Develop a Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Develop a Literature review - Essay Example This therefore means that there is a big responsibility for teachers and instructors to impart the art and science of reading and comprehension to students and pupils at all stages of their academic lives. â€Å"Whereas reading is primarily concerned with the decoding the message of a given text, comprehension goes a step further to attempt to understand and apply the information written in the text appropriately† (Ganske & Fisher, 2010). Nation & Angell (2006) make a clear distinction between reading and comprehension. To them, reading seems to be a form of communication but comprehension requires further understanding and clarification. Comprehension involves inferring the intended effects of what is read and identifying and explaining the cases written in the discourse for producing the effects (Finder, 2003). This therefore indicates that the core idea behind reading, is to enable the reader to grasp a message, idea or information put together by the encoder and then take action on it. This is practically the aim of formal communication that most students will apply in the future, when they begin to work. It is therefore essential that these students get a good ability to understand the basics of decoding messages and understanding them fully in the wider sense. The central role and the formative nature of secondary education can never be ignored. Thus, it is essential that secondary education focuses on some important factors that can enable an individual to grasp and understand the concept of reading and comprehension. However, this effort of teachers to achieve this is sometimes frustrated by some challenges that makes it difficult to teach students how to read, analyse and understand texts. Challenges in Teaching Reading & Comprehension in Secondary Students In practice, there are several difficulties that stand in the way of teaching students to read and understand text. Snowman et al (2010) identify that inherent disabilities and challenges in students, like down syndrome, physical disabilities like hearing, sight and speech impairments as well as cultural differences and language barriers can stand in the way of a child who attempts to read and decode messages. This therefore makes it difficult for the teacher to impart the art and science of reading to children with such inherent challenges and problems. Also, poor comprehension can result from poor teaching methods used to team students about reading and comprehension at the primary and lower grades of education. â€Å"Comprehension difficulties often go unnoticed by teachers [in primary schools] and are discovered later by specialist professionals [at the secondary levels]† (Nation & Angell, 2006). This implies that some of the problems and challenges that the secondary school teacher faces in teaching students to comprehend what they read is carried forward from their primary education. This is linked to the fact that most primary curricula are focused on simp ly decoding and not comprehension (Ellis & McCartey, 2009). However, in spite of the focus of primary education being on decoding, Ricketts et al (2008) state that the problem with reading challenges carried forward from the primary school is in two folds: the decoding problem and the comprehension problem. Aside these issues that are brought into the secondary school classroom, there are some other challenges that are

Two Gentlemen of Verona and Why Is Sylvia Essay Example for Free

Two Gentlemen of Verona and Why Is Sylvia Essay Both poems are written by William Shakespeare. They originate from two different sources. One is part of a play, Two Gentlemen of Verona. The other is a poem found in a bundle with various other poems written by Shakespeare. The poems have the same theme, as love and infatuation are the main topics. Their purpose is to portray a person in such a way that the reader can visualize the topic and enter into the writer’s experience. The song ‘Why is Sylvia’ is organized into three five-line stanzas. Each of the stanzas uses the rhyme scheme of ABABA within. While you might, at a glance, note the ‘-ings’ in all five lines of the third stanza. The A lines are a simple ‘-ing’, while the B lines are ‘-elling’ endings. ‘Sonnet 130’ is not divided into stanzas, but still uses the rhyme scheme of ABAB. Although, not entirely throughout the poem. The last two sentences rhyme and therefore do not follow the rhyme scheme. ‘Sonnet 130’ is written in the first person. This is quite logical, because the writer describes his own lover. In this way, you get to know his personal feelings from his own perspective. ‘Who is Sylvia’ is not written in the first person. It is written in the third person. The writer discusses the characteristics of Sylvia. He constantly uses the words ‘she’ or ‘Sylvia’. The tone set in the poem, which is admiring and weighing, is created to let the reader wonder about all the characteristics of Sylvia. Shakespeare has a positive view on Sylvia, but still he has a doubtful edge. ‘Sonnet 130’ starts with an unexpected tone. He emphasizes all her imperfections. Although, he ends his poem with a comment showing he loves her despite everything. ‘Who is Sylvia’ was written during the Renaissance. The writing during the Renaissance had typical influences of the author’s personal life. Therefore, we could conclude that ‘Who is Sylvia’ could be based on his own experiences. In most poems with a theme including love has references to the perfection of his or her loved one. In ‘Sonnet 130’, these references to such objects of perfection are indeed present, but they are there to illustrate that his lover is not as beautiful. In every line he makes a comparison, mostly by using metaphors, of his lover to something seen perfect in his eyes. â€Å"Coral is far more red than her lips red†, â€Å"If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head† and â€Å"And in some perfumes is there more delight than in the breath that from my mistress reeks†. He says that her lips are not red enough and that even coral is a brighter red than her lips. If hairs would be wires, hers would be black and not golden. Furthermore, he tells us that her breath is not as pleasant as he would have hoped for. These are all examples of his comparisons involving his mistress. In the first line, he uses a simile in his comparison, â€Å"My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun†. They are not very pleasing and so not following the classic Italian sonnet structure used by Petrach. Shakespeare ends his sonnet by proclaiming his love for his mistress despite all of her ‘defaults’. This is when he embraces the theme in Petrarch’s sonnets, which is total and consuming love. Shakespeare uses a new structure in ‘Sonnet 130’, through which the straightforward theme of his lover’s simplicity is portrayed in three quatrains and neatly concluded in the final couplet. Shakespeare is using many techniques available, including the strict rules of the sonnet structure itself. His sonnet consists out of fourteen lines printed as a whole. However, by using the rhyme scheme (ABABCDCDEFEFGG) his sonnet consists out of three quatrains and one distich. The last two lines give the conclusion of the sonnet.

SWOT Analysis of Performance Analysis of Primark

SWOT Analysis of Performance Analysis of Primark PowerPoint Presentation and Written Assessment Executive Summary This report provides information to potential investors using ratio analysis to examine profitability, liquidity, efficiency, the gearing of Primark Ltd for 2015. The report will pay much attention to earning power, liquidity, credit management, debt management, inventory management, and capital structure of Primark by comparing it with three other competitors: Next Plc, TJX UK and House of Fraser. The report highlight on major strength, weakness, opportunities and threats of Primark within the Fashion retail business to aid potential to make a better-informed decision to invest in Primark. The report analyses the financial situation of Primark with its competitors and provides a recommendation for improvement. Primark recorded a significant increase of 7.57% of Return on Capital Employed (ROCE). 2015 saw an increase of 3.76% in turnover. Business and Financial Situation Primark is a subsidiary of the Association of British Food (ABF) Group. The company was incorporated in 1969 in Ireland trading with the name Pennys. Primark is headquartered in Dublin. Primark has grown over the years to carve a niche for itself to be a major high street clothing retailer with an appearance of over 238 branches in UK, Ireland and Europe. Primark offers inventive, trendy clothes at value-for-money prices. Like several fashion retail companies, Primark does not manufacture its products itself. The firm works with suppliers to produce to its requirement. The firm relies on low cost, economies of scale and efficient distribution strategies to sustain its competitive market position. Turnover of Primark between the financial years 2015 and 2014 increased from 2,786,250,000 to 2,890,892,000 which indicates an increase of 3.76% of the 2014 turnover. Primark recorded an 80.47% Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) for 2015 which is 7.57% increase of 2014 ROCE. Profitability of Primark for the year under review did not see much improvement. Primark gained a feeble 0.74% and 0.40% for gross profit margin and operating profit margin respectively. The net profit margin, on the other hand, saw a partly 0.35% in net margin. Overall, profitability grew under 1% for the year under review. There could be many factors causing this partly less than 1% increase in profitability. Competition, increase in operating expenses, the general economy, etc. The Liquidity ratios analyse Primarks ability to meet its short-term obligations as and when they fall due. In general, the ratio assesses how easy it is for Primark to convert its assets into cash. The acceptable range of current ratio is between 0.5 and 2.0. Current ratio and quick ratio saw a partly increase of 0.09 and 0.02 respectively which indicates Primark is operating outside the acceptable range of current ratio. In reality, the current and acid test ratios do not indicate Primark is risky for investors, but Primark operates in an industry where cash is the standard Primarks activity ratios show how it has been effective in utilising its assets to generate income, how long it takes to collect cash from its sales and also make payment for its purchases. Primarks inventory turnover times saw a drop of 1 stock turnover times in 2015 which translated into an increase in the number of inventory turnover period by 8days. This means Primark now require 8 more days to sell off its inventory. Primark has a favourable creditors collection period which allows them ample time to sell off inventory then make payment to suppliers. A 0.10 drop in accounts payable turnover translates into 12 days reduction in creditors collection periods in 2015 which is still favourable to Primark. This indicates Primark mostly buy its inventory on credit. Receivables turnover has reduced from 127 times in 2014 to 50.41 times in 2015. This reduction in receivables turnover translates into an increase of 4 days from 2.87 days in 2014 to 7.24 days in 2015. The increases of 0.05 in asset turnover in 2015 translated into an increase of 3.76% in sales in 2015. Primark is not a highly geared company, this show that the operation of the company is financed through equity. There is a slight decline on the dependence on outside sources of funding from 8.80% to 8%. This is good news for Primark. This indicates that for every  £1 of capital employed 8% is debt and the rest of capital employed financed through equity. The debt to equity ratio of Primark is very high debt-to-equity ratio. There is a slight reduction in the debt-to-equity ratio from 4.62:1 in 2014 to 3.83:1 in 2015. The debt-to-equity ratio indicates that the proportion of Primarks assets financed by creditors are 4.62 and 3.83 times more in 2015 and 2014 respectively than the proportion of assets financed through Primarks equity. The ratio also indicates that, for every  £4.62 total liabilities in 2015 and every  £3.83 of total liabilities in 2014, equity can pay  £1 of it. The acceptable debt-to-equity ratio for most companies is 1.5 2. Primarks high debt-to-equity ratio is as a result of purchasing most of its inventory on credit. The high debt-to-equity ratio does not necessarily mean Primark is risky for investors. Primark is able to generate enough cash because it sells for cash and has also got a favourable creditors collection period of 203 days. Evaluation of Primark with Peers Profitability Primark and Next Plc managed less than 1% increase in gross margin for the year 2015. Next saw a little over one 1% increase in gross margin whilst House of Fraser recorded a decrease of 0.25% in gross margin for 2015. The gross margin of the four firms shows stability in gross margin. Operating margin saw an increase between 0.4% and 1.33% for Primark, Next Plc and TJX UK with only House of Fraser achieving -1.36% in operating margin. House of Fraser with its 58.72% gross margin could manage only 2.64% as operating margin. This is very bad. The picture shows House of Fraser is practising the premium pricing strategy where businesses set cost higher than their competitors as result records low sales. The operating profit margin of Next Plc is almost twice as much of Primarks operating margin. Primark also recorded operating margin little below twice the operating margin of TJX UK whilst TJX UK recorded operating margin little over twice that of House of Fraser. Primark on profitabili ty is doing well looking at the intense competition within the clothing retail industry. Liquidity Liquidity for Primark, Next Plc and TJX UK saw a slight increase in House of Fraser recording a decrease in current ratio. The slight increase in currency ratio means Primark earned 10p, Next Plc earned 6p, and TJX UK earned 28p more of current assets to pay short-term obligations. House of Fraser on the other hand lost 5p of current assets to pay short-term liabilities. The quick ratio is an indication that Primark, TJX UK and House of Fraser have inventory as the larger portion of current assets. Lenders and creditors are very much interested in this ratio as it helps them determine whether Primark, Next Plc, TJX UK and House of Fraser would be able to meet its future obligations. Primark has the least current and quick ratios of 0.37 and 0.05 respectively to  £1 of current liabilities. Efficiency The efficiency with which Primark, Next Plc and House of Fraser use to turn its inventory into sale has reduced. Primark, Next Plc and House of Fraser all had a reduction in their stock turnover times for 2015 with only TJX UK having a slight increase in their stock turnover times which reduced their stock turnover periods by 1.02 days. The decrease in stock turnover for Primark, Next Plc and House of Fraser is insignificant at stock turnover ratio but that is not the same at the stock turnover periods level. The decrease in stock turnover led to an increase of 8 days in stock turnover periods for Primark and Next Plc with House of Fraser having 3.8 days increase in stock turnover periods. All other things being equal, a higher stock turnover and lower stock turnover periods are better. The receivables turnover and receivables turnover periods indicates House of Fraser performed a little better than Primark, Next Plc and TJX UK. The ratios indicate Primark and Next Plc have relaxed credit policies for which debtor are taking advantage of it or they are having problems collecting from customers. All else equal, higher receivables turnover with lower receivables turnover period is better. The 203 days accounts payable days of Primark shows Primark takes more than 6 months to pay creditors, House of Fraser takes more than 2 years to pay its creditors with its 733.67 accounts payable days. The account payable days of Primark and House of Fraser is an indication that they are paying creditors slowly which is good for Primark and House of Fraser on the other hand, its an indication of worsening financial conditions. Creditors would be comfortable with 28.97 days and 36.37 days account payable days of Next Plc and TJX UK respectively. Analysis of the current business environment affecting UK clothing Retail Industry The environments that affect the UK clothing industry can be categorised into Macro and microenvironment. The macro environments consist of factors that affect all organisations across industries. These factors would be analysed using the Porters Five Forces Analysis. According to Grant 2005, the varying degrees of the factors within the business environment (industry) would determine the pressure, competition level and the profit it will make. The five sources analysed by Michael Porter are competition from new entrants, Competition from established rivals, competition from substitutes, bargaining power of buyers and bargaining power of suppliers. Markets that are profitable keep on attracting new entrants and the clothing retail market is no exception. With a minimum capital requirement of the clothing retail market, its easy for new companies to enter and as a result of the eventual profits across the industry decrease. The only way that Primark and other big firms can secure their market is to take advantage of their economies of scale. Establish more outlets to enable them to sell at a cheaper price to induce sales. By this, new entrants would not be able to compete. Customers have got over thousand and one substitutes to choose from within the clothing retail market. There are many well-established competitors and well-branded substitutes within the clothing retail market for customers to make a choice but the ultimate goal of the customer is to pay less for better quality. Primark should offer the best quality at an affordable price that customers would be able to pay. The clothing industry is fragmented with the intense rivalry between retail companies. Next Plc, JTX UK and House of Fraser are all rivals to Primark but Primark has got some loyal customers who are satisfied with Primarks brand. Primark should protect its brand as customers are interested in the brand they associated themselves with. Any negative reputation will affect Primarks image which competitors would take advantage of. The saturation of the clothing retail market has led to a highly competitive environment where customers have many brands to choose from. Buyers power is high as they have lots of alternatives to choose from. For Primark to defuse this power, it must offer lower prices, varieties of unique designs, high quality, quality customer service and solid brand image that customers would not be able to reject. With the aim of attracting every potential buyer, suppliers of Primark would have lower supplier power the firm tries to satisfy the needs of its customers with variety. Primark source its products from cheap economies and suppliers have to supply based on agreed standards and designs. SWOT Analysis of Primark The SWOT Analysis provides strategic analysis of Primarks business operations which would provide a competitive advantage over its competitors. This analysis shows the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats of Primark within the clothing retail market. Strengths The business model of Primark is based on high sales volumes and lower retail margins with minimal advertising which enable it to offer low prices to customers. Primark takes advantage of bulk buying which help it to enjoy economies of scale to enables it to keep cost down. Primark has an extensive range of products including childrenswear, menswear, lingerie, accessories and footwear. Primark has got strong presence across UK and Europe with over 280 stores and also known in Ireland as Penneys. Primark employs about 50000 people around the world Weakness Primark has outsourced its manufacturing line and this may lead to inconsistencies in quality. The slow economic growth of UK and EU has held the group profit back. The online retail channel is the fasters retail market in the UK and Primark has no presence for the online market. Opportunities Clothing is an essential product for everyone especially the youth population and that there is a constant demand for clothing. Primark should extend its presence to the USA, Africa, Middle East, China and India. One of the fastest growing segments of Primark is sportswear. Threats Primark has got no presence in emerging markets like Africa and its sales are dependent on the health of the UK and EU economy so any shock to the economy would be a disaster. There is an intense competition between online retailers and physical retailers and Primark is no exception. Businesses like Primark with operations in Europe are griped with fear as the government approach to Brexit saga would affect their operations in EU market. Share Valuation of Primark Primarks shares could be currently valued at  £6.98 per share. Looking at the performance of Primark with its peers the stock price of Primark could be sold at a premium. I would recommend a  £10 price per share for Primarks stock in the IPO. Conclusion Primark rub shoulders with the big brands within the industry in terms of sales and have the potential for IPO. The corporate governance of Primark must be strengthening so that directors and officers would not take advantage of weak corporate government structure. With the worsening performance of the British pounds against the Euro and the US dollar, a critical assessment of the UK governments Brexit policies and the impact that Brexit would have on the UK economy and its relationship with the rest of Europe must be done. For now, I would recommend suspension of Primarks IPO, to enable it to conduct a critical analysis of the Brexit Policies of the UK government and the impact it would have on businesses. Forecast With the financial year 2014 to 2015, Primarks turnover increased by 3.76% we still presume that Primark would be able to achieve 3.5% increase in sales revenue. The weakening value of the British pounds as a result of Brexit will hit Primark because it sources its product in the US dollar. This would increase the cost of sales, operating cost and interest payable of Primark. The 3.5% expected increase in sales revenue and 3% increase in the cost of sale would result in an increase of 5.52% in gross profit. In all, it is estimated that Primark would be able to achieve about 2.53% increase in Profit after Tax for the year 2016. Factors That May Impact Primarks Share Valuation Investors must carefully evaluate the information they obtain about an organisation to help develop current and future expectation value. The value of Primark would be determined by both internal factors, which are under the control of the management of Primark. Key factor that would influence the value of Primark are; Profitability The ability of Primark to generate a profit would attract investors to invest their resources into the company. Investors want to see appreciable returns on their investments and Primark has the prospect and ability to generate profit to multiply shareholders wealth. Growth For all other things being equal, companies with a strong demonstration of growth trends attracts potential investors and commands higher multiples. As Primark expand its presence in Europe, US, India and other emerging markets, it will create an opportunity for higher sales and profitability for which investors would be attracted to. Risk Investor wants to protect their investment by avoiding high-risk companies for less risk once. Investors would use any of the following to evaluate Primark as a high risk or less Risk Company. Market analysis the clothing retail market is open and there are no barriers to entry, Primark should put enough strategies in place so that the activities of new entrants would not affect it. Management Primark needs people with vast knowledge and experience on its management to implement its policies and strategies and set effective succession plan. Internal control investors would want to see the review and audit Primarks financial statements. Financial situation investor would want to see Primark with the strong balance sheet to prove its financial position, capital structure this will help them determine if Primark would be able to meet its financial obligations. Corporate Governance Recommendation Its a legal requirement of all companies seeking to get listed on the LSE to have a suitable corporate governance system impaled. Corporate governance is special machinery for regulating risk in organisations activities by preventing corporate disasters, scandals, and consequential losses and damages to investors, society and staff. To this end, Primark must have a suitable corporate governance policy in placed. We would recommend Primark to adopt the corporate governance structure below. Annual General Meeting That is the highest decision-making body where directors would render accounts of their stewardship to shareholders and shareholders would have the opportunity to evaluate the report of directors to give them the opportunity to continue their stewardship or vote them out. Board of Directors Primark should have a board where each member has the appropriate set of experience, independence, skills and knowledge to manage Primark. Audit Committee there must be audit committee who will report to the board. Members of the audit committee should comprise of only members of Primarks board whose responsibility would be to identify matters that needs action is taken or improvements and make recommendations with the processes to be taken. The audit committee has the duty to review internal controls, the integrity of financial statements and internal audit. Management Board Primark should have a strong and well-experienced management board that would be responsible for the implementation of policy direction and strategies set by the board and the day-to-day running of the business. Internal Audit there should be an internal audit unit that would provide an independent assurance that Primarks risk management, internal control system and governance are operating effectively. External Auditor as part of the requirements to list on the London stock Exchange, Primark needs to appoint an independent external auditor who will provide an independent opinion whether management has fairly presented the information provided in Primarks financial statements. Annual Report management of Primark should provide an annual report and get it approved by shareholders at the annual general meeting. Benefits of Corporate Governance Good corporate governance ensures corporate success and economic growth. Strong corporate governance maintains investors confidence, as a result of which, company can raise capital efficiently and effectively. It lowers the cost of capital. There is a positive impact on the share price. It provides proper inducement to the owners as well as managers to achive objectives that are in interests of the shareholders and the organisation. Good corporate governance also minimises wasteges, corruption, risk and mismanagement. It hepls in brand formation and development. It ensures organisation is managed in a manner that fits the best interest of all. Reference Atrill, P., McLaney, E. (2010a). Accounting and finance for non-specialists (7th ed.). Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Atrill, P., McLaney, E. (2010b). Accounting and finance for non-specialists (7th ed.). Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Berk, J., DeMarzo, P., Harford, J., jo.., jarrad harford, jarrad harford jonathan berk peter demarzo (2008). Fundamentals of corporate finance international financial reporting standards edition (Softcover Internatinal). Boston: Pearson Education (US). Board, F. A. S., St, F. A., ., ards, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) (2004). Statements of financial accounting concepts: Accounting standards as of June 1, 2004. New York: Financial Accounting Standards Board. Coltman, Coltman, E. (2012). Refreshingly simple finance for small business: A straight-talking guide to finance and accounting. United Kingdom: Brightword Publishing. Crowther, D., Crowther, P. D. (2012). A social critique of corporate reporting: Semiotics and web-based integrated reporting (2nd ed.). Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing. Emmanuel, C. R., Otley, D., Merchant, K. (1995). Readings in accounting for management control (the Chapman hall series in accounting and finance) (2nd ed.). London: International Thomson Business Press. European edition. (2017, January 5). Retrieved January 6, 2017, from bloomberg.com, https://www.bloomberg.com/europe Fund prices and data. (2016). Retrieved January 6, 2017, from Morningstar, http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/ Horner, D., Gillespie, A. (2000a). Accounting and finance: An analytical and evaluative approach to business studies (A level B.. London: Hodder Stoughton Educational. Horner, D., Gillespie, A. (2000b). Accounting and finance: An analytical and evaluative approach to business studies (A level B.. London: Hodder Stoughton Educational. Hrsg (2013a). Integrated reporting: Concepts and cases that redefine corporate accountability. Dordrecht: Springer International Publishing AG. Hrsg (2013b). Integrated reporting: Concepts and cases that redefine corporate accountability. Dordrecht: Springer International Publishing AG. Kim, S. H. (1998). Global corporate finance: Text and cases (4th ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers. Lee, T. A. (2006). Corporate governance and financial reporting. Chichester, United Kingdom: Wiley, John Sons. Limited, K. N. (2016, June 10). Primark stores limited. Retrieved January 6, 2017, from www.keynote.co.uk, https://www.keynote.co.uk/company-report/financials/profit-loss/00453448 (Limited, 2016) Media, B. L. (2017). ACCA P2 corporate reporting (international UK): Study text. United Kingdom: BPP Learning Media. Appendixes

Gender Inequality and Sexual Assault: Why Both Sexes Are To Blame :: Womens Studies

Gender Inequality and Sexual Assault: Why Both Sexes Are To Blame In a recent sociology class, Sandra Bem was mentioned. Bem is a sociologist who focuses on gender. However, unlike most sociologists, Bem chooses not to focus on the differences between males and females, but rather on the similarities. She says that polarized gender socialization, the way that we assign masculine or feminine characteristics to things such as walking and talking to make males and females appear to be opposite, keeps us from realizing that the sexes are more alike than they are different. Men and women have the same needs for food, clothing, shelter, affection, belonging, and so forth. So, what are we doing when we divide human beings by gender and exaggerate differences through social constructs that are not even pertinent? We are creating excuses for the problems we have by blaming gender differences. By continuing to dwell on the social differences between men and women in present day American society, we are merely propelling the problem of gender inequality and g iving it a reason to remain, rather than eliminating it. Yet, in the 1990’s and continuing now in the twenty-first century, both the men and women of American society are impeding feminism because their shared responsibility is overlooked, especially in cases of rape and other sexual assaults. It is clear when we look at a topic like rape that both sexes can be at fault, not only for the action at hand, but for the deterioration of equality in gender issues caused by that action. It is a well-established fact that men do not rape for sex, but rather for power. Men already have power just because they are men living in a male dominated society. Why on earth would a member of this "dominant" group feel the need to physically take over another person’s body in order to feel powerful? Are American men so accustomed to having their way that they feel they can do as they wish constantly and without thinking about the consequences? Or, are men who rape merely retaliating as a means of retrieving the power they have been losing since day one of the women’s movement? I am not at all saying that because women want to be treated fairly in society that they are then putting themselves as a whole at risk from the attacks of jealous men. Afterall, one never hears about wom en raping men even though women are trying to increase their amount of power.

Sustainability In Material Production

In recent years, more and more people pay much attention to fashion as they consider that wearing trendy clothes can help them be equipped with a greater fascination. However, with the rapid increase of the fashion production, a wide range of industrial materials and wastes which are strongly detrimental to the environment are producing every day. How to dispose of this problem? Considering this, many experts and environmentalists tend to hold a viewpoint that a higher level of sustainability is the key solution.This essay will demonstrate how the fashion industry makes against the environment and how a higher standard of sustainability can solve this problem. First of all, diversity of materials is hard to find in the modern fashion and textile industry. It is dominated by a large number of similar, ready-made products in a limited range of fibre types. Indeed, cotton and polyester together account for over 80 percent of the global market in textiles (Simpson, 2006). The more demand s of fashion, the more fibre will be produced.However, it is a high energy-consuming process in the production of fibre. It needs a lot of oil, insecticides and water. Furthermore, large quantities of chemical wastes and toxic industrial water will be discharged into the environment. Secondly, manufacturers always produce fur and leather material. Thus, it can lead to a wide range of animals being killed. That is quite cruel to animals. According to the research by environmentalists, almost 3528 species of animals are in danger (Langley, 2009).If manufacturers continue to produce more fur and leather, the biodiversity and the balance of nature will be broken seriously. It seems quite difficult to prevent the threat of fashion industry entirely. However, many experts have put up with a concept of sustainability in materials production. Manufacturers can try to use some environmental materials instead of traditional unsustainable materials. To ensure a high standard of sustainability, the government should limit the production of unsustainable materials and products.For instance, the government can try to improve the tax rate of detrimental materials. For another thing, the government should make unsustainable products illegal. At the same time, the punishment should also be strict. To sum up, the fashion industry indeed poses a serious threat to the environment and a high standard of sustainability in materials production can solve this problem effectively. To some extent, the government plays a significant role in protecting the environment.

Comparison Between Erec and Enide and Don Quixote Essay

The famous Spanish novel, Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote is a parody for epic. It mimics traditional epic in a funny way so as to destroy the conventional expectation behind this serious genre. Therefore, its plot structure can be compared with Chretien de Troyes’ Erec and Enide ,a classic romance epic in Late Middle Ages. In Erec and Enide, the value of chivalry, courtly love and guest and host relationship may be found in this work. Speaking of chivalry, it starts from Erec’s adequate qualities of knighthood: handsome, valiant, noble, young and wealthy. He is qualified as a knight perfectly in appearance, social position and personality. Thereafter, Erec goes through two adventures. In the first one, he experiences a dishonored event, humiliated by a dwarf, the knight named Yder’s servant, and he fights and gains his honor back. In this combat, the dwarf’s physical imperfect may suggest his mental shortage, since he didn’t go hunting as other knights do, but he chose to accompany the queen with casual dress. This behavior and his lack of equipment may indicate that he may not fulfill his obligation of chivalry well. Therefore, the retribution means not only for the return for his honor but for the correction for his uncourtly behavior. After that, Erec becomes so attached to his wife , Enide, that he quits hunting with other knights. Afterwards, he goes on to the second journey. In the second one, he encountered a giant, Guivret, who symbolizes his overacting of courtesy. Guivret is also defeated, showing that Erec has corrected his behavior of overdoing. These two adventures tell that chivalry should be followed neither lacking nor exceeding. When it comes to courtly love, it may be shown from the relationship between Erec and the queen. At the beginning of the story, Erec’s undressing and his accompany with the queen may suppose his unusual relationship with her. When he triumphs over Yder, he commands Yder to go back to the queen to honor her. Since Erec can’t make this love toward her be revealed for the difference of social status, he puts this love into his heart and reveals it in this way. As for the relationship between guest and host, Erec meets the father of Enide and he shows his hospitality to Erec, and he in the end was rewarded for honor and wealth. Although Don Quixote has similar structure, its context reverses audience’s expectation of traditional epic and makes fun of it. First, speaking of chivalry, Don Quixote’s appearance may not be adequate: he is an old and lean person with a meager face. Besides, he is praised by getting up early; apparently it is not a description for a good knight. Cervantes makes Don Quixote funny by these portrayals. Later, he has several adventures, and in one of them he encounters the Biscayan, a servant of the ladies. Don Quixote’s fight with him mimics the combat between knights, and that it ends with Don Quixote’s victory and his request for the Biscayan to beg for mercy in front of his beloved lady, Dulcinea del Toboso. Second, as to courtly love, Don Quixote imagined a farm girl, Aldonza Lorenzo, to be the Princess Dulcinea del Toboso. Even though every time Don Quixote calls her name before he is going to fight, he never talks to her, nor did her know his name. Besides, unlike the noble ladies in traditional chivalry work, Dulcinea is described as â€Å"the best hand of any woman in all La Mancha for salting pigs†. Third, when it comes to the relationship of guest and host, in Don Quixote’s first journey he breaks the law of guest and host. He enters the inn and troubles the landlord to the degree that the landlord wants him to leave without charging him. In conclusion, Cervantes doesn’t only mimic the romantic epic badly for mocking it. He also wants to criticize it by putting a knight to the 17th century. The value of chivalry may differ from the value in 17th century society so much that the originally normal behavior of knights seems ridiculous in people’s eyes from different time.