Intercultural Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Intercultural Communications - Essay Example This also explains the communal nature of Chinese, their lives are relatively settled and this reliance on agriculture accounts for their attachment to the earth. Furthermore, the Chinese language is seen to adopt ancient characters that are names of natural botanical plants (Wu). Being Chinese is perceived as a cultural identity rather than a matter of race, implying that anyone of a different descent who abides by their cultural values and norms can be called Chinese. From an informal aspect, the Chinese refer to themselves as sons of Han, which is the majority ethnic population in the country. Overall, there are 56 ethnic groups but overtime the 55 have come to be assimilated to the Han group. Moreover, the Mandarin dialect identifiable with the Han and their administrative system has been made official by the Chinese government. This implies that all Chinese must familiarize themselves with these; however, there are legal systems in place that protect the minorities. Their existence is important to the overall Chinese population because of the territories they are found in, and the cultural relations they have with neighboring countries such as North Korea, Thailand and Kazakhstan. Therefore, the Chinese government must acknowledge their existence to avoi d any threats to their national security (â€Å"Chinese Cultural Studies†). Personally, I belong to the Bai ethnic community that originates from Southwest China particularly from Yunnan province. My ancestors occupied the Yunnan-Guizhou region that features many rivers including Nujiang and Lancang. Combined with the large tracts of land and dense forests, the river valleys present in this region provided for abundance in fruits and produce; in general a stunning landscape. Our ancestors clad in white sheepskin which resulted to our title Bai as it means white men while the language they

Motivation in the Play Essay Example for Free

Motivation in the Play Essay Villains and why they do their villainy is always justified or explained in any literary work. Even those childhood fairy tales with the villain’s formulaic and predictable evil deeds will always do things that have a purpose or will do those things because they were compelled to do it caused by a negative feeling: jealousy, revenge, envy, greed, a childhood without someone to love them or support them, etc. William Shakespeare’s plays are not an exemption to this case as he even creates characters that are capable of not only of evil; they embody evil in their totality as a person—if you may call them that. An example of this would be Iago, touted as the most villainous of all villains in the literary world because of the simple reason that he was guiltless, conscienceless and definitely purposeless in his strategic deeds that destroyed Othello and the people close to the tragic hero. This analysis will focus on this villain and scrutinize his character, villainy and most of all, his purpose (or the lack thereof) on why he did the things he has done that aimlessly ended to other people’s lives. In fact, there is already an answer to this query for Iago is just plain evil, nothing less and definitely more. His motivation lies in the fact that he wants to end other people’s happiness and takes simple delight in causing other people pain and grief which makes him not just a villain but a very mysterious and most terrifying one. In Othello, the Moor of Venice, a man’s capacity to do evil is magnified as Iago is overcome with rage as Othello gives a position to another less qualified man that was originally intended for Iago. Iago takes this in deep and plots against Othello, a Moor in Venice that holds such high position, influential power and great riches. Iago uses jealousy to destroy Othello and the people around him by making it appear that Othello’s loyal wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with another man. In rage, Othello kills his own wife and when he realizes that it was all Iago’s evil plan, he kills himself out of grief and guilt. Iago confesses to no one and does not explain his actions; instead, he keeps mum about what he has done and the purpose in them. Thus, as the play concludes, it is only the audience who are witnesses to Iago’s malice and the extent of his wickedness—but there is a possibility that Iago also leads the audience into believing that they know the entire truth when in fact, he has been dishonest the whole time to everyone—even that of the audience. Iago acts as the villain in the play even if he was not really the one who did the bad deeds. He is the sole villain because he was the master plotter in the whole thing that even innocent people like Roderigo and Emilia were implicated as bad people when they were not wholly that capable of evil. Roderigo and Emilia were simply pawns to his plans and he used them and easily discarded them. In the book of Dobbs Wells entitled The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, they sum up the villainy of Iago (and pretty much, the entire play) in a few words: He skilfully convinces Othello that his wife Desdemona has been adulterous with Cassio. He wounds Cassio, murders Roderigo, whom he has involved in his plots, and also kills his own wife Emilia. (211) The extent of Iago’s villainy does not merely end in his acts and plans but in an entirely different context and case because his villainy was unjustified and unexplainable. He did not have a purpose and an aim in ruining Othello’s life and soul. For even if it seems that Iago was motivated by the anger he felt over Othello’s passing over the position that was rightfully his to another man that was very much unqualified (according to Iago that is), it still seems not enough motive. In the first part of the play (act I, scene i), Iago insists that he does hate Othello and does a lengthy monologue on why he hates the Moor. However, it can be later learned that maybe Iago was not really motivated by that trivial act done by Othello since Iago has never really revealed the real reason on why he hates Othello. This is because in the same act, he declares that he will never say what he feels and thinks because it is dangerous and it is laughable: For when my outward action doth demonstrate / The native act and figure of my heart In compliment extern, ’tis not long after / But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve For daws to peck at. I am not what I am. (Shakespeare 1. 1. 63-7) His supposed reason on hating Othello may not be his true reason for the vendetta he so chillingly instills on the Moor because Iago will never disclose his real reasons. Thus, even though Iago was transparent with his feelings and thoughts to the audience and some characters like Roderigo and Emilia, he actually lied to everyone since he could never â€Å"wear his heart† on his sleeve. Moreover, even if the rage he felt over Othello’s actions propelled him to do/plan such things, it was not enough to completely destroy the life of one man and the lives around that man. To think that Iago even killed his own wife with his own hands—without a second thought on doing it or a guilt overcoming afterwards. As what Dobbs Wells wrote, Iago was a â€Å"motiveless evil† and that lack of motivation in him makes him a superior proponent of evil (211). In conclusion, Iago is most villainous not just because of the things he has done but also because of the lack of motivation in them, the absence of purpose, the incapacity to be guilty over the success of his evil plans and most of all, the mockery he throws to the characters and the audience at the end of the play with his silence. This silence is eerie as it has a purpose—to make everyone shiver at what other havoc and damnation he could have done with that evil mind of his. Works Cited Dobson, Michael and Wells, Stanley. â€Å"Iago†. The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. , 2001. 211. Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Othello, the Moor of Venice†. Ed. Russ McDonald. New York: Penguin Group, 2001. Print.

Life, Death, and Frankenstein Essay -- Frankenstein Essays

Life, Death, and Frankenstein Since I spent last weekend in Vancouver attending the funeral of a beloved aunt who died on Good Friday, you could say that I've been pondering a lot about death and dying lately. It didn't help either that I chose to bring my copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with me to read on the plane rides there and back, seeing as this story deals with the creation of a new form of life and the deaths that result from it. Being in this rather morbid frame of mind, I decided for this commentary just to take a closer examination of life and death as contained within the kind of gothic narrative of this early science-fiction horror story. It's almost like a Yin-Yang pairing between the two: Victor controls the ability to create Life (an ability that is usually looked on as being feminine) through his scientific and medical knowledge, and the Creature controls the ability to create Death (an ability usually looked on as being masculine) through his incredible strength and physical abilities. But although the Yin-Yang of Taoist thought brings harmony to the universe, this pairing of light and dark brings nothing but destruction to those it touches. So, in Frankenstein, I suppose you could divide the death into two different categories, both centered around Victor: Life from Death, and Death from Life. "To examine the causes of life," Victor tells us through Captain Walton, "we must first have recourse to death." And so he does. After Victor discovers the secret to creating life (what it is we are never told, but if you're inclined to believe the various cinematic treatments of the story, it seems to involve lightening storms and complicated machines), he decides to put this to use and see if he can play... ...ankenberry Cereal available for sale, with cartoonish pictures of Boris Karloff smiling on the front. While they may hold opposing powers of Life and Death respectively, in the end, it is as though neither of these two characters is left with any life between them. Everyone Victor has loved is dead because of the attacks inflicted by his creation. The Creature is not accepted by society because of the appearance given to him by his creator. Neither of them having anything left to live for; they engage in a chase up to the high Arctic where the Creature and the body of his creator disappear into the night. With each of them trying to out-manoeuvre the other, each destroys what his opposite desires the most. In this Life from Death, nothing can lead a true existence. Works Cited: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein (1818 ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1996.

Willa Cathers Death Comes for the Archbishop :: Willa Cather Death Comes for the Archbishop

Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop: Novel and Narrative I found these definitions at an online guide to free online dictionaries: Main Entry: nar ·ra ·tive Pronunciation: 'nar-&-tiv Function: noun Date: 1566 1 : something that is narrated : STORY 2 : the art or practice of narration 3 : the representation in art of an event or story; also : an example of such a representation - narrative adjective - nar ·ra ·tive ·ly adverb Main Entry: novel Function: noun Etymology: Italian novella Date: 1639 1 : an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events 2 : the literary genre consisting of novels - nov ·el ·is ·tic /"nà ¤-v&-'lis-tik/ adjective - nov ·el ·is ·ti ·cal ·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb Main Entry: nov ·el Pronunciation: 'nà ¤-v&l Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, new, from Latin novellus, from diminutive of novus new -- more at NEW Date: 15th century 1 : new and not resembling something formerly known or used 2 : original or striking especially in conception or style <a novel scheme to collect money> I think that one of the hardest problems in distinguishing novel from narrative in DCA is, first of all, distinguishing between the terms "novel" and "narrative" themselves. A narrative seems to be, well, something that is told as a story, or at least being caught in the act of telling one of those stories. A novel seems to be, wait a minute, a narrative? What am I supposed to infer from that? Is this the sound of one hand clapping, Confucius laughing? Have I have been duped? As far as I can tell, all dictionary definitions and joking aside, Death Comes For the Archbishop is a solid mix of both prose and narrative, leaning a little heavier on the narrative side. Cather does explore her characters' humanity, following them and tugging the reader along from event to event, but we, the readers, only get the perspective of the fly on the wall at least, a shallow reading of the characters' feelings and emotions at best. We are never invited deep into the minds of her constructs as we are in most "novels." What Cather does do, though, is create an artistic rendering of the characters and the world that they live in. The reader can, with just a little imagination, see the heat shimmer off the desert, feel the sun beat down on them; they can create, from the general descriptions, characters of flesh and blood. The reader is given a series of snapshots, taken at different times, with nothing substantial to fill in the gapsthis separates it from the dictionary definition of the "novel" which follows, usually, a thicker chronology of the characters' lives.

Mis Paper on Movie Industry

One hotly contested and highly competitive industry is the movie rental business. You can rent videos from local video rental stores, you can order pay-per-view from the comfort of your own home, and you can rent videos from the Web at such sites as NetFlix. Using Porter's Five Forces Model, evaluate the relative attractiveness of entering the movie rental business. Is buyer power low or high? Is supplier power low or high? Which substitute products and services are perceived as threats? Can new entrants easily enter the market? What are the barriers to entry? What is the level of rivalry among existing competitors? What is your overall view of the movie rental business? Is it a good or bad industry to enter? Why? The model I will be using to evaluate the relative attractiveness of entering the movie rental business is Redbox that have become a leader in kiosk DVD rentals with low prices and ease of renting movies. Buying power is low in this market because there is only a few distributors and the each are selling the same movies so the price they pay is relativity the same for each customer with very little price difference. The price of movies has gone up on the newer types of DVD’s ( blu-ray) but it has gone up for everyone, but the volume of movies sold by Redbox offsets that increase. The bargaining power of the customers determines the pressure customers put on a particular market. Redbox’s business model considers this in the following ways:Â   Customers generally do not buy large volumes of the product. There are only a few operators in the industry. The fixed cost by suppliers is high, but this applies to competitors as well. There is really no legal substitute for the product. Customers are price-sensitive, but Redbox provides the product cheaper then all of its competitors. Customers can not produce the product. The product is of strategically importance – entertainment. The threat of alternative products does not exist. It is only the distribution of the product that has alternative modes. The customer gets the same brand of the same quality with Redbox as with any other seller in the industry. Close customer relations do exist, but not in the conventional sense; however, it exist through customer service and online. There is no notable difference in the price for performance – except the ease of obtaining Redbox’s products. Redbox’s business model deals with the different pressures of new entrants in the following ways:Â   Competition would have to develop an enterprise of significant size to be considered a threat. The have secured many of the prize locations for their kiosk (Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, Walgreen’s). A company would be hard press to find better locations to compete on the same level as redbox. Considering the volume of hardware, software and personnel; the initial cost to competitors would be very high. The machines are extremely expensive plus having the software and personnel to run them. Existing competitors, (Blockbusters) though experienced, are not prepared to compete in a kiosk rental capacity. But they are moving in that direction Blockbuster as an example has said it will close some of it stores and put in kiosks instead, called Blockbuster Express. The loyalty in this industry is to the product, not the distributor. Existing competitors will have to completely reinvent their business to compete in that Market. Most competitors’ strategies are out-dated and are playing catch up to redbox’s business model, The product is the same between competitors; it is Redbox’s kiosks presence that makes it more attractive. The market growth is constant. Rivalry among competitors is very high and they are always looking for more ways to bring the customer to them and away from the competition, they use advertising, promotions, and price cuts to get customers to use them. Redbox has done a good job of competing by using the low price of its product verses it competition. Before redbox an average rental was between 3 and 4 dollars for one or two nights. With redbox lowering the price to one dollar a night and using the convenience of an atm style platform it set the competitors scrambling to match that price point. I have a different view of the movie industry then most I feel because of the situation I am in as owning my own store for the last ten years. When I first started out we only had vhs tapes and they were very expansive to buy for rental which was offset by the fact that you could not buy new release at Wal-Mart for 30 to 45 days so the customer had to rent from you. With the invention of the dvd the studios began selling to Wal-Mart on the same day it came out at the video store, so now customers could buy it instead of renting it of course the price came down but so did the profits. Then with redbox entering the market the total price point changed. The dollar price point does not leave much room for profit unless there is a large turnover. The small mom and pop stores are hard pressed to compete in this market because they can not buy in volume or sell as many products to make it affordable. If I was starting my business today I would not open a brick and mortar store I would try to get into the kiosk market. But I would do it in a way that would be unique. I would go to smaller markets with less competition and sell my product at a higher price then redbox but cheaper then the brick and motor stores. Works Cited http://www. slashfilm. com/2009/09/16/blockbuster-may-close-20-of-locations-is-the-chains-future-kiosk-only

Mass Media Essay

Mass Media Essay Mass media has a very big influence on the life of every person in the society. In order to stress this influence, and prepare students to react on the mass media in a proper way – professors often ask students to write a mass media paper, mass media essay, mass media research paper, mass media term paper, etc. This paper is written in order to reveal personal opinions of students and how they relate mass media to their life. Nowadays every single person is exposed to advertisements, and has to be adequate in his or her behavior towards mass media. So if you are asked to write a paper on mass media – you have to conduct a good research on the mass media movement, the development of mass media throughout history, the way mass media influences our life, and what to do to prevent negative influence of mass media. After the research has been conducted, you have to form a good mass media paper structure. You need to have a good outline, as well as a string hypothesis, of what message should your paper communicate to the audience. Mass media paper is nothing without proper examples. You need to prove your opinion; hence, you need to provide string evidence of your thoughts. What is better evidence than good specific example of every point of your outline of the mass media paper? If you need some extremely creditable examples – the best way to get them – is to browse through the history of advertising, marketing, mass media methods and techniques. Mass media is constantly changing, new methods and techniques are applied every second, and what you can do is acknowledge those people and companies who proposed significant changes in mass media, and single handedly have managed to change the course of mass media. CustomWritings.com is your number one assistant in writing papers on mass media topics. If you somehow stumble upon a very difficult mass media topic – you can ask CustomWritings.com for help and assistance. We will manage to do everything you ask us to do. Our policy at CustomWritings.com is to help our customers in any ways and means possible. We will provide a strung outline as well as a profound structure of the mass media paper, as well as help with any point of the outline in particular. Be sure to contact CustomWritings.com and inquire about a possible great mass media paper on any topic. Here is a list of the most popular essay topics on mass media: Great Britain and the Mass Media What impact do the mass media have on modern government and politics? Media Studies with specific  reference to mass media and the effects on the audience. Mass media is  reflection of society Mass Media and the Commodity Fetish An introspective look at mass media communications Examine the ways in which females are represented in the mass media Mass Media: What Noises in the Environment Effect Your Concentration The Effects of the Mass Media on Elementary Students Mass media on Politics

Law Enforcement and Immigratio essays

Law Enforcement and Immigratio essays Two major periods of immigration influxes since the turn of the century as well as the transformation of the nation due to both illegal and legal immigration have determined large Hispanic communities in many Western states. States like Texas, for example, have struggled to define increasingly complex Hispanic communities and create a response, both in the government and in law enforcement, for addressing the needs of these large Hispanic communities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In recent years, an obvious dichotomous view has come to the forefront of national debates about the composition of Hispanic communities in border states and the conflicts have arisen over immigrant and citizen rights, the rights of the Hispanic Americans community as a whole, the negative correlates attached to cultural and language differences, and the role of law enforcement officers, both of Hispanic and non-Hispanic decent, in addressing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though varied communities have existed in cities like El Paso, Pecos, and Rio Del for decades, changes in immigration, both legal and illegal, have impacted the demographic characteristics of a number of West Texas cities and towns and has underscored divisions between predominant White (European American) communities and predominantly Hispanic communities. Large-scale increases in immigration from Latin American countries in Texas in general has gained national attention, but it has also been recognized that cities like El Paso have had a considerable Hispanic community since their founding and this provides a substantial base for the integration of a modern and central   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1996 alone, 1.2 million legal and illegal immigrants moved into the United States, primarily into urban regions of New York New Jersey, Florida and Illinois, and in urban and rural regions of California and Texas (especially in border cities like El Paso...