International Business Incentives

Götz and Meyer, written by David Albahari

Gà ¶tz and Meyer, written by David Albahari Fictions on holocaust are often shocking because they depict murders by the Nazi prosecutions and cold-blooded massacre of Jews. Such stories are full of unsparing depiction of human sufferings and genocide to such an effect that, one fails to see perpetrators as humans, who used to be viewed as faceless entities that were programmed to commit murders.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Gà ¶tz and Meyer, written by David Albahari specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The book Gà ¶tz and Meyer, written by David Albahari, tries to prove the fact that the perpetrators have a human face. It is emphasized that the protagonists in the novel, who are two Nazi drivers of the gas trucks, are not mere murder machines. The author humanizes the characters in order to present a different way of perceiving the nature of evil. Through the humor and empathy implemented in the novel, the characters that embody two Nazi soldiers ar e given human faces instead of the sole image of a murderer. A nameless teacher from Belgrade narrates the story about the destruction of the Serbian Jews during the war. He was obsessed with reconstructing his family tree, therefore, he toiled endlessly in the archives to gather information, but failed miserably for he could find only a few members of his family while there were sixty of them killed. The narrator says, â€Å"For me to truly understand real people like my relatives, I had first to understand real people like Gà ¶tz and Meyer.† . The novel is about these two characters, who were Nazi soldiers, being unknown to the narrator though. When the narrator begins his narration, he knows nothing about William Gà ¶tz and Erwin Meyer except for their names: â€Å"Gà ¶tz and Meyer. Having never seen them, I can only imagine them.† Initially he describes them as unknown people or characters as described in a tale. They were German soldiers, they were SS commissio ned, who were assigned the duty of driving a large truck for a â€Å"special purpose†. Their duty was to drive the truck every day to and from the fairground in Belgrade. The narrator constantly repeats the following line, â€Å"Having never seen them, I can only imagine them† (1) in order to imprint their images in the mind of the listeners, as well as in his own mind. One might say the narrator plays a dangerous game by trying to understand the characters at the risk of becoming them. At this point, one must note the importance of memory in the novel. Robert Eaglestone in the book The Holocaust and the Postmodern highlights the fact that â€Å"memory† helps to â€Å"evoke nearly everything there is to a person and to a society.† (74) Eaglestone also believes that the way â€Å"we remember the past† helps in framing our identity. Like most of the Holocaust fictions, the narrator too is nostalgic of his destroyed past and tells the story from memor y. However, unlike most Holocaust fictions, Albahari does not depict an ugly picture of the time. His stories deal with death, killing, mass murders in gas chamber, but they do not describe all the sufferings in detail to haunt the reader’s imagination of the Nazi carnage. Rather, the â€Å"memory narration† of the novel builds a humane figure for the two people who were Nazis.Advertising Looking for research paper on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Albahari describes the two protagonists, playing with children on the ground before they go back to work. He further underlines that both of them are married and worry about the children at home. One of them, maybe Meyer (again the narrator is unsure which one of them) is fond of children and like presenting them chocolates. Now these children could easily be Jewish youngsters at Belgrade Fairground whom he had to transport in his truc k. Such a scene shows that these two men were the victims. They were there to perform their duty, in reality, they were not monsters with evil eyes and poisonous fangs. The narrator talks of the ambitions and desires of the protagonists. One of them, (again the narrator is unsure which one), wanted to be a pilot, and the other one has other dreams in his mind. The narrator is often unsure how to differentiate between them, and often forgets to stress out who was doing some particular things in this or that scene, but these characters are not presented to the readers as caricature of evil villains. Rather, they are presented as individuals committed towards one task. The narrator describes the truck that the protagonists drive: The truck was a Saurer, a five-tonner with a boxlike body, 1.7 meters high and 5.8 meters long †¦ A full hundred people could stand in the back †¦ During these trips, the souls became real souls, no longer human in form. Gà ¶tz and Meyer most certai nly knew what was happening in the back of the truckAfter all, the people they were driving had no souls, that, at least, was a commonly known fact! Jews were nothing more than milder on the face of the world! And so, day in and day out, they would repeat their practiced routine. This paragraph shows two protagonists in a bad light to the readers, showing that they were carriers of death to men, women, and children they carried in their truck and believed that they were soulless and faceless creatures. The routine involved the protagonists in the destruction of the Serbian Jews. The novel shows a host of killings that were conducted by SS squads; they shot hundreds of people face to face. However, such mass killings made the German soldiers weary and took a toll on their morale. Therefore, a less personal means of massacre was employed through these mobile gas vans. For the first time, the readers view Gà ¶tz and Meyer as murderers who helped in asphyxiation of many women and child ren in their truck.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Gà ¶tz and Meyer, written by David Albahari specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The narration of the killings makes the narrator more involved, he describes how the protagonists would drive the truck into the distance, and one of them would put the exhaust pipe into the truck. After that, they were never involved in killing. Then, the dead bodies were driven to the Serbian prison where the bodies were dumped. While this gruesome process is being put into effect, the narrator imagines Gotz and Meyer â€Å"chatting with their commander†, again enabling the readers to look at these two bearers of death as humans. The memory of the narrator plays a major role in the description of the biographical or historical fiction, especially that of the Holocaust . This piece of fiction is also drawn from the memory, but the narrator is truthful enough to say that h e has not met the characters Goth and Meyer, and therefore, he is obliged to draw from his imagination, which of course has been discoursed with stereotypes. Individual memory exists in a collective form, adhering to the social norms and framework . For example, in the story, the memory of the narrator was reconstructed by events and incidents that had been externally infused in his mind by those groups that influenced his memory. Consequently, it is obvious that he will embitter feelings towards the two German soldiers he describes. His imagination is bound to have the stereotypes, and Jewish constructs influence his description of the story as well as the characters. This has helped in humanizing the characters as well. The novel can be called humorous due to the deadpan tone of the narrator, presenting the story to the readers in a satirical tone. This gives the novel an uncanny comical feature. Once the readers pick a book on holocaust, the prevalent stereotypes play in their mi nd and eventually they expect a horror story of human atrocities and sufferings. The element of empathy and humor present in the story is evident in the way the narrator describes the two Nazi protagonists. In a non-committal voice, as if he was narrating the story of any other man, he described how Gà ¶tz and Meyer were performing their work and duties. He tried to imagine these men, having with their personal lives, full of concerns and problems. The implementation of humor in describing an act of atrocity makes it more tragic . Humor in holocaust fiction does not imply that the whole story becomes a â€Å"carnival†; what is strives to portray is a different perspective of life at the time when it seems it can only be filled with death . Presence of puns and double meaning in dialogues is the essence of Holocaust fiction that is reiterated in Gà ¶tz and Meyer.Advertising Looking for research paper on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The episode when the narrator describes his untimely desire to itch in the classroom and the episode where he subsequently visits a dermatologist is full of dark humor. After school, the narrator visits a doctor to get the problem of his itching examined. The doctor inquires of any past complaint of skin disease in the narrator’s family. To this query, the narrator sarcastically answers, â€Å"Most of them died of poisoning† . Another instance where the narrator presents a case of dark, double edged humor was when he asked his students to imagine a journey to the camp and when he tells one of his students that she will not be allowed take her pet to the camp. She then contemptuously says â€Å"Why, this is inhuman† . Even the protagonists Gà ¶tz and Meyer are subjected to dark humor as the narrator, making them human as well as inhuman at the same time. The story uses various tropes to show Gà ¶tz and Meyer as humans. One of them is when the narrator directly questions the readers: What kind of man would †¦ consent to do a job that meant putting five or six thousand souls to death? I find it hard to give a student a bad grade at the end of the semester, let alone at the end of the year, but that is nothing compared to the way Gà ¶tz and Meyer must have felt. The narrator at once makes the protagonists human and the very next moment brings out the ugly side of their work. By comparing his work as a teacher and their job as killers, the narrator puts two juxtaposing professions to bring out the satire in it. Thus, through interplay of human and inhuman characters to demonstrate the protagonists, Albahari has actually made Gà ¶tz and Meyer two ordinary men rather than Nazi soldiers. Bibliography Albahari, David. Gotz Meyer. London: Random House, 2005. Print. Eaglestone, Robert. The Holocaust and the Postmodern . London: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print. Pres, Terrence Des. Holocaust Laughter. Pres, Terrence Des. Writings into th e World. London: Viking, 1991. 279-286. Print.

AMP ENERGY DRINK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

AMP ENERGY DRINK - Essay Example In the starting of year 2007, they lured their consumers with an added flavor of cherry. AMP Energy was again in the news in March 2008 with the launch of three new line extensions; AMP Energy Elevate, AMP Energy Relaunch and AMP Energy Traction. AMP Energy Relaunch is studded with a pinch of orange citrus flavor, Electrolytes and B-vitamins. AMP Energy Traction will provide soothe with grape flavor, Maltodextrin and D-ribose. Where as AMP Energy Elevate contains a mixed berry flavor and L-Theanine. These products are available on the stores in the packing of 16 oz. single-serve cans. AMP Energy Relaunch is also available in 16 oz. 4-packs. CCL Container and Mistic Brands, Inc. came together for the national launch of Mistic R and for the first time, recyclable aluminum bottle was used. Then onwards, many energy drinks have started using aluminum bottle cans produced by CCL. According to Carolyn Green in "Power Up", the primary consumers of this segment of beverages are below 30-35 years of age and are predominantly male. Teenagers and students are major target market elements for the companies and fall in the age group of 12 to 30 years (Green, 2006). Also, as per the reports, high sugar level energy drinks are comparatively more popular among children and women, contrary to the strong taste and flavor energy drinks which are preferred mainly by male consumers. Around 65% of the energy drinks market comprises of male consumers. A large number of energy drinks products are available in the market. The first group consists of various tea and coffee with green tea. The next group consists of traditional energy drinks like Red Bull and few others. A number of experiments have been carried out in this emerging segment of beverage market like the combination of energy drinks with alcohol like "Hair of the Dog". Also, the combination of energy drinks and smart drinks has struck the market with brands like NOS. In U.S., energy drinks were introduced in the year 1997 with the entrance of Red Bull (Malinauskas et. al, 2007). The energy drink market reached around $4001 million per fiscal year by 2001. The market valuation in 2005 was around $42 billion. The entire energy drink concept was created in Japan in early 1960s with the creation of Lipovitan. The major market regions of the energy drinks industry, according to a 2004 survey are (Marketing research, Researchwikis): Geography Market Share (%) Asia Pacific 58.1% North America 14.7% Marketing Objective and Communication Objective Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also proved to be beneficial for Amp promotions. His constant performance is acting as the thrust to this brand. Amp has featured him in ads, limited edition cans and has also created a promo where around 70,000 consumers can autograph his car. As per the reports, the soft drink market is worth around $56 billion with the sports drink market of around $4 billion. This segment is recording an annual growth of

Company is on Marriott International and how they market to consumers Term Paper

Company is on Marriott International and how they market to consumers on the internet - Term Paper Example Marriott International website has been professionally designed. The web site has been decorated beautiful pictures of tourists enjoying themselves at the hotel. Customers can immediately identify the destination that suit their tastes and preferences by looking at the pictures displayed. The website links and menus have been well organized into Marriot hotel brands, careers, travel agents, group partners, shopMarriot, affiliates and mobile and many more colorful and attractive links. In addition, the writings on the website are visible, they have been written using visible fonts and designs that are attractive to customers (Marriot, 2012). Customers can access the website through the facebook sign up and login link. Marriott International is also available through twitter. Customers can email or ask a question to the Marriott International customer service through the website. Further, the website gives opportunity to customers to book accommodation online. Customers can by book accommodation through PayPal, MasterCard and visa by placing their orders online; they can also view the status of their order by entering their email and a confirmation number (Marriot, 2012). Marriot international has recently unveiled internet distribution and growth strategies aimed at reaching several tourists as possible. The company has put in place measures to ensure that customers get the best room price when they use their website for reservations. Internet marketing is instrumental to the company because it ensures that 8 percent of the total room nights are sold (Maandag, 2008). The site creates a positive customer experience since they can get attractive discounts. Tourists are able to get 40% off fall travel when they book early. Tourists can also locate hotels in various cities around the world; this is possible through the â€Å"find hotel† interface in the website. Further, the company has introduced

Branding Strategy- Nike Inc.U.K Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Branding Strategy- Nike Inc.U.K - Essay Example The positioning strategy of Nike is; to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. This is supplemented by Nike's definition of an athlete as anyone who has a body. Nike’s brand is perceived as a high performance brand in the world. Since its inception, Nike has always listened to its customer’s needs (athletes) and designs its products in such a way that athletes can give their best. Nike has tried to create an image of â€Å"innovative product† in the minds of its consumers and earned the reputation of highest quality provider in the sportswear industry of U.K. From the simple Marathon shoes in 1964, to introducing the cushioning technology in running shoes in 70s, to the introduction of air technology and high alpha line products are all the marvelous innovations of Nike. Nike has made its brand image in the market place by associating its product with high achievers of sports in the European Market. Nike has signed Golf player Tiger Woods , Tennis player Rafael Nadal, European Soccer Players Eric Cantona and Robert Mandeni, Football Player Michael Jordan in the past. All these players endorsed Nike brand and Nike emerged as a high quality, celebrity preferred brand in the marketplace. Further, in 2006, Nike collaborated with Apple which indeed was a clever step to take Nike to the heights of Glory.

Social Media from a Functionalist Perspective

Social Media from a Functionalist Perspective Introduction Late modern society is a network society (Castells, 1997). Devices such as smart phones are portable connect individuals in a complex system of interaction via emails, Facebook, Linkedin, Mumsnet, BlackBerry Messenger which support the functionalist vision. Social media sites are social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook that function for the purpose of enabling the interaction between millions of individuals whenever, wherever and about whatever given subject they wish to communicate. By the end of 2013 Facebook had 1.23 billion subscribers (Sedghi, 2014). This growth amounted to 170 million new subscribers in 2013 alone (Sedghi, 2014). The main use of Facebook is to maintain socially cohesive contact with friends and family which supports the functionalist vision of society (Ofcom, 2011).   It is argued by C. Wright Mills (1956) that society is manipulated into a social order by the one-directional rhetoric of the mass media. In contrast, social media sites are capable of bi- directional interaction with others which is socially cohesive and supports the functionalist vision of society. However, this is not always the case. This paper provides a critical evaluation of the function of social media sites firstly by providing an overview of functionalism and secondly by illustrating how social media both supports and contradicts the functionalist vision of society. Functionalism The positivist approach of structural functionalists involves analysing society from a macro-sociological perspective. They view society as a set of interrelated institutions which form a whole (Abercrombie et al., 2000:145). Such institutions include the family, education, politics, law, the media, organisations, economics and religion (Abercrombie et al., 2000:145). These form the agents of socialization which the shape behaviours that form a public consensus among which they do through constant institutional interaction (Durkheim, 1893:50). Durkheim focused on the consequences of social change between two eras; pre-modern [mechanical] society and industrial [organic] society (Durkheim, 1893).   Pre-modern agrarian society was cohesive, tied by kinship with a collective consciousness of norms, which were constantly reinforced through socialisation and interaction (Durkheim, 1893). The shift from the simplicity of the mechanical society to the complexities of organic society impac ted negatively on kinship and collective values as individuals undertook multiple forms of work in this new mode of production; capitalism (Durkheim, 1893). Durkheims (1893) analysis of organic society extends an analogy originally devised by Spencer (1820–1903) whereby he likens society to the human body insofar as both have interdependent parts that must function for survival (Coser, 1893 [1997]: xvi).   If any organ [institution] malfunctions, the body social [society] becomes unstable (Durkheim, 1893). As such, each organism [individual] has a specialist role within these institutions which it performs for the social good; not least because their own survival depends on it (Durkheim, 1893). Appropriating active social change is not advised because the institutions and the body social will be destabilised causing anomie (Durkheim, 1893). Anomie is a causal factor of social instability as a result of the inequalities in the division of labour as a result of some organisms outperforming others (Durkheim, 1893). This differentiation exacerbated the stratification that formed hierarchies in the new industrial workforce which pola rised rich and poor (Durkheim, 1893). Social Dysfunction In a modern context, anomie also descended on the British inner cities for similar reasons in August 2011 when the dysfunction of the political, legal and educational institutions failed to meet the needs of the body social (Durkheim, 1893). Merton argues that institutional dysfunction which can be the unintentional consequences of latent functions (Merton, 1968:105). In contrast, adaptations to society by institutions are manifest functions which are deliberately applied (Merton, 1968:105). The manifest functions involved (Merton, 1968: 105). As Merton asserts, such functions are targeted towards individuals in diverse statuses, subgroups the larger social system and culture systems such as limiting opportunities to education through welfare reforms for British working class youths (Merton, 1968:106). The response by disaffected youths was the riots that ensued across the UK in 2011 which was orchestrated using the free service BlackBerry Messenger [BBM] (Lewis et al., 2012). BBM is a free service in which one message can be disseminated to hundreds of recipients instantly who then forward the message to the hundreds more (Lewis et al., 2012). The social cohesion resulting from BBM extended to a temporary truce between otherwise rival gangs which is a positive function of interaction (Lewis et al., 2012). The riots came to an abrupt end when BlackBerry disconnected the service thus illustrating how solidarity depends on interaction (Lewis et al., 2012). Twitter was also accused of inciting the riots but it was later proven that the 2.5 million riot-related tweets showed solidarity against the rioters whilst also recruiting individuals to help with the clean-up process which serve the functionalist vision of society (BBC News 2011: [Online]). Similarly, the anomie in Egypt and Tuni sia was corrected by implementing the overthrow of their relative dictators which was mobilised via Facebook (Bouteflika, 2011). The Social System It is also argued that crime is necessary, inevitable and functional because it elicits the solidarity of the law-abiding public whose anger culminates in the public shaming and punishment of the offender (Durkheim, 1893). Crime therefore serves to redefine the moral boundaries which supports the functionalist vision of society (Durkheim, 1893).   Unlike the riots, social stability occurs when all of the component parts are fully functioning producing a system of equilibrium (Parsons, 1951which is contingent upon the strength or weaknesses of the interactive relationships between the institutions (Parsons, 1951: [1999: 84). In this context, Parsons (1951) claims that actors are goal-achieving and have alternate ways of achieving goals such as through education which is universal and equal (1951:130). In contrast, Merton argues that society sets the cultural goals but fails to provide the institutional means to achieve them (1938:100). While Durkheims functionalist vision is positivist in its assumptions that organisms are homogenous, Talcott Parsons theory of The Social System recognised that society comprised of a plurality of individual actors interacting with each other (1951 [1991]: 3). Parsons (1951) argued that the social system is contingent upon a set of four prerequisites which include: adaptation in times of social change due to one of the institutions malfunctioning; goals involves achieving certain goals in society; integration is the reliance that actors will identify with their social group; and latency involves maintaining the foundations of the social system such as through solid family socialisation.   Mumsnet This would never be tolerated by the UKs top parenting site Mumsnet which is an interactive forum run by parents for parents (Mumsnet, 2015: [Online]). Mumsnet offers advice to parents on pregnancy, education, money, and work (Mumsnet, 2015: [Online]). Within these discourses advice ranging from breastfeeding to university education is all designed to educate and optimise how parents raise their utmost for their children (Mumsnet, 2015 [Online]).   In this context, Mumsnet clearly supports the functional vision of society as it interacts with most of the institutional organs of the body social most all of the institutions (Mumsnet, 2015). According to Maxwell and Aggleton, (2013:139) Mumsnet contains symbolic and ritualistic undercurrents that allow the class disparities to surface. For example, Mumsnet has a strict netiquette whereby husbands and children are identified within the posts by individuals as DH [dear husband] DS [dear son] and DD [dear daughter] which denotes ritual whilst imposing middle class values on working class families.   Parsons argues that the primary problems and strains centre on the role of the wife and mother †¦ The easy solution is for her to be completely excluded from the occupational system by confining herself to the role of housewife (1951:128).   However, Mumsnet mothers consider themselves professional mothers who can juggle their work-life balance with ease (2013:139). For example, class disparities are evident in an exchange on Mumsnet between several mothers on children watching TV. For example, We cant all be Mother Earth I wouldnt listen to some of the militant mums on here Being pregnant is no reason to be lazy parent to your toddler How judgey some people can be about a little TV At least the child isnt strapped in a buggy with a packet of crisps and a bottle of coke Nowt wrong with crisps and a bottle of coke Exactly, as long as theyre organic (Maxwell and Aggleton, 2013:138) Such class differentiations are glaringly evident on Mumsnet who sell themselves as professional mothers who are well versed in child rearing (Maxwell and Agglegate, 2013). While functionalists overlook class in their macrosociological analysis, Mumsnet is class led and intimidating it is a site for those mothers who do not fear militant mothers or those labelled as Mother Earth (Maxwell and Agglegate, 2013:139). While in principle the mother and homemaker serves the functionalist vision of society, through rituals and cultural practices, the fact that many Mumsnet mothers are working or unmarried will contradict this vision as being negative to children (Maxwell and Aggleton, 2013). The collective consciousness that perform rituals and totemic symbolisation provides a cauldron of collective effervescence for the religious (Durkheim, 1915: 469). Religion which is the most socially cohesive element of the institutions collective life awakens religious thought (Durkheim, 1915: 469). (Coser, 1915: xx). Evidence of such effervescence surrounds Christmas, weddings Bar Mitzvahs and funerals is displayed on social media sites because religion is an eminently collective thing (Durkheim, 1954: 47). Death is also a ritual and a commodity as people flock to mourn the departed; this collective mourning is replicated via social media (Durkheim, 1954; Bell, 1992). Durkheim argued that all societies were divided by the sacred and the profane; the sacred are the totemic objects that are reserved for religious rituals which are emblematic of the clan or tribe, community or society; this is the case across the globe as all primitive religions adopt   the sacred/profane dichotomy (Durkheim 1915: xx). Sacred totems evoke emotional attachment whereas the profane represents everyday objects that are used routinely (such as social media devices) (Durkheim, 1915: xx). However, such totems are only sacred because individuals deemed them as such (Durkheim, 1915). To this end, Durkheim dismisses the centrality of a God in religion; it is the society itself that is God (19). It could be argued that the online community also worships itself as social media sites are central to society (Preston, 2011: [Online]). For example, in the previous week to the time of writing, the Facebook page Jesus Daily received 26.6m Likes and 3.2m interactions (Facebook, 2015: [Online]). Similarly, In a Facebook post by a Jesuit priest supporting the Supreme Court decision to legalise gay marriage Rev. James Martin asserted that: No issue brings out so much hatred from so many Catholics as homosexuality. Even after over 25 years as a Jesuit, the level of hatred around homosexuality is †¦ unbelievable to me, especially when I think of all of the wonderful LGBT friends I have (cited in Gibson, 2015: [Online]). The Reverends message went viral receiving 18,000 posts,140,000 shares and 400,000 likes on Facebook (Gibson, 2015:[Online]).However, Pope Benedict warned Catholics that human interaction in physical terms was crucial (Preston, 2011: [Online]). Similarly, a Presbyterian reverend urged individuals to experience the physical sensation of water in Baptism [and] hold hands in a service of worship (Preston, 2011: [Online]). This illustrates how religion is mediated in terms of a system of culturally structured and shared symbols (Parsons, 1979:6). Durkheim argues that forbidden, beliefs and practises assists the solidarity to one moral community called a church (Durkheim, 1995:44).   A Church is not simply a priestly brotherhood; it is a moral community (Durkheim, 1995: xxii-xxxii). The anomaly lies in the founder of Jesus Daily,   Aaron Tabor who is actually doctor and finds time to update Jesus Daily with Biblical texts (Preston, 2011: [Online]; Drescher, 2011 ). Similarly, the retw eeting of Pope Francis tweets comes second only to Barak Obama (1954: 47). This is evidence of a shift towards maintaining a less secular online identity which supports the functionalist vision of society for its cohesive qualities.   In contrast however, radical religiosity contradicts the functionalist vision. ISIS uses YouTube to showcase its killing; Twitter to increase its presence and Facebook to radicalise and recruit young British Muslims from a distance because criminals are often the result of instinctive, irresistible feelings that they often spread to the innocent object (Durkheim, 1893:47; Engel, 2015). While Twitter is constantly deleting ISIS accounts, ISIS is more intelligent than terrorists of the past which most definitely contradicts the functionalist vision (Engel, 2015). Conclusion In conclusion it is evident following a critical evaluation of the debates above that social media on the whole supports the functionalist view of society in maintaining to high degree the social stability of the body social. It is evident that rituals are performed constantly and values are reinforced where needed. However, other sites are more philanthropic and patronising of their working class subscribers which contradicts the functionalist vision. Social media has been beneficial to parts of the Arab world by overthrowing oppressive dictators while the social action of British youths served to redraw the moral boundaries.   ISIS contradicts the functionalist vision in its aim to eradicated Christians from Iraq and Syria. Nevertheless, the social cohesion of interacting with family and friends while the rituals that religious beliefs behold do support the functionalist vision of society. Word Count: 2,190 Bibliography BBC News (2012) Social media talks about rioting constructive, BBC News [Online] Available:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/uk-14657456  (Accessed 16th September 2015) Bell, C. M. (1992). Ritual theory, ritual practice. New York: Oxford University Press. Bouteflika, A. (2011) Twitter, Facebook and YouTubes role in Arab Spring, Social Capital [Online] Available:  https://socialcapital.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/twitter-facebook-and-youtubes-role-in-tunisia-uprising/  (Accessed 16th September 2015) Castells, M. (1999) An introduction to the information age in Mackay, H. OSullivan, T. (eds) The Media Reader: Continuity and Transformation (pp. 398-410). London: Sage Coser, L. (1984) Introduction in Durkheim, E. (1893) Division of Labour in Society (pp. ix-xxv), New York: Free Press Drescher, E. (2011) Five Social Media Trends That Are Reshaping Religion, Religion Dispatches [Online] Available  http://religiondispatches.org/five-social-media-trends-that-are-reshaping-religion/  (Accessed 16th September 2015) Durkheim, E. (1893) Division of Labour in Society, New York: Free Press Durkheim, E. (1995 [1912]) The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. [Translated and with an Introduction by Karen E. Fields.] New York: Free Press Engel, K. (2015) ISIS has mastered a crucial recruiting tactic no terrorist group has ever conquered Business Insider Gibson, D. (2015) A Catholic priests viral Facebook post on gay marriage, and what it means, Religion News Service [Online] Available:  http://davidgibson.religionnews.com/2015/06/29/a-catholic-priests-viral-facebook-post-on-gay-marriage-and-what-it-means/#sthash.G2wzRgMO.dpuf  (Accessed 16th September 2015) Maxwell Aggleton (2013) Privilege, Agency and Affect: Understanding the Production and Effects of Action, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan Lewis, P. (2012) Reading the Riots, London: Guardian LSE Merton, R.K. (1938) Social Structure and Anomie, American Sociological Review, 3(5): 672-682. Merton R.K. (1968) Social Theory and Social Structure, New York: Free Press Mumsnet (2015) Home Page Mumsnet [Online] Available:  http://www.mumsnet.com/  (Accessed 17th September 2015) Parsons, T. (1951) The Social System, New York: Free Press Parsons, T. (1961) Theories of Society: Foundations of Modern Sociological Theory. New York: Free Press Parsons, T. (2001[1979]) The Structure of Social Action And Contemporary Debates Preston, J. (2011) Facebook Page for Jesus, With Highly Active Fans, New York Times [Online] Available:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/technology/jesus-daily-on-facebook-nurtures-highly-active-fans.html?_r=0  (Accessed 15th September 2015) Sedghi, A. (2014) Facebook: 10 years of social networking, in numbers, The Guardian [Online] Available:  http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/feb/04/facebook-in-numbers-statistics  (Accessed 27th September 2015) Weber, M. (1930 [1904–5]) The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Oxford, Blackwell. Wright Mills, C. (1956). The Power Elite. Oxford Press

Flowers For Algernon - Comparing And Contrasting Essay -- essays resea

Many popular novels are often converted into television movies. The brilliant fiction novel, Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes, was developed into a dramatic television film. Flowers for Algernon is about a mentally retarded man who is given the opportunity to become intelligent through the advancements of medical science. This emotionally touching novel was adapted to television so it could appeal to a wider, more general audience. Although the novel and film are similar in terms of plot and theme, they are different in terms of characters. The plot of both the novel and film version of Flowers for Algernon share common similarities. They both feature a retarded middle-aged man, Charlie Gordon, who receives an operation to heighten his intelligence. Charlie’s IQ eventually surpasses human normalcy to reveal that the experiment did prove successful. In both the film and novel, Charlie became even more intelligent than the professors who worked with him. In the film, Dr. Strauss was embarrassed to reveal that Charlie was smarter than him. That played a milestone event in Charlie’s identification of himself. Slowly his intelligence began to decrease and he eventually returned to his original state of mind. Throughout the story, Charlie encountered many different emotions that he had never experienced before because he didn’t have the common knowledge to understand them. The episode when he was at the nightclub with his co-workers gave him the opportunity to experience betrayal and anger. â€Å"I never knew before that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around just to make fun of me† (Keyes 30). The plot for both versions also carefully depicted Charlie’s psychological traumas that he suffered after his operation. These outbursts were often caused by romantic anxiety and the painful memories he would recall. Whenever Charlie got intimate with Alice he would tend to get extremely nervous or have a hallucination, causing him to ruin the moment. â€Å"I dropped a fork, and when I tried to retrieve it, I knocked over a glass of water and spilled it on her dress† (56). One of Charlie’s most painful memories was the one about the locket incident. Both versions did a great job of emphasizing this particular moment. â€Å"His clothes are torn, his nose is bleeding and one of his teeth is broken† (38). These flashbacks occurred many times in the novel yet the f... ...n the woman at the bar in the movie. Norma, Charlie’s sister, was another important character who wasn’t featured in the film. She was part of the reason why Charlie was sent away. As a child she hated Charlie because he would constantly ruin things for her, like the ‘A-Paper’ incident. â€Å"Not you. You don’t tell. It’s my mark, and I’m going to tell† (81). She always felt like Charlie was a nuisance as well â€Å"He’s like a baby† (81). In the film, Rose wasn’t as senile as the novel portrayed her. She seemed to have Norma’s sense of compassion from the novel which made her character rather puzzling. In conclusion, there was a difference of characters in the film. Although the novel and film are similar in terms of plot and theme, they are different in terms of characters. Charlie’s emotions and personal trials were a large part of both plots because the whole story is about his personal maturation and experiences. Intolerance was an important issue in the life of Charlie Gordon because it was hard for him to be accepted anywhere else but the bakery. Although some of the original characters were removed from the film, their personalities were incorporated into that of another character.