Literary Analysis of American Literature Essay Example for Free

Literary Analysis of American Literature Essay As Elinor Ostrom explains, To a great degree, his stories speak for those who are disenfranchised, cheated, abused, or ignored because of race or class. Hughess stories speak of the downtrodden African-Americans neglected and overlooked by a prejudiced society. The recurring theme of powerlessness is exemplified in his narration â€Å"Let America Be America again†, â€Å"Harlem† and â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers†. Hughes uses rhyme to draw attention to the poetic element of his narration â€Å"Let America Be America Again†. Words such as â€Å"be† and â€Å"free†, â€Å"dreamed and â€Å"schemed†, â€Å"wreathe† and â€Å"breathe† etc. all demonstrate rhyming. The central theme is that the author feels left out of the American Dream. Hughes is writing a poem of someone who feels that America is a land that lives up to begin to add up to that. The tone is angry and resentful. In this poem he is not representing the point of view of one particular group. Hughes conveys that there are many people who’ve come here with hopes and dreams and they’re being let down. He’s also saying that there is an economic disparity between people. In essence the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, because there is no equal opportunity. That idea is something that is not real for many people because of their race, economic situation, and come up. The reader is immediately introduced to the fact that the author does not believe that America is all it can be due to the fact that the word again is used. He wants America to be â€Å"the dream it used to be. † But the powerful line is #5 which reads â€Å"America was never America. † This enhances what many people feel, that Americas ideals of equality, liberty, and land of the free don’t seem real. In a sense there is a positive tone because there is a hope that America can be a â€Å"great strong land of love,† O, let my land be a land where liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. Liberty, which is another word for freedom is important in the dream America holds so preciously. The central message here is one of greed. Money is at the center of what America has become. Hughes feels that â€Å"power, gain† and owning property is the focus. It’s all about money. He says in line #32 to what America has become in his views. â€Å"Of owning everything for one’s own greed! † At the later stage of the poem, Hughes is coming back and saying sarcastically that he wouldn’t say there is freedom. He is speaking for the â€Å"millions† of people who have been struggling, hoping, working, flying flags, â€Å"who have nothing† except for dreams that are â€Å"almost dead. † â€Å"Harlem† by Langston Hughes is a poem that talks about what happens when we postpone our dreams. The poem is made up of a series of similes and it ends with a metaphor. The objective of the poem is to get us to think about what happens to a dream that is put off, postponed; what happens when we create our very own shelve of dreams? The â€Å"dream† refers to a goal in life, not the dreams we have while sleeping, but our deepest desires. There are many ways to understand this poem; it varies from person to person. Someone like me may see this poem as talking about just dreams in general. Others may see it as African-American’s dreams. Although the meter of Harlem varies, the poem has a rhythmic, lyrical quality achieved through alliteration, rhyme, repetition of certain words, and carefully placed stressed syllables. People need to think twice before deferring their dreams. Langston Hughes says it best in his poem Harlem asking the question. What happens to a dream deferred Langston Hughes describes the outcome of the question as an altogether bad idea, saying that deferring your dream is â€Å"fester like a sore† or â€Å"it stinks like rotten meat†. By using imagery, he wants the reader to know what it is like to defer a dream and how bad it is. The first image in the poem proposes that the dream dries up like a raisin. This simile likens the original dream to a grape, which is round, juicy, green and fresh. Once the dream has lain neglected for too long, it dries up. Where the raisin image invokes the senses of taste and sight, the simile of the sore conveys a sense of touch and bodily impact. By comparing the dream to a sore on the body, Hughes suggests that unfulfilled dreams become part of us, like scars. In Langston Hughes poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Hughes makes use of some interesting poetic techniques. This poem is written in free verse, at first glance, seems to be unstructured. Hughes repeats words and lines, but does not make use of repeated sounds. Finally, some of his word choices near the end of the poem help to bring the message of the poem across more strongly. These poetic techniques contribute greatly to the quality of the poem. The textual details of the poem invoke strong imagery related to veins, rivers, and the roots of trees and give the reader a sense of the timelessness of these objects. In the short first stanza, the speaker in the poem by Langston Hughes states that he has â€Å"known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. † From this early point in the point in the poem, images of the canals of veins that run throughout the human body as well as similar images of rivers that wind around and are shaped like veins form our understanding that this poem is about more than blood or water, it is about roots and circuits. He has a very deep meaning about how people feel by debating that his soul is so much stubborn now at this point that no external source could change it. Hughes poems illustrate many of the problems that African Americans faced during the depression era, ranging from prejudice and discrete racism to a general air of hopelessness and despair. His poetry basically develops the idea of celebrating and idealizing the Negro life in America. He is not much like the other poets who just uses a single voice/entity, instead has a tendency to express the visualizations through a number of voices making it more realistic. His expression consists of renunciation and feelings of personal cruelty.

History of Computer Animation :: Computers Animation Essays

History of Computer Animation To look at him, you would not think that Phil Tippett is the creator of some of the most horrific and terrifying monsters ever witnessed by the human race. A quite normal-looking man of average height, with thinning grey hair, he has been at the forefront of movie animation for almost three decades. Phil Tippett is one of the greatest animators of all time, starting off with the age-old techniques of stop-motion and then moving on to the technical computer generated wizardry of today. I chose to write about him because I greatly admire the work he had done in the industry and he has witnessed first hand the technological advances that have occurred during the course of his career. I am also interested in him because as well as being involved in the field of cgi special effects (a career which I also wish to pursue), he was also closely involved in the ground-breaking (for the time) special effects and animation in the Star Wars Trilogy, which happens to be another love of mine. Born in 1951 in Illinois, Tippett has had a lifelong fascination with the art of animation. During his childhood he was fascinated by films such as King Kong and Jason and the Argonauts. He was fascinated by the surreal images in these movies and wanted to know how they were achieved. He went to his local library to research the subject and discovered the principles of stop motion. One of his favourite childhood hobbies was to make stop motion films with his father’s old movie camera. Tippett had been a lifelong devotee of stop motion as practiced by masters like Willis O’Brien in King Kong (1933) and Ray Harryhausen in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963). Stop motion was, and still is an intricate, painstaking art in which animators pose and photograph miniature figures frame by frame. He wasn’t alone. â€Å"Just about every top animator or effects man today has favorite Harryhausen figurines, such as the part-rhino, part-centaur Cyclops, the serpent woman, and the two-headed Roc bird from Sinbad; or, from Jason, the harpies that are a cross between gargoyles and pterodactyls, and the seven-headed Hydra and its spawn† (ILM). In traditional stop motion (still practiced by Henry Selick in marvels like The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach), the camera records a series of subtly different poses rather than actual shifting, so the resulting flow of images is inherently surreal -- ultra-sharp and jerky.

Enduring Value †Othello Essay

Shakespeare’s masterpiece Othello has remained relevant beyond its original context not merely because of its universal themes of love and betrayal, but rather, due to its textual integrity, and the enduring value which is enhanced through the exploration of such issues, as marginalisation and the psychology of villainy. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Othello as being an outsider, and being â€Å"othered† by the Venetian society due to his different race, reflects traditional Elizabethan values and ethics regarding racial prejudice and inequality. These recurring issues, of social intolerance and racial bias are prevalent concerns in our modern society. Shakespeare’s expresses the nature of villainy through his antagonist, Iago, as he explores issues of betrayal and deceit. These issues, revolving around Othello’s passion, struggle and vulnerability, as an outsider, are representative of the human condition, hence making it pivotal, of why â€Å"Othell o† has remained relevant in a different context. Shakespeare positions us to view the marginalisation and dehumanisation of Othello, from various perspectives, initially through physical features, the notion of racial contempt is conveyed via Rodrigo’s, â€Å"Thick Lips†, Iago’s â€Å"Old Black Ram†, and Brabantio’s â€Å"fall in love with what she fear’d to look on†. This vilification, based on physical appearance reinforces traditional Elizabethan views, and to an extent, views held by groups in society today. Though, Othello’s physical appearance was just one factor. Othello was named â€Å"devil† by Iago, from a spiritual perspective, stereotyping those of African descent who were associated with witchcraft, this metaphor reinforces stereotypical racism, causing the reader to question, what has initiated such hatred from Iago to Othello, this allows the reader to a connect on an emotional level with Othello, as it generates empathy. Furthermore the readers perspecti ve of Othello is conflicted due to other members of Venetian society, â€Å"your son in law is far more fair than black†, this binary opposition from the Duke, contrasts between black and white, and their symbolic values. Othello’s â€Å"blackness† is associated with impurity and inhuman values, exemplified via â€Å"making the beast with two backs†, dehumanising Othello, and reinforcing how the Venetian society has ostracised him. Ostracism, based on spiritual backgrounds and physical appearance, is common even in a modern context, as bullying and racism is a common flaw in our society. Though, it is through these experiences, the reader can further empathise and have a better understanding of Othello’s character, and his emotions. Shakespeare also challenges us to consider Othello’s cultural background, through his foreign and exotic tales that Othello retells to members of Venetian society, this is exemplified through, â€Å"Tis true, there’s magic in the web of it†, this is not merely foreign to the Venetians, who were predominantly Religious Christians and did not believe in such black magic and witchcraft, but this was also seen as a waste of time , and an insignificant matter, as Desdemona instantly replies with, â€Å"I pray, talk me of Cassio†, followed by, â€Å"You’ll never meet a more sufficient man†. This repetition is implied to reinforce Desdemona’s lack of knowledge, as this is clearly making Othello enraged, but furthermore it expresses the carefree and uninterested approach Desdemona is taking in regards to Othello’s spiritual story of how he gained that handkerchief. Shakespeare, though, gives Othello a significantly high role in their Venetian society, positioning him as a General in the army, though Othello is granted a superior position, he would still be in a lower hierarchy, as the Venetian society could not overlook his outer â€Å"blackness†, reinforced through â€Å"you’ll have your nephew neigh to you†, this animalistic and sexual imagery, conveys to the reader, no matter how successful Othello becomes, the Venetian society will always regard him as less of a human. This dehumanisation is mainly the cause of the opportunistic antagonist, Iago. Shakespeare positions us to view Iago as a Machiavellian character, conveyed through the recurring issue of betrayal as Othello is blinded by his â€Å"loyalty†, this is exemplified through â€Å"A man he is of honesty and trust†, stated by Othello as he willingly accepts Iago. Shakespeare’s characterisation of Iago advances the readers hatred towards the cunning villain, as his soliloquies emphasise his devious nature, â€Å"the moor is of a free and open nature†¦ and will as tenderly be led by the nose as asses are† this animalistic imagery communicates Iago’s lack of respect towards Othello, reflecting the nature of evil. This concept of the nature of evil is explored by F.R Leavis as he describes Othello as â€Å"overly aware of his nobility†, expressing Leavis’ distaste towards Othello. Furthermore, the motivation behind Iago’s evil is unknown, though Shakespeare positions us to see Iago as an opportunist through, â€Å"it is the green eyed monster which doth mock†, personifying jealousy to manipulate the emotions of the gullible Othello. Overall, Shakespeare’s deeply enthralling text â€Å"Othello†, has remained relevant beyond its original context, to suit a more modern audience, due to the text’s enduring values and textual integrity, enhanced through the common issue of marginalisation which is evident in both Elizabethan and 21st Century context.

Methodology of the Offshore Sector in Mauritius - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1825 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? This section comprises of the data sources, the specific variables used and the statistical tools for analysis. The following shows the broken down into sub-sections of the analysis carried out in the process of evaluating the offshore sector of Mauritius: Econometric analysis: Evaluating the significance of tax incentives in attracting FDI and PINV through Mauritius offshore sector. Double treaty taxation (DTT) and Mauritius Types of companies operating in the offshore sector of Mauritius Comparison with other offshore jurisdictions Contribution of the offshore sector in the local economy DTT and relationship between India and Mauritius Evaluation of the current situation Proposed solutions Evaluation of the proposed solutions Case study Vodafone Indian Premier League (IPL) Future prospects: Mauritius offers gateway to Africa Asia Trade To facilitate the description of the methodology used, we will separate the explanation used for the econometric analysis from the rest of the analysis. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Methodology of the Offshore Sector in Mauritius" essay for you Create order 3.2 Methodology of Econometric Analysis: 3.2.1 Data Collection The quantitative data employed were obtained from the annual reports of the world regulatory bodies, namely World Economic Outlook from the International Monetary Fund and World Development Indicators from the World Bank. Both institutions are functioning to promote international monetary collaboration, safe financial stability and encouraging the vision of ongoing globalization. Further data used were extracted from the Mauritius Revenue Authority and Central Statistics Office. The vital aspects of those data sources are reliability and quality. The time frame used has been assembled from 1981 to 2007 due to availability of the data. All data utilized were used annually. 3.2.2 Theoretical justification for the use of selected variables: In order to run the right methodology, the choice of the appropriate variables is imperative. The variables are identified as follows; The concepts of FDI and PINV have already been discussed in the literature review. The definitions of the tax incentives given below are largely inspired by the income tax act 1995. Reduced Corporate Income Tax (CIT) This type of incentive is quite simple to administer. To be able to attract investment in some specific regions and sections, the government generally amends the legislation and offers a lower CIT rate as an exception to the general tax regime. This implies that the firms will be able to keep a higher percentage of their profit. Theory suggests that there is a negative relationship between investment and after tax return cost of capital. Investment allowance These are deductions from taxable income based on some percentage of a new investment. Such allowances are attractive in the sense that they tend to lower the effe ctive price of acquiring capital. Investment tends to move in the same direction as investment allowances. Inflation One key variable in determining the investment is the inflationary rate. Inflation ambiguity in the host nation is damagingly linked with capital inflows. A high rate of inflation has a tendency to illustrate a rise in risk, indicating inner economic unsteadiness. Openness This variable plays an important key role in the contribution of capital inflows and acts as an approximate for volatility as well as an engine for growth. It permits transfer of capital, knowledge and enhancing better competition. A greater degree of openness tends to improve the investment movement. Market size Emerging countries per capita income growth rates are generally high, and they are frequently expected to keep on growing. This encourages market seeking investors. Gross domestic product will be used as a proxy for market size. GDP growth tends to have an optimistic influ ence on inflows mainly based on effective resource management and successful use of economies of scale. Worldwide Growth Worldwide growth entails the overall performance of developed, developing and under-developed countries across the globe. The worldwide growth indicator used is the global GDP. The investment profile of the host country is greatly influenced by the foreign investors financial health. It should be noted that other variables such as Literacy, Labour Force, International Tourism Receipt, Manufacturing value added (as a % of growth) and ICT goods exports (as a % of total exports) were initially computed in the regression but were removed when they were found very insignificant to attract FDI or PINV. Moreover, the Double taxation Treaty has not been used in this econometric model and will be evaluated separately in more depth as the econometric model is analysing the FDI and private investment of Mauritius as a whole (all countries altogether, not individu ally) to have a broad overview of the incentives affecting investment of Mauritius. 3.2.3 Model Specification In order to consider the impact of the diverse variables on different capital inflows, the following models are developed. The models are tailored to the Mauritian economy. Our first model will be based on FDI, which is the most important investment inflow in Mauritius. FDI= ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²0+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²1 FDI t-1 + ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²2 CIT + ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²3 InvAll +ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²4 INFL + ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²5 OPEN+ ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²6 GDPt+ ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²7 WldGth +u t Where, FDI = Foreign direct investment inflows (percentage of GDP) FDI t-1 = Past foreign direct investment inflows (percentage of GDP) CIT = Corporate Income Tax InvAll = Investment Allowance INFL = Inflation rate GDPt = Gross Domestic Product growth rate operates as a proxy for market size. OPEN = Openness, defined as the sum of imports and exports divided by GDP WldGth = Worldwide Growth rate Ut = Random error term Another model is designed in order to demonstrate the extent to which tax incentives affect PINV. PINV = ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²0+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²1 PINVt-1 + ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²2 CIT + ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²3 InvAll +ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²4 INFL +ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²5 OPEN+ ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²6GDPt+ ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²7 WldGth +u t Where, PINV = Private investment [Private Gross Domestic Fixed Capital Formation] (percentage of GDP) PINV t-1= Past private investment (percentage of GDP) As discussed above, ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²1, ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²3, ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²5, ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²6 and ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²7 are positive coefficients where as ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²2, ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²4 tend to be negative ones. 3.2.4 Analysis Techniques. The technique of analysis used will be based on an Ordinary Least Squares regression where various tests will be carried out. OLS is often used as an optimal estimator for estimating the unknown parameters in a linear regression model. With this technique we can draw reliable conclusions about the relationship that exists between the variables in the model. Linked to the OLS analysis, the underlying time series will face the subsequent tests namely, the tests of stationarity, multicollinearity, autocorrelation, cointegration and Error Correction Model which will be later explained in detail. 3.3 Methodology of the rest of the analysis 3.3.1 Description of the analysis This analysis is not only limited to the use of the econometric method but also to a wide range of different techniques. Moreover, there has the use of formative and summative evaluation. Formative evaluations fortify or enhance the point being examined they evaluate the whole system, the qualitative aspect of the implementation, perform complete evaluation of the factor inputs, procedures and managerial aspect of the product. Summative evaluations, on the other hand, evaluate the impact or the result of some objects they review the whole system by analysing whether the object may have caused this result, finding out the net impact of the underlying factor not only for the short-run target outcomes, and calculating the relative costs arising from the object. Formative evaluation consists of numerous evaluation types: Requires assessment examining the current system, estimating the level of the needs and what can be carried out to overcome the need Assessment evaluation the feasibility of an evaluation and how its usefulness can be enhanced. Concept Structure- defining step by step process of the program and the possible outcomes Functioning Assessment supervise the reliability of the program delivered. Process evaluation inspect the development of the program, together with substitute delivery procedures. Summative Evaluation consists of the following: Result assessment Check if the program demonstrated significant effects on the particular defined target results Impact assessment Broad assessment of the overall or net effects of the program as a whole. Cost-Efficiency and Cost-Benefit analysis measures efficiency by linking outcomes to the dollar costs and values. Secondary evaluation reassessment of the current data to solve new questions or using techniques not utilize before. Meta-analysis combines the results from various studies to come to a final overall summary conclusion on an evaluation query. In work ing out this project, data has mainly been collected from reports from different institutions, pieces of legislations, case studies, official statistics, surveys and interviews. We have made use of various techniques to evaluate the offshore sector of Mauritius namely econometric regression, charts, tables, cross-section analysis and cost-benefit analysis. Methodology of the analysis is explained as follows: DTT and Mauritius: In this section, based on the researches carried out, which were mentioned in the literature review, Mauritius offshore sector was evaluated to see whether it was in line with the theoretical study. A thorough evaluation of the FDI is made by examining the effect of pre and post DTT on FDI classified according to country of origin and examining the major investments by these countries in Mauritius. Contribution of the offshore sector in the local economy The link that exists between the offshore sector and the economy can be studied by considering the contribution of the financial services to GDP. Data was collected from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and was evaluated throughout the period. Types of companies operating in the offshore sector of Mauritius Each type of company operating in the offshore sector of Mauritius has different specification and is being used in a distinct way to a particular purpose. A study was carried out to point out the importance and difference of the Global Business category 1 (GBC1) and Global Business category 2 (GBC2), which are the two most important types of offshore sector companies in Mauritius. A comparison with other offshore jurisdictions such as Seychelles, Hong Kong and Dubai is carried out. DTT and relationship between India and Mauritius First, an assessment of the current situation was carried out to identify all the issues involved in the Indo-Mauritian double taxation treaty. Second, the reasons why Mauritius has become the preferred route to invest in India were explored. Third, India has passed the Direct Tax Code (DTC) bill, an attempt to remedy this situation. An evaluation of the proposed remedy was carried out pointing out the impact and the loopholes it has. Fourth, the case study of Vodafone and Indian Premier League was carried out to show how the double tax treaty works in real life situation. Mauritius offers gateway to Africa Asia Trade In this section, the rising interest of India and China to invest massively in Africa is highlighted and how Mauritius can be used to act as a middleman in helping the investment to take place smoothly is being evaluated. The evaluation illustrates how Mauritius is quickly transforming into a key centre for offshore banking mostly in Africa. Conclusion This chapter is an important step in assessing the impact of the tax regime on the Mauritian investments. The findings derived from the above OLS regressions will help to determine the significant factors attracting investment in Mauritius. Moreover, the offshore sector has been evaluated in every aspect particularly its current position to act as a gateway to Asia Africa trade and also as the jurisdiction that provides the route to Indian Investors to evade capital gains tax.