Happy Ending by Margaret Atwood Essay Example for Free

Happy Ending by Margaret Atwood Essay In this essay, I examine the short story, â€Å"Happy Endings,† by Margaret Atwood and how the Canadian author tackled the topic of love and the different ways it is portrayed in relationships and marriage, as well as examined writing styles as used in the story. For my conclusion, I will elaborate on the importance of love and romance in making marriages last as well as emphasize on the cruciality of coming up with an original and authentic literary work. In this story, Atwood focused on both the mechanics of writing and the effects of gender stereotyping, as well as challenged writers who rely on the stereotypical characterization of men and women and to the reader who accepts such gender typing. At the same time, she challenged other writers to more closely examine typical literary convention. Happy Endings has six story versions that present a different scenario of what Through analysis of â€Å"Happy Endings† by Margaret Atwood happens to the main characters, John, Mary, Madge and Fred. Three main themes surface from this story. These themes are that the story depicts middle-class values; portrays marriage and romance; and illustrates writing conventions. Touching on middle-class values, Atwood represents these values in her story as an element of the society. In doing so, the characters in the story manifest them even in the more troublesome aspects of the stories. In tackling marriage and romance, the story revolves around the fulfillment that marriage brings. Using material success and ease of life as the criteria to define a successful marriage, John and Mary certainly have built one. Romance, on the other hand, also emerges as an important theme. The various versions of the story mimic the trajectory of cliched romance novels, which end with the hero and the heroine living happily ever after. Atwood also parodies some typical plots of romantic novels, which include murder, suicide, infidelity, and disease. Lastly, Atwood also dealt with writing conventions in the story by way of experimentation. Atwood’s text in the story is self-referential as she explicitly refers to events that have happened earlier on, as well as the mechanics and elements of writing. Both directly and indirectly, Atwood addresses the whole notion of how an author develops a story. In addition, Atwood’s work also challenges writers to compose authentic works. From the above information and opinions, I conclude that for a more different and effective way of writing, authenticity is important for writers to value. I also conclude that love in marriage or any kind of relationship needs romance to be its companion in order for these relationships to last as romance is the oil that keeps friction from wearing out the relationship. References BookRags and Thomson Gale. (2006). Happy endings study guide. Retrieved February 28, 2008, from http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-happyendings/

The United States Constitution Its Strengths And Flaws Politics Essay

The United States Constitution Its Strengths And Flaws Politics Essay In the late 18th century, the United States Constitution was designed as a foundation to build a stable governing structure for the 13 states that composed the United States around that time. These states were relatively different and consisted on predominantly rural and agrarian societies. Moreover, the same document regarded by these states as the supreme law of the land, serves the exact same purpose today as it did back in the day. The 200 year old Constitution of the United States, by far the oldest charter of government in the world, faces a time of increasing urbanization and technological developments. Nonetheless, its effectiveness at guiding this nation and providing individual freedom, economic stability, economic growth and social development has proven to be substantially enduring over the years. The United States Constitution is often referred to as a living constitution, because of its adaptability to the emerging and ever changing political and social views, needs and demands of Americans. Moreover, its enduring nature in a world of continued change has served as a role model for the evolution of numerous governmental institutions and their respective constitutions around the world. Its self-correcting and self-regulating nature made possible through amendments, the constitutional supremacy it embraces, the bill of rights, the separation of powers and its simplicity of design are major strengths of the constitution. The Constitution is a timeless document due to the adaptability of its nature. It was designed so that it could be amended as the needs of Americans changed over time. However, the founding fathers were well aware that amending the constitution should require significant complexity to avoid the approval and ratification of ill-conceived amendments. Moreover, they made sure that amending the constitution was in the best interest of the majority as opposed to a select few by putting into effect a dual process that Amendments must undergo in order to be approved and ratified. Furthermore, amendments are subject to judicial review by the courts, a process that originated from the Marbury v. Madison case and allows the courts to review and revoke unconstitutional measures carried out by other branches of government. The Constitutions supremacy draws the boundaries along which state governments and congress adopt and ratify legislation. Despite its supremacy the Constitution is not entirely the absolute authority for it can be amended by the people through their participation in open elections aimed to provide political representation in the various structures of government. Appointed and elected officials are subject to be removed from office under the constitution if convicted of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors; which serves as an intensive to fulfill their constitutional duties, that is with the exception of lifetime appointees of the supreme court and/ or federal judges. The reasoning behind such exception is to eliminate the impact external influences often have on public officials. The establishment of a Bill of Rights in the Constitution serves as a mean to protect the natural rights of the people. It is composed of the first ten amendments added to the constitution which aimed to protect individual freedoms from the government. The first amendment is perhaps one of the most important since it addresses delicate issues such as the separation of church and state allowing for freedom of religion. Also, it establishes freedom of speech, press, the right to assembly, right to petition the government, and protects individuals not only from the government but from each other by restricting libel. Moreover, subsequent amendments address other issues such as the right to bear arms, search and seizures, prohibition of self-incrimination, the right to trial by jury and counsel, reservation of powers to the state and people powers, among others. In addition, it has a significant influence on laws and policy-making under the principle for the people and by the people. It is the Bill of Rights along with other factors that distinguishes the United States from other less successful democracies around the world. The separation of powers among the three dominant structures of government is another strength of the Constitution. It allows for the overlap of authority among all government institutions and hinders the concentration of power in one of these institutions. Foremost, the Constitutions simplicity of design outlines the government structures and designated functions. Yet, it does not specify how power is to be distributed among the government institutions, resulting in an ambiguity that has made it possible for the Constitution to successfully guide the United States in the desired direction. Nevertheless both of these have been a source of conflict and harshly criticized for the broadness of the power allocated to the structures of government. As can be appreciated, the United States Constitution is deeply flawed, to the point where some of its strengths represent major threats to its original purpose put forth by the founding fathers. Although federalism is vital to avoid the concentration of power in a single structure of government, it blurs the concept of the separation of powers by providing the national government with sufficient protection to surpass the power allocated to states. In the time being there is not an easy approach to deal with this dilemma; however, it is not terribly hindered to solve as to set it aside for another 200 hundred years. Therefore, one of the first measures to deal with the problem in question is to narrowly draw the jurisdictional boundaries in order to define the power reserved for each structure of government, so that no structure has an unfair advantage over another. Such a measure should address the insufficient protection given to the states as compared to the national government. Another weakness of the United States Constitution is Congressional stagnation. The absence of term limits in Congress has proven to be an issue of high debate among politicians. It seems reasonable to argue that term limits in Congress would result in inexperienced individuals taking roles which have been adequately fulfilled by previous political officers and that the degree to which they represent their constituents as well as their ability to do is questionable. Nevertheless, it is crucial to point out that a large majority of incumbents, that is those currently in office, get reelected [INSERT STATS] to a point where most Congress representatives have rather established a career in Congress. Their reelection is primarily due to the low turnout of elections since the public is less involved in these elections as compared to presidential elections, name advertisement and credit obtained from the service provided to their constituents. Because elections take place every two years, reelection is the main drive for incumbents, which includes obtaining name recognition among their constituents and service credit within their districts. Incumbents aim to meet the interests and demands represented by the majority of constituents, which has proven to be very problematic due to the emerging concerns regarding whether they act as puppets to secure their seat or act in the faith of making a difference for their constituents by having their voices heard. Either way, incumbents enjoy unfair advantages over competitors since they are allotted higher campaign funds than subsequent competitors, for instance through free mail. Additionally, due to the large sums necessary to fund a successful campaign and the diminished chances of election when running against incumbents, the number of candidates is inconsequential, limiting the choices of voters. Lastly, the long term retention of office by legislators may result in corruption, through the means of lobbyists seeking that legislators address their cause which may not be related or benefit by any means the constituents that such legislator represents. The need to have checks and balances for Congress is evident; which constitutes the reason why term limits should be implemented in Congress. The power to establish term limits is delegated to the states and the people and further protected under the 10th amendment. Therefore, a state can propose an amendment by obtaining a two-thirds majority of state legislators to call for a constitutional convention, after which legislators must ratify the amendment with a three-fourths majority. Similarly the house and senate members can propose such amendment, which is very unlikely to occur due to the fact that the ratification of term limits will affect their personal interests. On similar grounds, the Electoral College has been harshly criticized since the purpose it served 200 years ago is viewed as rather outdated today. This election system is not only compelling in terms of its design but also the extent to which it is representative of the popular vote in presidential elections. For instance, in the 2000 election featuring George W. Bush running against Albert Arnold Gore for the presidency, Al Gore won the popular vote; however he did not win the election. Therefore, it is legitimate to question how accurately do outcomes of the Electoral College reflect the will of the people. Moreover, because the number of electoral votes allocated to states relies primarily on the number of district and house representatives of the states, it gives larger states the power to influence the outcome of presidential elections. Since larger states are delegated such power, most presidential candidates focus their campaign and attention on the states with the most elect oral votes; therefore, smaller states have a disadvantage regarding their political involvement in presidential elections and the value of their vote as compared to larger states and voter turnout can be further discouraged. The Electoral College can also result in a minority president being elected It is not terribly difficult to acknowledge that the removal of the Electoral College is by far the best strategy to solve the present situation. Nevertheless, the difficulty lies in designing a system that accurately represents the people. Some politicians argue that providing a representation of the electoral vote proportional to that of the popular vote would ease the problem at stake. However, it is very likely to raise new concerns, especially if both candidates running for office win 50% of the electoral vote, then a method for splitting the vote must be addressed, which complicates the nature of the Electoral College and furthermore defeats the initial purpose of correcting the flawed design of such institution. One way to do this without further complications is by establishing a direct vote system in which all individuals have an equal say in presidential elections and are equally pursued by the candidates running for office. Please discuss the suitability of the Constitution as a governing document for the contemporary United States. What are the strengths of the Constitution?   What are some of its weaknesses?   Should we attempt to reform the Constitution?   If so, why?   If not, why not?   You should rely heavily on course materials, but feel free to use any outside material that will help your argument. Is it public officials or government officials? Are supreme court justices and federal judges public officials too as compared to senators and house members? Paragraph about the separation of powers. Am I making my point clear enough, since its rather a transition into the weaknesses? Purposely chose it.. As can be appreciate ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Is this contradicting somehow?

Customer Relations and Interpersonal Skills :: essays research papers

Customer Relations and Interpersonal Skills In the food and Hospitality industry, Working with Colleagues and Customers is an important part of the job. Customer relations and interpersonal skills are the two most important skills that a person working in that industry will need to know about. Customer relations techniques include a number of skills, such as effective verbal and non-verbal communication, ability to ask relative questions, to be attentive, knowledge of different people and cultures, knowledge of where services and products are available from, problem-solving and decision making skills. Customer relations involve understanding the local and international visitors' needs, providing appropriate service, and handling complaints and feedback. Understanding the local and international visitors' needs involves catering for people from different cultures, backgrounds and upbringing's. For example, they might be from Japan where they are formal and punctual, or they might be from a Muslim upbringing where they fast between sunrise and sunset for the month of Ramadan. Through effective observing, listening and questioning, staff are able to accurately identify the customers needs and expectations. Staff should then ensure that these needs are met and exceed so the customer has an enjoyable time. Providing appropriate service to the customer is needed because the customer might be allergic to some foods such as MSG, wheat, food colourings or dairy products. Good service personal have these attributes effective verbal and non-verbal communication, sensitivity to special needs and anticipation of unexpressed needs, offering courteous service, advice and information, promoting establishment and its products, and promoting the local area and its attractions, Complaints are a good form of feedback. They're a few steps to follow in handling difficult situations. The first is to Focus and listen to the customer. The next is to be courteous and discreet, if possible take the customer away from others. Then suggest way(s) to fix the problem, if nothing can be done thank the customer for bring the problem to your attention. If you can't fix the problem go to somebody who can but stay there to make sure the problem is resolved. Then find the solution and implement it, then check the customer is happy and re-thank them for bring the problem to your attention. Last off all record the situation in your establishments logbooks. Interpersonal Skills involve immaculate personal presentation, outstanding communication skills, initiative in social interactions and good teamwork skills. These skills can be honed through team and individual sports, public speaking, acting and debating. Customer Relations and Interpersonal Skills :: essays research papers Customer Relations and Interpersonal Skills In the food and Hospitality industry, Working with Colleagues and Customers is an important part of the job. Customer relations and interpersonal skills are the two most important skills that a person working in that industry will need to know about. Customer relations techniques include a number of skills, such as effective verbal and non-verbal communication, ability to ask relative questions, to be attentive, knowledge of different people and cultures, knowledge of where services and products are available from, problem-solving and decision making skills. Customer relations involve understanding the local and international visitors' needs, providing appropriate service, and handling complaints and feedback. Understanding the local and international visitors' needs involves catering for people from different cultures, backgrounds and upbringing's. For example, they might be from Japan where they are formal and punctual, or they might be from a Muslim upbringing where they fast between sunrise and sunset for the month of Ramadan. Through effective observing, listening and questioning, staff are able to accurately identify the customers needs and expectations. Staff should then ensure that these needs are met and exceed so the customer has an enjoyable time. Providing appropriate service to the customer is needed because the customer might be allergic to some foods such as MSG, wheat, food colourings or dairy products. Good service personal have these attributes effective verbal and non-verbal communication, sensitivity to special needs and anticipation of unexpressed needs, offering courteous service, advice and information, promoting establishment and its products, and promoting the local area and its attractions, Complaints are a good form of feedback. They're a few steps to follow in handling difficult situations. The first is to Focus and listen to the customer. The next is to be courteous and discreet, if possible take the customer away from others. Then suggest way(s) to fix the problem, if nothing can be done thank the customer for bring the problem to your attention. If you can't fix the problem go to somebody who can but stay there to make sure the problem is resolved. Then find the solution and implement it, then check the customer is happy and re-thank them for bring the problem to your attention. Last off all record the situation in your establishments logbooks. Interpersonal Skills involve immaculate personal presentation, outstanding communication skills, initiative in social interactions and good teamwork skills. These skills can be honed through team and individual sports, public speaking, acting and debating.

The Center, Left, and Right in Turkish/Greek/Italian Politics :: Politics Political Italy Turkey Greece Papers

The Center, Left, and Right in Turkish/Greek/Italian Politics The politics of the countries of Turkey, Greece and Italy are fairly diverse in relation to each other, as well as within themselves. The political parties of each country are also many in number and varied in nature. In this essay, I will provide a brief overview of the government of each country Turkey, Greece and Italy followed by an examination of the current political parties that exist in each of those countries, looking especially at where the left, center, and right fall with respect to each country. An overview of the politics of Turkey Turkey gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1923, but it did not formally draft a constitution until 1982, when it initiated a four-branch government. Currently, Turkey's government is composed of a President, who is elected every seven years and serves as the executive branch; a unicameral (one-house) legislative branch; a Grand National Assembly composed of 450 members; a Prime Minister, who functions similarly to the Vice President in the U.S.; and a judicial branch that is independent of the governmental structure. Turkey is a democratic and, more importantly, a secular state, despite the prevalence of Islam. The current President of Turkey is Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and the current Prime Minister is Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Political parties in Turkey As of 1996, there are currently 22 registered political parties in Turkey, most of which are small. The main parties that make up the political center are the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the True Path Party (DYP), both of which swing more toward the right; and the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Democratic Left (DSP), both of which swing more toward the left, despite the contrary nature of their names. To the far right is the National Action Party (MHP), an ultra-nationalist party. ?The ANAP party was founded in 1983 and governed Turkey from 1983 to 1991, though as of the 2002 election, its representation was much less, especially in Parliament.[1]? In the 1980s, however, it was the ANAP party that instituted many important transformations in Turkey, including "introducing free-market reforms, downsizing the public sector," and it was under this party that Turkey "applied formally to join the European Economic Commission" (EEC then, more like the current EU).[2]? Like the ANAP, the DYP was also formed in 1983, and is a conservative party that "draws support from the countryside. The Center, Left, and Right in Turkish/Greek/Italian Politics :: Politics Political Italy Turkey Greece Papers The Center, Left, and Right in Turkish/Greek/Italian Politics The politics of the countries of Turkey, Greece and Italy are fairly diverse in relation to each other, as well as within themselves. The political parties of each country are also many in number and varied in nature. In this essay, I will provide a brief overview of the government of each country Turkey, Greece and Italy followed by an examination of the current political parties that exist in each of those countries, looking especially at where the left, center, and right fall with respect to each country. An overview of the politics of Turkey Turkey gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1923, but it did not formally draft a constitution until 1982, when it initiated a four-branch government. Currently, Turkey's government is composed of a President, who is elected every seven years and serves as the executive branch; a unicameral (one-house) legislative branch; a Grand National Assembly composed of 450 members; a Prime Minister, who functions similarly to the Vice President in the U.S.; and a judicial branch that is independent of the governmental structure. Turkey is a democratic and, more importantly, a secular state, despite the prevalence of Islam. The current President of Turkey is Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and the current Prime Minister is Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Political parties in Turkey As of 1996, there are currently 22 registered political parties in Turkey, most of which are small. The main parties that make up the political center are the Motherland Party (ANAP) and the True Path Party (DYP), both of which swing more toward the right; and the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Democratic Left (DSP), both of which swing more toward the left, despite the contrary nature of their names. To the far right is the National Action Party (MHP), an ultra-nationalist party. ?The ANAP party was founded in 1983 and governed Turkey from 1983 to 1991, though as of the 2002 election, its representation was much less, especially in Parliament.[1]? In the 1980s, however, it was the ANAP party that instituted many important transformations in Turkey, including "introducing free-market reforms, downsizing the public sector," and it was under this party that Turkey "applied formally to join the European Economic Commission" (EEC then, more like the current EU).[2]? Like the ANAP, the DYP was also formed in 1983, and is a conservative party that "draws support from the countryside.

Essays --

This studies it is to obtain significant extended knowledge on the organizational form and linkage exist in international business operation by examines the business model in international professional service firms (IPFS) in order to pursue transnational strategy. In global integration-local responsive (IR) framework acknowledged that Multi-national corporation (MNCs) combines the international activities in order to response need of various countries. MNCs face a lot of pressure and has been careful in conducting responsive in integrate and strategic coordination which is known as transnational strategy. Global integrative and responsive could be achieved through standardization of business model and the business model customized for local markets respectively. Business model could be defined as a structure, content which could govern the transaction between local firms with its exchange partner. It could be very difficult to IPFs in standardizing because of the individual experts on the firm are centralize what the firms going to be offer to the public. Service customization it’s important to IPFs as to delivery serve locally and globally, in order achieved it acquired different business model. Integration defined as a resources flow in firm by technology within MNCs at firm level. International strategy it is involve with organization factors, industry factors and environments factors. IR itself was not adequate for same industry which this firms may follow different strategy in pursuing transnational strategy. In overcoming those challenges is to apply the business model by understanding how the companies would balance the integration and responsive. IPFS assets consist of the highly educated workforce and complex knowledge.... ...frames. Besides that the continuous and repetitious business has moderate and high global integration potentials respectively. Contrast to the unique business model which has limited opportunities for global integration and internalization. This analysis provides mangers knowledge on when to standardize and when to adapt to local needs in the different phases of the service delivery process of various business models. Three distinct of business models that coexist in the firm has different level of opportunities for global integration. It’s could be performed internationally but with different potential for global integration. The repetitious business model and the unique business model have the greatest potential and least potential respectively for global integration. This finding might relevant for other types where knowledge is the major value-creating resource.

Moment to remember

A moment to remember When I was young I knew I wanted to have two children when I got married, a boy and a girl. I gave birth to my first child in 1998, a little girl who was premature and then in 2001 my second daughter came along. My husband and I were very happy that we had two healthy babies, but we knew deep inside we still wanted to have a son, but unfortunately we weren't able to afford another child at that time.Many of our family members were having children, my brother's wife had given birth to their son and then my brother-in-laws wife had given birth to their son also. My husband and I were extremely happy for them, but we longed for our own son as well. Many years passed by and our girls were growing up healthy and strong and our careers were going well and after many nights of discussion my husband and I decided to try for a son of our own.I read so many books on how to determine the sex of a child and how to conceive a boy. I talked to so many older family members and heard so any myths on how to make a boy that I got tired and Just said whatever God's plan is will be. Two months later my husband and I found out we were expecting our third child and then three more months later we went to our first ultrasound appointment.That day was a very exciting day for our entire family, everyone wanted us to be having a boy as bad as we did, and they knew how long we waited and how much It meant to us. My husband and I held hands while watching the monitor, seeing our child for the first time and listening to the strong heartbeat, then the question came would you care to know the sex of your baby' my husband and I said â€Å"YES† at the same time, and then we heard†¦ It's a BOY'!!!!

Ways to make learning a fun experience in school

East is east and west is west. Never the twain shall meet' said Rudyard Kipling. ‘Learning is learning and fun is fun. Never the twain shall meet' said a student. It is time to make that possible now. It is time to end the era in which children hated school. It is time to get rid of the old teaching techniques and keep in pace with modern day technology. It is time to stop using the chalk on the board and make a change in the lives of the generations to come. We are making progress. India in the 1 lth century had schooling in gurukuls.Young boys were taught archery and sword fighting skills. Children used to sit under trees with their slates and chalks and practice sums. Today, we belong to a digital generation that demands innovative methods of absorbing information. Scope in this field is tremendous. Over the years, schools have moved from black boards to smart boards, from typewriters to computers and from a rigid education system to a spontaneous fun experience of school. T he oxford dictionary defines fun as ‘light amusement' but every individual has his own definition of fun.We always find it funny when a child remembers the xact dialogues of the latest film but finds it difficult to answer the questions from their history text book. So to create and exciting atmosphere, the interest of a child is crucial. Audio-video and movies with children's favorite stars help in absorbing the required knowledge. Recorded food preparation television shows and scenes from famous plays can be shown. Colorful pictorials and animations speak louder than a thousand words. Learning in groups with friends also reinforces many facts. Occasional challenges like quizzes and spelling bees help in building an attitude f or many students.Practicals are very beneficial. It would be great to have a multi touch technology where a science student could perform a surgery or an electronics student could assemble and disassemble a computer or a car on the I-pad. User friendly applications would help art students practice their paintings on the smart board before actually starting on a canvas. Online interaction is fun where social studies are concerned. E-program software can be used to exchange knowledge of cultures over the globe. Software should be made in the form of stories with songs as it reinforces important points in the minds of children.Students spend countless hours on social networking sites. These sites can be used for group discussions if the students are too shy to open up in class. Teachers should be provided suitable platforms to host classroom online communities. Project ideas can be shared and there is a teacher and student collaboration. The classroom should be extended beyond the four walls. Projects give need for individual research which pushes students and gives them reason to learn more about their subject. A lot of new ideas and creative inventions are needed for transforming the traditional classroom with ophisticated teaching tools.Visiting destinations of projects is very realistic and enriching. Project tours can be conducted if required, thus increasing the examples and applications of these technologies are growing exponentially. These are the solutions to meet the needs of the 21st century learning environment. Such an exciting environment is a must for an enhanced schooling experience. We do not know for sure where these technologies are taking us but indeed students are finding good strong results. Through everyday explorations like these in the classroom, we are building steps towards the future..