Post-colonial literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Post-colonial literature - Essay Example He grew up in Leeds, England, and read English at Queen's College, Oxford. He is the author of six novels, several books of non-fiction and has written for film, theatre, radio and television. Much of his writing - both fiction and non-fiction - has focused on the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade and its consequences for the African Diaspora. John Maxwell Coetzee, 1940, South African novelist, b. John Michael Coetzee. Educated at the Univ. of Cape Town (M.A. 1963) and the Univ. of Texas (Ph.D. 1969), he taught in the United States and returned home (1983) to become a professor of English literature at Cape Town. He immigrated to Australia in 2002. Several of Coetzee's novels are noted for their eloquent protest against political and social conditions in South Africa, particularly the suffering caused by imperialism, apartheid, and postapartheid violence. His books are also known for their technical virtuosity. Crossing the river has to do with black people fighting for their freedom. It has to do with slavery and the differences between black and white. That is what the book is about of course only the writer creates different situations in each separate story, which makes it more interesting to read, but it also shows the different aspects of 'crossing the river'. In the introduction to the story the so-called 'father' tells the reader about how he sold his three children: Nash, Martha and Travis. (A desperate foolishness. The crops failed. I sold my children.). This statement of the writer has a confusing meaning. Question would arise who is taking Why does someone do such a thing To others it is not acceptable but the explanation of the person delivering this statement can be understood as we go along with this literature. The first story is titled 'The Pagan Coast'. The story is about Nash. Nash Williams is a very loyal slave. His master is Edward Williams and he is a very generous master. Edward Williams, too, is guilt-ridden. At age 29, he inherits his father's estate, including 300 slaves. Concerned to still his conscience, Williams educates them and trains the best and brightest to become missionaries. He also displays an "excess of affection" for his young male slaves, especially to Nash Williams who calls Edward "Father," signing let ters from Liberia, "Your son." (J. Griffin). He made it possible for all his slaves to get an education. There are some slaves who are complaining of for the unfair treatment to them by Williams. This is the reason that most slaves wanted to break free and 'cross the river' is that they were treated so terribly. With Nash it was different. He was treated very well,

Chinese Students Enrolled in Hospitality and Tourism-Related Essay

Chinese Students Enrolled in Hospitality and Tourism-Related Programmes in the UK - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that there is a huge contribution of international students in the income and prestige of individual universities of U.K. and other Western countries. Despite the developments, there is little research done on the progress and achievements of international students. It has been observed that students mostly migrate from countries like China, India, and U.A.E etc. to Western countries like U.K. and U.S.A. in search of higher studies and better career objectives. Studying abroad is very challenging and exciting during college years. Students get the opportunity to learn different languages and experience the different type of cultures. Students can enhance their knowledge and clarify their career directions by studying abroad. The developing countries like China and India follow the traditional method of education, which does not emphasize on the student’s career perspective appropriately. The educational system in U.K. is distinct bec ause the universities not only emphasize on theoretical subjects, they also focus on practical implications of the theories, which helps students to enhance their future endeavors. In 2010, AGCAS received funding for several pilot projects that allowed better links with U.K. along with alumni’s and employers in order to build successful employment relationships with international students. Universities of the Western countries majorly focus on the career and entrepreneurial ambitions of students. It is essential for colleges to have a proper understanding of the existing job market and prepare students accordingly. With the help of abroad studies, students can gain international experiences and develop their career aspirations. This research interviews Chinese students, who are currently enrolled in hospitality and tourism-related programmes in the U.K. The essay discusses the future career planning of Chinese students at a higher education facility in the U.K. and the respon sibility of the institution towards the management of employability. Studying in a different country is an extremely rewarding and exciting experience. According to famous theorists Archer and Davidson, the value of international experience is not just limited to learning of foreign language; the value of the experience is mainly determined from the ability of a person to distinguish the personal issues and business between his own country and the foreign country.

Conceptual Framework And Why Is It Needed Accounting Essay

Conceptual Framework And Why Is It Needed Accounting Essay According to FASB, the conceptual framework is a coherent system of interrelated objectives and fundamental concepts that prescribes the nature, function, and limits of financial accounting and reporting and that is expected to lead to consistent guidance. It is intended to serve the public interest by providing structure and direction to financial accounting and reporting to facilitate the provision of unbiased financial and related information. In short, conceptual framework establishes the concepts that underlie financial reporting and it serves as a guidance to flow consistently from an objective by showing a set of theory of accounting with concepts which are prepared by a standard-setting board. Elliott Elliott, 2009 stated that it also determines bounds for judgement in preparing financial statements as it increases financial statement users understanding of, and confidence in, financial statements and enhances comparability. Standard settings are based on individual or personal concept. However, with the presence of conceptual framework, more useful and more consistence pronouncements will be issued over time and thus, a coherent system will be developed. Another need of conceptual framework is that, profession users should be able to more quickly solve new and emerging practical problems by referring to an existing framework of basic theory. All regulatory bodies have been flayed because they have used piecemeal approaches, solving one accounting issue at a time. Observers have alleged that not enough tidy rationality has been used in the process of accounting policymaking. Again and again, critics have cited a need for a conceptual framework. (Horngren 1981, p.94) Body the argument Hines (1989, p.89) argues that conceptual frameworks are a strategic manoeuvre for providing legitimacy to standard-setting boards during periods of competition or threatened government intervention. The basis of Hines argument is that standard-setting boards they established concepts such as objectivity, reliability or neutrality to act as a platform to legitimate its profession. As one of the main obstacles against which accountants have continually had to struggle in their professionalization quest, has been the threat of an apparent absence of a formal body of accounting knowledge, and that creating the perception of possessing such knowledge has been an important part of creating and reproducing their social identity as a profession. This could thus lead to the intervention of the outsiders such as the government, due to its instability. However, the concepts or known as conceptual framework projects are created to sustain the perception that financial accounting professions has been, or at the very least, is capable of having a formal knowledge base from which practices and standards derive. This could be why some researchers believe that conceptual framework could play another more political role, in reducing the threat of government intervention. It is said to be a strategic manoeuvre for providing legitimacy to standard setting boards because it assist in socially constructing the appearance of a coherent differentiated knowledge base for accounting standards. These projects however still remained to exist and are continually undertaken by professionals even if they have generally failed to accomplish their stated functional purposes. This could explain why a conceptual framework does not exist in countries where governmental agency is in charge of standard setting. Countries such as the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada and Australia were some of the countries which first developed the national accounting conceptual framework and these are the countries where standard setting has pretty much been delegated to the accounting profession. These professional accountants have succeeded to a substantial degree in their professionalization project where they are largely self-regulated. On the other hand, conceptual framework projects have not been undertaken in France, Germany or Japan where accounting rules is largely determined by government legislation. Stated by Hines, government legislation of accounting procedures does not r equire the authority and legitimacy of an image of a coherent theoretical foundation. (Hines, 1989:86) The history of conceptual frameworks does appear to provide some support for Hines perspective. Peasnell (1982) have discussed five conceptual framework projects which are undertaken in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Canada; which each circumstance suggests that they were strategic responses undertaken by accounting bodies at times of threat to their legitimacy or during periods of competition or threatened government intervention. First of the five projects was the formation of the Accounting Principles Board (APB) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) in the 1959 which resulted mounting professional and legal criticisms on both the quality of corporate reporting practices and the early attempts of the AICPA to remedy matters. (Peasnell, 1982, p.244) APB was criticised by government and also being rejected by the industry. However, the criticisms were then suppressed about five years later after the approval of APB Statement No.4 (APBS4) which states Basic Concepts and Accounting Principles Underlying Financial Statements of Business enterprises. (Peasnell, 1982, p.245) However, the failed results from the first project had doubled. The second project was the FASB which was established as recommended by the Wheat Report (AICPA, 1972) and also the publication of Trueblood Report (AICPA, 1973). The latter in effect, handed over to the newly established FASB, was also criticised and opposed by the industry and was not acted upon by the FASB. According to Peasnell (1982), the third conceptual framework project was bespoke in the United Kingdom by the Accounting Standards Steering Committee as The Corporate Report (ASC, 1975). As discussed by Hopwood (1988), this report is an attempt to outline some of the possible implications for corporate reporting of a change in the social and political environment. However, there are no significant challenge to its legitimacy and thus, this report was treated with indifference. The forth conceptual framework attempt discussed is the conceptual framework established by the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB). It is established in response to the criticisms of the professions standard setting and was subject to the onus of demonstrating its authority and legitimacy to set standards. It has becoming apparent that the accounting standards being set could lead to significant economic consequences, both to business and even nationally. The final conceptual framework projects discussed by Peasnell (1982) is bespoke on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA, 1980) and the work was commenced at the time when the body was under threat for reform and criticisms of accounting standards setting in Canada. The circumstances to counter these issues are that they are used as a strategic resource in competition with other groups which are pursuing professionalization and threatening the autonomy and monopoly of entrenched organisations. Conclusion The conceptual framework first started off by emerging in the accounting area as a solution to the inconsistencies of standards which had led to a low legitimacy of standard setting bodies. It had eventually becoming a useful tool for account preparers when preparing reports. However, as defended by Hines and some other authors such as Peasnell, 1982, its main function could be a political one. It has been argued and criticised continuously that conceptual frameworks are a strategic manoeuvre for providing legitimacy to standard-setting boards during periods of competition or threatened government intervention and the history of the development of conceptual frameworks which supports Hines position has proved so. Moreover, according to Peasnell (1982), the only way to prove that standards are developing in a fair, logical and highly professional manner is by having both responsibility and power of developing standards delegated to the same body, like the IASB. Establishing consistent principles will constitute guidance for the production of standards. It is not only a technical tool for the standard setter but also a way of preserving its independence. Lastly, with consistent principles, the standard setter is supposed to be better armed to promote its standards and to avoid lobbying pressure.

The Opening and Closing scenes in Shakespeares Tempest :: Tempest essays

The Opening and Closing scenes in Shakespeare's Tempest      Ã‚  Ã‚   The opening and closing scenes in William Shakespeare's The Tempest are crucial to the significance of the play as a whole. Through the deconstruction of the court system in the tumultuous opening scene, and its eventual superior reconstruction in the closing scene, Shakespeare is able to better develop and display inherent character traits in the major roles.       Shakespeare immediately throws the audience into a court that is not unified and strictly divided by political strife, as were the courts of his day. In The Tempest, the court is in a sense of disorder from the beginning with the shipwreck and its tumultuous and frightening sounds and images. The courtly conventions of politics and class are in great conflict, and the entire court is forced away through reality or magic from courtly order to the enchanted island, in which the characters function under a different order where idealism is a reality. For these characters, the island represents an escape from the political and material concerns of the mainland, allowing for a period of internal meditation aside from the roles that are prescribed to them in the royal household.       This internal meditation through the rest of the play is brought to a conclusion in the final scene, where Prospero bring all of the characters together in a magical circle. It is here that all of their epiphanies occur, and where the characters are changed for the better by the island. This change in the last scene is easily noticed by the audience, allowing for additional characterization through the differences between the opening and final scenes.       One of the most complex changes in the play takes place within Prospero himself. In considering his motives for "wrecking" the ship and bringing the characters to the island, we can't escape the feeling that Prospero holds a great deal of resentment about his treatment back in Milan and is never very far from wanting to exact a harsh revenge; after all, he has it in his power to significantly injure the parties that treated him so badly. We learn more of Prospero's character when he has a sudden insight in the start of the final act, when he decides that revenge is not the most appropriate response.

Women in the Odyssey

Women in The Odyssey After following an epic that revolved so completely around men, The Odyssey has quite a lot of female roles. True, the ancient Greeks had a better androgynous balance than other civilizations, and this is reflected very clearly in The Odyssey. Femininity has not only a bigger role in this epic, but it seems as though it is honored with its own unique power. This is shown in characters like Circe and Athena, but also subtextually in the many female weavers throughout the story. Overall, women and feminine power have a very influential role in the plot of the Odyssey.Let us begin with the obvious female powers in the immortal goddesses and nymphs. As far as the Olympian Gods, Athena is by far the most involved, regardless of gender. This is made very clear, for example, we see Telemachus preparing for his journey, â€Å"When they had made fast the running gear all along the black ship, then they set up the mixing bowls, filling them brimful with wine, and poured t o the gods immortal and everlasting, but beyond all other gods they poured to Zeus’ gray-eyed daughter. † (2. 430-433) Also, Calypso and Circe play the role of â€Å"Women as Temptress† which greatly hinders Odysseus’ journey.Circe especially has those powerful witch qualities that the uses specifically against the male gender. Luckily, however, she learns compassion for Odysseus and the crew in general. Thus she becomes not only kind but actually a very helpful component in the overall voyage. Calypso needed more convincing about releasing Odysseus, but afterwards she also became somewhat helpful. Other helpful supernatural women appear such as the water nymph, Ino, who saves Odysseus from drowning on his way to the Phaecians. Already we see a huge increase in female importance and their affect on the plot.One of the biggest reflections of ancient Greek culture is the amount of weaving done by the women. However, I think that the images of weaving in the Odyssey have little to do with making a cultural point. In Greek mythology, everyone’s destiny was weaved by the Fates. I think that because of that, weaving has many connections to destiny. This even transfers into the literal sense, from baby blankets to death shrouds. Thus, the women in the epic who are seen weaving are technically weaving the destinies of the characters of the story.Let’s start with Penelope, for her image of weaving is very specific. She weaves by day and â€Å"by night, with torches lit beside her, she would unravel all she’d done. † (2. 106-107) This represents the fact that she keeps her life monotonously the same, and refuses to allow her life/destiny/weaving to progress. We see another very interesting image of weaving with Helen. She is making her yarn, which the preparation work before the actual weaving. To me this means that she was the one who informed the destinies before anything even took place in the Odyssey.Her decisio ns before and during the Iliad were her major contributions, as she set the stage for the female weavers of the Odyssey. These weavers also include Calypso and Circe, who we have already decided are major parts in the book. There are a few more women in this epic who really deserve to be mentioned. Two of them are Phaecians, Princess Nausicaa and Queen Arete. Nausicaa, inspired by our goddess Athena, really helped Odysseus. In her curiosity and level-headedness, she helped Odysseus return to her palace and find the help and support he needed to return home.Once he arrived there, he met with Arete, and it was she who Odysseus chose to plead hospitality, â€Å"flung his arms around her knees,† (7. 167) instead of her husband (the king). From the moment I read this, I thought that Arete must be a very powerful and respected woman, especially if she has power over decisions like that. Another woman I found very influential was Eurycleia. She practically raised both Odysseus and T elemachus, making that bond/parallel between father and son even clearer. She is also the only person to recognize Odysseus before he meant to reveal himself to her.However, when she saw his unmistakeable scar, she â€Å"let his foot fall, down it dropped in the basin-the bronze clanged, tipping over, tipping water across the floor. † (19. 530-533). This uninherently shows her wisdom and compassion at an old age. Another (somewhat graphic) image of women in the Odyssey is the maidens that were hung across the rope by their faces at the end of the battle. This shows the flipside of feminine power, as these are the women who didn’t advocate for themselves or their masters in the least, but decided to live a lazy life of gluttony and pleasure instead.The last woman I would like to mention is Odysseus’ mother, Anticleia. We only get to see her as a shadow, which is the least powerful state of any woman throughout the epic. However, she still stirs a deep emotional r esponse out of Odysseus, which, in turn, most definitely affects the actions he takes and thus the plot as a hole. Overall, I think that women play a very inspiring role in this epic. The show us time and time again that each of us is powerful enough to help write or own destinies, and to be cooperative components in the lives of others.We see again that compassion trumps hatred, and that being helpful is better than being selfish. Setting someone you love free can not only just turn out for the best, but it also might just be what needs to happen in the fate of their life. How different would the story be if Odysseus wasn’t eventually allowed to leave Aeaea or Ogygia? So in conclusion, the women of the Odyssey show us to be present and compassionate in our lives, because who knows? You may just have a lasting effect on the life of another.

Impetus to Department of Homeland Security Essay

Abstract This is a case study into the impetus of The Department of Homeland Security due to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the increase awareness of terrorist attacks. This study will also cover the Oklahoma City and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and why it did not have the full impact or awareness of the 9/11 attack. Also, the study will try inject ways that the two earlier kinds of attacks could have been prevented according to the protection strategy in place today. Title of Paper (Does not Count as Heading) The word terrorist and terrorism is synonymous in that they both are used as violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal. The 9/11 attack on The World Trade Center serves as a prime example to the type of terror that Americans have never witness before. It showed that our great nation was venerable to a new kind of attack where people do not value life but value their pursuit of life, liberty, and justice much more. These are the type of organization or people who will die for a justice cause. These very people lead to the Impetus of The Department of Homeland Security. The main reason the 9/11 attack was so gruesome was the fact that the organization did not need weapons of mass destruction to accomplish it goal. The organized group of the Taliban or Al Qaeda, as known by some, was able to commandeer two 747 planes and launch an attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This was a strategic threat that was well plan and the funding of it leader Osama bin Laden. These types of suicide missions that were televised to the nation through the media signified the dawn of a new kind of threat and that a new kind of organization or rational think had to be formed. This formidable threat lead to the formation of the Department of Homeland Security with the expressed mission of keeping our people, cyber, and critical infrastructure safe from terrorists and natural disasters. This is the third largest federal department that encompasses state, local, and the private sector. Of course this is not the first time that our soil has been threatened by extremist or terrorist groups. For example, on the morning of April 19, 1995, an ex-Army soldier and security guard named Timothy McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City(n.d.). He was about to commit mass murder. Inside the vehicle was a powerful bomb made out of a deadly cocktail of agricultural fertilizer, diesel fuel, and other chemicals(n.d.). McVeigh got out, locked the door, and headed towards his getaway car(n.d.). He ignited one timed fuse, then another. McVeigh’s anger with the federal government on how his colleagues was treated at the Waco incident cause massive destruction and the loss of 168 human beings lives. Although, this was one of the worst home grown act of terrorist it did not gain that much dramatic impact from society and politicians because it was small scale and did not appear to have the funding to escalate to large scale terrorism. It also did not have the mass appeal of the 9/11 incident that was broadcast to the nation. Only the after mass was on display. Plus the ingredients used in making the bomb were your everyday garden variety, not weapons of mass destruction. Another example of the destructive nature of a terrorist group was the bombing of the Epicenter Parking Center under the World Trade Center. On Friday, February 26, 1993, Middle Eastern terrorism had arrived on American soil with a bang(n.d.). A small group of Islamic terrorist detonated a bomb that caused a massive crater killing 6 people and injuring thousands of others. The intent was to topple one building into the other collapsing both. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had intelligence information on this group but did not foresee them as a threat. Again, this incident did not have the dramatic impact as the 9/11 attack because the group was small scale and did not have the funding to inflict the damage of weapons of mass destruction. There were no ties to a large terrorist group with unlimited funding and followers. In both of these examples as stated neither gain the grandeur nature of the 9/11 attack because of they were not televised live as the event occurred, they did not have the notoriety or followers as Taliban or Al Qaeda terrorist group, they not have the funding of group capable of amassing weapons of mass destruction, and they were not the all for nothing suicidal group that would have giving their life for a cause. What we have in place today that could have thwart the attacks in the examples are different agencies are task with investigating specific areas and that is what they specialize in. For example, if one department had the responsibility of investigating the intelligent on the Islamic terrorist group they would have been more inclined to have arrested the group before they did any damage. The deployment of explosive sniffing dogs at critical infrastructure sites may have been able to detect the bombs before they were detonated. Surveillance camera located at critical location may a detected the vans being abandon for an undetermined time and helped to identify those involved. Quotations (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/february/tradebom_022608 References http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombing Gaines, Larry K., and Victor E. Kappeler. Homeland security. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.