Pygmalion Poetry Deconstruction

Poetry Deconstruction: The Story of Pygmalion and the Statue (1713 translation) The poem â€Å"The Story of Pygmalion and the Statue† was originally written in Greek by Ovid, and is found in Book Ten of his work, Metamorphoses. It was translated into English in 1713, and this translation employs techniques to appeal to the readers of the day, and reveals their views on a variety of topics, including obsession and narcissism. Pygmalion, a sculptor, shunned all women for their frivolity, instead turning to his art. He created a sculpture out of ivory of a woman so perfect that he grew to love her, and wished for his ‘ivory virgin’ to be real. The goddess granted his secret desire, and blessed the couple with a son. The readership of the poem would have consisted predominately of eighteenth century upper class males, so the poem is, in many parts, structured to interest this group of individuals. The eighteenth century gentleman would have identified with the line â€Å"Well pleas’d to want a consort of his bed†, as a mistress was the only thing that was not provided instantly for them. Pygmalion, a man who is able to function without this, would have been held in high esteem by the reader, and perhaps would have inspired them to follow his example in being independent. The line, â€Å"Yet fearing idleness, the nurse of ill†, shows the society of the time’s attitude towards inactivity, in that it is, or leads to, a sickness. This metaphor relates to the saying, ‘idle hands are the devil’s playthings’, which would have been the view of the community at the time of the translation. Another quote that shows the opinion of the people of the eighteenth century is â€Å"the pow’rful bribes of love†, indicating that love could be bought. In 1713, this would not have been an oxymoron, as many married someone to gain their wealth, making this statement ring true to the eighteenth century reader. The poet also refers to the birth of Pygmalion and the statue’s child, as a way that they â€Å"crown their bliss†. This metaphor signifies a very happy ending, especially to the gentleman reader, as procreation was a very important issue; an heir was necessary. Note also that the child is male. This engineers a perfect close to the story of Pygmalion. ‘Crown’ could also be a symbol of the patriarchal values present, as it was rare for a woman to rule (wear the crown). A question to pose it what the eighteenth century gentleman thought of Pygmalion’s obsessive nature and narcissism. The fact that he â€Å"Abhorr’d all womankind† makes it appear as if he thinks he is above women, as he has lumped them all into the same, generalised bracket, including those who do not follow the lifestyle choices he disapproves of. The alliteration used in â€Å"loathing their lascivious life† emphasises Pygmalion’s misogyny, and therefore his very high opinion of himself. His narcissistic nature is further explored through the use personification; â€Å"Nature could not with his art compare†. Here, he is praising his own amazing skill for creating something better than Nature, or God, could make. The line â€Å"Pleas’d with his idol†, reminds on of Genesis, where God is pleased with himself after he creates the world. Pygmalion is comparing himself to God, revealing his large ego. The poet delves into his obsessive nature with the caesura in the line, â€Å"he commends, admires, Adores;† forcing the readers to pause and examine the depth of Pygmalion’s obsession towards the statue of his creation, and by extension, himself. This is emphasised again in the repetition in the lines â€Å"And all the sparkling stones †¦ and od’rous green†. The word ‘and’ is repeated five times in these four lines, highlighting the excessiveness of his gift giving and his over the top behaviour. Due to the positive finish, where Pygmalion’s ‘bliss is crowned’ with the birth of a son, and the lack of consequences for his terribly high opinion of himself, one might conclude that over-extravagant pride was considered commonplace in the eighteenth century, and obsessiveness was not considered unhealthy, perhaps because it served to combat idleness. The various ideas in the poem support this. The translation of â€Å"The Story of Pygmalion and the Statue† effectively utilises techniques and devices in order to appeal to its readership, the upper class gentleman of 1713 and onward. 715 words

10 Tips for Choosing a Suitable Graduate Thesis Essay

Some Graduate Students Take over Two Years to Choose Their Thesis Topic Although selecting a topic suitable for your thesis might seem to be simple and easy, the prevailing research on this issue finds that some graduate students take over two years to complete this task — this does not have to be you. Understand that the longer you take to complete this task — the more money the university makes on your continuous registration. Hence, educational institutions are not encouraged to help you figure the thesis process out. Don’t wait until you are finished with your qualifying/comprehensive exams to start thinking about idea for your thesis topic. See more: Ethnic groups and racism essay Use your graduate courses to pursue a possible topic. Procrastination in selecting a topic can sometimes cause gridlock in your graduate career. Without a topic, you cannot proceed to writing or defending the proposal phase; and more importantly, you cannot begin researching or writing your thesis. I have provided 10 tips to help you develop thesis ideas and start moving toward your goal of completing your degree: 1. Don’t Panic — Keep Things in Perspective Let’s face it, not too many people will read a masters thesis. A thesis is not the type of document that piques the general public’s interest mainly because of its academic rigor and writing style. The topic is generally of interest only to the student, experts in the field and the student’s advisor and committee members. 2. Be Organized — Maximize Your Research Efforts In order to maximize your research efforts, you must be organized and efficient in your search efforts. The more organized you are in the beginning, the more time you will have to write your thesis. Be diligent about keeping track of your files in the early phases of your research to reduce your stress levels later on when your enthusiasm begins to wane. If you have to back track on your research efforts, being organized from the beginning will help make the process less painful. 3. Choose a Subject Area First — Then a Topic for Your Thesis The more information you consume in your broad subject area, the more patterns will emerge. In your coursework readings, you may notice repeated results and conclusions by more than one  source, or facts that favor one view more than another. Paying attention to these patterns should help you become more conversant with the relevant literature as well as help you to narrow your focus. Narrowing your topic should be done with help from your advisor and committee members. 4. Consider Expanding a Masters Thesis Into a Dissertation If you’re working towards a PhD and you wrote a Masters thesis, consider expanding on that topic for your dissertation. You already are familiar with the topic and much of the research is done. This approach can accelerate your progress towards your goal: Completion! 5. Make Sure Your Thesis Topic Is Interesting It is imperative that both you and your advisor are interested in your thesis topic. Some advisors are reluctant to suggest topics because of the implicit responsibilities associated with guiding a student through the process from start to completion. Your advisor’s enthusiasm for your topic will determine his or her willingness to read, support, fund, and provide timely feedback and direction to your work. 6. Choose a Solvable And Manageable Research Problem It is important to select a problem that is narrow enough that you can address it or solve it in a reasonable period of time. You should select a topic that can be completed within a two-year time frame. A longer time frame could allow many unexpected and competing events to occur. If you find yourself spending an exorbitant amount of time pursuing and identifying a research problem, it is possible that the problem is not solvable. With a longer time frame, you also run the risk of someone else identifying and solving the problem before you do. Hence, the concept of â€Å"original† contribution to the field is lost and you might have to start over. Moreover, you run the risk of your enthusiasm diminishing. 7. The Research Problem Must Be Worthy Of Your Time Choosing a topic that is compelling enough to sustain further research is critical. Employers evaluate potential employees based on the student’s ability to not only finish the thesis but also make future contributions to  the field. 8. Make Your Research Topic Original- Has It Been Done Before? The prerequisite for finding a new research topic is to be informed because most things have been studied before. Staying on top of the current debates in your academic field puts you in a position to identify the gaps in knowledge. After identifying the gaps, all you need to figure out is what kinds of information will fill these gaps. 9. Hone Your Research Skills One way to evaluate your research skills and make sure they are up to par is to pursue a potential topic in your Research Methods or Statistics courses where you can get immediate feedback from an instructor. You can use these courses to work out potential problems in your methodology or your review of the literature; thus allowing you to work out any kinks earlier in your academic career rather than later. 10. As You Read — Ask the Following Questions. What is the Research Question in the Study? Did the Researcher Focus on the Wrong Group/subjects? Did the Research Leave Some Group/Something Out? Is the Methodology Faulty? Were the Findings Faulty? Can I Pursue the Author’s Recommendation for Future Research? What Are the Limitations of the Study?

Differences and Similarities between Respiration and Photosynthesis Essay

Cellular RespirationPhotosynthesis OrganellesMitochondriaChloroplast Organelle StructuresThe double-membraned mitochondrion can be loosely described as a large wrinkled bag packed inside of a smaller, unwrinkled bag. The two membranes create distinct compartments within the organelle, and are themselves very different in structure and in function.Two membranes contain and protect the inner parts of the chloroplast. The stroma is an area inside of the chloroplast where reactions occur and starches (sugars) are created. One thylakoid stack is called a granum. The thylakoids have chlorophyll molecules on their surface. That chlorophyll uses sunlight to create sugars. The stacks of sacs are connected by stromal lamellae. The lamellae act like the skeleton of the chloroplast, keeping all of the sacs a safe distance from each other and maximizing the efficiency of the organelle. Stages InvolvedGlycolysis, the Krebs Cycle, Electron Transport ChainPhotoexcitation, photolysis, photophosphorylation ReactantsOxygen and GlucoseCarbon Dioxide and Water

Hinduism, the Religion as portrayed in Bollywood Cinema Essay

Hinduism, the Religion as portrayed in Bollywood Cinema - Essay Example The author has classified these feature films into four main categories: mythological films, devotional films, Islamic films and the films propagating religious and secular ideals. She has then discussed the characteristic features of each of these categories of cinema under different chapters of the book. According to Dwyer, the Hindu religion in India has always had a strong relationship with the various forms of the artistic expressions. Much before the medium of films came into existence, the traditional forms of the Indian media such as â€Å"drama, poetry, music, dance, painting etc.† have been found to be replete with depiction of Hindu religious practices. This proves that, right from the ancient times, Indian religion has had a significant influence on the different forms of the country’s art. The medium of cinema was no exception to this rule, and the all-encompassing impact of India’s religious culture paved the way for the regular portrayal of the religious practices on the large screen. That is why, Dwyer has considered it important to study the mutual relationship between the Indian religion and the medium of films. In her work she has evaluated the methods in which the medium of cinema has influenced the religious practices in India. She has also tri ed to determine whether Indian films have portrayed the religious rituals in their true form or have modified them while exhibiting these practices to a larger audience. (Dwyer, 2) Dwyer’s book makes significant contributions in other spheres as well. The author has studied the importance of Indian cinema in constructing various national identities related to films. Dwyer has outlined how the cinematic medium has helped to form India’s political identity, its nationalistic zeal, the religious identity and also facilitated the creation of the different religious communities. In his book, the author has further argued that Indian films have not restricted themselves by depicting only the religious rituals, the religious communities and their philosophies. Instead, Indian cinema portrays an Indian society whose customs and practices are grounded in the basic religious ideals of the country. This modern Indian society transcends the political boundaries and religious divid es to register its presence amidst the larger global audience (Dwyer, 2). In 2008, Dwight Friesen (University of Edinburgh) had published a review of Rachel Dwyer’s book in The Expository Times. Friesen has identified Dwyer’s book as an unprecedented effort mainly directed towards evaluating the significance of Indian religion in their cinema. The first chapter of the book traces the origins and development of mythological films in India, while the second chapter describes the same aspects of the feature films belonging to the devotional genre. In the third chapter, the author has described how Indian films have depicted the Islamic religion, culture and their ways of life in the relevant â€Å"Islamicate films†. The fourth chapter has enumerated how Hinduism has significantly influenced the framework and the basic themes of the Indian social cinema. (Friesen, 206) Friesen declares that Dwyer’s book bears testimony to her investigations and research about the subject matter of her work. Friesen has appreciated Dwyer’s knowledge about the evolution of the Indian motion picture industry which is reflected abundantly in the book. As such, Friesen points out that the book has minimal flaws. However, the reviewer rightly identifies that Dwyer has concentrated more on the depiction of religion in Hindi films ( produced in the Bombay film industry) rather than the

Efficiency of Foreign Exchange Market Coursework

Efficiency of Foreign Exchange Market - Coursework Example In efficient markets, there are opportunities neither for the hedgers nor for the speculators to make super-normal profits (Fama, 1970). In such a situation, speculative efficiency and arbitraging efficiency exist. The speculative efficiency hypothesis is the proposition that says if there is speculative efficiency in the market, the expected rate of return to due speculation in the forward foreign exchange market is zero (Hansen and Hodrick, 1980). The arbitraging efficiency hypothesis is the proposition that the expected rate of return to covered or uncovered interest arbitrage in the international capital market is zero. Interest arbitrage is a form of arbitrage where funds are taken out of home country to invest in a foreign country’s interest bearing securities. This strategy tries to make profit from the difference in interest rate of the two countries. Interest arbitrage is a central concept to understand the foreign exchange movements. Literature Review For testing the speculative efficiency of any foreign exchange market, many academicians consider the hypothesis that the forward price is the best forecast available of future spot price. For the test of arbitraging efficiency, several authors test covered interest parity (CIP), i.e. the parity between the forward discount from the expected spot and the interest differential between a pair of currencies. Since transactions costs and risk premium are there in the price, now it has become a widely known fact that, rejecting the CIP test doesn’t necessarily imply that the market is arbitraging inefficient. In the context of a simple forward market model it can be shown that arbitraging efficiency can exist even if CIP does not hold and transactions costs and risk premium are absent (Stein, 1965). In reality, prices include transaction costs and there is a presence of risk premium for the risk taken by taking position on that particular asset. Since transactions costs and risk premium exist in practice (Bilson, 1981); a departure from CIP does not necessarily imply arbitraging inefficiency. With transactions costs and risk premium, it can be shown that the null hypothesis for testing CIP differs from that for testing arbitraging efficiency. Frequent failures of the tests of market efficiency as the forward discount deviates from either the interest differential or expected depreciation; have led researchers to postulate the existence of a risk premium. There have been also a lot of cases of large difference of average holding returns across asset classes. Moreover the risk premium has been time dependent (Grauer et al, 1976). Researchers have often tested for a risk premium as a function of the variance of forecast errors or of the exchange rate movements (Domowitz and Hakkio, 1985). A usual initiative for researchers while testing for speculative efficiency is that they take for granted that speculators are risk neutral. Empirical studies for a large variety of currenci es and time periods and for the recent floating experience tend to report results which are unfavorable to the efficient market hypothesis under risk neutrality (Longworth, 1981; Fama, 1984). For the period 1973 to 1979, Hansen and Hodrick (1980), using weekly data and three-month forward rates and carrying out tests involving the currencies of seven countries which are Canada, France, Italy,

The Impact of Family Ownership on Financial Performance Essay

The Impact of Family Ownership on Financial Performance - Essay Example Another problem with application of the data to test the equation is possible existence of other variables that the used data failed to control. While the research focused on studying effect of family ownership on performance, many factors to organizational performance exist that could confound the analysis results. Ensuring control was therefore necessary and could be achieved through identification of possible confounding variables and analyzing organizations with similar levels measurement of the variables. Analysis of potential effects of the variables for adjustment measures would also remedy their confounding effect to ensure suitability of the data in testing the model. Small sample size is another problem that that testing the model with the data faces. External validity is a significant factor to quantitative research and defines the potential to generalize findings from a sample to a population. The measure is directly proportional to sample size and the small sample size m eans that developed information and conclusion from the analysis cannot be inferred to performance of the categories of companies in Hong Kong. This limits the scope of qualitative research and renders the analysis ineffective (Hays and Singh, 2011). The probability value for the coefficient estimate informs the decision on its statistical and economic relevance. The probability value of 0.15, which is relatively small, means that the coefficient estimate for the relationship is statistically significant for an 80 percent confidence interval. This high probability cannot be ignored and justifies the decision for statistical relevance. Statistical significance is however more precise than economic significance by observing set limits for the significance. Contrary to this, economic significance exists even with a minimal probability of occurrence, as well as there is a chance. A probability of 0.15 for beta means a probability of 85 percent exists for a

Article Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Article Summary - Essay Example The organization experienced alienation of 15 members of the organization within the first two years since it started operating. The author even states that the committee does not believe that the problems faced by the organization are huge and the problem has helped in replacing employees who were less interested in working for the organization with employees who are more interested. The managers of the organization have failed to carry out their function of organizing in a successful manner. They have failed to obtain human resources that are necessary for the attainment of the organization’s objectives. The organization is experiencing decline in number of members due to which various tasks are not being completed as they are required to an the organization is failing to meet its objectives. The managers have even failed to design the jobs of the employees in a proper manner because due to limited staff, one member of the organization has to carry out various tasks. The managers might even be failing to departmentalize the organization because they may not have enough members to completely fill the department and one member within the department might be carrying out various tasks. Bailey, Ian. "Report Finds B.C. Police Watchdog Facing Human Resources Issues." The Globe and Mail. 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.