Thursday, October 31, 2019
Aspects of contracts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Aspects of contracts - Assignment Example 34). Offer is very important in contracts because it shows the willingness of parties to enter into an agreement. When a business entity offers its promise under certain conditions, the other party must accept the conditions and in turn give an offer in order to form a contract. Offers are very crucial because they create an avenue for contracting parties to enter into a legal relationship leading to acceptance (Emerson 2009, p. 34). Acceptance is another important element of a contract that makes parties agrees to the terms of the offer. When a business gives an offer to the suppliers through an advertisement, it shows that, the business accepts the contract (Emerson 2009, p. 35). If the suppliers do not accept the offer despite the favourable conditions associated with it, the contract is deemed invalid. Legal laws guiding acceptance of the granted offer requires that there should be proper communication so as to satisfy the both parties. In contracts, each party will feel considered if it gets something in return after giving its promise. Consideration is an important element of contracts because the contracting parties receive promises, which makes them feel represented in any agreement. Consideration for a promise makes legally binding contracts rather than gratuitous contracts that cannot be protected by the courts (Emerson 2009, p. 36). Contracting parties ought to be adults in order to form valid contracts. In addition, the parties should compose of people with full mental capabilities such that they are not mad (Emerson 2009, p. 36). Agreements between companies are considered certain when they are apparent to the basic terms of a contract. If the contracting parties are unaware of the legal requirements of contracts, they are likely to form invalid contracts, which are not easily enforceable (Emerson 2009, p. 37). Sales
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumers and its contribution in promoting economic growth Essay Example for Free
Imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumers and its contribution in promoting economic growth Essay Introduction Saudi economy mostly relies on oil industry and its government has much control over natural resources and main economic activities in the land.  Ultimately, the economy of Saudi is centrally planned and therefore has free market economy. As it can be affirmed, oil industry contributes to approximately 45% of the total budget revenue hence making it imperative to the growth of the country. Till now, Saudi Arabia does not think that there is any need for consumption tax however, the country may face many problems in the future what may affect the economy if the oil dry out.            A recent analysis from Citigroup has raised the alarming possibility that Saudi Arabia might become a net oil importer by 2030[Could Saudi Arabia’s Oil Exports Dry Up?, 2012]. However, in order to Find a Solutions to contribute in raising Saudi Arabia economy for long run, and Focusing in another source rather than oil.  In order to maintain economic stability, we want to study the possibility of imposing consumption tax beside zakat on Saudi consumers and how it will contribute in promoting economic growth. Basic concept According to the dictionary, Zakat iscalled (Islamic tax) or (religious tax), it is an annual tax on Muslims comprising percentages of personal income of every kind to aid the poor in the Muslim community.[zakat] Research aim The research aim is to determine the possibility of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumers beside zakat and how it will contribute in promoting economic growth Sub problems; 1.     How consumption tax contributes in promoting economic growth. A)    Why consumption tax. B)    Mechanism of economic growth. C)    Identify mechanism of promoting economic growth by consumption tax. 2.   The possibility of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumer. A)   Analyze tax system for promoting economic growth. B)   Analyze Zakat system for promoting economic growth. C)   Compare (a) and (b) to determine the possibility of imposing consumption tax (the importance or how valuable is the consumption tax). 3.    Determine the possibility of using consumption tax for promoting economic growth of Saudi Arabia. Research Objectives As noted in the above information, the main aim or purpose of conducting this research is to investigate the possibility of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumers beside zakat and how it will contribute in promoting economic growth. The following information provides the objectives and research questions for the study. Ø     To determine the importance of tax particularly in promoting the growth of economy Ø    To analyze all best and possible means of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumer Ø    To determine the possibility of using consumption tax for promoting economic growth of Saudi Arabia Hypothesis Various studies conducted on consumption tax have revealed that consumption tax has a major effect on the country’s economic activities which can greatly affect economic growth, so in this paper we investigate how consumption tax contributes in promoting economic growth. We hypothesized that imposing consumption tax contributes in promoting the growth of Saudi Arabia’s economy. We also hypothesized that the difference between tax system and zakat system will contribute in determine the importance of the consumption tax. Literature review Essentially, previous research indicates a close relationship between introduction of consumption tax and economic growth in a country. Many economists argue that imposing a consumption tax implies increase in government revenue and thus increase in the country GDP which is essential in reflecting the country’s economic growth. There are limited studies tried to identify the relationship between tax structures and economic growth, Here is some of the related literature:            Arnold, J. (2008) has focused in studying and analyzing  the relationship between tax structures and economic growth by enteringindicators of the tax structure into a set of panel growth regressions for 21 OECD countries; he found the following results: 1.                 Income taxes are associated with significantly lower economic growth and lower levels of GDP per capita than consumption tax and property tax. 2.                 Respectively, property taxes, and particularly recurrent taxes on immovable property, then consumption taxassociated with the highest levels of GDP per capita. Therefore, these taxes are the most growth friendly taxes in economic growth. 3.                 Corporate income taxes have morenegative effects on GDPthan personal income tax. In general, the relationship between the income taxes and growth is negative relation. 4.                 The progressivity of income taxes and growth are negatively related. Also, Widmalm (2001), Padovano and Galli (2002) studied the relationship between progressivity of income taxes and economic growth in 25 countries, they reached the same result, the progressivity of income taxes and economic growth are negatively related. Various studies conducted on consumption tax have revealed that consumption tax has a major effect on the country’s economic activities which can greatly affect economic growth. Brys (2010) in his book ‘OECD Tax Policy Studies Tax Policy Reform and Economic Growth’ outlines the various effects consumer tax can have on economic activities of a country.In the book, he states that consumer tax will affect employment and working hours, affect international trade and regulate the activities of the underground economy. Brys continues to state that differentiated consumer tax will encourage people to work, lead to a yield in environmental benefits and reduce inequalities in income. When all these factors are brought together, economic activities of a country are likely to be affected in various ways. Methodology Research approach A good research is the one that provides answers to the research questions, validity, objectivity, accuracy, and economy. A research design is the plan and structure of investigation to obtain answers to research questions. The study adopted a qualitative survey structure. Qualitative research is also adopted since it investigates the social constructivist paradigm and relies on the socially constructed reality nature.  It aims to fundamentally record, analyze as well as determine the significance and meaning of imposing consumption tax on Saudi consumers and its contribution in promoting economic growth. The approach is not initially based on any data to be compared but on the perceptions of those who have experience and knowledge based on consumption tax and its potential in enhancing economic growth of a country. The qualitative research approach here supports positivism whereby although there is no data to be compared as part of quantitative research, the fundamental construct of the research is based on a reality that cannot be changed. The type of this study requires to use qualitative research, in this study we will gathering data from the past studies related to our theme (about the effect of tax on economic growth and then, we will analyses this data And weight all the Pros and Cons, advantage and disadvantage of all type of taxes and decide which type is best for the growth of the economy. We will analyze both of tax system and zakat system and their relation with economic growth, then comparing both system and find the similarities and difference between them. Then study those differences and find solutions that may contribute in the economic growth of Saudi Arabia. Data analysis and discussion            The raw materials were collected in a systematically organized manner that facilitates the analysis. To permit qualitative analysis, the data received was edited to ensure completeness, consistency, and uniformity before being analyzed to make it meaningful information regarding the study theme which is implications of imposing consumption tax in Saudi Arabia. Collectively the data analyzed enables the study to establish the relationship of consumption tax and economic growth. References Brys, B., Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.(2010). Tax policy         reform and economic growth. Paris: OECD. Could Saudi Arabia’s Oil Exports Dry Up? (2012Ã¥ ¹ ´octoberæÅ"ˆ3æâ€" ¥). Ã¥ ‚ç… §Ã¥â€¦Ë†: nvesting daily:http://www.investingdaily.com/15734/could-saudi-arabias-oil-exports-dry-up almohainykhaledmohammed. (2003). The role of the tax in the process of economic and social development. Damascus University Journal , Volume 19 Issue II. zakat. (æâ€" ¥Ã¤ »ËœÃ¤ ¸ 明). Ã¥ ‚ç… §Ã¥â€¦Ë†: dictionary: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/zakat Arnold, J. (2008), â€Å"Do Tax Structures Affect Aggregate Economic Growth?: Empirical   Evidence from a Panel of OECD Countries†, OECD Economics Department        Working Papers, No. 643, OECD Publishing. Bleaney, M.F.; N. Gemmell and R. Kneller (2001), â€Å"Testing the Endogenous Growth      Model: Public Expenditure, Taxation and Growth Over the Long-Run†, Canadian           Journal of Economics, Vol. 34(1), pp. 36-57. Schwellnus, C. and J. Arnold (2008), â€Å"Do Corporate Taxes Reduce Productivity and Investment at the Firm Level? Cross-country Evidence from the Amadeus Dataset†, OECD Economics Department Working Papers, forthcoming.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Media Misrepresentation and Emotive Writing
Media Misrepresentation and Emotive Writing COOKING UP DRAMA When reporting on an issue as serious as methamphetamines, its important not to lose your head, writes Matt Cramb Wheres the statistician? Image: ABC AUSTRALIA IS UNDER SIEGE, or at least, thats how ABCs 2017 docu-drama series Ice Wars frames the ever-lurking issue of crystal meth; against dramatic music and flashing imagery of so called ice dens and their denizens, cooks and ice monsters. This hyperbolic name-calling helps nobody, especially not those already embroiled in the stigma surrounding methamphetamines, serving only to further polarise pundits. This leads to similarly overly-authoritative articles such as that from Harm Reduction Australia (HRA), published on February 12, five days after the first episode aired. In their Huffington Post article, titled The ABCs Ice Wars Is Exploiting Vulnerable Addicts, HRA calls for the entire series to be pulled from the network due to a segment following the life of a schizophrenic man addicted to ice. Both texts were written poised to make a positive difference in the community, but are loaded with murky pathos and blinding octane action which topples their ambitions. Information is set into the background, with emotion taking centre stage. It remains to be seen whether this appeal to emotion will propel a stronger community response against the drug, but without the armaments of solid facts to equip it, such a response cannot hold. The Riot Squad, complete with perfectly-angled dashcam. Image: ABC Ice Wars Appeal to Emotion Professor Nicole Lee summed it up when she wrote, Most of what is reported in [Ice Wars] is not incorrect, but it lacks nuance and context. For example, when Ice Wars reports a figure of 1.3 million for Australians who have tried ice, it passes this exaggeration off as a shocking revelation, following with, friends and members of your family would have to have tried ice. This is a perfect example of the shows extreme lack of effort to reconcile facts with on-screen action, over-representing the most shocking and dramatic aspects of Australias campaign (not war, mind you) against ice. Not only is the figure quoted above actually lower, as the Australian Drug Strategy Household Survey conducted in late 2015 reported closer to 850,000 Australians who had used crystal methamphetamine, it doesnt accurately represent the number of regular users at all. Per Lees figures, part of her article on the topic titled Ice Wars Message is Overblown and Unhelpful, a miniscule 0.25% of the population over 14 years uses methamphetamines regularly. Despite the evidence, Australians are prone to overestimating the scale of ice use, found an online survey conducted by the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC). They reported that almost 50% of survey respondents thought 30-100% of Australians had tried ice, with only 14% correctly estimating the figure. The misinformation and misrepresentation left throughout ABCs Ice Wars can only serve to further decrease this figure. Ice Wars, in this regard, is more Highway Patrol than hard-hitting documentary. And the NCPIC, who were responsible for bringing this information to light, despite their usual focus on cannabis? Defunded in December of 2016, the Department of Health citing the release of the National Ice Action Strategy as a major contributing factor. Where is Cannabis Wars, seeing as over 8.3 million Australians have tried the drug? Surely at this figure, friends and members of your family would have to have tried cannabis? Professor Jan Copeland, the former director of the now-defunded NCPIC, said of the research; The most worrying aspect of this is that it normalises ice use in the minds of those who may be thinking of trying it. Ice Wars glosses over these vital statistics, instead foregrounding the more photogenic drug raids and silencing all the above sources. Emotional quotes such as, You lose your soul. You lose everything, are given more time and focus than all of the research conducted on this topic in recent years. Shaky and over-exposed camera angles of barred house fronts with an overlaid narrator talking about the dangers of ice addiction may be more aesthetically appealing, but when Ice Wars employs this and similar visual techniques to heighten the tension and drama and backgrounds crucial information, it does nothing to advance the cause they are championing. It definitely shows something when a hazmat-suited police officer counting numbers off while sorting evidence baggies is better television than an explanation as to what those numbers actually mean. Attempts at fearmongering fall flat trying to leap over the gaps presented in this supposedly educational series. Very interestingly, one of the visual techniques the show uses to fearmonger are several eye-in-the-sky camera angles taken via drone to present an authoritative documentary tone, a tone Harm Reduction Australia unwittingly emulates in their own article. Theres a lot of myths about methamphetamine. Image: ABC The ABCs Ice Wars Is Exploiting Vulnerable Addicts Appeal to Authority Boldly emblazoned, just underneath the catchy head- and by-line of the Huffington Post article, The ABCs Ice Wars Is Exploiting Vulnerable Addicts, are the names and qualifications of the two authors, Gino Vumbaca and Tony Trimingham, president and vice-president of Harm Reduction Australia respectively. For context, Harm Reduction Australia is an organisation dedicated to increasing practices in Australian drug policy which focus more on lessening the impact of drug use in cases where the user is unable or unwilling to stop [using]. Their article, or at least the article co-penned by their president, condemns the ABCs brief focus on an ice user and schizophrenic. When they begin their article with the phrase; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we believe there is no option but to call for the rest of the series to be halted from broadcastingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ its unclear whether the we is Vumbaca Trimingham or HRA itself. Later, they attest that It is the policy of NSW Healthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, and end their article with a quote from Dr Marianne Jauncey, quick to point out her position as Director of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre. The quote itself is largely irrelevant to the rest of the article, exploring a tangent they only lightly touched upon; the issue of misrepresentation. Theres a lot of myths about methamphetamine, she is quoted as saying. Perhaps it is fitting that this quote is used to conclude an article written by people intentionally and artificially exaggerating their status, because stapling her quote to the end of the article does exactly that. This contradiction is exemplified in the following quote: The public have no reason not to believe this [information provided by the ABC] is true given the authoritative nature of the source from which it came. However, it is simply untrueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Simultaneously rebuking the ABC for an authoritative tone while adopting that very same tone further highlights the emphasis and citations leveraged by Vumbaca Trimingham to promote their ideology. The article discredits sources which discuss statistics, such as ABC Breakfast who claims that it takes 18 months to get off methamphetamine, while heroin only takes 10 days, which while in context was appropriate to Vumbaca Triminghams point, also effectively silences all data surrounding the issue. The ABC series appears to be failing badly on reporting the evidence, posits the article, after itself claiming, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦investment in treatment and support provides far better economic, health and social outcomes than policing, courts and prisonsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ while omitting all evidence. The audience is not given baseline knowledge on the issue but is led to believe the text is an authority on said issue, only muddying the waters further. Granted, this may have been done deliberately to promote Vumbaca Triminghams organisational agenda or to draw in a more engaged audience. However, it does nothing to help their contention or the ice user whose plight they bemoan. Interviews with these people, those directly involved in the science and numbers, would have been much appreciated. Image: ABC Both texts are filled with their own flaws and misrepresentations, including Ice Wars use of emotion over reason, and Harm Reduction Australias authoritative tension, but both silence or omit important data and statistics to their detriment. By coaxing and corralling specific emotional responses from the audience, the texts hinder the change they are trying to action. While they are trying to help, without preparing their audiences with accurate facts and relevant data, the issue will become more nebulous and difficult to tackle. And its already bad enough. Bibliography: Author/s Unknown 2016, National Drug Strategy 2016-2025, Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs, accessed 22/2/17, http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au/internet/drugstrategy/Publishing.nsf/content/73E3AD4C708D5726CA257ED000050625/$File/draftnds.pdf Author/s Unknown 2017, Harm Reduction Australia, Harm Reduction Australia, accessed 20/2/17, http://www.harmreductionaustralia.org.au/ Author/s Unknown 2017, Whoops!, National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, accessed 22/2/17, https://ncpic.org.au/ Fogarty, S 2016, Cannabis addiction support centre to close doors after government cuts funding, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, accessed 22/2/17, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-04/cannabis-support-centre-to-close-after-funding-cut/7994558 Ice Wars 2017, television program, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sydney, 8 February Lee, N 2017, Ice Wars message is overblown and unhelpful, The Conversation, accessed 20/2/17, http://theconversation.com/ice-wars-message-is-overblown-and-unhelpful-72719 National Drug Alcohol Research Centre 2015, Australians are overestimating meth use, University of New South Wales, accessed 22/2/17, https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/news/australians-are-overestimating-meth-use Trimingham, T Vumbaca, G 2017, The ABCs Ice Wars Is Exploiting Vulnerable Addicts, Huffingon Post, accessed 20/2/17, http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/tony-trimingham/the-abcs-ice-wars-is-exploiting-vulnerable-addicts/
Friday, October 25, 2019
College Essay :: essays research papers
As I thought of this article, many of the issues I have faced as a single Hmong woman in her mid-twenties came to mind. Should I discuss the functional reasons why marriage is so important in the Hmong culture, especially for women? Or do I talk about the lack of eligible, older Hmong men? Better yet, should I complain about the attempts by my relatives to find me a good husband as if it were an unfortunate circumstance that I was single instead of a conscious choice? Thinking it over, though, I decided that all those questions boiled down to one fundamental truth – the Hmong community is still trying to learn how to treat the increasing number of Hmong women who, like me, are making the choice to stay single in their mid-twenties. Today, single Hmong women in their mid-twenties are living on their own, sometimes in different cities, earning their own income, and making decisions independent of both their parents and clans. However, in a community where marriage defines the moment an individual becomes an adult, these successes still have not allowed them to be treated or perceived as adults by the family and clan. Furthermore, in a culture where a woman’s role continues to be defined by the dominant male in her life – either her father or her husband – the independence of Hmong women in their mid-twenties has led to a displacement of traditional roles. My sister coined the term â€Å"Christmas Tree Age†when someone told her that in order to be able to find a good husband, a Hmong woman needed to be no older than twenty-five years old. Just like a Christmas Tree which is discarded after the 25th of December, the Hmong community seems to disregard women older than twenty-five as in-eligible marriage material. At twenty-five years of age, I’ve attained many of the goals I set for myself as a young girl, starting a successful career in Corporate America, gaining financial freedom and traveling the globe. Yet, to many of my relatives, it seems my life is still lacking the most critical ingredient – a husband. While in college, my single status seemed more acceptable. However, as I have continued to focus on my career instead of a husband and as I have reached the magic twenty-five, the choice to remain single has become an increasing concern for my family.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
A monopoly from start to finish Essay
During out studies this term we have learned a lot about a Monopolistic way a company is able to maneuver in the business market and I would like to refresh your mind by offering a clear definition. A Monopoly is a situation in which an entity, either an individual or an industry or organization, is the sole supplier of a particular good or service. As such, this supplier has no competition from other suppliers and is able to control the market value of the commodity. Some monopolies are government-enforced or controlled, while others form naturally or through company merger. According to our focus of this paper, we are asking about the long-run competitive equilibrium of the Wonks Company that was earning a normal rate of return and were competing in a monopolistically competitive market structure. One of the questions we must answer regarding this change in business structure is how the company’s shift to a monopoly will benefit the stakeholders involved. One of the stakeholders who may be involved is the government. Monopolies sanctioned by the government are called legal monopolies. These are considered coercive monopolies, meaning that other companies are forbidden by law to compete against them. Governments also maintain some control over monopolies through competition laws, which prevent monopolies from engaging in unscrupulous or anti-competitive practices (http://www. reference. com/motif/Society/advantages-disadvantages-of-monopolies). The second question is how a Monopoly will affect other businesses and after research it is quite obvious from the definition of a monopoly that other companies do not have to worry about competition from other companies in the same market. Consumers are affected by this change because they must either purchase the product or service from the monopoly or do without it. When a company transitions from a monopolistically competitive firm to a monopoly, there will be changes with regard to prices and output from both of these market structures. So, let’s take a closer look at how prices are affected when a firm becomes a monopoly. A common practice among some monopolies is price discrimination, in which the monopolist charges some segments of the population more than others for the same product or service, based on a higher need or a wealthier consumer base. This would usually be called price fixing which is an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand. When the monopoly is able to prevent buyers from reselling their product, they may be able to price discriminate to accentuate the effects of monopoly power. In my opinion the most important group that is affected by a Monopoly are the consumers. Monopolies can impact consumer prices in two obviously different ways, they can cause prices to drop so low that it forces companies out of business or it an cause prices to skyrocket making it difficult for consumers to purchase a product, neither being a good option for the consumer. If one business is the only provider of a product or service, the consumer is forced to pay whatever the price they demand. This can also lead to the company providing a low quality product or service without fear of losing business (Home, 2009). Since monopolies are the only provider, they can set pretty much any price they choose, regardless of demand, because they know the consumer has no choice. Is this sort of thing fair to consumers? Of course not, but it is how big business is able to stay on top of the market. For example, most people find that Apple products have an outrageous price tag, but I have come to learn that the quality of their products is outstanding and I estimate that Apple will continue to rise in popularity for years to come. It has also come to my attention that because Monopolies try to monitor the price of products they may resort to price discrimination. Price discrimination is sometimes defined as the practice of a firm selling a homogeneous commodity at the same time to different purchasers at different prices . Of course, I believe it is important to understand what and how price discrimination occurs. â€Å"Price discrimination exists when two similar products which have the same marginal cost to produce are sold by a firm at different prices. This sort of practice is highly controversial in terms of its impact on both consumers and rivals†(Price Discrimination, 2006, p. 1). There are many ways to accomplish these sort of conditions because the transactions surely need not be simultaneous; indeed, there is temporal discrimination, such as between Sunday rates and week, day rates, matinee and evening prices, peak rates and off-peak rates, season and off-season prices. To sell different qualities or products with different marginal cost at the same price, or to buy different qualities or factors of different efficiency at the same price, is also discriminatory. Based on all of this useful information we must also answer the question regarding which market structure is more beneficial for Wonks to operate in and will this market structure benefit consumers? In my opinion it is based on the level of quality and service of the products and how much consumers are willing to pay for the products they want to purchase. In a monopolistic competitive market the consumer may choose to purchase a substitute product for a lower price, but only if the consumer values price over value. Of course with a monopoly there may be only a few companies offering a substitute product. If one company’s product becomes too high in price, the consumer will eventually look for another brand that offers similar use. According to economist, the monopolistic competitor’s demand curve is less elastic than a pure competitor and more elastic than a pure monopolist. Monopolistic competitors have excess capacity which means that fewer companies operating at capacity could supply the industry output. It is my opinion that Wonks might operate more beneficially as a Monopoly than at a Monopolistic Competitive firm because they will not have as much competition to deal with and they can corner the market with value and price. Resources: 1. McChesney, F. S. , Shughart II, W. F. , & Haddock, D. D. (2004). ON THE INTERNAL CONTRADICTIONS OF THE LAW OF ONE PRICE. Economic Inquiry, 42(4), 706-716. doi:10. 1093/ei/cbh091 2. Mainwaring, L. L. (1977). MONOPOLY POWER, INCOME DISTRIBUTION AND PRICE DETERMINATION. Kyklos, 30(4), 674. 3. https://www. fcsknowledgecenter. com/uploads/2011_Row_Crops_Industry_Perspective. pdf 4. http://academic. udayton. edu/lawrenceulrich/Stakeholder%20Theory. pdf 5. http://www. answers. com/topic/mergers-and-acquisitions 6. http://www. helium. com/items/1405663-what-is-a-monopoly-what-do-monopolies-do-how-is-the-economy-affected-by-monopolies 7. Case, K. E. , Fair, R. C. , and Oster, S. E. (2009) Principles of Microeconomics (9th ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Commentary for “The May Poles and Their Queen†Essay
When reading the Greek myth Orpheus, I was immediately struck by the heroism of the central character. Orpheus is the classic male hero, overcoming all obstacles to bring back his beloved Eurydice, only to be eventually thwarted by something even more powerful than his heroism: his own love. Because of the essentially classical, romanticized nature of Orpheus, I felt it would be an ideal source text for a modern-day interpretation. In order to gain a better understanding of the text, I initially adopted, in Stuart Hall’s terms, the ‘preferred’ reading; that is, how the audience are ‘meant’ to read a text, who they are expected to empathise with and what conclusions they are meant to draw. Applying Greimas’s structuralist scheme, I found it easy to identify Orpheus as the ‘subject’ or, according to Propp’s ‘spheres of influence’, the ‘hero’. Orpheus can also be identified as Propp’s ‘donor’ figure through his extraordinary skill at playing the lyre, which provides him with apparently limitless power when it comes to charming the gods of the underworld. The ‘sender’ would be Eurydice, for dying and subsequently ‘sending’ Orpheus on his quest to the underworld. The ‘villain’ could be Aristaeus for chasing Eurydice, or any of the creatures of the underworld for opposing Orpheus. Alternatively, and perhaps more interestingly, the ‘villain’ could be Orpheus’s own love, which is so strong it forces him to look back, and lose his wife forever. Eurydice can also be identified as Greimas’s ‘object’ or Propp’s ‘princess’: the ‘object’ of Orpheus’s quest, whose only ‘skill’ is to be desired by the ‘subject’, Orpheus. I also applied Tzvetan Tordorov’s theory that there is a similar narrative framework to all stories. For Todorov, a story usually begins with a state of peace and harmony, an ‘equilibrium’: Orpheus has his love, his music and is happy. This then evolves into ‘disruption’: Eurydice dies and Orpheus must journey to the underworld to bring her back. Then Orpheus attempts to repair the ‘disequilibrium’, by charming the creatures of the underworld. Next, according to Todorov, a ‘new equilibrium’ is often found. However, in Orpheus, this is not the case. Eurydice is left in the underworld and Orpheus’s head is left singing alone in the upper world, still crying out for his lost love, unable to find his ‘new equilibrium’ by being denied even unity in death. Applying these structuralist theories, I found, only served to emphasize the essentially patriarchal nature of the myth. The literary theorist Terry Eagleton talks of how â€Å"[a text’s] blindnesses, what it does not say and how it does not say it†¦ [is] maybe as important as what it articulates†(Eagleton, 1996) i.e. the ‘untold’ story, the ‘gaps’ in the original tale, can allow for additional perspectives other than the conventional, ‘preferred’ reading. In reference to Orpheus, I felt that the character of Eurydice, and her account of events, was a very important ‘blindness’, which had been largely ignored by Greek mythology. Because of this, I decided to adopt a more ‘oppositional reading’, as Hall would characterise it, and subsequently, a more ‘feminist’ approach, making Eurydice the classic hero. This opened up a variety of possibilities to me concerning the other roles. Could Orpheus (or Christian in my re-working) now become the ‘villain’, his ‘quest’, from her perspective, becoming more akin to a ‘hunting down’? The ‘object’ could now become Edie’s desire to be recognised and appreciated. Could Christian’s ‘underworld’ not be Edie’s ‘new equilibrium’? I also thought it would be interesting to strip Christian of his ‘donor’ role by making his musical talent all a faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade. I felt that it was a perfectly reasonable reading of the original text to believe that the reason Orpheus ‘required’ Eurydice was simply to act as his ‘muse’ and inspire him to create beautiful music. By interpreting Orpheus’ need for Eurydice on a more literal level, I could make Edie the one who was the true musician. This makes Christian’s need for her all the more desperate as, without Edie, Christian feels he can no longer be a successful musician, as is the case in the original text. I also felt that the tale of Orpheus had almost become too romanticized and was subsequently open to a parody. Consequently, I tried to create a carnivalesque interpretation, that is, exaggerate some of the key aspects of the characters until they almost become ‘grotesque’, in order to evoke humour. I decided to make my target audience aged 14-18, as I felt that they would feel comfortable with the modern-day, often egotistical, music culture, and also be open to, and appreciate, the attempt to invert the original tale’s gender stereotyping. As I wanted to create a visually dynamic as well as linguistically comical piece, I chose the genre of a television drama: a genre likely to appeal to my target audience. This also allows the piece to suddenly break out of realism in order to give the drama a distinctly surreal edge, for example, the impromptu arrival of the snake. I felt the addition of this element of ‘magical realism’ to the piece would add to the farcical nature and heighten the comedy. The opening few scenes are key to establishing the tone of the piece, and also the characters’ relationships. The opening scene of a â€Å"rock band†performing on stage is designed to grab the viewer’s attention, whilst also appealing to my target audience. Christian uses the informal register of the archetypal ‘rock star’: â€Å"We’ve been Christian and the May Poles! Goodnight!†This type of lexis has connotations of arrogance and vanity, which is designed to contrast with the stupidity of Orpheus’s kilt and also the band name ‘Christian and the May Poles’, a pun on the original ‘Maenads’. By having Edie backstage, providing the real musical talent, she initially appears a relatively oppressed, marginalised character: always forced to stay in the background: â€Å"Yeah. Well, I ain’t ‘Christian’, am I?†There is a sense that Edie has accepted the belief imposed upon her by Christian: that she is simply an accessory to his success. I gave her a distinct Northern accent in order to appear more ‘down to earth’ than her ‘rock star’ counterpart, and also to appeal more to the audience as the ‘under-dog’. Throughout, Christian is portrayed as the archetypal, vain, male ‘rock star’. I attempted to emphasize this vanity linguistically, through his self-obsessed use of language – â€Å"You’ve already got flowers. My flowers. Flowers handpicked by moi†– and also through his obsession with his eyebrows. I felt that by giving this conventionally ‘effeminate’ concern to both Christian and Al, I could further parody the ‘strong’ male stereotype associated with Greek myths. One of the key changes that I made to the original text was that in my drama, Edie runs away from Christian as opposed to â€Å"Aristaeus†. She is also willingly ‘bitten’ by the snake. By having Edie willingly leave Christian for the ‘underworld’, this is in keeping with my overall ‘feminist’ angle of approach, as it now becomes Edie’s ‘quest’ to find her role as a performer. Instead of making the characters of my ‘underworld’ subtly linked to the characters in the original myth, I decided on overstating their most obvious physical features in order to provide an out and out carnivalesque adaptation. Because of this, I decided that a theatre would be an ideal setting, and, by drawing inspiration from the character of the serpent, introduced the idea of a pantomime production of the Bible in the hope that this would generate further humour. Deliberately playing with the notion of stereotypes, that is foregrounding the whole issue, was also a comic device. Just as Christian is the ‘stereotypical rock star’, so all the characters of the underworld are stereotypical actors, as I felt this would add a new angle to these conventionally frightening characters. The use of ‘stock’ figures and the language associated with them, – such as the ‘wise’ Yorkshiremen – would also speed up audience recognition and mean the characters would not need to be individually introduced. In earlier drafts, I had attempted to give the beginning a more serious edge, in order to contrast with the absurdity of the underworld. I had incorporated monologues, in the style of Jim Cartwright’s Road, in an attempt to provide greater character insight. However, these monologues seemed to ‘jar’ with the other scenes and make the beginning appear ‘flat’, without really adding to the piece. Although they established the characters, they did so in a rather bland, pedestrian way, so these scenes were reworked. However, I still felt I had to emphasize the difference between the characters of the ‘upper world’ and those of the ‘underworld’ and one of the main ways I did this was through my choice of language. Because my chosen setting was a theatre, I wanted to give the language of the ‘underworld’ a distinct theatrical edge. One of the ways I tried to achieve this was through my use of â€Å"luvvies'†discourse, for example, the Serpent’s line â€Å"How marvellous!†, an indication of the affected register of language associated with the theatre. This inflated speech is in immediate contrast to both Christian and Edie’s more ‘down to earth’, Northern dialect and I tried to emphasize this contrast by having the two types of speech juxtaposed in order that they might ‘break against’ each other and subsequently, generate humour: â€Å"Greetings Child/Who the hell are you?†Another theatrical device which I made use of was the ‘one liner’ – a device associated with pantomime – in the hope that this would make the piece feel like a â€Å"pantomime production of Orpheus†as it were. For example the serpent’s ‘one-liner’ â€Å"I’m playing the serpent incidentally†attempts to add humour by overstatement, as I interpreted this character on a literal level and made my serpent, an actor â€Å"wearing a giant green snake costume†. This line also refers to both the pantomime production of the Bible and the original Greek myth. It will inform viewers already familiar with the myth that the ‘descent into the underworld’ is about to begin, and provide a ‘sneak preview’ into future events. The ‘wise men’, Rod, Bob and Todd were added to act as a Cerebus figure. I gave them each a pint of beer in order that they might ‘foam at the mouth’ as Cerebus was famed for doing, and made them â€Å"drunk and†¦ quite menacing†in order to, like Cerebus, be perceived as ‘vicious’. Through their physical similarity and the syntactical correspondency of their language, they are designed to appear like a ‘club-act’, finishing off each other’s sentences in an almost ‘pantomime patter’ style, in order to ‘gang up’ on Christian: â€Å"We are wise men./The wise men of Yorkshire†. I also made them speak simultaneously, in order to appear as though they are ‘one being with three heads’: â€Å"We know!†I transformed the original mythological character of Charon into another actor, Little Ron. I combined many of the traditional aspects of Charon such as the hood and cape, with sunglasses in order to contrast with Charon’s ‘blazing eyes’ motif. I also made him exceptionally short in order to dismiss any preconceptions which the audience may have of Charon being ‘spooky’ and ‘all powerful’. As opposed to Orpheus paying Charon ‘one silver coin’ to descend in the underworld, Christian instead gives Little Ron a cigarette. I felt this fitted in with my modern-day outlook and also would add a comical element by effectively having â€Å"God†smoking. One of the most dramatic changes I made to the original tale was that in my version, Edie chooses to stay in the ‘underworld’, and it is she, as opposed to Des/Hades, who sends Christian back to the ‘upper world’ with the dismissive remark â€Å"I’m an actress, Chris†. By changing the original ending, Edie has found her real existence in the underworld, and to her, it is the upper world which is full of misery. Christian, however becomes a classic picture of male melancholy: â€Å"homeless and unable to even strum his guitar.†He is an allusion to the current crisis in masculinity, a phenomenon often voiced in the media, his ‘traditional role’ as the performer taken over by his female counterpart: abandoned for â€Å"Keith Harris†. Because of this, Christian feels his masculinity has been threatened. This is then made ironic by his final effeminate cry of â€Å"My tweezers!†In the final scene, I had Edie â€Å"smiling sadistically†as she plucks her eyebrows, indicative of her mocking of Christian, a reversal of the original patriarchal tale. For whereas in the original text, it is the ‘hero’ Orpheus who ‘goes on his quest and fails’, in my transformation it is the ‘heroine’ Edie, who not only sets off on her ‘quest’ but also succeeds and ultimately, it is she who ‘comes out on top’. BIBLIOGRAPHY Philip, Neil. The Illustrated Book of Myths, (DK, 2000) Hughes, Ted. Ted Hughes’ Collected Plays for Children, (Faber, 2001) Widdicombe, Rupert. The Sunday Times, (4 September 1994, CINEMA, pages 10-11) Ross, Alison and Greatrex, Jen. A2 English Language and Literature, (Heinemann, 2001) Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory, An Introduction (Blackwell, 1996) Machery, Pierre. A Theory of Literary Production (Routlege and Kegan Paul. 1978) Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths:1 (Penguin, 1955) Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (Michael Wiese Productions, 1998) Cartwright, Jim. Road (Samuel French, 1989)
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