Synthisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Synthisis - Essay Example Facebook makes a person or a student happy and helps them go through life challenges. It also helps freshmen to adapt faster to their new stage in life, as explained in â€Å"Facebook and first year college students†. In spite of the criticisms against social websites, these sites help many people such as students in dealing with stressful situations and life challenges through constant communication between peers who pass advisory information. In Konnikova’s article, she talks about how everyone who joins Facebook sought not to be sad or depressed, but becomes inflected after a while. She quotes, â€Å"the more people used Facebook in the time between the two texts, the less happy they felt—and the more their overall satisfaction declined from the beginning of the study until its end. The data, he argues, shows that Facebook was making them unhappy.†(Ethan Kross). I do not agree with her, the problem is that it becomes an obsession or an addiction to check Facebook more and more to see what people have written on their walls and keep track on a crush or a loved one. I do not believe this form of unhappiness can be attributed to the social media website but from the individual self who gets too close to a website that has no feelings or affection. In the article about college students, Facebook helps first year college students overcome the major change in their lives. â€Å"An estimated 17 million Americans attend college each year, of whom, approximately 3.5 million are first-year students† (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). It also helps them to overcome challenges and depression when facing the changes and moving away from home. This is mainly achieved through reading memorable messages, or seeing a picture that will keep them going forward and help them in focusing in their educational goals. Personally, I can relate to this point in that social media helped me to get in touch with peers and professors. Furthermore, it

A Cultural Comparison - Romanian vs. Canada Essay Example for Free

A Cultural Comparison Romanian vs. Canada Essay Authored by Cristina Hurà © 2 November, 2012 International Communication Supervised by Professor Jeanine Deen Word Count: 2440 Abstract The paper discusses the comparison between the Canadian national values displayed by Rogers Communications and Romanian national values displayed by COSMOTE Romania through their commercial advertising and how they do so. The research findings use Hofstede’s cultural dimensions to classify the behavioural differences amongst Canadians and Romanians and thereafter identify the variations in cultures and values. Furthermore, Hofstede’s country scores determine what kind of cultural differences exist among both countries while examining the individualism- collectivism (IC) dimension, the masculinity-femininity dimension (MF) and uncertainty avoidance (UA). Keywords: Canada, Romania, Cultural Dimensions, Hofstede, individualism- collectivism (IC), masculinityfemininity (M F), uncertainty avoidance (UA), national values. Introduction To begin, the cultural dimensions used throughout this research consist of three out of five dimensions created by Hofstede being the individualism- collectivism (I-C) dimension, the masculinity-femininity dimensions (M F), and uncertainty avoidance (UA). They are compared in COSMOTE Romania’s and Rogers Communications’ TV commercials. Both COSMOTE Romania and Rogers are wireless communication networks providers. To understand COSMOTE Romania and Rogers’ underlying principles, that are also connected to their consumers national values, their slogans can be identified as â€Å"our world is you† (COSMOTE Romania) and â€Å"your most reliable network† (Rogers). The first comparison deals with individualism displayed in the Canadian commercial and the collectivist/familial aspect displayed in the Romanian commercial. In addition, the MAS index is used. The Romanian commercial demonstrates â€Å"femininity† in the sense that two men are caring for each other and COSMOTE Romania takes pride in being able to connect these two, or people in general, because in Romanian dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life. The Canadian commercial demonstrates a high standard of performance, and this is why Rogers Wireless sells â€Å"as your most reliable network.† In the commercial(s) the actors are usually presented in a business setting, where two men are being compared. One has a phone that runs off a Rogers network and he is very efficient with all his business matters, while the other is inefficient because he doesn’t have a Rogers phone and never has service, or applications that contribute to his work performance. Furthermore, to compare the uncertainty aspect, the Canadian UAS index is very low, meaning that they are more willing to accept new changes, such as new wireless networks or mobile phones in this case. COSMOTE Romania may offer new phones and new services, however, their message doesn’t focus on new technology, it focuses on making it easier to maintain traditional aspects of society, such as interpersonal relationships and familial bonds. The message is clear that they help connect people, and their slogan directly translated â€Å"our world is you† also demonstrates the caring/feminine aspect of Romanian culture. Hofstede’s Country Scores Literature Review The primary source of information used throughout, is Hofstede’s book, Cultures and Orgagnizations : Software of the Mind. It is important to understand his cultural dimensions and define them in order to comprehend the basis of this research. The first dimension is individualism vs collectivism. Cultures that display individualistic characteristics are thought to be independent and only take care of themselves and their immediate families. This defines the â€Å"I† culture. On the contrary, collectivist cultures work together and take care of one another, while their identity pertains to the â€Å"we† culture. The second dimension of masculinity – femininity refers to cultures that can associate and value achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material reward for success (masculine) vs. cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life. In a feminist culture, citizens look out for one another and aim to achieve consensus. The final dimension that is used to examine the commercial advertisements is uncertainty avoidance. This dimension compares those cultures that are uncomfortable with the uncertainty and such as unforeseeable results relating to business concepts, for instance. Countries with strong UAI aim to control the future instead of allowing it to happen and maintain rigid attitudes. In comparison, countries with a weak UAI score are more relaxed and will allow for a life without strict plans and control. (Hofstede, 2010) A Romanian professor, Nicolae Bibu, from West University Timisoara also identifies Romanian culture characteristics as being collective and feminist with high uncertainty avoidance, which supports Hofstede’s country scores. He writes a piece named Convergences of the Romanian societal culture with European culture clusters in the process of European integration. The role of intercultural teams management in increasing European cohesion and analyzes Romanian culture as an Eastern European (EE) country as he finds that most EE countries have similar societal values. He states that â€Å"EE cluster’s societal values is characterized by much more performance, future oriented, humane, lower level of power differentiation, a higher level of structure (uncertainty avoidance), and a higher level of gender egalitarianism. The profile of Romanian societal values is quite similar to EE scores.† (Bibu, 2008) Canadian culture, being highly individualistic with low uncertainty avoidance is supported by three authors Scott J. Vitell Saviour L. Nwachukwu James H. Barnes as they write their piece The Effects of Culture on Ethical Decision-Making: An Application of Hofstedes Typology. 3 This paper deals with the way different cultures approach ethical business practices and their notions of what is ethical, depending on their national values as described by Hofstede. The authors compare individualistic cultures with low uncertainty avoidance and use Canada and the US to compare them to Japan, having opposing values. Their research describes the way business practitioners behave when making ethical decisions. Canadian business practitioners consider themselves to be primary stakeholders whereas; the Japanese would consider other employees and stakeholders to be more important. (Vitell; Nwachukwu; Barnes, 1993) This highlights the differences between cultures high and individualism and those who are high on collectivism. Romania would be in line with the Japanese culture on this score. This research paper supports the findings while comparing Romanian and Canadian commercials as it defines similar behaviours in business practitioners than in the messages portrayed in the commercials being analyzed. Thus, the examples the authors offer demonstrate and explain how the different behaviours reflect national values. Method Primary Research To determine whether or not Hofstede’s country scores based on individualism- collectivism (IC), masculinity-femininity (MF) and uncertainty avoidance (UA), participant observation was used in a natural setting, with a narrative recording. Thereafter, the findings have been applied to determine if it would be logical for the Romanian commercial to display collectivist, feminist aspects of society with a high level of uncertainty avoidance and if it would also be logical for the Canadian commercial to display individualist and masculine aspects of society with a low level of uncertainty. Having visited Romania several times and more recently, I observed the way people interacted with one another and drew conclusions regarding their mindset that would reflect their cultural values. Three age groups were observed: 20-30, 45-55, 75-85. For Canada, the knowledge gained from growing up in the country is used and the same age groups are kept into consideration. Secondary Research COSMOTE Romania offers information on their vision, stance and philosophy which is found on their website. This was used to identify their purpose and relate it to the ways COSMOTE projects themselves through their commercials. Rogers Wireless also offers plenty of information on their corporate website which was used to compare the same internal message that they project to the public. In addition, Hofstede’s country scores and cultural dimensions and the additional sources that offer patterns of behaviour with opposing cultural dimensions are used to support the validity of commercial messaging intending to relate to cultural values (see literature review). Results Cultural values are most obvious in older age groups. However, depending on familial values and personality, some may be carried down to the younger generations as it has been apparent. Spending a weekend in Brasov, Romania, a group of three males, aged 21-30 were observed in their interactions with their girlfriends and amongst each other. All three males will be named X, Y and Z for this narrative recording. X and Y are childhood friends, where as Z is a recent acquaintance. All three males displayed caring qualities for each other even with the new acquaintance. They look out for one another in the sense that they offer all their belongings without any question. The same goes for the females, 1, 2 and 3. 1 and 2 are cousins and 3 is a recent acquaintance as well. Female 3 invited the new females 1 and 2 into her home with male Z instead of having them find a hotel to stay for a weekend. All members greet each other very closely by kissing each other on the cheek and the host will always have drinks or food to offer the guests. The guests always bring a gift to the host as sign of respect. A bizarre observation: the birthday girl pays for all her invitees. She is celebrating herself so she doesn’t see why others should pay for her if she wants to have the people she is closest with spend her birthday with her. This displays the collectivist aspect of Romanian culture. In addition, all grandparents consider it their duty to care for their grandchildren while grandparents will always be taken care of by their children even if it means taking them into their home until the end of their lives. Similar observations were made amongst the other age groups. Family and relationships are very important in Romania, and everyone is a team player. More obviously amongst the elders, order is very important. They appreciate certainty and do not take risks for the sake of living. Plans are important to be followed and decisions are made very ethically and logically. This is obvious in the way the elders interact with me, being one of a younger generation and even the advice they give about future plans and career paths. Romanian’s appreciate the relationships they have with their friends and family over material goods (a fast car, brand name items etc.) This is due to the fact that average salary in Romania is very low and thus, they try to appreciate what they already have instead of seeking material goods that are difficult to afford in the first place. Another factor that contributes to the high level of uncertainty avoidance is the communist regime that was led by Ceaucesc u until 1989. Those who lived in his time still maintain a rigid code of conduct. Ceaucescu’s regime ruled around the fact that the government must know everything about all citizens. There are no secrets so that no citizen could have any information to over through the government. In Canada, family isn’t always number one. There are many more families that are distant and don’t follow their day to day lives or check up on each other regularly than in Romania. People are risk takers. They seek instant gratification rather than carefully planning out what to do the next day, what to do with their lives in general, and what logical decision to take. Having European friends in Canada and Canadian ones as well, the differences in values are more obvious when visiting their homes. The atmosphere is different. They don’t have offerings for their guests, and the guest isn’t expected to bring an offering in return. Dinner is usually made separately from the parents or re st of the family. Everyone seems to be on their own in practice, which exemplifies the more individualist aspect of Canadian culture. Work will come before family, as has been observed. It seems like there is always competition, representing the masculine aspect of society. Material goods represent success. There are plenty of opportunities in Canada to achieve over average salaries. Due to the fact that people are individualistic and there are no expectations to care for those who are beyond their immediate families, they can focus on their business success which in turn gives them a competitive edge to be the best. This doesn’t necessarily start in school as has been observed among my friends, but when it’s time to enter the work place, money is very important. This of course also depends on personality and the family background or history. In Canada, â€Å"innovation† is a regularly used word when companies are describing their values. This again, represents the lower uncertainty avoidance as Canada’s cultural values don’t include a rigid structure and are more laid back. Thus, innovation is valued even though new ideas may or may not work risk is exciting. Conclusion By reflecting on what life in Canada is like, and by having analyzed the different interactions amongst people in Romania, it is safe to say that Hofstede’s country scores are indeed accurate. Romania is a collectivist, feminist society with a high level of uncertainty avoidance. Canada is an individualist, masculine society with a low level of uncertainty avoidance. The commercials display these findings by symbolizing values through behaviour. COSMOTE Romania’s commercial shows an elderly man, and a middle aged one both sitting on a bench. The elderly man see’s a butterfly and asks the man sitting next to him â€Å"what is that?† The man responds, â€Å"a butterfly.† The same question is asked three times before the middle aged man is frustrated. When the elderly man asks the middle aged one to read a passage from a book he shows him, the story unfolds. The middle aged man used to ask his father (the elder) over and over what that (the butterfly) is and his father would answer every time, without anger or frustration. This defines the care the father showed his young son, and how the now grown up son should treat his father. Here, the symbol of a feminist, collectivist society is obvious. The message at the end of the commercial is â€Å"we are offered so much time to talk, but we don’t find the time to listen† and COSMOTE’s network helps you find that time to listen. The Rogers commercial shows two business men having lunch, and one is anxious because he has to get back to work in time, as his cell phone doesn’t offer the same capabilities that the other man’s does. The man with the Rogers cell phone is able to do some work while he’s having lunch so he doesn’t have to rush back to his desk to finish his work. This demonstrates the masculine and individual aspect of society as one man is ahead of the other in his work, and it symbolizes a sort of competition. They don’t work together as they are looking out for individual needs. Also, the message Rogers carries across is a rise in technological innovations making it obvious that uncertainty avoidance in Canadian culture is low. Limitations to the research include the limited settings of interpersonal interaction in Romania and also, the fact that I was not able to visit Canada again, my observations were based on the general knowledge and experiences I had encountered in the past. There were not many publications or research available on Romanian and Canadian values and how they are represented in society or through marketing communications. However, due to the fact that I have been close to Romanian and Canadian culture, I was able to relate my findings in accordance to the messages and values displayed in both commercials and identify the accuracy in Hofstede’s country scores. Commercial Links COSMOTE Romania http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc-76rGfVBk Rogers Communications http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V15Cfnwo8Lsfeature=related Works Cited Bibu, N.(2000). Comparative Management. The cultural approach. Mirton Publishing House, Romania, pp.9-10. Accessible at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1156343 Mooij, M de (2009). Global Marketing and Advertising. Understanding Cultural Paradoxes. Sage publications. Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G.J Minkov M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations : Softwares of the Mind . Published by McGraw-Hill. Pepenel, Madelaine; Voicu Ioana-Iulica.(2010). The Organisational Structure of Telecommunications Companies Case study: The OTE Group. Accessible at http://ssrn.com/abstract=1804512 Roper, Steven D. (1994). The Romanian revolution from a theoretical perspective. Communist and Post-Communist Studies.Volume 27, Issue 4, December 1994, Pages 401–410. Accessible at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0967067X94900043 Vitel l, Scott J.; Nwachukwu, Saviour L.; Barnes, James H. (1993). The Effects of Culture on Ethical Decision-Making:An Application of Hofstedes Typology. Journal of Business Ethics 12: 753—760. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. Accessible at: http://wwwkrcmar.informatik.tumuenchen.de/lehre%5Clv_materialien.nsf/intern01/632C3F7767 61A11BC1257871005959C6/$FILE/Paper%2018.pdf Verluyten, Paul S. (2010) Intercultural Skills for International Business and International Relations: A Practical Introduction with Exercises. Published by: ACCO, Belgium. Samovar, Larry A; Porter, Richard E; McDaniel, Edwin R; Roy, Carolyn S. (2010). Communication Between Cultures, 8th edition, International edition. Published by: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Websites http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html http://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal?_nfpb=true_pageLabel=about_landingcustomer_t ype=Residential http://www.cosmote.ro/en/WhoWeAre.aspx?style=stylesns=-10002cid=17218

Bears :: essays research papers

Traveling in bear country can be quite thrilling. Coming face to face with a bear would be terrifying. Most bear attacks can be avoided, but there is always a chance of encountering a bear. Although nothing is one hundred percent guaranteed effective, here are a list of some tips that might prove to be useful in a bear encounter. Be Alert in Bear Country . Always have Bear Deterrent Pepper Spray in its holster ready for immediate use. Don\'t bury it in your pack. . Be alert where recent bear activity has been documented by park officials: Fish and Game, Forest Service, and other Public Service people. Some Common areas where bears like to roam are: avalanche chutes, stream beds, dense edge cover and, in late summer, berry patches. . Use extreme caution when traveling on trails at night or at either end of the day. . Be careful with food smells - never cook close to camp. Store all foods in plastic away from camp at night when camp is unattended. Store them at least 100 yards away from camp. Hang them at least 14 feet up a tree and hung 4 feet away from the trunk. . Watch for fresh bear scant or tracks on the trail or near possible camp sites. . If possible, make plenty of noise on the trail, especially on blind curves, in dense vegetation or areas with limited vision.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . Be aware of the wind - bears have an excellent sense of smell. If the wind is at your back, the chances are a bear will smell you and leave well before you reach it. If the wind is blowing in your face, the chances of an encounter will greatly increase. In high wind situations or along creeks and streams, a bear might not hear you coming or you might not hear it. . Dead animal carcass - If you come upon a dead animal carcass, immediately leave the area. Bears will often feed on a carcass for days and also stay in the area to protect their food. . Bear cubs - If you see a bear cub, chances are the mother is not far away. Female bears will fiercely defend the young, so it is best you leave the area and find a different path. . Keep dogs under control - dogs can lead an angry bear back to you. . Do not travel alone in bear country. Invite a friend.

Old Spice Ad Analysis

December 11, 2012 Comp I Advertisement Analysis Advertisements come in various shapes, sizes, and mediums, and as humans, we are constantly surrounded by them. Whether they are on TV, radio, or in a magazine, there is no way that we can escape them. They all have their target audience for whom the advertisers have specifically designed the ad. When a company produces a commercial, their main objective is to get their product to sell. This is a multibillion-dollar industry and the advertisers study all the ways that they can attract their audience’s attention.The producers of advertisements have many tactics and strategies they use when producing an ad to get consumers to buy their product. These include things such as rhetorical appeals, logical fallacies, and â€Å"the male gaze. † The function of marketing is to either increase the number of customers or increase the rate of use among current customers. The number of customers can be increased by converting customers from competing brands, developing loyalty to the brand among current customers, or expanding the total market for the product class. The more ads they make, the more they in turn have to make in order to get our attention, it’s led to a vicious circle of clutter† (PBS Frontline: The Persuaders). Advertising is a battle of which company can fill up the most empty wall space. Consequently, cities turn into a mass chaos of posters and billboards. Subway tunnels have now been turned into moving pictures, to produce almost a â€Å"commercial† if you will. The buses themselves have been turned into moving billboards. Nowadays the thirty-minute block for a television show is about 15 minutes worth of advertisements and 15 minutes of the actual show.Along with that, many people are actually being paid to be an advertisement, whether it be standing out in front of a building with a sign, or putting a company decal on their car. Advertisements, likewise, cannot be escaped. However, often advertisers have to be sure and not â€Å"over do† their advertisements, or else the audience in which they are trying to appeal to will become annoyed. Old Spice, a major company for men’s hygienic products, has created a line of men’s body wash that has a very appealing and humorous advertising campaign.These ads are designed not only to get their product noticed in the marketplace, but also to eclipse other lines of men’s body wash. The Old Spice commercials imply that by using their product, a man will be or become more similar to the Old Spice man, or in other words, the ultimate man. The Old Spice advertisements capture men by reaching out to the needs of women, giving the ideal image of what a man should be and how he should smell, and by creating a sexual theme that attracts attention. The bottles used for all Old Spice products have red incorporated within the design.This is because red is the color of attraction. That is why red always surrounds Valentine's day. Red can also signify power and strength. The Old Spice design tries to go with a classic, authentic look. It wants to appeal to a variety of ages. It has a very sophisticated look (Keitel). In our society, an extremely smart and effective way of selling a product designed for men is to appeal to women. Women have many opinions on commercials that deal with men’s products, and if they like the commercials, they will be more apt to either buy the product themselves or influence the men they know to buy it.Advertisers not only use sexual appeals to attract attention to their ads, but to position their brands as sexual and to suggest that sex-related benefits can ensue to the brand purchasers. In Old Spice’s current ad campaign, there are a series of commercials using different actors and sports stars that are very fit and good looking to highlight their body wash. In the ad they use ex-NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa, promoting elements of masculinity, sex appeal, and humor.In the ad, Mustafa is coming out of a shower dressed only in a towel, saying in a deep voice, â€Å"Hello, ladies†, and then continuing to talk directly to women viewers, telling them to look alternately at him and then the man sitting next to them for the implied comparison in which no normal man would come out very well. The commercial then continues with rapidly shifting scenes that show Mustafa in romantic fantasy–? like settings designed to appeal to women. He is shirtless on a sailboat at sunset, then holding tickets to â€Å"that thing you love†.The tickets then turn into diamonds, and finally then ad ends with Mustafa sitting shirtless on a white stallion on a tropical beach. The commercial’s appeal to women relies not only on the attractiveness of the actor and the settings, but to the humor that is based on the idea that such a perfect man can exist at all. Conversely, not only do these commercials reach out to women, but also there are men in the target audience and there is a message for them as well. These ads present an ideal image of how a man should be and what he should smell like.By using a good looking, fit, man for this advertisement, it gives the product an image that men want. The logical fallacy, ad populum, is present in this commercial. This ad almost shouts out the ideas that if you use the product you can look, smell, and be exactly like the man you see on your television. The Old Spice man, Mustafa, does everything better than you do and will give your woman more than you can give her. You can smell like the â€Å"ultimate man†, or as the slogan used in the ads says, â€Å"Smell like a man†.The ad makes a man react emotionally and appeal directly to his masculinity, vanity, and even his insecurity in being able to impress, attract, and keep women happy. This ad also portrays the idea of â€Å"scopophilia†. Scopophila is known as the pleasure in lo oking; by this, women want to have a pleasure in looking at their man, and the only way that will happen is if he uses Old Spice. In addition to appealing to women’s tastes and a man’s emotional need to smell like a manly man and attract a woman, this commercial uses the old reliable advertising strategy – sex sells.A sexually themed commercial can appeal to both men and women, and is sure to attract attention. Men and women are often portrayed in a sexual manner in ads of products that have absolutely nothing to do with sex itself. However, the sexiness of the advertisement causes people to remember the ad, and thus the product. This sexiness in advertising is enhanced and affected by the physical attributes of the models, their movement or actions, their interactions if there is more than one model, and the special effects provided by the camera.The desired result is achieved, because of the sexual nature of the ad, a fit and good-looking man talking directly to women in a seductive voice and in a romantic location. People, both men and women, stop what they are doing and watch. Sex can make the beholder feel young again. Sex may also reassure men of their masculinity and women of their femininity. The sexual content of the commercial also does more than grab people’s attention, it helps them remember the ads.The Old Spice ads are successful because they make an impression on people and lead to discussions with other people who have seen them. The advertisers do have to be careful with the use of sex appeal in these ads. If the sexual content is overdone, it might not work as intended. They need to make sure that people are not so distracted by the sexual appeal of the ad that they do not remember what the ad was for in the first place. It does not do any good to create a sensual or sexual message when all they can remember is the image and not the brand name.Therefore, advertisers need to make sure the sexual/sensual image being used is connected in some way to the product or service being promoted. This will create a link between the two and make the viewer much more likely to remember the product or service being advertised. When making a sexual ad, producers must tailor the message to the people they are targeting, which includes understanding the audience’s feelings and beliefs on public sexuality. Women have a different viewpoint on the subject of sexual appeal in advertisements.The objectification of women in advertising campaigns has significant psychological implications. It socializes women to think of them in the manner in which they are depicted, and causes them to engage in self-objectification. When women view advertisements featuring thin female models, it causes them to think that their own bodies should also be thin, creates anxieties relating to their weight, appearance, body satisfaction, and creates a negative mood. Thus, their body image causes them to suffer emotionally and psych ologically.Bordo states in her essay, â€Å"Today, as many as one million men – and eight million women – have an eating disorder. † Perhaps, by buying the advertised items, the viewing audience of women believes they will instantly become taller, thinner, younger, and prettier. This is not the same psychological effect experienced by women who view ads with female models of average proportions, or with no female models at all. Objectification of women in advertisements and emphasis on the size of their breasts has created a society of cosmetically enhanced, large-breasted women.Their self-image is predicated on the media's portrayal of a desirable woman. In order to have high self-esteem, and see themselves as attractive and valued women, many females feel this enhancement is necessary. Most human consumption is a result of a drive to satisfy sensuous desires. Advertising uses sexual images to encourage this consumption. People become dissatisfied with their im perfect selves, and seek to become perfect by buying the sexually charged products. Sex is an easy way to get the attention of males and make a product seem desirable.Women are objectified, and men are swayed to purchase the product and as a reward, get the women. The women represented in these ads are all beautiful and physically well endowed. Men are stimulated by the immediate physical sexuality in the ads, whereas women seem to be more stimulated by the sexuality for the romantic aspect of it. Men want to get the women. Women want the sexuality for the promise of the future. There seems to be no question that the use of sexuality in advertising helps to sell a product.However, when sexuality is used, the concept is true that there is greater consumer interest in observing the ads. This increased consumer interest often leads to the purchase of the advertised product. Works Cited Bordo, Susan. â€Å"Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body†. Writing Analytically with Reading. 2n d ed. EDS. Rossenwasser, David and Jill Stephen. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 821-843. Print. Keitel, Victoria. â€Å"Old Spice Analysis. † Personal. PSU. n. d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012 Rushkoff, Douglas. â€Å"The Persuaders. † PBS Frontline. 9 Nov. 2004. Web. 11 Nov. 2012

“If I Had A Choice” By Walt Whitan Essay

Wave resemblance in Walt Whitman’s â€Å"If I Had the Choice† Although not rhythmically or metrically consistent throughout, Walt Whitman’s poem â€Å"If I Had the Choice† is very consistent in its attempt to resemble the characteristics, specifically the waves, of the sea; whether read, heard, or seen, the poem’s adaptation to a wave’s nature is clearly evident. Whitman’s use of repeated, but not uniform, rhythm in the poem exposes the â€Å"up and down† nature of waves, while the sudden, drastic change in rhythm helps depict the crashing of a wave. The metrical variation in the poem similarly attributes to the resemblance of a wave, for it goes hand in hand with the length of each line, giving the poem the physical characteristics of a wave. While the there is no metrical consistency throughout the poem (probably done because no two waves are identically alike), there is a noticeable pattern and consistency in the rhythm of the poem. The consecutive use of iambs in the first five lines of the poem help to not only emphasize the steady motion of the sea, but more importantly to give the poem a sense of the â€Å"up and down† motion of the waves in the sea; the pattern of unstressed/stressed/unstressed/stressed syllables in every line is very similar to the up and down undulation of a wave. The shift from the iambic rhythm in lines one through five to a â€Å"loud,† sudden spondee in line six clearly depicts the image of a wave crashing. The spondaic rhythm (stress/stress) of the first two words in line six, â€Å"These, these,† is an unexpected, drastic change from the prior unstressed/stressed pattern. Similar to the crashing of a wave, this change was drastic, and quick; it does not last long, hence the reason for the poem’s quick return to an iambic rhythm. The poem’s last three lines are once again consistently iambic; they are back to the quiet, pacific motion of waves in the sea. Just as the height of a wave affects the power of a wave, the meter of this poem affects it’s rhythm. Although there is no specific pattern for the number of feet per line in this poem, the meter is still greatly significant. When broken up iambically, the number of feet increase steadily from line one to four, until we reach line five, the longest (10 feet) line. The length of line five is significantly important in portraying the nature of waves; it is representative of the amplitude of a wave before it is about  to crash. Line five is ten feet long because it is followed by line six, the line in which there was a sudden rhythmical change, which portrayed the crashing of the wave. Once it crashes, the waves return to their prior size, just as the following lines of the poem go back to having the same range of feet as they did before line five. The alternating number of feet per line also allow the poem’s structure to resemble a wave; no two waves are similar in frequency (height) or amplitude (width), just as no two sentences of this poem are identical in length. As the lines approach the middle of the poem, they get longer, and then begin decreasing in size after they reached the longest point, line five. Since line five, the middle of the poem, is the longest line, when held sideways, this line is representative of the middle of a wave, it’s highest point right before it crashes. By using rhythm and meter skillfully, this poem is successful in imitating the rhythm of the sea, and the â€Å"meter† of the waves in the sea. In doing this, Whitman makes a very distinctive point; rhythm and meter affect each other, just as the height of a wave affects it’s crash. This relationship is evident whether one reads, sees or hears this poem.

Margaret Sanger Essay Example

Margaret Sanger Essay Example Margaret Sanger Essay Margaret Sanger Essay Margaret Sanger was a pioneering advocate for birth control in the United States, along with Asia and Europe, during the 20th century. In her autobiography, Margaret explains the many obstacles she had to overcome and what were her driving forces during her crusade for womens rights throughout the early to mid 20th century. Margaret was born on September 14, 1879 in Corning, NY into a middle class family. She was sixth of the eleven children her mother gave birth to. Her father was an Irish-born stonemason who challenged the children to think. Margarets father practiced Socialism because he believed it was the closest to the Christian philosophy. Margaret has also cited him as, the spring from which she drank from. Her mother, a Catholic Irish-American, stayed at home with the children, which was expected of mothers during this period. At fifty Margarets mother died from tuberculosis, although, Margaret believes it was the frequent birth that was the underlying cause to her death. Her two older sisters helped Margaret attend college in 1896 and then continued in a nursing program in 1900. During her work at the hospital as a nurse, she was always touched by the trust given to a nurse during the birth of a child. Soon after the birth, Margaret would be bombarded with questions, from various mothers, on what they could do to prevent having another child to soon. Besides her patients, even though her father disapproved of her being a nurse, the ideals, of generosity and equality, set by her father and the death of her mother along with their struggles financially in daily life were the underlying force that drove her. Margaret believed that the right to decide and choose when to have children was the key to independence, along with economic stability, for women. In 1902, Margaret married and had three children. They moved to New York City by 1910, where she continued work as a visiting nurse, and joined a circle of intellectual activists. Liberals, Socialists, anarchists, and I. W. W. s would meet in their living room to express their ideals for society. Margaret compares this time, pre-WWI, to the Renaissance where ideas flourished as everyone spoke about new liberties. Margaret joined a Socialist Party in which someone had donated a sum of money towards the interest of women in Socialism. Margaret was chosen to help recruit new members among working women. A woman in the group asked Margaret to help her speak to a handful of women about labor. Margaret did not feel qualified enough to talk about labor but instead spoke to them about health. The women asked so many intimate questions about family life that Margaret told the woman, who asked her to go along with her to speak, about it. Together they decided to create an article for women to answer some common questions about sex, What Ever Girl Should Know (1912), which would be published in a newsletter named the Call. The article ran for only three or four weeks due to the Comstock laws, which the Post Office was able to enforce. She soon began to write again but was unable to include such information as STDs. Margaret was later asked, during a labor strike, to help with the children. This was Margarets first encounter, in all her nursing in the slums, with children in such a ragged and deplorable a condition. Although Margaret tried to help wherever she could, she kept thinking that their must be something more she could do for the poor families who needed some kind of assistance in order to bring them out of the slums. She saw strikes as the need of man to support his family in a healthy condition. Furthermore, Margaret was resenting the fact that women were not being included in this new world everyone was trying to create. She believed people were overlooking the issue of quality when anyone spoke about life. Margaret began to see her patients as a woman in childbirth but as a person and began to examine their background along with their outlook. Again, Margaret would be bombarded with question on how to prevent pregnancies. Within her circle in the middle class, she had only known about two methods but both placed the responsibility solely on the male. Among this class, pregnancy was a chronic condition. As Margaret visited more often, she began to hear stories about miscarriages or deaths, which all, even with some kind of sorrow, was accompanied by relief. Even of women who died from an abortion or a child who was institutionalized came to them, although sorrowful, as a relief. The turning point for Margaret to become more then just a nurse but try to help create something to prevent pregnancies for women came almost instantly after losing one of her patients who merely months before pleaded with her for the secret to not get pregnant again since it would kill her. Margaret searched for information but even when she found some she would hit a wall which would unable her from passing the information along, the federal Comstock law (1873). The Comstock law prohibited any form of literature or practice of contraception, or abortion. In 1913, Margaret and her husband moved to Europe hoping to escape the poverty and despair she had seen. In England, Margaret found that the situation was more horrific then in America. Women were walking around with half a shawl around them and the other to cover their babies. Poor women were treated as the lowest of the low and had no help to change their condition. In France Margaret noticed that peasant women had a limited family size and asked how they were able to do it, to which they replied that there were recipes that were handed down from generations. Frenchwomen regarded the use of such contraception, as their individual right. The peasant women knew no man would marry them unless, she knew how to limit the amount of children she would have, thus lessening any financial burden. The last day in December (1913), Margaret left her husband with her kids to return to America with the handful of recipes she had collected. It was on this trip Margaret came up with the idea to publish a magazine, called The Woman Rebel, to help the poor women who had no voices. She decided to take on the smaller Comstock state laws and published The Woman Rebel, in 1914. This was published monthly, which advocated birth control. She had three attempts in which she attempted to circulate the magazine that ended up banned due to the Post Office. Margaret was soon served papers to appear in court for violating the Comstock laws and if convicted would face no less then 45 years. Margaret compiled all her contraceptive information onto a pamphlet called, Family Limitation, as a different approach to getting the information out the low-middle class families in New York. It was printed once, during the night, but unfortunately due to lack of funds, only a hundred thousand copies were created. Margaret was unwilling to risk jail time once she was refused time to organize her case and skipped bail leaving her children. Margaret headed for England under the alias Bertha Watson. Once in England, she sought other people who held similar beliefs and supported her in order to build a case. Margaret met Havelock Ellis, who she became very influenced by due to his beliefs on the importance in female sexuality. Margaret broadened her case by turning to the physiological aspect of birth control. In 1915, Margaret was jailed for thirty days for her distribution of Family Limitation. Shortly after Margaret returned to New York and faced the charges she had ran from. Unfortunately during this time Margarets daughter died, the government decided to drop the charges if she said she would never break the Comstock law again, to which she denied. Margaret then turned to the argument of freedom of speech and not only became a leader in that but was approached to present the new idea about clinics. Margaret based clinics on those seen in Netherlands while she was there. There was no such law against birth control as in America and therefore had several clinics to help women and their family condition through contraception. In 1916, Margaret opened the doors not only to the first birth control clinic in New York, or the country, but also across the world, except for the Netherlands. Before Margaret opened the door, there was a huge line that rounded the corner. Once inside, she simply explained what contraception was and that abortion was the wrong thing to do, because of not only the health risks but also you are still taking a life. Nine days later Margaret was arrested and the clinic was shut down. Margaret was convicted and spent thirty days in prison. Despite her conviction, the publicity surrounding the Brownsville Clinic caught the attention of many wealthy supporters. Together they started a movement to reform birth control. New York State ruled that only doctors could run clinics in which contraceptive information could be given out; therefore, in 1923 Margaret opened a doctor-run clinic. The clinic, the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau, was born and had all female doctors along with social workers, thus becoming a model for all other clinics in America, (Plan Parenthood). In 1929, Margaret founded the National Committee on Federal Legislations for birth Control. Its purpose was to pass a bill so doctors could legally dispense contraceptives, which eventually failed due to the Catholic Churchs influence. However, the courts did eventually, in 1936, rule that the Comstock laws did not apply to physicians. Through the many struggles during an era of turmoil, Margaret Sanger was a woman who stayed strong in her beliefs and went to great lengths to selflessly help mothers. Margaret Sanger helped in the production of most of the contraception used today, such as: spring-form diaphrams, spermicidal jellies, foam powders, hormonal contraceptives, and even the birth control pill. Compared to secondary sources Margaret Sangers autobiography is written in much depth about her life and the obstacles she had to overcome. As a reader, you are able to intimately know Margaret, at least what she wants you to know. In the autobiography, especially when Margaret describes her home life, she states what the outward appearance is, or in other instances the situation, and then weaves together how she fits not only personally but also emotionally. The autobiography lets the reader view the actions as Margaret saw them. This approach, unlike the secondary source, gave me a greater respect toward her strength not only as an activist but also as a woman. From a second hand source, you have a distance between the reader and Margaret, although it is mostly composed of facts with no emotion. Also, a secondary source such as Margaret Sanger: Biographical Sketch, did not show how Margaret managed to succeed at her goals yet merely spoke about them and how they influenced the culture today rather then the direct people at that time. In another secondary source, Margaret Sanger, the mother of birth control, the text is written much like Margarets autobiographies introduction in which there is no meat, input for Margaret, yet just facts. Margarets autobiography opens a mysterious window into the past in which the reader feels her pain, her fears, and becomes part of society as we watch this woman unfold out of her cocoon and take flight. She was able to lightly capture many themes during that era. The only downfall to an autobiography is the reader is unable to see the perspective from the opposing view or the outside events other then from Margarets viewpoint. Margaret, not only in the secondary sources but also her autobiography, appeared not to have changed direction of her goal yet took different avenues to achieve it. Margaret went from wanting free contraceptive devises for all as a Socialist, to clinics in which doctors dispenced contraceptive devices as an Idealist/Feminist. Margarets autobiography also extended beyond the movement in America, unlike the other sources, into Europe comparing/contrasting the government and personal ideals towards motherhood. As a reader, I feel compelled to question how Margaret supported her children once she began to travel and the effects it caused on her children, especially when she left her husband just to turn around to protest her charges in New York. I have trouble seeing how the threat of jail would not affect her decision. Also, Margaret included many areas that I felt were weak, the dead space, who she was running around with after her and her husband separated; although, to historians this information may be useful. As a reader, I enjoyed the different stories about her experiences and interactions with people as a nurse and the court trials. I find it fascinating the society, along with our culture, has change so much.

Free Essays on Juvenile Arson

Youth Arson There was a time when children were considered innocent, when kids could only do harmless things. This is not the case any more in this day and age. There are many different explanations and ideas concerning the reasons for why criminal behavior has developed by such young ages. Two theories to consider when discussing the acts of arson in youth are the Neutralization Theory and Social Control Theory. First the Neutralization Theory was developed by David Matza, in which developed from the classical school. This theory was developed based on the idea of free will. The idea being all crime resulted from a choice that could potentially be made by anyone and that most crime could be explained through human nature. A youth that commits a crime such as arson does it on their own free will. They made the individual choice to commit this crime. Youths that are delinquent are able to commit crimes and come up with good reason why it was not their fault. They do use one of five neutralization techniques that Matza has developed. The youths free will allows this neutralization process to take place. This process includes two key elements. The first element being preparation. A teen will prepare themselves before committing their crime by using a variety of different methods. The younger children who commit arson are not going to be able to grasp this concept of preparation, but juveniles a ges 13- 18 do. Juvenile offenders consider methods of preparation such as the likelihood of getting caught if there are police officers in the area, how others might have committed the same act without getting caught, and take into account the amount of punishment they may get. The juvenile also things about his past experiences committing the same crime and learns from his mistakes. The second element in this theory is desperation. Desperation plays a part in the juvenile choice to commit arson by offering them a free will to commit such an... Free Essays on Juvenile Arson Free Essays on Juvenile Arson Youth Arson There was a time when children were considered innocent, when kids could only do harmless things. This is not the case any more in this day and age. There are many different explanations and ideas concerning the reasons for why criminal behavior has developed by such young ages. Two theories to consider when discussing the acts of arson in youth are the Neutralization Theory and Social Control Theory. First the Neutralization Theory was developed by David Matza, in which developed from the classical school. This theory was developed based on the idea of free will. The idea being all crime resulted from a choice that could potentially be made by anyone and that most crime could be explained through human nature. A youth that commits a crime such as arson does it on their own free will. They made the individual choice to commit this crime. Youths that are delinquent are able to commit crimes and come up with good reason why it was not their fault. They do use one of five neutralization techniques that Matza has developed. The youths free will allows this neutralization process to take place. This process includes two key elements. The first element being preparation. A teen will prepare themselves before committing their crime by using a variety of different methods. The younger children who commit arson are not going to be able to grasp this concept of preparation, but juveniles a ges 13- 18 do. Juvenile offenders consider methods of preparation such as the likelihood of getting caught if there are police officers in the area, how others might have committed the same act without getting caught, and take into account the amount of punishment they may get. The juvenile also things about his past experiences committing the same crime and learns from his mistakes. The second element in this theory is desperation. Desperation plays a part in the juvenile choice to commit arson by offering them a free will to commit such an...