Analysis Of The Things They Carried - 1106 Words

Beginning. Thematic Statement: â€Å"The Things They Carried†- The mental and morale that a person go through is intense because it becomes the fundamental that will be throughout the whole story. Device Concrete Detail w/ MLA Commentary Situational Irony of how the soldier talked about Lavender â€Å"They told stories about Ted Lavender’s supply of tranquilizers, how the poor guy didn’t feel a thing, how incredibly tranquil he was†(O’Brien,19). So when Ted Lavender got shot in his head, he got his â€Å"mind blown† for the last time, now the phrase â€Å"mind blown† has many meanings, it depends on the context and how it’s used the definition of it is when something shocking happens and the mind isn’t able to comprehend it, or whenever Lavender would smoke marijuana to calm himself down because he gets scared, and then there’s its literal meaning. In the novel the author, O’Brien uses this to show a sense of humor to show that Lavender got his mind blown literally, how he couldn’t feel a thing and was â€Å"..incredibly tranquil...†The author uses Situational Irony to discuss the tragedy of death, but also include a sense of humor to encircle the tragedy of the book. Symbolic meaning of the title â€Å"They were tough. They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing--...They carried their reputations. †¦ carried the soldier s greatest fear,which was the fear of blushing. ItShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Things They Carried 1120 Words   |  5 Pages Scars From Vietnam: An Analysis of a Soldier’s Connection With War Itself in The Things They Carried. â€Å"War is like love, it always finds a way.† -Bertolt Brecht War , like love, is always present can be a person’s worst nightmare, since it always finds ways to emotionally or physically impact one’s life. Mary Anne and Norman Bowker in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried both possess a strong sense of self certaintyRead MoreThe Things They Carried Analysis883 Words   |  4 Pagesin his short story â€Å"The Things They Carried,† using personal experiences from his time serving in the Vietnam War. Jimmy Cross, the main character who did not believe in the war, was drafted in June 1968. Being commissioned to a foreign territory to fight for your life and the freedoms of others is a life changing experience. Soldiers often bring items from home that give them hope of motivation to survive in order to return home. The short story â€Å"The Things They Carried† gives an insight on whatRead MoreAnalysis of The Things They Carried1048 Words   |  5 Pagesquestion of its worth. Usually when s omeone has done something honorable they know it and accept it as is. However in this case O’Brien feels that the cost of earning the honor is too great to be justified even if everyone believes he did the right thing. O’Brien illustrates the uncertainty of the war in Vietnam by alternating clear references of beauty and gore. The butterfly and the â€Å"small blue flowers shaped like bells† he mentions show the stark ugliness and abruptness of death in the midst ofRead MoreAnalysis Of The Things They Carried 2058 Words   |  9 PagesTrauma in Lit 12/3/15 The Things They Carried The things they carried was a very interesting book that was filled with various stories. They all took place during the Vietnam War and follow multiple protagonists that reappear in later stories. Throughout the story, there is a vast number of themes and symbolism. One theme I found interesting is the theme of physical and emotional burdens. This was especially noticeable in ‘’The Things They Carried’’, where they were carryingRead MoreThe Things They Carried Critical Analysis1538 Words   |  7 PagesVietnam War remains an affliction for Vietnam War Veterans and their families. Millions of our youth were forced to leave their home and carry inconceivable burdens. Thus, as a Veteran, Tim O’Brien can depict thoroughly their burdens in â€Å"The Things They Carried†. His story brings us back to war-torn Vietnam and First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his platoon. Cross is the commanding officer; however, he does not co ncentrate on the war but on his unrequited love. As a result, a Viet Cong kills one of hisRead MoreRhetorical Analysis of the Things They Carried1537 Words   |  7 PagesMichelle Zhang Dr. Bloomquist 2/13/2015 Rhetorical Analysis A Whole New World: Construction and Destruction in The Things They Carried While the Vietnam War was a complex political pursuit that lasted only a few years, the impact of the war on millions of soldiers and civilians extended for many years beyond its termination. Soldiers killed or were killed; those who survived suffered from physical wounds or were plagued by PTSD from being wounded, watching their platoon mates die violentlyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Things They Carried 1734 Words   |  7 Pages The Actual War Scenario - Vietnam War The Things They Carried, is a novel based on the Vietnam War, and the book reveals the truth of the war as the author remembers the war after twenty one years and snows his guilt and emotions for the war. The Things They Carried, belongs high on the list of the best fiction about any war... crystallizes the Vietnam experiences for everyone and exposes the nature of all war stories.( New York Times, Book of the Century). Tim O Brien, the authorRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Things They Carried 2006 Words   |  9 Pages 1. Birth-October 1, 1946; present 2. The things they carried was written in the late 1980 s and published in 1990. The novel acts as a response to the era it discusses by solidifying the un-generalized version of war through fictional anecdotes from the narrator and characters. The truth is never portrayed through historic context or media, and with this novel, the author was able to reciprocate the emotions felt by soldiers from the graphic scenes or actions envisioned/written. 3. FactorsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Things They Carried 1409 Words   |  6 PagesDenali Dickson Butler July 22, 2014 Long Form I. The Author and His Times: 1. Birth- October 1, 1946 to present 2. The Things They Carried was published January 1, 1990. This novel discusses stories from the Vietnam War, written many years afterwards. The book shares stories from several different people during the war and shares the truth as they remember it. 3. The factor that influenced the author in his decision to publish this novel was his desire to share his stories with the world. StoriesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel The Things They Carried 1034 Words   |  5 Pagesto another it is a fictional piece of literature meant to teach or entertain its audience. Others may go so far as to argue only the truth is of importance in a story. Tim O’Brien expands on the true significance of a story in his novel The Things They Carried. He uses the scene of a real war with fictional additions to convey the message of the brutality of war, emphasizing the idea of the truth of the story being irrelevant. Similarly, in J. D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden utilizes

Dispute Resolution Resolving And Managing Legal Disputes

Dispute Resolution Processes: Resolving and Managing legal disputes The Spectrum of Dispute Resolution Processes It is important to understand the basic nature of dispute resolution processes and how they relate to one another. Whilst dispute resolution as a whole is complicated to define, the Spectrum of Dispute Resolution visually displays the six main processes from their ability to resolve conflict to their ability to resolve a dispute. Walking away, negotiation and mediation fall on the conflict solving side. Whist litigation and arbitration fall to the dispute solving side. Conciliation and case appraisal sit somewhere in the middle of these processes. For the purpose of discussing the advantages and disadvantages of dispute†¦show more content†¦Only 5% of all disputes are settled in a court room, and as such every other dispute can be solved through one of the many mechanisms that the Spectrum outlines. Advantages of Dispute Resolution Processes The clearest advantage or benefit of dispute resolution processes is the structure provided to solve the underlying conflict of a dispute. This is due to the emphasis on party empowerment, mediated discussion and a supportive network of professionals willing to ensure every avenue of the conflict is resolved. Furthermore, most dispute resolution processes seek to improve communication, enhance the relationship between the parties and assist in fostering co-operation and collaboration between both parties; provided, that they are both willing to participate. Another benefit which follows on from this, is the increased satisfaction that comes from participating in crafting an agreement which both parties had a hand in from the beginning. There are many practical benefits to dispute resolution. Particularly, that there is no need to use or follow any legal standard with regards to evidence, precedent ect. Often times there is no legal solution to a dispute, but rather a need for a personal agreement between the parties over certain factors. Another benefit, is that it is generally a faster and cheaper process to conduct. Arguably this makes it more efficient for everyday citizens but also applicable to larger corporations. Most

Cultural Relativism in Business free essay sample

Business And Islamic Ethics Topic: Cultural Relativism In Business Submitted to: Mr. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khalil Submitted by: Waqas Shehzad Class: BBA 5D Cultural Relativism: Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the situation, environment, and individual. Those who hold to cultural relativism hold that all religious, ethical, aesthetic, and political beliefs are completely relative to the individual within a cultural identity. Cultural relativism (CR) says that good and bad are relative to culture. What is good is what is socially approved in a given culture. Our moral principles describe social conventions and must be based on the norms of our society. Cultural relativists see morality as a product of culture. They think that societies disagree widely about morality, and that we have no clear way to resolve the differences. They conclude that there are no objective values.Cultural relativists view themselves as tolerant; they see other cultures, not as wrong, but as different. Types of Relativism: Relativism often includes: †¢Moral relativism (ethics depend on a social construct) †¢Situational relativism (right or wrong is based on the particular situation) †¢Cognitive relativism (truth itself has no objective standard). Cultural Relativism in Business: The 21st century is an era of the globalization of world economy. Cross-national business is facing great challenges in cultural differences.In one survey entitled â€Å"What is the biggest barrier in doing business in the world market†, cultural differences ranked first in all eight items including law, price competition, information, language, delivery, foreign currency, time differences, and cultural differences. Hofstadter (1993) believes that the spread of businesses onto the global stage brings the issue of national and regional differences to the fore. There is something in all countries called management, but its meaning differs to a larger or smaller extent from one co untry to another (Hofstede, 1993).It can also be observed that most of the failures faced by cross-national companies are caused by neglect of cultural differences. Every culture has its own concepts of right and wrong, what is ethical and what isn’t, and business practices need to be designed around this theme line No business will be successful if it does not take cultural considerations into perspective: 1. In designing its main business practices 2. In settling ethical issues Cultural Relativism in Doing Business: The perspective that culture and business are intertwined may be provocative for some and obvious for others.For a long time, however, many businesspeople have been wise enough to base their decisions on behaviour that is expected and approved of by the groups of stakeholders that are affected by those decisions. The new challenge that has recently appeared on managements horizon in this regard is the complication provided by having to deal with diverse, rather than homogeneous, cultures within North American operations, and more particularly, cultures different than their home or parent culture when they operate in foreign markets.When the divergence between cultures is marked, choices or trade-offs have to be made between them, or business practices have to follow different rules in each. There are risks inherent to each approach which need to be explored. Ethical Values in Different Cultures: Research on belief in ethics and social responsibility among Asians is somewhat scant. Mehta and Kau (1984) found that Singaporeans are less ethical than Americans in nine of 10 situations. Unlike Americans, Singaporeans do not consider padding expense accounts as unethical.In another study, Kau, Tan, and Wirtz (1998) found that almost 30% of Singaporeans did not agree that honesty pays. In Hong Kong, managers have been observed to be less ethical than their expatriate counterparts from the U. S. and Britain, but similar to those from China and Macau (McDonald and Kan, 1997). They are more agreeable to using deception for gaining competitor information, protecting dishonest employees, practicing deceptive advertising and labeling, having deceptive pricing, manipulating expenses, and engaging in insider trading.This observation is supported by Nyaw and Ng (1994) who found that Hong Kong managers are more tolerant of unethical behavior towards customers and suppliers than Canadian managers. At a corporate level, deception of various forms has been observed among East Asians (Tung, 1994). For instance, the Japanese speak with soft-spoken voices so that their American counterparts underestimate their tenacity. In the process of gathering market intelligence, some East Asian firms spread erroneous information to contaminate and frustrate competitors strategies.We must change the focus of business ethics away from primary emphasis on Western ethics toward a deeper understanding of value systems that stem from different conceptions of human nature. We need to abandon the project of universalizing ethics along Western lines. Cultural Relativism and Business Options: Given the concept of cultural relativism, business executives can take one of three choices: (1) insist on uniform standards worldwide, or (2) tailor or adjust the companys standards of conduct for each locale, or (3) decide on each instance on a situation by situation basis.The problem with insisting on common worldwide standards is that local customs in foreign cultures may be trampled upon or offended. The reverse is true for the other two options. If company practices are altered based on local customs or a specific situation, then the customs of the company’s home markets and stakeholders may be offended with inevitable fallout. Take the example of facilitating payments or bribes. If a company insists that bribes will not be paid anywhere in the world, it may face severe problems operating in some foreign countries.On the other hand, if the company states that bribes will not be paid in the developed world, but may be paid were necessary in the third world, then it may be attacked by pressure groups at home. If each instance is to be decided by a senior executive, and managers know that the company condones bribes sometimes, they will be likely to go along with bribes everywhere because they know the company thinks it an acceptable practice. These trade-offs are not simple for executives to make, particularly since the culturally sensitive issues involved are very inflammatory in some cultures.Operating issues that are sensitive to North American markets would include: child labour, treatment of women, health and safety matters, quality of life impacts, dealing with oppressive regimes, and environmental imp acts. Contracting practices that are also to be watched carefully include bribery, facilitating payments, dealings with family, nepotism etc. all of which involve the management of conflicts of interests. You can see that, if the manager is to optimize the companys performance on its strategic objectives, developing a company code and practices to respect cultural sensitivities is a very difficult balancing act.It is increasingly problematic for companies to adopt the policy of operating abroad at the level of local laws that are much different from those in their home markets, particularly in areas like labor standards, health and safety standards , and environmental protection. This is increasingly seen as opportunistic and unprincipled. The fallout from child labor boycotts, collapsing mines, and pollution has ruined many promising ventures. Cultural relativism and Islam: The debate between universalism and relativism is as old as the history of hilosophy itself, though as two recognizable schools of thought they may be modern. Islam teaches that man is one being with a body and soul. He has not only mind and consciousness, but also a conscience. All the qualities of man that make him really human are God-given gifts that are linked to his soul. This means that quite apart from racial or cultural influences, man has certain innate qualities, which in their totality can be called human nature. Anchored at the Quran, we need not be perturbed by these fads and fashions in philosophy or sociology.But there is no harm in studying them and judging them for what they are worth. Hence cultural relativity can be practiced in business but keeping the teachings of Islam in mind. Conclusion: Hence we can conclude that different techniques are applicable but according to the situation. Cultural relativity can also be practiced but keeping in mind the ethical values of one’s own belief system and the teachings of religion. Islam is also concerned with the basic teaching and principles which are to be followed while doing business and adopting cultural relativity.Cultural relativity can be an integral part for success in business when carried out in other societies Innovative ideas based upon cultural sensitivities can provide win win situations even in difficult areas like bribery. The following example explains the success of a business by following ethical cultural relativism. Some companies simply decline to pay bribes. They lose some business, but some report that the fear of losing business is overblown, and that when it became known that they would not pay bribes, they were no longer asked for them but contracts were won.One company, however, decided that they would refuse to pay a bribe in China, but offered to contribute to a community project a pa rk which is particularly prized in that culture, and where several positions on the governing board were to be filled by community elders and members of the contract awarding group. The company rebuffed requests for pay-offs to purchasing and local officials, but indicated that they would be prepared to contribute to the local community. In the end, this proved to be a very successful strategy both abroad and at home.

Teachings of Buddha and Consumerism

Our modern life is overwhelmed by a culture of consumerism whose effects are far reaching to all people. This culture has led to many people trying to affirm their self identity and seek happiness by engaging in extensive consumption of products. To fuel this need for goods, more products are continuing to flood the market so as to sate our seemingly unquenchable thirst for products. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Teachings of Buddha and Consumerism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The ancient teachings of Buddha offer some insights into how this culture can be taken into perspective and even broken. This paper will analyze the Four Noble Truths as offered by Buddha so as to ascertain if these truths can be used to overcome the bondage of materialism that has consumed modern man. The teachings of Buddha were considered as a raft through which man would be able to move from his current position of discontent to a farther shore of content. The â€Å"Four Noble Truths† are principles that are fundamental to the Buddhist philosophy. The first noble truth states that â€Å"Life means suffering†. This truth points to the inevitability of man to avoid physical pain and misery over his lifetime. It also reveals that there are positive experiences which man experiences in his lifetime. Buddha affirms that these positive experiences are temporal and they pass away with time. The culture of constantly consuming products is mostly in a bid to find true happiness. However, the teachings of Buddha rightfully state that this is only a temporal consolation. Through Buddha’s teachings, we can see that suffering is inevitable and therefore not something to try to avoid at whatever costs. The second Noble Truth states that â€Å"The origin of suffering is attachment†. As such, suffering is seen as springing from our desires, passions and clinging to objects that we hold dear. B uddha declares that since the objects of our affection are only temporal we cause ourselves great pain when we loss them. With this in mind, people should avoid attaching too much to their material possessions since they are temporal. By doing this, people can save themselves from heart ache that comes from the loss that inevitably follows. The third truth claims that â€Å"the cessation of suffering is attainable†. As such, man is not without a means by which he can alleviate his suffering that Buddha attributes to his earthly attachments. Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, this teaching prescribes a different path to terminating suffering from the one that our modern culture applies. While our culture emphasis attainment of wealth and power as the only means through which suffering can be contained, Buddha reveals that suffering can be removed by the human act of detaching ourselves from our previous attachments. In conclusion, Buddha also offers a solution to the problem of suffering that man has. This is in the Forth Noble truth which proposes a balance between self over-indulgence and self-mortification which involves denying yourself off everything. This is the balance that man must try to attain so as to avoid the ills that the culture of consumerism brings. This means that people should not altogether disengage from their consumption. Instead, moderation needs to be exercised so as to bring about peace of mind as well as avoid the wastage that over indulgence in consumerism causes. This paper set out to assess the relevance of Buddha’s teachings in light of the over indulgence in consumerism that people face in the current age. It has been discovered that the teachings of Buddha can be used to reduce this culture since these teachings clarify that the problem that man tries to solve through overconsumption of products canno t be solved by this means. It is my belief that by applying these teachings of Buddha, the â€Å"cycle of self-identity through materialistic consumerism† can be broken. This essay on Teachings of Buddha and Consumerism was written and submitted by user Zackary Warren 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.