The Analysis of the Mythic Dimension in ‘a Streetcar Named Desired’ Essay Example for Free

The Analysis of the Mythic Dimension in ‘a Streetcar Named Desired’ Essay This paper tells about American South which exposed in A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennesse Williams. The changes were drawn from the life experience of the main characters in the play, named Blanche Du Bois. Here, we try to explore about the analysis of the main character, Blanch Du Bois. Problem and its Scope This study principally constitus the analyze of the myth in a play that written by Tennese William entitled ‘A Streecar Named Desire’.  This study explores the mythic dimension of one of Tennessee Williams’s best-known and most enduring plays. The author’s revival of ancient myths and archetypes in Streetcar illustrates his professed belief in the collective unconscious as the source of his richly symbolic dramas. The conflict between the main characters is endowed with universal significance—the clash of two rival myths vying for dominance in Williams’s imagination. While Stanley Kowalski is presented as a modern day avatar of Dionysus, the amoral, primitive god of drink and fertility, Blanche DuBois’s descent into the underworld of Elysian Fields makes her the failed embodiment of the guilt-ridden, inconsolable Orpheus. A yearning for the reconciliation of opposites is ultimately revealed in the myth of the androgyn, the third substratum of Streetcar and the spring of Williams’s alchemical art. MYTHOLOGY can be defined as a body of interconnected myths, or stories, told by a specific cultural group to explain the world consistent with a people’s experience of the world in which they live. [The word â€Å"myth† comes from the ancient Greek word meaning â€Å"story† or â€Å"plot,† and was applied to stories sacred and secular, invented and true.] Myths often begin as sacred stories that offer supernatural explanations for the creation of the world . . . and humanity, as well as for death, judgment, and the afterlife (Myth 284). A mythology or belief system often concerns supernatural beings/powers of a culture, provides a rationale for a culture’s religion and practices, and reflects how people relate to each other in everyday life. Creation or origin myths explain how the world came to be in its present form, and often position the cultural group telling the myth as the first people or the true people (Myth 284). Such  sacred stories, or narratives, concern where a people and the things of their world come from, why they are here, where they are going. Myths and mythology express a culture’s worldview: that is, a people’s conceptions and assumptions about humankind’s place in nature and the universe, and the limits and workings of the natural and spiritual world. Analysis The classic definition of myth from folklore studies finds clearest delineation in William Bascom’s article â€Å"The Forms of Folklore: Prose Narratives† where myths are defined as tales believed as true, usually sacred, set in the distant past or other worlds or parts of the world, and with extra-human, inhuman, or heroic characters. Such myths, often described as â€Å"cosmogonic,† or â€Å"origin† myths, function to provide order or cosmology, based on â€Å"cosmic† from the Greek kosmos meaning order (Leeming 1990, 3, 13; Bascom, 1965). Cosmology’s concern with the order of the universe finds narrative, symbolic expression in myths, which thus often help establish important values or aspects of a culture’s worldview. For many people, myths remain value-laden discourse that explain much about human nature. The concept of Myth in the literature is The word ‘myth’ is derived from the Greek word ‘mythos’, which means a traditional tale common to the member of a tribe, race or nation. It usually involves the supernatural elements to explain some natural phenomenon in boldly imaginative terms. Today myth has become one of the most prominent terms in contemporary literature analysis. It was Northrop Frye, one of the most influential myth critics (others including Robert Graves, Francis Fersusson, Richard Chase, Philip Wheelwright), who discovered certain formulas in the word order. He identified these formulas as the â€Å"conventional myths and metaphors† which he calls archetypes. C.G. Jung was of the view the materials of the myth lie in the collective unconscious of the race. This analysis based on the theory of semiotics that tells about the mythology. Semiotics, also called semiotic studies or (in the Saussurean tradition) semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes (semiosis), indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism,  signification, and communication. Semiotics is closely related to the field of linguistics, which, for its part, studies the structure and meaning of language more specifically. Semiotics is often divided into three branches: * Semantics: Relation between signs and the things to which they refer; their denotata, or meaning * Syntactics: Relations among signs in formal structures * Pragmatics: Relation between signs and the effects they have on the people who use them In the nineteenth century, Charles Sanders Peirce defined what he termed semiotic (which he sometimes spelled as semeiotic) as the quasi-necessary, or formal doctrine of signs, which abstracts what must be the characters of all signs used byan intelligence capable of learning by experience,[9] and which is philosophical logic pursued in terms of signs and sign processes.[10] Charles Morris followed Peirce in using the term semiotic and in extending the discipline beyond human communication to animal learning and use of signals. In his essentially Southern play, A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams observes a uniquely Southern phenomenon: the Southern belle. In scene seven of the play Stella Kowalski says the following: â€Å"†¦you’ve got to realize that Blanche and I grew up under very different circumstances than you did† (Williams, 99). With this sentence Williams introduces a possible starting point for an analysis of the Southern belle myth. The figure of the Southern belle is founded on a canonized discourse, resting on a cultural and social personification – a description, a code, a stereotype – which legitimizes and authorizes the interpretation of culture and nature, masculinity and femininity, superiority and inferiority, power and subordination. In other words, the Southern belle stereotype is based on a fear that women â€Å"might escape the rule of the patriarchy, that the oppositions of white/black, master/slave, lady/whore, even male/female might colla pse into an anarchic conflagration threatening to bring down the symbolic order† (Roberts, xii). Additionally, this Southern woman stereotype is both a literature-generating principle, often supporting the very concept of Southern fiction, and a social construct, supporting the writing of  Southern history and culture. In both cases it has to be read â€Å"against the South that created [it] for different social purposes, or reinvented [it] at crucial moments in history† (Roberts, xii) providing insight â€Å"into anxieties and aspirations of the culture† (Roberts, xii). Before I show how Williams approached this myth in his A Streetcar Named Desire, a few remarks about the appearance, development and ‘purpose’ of the Southern belle stereotype are in order. First, its appearance was tied to the Southern antebellum chivalry and masculinity code origin of which can be looked for in attempts to preserve English moral standards in the U.S. South. They, based on the Victorian model of a woman as an angel in house as well as on the small number of upper cl ass women who were, thereby, considered â€Å"custodians of culture† (Bartlett and Cambor, 11), confirmed and authorized the hyperevaluation of upper class Southern women. Second, the Southern belle stereotype rested on a set of very strict class, race and gender traits. Drawing on this statement, it went without saying that the belle was white and of aristocratic origin. She was lively, little bit vain, rather naà ¯ve and â€Å"had few tasks other than to be obedient, to ride, to sew, and perhaps to learn reading and writing† (Seidel, 6). Since courtship, innocent romances, and, consequently, marriage were considered to be the highest aspirations of her life, the belle’s energies and skills were mainly directed to finding and marrying real Southern gentleman. And â€Å"if she was pretty and charming and thus could participate in the process of husband-getting, so much the better† (Seidel, 6). The act of marriage gave this stereotype something new – the aura of legal commitment; it consequently transformed her into a â€Å"hardworking matron who was supervisor of the plantation, nurse, and mother† (Seidel, 6). Third, the purpose of this Southern woman stereotype was justified upon, at least, three premises. It was, to begin with, a compensation for gender devaluation which began practically with the belle’s birth, when her mother ‘handed her over’ to mammy, and continued during her childhood and youth. This placed the belle in a kind of limbo: just as her mother was forced to accept the cultural role which denied her sexual and maternal identity, so too the belle had to deny her sexuality and, at the same time, perform passion without taking part in it. As one would expect, the construction of Southern bellehood had its racial background which was tied to sexual exploitation of African  American women legalized by the institution of slavery and Jim Crow legislation. Their very presence paid homage to white upper class woman as a person who legitimately preserved white superiority since her racial ‘purity’ guaranteed her inaccessibility to inferior races and classes of men. Further investigation helps to reveal how the divinization process of white Southern upper class woman resulted in her identification with the U. S. South itself. The attacks on Southern way of life were thus interpreted as the attacks on the honor and integrity of its greatest ornament – white Southern upper class woman. Lastly, partaking in the construction of this Southern woman stereotype was a matter of prestige. Even though Southern upper class women had many reasons for abolition of slavery – sexual transgressions of their fiancà ©es, husbands, fathers and brothers, isolation on plantations, problems in managing slaves and servants, supervision of agricultural production, dealing with slave insurrections in absence of their husbands, fathers or brothers, and were, on the other hand, attributed chastity, gentleness, compassion – virtues that corresponded to abolitionist rather than proslavery movement, they did not rebel, they did not subvert or transgress the prescribed codes of behavior. They remained loyal to the institution of slavery and Southern social system and, as a consequence, ‘earned’ the pedestal they were put on. Challenges to this viewpoint began to appear during the Civil War. It, by contrast, put emphasis on the belle’s determinacy, strength, and inventiveness. During the period of Reconstruction and the New South â€Å"the terror of losing jurisdiction over women’s bodies created discourses of nostalgia and threat† (Roberts, 104) and transformed the belle’s suffering into that of the U. S. South. She represented the symbol of the U. S. South and one of the most important constructs of Southern mythology. During and after the 1920s, owing to changed economic, political, and social situation which allowed women, even in the U. S. South, to vote, work, get educated and, consequently, enjoy greater financial and personal independence, a new discursive space on the meaning of the Southern belle mythology was opened. It, for sure, rested on criticism and judgment rather than on eulogies. The Southern belle was now used to demythologize Southern myths since the virtues she should have been the embodiment of – beauty, passivity, submissiveness, virginity, and asexuality – proved to be the unstable and destructive property. Quite  specifically, it was then asserted that society’s emphasis on the beauty of the belle can produce a selfishness and narcissism that cause her to ignore the development of positive aspects of her personality. Taught to see herself as a beautiful object, the belle accentuates only her appearance and is not concerned with any talents that do not contribute to the goal her society has chosen for her: winning a man. (†¦) The sheltering of the belle leads to a harmful innocence: she cannot adequately interpret the behavior of men who do not believe in the code of southern chivalry that respects the purity of women. Moreover, (†¦) the repression required by the ‘ethic of purity’ which leads to a variety of physical and mental disorders, including frigidity and exaggerated subservience [is also condemned]. (Seidel, 32) My point in citing Kathryn Lee Seidel at length here is not simply to draw attention to the subversion of the old stereotype, but to emphasize the fact that these changes did not automatically mean the inauguration of the Southern anti-belle. This was mainly possible because deeply rooted prejudices concerning women’s behavior were still the part of Southern culture. In sum, even â€Å"though southern women might be no longer queens and saints, they were not allowed to be ‘flesh and blood’ humans either† (Roberts, 109). The failure to respect the prescriptive code of behavior usually implied some kind of punishment – hysteria, madness, rape, losing social privileges, or death. As a Southerner, Williams could not resist the influence of values, myths and images of his birth-place. He, however, tried to redefine them by negotiating them through the subversive potential of the Southern women/men stereotypes and the prescriptive rhetoric of Southern cult ural codes they assert once they are separated from its institutional binding. His A Streetcar Named Desire is, for sure, a perfect example of this, for at its center is Blanche DuBois. Through this woman character, Williams appears to celebrate the gentility and sensitivity of the Old South as well as the Southern belle as its greatest ornament. But, as the representative of Southern Renaissance, he himself is ambivalent as well as suspicious about the possibility of the belle’s permanent affirmation in the modern world. As if to clarify this point, Williams portrays Blanche as the last representative of the old aristocracy who tries to survive in the modern world by escaping to alcohol, madness, promiscuity and whose memories are bitter since they are burdened by racial and sexual sins of her  ancestors. From the very outset of the play, Blanche is seen as affirmation and subversion, symbol and antithesis of the Southern belle stereotype. This conflict of opposing principles begins with her name which Blanche explains as follows: â€Å"It’s a French name. It means woods and Blanche means white, so the two together mean white woods. Like an orchard in spring!† (Williams, 54-55). The connotative value of this naming act has an exciting importance for it puts emphasis on, at least, two aspects of the (demythologized) Southern myth. It connects, on the one hand, Blanche’s French, colonial and aristocratic origin, or, at least, what has remained of it, with the antebellum U. S. South and, consequently, with the idea of Southern gentility and chivalry (this particular idea was introduced by the first colonists who were either of aristocratic origin or earned this status in their community; this, in turn, helped to establish the metaphor of the US as Europe’s noble heiress). Blanche’s name, on the other hand, reveals what is hidden between the lines: centuries and generations of moral and physical corruption and degeneracy of both her aristocratic family and the U. S. South itself. Another interpretative possibility, which again underlines conflicting nature of Blanche’s identity, sets forth her name as the conflict of binaries – body and mind, nature and culture. Her name, which means both ‘white’ and ‘blank’ and thus connotes the virginity of female body â€Å"predetermined to succumb to inscription† (Vlasopolos, 326) in the tabula rasa manner, refers to body and nature, or the female binary, and defines her as the belle. Her family name, meaning ‘woods’ and consequently referring to papers and pencils (keep in mind that Blanche is a teacher and actually needs these stationery in her job), i.e. intellectual activities, introduces the idea of mind and culture, or the male binary, and places her in the exclusively anti-belle context. Similar reading of Blanche’s name, combining connotations of the lost physical virginity and the â€Å"beauty of the mind and richness of the spirit† (Williams, 126), offers Bert Cardullo in his paper â€Å"Scene 11 of A Streetcar Named Desire,† where the duality of Blanche’s name is explained with the help of the New Testament symbolism. Cardullo thus argues that her name links her not only to the purity of the Virgin Mary, but also to the reclaimed innocence of Mary Magdalene, who was cured of her sexual waywardness by Jesus (just as Blanche was suddenly cured of hers when she remarked to Mitch, ‘Sometimes – there is God – so  quickly!’. (Cardullo, 96) The duality of Blanche’s personality, indicated by the linguistic polysemy of her name, continues by opening a discursive space on the possible existence of two Blanches: the one is the ‘passive-submissive’ Blanche who, as such, is the embodiment, and the symbol, of the Southern bellehood; the other is the ‘victimized’ Blanche who, by subverting the each and every trait of the Southern bellehood, becomes its antithesis. As one would expect, both performances are founded on a set of distinctive characteristics, features, and situations which throw new light on the existing debate. Drawing on that approach, B lanche’s partaking in the Southern belle performance is supported by several factors. Firstly and most obviously, Blanche’s plantation origin marks her inescapably as the Southern aristocrat. Secondly, Blanche is brought up in the Southern tradition of idealization of woman’s beauty. She perceives herself as a beautiful object which has to be properly decorated in order to sell well. As such, Blanche depends heavily on exterior beauty markers – dresses, hats, jewelry, perfumes, and cosmetics which are, in her brother-in-laws’s discourse, magnified into â€Å"solid-gold dress[es,] (†¦) genuine fox fur-pieces, (†¦) pearls, bracelets of solid gold, (†¦) and diamonds† (Williams, 35-36). These things, even though cheap and artificial, represent Blanche’s only inheritance and Blanche’s only future insurance; they remind her of the life she used to live. Thirdly, Blanche is educated. Blanche’s participation in education process foregrounds the idea of the time that college education presented â€Å"prope r youthful behavior for a young woman [and] a pleasant interlude on the way to growing up† (Graham, 770-7719) insofar as it was percieved as â€Å"an asset in the marriage market† (Jabour, 40) and â€Å"the final polish necessary to gentility† (Jabour, 40). So judged, it is then not surprising that Blanche was somehow predestined to choose liberal arts, study English and â€Å"teach high school to instill a bunch of bobby-soxers and drug-store Romeos with reverence for Hawthorne and Whitman and Poe!† (Williams, 56). Access to education, on the other hand, gave Blanche the opportunity to cultivate sophisticated way of speaking and behaving; it allowed her to understand the life as ‘poetry’ in Southern plantation myth manner. Further investigation helps to reveal how Blanche’s arrival at her sister’s home in New Orleans, her insisting on staying there – â€Å"I guess you’re hoping I’ll say I’ll put up at a hotel, but I’m not going  to put up at a hotel. I want to be near you, got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone!† (Williams, 23) – announces â€Å"her basic motive: need for refuge and desire for human contact† (Hardison Londre, 52), need for protection which, in the tradition of the Old South, had to be through another person, through family. In much the same way Blanche clings to the antebellum chivalry codes which obliged men to protect women in return for their contribution to cultural and social capital, their attention, love and, of course, wealth. She thus, in the tradition of the antebellum Southern belle, tries to ‘save’ herself and her sister Stella from inappropriate way of life at Stanley’s home by looking for protection in another man – her former beau Shep Huntleigh. Blanche’s behavior can be understood as â€Å"reflexive reversion to the Southern belle’s habits of thought – that is, emotional dependence on a patriarchal system of male protection for the helpless female – just moments after she had said, â€Å"I’m going to do something. Get hold of myself and make myself a new life!† (313) (Hardison Londre, 56). This particular pattern of Blanche’s behavior occurs repeatedly during the play and culminates in the last scene when Docto r and Matron come to take her to asylum. In order to avoid humiliation and save her dignity, she once again plays the role of the helpless but flirtatious Southern belle and treats Doctor as a gentleman who knows how to protect and behave to a lady in distress. One final point. Blanche’s relationship with Stanley once again ties her to the antebellum period when the principle of noblesse oblige promoted patronizing relationship between upper and lower classes and races in the U. S. South. She behaves to Stanley as â€Å"the aristocrat who condescends to the plebeian when she is not actually scorning him. This is compulsive conduct on her part, because she must feel superior to her sister’s husband if she is not to feel inferior in view of her helplessness† (Gassner, 375). The extreme polarization of relationship between Blanche and Stanley could also be read as a â€Å"critical struggle between [two different] ways of life† (Jackson, 59) – as the struggle between Blanche’s traditional, civilized, artistic, and spiritual self and Stanley’s modern, primitive, physical, and animalistic other. Blanche, by finding additional support for her point of view in science – biology, anthropology, history, even verbalizes this struggle: He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits! Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one! There’s even something –  sub-human – something not quite to the stage of humanity yet! Yes, something – ape-like about him, like one of those pictures I’ve seen in – anthropological studies! Thousands and thousands of years have passed him right by, and there he is – Stanley Kowalski – survivor of the stone age! Bearing the raw meat from the kill in the jungle! And you – you here – waiting for him! Maybe he’ll strike you or maybe grunt and kiss you! That is, if kisses have been discovered yet! Night falls and the other apes gather! There in front of the cave, all grunting like him, and swilling and gnawing and hulking! His poker night! – you call it – this party of apes! Somebody growls – some creature snatches at something – the fight is on! God! Maybe we are a long way from being made in God’s image, but Stella – my sister – there has been some progress since then! Such things as art – as poetry and music – such kinds of new light have come into the world since then! In some kinds of people some tender feelings have had some little beginning! That we have got to make grow! And cling to, and hold as our flag! In this dark march toward whatever it is we’re approaching †¦ Don’t – don’t hang back with the brutes! (Williams, 72) Their conflict, or, it is tempting to claim, the struggle over authority in the house, culminates in Stanley’s rape of Blanche. The very act of the rape, which Stanley rationalizes by his famous line: â€Å"We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning† (Williams, 130), is also fueled by Blanche’s refusal â€Å"to become the woman in the traveling-salesman joke, the stereotype of the nymphomaniacal upper-class girl† (Vlasopolos, 333). It, once again, demonstrates convincingly the victory of primitive over civilized, physical over spiritual, male over female†¦ Just as some aspects of Blanche’s personality pay homage to the concept of the Southern bellehood, so too there are other aspects of her personality that can be read against the culture which created them and reinvented them when it had found this necessary. Such reading introduces Blanche as the woman who defies to be classified as the â€Å"active property shaping the so cial and sexual relations† (Van Duyvenbode, 208) in the U. S. South and â€Å"shatter[s] the stereotypic chaste heroine/whore dichotomy to show women in their complexity† (Hale, 22). It also offers a new, rather different, image of Blanche as it portraits her as a victim and a potential subversive female force in the play. To discover it one has to discuss factors, features and  characteristics that promoted this shift in Blanche’s character. The ground from which we need to begin is to investigate the origin, or perhaps the reason, of Blanche’s victimization. A possible starting point for this investigation can be found in Joseph N. Riddel’s paper, â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire – Nietzsche Descending.† Riddel thus argues that Blanche’s life could be seen as a reflection of â€Å"living division of two warring principles, desire and decorum, and she is the victim of civilization’s attempt to reconcile the two in a morality† (Riddel, 17). In other words, Blanche’s past, as well as her present, is a mixture of sin and romanticism, reality and illusion, personal excessiveness and social discipline. Th ese are all elements that would justify a rendering of Blanche as hypersensitive, tragic woman who is, because of her uniqueness, forced to create her own world on principles of exclusion, isolation, and imagination. She is â€Å"the sensitive, misunderstood exile, (†¦) fugitive kind, who (†¦) [is] too fragile to face a malignant reality and must have a special world in which (†¦) [she] can take shelter† (Ganz, 101-102). As a result of Blanche’s balancing between desire to act as she wants to act and a compulsive need to behave according to prescribed standards, norms and codes, many compulsive, obsessive and, to some extent, subversive reactions – illusions, alcoholism and promiscuity – appear in her behavior. They, for much of the play, represent Blanche’s attempts to stand up to harassment and stereotyping she is exposed to. Illusions, or, to quote Blanche, â€Å"magic (†¦), misrepresent[ing] things (†¦), tell[ing] what ought to be truth† (Williams, 117), are found as a continuous thread woven into the fabric of A Streetcar Named Desire. Consequently, a number of interesting points arise from Blanche’s definition of it. ‘Magic’ is, to begin with, throughout the play confronted with the authority of reality which, even though manipulative, tangible, and limited, is the inseparable part of human experience and has to be accepted as the dominant mode of living. As such, it is brought into being by Blanche’s brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. Stanley, by using sources whose existence we are forced to acknowledge in our everyday life: the power of authority, physical force, intimidation, economic domination, manages to overpower Blanche’s ‘magic’. In his quest Stanley additionally â€Å"profits from staying within the parameters set for him by his sex and class† (Vlasopolos, 337). He is, thereby, seen as normal (read: ‘real’): his pleasures are normal  pleasures – poker, sex, drinking, bowling; he is a good provider and a loyal member of community and society. Except for his rape of Blanche, which has actually no witnesses and thus creates a reasonable doubt in its occurrence, â€Å"nothing Stanley does threaten the social fabric† (Vlasopolos, 337). Blanche, on the contrary, builds up her ‘magic’ on her failure to conform and her deviance of her class and sex. She, one realizes, although (†¦) maintains the trappings of the aristocrat in her expensive and elegant tastes, has allowed the rest to slip, like Belle Reve, away from her. In seeking emotional fulfillment, she has disregarded the barriers of â€Å"normal† female sexuality and of class. Her actions subvert the social order: she remains loyal to the memory of her homosexual husband, she fulfills the desires of young soldiers outside of very walls of her ancestral mansion, she is oblivious to class in her promiscuity, and she seduces one of her seventeen-year-old student. (Vlasopolos, 337) When in New Orleans, she attempts to split up the Kowalskis even after she learns that Stella is pregnant and makes plans to take Stella away from Stanley. Being aware of this, Stanley enters the battle for weak and indecisive Stella, who functions as the prize between warring parts – Blanche and Stanley. He ruthlessly engages in exposing Blanche as a fraud, a prostitute, and an alcoholic, mercilessly destroys veils of ‘magic’ Blanche wrapped herself in, makes her look old and cheap in the light of the bare electric bulb, and, by imposing his reality in the form of the rape on her, eventually wins. Not only does Blanche’s system of illusions prove to be he r response to the reality of the everyday life, but it also seems to possess a redeeming merit. To understand it, one realizes, attention should first be drawn to the fact that Blanche, confronted with the disappearance of the old South and its codes and myths expressed by the selling of her plantation because of â€Å"epic fornications† (Williams, 43) of her ancestors and deaths that followed them, tries to preserve the past by marrying â€Å"the urbane and civilized, the ‘light and culture’ of the South in the form of Allan Gray† (Bigsby, 64) which thus presents â€Å"a logical extension of her desire to aestheticise experience, her preference for style over function† (Bigsby, 43). His poetic delicacy and refinement, however, turns out to be the cover for his homosexuality. Shocked and disgusted by this discovery, Blanche publicly exposes her husband and makes him commit suicide. In other words,  she â€Å"discovers the corruption, or, at the very least, the profound deceit which lies behind the veneer of that side of the Southern pastâ₠¬  (Bigsby, 64). Seen in this light, Blanche’s cruel exposure of her husband becomes the origin of guilt which has to be expiated and redeemed by her own system of illusions. She had to â€Å"turn from the death in Belle Reve to the ‘life of casual _amours_’, (†¦) she had [to] turn away from the misery of ‘reality’ to her romantic evasions† (Kernan, 11). In the end, or rather from the very beginning of the play, Blanche’s system of illusions proves to be a not well-chosen reaction since reality, in the character of Stanley Kowalski, forcefully imposes on her, leaving her only one exit – that of asylum as a sea resort. Blanche – homeless, ravished, and abandoned – gets confined inside the boundaries of her own illusive fiction (asylum as sea resort, Doctor as Southern gentleman) which makes her invulnerable to further assaults but, nevertheless, destroys her humanity. Blanche’s challenges to the Southern belle stereotype are also pointed up by her excessive alcohol consummation and innumerous love affairs. Throughout A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche has a drink in her hands which is quite unusual for the Southern belle she is supposed to represent. This ‘unusual spectacle’ occurs repeatedly in scene 1 when Blanche, waiting for Stella, â€Å"tosses a half tumbler of whiskey down† ( Williams, 18), â€Å"looks[s again] around for some liquor (†¦) [which then] buzzes right through [her] and feels so good† (Williams, 19-21) when talking with Stella. Although Blanche â€Å"rarely touch[es] it† (Williams, 30) and is â€Å"not accustomed to having more than one drink† (Williams, 54), she, nevertheless, falls under alcoholic spell again and again and again – in particular in the scenes 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11. For instance, she cannot imagine her coke without â€Å"a shot in it† (Williams, 79) or a date with Mitch without a drink or two; she needs â€Å"a bottle of liquor† (Williams, 113) not only to stop the Varsouviana tune in her head but also to get over Mitch’s betrayal†¦ It is striking in all these instances that Blanche actually uses alcohol to â€Å"extirpate moral contradictions† (Riddel, 18) that stand between her and the concept of the idealized white Southern bellehood whose principles she was supposed to have internalized as her own. Perhaps it would also be correct to say that alcohol, in these specific fictional instances, operates as the means of encouragement against the humiliation of being an unwanted intruder and a fallen role model in her own  family who ‘forgot’, although they live in New Orleans, the basic codes of Southern hospitality. Relatedly, Blanche’s frequent love affairs justify their rendering as Blanche’s physical redemption for the responsibility and guilt she has felt since she confronted her husband with his homosexuality: I had many intimacies with strangers. After the death of Allan – intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with. †¦ I think it was panic, just panic, that drove me from one to another, hunting for some protection – here and there, in the most – unlikely places – even, at last, in a seventeen-year-old boy†¦ (Williams, 118), In finding it perverse, she could neither live with the idea of Allan’s homosexuality nor could she help him. The ‘neither-nor’ situation in which Blanche found herself caused Allan’s death and, consequently, made her guilt and pain-ridden. This pain, which is almost literally tearing her apart, is thus the pain of the woman violated and abused by the men-domi nated culture, which cannot necessarily be heterosexually oriented. In order to live with it, she had to neutralize it with desire – a succession of sexual encounters with even younger and younger men. To Blanche, â€Å"desire was the antithesis of death and her relationship with young men a defense against the destructive processes of time† (Bigsby, 60). Blanche, for her part, was attracted by their innocence and purity – the features she, as the Southern belle, was supposed to possess; or she saw in them the reincarnation of her dead husband and, consequently, a chance to redeem her own conduct and start a new ‘marriage’ based on understanding, compassion, and gentleness; or maybe she, as Tennessee Williams argued, â€Å"in her mind has become Allan. She acts out her fantasy of how Allan would have approached a young boy† (Hardison Londre, 58) subverting and travestying in that way, the Southern belle myth that promoted clear cut borderlines between genders and sexes, races and classes. In the end, there is only a hope that this paper, which attempted to give an insight into the historically (de)constructed myth of the Southern belle and its literary affirmation and/or subversion in the character of Blanche DuBois in Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire, has been successful enough to explain the complex and, at the moments, perplexing development of Williams’s (anti)belle concept. Given this fact, the paper, beginning with a description of the Southern belle stereotype, pointed out that this very stereotype was (de)constructed along class, race and gender lines. In the  second section, I discussed aspects of Blanche’s identity which were tied to the historical construction of the passive-submissive Southern bellehood. The third major section focused on Blanche’s victimization and her, more or less, subversive reactions to it. Blanche, for her part, is, most obviously, capable to shake and, occasionally, break the Southern bellehood myth; there are, at the moments, greater or smaller rebellions and transgressions she is tempted to perform. But, sometimes, just as it is courageous to deconstruct the pedestal, so too it is safer to find shelter in the well-known patterns of behavior, it is safer to be center than margin, we than other†¦ Conclusion In the analysis of the American play â€Å"Streetcar Named Desire† that written by Tennesse William. The myth in the end, there is only a hope that this paper, which attempted to give an insight into the historically (de)constructed myth of the Southern belle and its literary affirmation and/or subversion in the character of Blanche DuBois in Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire, has been successful enough to explain the complex and, at the moments, perplexing development of Williams’s (anti)belle concept. Given this fact, the paper, beginning with a description of the Southern belle stereotype, pointed out that this very stereotype was (de)constructed along class, race and gender lines. In the second section, I discussed aspects of Blanche’s identity which were tied to the historical construction of the passive-submissive Southern bellehood. The third major section focused on Blanche’s victimization and her, more or less, subversive reactions to it. Blanche, for her part, is, most obviously, capable to shake and, occasionally, break the Southern bellehood myth; there are, at the moments, greater or smaller rebellions and transgressions she is tempted to perform. But, sometimes, just as it is courageous to deconstruct the pedestal, so too it is safer to find shelter in the well-known patterns of behavior, it is safer to be center than margin, we than other. Based on the theory of Semiotics in this play Semiotics, also called semiotic studies or (in the Saussurean tradition) semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes (semiosis), indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication. Semiotics is closely related to the field of linguistics, which, for its part, studies the structure and  meaning of language more specifically. Refference * Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York: Signet Books, 1974. * Elengton, Terry. Teori Sastra. 2006. Yogyakarta : Pecetakan Jalasutra * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_mythology The Analysis of Main Character ‘Blanche DuBois’ in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’

Green Supply Chain Management In Manufacturing Industry Environmental Sciences Essay

Green Supply Chain Management In Manufacturing Industry Environmental Sciences Essay In this section, this chapter will be continued to discuss about the previous chapter which is focus on green supply chain management (GSCM) in manufacturing industry. Meanwhile, this chapter will review on an overview and definition of green supply chain management, barriers of implementation of green supply chain management, factors that influence of the operation of green supply chain management and benefits of green supply chain management. 2.1 Overview and Definition of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) In business today, the environment has become a critical issue in manufacturing industry and it has been increasing in consciousness of the environment in the last few decades. Nowadays, people are aware of the worlds environmental problems such as toxic substance usage, decreasing in non-replenish resources and global warning. This problem if no deal with well it has the potential to lead to the extinction of mankind on earth. To promote these environmental problems, government has to organize relevant campaigns to public. As a result, there have several organizations start to apply green principles to their industry. For example the organizations will use environmental friendly raw material, using recycle papers for packaging and reduce the usage of petroleum power during implement operations. According to Sheu et al (2005), with increase in environmental concerns during the past decade, a consensus is growing that environmental pollution issues accompanying industrial development should be addressed together with supply chain management thereby contributing to green supply chain management (GSCM). Green supply chain management it has roots in environment management and supply chain management literature. Adding the green component to supply chain management involves addressing the influence and relationships between supply chain management and the natural environment. Besides that, green supply chain management also defines as integrating environmental thinking into supply chain management including material sourcing and selection, product design, manufacturing processes and delivery of the final product to the customers as well as end-of-life management of the product after its useful life. In addition, green supply chain management is a concept that is gaining popularity in the South East Asian region. For many organizations in this region it is a way to demonstrate their sincere commitment to sustainability (Bacallan, 2000). Furthermore, many realize that customers and other stakeholders do not always distinguish between a company and its suppliers. If an organization has environmental liabilities, stakeholders may often hold the lead company in a particular supply chain responsible for the adverse environmental impacts of all organizations within a specific supply chain for a particular product. Rao and Holt (2005), reported that green supply chain management also can promote efficiency and synergy among business partners and their lead corporations and helps to enhance environmental performance such as minimize waste and achieve cost saving. Meanwhile, the most far- reaching approach of environmental management is to create value through greening the supply chain (van Hoek, 1999). Figure 1: Functional model of an organizational supply chain with environmentally influential practices ( Sarkis, p.400) As illustrated by figure 1, the green supply chain model shows the various points where wastes occur and opportunities exist to limit waste by reuse, recycling and remanufacturing. In a green manufacturing environment, the supply chain decisions include the possibility that a process can use certain renewable materials, the ability to utilize reusable or remanufactured materials and the reduction of wastes. This diagram is typical for a single organization. According to Sarkis (p.399) states that environmentally friendly innovations may best be utilized during the manufacturing stage of the supply chain, as this part is the most internally focused and the organization can more directly see the benefits of implementing environmentally friendly process. On the other hand, green supply chain management also involves conventional supply chain management practices which are integrated manufacturing process wherein raw materials are manufactured into final products then delivered to customers via distribution, retail or both. (Beamon, 1999). However green supply chain management has ranged from green purchasing to integrated supply chains flowing from supplier to manufacturer, customer and reverse logistics which is closing the loop as defined by supply chain management literature. (Zhu and Sarkis, 2004). Characteristics Conventional SCM Green SCM Objectives and values Economic Economic and ecological Ecological optimization High ecological impacts Integrated approach Low ecological impacts Supplier selection criteria Price switching suppliers quickly Short term relationships Ecological aspects (and price) Long term relationships Cost pressure and prices High cost pressure Low prices High cost pressure High prices Speed and flexibility High Low Table 1: Differences between the conventional and green supply chain management Based on table 1, we can differences between the conventional and green supply chain management. Overview on this table showed that green supply chain management can provide highly innovative and an efficiency environmental management to manufacturing industry whether on supplier selection, prices, speed and other characteristics. 2.2 Activities in green supply chain management Green supply chain management (GSCM) is defined as green procurement+ green manufacturing+ green distribution+ reverse logistics. Green supply chain management is an idea used to minimize waste such as energy, solid and hazardous wastes, natural resource and environment pollution along supply chain. Inventory Inventory (Material) Defects (Product) Manufacturer Customer Production Supplier End of life products Plant Reuse/ Recycle/ Refurbish Reuse/ Recycle/ Re- Assembly Materials Products Reuse/ Recycle Materials Waste Figure 2: Activities in green supply chain management Green Procurement Green procurement is an environmental purchasing with involve the reduction, reuse and recycling of materials in the process of purchasing. The procurement decision is very important because it will impact the green supply chain during purchase of materials. Besides that, it is also a solution for environmentally concerned and is a concept of selection of products and services that can minimize environmental impact and eliminate waste. As an example during implement of green procurement, manufacturers will purchase materials only from green partners and consider supplier who acquire ISO 14000 and OHSAS 18000. Green Manufacturing Green manufacturing is a production processes which use materials with low environmental impacts, highly efficient and minimize waste or pollution. Green manufacturing is a very important area in green operations, because it can lead to minimum energy and resource, provides a lower raw materials costs and reduced environmental impacts. For detects materials, usually manufacturers will reuse, recycle or reassembly it before produce to product. It can help organization to minimize of waste. Green Distribution Green distribution also is an important operational that will affect the green supply chain. Green distribution consists of 2 components are green packaging and green logistics. Size, shape and materials of packaging are very vital because it can impact on distribution due to affect on the transport characteristics of the products. Better packaging is along with rearranged loading patterns, can reduce materials usage, reduce the amount of handling required and increase space utilization in the warehouse. When implement of green distribution, manufacturers will use green packaging materials, adopt returnable packaging methods, deliver directly to customer site and distribute products together rather than in smaller batches. Reverse Logistics Reverse logistics is a last part of activities in green supply chain management. Reverse logistics is the process of returning the end of life product from end user back to the supplier. The supplier can plant, reuse, recycle and refurbish the material. These activities also include collection, selection, re-processing, redistribution and disposal. According to Rogers and Tibben-Lembke (1999), a well managed reverse logistics program can result in savings in inventory carrying transportation and waste disposal costs as well as improving customer service. 2.3 The barriers of implementation of green supply chain management With increasing pressures of environmental impacts, manufacturing industry faced many barriers or problem to implement of their product or services. So those, organization need to find out the barriers which impede organization to implementation of green supply chain management. According to Perron (2005), there are 3 barriers of organization to implementation of green supply chain management. Attitude and perceptions barriers Attitude and perceptions is one of the barriers for organization to implementation of green supply chain management. To implementation of green supply chain management, top management plays an important role in organization because it can affect the development in organization. For example, for top management who have bad attitude it can influence the relationships organization with supplier or customer during they make decision making. Information related barriers The second barriers that faced by manufacturing industry is information related. There have some organization are often lack of awareness and information about how to implement green supply chain management. Besides that, they may not be aware of what is going wrong and not understand the environmental impacts of activities in organization. Other than that, lack of exposure also is another barrier that faced by manufacturing industry because they dun have any information related with green supply chain management had been taken by other organization. Technical barriers Technical also is a barriers that impede organization to adopt green supply chain management. Some organization is usually cannot get a state of the art information about new technology, materials, operations and processes. Besides this, lack of technical expertise of employees also is a major barrier because they unable to fulfill the design for environment requirements. 2.4 The factors influence of the operation of green supply chain management Green supply chain management is an effective motivated to improve the efficiency and effectively of environmental management, but there have some factors that influence of the operation of green supply chain management. The main factors that influence of the operation of green supply chain management are market and competitor. Nowadays, the competitive among organization is very high because have so many organization was develop in Malaysia. So that, organization needs to make them standing out with other organization and to give a good impress for customers. Being environmental friendly also is one of the ways to differences them from the competitors. Besides that, the role of the government involves in green supply chain management has been getting increasing attention. In the United States, there have a large number of government agency controlling guide line, regulation and law. These agency and organization are responsible for either similar or different issues such as pollution, chemical waste and product material. For an example, one of the government agencies is Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Environmental Protection Agency is a government organization established to protect human health and the environment. The focus on EPA is developing the best practices of green supply chain management and bringing awareness of those practices through guidebooks and manuals. (US EPA, 2000). Last factor that can influence of operation of green supply chain is decision making. Decision making involves a wide range of knowledge because it includes many factors such as environment, commercial performance, the benefits of a lot of behavior subjects and others. According to Nagurne (2003), the members decision behaviors of green supply chain are utilized the network model to set up the corresponding multiple goals decision model and provided the corresponding algorithm on the problems that asked. Manufacturer also needs to make decision when choosing supplier because collaborative relationships between manufacturers and supplier is very important to organization to implementation of green supply chain management. 2.5 The benefits of green supply chain management The benefits of green supply chain management are can provide a lower environmental load, achieve cost savings and reduce pollution to manufacturing industry. The principle of green supply chain can be applied to all departments in the organization and the effects of green supply chain management are can be develop to all area, both tangibly and intangibly. According to Stevels (2002), the benefits of green supply chain to different roles of supply chain including environment and society in terms of different categories such as material, immaterial and emotion. Benefit for Benefit category Environment Supplier Producer Customer Society Material Lower environmental load Lower cost price Lower cost Lower cost of ownership Less consumption of resources Immaterial Overcoming prejudice and cynicism Less rejects Easier to manufacture Convenience, fun Better compliance Emotion Motivation of stockholders Better image Better image Feel good, Quality of life Industry in on the right (green) track Table 2: The benefit matrix for green supply chain cooperation Based on table 2, it showed that for material, green supply chain management helps lower environment load for environment, lower cost price for supplier, lower cost for producer, lower cost of ownership for customer and less consumption of resources for society. On the other hand for immaterial, green supply chain management helps overcoming prejudice and cynicism for environment, less rejects for supplier, easier to manufacture for producer, convenience and fun for customer and can provide a better compliance for society. The last one is for emotion, green supply chain management helps motivation of stockholder to environment, better image for supplier and producer, feel good and quality of life for customer and makes industry in on the right track. As a result of this table show that different categories of material, immaterial and emotion can provide a benefit for environment, supplier, producer, customer and society. 2.6 Environmental Management Systems Environmental management systems is a strategic management approaches that define how an organization will address the impacts on the natural environment and how the organization using environmental management system to challenge their supplier networks to become more environmentally sustainable. (Bansal and Hunter, 2003; Darnall, 2006). Besides that Sarkis (2001) reported that the operational capabilities necessary to adopt an environmental management system may also assist an organizations efforts to reduce its environmental impacts throughout its supply chain. 2.61 Relationship between environmental management system (EMS) and green supply chain management (GSCM) Relationship between environmental management system and green supply chain management has potentially complementary and it is important for an organizations environmental sustainability because they will provide the definition and establish sustainability among network of organization together. As a result, relationship of e environmental management system and green supply chain management can to minimize impact to the natural environment, reduce waste, increase profits and achieve environmental sustainability goals for all manufacturing industry in Malaysia. 2.62 ISO 14001 ISO 14001 is an international standard requirement for an environmental management system which can be employed by an organization to measure, reduce the environment impact of activities, products and service and its can improve the environmental performance continually. To implement this certification requirement, company can demonstrate their commitment to environment and profit from the guidance the standard provides on more effective environmental management. Below are some benefits to an organization in adopting of ISO 14001: Enhanced image Reduced risk of environmental incidents Improved relationships with customers, government and the general public Better use of energy and resources Achieve cost savings Compliance with environmental rules and regulations Enhanced workplace health and safety Access to markets or company that demand ISO 14001 certification

Essay --

Video games have shaped this country in many ways, in such a way that no other product has even came close. This accomplishment would not have been met if it were not for its many different types games there are for sale. If someone were to ask someone that was from an era where video games were popular and you asked them about games from the old age and the new age, that gien person will either know what you are talking about and/or had the experience to play that game. That is how popular video games are in this country. There are many different types of videos games that consumers can choose from. When someone walks into a video game store, or anywhere that sells video games, they are bombarded with huge selections of games. These games vary from action games, war games, tracing games, and even role- playing games. The list of possible selections could go on and on. But, the three best types of games that have been consistently popular have been the third-person video games, first -person video games, and arcade games. Though there are many different types of video games that are out on the market, each one gives the user its own unique experience. A type of video games that I have had a lot of experience with are first person shooter games. A first person video game makes looks through the perspective of the character. This means that the only object seen is the gun or whatever object the character has in hand. Some examples of this type of game include: Call of Duty, Borderlands, Halo, and many others. Usually, these types of games makes someone feel like they are apart of the story line and really gives a feeling that he/she is right there in the action and gives players a cool outlook on the game while playing. This experien... ...s of the games and have at least played arcade games a few times. This just shows that arcade games are still popular among the children and teen population today, and still very well known and appreciated by the adult population. There are many types of video games out there for the consumer to buy and enjoy in their free time. The types of games that I thought were the most popular were first-person, third-person, and arcade games. These sought- after games have been both popular and popular throughout the world. The consumer can see this by how the demand for these types of games has been constant for a number of years. It is up to the consumer to make up their opinion if a game is good or bad. I believe everyone should give these games a chance, because they are not only the best sellers of this video game era, but are in my opinion the most enjoyable to play.

Gate Sample Application Form

Zone/Scrutiny Code By Registered Post/Speed Post Only 6NP To GATE 2013 Chairman GATE Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Kharagpur, 721302 From Nifal Rasheed Adam AN KHOSLA HALL OF RESIDENCE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BHUBANESWAR NEAR DOORDARSHAN KENDRA, OPPOSITE CMPDI SAMANTAPURI, BHUBANESWAR Orissa, 751013 148 J 871 Y 99380 59870 (Mobile No. ) Cut Here Instructions to the Applicant (GATE 2013) 1. This print out should contain the following pages. (a) This page: Address Slip and Instructions. (b) Application form, filled with the information you provided online. c) Bank Challan in Triplicate (available as a separate file for download from the GATE Online Application Interface), if you have chosen Offline Challan Payment (Not applicable for female candidates). 2. On the GATE copy of the Application Form, paste a 4. 5cm x 3. 5cm printed copy of the SAME color photograph you uploaded online. (a) Use good quality glue to ensure that the photograph does not separate from the app lication. (b) Do not pin, stapple, sign, or attest the photograph. 3. Read the declaration and put your signature in the box next to it. 4.If you are in the final year or you have a backlog after appearing for the final year exam, you must get your Principal’s or HOD’s sign and seal in the last portion of the application form. Submit the whole form to the Principal’s office without cutting it. 5. If you have opted for Challan payment, wait for 48 hours after your online submission to visit the bank’s branch. You can visit any branch of the bank printed on your challan. 6. The bank teller will verify the details printed on the challan with the data available on their computer and then accept the payment.The bank will retain one copy and give you back the remaining copies: one of which you have to send along with the printed application form and the other is for your reference. 7. Mailing Documents to GATE office. (a) Cut the Address Slip and paste it onto an A4 sized envelope (Do not fill address by hand or tamper the address slip). (b) Collect the supporting documents shown under Enclosure Checklist in the application form (if you have uploaded the soft copy of the documents online, you need not send a hard copy). Mark the check list boxes. (c) Do NOT FOLD the application form and Do NOT STAPLE or pin the documents to the form. d) Send the packet by Speed Post (preferably) or by Registered Post to the address mentioned. The application packet should REACH the respective GATE office on or before Monday, 8 October 2012. Note: Application ID – 148 J 871 Y. You should preserve this number for further correspondence. Zone/Scrutiny Code 6NP 148 J 871 Y (Full Name of Applicant) GATE 2013 Application Form Applicant's recent photograph 4. 5 cm x 3. 5 cm (Application ID) Nifal Rasheed Adam 148 J 871 Y 20 Aug 1990 (D. O. B) Male (Name of Parent) OBC-NC Do not Attest Do not sign on photo Indian National P Abdul Rasheed Communication Addr essAN KHOSLA HALL OF RESIDENCE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BHUBANESWAR NEAR DOORDARSHAN KENDRA, OPPOSITE CMPDI SAMANTAPURI, BHUBANESWAR Orissa, 751013 India GATE Exam Details ME (GATE Paper code) Bhubaneswar, OR (Exam City 1) Cuttack, OR (Exam City 2) Scribe Assistance Required: [email  protected] com 99380 59870 (Mobile No. ) No Qualification Details B. Tech Mechanical Engg. Graduated: No, Year of Graduation: 2013 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BHUBANESWAR BHUBANESWAR Orissa, 751013 Zonal GATE Office Contact Chairman GATE Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur Kharagpur, 721302 Payment Details Online Rs. 1200. 00MSBI2813789700 21/09/2012 I hereby declare that all the particulars stated in this application form are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. I have read the Information Brochure and I shall abide by the terms and conditions therein. In the event of suppression or distortion of any fact in my application form, I understand that I will be denied the opportunity to appear in GATE 2013. Further, if any suppression or distortion of facts is found after appearing in the exam, any admission/degree acquired on the basis of GATE 2013 score is liable to be cancelled. Digital Fingerprint: b16140f109c2622e796613acd26a33dcDate: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ /†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ /†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Applicant’s signature inside the box in black ink Principal Certificate (For use as the eligibility certificate only for final year or backlog applicants) This is to certify that Nifal Rasheed Adam is a student enrolled in INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BHUBANESWAR, BHUBANESWAR. He is a student of the final year of B. Tech. He appeared in the final semester/year exam of the above degree, but has a backlog to be cleared from an earlier semester/year, and therefore cannot produce a course completion certificate. Date: Signature of Principal/ HOD Seal

Consumer Perception towards Organic Food Products in India Essay

Consumers worldwide are becoming health conscious and are concerned about nutrition (Hart, 2000) and the quality of food consumed. Consumers are also increasingly concerned with food safety issues taking into consideration, the recent salmonella case in Germany and elsewhere. Gil, Gracia and Sanchez (2000) have investigated that consumers are getting health conscious and are paying more attention to quality of food consumed. Therefore, food must deliver an added value that are sought after by consumers besides basic hedonistic and functional needs such as nutrition, taste, health, favorable price-quality ratio, etc., in the selection of food. This added value may be perceived in the form of ecological, social and individual bene? t. A study on consumer perception towards organic food products may add insight into the nascent but emerging organic food industry in India. The review of related literature in the area of organic food products and consumer perception studied has provided many insights for the study. It has also provided direction in designing the present study. A number of researchers have identi? ed various factors that in? uence consumer perception of organic food products mainly in developed countries. Some studies have also been undertaken in Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. Very few researchers have attempted to focus in detail the various factors that in? uence consumer perception towards organic food. Having reviewed several studies and having identi? ed the gap, the investigator felt an imperative need to undertake the present investigation. Keywords: Demographic Factors, Organic Food Products and Psychographic Factors In? uencing Consumer Perception Organic Food in India The organic food market in India is at a nascent stage. Country speci? c research undertaken by A. C. Neilsen in 2006 has indicated that Indians are among the top ten buyers of food with health supplements but lack access to organic food products. Due to high logistic cost & low volume operation, organic food products are costly. However, India is an emerging player in the export market with billions of export potential. Also the domestic market is characterized by limited retail presence, low certi? ed branded produce and a small range of organic product offerings with respect to varieties though marginal growth is becoming evident. Some of the exclusive retail outlets selling organic food products in and around Bangalore are Hypermart, Spar, Spencer’s, ADITYA Birla group’s More outlet etc. Branded organic food products like ProNature, Navadarshanam, ITC’s Aashirvaad Organic Spices, etc. , are also available at most super-markets. Arogya, Jaivika Krishik Society, Econet, Janodaya, Era Organics, Khnadige, Foodworld Gourmet, Koshy’s Departmentals, organ, Green Channel, Namdhari’s Fresh, Green Fundas, Savayava Siri, Health Fo od, Srinidhi Nysargika Thota, Iha Naturals, Tibetian Organic, Iskon, Plant Rich, Jaiva and 2 4 Letter Mantra. 304 Business Management and Information Systems Literature Review Organic food is a topic of great interest in the USA (Greene, 2000), Europe (Food and agriculture Organization, 1999) and the market is fast growing in other parts of the globe (Yusse? and Willer, 2002). Crutch? eld and Roberts (2000) expressed that the last one decade has witnessed growing public concern towards issues such as health, nutrition and safety. Introduction of genetically modi? ed organisms, spread of Escherichia coli infections, etc. , have lead to the association of risk with the consumption of conventionally grown produce amongst consumers (Williams and Hammitt, 2001). Makatouni (2002) studied that organic food is closely associated with not just health, but also with social, economic and ecological sustainability. Organic food products is amongst the fastest growing areas of the food market in Europe, Northern America, Australia and Japan with sales exceeding $114. 5 billion in 1999 (Ebrahimi, 2007) with plent y of international growth potential according to agricultural & food industry experts. Organic food market in the South East Asian region constitutes average consumption of 20% per annum, while the organic industry is valued at US $25 million (Ramli, 2005;Organic Monitor, 2006). Research Gap Based on the above literature review, the following research gaps could be identi? ed and have been suggested as follows: 1. Fear over food scandals and certain technological advances such as genetic manipulation and food irradiation has heightened consumer concern on safety issues giving rise to a growing demand for quality guarantees and additional information about production methods. Despite concern towards safety of food consumed, consumers do not completely trust organic food products on this parameter and hence it is imperative to  conduct a study to identify the present scenario. 2. Country speci? c research undertaken by A. C. Neilsen has indicated that, ‘Indians amongst the top ten buyers of food with â€Å"health supplements† globally but lack access to organic food products. ’ Statement of the Problem The market for organic food products in India has emerged because of the following two reasons. †¢ To tap the lucrative export markets for organic products in the developed countries. †¢ Organic processed food products represent higher ‘added value’. †¢ Producers and Consumers general concern for environment and ideologies Incidentally, in India, most of the organic produce is grown to be exported to the $25-30 billion global market. The rest is sold at predetermined retail outlets. So, if the trend for organic p roducts is growing among producers then, its bene? ts must naturally reach the local population of a countr y. This will also ensure that the food products are nutrient rich as processing required would be minimal from the point of origin & consumption. Objectives of the Study The objective of the study is on consumer perception towards organic food products in Bangalore are as follows: a. To study the organic food market in Karnataka b. To study the relationship between demographics of customer and factors of perception of consumers towards organic food products Consumer Perception Towards Organic Food Products in India 305 c. To identify the in? uence of factors of perception on the overall satisfaction of customers towards organic food products . Hypothesis of the Study The following hypothesis was used to test the effect of perceptual factors on the overall satisfaction of consumers towards organic food p roducts. †¢? Hypothesis? 1:? There is no significant in? uence of factors on the overall satisfaction of customers towards organic food products †¢? Hypothesis? 2:? There is no signi? cant difference between demography of customers & factors of percep tion. †¢ Hypothesis 3: There is no signi? cant correlation among factors of p erception Sample Size For the present study, questionnaires were distributed to around 300 respondents, from whom 246 correctly completed questionnaires have been obtained, yielding a response rate of 81. 9 percent. Table 1. Distribution of the Sample According to Gender, Age, Educational Quali? cation, Average Spending Per Month and Frequency of Consumption. The Table 1 describes male constitution as 59% and females as 41%, the distribution of sample with reference to age wherein maximum respondents were below 30, according to education, maximum 306 Business Management and Information Systems respondents are graduates and 25% of the respondents are post graduates. fourthly, average spending is more than 1000 per month. Lastly, Maximum numbers of respondents consume organic food products on a weekly basis followed by a minimum number of respondents consuming organic food products once a month. The least amount of consumption falls in the category of once a month consumption pattern. General Findings Following are the ? ndings related to this study on consumer perception towards organic food products in Bangalore. 1. Consumers of organic food products evaluate product quality with the price theyp a y . 2. Demographic variables namely gender has a positive impact on consumer perception towards organic food products while difference in educational quali? cations do not have a signi? ca nt impact. 3. There is signi? cant impact of psychographic factors on overall satisfaction of consumers towards organic food products. 4. Consumers consider organic food products as safe for consumption. 5. The respondents have also felt that organic food products are healthy to consume 6. Consumers generally prefer to consume grain based organic food products followed closely by organic grains and organic fruits. Implications of the Study It is important to study factors that have an influence on consumer perception towards organic food products. This study helps consumers and producers/marketers of organic food products to understand the importance of various factors on overall satisfaction towards organic food products. An understanding of consumer perception leads to the creation of better marketing strategies. Here the marketers can focus on appropriate pricing and promotional methods particularly to increase the visibility of organic products to make a positive impact on their perception so as to increase potential sales in the domestic market. Consumers are both quality conscious and price sensitive. Marketers and producers should collectively work towards bringing quality produce in the market to gain market acceptance. At the same time, both marketers and producers should work in consensus with the pricing factor which is perceived to be one of the most important factors in? uencing consumer perception as well as their overall satisfaction towards organic food products. This will help marketers to formulate a strong communication plan in order to influence consumer perception towards organic food products. This study has identi? ed availability of information and promotional activities undertaken by marketers to be one of the important factors influencing consumer perception towards organic food products in Bangalore. Marketers can look into ways of increasing consumer knowledge on organic food products and help them differentiate the bene? ts of consumption of organic versus nonorganic food products. Conclusion The results of the study show that there is a signi? cant relationship between various psychographic factors on the overall satisfaction of consumers towards organic food products. This implies that both producers and marketers need to concentrate on speci? c factors so as to improve the market potential for organic food products and thereby contributing to the general well being of the society and the larger good to en viro nm ent. Consumer Perception Towards Organic Food Products in India 307 References [1] Allen, W. M. (2000). The attribute mediation of product-meaning approach to the In? uence of human values on consumer choices, Advances in Psychology R esearch, l, pp. 31–76. [2] Arzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 50, pp. 179–211. [3]Baker, S., Thompson, K. and Engelken, J. (2004). Mapping the values driving organic food choice: Germany vs. the U. K. and the U. K. vs. Germany. European Journal of Marketing, 38(8), pp. 995–1012. [4] Brown, E. , Dury, S. and Holdsworth, M. (2009). Motivations of consumers that use local, organic fruit & vegetable box schemes in Central England and Southern France. Appetite, 53, pp. 183–188. [5] Cerjak, M. , Mesic, Z. , Kopic, M. , Kovacic, D. and Markovina, J. (2010). What motivates consumers to buy organic food: Comparison of Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Slovenia. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 16, pp.

Literature: the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Katrina Van Tassel

A. Compare and contrast the characters of Ichabod Crane and Brom Van Brunt. Think about their job/social class position. Think about the different ways that they behave in general, and also toward Katrina Van Tassel. Think about how they experience each other. In the story the legend of sleepy hollow, the story takes place in lower region of New York in a town called Tarrytown. In the city of Tarrytown the town of Sleepy Hollow had received its name, for all the haunted spooky things that happened there, and the legendary story of the Headless horseman. There are several important characters that make up the story. Two with very important significance are Ichabod Crane and Brom Van Brunt. Ichabod Crane was a native from Connecticut who had moved to Sleepy Hollow to instruct the children of the Vicinity. He was a tall, lanky man who if looked at bared a resemblance to a scarecrow. He was a superstitious school teacher of the children in the town. He was a smart, yet easy lived man. Scholar man yet looked like he was famished and had not eaten in weeks, skinny long lanky arms and legs small head with big eyes. Brom Van Brunt on the other hand had bad intentions. He was a muscular good looking man who was very strong. He only cared about money, inheritance, and telling stories to scare people of the headless horseman. The one thing Brom Van Brunt and Ichabod Crane had in common was they both wanted to win the hand of Katrina Van Tressel. The only child of the Dutch farmer. Both men were after the same thing but behaved very differently. Ichabod was genuine, where as Brunt was not. He only wanted power and money. He wasn’t after love like crane was. He thought by telling scary stories of the headless horseman galloping through the woods hunting down people and killing them. Brunt enjoyed telling these stories to scare crane while he would be out alone in the woods. They both tried to steal the heart of Katrina. The difference between the characters is Crane had been kind and smart and his scholarly ways helped earn respect from Katrina, who he had wanted to ask him to marry her. Where as brunt only had his tough macho man ways which didn’t score much trust or liking from Katrina. There social classes were completely different. Crane was smart, kind, friendly and helpful with the children. He had gained respect from the mothers in town. Brunt didn’t he was the town rowdy. Wasn’t as mature as Crane was.

The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway - 848 Words

He was sick; he has on the brink of death as his life began to catch up with him. Harry, the main character in â€Å"The Snows of Kilimanjaro† by Ernest Hemingway, lays on a cot at the plains of Kilimanjaro dying from gangrene due to a self-inflected wound he never took care of. While on the edge of death, his true identity as a person begins to shine through. Is Harry a good man merely preparing for death in a terrible way? Or was his truly deceptive and abusive personality shining through at his last moments of life? While these questions are highly debated, there is evidence to prove that Harry was, indeed, a terrible man receiving his punishment for the life that he had lived. Harry was a con, a thief, an abuser, and a sluggard and was now†¦show more content†¦However, due to his lack of love for her, it can also be believed that this is how he typically treats her. Some examples of his abuse include comments such as â€Å"You’re such a bloody fool† (Page 827, Par. 9) and â€Å"No [I don’t love you]. I don’t think so. I never have† (Page 828, Par. 13). He continuously belittles her and plays mind games to hurt her even deeper. An example of this is close to the beginning of the story. The conversation starts and she asks him to stop pestering her. He apologizes and says he doesn’t want to hurt her. She responds, â€Å"It’s a little bit late for that now.† He then retorts, â€Å"All right then. I’ll go on hurting you. It’s more amusing. The only thing I ever really liked to do with you I can’t do now.† Because he is hurt, he can no longer have sex with her. His reference to only enjoying having sex with her is not only sexist but completely degrading. After telling her he enjoys hurting her, he says: Harry: Listen, do you think that it is fun to do this? I don’t now why I’m doing it. It’s trying to kill to keep yourself alive, I imagine. I was all right when we started talking. I didn’t mean to start this, and now I’m crazy as a coot and being as cruel to you as I can be. Don’t pay attention, darling, to what I say. I love you, really. You know I love you. I’ve never loved any one else the way I love you. Helen: You’re sweet to me. Harry: You bitch. You rich bitch. That’s poetry. I’m full of poetry now. Rot andShow MoreRelatedSnows Of Kilimanjaro By Ernest Hemingway1229 Words   |  5 PagesSnows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway gives different viewpoints about Hemingway’s life and marriage. Hemingway gives the character Harry, who gets an infection in his leg and is suffering from great pain, a different outlook on his life when death gets involved. When describing such themes as death, infection and the small and unimportant values of life, we see a different kind of Harry come out of the story. A bashful, unkind, and shameful Harry is brought into our imagination with such imageryRead MoreEssay on An Analysis of The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway1676 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway During his life, Ernest Hemingway has used his talent as a writer in many novels, nonfiction, and short stories, and today he is recognized to be maybe the best-known American writer of the twentieth century (Stories for Students 243). In his short stories Hemingway reveals his deepest and most enduring themes-death, writing, machismo, bravery, and the alienation of men in the modern world (Stories for Students 244). The Snows of KilimanjaroRead More Infectious Death Through Lack of Living in The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway1157 Words   |  5 PagesInfectious Death Through Lack of Living in The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway The short story â€Å"The Snows of Kilimanjaro† by Ernest Hemingway gives a look into the life of a man facing death in the African savannah as a result of an infection. Exotic locales and predominate dialogue are common in Hemingway’s writings and are evident in â€Å"The Snows of Kilimanjaro† as well. â€Å"The Snows of Kilimanjaro† by Ernest Hemingway portrays the theme of death by use of specific narration, the protagonist’sRead MoreComparison Between Pale Horse, Pale Rider By Katherine Ann Porter And The Snows of Kilimanjaro By Ernest Hemingway679 Words   |  3 PagesComparison Between Pale Horse, Pale Rider By Katherine Ann Porter And The Snows of Kilimanjaro By Ernest Hemingway This paper is going to discuss and analyze fully two short American fiction stories which are Pale horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Ann Porter and The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway. By reading the bibliographies of both these authors, one finds that Porter and Hemingway have met in a certain period of their life, where they could have shared lotsRead MoreSymbolism In Ernest Hemingways The Snows Of Kiilimanjaro1222 Words   |  5 PagesMount Kilimanjaro is known as the house of God. Standing at 5,895 meters above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Africa. For centuries, people from across the globe travel to Tanzania in order to experience the majesty associated with the three dormant volcanoes. Ernest Hemingway, one of the great American 20th century novelists, visit the house of God through his short story â€Å"The Snows of Kilimanjaro†. Hemingway uses strong symbolic imagery to connect his readers with the life changing realizationsRead MoreThe Snows Of Kilimanjaro Analysis1234 Words   |  5 PagesOsifowode Professor Linda Daigle English 2328 July 19, 2017 Hemingway – The Snows of Kilimanjaro Among the key elements in any play, character development and themes remain crucial since they help in understanding the setting and the play in general. In most cases, these elements are hidden so that a deeper meaning can be obtained from a scene when trying to pass the message across. In the play, â€Å"The Snows of Kilimanjaro† by Ernest Hemingway, we can observe several features that are distinct as explainedRead More Snow of Kilimanjaro Essay3386 Words   |  14 Pages In this story â€Å"The Snows of Kilimanjaro†, the author Ernest Hemingway has basically two main characters, Harry and his wife, Helen. Throughout the story Harry has an infected leg, which seems to be seriously bothering him, it is actually rotting away. The author writes about Harry’s time on the mountain with his wife just waiting for his death. In his story, Ernest Hemingway shows a great deal reality and emotion through his main character Harry, in the books themes, and its symbols. The author’sRead MoreErnest Hemingway: A Brief Biography 1210 Words   |  5 PagesErnest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1899. He was a writer who started his career with a newspaper office in Kansas City when he was seventeen. When the United States got involved in the First World War, Hemingway joined with a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. During his service, he was wounded, and was decorated by the Italian Government. Upon his return to the United States, he was employed by Canadian and American newspapers as a reporter, and sent back to EuropeRead MoreEssay on Short stories1134 Words   |  5 Pages Essay nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The short stories â€Å"The Snows of Kilimanjaro† and â€Å"The Short Happy Life of Francis Mocomber† were both written by world renowned author Ernest Hemingway. The two stories are written completely unrelated to each other; however, both stories have vast similarities in the time and place in which they take place. Hemingway is a writer that is very methodical in his word choices. When reading these two stories a second time the reader finds considerable differencesRead MoreErnest Hemingway s A Old Man And The Sea1588 Words   |  7 PagesErnest Hemingway, an Intense Macho Bullfighting Woodsman of an author, If you met him in person you would not beleive him when he told you he s an author. However Ernest Hemingway is a very accomplished author, well known as the Chronicler of the lost generation, and for his Pulitzer Prize winning Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway also was known for his collection of short stories, like In Another Country and The Snows of Kilimanjaro, as with many of his stories these two are set in 2 places he has

The Whipping=evaluation=1200 W Essay examples - 1091 Words

Upon reading Robert Haydens 1970 poem, The Whipping; (1075), one may find themselves feeling very disturbed. The title is not subtle in hiding the fact that the plot of the poem is of a mother beating her son. The tone of the poem is very violent, and filled with a lot of anger. The boys character immediately demands sympathy from the reader and just as instantaneously, the mother is hated by the reader. From his first stanza, to his sixth, Hayden utilizes an arsenal of words, symbols, and images to create a scene that is intense and emotional to the reader. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Hayden introduces his poem with the first stanza, which begins with The old woman across the way/ is whipping the boy again; (1-2). These lines†¦show more content†¦This line compares the mother to some kind of a beast, whom stalks her prey and entraps it right before she devours its helpless flesh. In addition, the crippling fat; paints a grotesque image of the mother allowing us to form a bias of this fat, ugly, child-beating beast. Hayden has set the foundation for his poem with his brilliant usage of the setting and characterization. Hayden uses his third stanza to develop the action in the poem. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;She strikes and strikes the shrilly circling / boy till the stick breaks in her hand.; (9-10). These two lines describe the kind of sadistic beating that the boy is receiving. This is not an average everyday spanking. The antagonist actually hits the child until the stick cannot withstand anymore. The usage of alliteration allows the reader to incorporate that the boy is screaming and running in circles all while receiving the beating. Hayden then says, His tears are rainy weather to woundlike memories:; (11-12). This line is very significant to the poem. The narrator is making a connection to himself at this time. The boys tears are bringing back memories from his past. Hayden uses the colon marks to show that the preceding text is going to be the narrators woundlike; memories. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The fourth and fifth stanzas are used to show the thoughts of the narrator. The narrator is remembering an incident that has happened in the past when he was beaten. He