in and have been adopting for years which is different from one another. It is imperative that marketers understanding these cultural environment before starting to conduct their marketing activities. According to Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. (2008), marketers â€Å"needs to predict the cultural shift in order to spot new opportunities or threats†. This implies that there need to be an understanding of the existing culture that can help in predicting the shift. If for example a company producing shirts and trousers intend to extend its market to the masai region, it will need an intensive effort to persuade the people in masai region to abandon their culture and accept the new product. Marketers in this case may face great criticisms and oppositions from those who are supposed to be the potential buyers. On the hand it would take less effort to market same products in areas where there are cultural shift or no cultural restrictions on types of clothing. Reference: Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. (2008) ‘Principal of Marketing’ 12th Edn. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Norris, B. 2006) ‘What is Marketing? ’ [online] available from: http://www. briannorris. com/whatismarketing. html (accessed June 1, 2008) Jones, D. & McCarthy, J. (2004) ‘A model for Assessing Cultural Impacts on International Buyer-Seller Relationships for Key Accounts of Hotel Companies’ vol 28-425, [online] available from: http://jht. sagepub. com/cgi/reprint/28/4/425 (accessed June 1, 2008). Rai University (n. d), ‘lesson 8: Cultural environment and its Impact on International Marketing’, [online] available from: http://www. rocw. raifoundation. org/management/bba/InternationalMarketing/lecture-notes/lecture-08. pdf (accessed June 1, 2008).

The Scarlet Letter Plot Summary

The Scarlet Letter is an 1850 novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne set in Boston, then the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in the mid-17th century (about fifty years before the nearby Salem Witch Trials). It tells the story of the relationship between the Puritan community and Hester Prynne, the protagonist, after it is discovered that she bore a child out of wedlock—an act that cuts against society’s religious values. As punishment for her actions, Prynne is forced to wear a scarlet â€Å"A,† which, as it is never said outright, presumably stands for â€Å"adultery† or â€Å"adulterer.† The narrative, which is framed by an introductory piece entitled â€Å"The Custom-House,† depicts the seven years following Prynne’s crime. The Custom-House This introduction, written by a nameless first-person narrator who shares many biographical details with the book’s author, serves as the main narrative’s framework. In this section, the narrator, who has an interest in writing, tells of how he works as a surveyor at the Salem Custom House—a moment he takes as an opportunity mainly to disparage and mock his colleagues, many of whom are older and have secured lifetime appointments through family connections. This section takes place in the mid-19th century, and, as such, the Custom House has much less activity than it did during its heyday two centuries earlier. As a result, the narrator spends a good deal of his time snooping about in the attic of the building, whereupon he finds an old piece of red cloth in the shape of the letter â€Å"A,† as well as a century-old manuscript by a previous surveyor named Jonathan Pue, about a series of local events from a century even before his time. The narrator reads this manuscript, and then reflects on how his Puritan ancestors, whom he holds in high esteem, would have looked down on him writing a work of fiction, but, after he loses his job as a result of a shift in local politics, he does so anyway. His text, loosely based on the Pue manuscript, becomes the basis of the novel. The Scarlet Letter In mid-17th century Puritan Boston, then the Massachusetts Bay Colony, a local woman, Hester Prynne, is discovered to have had a child out of wedlock. This is a major offense in the extremely religious community. As punishment she is made to stand for several hours with her child, Pearl, in  a stocks on a scaffold in the town square, and then to wear a scarlet A embroidered on her clothing for the remainder of her days. While standing on the scaffold, exposed to the public, Prynne is hectored by both the mob and the prominent members of the town, including the adored minister Arthur Dimmesdale, to name the child’s father—but she stalwartly refuses. Also while she is standing there, she sees a white man, guided in by a Native American man, enter the scene at the back of the mob. Prynne and this man make eye contact, but he puts a finger in front of his lips. After the spectacle, Prynne is brought to her prison cell, where she is visited by a doctor; this is the man she had seen at the back of the crowd, who is also, it turns out, her husband, Roger Chillingworth, recently arrived from England after having been thought dead. They have an open and amiable conversation about each of their shortcomings in their marriage, but when Chillingworth demands to know the identity of the child’s father, Prynne continues to refuse to reveal it. Upon her release from prison, Prynne and her daughter move to a small cottage on the edge of the town, where she devotes herself to needlework (producing work of notable quality), and helping others in need as best she can. Their isolation eventually starts to affect Pearl’s behavior, as lacking playmates other than her mother, she grows into a rambunctious and unruly little girl. Her behavior starts to attract the townspeople’s attention, so much so that members of the church recommend that Pearl be taken away from Prynne in order to receive better supervision. This, obviously, greatly upsets Prynne, who goes to speak with Governor Bellingham. With the governor are the town’s two ministers, and Prynne appeals to Dimmesdale directly as part of her argument against the townspeople’s motions. Her plea wins him over, and he tells the governor that Pearl should remain with her mother. They return to their cottage as before, and, over the course of several year s, Prynne begins to earn herself back into the town’s good graces through her helpful deeds. Around this time, the minister’s health begins to worsen, and it is suggested that Chillingworth, the new physician in town, take up residence with Dimmesdale to watch over him. The two get along at first, but as Dimmesdale’s health deteriorates, Chillingworth begins to suspect that his condition is in some way the manifestation of psychological distress. He begins to ask Dimmesdale about his mental state, which the minister resents; this pushes them apart. One night, shortly thereafter, Chillingworth sees on Dimmesdale’s chest, while the latter is sleeping, a symbol that represents the minister’s guilt. Dimmesdale then, tormented by his guilty conscience, wanders one night into the town square and stands upon the scaffold where, several years before, he had looked upon Prynne as the town antagonized her. He acknowledges his guilt within himself, but cannot bring himself to do so publicly. While there, he runs into Prynne and Pearl, and he and Prynne finally discuss the fact that he is Pearl’s father. Prynne also determines that she will reveal this fact to her husband.  Pearl, meanwhile, is wandering around beside her parents throughout this conversation, and repeatedly asks Prynne what the Scarlet A stands for, but her mother never responds with a serious answer. Shortly thereafter, they meet again in the forest, and Prynne informs Dimmesdale of Chillingworth’s desire for revenge on the man who usurped him. As such, they make a plan to return together to England, which gives the minister a new bout of health and enables him to give one of his most rousing sermons at Election Day a few days later. As the procession leaves the church, though, Dimmesdale climbs up onto the scaffold to confess his relationship with Prynne, at which point he promptly dies in her arms. Later, there is much discussion amongst the townspeople over a mark seen upon the minister’s chest, which many claim was in the shape of an â€Å"A.† With this affair now effectively settled, Chillingworth soon dies, leaving Pearl a large inheritance, and Prynne voyages to Europe, though she returns several years later and resumes wearing the scarlet letter. At some point thereafter she dies, and is buried in the same plot as Dimmesdale.