E-commerce in Arab countries ,what is the benefits Article

E-commerce in Arab countries ,what is the benefits - Article Example Relationships among individuals and organisations have been revolutionized by the massive application of information technology. Such massive use of information and communication technologies has resulted to simpler processes, enhanced productivity, increased customer participation, and reduced costs. As a result large numbers of organisations have shifted from the traditional business platform to the online platform of running business. All these factors have greatly influenced the economies of almost all the developed and developing countries over the past few years. The effects are more prominent in case of developing countries like Arab countries. Generally the list of Arab countries includes Algeria, Djibouti, Bahrain, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordon, Mauritania, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Palestinian Autonomous Territories, Oman, Qatar, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Tunisia. Economies of all these countries especially Saud i Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Oman, Sudan and Kuwait are found to be growing fast. As a result use of internet and other related technologies in these countries has increased over the past year and most importantly this use is expected to increase at a faster rate than it was ever before. This paper focuses on e-commerce activities in Arab countries. The paper also contains the benefits of e-commerce having on the economies of Arab countries. The report includes a brief overview of the main concepts of e-commerce. Commercial activities, as we all know, comprise those that are required to carry out trade between different parties. Generally the exchange of products and/or services is settled as per conditions that are mutually acceptable by the parties and hence the objective of any commercial transaction is to ensure that all the parties

Mergers and Acquisitions Office Max Office Depot Essay

Mergers and Acquisitions Office Max Office Depot - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the term merger involves the combination of two companies, which work together for an achievement of one common goal. Basically, the merger is between the same industry as the objectives of the two companies are the same. Although there will be a difference of approaches and methods following by each of them, the result achieved will be industry oriented. Moving towards the acquisition, it is a term defining when a company buys the assets or equities of another and leaving the liabilities. In acquisition, the financial terms are led by both of the companies while in the merger, financed is one company oriented. Both merger and acquisition can take place between public trading companies or private trading companies, involving the access of shares to public and shares which are not registered. Acquiring or merger with a firm requires the high level of negotiations to balance and mutual understanding of the objectives. The study of the me rger of Exxon-Mobil is a merger of giant companies in the oil industry and this has been aimed to enhance the productivity of the two companies. The rate of a merger was high in the US in between 1994 to 2004, which was due to some major factors that are involved in the economy of the company and industry. The basic circumstances of the merger activity include the increasing number of merger particularly because of advancement in technologies, globalization of markets, intense nature of forms and sources to make industries deregulate, dynamic change in financial markets. Following these global trends of mergers, there some industry related trends as well. The oil industry of US is a large sized market and thus, it incorporates many challenges. Two major challenges of this industry are the addition of the future reserves within the country and the price fluctuations in the price of oil. The advantage of a large firm was firstly owned by only a few firms and is now one of the barriers to entry to the industry.

The persuasion used by both Lady Macbeth and the male speakers Essay Example for Free

The persuasion used by both Lady Macbeth and the male speakers Essay Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a strong, independent character, who employs cunning intellect to manipulate and control her husband and to gain illegitimate power and authority. Using varied techniques, Lady Macbeth predominantly targets Macbeth’s masculinity and likens him to a â€Å"woman†; taunting him in order to provoke the desire to disprove her doubts and assumptions. Macbeth decides not to â€Å"bear the knife† on Duncan, as he is both his is both â€Å"his kinsman and his subject†. Nevertheless, Lady Macbeth shifts the power in their relationship, taking the typically male, authoritative role and persuading Macbeth to â€Å"play false†, using his devotion to her and â€Å"ambition† to fulfil the witches’ prophecies. Lady Macbeth tactically finds similarities between herself and the witches. In doing so, she assures herself that she is too a significant influence and retains substantial authority over Macbeth, where she can analyse his personality and potential. Breaking feminine stereotypes, Lady Macbeth’s character redefines sixteenth century expectations and expresses Tudor â€Å"fears† of women overstepping their â€Å"natural† boundaries. Feminising Macbeth On becoming aware of her new title, thus her potential to greater power, Lady Macbeth begins to rid herself of her feminine attributes and bestows them upon Macbeth in order to persuade him to â€Å"catch the nearest way† and seize the role as king. Nevertheless, as a woman Lady Macbeth lacks the authority and ability to undertake the murder and compensates by rationalising with herself, and her husband, in order to instigate the persuasion necessary for the central murders. She accuses Macbeth to be â€Å"too full o’th’milk of human kindness† implying weakness and absence of â€Å"ambition† to forcefully take the role as king. Macbeth is â€Å"full† of â€Å"milk†, a factor associated with maternity and femininity. In referring to Macbeth as nurturing and feminine, Lady Macbeth undermines her husband’s masculinity and takes the power in the relationship, fuelling her own â€Å"ambition† to become â€Å"unsexed† or masculine, and seizing authority where she can evaluate her husband’s character. As a new mother in the sixteenth century, women would be substantially weakened and susceptible to â€Å"illness† after and during child birth; as a result, would too lack the â€Å"ambition†, to sustain an additional life and feed the child with the â€Å"milk†. Moreover, in making reference to â€Å"milk†, Lady Macbeth insinuates that Macbeth is ‘milky’; a renaissance term used to describe cowards. Having recently returned from battle, Macbeth abolished any â€Å"fear†, to fight in Duncan’s name. Insinuating he is a â€Å"milky† creates further â€Å"ambition† to prove his wife wrong, therefore, in attempt to persuade Macbeth, Lady Macbeth labels him and questions his loyalty to her, his â€Å"dearest partner in greatness†. Anaemia In describing her husband as â€Å"green and pale†, Lady Macbeth continues to criticise and undermine him. Such a pallor would betray green sickness, and in the sixteenth century, more commonly known as hypochromatic anaemia; symptoms included weakness and lack of energy, showing that Lady Macbeth believes her husband to be lacking both the capability and motivation to carry out the murder. Furthermore, the sickness was associated with woman, specifically due to blood loss during childbirth, linking to her previous allusions from Macbeth to a new mother, who would be â€Å"full of..milk†. â€Å"Green† being a colour commonly associated with envy, presents Macbeth as inferior to other men, defying Lady Macbeth’s desire for his superiority and kingship. By revealing her husband’s jealousy- and therefore his insecurity regarding his own influence- Lady Macbeth questions whether he has the qualities required to rule, such as confidence in his own power. Lady Macbeth’s description of her husband is persuasive by routinely emphasising the qualities he lacks and his negative aspects, presenting him as unfit to achieve his destined kingship. â€Å"Take my milk for gall† Although the witches are depicted as the only paranormal beings in the play, Lady Macbeth attempts correlates with the witches’ supernatural mannerism and pleads to the â€Å"spirits†, demanding them to â€Å"take her milk for gall† to further eradicate her femininity and assert her desired power of the supernatural. The meaning of â€Å"take is ambiguous, either implying Lady Macbeth wishes to be rid of the â€Å"milk†, that she perceives as â€Å"gall†, poisoning her with compassion and nurture, hence preventing her from assisting Macbeth in the â€Å"deed†. Moreover, she denotes that her â€Å"gall† is pre-existing in her â€Å"breasts†, suggesting she already holds an element of â€Å"cruelty†, too shown in the witches’ nature. Correlating with the witches, thus convincing herself she is somewhat supernaturally powerful, allows Lady Macbeth to rid herself of any submission shown to Macbeth, as a weak, delicate woman and like the witches, gain supremacy over her husband to then persuade him to â€Å"catch the nearest way†. As a woman, Lady Macbeth would be â€Å"full of milk† appealing to her nurturing attributes and impeding her from committing the â€Å"cruelty† needed to succeed to greater power. She begs the spirits to â€Å"take† her â€Å"milk†, therefore ridding her of her feminine attributes and affection she may have held for her guests, as their â€Å"honoured hostess†, presenting a sense of false hospitality which is also shown in the image of the â€Å"poison chalice†. As his â€Å"kinsman and his subject†, Macbeth offers his hospitality and loyalty to Duncan, represented through the image of the â€Å"chalice†, only to be â€Å"poisoned† by the supernatural expectations and Lady Macbeth’s hunger for superiority. Having plotted against the king, a man appointed by God, Macbeth displays his remaining religious principles, describing Duncan as â€Å"heaven’s cherubin† expressing admiration of Duncan’s leadership and is almost worshipful of him; perhaps in the attempt to save himself from â€Å"deep damnation† that may follow if the supernatural realm should fail him. Nevertheless, as Lady Macbeth gains further influence over him, she alters his â€Å"golden opinions†, turning him into a â€Å"beast† who wholly disregards any respect he had for Duncan. Lady Macbeth further accentuates Macbeth’s negative qualities, such as his indecisive nature and refers to him as â€Å"coward in thine own esteem†, questioning his masculinity and implying he is too afraid to act upon his desire to achieve his destined kingship. Macbeth’s â€Å"esteem† shows his strong desire to be king and how highly he values the crown. Despite his high regard of the crown, Lady Macbeth believes having â€Å"esteem† and â€Å"ambition† within is not enough to gain him the â€Å"ornament of life†; implying the crown â€Å"wouldst be† his greatest asset and achievement. Calling Macbeth a â€Å"coward† further emphasises the struggle Lady Macbeth faces in gaining all of her husband’s loyalty, as he begins to review the Duncan’s â€Å"virtues† and favourable attributes, thus creating doubt in his ability to murder him. However, by stating Macbeth is too afraid to â€Å"catch the nearest way†, Lady Macbeth allows him to deny her initial claim, reinstating his â€Å"hope† of killing the king and deliberately using her doubt to convince him to kill Duncan as he wishes to â€Å"become a man†. Lady Macbeth de-genders The â€Å"strange sisters† being the most powerful influence over her husband, sustains Lady Macbeth’s desire to disassociate herself from gender and be affiliated to the witches’ power. Mid-sixteenth century productions of â€Å"Macbeth†, presented the witches as bearded, powerful characters who consequently opposed their female characteristics. Appearing neither male nor female, grants the witches superiority over Macbeth. They are liberated from the stereotypes of female subordination and expectations of masculinity, like strength and dominance. This gives them freedom and the power to do as they please and therefore dominance over all other beings. To take the authoritative role in the relationship and become equivalent to the witches’ influence, Lady Macbeth begs the spirits to â€Å"unsex† her, removing her feeble, feminine qualities that may â€Å"bring forth† compassion she once had for Duncan, as her guest and subsequently becoming â€Å"more than man†. Employing her new found supremacy over her husband, Lady Macbeth becomes a source of strength and inspiration who â€Å"pours her spirits in thine ear†; an image holding both supernatural and medicinal significance. Most commonly associated with Egyptian healing methods, pouring homeopathic remedies in people’s â€Å"ear†, was thought to heal them of psychological and physical ailments; in Macbeth’s case, his weakness, cautious nature and sentimental attachment to Duncan. On the other hand, the image opposes the concept of healing, due to the supernatural connotations of. Lady Macbeth influences her husband with her corrupt intensions by â€Å"poisoning† him with the â€Å"spirits† who posses her â€Å"gall† and hence eradicating Macbeth’s remaining sentiment possessed for Duncan. Modality When reasoning with herself, Lady Macbeth avoids directly complimenting her husband, and only saunters on the potential that he â€Å"wouldst be great† taking a patronising tone in attempt to draw out his feminine attributes, and disapproval of being seen as inferior to a woman. Macbeth’s own uncertainty is prominent, as he â€Å"fears† the religious and lawful outcome if he â€Å"should fail†. Lady Macbeth is eminently frustrated by his indecisive nature and angst, and with regard to the witches’ prophecies, she specifically highlights Macbeth’s expectations, and too expresses her own doubts in his capability to kill and become king. Lady Macbeth suggests he â€Å"wouldst† be â€Å"highly†, using modal references to imply the possibility of alternative outcomes. In doing so, she taunts him and â€Å"dares† him to oppose her, consequently diminishing her doubts. Furthermore, his expectations were appointed to him by women , the â€Å"strange sisters† whom held power over him and foresaw his fate. Lady Macbeth re-raises the fact he was inferior to them, contributing to his desire to prove her wrong. Cat i’th’adage Heightening his inferiority to Duncan, Lady Macbeth likens him to a â€Å"poor cat i’th’adage†. Using to a common aphorism of the cat who wanted fish but did not want to get wet, expresses Macbeth’s unwillingness to dirty his hands to â€Å"catch the nearest way† and taunts his lack of desire to seize the â€Å"ornament of life†. By calling him â€Å"poor† displays Lady Macbeth’s supercilious demeanour and her value of her power over him, mocking him with pity and encouraging him to ascend to greater power. Describing Macbeth as a â€Å"cat† degrades his status and â€Å"dares† him to oppose her claims, while also alluding to Duncan’s ownership of him. Cats are commonly associated with witchcraft and are under the witches’ power- as is Macbeth, who is under their influence and expectations to consummate the prophecies. Furthermore, cats are easily startled, re-raising Macbeth’s fear and distinc t awareness of the consequences of treason, further accentuating his weakness and lack of â€Å"ambition†.

Psychology Theories for Celebrity Worship and Fandoms

Psychology Theories for Celebrity Worship and Fandoms ATHYNEA BURCHALL Outline and Evaluate what psychological research has shown about celebrity worship and intense fandom. What do you think are the real world implications? The topic of celebrity worship and intense fandom was once a media interest but this new phenomena is now a focus of psychological investigation and has been researched into by social; psychologist. This assignment is going to look into why people form parasocial relationships with celebrities sometimes with people they have never met. Intense fandom can be described as â€Å"Fandomis a term used to refer to a  subculture  composed of  fans  characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the object(s) of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a  social network  with particular practices† wikipedia  [1] Celebrity worship is the idolisation of a celebrity or a group of celebrities, and therefore goes hand in hand with fandom, as groups of individuals come together in their worship of a specific celebrities or idols. Most of the time this fascination with their idols is a harmless activity hobby or past time however sometimes it can develop into an obsessive disorder coined as Celebrity Worship Syndrome (CWS). The term CWS first appeared in an article â€Å"Do you worship celebrities?† by James Chapman 2003 in the Daily Mail. â€Å"Celebrity worship syndromeis an obsessive-addictive disorder in which a person becomes overly involved with the details of a celebritys personal life. Psychologists have indicated that though many people obsess over glamorous  film,  television,  sport  and  pop  stars, the only common factor between them is that they are all figures in the public eye. The term Celebrity Worship Syndrome is in fact a misnomer.† Wikipedia [2] Gibson in her study goes on further to explain â€Å"Much research has been conducted about who engages in celebrity worship and what drives the compulsion. Celebrity worship for purely entertainment purposes likely reflects an extraverted personality and is most likely a healthy past time for most people. This type of celebrity worship involves harmless behaviours such as reading and learning about a celebrity. Intense personal attitudes towards celebrities, however, reflect traits of neuroticism. The most extreme descriptions of celebrity worship exhibit borderline pathological behaviour and traits of psychoticism. This type of celebrity worship may involve empathy with a celebritys failures and successes, obsessions with the details of a celebritys life, and over-identification with the celebrity. Gibson (2009)[3] Psychological research done in this area by Mc Cutcheon, Lange and Houran developed a scale on which to assess the level of obsessive behaviour a fan was exhibiting known as the Celebrity Attitude Scale. Mc Cutcheon from this study suggested that people who scored lower on the scale were â€Å"involved individualistic behaviour such as watching, listening to, reading and learning about celebrities whilst the higher levels of worship are characterized by empathy, over-identification, and obsession with the celebrity. Mc Cutcheon (2002)[4] In another study by Mc Cutcheon, he developed the absorption-addiction model to try and explain cases of celebrity worship. The study found a lack of personal identity and life fulfilment in a person’s life contributed to psychological absorption into a celebrity’s life, and could then develop into more extreme and obsessive behaviour, to try and sustain this identity that they have formed in relation to someone else. Later research done in the UK done by Maltby (2003) used a larger sample of participants for his study; found that there were 3 dimensions or levels to celebrity worship. Entertainment social, Intense personal and Borderline pathological. â€Å"Entertainment social refers to a normal degree of interest in the life of a favourite celebrity. It is manifested by, for example, a desire to discuss the celebrity with friends, and agreement that learning about the celebrity through magazines or newspapers represents â€Å"having a good time.† â€Å"Intense personal† celebrity worship involves the feeling of a strong personal â€Å"connection† with a celebrity. It is manifested by, for example, a feeling that the celebrity is a faultless soul mate, about whom the individual has frequent thoughts. Finally, â€Å"borderline pathological† worship is arguably the most detrimental form. It is manifested through a variety of bizarre beliefs such as a shared secret code through which the individual can communicate with the celebrity, a belief that the celebrity would come to help the individual in times of distress. North and Sheridan (2007)[5]. There have been various reasons attached to why celebrity worship happens, mass media has been blamed as celebrity stories are bombarded constantly by the media, via TV, magazines, and the internet, and even reputable newspaper high lighting celebrity gossip as front line news. â€Å"When we are incessantly being exposed to figures through any medium, par asocial interaction can be fostered, which is the building of an imaginary relationship between audience and the figure (Keas, 2008).[6] DNA has also been cited as a reason behind celebrity worship. â€Å"Fischoff, who has academically studied the cult of celebrity, says the very need to find an idol and follow him is programmed into our DNA.†Whats in our DNA, as a social animal, is the interest in looking at alpha males and females; the ones who are important in the pack, says Mischief. We are sociologically pre-programmed to follow the leader, he says, and notes that we are biochemical sitting ducks for the Hollywood star system; even the stars themselves get caught up in the mystique.† ABC news [7]. Also with one in three relationships now starting via the web may be social fragmentation can be contributing factor as well, â€Å" In today’s individualistic world, perhaps fantasy relationships with celebrities are easier to form than the real one Harrison,† (2006).[8] Statistics done by Ramanires in 2011 found that 1/3 of the worlds population is afflicted with some form of celebrity worship and this number is growing. What are the implications of these phenomena in everyday life? Fans who are addicted or obsessed with their idol will spend most of their time, energy, and money on following their celebrity, whether on-line, via magazines, papers or in person to find out new information, meet them, or find out what they are doing, in order to have a sense of knowing their celebrity and following their lives to be apart of the celebrity life themselves. This is detrimental to their own lives because a substitute for their own lives and is not real. It is instead of concentrating on productive activities and forming real relationship dint heir own lives. Fans are also willing to spend a lot of income on fan memorabilia, CD’s, downloads, and other promotional material. Aronowitz agrees, but also says entertainment media is at least partly to bl ame for creating the monster known as the celebrity super fan. The whole Hollywood spin machine works together to create images that are impossible for any of us to live up to. They purposefully set us up to admire and even covet something we can never have†¦. when we are completely vulnerable, they sell us the image even harder from headlines that titillate us with celebrity secrets, to the books, diets, cosmetics, foods, jewellery, and clothes that promise well be closer to the ones we adore. Aronowitz.[9] . However Houran argues â€Å"that people who worship celebrity at low level tend to be happier, more outgoing and more amiable as it is a form of social bonding, stress reduction, escapism and entertainment (Harrison, 2006)[10]. In addition, social mutual support and strong companionship can be found belonging to a Fandom group. Where fans can meet new friends with same interest through conventions, the fans club meeting or Internet, feel a sense of acceptance, support a nd belonging they don’t feel anywhere else in their lives, where they have a common interest and have something in common straight away so can communicate and form relationships easily. Like most things theres a dimensional approach here; there are some people who are fascinated by celebrities’ lives, but also involved in meaningful activities and relationships in their own lives, and for these people star watching is usually a harmless diversion, says Hollander This idolisation of celebrities and wanting to be like them as role models can have both positive and negative implications. Due to the exposure of the media a celebrity’s life is completely on display, showing the negative behaviours as well as the positive ones, such as smoking, taking drugs and drinking. Prior to Marilyn Monroe, a stars life was hidden from the public. But now, instead of a glossy ideal, we see celebritys ugly messes, including their drug and alcohol abuse, which, for many who admire these people, translates into a very dangerous message, says Aronowitz.[11] A survey done by Downing () â€Å"shows that many teenage girls confessed to changing their own opinions because of the influence of a celebrity, some even admitted to smoking after viewing smoking in movies; the same may be true for drug and alcohol use. Roughly half agree that their own peers drink or smoke cigarettes because they see their idols doing it. The survey revealed that most adolescent com pletely wants to look or going as far as plastic surgery and act like famous people. Moreover, nearly 60 percent of teens said they wanted to pierce a body part or get a tattoo because a celebrity has. And 77 percent believe that when a star loses weight, they would also do the same and loss weight. Downing ()[12]. A lot of picture found in magazines and on the internet of celebrities have been air brushed and the celebrity have had tanning, make up and hair done by professional artists. Fans try and imitate their idols, even though they do not look like this naturally in real life, and the fans will go to extreme lengths to copy them. There have been links to celebrity worship and anorexia and cosmetic surgery in teenage girls. This might explain why eating disorders are prevalent amongst teenagers to date. For some people, they are willing to undergo plastic surgery in virtue of imitating their favourite celebrity’s outlook. They believe they can have a better life like the celebrity if they look like the celebrity (Hareyan, 2006).[13] However it can be argued that then celebrities can be positive role models as well and therefore celebrity worship can have positive implications. For example living a healthy lifestyle, highlighting a cause and decreasing a stigma attached to issues suc h as Brooke Shields bringing post natal depression into the spot light. Many celebrities have used their popularity and fame to motivate people or to change their behaviour to be more positive. A Taiwanese celebrity, Chen Jian Zhou launched â€Å"a project named ‘Love Life’ to promote the important values of loving life. To date, there have been more than a hundred artistes join this project to promote ‘I Love Life’† (Wang, 2010)[14]. Giles also argued â€Å"the adoration of celebrities as role models or idols has been prevalent for many years and it can be argued that it is normal and a part of identity development within childhood and even adolescence† (Giles et al 2004)[15]. However there have also been psychological implications of celebrity worship. It starts to be mentally harmful to someone when a person starts to substitute idolising their celebrity for real life and real relationship, as they can lose focus on their own lives and became obsessed with a fantasy world escaping their reality. In North study in 2007 he found that celebrity worship can be associated with depression, social dysfunction, anxiety, stress, negative and reports of illness. Maltby also stated that celebrity worshippers have a lower psychological well-being than non-worshippers. â€Å"Though low levels of celebrity worship (entertainment-social) are not associated with any clinical measures, medium levels of celebrity worship (intense-personal) are related to fantasy proneness (approximately 10% of the shared variance), while high levels of celebrity worship (borderline-pathological) share a greater association with fantasy proneness (around 14% of the shared variance) and  dissociation  (around 3% of the shared variance, though the effect size of this is small and most probably due to the large sample size) These finding suggests that as celebrity worship becomes more intense, and the individual perceives having a relationship with the celebrity, the more the individual is prone to fantasies.† Wikipedia [16] Some fans are so obsessed that it becomes dangerous to themselves and the celebrity. For example â€Å"a dozen of Michael Jackson’s fans committed suicide after his death. One of them barely survived, yet he killed himself anyway as he wanted to be with Michael† Thompson, ( 2009)†[17]. However Aronowitz argues A lot of these people who fall deeply into celebrity worship are just abnormal pathology waiting to happen. The fact that it comes out in the form of idolization of a particular celebrity is less important than recognizing the pathology was there all along. And if it was not focused on a celebrity it would be foc used on something else, but it would still be there.[18] Aronowitz Conclusion Celebrity Worship and intense Fandom although has recently been researched by Psychologist I feel more investigations are needed into the implications of this growing phenomena as the research is based on small sample sizes, and mostly done in the UK and US. As statistics state this has become a worldwide phenomenon, which is only going to increase. Also mental health issues for the more extreme cases needs examining as the implications for these can negative and even dangerous. I feel mild forms of celebrity worship and intense fandom is harmless and can even be beneficial. As long as it doesn’t take over your life and a person is still participating in their own lives and reality. http://psychology.about.com/b/2009/09/01/the-psychology-behind-celebrity-worship.htm Abanes Richard. â€Å"Celebrity Worship.† Religions of the stars: What hollywood believes and how it affects you. n.eds. Minneapolis: Bethany House. 2009. Print. Alexander, Jeffrey C. The Celebrity-Icon. Cultural Sociology 4.3 (2010): 323-336. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. Downing, Alexandrea. Calista Flockheart And Britney Spears: Celebrity Culture And Its Role In Shaping Adolescent Identity. Conference Papers American Sociological Association (2004): 1-12. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. Hollander, Paul. Michael Jackson,tghe The Celebrity Cult, And Popular Culture. Society 47.2 (2010): 147-152.SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. North, Adrian C., and Lorraine P. Sheridan. Death, Attractiveness, Moral Conduct, And Attitudes To Public Figures. Omega: Journal Of Death Dying 60.4 (2009): 351-363. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. Parkins, Wendy. Oprah Winfreys Change Your Life TV And The Spiritual Everyday. Continuum: Journal Of Medi a Cultural Studies 15.2 (n.d.): 145-157. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=7941766page=2 Giles, D. C. (2004). Parasocial interaction: a review of the literature and a model for future research.Media Psychology. Maltby, J., Day, L., McCutcheon, L. E., Gillett, R., Houran, J., Ashe, D. D. (2004). Personality and coping: A context for examining celebrity worship and mental health. British Journal of Psychology, 95, 411428. Maltby, J., Giles, DC., Barber, L. McCutcheon, L.E. (2005). Intense-personal celebrity worship and body image: Evidence of a link among female adolescents.British Journal of Health Psychology, 10(1), 17-32. McCutcheon et al (2002). Are parasocial relationship styles reflected in love styles? Current Research in SocialPsychology, 7, 8293 North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J. (2007). Problem music and self-harming. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior ,36, 582590. Sheridan et al (2006). Celebrity Worship, addiction and criminality. Psychology, crime and law. 13 (6) 559-571. Giles, D. C. (2004). Parasocial interaction: a review of the literature and a model for future research.Media Psychology. http://psychologicalgirl.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/the-psychology-behind-celebrity-worship/ References: Maltby, J., Giles, DC., Barber, L. McCutcheon, L.E. (2005). Intense-personal celebrity worship and body image: Evidence of a link among female adolescents.British Journal of Health Psychology, 10(1), 17-32. North, A.C., Sheridan, L. Maltby, J. Gillett, R. (2007). Attributional style, self-esteem, and celebrity worship.Media Psychology, 9(2), 291-308. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/11/23/the-psychology-of-celebrity-worship/ Jump up^Do you worship the celebs? | Mail Online. Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-11. Jump up^Do you have Celebrity Worship Syndrome? | Mail Online. Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-07-11. Jump up^The Psychology Behind Celebrity Worship. Celebrities.knoji.com. 2010-07-24. Retrieved 2012-07-11. involved individualistic behavior such as watching, listening to, reading and learning about celebrities whilst the higher levels of worship are characterized by empathy, over-identification, and obsession with the celebrity. Jump up^McCutcheon, L. E., Lange, R., Houran, J. (2002). Conceptualization and measurement of celebrity worship. British Journal of Psychology, 93, 67-87. Jump up^Maltby, J., Houran, J., Lange, R., Ashe, D., McCutcheon, L.E. (2002). Thou Shalt Worship No Other Gods Unless They Are Celebrities. Personality and Individual Differences, 32, 1157-1172. Jump up^Maltby; McCutcheon, Lowinger (06/01/2011).Brief report: celebrity worshipers and the five-factor model of personality..North American Journal of Psychology13(2): Table 1. Retrieved 29 June 2013. Jump up^Moore, JD. (2006)Confusing Love with Obsession. Hazelden Books, Center City, MO Jump up^Why People Stalk Celebrities: johndmoore.net| retrieved 12-12-17 ^Jump up to:abhttp://www.uic.edu/depts/owa/stalking_profiles.html Jump up^http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/celebrity-stalking-victims-gallery-1.45896?pmSlide=1.89946 Jump up^http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/176/3/206.full Jump up^http://psychologyofstalking.wikispaces.com/Typology+of+Stalkers ^Jump up to:abchttp://www.researchgate.net/publication/10935546_A_clinical_interpretation_of_attitudes_and_behaviors_associated_with_celebrity_worship/file/d912f50d5e0f69bca6.pdf Jump up^Maltby, J., Houran, J., Ashe, D., McCutcheon, L.E. (2001). The Self-Reported Psychological Well-Being of Celebrity Worshippers. North American Journal of Psychology, 3, 441-452. Jump up^Maltby, J., Day, L., McCutcheon, L.E., Gillett, R., Houran, J., Ashe, D. (2004). Celebrity Worship using an adaptational-continuum model of personality and coping. British Journal of Psychology. 95, 411-428. 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Things Fall Apart: An Analysis :: essays research papers

Things Fall Apart: An Analysis The culture of the Umuofia society before the colonial infiltration, may be hard to understand but we are forced by Achebe to realize it has traditions and customs that make it work. Although, looking at it from our Judaeo-Christian point of view we may be appalled by some of their practices. We also have to realize that they have strengths. Things Fall apart is the idea of balance and interdependence, earth and sky, individual and community, man and woman or different perspectives on the same situation. The central image of this balance is contained in the Ibo concept of "chi," which occurs throughout the novel. A persons "chi" is their destiny, his inner self, "you wouldn't challenge your "chi" to a wrestling match," as did Okonkwo when he assisted in the killing of Ikemefuna, whom he loved and who called him father. Okonkwo sins not only against the earth goddess, protector of family relations, but also against his inner most feelings or his "chi." Any bad luck that occurs, people of this culture would say that you have a bad "chi." Okonkwo's destiny is marked by bad luck, one reason may be that he is so driven by the fear of resembling his father that he struggles to repress part of his personality with predictably afflicted results. This was a society where a man was judged by his own achievement and not that of his fathers. Yams were the primary crop of Umuofia. A sign of manliness was if you could farm yams to feed your family. Okonkwo is respected because of his hard work. The complex patterns of Umuofia's economic and social customs materialize throughout this novel as we see Okonkwo compelled to rid himself of any similarities that his father had. Unoka had no titles, was lazy and when he died was greatly in debt. Some may wonder how a society like the Ibo's functioned, how they enforce

Uncle Toms Cabin :: Uncle Toms Cabin Essays

Uncle Tom’s Cabin UNCLE TOM -Uncle Tom manages the Shelby plantation. Strong, intelligent, capable, good, and kind, he is the most heroic figure in the novel that bears his name. Tom's most important characteristic is his Christian faith. God has given Tom an extraordinary ability. He can forgive the evil done to him. His self-sacrificing love for others has been called motherly. It has also been called truly Christian. AUNT CHLOE- Aunt Chloe, Uncle Tom's wife, is fat, warm, and jolly. She is a good housekeeper and a superb cook, and justly proud of her skill. She loves Tom, and urges him to escape to Canada rather than to go South with Haley. After Tom is sold, she convinces the Shelbys to hire her out to a baker in Louisville and to use her wages to buy Tom's freedom. She is heartbroken to learn of his death. MOSE, PETE, AND POLLY - Mose, Pete, and Polly, the children of Uncle Tom and Aunt Chloe, are playful and rambunctious. Polly is Tom's special favorite, and she loves to bury her tiny hands in his hair. ELIZA HARRIS - Eliza Harris is raised by her mistress, Mrs. Shelby, to be pious and good. Described as light-skinned and pretty, Eliza dearly loves her husband, George Harris, and their little boy, Harry. When she learns that Harry is about to be sold, Eliza carries him in her arms to the Ohio River, which she crosses on cakes of ice. Although generally a modest and retiring young woman, Eliza becomes extraordinarily brave because of her love for her son.

Revolutionary Petunia Essay

In Alice Walker’s â€Å"Revolutionary Petunia† the author has portrayed Sammy Lou as a poor, black lady who revenged her husband’s murder. The writer describes Sammy Lou’s actions as a fight for freedom and change from the horrible manner in which she and others are treated. She is portrayed as a â€Å"militant† (line 9) that is strong and proud. Sammy Lou is a â€Å"cultivator† and has taken justice into her own hands. The use of the â€Å"cultivator hoe† represents her fight for justice and freedom from oppression. The murder that she committed has started a change for a better life. The author’s use of the petunias are symbols of Sammy Lou’s life, pride and her stand for change. First, the petunia is a good representation of Sammy Lou’s life. She has endured a harsh typical life for a southern black woman. She has cultivated the land to provide food and raise her children in circumstances not exactly ordinary. The nature of the flower is to live and thrive against all elements of nature. The poet compares the physical nature of the flower to Sammy Lou. In other words, she wants those around her not to â€Å"forgit to water [her] purple petunias† (line 26). The beauty of the flower will be strong and continue to thrive and will not give up. She wants her children and others that surround her to continue her fight even after she is gone. She reflects upon what is important to her as she is taken to the place she will die. The petunia will live on and so will her fight against those that try to hold her back. She is proud of the achievements she has accomplished. Secondly, Sammy Lou is a proud woman that holds the love of God and her children close to her heart. The purple petunia is strong and beautiful the same as her love for God and her family. She urges her children to â€Å"respect the word of God† (line 22). Her loss of trust for others has not robbed the pride she has in her Christian faith. Although Sammy Lou is a poor lady that has â€Å"funeral home calendars† (line 16) for wallpaper, nonetheless she is proud of her children and compares them to â€Å"George, Sammy Lou sees strengths in her children and has taught them in a way that they will carry on her fight for change when she is gone. Lastly, making changes for a better more acceptable world for her children is an important part of Sammy Lou’s goals. Equally important, she has sent the murderer of her husband to his reward (lines 2-3). The petunias if not watered will wilt and die and so will her achievements for change if they are not followed up. She has cultivated a path for her children to follow. She has tried to show them they do not have to be oppressed, but can stand up for themselves. Making the world a better place is an important achievement to Sammy Lou. The murder of a man that is portrayed as a â€Å"creature† (line 3) is an example of her stand for change in the lives of those she loves. In â€Å"Revolutionary Petunia†, the author shows that one person can make a difference. An oppressed southern lady takes matters into her own hands when she takes the life of someone, who’s cruelty only brings pain into other’s lives. Her strength brought change and has enabled her to make a difference for the world that she loves and respects. Writer’s Log At first I wrote ideas of the meaning of the poem that I feel were important. This helped me find a path that I wanted to take when I started writing my paper. I wrote down all the words that I needed to look up in the dictionary for better understanding. I found it easier to stay on the topic after I made a outline of the important parts of the poem I wanted to write about. The more I read the poem, it became easier to understand. I find that if I work on my paper in the morning I have an easier time coming up with ideas. I work lots of hours and sometimes when I am writing I get distracted by the phone or by someone needing my attention, so if I write in the early morning I usually will not get distracted. Writing about poetry is a very hard challenge for me, but I feel once I have written a few papers, hopefully I will become more comfortable with the writings.