Grendel, by John Gardner Essay Example For Students

Grendel, by John Gardner Essay Throughout time people have wished to understand what animals want and to understand what they are saying. In Grendel, by John Gardner, the humans had the opportunity to understand the monster Grendel, but wouldnt give him a chance because he was different. The humans just assumed Grendel was driven by animal instinct, and because of this, they shunned him. What they didnt realize about Grendel was the fact that he thought the same as them and went through all the emotions they did. Grendel is more human than animal because he thinks and shows emotions on the same level as humans. The biggest thing that separated Grendel from the rest of the animals was the fact that he tried to apply reason to everything. All of the animals were stupid and didnt really study anything. They all just acted based on hormones and instinct. This was evident when Grendel was trapped in a tree stump and was facing a charging bull. The bull could have easily killed Grendel had it thought of where to strike, but instead he fought by instinct, blind mechanism ages old. Hed have fought the same way against an earthquake or an eagle. The bull would strike the same place over and over and all Grendel had to do was move his leg to avoid injury. Grendel knew the bull was no danger to him and was able to relax and even sleep while the bull was charging. Most of the animals in that situation would have continually struggled to break free of the tree even after the bull missed them multiple times. Grendel thought through everything and tried to truly understand why things were the way they were, and why people acted in the strange ways they did. He even tried to reason through why he was attracted to the Queen Wealtheow. He treated her more as a mathematical equation than he treated her as a person. He described her as Not easy to define. Mathematically, perhaps a torus, loosely cylindrical, with swellings and constrictions at intervals- This kind of made Grendel more human than most humans were. When a human is attracted to another they normally just accept it as natural, natural instinct. Grendel became attracted to Wealtheow and his reasoning came in over his instinct. Another thing that made Grendel more human than animal was the fact that he needed to do things to keep himself from getting bored. The animals in the book, as usual, acted on instinct and this drove them throughout the day. They never thought, so they never realized they werent really accomplishing anything, and never realized that they should be bored. Grendel on the other hand needed to constantly do something to amuse himself. He spied on the people and when that wasnt enough he interacted with them. At one point, Grendel becomes bored with constantly coming and eating the humans, that when one keeps attacking him, Grendel keeps him alive just to have fun with him. The person that constantly tried to attack Grendel was named Unferth, and he was trying to make a name for himself. Instead of eating Unferth, Grendel toys with him. The first time they met Grendel was throwing apples at him. He lifted his sword to make a run at me, and I laughed-howled-and threw and apple at him. He dogged, and then his mouth dropped open Hey! he yelled. A forgivable lapse. And now I was raining apples at him and laughing myself weak. . Grendel basically demonstrated human thought process. A cat will toy with a mouse before it eats it, but only a human will toy with something then not kill it. Grendel had no intention of killing Unferth. Grendel also had fun with the priest Ork when he decided to act like the God of destruction. Is somebody here? he whimpers. It is I. I say. The destroyer. . .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f , .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f .postImageUrl , .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f , .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f:hover , .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f:visited , .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f:active { border:0!important; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f:active , .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udb6020ead2486b3e0bc41c25b51c553f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Consider the Pardoner's Prologue and the Sermon Interlude at the beginning of his tale EssayThe final thing that makes Grendel more human than animal is the fact that he kills out of anger and not instinct. The only reasons animals try to kill things are because they need to eat or they are defending their young. Grendel also plays with a goat before he kills it, he stays away from it using weapons to kill it instead of his hands. Right before his death, Grendel is sitting on a mere when a goat climbs up towards him. At first he is amused by how stupid the goat is for climbing when he will really reach nothing at the top. But as the goat gets closer Grendel becomes more and more annoyed, until he finally becomes so angry that he kills him. I tip a boulder and let it fall thundering toward him I lay the tree sideways, wait for the goat to be in better range, then shove Death shakes his body the way high wind shakes trees. He climbs towards me. I snatch up a stone. . By the time Grendel had picked up the final stone, the goat was already going to die, but Grendel kept at it because of his hate and anger directed at it, those two emotions are human and not animal. Grendel is more of a person than an animal, because he has more human traits than animals. The trait that seems to draw him closer to being a human than any other, is his ability to hate. Animals dont hate, because they act on instinct and not thought. The ability to think and reason like a human is also Grendels downfall. If Grendel had never thought about how similar he was to humans he would never have been involved with them. He would be running around mountains with goats and mounting trees with bulls, instead of being killed in a mead hall by Beowulf.

Laura Melveys Male Gaze

The development of the film industry took an interesting turn after the 1950 especially regarding the development of the female character due to the changes in life style and the way women viewed themselves. The empowered feminine character started appearing in film noir, genre of crime thriller films heavily laden with seduction and erotic undertones (Muller 2006).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Laura Melvey’s Male Gaze specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She played an active role in both the development of the genre and the development of the storylines and the plot. As such many movies producers started focusing on the female character and developed her to fit as one of, if not the key character in film noir. Thus, femme fatale (the fatal woman) was born and would dominate films and stage plays for decades. Femme fatale has been an interesting study by film and literature critics who have come up with int eresting views regarding this phenomenal character. Doane (1991) in her criticism of this character explains that even though femme fatale is seen as a literary image in films, she is an important figure of the representation of truth. She is a symbol of the real woman and their place in the society, whose real self is revealed through the sexual image, which portrays the differences between men and women. Doane further explains that she is the â€Å"representation of the antithesis of the maternal† (1991 p 2). This means that she symbolizes a woman who cannot reproduce either biologically or socially. Film site (2011) adds that this character was a manipulative figure capable of making vulnerable male character compromise greats of odds. She was a vengeful and sadistic anti heroine whose life always ended up in tragedy. One of the greatest criticism of femme fatalism â€Å"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema† by Mulvey Laura has come under intense criticism from the film critics and the author herself. Mulvey (1976) uses Freud’s psychoanalytical approach in describing the role of femme fatale charades in film noir. The society is such that it is structured in a patriarchal manner: the male is all powerful while the female is an image of male sexual fantasies. The fatal woman is thus an object that for both the satisfaction of the male character in he film as well as the male audience. The films â€Å"Out of the Past† and â€Å"Gilda† give the reader an opportunity to weight myulveys assumptions about femme fatale. Mulveys argument hold a lot of truth about the nature of the femme fatale and her roles in the development of the film industry, while the criticism by the author herself and other film critics has added useful insights into the subject. Slide share (2011) explains that Mulvey is the originator of the idea of the male gaze developed the idea of the male gaze in her work â€Å"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. † The concept of the male gaze explains the idea of gazing in three ways: the way men look at women, the way women see themselves and the way the women sees and relates to other women. This concept of the male gaze is feministic and borrows heavily from Freud’s psychoanalytical approach.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sexual fulfillment and desire is the object of motivation and controls the images of the characters in a play to fulfill the desires of the male character. The female character only sees herself as a castrated woman (without a penis) and thus can only be useful in fulfilling a mans sexual desires. As such, she is the symbol of phallocentrism, powerless in a society that is overtly male dominated (Mulvey 1975). Such phallus nature portrays the woman as an object of domination and oppression not only by the male in the film and audience but also a repres entation of the powerless woman in a patriarchal society. She is aware of her lack of a penis and can only â€Å"exist in relation to her castration and cannot transcend it† (1975, 343). Thus, a woman cannot find real meaning other than in the enjoyment of the fact that she is castrated. However, Mulvey (1975) explains that it is within the paradox of the phallic nature that a woman finds her true meaning : the lack of penis is the cause of the phallus status while the desire to make the best out of the situation is what makes a woman derive meaning of life. Such phallocentrism is the signification of a woman’s suffering. The femme fatale in the film Gilda is not without suffering. When Gilda’s husband Mundson â€Å"dies† Johnny, her ex lover and protector, marries her not out of love but for his faith in Mundson. Johnny subjects Gilda to psychological as wells as physical suffering (Dirks 2011; Spiderbaby 2010). Gilda thus portrays the suffering that wom en have to go through in an overtly and an unapologetically patriarchal society. Such patriarchal tendencies fulfills the desires of the man at the expense of the woman are also exhibit in the film â€Å"Out of the Past.† Kathie is not a woman in freedom. She is constantly running away from her past (a man). In her earlier life she had shot and seriously injured Whit her lover and stole quite a hefty amount of money. Whit wants her back plus the money, a portrayal of how subordinated women are to men (Ebert 2010). Spiderbabay (2010) also explains that Kathie suffers betrayal from a man, her lover Jeff, when he leads her to the police so as to buy his freedom, as such using a woman to achieve his personal wishes to freedom. The biggest crime in the film is â€Å"not murder or stealing the money but betrayal† (Morris 2011) As Mulvey (1975) notes, the phallocentric approach (where women are aware of the weaknesses they are exposed to as a result of their penile deficiency ) only reduces the woman to an object of desire for men. The fatal woman in a film or stage play is thus propped in such a way that the male can have a proper gaze at her and fulfill his sexual desire. She is crafted in way that only portrays her sexual prowess and her power to seduce men, both the film characters and the audience.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Laura Melvey’s Male Gaze specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This desire is usually fulfilled by gazing at women characters. The male gaze is enhanced by several camera techniques, which focus on certain parts of the woman body. The focus is intended to drive the attention of the male towards that particular part of the body. Not any part of the female body is subject to focus. The camera only focuses on the various body part and behavioral traits that arouse and fulfill sexual desire in the male characters and the male audience. As such, the object ification of the woman is further achieved through compartmentalization of her body into sexual and non sexual parts (Barnes n.d.). Such trait is seen through the main character Gilda in the movie going by the same title. Gilda is a flirt who plays mid games with both the male characters and the male audience in an erotic and seductive way. The male gaze is directed at her provocative flirtation and seduction techniques. Gilda intentionally flirts with other men to make Johnny jealous (Dirks 2011). At one time in the film, Gilda does a striptease in on stage, in full view of the patrons at the club. This is a sexually provocative action that the cameras focus on to enhance the male gaze and fulfill the sexual desire of the male. Such acts have an effect both to the male audience as well as to the male characters in the film such as Johnny who in rage slaps Gilda for performing indecent acts in public. Later and out of the effect of that act Johnny confesses his love to Gilda (Spider baby 2010). Thus the two films have exemplifies Mulveys theory that a woman is an objects subject to a males gaze for his sexual fulfillment. In further defining the male gaze mulvey explains that the man is the one who bears the ‘look’ while the woman only bears the image. As such ‘the pleasure of looking is divided into two: the active male gaze, and the passive female gaze (1975, p. 346). The active male gaze is the dominant gaze while the female has to be figured and structured appropriately to enhance her to-be-looked-at-ness. To-be-looked-at-ness is a very strong visual sexual symbol and is displayed through a series of erotic acts such as striptease [as exemplified by Gilda (Spiderbaby 2010)]. This kind of erotism makes a woman an indispensable character and spectacle in film noir. As such, femme fatale becomes an alien intrusion into the plot and thus a deviation from the normal script and storyline. Morris (2011) explains that Kathie is part of the lethal triangle that also includes Jeff and her former lover Whit.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The story line is initially focused on recovering Whit’s $ 40000 stolen by his ex lover Kathie. However, Whit hire Jeff, an ex sleuth and the two, jefff and Kathie, fall in love and start an affair. Kathie and her new lover have to live on the run, running away from Whit who still wants to recover his money. This love affair thus becomes a considerable deviation from the sleuth work that the film was initially built on. It this becomes a story of Whits fatal obsession with Kathie, which finally makes the film, looses the initial theme (Mills 2007). The film Gilda also exemplifies Mulveys assertion that femme fatales are an erotic diversion from the films main story line. The film has a Mafioso inclination and the main character Mundson, is the owner of a casino and has connection to the underground mafia world. Mudson introduces Gilda as his wife and because of his lack of trust for her, asks Johnny, her former romantic partner, the roles of keeping an eye on her. Thus is the beginning of a love triangle as Johnny and Gilda rekindle their romantic flame. This is the point that love, romance and seduction take over and the film looses connection with the mafia world. Even though Mundson fakes his death to dissociate himself with the mafia his faked death is literary more significant to the love triangle. Mulvey (1975) adds that such diversion by the femme fatale from the main course off the story line does not make her significantly important as a person, rather t is what she provokes in the male character and audience that matters (347). Therefore, it is the sexual objectification of the woman and the gratification of the male character and the male audience by gazing at the sex object signified in a woman on stage that matters. The fatal woman has no importance in herself either to the film or to the audience. It is what she represents that counts. The male character is not subject to sexual objectification and as such is the important figure that cont rols desires and erotic nature of the woman. The male characters in the film are able to identify with what the audience is feels about the and thus part of its search and realization of sexual fulfillment. As such the male ceases to be an object of sexual desire but the power that controls the desire. Femme fatales sexually explicit behavior is thus as a result of such power by the man to control the way she behaves. The audience thus sees this power to control sexual desire through the woman (Mulvey 1975). However, the film Gilda put this notion under the perils of validity test. Gilda the main character is a dangerous and seductive woman who performs seductive acts such as flirting with other men and strip teasing so as to make Johnny her secret lover jealous. This evokes a very strong sense of attraction in Johnny towards Gilda (Spiderbabay 2010). Therefore instead of Johnny controlling the sexual desired as Mulvey suggests, he becomes the victim of such desire in which its powe r lies with femme fatale, rather than him. Film noir focuses on sexualisation of the female character, the symbolization of femme fatale as the object of sexual fulfillment to the male character and audience, thus masculining the audience (Mulvey 1975). This means that the film is only useful to men and this article does not tale care of the spectator who has tendencies towards both male and female sexuality. However in â€Å"Afterthought to Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema† Mulvey (1983) argues that the original intention was to celebrate the masculine culture of the spectator but this kind of spectator includes both men and women. It is possible to have women who are not particularly keen on having a sexual identify on the screen. This change of stance in the masculinisation of the female character is as a result of the fact that things have moved on and the way a woman carries herself has drastically changed (Mulvey 1985). Skjerdal,(1997) agrees with this new line of t hought and further adds that the masculinisation of the audience and the objectification of the female character in film noir is leaves the woman without any identify as it only describes her in relations to a mans desire. This also means that the woman is just a â€Å"bearer of meaning but not its maker† (Despotopoulou, 2004). However, the film Gilda gives the viewer an opportunity to contend this view. Gilda the main character posses an overwhelming power of seduction over the male character in the film. So powerful is her power of seduction that she chooses and owns the men who seduces her. Thus Gilda is a woman â€Å"knows her power over men and that she is the real definition of intoxicating sassiness† (Stevens 2009). Such power over men thus proves that the fatal woman is not just an embodiment of the male’s sexual desire but has made deliberate effort to develop her sexual identity, a tool she uses to her own advantage. Thus this film put Mulvey’s idea of lack of identity of femme fatale at great peril. Laura Mulvey’s â€Å"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema† offers some insight into the mysterious and almost mystical character of femme fatale. It supposes that this mysterious character is the creation of men for their own benefit. She is an object of sexual fulfillment. The male gazes at her and thus gains much sexual gratification. Such approach ha borrowed heavily from Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical approach. It denies the woman the power to make her own identity. A political tool portrays the manner in which the way the society is structured to be dominated by men. However it does not answer to all questions as it does not take care of the part of the audience that has homosexual orientation (Rucas 2003). The idea does not also address the place of the female character and audience who is not a forced object of sexual symbolism but who likes and enjoys to be looked at. As such, weaknesses are igno red and need attention. Reference List Barnes, E., n.d. Laura Mulvey’s male gaze: Looking at film through the eyes of a man [Online] Available at http://www.freewebs.com/elizabethbarnes/index.htm   Despotopoulou, A., 2004. Fanny’s gaze and the construction of feminine space in  mansfield park† Modern Language Review ed. 99: 569-583. Dirks, T., 2011. Gilda (1946) [Online] Available at. http://www.filmsite.org/gild.html Doane, M., 1991. Femmes fatales: feminism, film theory psychoanalysis. New York: Routledge Ebert, R., 2004. Out of the Past (1947) [Online] Available at http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040718/REVIEWS08/407180301/1023 Mills, M., 2007. Out of the past. Online] Available at http://www.moderntimes.com/past/. Morris, G., 2011. High Gallows – Jacques Tourneur’s Out of the Past. [Online] Available at http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/29/outofthepast.html Mulvey, L., 1985. Changes, Discourse. pp 11 – 30. Muller, E., 2006. Film Noir. Green Cine podcast. [Online] Available at http://www.greencine.com/static/primers/noir.jsp Mulvey, L., 1985. Afterthoughts on ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,’† Feminist Film Theory. Sue Thoruham (ed.), NY: New York University Press, pp.31-40 [Online] Available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/17220483/Afterthoughts-on- Visual-Pleasure-and-Narrative-Cinema Mulvey, L., 1975. Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. Durham and Kellner Media and cultural studies ed., Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Rucas, P., 2003. The male gaze, homosexualization, and James Bond Films [Online] Available at http://www.angelfire.com/film/articles/bond.htm. Skjerdal, T., 1997. Laura Mulvey against the grain: a critical assessment of the  psychoanalytic feminist approach to film. Centre for Cultural and Media Studies, University of Natal ed. [Online] Available at. http://www.oocities.org/capitolhill/2152/mulvey.htm Slide share, 2011. The male gaze Laura M ulvey – Presentation Transcript [Online] Available at http://www.slideshare.net/fleckneymike/the-male-gaze-laura-mulvey   Spiderbaby, L., 2010. Evil as admirable: the femme fatale in the eyes of the  contemporary female spectator. [Online] Available at   http://sbhonesty.blogspot.com/2010/11/evil-as-admirable-femme-fatale-in-eyes.html Stevens , S., 2009. Embrace your inner Goddess [Online] Available at http://goddesspower978.wordpress.com/tag/seductress/ This essay on Laura Melvey’s Male Gaze was written and submitted by user Annika Garcia to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Writing a Literacy Essay Topic

Writing a Literacy Essay TopicIf you're considering writing a literary essay, there are a few literacy essay topics that you should be aware of. When you write your essay, you want to make sure that the content you put into it is relevant to your students. You want them to not only read it, but remember it as well. Remember, in order for your students to remember your essay they must have familiarity with your topic.When you're writing an essay, you need to ensure that the reader has an idea of the format. The first thing you should do is outline the format. Make sure that you include the titles, paragraphs, and the content. Once you've done this, you need to check that everything you've written follows the guidelines of the accepted standards.Next, ensure that the essay is comprised of two to three major parts, each of which has a five paragraph-long in-depth information. After you've written your essay, review it and make sure that everything you've written meets the required stand ards.Your topic can be as simple or as complicated as you'd like. If you have a more complex topic, you should make sure that you make use of a story format. There are a number of free story formats that can be used to help create interesting text and you can also hire someone to write a literacy essay for you.The most important thing when you're writing a literacy essay is to ensure that you do not overload your reader. It's best if your essay is organized and well-structured so that the information stays on the reader's mind and makes sense.In order to properly educate your reader about your literacy essay topic, you need to write an engaging essay that is informative and easy to understand. In order to get started, you need to determine what type of article you'll be writing, the theme you'll be writing about, and how you will communicate the information.Literacy essay topics are important to help children learn. When you write an essay, you need to make sure that the topics you choose are appropriate and are based on standards that you will be following. With these factors in mind, you can write a literacy essay that will help improve the quality of life for your students.

buy custom Academic Poster essay

buy custom Academic Poster essay The above academic poster was created after considering the appropriate theories and models applicable in designing of posters. The diagram shows a schematic representation of tools that are expected to be used in the risk management analysis of TECHNEAU. The particular case study was conducted on TECHNEAU to try to perform an effective risk assessment. Also, it was created to improvise risk management techniques in the provision of safe drinking water for individuals. A case study was carried on to assess the risks that exist in the provision of safe drinking water for individuals and the provision at an affordable cost for all the stakeholders involved (Techneau.org, 2009). There are many potential risks in water provision services. Some of the risks include the provision of water containing too many chemicals. They can be added over the required and recommended levels. Personnel, working at the water provision services organization, might also fault and fail to put any water treatment or no water treatment chemicals as required. This is likely to result in potential health problems for the individuals that might consume the water. Such risk would have a high likelihood of leading to deaths, especially if people would not be notified of the disease causing pathogens that they might be exposed to after consumption of the water. It would also have a high probability of exposing the organization to litigation in court. There are many individuals in the society, which would not understand why the organization failed to perform its duty in provision of safe drinking water to people that depend on it. The actual occurrence of such risk would also make stakeho lders of the organization and its clients lose confidence in the company. As a result, they would feel that such an action might occur again since it has already happened in the first place (Techneau.org, 2009). After analysis of all the possible negative outcomes the company, therefore, felt that it was necessary for them to perform a risk analysis, which would expose the weak areas in the organization. The management of the company developed policies and guidelines that once implemented could avoid risks and remove hazards. Risk management was also performed to offer means through which the organization could develop control measures in case the organization was to actually experience the identified risks (Drennan McConnell, 2007). When analysis is performed on water, the personnel evaluates the results and interprets them on the basis on the risks that the water poses, in terms of endangering individuals health. The personnel is trained to classify the levels whether it is acceptable or not. The level of risk that is posed might be at low levels and might warrant the personnel to control the overall risk. Once the risk levels have been measured, the management of the organization should decide on the best ways to deal with the outcomes such as leave the situation the way it is, completely change the situation or reduce the risk levels. The performed action would also be dependent on the available funds and on the training of the available personnel. In the TECHNEAU case study, the risk analysis, risk evaluation and risk reduction tools and methods were analysed more carefully. Risk Measures Risk measures, utilized in this particular case study, involved use of qualitative and quantitative means to get a better perspective of the situation. The qualitative technique used in analysis and measure of the risks in the organization included Coarse Risk analysis (CRA) (Boulder et al, 2007). The potential hazardous situations in the provision of water services for the organization were graded depending on the level of the occurrence chance. The chance that the risk might occur is issued with a P (frequency/ probability). The outcome of the risk event occurring is designated as C for outcome of each of the events. The chances of events occurring are issued with different terms such as rare or frequently occurring. The likely outcomes of the risk factors are classified on the scales as being small, intermediate or very serious (Techneau.org, 2009). Trained personnel in the water provision sector could be able to give details that are more specific on areas such as a more comprehensive approach of interpreting different levels of the consequences that exist as the risk factors in the water outcomes. For example, an individual that has been trained on technical issues about water supply could be able to translate that rare could mean that the risk factor of the given event could be once in a week or once in three months. A trained individual might also be able to provide the translation of small in context of a health risk. It means that the one should be able to explain how untreated water could affect individuals health. The figure shows the probable outcomes. It could be used to give the information used for analysis of the results. The figure shows the chances of the different likelihoods and the different outcomes. The obtained results could be used for interpreting the data using methods such as the free tree analysis. It could be done in order to give results that can be clearly understood and used for presentation to individuals that might not have technical training about water provision details (Twig, 2004). The parameters, which would be affected by the water provision in this case, would be the possible negative health outcomes for clients who consume the water. To correct the situation, the water provision company would have to cut off the water supply to the clients. It is done in order to do damage control of the water by providing treating with necessary chemicals. The company also tested whether the treatment be effective in terms of making the water safe for consumption through killing disease causing pathogens in the water (Techneau.org, 2009). The management of the organization would have to conduct a survey on resilience of the risk. Acknowledging and accepting risks are one of the greatest steps towards achieving the desired risk management in organizations. The discovered risks could be compared to already established guidelines that state the levels of acceptable risk for the organization. Through use of the acceptable outcomes, the management team could be able to make the necessary decisions concerning water provision and the necessary action to be taken. For example, the risk factor could be found to be so huge that the company would have to close their water supply to certain areas. It is performed in order to treat the water and control the risk that has already been breached. Risk control would invole strict control measures to reduce the negative effects on people exposed to the contaminated water. The management would have to make fast decisions even if the information available to them would be limited (Thorton, 2002). Risk control involves contacting all the stakeholders so that they could be aware of the situation so that they could play their part. The risk control action should be taken to the management of the company and should involve careful planning. For example, the management should be aware of the time that is needed to resolve the technical difficulties. Risk control should be used together with other tools in the organization to ensure that the risk is well handled and the organization is able to save the situation at hand (Solvic, 2000). The management should be as open as possible when its representatives communicate to the clients about the problem they might face and the measures being taken. It is used to ensure that systems are corrected, up and running. Once the management briefs the clients through the media, they can be able to salvage their image with the public. As they are admitted to the fact they make mistakes, but they are sufficiently noble to acknowledge their mistake and seek fast and effective solutions. The determination should be shown effective to all the members involved. Systematic processes should be followed by the organization to come up with solutions for risk outcomes. The principle of proportionality dictates that the possible decisions, proposed by the organization, have to offer highly valuable determinations, which confer benefits in comparison to losses and to all the stakeholders. The principle of reason should use the decision making process. Thee action should be within the economic limits and capabilities of the organization. The principle of allocation should be applied whereby the resultant outcome should ensure that neither the organization nor the society feels unfair through the decision. All the decisions that might have risky outcomes should be avoided. This is dictated by the principle of risk avoidance. The case study shows the different aspects that might have to be considered by an actual organization. Part B Analysis of Theory, Concepts and Research in the Poster Application of risk management in the poster Uncertainty is a risk that all organizations have to encounter because not everything that they plan is likely to come up the way it has to. Furthermore, different actions, carried out by the management, are likely to lead to different outcomes some of which might be unexpected. Risk management is necessary in the modern world where competition has gripped all organizations and they struggle to stay afloat amid the competition (Drennan McConnell, 2007). Organizations have to come up with innovative techniques and involvement of talented human resources to gain a competitive advantage, especially when benchmarked with other organizations. Competition has evolved to global level with the introduction of many products and services that have gained popularity and enlarged markets all over the world. Trading in a competitive environment automatically introduces an element of risk. It has to be well managed in order to ensure that an organization remains in business and is still competitive in comparison to other organizations that might be dealing with the same kind of business or trade (Kasperson, 2005). Risk management can be applied to any form of organization regardless of size and business area. It involves identification of risks, use of available resources to minimize and control those risks. Most common risks are usually caused by the nature of uncertainty in financial markets, wrong direction in the course of a project, carried out (Tversky Kahneman, 1983). Failure of a project can occur at any point starting from the initial point, when it was created, to the phase when the project is implemented. Risks might arise from factors that the organization has no control over uncontrolled factors. For example, an earthquake might lead to huge losses in terms of profits. The losses might be huge in terms of lost opportunities or loss of confidence from stakeholders. One of the actual risks might be an attack from competitors. It would require the organization to do damage control and try to emerge on top in such a situation (Twig, 2004). Risk management is a very important and necessary field to be applied to business. The accurate assessment can be used in the application of strategies dealing with such risks as transfer to a specialist in the area of risk management. The possible negative outcomes can also be managed in a way of mitigating the undesirable effect and lead to better results. Risk Principles, Practices and Terminologies Different risks exist in organizations and they are always dealt with according to the seriousness and available resources. In most business structures, the risks that can lead to the greatest losses are a matter of priority. Sometimes risk might not be tangible. This aspect is known as intangible risk management (Thorton, 2004). The type of risk usually occurs because organizations do not have enough information to deal with the kinds of risks they are exposed to. Process engagement is also a common exposure that might occur when the correct processes are not followed. Relationship hazard occurs in organizations that are usually exposed to ineffective work processes. It might be caused by lack of team work and communication (Twig, 2004). Various principles are used in the assessment and management of risks to encourage effectiveness in application of different techniques. Creation of value should be one of the first processes that are secured before the implementation of the risk management process. The risk management process should create the concept of integrating all the involved employees in the implementation process that contributes to the reduction or control of risks facing the organization. The international organization standardization (ISO) dictates that risk management principles should involve addressing of all assumptions and uncertainties that might be held by the staff in the organization (Royal Society Study Group, 1992). Addressing of the employees attitudes and actions is a very important factor in the management of risks. A systematic process should be followed to ensure that all members of the organization are involved in the processes that are undertaken in the risk management (Solvic, 2000). All risk analyses and management should be desiigned to suit the risk needs of the specific organization. There are no two organizations alike and this should be reflected in the solution that is made available to one of them. To ensure that there are free flow of information, risk management solutions should be very transparent. This would increase clarity for the employees in terms of their roles and objectives that they would be expected to fulfil (Chapman, 2007). Key Conceptual Models of Safety Culture and Error Management Organizations should ensure that the employees are highly trained in terms of dealing with potential risks that might occur depending on the field of business. Management should also strive to establish safety cultures whereby regular training is performed. Teams should be put together to improve their trust relations and their ability to tolerate and appreciate each others differences. it would promote a harmonious working environment at the workplace (Drennan McConnell, 2007). Organizations should establish and implement consistent and systematic guidelines that would promote a safety culture in the organization. Error management targets the reduction of risks occurrence in organizations and the mitigation of the consequences when they do occur in organizations. Organizations can positively view the management of errors to avoid too much pressure on the employees, which might result in more errors. Organizations find out the situations that might lead to high stress factors for their employees. Management has to work in the direction of reducing stress factors and any other aspects that might cause to reduction of errors made in the organization (Kasperson, 2005). Construction of Risks Risk is constructed with the help of various techniques. The stuff of higher level determines the risk management tools and techniques to be utilized in organizations. The qualitative risk management tools are usually aimed at the development of knowledge about tools that can reduce the risks, which can occur in organization, and means of avoiding those hazards. Quantitative risks are usually used to control the risks that might occur in an organization through the implementation of security systems, which would avoid or mitigate the risk in question (Solvic, 2000). Qualitative methods should make proper use of the human personnel in the organization. Those people, who are on the ground, might be in a good position to offer solutions to problems that the organization is facing. Tools for identifying risks involve using technology, brainstorming, self-assessment sessions and workshops, carried out by risk management experts, filling questionnaires and conducting interviews (L fstedt, 2003). Relationship between Risk Management, Strategy, and Governance Risk management is considered to be important as far as organizations need to develop in order to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors and ensure that they perform as well as expected within an organization. Risk management is a strategic tool used in organizations to develop stable workable systems. Effective managers ensure that the organizations have well equipped risk management systems so that they could effectively diagnose the risks that might be faced. It is performed in order to reduce negative financial effects related to risks (Chapman, 2007). This would help businesses to stay afloat in the market and to appear competitive when benchmarked with others that work in the same sphere. Leaders, using risk management, can expect high results in terms of performance because of the effective diagnosis and tools used in risk management (Bouder et al, 2007). Vulnerability and Resilience In an organization, the management of factors that might lead to the reduction of profits that are likely to be gained should be given priority in terms of resources, time and personnel allocation. Avoiding risks can be one of the best methods to ensure that businesses do not risk losses of their resources and, in case they risk their losses, the losses might be reduced. The disadvantage with avoiding risks is that it might lead to loss of opportunities that might present potentially high benefits (Frenkel et al, 2005). Hazard prevention involves avoiding risks in case of an emergency. Risk reduction is also a commonly used by many organizations, for example, use of software security systems to ensure that the costs that are incurred are controlled effectively. Risk resilience involves acknowledging and accepting losses that have occurred and an attempt to reconstruct the parts of the organization that has incurred damage. Risk resilience might involve risks that result in high damage to the organization in terms of not being insured or risks that might not be acknowledged by insurance companies. Such risks might include natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, typhoons and other kinds of natural disasters that might involve a lot of damage to a company. Risk communication involves various principles, which should be adhered, to ensure that firms maximize available risk management resources (Frenkel et al., 2005). Communication in risk management should be concise and involving to the members of the organization. It is important that the employees feel they are involved in not only the implementation process, but also in the decision making. In risk communication, the management should ensure that they have all the necessary analysis information in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The detailed information would place the organization at a competitive edge in comparison to their competitors and give possibility to deal with issues that affect them. Problems that organizations encounter can be either internal or external. The external environment and the stakeholders should be communicated to and given the necessary information they require. It helps them to perceive the organization in the way that is intended and in a beneficial manner. The management of the organization should ensure that it deals with the concerns of both the internal and the external stakeholders (Bouder et al, 2007). Shareholders might have concerns about anticipated risks or those that have already occurred in the organization. The management should ensure that it prepares the necessary information of a report to address the concerns of such clients. When clients and shareholders feel that their concerns are addressed instead of being ignored, they are more likely to show trust to the organization and confidence in it even when it appears that the organization performs badly (Crounchy, Galai Mark, 2000). Buy custom Academic Poster essay

Achieved Status Versus Ascribed Status in Sociology

Achieved Status Versus Ascribed Status in Sociology Status is a term that is used often in sociology. Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of status, achieved status and ascribed status. Each can refer to ones position, or role, within a social system- child, parent, pupil, playmate, etc.- or to ones economic or social position within that status.   Individuals usually hold multiple statuses at any given time- lawyers, say, who happen to devote most of their time to pro bono work instead of rising through the ranks at a prestigious law firm. Status is important sociologically because we attach to ones position a certain set of  presumed  rights, as well as presumed obligations and expectations for certain behaviors. Achieved Status An achieved status is one that is acquired on the basis of merit; it is a position that is earned or chosen and reflects a persons skills, abilities, and efforts. Being a professional athlete, for example, is an achieved status, as is being a lawyer, college professor, or even a criminal. Ascribed Status An ascribed status, on the other hand, is beyond an individuals control. It is not earned, but rather is something people are either born with or had no control over. Examples of ascribed status include sex, race, and age. Children usually have more ascribed statuses than adults, since they do not usually have a choice in most matters. A familys social status or socioeconomic status, for instance, would be an achieved status for adults, but an ascribed status for children. Homelessness might also be another example. For adults, homelessness often comes by way of achieving, or rather not achieving, something. For children, however, homelessness is not something they have any control over. Their economic status, or lack thereof, is entirely dependent on their parents actions. Mixed-Status The line between achieved status and ascribed status is not always black and white. There are many statuses that can be considered a mixture of achievement and ascription. Parenthood, for one. According to the latest numbers gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 50 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, which makes parenthood for those people an ascribed status. Then there are people who achieve a certain status because of an ascribed status. Take Kim Kardashian, for example, probably the most famous  reality television celebrity in the world. Many people might argue that she would never have achieved that status if she had not come from a wealthy family, which is her ascribed status.  Ã‚   Status Obligations Probably the greatest set of obligations are conferred upon the status of parenthood.  First, there are biological obligations: Mothers are expected to care for themselves and their unborn child (or children, in the case of twins, etc.) by abstaining for any activity that could cause either of them harm. Once a child is born, a host of legal, social, and economic obligations kick in, all with the purpose of ensuring that parents act in a responsible manner toward their children. Then there are professional status obligations, like doctors and lawyers whose vocations bind them to certain oaths governing their client relationships. And socioeconomic status obligates those who have achieved a certain high level of economic status to contribute portions of their wealth to help the less fortunate in society.

Enviromental Ethics of Cleaning up the Oceans Term Paper

Enviromental Ethics of Cleaning up the Oceans - Term Paper Example There are many reasons to affirm that all citizens of this world have ethical and moral responsibility to maintain the oceanic health, starting with the cleaning of its waters. Since, ages oceans have provided around half of the required oxygen to all living bodies on earth. Nevertheless, the detection of Dead Zones in several seas and oceans reveal that the marine life within such zones is starving for oxygen. This is mainly due to large scale dumping of agricultural and industrial waste into the oceanic waters. The exploitation of oceans has resulted in extinction of many races of sharks and other predatory fishes along with other species like turtles. Hence, it is the moral responsibility of all global citizens to gear up the efforts towards aggressive ocean cleaning. Various moral theories come up when discussing about the moral responsibility of human kind in saving the environment of this planet. However, main aspects of moral theory include the issues related to sustainability, compassion and participation. It is the duty of every citizen of world to ensure that all creatures and human beings are treated equally. The sustainability is the extension of this moral obligation, which defines the purpose of meeting the requirements of present generation, while ensuring that future generations are able to meet their needs sufficiently. It is in this context that human kind needs to understand its moral duty towards the preservation for oceanic marine life, which is one of the important supporters of human life system. If the ocean waters are not clean, the formation of dead zones will be frequent. This will deprive these waters of the vibrant marine life. We need to preserve marine life for the sake of our present and future generations. The action, which ensures that every one gets sufficient quantity of goods required to live in a

BP touts itself as green article, about the BP oil spill in 2010 Article

BP touts itself as green , about the BP oil spill in 2010 - Article Example While BP appears to be the sole responsible entity to the accident, involved negligence in activities that led to the spill identify liabilities to many parties. The contractor company that was responsible for operations at the time of the blast was for example an independent contractor. Similarly, federal supervisors who ought to have detected any form of negligence towards liability approved the operations that preceded the blast. BP however exercised significant control over its contractor. Four parties therefore played a role into the blast that culminated into the oil spill. BP played a role as the owner of the site, â€Å"Transocean and Halliburton† who were the managers of the sight and the federal regulators who had the authority to supervise the operations at the sight (BBC, P. 1). Negligence on all the parties was therefore a major set of events towards the accident. This is because the design that was used at the well’s base for sealing was inappropriate for the applied type of cement. Similarly, preliminary tests were done on the structure and flaws detected, but were misjudged for success. There were also signs of explosion but the workers failed to identify the signs that could have been used to establish preventive measures (BBC, P. 1). The events after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico were widely reported by the media together with investigation based documentary and reports from inquiries.