Free Essay: Interpretation of God and Satan in John Miltons Paradise Lost :: Milton Paradise Lost Essays

Interpretation of God and Satan in Paradise Lost In John Milton's Paradise Lost, he tells of Satan's banishment from Heaven. He and his brigade have plotted war against God and are now doomed to billow in the fiery pits of hell. Satan is a complex character with many meaningful qualities. The relationship between Satan's qualities and Hell's atmosphere tell the reader more about why they seem to go hand in hand. Without Satan's features and Hell's tormenting aspects, the place would not be all it is. Milton states that one will "dwell in adamantine chains and penal fire" if he defy's God. Satan definitely defied him and will therefore suffer this. Chains are symbolic of Satan in that they will tie one down and keep him under control. Satan has disobeyed God and needs to be tied restrained and controlled. The fire is only to show Satan's primary intentions. Fire indicates evil and pain, both of which he is a part of. He is the creator of evil just as God is the creator of all. Milton also describes Hell as a place that one must dwell in forever more full of wrath with no happiness and constant pain. Satan once lived in a universe full of happiness, joy, and surrounded by pleasure. Now that he has forsaken God, he must live without those, but to the worst extremes. No more content or delight can he experience. He must be punished for his unfaithfulness. Hell has "no light, but rather darkness served only to discover sights of woe." It is a "region of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace and rest can never dwell, hope never comes...but torture without end still urges." This is an atmosphere severely unlike the one from which Satan came. He was willing to give up all he had, peace, love, joy, beauty, and all alike, to overcome God and gain all of His power. The war in Heaven was between forces of Satan and forces of God.

Research on Atlas Honda

OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY An analysis of the financial situation of ATLAS HONDA Ltd. Introduction The topic chosen by me for the research and analysis project is AN ANALYSIS OF THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF YOUR CHOICE OF ORGANISATION. The reason for choosing this topic is that I am very comfortable with financial techniques and methods that are used to carry out financial analysis. Financial courses covered in ACCA part 1 and 2 were of key interest to me.The organization selected for the financial analysis is ATLAS HONDA LIMITED being the market leader in the motorcycle industry in Pakistan. The company attracted me to be selected for the project because the company is the leading company in the motorcycle industry with few unestablished competitors. The company is a public limited company with an annual turnover of Rs6,977. 4 millions, which makes it a leading company of public sector in our country.As the project is related with financial analysis of the company it is easier for me t o apply the financial tools learned in ACCA. It is easier for me to examine the financial position of Atlas Honda Ltd, as the management of the company is willing to provide me with sufficient financial data that will aid in carrying out a financial analysis. As this is public limited company information related to the company is also available through different magazines, government agencies, credit rating agencies (pacra), industry experts and websites.Atlas Honda Ltd is a company of Atlas group of companies. The foundation of the Atlas Group was laid in 1962 with the establishment of Shirazi Investments (Pvt) Limited with a capital of half a million rupees and three men doing business in trading shares and real estate. (www. atlasgrouppk. com) Atlas Honda Ltd was incorporated as a public limited company on October 16, 1962 and its shares are listed on Karachi and Lahore Stock Exchanges in Pakistan. Atlas Honda Limited is a joint venture between the Atlas Group and Honda Motor Co. , Japan.The merger of Panjdarya Limited and Atlas Autos Ltd created the company in 1991. The Atlas Group established both these motorcycle-manufacturing concerns. (www. atlasgrouppk. com) Atlas management is striving to modernize company operations by adapting applicable aspects of research and theory and more specially, Honda’s unique philosophy of hard/soft technologies to the realities of Pakistani conditions. Company management structure, systems and processes are changed according to the demands of the customer, growth and new technology. www. atlasgrouppk. com) Atlas Honda Ltd is a dynamic, profitable and growth oriented company through market leadership, maximizing export and excellence in quality and service. The company ensures attractive returns to equity holders, reward employees according to their ability and performance. Atlas Honda Ltd fosters a network of researchers and engineers ensuing unique contribution to the development of the industry. The company ensu res customer satisfaction and protection of the environment by producing emission friendly green products.The company aims to remain a good corporate citizen fulfilling its social responsibilities in all respects. Atlas Honda Ltd also received the best corporate report excellence awards in the engineering sector by the joint committee of ICAP/ICMAP. (Annual Report 2003) The company quality is gaining greater acceptance globally year after year the company takes it as a national cause to make â€Å"MADE IN PAKISTAN† accepted and Atlas Honda Ltd respected all the over world. An increase of 52% in exports on year-to-year basis is an indication of the growing popularity of the company products globally.Atlas Honda Ltd as being a market leader in motorcycle industry recognized the fact that excellence in business is dependent on the quality of human resource. As a result the company has continued to invest in development of its manpower over the years. The company has a well sprea d out service network of antenna shops, service dealers and four strokes mechanics with a combined strength of well over five thousand service points all over the country which has successfully covered the needs of company costumers.The network of 5S (Sales, Service, Spare parts, Credit and Second Hand Exchange) dealers all over country has given Atlas Honda Ltd a competitive edge over other players of the automotive industry. Due to the greater customer care and after sales service the customers of Atlas Honda Ltd are more obliged and satisfied then with any of the other competitors. As every market leader company Atlas Honda Ltd duly complies with the standards of safety health and environment (SHE). Sizeable capital expenditure was made by the company to install various equipments at assembling plants to minimize the risk of haphazard.The vision of Atlas Honda Ltd is to remain a leading group through effective use of its resources, technology and good business practices; attract and retain high quality people by developing them to their fullest potential; always keep the customer in their highest esteem and to give attractive returns to the share holders through a sustained growth of profit. (www. atlasgrouppk. com) The auto industry has been a major beneficiary of the macro economic stability of the country. The unprecedented reduction in the cost of the funds has helped promote greater consumer financing for automotive products.Atlas Honda Ltd has taken some tough decisions in enhancing the total customer base as well as dealing with the menace of the unauthorized sector. The motorcycle market has under gone a severe change in the last year. Ninety percent of the market is dominated by established brands from the organized sector. The players in the organized sector consist of the traditional Japanese manufacturers as well as a couple of Chinese assemblers and all are members of officially recognized Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA). A nnual report 2003) The aim of the report is to apply the tools learned in ACCA and to carry out practical work in a real time company. Through this report I will have exposure to Pakistan industry that will help me in the development of skills acquired during my ACCA studies. The report also aims to critically view the financial statements in order visualize that adequate returns are available to shareholder, company is a going concern, company is generating sufficient profits, assets of the company are well managed and guarded by the management in the best interest of the share holders.I will also review that the best practices of management stewardship is carried out to ensure that the company is maintaining the best practices of corporate governance. The objective of the report is to carry out financial analysis of Atlas Honda Ltd for the year 2003. The financial analysis has been carried out by using financial techniques such as ratio analysis, trend analysis and vertical analys is on the data available in the annual report of the year 2003 of the company. INFORMATION GATHERING Information gathering is the process through which processed and meaningful data is available to carry out the required task.Extensive amount of information is available through Internet, media, newspapers and other business magazines. These all sources of information these days make the process of information gathering simple. There are two main source of information gathering through which information is gathered, first is my personal visits and meetings with the different personnel’s in the company and secondly the financial statements available in the stock exchange on which the company is listed and also the data available through print media publicly.The information gathered depends on the reliability of the source from which it is gathered. These both sources are reliable to gather authentic information. Information was also obtained from credit rating agencies such as (pacra) and industry experts. Some government agencies also hold information relating to companies such as Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). The financial statements and print media information used for the report are for the period ended 2003,the broachers of Atlas Honda Ltd, financial and business news papers such as THE NEWS BUSINEES PAGE, DAWN BUSINESS PAGE.As Atlas Honda is a leading company in the motorcycle industry information relating to the company is also available through different business magazines such as the Gulf Economist. They are good source of reliable information, that too with a critical viewpoint about the company. Information relating to Atlas Honda is also available through Internet by access to sight www. atlasgrouppk. com that makes it easier to be familiar with the company and have access to the financial and other authentic information that helps in the effective completion of this research and analysis project.Published documents of Atlas Honda Ltd provides a reliable method of data collection through which sufficient financial data can be collected easily so that financial analysis can be conducted in a effective way. Interview is very effective means of gathering information, providing precise and accurate data. Interviews with the officials of Atlas Honda also provided quality information that helped me to have a sufficient knowledge about Atlas Honda, about its financial position, where it stands in the market, its new competitors in the motor cycle ndustry, its adequate returns to share holders, about its expansion of the business and its unique 5S(service) network that give Atlas Honda Ltd edge over its competitors. ANALYSIS The analysis stage of the report carries critical view of the financial statements to ensure that adequate returns are available to share holders, assets are properly utilized by the management and are depreciated as par the accounting policies of the company, the company is financia lly sound and that investors have confidence in the company. There are few un established competitors of Atlas Honda with little penetration in the market.The ratios are computed on the basis of audited financial data for the year 2003. PROFITABILITY The profitability of any company is the key concern to the shareholders and to its employees and is also the symbol of market leadership for any company in the market. I have analyzed the profitability trend over the period of 8 years. The key ratios during the 8 years that demonstrate profitability are Profitability 2003 Gross Profit Ratio (%) Profit Before Tax (%) Profit After Tax (%) 14. 7 9. 3 6. 1 2002 13. 3 7. 1 4. 9 TABLE: 1 2001 9. 7 4. 3 2. 5 2000 10. 4 3. 0 1. 1999 11. 6 5. 3 3. 6 1998 12. 4 5. 6 3. 7 1997 1996 11. 3 5. 4 3. 6 10. 9 5. 7 3. 3 There is a constant increase in the gross profit during the first 3 years 1996 to 1998 but the year 1999 had a slump causing a decline for the next 3 years up till 2001. After that huge r ecovery has been made by the company with G. P Ratio from 9. 7 in 2001 to 14. 7 in 2003. Corresponding increase in cost and the relationship between profits and cost reveal that the profit before tax was almost half (5. 7) to 10. 9 in the year 1996 and this relationship is maintained in 2003.On the other hand the operating profit have not shown a considerable growth in comparison to the tax rates as shown by the relationship between G. P ratio and profit after tax. In the year 1999 it was 1/3rd to the G. P ratio but has increased to come up with ? of the G. P ratio. This indicates that the company is trying to improve its profit by maintaining its cost but the increase in taxes has jeopardized the efforts and consequent increase in profit after tax has not been obtained. Returns to Shareholders The returns are of key interest to shareholders as they invest in the company that gives more returns than the other.Atlas Honda distributed 5% of its total wealth to its shareholders in the year 2003. The company proposed a cash dividend of Rs. 7 per share. The return on capital employed, Earning per share (E. P. S), Price earning ratio, their trend can be seen below in the table. Returns to share holders 2003 ROE – Before Tax (%) 60. 5 2002 49. 8 TABLE: 2 2001 31. 5 2000 17. 4 1999 32. 7 1998 39. 6 1997 48. 0 1996 61. 0 ROE – After Tax (%) 39. 7 34. 1 18. 3 10. 3 22. 3 26. 1 31. 8 35. 0 Return on Capital Employed (%) 34. 2 29. 8 14. 7 7. 6 17. 3 18. 7 23. 4 28. Market Price 80. 00 40. 05 25. 00 19. 25 19. 25 30. 00 31. 00 27. 00 E. P. S – After Tax – Rs 20. 91 13. 24 8. 07 4. 12 8. 45 8. 60 9. 41 8. 41 Price Earning Ratio 3. 83 3. 03 3. 10 4. 67 2. 28 3. 49 3. 29 3. 21 Industry Average . P. E Ratio 3. 21 3. 14 3. 52 3. 50 2. 14 3. 31 3. 27 3. 25 The Return on equity before tax ratio showed a downward trend and declined from 61% to 17. 4% in 2000,there by recovering to a satisfactory figure of 60. 5% in 2003. The ROE after tax declined from acceptable figure of 35% in 1996 to a dangerous level of 10. % in 2000 and reaching a satisfactory figure of 39. 7% in the year 2003. Earning per share is widely used to measure the performance of the company over a number of years. E. P. S of Atlas Honda started to decline after 1997 and declined to a poor figure of 4. 12,there by up streaming to the figure of 20. 91,compariably stronger than last year due to improved profits. Price Earning ratio shows partial ups and downs through years not having significant variation except 1999 where it shows a downward trend, showing a healthy upward trend in 2000.This indicates that the investors have a strong confidence in the company abilities to maintain the earnings. Overall the P/E ratio of the company is above the industry average as indicated in table 2. The market price of the shares has grown rapidly and has become twice as compared to the last year, which indicates people’s confidence. Cash Flow situation The cash flow statem ent with the same importance as profit and loss account and balance sheet is used to emphasize the difference between profit and cash. Cash flows, including net present value calculations, have always been a popular management tool.The situation of the company cash flow showed that net cash generation from operations increased to Rs. 724. 20 million as compared to Rs. 519. 34 million last years. Increased net income and customers’ advances created a positive impact on the net cash provided by operations. Net cash used in investing activities decreased to Rs. 67. 53 million compared to Rs. 150. 04 million last year. Net cash used in financing activities was Rs. 42. 33 million as compared to Rs. 121. 74 million last year. During the year Rs. 150 million long-term loans were acquired and Rs. 71. 11 million loans were repaid.Cash and bank balance increased by 1. 5 times to Rs. 1, 021. 23 million this year Rs. 406. 88 million for the operating year 2002. Investment income increase d to Rs. 38. 3 million from Rs. 32. 6 million of last year. Debt equity ratio was 10:90. The equity of the company stood at over Rs. 1 billion including reserves of Rs. 872. 2 million, with cash surplus of Rs. 1. 02 billion, reflecting a sound financial position of the company. Asset turnover Assets are held by companies to utilize them in their business activities and generate profits in order the company to prosper.Assets are held and maintained by Atlas Honda in the course of their business activities and the company to meet their growing requirements also acquires new capital assets. Asset turnover ratios are computed for a period of eight years. Asset turnover (Times) Sales to Total Assets Sales to Fixed Assets 2003 2. 63 12. 39 2002 3. 02 10. 32 2001 3. 16 10. 44 2000 2. 28 6. 93 1999 2. 80 9. 34 1998 2. 23 9. 02 1997 2. 89 13. 02 1996 2. 97 11. 42 Inventory Turnover 10. 34 9. 57 7. 46 6. 87 7. 39 6. 06 5. 41 5. 38Major portion of the total assets are current assets, which not an admirable situation and the company is bearing increase in the opportunity cost of assets not invested by the company. In the other scenario the company have superfluous current assets to meet its current liabilities, which is appreciable. In the sale to fixed asset turnover there is a major acquisition in the year 2000 then in other years where there is normal acquisition during the course of business. This is indicted by the reduction of only 0. 99% in the sale of year 2000 from previous year where as there is a reduction of 2. 1 times in the sale to fixed asset turnover ratio. This acquisition by the company in the year 2000 was made to cope with predict future growth. In other years the fixed asset turnover ratio is increasing due to increasing sales and there is usual acquisition of fixed assets. In the case of the inventory turnover ratio there is a constant increase in the figures over the years. The company in warehouses does not hold idle stocks thus reducing the stock holding cost. Demand based production is carried out by the company and there are no over purchases by the company.Solvency/Liquidity Solvency is the term used to determine that are the assets of the company surplus enough to pay its liabilities. This is a key measure of the financial reliability of a company and the key ratios that computes solvency are of key interest to investors. 2003 Current ratio (Times) 1. 47 2002 1. 38 2001 1. 48 2000 1. 46 1999 1. 64 1998 1. 31 1997 1. 21 1996 1. 10 Interest Cover Ratio (Times) 17. 17 11. 18 3. 65 2. 04 3. 18 2. 58 3. 95 3. 81 The intent of the current ratios is to determine that how many current assets are there to repay current liabilities on demand.The company holds surplus current assets. This is also discussed above in the Total Asset turnover that a major portion of the total assets is current assets showing a healthy prospect in terms of the company to meet its current liabilities. The company is showing an acceptable current ratio o ver the period indicating the company’s capability to meet its liabilities. The interest cover ratio for the year 2002 and 2003 shows that the company is having added profits that allows the company to borrow more loans but the company is not utilizing this facility. This is also the reason the company is low geared.This also indicates financial soundness of the company in the market. If the company takes advantage of this facility it would be beneficial for the company and would facilitate the company in reducing its taxes, as interest expense is a tax allowable expense. The company has been obtaining loans in the rest of the period as indicated by the interest cover ratios of rest of the periods. Investments Investments are held by companies to have adequate returns from their sales. Investments held by Atlas Honda in associates are proposed for sale and are stated at fair value.The investments held by the company are in listed and also some unlisted companies. Investments are counted as company’s principal financial assets. Listed Atlas Battery Limited – Associated undertaking NIL (2002: 165,550 Ordinary shares of Rs. 10 Each includes bonus shares 25,550) 2003 (Rupees in 000’s) 9,548 2002 Unlisted Arabian Sea Country Club (private) Limited 200,000 ordinary shares of Rs. 10 each Break-up value on the basis of audited Accounts for the year ended June 30, 2002 Rs. 6. 25 per share 2003 2002 (Rupees in 000’s) 2,000 2,000 Automotive Testing and Training Center (private) Limited 187,500 ordinary shares of Rs. 0 each Break-up value on the basis of audited Accounts for the year ended June 30,2001 Rs. 5. 75 per share 1,875 1,875 The credit risk represents the accounting loss that would be recognized at the reporting date if counter parties failed to perform as contracted. Out of the total financial assets, following amount of financial assets are subject to credit risk: 1,118,907. The company believes that it is not exposed to major concentration of credit risk. To manage exposure to credit risk, the company applies credit limits to its customers. STAEMENT OF VALUE ADDITION 2003 WEALTH GENERATEDTotal Revenue Material & Services (excluding duties) 8,066,365 (5,219,313) __________ 2,847,052 __________ 6,382,219 (4,177,572) _________ 2,204,647 _________ 2002 100% 100% WEALTH DISTRIBUTED To Government Sales Tax, Income Tax, Import Duty & Workers’ Welfare Fund To Employees Salaries, benefits and related cost To Providers of Capital Dividend to shareholders Markup on borrowed funds Retained with the business Depreciation Retained profit 89,645 284,345 _________ 2,847,052 _________ 3% 10% ______ 100% ______ 83,433 4% 143,058 20,487 5% 1% 122,621 19,913 5% 1% 346,762 12% 322414 15% 1,962,755 69% 1,508,389 68% 47,877 7% _________ ____ 2,204,647 100% _________ ____ As can be seen from the table above and the chart that a greater portion of wealth generated is distributed to the government. The company paid sales tax, income tax and custom duties amounting to Rs. 1. 96 billion during the year, which represents 69% of the total wealth generated. The company’s contribution to the national economy by way of value addition this year amounts to Rs. 2. 85 billion, which is 29. 13% higher as compared to last year showing company’s responsibility towards overall economy.This is also the reason that the company is unable to increase its profit after tax even though the company is maintaining its cost. This huge amount of tax payments has jeopardized the efforts made by the company. A good proportion of wealth generated is distributed to employees as salaries and benefits showing that the company is facilitating its employees and maintaining a healthy environment of working by offering benefits to them. WORKING CAPITAL The company has maintained a good working capital that shows the stewardship of the management in the use of financial resources in the operations.Company maintains a 5:1 to the current assets that is a working capital of Rs. 6, 671. 50 million, Showing good liquidity performance. Capital Structure The company shows a very low financial gearing (0. 165b: 1b) but the timing of the repayment cash flows is a cause of concern, as 50million out of a total of 166million has to be repaid during the next 12 months. As the net increase in cash and cash equivalent is 614million it would not be a major cause of concern but shows the company’s vulnerability and dependence on maintaining very high liquid assets.This indicates that the company is in a desperate need to maintain its profits and to increase them. The period where the company is unable to make any profit the company will be in a critical situation beyond its accepting power. Presentation of Findings The SWOT analysis is used as a technique to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the company and the opportunities and threats outside faced by the company. A SWOT analysis of Atlas Honda Limit ed would be a significant appraisal of the company’s position in the automotive industry.Strengths: Market leader †¢ Advance cash receipts from dealer’s hence additional cash available for investment. †¢ Customer satisfaction. †¢ Trained technical staff. †¢ Atlas Group patronage. †¢ Sound financial standing in the market. Weakness: †¢ †¢ No customer support in rural areas. Burden of taxes by the Government. Opportunities: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Opportunities for new technologies. Development of latest IT infrastructure. Effective media promotion. No threat of established competitor. Threats: †¢ †¢ †¢ Threat of new entrants.Unestablished Competitors imitating the models of motorcycles at low price. Demands for low priced motorcycles. The strengths of the company are the key to triumph and the company should seize advantage from its opportunities and should devise such that its opportunities should be part of its strengths. Atlas Honda has been able to prolifically make its way through the heavy burden of taxes this year but it’s my anticipation that the burden of taxes will increase further, to counter this the company should plan a head.Atlas Honda is having a sound financial standing in the market and had attained customer satisfaction by quality products and after sales customer service. Customers are drawn in due to quality and services provided by the company, which the company should sustain and enhance, by making available price controlled motorcycles. Company has developed latest IT infrastructure to make good use of IT in manufacturing using computer techniques such as CAD (computer aided design) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing) thus enhancing costs.The edifying aspect of the report has been the findings that Atlas Honda is a financially sound company with market penetration and strong customer base. Conclusion The essence of the research and analysis report was to ca rry out a comprehensive financial analysis of Atlas Honda Ltd. The core objective of the report was to scrutinize that ample returns are available to share holders, the company is generating sufficient profits, and the financial situation of the company is sound and investors have confidence in the company and its financial position.In my surveillance over all the company has maintained a good level of profit even after an amplified amount of tax over the period of time. This has caused an increase in Earning per share of the company and eventually the market value of the company, which is avowed at 700% premium (Market value Rs. 80 per nominal value of Rs. 10 per share). The investors have confidence, which is reflected in the Price Earning Ratio of the company, which the company has maintained over the period of 8 years.The overall enhancement in the level of operations and market demand indicates that the company is moving on the right track even after facing rigid rivalry from i ts competitors. Atlas Honda has maintained a very low level of gearing and so far is unable to acquire market loans, which indicates low level of financial risk the company is exposed to. On the other hand this can hamper the potential available in the market by scarcity of the funds in the company when investment climate is good and market demands is high.In the Automotive industry Atlas Honda is still a market leader as far as the wealth distribution to the government is concerned. In the statement of value addition it is indicated that 69% of the company’s wealth had been distributed to the government as sales tax, income tax, import duty and workers welfare fund. Subsequent to the distribution the company has maintained sufficient levels of profit to distribute to the shareholders in the form of dividends. The company has continued to improve the net generation of cash and cash equivalents during the year causing the company to increase its cash resources.Positive inflow of cash from operations is a signal of company’s ability to improve the liquidity position of the company on a continuous basis. This is the main reason the liquidity situation of the company is very good. The analysis shows that the company is making headway well in terms of profitability, liquidity but as far as the capital structure of the company is concerned it is still at very low level of gearing thus hampering the opportunities available in the market and without exploiting the internal strengths available in the company.A high level of profits, good liquidity and sufficient working capital indicates that the financial situation of the company has improved over the period of time and is still improving. On the basis of the research and analysis work carried out I foresee that Atlas Honda will be more profitable over the period of time and will be able to exploit the opportunities available in the market. In my viewpoint Atlas Honda will remain to be the market leader for the coming years too. The company will also prove arduous to compete by new entrants in the industry.

Identifying My Area Of Student Growth Since Undertaking...

My essay will outline the journey of identifying my area of student growth since undertaking this Bachelor of Dementia Care degree and introductory units. Academic achievements, typically are based on examination or assessment marks. As Cottrell (2013, pp. 12-13) shows, a quiz can identify and evaluate a measurement of achievement particularly of a new student. I will endeavour to show, with the use of differing methods or tools of measurement, they act as a catalyst to improve or impede my academic development. Additionally, I will discuss examples and explain how I can apply the outcomes of my development. It has been thirty years since I completed by Higher School Certificate, receiving a mark measuring my ability to recall prior years of secondary study. So, as I commence university to attain my degree, how will I manage study, work and family commitments? Do I have the skills to undertake this so late in my life? (Vivekananda Shores, 1996, p.10). Overwhelmed and anxious about what I had committed myself to, the initial exhilaration of enrolling as a university student was replaced with anxiety. Scanning through discussion boards provided affirmation of the anxieties I experienced. The Feedback I received from one participant responded â€Å"I feel that self-doubt too† (M. Bancroft, personal communication, March 3, 2016) (Appendix A) this alerted me to an opportunity to abate my anxiety, but also provided me with a tool to test my strategies and ideas. Discussion boardShow MoreRelated_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 PagesIntroduction to Statistics and Data Analysis This page intentionally left blank Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis Third Edition Roxy Peck California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Chris Olsen George Washington High School, Cedar Rapids, IA Jay Devore California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Australia †¢ Brazil †¢ Canada †¢ Mexico †¢ Singapore †¢ Spain †¢ United Kingdom †¢ United States Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis, Third

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Alice Munro Open Secrets the a - 1516 Words

ALICE MUNROS THE ALBANIAN VIRGIN IN OPEN SECRETS EXEMPLIES HER CHARACTERISTIC APPROACH To try to trace Alice Munros narrative techniques to any particular development in the short story The Albanian Virgin would be difficult. This could be because it is simply written from careful observations as are many of her other short stories. In her short stories, it is as though she tries to transform a common, ordinary world into something that is unsettling and mysterious as was seen in Vandals. Most of her stories found in Open Secrets, are set or focused on Munros native Canada, Huron County, and particularly in the small fictional Ontario town of Carstairs, although the setting in The Albanian Virgin is in British Columbia. The†¦show more content†¦Munro offers us (the reader) a bouquet of stories in one: the narrators escape from and longing for both lover and husband; Charlotte and her husband Gjurdhi, who are somewhere between threats, exemplars of surviving love and path os (as Munros late middle aged couples often are); the adventure of Lottar and the Franciscan priest who helps her escape from what is both new home and prison; the antagonistic mating dance between the bookstore owner and her new, odd friends, Charlotte and Gjurdhi. (Bloom 1995) The change from one characters point of view or narrative to another is changing the setting and mood of the story. The narrator is indirectly portraying her as they both moved to British Columbia and opened a bookstore. It is like telling the story of three individuals with relation to her own life. When Munro was asked once in an interview as to why she used both first and third person, her reply was it allows you to move around a bit more, and it allows you to say things about other characters (MacKendrick, 24). Munros use of stories is one of her many forms of conforming the different narratives and points of view together. She tells the story the way that she sees it forming and lets the reader fi gure it out for themselves. In this story, the reader has to first realize that the main story is not on the bookstore owner, but on Charlotte, the womanShow MoreRelatedEssay on How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro622 Words   |  3 PagesHusband by Alice Munro Deneen Bell Instructor Heather Altfeld Fisher 125- Introduction of Literature November 28, 2011 The Analysis of How I Met My Husband Introduction In this analysis I plan to show that the first person point of view was used to write this short story. I also want to show that there is more than one theme as well. I would like to show how Edie kept secrets and how she was blinded by love. I plan to show that this story contained secrecy almost to the ending. Alice Munro’sRead MoreDeep Holes by Alice Munro889 Words   |  4 PagesAlice Munros story featured in The New Yorker, â€Å"Deep Holes† has complex undertones that mirror the authors feelings as a mother and an artist. Sally, the mother in the story has three children but the main focus lies between the dynamics between Sally a passive wife, Alex her domineering husband, and Kent her rebellious oldest son. The story begins with a family picnic that abruptly ends when Kent literally falls into a â€Å"deep hole.† The interactions leading up to following this accident revealsRead MoreExamples Of Dynamic Characters In The Great Gatsby1350 Words   |  6 Pagesman will store up in his ghostly heart.† (Fitzgerald, 97). This quote shows how Gatsby had reconnected with Daisy through Nick and how Nick admired Gatsby’s passion when he finally meet up with Daisy once again. Lastly, the tragic death of Gatsby opens up a new realm of things for Nick. In the novel, it states, â€Å"After Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes’ power of correction.† (Fitzgerald, 176). He now reflected on how Gatsby’s passion and drive to live allowedRead MoreTyfhbgyf1977 Words   |  8 PagesThe short story The short story -- Alice Munro an exception, (perhaps) -- is an illustration of one facet of human nature. Often a character undergoes some event and experiences something which offers him change. This is why its said that short stories usually say something, often a narrow or small something, but sometimes delivered with such precision that the effect is exquisite, even a life-moment for the reader, something akin to a religious experience or seeing a never-to-be-repeated scene

A good and simple example is given by Fromlet Free Essays

One fundamental notion in the finance and economic fields with regards to decision making has always been based on the underlying assumption that individuals or decision making agents are rational and objective. However, in many cases, rationalistic explanations have failed to answer major financial occurrences in the past. A good and simple example is given by Fromlet (2001), In 2001 the Swedish currency – the crown- was seriously undervalued in the foreign exchange market despite the fact that Swedish economy enjoyed a good economic growth record, had the lowest inflation rate among the 12 European Monetary union members, surplus government budget and a good, positive balance of payment position. We will write a custom essay sample on A good and simple example is given by Fromlet or any similar topic only for you Order Now Thus in this case all the rationalistic theories could not adequately explain the weakening of the crown given the fact that all economic indicators showed that it should be stronger. According to many theorists, even though realism cannot be attained, a good theoretical model should include mechanisms that help in relaxing as much assumptions as possible to attain a near realistic empirically based theory. Most of the traditional and neoclassical financial theory such as the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and expected utility theory (EUT) are based on the unrealistic assumptions that can be explained as: †¢ Representative agents and players in the financial market are rational therefore base their decisions with the objective of maximizing wealth therefore asset pricing reflect the real value of the asset at any particular time (Thaler, 1999). †¢ The market given time will settle on an equilibrium point and that the equilibrium price reflects the real value of the asset that can rationally be explained using traditional theories (Ideal or rationally explained equilibrium) (Thaler, 1999). Behavioral finance is a relatively new field of study that has made tremendous progress in the attempt to answer these unrealistic assumptions and offer an alternative explanation of the financial market. Behavioral finance holds that the market is unrealistic due to the human element; therefore, in evaluation of financial market decision making and market condition, financial theories should recognize the role of human behavior in financial assets price determination. The composition of financial investors is diverse from fathers and mothers, household, spouses, students, businessmen, government leaders etc. are all decision makers in the financial market thus the assumption of rationality as provided by these theories is unrealistic (Ritter, 2003). These paper is an in depth evaluation of the behavioral theory and its application in the financial market. The paper will look at the strength and weaknesses of behavioral finance in an attempt to show its applicability as a tool in the financial market. Definition and description of behavioral finance. Behavioral finance is an empirically based theory, Behavioral finance theorists argue that to understand the performance and decision making in market, it important to integrate psychological and behavioral variables and classical financial theories in decision making and market atmosphere. According to this theory, the market is sometimes information inefficient and participants do not often make decision rationally. Behavioral finance uses to main concepts namely cognitive psychology and limits to arbitrage. Cognitive psychology as applied in behavioral finance focuses on behavioral factors influencing investor’s decision making or how people think; it postulates that investors make systematic errors in the manner they think and this contributes to irrationality in decision making. For instance, some investors might be overconfident and end up loosing due making investment decision based on this behavioral trait. This cognitive biases lead to irrational decision and can explain the weaknesses of classical financial theories with regards to why the market fails to attain equilibrium or conceptual expectation of rational investor decision in the financial market. (Ritter, 2003). Cognitive biases. Cognitive psychologists hold that there several cognitive biases that affect investor’s decisions in the market, as mentioned this biases lead investors to make systematic errors hence explaining irrationality in the financial market. This paper will highlight the cognitive biases by combining some of the documented behavioral patterns in arguing the case and behavior finance model case in the financial market it should be noted that psychological patterns and behavior categories as presented are interlinked to the extent that an individual can make decisions due to several behavioral patterns (Fromlet, 2001): 1/n Heuristics or rule of thumb. Heuristics or the rule of thumb is one common behavioral technique applied in decision making. According to the definition (as quoted in Fromlet, 2001), â€Å" heuristic means ‘use of experience and practical efforts to answer questions or to improve performance. † Heuristics mean fast, selective interpretation of information, determined to a high extent by intuition–taking into account that the conclusions may not give the desired results because of the velocity and/or the incompleteness in the decision-making. † This technique makes it easier for investor’s since information in the market usually spreads faster, changes often and has become more complicated to interpret. Therefore, given various options many investors use the 1/n rule by spreading their funds equally or proportionately on the available options since it is easier than choosing the rational option based on the information hence introducing irrationality in the market in terms of decision making. A good example is if in a given financial market six different economic indicators are published, economists and investors have to assimilate and use the information as fast as they can to take advantage of the market, some result to heuristic approach. This sometimes leads to suboptimal results and explains the difference between the ideal classical financial market of a rational investor and the real world. (Fromlet, 2001 and Ritter, 2003). Thaler (1999), argue that from empirical evidence collected in their research most individuals investing for retirement have little or no knowledge of the financial market hence uses the rule of thumb or 1/n heuristic approach to make decisions on where to put there retirement savings. Overconfidence and preference for certain information. Another pattern that manifests itself and lead to irrationality in decision making in the financial market is overconfidence. Ritter (2003), notes that entrepreneurs tend to be overconfident and hence invest too much in stocks or options that they are familiar with. This can be termed as an irrational tendency to the extent that it leads overconfident entrepreneurs tend to limit their options by not diversifying their portfolio hence irrational since they tie up their assets (for example real estates) to the company they are familiar with partly due to the fact that they would feel in control of local familiar stocks compared to high returns stocks that are outside their control, this is referred to as control illusions. A good example world over is the fact that most workers tend to invest too much in the company they work for and this has led to loss of entire savings to many of the companies in the event of insolvency (see Ritter, 2003 pg. 434 for examples). Furthermore, it was noted that generally, men are more overconfident than women and this behavior extends to investment decisions. It was found out in a research by Bernard and Odeon (2001 as quoted in Ritter 2003) that the more men on average perform worse than women and this is partly attributed to the fact that they are overconfident than women. How to cite A good and simple example is given by Fromlet, Papers

Picasso Essay Summary Example For Students

Picasso Essay Summary Now is the time in this period of changes and revolution to use a revolutionary manner of painting and not to paint like before. Pablo Picasso, 1935. (Barnes) Undoubtedly Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous and well-documented artists of the twentieth century. Picasso, unlike most painters, is even more special because he did not confine himself to canvas, but also produced sculpture, poetry, and ceramics in profusion. Although much is known about this genius, there is still a lust after more knowledge concerning Picasso, his life and the creative forces that motivated him. This information can be obtained only through a careful study of the events that played out during his lifetime and the ways in which they manifested themselves in his creations (Penrose). As Rachel Barnes points out in her introduction to Picasso by Picasso: Artists by Themselves, there seemed to be no doubt that Picasso would become a painter. In order to better hone his prodigious abilities, Picasso attend ed the Academy in Barcelona for a brief period of time. He spent most of his early years painting in Paris, where he progressed through various periods including a Blue period from 1900 to 1904 and a Rose period in 1904 before creating the Cubist movement that lasted until the beginning of the First World War. Picassos development toward cubism reached its climax with the monumental justly celebrated Demoiselles dAvignon (1906). This painting, named for a brothel in Barcelonas Avignon Street, depicts, in a highly stylized form, five angular nude or partially draped women grouped around an arrangement of fruit. This final, condensed version, developed through many preparatory works, was attained by gradual simplifications and eliminations of an originally conspicuous subject matter. Picasso shows a rethinking of the human body in Les Demoiselles.# This ranges from a simplified naturalism, (in the centre figures) to an increased sense of fragmentation in to angular forms, each of wh ich appears to have an independent existence. Such disjunction of body parts challenged the standards by which the human body had been constructed before. In synchronicity, the background elements of draperies and wall were fragmented, aligned with the figural handling. Picasso initiated Cubism at the age of twenty-six after he already had established himself as a successful painter. According to Souchre, Picasso led the evolution towards cubism in order to escape the tyranny of the laws of the tangible world, to fly beyond all the degradations of the lie, the stupidity of criticism, towards that total freedom which inspired his youth. As Barnes notes, Cubism was an art that concentrated on forms, and an artists job was to give life to that form. Until this goal is accomplished, the Cubist painter has not fully realized his purpose. After his initial Cubist period, Picasso moved through various other stages. He experimented with sculpture and still lifes, and by his death at the age of ninety-two, could be considered the most famous and talked about painter in recent history. (Barnes). After progressing past Cubism, Picasso frequently came back to this style of painting because, as stated by Souchre, Picasso felt liberated and powerful when painting this way and believed Cubism to be the best way to speak out against the scandalous outer world. As Picasso pointed out Cubism is the attitude of aggression that could give him complete control over himself, his emotions, and his surroundings. This logically leads to a brief discussion of what Picasso felt was art and what he considered the duty of the artist to be. In a brief conversation with one of his biographers, Picasso commented that he saw art as something not to be understood or interpreted. Everyone wants to understand art. In the case of a painting people have to understand. If only they would realize above all that an artist works out of necessity, that he himself is only a trifling bit of the world, an d that no more importance should be attached to him than to plenty of other things, things which please us in the world, though we cant explain them (Barnes). Picasso painted for himself, as a release from the pressures of his society and as a way to express his thoughts and problems in tangible form. For this reason, the events happening around the time of any Picasso work must be understood before the true meaning of any resulting art can be understood. In the time period directly before the painting of Bulls Skull, Fruit, Pitcher, many hardships befell Picasso. As William Rubin explains, during the winter of 1938, Picasso was bedridden with a severe attack of sciatica. Two other tragic events happened to Picasso during the month of January 1939. On January 13, Picassos mother died. On the 26th, Francos army completed its victory over the Spanish republic and set up its fascist regime. These two events had a profound effect on Picasso. He thereafter openly expressed his negative f eelings towards Francos regime and used his paintings, especially his great mural Guernica to clearly express his abhorrence of the military caste which, he believed, had sunk Spain into an ocean of pain and death. (Barnes) The way Picasso set about painting has been well documented by many people. Roland Penrose, in writing about a photographic study of the artist at work, eloquently describes the conflicting influences seen in Picassos method of creation. The first is the positive clarity with which the idea is born. Picasso, particularly when he begins to draw on a virgin surface, seems to trace the outline of a vision which is already there but visible only to him. For a time he continues with complete conviction but as the drawing materializes a second phase begins which is like a dialogue between him and the image to which he has given birth. The image has already been given a personality of its own which can provoke surprises that demand to be taken into account. Picasso the finder can now interpret the impatient demands of his offspring and with a parents insight he guides his child as it grows in stature or rescues it if it stumbles. The artist and his creation during this time are inseparably linked; they reciprocate, and rise or fall together. He is the product of his own work. (Barnes) Furthermore, as Picasso pointed out to Christian Zervos: I see for others, that is to say, in order to put on canvas the sudden apparitions which come to me, I dont know in advance what I am going to put on canvas any more that I decide beforehand what colours I am going to use. While I am working I am not conscious of what I am putting on the canvas. Each time I undertake to paint a picture I have a sensation of leaping into space. I never know whether I shall fall on my feet. It is only later that I begin to estimate more exactly the effect of my work (Barnes). Many argue, among them Barnes, that Picasso was strongly and greatly influenced by Paul Czanne and, to a lesser extent, by his friend Henri Matisse. These influences can be seen in some of his earlier Cubist paintings and their color schemes and in others that concentrate on the African mask. But, as Picasso himself pointed out to Zervos: It is not what the artist does that counts but what he is. Czanne would never have interested me a bit if he had lived and thought like Jacques Emile Blanche, even if the apple he painted had been ten times as beautiful. What forces our interest is Czannes anxiety thats Czannes lesson that is the actual drama of the man. The rest is a sham (Barnes). Although these artists did not stylistically influence Picasso, they spiritually influenced him. It also shows that it was essential to the evolution of his own style that Picasso preserve his independence and solitude so that his paintings come from his own feelings. For this reason, too, Picasso built up many walls around himself in order to protect his art; and, as a sign of his true genius, he consta ntly changed styles and media because he refused to be satisfied with any of his achievements and wished his art to be fresh, original, and uninhibited. This is the reason that Picasso pushed the extremes in art. He constantly looked for new territory to explore, searching for something that would better express what he wanted. This shows the true genius of Pablo Picasso. Social Conscience: The Work of Pablo Picasso One must speak of problems in painting! I never do a painting as a work of art. All of them are researches. I search incessantly and there is a logical sequence in all this research. Pablo Picasso, 1956 (Barnes). In paintings typical of his work during the late 1930s, Picasso concentrated on subjects that reflected the troubled times in which he lived. Indeed, these were troubled times for all of Europe. Economic hardships, moral turpitude, and the rise of fascism were all too common. The personal life of Picasso, too, was just as turbulent. During the months of Decembe r, 1938 to January 1939, Picasso was confined to bed with severe back problems, lost his beloved mother, and witnessed the fall of his homeland, Spain, to the regime of Franco. Picassos still life Bulls Skull, Fruit, Pitcher is typical of his mature Cubist paintings of this time period in that he uses various symbols to express his inner feelings, especially towards his country, his family, and himself, while at the same time representing the feelings of a whole nation and telling his fellow countrymen that, despite all of their hardships, they must still have hope. Bulls Skull, Fruit, Pitcher is clearly a Cubist painting. None of the forms portrayed in the painting is as it should be. All of the objects are seen, seemingly, from varying viewpoints simultaneously, a Cubist perspective. There are only five clearly discernible objects in the painting: a large bulls skull, two pieces of fruit, a pitcher, and a pink tree. The bulls skull, which lies on the left-hand side of the canvas, is grotesquely malformed. All over the bone are various cracks and places where the skull has been chipped away. Nothing about the skull is as it should be. For example, although both eyes stare at the viewer, the jaw points to the right. Furthermore, the jaw is drawn in such a way as it never could be; the left side of the jaw connects to the right side of the face and thus creates a paradoxical image. The nostrils are chipped and bleed into the mouth; in other words, one cannot tell where the nostrils end and the mouth begins. The bull has no upper teeth but has four lower ones. They are straight and in the center of the mouth and would look like a perfect set of teeth were they not cracked and chipped. The only other physical feature of the bulls skull is the two short horns that rest upon its head. There is one basic color used for the most part in the skull and that is white. This white fades into yellow in some places and goes all the way to brown in others, but on most of its surface, the skull has a muted white or yellow tone. The shape of the head is, on the whole, triangular. The horns are triangles as are the shapes formed by the jaw and the mouth. Even the varying shades are applied in triangular regions. The two pieces of fruit are scattered about on the canvas. One is situated between the skull and the pitcher and the other is on the right side of the painting. Both pieces are circular in form and consist of the colors red, yellow, and green. There is a definite skin around both pieces but the viewer can still see the middle of the fruit. The shapes inside, which are set off by the varying colors, are both circular and triangular. The only noticeable difference between the two, besides the different patterns on the inside, is that the fruit in the middle has an awkwardly shaped stem that makes the piece of fruit look almost like a stopwatch. The pitcher is situated between the two pieces of fruit. Unlike the fruit and the skull, the pitcher has n o sharp edges formed by contrasting colors in its interior. This gives this object a certain flow that is lacking in the others. The colors used to paint it, too, contrast sharply with the rest of the painting. Rich oranges, yellows, browns, and reds are used with a deep black swirled in to give it texture. The pitcher is somewhat ornate, having a curved handle, an upturned spout, a fancy lid with a ball on the top, and a tented base extending from its bottom. The tree that can be seen in the dead center of the painting is a bright pink. It has a brown trunk and brown branches as well a few scattered white and green leaves. Its leaves (predominantly pink) form a halo in the center of the canvas and suggest a cherry tree in full bloom. There are a few less defined objects in Picassos work as well. The aforementioned objects (excepting the tree) rest on a table that is mostly a dark brown. The edges are warped and, because of this, the viewer is unable to be certain where the table en ds and its base or the background begins. In the background, there are four black bars evenly spaced on the canvas. They are all half of the length of the painting except the one on the right which runs from top to bottom. These bars are painted somewhat three-dimensionally and add the only discernible aspect of perspective to the otherwise flat piece. This perspective allows the viewer to see that the tree is outside while the table and the objects resting on the table are inside. The only other noticeable objects in the painting are the shadows created by each of the main objects. They are all triangular in shape and, because of this and their sizes, they do not naturally fit with the objects creating them at all. They are not pointing in the same direction, suggesting either multiple light sources or the cubist theory of viewing objects from varying viewpoints. This is exemplified in by the pitcher, which has two shadows of different colors. The background of the work is painted using pink, green, white, and blue. These colors are applied in triangular forms in apparently random order. There seem to be two different light sources emanating from the top of the two innermost bars. Overall, the painting is similar to most other cubist paintings. Picasso used one basic form throughout, the triangle. He did this using straight and circular brush strokes. There is no real perspective with a traditional vanishing point although the viewer can tell that the tree is outside the rest of the painting. The viewer, too, can easily tell what Picasso wishes him to look at because of the thick layering of paint on the main objects in comparison to the light layers of paint on the background. All of these things, in combination with the colors used, come together to create the eerie feeling of sadness and doom one gets when looking at this painting. As is typical in most still life, Picassos work is intended to have a deeper meaning than simply being a study of various form s (Harwood). The most obvious story Picasso might have been telling is that of his own life at this time. As mentioned before, many hardships had befallen Picasso during the late 1930s and, in order to deal with the feelings associated with these hardships, Picasso painted. The bulls skull sitting on the left side of the canvas is probably the most obvious symbol in the painting. Picasso had a special love for the bull. In Spain, as in most of the world, it has been the subject of myth and legend. The Spanish tradition of the running of the bulls is one of the most beloved in Picassos homeland (Marrero). This special mysticism of the bull found its way into many of Picassos works in many different ways, mainly as a symbol of pride, strength, power, and nationalism (Chipp). These otherwise up-beat symbols are sharply contrasted by the fact that the bull portrayed in this work is dead and decaying. This most likely directly correlates to the dismay that Picasso felt after learning of the fall of the Spanish republic.* Picassos still life, however, must be seen as a whole in order to completely understand it. By doing this, two different ideas arise. The first is supported by the belief that during this time the bull became a precise moral symbol of the forces of darkness which fascism had loosed in Europe (Packard). This would lead one to believe that Picasso was warning of the eminent rise and aggressions of the totalitarian regimes in Europe. He does this by placing the symbol on the table along with other everyday objects, the fruit and the pitcher. He furthers this idea by placing the bars behind the table but in front of the outside. This allows for a sense of entrapment to all that view this work and serves as a parallel to the entrapment of Europe with the fascist governments. The other idea derived from studying the picture is based on the many contrasting elements present the skull, the fruit, and the tree, the gloomy foreground and the bright backgrou nd which fit nicely into Picassos belief in the oviform*, also known as the Yin-Yang in oriental cultures. This symbolizes the opposing principles of life, good and evil, light and dark, man and woman, and all other contrasting dualisms in life (Marrero). Specifically in this work the contrasting ideas of light and dark are seen in the opposing color schemes used in the background and foreground. The background is painted using pastels exclusively while in the foreground darker browns and reds are used. Life and death are also present in this work in the bulls skull and the fruit and tree. The skull, an obvious representation of death, sharply contrasts with the fruit, a symbol of nourishment and life, and the tree, in full bloom despite the gloomy surroundings. As Herschall B. Chipp points out in his study of Guernica, Picasso held the view that death is omnipresent and that life is a constant struggle, balancing precariously on the precipice between survival and annihilation. Thi s is indeed a bleak outlook on life, but in keeping in line with his belief in the oviform, Picasso must have known that for all the bad things in the world, there must be an equal amount of good. This is most likely the reason that Picasso included the cherry tree, in full bloom, in Bulls Skull, Fruit, Pitcher. Set in the background and omitted from the title, this beautiful object can easily be overlooked. Once noticed, however, it is an important part of the painting. It gives this otherwise depressing work a hint of hope, a hope for something better. *It is widely recognized that Picasso was an extremely patriotic Spaniard. This patriotism is easily seen in any of his historical paintings of this time, most notably Guernica, in which he vividly depicts the horrors and atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. In Guernica, a massive mural painted on commission, Picasso uses the bull and other animals as well as screaming human forms to express his contempt for Francos regime as a over all feeling of death is felt from this painting (Chipp). *The oviform, as Marrero explains, is obtained by describing a circumference and then drawing a diameter, followed by a semi-circle on each radius, on one side and the other of the original diameter. By then erasing the diameter, the circle has been in half in the only other possible way. This can be interpreted as being symbolic of the contrasting dualisms in life. Picasso often used this concept in his paintings, especially after 1937. Sophia's Resturant Essay