Is it valid to make distinctions between ‘high’ and’ low’ or ‘popular art? Essay

What purposes do these categories serve? At one time most people would have understood , when looking at apiece of art, whether to fit it into the category of high or low art. You looked at such things as the quality of the brushwork, the exactness of the representation. Then paint in tubes was invented the mid 19th century and the Impressionists were in the vanguard of almost instant art. They were rejected at first of course, but now seem to be highly acceptable when one considers the prices that might be paid for works by Renoir or Degas – however blurry the outlines. Is abstract art high art? It is a newer form of course and many are still making up their minds about such artists as Jackson Pollack. And where do you fit the works of modern artists such as Tracy Emin. Few would consider graffiti as art, but cities such as Philadelphia are legitimising the work of graffiti artists by spending public money to promote it. Emin’s unmade bed won the Turner prize. Whatever else it did it certainly did what the artist intended – it shocked. Contemporary art such as this draws huge crowds Perhaps the distinction should rather be between good and bad art, good being art that clearly displays whatever it was the artist intended and the bad that which does not. This division would not depend upon techniques used or the insurance value of a piece, but whether it achieves what it was meant to achieve i. e. whether or no the viewer sees what they were intended to see. Art will always provoke reaction. To judge it on grounds of being either ’high’ or low’ smacks somewhat of elitism – an attitude of ‘What we like is better than what you like’. Meanwhile many would just say ‘I know what I like ’ whether that be Gainsborough or Andy Warhol. Electronic Sources Art and the power to shock, Northern Echo, 25th February 2004 http://archive. thisisthenortheast. co. uk/2004/2/25/60621. html retrieved 28th October 2007 Philadelphia Mural Arts Program found at http://www. muralarts. org/about/ retrieved 28th October 2007/.

An In-depth Analysis of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Essay

Aside from the Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet is probably also one of the most famous tragedies that William Shakespeare has ever written. Just like any other tragedies that Shakespeare has written, the story ended with the killing of many people including the main character, Hamlet. It also shows Shakespeare’s writing style with the concept of revenge, denied love, and many others. Before we can analyze the character of Hamlet, let us first take a glimpse on the story. The setting of the story is in Denmark. The story began with the late King Hamlet haunting the night as a ghost. Later on, Prince Hamlet’s friend, Horatio and the prince himself was told by the ghost that he was murdered by Claudius, the King’s brother. After murdering King Hamlet, Claudius got the throne and King Hamlet’s wife Gertrude. With all of these things being known by the young hamlet, he then plans for revenge. This plan consisted of acting mad and hiring and acting troupe to re-enact the said murder of the king. After the acting, Gertrude scolded Hamlet for being disloyal to the King unaware that Polonius is hiding behind the curtains. Hamlet accidentally killed Polonius for he mistaken him as the King. Because of this, Prince Hamlet was sent to England without knowing Claudius’ plans of killing him there. However, Hamlet manages to escape the guards and was able to go back to Denmark. But the story did not end there, with the death of his father Polonius, Ophelia lost her mind. Because of this, Laertes (Ophelia’s brother) went to Denmark to take revenge especially when he found out that Ophelia has drowned herself. Laertes planned his revenge to be done in a fencing battle and that he will stab Hamlet with a poisoned sword and that the king would give him a poisoned cup if he wins. But the plan went crazy when Gertrude drank with the poisoned cup because of Hamlet’s near victory and when Laertes stabbed hamlet with the poisoned sword. They then exchange swords and Hamlet managed to stab Laertes with the poisoned blade. Realizing that the three of them are going to die, Hamlet decided to stab Claudius and make him drink the rest of the poisoned drink (Kriszner). Analysis of Hamlet’s Character After having read these things happen and done by our Shakespearean character, we can say that Hamlet does not have a constant or fixed characteristic. Hamlet never fails to let the readers know that there is more to him that meets the eye. At first, it seemed that Hamlet is just a prince that is curious about his father’s death. But as the story progresses, the readers were seeing more and more of him. Hamlet, I must say, is a rational, truth-seeking character. If we are not to find the depth of Hamlet’s character’s it may seem that he is just a revengeful character. But planning for revenge is different from seeking the truth. Before planning his revenge, Hamlet first wanted to confirm if the Claudius is guilty. With his actions when he hired an acting group, we can see that he is being rational and that although he seemed to be very angry at the King, he still chose to see first if the King is really guilty. Hamlet is also very contemplative because all the evidence that may prove that the King murdered his father is there but still he was so eager to prove that Claudius is guilty. Although any person or reader would believe that the evidence is enough, Hamlet still shows doubt and asks questions in his mind. Aside from being contemplative, we can say that the character of Hamlet is also impulsive. A proof to this is the accidental killing of Polonius. Hamlet did not even spend time to check if it is really the king or not. Because of this impulsiveness, more revenge was triggered just like the planned revenge of Laertes which took part as the story progressed. He is also very impulsive when his character suddenly shifts to being a madman. Hamlet’s impulsiveness is also seen through his over toned speeches and allusions. The character of Hamlet also shows discontent, not just to his family but to current status of Denmark and eventually, the whole world. This can be seen when he was disappointed about his mother when he married Claudius right after King Hamlet died. It is also noticeable in the play that he executes a particular dislike for women. This can be seen when he did not like the actions of his own mother and when he denied his love for Ophelia (â€Å"Hamlet Character Analysis†). Hamlet is also a character of will and passion. His character in the play perfectly suits his being young and enthusiastic. Because of his â€Å"youngness† and being enthusiastic, it seemed to us that he does not take time to reflect. Again, an example is when he killed Polonius. He just does things that he thinks would fit the situation. He does things according to his will that is why the impression it gives the audience is that he is a character that is full of strength. Another characteristic of the Shakespearean hero is being undecided or puzzled. These are manifested with his asking about the afterlife, suicide, etc. Another part of the play wherein we can see Hamlet’s being undecided is when he changed his mind in killing King Claudius when he saw him praying. He then decided to kill him when â€Å"he is drunk, asleep, or in a rage† which could be a more lethal opportunity. Because he cannot decide on when to kill the King, he resorted to first proving that the King really murdered his father. Different emotions can also be seen in the character of Hamlet. As the play progresses, different emotions are shown by our Shakespearean hero. At some parts, we can see an angry Hamlet where there are some parts where we see Hamlet as a character of despair. There are also parts that he seemed to be affectionate with Ophelia. Hamlet also executes betrayal and commit lies when he switched the letters and when he acted as a mad man. Also, in some other parts of the story, we can see a grieving Hamlet (Mabillard). Hamlet is also a responsible character and is very willing to sacrifice. Although it is apparent that he wants revenge, we can say that he is just being responsible in seeking justice for his father’s death. He is responsible because he did not stop until he found justice for his father’s death. He sacrificed a lot of things like his love for Ophelia and even sacrificed his own life just for the sake of justice. Lastly, Hamlet shows a different lose of faith in people. One part of the play is when he lost his love for Ophelia. Also, there are some parts of the story wherein he seemed to have lot his interest in life and that he thinks of the world as impure and unclean. Hamlet became very pessimistic about the world after finding out what his father has gone through. He showed disappointment and discontent not only to Denmark but to the whole world. Character Development, Dramatic Structure, and Presentation The development of Hamlet’s character started from being vengeful, to fighting for his life and justice, then grieving for the death of loved ones and the current state of his nation. Hamlet, I must say, is one of the most â€Å"flavorful† characters that Shakespeare has ever made. His character started from being angry which resulted from planning revenge. Because of his plans, he then changes to a character who struggles from the situation he put his self into. And lastly, he shows grief with the loved ones he had lost (â€Å"Hamlet†). The dramatic structure of the play is obviously a tragedy. Of course, the dramatic content of the play includes conflict. Many of Shakespeare’s plays show order or unity. Many of them involve a group of people or society which will then be broken. This situation would seem to be unresolved until the end of the story or until everyone is killed. Another part of the structure of this drama is the existence of the supernatural. This could be seen in the presence of the ghost of King Hamlet. This was also done by Shakespeare in some of his works like Macbeth and Midsummer night’s dream. This will then cause the disturbance of the situation. In the case of Hamlet, the ghost of King Hamlet triggered young Hamlet’s emotions which resulted to seeking revenge. Since the story is a tragedy, we expect that the conflict can only be resolved with the death of the main character. However, not all tragedies end after the killing of the main character. Some tragedies end by grieving to the death of the fallen hero or carrying the hero’s dead body. This will then show the â€Å"bringing back† of unity amongst the broken society. Such dramatic structure was made by Shakespeare especially for the 18th century where in the concept of tragedies are not yet or less accepted by the public (Jhonston). Cultural Significance Hamlet has its effects on culture. It showed the people to face reality and not hide from the truth. In the century when the play was made, social hierarchy is a big deal. Social status is an important issue that is why the play addresses that we should be true to ourselves and that we should not beautify the harsh realities of life (Cook). It seems that Shakespeare wanted to show the imperfections of man through Hamlet’s dissatisfaction of the world. The play seems to whine about the current state of our culture and society and that people should not beautify the mistakes of the society and the culture they built upon. Reference: Cook, Hardy M. â€Å"The Meaning of Hamlet†. 2004. July 18 2007. . â€Å"Hamlet†. 2006. July 19 2007. . â€Å"Hamlet Character Analysis†. 2005. Absolute Shakespeare. July 18 2007. . Jhonston, Ian. â€Å"Darmatic Structure: Comedy and Tragedy†. 2007. July 19 2007. . Kriszner, Laurie G. Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 6th ed: Thomson-Wadsworth, 2006. Mabillard, Amanda. â€Å"Hamlet Character Analysis†. 2000. Shakespeare online. July 19 2007. .

New Product Development for Marketing Essay

Competition used to be between firms of same size and same capabilities, today the situation has changed and we can see competition between what is considered small and big firms and form different countries. The world is more globalized and flatter and big numbers of firms have equal resources and mean of production. According to Thomas Friedman there are reason behind a flatter world and reduced gap between firms in different countries (Insourcing, outsourcing, off shoring and supply-chain†¦). The concept of triple convergence is an addition reason for world flattener, the first convergence is when all ten flatteners work together to create a flatter, global playing field; the second convergence adopts new habits like moving from vertical to horizontal mean of creating value, in other words we must understand the process of new technology internally in a firm before the outcome reach the consumers, and finally the third convergence is the introduction of new people and tools in the production process and leads to more competition and connection between peoples. Out of clutter find simplicity, from discord find harmony and in the middle of difficulty lays opportunity† (Einstein). All entrepreneurs and CEOs are reacting to the changes in the world in recent years and the flattening of the world; it is clear that small and big firms are running after economic growth but can they do it without change in their core ideology? What must firms do to stay in business in a flat world? There is evidence today that all kind of firms and big companies are almost using the same technologies, markets and research innovations; this would lead to a competition between small and local firm and other international firms and even competition between countries. â€Å"What is unique about the flat world is the degree to which individuals, or small groups, can now act and compete globally† (Friedman 2005 p 447). Innovation comes from creating an environment that encourages people to stretch their imagination and turn the ideas into finished goods and services. These characteristics (technology, innovation and market studies) will allow the small firms to act big by implementing what you are imagining. The best example of a local or regional firm and competing with multinational firms is Aramex; the first package delivery service in the Arab world. When Fadi Ghandour the founder and current CEO of Aramex started the company, there was only one service parcel delivery operating in the Middle East and it was DHL. How Aramex became a competitor to DHL? They ecide to approach American companies like FedEx and offer them to be their delivery service in the Middle East in order to beat DHL because Aramex knows the Arab markets more than Airborne express and they started the delivery with the partnership of small delivery firms from Egypt to turkey and Saudi Arabia and lately to Iran and Pakistan, so as a result Aramex created its own network. In addition Aramex adopted Airborne system (computerized tracking and tracing system, unified language, and quality standards); as a result Aramex dominated the parcel delivery service in the Arab world. When DHL acquired Airborne and Aramex was left alone with no system to use, so they developed new one with the help of Jordanian software and industrial engineers and depend on the web and real-time tracking and tracing. Now the small company step up to replace Airborne due to an effective global network, by focusing on a specific market and serving it with high quality service with lower time and costs. Now Aramex is considered a flat company, according to Ghandour every worker in the company has a computer with e-mail and internet access so he can know what is going on without many reports from senior managers. He also said: â€Å"I was big locally and small internationally and I reversed that†. Aramex has benefited from the flattening of the world by leveling the economic field and breaking trade to barriers, any company in the world can compete globally. Oligopoly market used to show us a market with a dominant firm and others described as follower and mostly considered small firms; the dominant firm can set a low price and make it difficult to small firms to compete and sometimes force them to leave the market. When world become more flat according to Friedman, small firms can compete with bigger ones and the competition is not only small against small and big firms against each others. The main reasons behind the reduction of the gap between small and big firms are: technology, innovation, Insourcing, and market niche. These will help small firms to reduce costs and increase quality and prevent big firms from enjoying economies of scale and putting barriers to entry; the example of Aramex is an inspirational closing thought; one of a small Arab company that made it big in the world platform:

Organizational Leadership Philosophy Essay

The ingredients of my leadership philosophy which I believe will be most effective have been summarized into three pages. It is undisputable that vision, values, leadership development, managing change, care for soldiers and their families and a sense of humour are all important elements in a leadership philosophy. It is in this that I have a conviction of the ideology that, a military leader must have a personal philosophy since it will enhance accomplishment of a comprehensive and integrated view of life which is of critical essence. Personal philosophy is therefore of absolute necessity because it gives a foundation to other areas in life. To start with, vision is one of the most important elements to be put under consideration when creating a leadership philosophy. One of this is the fact that, vision ought to be idealistic in order to reflect the mental model of the organization for now and in the future. It must also have the characteristics of appropriateness, purpose, direction and standards of excellence (Wallace, 2008). It must be simple to understand, well articulated and ambitious. The organizational vision which corresponds to commander’s intent can be divided into three concepts. Operation is used to describe the intent of the commander. Purpose is what unifies the operations and involves what the organization is meant to do. Lastly, endstate is the final result that has been achieved. From the above perspective, the vision I have communicated should be understood and shared by everyone in the organization if we are to achieve our objective. We should also apply the concept of vision and revision where our vision acts as a way-point which is subject to adjustment along the way Value is the second element and it entails the morality and virtues which should form the central theme of the human nature. As an organization, the values of the U. S. army are the foundation to provide service to the country. The seven major values which guide this philosophy can be essential in any organization which includes loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honour, integrity, and personal courage. The values are moral guidelines for each soldier to lead us through the intellectual, emotional and philosophical issues that surround our lives and organization. Every leader should therefore adhere to the seven values and ensure that they play the central role in their leadership philosophy. Organizational success depends on the values of the company, its stand and the belief of its people. People who think that we cannot change or train values are wrong and should therefore go for basic training in the US Marine Corps model. In addition, I believe that lack of enough discussion and understanding of values is the major reason for unethical behaviour which the media highlights. It is my duty therefore to establish a formal training program that will enhance values within the army. Caring for one another is the third element of my leadership philosophy just as it is emphasized by the soldiers. This kind of care extends to all other people such as ensuring that soldiers and their families are taken care of. This is in as ensuring that, any mission set forth is successfully accomplished. This may appear as competitive imperatives but both of them must be successfully accomplished by a talented leader. Taking good care of my soldiers will involve ensuring quality life, safety, family support, proper equipment and training, and timely recognition of excellence. This aspect is greatly concurred within the army as the attribute is emphasized in form of an aggressive program which provides for and serves the soldiers welfare as an essential catalyst that ensures unit bonding. The full potential of a soldier is reached when their leaders are caring because modern combat needs love and care of soldiers and soldiering. Leader development is another element made up of three important components which include formal schooling, leader training and empowerment. Among the professional training I intend my soldiers to undergo include the Basic as well as the Advanced Non-commissioned Officer Course, and many other courses that will promote professional development. Although the formal educational courses may collide with training and exercises, subordinates must receive these training to sharpen their specialities. Leader development is a continuous process and I will promote attendance to formal education to supplement our professional development programs (Wallace, 2008). I will also ensure that subordinates are empowered through delegation of duties to encourage the growth of leadership within the organization The next element which is inevitable will be to manage change. Frequent deployment, downsizing, modern technology, and increased personnel and operations tempo will require the army to deal with tremendous change. My mission and purpose for the organization will clearly elaborate the need to manage change because it will be necessary for general improvement. Leveraging diversity is another element of leadership philosophy which is often overlooked by many people. Soldiers from different ethnic, religion, racial experience backgrounds should be treasured since they add value to the organization. The mechanism that I intend to use to ensure that diversity is appreciated includes open-door policy, visibility and small-group sessions in the organization. Moreover, any personnel who do not value diversity will not be tolerated. Lastly, maintaining a sense of humour ought to be preserved since it is an important element for diffusing tension (Wallace, 2008). Humour is important in developing personal rapport and enhancing the cooperation spirit. References Wallace, A. (2008). Organizational leadership: Major Principles for Effective Leadership. A Journal of Human Resource Planning, Vol. 45, p. 23-32

Cases for Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cases for Analysis - Coursework Example 2. It is understandable why Yellowstone wishes to settle all the claims out of court. A trial would inform public opinion about the low quality of the mowers and would harm the company’s image. It is also understandable why the company’s lawyers keep the claims out of the court. Considering the fact that this is an abnormally dangerous defect, Yellowstone should act ethically and just publicly admit its fault, retrieve all the mowers from the shops and work on repairing them. However, the ones that should go to court and accept no settlement are the injured parties, the consumers who have suffered because of the defected products. 3. Again, it is understandable why Yellowstone would like to include the secrecy clause in the settlement agreements. If one party were to start talking about the defect of the mower and about the fact that the claim was kept out of the court in change for an impressive sum, Yellowstone would be forced to deal with one of the two situations: 1 . Their sales would grow, as a result of people looking at this like at a business opportunity: buy one defective mower, wait until it explodes, threaten the manufacturer with a lawsuit and get a refund from Yellowstone, or 2. Their sales would be drastically reduced as a result of the bad publicity. None of the situations looks good so that is why secrecy clauses are included in the settlements. The morality of this is doubtful and the reasons why the affected consumers accept this are even more questionable. Legally, such clauses are not prohibited and are, on one hand, acceptable. However, cumulating the fact that none of the defection cases is made public, the products continue to be sold, in spite of their obvious defects and the insertion of the secrecy clause in the settlements, the situation, on the whole, is not legal and the company’s marketing policy is based on deceiving the clients. 4. As it has been stated before, the answer to this question is No; the injured p arties are not acting ethically when agreeing not to disclose the products’ defect to others. They are consciously accepting the fact that somebody else may be injured. Moreover, in legal terms, these people are liable under the law of tort, as acting with recklessness towards the possible hundreds of victims. The Restatement (Second) of Torts defines reckless conduct as it follows: â€Å"The actor's conduct is in reckless disregard of the safety of another if he does an act or intentionally fails to do an act which it is his duty to the other to do, knowing or having reason to know of facts which would lead a reasonable [person] to realize, not only that his conduct creates an unreasonable risk of physical harm to another, but also that such risk is substantially greater than that which is necessary to make his conduct negligent.†2 Although this definition is close to negligence, no matter what tort is applicable, all the parties that agreed to the secrecy clause did not act ethically or legally correct. CHAPTER 2 CASE 4 In my opinion, the right guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the USA Constitution is violated in this case by Mississippi University for Women. Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment stipulates: â€Å"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they

Business Plan #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Plan #3 - Essay Example In this kind of environment where employees are motivated, there is increased productivity, more inventions and creativity within the company, staff’s potential is unleashed as they can freely express their opinions and views and ensure that they have been taken seriously. Employees can change their negative attitude about the work and start working in a positive way. When employees are motivated, they have got the urge to stay longer at the organization instead of resigning. Motivated workers will hardly miss at the workstation and will not go for absenteeism as compared to demoralized workers. It is through motivation that the managers will improve the standard of weak performers in the organization. They will closely monitor their work; try to find if the underperforming staffs understands the job description they are doing. After this analysis, the manager will come out with the conclusion that best suites each staff. Managers have a responsibility of challenging their staff to achieve the best. This mechanism makes them as leaders, and role models to their juniors. When managers assign leadership roles to their juniors it really motivates them, and they have a desire to be like their managers and this really helps them to be confident at the workplace. Organizations where employees are allowed to have fun and organize retreats for themselves helps to break the monotony of the work and gives them to rejuvenate themselves. For example, inter - departmental parties, retreats or activities that bonds the staff to work as a family rather than more of workplace. It is important for senior staff to applause the efforts of their juniors. Through this, the junior staff feels appreciated and recognized. Applauding their efforts means they are rewarded by promotions or gifts. In a business setting, for example, in an audit firm, your staff will be mostly accountants. Due

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - The Origins and Effects of Inequality Essay

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - The Origins and Effects of Inequality - Essay Example The Dedication to the Republic of Geneva summarized the essence of Rousseau's views in the following statement: "If I had had to make choice of the place of my birth, I should have preferred a society which had an extent proportionate to the limits of the human faculties; in which every person is equal to his occupations, no one should be obliged to commit to others the functions with which he was entrusted; a State, in which all the individuals being well known to one another, and in which the pleasant custom of seeing and knowing one another should make the love of country rather a love of the citizens than of its soil"(Rousseau, 1993, pp.32-33). The Republic of Geneva was perfectly lining with Rousseau's understanding of an ideal state: a moderate democracy occupying an adequate territory, governed mostly by the laws based on traditions with citizens living relatively plain and calm life. The main paradox emphasized by Rousseau is the following: people prescribe laws to other people without proper knowledge about the natural state of human being. However, this natural law did not exist in contemporary European society that "offered a corrupt form of the species and the inequality inherent in its societies should not be taken as a standard for assessing either other cultures or other species" (Moran, 1993, p.140). For Rousseau who believed that human character was "deeply shaped by society" (Divine, 2000, p.291) it seemed impossible to unveil the true nature of humans in the European context where people had been squeezed by unfair laws and customs for centuries. The philosopher argued that the true measure of a man that would not depend upon contemporary laws and customs could be found only in 'natural' places such as African jungles. Rousseau drew strong parallels between the natural state of human beings and the state of animals. Human beings began as animals having no potent mean of communication such as language, and could not convey much of their knowledge and experience to their offspring, lacked foresight and history. These seemingly disadvantageous features gave the natural men one essential benefit: they did not suffer from the fear of death while contemporary humans feared death virtually every moment of their life (Rousseau, 1993, p.52). Rousseau positioned the natural man "at equal distances from the stupidity of brutes and the fatal enlightenment of civil man" (Rousseau, 1993, p.53). For Rousseau the fatality of enlightenment or civilization meant that it deprived man of the natural desire to exploit the potential of his body to full extent making it an instrument in achieving the balance with nature: "The body of a savage man being the only instrument he understands, he uses it for various purposes, of which ours, for want of practice, are incapable: for our industry deprives us of that force and agility" (Rousseau, 1993, p.53). Civilization brought the understanding that cooperation and mutual help would improve the results of labour, and in the process of such cooperation humans came to realize that some men were better hunters, some were better thinkers, some were stronger, etc. The understanding of inequalities between human beings was, in Rousseau’s opinion, the crucial point: â€Å"†¦from the moment one man began to stand in need of the help of another; from the moment it appeared advantageous to any one man to have enough provisions for two, equality disappeared, property was introduced, work became indispensable, and vast forests became smiling fields, which man had to water with the sweat of his brow, and where slavery and misery were soon seen to germinate and grow up with the crops† (Rousseau, 1993, p.74).