The Stone Carvers Essay Example for Free

The Stone Carvers Essay The Stone Carvers is a book of obsessions. Each one of the characters has their own obsessions that at one point they believe to be a natural and helpful to their lives. However each of the characters in The Stone Carvers learns that these obsessions with perfection, love, adventure, or anything end without them being able to be satisfied and on many occasions without achieving what they were obsessing over. The author Jane Urquhart made a compelling story on the nature obsession and the effects of obsession over any matter. The characters of the novel were fixated on a large range of ideas; they were obsessed with ideas from love to architecture and because of the diversity that Jane has shown that obsession of any form will always end without resolve. The conclusion about obsession can be grasped through the various trials that each character of the story is placed under. In The Stone Carvers Urquhart is able to show that obsession can never lead to a successful happiness, through a few powerful ideas; when someone is fixated on an idea the task may not be able to be completed, a person’s obsession can be counterproductive to their cause, and fixating on one thing can cause the person to lose track of the rest of their life. When someone is fixated on one task or idea their obsession may not ever be complete in their eyes. In Klara’s love affair with Eamon, Klara is obsessed with staying with and caring for Eamon. When Klara was not with Eamon she was thinking of him; â€Å"All the rest of the day she was thinking of the moments when Eamon’s arm was on her shoulder or his hands were in her hair.† (pg. 121) This obsession of love seems like a natural and healthy idea to have however Klara’s work begins to be influenced by their love and she begins to be jealous of anyone with a relationship with Eamon. Klara becomes particularly upset at one point she exclaimed â€Å"I saw you laughing, Eamon, with your friends outside the brewery. I think you’d forgotten me altogether, that’s what I think.† (pg. 117) Klara’s obsession with Eamon was never able to be complete because she would never be able to complete her storybook obsession of loving him and him loving her. Her obsession eventually led to an extended period of grieving her lost lover. Sometimes an obsession with something can actually blind the obsessed person into actually being counterproductive to their goals. In a minor case in The Stone Carvers Refuto, who broke down because he held himself responsible for his brother’s death, ran from his family to not bear with the pain of reuniting with them. Refuto’s reasoning for not going back to his family was that: â€Å"I could not put the burden of a killer on their shoulders.† (pg. 211) Refuto was obsessed with keeping his name clean and his family safe. When he ran away from home however his family was left to fend for themselves and live without his support. When he and Tilman had become friends was the only time that he realized he had been hurting his friends with his own obsession. When Refuto did get over his obsession and went home, his wife and he talked at length about the family and how they were able to get along for so long without him. Refuto said that â€Å"I was gone but Tilman told me to come back.† (pg. 215) Since his departure Refuto was able to â€Å"clear my head in four directions at once.† (pg. 215) This fixation on Refuto’s name had kept him away from his family but finally he was able to go back and correct what his obsession did to him. His obsession had blinded him to the harm that his actions had caused to his family. Instead of helping keep his family safe he was only harming it and only once he accepted that he had an unhealthy obsession was he able to return to his life with his family. When someone is fixated on an idea they tend to lose focus on other important aspects of their lives. In The Stone Carvers an example of this would be in Tilman and Klara’s mother, Helga. Helga had recently mourned what she thought was her son’s death and became obsessed, as soon as Tilman came home, with controlling where Tilman went and how he would live. Tilman however â€Å"responded neither to her questions nor her attempts at incarceration and intimidation but looked at her with confusion on his perfect face.† (pg. 63) Helga became so hysterically obsessed with keeping him with her that eventually she chained Tilman to the house however â€Å"Helga would never recover – not from his imprisonment and not from his escape.†(pg. 67) Tilman screamed and refused to eat while he was chained and his mother only then realized that she had made a mistake in obsessing over keeping Tilman caged. She pushed Tilman away with her passions for keeping him with her. The Stone Carvers shows that someone who is obsessed with an idea or task is more prone to making mistakes or causing a problem in a related aspect of their life. Throughout the book Jane was able to show her views on obsessions in persuasive undertones and themes throughout the entire novel. Jane was able to show that no matter how justified a fixation may seem the outcome is always negative. Throughout the novel the theme of obsession can be seen from the minor characters all the way to the major events of the story. Jane makes her case with many examples of the ways obsession can lead to the destruction of a person. She does this through showing that when someone has an obsession they might never be able to complete, a person’s obsession could be counterproductive to their cause, and fixating on one idea can cause the person to lose track of the important parts in their life. The persuasive undertones in the story are able to clearly convey the message of obsession being something that only harms the obsessed person. Walter Allward once said â€Å"I have been eating and sleeping stone for so long it has become an obsession with me. And incidentally, a nightmare.† (pg. VI) The inspiration for such a great novel and theme can be found in this quote because the amount of emotion that went into Walter’s work on the Vimy Ridge Memorial but also the tragic way Walter was unable to be truly happy after his most amazing creation. Works Cited

Gender Inequality Within the US Essay -- Gender Studies

The USA has a long history of bestowing freedom, choice and equal rights upon its citizens, but even though the US government no longer discriminates against race or nationality, gender is still an issue. Women’s rights have come a long way since August 26th 1920 - The date in which The 19th Amendment to the Constitution was signed into law, granting women the right to vote, but the fight is not over yet. Republican politicians like Rick Santorum and Rick Perry along with right-wing fanatics like Rush Limbaugh and fundamentalist religious groups want to profoundly change the rights of women in America. The radical ideologies embraced by these people attest that the use of contraception and the in statement of sexual education are abolishing core American values. The more extreme believe that women are too stupid to make their own medical decisions. These right-wing radicals wage zealous wars on female sexuality and a woman’s right to her own body. Unsurprisingly abortion and contraception are hot topics among the anti-feminists movement. Radical Christians see abortion as an unforgivable sin, even in the case of rape, and contraception as something that should simply be outlawed. The majority of these factions are predominantly white, Christian males. Interestingly enough there are no groups that protest men’s rights or claim that men have too much freedom over their bod ies. The battle over women’s rights to reproductive health care has recently taken a substantial legal step backwards. In 2011 alone, 19 states have enacted a total of 162 new laws relating to reproductive health. Unsurprisingly, 49 percent of these work to restrict access to abortion services, smashing the previous record of 34 legalized restrictions passed... ...male-dominated-student-government-and-why-it-matters/>. "Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2010." In the Election of November 2010. U.S Census Bureau, Oct. 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. . "The 2012 Statistical Abstract." U.S Census Bureau. U.S Census Bureau, 2012. Web. 3 Mar. 2012. . "USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." U.S Census Bureau. U.S Census Bureau, 17 Jan. 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. . "Facts on Contraceptive Use in the United States." Guttmacher Institute: Home Page. Guttmacher Institute and the National Center for Health Statistics, June 2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2012. .

Prince Case Study Essay

Over the years Prince has proven themselves as an industry leader in tennis racquets and equipment that has transformed the game of tennis through their innovations. They have proven themselves as innovators through their development of the first synthetic gut string and many other things that have met the levels of all tennis players. As the world of tennis changes and the number of participants increases, Prince is once again faced with a challenge to reinvent themselves to meet the demands of 21st century tennis players. The growth in tennis participation results in a change in the market environment and requires Prince to think of new ways to stay ahead of competition. In the 21st century the presence of technology and social media are two major tools that can be used to Prince’s advantage. Prince’s first attempt to use technology in a new racket innovation was a failure. They released aracket with â€Å"O Port† holes that was supposed to improve racquet speed. â€Å"The idea was to differentiate itself from the marketplace, but it wasn’t necessarily what the market wanted† (Rovell, 2012). Knowing the market demand when releasing a new product is one of the most important details to ensure success. Another issue they faced in the release is they put all their faith into this new development and lost focus on the other products that made them who they are today. To reverse this mistake I feel it is the right time with the tennis market growing to release a new type of racquet. This must meet the demand of the new emerging market while still paying attention to their older market to continue growth without loosing consumers. They can achieve this by directly contacting consumers and seeing what they would like or feel they are missing in a tennis racquet. Another idea to steer away from their last racquet release would be developing three new racquets that meet the need of each group. I don’t think its possible to develop a racquet that caters to all strokes and levels. I feel that using new technological developments to design a racquet based upon the three different strokes would meet the needs of all levels of their market. Along with the growth of the tennis industry, Prince needs to continually  market themselves and the industry to influence consumers to invest in their products. To accomplish this Prince could host local tennis tournaments in cities to get people playing the sport. As a result this would link tennis directly to their brand which markets themselves and the sport all in one to maximize profitability and gain consumer awareness. To increase their market segment and reach a new audience to increase their market presence they could sponsor a school tennis team or donate racquets to a school to get kids into the sport at a young age. If the child enjoys the sport the odds are the parent will purchase their products from Prince which is a great way to get a younger audience into the sport and also use this as a social media opportunity. They could start an after school tennis program with school where they donate equipment and teach kids the sport while keeping them active and out of trouble. This could certainly result in many opportunities for social media and increase brand awareness through their donations. Parents are always looking for ways to keep their children active and out of trouble so this serves as a great opportunity to do so and once again allows them to diversify their market and give them a competitive edge. As Prince begins to grow their company in attempt to keep up with 21st century demands they will need a new way to market and promote themselves to keep ahead of competition. One way to do this is hosting a sponsorship for players that can be promoted through social media such as twitter and Facebook. It is important for Prince to reach a younger audience and their large presence on social networks makes it important for them to gain as much presence through social media as possible. Each market segment has a different way to be reached so it is important for Prince to understand each of those markets and then decide how they will promote themselves according to their demands. The large number of distribution channels within Prince poses challenges but also holds many opportunities for growth. One of the most important distribution channel is mass merchants such as Wal-Mart. It is important that their presence within mass merchants is well received and this can be done by setting up specific displays to promote their product in which the general consumer of these stores will relate to. The way a product is promoted in Wal-Mart may be very different than the way its promoted in a specialty store. I feel that smaller store displays should be centered around the sponsored player linked to Prince. A store like Wal-Mart should have the display accessible and visible amongst the many products within the store. Wal-Mart is also known for their low prices so Prince should have a presence in the catalog and advertise discounts on their products within the catalog and in the the store. Wal-Mart can carry the lower end racquets to allow this discount where as smaller shops can carry higher end racquets to cater to their audience. Understanding the audience of each distribution channel will allow Prince to properly promote and advertise their product within each store. Another area that Prince relies on to generate revenue is the global market. Global success is extremely important in having a competitive advantage and constantly needs to be improved to meet global market demands. Being that tennis is played all over the world their global presence is just as important as it is in the US. Latin America has a large presence with professional tennis players and due to this the sport is continually growing in this area. To enhance their global presence I feel it is important to sponsor players outside of the US to maintain their global presence. When a consumer sees a professional player from their country using a Prince racquet it will influence them to purchase it. Prince should use the origin of top players and target these markets. There is a great deal of pride that comes when someone reaches a level in sports from your home country. Prince can use this to their advantage and enhance their market presence in the countries of professional players. Prince continues to be one of the leading companies in the world of tennis. They strive to continue their name as a top innovator in the field and maintain their global market presence. With the current growth in tennis participation there is no better time to re market themselves to stay ahead of competition and developing trends. Their impressive track record with major inventions over the years have shaped the game of tennis and give them  a competitive advantage. To accomplish the results they are after they need to create a new development that caters to their extensive market and increase their presence among youth by expanding their social media presence. The company has all of the tools for success and if implemented correctly they can solidify their spot as the top manufacturer in the world of tennis. Rovell, D. (2012, August 28). Tennis Company Prince Eying a Comeback . Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/dollars/post/_/id/1295/tennis-company-prince-eyeing-a-comeback Authentic brand group propels prince sports throughout the globe with key operating partners. (2012, August 16). Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/authentic-brands-group-propels-prince-sports-throughout-the-globe-with-key-operating-partners-166404106.html Glassel, L., & Skaly , N. (n.d.). Prince sports, inc. tennis racquets for every segment [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0078028892/943336/transcript_vc_Prince_Sports.pdf Kerin, R., Hartley, S., & Rudelius, W. (2011). Marketing. (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill-Irwin

Harriet Tubman And Five Greatest Leaders - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 845 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/05/31 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Harriet Tubman Essay Did you like this example? Comparing Harriet Tubman to five of the worldrs greatest leaders of all time, I will compare her to Adolf Hitler, Genghis Khan, Cesar Chavez, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King JR. Though some of these leaders believed in peace and were non violent, some of these leaders like Genghis Khan are notorious for their brutality. Something that a lot of them had in common is that they all led a great fight for what they believed in. Adolf led all of Germany in his quest of supremacy and genocide, like Genghis Khan got an entire empire together to conquer the world. While Martin Luther King JR had revolutionized an entire country to bring equality and peace to light, Gandhi revolutionized the world with his message of world peace. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Harriet Tubman And Five Greatest Leaders" essay for you Create order Harriet Tubman was an outstanding lady who fought relentlessly in her battle for equality. Much like Gandhi, she was a civil rights activist. She had also led a nonviolent battle. She escaped what would have ultimately kept her down, and made a stand. She was also an abolitionist like Gandhi. She fought relentlessly to abolish the cruelty of slavery and racism that not only riddled our country, but rather riddled the countries surrounding us as well. But, where she and Gandhi differ, is that Harriet Tubman did not run a religious campaign though Gandhi did. She also had similar traits to those of Genghis Khan, though they had very different battles and had very different ideas. While Genghis Khan had sought out to take control of the entire world, Harriet Tubman had sought out to save the world and put an end to all the hatred that had taken over the southern United States. Genghis Khan is notorious to this day for his brutal force and violence he used in his expedition to conquer the world as well as his relentlessness, while Harriet Tubman is also known for her relentless fighting spirit but was not a violent protester. also, Harriet Tubman was an activist, rather than a ruler of an empire that sought world domination like Genghis Khan. Although both were outstanding civil rights leaders for african americans in the United States, they still had some differences. Martin Luther King JR fought for the same things as Harriet Tubman, but he was wealthy and had not suffered the same brutality that Harriet Tubman had suffered. Alo, Martin Luther King Jr was a wealthy scholar. Harriet being a former slave, she had no money to afford an education and she lived rather poor. They were both very influential characters in the civil rights movement, both led non violent campaigns, and both were extremely determined to make a change happen in our country so that we can have the level of equality that we have today. Another nonviolent civil rights activist was Cesar Chavez who also led a humongous revolution in the United States. While Harriet Tubman fought for the rights of the African American community, Cesar Chavez managed to create equality for the Chicano, or mexican american, community in America. They had both suffered the abuse of the white people who had attempted to hold them down and treat them as property rather than actual people., but still maintained their nonviolent stance. Cesar Chavez lost his home, and went into a deep depression afterwards. But harriet tubman didnt have a home, he went out and found a place to call home after escaping the slavery in the South. I found it surprising that with all she faced, Harriet Tubman never fought back violently, because with all the abuse she took, it must have taken even more courage to not fight back, but to fight back in peaceful protests. Another fact that I found to be surprising, is the that Harriet and someone as evil as Adolf Hitler did have something in common. Though the only similarity is that they both do everything in their power to secure their belief of a better future, it is still a similarity between them. Another fact that i found to be quite interesting, was the depression of Cesar Chavez. I would not have guessed that someone who had fought so hard and had so much determination, would then become even after winning his fight for equality. Also, I found it interesting that even with all the things Gandhi had went through, he remained such a peaceful man and never caused any harm to anyone. Finally, I found it to be very interesting the strength of Harriet Tubman. Rather than remaining hidden after escaping the south, she became an activist and fought for the entire country to be freed. In conclusion, through all the struggles and battles Harriet went through in her life, she was a very strong woman and made a great difference. Also, though these great leaders had their similarities, they were also very different from each other. These leaders each led an amazing fight for their beliefs, no matter if their belief was a good belief or a bad one. Either way, they are the worldrs greatest leaders of all time.