Disgrace Essay

In Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee we are introduced to David Lurie, the protagonist and narrator of this novel. David Lurie is a 52 year old divorced man, who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, as a respected romantic poetry professor at a university. His life is full of sexual, non-committed relationships. After being accused of inappropriate behavior with a student, Lurie loses his job at the university and must move in with his daughter, Lucy, in the country. Throughout the novel we see many references to animals, especially in relation to Lurie.Because he is the narrator of the novel, these animal references lead the reader to believe Lurie is describing himself through these animals. Lurie uses descriptions of animals as a way to describe how he feels about himself. We see Lurie go from a sexually charged predator, to a strange beast who has been hunter, to a dog-man, and then finally to a helpless dog who is ready to be put out of his misery. David Lurie is a predator at the beginnin g of the novel. He is a man searching for sex, and for the most part he is successful at it.His first sexual interest he introduces us to is Soraya, a prostitute who he has been going to see for a long time. Lurie describes them having sex by comparing them to snakes engaged in intercourse, â€Å"lengthy, absorbed, but rather abstract, rather dry, even at its hottest† (Coetzee 5 ). Being the narrator, this shows the reader how David views himself, as well as Soraya, as cold, scary, almost evil, creatures, like snakes. Snakes give off a very negative emotion because they are dangerous animals, and this comparison leads us to believe David too must be a dangerous animal.Soraya eventually tries to cut ties with David, but David being the predator he is cannot let his prey go. He is able to find Soraya’s home phone number and when he calls her she is livid he would cross that line. â€Å"But then, what should a predator expect when he intrudes into the vixen's nest, into the home of her cubs? † (Coetzee 10). Soraya is a mother, and feels like David calling her home is going to be a threat to her family, especially her children. The next instance where we see David describing himself as a predator is during his first sexual encounter with his student, Melanie.David is very persistent in sleeping with Melanie, and once he has finally chased her down he describes the experience as â€Å"like a rabbit when the jaws of the fox close on its neck† (Coetzee 25). He is well aware by making this statement that Melanie does not want to be in this situation with him, but he does not care, he has been chasing this prey for too to just let it go. This is not the last time David engages Melanie regardless of her strong reluctance however, and Melanie eventually has enough and reports Lurie to the University where he teaches.David Lurie goes from being the predator, to now being the one who is being chased. He is being chased by the University committe e who is investigating David’s indiscretions with Melanie. The committee is described by Lurie as â€Å"hunters who have cornered a strange beast and do not know how to finish it off. † (Coetzee 56). The tables have turned and Lurie is now this strange beast that has been hunted down. David refuses to apologize however, and instead loses his job.Lurie could have simply said sorry for his actions and he would have had a chance to keep his position at the University, but in his mind he did not do anything wrong. He compares himself an old neighbor’s dog, saying that every time a â€Å"bitch† would be in the yard the dog would become so excitable that he could not be controlled. The dog was not allowed to go through with his natural desires, which caused the dog to act strange and just run around the garden â€Å"with its ears flat and its tail between its legs, whining, trying to hide. (Coetzee 69 ). David sees himself in this dog, he is being punished and being told he is not allowed to do something that feels so natural to him. He says that the dog would have preferred to be shot over being denied its natural urges. David chose to be shot (lose his job) when he refuses to express that he did anything wrong by sleeping with Melanie. After losing his job David must go live with his daughter, Lucy, out in the country.While living with Lucy, David goes through a lot, and through helping take care of her dogs we see a softer side of him through his descriptions of these dogs. â€Å"The dogs are brought to the clinic because they are unwanted,† (Coetzee 146) Lurie says. He cares about the dogs because he too feels unwanted. â€Å"Well, now he has become a dog-man. † (Coetzee 146) David is one with these dogs, abandoned and miserable, unable to live the lives they want to be living. The dogs and David are trapped out in the country on a farm just waiting for the end.David finally does give up and we see this through his deci sion to put down the dog that he had become very close to, Driepoot, the young dog David â€Å"has come to feel a particular fondness for† (Coetzee 214-215). David had bonded with Driepoot, even signing his Opera to the dog at one point. He felt sorry for Driepoot, he felt very much like the dog. In the end of the novel, by choosing Driepoot to be put down â€Å"a (his, the dog’s) time must come, it cannot be evaded† and carries the dog, â€Å"the one who likes music† (Coetzee 219), to Bev where he will be killed.In the last sentence of the novel David states that he is â€Å"giving him up† (Coetzee 220), which is essentially David stating the he is the one giving up. Like Driepoot, David Lurie is being put out of his misery. David Lurie’s life goes through dramatic changes throughout the novel Disgrace. A once respected professor, he becomes â€Å"a mad old man who sits among the dogs singing to himself. † (Coetzee 218). Lurie uses d escriptions of animals as a way to describe how he feels about himself.He goes from a predator whose main focus in life is satisfying his sexual desires, to a man who feels like a ‘strange beast’ that has been hunted by the University. David then turns to his daughter’s farm where he begins working with dogs and we see a softer David Lurie, a man who feels like the abandoned dogs who are waiting for their end to come. By the end of Disgrace we see that David is ready to accept his own end, he wants to be put out of his misery just like he does for the dog he has bonded so much with. Works Cited Coetzee, J. M. Disgrace. New York: Penguin, 1999. Print.

Romeo and Juliet speaking and listening

Shakespeare's way of writing stunned many people for decades and still to this day; we haven't fully grasped how powerful and how significant his writing style is. Many directors have pounced upon Shakespeare's plays to convert his excellence into a visual perspective that abuses all techniques conjured by the great man himself. The hall is full of people in their costumes, sipping their drinks intently and socializing; the mood is suddenly broken by a loud voice, ‘silence! ‘ people immediately bring their talking to a halt and look up in respect. Capulet, Juliet and other members of the house are perched atop a balcony looking down on the guests below to show superiority while also standing in a pyramid formation with Capulet at the front as I want show a hierarchy of power within the Capulet's. When Capulet continues to speak I want the camera to flick from the crowd to his bellowing mouth to capture the force he applies to his voice, Capulet should stand very up-right with his head held high and clasped hand's behind his back to portray his very formal and disciplined nature. Half way through, Capulet's welcome speech is interrupted by the music starting to play followed by the dancing of the crowd due to the encouragement of the music, at this point the camera should flick to a birds-eye-view of the guests then to a long shot of the hall to capture the excitement. Capulet's anger builds as he try's to restore order without succession, meanwhile Juliet and other members bury their faces in their hands at the whole ordeal, finally Capulet gives up and storms back to join the crowd along with the camera closely following behind his shoulders, his little tantrum triggers a ripple of laughter throughout the contented guests, the other Capulet's soon follow suit. After a few cut scenes of the guest's dancing; the camera flicks to Romeo wading his way through the crowd like a lost puppy, anxiously moving and depicting how he is an outsider to these people but is stopped in his tracks as he first lays eyes upon Juliet through a thin, porous, red curtain. The red symbolically representing passion and love and with it being in-between them; shows that it's making connection between them. His shoulders relax, his eyes blink incessantly and his anxiety goes away as he just stands there and watches while slow and romantic music plays throughout the hall, the camera then goes into an over the shoulder shot of Juliet on the other side of the red curtain showing her fiddling with a ring, then to look up and see Romeo slowly walking towards her, for a brief moment she blushes and let's out a long shaky breath. She then turns and walks away showing that she isn't that easy; Romeo then follows her like a dog on heat, Juliet weaves in and out of people and puts obstacles in-between her and Romeo to tease and test him to weigh if he is worthy or not, meanwhile the camera follows and focuses on them from a long shot as they move and talk. Finally she stops teasing him and he asks her for a dance, she flutters her eye lashes and reluctantly accepts as she takes his hand and they both slowly dance under dim glow of the hall. After a few short shots of the two of them dancing the camera changes to a shot that is filled by dark eyes and brow; the guests including Romeo can be seen in the reflection of his eyes, after a few second's the eyebrows slowly turn into a deep frown shortly followed by a deep and enraged voice as he spits out words to Capulet; asking for consent to stir up trouble with Romeo. The camera zooms out quickly to show the whole of Tybalt in a very stylish and slick tuxedo along with finely polished shoes, the corner of the hall where he is situated is darker in contrast to its merry surroundings; this is to immediately imply that this man is the evil one as that's the symbolic notion of darkness. Then I want the camera to focus on a candle up-close, with Tybalt and Capulet blurred out in the background, the flame should flicker when Tybalt speaks violently to show that he is almost connecting with evil and his anger is being expressed through the flame; further showing his wickedness. Capulet is gleefully clapping to the music and telling Tybalt in a firm voice, to restrain himself and leave the Montague alone, to not ruin this great day, Tybalt storms off back upstairs leaving behind strong grunt of frustration to the incapability of creating a fight with the enemy Montague, as he leaves, I want the camera to go back to the candle and as the shadow that is Tybalt slowly leaves; the flickering flame also slowly subsides to a still. After Romeo and Juliet's dance, they sit down on a nearby red sofa, Yet again red symbolising a deep connection of passion. They talk to each other romantically with the camera circling them slowly; Romeo then takes Juliet's hand and speaks in a very smooth and gentle voice. Juliet then leans closer to his face and they both kiss while harmonious music plays throughout the hall, as they kiss, the camera blurs out all the other people around them so only Romeo and Juliet are clearly presented in the shot and how they are so indulged and oblivious to the world around them.

Current Issues for Strategic Information Systems Report Essay

Current Issues for Strategic Information Systems Report - Essay Example Lastly, the report offers a summary recommendation for technology adoption by GLM in future, including a costs outline of such an undertaking. The analysis of the impact of adopting future technology enables the company to identify technologies that prove beneficial (Palvia, 2003:161). The implementation of such technologies is integral to the sustainability and growth of GLM. Introduction The report has several parts that comprehensively analyze the adoption and benefits of new technology in the company as far as information systems and information management (IS and IM respectively) improvements are concerned (Ward and Joe, 2002:74). The first part reviews the present status of the IS and IM at GLM, and the impact of adoption of future technologies to the organization’s business culture, model, and structure in the next five years. ... The last part provides a set of recommendation to the organization with a clear outline on financial costs. This report highly recommends that GLM implement these proposals in order to achieve cost saving, improve the workplace environment, meet the demands of current and potential customers, and remain competitive in their market. Review of the Current IS and Future Technologies at GLM The Current GLM’s IS The current IS at GLM has potential for improvement. Drawing upon the pre-workshop document on the company’s IS system, the implementation, and use of information systems is less than ideal. This report provides an overview of the areas presently with IS in the organization in appendix 1 (Travis, 2004:94). From a consultant’s point of view, there is need for improvement on these areas, as discussed later in the report. Future Technologies Technology in the modern world is an integral asset to organization. This is evident from the increasing number of organiza tion and individuals embracing technology in the global market. It has thus become imperative for organizations to adopt technology in order to compete and expand effectively in the market. In this regard therefore, the objective by GLM to expand into the global market must go in hand with adoption of current technology, which will enable it to meet the needs of its current customers as well as attract technology-enthusiastic customers. Thus, GLM needs to leverage this knowledge and subsequently enhance the work processes and communication channels. To achieve this, this report analyzes the technologies that may prove beneficial to the business culture, business model, and structure of GLM as an organization. Among the most significant technologies, include cloud computing, customer relationship

The Laws of Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Laws of Leadership - Essay Example In the past, whenever I have been handed over a task I have been able to break up the task at hand and come up with a course of action. I have set goals that need to be achieved in order to successfully complete the task. Influencing others is the important aspect of being a leader. If you cannot influence, then you are not a leader. It was only when you can influence, people will follow you. I believe this my weakness as I have not been able to influence people the way I would have wanted to. That is, even though I can connect with any person I am not able to influence them to follow me wholeheartedly. In order to increase my ability to influence, I must start leading by example. I have to first set an example by doing what I propose my followers to do. I need to act responsibly and have to brush up my communication skills. Merely communicating won’t help and I have to identify what drives the other person and then act on it. I have to work on understanding my

The health effects of cannabis marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The health effects of cannabis marijuana - Essay Example This damage is similar in severity to the damage of those who suffer from lung cancer (Zimmer & Morgan, 2007, p. 20). The mildest respiratory effects of the consumption of marijuana include bronchitis, exacerbated phlegm production as well as emphysema. A study revealed that 36% of patients admitted to the hospital in the United States with flue-like symptoms were suffering from the side effects of consuming marijuana (Tashkin et al., 2004, p. 2). Moreover, in severe cases, heavy marijuana users may develop lethal complications. Hence, a massive Swedish study in 2013 has identified that 40 years of marijuana consumption double the risk of having lung cancer (Callaghan et al., 2013, pp. 1811-1820). Moreover, has a disastrous effect on cardiovascular system. Therefore, marijuana accelerates heartbeat and may provoke inflammatory processes in blood vessels. Moreover, a group of researchers from Birmingham, UK, has concluded that marijuana is likely to increase the risk of arrhythmias as well as causes dizziness and provokes falls (Krishnamoorthy et al., 2009, pp. 851-856). Furthermore, due to ethical concerns, the studies aimed to investigate the relationship between the consumption of marijuana and reproduction. The studies conducted on primates revealed that with the chronic consumption of marijuana sperm count decreased by a margin of 61% in males. Fertility in females decreased by up to 53%. Moreover, even with the surviving sperm cells their motility and ability to fertilize egg cells was significantly degraded (Zimmerman & Raj, 2007, p. 10). Krishnamoorthy, S., Lip, G., & Lane, D. (2009). Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use as Precipitants of Atrial Fibrillation in Young Adults: A Case Series and Literature Review.  The American Journal of Medicine,  122(9), 851-856. Zimmerman, S. & Raj, A. Y. (2007). Effects of cannabinoids on spremtogenesis in mice. In G. G. Nahas and W. D. M. Paton

Self-Respect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Self-Respect - Essay Example They are always living in the moment, then and there and not dwelling on the past. No matter what they have gone through or what kind of mistakes they had committed in their pasts becomes a part of their history, the only thing they pick out is a lesson, not to repeat that mistake. However many people hold on to their mistakes and regrets and all of this acidic matter that brews in their heads becomes an anchor which keeps them from moving forward and thinking freely. Every success in life boosts self-respect and every failure destroys it, but it is those people who get rid of the failure move ahead and seize victory. While those who keep thinking about their failures, both real and imaginary, keep living in regrets and fears. They even have a hard time in saying no to people. That is why they become somewhat nonsocial and reserved. They would not even pick up phone sometime or answer a letter because they cannot refuse someone asking them to do something. People become infected with the disease known as ‘alienation from self’ (Didion, 2008). Self-respect is the fuel or the energy source of a successful life. Breathing and eating are not the only factors indicative of ‘living’. Self-respect is the essence that tells people to safe guard themselves from danger. It is a mechanism that tells people to take good care of themselves and protect their interests, otherwise they will be left with nothing. Self-respect is something that makes people’s lives comfortable. Because of it, people not only keep looking for long term intangible benefits all their lives, instead they weigh immediate comforts and take the opportunity to live a life at ease. As people grow older, they become more aware of self-respect, which is why the elders of a family have the greatest self-respect. They live by rules instilled in them that make them put fears and doubts on one side and think critically about any real life scenario (Didion, 2008). Another way to look at self-respect is to rise against all odds and reclaim one’s place. No matter what someone’s been through, no matter where or when a person is born, which ethnicity he or she belongs to, it is self-respect that gives a person the spirit and passion to rise above all calamities. No matter what color is his skin, it shouldn’t and mustn’t make him feel less than any of the ‘other’ colored peoples. There should never be a dark deep hidden sorrow in the heart or in the eyes. People must never ever hold nature responsible for how they look. Color doesn’t and shouldn’t be a hurdle in someone’s life. People should learn how to convert their weaknesses into their strengths. Something that feels like a burden can actually become a support to climb higher. For instance, if someone feels lonely and left out, that person needs to make new friends. This might come as a challenge but that is where self-respect can serve as the dr ive force and push the person to rise above the weakness. Zora Hurston was an African-American author and in her short narration, she confessed that she felt racially discriminated but that never hurt her. She used to wonder at people who avoided her, how could they deny themselves of such a great company. That is an excellent example of an attitude filled with self-respect. Great people who respect themselves always take pride in who they are and what they do. They always look at their positives and never feel backed down by the difficulties. Zora wrote in her narration that it is the contents of the wrappings that count and not the wrapping itself. God has put wonderful things inside the wrappings known as human beings. People need to look at the content, that is probably the most effective way of earning self-respect. Self-respect plays a major role in all

American Export Trade Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

American Export Trade Business - Research Paper Example Between 1992 and 2013, average exports by the United States is estimated to be US $103197.71 million and the maximum level in these two decades has reached in December 2012 at US $188686.00 million (â€Å"United States exports†). US primary export items are capital goods, industrial supplies, food and beverages, automotive vehicles, engines and vehicle parts; high tech manufacturing goods remains one of the most important categories of exports. However, in the twenty first century US started to lose comparative advantage on manufacturing of such goods. This paper aims at researching the stake of current US high tech trade deficit and how an improvement in the trade condition would help to improve living standards in the US economy. US export trade The Department of Commerce’s U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis released their annual report of international trade of the US in goods and services for the year 2012 in December that year. The report reveal s that exports of commodities and services by the country increased by 2.1 percent in 2012 since the month of November in 2012 and reached a record figure of $2.20 trillion. The trade deficit in US decreased since the country’s imports have fallen by 2.7 percent during this period (â€Å"U.S. export fact sheet†). Figure: Exports of United States between 2011 -2013 (Source: â€Å"United States exports†) Exports have been an important part of the U.S. GDP and in 2012 the share of exports in GDP was 13.9 percent. This share has improved in 2011 from 2008 (12.9 percent) and has remained steady since 2011 (â€Å"U.S. export fact sheet†). Capital goods form the largest category of export commodities for the US. In 2012, this category of exports was worth $526.7 billion. The leading manufacturing sector for export commodities has been named as the â€Å"motor vehicles and parts sector† (â€Å"U.S. export fact sheet†). High-technology exports The ma nufacturing sector in the US contributes a large section of the country’s GDP that other sectors and has been a driver of economic growth in the country since 1947. This sector is highly engrossed in international trade than other sectors. The manufacturing sector strengthens the growth process by bringing in technological innovation in the other industries. Production of high-technology products require high intensity of R&D. Industries that produce high tech products in the US are aerospace, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery, computers and scientific instruments (â€Å"High-technology exports (current US$)†). The US manufactured goods account for nearly 35 percent of the total worth of high technology products traded in the international market. Till 2008 US enjoyed high trade surplus owing to high revenue income from export of high tech manufactured goods and royalties earned from the sale of technical know how. 57 percent of the country’s exports were ma nufactured goods. US outpaced its rival countries in the field of technological research and industrial development. Advancement in technology has support the manufacturers in the US