Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Love and Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay

Love and Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813 during the Regency period. From a woman’s point of view, marriage was seen as â€Å"the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune†. Marriage was seen as the only way of securing a home and a decent living. If a woman wasn’t married she would have the life of a spinster, and depend upon a family who may not always support her. The only other choice was to become a governess, where once again a woman would be dependent on a family. So, considering these options, most young women were obliged to get married. Most marriages were based on physical attraction, financial security†¦show more content†¦Men tended also to marry within their social class as it kept a respectable reputation and possibly increased the wealth within his family. If a man was very wealthy and owned a large estate he would be very sought after. When Darcy is first observed it was because of â€Å"his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien; and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance of his having ten thousand a year.† So within his first arrival everyone had established a definite attraction to him if not for his appearance, then for his money. However, Austen has used the social symbolism of the marriages to show the gradual merging of social classes. The marriage of Elizabeth to Darcy and Jane to Bingley shows that there was a fuse forming between the aristocracy and bourgeois social ranks. Marriage in the Regency period can relate to marriages today because in certain cases women (and men to an extent) marry for financial stability. Although most people would prefer to observe this as an act of true love, vowing yourself to another can create the security to make someone feel safely established for the rest of their life. One example in the novel of a marriage for love and mutual affection is the wedlock between Jane and Bingley. Both partners in this relationship show a constant loving devotion for one another. Jane is unwilling to seeShow MoreRelatedLove and Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice2117 Words   |  9 PagesLove and Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Analyse Jane Austens presentation of love and marriage in her novel Pride Prejudice. From your evidence suggest what Austen regards as a good marriage. On first impressions of the novel, my own prejudices clouded my judgement of the book and of what it might have consisted. 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I hope to give a clear insight to how this novel helped me reachRead MorePride And Prejudice: Love And Money In Holy Matrimony .1396 Words   |  6 PagesPride and Prejudice: Love and Money in Holy Matrimony Imagine a present day society where young women were only encouraged to seek a husband for their financial purposes and to gain a reputable status in the social class system. Today, who can fathom a happy marriage between two individuals without love? Well, that’s exactly what was expected in the life of the middle class families during the early nineteenth century, like the Bennet’s daughters in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. The novelRead MoreThe Influence of Regency England in Pride and Prejudice1604 Words   |  7 Pagesfamiliarity [with those below in social rank was] a degradation† (137). One of Regency England’s most beloved writers, Jane Austen, continued the tradition of casting literature as a reflection of contemporary society’s biases. 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By intensively reading her six novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion) and studying feminism, I have found some significant and fresh thingsRead MorePride and Prejudice: Exploring the Chasm Between Love and Marriage in Georgian England1675 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Pride and Prejudice†, is a novel which explores the huge chasm between love and marriage in Georgian England. Jane Austen’s presentation of passion and matrimony reiterates the fact that marriage is a â€Å"business arrangement†. Austen uses irony to make fun of polite society in this satire and Austen also emphasizes the point that social hierarchy dictates whom you can marry. The pressures of men and women in Georgian England are revealed through her exp loration of the aristocracy’s prejudice againstRead More Essay on Pride and Prejudice as Romantic Novel and Romantic Criticism1398 Words   |  6 PagesPride and Prejudice as Romantic Novel and Romantic Criticism       To a great extent, Jane Austen satirizes conventional romantic novels by inverting the expectations of love at first sight and the celebration of passion and physical attractiveness, and criticizing their want of sense. However, there are also elements of conventional romance in the novel, notably, in the success of Jane and Bingleys love.    The first indication of Austens inversion of accepted romantic conventionsRead MoreSocial Commentary on Love and Marriage in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin1734 Words   |  7 PagesPride and Prejudice Love and Marriage Jane Austen shows the readers within the first sentence what the plot and main theme of Pride and Prejudice is and what social ideas she plans on presenting through this novel. The first sentence of Pride and Prejudice stands as one of the most famous introductory lines in literature. It states, â€Å"it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife† (Austen 5). This statement puts the novel inRead More Women and Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay examples663 Words   |  3 PagesWomen and Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice And they lived happily ever after... Or did they? Pride and Prejudice, a captivating novel written by Jane Austen, is the story of Elizabeth and her adventure challenging society and ending up deep in true love. Pride and Prejudice takes place in a town outside of London called Hertfordshire, where the reader follows Elizabeth, her friends, and her family as they search for love in the nineteenth century. The author writes of ElizabethsRead MoreJane Austen s Pride And Prejudice1418 Words   |  6 PagesMarriage is a fundamental topic in Jane Austen’s famous novel, Pride and Prejudice. Readers become invested in the lives of the Bennet sisters who are constantly dreaming of relationships. Still unknown, however, is Austen’s reason for writing this novel that is so extremely concentrated on marriage. Some critics believe that Austen wrote the novel to portray how different social classes affected the lives of women such as the Bennet sisters. Others, however, believe that the novel was written

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Book Review Courtesans and Fishcakes - 1251 Words

Courtesans and Fishcakes written by James Davidson explore the ancient Greek culture of the Athenians and elaborate on not only the desire for sex, but the appetites of life. Author James Davidson is a professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick. In his biography, it says that he is a regular contributor to the London Review of Book and the author of the award winning The Greeks and Greek Love. Courtesans and Fishcakes is divided into four parts: Feasts, Desire, The Citizen, and The City. Within each part of the book, there are multiple sub-sections that go into depth about the particular section of each ‘chapter’. In Part I: Feasts, Davidson goes into some background of the ancient Greek†¦show more content†¦Personally, I think this is brilliant insight to the Athenian culture. It makes sense to watch and monitor the behaviors of the people around you because their everyday manners and behaviors are distinct indicato rs to how they live the rest of their life outside of the ‘feasts’. As Davidson explains it, â€Å"†¦ Ancient texts do more than inform us about Ancient desires. They do more than provide us with samples of the ancient discourse of desires.† The next topic that Davidson nicely delivers the reader insight to is the act of drinking. He states, â€Å"One drinks while one eats and one always eats with others; a narrow sociality oversees the pleasures of food†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I had to carefully read and re-read this paragraph to understand the brilliant meaning behind it. As I continued reading, I began to understand that the act of drinking wine has always been one to socialize. It was to strike up conversation and this quote means exactly that, with those who eat, drink, and become social. Once again, I think this a perfect quote to support Davidson’s argument because it emphasizes that drinking was a social act. This also means that anything else besides being social while drinking was a direct indicator that one might have little self-control and be a threat to the democracy. Davidson says, â€Å"... words join water in diluting the wine whose proper role is to facilitate conversation.† This is to emphasize t hat when this does notShow MoreRelatedThe Appetite Of Classical Athens1763 Words   |  8 Pagessacrifice and is a regular contributor to The London Review of Books, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Times. He has just published The Greeks and The Greeks Love for Weidenfeld and is currently working on a translation of some Attic speeches for Penguin Classics. James Davidson’s first book, Courtesans and Fishcakes: The Consuming Passion of Classical Athens was published in 1997 and will be the book we will talk about throughout this review. Davidson takes us inside the minds of classical

Monday, December 9, 2019

Strategic Management and Lululemon Competitive Environment

Question: Discuss about the Strategic Management and Lululemon Competitive Environment. Answer: Introduction: Lululemon Athletica is a clothing company that does business in athletic and yoga clothes. It is situated in Vancouver, Canada and it has 211 branches in all over world. The mission statement of Lululemon is Creating components for people to live longer, healthier, fun lives. This statement reflects the commitment of Lululemon towards customer happiness. The organization culture of this company is comfortable for its employee. The vision of Lululemon is to make an environment for their customer that they love. Lululemon believes to provide good quality products and services to their customers. Company encourages their employee through providing incentive and motivation and knows the value of employee satisfaction and needs. Competitive advantage is a process or condition in which company manufactures or produces goods and services at lower rate. This condition enhances the sales of particular company or country. Lululemon Athletica provides good quality of athletic apparel at a premium price. The yoga pants of Lululemon are 3 times more expensive in comparison to its competitors. The customers of Lululemon are very loyal. The trust of customers on Lululemon brand is high and that is why the sales of company have grown since 2000.It is achallenge for the company to maintain its position in sluggish economy. Lululemon runs their business in a specialized market where company sells personalized products to a certain market. The company is successful to achieve high range of profits over the past 15 years. To amplify the participation of females in sports, Lululemon was founded by Dennis Wilson in 1989. The excellent growth of company has been seen between the years 2000 to 2007, at that time company had an IPO which helped the company to trade publically. It was able to expand its business in North America and overseas. Lululemon launched ivivva and e-commerce channel in which it provides sales structure even at high range of channel. Company had decided to target customers by keeping base to females aged between 4 to 14 years old (Campos, 2013). Lululemon operates its business in highly competitive clothing industry. Nike, Under Armour and the Gap inc. are the main competitors of Lululemon Company. These all companies are larger and strong but Lululemon Company has broader distribution channel, financial resource, product mix and high range of sales. Lululemon Company has number of competitors such as Nike, gap and Nordstrom. These companies are also working in similar industry. The companys value and reputation depends on the managing ability of Lululemon (FrynasMellahi, 2015). The company is capable to stand in the competitive environment due to its loyal customers and financial condition. However, there are so many companies that do similar business and provide clothes at lower rate but believe of customers on the brand of Lululemon is high than any other brands. The core competencies of Lululemon demonstrates the capabilities that are helpful to differentiate Lululemon from other similar industries. Product and design quality is the main core competency of Lululemon. The quality of brand enhances the recognition of brand and its prestige among customers. The quality of working style of Lululemon is that it works closer with its suppliers and due to that the chances of mistake is being reduced in the company. In case of any issues and mistake, immediately action has been taken by the company. It does not compromise with its quality. The nature of company is very attentive and allows customer to give feedback so that as per their requirement and complaint, it could change products for making their customers happy (Schermerhorn, et. al., 2014). Brand loyal customers are one of the lulelemons core competencies. Company believes to keep strong relationship with their customers. Company attains more advantage due to brand loyal customers and the cost of market share of the company is increased. High level of sales occurs in business because of strong customer relationship. Lululemon has unique company culture that attracts customers to involve in it (Boutellier, et. al., 2016). The healthconscious customers and trained employee of company observes their involvement with brand deeply owing to existing unique culture and their healthy life style. Company culture has ability to modify their customers in to loyal ones. The unique culture has been assumed as a core competency because unique things are offered by company that comes into their online shop or stores (Thomas Peters, 2015). The weaknesses of the company is its marketing, Lululemon does not do any marketing regarding their products and to get the feedback from their customers and employees (Hsu, 2013). Company need to maintain its image and it should give proper information regarding query of the customers and do work on bad feedback. The condition of the company and growth can be affected by the general economic condition of the environment. However, the product of Lululemon is discretionary but is important for Lululemon to select the target market carefully (LululemonAthletica, 2013). Company needs to forecast the trend in customer voluntary spending. Company has to face adverse financial condition if it fails to recognize the fluctuation in the customerspending. World population is increasing day by day and to take advantage of it many companies want to expand its business at higher rates. It would be profitable for Lululemon to take advantage from these markets and keep them in to consideration while making strategic planning (Roy Banerjee, 2014). Company need to analyze political segment, economic segment, socio culture segment, technological segment, legal segment and demographic segment. Lululemon is the multinational company and it has so many branches in all over the world so it is important for the company to have the knowledge regarding international law relating to the business. Manufacturing sites of company is located in South Korea, Peru, Thailand, combodia and Vietnam. Company should be aware about the laws regarding bring back earned money from abroad to Canada. (Suddath, 2013). The demographic condition will have a dominant influence on the firms strategic action. Population growth is increasing day by day. There are so many areas in the world that have high population such as china, India and United States. They are most populated country so the demand of products will be high in these countries. Lululemon needs to consider on distribution of inventory and start to evaluate population changes in terms to predict sales and growth in certain regions. Socio culture segment is one of the external factors which may influence the other external factors because it deals with the value in a particular area (Hirst, et. al., 2015). Technology is an environmental factor which may influence the firms strategic action. Technology is being considered as huge element of quality in lululemons product. Company needs to create a distinctive brand. With the help of white space Workshop Company can find the solution of some specific issues (Hill, et. al., 2014). The advantage of lululemons business strategy is product and quality development. It is the leader of athletic clothing industry. It enhances the revenue of the company. Customers of Lululemon buy sports dress for not wearing but for supporting the sports and trying to be a part of the game through wearing a outfit of sports. Plus size outfit is being offered by Lululemon and there are no recent competitors available who providing plus size outfit. The more advantage of this business level strategy is that outfit will be purchasing frequently due to weight loss by working out. The employees of the company are trained and represent company in a positive manner (Grant, 2016). The product of company is highly durable. The primary function of Lululemons including marketing and sales, supply chain management, customer relationship management and retail operations. Along with primary functions, there are supporting functions that are human resource management, strategic leadership, knowled ge information system, research and development management and finance management (Sirianni, et. al., 2013). The interaction between primary function and support function of Lululemon is a high level because the way of delivering the values of this company is different which is difficult for the competitor for reproduce. The strategy of Lululemon creates customer loyalty. The link between these functions are adding values which enhance the high range of margin for Lululemon and these activities are able to protect the company against the forces of competitors (Larcker, et. al., 2014). The bonding between the customers and company is the competitive strength for the company. With the help of knowledge based information system, Lululemon is able to know the desire of its customer and can fulfill it. The business strategy of Lululemon reduces the uncertainty in the company and increase the quality of decision making (Clifford, 2013). In spite of these advantages, there are some risks exist in the strategy of lululemons business. Customers can compare the price strategy with its competitors. The company gets affected adversely if it unable to identify the changing fashion and trends of economic and due to this the sales of lululemons get influenced hugely. Company need to focus on the demand of yoga line and take initiate step to prevent itself from threats. Another risk can be constrained resourcing capacity, enormous competition and inflationary pressure (LululemonAthletica Inc. 2014). Lululemon Company has become international company and it has so many stores in all over the world. Due to wide range of its business, company has to face so many challenges. It is required that company need to be prepared for challenges and make strategic planning so that company can prevent themselves from unwanted threats. Company has to face tough competitions because there are so many business that deals in same business. Suppliers are the main resource of the market and hold powers. Company can face the higher rate of products and low quality of materials. Substitute products can be the challenge for the company because many of the similar products are offered at various stores. Labor disputes, political controversy, trademark protection and variations in economic conditions can be the other challenges that company has to face while expanding its business. The recommendation for Lululemon is that Lululemon should appoint well known and established fashion designer for its company so that the latest design with ultimate ideas can produce within company and company can produce its own sports outfit for customers. New different designs of outfits of Lululemon can be able to attract the customers towards purchasing. It has been suggested that Lululemon need to come out from its comfort zone and enter in to new markets. For instance, Lululemon manufacture clothes especially for certain field but it can add other sports field such as golf wear, tennis clothing and casual wear as well. It would be the step to expand its business in to new fields. The company can add more designer clothes apart from yoga clothes so that women can get option of choosing. Lululemon should consider the prospective joint ventures with Adidas or Nike to manufacture a specific line of women. Production cost as well as risk cost of companies will be shared. Lululemon need to analyze the market and products should be designed as per current trends. It has been suggested that Lululemon should realize that its limited product mix only for certain area would take company at a point of saturation. The casual wear for women can help to make a sustainable business, casual clothes can attract those women who are not interested in sports and yoga but they are physically active. Lululemon is famous company and it has loyal customers so the idea of expanding the business definitely gives profit. Company can be success for not only in specific zone that is sport but also get fame in valuable womens brand. References Boutellier, R, Gassmann, O, Von Zedtwitz, M, 2013, Managing global innovation: uncovering the secrets of future competitiveness, Springer Science Business Media. Campos, A, 2013, How Selling Yoga Pants Became a Great Business, Retrieved on 5th may 2017 from: https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/10/08/why-selling-yoga-pants-is-a-great-busi ness.aspx. Clifford, S, 2013, Recall is expensive setback for maker of yoga pants, Retrieved on 5th may 2017 from: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/business/lululemon-says-yoga-pants-mishap-will-be-c ostly.html. Frynas, J, G, Mellahi, K, 2015, Global strategic management, Oxford University Press, USA. Grant, R, M, 2016, Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition, John Wiley Sons. Hill, C. W, Jones, G. R., Schilling, M A, 2014, Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach, Cengage Learning. Hirst, P, Thompson, G, Bromley, S 2015, Globalization in question, John Wiley Sons. Hsu, T, 2013, Lululemon exec out: 'new level of uncertainty after pants fiasco, Retrieved on 5th may 2017 from: https://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/04/business/la-fi-mo-lululemon-waterson-rbc-20130404. Larcker, D, F, Larcker, S, M, Tayan, B, 2014, Lululemon: A Sheer Debacle in Risk Management. LululemonAthleticaInc, 2014, Investment Thesis, Retrieved on 5th may 2017 from: https://uoinvestmentgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/LULU-written-report-.pdf. LululemonAthletica, 2013, Retrieved on 5th May 2017 from: https://shop.lululemon.com/home.jsp. Roy, D, Banerjee, S, 2014, Identification and measurement of brand identity and image gap: a quantitative approach. Journal of Product Brand Management, 23(3), 207-219. Schermerhorn, J, Davidson, P, Poole, D, Woods, P, Simon, A, McBarron, E, 2014, Management: Foundations and Applications (2nd Asia-Pacific Edition), John Wiley Sons. Sirianni, N, J, Bitner, M, J, Brown, S, W, Mandel, N, 2013, Branded service encounters: Strategically aligning employee behavior with the brand positioning, Journal of Marketing, 77(6), 108-123. Suddath, C, 2013, What Lululemon's Yoga Pants Recall Reveals, Retrieved on 5th may 2017 from: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-03-28/what-lululemons-yoga-pants-recall-reveals. Thomas, J, B, Peters, C, 2015, LululemonAthletica and a Series of Bad Marketing Decisions, Journal of Critical Incidents, 8, 102.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Short Stories - Spelling And Differently Female Essays

Short Stories - "Spelling" and "Differently": Female Relationships The analysis of the two short stories "Spelling" and "Differently" written by Alice Munro deal with female relationships. These relationships paint a vivid picture of the kinship, deception, challenges, and associations that affect friends and family as they journey through life. "Spelling" is about the relationship of two women, Rose and Flo. Although from the outset the relationship between Rose and Flo is not clear, near the end the reader has no doubt they are mother and daughter. Munro illustrates the awkward relationship between a parent and a child and the sometimes difficult problems that face children as their parents age. After visiting the county home in an attempt to find a place for Flo to live, "Rose spoke of the view and the pleasant rooms. Flo looked angry; her face darkened and she stuck out her lip. Rose handed her a mobile she had bought for 50 cents in the County Home crafts centre.... Stick it up your arse, said Flo" (Oates 151). The reader sees no affection between the two. In fact, the tone of the story illustrates a lack of acceptance and even disappointment by Flo and shows that there has always been a distance between the two. The title is derived from a patient Rose met at the nursing home whose only communication was spelling words. After meeting this patient, Rose dreamed that Flo was in a cage and spelling words like the old patient she met in the nursing home. Rose tells Flo about her visit to the nursing home and is obviously trying to influence Flo into going to the home. Flo is suffering from some sort of dementia, perhaps Alzheimer's. In this story the author doesn't tell the characters ages, Rose's occupation, and other information necessary to develop a clear picture. Instead, Munro makes the reader use more of ones imagination in developing the story. Although Munro is not explicit, the story is about an unhappy relationship between a daughter and mother. In the story the narrator flashes back to a time in Rose's career when she was in a play with her breast exposed. Flo showed her displeasure by writing her a letter that said "shame" and adding that if her father was not already dead, he would wish that he was (Oates 154). Yet, the reader feels that Rose is still trying to earn her mother's respect and love. Another time, Rose invites her mother to an event where she is to accept an award for her work. Flo attends this function, although her behavior is outrageous and it appears that she is already suffering from some mental disorder. Because of her mother's dementia, Rose must realize that she will never feel the love or affection of her mother. In the end, Flo agrees to go to the nursing home. It is not until Flo is in the nursing home that you see a humorous woman, perhaps what she was in her earlier years. When Rose brings a wig that Flo used to wear, Flo makes a joke about it looking like a dead squirrel. They laugh about it and at this point you feel more of a connection between the two women than at any point in the story. An analysis of Munro's work by E.D. Blodgett tells the reader that "Her most recent work has addressed the problems of middle age, of women alone and the elderly. Characteristic of her style is the search for some revelatory gesture by which an event is illuminated and given personal significance" (Blodgett 1). In "Spelling," Munro demonstrates this revelatory gesture by the incident with the wig. Near the end of the story it is revealed that Flo has a humorous personality. Her dementia appears to leave and she is clear-headed. The irony of the story is that although Flo, who has had no relationship with her daughter Rose for most of her adult life, now needs assistance or nursing care and finds that Rose is the one who is at her side through this transition period. In the second short story "Differently" Munro is also talking about the relationship of two women, Georgia and Maya. Munro points out that these women become friends on more than one level, sharing stories, secrets, and special times together. The mood of the story changes abruptly with the introduction of an illicit love affair and the betrayal of a friend. "Differently" is an interesting story filled with descriptions that fill the reader's mind with clear and brilliant pictures of the people, places and locations throughout the story. For example, when Munro describes