MOTHER TONGUE BY AMY TAN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MOTHER TONGUE BY AMY TAN - Essay Example From the essay, we learn about the initial encounters of Amy as a young girl. Her life was widely dependant of her knowledge in different languages that constituted of English. In the first part of the book, there is a clear explanation about her learning and use of the language. We get a clear picture about her school life from the second part along with the liabilities she experienced as a due to her mother’s inability to speak correct English. English as a second lingo and a school subject to her made her life in school a living hell. Nonetheless, through the same problems and technicalities, she managed to grasp the language with immense vigor. In fact, her success in the latter, depicted by her writing capabilities, was a source of surprise both to her family and to friends. Her career in writing was geared by the unknown ability that she came to realize in herself years later. Her struggles in grasping correct English for communication with her peers synchronized with th e mastery of broken English for easier communication with her mother enabled the sharing and practice of many different cultures, which gave an ample source to writing materials. Amy came to discover how rich she was in mastering different languages. She was capable of communicating with very many different people: from the different types of English, to her mother tongue. This phenomenon came to her attention, when she inquired from her friends on their opinion about her mother’s mannerism of speaking English. The responses made her realize that it was not a mere normality, to grasp and use different languages effectively. From this perspective, it became easier for Amy to adapt to any changes; blending into different languages with a passion. She knew it was her secret; one that she achieved through struggling and could now interact normally with everyone years later; regards to her childhood efforts. With reference to the latter, she was always good in all other subjects o ther than English. She recalls how her professor discovered her degree in brightness and emphasized on concentration to the subjects she could deliver best. This was in the context of having a strong base in education with a promising future. Contrary to her instincts, Amy never wanted to foster on what she could do. She had zeal and a strong notion on trying what was considered impossible. She then reduced her concentration on latter subjects and focused on English, regardless of the pieces of advises from different entities. At one time, she almost gave up on the subject and even blamed her failure on the poor English her mother spoke. She never came to consensus with the fact behind, other children coming from strong English speaking families, while she came from a family characterized by pitiable English. As a child, English was an unexplained aspect of unfairness. Despite the fact that communication between her mum and the outside world was next to impossible, Amy never gave up . Instead, she listened and practiced quietly until she was sure of herself. In her mother’s case, she countered any problems by assisting different people in communicating with her. She even recalls the kind of difficulties she underwent in instances where they encountered influential people with a notion of taking advantage of her mother. Amy might have been an Asian American, but this aspect never countered her standing out in class. Through her efforts, she finally achieved her long-term quest, becoming a writer and a savior to her mother in the process. Apparently, the author uses hidden language to point out aspects of cultural racism without signifying anger or clearly mentioning out

Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Apple - Essay Example These software and hardware systems have long provided success with regard to the company’s profitability. Moreover, while the company’s programmers, engineers, designers, and other personnel represent key resources, Apple Inc.’s capability to exploit these personnel’s abilities to develop hardware and software ecosystems encompasses the firm’s key ability. On an individual level, the resources represent only a temporary fraction of the firm’s competitive advantage. However, the combination of all the personnel’s abilities creates the firm’s sustainable competitive advantage. The establishment of Apple stores also provided the company with significant resources for physical presence since the stores act as sales locations, as well as means of advertisement. The stores allow the company to monitor and control brand image within the market. In order to maintain its current, strategic position, and enhance its success in the coming years, Apple Inc. should establish highly innovative software and hardware to augment its current resources. In addition, the company should also endeavor to employ personnel with Jobs’ passion for excellence (Lashinsky 58). Such personnel should not only form the company’s strategic planning department, but all departments in the entire company. Situational Analysis The company has a rather intriguing mission statement that not only provides focus to the company in terms of its business operations and processes. The company’s website provides a list of its products rather than a conventional mission statement. The company’s official mission statement states that it designs Macs, the best personal computers globally, alongside OS X, iLife, iWork, and other professional software. Apple directs the digital music revolution through its iTunes online store and iPods. However, popular beliefs hold that Apple Inc. got its conventional mission statement from on e of Steve Jobs’ quotes during the 1980s. Jobs’ quote can be summarized as follows: â€Å"Man is the developer of change in the world. As such, man should be above all systems and structures, and not secondary to them† (Lutchen 72). While various sources consider all these statements as the true mission statement, the company ends most of its press releases through a statement that bears a resemblance to traditional mission statements. The company ends its press releases with the statement, â€Å"Apple commits to the provision of the best personal computing experience to educators, students, customers, and creative professional across the globe through its innovative software, hardware, and Internet offerings.† The company’s mission statement provides a sense of direction, which is sufficiently flexible to the changing market situations. The company’s motivation to continue providing the best hardware, software and Internet offerings, means that it will develop technologies to adapt according to market situations. The industry has many successful competitors that pose a challenge to Apple Inc. However, the company’s strategy allows the firm to remain successful. Apple’s main competitive advantage lies in its broad array of products, especially its software, hardware, and Internet solutions (Cruikshank 81). The company’s immense resources such as personnel provide the backing for the company’s policies and strategies. This means that the company requires dedicated personnel to help it put

Impact And Cultural Dimensions Of Globalisation

Impact And Cultural Dimensions Of Globalisation There are both winners and losers associated with globalisation, however what exactly is globalisation and how can it be defined? Daniels et al. Defines the term globalisation as follows: A contested term relating to the transformation of spatial relations that involves a change in the relationship between space, economy and society.  [1]  There are a few key dimensions connected to globalisation, these are economical, political, social, cultural and environmental. This paper will argue that there are some positives linked to globalisation, however many people are still worse off and suffer as a result of this phenomenon. There are some general winners as a result of globalisation: the highly skilled and educated, large firms, global markets, men, or any people with assets. Then there are the losers of globalisation: the workers, women and children, local communities, the uneducated, people without skills, the environment and small firms. For globalisation to work inequality must be decreased in order to close the gap between the rich and poor countries. Transnational and Multinational Corporations are those corporations which have headquarters in a certain country (mainly in a global city) and operate in several other countries around the world. They have been the central players in the evolution of globalisation since the Second World War. These have continued to become some of the most powerful economic and political entities in the world today. The corporations can influence globalisation greatly and bring wealth to developed countries. Many of the larger Transnational Corporations (TNCs) have a higher turnover than the majority of the worlds countries. For example, the combined revenues of General Motors and Ford alone, the two largest automobile corporations in the world, exceed the combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for all of sub-Saharan Africa.  [2]   Economic globalisation refers to increasing economic interdependence of national economies across the world through a rapid increase in cross border movement of goods, service, technology and capital.  [3]  Capitalism drives globalisation in this present era and will continue to do so with the markets opening up and becoming neo-liberal. Whilst economic globalisation has been occurring over several thousands of years, recently it has expanded rapidly with the increasing improvements in technology, transportation and free trade. This recent growth has occurred mainly because of developed countries integrating with less developed countries, by means of foreign direct investment (FDI), the reduction of trade barriers and the modernisation of these developing cultures. Countries involved in trade liberalisation benefit from an increase in living standards, increased incomes, and higher rates of economic growth. For economies to grow, TNCs need to generate profit and expand globally. They achieve this by moving their production line to less developed countries in order to decrease production costs and increase profit. The winners of this process are the major corporations (Nike, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, etc.) whose products are made at a minimal cost, thus generating increased amounts of profit allowing them to globalise their business and become wealthier. TNCs have been heavily criticised, however they have invested in developing countries and by doing this, have managed to raise the living standards. Despite the western view that sweatshops are unethical, the labourers who work in them are often benefiting greatly. Many economists whose studies are directly related to sweatshops find that after controlling for other factors, multinational firms pay higher wages than domestic firms in Third World countries.  [4]  Many citizens in developing countries are unqualified or uneducated, thus making it extremely difficult for them to find employment by being unqualified. Feenstra and Hanson (1997) find that multinational firms improve the lives of workers by increasing the demand for labour.  [5]  This indicates that unqualified citizens still have a chance of employment and receiving an above average income. The apparel industry has drawn most attention in the press for its use of sweatshop labour. Evidently, the apparel wages are l ow by Western country standards however, these wages compare favourably with the average standard of living within these countries. For example, in Honduras, the site of the famous Kathy Lee Gifford sweatshop scandal, the average apparel worker earns, $13.10 per day, yet 44% of the countrys population lives on less than $2 per day.  [6]  Evidently, sweatshops do play a major role in developing countries, however there still are some negatives surrounding them. The negative associations with globalisation cannot be overlooked. The losers of this process are the workers who work increased hours, earn little income, along with poor living and working standards. Even though sweatshops produce a reasonable, above average income for its workers, they usually work in dirty polluted factories which may have a negative effect on the worker and may decrease their life span. For example, Tommy Hilfiger a world renowned brand has set up sweatshops in developing countries, where products are made at a minimal cost and sold in developed countries at a high cost, producing major profits which return to the specific TNC headquarters, thus the developing countries economy does not benefit greatly. This in turn leads to an increase in inequality between the rich and the poor. As a result of sweatshops, citizens in the developing world may suffer as well. When these major corporations move their production line to reduce costs they leave several thousands of local citizens unemployed, which may lead to them relying on welfare. They may also substitute humans with labour saving technologies which will also increase unemployment levels. This can continue to lead to issues such as a loss of tax revenue which may be detrimental to the home country and halt them from moving forward. An additional loser in this process can be the consumer who purchases these products which can be described as being highly overpriced. Another significant and often overlooked loser from economic globalisation is the environment. Major corporations decreases in environmental integrity as polluting corporations take advantage of weak regulatory rules in developing countries. For example, human systems are depleting resources and degrading the environment at unprecedented rates, such as mining companies clearing land for production causing deforestation and pollution. There are many more examples of environmental degradation such as urbanization of productive land; water logging and salinization of soil; soil erosion; deforestation; ground water depletion; ozone depletion; pollution; and climate change to name a few. These are all issues which are currently being seen through media sources. Such as the BP oil spill which has been graded the biggest environmental disaster in the US history, The oil rig, about 40 miles (64km) off the coast of Louisiana, sank two days later, gushing an estimated 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of crude oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico.  [7]  This appears to be a prime example of environmental degradation. This disaster has continuing effects on the environment and economy such as killing wildlife and habitat, and effecting tourism on this part of the coast. Ms Wickman, owner of the Treasure Trove gift shop that occupies an 18th century church, one of Alabamas oldest buildings, estimates that her business has dropped by half since news of the April 20 explosion that destroyed an oil rig under contract with BP.  [8]  Due to the interconnectedness of globalisation when this disaster occurred all the oil prices around the world fluctuated and were unstable at the time. Some countries may suffer from the resource curse. A prime example of the resource curse is Nigeria, a country rich in land, but poor in population. Despite its large earning from oil, 70% of its estimated 140 million people live below the poverty line.  [9]  About 95 percent of Nigerias revenue is generated by oil and gas, resulting in billions of dollars in state funds every year, though much of the country remains impoverished and underdeveloped this is mainly due to a high level of corruption in its government.  [10]  These can lead to much greater issues within developing countries such as an increase in the chances of civil war within developing countries and open war between developing countries as they fight for resources. In conclusion, there are evidently positive impacts which have occurred as a part of the globalisation phenomenon. It has contributed to increased job opportunities for uneducated or unqualified citizens, has increased economic growth for developed countries through transnational and multinational corporations, and increased living standards due to trade liberalisation. Even though there are some negatives associated with globalisation such as increasing the gap between the rich and poor, exploiting labourers, along with having environmental impacts, globalisation has still continued to have many great benefits on the world. It is unreasonable to predict that globalisation will encourage equality around the world; there will always be winners and losers, regardless.

Shark Attacks Essays -- Sharks Ocean Life Attacks Essays

Shark Attacks The serious attacks are mainly by four species. The Bull shark. the Tiger, the Great White and the Oceanic Whitetip shark. The Grey Nurse (Sand Tiger) and the Bronze Whaler have for many years been blamed for many attacks but it seems nearly all were mistaken identity. The Grey Nurse is now protected in most States in Australia. The Great White is the largest and has a high percentage of fatal attacks. The Bull shark is responsible for a lot of attacks on swimmers and people in shallow water. From reports it seems a lot of these attacks were only one bite but a large percentage of the victims died of blood loss and shock. It is likely to be the worlds number one killer shark on swimmers. I have heard of a lot of encounters with scuba divers but have so far been unable to find any attacks. The Tiger shark usually spends daylight hours in deep water and comes into shallow areas around reefs and coastline during the night. It has been responsible for a large number of deaths. This includes swimmers, surfers and scuba divers. Many divers swim with these sharks with no problem but a large Tiger shark is more than capable of killing a human. Overall, there are very few fatal attacks on scuba divers. I have not been able to find any over the last twenty years except for one in 1991 and two in 1993. Ironically these were both in the same month. They were all by Great White sharks. According to the book, Shark Attacks by Mac Mc Diarmid, 9 out of 10 shark attacks happen within 1.6 metres of the surface. One third of attacks are fatal. Most victims are male. Although there have been very few fatal attacks on scuba divers, there have been quite a few on spearfisherman and abalone divers. Many of these fatal attacks have occurred in South Australia in areas well known for Great Whites. Abalone divers nearly always work in areas where seals are present and the water is cool. This is ideal for attracting the Great White. Add to this the fact that they spend an enormous time in the water and it is a recipe for disaster. It was noticed in California USA, that Abalone divers were only attacked north of Point Conception. It was later discovered that the law in North California did not allow abalone divers to use scuba equipment, which meant they spent much more time at the surface. In southern California scuba was permitted! Spearfishing has two major... ... with captive dolphins. The dolphins were bottlenose dolphins--there were 5 in the pod, one of which was a calf. So it could be a female pod. When the three people went into the water, they swam with the dolphins without fins or masks--so they were not as agile underwater as they could have been, nor as equipped as many people are when they are swimming with captive or solitary dolphins. Martin was left alone in the water (his choice). The dolphins initially disappeared on him. Martin saw the shark attack him from the depths. He said he was bitten four times. In one of the attacks, Martin said that he punched the shark on the snout. We do not yet know the species of the shark. The doctors in the Egyptian hospital in El Tur said that it was only one shark and by the size of the bite marks, they believe it was between 4-5 meters (we are looking for someone who is a professional to help identify the species from the bite wounds). It was the dolphins' choice to return and to help Martin. They were not close to him at the time of the attack. They probably took some risk to do this, as there was a calf in their pod. They were not fed by the boat. Thank you for reading my paper.

Dream Job

Dream Job Jennifer Tilton Gen 200 April 26, 2010 Jennifer Brodie Dream Job When asked to describe a dream job and why, Marie had a hard time deciphering what the term, â€Å"dream job† meant to her. After substantial thought and self realization, she realized that the dream job for her is the brand operations manager for MAC Cosmetics. The three reasons she chose this area is because of the benefits, the ability to positively impact peoples’ lives and because make-up is her passion. The obvious reason behind any job is for the money. Working as an operations manager is not an easy job and Marie found that one of the largest payoffs for carrying this title is the salary. On average, Brand Operations managers make six figures. Not only is that Marie’s personal salary goal but it is also what she has decided she needs to earn to establish a secure home for a family. The brand operation manager at MAC not only makes big bucks but also has amazing benefits. Marie found that MAC operation managers have about 7 percent of their income going into a 401k and MAC matches that percent. So over about 30 years of saving that amount of money; when Marie is 55, she will have $2,203,880 to retire with. Not many employers will match 100 percent and most employers will only match up to 6 percent of your income. With these types of benefits any operations manager within MAC would be happy and happy manager’s means happy employees. This leads to making an impact on the employees and consumers lives. â€Å"There is no investment you can make which will pay you so well as the effort to scatter sunshine and good cheer through your establishment†. Marden, 1850) It’s important for Marie to feel good about what she does in her professional life. Being in such a credible position in such a large company can really move the mark in which ever direction one chooses. If Marie had the opportunity to make a change in the company, it would first be to make a change on the way the managers motivate their employees. She believes that the more positive reinforcement th e employee receives, the better the results that employee will make for the company. She is noticing that most of the motivation being utilized with in the current management is using the scare tactic approach. Yes, it is producing results, and it is also producing very angry managers. She would also move the mark by turning the packaging into green material. By doing this, it will create awareness in consumers and staff to the importance of taking care of the planet. â€Å"Oct. 11, 2007 Eighty percent of young professionals are interested in securing a job that impacts the environment in a positive way, and 92% say they'd give preference to working for a company that is environmentally friendly†. (Anonymous, 2010) â€Å"Passion is an emotion that comes from within you. It is your enthusiasm, your zeal, your drive and your motivation†. Anonymous, 2008) Another major reason for Marie to want to be in this position is because make up has been her passion since she was young and it has been her ultimate dream to work for corporate MAC. Mixing business with pleasure will ultimately lead to happiness because she will be working for a company that she loves and supports. The ability to assist in the development of artists and managers will further develop the company to the standard she had always hoped. If Marie were able to get to the position that will allow her to move the mark in ways that people could never dream of is her ultimate dream. In order for her to accomplish this dream she needs to be a leader in planning, formatting operations and planning the use of materials and human resources will help the company run smoothly. Marie wants to be the sole contributor to the reason MAC becomes a fortune 500 company. While writing this paper, Marie realized that her dream job is to be the manager of retail operations within MAC. It is important for her to be with a company which she has passion for, to move the mark within the company and to make a decent living in the process. Everyone has had managers or people that work within their company that they don’t like, Marie has made a personal commitment to herself that she will never be that manager. She will be the manager she always wished she had and always train the best management for the company. Citations IT Managers. (2008). How passion for your job can lead to success. Retrieved from http://itmanagersinbox. com/1559/how-passion-for-your-job-can-lead-to-success/ Orison Swett Marden. (n. d. ). BrainyQuote. com. Retrieved April 28, 2010, from BrainyQuote. com Web site: Dream Job Tres, United States My dream job, absolute best job in the world, would be working for Bill Gates, and being able to give my advice for a price. He asks me what I think about Longhorn, it sucks, redo it, I get a few million. What do I think about the new apple computers, or OS, it's great, we should copy it don't get caught. I get millions. How could you ask for anything more? Naomi, Australia My dream job would be to work at the United Nations.I would like to work there because I could work in a very multi-cultural environment and I would be allowed to travel a lot and experience many different types of countries and lifestyles. Alan, Canada Ah, my dream job, well, I would like to be an NHL hockey player, and All-Star in the NHL, getting paid millions of dollars a year, scoring a lot of goals. Having lots of people honor me and look up to me and just be a good hockey player. Anita, Taiwan What is my dream job?My dream job is to work in the mass-communication company and I think I'm a very creative person, so I would like to do a job, a very creative job so I think a mass-communication company can let me, let me provide those creative thoughts and ideas. Jim, England Um, my dream job would involve first of all, very, very high salary. I would start work at about 10 am, lunch at 12 for 2 hours, and then work in the afternoon until 4. I think I would spend half the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and then half the year in the Southern Hemisphere, just so I could have summer all year long.Kate, New Zealand My dream job is have my own business. At the moment, I'm really into snowboarding and so I'd love to have a snowboarding tour company. Every year I'm going snowboarding, and I have a lot of experience in teaching snowboarding, instructing, and also I'm at university now so I'm learning how to run my own business, and accounting, et cetera, so I'd love to be a snowboarding, to own my own snowboarding tour company. Dream Job My personal dream job is working in the Information Technology field as a software programmer. Some of those reasons I choose this career are the highly needs in young professionals, the high salary to maintain a stable life and the love of math and science. Firstly, When Vietnam entry WTO, there is a shortage of high-grade young professionals to develop software technology in Vietnam. According to Vietnamese newspapers, there is an increase from 30 to 40% in recruiting workers in many kinds of professions in 2010, especially in Information Technology’s environment is about 12%- the biggest number of all kinds of job’s number.The second major reason of choosing this career is a high salary for a happy life. Indeed, the salary to pay for software programming job in IT field is higher than other jobs. The starting point salary for newcomers is approximately from 3 millions to 4,5 millions Vietnamese dong, about 200 to 300 USD- is an ideal salary for young people nowadays. The last reason why I choose this tough career is because I love to study math and science since I was in high school. As we know that, working with computer involves many things in math and science. I enjoy working with mathematical exercises and exploring new and fascinating things in science.My big goal is how to succeed in my career path including getting job easily in a dynamic environment and moving up in the long run. In order to achieve my first objective, one must is to hold an excellent bachelor’s degree of my major. As employers from large companies always intend to look for candidates who had good achievements in their student’s life. To achieve the second objective, I need to equip other skills-soft-skills- such as teamwork, communication, solving-problem skills etc. Learning other soft skills will help me to succeed in communication at work and soon to be promoted. Dream Job Tres, United States My dream job, absolute best job in the world, would be working for Bill Gates, and being able to give my advice for a price. He asks me what I think about Longhorn, it sucks, redo it, I get a few million. What do I think about the new apple computers, or OS, it's great, we should copy it don't get caught. I get millions. How could you ask for anything more? Naomi, Australia My dream job would be to work at the United Nations.I would like to work there because I could work in a very multi-cultural environment and I would be allowed to travel a lot and experience many different types of countries and lifestyles. Alan, Canada Ah, my dream job, well, I would like to be an NHL hockey player, and All-Star in the NHL, getting paid millions of dollars a year, scoring a lot of goals. Having lots of people honor me and look up to me and just be a good hockey player. Anita, Taiwan What is my dream job?My dream job is to work in the mass-communication company and I think I'm a very creative person, so I would like to do a job, a very creative job so I think a mass-communication company can let me, let me provide those creative thoughts and ideas. Jim, England Um, my dream job would involve first of all, very, very high salary. I would start work at about 10 am, lunch at 12 for 2 hours, and then work in the afternoon until 4. I think I would spend half the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and then half the year in the Southern Hemisphere, just so I could have summer all year long.Kate, New Zealand My dream job is have my own business. At the moment, I'm really into snowboarding and so I'd love to have a snowboarding tour company. Every year I'm going snowboarding, and I have a lot of experience in teaching snowboarding, instructing, and also I'm at university now so I'm learning how to run my own business, and accounting, et cetera, so I'd love to be a snowboarding, to own my own snowboarding tour company. Dream Job My personal dream job is working in the Information Technology field as a software programmer. Some of those reasons I choose this career are the highly needs in young professionals, the high salary to maintain a stable life and the love of math and science. Firstly, When Vietnam entry WTO, there is a shortage of high-grade young professionals to develop software technology in Vietnam. According to Vietnamese newspapers, there is an increase from 30 to 40% in recruiting workers in many kinds of professions in 2010, especially in Information Technology’s environment is about 12%- the biggest number of all kinds of job’s number.The second major reason of choosing this career is a high salary for a happy life. Indeed, the salary to pay for software programming job in IT field is higher than other jobs. The starting point salary for newcomers is approximately from 3 millions to 4,5 millions Vietnamese dong, about 200 to 300 USD- is an ideal salary for young people nowadays. The last reason why I choose this tough career is because I love to study math and science since I was in high school. As we know that, working with computer involves many things in math and science. I enjoy working with mathematical exercises and exploring new and fascinating things in science.My big goal is how to succeed in my career path including getting job easily in a dynamic environment and moving up in the long run. In order to achieve my first objective, one must is to hold an excellent bachelor’s degree of my major. As employers from large companies always intend to look for candidates who had good achievements in their student’s life. To achieve the second objective, I need to equip other skills-soft-skills- such as teamwork, communication, solving-problem skills etc. Learning other soft skills will help me to succeed in communication at work and soon to be promoted.

Life Imitates Art, Movies Imitate Life Essay

Imagine a world where clothes were non-existent, and it did not matter if your outfit was the current flair, or if your shoes were the latest style. Our culture would halfway cease to exist. The western culture puts so much emphasis on fashion, our lives begin to move and mold themselves around it. Fashion is like art on the body, and making a masterpiece out of what you wear. â€Å"From the materials employed in clothing manufacture to the process by which our garments are made to the social values that dictate what we â€Å"should† look like, fashion has surrounded us and consumed us for generations. (Shmoop Editorial Team 2008) A perfect example of popular culture can be revealed in American Fashion. This is impeccably displayed in the motion picture, based on the novel written by Lauren Weisberger, produced by Wendy Finerman, The Devil Wears Prada. The basic plot of the movie and novel is about a plain jane, just out of college, smart, not fashion savvy, woman (Andrea Sachs) who applies for a job as junior assistant to the editor-in-chief (Miranda Priestly), at a fashion icon magazine â€Å"Runway†, in New York and gets it. She is told repeatedly â€Å"a million girls would die for [her] job† (Finerman, 2006) and if she lasts a year, she will be able to get a job at any magazine. Andrea, in her own way is a counterculture of the people at Runway magazine in the movie. She deviates from the norm of the fashion and mainstream subculture. She tolerates their demanding ways, and demeaning comments of her diet and style, until she breaks and gives in and asks for help. She is given a makeover, by the art director, Nigel, and her new style and job begin to strain her relationship with her boyfriend and her friends. The few scenes that depict her break down and her makeover, is when people begin to notice her, and treat her better once she is wearing the latest fashion. Her hair was cut and styled, she started to watch what she ate, and shaped herself into a fashionista. She began to adapt to their standards, and dressing. She sticks with the job and increasingly spends more time working, whilst climbing the career ladder. This is set perfectly with our commercial culture and the ideology of humans and how our world works. Andrea was a non-conformist in the beginning and frowned upon because she did not wear the latest fall fashion. Once she started to wear the clothes, and shoes, she became well liked. She ultimately conformed to the fashion world. While at a benefit, Andrea ends up being Miranda’s saving grace and is offered to take the other assistants (Emily) spot to Paris. Andrea refused at first, in fear of hurting Emily’s feelings, and is forced to give in because if she does not go, Miranda will terminate her. Before leaving for Paris she takes a break from the relationship with her boyfriend. During her trip to Paris, she has relations with another writer she had met through her work and finds out about a plot to ruin her editor-in-chief. She tries to warn her and ends up finding out Miranda knew the whole time. Miranda ends up fixing her situation by double-crossing her art director, Nigel, and giving a job promised to him to someone else to save her job. Andrea is floored and cannot believe Miranda would do that to her friend. Miranda points out to Andrea that she already did, she did it to Emily. Right there Andrea quits, and leaves it all behind. Once Andrea returned to New York, she reunites with her boyfriend. In the conclusion, she is at a job interview when she is told her previous employer stated â€Å"she was by far her biggest disappointment, but that he would be an idiot not to hire her. † (Finerman, 2006) Throughout the entire movie Andrea is immersed in the fashion world. In the beginning of the movie there is a scene where the art director, Nigel, gives Andrea a pair of black, sling back stilettos. She at first refuses and says â€Å"I don’t think I need these. Miranda hired me, she knows what I look like. He responds â€Å"Do you? † (Finerman, 2006) This one scene indicates a perfect example of ideology. Nigel is setting the social order, because it is the norm of which the people in their occupation wear. I believe it is best stated by Shmoop University, â€Å"From our underwear to our Levi’s to our sneakers, what we wear has, for centuries, spoken volumes about who we are, what we do, and what we want. Whether Americans have dressed to make a political statement, to assert their class status, or simply to be irreverent, every style has carried a certain social meaning. (Shmoop Editorial Team 2008) The entire movie is immersed in popular culture and culturalism. In every scene there is examples of mass culture, commercial culture. It can even be said that ethical egoism is also expressed in the film. Ethical egoism, in short, is the view that perhaps not all persons seek their own self-interest but all should do so (Lee Archie and John G Archie, 2003). This is best represented when Miranda betrays Nigel in the end, in order to retain her job. She may not have had ill intentions and most likely did not want to make that decision, but in the end for her own self-interest, she made someone else sacrifice for her. The film reflects attitudes of our American Society. It depicts how simple a dress can make and transform a woman. Another movie and television series that is popular and uses fashion to influence, is â€Å"Sex in the City. † The show would emphasize certain brands, names, and styles and it caused a massive explosion of commercial paraphernalia. It clearly articulates how fashion matters in our day to day lives. Some people would like to disagree, but we even base our terms and language on fashion. â€Å"Terms like â€Å"white collar† and â€Å"blue collar† connote not just a line of work but a person’s class status, and remind us that we tend to make assumptions about a person’s income, line of work, and social position based on the way he or she dresses. † (Shmoop Editorial Team 2008) Regardless of your gender, sexuality, race, religion, pop culture exists in your life more than you know.

The eNotes Blog Violent Delights A New Romeo and Juliet Film ComingSoon

Violent Delights A New Romeo and Juliet Film ComingSoon Me, an hour ago on Tumblr:   Scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll,  scroll, scroll Wait.   Whats this? Yep.   Its time for a new cinematic interpretation of the Ultimate Forbidden Love.   Its been seventeen years, believe it or not, when the then 17-year-old Claire Danes starred as Juliet, opposite 22-year-old Leonardo di Caprio  as Romeo. This time, the play is returned to Shakespeares   intended era and setting, the early 14th century in Verona (the Danes-di Caprio version was a hip and modern take, set in a suburb of Verona). Visually, this new film looks lush and beautiful (at least from the trailer).   Its young stars, 17-year-old Hailee Steinfeld as Juliet and 21-year-old Douglas Booth could be described as lush and beautiful as well. Paul Giamatti will star as Friar Laurence, reason enough to see the film, in my opinion. Damian Lewis plays Lord Capulet (Six Degrees game, anyone? A:   Lewis now plays opposite Claire Danes as Nicholas Brody in  Homeland).    Adding to the appeal is that the film is directed by Julian Fellowes, of  Downton Abbey  fame. The film opens in limited release in the United States on October 11, 2013.