History Of The Somalia History Essay

The strategic geopolitical history of Somaliland non merely indicates its importance to the early African lands but has continued to so to this present twenty-four hours. It ‘s positioned in the centre of the Horn of Africa with an country of 637,540 square kilometres and is ideally located at the intersection non merely to merchandise paths, but to the gateway of antediluvian and modernizing Africa. Somali history day of the months back to the Paleolithic Age and Cave picture dating back to 9000 old ages BC has been recorded. Its location with Djibouti to the North West, Kenya to the South, Gulf of Aden on the North, Indian Ocean to the E, and Ethiopia on the West has added to its significance. In malice of its strategic location it has, unlike other African states, no old history of conquering, and as such, provided ulterior European states an first-class chance to see other civilisations than their own- particularly those of African Kingdoms. Ancient Somalia is reported to hold had trading dealingss with many of the mercantile states during the in-between Ages, and as a effect positioned Africa as an of import continent in the ancient universe. Among others, cinnamon trade to Europe, particularly to the ancient universe of Rome and Greece was extremely valued. Most of the cinnamon was obtained from the East, particularly India. Furthermore since the Somali state consisted of several Sultanates, it remained cardinal to maritime and trading civilizations of that period. Known as the Kingdom of Punt in ancient times, it besides had close dealingss with other of import African lands particularly that of Egypt, Nubia and Ethiopia. As a effect, parts of Somali civilization and signifiers frequently resemble that of the pyramid-culture of Egypt and other near neighbours. Strongly influenced by the Arab civilization, this African society exhibits an extraordinary mixture of the two. Islam was brought to that portion of the universe around 825 A.D. Somalia ‘s position on the African continent was besides the consequence of its close relationship with the Ottoman and German Empires. With the rise of the Arab universe in the Middle East and its oil industry, Somalia continues to keep its importance within this industry. It besides remains influential in the Islamic universe, enabling Somali to go a member of the Arab League in 1974. This state has besides played an of import and outstanding function in the African Union which was formed really much in the tradition and design of the European Union. Education is extremely valued throughout Somalia although a higher instruction is still precedence. It has several universities with the University of Mogadishu considered to be one of the finest in the state but besides one of the best in Africa. Culturally, the Somalis are Muslims and as such traditional spiritual instruction is singularly of import so that it is taught at a quranic schools across the state. Muslim literature produced by the Somalis is besides good recognized in other parts of the Moslem universe and so is their music and vocals. Both the rural and urban societies are serviced through these spiritual schools. The development of Somali legal construction as a mixture of Roman Dutch jurisprudence and Sharia jurisprudence. Currently it exercises civil traditional knowledge, spiritual and traditional jurisprudence. Somalia consists of a figure of kin based independent provinces. Somali one time boasted of a healthy economic system within the formal and informal sector. Trade, commercialism, conveyance and international links all promised of progressive future.. All this indicated that Somali are quickly traveling towards a modernizing society. Most of the West ‘s transnational companies, for case the fabrication trade, multinationals and Bankss all have subdivisions in the chief metropoliss in Somalia Somalia has been rich in mineral resources and the recent discovery of significant oil militias has surged its position among the industrializing states whose demand for oil particularly in the thick of the Middle East crisis is holding a strong impact on its economic system. Somalia has the largest ground forces in Africa with 10,000 military personnels on the field. Somalia has near on to 2 million people and 85 % of them Somalis and the remainder belonging to others. Of these 34 % unrecorded in the metropoliss. Arabic is the official linguistic communication although English is spoken widely with some Italian. The Muslims belong to the Sunni religious order of Islam. Christianity is minority faith. When Imperialism swept over Africa for the last five or six centuries. It subjected the native people to ‘inferior position ‘ or 2nd category citizenship. Africans weary of the rough conditions the position brought on to them shortly began to foment. Clangs with Europeans became frequent, so much so the Imperialist states gathered at the Berlin Conference in 1913 where the Western states decided to carve out certain parts of Africa among themselves as ‘guardians ‘ . These imperial states, particularly the Portuguese, Britain, France, Germany and Italy were on the top of the list. One of the unintended effects of such an act was to witness the outgrowth of release groups, patriotism and people prosecuting in the ‘freedom and release battles ‘ across the continent. Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, a Dervish leader sent a clarion call across Africa to defy the British and end their rising influence. He was one of the early African leaders, to name for integrity and independency. Swept by the influences of decolonisation and release battles across Africa, Somalia provided unqualified support to the African National Congress of South Africa. Somalia in the interim besides had strong ties with Muslim states and with their Muslim establishments. Hassan, furthermore as a Dervish leader, with his long experience with the British and Italian schemes of warfare, organized and disciplined his Somali ground forces, both in their ability in land conflicts and fleet retreats utilizing the terrain, with the consequence he defeated a well-trained British ground forces. In 1920 nevertheless, with the debut of aeroplanes into the battlegrounds, the British were able to get the better of the Somali ground forces eventually. There after Somalia became a associated state of the British Empire. The Italians fared no better than the British in the beginning merely because the Somalis non merely had the advantage of the terrain, but the ‘brotherhood ‘ within the Somalis and their commitment to the Sultanate, provided their soldiers extra inducements during war against their enemy. They, nevertheless could non, in ulterior old ages, match the ground forcess of the Italians under the Fascist control in 1927. Benito Mussolini, the Italian Fascist leader in 1935 attacked Abyssinia ( Ethiopia ) in the tradition of and go oning the bequest of imperialism and colonisation, but this clip the League of Nations ( which subsequently became the United Nations ) condemned the invasion. Little was done thenceforth to halt the business. In around 1941 the British stationed in Kenya with the coaction certain kins of the Sultanate, accompanied by East, West, and North African military personnels under the bid of the British attacked the British held Somalia and Italian Ethiopia and defeated them. Britain ruled both parts and was subsequently granted associated state position, but the United Nation transferred the trust territory of Italian held Somalia, back to Italians. It was during the trusteeship period that the Somalis entered into the structural model of Western political and international policy devising. But in the procedure the Imperializing states were consuming the economic wealth of Somalia. At times the British collaborated with Ethiopia in keeping the hegemony over Somalia, all of which did non get away the assorted patriot motions which were emerging in assorted parts of the state. Djibouti ‘s ( Gallic Somaliland ) independency in 1958 showed Somalia the switching geopolitics taking topographic point in the country. But the referendum held in Djibouti nevertheless showed that the people had decided to ally themselves to France instead than Somalia. Somalia itself gained its independency in 1960, and formed the post- colonial province. Unfortunately for the state at this clip the legion groups each wanted a portion in the authorities? The hierarchy and power of the colonial system was now transferred to the new authorities. Rather than concentrate on the structural development of the state the authorities bureaucratism began to concentrate on personal power and wealth. Many of the new authorities functionaries were chosen from the South and the Northerners felt left out and regional inequalities became the norm. 18 Parties participated in the first station colonial national elections in 1964 amidst accusal of corruptness and fraud. The Somali Youth League, a Somali National Congress, and the Somali Democratic Union, united to organize a strong block within the authorities. And unstable Somalia began to emerge for the following several old ages. Abdullah Osman Daar became its first president. Power battle continued, and eventually in 1969 a military putsch installed General Said Barre as President. Barre ‘s authorities introduced several new societal plans particularly in instruction, but otherwise parliamentary democracy seemed to endure from internal discord. On October 15, 1969 President Abdirachii Ali Shermaarke was assassinated by a constabulary head. At the beginning, General Said Barres ‘s Supreme Revolutionary Council was welcomed by the multitudes of people. There was a belief amongst the population that Somalia would now hold a stable authorities. Barre promoted what he called ‘scientific socialism ‘ as an political orientation for his state. Notwithstanding his political rhetoric, Somalis shortly began to see expropriation and corruptness which was bulwark during the imperialist times. Internal corruptness and favouritism shortly characterized Barre ‘s authorities. Clan competitions and divide and regulation policies besides weakened the authorities. The concluding straw came when the military authorities sent military personnels to Ethiopia. The Soviet Union had been providing weaponries to both sides. The Ethiopians successfully repulsed the Somalia ground forces. By 1980 the Somali authorities was losing its credibleness and at the same clip an economic crisis, particularly with the diminution of trade and of the lowering of oil monetary values added to the despairing internal crisis. Somalis besides noticed under Barres authorities the National Security Courts were set up outside the legal system and straight under the control of the executive whose power came from the military. Any offense considered as a ‘threat ‘ to the national security as defined by the ‘state ‘ was considered a offense. Although this was eventually abolished, and Somalia are still governed by pre-1991 penal codification. Civil war broke out in 1991. Northern Somaliland declared independency and in January 1, 1991 President Ali Madhi Mohamed of the United Somali Congress who had joined the Manifesto Group was made interim President. The rival groups shortly united and refused to acknowledge Muhammad as their leader and president. Throughout the 90s Somalia experienced civil struggles and warfare ensuing in nutrient deficits, devastation of labour and general disruption within the economic system and public assistance. Some 330,000 civilians were at hazard of decease and famishment when Andrew Natsios, the caput of the US bureau for International Development ‘ said before Congress, ‘that Somalia was the greatest human-centered exigency in the universe ‘ . ‘For some clip international perceivers allowed Somalia to disintegrate and it was merely subsequently when the state collapsed into lawlessness did the United Nations send peacekeeping forces. United Nations peace forces were sent into Somalia through the United States. The Security Council set up their UN operation in Somalia ( UNOSOM ) but the UN forces came under onslaught. In 1983 the United Nations human-centered aid chiefly given to the South did non sufficiently alleviate the crisis. The UN aid ceased chiefly due to the casualties suffered to its forces. The EU besides sent assistance to the concept the port at the Berbera. European NGO ‘s besides sent to assistance and aid to several parts of Somaliland. Both the United States authorities under President Bush in the UN Security Council worked together with leaders in Somalia. The United Nations eventually managed to acquire the seniors and leaders at a conference at the Royal Palace in Addis Ababa. Unfortunately the peace dialogues failed and the Civil War continued. The Transitional parliament adopted the federal charter in 2004. In 2006 the southern portion of the state came under the influence of the Islamists who established an Islamic Court to work aboard civil governments. Several parts of the state have declared ‘ independency ‘ and are controlled by warlords. The transitional federal authorities with the aid of the UN reestablished its control over the district but this has remained fragile to this twenty-four hours.

Critical Analysis of the Artful Dodger in Dickens’ Oliver Twist Essay

Write a Critical Analysis of the Character of the Artful Dodger in Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Would You Describe the Dodger Only as a Victim of Circumstances? Jack Dawkins, also known as the Artful Dodger, is one of the most interesting and memorable characters in Dickens’ Oliver Twist. He is reckless and very good at pickpocketing. He is denied the opportunity of choosing his own way of life and is fated to become a criminal. Jack has been a victim of circumstances all his life. The first thing that strikes us when meeting the Dodger in Chapter 8 of Oliver Twist is the way he looks and acts. We see a boy, who appears and behaves like a full-grown man. The Dodger is a child, who wears a â€Å"man’s coat† and â€Å"corduroy trousers† and has a big hat on his head, as Dickens describes him. He is dressed like a young gentleman, looking rather funny with his â€Å"half-way turned sleeves†, but his manners is the thing that lures our attention even more. Not only is Jack Dawkins dressed like a man, but his attitude is like a full grown up as well. He walks and talks like a gentleman and we can distinguish him as a child only by his size. Apparently the way he has been treated by society or the way of life he had to lead influenced his manners. The Artful Dodger is a pickpocket, he is very good at it and he enjoys it. We see in the novel, after he takes Oliver to his home, that he has been trained by Fagin for a long time and lives with him and some other thieves. Read Also:  Critical Thinking Essay Examples Jack lives with some other kids, who are also thieves, and their leader Fagin. The place they live in is dark, old and filthy; â€Å"the walls and the ceiling were perfectly black with age and dirt†. It is not the kind of place children are suppose to grow up in, but the Dodger did live a great deal of his life there. He is the most skilled in the group of little thieves and is their leader and his attitude towards them and Fagin is respectful and friendly. Jack makes his living by stealing. He has been trained by Fagin from an early age and he is very good at it. Fagin had sheltered the Dodger when he was younger and vulnerable and trained him to be a thief, teaching him a bad way of living and so, depriving him the opportunity of his own choice of building a future. The circumstances of being an orphan led him to be apprenticed by the old thief, Fagin, thus becoming a thief himself and starting to enjoy it, which eventually leads to him get caught and put on trial. In the end of the novel the Artful Dodger gets caught by the authorities and is under trial for theft. He is caught trying to pick a pocket and they found a snuff-box in him, which is his and which he carries with all the time. Eventually he is send to court where he acts in a derisively and impertinently manner considering himself as a victim, shouting â€Å"I am an Englishman; where are my rights?† Apparently he must make fun of the jury, thus making a kind of â€Å"glorious reputation† among the thieves community. Eventually the judge grows eager and expels him from the court as soon as the sentence signed. Jack didn’t dodge this situation and gets send to penal colony in Australia. The Artful Dodger is treated as a criminal and a grown up all his life and he is very well adjusted to that. He is not the kid he is supposed to be and that makes him a victim of society – the victim of many circumstances that can fall on an orphan and deprive it of its childhood.

Genetic engineering, friend or foe? Essay

â€Å"By bringing in this technology to make the same crop that people eat and grow, make it more insulated against some of the elements of nature, more nutritious†¦ it will improve local production,† said Channapatna Prakash, professor in plant molecular genetics at Tuskegee University, Alabama. â€Å"If it does make a difference in their overall health and well-being with the least intervention, it needs to be looked at very carefully,† he said. â€Å"If it does provide some solution in certain places and circumstances, then why not? † Prakash is also a member of the U. S. Agriculture Department’s agricultural biotechnology advisory committee. Genetic modification (GM) involves exchanging or splicing genes of unrelated species that cannot naturally swap with each other and enthusiastic scientists say the applications are almost limitless. The species can be vastly different, for example, inserting scorpion toxin or spider venom genes into maize and other food crops as a ‘natural pesticide’ to prevent insects and birds from feeding on the plants, or fish antifreeze genes into tomatoes. So this is the positive side of the argument, however, others do not feel the same – recently trail GM crops have been destroyed even in ‘sleepy’ Devon in a trails site at Dartington. Fears were raised even higher because an internationally acclaimed organic farm was nearby. Insect or the wind could have carried genetically modified pollen to other farms thus creating unwanted and unsuspected mutations. Not everyone agrees that GM foods will necessarily become the saviour for the world’s hungry and people insist that there is, as yet, no conclusive evidence of the benefits of GM. The whole GM issue creates strong emotions, particularly among the more sceptic opponents to the technology who have been known to march across fields and rip up fledgling test plants, demanding that governments put a stop to â€Å"Frankenstein† foods by banning the import and the commercial use of GM crops. Apart from their charge that nobody yet knows how safe GM crops are, they also accuse powerful biotechnology multinational companies of using poor countries as a ‘dumping ground’ for products, which have failed to sell to lucrative but sceptical European markets. Already there are specific examples – there are problems with Genetically Engineered Soya Bean and Maize Imports. The first main genetically modified food was a tomato paste, introduced with careful consumer consultation, clearly labelled. It sold well until the current furore began. In 1996 the European Union [EU] accepted the import of US genetically modified Soya bean and maize, staple commodities which go untracked into a large number of processed foods. The US companies refused to label or segregate the new products, more concerned with winning markets than public attitudes. Ordinary people ended up eating modified food without knowing it, with any tangible benefit to them, and having no real say in the decisions. This major failure of democracy resulted in a huge consumer backlash. It also raised questions of environmental risks of GM crops spreading genes to other species and possible loss of biodiversity. As can be seen sharing understanding of the risks and labelling GM tainted or enhanced products has not happened automatically – there is too much money at stake. However, we should consider these issues carefully. There are risks far more complex than a blanket moratorium would solve. Different crops vary enormously over questions like gene flow [e. g. due to mode of pollination or unrestricted movement of GM animals for breeding] or wild relatives, which might become weeds or pests. So a plant like oil seed rape merits much more careful attention than other less genetically promiscuous species. Talking to ecological scientists, it seems clear that five years of research is not going to give a generic answer to tell us whether â€Å"GM is safe† or not. We know so little about either the ecology or safety of normal foods that we often do not have a yardstick to make meaningful comparison with GM foods. Much better than a crude moratorium is to be precautionary but on a case-by-case basis, rather than assume that everything is equally risky. Rather than swallow whole the current green position on GM foods, we need to recognise that it is just as easy to exaggerate risks as it is to ignore them or pretend they aren’t there. Current EU labelling is only mandatory if you can detect genes or the proteins in the food, but this only addresses a small minority of the concerns. If someone objects to GM food on ethical or religious grounds or to the effect of the crop on the environment, present labelling misses the point completely. Here is a fundamental injustice, which the Government has done very little to address. Genetic Engineering, Friend or Foe? Is still a question to be answered – the debate will continue, as will the research that pushes the boundaries of science. The answer lies in the far future! Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Variation and Inheritance section.

Public School Education and Globalization Annotated Bibliography

Public School Education and Globalization - Annotated Bibliography Example ASI. (2003). Democracy and Education. Washington D.C: Albert Shanker Instutute. According to the author, a majority of schools leaders have in recent past shown concern that in the communities, many educators, those in business leadership and a number of parents of students are getting concerned that many high school graduates are increasingly falling below the par as far as responding to the needs of employers in the job market is concerned. Moreover, governmental schooling reforms are today largely fashioned towards gratifying the needs of the marketplace. Dewey, J. (2009). Democracy and Education. Berlin: GRIN Verlag. Many graduates are not so clearly succeeding between the classroom lessons and the careers they need to pursue as an interest area in their careers. In this regard many schools across the United States are now training teachers and principals to be more concerned in counseling and teaching students to a more career oriented approach.. This entails dedicating themselves to introducing avenues and opportunities that respond to contextual learning and seeking to ensure that appropriate ways that ensure that things change are adopted. Dicken, P. (2007). Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy. London: Sage Publications. According to P. Dickens, education meets two basic levels: equality and then the social issues and skills demanded by employers. Accordingly, the concept of democratic level-headedness suggests the call for a system of education that facilitates socio-economic progress and the appreciation of a culture of economic relevance, who can then meaningfully take part in communities and groups aligned on democratic ideals in an impartially and objectively informed approach. Arguably is the fact that National Governments across the world continue to hub on equality in the accessibility to education and other social institutions that promote sustainable development. Noteworthy also is the fact that the central goal and purpose accruing from the foregoing discussion would be accordingly, the creation of fruitful citizens/ graduates, and not necessarily resourceful personnel. Indeed, the aim is for the citizens to be able to maximize personal accomplishment, that is to say governments are now mo re focused in development of education curriculum that is more focused on promoting ‘socially and economically cohesive democratic communities’ that respond to the globally defined economic demands. Fazal et al (2005). Globalization and Recent Shifts in Educational Policy in the Asia Pacific. New Delhi: UNESCO. Fazal et al note that, educational policies have been affected. The authors imagine that various governments and their agencies, under the conditions of globalization, have been changing a number of things. This include, not only the rationale for education but also getting actively involved in reconstructing the syllabi and approaches of teaching by also being cognizant of factors such as technology having been laid by use of the internet and other technological advancement associated with the world today. Largely, all this take into account the ever-changing aspects of international trade. Hudis, P (2001). Making Education Career Focused. Berkeley. US Departmen t of Education. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:NJPGGdzftcwJ:www.mathematica-mpr.com/PDFs/makingschools.pdf+Should+public+school+education+be+overhauled+to+teach+trade+skills+to+most+students+based+on+aptitude+tests+and+life+interests+as+opposed+to+preparing+every+student+for+college?&hl=en&gl=ke. This article talks about career oriented approach in education. It is common knowledge that many leaders in the education in the United States and elsewhere in the world are of the opinion that it is important to review school curriculum with a view to prepare students for further education and successful careers, Even more importantly is

Purchasing & Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Purchasing & Supply Chain Management - Essay Example This article shall focus on the matters regarding the competitive edge in the industry with respect to the group’s purchasing and supply chain management. Body Purchasing and supply chain management entails the performance and coordination of numerous activities that takes place both inside and outside an organisation. Research reveals that besides the supply chain that exists within an organisation, there has to be at least one supply chain with another organization. Further, studies reveal that â€Å"the structure of activities within and between companies is a critical cornerstone of creating unique and superior supply chain performance† (Lambert 2005). For Blacks Leisure Group to have an effective purchasing and supply chain management, key players of the chain should be incorporated with the business processes. The company’s processes should be standardised to ensure that there is harmony in linking up processes by purchase and supply chain managers of diffe rent organisations. As earlier mentioned, Leisure industry is very competitive and like any other business in the leisure industry, it is critical for Blacks to develop and sustain competitive advantage. To begin with, Leisure companies throughout the world are now facing enormous challenges because of the globalisation as a result of the enhanced connectivity brought about by the improved technology and the use of internet in doing business. Consequently, Blacks is currently facing very stiff competition from companies from the rapidly industrialised nations like the United States and those from Asian continent. These rival companies, most of which began less than two decades ago, are now tapping into the Blacks market in their quest to spread out their operation base. This may be mainly attributed to more efficient customer service and better distribution channels, networks and transportation as well as enhanced inventory management, material handling and effective communication o n the side of the rival companies. Initially companies were mainly concerned with their customers alone. However, it is rather obvious that the markets have now evolved and Blacks need to change its approach accordingly. Considering that competition may have dire effects on the group like profit declines and being driven out of the business, efforts should be geared towards effective management of their brands and setting up proper market positions. The modern society is a â€Å"now society† in that just like other customers, leisure consumers also want services and products instantly and in the most convenient means possible. As a result, majority of the customers have opted for internet business involving online transactions and thus abandoning tangible companies such as the Blacks Leisure Group. To remain relevant and profitable in the market, Blacks should exploit more on the online business given that marketing environment has changed substantially. Companies that have v entured into online marketing are now posing real competition to Black’s market and are in fact threatening to force them out of the business. It is therefore critical for the Blacks to uphold competitive edge over the online companies by broadening its distribution base in an economical manner, a strategy which is utilised by the rival compani

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin Essay

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin - Essay Example He promises to come back and build a school for the girls (Mortenson 8). The novel reports that villagers and girls are not opposed to seeing their daughters getting the better education. This is because they understand that the key to bringing a positive change to the Muslim religion. This is the reason why they are receptive to Mortenson’s idea of building schools for the Muslim girls. For instance, girls like Tahira, Shakeela, and Jahan who might have played a very little role in their village were it that they had no education, soon became triggers for change in their villages after attending CAI school built for them by Mortenson (Mortenson and Relin 16). In the end, these girls ended up improving the quality of health care, educate women and change the attitudes women. We get to understand that educated girls, unlike the boys who tend to migrate to the city to look for jobs, remain in the villages, thus share the rewards of their education with people around them. Mortenson also understands that the best way to turn these Muslim people from the terrorist act is through education. However, a certain conservative declares Fatwa to frustrate Mortenson’s efforts, with the aim of preventing building schools in the region (Mortenson and Relin 18). The novel reveals that all of Mortenson’s village protagonists are Muslims. However, they lack the authority to arbitrate directly on Mortenson’s behalf. Instead, they opt to petition the â€Å"supreme leader† of the Shia based in northern Pakistan, who immediately declares fatwa inconsistent with Islam. He also offers full support to Mortenson’s project. The conservative leader, in this case, is a representation of those who still leave in the past. These are male chauvinist who does not see any good in women or girls for that matter. For instance, they see that in case a girl gets educated, this will empower them to challenge the men in the society.  Ã‚  

Find two articles that are influential in the field of Organizational Essay - 1

Find two articles that are influential in the field of Organizational Development - Essay Example In this aspect, our major goal is to expand into the regional market. A major threat to our business has been the influx of cheap imports and the rise of competitors. Brainstorming has helped in achieving a technique in problem solving and team building since it creates new ideas, solves problems, motivates, and develops teams (Bushe & Marshak, 2009). The article provides readers with information pertaining to internal practices that ensure the success of an organization. An alternative method is the nominal group technique that encourages contributions from everyone. This ensures participation of all the group members, especially of people who think best in silence and for some members who are, thanks to this technique, more vocal and are not overshadowed by others (Nguyen, 2007). Motivating the employees is a good leadership practice. Motivation involves implementing an innovative reward system directly with the workforce. Development programs assist an organization in bringing up a clear understanding of the growth of an organization. Leaders are always under a lot of pressure to guide and direct their subjects or employees to achieve the set goals. For effectiveness in leadership, leaders have to adopt strategic leadership. Strategic leaders are leaders who are proficient in motivating and persuading people to acquire the vis ion of that company or institution. Strategic leadership is about managing the employees by using strategies of management in order to achieve set goals. Apart from expressing a strategic vision, strategic leaders should also be able to create an organizational structure for the business, which is an extremely crucial part in strategic leadership (Nguyen, 2007). The first article was ranked due to its provision on SWOT analysis. SWOT analysis effectively analyses the strengths, the values and the policies that endear the

Growing up Hidden and made-up story about best friend who is gay Essay

Growing up Hidden and made-up story about best friend who is gay - Essay Example The paper tells that Linnea Due’s essay titled â€Å"Growing Up Hidden† is an indication of she struggled with being gay. According to the opinion of many, being gay is a phase that society intends one to outgrow but as Due insists she did not have to conform to the ideas of society. On the other hand, Miguel’s life is one that was different from that of Due as Miguel comes from Argentina where being gay is acceptable. In essence, the aspect of being gay in America becomes a challenge for those in America as the antagonists seem to have their ideas peeled. According to Due, she spent most of her life living a lie by attempting to develop an attraction for the male gender as a way of entertaining the existing norms in the American society. She found herself in heterosexual relationships that were not working since she was living a lie. However, Miguel’s gay aspect makes him coexist peacefully with those in his society as Argentine’s are not judgmenta l regarding one's sexual preference. On the contrary, defies the idea of one needs to conform to societal beliefs and attributes as a way of influencing society into accepting him. Moreover, the family experiences between Miguel and Due are quite different as Due experienced minimal love and acceptance from her family because of her being gay. Essentially, the essay presents the fact that she only was part of the family when she pretended to be heterosexual and when she finally revealed her sexual orientation, Due’s family sidelined her.... In essence, hers was a double life that led her to struggle for a substantive portion of her life as she had to keep her act in check. On the other hand, the essay on Miguel has a difference in experience as there is no one time in Miguel’s life that he had to pretend as his parents were proud of him irrespective of him being gay. They accredited his performance in school as they saw him as a child like all the other within their family and received equal treatment as his siblings. Due’s essay portrays, her quest to be a normal child despite her being gay to which her parents denied her constantly. In fact, Due’s parents ought to have shown unconditional support for their daughter as opening up to society forms the trickiest aspect of revealing one’s gay nature to society. This becomes harsh for gay individuals as they aren’t accepted both at home and in their common surrounding. Nevertheless, Due’s friends are as judgmental as a closed minde d society would be in that they are not supportive of her gay attribute. Instead, they alienate her for having stopped to live a life that is not the lie that they had all believed. In contrast, Miguel has a supportive friend as the hard times that he has had in his life he could share and receive encouragement to move forward. In essence, the American culture defies the acceptance of a gay individual in society, and it becomes emotional especially when one is not an American native. Subsequently, Miguel struggled to live his life as he had accustomed himself to because he found himself faced with the possibility of toning down his gay appearances. However, Miguel experienced few problems with acquiring friendship

Norse vs. Greek Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Norse vs. Greek Mythology - Essay Example A comparison of creation myths can be very enlightening regarding the values and needs of the people who hold it. Two major cultures that had a great deal in common regarding their creation myths despite great differences in climate were the Greeks and the Norse. Overall, the creation myths and deity structure of the Greeks and the Norse served to place importance on the same basic elements of life. Both societies held a strong belief in the idea of fate. This concept was represented in both cultures by three female deities. In Norse mythology, these women were called the Norns and were considered demi-goddesses. They also had individual names including Urd (fate), Verdandi (necessity) and Skuld (being) (Lindemans, 1998). Together, they had the primary duty of caring for Yggdrasil, the world tree, which connected all the worlds together, but they also assisted with childbirth and helped determine the course of a person’s life path. The Greeks called their corresponding demi-goddesses the Fates and these women were more directly linked with the lives of men. Their individual names were Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos (Saunders, 2009). Clotho spun the thread of life, so she was associated with birth and beginnings. The length of the yarn C lotho spun was decided by Lachesis and thus measured the path of a man’s life. However, it was up to Atropos to make the final cut that ended that life. Although the Norns and the Fates are considered lesser goddesses in both cultures, they are each given power over everything that exists and thus are considered a part of the grand scheme of creation. This importance can be seen in the myths of these cultures such as in the Voluspa in which the Norns come to Earth for the betterment of mankind and in the plays produced in Greece as characters.

Sudan Food Famine and the Production Possibilities Curve Assignment

Sudan Food Famine and the Production Possibilities Curve - Assignment Example buyers and many are still dying hungry .This has seen the occurrence of a hunger disaster in this state where 70,000 people have died according to the United Nations. Worse still, there have been challenges in the aversion of the famine due to the attention of humanitarian aid being directed to tsunami victims and the fact that agricultural equipment and seed stock lie in destruction. There is also a reduction in the capacity of production, where it scales down by a factor of five in the West Darfur region for instance. This has been due to the instillation of fear; displacement and murder of the families who carry out are farming. Basically, a reduction in the units of labor translates to a decline in productivity. Another factor is the diversion of economic activities by the farmers who have had their harvest stolen upon harvest. Another effect has been on the increase on the number of workers and a decrease in the amounts of wages where workers are engaging in other economic activities such as weaving, brick making with little pay. An increase in the amount of labor leads to a decrease in the amount of wage received by

Children's Language Acquisition - Nature vs Nurture Essay

Children's Language Acquisition - Nature vs Nurture - Essay Example vocabulary extends beyond the basics, they are able to think for themselves and further develop their language skills through expression (Unsworth, 2013). It has been found that nature gives children the ability to acquire language but it does not give them the language itself because the latter is an aspect of humanity which develops due to nurture. It is for this reason that most of the children who are born in one culture can easily adapt to another culture and language as long as they are still young enough to adjust to their new environment. It is normally the environment in which a child is raised that determines his or her rate of language acquisition, so that there are some who acquire it much earlier than others. Thus, one would suggest that nurture plays a more significant role in the language acquisition of children than nature because while the latter facilitates the development of the parts necessary for speech, it is nurture which enables the development and advancement of the skills required for the sake of language acquisition. While speech is a natural part of human beings, language is based on nurture and it is mainly the language that is spoken in the environment that children are raised in that they are able to acquire it. The influence of biological, social and cultural factors have been said to affect the shaping of the different aspects of language acquisition among children. It is a fact that both nature and nurture played a role in language acquisition, the latter hiving existed for almost as long as the human race has existed and it is quite possible that they will continue to exist in the foreseeable future. The acquisition of language among children is a basic part of their daily lives and is manifested within the society by observable factors within the environment that they grow. Thus, children are normally able to acquire language through their interaction with older members of their society and this is normally done in such a manner

National Westminster Bank Essay Example for Free

National Westminster Bank Essay Q1. Analyse the customer contact process during the account opening procedure. What aspects of the branchs operation impact on each stage? From analysing the branchs operation it is clear to see which parts of the banks operation impacts each stage of the account opening procedure. Firstly the customer arrives into the bank, usually customers go to the cashiers section, they are then referred over to the enquiries counter, where they are greeted by enquiry personnel who find out which of the banks service the customer requires. If the customer wishes to open a new account, a member of the records staff comes to administer the account opening procedure. It is the records staff who deals mostly with new customers. The records staff must to have a good basic knowledge of all the banks operations to be able to advise the new customer which account is best suited for them. They must find out if the customer wishes to invest money or if they wish to avail of the banks credit facilities. The records staff would not have an in depth knowledge of the investments available to new customers so more often than not a member of the investment section is called over to advise the new customer. Read more:Â  Bankers Draft Natwest For credit facilities, the new customer is referred to the lending section for processing, as this operation is outside the record section staff jurisdiction. Once they account type has been established, the formalities begin (processing of customer details). Records staff go through forms to ensure that all key information has been gathered. This is probably the longest part of the account opening procedure with the customer as a lot of details need to be processed. Once all the details have been gathered by the records staff, the direct customer contact finishes. Customer details are then passed onto the administrative section and the machine room to finalise the opening of a new account and the paper printing (cheque books, log books, ATM cards etc.) How the different operations interact upon the Records section: Q2. How would you improve the process? Once the bank identified their problems the set out an improvement plan. They key areas identified for improvement were identified: Signage Inexperienced Staff Limited staff for rush hours Uneven flow of walk-in customers at peak times From a recent survey customers identified the following problems: Account opening forms were not properly explained Banks standard account pack was not sent out to customers Some customers waited more than the standard 9 days to receive cheque book and bank card Customer personal details were recorded incorrectly Staff seemed uninterested in the customers needs Customers wouldnt recommend the bank to others All of the above points were taken into account in the banks improvement plan. Firstly the signage issue was tackled. This issue was clearly a problem when we visited the bank, see fig.1 It was evident from this, that the enquiries desk wasnt clearly noticeable or signposted. To eliminate the problem of new customers queuing at the cashiers desk (adding to queue delays in the bank) new signage was positioned around the bank clearly highlighting where the new customers were to go. While it was unfeasible to move staff permanently from section to section, records staff who are generally young and junior members of staff could be temporarily move around each of the banks operations. This would add to their training knowledge and enable them to give more specialised advice to customers. By doing this staff will get to know each others jobs, they will become more confident in their work, giving the sense of importance to the banks operation. This increases staff motivation which reduces boredom as boredom leads to mistakes. To assess the overall performance of staffs training and progress, the bank could introduce mystery shoppers, a member of staff from another of the banks branches comes to open an account, goes through the whole procedure and at the end evaluates the staffs performance, identifies areas for improvement etc. As it was, the cashiers would go for their lunch, and it was the job of the records section to cover the cashier positions during lunch. This however was the busiest period for new customers wishing to open accounts. During the lunchtime rush customers could feel they were been rushed, inevitably resulting in mistakes occurring. To deal with this issue, lunch time for the bank staff could be divided up more evenly. Only a set amount of cashiers go for lunch at any one time, these cashiers do not take their lunch until the first group comes back, this way there is always somebody covering the records section to deal with new potential customers if they arrive during the lunch time period. To ensure the records section were not over burdened by new customers during the lunch time period, a system of appointment only during the lunch time rush was set up. This way the records section could easily deal with walk-in customers in the mornings and afternoons, and during lunch time they knew how many customers to expect and spend the required time needed with each customer opening an account. This way the customer feels more at ease and the records section staff do not feel under pressure and rushed, reducing the amount of mistakes made. Customers felt that the account opening forms were not properly explained to them. This issue was tackled by more staff training and the mystery shopper also helped by giving feedback. This helps the junior staff in training to interpret the forms better and be much more capable of explaining the forms to customers. In terms of the banks standard account pack not been sent out to customers, the bank set up a system of having all the leaflets on hand so the member of staff dealing with the new customer could make up a package there and then to suit the customers needs. It was identified that some customers waited more than the standard 9 days to receive their cheque books or ATM cards. This waiting period was improved by a more clear line of communication set up between the records staff, administration staff and the machine room. This was also helped as now there were fewer mistakes and the records staff had more time to process the forms during the day as the by appointment only and not having to cover the cashier positions fully during lunch had clearly freed up some extra time for them. To deal with the problem of customers personal details not been recorded properly, the customer was asked to fill in a form which clearly legible showing how to spell their name address etc. Once all the forms had been filled out, it was advised that the supervisor provided an extra check on the forms before they were sent for processing. To assist with the implementation of this system a sort of a Kanban system could be set up, In-Kanban, Out-Kanban this way everything was fully completed before it was sent for processing, and there would be no mix ups, on what was processed and what has to be processed. Also as part of this kanban system to finalise the last step, approval by the manager must be signed on the form. The problem of the customers feeling rushed was solved when the records section were released from other duties such as fully covering the cashiers during lunch. If all of the above points are implemented successfully, the bank will be back on track to a successful and complimentary word of mouth.

National minimum wage which covers the whole of south korea

National minimum wage which covers the whole of south korea Introduction The third edition of Collins dictionary defines that the minimum wage is the lowest wage that an employer is allowed to pay an employee according to a law or agreement. South Korea introduced the minimum wage in 1988 with the purpose of stabilizing low-paid workers living and improving the quality of the labour force, thereby contributing to the stable development of the national economy.(Minimum Wage Act, Article 1, 1986) Since then, South Korea has have one national minimum wage which covers the whole of South Korea, even though there are various exceptions which are not applied, such as any businesses employing only families or relatives who are living together, those who are hired for household works, seamen who are subject to the Seamen Act, trainees who are doing on-the-job training during the first 3 months and workers with disabilities who can be paid sub-minimum wages pursuant to a certificate issued by the Ministry of Labour. The minimum wage in South Korea in 1988 was 462 won (KRW, a proxy 0.37 dollar at the current exchange rate: 1$=1,240 KRW), the minimum wage in 2009 is 4,000 won (a proxy 3.23 dollars at the current exchange rate). In case of the US, the US federal minimum wage in 2009 is 7.25 dollars and that of 1988 was 3.35 dollars. (U.S Department of Labor, 2009) If we compare two countries with 2008 minimum wage which South Koreas minimum wage was 3,770 KRW(3.41 dollars, at the 2008 average exchange rate: 1$=1,105 KWR) and the US federal minimum wage is 5.85 dollars. Considered the gross national income per capita in 2008 which of South Korea is 21,530 USD and that of the US is 47,580 USD The World Bank, 2009), the level of the minimum wage in South Korea is not low, and furthermore the average increasing rate during the past 10 years in South Korea, which is over 10%, is much higher than that of the US. But because of the recent economic depression, while the Minimum Wage Council (MWC) which is established in the Ministry of Labor to deliberate the minimum wage and other related matters, which is composed of three part representatives workers representatives, employers representatives and the public representatives, deliberated the minimum wage in 2010, there was a big gap between workers representatives and employers representatives, even employers representatives who have offered a slight increase during the last two decades made a suggestion that the minimum wage should be frozen or should be dropped. After the long deliberation, the minimum wage of the next year fixed at 4,110 KRW which is the lowest increase level during the past 10 years. Furthermore on 18th Nov. 2008, 31 members of the National Assembly from the ruling party (Hannara-party) submitted the revised minimum wage bill, in which included the introduction of a regional minimum wage and exception to the over 60 years old people. They claimed that the present minimum wage level is quite high, becomes a burden to small businesses, and ultimately causes the low-skilled workers unemployment. (The National Assembly, 2008) The proposal of amending the minimum wage act provoked the criticism from the Labour Unions and some social organizations. In this research, I will review one aspect of the revised bill, the regional minimum wage introduction into South Korea. The economists perspectives of the minimum wage According to conventional supply and demand curves, the price of the product is fixed at the equilibrium point, theoretically the labour market is the same. The price of the labour market i.e. the wage settles at the equilibrium point (Figure 1, at We) where supply and demand meet together, therefore there is no unemployment. But the minimum wage is settled at the certain level which is mostly higher than the equilibrium (figure 1, at Wm) with the certain social and political purpose, for example, the stabilization of vulnerable workers livelihoods and income redistribution. Economists say that the minimum wage reduces employment in the sectors which it targets to cover and the decrease of employment outweighs the wage increase leading to lose low-skilled workers jobs. In figure 1, if the minimum wage settles at Wm, then it causes the unemployment (G-D) and the amount of employed workers reduces from F which is the amount of the employed when the government does not intervene in the labour market to D. This is the basic theory that most economists use when they mention the negative effects of minimum wage George Stigler (1946, p358) points out in his article that the popular objective of minimum wage legislation-the elimination of poverty-was not debatable and a minimum wage could not guarantee the low-wage members of wealthier households. He claims that the program of increasing income must be supplemented by a program of education-in diet, in housing, in education. (Stigler, 1946, p365) It is commonly agreed in the field of economics that the minimum wage is not an effective device for eliminating poverty. The brief history of the Minimum Wage The minimum wage was first introduced in New Zealand in 1894 in response to so-called sweat shops workers strikes. (Starr, 1981) Now most countries in the worlds including the US, France, Canada, Japan, China and the UK have the minimum wage regulation. Still there are a few countries which do not have the minimum wage regulation such as Germany, Italy, Swiss, Sweden and Denmark. In case of South Korea, the minimum wage act enacted in 1986 on the grounds of the Constitution. Since the enforcement in 1988, reflecting the economic and social change, amendment has been made. But the assessment about the minimum wage is different among people. Employers complain that the present minimum wage policy does not reflect the current businesses situation and the change of the labour market (MWC, 2008). In contrast, labour unions argue that the current minimum wage is a very low level and does not carry out the objective of minimum wage effectively. The debates about its effects are still going on. Criteria for setting minimum wages Each country has its own organizations and minimum wage deciding procedure. Factors which affect the minimum wage vary from countries, in spite of the varieties; we can generally classify them into three main factors, which are the needs of workers, ability to pay and the requirements of development. (Starr, 1981) Gerald Starr mentions that defining meaningful criteria is the main key to ensure the objectives of minimum wage. (Star, 1981) In South Korea, the minimum wage act article 4 states that a minimum wage shall be set after considering the workers living cost, labour productivity and the ratio of income distribution and it can be set differently by the industry. There is a controversy whether criteria are meaningful or not, and how each criterion can be measured precisely is also a concern. Despite of the other arguments about the minimum wage policies, I will not talk about them here. The introduction of a regional minimum wage into South Korea As I mentioned in the introduction, the revised bill by Hannara-party is pending at National Assembly. This revised bill includes several debatable issues. The regional minimum wage introduction is one of them. Hannara-party claims that the minimum wage has contributed to the low-paid workers livelihoods ; meanwhile the recent financial crisis causes financial pressure to small companies, makes them violate the law and consequently is taking the job opportunity from the vulnerable working class. They say that there exists a gap to the living cost and between provinces. That is the main reason to suggest the revision. (NA, 2008) Under the present acting law, there is no ground that Ministry of Labour can set a different minimum wage according to geographical areas. On the minimum wage act article 4, Ministry of Labour can set a minimum wage differently according to industries. But until now, Ministry of Labour has never set the minimum wage differently by industries. As soon as Hannara-party turned the bill in, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) made an announcement that Hannara-partys suggestion is a threat to the basic role of minimum wage. The regional minimum wage introduction will cause the society to widen the social and economic gaps between the provinces and to deepen the emotional diversion. KCTU argues that the revised bill will make workers who work at the small companies where the minimum wage is comparatively low move to the higher areas i.e. Seoul or the other big cities. In the long run, the regional minimum wage will not help small companies in the local and rural areas but will destroy small companies. Furthermore, it will devastate the national economy. Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) which is the other major associated union organizations also expressed the same position about the revised bill with the KCTU. In contrast to KCTUs arguments, the Korea Employers Federation expresses an agreement about a regional minimum wage introduction. KEF says the cost of living and the average wage in each city and each province is different. The price in local provinces or rural areas is relatively low, compared to Seoul and Kyeonggi province-so-called metropolitan cities. But the present system-one national minimum wage- does not reflect this cost living difference, the wage gap and the structural difference in the labour market. Considered the purpose of minimum wage which is to protect the low-paid workers, setting a regional minimum wage which workers can live with rather than establishing one national minimum wage is effective to the national economy. They claim that the law should be revised and minimum wage can be set differently according to geographical areas. They argue that a regional minimum wage is more appropriate to the objective protecting the low-paid workers. Through reflecting the price difference and applying differently to the areas, the regional minimum wage will also help small companies from the labor shortage. But they say that the process to determine the minimum wage should be reformed first, they express their worries if the authorities to determine the minimum wage are given to each province and then the disputes between employers and workers will worsen. KCTU argues that KEFs idea is unarguable and the Hannara-party revised bill is a retrogressive bill under the recent economic crisis, even it is against the Constitutional principles. Two major associated labor unions organizations say that they will continuously do street rally in major cities throughout the county, and will show their protestation against the revised bill, furthermore do every efforts to protect the lower-class and to gain a Living Wage until the Hannara-party and the government will withdraw the pending bill. Concerning this aspect, Uh soo-bong, a professor at Korea University of Technology and Education, said in the conference hosted by MWC in November 2008 that the regional minimum wage introduction could be considered if there is a significant gap between minimum living costs according to regions. But he added that there is no objective evidence for that until now. Some countries have the regional minimum wage, for example, the US, Canada, Australia and Brazil. (MWC, 2009) In case of the US, the minimum wage first was adopted by Massachusetts in 1912 to cover women and children before the federal minimum wage was adopted. Since then, several states also adopted the minimum wage legislation. The Fair Labor Standards Act, passed in 1938, is the first federal minimum wage regulation. The President at that time, Roosevelt, said that The law was the most far-sighted program for the benefit of workers ever adopted. Wages must ensure a minimum standard of living necessary for health, efficiency and general well-being, the act stipulated without substantially curtailing employment. Ever since, even in the US, critics and supporters have disputed over the minimum wage: some say it destroys jobs by making it too expensive to keep workers. Other economists note, however, that because a majority of minimum-wage earners work in outsourcing-resistant service jobs, businesses will have a hard time dismissing the workers massively. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley found that after an 80-cent New Jersey minimum wage increase in 1992, employment in the states fast-food restaurants rose slightly faster than in Pennsylvania, where the minimum wage did not change. (Card and Kruger, 1995) Instead of killing jobs, minimum wage supporters argue, the wage floor increases productivity and boosts consumer purchasing power. Now many states in the US have minimum wage laws. Therefore an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages. Even though the federal government for almost 10 years from 1997 to 2006 did not increase the minimum wage, each state has increased the state minimum wage independently according to their own decision. Despite of the unchanged federal minimum wage, the states minimum wage increase did positive role in improvement for workers. As you can see figure 2, the number of the states which do not have state minimum wage is 5 which lie mostly in southern area, for example, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The number of states which have the lower state minimum wage is 7 and that of states which have the higher minimum wage is 12. Canada has only the states minimum wage, Canada does not have a national or federal minimum wage. In 1918, the state of British Colombia established the minimum wage first, and then Ontario, in 1920. Each state in Canada has the authority to decide the minimum wage independently. From the stage of the minimum wage introduction, South Korea and the US were quite different. In case of the US, Massachusetts first adopted the minimum wage, and a federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. Even though the national minimum wage does not change, the states set own minimum wages. The period 1997-2007 is the longest period during which the federal minimum wage has not been changed. Many states have departed from the federal minimum wage. Washingtons minimum wage is 8.55 dollars as of January 1, 2009. California and Massachusetts currently have minimum wages of 8.00 dollars, meanwhile the federal government has minimum wage of 7.25 dollars. There are lots of researches about the effects of minimum wage, but there are not many articles about comparison to a regional minimum wage and a national minimum wage. David Card and Alan B, Kruger published Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of the Minimum wage in 1995. This book contains the cross-state comparisons. The study of employment in the fast food industry after the 1992 increase in the New Jersey minimum wage shows that employment was not affected adversely. In comparison to New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania where the minimum wage remains unchanged, conducted before and after the increase in the New Jersey, they found that the employment in New Jersey actually expanded with the increase minimum wage. Secondly a cross-state analysis finds that the 1990 and 1991 increases in the federal minimum wage did not affect teenage employment adversely. They mentions most economic discussions of public policy are concerned with questions of efficiency: in other words, where a particular policy generates more benefits than costs. In their research, they claim the minimum wage might raise the efficiency. In their views, the minimum wage is mainly a distributional issue. (Card and Kruger, 1995) They come to a conclusion that minimum wage does not have any negative effects to the employment. Their works rekindled the disputes among the economists. Kevin M. Murphy and Finis R. Welch, at a seminar in Washington in 1995 held by the American Enterprise Institute, claim that their research was prejudged and therefore, biased. Murphy and Welch also point out that systematic differences in state labor markets can obviously bias cross-state comparisons of employment as measures of minimum wage effects. (Murphy and Welch, 1996) Card and Krugers book has a different view from the commonly agreed idea, but ignores the potential effects of an increase in the minimum wage on cost of living. They study an aspect of the cost side of a higher minimum wage its effect on firms profitability, but they do not have the satisfying outcomes for the distribution side. Introducing a regional minimum wage into South Korea is another story from the US. Each state of the US rules independent politically and socially. It has own laws which have settled from the long history. As you can see the difference scale in two countries, the system of two countries is the more important aspect. Are there any needs to introduce a regional minimum wage into South Korea? Is the difference of cost living between provinces big enough to consider a regional minimum wage introduction? While Hannara-party and employers claims that the cost living and the price of commodities in local areas are relatively low, consumers price index shows that there is no difference between provinces. Furthermore, according to the result of the regional wage and working hour survey by the Ministry of Labor, Seoul, Ulsan, Taejeon and Kyeong-gi are the highest provinces in the monthly wage, Jeju and Jeonbuk is the lowest area. Jeju and Jeonbuk are considered as a low area of cost living, Seoul is considered as the most expensive city to live in. If a regional minimum wage is introduced for small companies in local provinces, the minimum wages of small provinces will be likely to lower than that of big cities, which will cause the gap of wage bigger. We can say that table 3 demonstrates the present wage reflects the cost living and the price of commodities. Conclusion The ultimate goal of minimum wage is for the stabilization of low-paid workers, not for the benefits of businesses. Even under one national minimum wage, the gap of the average wage between provinces is big. The average wage in so-called local provinces which assume that the cost living is rather low is the lowest level. The introduction might lessen the financial burden in the short run, but in the long run, economic polarization will deepen. And South Korea has a different political system from the US. Each province is not separate in politically and socially. That is the other aspect which makes the introduction difficult. Card and Kruger said minimum wage has no effect to the employment through the empirical research of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but they did not consider each states cost living. As Stigler said in his paper, for small companies, the direct subsidy rather than minimum wage might be a better solution. (Stigler, 1946) References George J. Stigler The American Economic Association Vol 36, No 3 (Jun.,1936) pp 358~365 David Card, Alan B, Krueger Myth and Measurement the new economic of the minimum wage, Princeton university press Princeton, New Jersey,1995 The effects of the Minimum wage on Employment ,

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov Analysis

The Seagull by Anton Chekhov Analysis The Seagull is one of Anton Chekhovs first acclaimed plays, he claimed it to be ‘five tons of love. It is a comedy of frustrated lives; each character has to deal with their own disappointments in their life in their own way. Like most of his plays The Seagull is set in the countryside rather than in the city, the reason for this is that, in the countryside people are forced into the same company with each other everyday. This also brings forth the psychological realism style in which Chekhov wrote. He was influenced by great Russian Realists like Tolstoi, Dostoevsky and Turgenev and it is evident in all his plays including The Seagull. As far as it has been established, The Seagull was the first of Chekhovs plays to be acted out in English. The Seagull is a naturalistic play in which the tone remains the same throughout the play. It is not a theatrical play but rather a play which presents people of ordinary and everyday life. This is especially evident through the plot and ac tion. Plot and Action. Although it is hard to establish the exact motoric moment of a naturalistic play because there is no definite action starting, one could say that the arrival of Arkadina and her lover Trigorin is the motoric moment as that is when events start to develop. In the first Act the audience is presented with the image of a country estate setting, the estate is owned by a former government employee, Sorin. On appearance its seen or rather noticeable that Sorin is a very sickly man. In this act his sister, a famous actress; Arkadina arrives at the estate with her lover, the writer Trigorin, for a short vacation. During this act all the guests of the estate are on their way to watch a play written and directed by Arkadinas son Konstantin Treplyov, this is to be he latest attempt to create a fresh and new theatrical from, and that also presents a dense symbolic form of theatrical art. He does this to win his mothers favor. He really tries to create a new theatrical genre. The leading lady is a girl from a neighboring estate, called Nina, â€Å"as the star of the world†, which is obviously assumed to be her role within the play. During a discussion about the play Arkadina makes is clear that she thinks it is silly and disregards it as rid iculous and in a state of disgrace, Konstantin storms of the stage. It is here where we have our first crisis. Chekhovs plays created drama out of everyday circumstances such as loving and longing, like Konstantin longing for his mothers approval here, rather than the grand gestures of heroes and heroines of his earlier plays. The interesting and troubling love triangles are revealed. The Seagull is a play filled with unrequited love because almost all the characters love someone who does not return their affection. Nina is courted by Konstantin, who loved and admired the daughter of the estate steward, Masha, who is in turn admired by the school teacher Medviedenko. While Masha confides in the good and elderly Doctor Dorn, he simply blames it on the romantic spell the moon and lake has spread amongst the youngsters of the country. Medviedenko loves Masha but she does not feel the same about him: â€Å"I am touched by your affection but I cannot return it that is all.† It is because of all these sub-plots that makes the play almost anti-emotional. In the first act it is established that Konstantin feels like a failure to his mother. The second act starts with revealing the outside of the estate, during what seems to be a lovely afternoon, with Arkadina (amongst others) reminiscing about happier times ‘the good old days. Short after Arkadina and the house steward Shamrayef is caught in the middle of a rather heated argument, right then and there Arkadina decides to leave and return to Moscow: â€Å"Under the circumstances I shall go back to Moscow this very day†, its a very dramatic way to handle things; throwing all your dolls out of your cot because someone wouldnt give you a horse. As the rest of the party started making their way back into the house, Nina stayed behind. Its a rather curious thing when Konstantin surprises Nina with a gift a dead seagull. Its strange for a boy who is in love to give the girl of his dreams a dead seagull that he shot. Its no surprise when Nina face turns to horror and disgust at the sight of the strange gift, presented to her by the boy who is courting her. Altho ugh it is imperative to remember that this seagull becomes a very important symbol in the play because Konstantin claims that he will soon end his life in the same way. At that moment Trigorin approaches the scene, upon spotting the handsome and talented writer, Treplyov storms of the stage in a jealous rage. Its obvious that Nina takes a liking to Trigorin when she asks him to tell her about his life as a writer. He explains to her that its definitely not an easy one. A conversation starts between the two, Nina tells Trigorin about her desire to become an actress. Nina confesses to Trigorin that she does realise that its not an easy life but is willing to do everything in her power to make a success of her dreams and aspirations to become an actress. When Trigorin sees the strange gift Konstantin has given Nina, it inspires him to write a short story, he starts: â€Å"A young girl lives all her life on the shore of a lake. She loves the lake, like a seagull, and shes happy and free, like a seagull. But a man arrives by chance, and when she sees her, he destroys her, out of sheer boredom. Like this Seagull†. It seems as though he is using the story to lure her into his den of poetic romanticism and passion and to no ones surprise, it works. Right at that moment Arkadina calls him to reveal to him that she has changed her mind about leaving immediately and would rather like to stay on a little longer. When Trigorin leaves the set Nina stays behind, ranting and raving about how modest and famous he is and describes him as her ‘dream. Chekhov centers his plot on the romantic and artistic conflict between the young and up-coming Nina and the ageing Arkadina as well as the ever experimental Konstantin and the legendary Trigorin. Most of the Seagulls action happens off-stage and the plot is developed by the way in which the characters deal with what has happened. Therefore when the play does eventually continue in act 3 we are made aware of the fact that Konstantin tried to commit suicide and that Trigorin and Arkadina are leaving. Konstantins suicide is a result of Nina not returning his love but choosing Trigorin over him where his mother does the same (taking the writers side). Chekhovs The Sea-Gull has similar attributes to the plot as Hamlet. There is a play within a play. In the same way in which Hamlet tries to win Queen Gertrude back from his uncle Claudius, Konstantin tries to win his mother from Trigorin. The plot thickens when Arkadina and Konstantin have another argument about Trigorin whilst at the same time we see that Trigorin and Nina make plans to meet up in Moscow. In between the two acts (that is act one and two) Konstantin attempts to kill himself; he fails at this attempt and walks around with a heavily bandaged head for the duration of Act three. At this point Arkadina and Trigorin have come to a decision to depart from the country estate. Trigorin is found eating breakfast in the kitchen, when Nina enters and presents him with a medallion that proving her ever lasting devotion and admiration for him, she also includes a line from one of his own books: â€Å"If you ever need my life, come and take it†. At first she seems foolish and you are left with a thought of a silly teenage obsession, especially when she resorts to begging him to let her see him one last time before he leaves to return to Moscow with Arkadina. Nina disappears off-stage just before Arkadina and Sorin enters; its easily seen that Sorins sickness is worsening by the minute. Trigorin also leaves the scene, to go finish his packaging for the trip back to Moscow. Arka dina and Sorin engages in a short word war, after which Sorin collapses of pure grief, luckily Medviedenko is present to help the weak and sickly Sorin off the stage. At that point Konstantin enters and asks his mother to please change his bandages, while Arkadina s changing his bandages he starts an argument, by disregarding Trigorin. The argument is ended and Konstantin leaves in tears. Trigorin then reenters and asks her if they can stay on at the estate but Arkadina flatters him into leaving for Moscow anyway. As Arkadina leaves the stage Nina enters for a final goodbye, she tells him of how she is running away to become an actress against her parents wishes. They kiss passionately and scheme to meet in Moscow. Two years pass and once again most of the action took place off-stage like Nina and Trigorin who did meet up in Moscow, had an affair but Trigorin left Nina for Arkadina when Nina lost the baby. Masha, despite her feelings for Konstantin married Medviedenko and they have a child together. Instead of elaborate events Chekhov focuses on smaller detail in the plot. When act 4 starts we see that Konstantin has finally published some short stories. Arkadina and Trigorin are once again back on Sorins farm because of Sorins unstable health. The tension is never lost in the play and there is a very short build up to the climax of the play where Nina comes to Konstantin to speak to him without any of the other characters knowing. She starts by describing their lives and stating that even though the achieved what they wanted life is still not that good. Before she leaves she says that she still loves Trigorin despite of everything that has happened. That was rather unnecessary, poor guy. Figur es, because after that all the characters enter again and we hear a gun shot and then (finally) the play has reached its climax when Konstantin shoots himself like he shot the seagull earlier. He was never pleased with his work and he could never please the woman he lovedso what would you do? There is not much of a denouement as Dorn enters to tell Trigorin to take Arkadina away because Konstantin has shot himself. (I truly hope her conscience will drive her insane). Everything that happens in the plot is a result of their surroundings. The environment in which the characters are put in The Seagull is that of a farm in the country, and without a Playstation Im sure you can imagine they did a whole lot of soul searching. It is this soul searching that highlights most of the themes we find in the play. Themes The theme of unrequited love and the passing of time become apparent in the play. As earlier mentioned the play starts off with all the characters loving someone but the person they love have another love interest and they show no commitment, its like a vicious circle. Masha really loves Konstantin but he does not return her love so she believes that her love for him will eventually pass with time or if she waits long enough he come to his senses and love her back. But this never happens and by the time (of act 3) she changes her mind and decides upon Medviedenkos love which he has had for her from the beginning: â€Å"By marrying Medviedenko† When Trigorin threatens to leave Arkadina (who is an ageing actress holding on fiercely to her status) she begs him to stay with her: â€Å"Am I then so old and ugly that you can talk to me like this without any shame about another woman I could never endure it should you desert me.† As time goes by Sorin becomes more ill. As time passes in the play their desires and love for certain things or people grow stronger which ultimately leaves them hopeless, this brings us to the second theme. Alienation and loneliness come to all the characters at some point in the play. The character that is clearly the most isolated is Konstantin. Once again as we have established numerous times, this is because the character cannot reach the person he or she loves. Konstantin is isolated because of his strange artistic style that he tries to create and because Arkadina, his mother, rejects him while all the other characters look up to her. To put the cherry on the cake for this poor man, when he turns to Nina for comfort she denies him and therefore he becomes even lonelier. He truly feels that he receives no understanding and that he wants to be left alone: â€Å"And for heavens sake, all of you leave me alone! Go away.† In the same way Sorin feels very lonely and he has never had the love he wanted: â€Å"Women never liked me.† He wants to leave the country but everybody is so absorbed in their own lives that no one ever listens to the poor man when he speaks. Towards the end of the play Nina becomes lonely in her own sense when she is rejected by Trigorin, she lost her baby and her parents dont want her. We clearly see her disorientation: â€Å"I have been wandering about on the shores of the lake ever since I came back. I have often been near your house, but I have never had the courage to come in.† When one becomes lonely you start to judge your life automatically trying to find the source of your alienation. This then brings us to the third theme of self evaluation that includes self awareness or self consciousness. The characters in the play have more than enough time to do this, seeing that the main idea in Chekhovs work is internal action. Sorin speaks of how he is actually more suited for the city because all he wants to do on the farm is sleep: â€Å"For some reason boy, country life doesnt suit me† Arkadina explains why she looks so fabulous and why Masha looks so much older that herself: â€Å"my heart and mind are always busy.† â€Å"I am always well groomed, as the saying is, and carefully dressed, with my hair neatly arranged.† Quite a vain lady if you ask me. Sorin compares his life to Dorns and says that Dorn has had a full life and must not judge his unhealthy lifestyle of drinking and smoking. Nina evaluates her life by concerning herself with the fact the she would do anything to become a famous actress. She states that she would love to swap places with Trigorin anytime: â€Å"To find out how a famous genius feels. What is it like to be famous? What sensation does it give you?† Whilst al the characters have time to do self evaluating they try to figure out lifes meaning which is the next theme! Yay! This is the theme of existentialism. Existentialism suggests that humankind must find something to make life meaningful and to fill their own voids. The one very prominent character in this theme is Masha who brings the theme forth in the beginning of the play when she mourns her life as Medviedenko says: â€Å"Why do you always wear mourning?† This suggests that her life is meaningless; she is frustrated and bored with her life because she cannot win Konstantins love and without that her life is meaningless to her: â€Å"I shall not marry for love, but marriage will at least be a change, and will bring new cares to deaden the memories of the past.† Both Konstantin and Nina believe that they will find meaning in their work; while Nina believes that as long as she is acting she is fulfilling her purpose: â€Å"I believe, and do not suffer so much, and when I think of my calling I do not fear life.† One never thinks that Konstantins void has truly been fulfilled ev en though he does publish some work. In the same manner Sorin never comes close to finding the meaning of his life and at times he wonders why he is still alive. The last theme I will be discussing is the theme of the role of the artist. All four of the protagonists; Arkadina, Nina, Konstantin and Trigorin, are artists. They are either aspiring or settled artists. Co-incidentally they are all in love but they all handle their situations very differently. Kostantin uses his artistry to gain his mothers approval of him and it is also because of his failure in the beginning of the play that he believes that is the reason Nina stopped loving him because he says: â€Å"All began when my play failed dismally. A woman can never forgive failure.† It seems Chekhov was a smart man On the opposite end on the rope of success, Trigorin receives a great amount of attention because of his fame. Everybody respects him and does not judge him, so it is easy to see why Konstantin felt violated and ashamed, and to top it off Nina gives Trigorin a gift and says: â€Å"Think of me sometimes.† She totally fell for his fabulous artistry. Both Trigorin and Arkadina had a good life because people respect them. She uses her position as the established actress to excuse the manner in which she speaks at times. People almost put her on a pedestal as Nina says: â€Å"How strange it is to see a famous actress weeping† This is because Nina really longs for fame and the glorious life of an artist. In the play Chekhov makes it out to be the ultimate thing as Nina goes as far as to say: â€Å"For the bliss of being a writer or an actress I could endure want, and disillusionment, and the hatred of my friends† It could be said that in The Sea-Gull there is an illusion at the beginning of the play that the life of an artist is great however towards the end of the play when looking at Nina and Konstantin it is in fact not so very true. Characterization The first character I will discuss is Konstantin Treplyov. Konstantin is an emotion and unstable (or over dramatic; depends on which way you look at it) character and this is evident in the fact that he first threatens to commit suicide: â€Å"So shall I soon end my own life.† He does not only attempt it, he succeeds at it. This is a result of the fact that he never finds anything to fill his existentialistic void with. The one thing he believes will fill it is Nina, Konstantin is hopelessly in love: â€Å"I want to see her, I must see her. I shall follow her.† But Nina never returns his love. He likes to an individual despite the fact that he knows his type of writing might not be welcomed by everybody but still he writes it: â€Å"No, we must have it under new form. If we cant do that, let us rather not have it at all.† He is a very jealous man; he mostly portrays this jealousy towards Trigorin who has everything he dreams of, an established career as a writer and the affection of both Arkadina and Nina. Nina Zarietchnaya is the second character to discuss. She is ambitious and she will do anything to become a famous actress. She even slipped out of the house as her parents did not approve of her dream. She is passionate about her acting but she does not believe in herself enough to conquer: â€Å"It is a dream of my life which will never come true.† We come to see that Nina is lonely towards the end of the play because her parents have written her off and Trigorin has dropped her like a hot potato. She says to him when he leaves her for Arkadina: â€Å"One must know how to bear ones cross† She competes with Arkadina for Trigorins love. Nina is the character to see herself as the seagull, signing off letters under the name and always drawn to the lake and free until someone shoots her down. Arkadina is the mother of Konstantin and a very well-known actress. Because of her acting ability she is judgmental when it comes to Konstantins pays: â€Å"What decadent rubbish.† She thinks less of her son than herself and a lot of her actions are self centered. Actresses in this particular play have a high status, and Arkadina becomes egoistic and arrogant when asked about other artists: â€Å"Dont ask me who those antediluvians are! I know nothing about them.† She is so afraid that Konstantin will take away her limelight even though she has long passed her prime. She is a very stingy person; she wont give money to her ill brother or to Konstantin who needs new clothes even though she does have the money: â€Å"I really havent the money.† And later on she says: â€Å"Of course I have some money, but I am an actress and my expense for dress alone is enough to bankrupt me.† She is Trigorins lover. Trigorin is a well-known writer who never, well, stops writing. Whenever he has an idea or hears something he likes he writes it down and he sometimes gets lost in a fantasy world. He is drawn to the lake where he could fish the whole time as there is nothing that he finds more pleasing and this is seen when he says: â€Å"There must be a lot of fish in this lake.† He is however rather modest when he replies to Ninas question on his fame: â€Å"Either you exaggerate my fame, or else, if it exists, all I can say is that one simply doesnt feel fame in any way.† One could say that he is a follower, when Arkadina wants them to leave he puts up a half hearted fight and then leaves. When the opportunity arises for him to have an affair with Nina he grabs it but then leaves her again. He does not see himself as a good writer but merely as someone doing his duty: â€Å"Here lies Trigorin a clever writer, but he was not as good as Turgenev.† He is admired by all the chara cters in the play and he is Arkadinas lover. He never gets into any real conflict with anyone. They all see him as a great artist for whom thy have great respect. The other two characters we meet in The Seagull are Masha and Sorin. Mash is unhappy with her life because she cannot fill up her void, she loves Konstantin but he does not love her back. (Why cant these people just move on?!) This is evident when she says: â€Å"I dress in black to match my life. I am unhappy.† She marries Medviedenko to get over Konstantin; she has a baby with her husband but refuses to go home to look after the child: â€Å"Nonsense, Matriona will feed it.† She is rude towards her husband: â€Å"Would I might never see your face again.† Sorin is quite the opposite, he is quiet and misunderstood because no one listens when he talks. He is supportive towards everyone but especially toward Konstantin: â€Å"I am devoted to him and he is fond of me† He never really got to do the things he wanted to do and he lives in a country that he hates. He even mentions how he never got marries, spoke eloquently or became an author. The other characters in the seagull play rather minor roles, but we can still come to notice their unique character traits. Medviedenko is a polite man and very apologetic; despite the fact that Masha is being a ‘female dog toward him, he replies: â€Å"I should not have troubled you all but the baby† Dorn is a doctor and his opinion is respected. He also has a secret attraction towards Paulina. He is very observant and also a father figure for both Masha and Konstantin: â€Å"I do not love my father, but my heart turns to you. For some reason, I feel with all my soul that you are near to me† Language, dialogue and symbolism Through the dialogue the tension of the play is kept throughout because there is not a lot of action that takes place. It is for this reason that the speech is filled with pauses especially between acts. Just like there are pauses, moments of silence also carry weight and contributes to the mood and feel of the play. Chekhov uses language that can easily be understood and he does not write in metrical patterns. The ‘word in the play is of utmost importance and the feel end weight of the play lies with it. The characters are a true representation of life and therefore they communicate in that manner. Sometimes the characters talk in short sentences and not in paragraphs in order to keep the action in the play going strong. In The Sea-Gull, the play which Konstantine wrote is filed with personification: â€Å"and the unhappy moon now lights her lamp in vain.† Chekhov likes to refer to well known characters in the script like Napoleon, Caesar and Alexander the great. He als o makes use of quotes by William Shakespeare: â€Å"Thou turnst my eyes into my very soul† -As mentioned earlier there are a few comparisons between The Sea-Gull and Hamlet. The dialogue is packed with descriptions as Chekhov pays attention to the finest details in the play. For instance where Arkadina speaks of how good she looks, she really goes overboard in her descriptions. Dorns character often sings: â€Å"tell her, oh flowers† The characters sometimes sit and philosophise about life and Chekhov makes use of metaphors for example when Konstantin describes how he feels about Nina not loving him: â€Å"wake to find this lake dried up and sunk into the earth.† Repetition in words become apparent, I think the reason for this is, because of the theme of existentialism, the repetition in words contribute to the repetition of their meaningless, pretentious and void less lives. Most words are repeated three times (three was considered an unlucky or evil number) â€Å"words, words, words.† â€Å"and have to go back to it and begin to write, write, write.† As this is naturalism; Chekhov wrote in everyday prose with the normal cliches as well. To establish the simplicity of the play he refers numerously to nature. Banham: â€Å"Chekhovs way is to supply a thousand details for his creatures to remain true to themselves while they also interact and reflect the embracing mood of the moment as a group† Banham, M. 1988. Cambridge Guide to Theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press. The main symbol in the play is the seagull, which is also what the play is called. Funny enough, the play was inspired by an actual dead seagull Chekhov found on the beach. The seagull is mention in the beginning of the play and we are constantly reminded of it. The seagull is an innocent bird with an average life that is destroyed by human indifference; this is the image we create. Firstly we see Konstantin as the seagull after shooting it he places it at Ninas feet and threatens to take is life in much the same way. He thought of himself as an aspiring artist until he killed the seagull his mother mistreated him. The same violence he portrays is killing the seagull is a symbol for the inner conflict and violence inside him. The same way Nina also associated herself with the seagull by signing letters she writes to Trigorin as ‘the seagull. Nina becomes the wounded seagull which returns home to the river to heal. Ninas dedication to her art ultimately reverses her fate and she becomes strong, and takes strength like the seagull: â€Å"I am a seagull† Another rather important symbol is the lake. For every character the lake has a different meaning. For Trigorin for instance it is a place where he is at peace and he can catch fish all day. For Nina it is a safe haven and a reminder of home where she receives comfort. Konstantin gets the simplicity he wants from it when he stages his play there: â€Å"no artificial scenery needed. The eye travels directly to the lake, and rests on the horizon.† This is Anton Chekhovs way of moving to naturalistic theatre. The weather in the play is a symbol of moods. Every time there is a storm brewing we know an argument is on its way. In the beginning the weather is bad when he fails and later when he shoots himself. In other words, the weather is used as a foreshadowing mechanism. This again can be emphasised by the way Chekhov incorporated simplicity in the naturalistic manner that he wrote in. Other elements Some interesting things about Chekhov come to mind. His very first plays were one act comedies which were very entertaining. His first full length plays Ivanov and The wood demon was unsuccessful. The Wood demon was so badly critisised that Chekhov vowed never to write again. In the same manner The Seagull was also unsuccessful when it was first performed at the Alexandrisky Theatre in St Petersburg. The main reason for this is because people were not use to new ideas and this play had nothing in common with the other popular plays of that time because it was devoid of dramatic action and more internal action was focused on. It was Vladimir Nemirovich Danchenko who came to Chekhovs rescue and convinced him to let the newly found Moscow art theatre perform his play, this lead to the great success of The seagull. Konstantin Stanislavsky staged The Sea-Gull in 1898 and as you can imagine he turned it into a great success. It is interesting to know that Chekhov an Stanislavsky did not ge t along, for Chekhov did not like the way Stanislavsky directed his play, with total and complete devoid of action onstage. But we know this was the major introduction to the internal action of a character and the play was indeed popular so you can imagine Chekhov quickly forgave Stanislavsky. The Sea-Gull was performed in the Joseph Papp Public Theatre as part of the New York Shakespeare Festival summer season in Central Park from the 12th of August 2001 to the 26th 2001. (One would think Shakespeares plays should be performed at his festival.) Directed by Mike Nichols and (this is my favorite part), starred Meryl Streep as Arkadina and Natalie Portman as Nina. The Royal Shakespeare Company performed the piece in January 2008 and then most recently The Classic Stage Company in New York City revived the work in March 2008 in a production. It was Paul Schmidts translation and it was directed by Viacheslav Dolgachev. An acclaimed Russian critic, Nebakov, stated that Chekhov was not a great writes but a pleasant one. Chekhov noted that fiction was his wife and drama his noisy impudent and tiresome mistress. His reputation rests on the plays: The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The three sisters and the Cherry Orchard. He is the son of a former serf but his grandfather bought their freedom. His father beat him up but he inherited his mothers gentleness. Chekhov studied medicine but his writing took up most of his time. He started off with his short comic sketches and that paid for his university fees. Chekhov fell in love with Olga Knipper, a leading actress, and married her in 1901. He died shortly after of Tuberculosis in Germany at the age of 44. The Seagull is a landmark play for the world of drama. Influenced greatly by existentialism it portrays how each individual must find a manner in which to fill their own empty gap of void in their lives in order to live a happy life. It is a comedy in which we observe how people can rub each other up n the wrong way causing so many hilarious conflicts and how people end up failing one another. The way in which Konstantin has to work to win his mothers affection is ridiculous but captivating. Although the tone never changes there are clear changes in the characters. I rather enjoyed reading The Seagull because of the fact that nothing is going on yet it involves so much action and therefore it is different from popular normal comedies. Bibliography Banham, M. 1988. Cambridge Guide to theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press Chekhov, A. 1994. Uncle Vanya and other plays. Translated by B.Hulick. Canada: Bantam books. The seagull. 2007. Wikipedia. (online). Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/_seagull (accessed on: 12 August 2008) Hochman, S. 1984. Encuclopedia of world drama. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.