Desire and Disappointment in “A & P” and “A Woman on a Roof” Essay

It may be natural instinct for men to be attracted to a good-looking woman or one who displays more than the usual amount of skin in public. The level and type of attraction varies from one male to another. However, more often than not, the primary expectation or fantasy of the male admirer regarding the female being admired, is not met because these expectations and fantasies are based on his personal conceptions and stereotypes about what women should be and not what the particular woman he chances upon is in reality. The male protagonists in John Updike’s â€Å"A & P† and Doris Lessing’s â€Å"A Woman on a Roof† exhibit different expectations on the female characters they meet but in the end, all of them would be disappointed and disillusioned with both the female character and, in turn, their own selves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Updike’s hero is 19 year-old Sammy who works in the checkout counter of a convenience store. One day, three young women walk into the store in their swimsuits. Sammy’s reaction, along with another young but married co-worker, is typical of men their age: they gawk at the woman with sexual desire. Written in the first person point of view of the main character, the reader notes that what Sammy notices about the women are the usual things that men desire in women like â€Å"long white prima-donna legs†¦(and) clean bare plane of the top of her chest down from the shoulder bones†¦(Updike).† Her admiration becomes more than a physical attraction, however, when the store manager reproaches the girls for their out-of-place outfits. In a burst of impulse, Sammy resigns from his job, his reason being that he could not take the embarrassment that the store manager inflicts upon the girls. He imagines his resignation to be a heroic act which he expects the girls to notic. To his disappointment, however, they do not even look back at him. Outside the store, Sammy thinks about â€Å"how hard the world was going to be (Updike)† afterwards. He realizes that the heroism is simply his own conception about what he does and nobody else, especially not the girls, get it. He loses his job in the process and he has too much pride to take it back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The three male protagonists in Doris Lessing’s story, meanwhile, react upon the sight of a barely-clad woman sunbathing on a rooftop. Like Sammy, the men lust at the sight of the woman in â€Å"red scarf tied around her breasts and brief red bikini pants (Lessing).† The initial reaction evolves differently among the three men, however, as the sunbathing woman becomes a daily distraction to their work. Harry, past middle-age, reminds the other two to think of their own wives as they look at the woman. To him, the woman is a possession that should be reined and controlled and the particular woman on the roof must have had a husband that is not doing his job. The newly-married Stanley is confident that women are willing and submissive when they are coaxed. He gets along with Mrs. Pritchett because she responds to him. Tom, the youngest, has an ideal, fairy-tale image of himself. He imagines himself â€Å"at work on a crane, adjusting the arm to swing over and pick her up and swing her back across the sky to drop her near him (Lessing).† He is a hero protecting her from Stanley. All the time while the men watches, yells and whistles at her, the woman remains indifferent. Days later, Harry eventually gives up. Stanley becomes more enraged as the day becomes hotter. Tony remains hopeful but suffers the most as in the end when he decides to finally go and talk to the woman he is rejected and driven away.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Men have been used to classifying women according to types based on superficial images generated by media or during talks amongst themselves. When a man encounters someone that does not fit any of the molds, she disappoints him greatly, more than even she realizes. The characters in the two stories illustrate how hope could turn into disillusionment when a man entertains grand ideas about a woman even before understanding her. Works Cited Lessing, Doris. A Woman On A Roof. Updike, John. A & P.

An Exegetical Essay On John Chapter 1 Religion Essay

An Exegetical Essay On John Chapter 1 Religion Essay INTRODUCTION Unlike the synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John does not begin with the historical Jesus, instead, the author exalts his eternal existences over his earthly entrance into the world. The eternal existence of Jesus is perceived by the use of ‘Word’ (logos) in the prologue. Thus, the author begins his gospel with the words, ‘In the beginning was the Wordà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ John’s Gospel stresses on the deity of Jesus, he strikes the reader straight with the Greek ‘Word’ (Logos) as a replacement of Jesus until the end of the prologue. One could say that the understanding of this Gospel is centred on the ‘Word’ (logos) as a key affirmation of the entire Gospel. The prologue affirms that Jesus used the eternal ‘Word’ which has been translated from the Greek word (logos). In chapter (1:1-5) the author talked about the pre- existence, in (1:6-8) he elaborated on the witness of John the Baptist, in (1:9-13) he highlighted on the light coming to the worlds, in (1:14-18) he accounted on the incarnation of the Word. This prologue is specially or specifically designed to prepare the way for the evidence of the doings of no ordinary person but Jesus Christ. This paper is an attempt to exegete the passage of (John 1:1-18). The Pre-existence Word (1:1-5) The commencement of this Gospel as stated, ‘in the beginning was the word’ has something to do with (Genesis 1:1). John was trying to say that Jesus Christ was in the beginning and He was the ‘Word’ which existed in the beginning before creation or before the world began and ‘was fully God’ (John 1:1-3). Jesus is indeed the creator, sustainer of all belongings, our source of living and the establishment of eternal life. To understand this concept one must commence with the Father-Son relationship which is the central revelation of John’s Gospel and also the key to understand the sayings and deeds of Christ Jesus (17:5, 24). Extensively, this term (logos) which has a meaning in English as â€Å"the Word† was used in Greek literature or theologians and philosophers; among them were the ‘Stoics who used the term to describe the principle of divine reason which caused the natural creature to grow.’   [ 1 ]   Philo of Alexander was the mastermind of this idea in his writings and maintained it as an instrument of the world creation. There are dissimilarities between the usage of the ‘Word’ by John and Philo. In the mind of Philo, he by no means consider the ‘Word’ as a person and he did not maintain its pre-existence, he denied the incarnation of the ‘Word’ which is known as Jesus. But in Johns mind the ‘Word’ was maintained and became ‘flesh.’ This points to Jesus Christ who came to save humanity and dwell among them. One could say the fifth verse of this chapter shows the compassion of the auth or as a beloved disciple and an eyewitness of Jesus who is trying to communicate the good news to the Jews, Greek philosophers and all kinds of people from generation to generation in his writings. Here John declares that Jesus Christ is the true light, who shines in the darkness, but the darkness which can be translated as sinful man ‘has not understood it.’ The better understandings of this verse rely on (verse10-11).   [ 2 ]

New KFC International Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

New KFC International Structure - Essay Example There are numerous sections in the organization that management may be required such as in the Human Resource department, sales and marketing, research and the financial department. Just as with other organizations, there are major considerations for the successful operations of the organization. In this case, I intend to concentrate on increasing the sales of the firm, improving the customer and staff relations as well as minimizing conflict within the running of the firm (Stacks, 2010, p. 128). In increase, the sales there are a number of aspects that I should look into. Firstly, I have to assess the current market needs, against what KFC offers. The aim of the management in this stage is to create a competitive edge. As management, to increase the sales we have to have a proper marketing and advertising strategy, serve the customers and popularize our products. A SWOT analysis is important at this stage to ensure that all the needs of the business are met. The strengths that KFC has to include reputation, a wide point of sales, and an elaborate distribution system and community acceptance. The weaknesses that the management is to work on include a growing number of competitors, ever increasing costs of products and operational costs (Day and Antonakis, 2012, p. 123), dwindling revenue and an overwhelming pressure against the fried foods that compose a large portion of our menu. The opportunities that are presented to KFC include indulgence of organic and healthy foods, cor poration with other firms in other fields such as airlines and sporting organizers. The major threats to the company are the upcoming restaurant businesses and the tendency of customers avoiding the fast foods. In advertising, the best option to take on currently is the IT geared advertisements. The bulk that is KFC’s target is the youth and the middle-aged persons.  

Inadequacies of accounting ratios as tools of financial analysis Essay

Inadequacies of accounting ratios as tools of financial analysis - Essay Example The multi-discriminant analysis and methodologies involving ratio disaggregation or decomposition such as DuPont analysis are commonly used as well for the purpose of financial analysis. Any user of financial statements must comprehend the limitations associated with ratio analysis. Ratios are attractive as they are simple and convenient. The ratios can only be as relevant as the data upon which they are based and the information with which they are compared. One glaring limitation of ratios is that they are based on historical cost convention, which can lead to limitations in measuring performance. By not incorporating information on changes in price, inaccurate assessments of the enterprise's financial condition and performance result. Also, all users must keep in mind that where estimated items (such as depreciation and amortization) are large and significant, income ratios lose some of their credibility. Income recognized before the end of the life of the business is just an approximation. In analyzing the income statement, the user should be aware of the various assumptions used in the computation of net income. As one writer aptly noted, "The physicist has lon g since conceded that the location of an electron is best expressed by a probability curve. Surely an abstraction like earnings per share is even more subject to the rules of probability and risk." (Cheney, 1971) Probably the greatest pitfall of ratio analysis is the difficult problem in achieving comparability of firms in a given industry. Achieving comparability among firms requires that the ratio analysis (1) identifies the basic differences existing in their accounting principles and procedures and be (2) flexible enough to adjust the balances (modify the raw data) to achieve comparability. In any peers group ratio analysis it is important to compare ratios to the industry average ratios to see how one company compares to its competitors or even to compare with similar companies or within industries. In US one often uses Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) or North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes as part of peer ratio analysis. Majors like Dun and Bradstreet provides "average" ratio levels for firms in a number of different industries. Deviation from the "industry norm" by a firm may indicate one of the following: 1) a strength in the firm, 2) a weakness in the firm, or 3) a difference in the operating characteristics between the firm and the "industry norm." One must realize that a ratio that is higher than the norm is not necessarily better. This is obviously true for the debt-equity ratio and perhaps less obviously true for the current ratio. A current ratio that is too low may indicate that the firm is not able to raise cash easily; a current ratio that is too high may indicate that the firm is not investing its funds in the most profitable assets (fixed asset investment is often more

DEBATE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DEBATE - Essay Example Tyson 42) Accordingly, the studies do not control do not control for legitimate differences in compensation since qualifications, seniority, merit and business activity related factors are linked to the pay gap between men and women. According to estimates, there is no appreciable difference in men and women’s pay since ‘legitimate’ differences account for the insignificant pay gap. The federal law requires employers to prevent discrimination in their employment activities and provide healthy and safe working environment. For instance, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1967 provides for equal opportunities for the minority groups while the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigates instances of unequal treatment or discriminatory practices in employment matters (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, and Wright 66). The Equal Pay Act 1963 requires for equal pay for men and women performing the same jobs while Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prohibits discrimination of women on the basis of pregnancy (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, and Wright 65). According to 2013 statistics, women were paid 78 percent of what men were paid and all the US states experience pay gaps between men and women (Tyson 41). The worst state was Louisiana where women were paid 66 percent of what men were paid. The pay gap is even worse for minority group women since Hispanic women are paid only 54 percent of what men are paid. The women are paid less in both male and female dominated occupations and pay gap is higher for aged women since women aged more than 35 years receive only 75 to 80 percent of what men are paid (Tyson 63). In this case, HR managers must conduct pay audits in order to remedy the pay differentials while women employees must utilize their negotiation skills to attain fair pay. The federal policy makers should consider enacting new legislation that will curb pay gap (Tyson 65). The opponents of pay gap outline that women have surpassed men in college and university

Fiber Optic cables Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Fiber Optic cables - Essay Example The phenomenon of guiding light through bent glass has been early given by Leonardo DaVinci in one of his notebooks. But, he has not been able to verify this assertion. What is known for certain is that total internal reflection of light in a beam of water, basically guided light, and was given by the physicist John Tyndall in either 1854 or 1870, depending upon which reference you consult. Tyndall showed that light could be bent around a corner while it traveled through a jet of pouring water. Using light for communications came after this. . In 1934 the first patent on guided optical communications over glass was obtained by AT &T. unfortunately, no materials were available at that time to fabricate a glass (or other type of transparent material) fiber optic cable with sufficiently low attenuation to make guided optical communications possible. Between 1968 and 1970, experts who were working at a number of different academic, industrial and government laboratories dropped the attenuation of glass fiber optic cable from over 1000 dB/km to less than 20 dB/km. Corning patented its fabrication process for the cable. In the late 1980's and 1990's this progress increased with the even lower cost plastic fiber optic cable and Plastic Clad Silica (PCS). In last few years a number of oceanic fiber optic cables have been fabricated. One cable was fabricated in 1990. That was relatively non-controversial. However, as additional cables were introduced, the coastal fishing industry became increasingly concerned about the loss of fishing ground resulting from cable placement, and their liability should they come into contact with a cable. Another cable was fabricated in 1998. To represent their interests a number of coastal fishers formed a committee. After discussion on numerous issues, the fishers and the cable owner reached on a conc lusion that has served as the basis for later agreements' between these two groups in Oregon. Two concentric layers termed the core and the cladding are the basic composition of a fiber optic cable. These layers are shown in the following figure. Fiber Optic Cable, 3 dimensional view and its basic cross section Both core and cladding have different refraction indexes with the core having R1 and the cladding R2. Light is piped through the core. In Fiber optic cable an additional coating termed as jacket is also provided around the cladding. Core, cladding and jacket are all shown in the three dimensional view on the left side of above Figure. The jacket is usually made up of one or more layers of polymer. This jacket protects the core and cladding from shocks that might affect their optical or physical properties. It acts like a shock absorber. The jacket also provides protection from abrasions, solvents, Small oil

Leisure Facility Proposal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leisure Facility Proposal - Research Paper Example The underground garage would still be an underground garage. The need for parking space would still be aessential. People coming to the Leisure Centre would require parking. It would be more convenient to keep the current parking spaces for the new Leisure Centre. The 1st and 2ndlevels would be made up of locker rooms, refreshments, and other various kiosks.The 1st floor would have the refreshments and kiosks. Customers that had just worked out could watch the ice skaters, or mothers could have a beverage while watching their children. The 2nd floor would have the locker rooms. This is practical as well as necessary since the toilets of the Central Library are currently on the 2nd floor (Birmingham Central Library). Showers and toilets could be installed more efficiently on the 2nd floor. The 3rd floor would be the regular weight lifting gym. Weights, barbells, and other weight machines would be offered on the 3rd floor. The 4th floor would be a cardio floor with independent and instructor led activities. Treadmills, jump ropes, and other cardio activities would be offered on the 4th floor. The 5th floor would be a child friendly floor. Activities for children would be here. A day care facility would be open for mums and dads. Gym related activities would be available as well. On the 6th floor racquetball courts would be offered. A track would be available on the outside of the racquetball rooms. The racquetball rooms would be heavy duty glass rooms in the middle. ... People coming to the Leisure Centre would require parking. It would be more convenient to keep the current parking spaces for the new Leisure Centre. The 1st and 2nd levels would be made up of locker rooms, refreshments, and other various kiosks. The 1st floor would have the refreshments and kiosks. Customers that had just worked out could watch the ice skaters, or mothers could have a beverage while watching their children. The 2nd floor would have the locker rooms. This is practical as well as necessary since the toilets of the Central Library are currently on the 2nd floor (Birmingham Central Library). Showers and toilets could be installed more efficiently on the 2nd floor. The 3rd floor would be the regular weight lifting gym. Weights, barbells, and other weight machines would be offered on the 3rd floor. The 4th floor would be a cardio floor with independent and instructor led activities. Treadmills, jump ropes, and other cardio activities would be offered on the 4th floor. The 5th floor would be a child friendly floor. Activities for children would be here. A day care facility would be open for mums and dads. Gym related activities would be available as well. On the 6th floor racquetball courts would be offered. A track would be available on the outside of the racquetball rooms. The racquetball rooms would be heavy duty glass rooms in the middle. The activities and services that are being planned can all be justified. An ice skating ring built on a ground level that could support pools and water is an opportunity that cannot be passed up. The customers need a place to park, so the parking garage is also obligatory. When individuals work out, they get thirsty, need showers, and need a place to put their things. The 1st