Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Microeconomics - Essay Example 4. Features of monopoly Various features of monopoly are explained with the help of diagrams in this section. The question like how monopolistic firms attain the capability to increase the prices of their product and services is explained with the help of other economic terms. 5. Conclusion The major points discussed in this paper were summarised in this section. 6. Suggested areas of further research The question; how to protect the interests of the consumers in monopolistic market should be researched further. 7. References The references used for this research were cited in MLA style in this section. Abstract Monopoly is one of the major microeconomic terms which refer to the total domination of a firm in the market. The monopolistic firms face less competition in the market and they can control the market activities more effectively than other firms. Monopoly is beneficial to the firms whereas it is against the interest of the public. Monopolistic firms can increase the prices of their product and services far more than the actual prices because of lack of competition they may face in the market. Monopoly has different forms like natural, geographic, technological, and government. This paper briefly explains various features of monopoly according to the principles of microeconomics. ... Monopoly is a good market condition for an organization; but it is not so good for the consumers. The ability to fix prices of products and services is the main advantage of a monopolistic firm. For example, Microsoft is enjoying monopoly in the operating system market in the world at present. They are charging heavily for their Windows operating system because of the absence of any other competitive products. Types of monopoly Based on the nature, monopoly can be classified into different categories like; natural, geographic, technological, governmental etc. An industry is said to be a natural monopoly if it produce a desired output at a lower cost than two or more firms. Public utilities like railways, telecommunications, water services, electricity, and mail delivery etc are examples for natural monopoly. These public utility services are mainly controlled by the government and private competition is not allowed in these sectors. A natural monopoly and monopoly are entirely differ ent concepts since natural monopoly describes a firm's cost structure whereas a monopoly explains market share and market power. It is difficult for small firms to invest in areas with natural monopoly. For example, it is not easy for small firms to invest huge amounts needed for setting up a public transporting system like railways or public utility like water supply. Because of globalization, governments now permit private investments in natural monopolistic areas. In other words, the term natural monopoly is going to lose its significance since private companies may challenge the governments in these sectors. For example, BSNL (a public company) was the only telecommunication company in India till two decades before. At present many private companies like

Alcohol in America. Should the US lower legal drinking age to 18 Term Paper

Alcohol in America. Should the US lower legal drinking age to 18 - Term Paper Example ge should be lowered to 18 like in most other countries; legally when one is 18 they are recognised as an adult and they can go to war, buy a gun serve in a jury and even be tried as an adult. Therefore according to some the individual should be allowed to drink if they so choose given that they are able to take responsibility for their own actions. Despite this, other far less novel and more compelling reasons if taken to consideration will prove that lowering the current drinking age would be a costly mistake. This include safety and health issues bearing in mind that when one is given a driving licence, and a permit to drink, their discretion in not doing both at the same time is responsible not just for theirs but the lives of other people. This paper seeks to prove that the drinking age should be maintained and this will be done through considering arguments to render an objective and critical summation of the issue. Lowering the drinking age would be medically irresponsible, scientist have proven that consumption of alcohol by young adults can interfere with the development of their frontal robes, which play an essential role in their normal functioning and emotional regulation. Consequently, when children aged 18 are allowed to access alcohol they will be put at risk of developing a vulnerability to chronic mental problem such as a propensity for addition and dangerous risk taking behaviour that could include but not limited to driving while under the influence. In relations to issues of health, binge drinking which is highly popular among college and even high school children has been found to be a leading cause of alcohol poisoning since when the underage drink they tend to overdo it. According to the Centre For Science In The Public Interest, as many as 30, 000 college student require medical attention as a result of alcohol related complications each year and between 1999 and 2005, it is e stimated that 157 college students aged between 18 and 23,

Law and Real Estate Essay Example for Free

Law and Real Estate Essay Executive Summary Pacific Grove Spice started as a small specialty grocer on the Monterey Peninsula of California in the early 1980s. Within 10 years they were the â€Å"place† to find spices in Central California and now have a widespread reach covering all 50 states. The spice industry that it is in has been growing steadily because of how important a role spices are getting in the kitchens and in cooking. The growing concern about obesity and diet has also left a positive impact because of the health conscious people that desire healthier meals that are still favorable. The demand for spices is at an all-time high and although multinational firms like McCormick Company dominate the industry, many small firms are competing successfully, Pacific Grove spice being one of them. The problem that Debra Peterson and Fletcher Hodges are having is that they have three choices to make. They have to decide whether they should accept an offer from a cable-cooking network to produce and sponsor a new program, raise new equity by selling shares of common stock, and/or acquire High Country Seasonings-a privately owned spice company. While making their decision they have to keep in mind that the bank financing their company wants them to reduce interest-bearing debt to less than 55% of total assets and the equity multiplier to less than 2.7 times by June 2012. We recommend that Introduction Debra Peterson is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Grove Spice Company. The Chief Financial Officer, Fletcher Hodges, and she are trying to figure out what strategy to take to meet the demands of the bank that finances their company. The recent financial crisis had made the credit committee uneasy and they now want Pacific Grove Spice to reduce interest-bearing debt to less than 55% of total assets and the equity multiplier to less than 2.7 times by June 2012. They have three options they are currently considering and this case study illustrates the financial forecasts for the next few years and showcases what we feel is the best decision for them regarding their options and the banks demands. Analysis Pacific Grove Spice’s operations are not profitable enough to quickly bring  it into compliance with the bank’s requirements. It’ll take about four years with just the regular operations.

Agency Theory Accounting practices

Agency Theory Accounting practices Agency theory the contribution of agency theory to the development of current accounting practices Introduction The aim of this report is to develop a relationship between agency theory and the existing practices of accountancy. In the report, the problem of agent-principal will be described with the main consequences for business-related relationship. After identifying the problem, the accountancy practices will be linked to the issues addressed in model that will be explained. The report will look at a case study related to agency theories and its affects within accounting practices. Finally it will show the ways the accountancy practices meet the problems raised by the agent-principal relationships. The agency theory is a mixture of the relationships between principals and agents, it occurs when principal and the agents create a delegation (Donaldson, L. Davis, J.H., June 1991). Berle and Means 1932 stated that the Agency theory argues that in modern corporation, where share ownership is widely held, managerial actions depart from those required to maximise the shareholders return, this was also backed up by Pratt and Zeckhauser in 1985. According to Jensen and Meckling, 1976, In Agency theory terms, the owners are principals and the managers are agents and there is an Agency loss which is the extent to which returns to the residual claimants, the owners, fall below what they would be if the principals, and the owners, exercised direct control of the corporation (Donaldson, L. Davis, J.H., June 1991). The long term strategies for agency theory include the principle of company, business, franchise, etc providing incentives such as increasing commission, continuing to provide advertising, training and motivation to increase outlet operations. To argue this Carney and Gedajlovic stated that regarding of the exogenous factor, outlet managers have an incentive to shirk and misrepresent their abilities because the firm is hard to differentiate the managers performance behavior (Mathieu, 1997), While the short-term strategies include balancing supply with demand at the shortest turn around time. Agency theory tends to impact business decisions by focusing on establishing incentives as mentioned in the long-term strategies above. However, it may be very costly and may create moral hazards if top management tries to over maximise profits for themselves instead of for the employees. The cost to manage and monitor transactions can affect both the domestic and global financial managers due to the strategy becoming very expensive; nevertheless this strategy can have the negative impact upon the organisations survival. Conflicts of agency theory There is a conflict between principals and agents (shareholders and managers) that can potentially have a devastating business consequence. The cost of monitoring efforts, measuring results and opportunities lost can be substantial. Incentives and disincentives may not result in wanted outcome, when businesses should scan their environment constantly to seek opportunities to meet the interest of their own stakeholders. Agency theory is a small entity of financial economics that looks at conflicts of interest between people that have different interests for the same assets, this means that their will always be constant conflicts between: shareholders managers and shareholders bond holders. These are the reason why organisations make constant acquisitions that tend to be bad for the shareholder, why convertible bonds are preferably used while normal bonds are often sold with warrants and finally shows the importance of capital structures. According to Eisenhardt (1989a), agency theory is devoted to the solution of two problems that can arise from agency relationships. The first problem is goal related and arises when: i) there is a conflict between the goals of the principal and the agent; and ii) the verification of the agents behaviour is difficult or expensive to be verified by the principal. The second problem is risk-related. If the agent and the principal have different attitudes towards risk, it is likely that both will behave differently and in accordance to their risk preferences. Identifying conflicting positions between any two agents and explaining the governance mechanisms underlying these relationships (that limit the agents behaviour) is known as the Positivist agency theory (Eisenhardt, 1989a). A different position is found in the principal-agent research (as opposed to the positivistic agency theory) and relies on a more mathematical and abstract approach to the problem. Although in different perspectives, these two approaches can be complementary as it can be seen in the quotation below (Eisenhardt, 1998a: 60): â€Å"Rather, the important point is that the two streams are complementary: Positivistic theory identifies various contract alternatives, and the principal-agent theory indicates which contract is the most efficient under varying levels of outcome uncertainty, risk aversion, information, and other variables†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Problems of agency theory The major popularity of the application of the agency theory to the relationship between shareholders and the board if directors produced a vast amount of research devoted to this issue. In fact, this phenomenon relates to those cases in which ownership and management are represented by different individuals. Being each individual maximising its utility leads to the existence conflicting positions between the agent and the principal. This became the main focus of research, and justifies the need of such an agency theory. This problematic is in the basis of the role of agent theory in the accountancy practices. According to Bricker and Chandar (1998: 488-489): â€Å"Contracts between shareholders and managers are written in order to reduce agency cost, and thereby, the dead weight loss in firm value as a result of the separation of ownership from control. Accounting is considered to play an important role as an integral part of the contracts that define a firm. For example, lending arrangements between a firm and its creditors often contain several accounting based covenants. Accounting-based bonus plans are frequently a component of executive compensation plans. Accounting measures are commonly used in the performance evaluation of a firms cost and profit centers. Watts and Zimmerman argue [1986, p. 196]: if accounting is an important part of the firms contracting process and agency costs (and hence, firm value and/or managers compensation) vary with different contracts, accounting procedures have the potential to affect firm value and/or the managers compensation. This rationale has given rise to several hypotheses regarding the role of accounting information in market valuation of firms and managers use of accounting discretion.† The table presented below summarises some of the key issues associated with agency theory and relates them to several assumptions of different nature: Key idea Principal agent relationship should reflect efficient organisation of information and risk-bearing costs Unit of analysis Contract between principal and agent Human assumptions Self interest Bounded rationality Risk aversion Organisational assumptions Partial goal conflict among participants Efficiency as the effectiveness criterion Information asymmetry between principal and agent Information assumptions Information as purchasable commodity Contracting problems Agency (moral hazard and adverse selection) Risk sharing Problem domain Relationships in which the principal and agent have partially differing goals and risk preferences (e.g. compensation, regulation. Leadership, impression management, whistle-blowing, vertical integration, transfer pricing) Table 1: Agency theory overview Source: Eisenhardt (1989a) Development of agency theory Agency cost is a major problem with organisation and with constant fraud cases that are growing around the world their needed to be major development of the theory in accounting practices. A way of developing the theory is to minimise agency costs that can be accomplished through communications, sharing risks and benefits and seeking to balance the scorecards. The theory has developed by establishing performance standards, using cost effective processes, cost management tools and incentives have all helped the problem of managing agency problems. Accountancy provides information to base future decisions on historical performances. Providing accurate information about costs it is possible to predict the result of future production. This perspective is particularly important in the case of, for example, government contracts, in which an agent- principal relationship is also established. For example, Reichelstein (1992) draws upon the agency models to explain government contracts, showing how agency theory can be used to design incentive contracts, and demonstrating that the agency models have actually influenced managerial economics. A different perspective is that accounting provides an opportunity of control from the agent over the principal. In this respect, the insights about the relationship between the shareholders and management were particularly important in demonstrating the role of accountancy as key information provider. To that extent, it was suggested that accountancy reporting is a result of the separation of ownership from management phenomena. Hence, it can be argued that the reporting practice is a result of the agent problem and serves the control needed to verify the agents performance. Another perspective was the budget development based on historical accounts. Contracts usually include a price for production which has not taken place yet. The pricing of these contracts has to be based on historical costs that can only be provided by accountancy. To that extent, accountancy practice is not a result of the agent-principal problem but is originated to avoid uncertainty in principal-agent relationships. case realted study to agency theory Taking a prime example of Enron and its relationship with accounting practices clearly show the affects of agency theory within an accounting practice can affect organisations. The collapse of Enron was entirely related to the accounting practices adopted by the company. It has a number of these questionable, and in some cases straight out fraudulent, accounting practices that pertained to the most dramatic collapse of a major company in years. An analysis of some of these accounting practices brings to light the problems with the use of concepts such as mark-to-market accounting and the use of special purpose entitys (SPEs), the interrelation of agency theory suggests that the basic ideals surrounding agency theory applied to the Enron Case at some point in time, however the continuation of this principal deteriorated as time went on. The agency theory was clearly an issue in Enrons case because the managers of the firm were transferring wealth from the shareholders to themselves in the form of stock performance. Not only were there the Shareholders to Management agency problem there was also an employer to employee agency problem. With regard to the shareholder to management problem, the shareholders had placed a large amount of decision-making capability onto the management team and had not successfully monitored the agents behaviour. Given that the managers had all come to Enron with a strong reputation, it was expected that they â€Å"would act in the interest of the shareholders. [As such the shareholders] had monitored the managers performance very little† (Godfrey et al, 2008). As a shareholder, it would have been in the best interests to implement monitoring costs to â€Å"measure, observe and control† Schillings behaviour. Unfortunately this would not have been enough. The introduction of Fa stow, described as â€Å"a genius† in a number of sources, allowed for the performance of Enron to appear strong even in dire times. The use of SPEs and mark-to-market accounting allowed for the â€Å"reduction of monitoring costs by incurring bonding costs [in the form of quarterly statements]† that allowed Enron to perform better than it appeared. Another point that links is that the agency theory is the â€Å"the principal will remunerate the agent according to the principals expectations of how much the agents behaviour is likely to be contrary to the principals interests† (Godfrey et al, 2008). Given that managers of Enron were all major shareholders of the company the focus was on driving the share price up which was done by a process called â€Å"pump and dump; this process involved buying up the share price and then selling out† (Enron: The Smartest Guys in The Room) this allowed the directors to maintain high remuneration because they were achieving high share prices for the principals and also allowed them to gain from share price rises before selling out at the top. Finally, the principal-agent relationship that occurs between Skilling and Fastow (CEO of Enron) is that of an employee to employer. This relationship is important because it â€Å"emphasises the importance of the ability to monitor employees work efforts† (Akdere, Azvedo, 2004). Skilling and Ken Lay claim that they were unaware of what Fastow was doing with regards to the financial statements, however, Skilling and Lay were acting as the agents for the shareholders as well as acting as the principals for Fastow. Their involvement in such transactions as the one with LJM were â€Å"not only disclosed to the board at a meeting which took place in 1999, but the board approved of [Fastows] participation, following a recommendation to this effect from the then CEO and Chairman, Ken Lay† (Deakin, Konzelmann, 2004). From this we can clearly see that Lay, Skilling and Fastow were all part of the agency problem that occurred. conclusion This report has shown that several areas of accounting have been affected by the agency theory model. This theory has defiantly had implications in the financial accounting, management accounting and in corporate finance. Nevertheless, the strongest argument that relates to agency theory with accountancy mainly relies in the nature of both, the accounting and agency theory rely on the existence of contracts, these contracts rely at the core of the relationship between agents and the principal. Furthermore agency theorys core role is the risk associated with the relationship whereas accountancy reduces risk by providing information about the agents in action. Additionally reporting previous behaviours of the agent showing that the historical agent has kept the conditions of contract, may provide indications for the principal about the future behaviour of agents; increasing trust levels in the relationship and reducing the risk associated with relations. In conclusion, the current features (and practices) of accountancy meet the agency model problems proving the information to avoid opportunistic behaviours and ensuring that relational contracts are met. Referances Journals Davis, J.H., Schoorman, F.D., Donaldson, L. (1997), Toward a stewardship theory of management, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 22 No.1, pp.20-47. Berle, A. and G. Means, 1932, The Modern Corporation and private property (New York, Maacmillan) Jones, D. R. Butler, J.E, 1992, Managing internal corporation entrepreneurship: an agency theory perspective (Journal of Management) Bricker, R. and Chandar, N. (1998). On Applying Agency Theory in Historical Accounting Research. Business and Economic History 27(2): 486-99 Eisenhardt, K.M. (1989a). Agency Theory: An Assessment and Review, Academy of Management Review, 14 (1): 57-74. Eisenhardt, K.M. (1989b). Agency- and Institutional Theory Explanations: The Case of Retail Sales Compensation. Academy of Management Journal, 31 (3): 488-511. Kaplan, R.S. (1984). The Evolution of Management Accounting. The Accounting Review, LIX(3): 390-402. Reichelstein, S. (1992). Constructing Incentive Schemes for Government Contracts: An Application of Agency Theory. The Accounting Review, 67 (4): 712-731. References for Enron case study: Serwer, Andy. 2002, ‘Dirty Rotten Numbers: Enron has made us shine a light on the books of Americas public companies. Now, if your company carries even a hint of bad accounting, the stock will be savaged, Fortune. Vol 145, i4, p74+. Shleifer, Andrei. 2000, ‘Are Financial Markets Efficient Oxford Scholarship Online Economics and Finance. Pp 1- 5. Akdere, Mesut and Azevedo, Ross. 2004, ‘Organisational Development, Agency Theory, and efficient Contracts: A Research Agenda. Pp2-8. Deakin, Simon and Konzelmann, Suzanne. 2004, ‘Learning From Enron Corporate Governance. Vol 12, pp134-142. Haldeman, Robert G. 2006, ‘Fact, Fiction, and Fair Value Accounting at Enron The CPA Journal. Pp1-10. Thompson, Robert B. 2004, ‘Corporate Governance after Enron. HeinOnline. Pp99-117. Godfrey, Jayne. Hodgson, Allan. Holmes, Scott. Tarca, Ann. 2006. ‘Accounting Theory: Sixth edition. Wiley, Australia. ‘Enron: The Smartest Guys in The room 2005, DVD, Dendy Films. USA. ‘Encarta: Online. Copyright MSN Encarta, 2008, Accessed 15/05/08 from http://encarta.msn.com/media_701610605/the_fall_of_enron_stock.html

Shakespeare And Duffy Explore Love English Literature Essay

Shakespeare And Duffy Explore Love English Literature Essay Anne Hathaway is a love poem written by Carol Ann Duffy using the voice of Shakespeares wife, Anne Hathaway. The poem explores the loving relationship between Shakespeare and his wife on a physical as well as an emotional level. The poem uses the imagination to celebrate the power of Shakespeares work and creativity which lasts even after his death. Shakespeares sonnet 130 could arguably present the opposite. One of Shakespeares many love sonnets was written to his lover expressing his feelings to her. He mocks the way other poets compare women unrealistically to clichà ©d, beautiful things but though this might appear outrageous, his intention is to express a deep love. His approach is to use humour to make a serious point about love. Both poets use first person to bring a very personal, direct character to the poems. Duffys choice of the Shakespearean sonnet structure seems appropriate for the topic of love between Anne Hathaway and Shakespeare himself. Shakespeare, however, chooses the conventional sonnet form to make an attack on conventional expressions of love. Shakespeare also chooses the conventional sonnet form as it makes his point stronger about conventional love poetry. Shakespeare uses the first twelve lines of the sonnet form to describe how unappealing he finds his lover but his tone shifts in the final two lines as he reveals his true affection and that even with her flaws, he still appreciates his lover. This is different from Duffy because she reflects a romantic approach from the start of the sonnet and her characters passion for her husband is clear from the start. This is a contrast to Shakespeares apparent negative approach to love at the beginning of his poem. Duffys language choice is imperative in order to explore the topic of love. Duffy uses Iambic pentameter throughout the poem creating a regular rhythm and heavy stresses on important words. This, together with long sentences reflects the joyful and spontaneous process that Anne Hathaway feels during love making and it is as if she is letting all her emotions pour out in a smooth and uninterrupted manner. One example of the effects achieved by iambic pentameter is when heavy emphasis is placed on the word dive in line three. This is because dive could be seen as quite an erotic word and the image of someone diving is a smooth and beautiful and perhaps graceful one. This is used in a metaphorical way to emphasize going deeper into the fantasy of Anne Hathaways and Shakespeares love. Sentences in Shakespeares poem run over two or four lines and some contain contrasts such as black and white. Each statement supports the previous one and this makes a clear message about Shakespeares woman being incomparable to such beauties like the sun and roses. Shakespeare uses alternative line rhyming in his poem, unlike Duffy, and creates a contrast between positive and negative images by his choice of rhyming words. Sun and dun are two words with opposite meanings which suggest different things and this highlights the contrast between false imagery which conventional love poets compare women to. Shakespeares sonnet also employs iambic pentameter like Duffy, to put heavy emphasis on words such as nothing in the phrase nothing like the sun, which is a negative and definite word which isnt usually associated with love. Shakespeare does this to strengthen his argument against these love poets who write sonnets containing this commonly used simile in an insincere way. Both poems create a striking opening creating different impressions about love. Duffy chooses to start the poem with The bed we loved in which places the poem straight away in the bedroom and reflects that the lovemaking was a mutual and shared experience. The first line of Duffys poem contains the metaphor spinning world which creates a remarkable opening just as Shakespeare does when he draws attention to his idea by comparing his lovers eyes as nothing like the sun. This is a shocking surprise of negativity in a love poem and is the opposite to how Duffy chooses to start her poem as she creates an optimistic impression. Duffy refers to Shakespeare as My lover which emphasises the importance of their physical relationship and how Anne feels towards her husband. Similarly Shakespeare refers to his lover as My mistress which creates an emphatic, definite start and tells us that he sees the lady as his. Both Duffy and Shakespeare use a variety of different metaphors throughout their poems but each achieve a different effect on the subject of love. Most of the metaphors Duffy uses are compared to images from a fantasy land such as spinning world and shooting stars, both of which describe that Shakespeares lovemaking takes them to a place of fantasy as they fall uncontrollably in love with each other through this process. The idea of a shooting star is something which is unique, beautiful and rare and when Duffy compares this to their lovemaking, it reflects the appreciation of it from Anne Hathaways point of view as their love-making takes her to the heavens. Shakespeare, on the other hand, uses metaphors which are not usually associated with love and are arguably the opposite of Duffys and could be seen as making a mockery out of conventional poets. Coral is far more red than her lips red reflects that the idea of coral lips as being unnatural and Shakespeare is not going to lie lik e other poets do and compare his lovers features to such unlikely things. Black wires grow on her head is another metaphor used by Shakespeare which creates ugly impressions of the woman. Shakespeare uses metaphors to make his ideas sound more negative in order to express his love in a suspicious way whereas Duffy uses metaphors to create romantic images such as, echo is when something responds to its original sound and in this case, Anne is responding to Shakespeare. This creates the idea that both of them have connected as one and they are now close. It is also a linguistic metaphor and creates a strong link of their love. Duffy compares Shakespeares writing of poetry to their physical love-making to emphasise their love. Apart from the use of linguistic terms such as assonance and rhyme, Shakespeares occupation is present within the poem when Anne says she dreamed hed written me, the bed a page beneath his writers hands. This line suggests that Anne is being transported to another world, almost as if it was a dream and Shakespeares love-making is as creative as his writing. Romance and drama also link back to Shakespeares plays and suggests how he entices her with excitement, just how Shakespeares plays excited various audiences to carry on watching. However, the language in Sonnet 130 could be seen as unusual for someone like Shakespeare to use. The language is very conversational whereas Duffys language is more descriptive about direct love. I love to hear her speak is Shakespeares definite, final opinion of his lover. Shakespeare makes it clear that he adores his lovers voice and what she has to s ay but he gets his message across in a relaxed, informal way as opposed to Duffys language which is more descriptive about direct love. Shakespeares different approach to writing about love could be seen as more personal and focuses on his lover being a real woman. Duffy also appeals to our senses throughout her poem to enhance the readers imagination about their love. She lists by touch, by scent, by taste to reflect how powerful their love making. The list of three also makes it seem perfect and completed almost like beginning, middle, and end. The literal English meaning of the word assonance is when vowel sounds are repeated and Duffy uses it as a metaphor to create a harmonic sound. Where Duffy uses the senses to describe how passionate her love is, Shakespeare uses the senses to exaggerate the flaws in his lover. Reeks is the verb Shakespeare chose to describe his lovers breath. The term means breathed out but also has a connotation of something which is foul smelling and this appeals to our senses in the wrong way. Shakespeare chooses this adjective as it is amusing for people to use an outrageous word to gain a reaction. The poet then goes on to say how music hath a far more pleasing sound and at first glance, we could misinterpret this as another insult to his lover but he implies that he enjoys listening to what she has to say. Duffy puts emphasis on her ideas about love through her use of alliteration and repetition. My is repeated several times throughout the poem to certify that Anne Hathaway thinks Shakespeare is hers regardless of his affairs. However in Shakespeares sonnet my is only said once in regard to his possession over his woman but it is said right at the start of the poem to make a definite statement about his love. This again shows how love seems to involve a sense of ownership. The phrase Living laughing love is used to describe Anne Hathaways view of Shakespeare and draws attention to the fact that Shakespeare is very much alive in her memories. The alliteration creates echoes of joyful sounds and keeps Shakespeare prominent in our imagination. It also reflects joyful experiences when Shakespeare was alive. The phrase Goddess go is an example of alliteration used in Shakespeares sonnet. This creates a comic contrast as the word go seems much more ordinary than goddess which is usually asso ciated with women by love poets. Here, Shakespeare mocks this unrealistic link by using a humorous tone and finds it astonishing how poets try to turn women into celestial beings such as the goddess. The choice of verbs which Duffy and Shakespeare choose, reflect something meaningful about the love they share. In Duffys poem, the the other bed, the best makes the bed left in Shakespeares will to hi wife Anne Hathaway seem superior to the best bed. The verb used to describe the events going on in the best bed is dribbling which creates a completely different impression to Shooting which is the verb used to describe the image in the second best bed. Shooting is an energetic action and is a beautiful movement whereas the image of dribbling is something which leaks out slowly and doesnt create excitement. This comparison suggests that Anne Hathaway and Shakespeares love making is what makes their bed more exhilarating than the other bed. In Shakespeares sonnet, he uses exaggerated words such as reeks, nothing and in contrast uses ordinary verbs such as go to explore the subject of love. Treads is the word Shakespeare chooses to describe the way in which his lover walks on the ground. This suggests that his lover is ordinary as she treads on the ground like everyone does, compared to the word glides which love poets would probably use to compare the way their lover walks in an attempt to suggest they are angelic. Shakespeare focuses on using colours to explore his love for his mistress whereas Duffy tends to concentrate more on using romantic concepts which confirm Anne Hathaways love for her lover. Colours are significant as they are used in conventional love poems as they reflect emotion. Beauty is expressed through colour but Shakespeare seems to make a mockery of such an idea. The hypothetical statement If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun suggests that she is not pure as other poets would claim, as she is sexually experienced. The word dun in itself is very unromantic and common. The way in which both poets choose to conclude their poem reveals their final opinion about their lover. I hold him in the casket of my widows head is how Duffy ends her poem and it suggests that they are and always will be two lovers even after Shakespeares death. The term casket suggests something which holds precious memories and that is how Anne keeps her memory of her husband alive in her head. The rhyming words of bed and head round the poem off and gives a sense of completion. The strong sense of romance created in the last two lines of Duffys poem is expected as Anne has been praising her lover throughout the previous twelve lines. In Shakespeares poem, however, the sudden statement at the end and his dramatic declaration of love is surprising. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare is completely unexpected as the irony and mockery from the previous lines has been cancelled by this one strong statement. The expression by heaven suggests a outburst of love and feeling whi ch seems spontaneous and genuine. The rhyming words rare and compare gives a feeling that the poet has reached his conclusion about how he feels. Duffys poem ends with that next best bed which almost makes a mockery of the thought that their bed isnt the best and Anne makes it clear that it really isnt the second best and that in fact what went on sexually and romantically between husband and wife makes it the best bed. Shakespeare uses the word belied in his sonnet to describe how conventional love poets compare their women falsely. False compare suggests that others praise womens beauty in fake terms but the declaration of Shakespeares love is sincere. Duffy and Shakespeare both explore the subject of love but in different ways. Duffys poem reflects that although time brings things to an end, its the memories and love between people which keep things alive and Annes love towards her husband is kept prominent throughout the poem by the romantic terms used. Shakespeares poem focuses more on his womans real attributes rather than falsely comparing her to impossible qualities and therefore he makes a mockery of poets who do. Shakespeares love proves to be more real and personal as he loves his woman despite all of her flaws, Duffy presents a love which is, perhaps, more rare and magical as Shakespeares talents are highly praised. .Both poems come to the definite conclusion that a special love is possible although they choose a very difficult approach to explore this subject. Karishma Kapoor 10H

Phenomenology and Architecture Essay -- Environmental and Architectural

Introduction Phenomenology can be deemed to be both an unambiguous academic research field and a theoretical design current within contemporary architecture and is usually founded on one’s experience of the materials used in construction inclusive of their sensory characteristics. In this regard, architecture is the impetus towards transformation and inspiration of an individual’s daily existence. Unlike other forms of art, architecture employs the immediacy of an individual’s sensory perception. The complete architectural experience is dependent on many factors such as details, materials, texture, color phenomena, transparency and shadows, time passage, etc. There is the huge phenomenon that phenomenology does not exist in architecture but rather the problems associated with it. This theory is very debatable and this paper will aim at expounding on some of the aspects associated with phenomenology. Acoustical Intimacy Science The ear, which is the organ that the body uses to achieve acoustical intimacy, is capable of defining a space and the resultant effect is a sculptural image encrypted in the deep parts of the mind. Acoustic science dictates that sound can be softened or refracted by the surfaces of copious entities of personal life. All spaces and buildings posses individual characteristic sounds of monumentality or intimacy, hostility or hospitality and invitation or rejection. The ability to hear generates a sense of solidarity and connection contrary to the ability to see which creates a feeling of solitude. The sound of a friend approaching you behind your back definitely has a charge filled with emotion as th... ...nds: TU Delft Department of Industrial Design, 2006. Holl, Steven, Juhani Pallasma, and Alberto Perez- Gomez. Questions of Perception. Tokyo: a+u Publishing Co., 1994. Le Corbusier. Towards a new architecture. London: Architectural press, 1959. Levin, D.M. The Opening of Vision – Nihilism and the Postmodern Situation. New York and London: Routledge, 1988. Pallasmaa, Juhani. An Architecture of the Seven Senses, Questions of Perception. Tokyo: a+u Publishing Co., 1994. Pallasmaa, Juhani. The eyes of the skin – Architecture and the Senses. Great Britain: Academy Editions, 1994. Yusufzai, Zinat. â€Å"The Lucidity of Place.† Thesis of Master of Architecture in the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (2001): 10-20. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-11302001-161439/unrestricted/thesis-low-res.pdf (accessed February 19, 2014).

Actions of Goneril in Shakespeares King Lear Essay example -- Shakesp

Actions of Goneril in Shakespeare's King Lear Whenever the issue of power allocation arises, there usually emerge a few individuals who, given only a moderate amount of authority, overstep their bounds to exert more dominance than they rightfully own; such is the case with Goneril. Yet, although Goneril certainly errs in betraying the very father that bestowed a large dominion upon her, King Lear deserves much of the blame for Goneril's haughtiness. After grossly misinterpreting the reticence of his heretofore prized daughter Cordelia, Lear divides his kingdom between the mendacious Goneril and the scheming Regan, thereby leaving the fate of the land at their unskilled mercies. Naturally, Goneril relishes her newfound control, so when Lear comes to visit her with all of his knights in tow, she perceives him as encroaching upon the power that he has since relinquished. Additionally, Goneril notes (albeit in an exaggerated manner) the inconvenience that she incurs by housing these hundred men. Despite the outrage that one mig ht feel at the thought of a daughter mistreating h...