Is The Secret Sharer an appropriate title for this short story? Essay

1. Is The Secret Sharer an appropriate title for this short story? Support your ideas with detail from the text. In The Secret Sharer, a captain escapes his ship where he was held captive after murdering a member of the crew. He swims to another ship and admits the whole truth to the captain. Both captains have bad relationships with their crew and they empathise with each other. Legatt, who came from the other ship, is to be kept secret from the crew as his life depends on it. They have to keep quiet and whisper. An intense relationship is built up between the two of them. The captain always refers to Legatt as my â€Å"other self†, â€Å"my double† or â€Å"my second self†. This indicates that they belong together such as lovers. It implies that they are one person and are bound together. Legatt tells the captain immediately that he just killed a man and the captain just accepts it without question. He understands why he did it. They trust each other totally. Between them they know everything about each other, they knew each other before their eyes met. For Legatt to expose himself to a complete stranger there would have to be a bond. It is a twisted love at first sight. Another aspect of the title’s secretively is brotherhood. The two captains conspire together like brothers. â€Å"Whispering side by side, with our dark heads together and our backs to the door, anybody bold enough to open it stealthily would have been treated to the uncanny sight of a double captain busy talking in whispers with his other self.† They both look alike and are conversing in whispers. They are even sitting the same way. Like two little twin brothers making up some plan, which will guarantee that they get into trouble. This comes before sharing a secret; this is the creation of a secret, which will only be between those two, so effectively they are sharing the secret. Legatts existence is so secret that the captain starts to doubt he even exists. He is so secret that he cannot exist. â€Å"An irresistible doubt of his existence flickered through my mind. Can it be, I asked myself, that he is not visible to other eyes than mine?† He begins to think that Legatt is so secret, that he is imagining him. This shows us that the relationship is so secret and fantastic, that he cannot believe it. Legatt is barely described; we know only that he has dark hair, is pale and resembles the captain. In the beginning he was glowing phosphorescently, which reminds us of ghost. So he is almost spirit like. This reflects the title in that the secrectness of his existence cannot be shared. The captain describes Legatt to be like himself, he is a mirror. The captain can understand Legatt instantly as if he were in his shoes. He shares his very soul with Legatt, which is so unreal he can’t believe it. It’s double secret, materialistically he cannot tell the crew and has to hide him, and spiritually because he has shared his heart with Legatt. In conclusion, â€Å"The Secret Sharer† is an appropriate title for this account. The title can be interpreted into different meanings all of which can be associated directly to the story. The title focuses wholly on the relationship between the captain and Legatt.

Remembering John Steinbeck Essay

John Steinbeck, and his writings served not just an instrument but an inspiration of courage, strength and determination. He is a warrior and he fought for the right of the people. He is one of America’s best writers and is best known for his novels. He started by experimenting with characters and thematic unity in his writings. He focused on materialistic values and social exploitation. He is known for his compassion for the poor and the politically oppressed. His works reflects social issues, thus his works were subjected to criticisms. But despite all that, his works gained popularity because of his realistic yet sensitive portrayal of ordinary people. In the beginning of his career in literature, his works were not recognized but even after a few unsuccessful published works, nothing stopped him from writing. His work, Tortilla Flat in 1935 was the one which made a turning point in his literary career. It was only then that his works we’re recognized and given credit. He believed that as a writer he has a responsibility to the readers, and so through his works he was able to serve the people by creating social awareness. Through his works, he became the voice of the people, especially those who are oppressed. Despite a lot of criticisms, he proved himself worthy and used literature as an instrument to fight for what he believed is right. â€Å"Literature is as old as speech. It grew out of human need for it and it has not changed except to become more needed. The skalds, the bards, the writers are not separate and exclusive. From the beginning, their functions, their duties, their responsibilities have been decreed by our species†¦ the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit – for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature. † (Steinbeck) John Steinbeck’s works created impact despite criticisms. He was able to portray in his works the life of the people, which created social consciousness. His writings are based on experiences, and is a mirror of the many different lives of people. This is why I believe, the reason why he gained popularity in his works. He had this connection with the readers, he was able to make each reader relate to the characters in his works, and made them feel that someone was brave enough to stand up and tell the world what the people are going through. He was concerned with the welfare of the people. Through his writings, he became their voice, their inspiration, their salvation. Steinbeck endures because he does not permit readers to complacently dig in, like the hermit crab. He embraces the fullness of life. With compassion, tolerance, and humility, he surveys landscapes: of place, of spirit, of a nation. (Shillinglaw) According to an author review by Amber Garret: John Steinbeck’s ability to mix realistic social conditions with characters of depth and vitality are what make his literature paramount. In order to support his desire to write, Steinbeck worked in various different jobs, many of which were among the working class laborers in California. It was this direct experience with the working class community that gives his writing an element of authenticity and richness. He created novels and stories that did not only address the social issues of his time, but also represent California’s history. Each novel has characters that will stick with the reader long after the book is finished, revealing his obvious unsurpassed talent as a writer. John Steinbeck’s writing style evolved from a period of realist naturalism as seen in The Grapes of Wrath, to more sentimental tone portrayed through novels like East of Eden. He evokes both the good and bad of mankind in his stories through the use of symbolism and nature. John Steinbeck’s writing was not just a product of the imagination, but also a reflection of his friendships and other life experiences. Although he is widely recognized by critics for his early years of writing, in my opinion, it is his later years that show his greatest achievement as a writer. His ability to transform with time and allow his writing to grow and develop into other stages and styles are what make him a true pioneer of American literature. (Garrett) Steinbeck, despite of a few unsuccessful attempts proves that all man’s efforts will be paid of if only he would strive hard, work with passion and dedication and never gives up. Like what he depicted in his novel, â€Å"Man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up in the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments. † (From The Grapes of Wrath). Up to this day, John Steinbeck’s works are still wildly read and appreciated. He died in 1968 but he dedicated his life observing and reflecting the human condition through his works. He dealt with the economic problems of the rural labor. He showed his sympathy and concern to the oppressed, to the little people being empowered by the rich and in power. He immortalized strength and courage in the human spirit. His life and his writings remain an inspiration to a lot of people. Whatever his experiment in fiction or journalistic prose, he wrote with empathy, clarity, perspicuity: In every bit of honest writing in the world, he noted in a 1938 journal entry, there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. (qtd. Shillinglaw) Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is one of the best examples of how Steinbeck described the social condition of the people in his hometown Salinas, California. Steinbeck dedicated a part oh his life writing about the people of his place. In the novel of mice and men, he reflected the lives and problems of the working people. Most of the characters he used in this book are immigrants from Mexico and from other places in America who came to California with such hope of finding a better life. The novel was set in Salinas Valley, where he was born. A place he dedicated a part of his life to. A place he knew so well. A place he knew all his life. The place described in the book was very similar to the place he grew up in. The novel is about two migrant workers and is set during the Great Depression in 1930’s. Main characters George Milton and Lennie Small, portrayed two migrant agricultural workers on a ranch in California who both dreams of having their own ranch. But their dreams were hindered by the harsh reality of materialism and greed. This novel present how dreams of the innocent can be broken but this also proves how a friendship can mend someone’s broken dreams. They held on to each other with such hope that someday their dreams will be fulfilled but then some dreams are meant to remain a dream. Steinbeck was able to relay important lessons in life, through his writings. And his works were written based on his own experiences and observation on the people around him and the environment he lives in. Steinbeck received a lot of negative criticism on his works but his works also touched the lives of many people. People continue to read and appreciate his works up to this day. Despite all the criticisms, a lot of people believed in his writings. In an article on why read John Steinbeck written by Dr. Susan Shillinglaw, she said: Steinbeck reaches out a fictional hand. Emotional bonds are forged between book and reader. Solace and laughter and commitment are what many readers discover in Steinbeck’s work. â€Å"In every bit of honest writing in the world,† he wrote in the late 1930s, â€Å"there is a base theme. Try to understand men. † And Steinbeck’s ghostly voice of understanding and solace endures, inspires. In his album â€Å"The Ghost of Tom Joad,† Bruce Springsteen pays tribute to the power of those interior landscapes – characters whose lives are often desolate, besieged, unacknowledged. â€Å"I’ll be ever ‘where,† promises Tom Joad, â€Å"I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Other reasons, equally compelling, insure that John Steinbeck’s voice will not diminish. A distinguished scholar of American literature, John Seelye, repeatedly intones: â€Å"Steinbeck is a great read. † Stories are readily understood. Characters engage, inspire, enrage. My students love East of Eden best of all his novels; ‘It’s like a soap opera,† one said this spring. â€Å"Cathy’s a kick. † Good and evil face off in this book and others. They live. Recently, a class spent 50 minutes discussing whether George needed Lennie as much as Lennie needed George. Readers return to books that are, like close friends, reliable, accessible. entertaining, and – let Steinbeck never again be pilloried by the old complaint that he’s a writer only for adolescent readers – challenging and perplexing. The Japanese have a vigorous Steinbeck Society, over 150 strong. Why are his books so popular there? For many international readers, Steinbeck’s work captures the elusive American psyche: bonds to land, the need for a place. Many of Steinbeck’s stories are archetypal – restless migrants moving west to begin anew. Steinbeck endures because he does not permit readers to complacently dig in, like the hermit crab. He embraces the fullness of life. With compassion, tolerance, and humility, he surveys landscapes: of place, of spirit, of a nation. Today, Steinbeck’s life and works is remembered and is given tribute through the National Steinbeck Center, located in Salinas California. It aims to continue to help enrich the community and the lives of the people through his works. The center is dedicated to inspire audiences to learn about human nature, literature, history, agriculture, and the arts. Works Cited Dirks, Tim the grapes of wrath http://www. filmsite. org/grap. html Garret, Amber. â€Å"John Steinbeck† http://eprentice. sdsu. edu/F044/agarrett/Steinbeck. html National Steinbeck Center http://www. steinbeck. org/MainFrame. html Shillinglaw, Dr. Susan. The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies â€Å"Why Read John Steinbeck? † http://www. steinbeck. sjsu. edu/works/ORWhy. jsp Steinbeck, John. The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies â€Å"John Steinbeck’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech† http://www. steinbeck. sjsu. edu/works/NobleSpeech. jsp

Audience, Anaylsis and Reception

Knowing the audience that you are presenting in front of is as important to knowing what you will be talking about. Most individuals are prepared with notes and other Items to help them stay on topic and well informed on the subject they are presenting on. Knowing the audience will let you know how detailed of a report you will have to write, if it is for the boss, they might except information on the topic, how the topic can be improve business, how Is this different from other organizations, the finances on how much it will take to get down.Yet If It Is for your fellow employees, they might Just want to know more Information on the topic and how It will Improve the business. Having an Idea of the audience that will be reading your report as an example like corporate executives or special guests that might be Glenn feedback on the report Is Important also. These Individuals might have specific knowledge on the topic and their research and analysis might be expected In the report and management might except feedback from them about the report.They might also except acknowledgment in the report on the Information you gotten from their research and/ or previous analysis. These potential understanding can help make a smoother report on the presenters part because they will know more of what to except after the report is read. And if these needs are not might more than likely management will look for a revised report with more specifics, management might want to let you go based on a bad report.If I had to write a report at my workplace I old know that my boss and her husband are difficult individuals to satisfy, I would have to make sure to provide as much details as possible on the subject, where I obtained the information, how credible are those resources and how will this improve their business with the finance numbers on how much will it take to get done. If the needs were not might with my report, management will except from me to improve upon what I already wrote; taking the feedback given to me or they will let me go based on a poor report on a topic that is in my Job description.

Art Management ,Collector management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art Management ,Collector management - Essay Example First of all, the site will incorporate smart points where consumers will get loyalty points from which they can redeem them. For example if a consumer buys a piece of art through the website then the more they spend the more they get loyalty points. For every 100 dollars a consumers spends through the site they will get one loyalty point hence the more a consumer uses the site to buy art the more the accumulate loyalty points. These loyalty points can be redeemed in order for a consumer to enjoy a discount, a gift hamper or specific fine art for free depending on the amount of points a consumer has. For instance, a twenty percent discount can be given by redeeming 10 points. For some fine arts one can get them at no cost at all by redeeming one hundred loyalty points. This is systems will encourage consumers to use the site since currently no online auctioning site for fine art offers loyalty points to its consumers. JFlora.com will use social networking to ensure that its customers are always up to date with any new work of art that is for sale. This is another aspect of the website that currently no online auctioning website for fine art is using. The use of social networking marketing has proved to be cheap, convenient, and reliable since it has worked for other companies in other industries. Social marketing will be incorporated into the website in that once a customer registers in the website then they will be able to get information about art galleries, art events, and art products on sale making it easy for them to know what and when to buy. For instance, if a painting has been posted to be on sale on the website, then customers do not have to wait until they log in into the website. They can simply place their bids using social networks such as twitter and face book then if they are the highest bidder they will be contacted by personnel from the website informing them on their successful bidding. This is when they will be prompted to log into their acc ount where they will choose the method of payment they see fit. Jflora.com will also be conspicuous from other online auctioning websites for fine art such as paddle8 and VIP Art in its wide list of payment option. Normally such auctioning sites usually offer a limited range of paying options which are credit and debit card. However, J Flora has come up with a system where a customer can pay for the items purchased using Bank transfer, Credit card, internet currencies, wire transfers, mobile money, and personal cheques. This wide variety of payment options will be made available by the website through a system where, instead of the customers paying directly to the owner of the painting, he/she will pay to the company where the company will release the item to the buyer once they have received proof of payment. This means even if the customer pays for a painting using a personal cheque, the company will release the item to the buyer as long as a copy of the personal cheque is receive d by the company meaning that the buyer does not have to wait until the cheque matures. The J Flora company will incorporate security measures not being used by other websites to ensure that customer information is treated with a lot of privacy ensuring that they do not lose their money to identity thieves or fraudsters which has been the case in online buying and selling. In fact, quite a number of consumers

Marketing Plan for Product Line Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Plan for Product Line - Essay Example 1. How the Selected Small Appliance Supports Company G’s Mission Statement The small appliance supports Company G’s mission statement in several ways. In the first place, the appliances are made using very few materials and little energy. This will boil down to decreased cost of production, and eventually, helping clients purchase them at affordable rates. Beside the aforementioned advantage which will have clients saving their money, the pleasing visual features of design are also likely to excite the passions and happiness of the clients. This happiness is in fact a central part of client’s lives. B. Marketing Objectives 1. The target market for the company’s product is very broad, given that it incorporates all the areas that have undergone electrification. The veracity behind this postulation is elucidated by the fact that the new product can be used in a domestic setting. Given that America is entirely electrified, the whole of it serves as target mar ket. The rest of the developed world, such as the UK and Europe, can also serve as part of the target market, since globalization has become responsible for many multinationals. Multinationals, in turn, have the entire globe, continent, or a regional block serving as target market. 2. Four Selected Marketing Objectives for Company G and an Objective for Each of the Four Marketing Strategies (Product, Distribution, Price, and Promotion) Marketing objectives refer to the goals that an enterprise may wish to accomplish through marketing efforts. For Company G, they are: reaching the desired profit potential for the newly innovated small appliance; helping the appliance fit into the market effectively (introducing the brand to the market successfully); ensuring continuance of use by the market (fostering the demand of the product in the market); and improving the living standard of the market (by making the appliance as helpful, efficient, affordable and physically appealing as possible ). The objectives that Company G is intent on using are also four. The company is aiming at making favorable amounts of profit by tinkering with scientific innovation to deflate the cost of production. Secondly, Company G intends to introduce the brand to the market by making it as unique (helpful, efficient, affordable and aesthetically appealing) as possible. Similarly, the company intends to foster the demand for the same product in the market by promoting it, as a way of making both potential and prospective clients aware of the availability of the product in the market. Finally, by strengthening the attributes of the appliance, especially its affordability and efficiency, the company will have improved the living standards in the market. C. Competitive Situation Analysis 1. Classifying Company G’s Products Using the Three-Way Consumer Product Classification System (a) Convenience goods: the product will always be presented in the market as a commodity from which the like ly benefit from establishing cost and quality evaluation is believed to be less significant in regard to the time and effort of the consumer. (b) Shopping goods: The quality of company G’s product will enable the company to present it in the market to rationally make comparisons of the price, fashion, and suitability. This will be achieved by highlighting these qualities in ads targeted at likely and repeat consumers. (c)

Public Policy and Opinion Polls Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Public Policy and Opinion Polls - Coursework Example It should be noted that their views do not necessarily reflect those of the people but ought to, at least ideally. Policy content, on the other hand, is a result of actions and beliefs held by the political elite who birth political processes and set them in motion. Decision-making, political procedures and institutions are heavily dependent on the political elite echelon (Dye, 2010). The overall effect of this are laws which are meant to serve and govern the people but which they really have no say over. This is because national opinion polls, though dubbed inaccurate, on several occasions show a sentiment which differs from that held by those who stand for political process (Dye, 2010). This phenomenon is shows an antagonistic trend between policy content and the public. We ought to be concerned because political processes ought to have the interest of the common man as its central motive. This is true, at least on most occasions. A conclusion can thus made that political processes have a huge influence on decision making procedures, especially those concerning policy

Memo of Analysing Apple Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Memo of Analysing Apple Inc - Research Paper Example The 2013 financial year shows a general fall in the revenues and profit of the company. In 2011, the firm had a revenue of 108.249. The figure implies that revenues grew by 44% to reach a value of $156.508 in 2012. Consequently, net income increased by 60% and rose from $25.922 in 2011 to $41.733 in 2013. The figures above show that Apple’s revenue is growing at a decreasing rate. The situation is supposedly caused by factors such as increasing expenses, ethics and corporate social responsibility and competition from other major brands. Apple will try to minimize the proportion of income arising from operations. As seen in the 2012 and 2013 financial years, costs substantially reduced the income applicable to shares. Reduction of expenses will be done through more outsourcing of business in areas where the costs of operations are lower. In addition to that, the company will set new standards or business terms to its suppliers to increase the quality of products and avoid delays. As Saxena and Sangeeta put it, effective outsourcing and sub-contracting is sure ways of reducing costs for the firm (154). The reputation of the corporation in terms of ethics and CSR is not sound (Warther and Chandler 95). Apple will thus seek to address the concerns by participating in welfare programs in communities where it operates. The CSR action will be based on environmental issues, employment, sports and health. The ethical perspective will focus on fair remuneration of employees, especially in supplier firms. Moreover, Apple will track and eliminate bribery that has ravaged the company and its supplier with the interest of enhancing the corporate image of the company. Apple faces stiff competition from major technology giants such as Samsung, Sony, Huawei and LG. The competition is intense and eats into the market share of brands such as iPhones. As a result, Apple will invest in research and development to ensure its products remain unique and differentiated from