Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Lord of the Flies Play Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies Play Essay Lord of the Flies is a play about a group of evacuees who have had a plane crash. All the adults are dead and the group of boys are now left to survive by themselves on a desert island, that at first seems like paradise. They become split into two different groups. One group has Ralph as their leader and they try to stay civilised and normal, but the other group lead by Jack act like savages and at first they only kill a wild pig that is already on the island. The social influence of class divide on the island was shown well by the Pilot theatre company. It was clear to the audience who had a higher status on the island. They used their spoken language as one of the main differences. For example Piggy was from a lower class background and was therefore inferior to the rest of them. He spoke using very common language and the other boys teased him because of it. He was very much an outcast on the island and his clothes were like rags compared to the Public school boys posh outfits. Piggy was never part of the group; he always stood slightly on the outside of the circle. One of the cultural influences on the play was a childs capacity to murder intentionally. This came out through Jack and his followers. The theatre company showed that like the James Bulgier killers they thought about who and why they were going to kill. Their reasons werent good reasons but they were enough for them to decide it had to be done. They used their physical strength and power over others like bullys do. They decided the way to go and if you didnt fit in then you would be discarded of. It was rather like the war that was going on in the outside world at the time where if you were a Jew you had to be destroyed. The way Jack lead his gang was from a very Fascist viewpoint. At the beginning they used Democracy to decide who was going to be leader and Ralph was the one who was voted for. Jack was very angry with this, as he wanted to be in control. He wanted total power over the rest of the group and he didnt like the way Ralph tried to organise everyone. In the play the characters built a fire at the top of a hill on the island. The theatre company used a small real fire on the stage and a small red spot light to give the audience the idea of the fire. When the fire spreads out of control they mostly just use themselves and their acting to show the fire. I thought this was very effective because with the real fire on stage the audience could visualise what it would have looked like. I thought that the fire came to represent hope and survival because it was their only way of signalling to passers by where they were. They used Piggys glasses to make the fire and they were the only way they could make a fire so these also represented the boys survival. Whoever held the glasses was the most powerful person on the island because of what they symbolised and they were taken from Ralphs gang by Jack. This showed that he was more powerful and fitter than the others. The theatre company also used levels to show his status. They put his camp higher up on the stage, which demonstrates his domination and superiority. He also had the pigs head from the pig that he killed on a pole at the entrance to his camp to show off his power but also his bloodthirsty madness. At the beginning the lighting was a bright blue in the background and a bright white in the foreground. The lighting scheme darkened throughout the play as the atmosphere became tenser. It was a shock and a strong dramatic anti-climax at the end when the extremely bright white helicopter lights came down. This symbolised the rescue and the return from darkness. White is a very clean colour which contrasted with the dirty greens and reds used for most of the play. It illustrated to the audience the change from a murderous gloom to normality. It is the realisation of what has happened to them on this island. On the first night that they stay on the island the dark red light in Ralphs camp signifies the fire and all that is attached to that. They cross-faded the darkness to show the divide between the two gangs. There was a back projection behind the action that reflected the action that was taking place on the stage. They used the lighting to illustrate the storm and their fear by creating a lightning effect in the background. Techno music was used in this play to demonstrate the savage, frantic, mad agitated and ritualistic atmosphere on the island. The most noticeable time that it was used was at the beginning of the play during the plane crash. It created tension, anticipation and a climax at the very beginning to get the audience interested right from the start. They also used choir music as a symbol of who they were, their class and their innocence at the beginning. It contrasted greatly with the more sinister sounds in the second half of the play. There were lots of natural sounds used to show that they were out on their own with nature. The audience could always hear always lots of flies making them think about the title of the play. At the end of the play there was calming chill out music to signify the end of the trauma. They used a female voice because it sounds softer, more angelic and soothing. The whole group started the play off with this frantic, repetitive dance. This symbolised the plane crash. There was always a quick pace during the hunts and their movements were slightly jumpy and alert like they were about to pounce on something. It showed the tension, excitement and nerves they felt while they were out to get something. Jack is quite posh so he uses more sophisticated language compared to Piggy. He also wears a hat to show that he is the leader of the choir. This is another thing that sets him higher than the other characters. In the beginning their voices were quite light and jokey. It was like they werent taking their situation seriously, but as the play progressed Jacks voice became sterner, stronger and slightly hysterical. Ralphs was determined but got weaker and more helpless. Piggys was always whiney and attention seeking. I thought that these were good characterisations and I probably would have done it the same, although I might have made Jack slightly meaner than he was. The choir seems very innocent at the start and they are very proud of their uniforms. They are all wearing similar quite formal things to represent their respect for their heritage and their social status. Ralphs costume is relaxed and laid-back compared to the rests he seems more genuine and open than the Public school boys. Piggy wears scruffy old clothes. Roger was the most savage of them at the start and he also had the least costume. Their clothes are a symbol of civilisation and culture and they try to use them to get back to reality. They clung on to uniforms for security and structure. The costumes are a strong symbol of class and divide. Jacks gang cover themselves in war paint, feathers and blood showing their savagery. It also represents their strength power and ruthlessness. The more they lost their clothes, the more they lost sight of civilisation. This is the symbol of them turning to the wild. Jacks gang lost the most clothes and they also became the most savage. This play is very much about the survival of the fittest, which is why Jack came out the best because he was willing to do anything he thought he needed to do in order to survive. The play also shows the audience that we are all savages on the inside and that we need society and rules to guide us the direction of civilisation. At the start of the performance Ralph takes up lots of space to show his confidence, but he gradually became more slumped as the play progressed, until he was a crying ball on the floor unable to speak for himself. Jack stood tall throughout the play, which shows us that he beat Ralph both mentally and physically like a bully. Jack takes Ralphs space away from him to show his strength and fearlessness. The set design was multifunctional. The plane parts were easily moved by the actors unnoticeably during the play and could be to the audience whatever the actors imagined it to be. The wing came to represent death because it was where they killed Simon and it was tipped to create the cliff where they killed Piggy. The wing was also metallic which showed the reflected sun and the heat. They could also use the set to make noises like during the hunts. They banged it to create atmosphere and tension and they ran through it like it was the maze of the jungle. They could change the angles of the set to show the different parts of the island. Ralphs camp was under the plane, which makes the audience think that they are hiding from Jack. The way the ripped up plane is always on the stage both ruins paradise and is a constant reminder of why they are there. It is also a symbol of the ugliness of what they have done and it shows the divide between the two groups. The plastic backdrop glittered and rippled to show the sea. I thought the way the set was produced by the theatre company was both effective from the audiences point of view and the actors. This is because of the way it could be changed easily and it made the audience fell like they were there too. The divide between the two gangs represented civilisation v savagery. Ralphs gang representing civilisation and Jacks gang representing savagery. They both choose their different paths and out there with no one to take charge brute force won over the democratic ways of civilisation. Overall I thought that the Pilot theatre companys use of Drama Mediums and the Elements of Drama were very effective in communicating the themes and the social, cultural and historical influences on the play. Not only did they use these very well but I also found the performance enjoyable and interesting.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Combining Fact and Fiction in the Writing of Frederick Douglass’ The He

Combining Fact and Fiction in the Writing of Frederick Douglass’ The Heroic Slave After the successful publication of his autobiography, escaped slave Frederick Douglass decided to tell the story of a fellow ex-slave, Madison Washington, and his rebellion aboard the Creole slave ship. Rather than writing a purely historical account of the events, Douglass chose to embellish and alter the truth, creating The Heroic Slave, one of the first historical novellas and the first known piece of African-American fictional literature (Andrews 11). Douglass' choice to write the story as a fiction made the novella easier for readers to relate to and, therefore, more appealing to their sympathies. The Heroic Slave is based on the historical 1841 slave rebellion led by Madison Washington aboard the New Orleans-bound slave ship, the Creole. In his telling of the story, Douglass includes embellishments on, alterations to, and omissions of certain historical facts. By comparing his novella to other documents citing the actual occurrences, we can analyze the changes Douglass' made t o the story and why he chose to make them. Douglass' does not immediately discuss the Creole slave ship rebellion. Instead, the first three parts of The Heroic Slave concern the life of Madison Washington, the slave who would eventually become leader of that rebellion. In Part I, Douglass introduces us readers and Mr. Listwell, a white traveler, to Madison Washington. We overhear his soliloquy on the suffering he must endure as a slave. In this speech we are given the reason for his upcoming flight from slavery: "I am galled with irons; but even these are more tolerable than the consciousness, the galling consciousness of cowardice and indecision. Can it be that I... ...dom to make many authorial choices that made the story of Madison Washington's rebellion aboard the Creole a more effective case for the abolitionist cause. Through embellishments, alterations, and omissions, Douglass molded the history of the revolt to better serve his purposes. A simple, utterly accurate telling of the story would not have been nearly as powerful to the abolitionist movement. Works Cited Andrews, William L. Introduction. Three Classic African-American Novels. Ed. William L. Andrews. New York, Penguin Books, 2003. 7-21. Douglass, Frederick. The Heroic Slave. New York, Penguin Books, 2003. Jones, Howard. "The Peculiar Institution and National Honor: The Case of the Creole Slave Revolt." Civil War History. Volume 21. Mar. 1975. 20-50. MacDonald, Robin. "'The Heroic Slave': Frederick Douglass' Revolutionary Revision." 1996. 20 Apr 2004.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

The Personality of Luxury Fashion Brands Essay

Charles and Keith is a multinational company that is fashion industry dealing with brand from Singapore. It offers both men’s and women’s fashion collections. Their products include ties, shoes, belts, wallets, sunglasses among others. The company is owned by Charles Wong and his brother Keith Wong. It was founded in 1996 in a place called Amara Shopping Centre in Singapore. The purpose of this report is to highlight the progress made by Charles and Keith since the day it was founded and its future plans. The report includes analysis of the company, their customers’ profile and the products offered. A comprehensive analysis has been carried out on customers demand using SWOT analysis method. It has revealed strengths such as strong brand name, uniqueness and affordability of the product, weaknesses, and opportunities available to Charles and Keith such as online market and threats. Further, porter’s five forces have also been carried out. Other analysis carried out include STEEPLED and VIRO. It will also provide background information about the company. Subsequently, the report will mention business strategies of Charles and Keith, its financial planning as well as its management considerations. At the end, the report contains conclusion and recommendations made after carrying out the analysis. The future of the Charles and Keith looks bright. This is because our estimates highlights that new market will emerge in China whose economy has grown with over 10% in the last five years and Russia. Expenditure on fashion in the word is also expected to increase in the next one year Charles and Keith is a fashionable brand that deals with women’s bags, belts, shoes and sunglasses. It was started in1996 by two brothers; Keith Wong and Charles Wong. The fist store was opened in Amara Shopping centre in Singapore. Charles and Keith is a multinational chain that has more than one hundred and seventy outlets all over the world. The company boast of getting awards like The Enterprise Award for Singapore Business Award in 2008 and Excellent Service Award in 2002. At a tender age, the two brothers acquired the skills of running business from helping their parents in their shoe store in a place called Ang Mo Kio. Charles opened a shoe store in Amara at the age of twenty two and two years later his brother Keith joined him in 1998. Keith was in charge of designing shoes while brother dealt with sales. To enable them deal with competition, they started buying their stock from China instead of Singapore. They proceeded to open twelve more outlets in major suburban malls and shopping centres in Singapore. It was not until 2000, that they began opening outlets overseas. Product of Charles and Keith appealed to both local and international customers due to their low prices and uniqueness because they have an in house design. Charles and Keith became a brand for selling women’s and men’s collection in 2007. Their products increased to include bags, ties, wallets, sunglasses and belts for both men and women. Charles and Keith aims to increase their stores from current 170 to 500 in the next five years. In order to cater for changing taste and preferences of customers, they formed a team of seventy designers. These designers are led by Keith and they come up with new designs and trends every month. Charles and Keith have established themselves as the most preferred brand in fashion industry. Industry  Business Description                  Charles and Keith is in fashion industry. In 2010, the industry was worth over $ 2, 560 trillions. In US alone, over $ 20 billion are spent on fashion every year and it generates revenue of $ 250 billion annually. Men wear is expected to exceed $ 402 billion in 2015 while women wear is expected to exceed $ 621 billion by the same year. Fashion industry continues to grow and new market continues t emerge. An example is China. The economy of China grew by more than 10% in the last five years; this has led to Chinese citizen become interested in luxury goods as symbol of status. This presents a wide market for companies like Charles and Keith. Charles and Keith produce fashion accessories and footwear. It serves a retain market sector and its three brand names are Charles and Keith, Charles and Keith signature label and Pedro Group Pte Ltd. Two of its products are not sold through wholesale or distribution. Franchisees are used to sell Charles and Keith and Charles and Keith signature label as sales operators all over the world where they have outlets. Their products are stilettos, exotic pumps, fashionable bags, sunglasses, heels and wallets. The organization of the company is democratic and they have a culture of taking the opinion of all stakeholders on board whenever they make decision. The future plans of Charles and Keith is to expand networks and increase the number of outlets from the current 170 to 500 in five years time. Conclusion                  From the analysis above, it is clear that the company has a strong name. This gives the company the strength to charge very high prices because their clients put additional value on brand name. The statement â€Å"Charles and Keith† has a very positive effect on the success of the company. SWOT analysis shows that Charles and Keith reap high profits because of having cost advantage. It is observed from the analysis that Charles and Keith has strong management. This helps it unleash its potential and utilize it strength while at the same time eliminating weaknesses. The product of Charles and Keith are unique and as such they are easily distinguished from their competitors. This makes it possible for the company to charge high prices because their products are differentiated. It is also observed that Charles and Keith lack a scale. This causes the company to have high cost per unit of output. This ends up having a long lasting impact on the company which reduces the value of the company. Lack of scale makes the company have low profit than it should. Five porter’s forces have revealed that the suppliers are less powerful because the company requires a large number of inputs from different suppliers. It is further discovered that their customers are very powerful they decide the future of the company. Though their products are cherished by many people, the customers’ switching cost is very low which increases their power. Further, Charles and Keith are not threatened by new entrants into the industry because they have unique products and their customers are loyal to them. Charles and Keith has a good business strategy that helps them penetrate the highly competitive industry. Their strategy involves marching ideal employees to the right job. This gives them an opportunity to realize full potential and to be innovative. It makes them to be highly organized. Their human resources management is competent and hires people from different backgrounds, skills set, ideas and nationality. This makes them have strong job responsibility and serve their customers better. They also have a strong combination of design and affordability. This means that even in the period of recession the company will continue making huge sales. It has helped the company a great deal by employing multiple strategies in carrying out business. They signed regional distributors and gave franchises licenses. They also signed manufacturing firms. It has young and passionate employees in the teams. Their creativity, passion and their learning spirits make the brand strong. The companies motivating factor is said to be new business goals that bring change. The company has social responsibility which encourages their staff to have ethical behaviors. The company is backed by DBS, a large bank in Singapore, which give gives the finances to expand their operations. They have an effective finance teams that give them advice on how to carry out their operations in most productive and profitable ways. The management of Charles and Keith has been seen to be democratic. They take views of everyone whenever they are making decisions. When they are developing business, they identify new segments and markets and come up with good strategies to enter while positioning and strengthening their brand. Recommendations                  Charles and Keith should take full advantage of online markets. They can expand and increase their business at very little expenses. This would bring a positive impact on the company in the long run. It would increase their value and give them a competitive edge over their competitors because online market is defendable easily. The company should continue to support innovation because taste and preferences of their customers keep on changing at a faster rate than the rate at which they bring new products in the market. Innovation and new product would increase their customer base and at the same time increase their business. This brings short term as well as long run positive impact into the company. With only 170 outlets in the world, Charles and Keith are missing out on large market in the world. They should increase their operations in the international market. This will not only increase revenue but also give them a competitive advantage. This is because once they enter a certain international market before their competitors. They will dominate it and build customer loyalty. They can also use revenue generated in some of their outlets overseas to drive out competitors elsewhere where competition is stiff. They should also consider transferring their factories to areas where cost of production is low. This can be in terms of cheap labor or cheap raw materials. This will increase their profits and be able to lower prices in order to fight competition. Since they only deal with franchises and distributors, they should form partnerships with other companies. This will create synergy which benefits them. This would also make them enjoy other benefits that they could not have achieved on their own. The company is facing stiff completion in the industry. I therefore recommend they start acquiring their competitors especially the ones that are in deep financial crises. They can also deal with competition by merging with other companies. Through this Charles and Keith will make huge profits because they will change from being price taker to price setter. Introduction of scales will make the company. The management of Charles and Keith has failed in addressing the issues of availability of threats. This makes the company unable to increase prices because customers will switch to their close substitutes. This is a real threat that if not addressed could bring short term and long term negative effects. This threat can be overcome through aggressive marketing strategies, differentiating products and building strong customer loyalty. Charles and Keith should have a scale that measures the cost per unit of output. This will enable them to increase the volume of production while at the same time reducing cost. Introducing scale means that the company will start realizing short term positive impacts through value addition otherwise the company will continue operating without maximizing on their resources ad making low profit. The company should increase their advertisement campaign and capitalize on their brand name as we have seen through the above analysis that it is their major strength. Currently the company has three brand names,, it should come up with other brands to tap on other unexploited sectors. This will help them diversify their operations and increase revenue. They should also put their strength in getting new customers since current customers are loyal to their product. References Carrara, G. (2009). Exhibition Review: 4 Linesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ A Fashion Exhibition + Installationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ Diverse Takes On Fashion. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, 13(3), 379-386. GonzÃÆ' ¡lez, A. M. (2010). On fashion and fashion discourses. Critical Studies in Fashion and Beauty, 1(1), 65-85. Kim, J. E., Kim, H. S., Choi, H. S., & Lee, K. M. (2013). Fashion Market Analysis and Consumer Research for Expansion of Korean Wave Fashion into the Singapore Market. Fashion & Textile Research Journal, 15(5), 797-807. Melchior, M. R. (2010). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Doingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Danish Fashion: On National Identity and Design Practices of a Small Danish Fashion Company. Fashion Practice The Journal of Design Creative Process & the Fashion Industr, 2(1), 13-40. Wu, J. (2009). Internationalizing and Industrializing Fashion: Shanghai International Fashion Culture Festival (SIFCF) Review. Fashion Practice The Journal of Design Creative Process & the Fashion Industr, 1(2), 259-266. CHARLES & KEITH Online Store. (n.d.). CHARLES & KEITH Online Store. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.charleskeith.com/SGStore/CK/home Charles & Keith | Flats | Covered – Ballerina – For Sale Philippines- 13230033. (n.d.). Charles & Keith | Flats | Covered – Ballerina – For Sale Philippines- 13230033. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/13230033/Charles+%26+Keith+%7C+Flats+%7C+Covered+-+Ballerina Heine, K. (2010). The Personality of Luxury Fashion Brands. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing , 1(3), 154-163. Ross, J., & Harradine, R. (2011). Fashion value brands: the relationship between identity and image. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(3), 306-325. Surchi, M. (2011). The temporary store: a new marketing tool for fashion brands. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(2), 257-270. Source document

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Lord Of The Flies By William Golding - 805 Words

Monisha Lewis 1/6/15 Putman 4/7 Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is a novel that focuses on a group of British schoolboys that are stranded on a deserted tropical island and become savage due to the lack of adults. The main character, Ralph, is the elected leader of the boys and is always thinking of ideas to maintain their chances of getting rescued. The primary conflict of the novel is the rivalry between Ralph and Jack and the position of leadership. Ralph is trying to lead with rules of civilization, while Jack’s idea of leading is with cruel torture and inhuman acts, which end up killing two people. By the end of the novel the boys are rescued and finally realize their barbaric acts and are†¦show more content†¦This displays that the conch shell is an important symbol of order that suppresses disorganization. This also infers that the shell is a compelling object that governs the boys. To sum up, symbolism was used in the novel to interpret concepts that affected the novel’s char acters. Ralph is humble and responsible leader that guides the boys to follow the expectations of civilization. For instance, Ralph’s responsible actions are shown when the boys realize the predicament of not having adults on the island. â€Å"There aren’t any grownups. We shall have to look after ourselves† (pg.33). This indicates that Ralph is determined to care for the boys. It also suggests that he made an immense decision to step up and lead to enforce the well-being of the group. Likewise, in the beginning of the novel, Ralph’s effective leadership is shown when he states the idea of having rules. â€Å"We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages† (pg.42). This implies that Ralph’s leadership was very influential towards the group of boys. It also shows how he was a very well respected member of the group. Ultimately, Ralph is portrayed as the protagonist in the novel. Jack is an oppressive boy tha t uses severe pain as a consequence for people that don’t follow the his commands. Later in the novel, the role of leadership is switched over to Jack and he tortures Sam and Eric to find out where Ralph is hiding. â€Å"...- they made us.† They hurt us - ...we couldn t help it† (pg.189).