Blackberry Picking Essay Example for Free

Blackberry Picking Essay Task: Choose a poem that deals with an aspect of ordinary living. Analyse the poem showing how it . Pleasures are like poppies spread You seize the flower, its bloom is shed Bums Seamus Heaneys sensual and disturbing poem Blackberry -Picking explores aspects of ordinary living and enables us to see clearly the truth about a core element of human nature. This engaging piece of verse, written early in the Nobel laureates career, exposes humans perpetual desire for pleasure and the seemingly inescapable negative consequences attached to this pursuit. The poem is produced in a style readers familiar with Heaney will recognise: the deeper meaning is heavily cloaked in metaphor, and is therefore made clearer and more emphatic once understood. Upon reflection of these underlying themes about ordinary life, the reader experiences the clarity of vision usually associated with seeing something for the first time; this is a quality Heaney has claimed is essential to poetry. The poem is, on the surface, about a boys experiences at berry-picking time in the countryside. The anticipation and participation in this apparently very pleasant practice is conveyed for most of the first stanza of this two stanza piece. The poet describes an insatiable appetite (that verges upon greed) for indulging in the activity. In the latter part of this first stanza, however, a far less hedonistic mood can be detected by a very noticeable change in lexical choice and imagery; indeed, guilt and perhaps even remorse are evident here. In the second stanza the picked fruit becomes grotesque as it decays and the inevitable destructive forces of time take effect: Primarily, it is necessary to detail the larger metaphor which is relevant from the very beginning of the poem the title: Blackberry-Picking. The concept of picking fruit has irreducible associations with the Biblical story of Genesis an explanation of creation and mankinds fall from a state of innocence to one of sin a nd guilt. In this book Adam and Eve are templed by Satan to pick the forbidden fruit, resulting in their expulsion from Paradise. From this we can infer that the berries of Heaneys poem symbolise temptation, and that this temptation will lead to a loss of innocence and the incursion of guilt and sin into the world of the poem. In addition to this, the idea that the propensity for giving in to temptation is central to human nature, as it is of such ancient  origin, is strongly suggested. †¢ The time of year when these symbolic berries are picked, Late August, is given in the first line, and the sultry, humid, sensual atmosphere of this time of year is evoked by the following zeugma: given heavy rain and sun. This sensual atmosphere is developed in the first nine lines of the poem, and it clearly contains allusions to sex in lines 5-7: You ate that first one, and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summers blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for Picking. Here the idea of the irresistible allure of the berries is emphasised, and the allusions to sexual pleasure through the lexical choice of that first one, its flesh was sweet, Leaving stains upon the tongue, and the direct reference to lust, heighten the mood of sensual temptation. This is reinforced and strengthened by the suggestion of intoxication in line 6 when the flesh of the berries is described in a simile as being Like thickened wine. Summer is subsequently personified and this reference to Summers blood thickens the languid, warm, impassioned atmosphere. In this section of the poem, then, very ordinary aspects of life sensuousness, sexuality, desire, temptation are conveyed cleverly and clearly through the metaphor of blackberry picking. This metaphor enables us to see these things as extraordinary driving forces behind our actions, and this is a disturbing realisation. The boy experiencing this burgeoning, bountiful time of the rural calendar cannot, as has been shown ab ove, get enough of the fruit he picks. He and others set out between lines 9-12 to gather as many berries as they can. After they have indulged in this harvest, however, a contrasting mood is introduced: .. on top big dark blobs burned Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeards. Here the poetry is loaded with imagery and cultural associations. Initially the monosyllabic alliteration of the plosive b in big dark blobs burned strikes the reader as ponderous and menacing. This reaction is reinforced by the connotations of pain in the verb burned. The effect of this is aided by the gruesome and macabre simile that follows. The berries are described as being Like a plate of eyes. The very different mood engendered by this imagery is developed by the subsequent allusion to the crucifixion of Christ in hands in thorn pricks and the simile incorporating the legendary  character Bluebeard (a pirate who murdered many wives). This section of the poem, then, gives three consecutive images that evoke . connotations of guilt: the mutilation of the berries nat ural environment, the indirect reference to Christ (crucified by mankind), and the comparison between the berry pickers hands and the bloody hands of a serial murderer. In stanza two the mood of the poem deteriorates further as the harvested berries decay. In the first line the word hoarded, used to describe the volume of berries stored, reminds us of the insatiable appetite and self-indulgence depicted in the first stanza. The berries are now rotting, however, and this is conveyed effectively through word choice. They are described with the verbs stinking and fermented. Furthermore, a disease is spreading through the hoard. This is described as A ratgrey fungus, glutting on our cache. The connotations of disgust, revulsion and disappointment evident here are developed in lines 20-21: Once off the bush/I the sweet flesh would turn sour. What we can also perceive here is the notion of the inevitable and regularly experienced fate of all pleasure it cannot last and becomes satiety and guilt. The anguish at the fate of the berries, and therefore the fate of all indulgence is emphasised by the tone of the third last line: I always felt like crying. It wasnt fair. The boy of the poem is clearly still becoming accustomed to the irresistible forces of time. In the last line, however, we learn that the boy experiences this annually: That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot Each year I hoped theyd keep, knew they would not Perpetual hope and the following inevitable disappointment is emphasised here, and the reader can directly engage with this as we all experience such sequences in ordinary life. By the process of reflecting upon, and understanding, the blackberry picking metaphor, the reader sees the driving forces behind human behaviour afresh, and they become extraordinary and disturbing. Blackberry-Picking is a sensual and evocative poem which entices the reader with rich and opulent images. In stanza one we are drawn into the pleasure of the activities depicted by the poet. The ideas of guilt, disgust, and disappointment are then introduced as the greed of the pickers and the decay of the berries are illustrated. The extension of this cycle to others areas of life is performed by the use of sexual and cultural  allusions, symbolism and metaphor. Through these techniques we are given a startlingly clear picture of a common and ordinary reality we may never before have considered: that our lives are driven by perpetually disappointed hope and desire and that pleasure cannot last. The disturbing nature of this realisation is compounded by the religious symbolism of the berries this state of affairs may have been with us from the very beginning, and there is no reason why it should not be with us to the end.

The Never Ending Drug War Essay -- Drugs Narcotics Politics Essays

Narcotics, guns and violence, the powerful elements of the never ending war. All these elements are part of the campaign to rid the world of the disaster that drugs so ferociously have inflicted upon America. The war, created by The United States’ demand and government circumstances, has been fighting drug lords and opportunists. The United States has for the past three decades declared that it is in a full fledged attack against drugs and the violence it fosters. For decades billions and billons of dollars have been justified through the infamous War on Drugs. The drug problem has not stopped. The money and military activity have not been enough, and the â€Å"urban problem,† has not been solved. It is that our governments do not have the strategic smarts to solve the problem? The United States has the largest demand of drugs in the world. While other countries also face the drug problem, The United States has spent the most and its effectiveness is questionable. Tod ay’s â€Å"War on Drugs,† is merely the justification to the apprehension of many U.S. interest enemies and has been a loop hole to exploit many developing countries in South and Central America. The commerce that the narcotics create transcends the social, economic, political and cultural aspects. The corruption that the United States is trying to fight will not end as long as the organized corruption and demand in the United States is in existence. The demand for narcotics in the United States has remained very strong, and even increased, since the War on Drugs was declared. The United States continually points to the suppliers of the narcotics and foreign mafia bosses who run organizations as the primary causes of the difficulty of the War. It is portrayed by the media... ... Department of Health and Human Resources. 29 May 2014 . PBS Online. Frontline: drug wars. 04 Feb 2000. PBS Online, wgbh/Frontline. 27 May 2014 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/interviews/ochoajorge.html. Robinson, Matthew B. Major Source of Data on Drug Use. JusticeBlind. 20 May 2014 . Stossel, John. Is it Time to End the War on Drugs? 30 Jul. 2004. ABCNews. 05 May 2014 Walters, John P. Drug Use Trends – Factsheet. 10 Dec. 2003 Executive Office of the President: Office of National Drug Control Policy. 27 May 2014 . Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. Monroe: Common Courage Press, 1980.

Coca Cola Case Study Essay

Coca Cola is the most popular drink I have decided to change both the packaging of the drink and the flavouring. This will be quite a challenging task to do, as I will have to do a lot of research on the existing product first. Research work will involve for example looking in the Internet and e-mailing to existing companies for information packs etc. I will offer all the opportunity to customers (people) and listen to there comments on my design of product comparing it to the original product, of course this will be first done by questionnaires and surveys etc. so different peoples views will be analysed at the end and the results will show me if my product will be successful in the market. My objective is basically to research into the different kinds of flavours that I could use to make the product Coca Cola this will also mean asking customers if they would prefer the logo itself to be changed aswell as the packaging. I will only make this product if there is a need in the market as if there is no need in the market my product will not sell which will mean I will not be making a profit. I will also need to consider the following: Taste Flavour Amount of flavouring Wrapping Texture Other please specify Other than the above I will also need to find out exactly how well the drink is selling at present to see just what other changes may be needed. Marketing is concerned with identifying customer’s needs and satisfying those needs at a profit in such a way that the customers come back again and recommend the firm to their friends. Marketing involves everything that an organisation has to make happen if customers are to be satisfied with its products. This is the reason why I have chose to market a mobile phone to my customers as there is a wider market out there for this product. In order for organisations to satisfy customers effectively and successfully, they would need to assess customer needs. By marketing my product I have met consumer needs and this involves developing strategies, which are then translated into a series of marketing plans. Marketing is, therefore, a planned purpose, which by ensuring a business satisfies customers needs and meets its business objectives helps it to outperform its rivals which I think I would be successful in doing as there is the younger generation who are constantly purchasing mobile phones and there is a great market out there. I would need to think about my objectives and in order to do that I would need to research about my product, plan everything out, take steady and smooth actions and try to be in control so that my product sells and then I may be able to meet my objectives. In order to implement a marketing strategy this requires making many decisions: What is the market? Non-competitive market Competitive market Monopoly Oligopoly How do we segment the market? Working out all the possible markets for a good is called segmentation and each part of the market a segment. What are the wants & needs of each segment? Businesses produce goods and services to meet the wants and needs of consumers everybody has wants and needs. What is the best price? If the demand for a good or service starts to increase, prices will follow and suppliers will devote more resources to producing that good or service. Which promotional method should be used? An efficient network of communications is essential for successful promotional activity. The promotional mix comprises all the marketing and promotional objectives of the marketing mix. How should we distribute the product/service? And changing environments mean that marketers’ needs for information are never ending. Social & cultural environment Economic Environment Political & legal environment Technological environment (E1) Produce a marketing strategy for a product or service with a clear understanding of the principles of marketing The marketing principle Many organizations think of marketing as sales. Others think of it as advertising. Twenty years ago students learned the four â€Å"p’s† of marketing: product, place, price and promotion, and today it’s the four â€Å"c’s:† customer, competition, cost and communication. Basically the definition of the market place is continually changing. Because of the fact I will be carrying a similar task, which will involve me to change or make my own product I will have to consider the following: Satisfying – Every and each customer wants their necessities to be met. Matching customers’ needs and expectations demands detailed answers to questions. They want the right goods, at the right time, at the right price. Because my product will be based on a soft drink many consumers would want to try new drinks so I will have to set a reasonable price for it to be sold at to satisfy customers. For example the drink coca cola is aimed at every one and also is reasonably priced. Identify: I would need to consider answering questions like how I will have to keep in touch with customer’s thoughts and feelings and perception about my goods and service? This would also involve identifying what features customers would prefer to have in my good/service. Anticipating: This involves looking at the future aswell as the present. I would need to consider what the public would like to have today and tomorrow. Baring in mind that consumer requirements change all the time such as people become richer and they might buy expensive drinks and even alcohol because they have more money so they would spend on a expensive drink so they stand out from the crowd. Communicating effectively with customers to satisfy their expectations: In order for me to produce any promotional activity I will need to communicate with my customers this would help me to find out there expectations and build an image with the world at large. Images would help others to form a judgment about what the organization stands for, and will influence their dealings with it. The way we communicate our product or service is part of the persuasion process, which would persuade customers to buy the product at whatever price. The ways that customers are persuaded comes under the promotional mix. In order to achieve the promotional objectives the marketing and promotional communication methods are used which come under the promotional mix. These can be broken down into two areas: 1. Controllable and 2. Non-controllable. Non-controllable communication – This includes marketing messages such as a result of word of mouth, personal recommendation or what customers think of a product or service, depending on how long a family has been using the product/service. Designer labels and brands influence consumers spending power. Controllable communication – These include messages that are carefully directed to achieve an organization’s promotional objectives. Such as: Advertisements- messages sent to the media to inform or influence the people who receive them. Direct mail-personally addressed advertising sent through the post. Sales promotions-techniques designed to increase sales, such as money-off coupons, free samples and competitions. Coca Cola should therefore study the communication process carefully. It should have a clear idea of what the message is whom it is sent to and what the outcome of sending it is. They should communicate effectively to always persuade consumers to go out to buy it and also have new advertising to persuade them after a while. Profitability: Profit is the key for marketing. If I don’t make a profit there is no point of me trading I will not be able to satisfy customers requirements or identify there anticipation without the resources to put into out going marketing activities. I need to develop Coca cola in order to achieve profits, which is what my objective for the marketing strategy is. I will need to consider a low price and a quality design. I would be able to see if the demand for Coca Cola has Increased or decreased after developing the product. I could improve it by changing the packaging, adding a different taste or flavour, design, price. I will need to consider the results of my questionnaires, which will be obtained from my primary and secondary research before I start making any changes to my product, as consumers will be asked if they would buy my developed product. Understanding Customer Needs: In order for me to make my final product a success I will need to anticipate change. This includes the age structure of the population and consumers income. Market research is the antenna of an organisation from which you could obtain accurate results of what drinks consumers prefer or what they suggest they would like to have changing to the product. This is where marketing research starts. I would need to consider what consumers would like in order to satisfy customers needs and wants which will show if my product is going to become successful. Most marketing activities are therefore designed to meet the needs of groups of customers within a market. I would need to find a sample of my consumers in order to find out their wants and needs so that I could produce or develop a product that satisfies them. The product is the first element in the marketing mix and the rest of the elements would need to be considered later. These may include developing the pricing for the product or service provided, working out how to distribute (place) goods to the customers, as well as how to promote them. Coca cola would need to understand customer, needs to be able to sell their product. In order to produce a product that will make them profit at the end of the day and customer’s wants could be met according to their needs. (E2) Appropriately identify, collect and use primary and secondary data relevant to the marketing strategy If you were to survey 100 people asking them do they drink Coca Cola this would be a difficult question to answer as Coca Cola can be found in several different brands. Some would prefer to choose a Coca Cola – Diet or light or classic, with cherry or with lemon, or with or without caffeine. About five years ago this would be a question that would be feasible to answer, as then Coca Cola existed in it’s original form. A survey that I conducted shows that many people preferred the original Coca Cola. However the results reveal that majority of them (i.e. 17 out of 20) are not satisfied with the packaging of the drink and would like it to be more colorful aswell as in various designs rather than just in one ‘rather boring’ design which has the been the same for quite so many years now. Another feature that customers (from the 20 people I interviewed) would like to see changes and improvements to is the size of the product. Further questioning revealed that th e reason for improving the size i.e. up to 5 litres would be convenient when holding family parties. These findings were very useful to me as they made me realize what the publics demand is and what I need to do to make the product acceptable in the market, which in return would help me make a profit. The twenty people I asked replied on the basis of looking at media, which is one of the things that influences the market. They thought that advertising was a good way to promote Coca Cola, as it is very common and popular. The secondary data shows advertisements are sold in spots and the daytime spots cost less because there are little audiences. Many people watch television in the evening the most as they relax so most of the advertisements are on then, and also mainly in the mornings as a lot of people turn the television on in the mornings. Out door advertising- poster sites in Britain are mainly in big cities alongside main roads close top the cities. They includes the sides and backs of buses, banners and boards at football and other sports events, both the inside and outside of London and other city taxis, bus shelters, and boards at bus and railway stations. Advertising time on TV is sold in ‘spots’ ranging from one minute down to seven seconds. Daytime spots, when audiences are low cost less than those do in ‘Peak time’- the evening when millions of people may be watching Independent Television. Most evenings from 5.30 p.m. to about 10.30 p.m. is peak viewing time when TV audiences are largest. The ITV companies usually show the same programmes, though they may show different advertisements. In the UK, ITV (including GMTV), channel 4 and channel 5 (1997), show advertisements between programmes and in intervals within the programmes themselves. A half- minute spot in mid-evening on a weekday could cost à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1,250 on Grampian Television whereas a similar spot time cost on Carlton Television might be à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½23,000. One company, Grampian Television, serves only about 2,023,000 homes, but the London Region, whose programmes are provided by Charlton Television during the week and by London Weekend Televisions at weekends, has about 5,491,000 homes- 2 and a half times as many. TV advertising time in Britain is sold on the ‘spot’ system. A ‘spot’ can last for a few seconds as with many of the ‘still’ advertisements for local stops or for a minute or even occasionally more. ‘Spots’ are bunched into breaks which may contain just one advertisement, though this is rare, or several. Each of the programme companies charge different rates, or prices, for its spot time. It is not hard to see why. In 1998, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½14,307 million was spent on advertising in Britain. Over 80 per cent of this was spent on display advertising of goods and services in the press, on television, radio, posters, direct mail and in the cinema. The remaining 20 per cent or so bought classified advertising (small ads), Financial and legal notices, company announcements, and recruitment advertising (job ads) and advertising in the business and professional press. Companies also spend substantial sums on other forms of communication but statistics are not always available. However, it is estimated that in 1995 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½750 million was spent on exhibitions in Britain and substantial sums are also spent on sponsorship, sales promotion, mail order and other forms of activity.

Richard Hamilton The Hardworking Daddy Pop - 3055 Words

Richard Hamilton: The Hardworking Daddy Pop Richard Hamilton is a giant figure in the art world because of his innovative works in Pop Art. The uniqueness of Hamilton’s creations eventually turned into a movement that influenced artists all over the world. Nevertheless, during his lifetime, Hamilton had constantly challenged himself to different ideas, reinventing his artist-self countless of times. Up until the day he died at age 89, Hamilton was currently still working on a new exhibit. Hamilton was born in 1922 in London. His early experiences had gained him a diverse set of skills that came handy in creating unique, unconventional artworks. Hamilton left school at the age of fifteen without any qualifications to work as an electrical engineer. During this time, he found a new passion with drawing, which led him to attend the Royal Academy to study art. When World War II struck, Hamilton had to discontinue his study and started working for the record company EMI as engineering draftsman. This chain of events made Ham ilton familiar with science and technology, which he incorporated in various future works. When the war ends, Hamilton resumed his study at the Royal Academy but was then expelled for â€Å"not profiting by the instruction given in the Painting School.† This failure led him to enrolling at Slade Schools of Fine Art, where he was familiarized with various ideas of modernism.1 At Slade, Hamilton befriended Nigel Henderson and it was Henderson who introduced him toShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesIII, University of Arizona Jacqui Bergman, Appalachian State University Anne Berthelot, University of Texas at El Paso David Bess, Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii Bruce Bikle, California State University, Sacramento xxx Richard Blackburn, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Weldon Blake, Bethune-Cookman College Carl Blencke, University of Central Florida Michael Bochenek, Elmhurst College Alicia Boisnier, State University of New York William H. Bommer, Cleveland State