Analyse the humour and comedy of Act 1 in Much Ado About Nothing Free Essays

With the play, Much Ado About Nothing comedy is generated through numerous ways within its structure, language and form. Conflict and battles of wit between characters in the play create humorous scenes, which are typically intelligently crafted in order to create hilarity. In addition, the utilisation of over exaggerated language and sarcastic remarks, with metaphors and puns spawn comedy. We will write a custom essay sample on Analyse the humour and comedy of Act 1 in Much Ado About Nothing or any similar topic only for you Order Now The obvious, comical scenes within Act 1 are created with the two protagonists Beatrice and Benedict. The role of women in society in the time period was to be quiet and have little power however; Beatrice goes against society’s unspoken rules and contradicts social conformity by being witty and clever with smart remarks so therefore goes against expectations. Due to her continuous conflict with Benedict, she generates comedy in the form of satirising physical features and aspects of his personality. Beatrice speaks arrogantly and aggressively towards Benedict, which further goes against conformity. This is clearly shown through the way she condemns Benedict, portraying him as a ‘disease’ named the ‘Benedict’ that is easier caught that ‘pestilence’. This implies that Benedict is no more than an infection that is easier to catch than the plague, which will spread if you become to friendly with him. The utilisation of these words is humorou s due to the fact she always wants the upper hand in the competition of wit, outsmarting the notorious Benedict. Additionally, the role of Benedict is important in generating the comedy within Act 1. Benedict is a proud and vain individual, who satisfies himself with sarcasm and is the entertainer in the book very much like Beatrice. This contradiction in personality helps to generate comedy, as both individuals battle to seek smart remarks to give themselves satisfaction. However, what they both don’t seem to realise is that they both have equal power and wit. This is evidently presented when Benedict states that Beatrice is a ‘parrot teacher’. This is comical as Benedict personifies Beatrice to be a parrot that is typically renowned for their repetitive nature, in repeating whatever someone Sais. Furthermore, comedy is caused through sexual references and sexual comedy. This is signified when Beatrice refers to Benedict as ‘Signor Mountanto’ at the start of scene 1 act 1. This phrase is a common fencing term or fencing thrust however it can mean two things. The idea that he is a flashy swordsman or this could be a connection of Benedict’s penis thrusting into an enemy soldier, so therefore there is an association of aggressive sex. Beatrice is clearly commenting on his sexual prowess, as being a womaniser. We find this amusing as Beatrice is once again going against social conformity, speaking of sexual matters with men involved. Due to the fact he has sexual prowess, the imagery of him thrusting his penis is quite obscure but comical as it infers homosexuality. Additionally, Leonato uses less explicit sexual references within Act 1 to generate comedy. This is expressed when he says ‘ her mother hath many times told me so’ in the context that he jokingly doubts Hero as his daughter. This connotes that status of women in the Victorian society, as he makes a joke at his wife’s expense to generate comedy. The idea tat women are passed around in this context is comical. Furthermore, the theme of marriage is a theme that spawns conflict and comedy. Benedict disgusts anyone’s approach to marriage and emphasises that he ‘will die a bachelor’, however the comedy is generated when Claudio expresses his love for Leonato’s daughter, Hero. This is demonstrated when Benedict states that she is ‘to low for a high praise, too brown for a fair praise and too little for a great place’, which creates comedy. This is comical as Benedict over complicates Hero as a wife for Claudio analytically pulling out all the negatives within her. The fact that Benedict is devoted to the idea he will die to be superior o a bachelor, allows his character to pick the fun out of anyone who has fallen into the trap if love and marriage. Pleasure and merrymaking is projected through the banter and conflict between Beatrice and Benedict within the first act this is clear when Leonato states there is a ‘skirmish of wit between them’, which clearly emphasises the fact that there battle for wit is obviously noticeable in order to get the upper hand. The reason for enjoying this humour is because of the fact that they want to be superior over one another. In conclusion, we can infer that there are numerous attributes that contribute to the humour and comedy of Act 1 in Much Ado About Nothing. However, the most noticeable element is the battle of wit between Beatrice and Benedict. The utilisation of satirical comedy and overly exaggerated sarcasm along with puns emphasises the fact the reason for their conflict is the recognition and gratitude they will feel. Undoubtedly, there are several other contributing factors like the sexual references from the male characters, which could be thought to be slightly sexist and inappropriate in todays society but the cheek involved in delivery the lines makes it comical. How to cite Analyse the humour and comedy of Act 1 in Much Ado About Nothing, Papers

Islamic Art And Architecture Essay Example For Students

Islamic Art And Architecture Essay Islamic art and architecture points to the artistic accomplishments in the lands where Islam was the dominant religion and from the seventh century on. These lands were the Middle East, North Africa, Spain, Anatolia and the Balkans, and central and northern India. All the monuments and artistic objects, which may have been made with different materials and techniques, have a common artistic language. Islamic art was an art created for the setting of every day life. The most notable religious art were the mosque and the minaret. These were made with the purpose of having a place where people could express their devotion and learn the principles of the faith. Islamic painting developed in the form of book illustration and illumination. These paintings were made to help explain a scientific text andr to reinforce the pleasure of reading literature or history. There are certain techniques that distinguish the decorative arts of the Islamic arts. These techniques involve the application o f shimmering glazes and rich colors in ceramics and glassware. Other techniques include sophisticated silver inlays that convert the surfaces of bronze metalworks, extravagant designed stucco and wall panels made of carved wood, and textiles and carpets woven into millions of different patterns. We will write a custom essay on Islamic Art And Architecture specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now 2 The oldest figurative representation of Islamic arts correspond to mosaics and painted murals. All of these are related to architecture since they were used to cover and decorate the walls of several constructions. These could have been religious or anti-religious places. The mosaics in these buildings are unique in that in them there are no representations of animals or humans. These absences are due to religious reasons. Only plants, big trees, and combinations of landscapes and architectonics, either real or invented, appeared in the mosaics. In the eighteenth century the use of the mosaics declined. On the contrary, the use of mural paintings had a long life in the Muslim art. It also represents a particular detail. This is its exclusive use of civilian characters in the buildings. In the Qusayr Amra palace there are remarkably, rich mural paintings. Here there are representations of hunting, athletic scenes, dancers, construction sites, the zodiac signs, historical characters, poetry, thoughts, etc., and a group of people surrounding another person in a throne. In conclusion Islamic art and architecture vary in a variety of ways because of religious reasons. 3 Islamic art in my opinion is very interesting and extraordinary. It is very cult and unique in that it displays many cultural diversity and religion. Painters and architects made these masterpieces showing scenes of everyday life. It reflect’s the artistic creativity and ingenuity of these artists. It also reverberates typical customs of these people. The painting on the next page is the one that I will criticize. The first step is the description where I will tell the name of the painting, who made it, when it was made, and where it was made. Later I will explain the analysis which will say the elements and principles of art and how they are used. After that there will be an explanation of the interpretation. This will say how the time and place affected the artist’s painting. Finally I will say the judgement. This will explain if the artwork contributes to the history of art. Description This painting is called â€Å"Laila and Majnun at School†. It was made by the Persian artist Bihzad in 1494. It was painted in Her t but is know located in Afghanistan. It shows faces drawn with a sense of grace. There are many people working. There is also a large tree which has some fruits in it. There is 4 .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 , .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 .postImageUrl , .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 , .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67:hover , .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67:visited , .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67:active { border:0!important; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67:active , .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67 .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud6973def79dd93073af914e1e264ab67:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Cubism In Art Essayalso what appears to be two openings to go out or into a building. Analysis The elements used in this painting are line, shape, value, color, and texture. You can see that lines are used in the edges of the wall, the small fence surrounding the tree, and in the borders of the painting. Squared and rectangular shapes may be seen in the fence and the openings in the wall. Value is used because although the painting seems very yellowish the tree has a totally different color because it is gray. There is also a large variety of colors in the clothes of the people. Texture is used in the wall of the painting. The principles used were proportion and emphasis. You can see that the proportions of the people are right in size compared to the walls. The emphasis is made on the tree which is bigger than everything else and is a bit different in color. Interpretation At this time the people painted the characteristics of daily life. In this particular painting there is a reflection of a normal everyday life of people with the Islam culture. It shows the influence of Chinese landscapes in the flat 5 layered perspective of the painting. The gold colored background is unusual though, for a painting of the 16th century. So the time and place did affect the painting.Judgement In my opinion I think that this work of art does contribute to the history of art. This is because it reflects the typical customs of the past every day life. This makes it easier to understand the facts of that past time. 6 â€Å"Laila and Majnun at School†, by Bihzad in 1494. 7 Masjid-I Shah in E fah n, Iran â€Å"Dome of The Rock† in Jerusalem 8 â€Å"Taj Mahal† in India. Ardab l Turkish Carpet Mug made for (16th the tomb- Century) mosque of Shash Tahmasp at Ardab l, Iran 9 Suleimanniye Mosque at Istanbul in 1550. 10 11 â€Å"Islamic Art and Architecture†. Encarta Interactive. ?1998, CD-Rom â€Å"Arte Isl?mico†. Las Claves Del Arte Isl?mico. Alfredo J. Morales, Editorial Planeta (1991 ed.) Barcelona, Espa?a

LABOR UNION, LAUNCHED IN 1866, AND THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR, WHICH REACHED

LABOR UNION, LAUNCHED IN 1866, AND THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR, WHICH REACHED ITS ZENITH IN THE MID-1880S. ON THEIR FACE, THESE REFORM MOVEMENTS MIGHT HAVE SEEMED AT ODDS WITH TRADE UNIONISM, AIMING AS THEY DID AT THE COOPERATIVE COMMONWEALTH RATHER THAN A HIGHER WAGE, APPEALING BROADLY TO ALL PRODUCERS RATHER THAN STRICTLY TO WAGEWORKERS, AND ESCHEWING THE TRADE UNION RELIANCE ON THE STRIKE AND BOYCOTT. BUT CONTEMPORARIES SAW NO CONTRADICTION: TRADE UNIONISM TENDED TO THE WORKERS'' IMMEDIATE NEEDS, LABOR REFORM TO THEIR HIGHER HOPES. THE TWO WERE HELD TO BE STRANDS OF A SINGLE MOVEMENT, ROOTED IN A COMMON WORKING-CLASS CONSTITUENCY AND TO SOME DEGREE SHARING A COMMON LEADERSHIP. BUT EQUALLY IMPORTANT, THEY WERE STRANDS THAT HAD TO BE KEPT OPERATIONALLY SEPARATE AND FUNCTIONALLY DISTINCT. DURING THE 1880S, THAT DIVISION FATALLY ERODED. DESPITE ITS LABOR REFORM RHETORIC, THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR ATTRACTED LARGE NUMBERS OF WORKERS HOPING TO IMPROVE THEIR IMMEDIATE CONDITIONS. AS THE KNIGHTS CARRIED ON STRIKES AND ORGANIZED ALONG INDUSTRIAL LINES, THE THREATENED NATIONAL TRADE UNIONS DEMANDED THAT THE GROUP CONFINE ITSELF TO ITS PROFESSED LABOR REFORM PURPOSES; WHEN IT REFUSED, THEY JOINED IN DECEMBER 1886 TO FORM THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR AFL. THE NEW FEDERATION MARKED A BREAK WITH THE PAST, FOR IT DENIED TO LABOR REFORM ANY FURTHER ROLE IN THE STRUGGLES OF AMERICAN WORKERS. IN PART, THE ASSERTION OF TRADE UNION SUPREMACY STEMMED FROM AN UNDENIABLE REALITY. AS INDUSTRIALISM MATURED, LABOR REFORM LOST ITS MEANING - HENCE THE CONFUSION AND ULTIMATE FAILURE OF THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR. MARXISM TAUGHT SAMUEL GOMPERS AND HIS FELLOW SOCIALISTS THAT TRADE UNIONISM WAS THE INDISPENSABLE INSTRUMENT FOR PREPARING THE WORKING CLASS FOR REVOLUTION. THE FOUNDERS OF THE AFL TRANSLATED THIS NOTION INTO THE PRINCIPLE OF PURE AND SIMPLE UNIONISM: ONLY BY SELF-ORGANIZATION ALONG OCCUPATIONAL LINES AND BY A CONCENTRATION ON JOB-CONSCIOUS GOALS WOULD THE WORKER BE FURNISHED WITH THE WEAPONS WHICH SHALL SECURE HIS INDUSTRIAL EMANCIPATION. THAT CLASS FORMULATION NECESSARILY DEFINED TRADE UNIONISM AS THE MOVEMENT OF THE ENTIRE WORKING CLASS. THE AFL ASSERTED AS A FORMAL POLICY THAT IT REPRESENTED ALL WORKERS, IRRESPECTIVE OF SKILL, RACE, RELIGION, NATIONALITY, OR GENDER. BUT THE NATIONAL UNIONS THAT HAD CREATED THE AFL IN FACT COMPRISED ONLY THE SKILLED TRADES. ALMOST AT ONCE, THEREFORE, THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT ENCOUNTERED A DILEMMA: HOW TO SQUARE IDEOLOGICAL ASPIRATIONS AGAINST CONTRARY INSTITUTIONAL REALITIES? AS SWEEPING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE BEGAN TO UNDERMINE THE CRAFT SYSTEM OF PRODUCTION, SOME NATIONAL UNIONS DID MOVE TOWARD AN INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURE, MOST NOTABLY IN COAL MINING AND THE GARMENT TRADES. BUT MOST CRAFT UNIONS EITHER REFUSED OR, AS IN IRON AND STEEL AND IN MEAT PACKING, FAILED TO ORGANIZE THE LESS SKILLED. AND SINCE SKILL LINES TENDED TO CONFORM TO RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND GENDER DIVISIONS, THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT TOOK ON A RACIST AND SEXIST COLORATION AS WELL. FOR A SHORT PERIOD, THE AFL RESISTED THAT TENDENCY. BUT IN 1895, UNABLE TO LAUNCH AN INTERRACIAL MACHINISTS'' UNION OF ITS OWN, THE FEDERATION REVERSED AN EARLIER PRINCIPLED DECISION AND CHARTERED THE WHITES-ONLY INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS. FORMALLY OR INFORMALLY, THE COLOR BAR THEREAFTER SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT. IN 1902, BLACKS MADE UP SCARCELY 3 PERCENT OF TOTAL MEMBERSHIP, MOST OF THEM SEGREGATED IN JIM CROW LOCALS. IN THE CASE OF WOMEN AND EASTERN EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS, A SIMILAR DEVOLUTION OCCURRED - WELCOMED AS EQUALS IN THEORY, EXCLUDED OR SEGREGATED IN PRACTICE. (ONLY THE FATE OF ASIAN WORKERS WAS UNPROBLEMATIC; THEIR RIGHTS HAD NEVER BEEN ASSERTED BY THE AFL IN THE FIRST PLACE.) GOMPERS JUSTIFIED THE SUBORDINATION OF PRINCIPLE TO ORGANIZATIONAL REALITY ON THE CONSTITUTIONAL GROUNDS OF TRADE AUTONOMY, BY WHICH EACH NATIONAL UNION WAS ASSURED THE RIGHT TO REGULATE ITS OWN INTERNAL AFFAIRS. BUT THE ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMISM OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT WAS IN FACT LOCATED IN THE NATIONAL UNIONS. ONLY AS THEY EXPERIENCED INNER CHANGE MIGHT THE LABOR MOVEMENT EXPAND BEYOND THE NARROW LIMITS - ROUGHLY 10 PERCENT OF THE LABOR FORCE - AT WHICH IT STABILIZED BEFORE WORLD WAR I. IN THE POLITICAL REALM, THE FOUNDING DOCTRINE OF PURE-AND-SIMPLE UNIONISM MEANT AN ARM''S-LENGTH RELATIONSHIP TO THE STATE AND THE LEAST POSSIBLE ENTANGLEMENT IN PARTISAN POLITICS. A TOTAL SEPARATION HAD, OF COURSE, NEVER BEEN SERIOUSLY CONTEMPLATED; SOME OBJECTIVES, SUCH AS IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION, COULD BE ACHIEVED ONLY THROUGH STATE ACTION, AND

Kudo vs. Kudos

Kudo vs. Kudos Kudo vs. Kudos Kudo vs. Kudos By Maeve Maddox Some English speakers use the word kudo as the singular of kudos. What makes this usage problematic is the fact that kudos is already singular. Kudos is a Greek word meaning â€Å"glory, fame, renown.† It entered the language as student slang back when undergraduates were still required to study Greek at the university. Presumably the early users knew that it was a singular noun. The earliest OED citation for the use of the back-formation kudo is dated 1941. The OED marks the use of singular kudo as â€Å"erroneous,† but Merriam-Webster provides kudo with its own entry, taking care to defend its position in doing so: Some commentators hold that since kudos is a singular word it cannot be used as a plural and that the word kudo is impossible. But kudo does exist M-W’s assertion that kudo â€Å"does exist† makes me think of the comment made by Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944) about her excruciating efforts at singing opera: â€Å"People may say I cant sing, but no one can ever say I didnt sing. Inarguably, kudo is a word. Modern English is filled with words that began as errors only to become perfectly acceptable standard words. For example, our words newt and apron are the result of confusion over the indefinite article. What we now call â€Å"a newt† used to be â€Å"an ewt,† but the n of the article became attached to the noun. Conversely, what we call â€Å"an apron† started out as â€Å"a napron.† In Chaucer’s day, what we call a pea was called a pease. The plural was pesen. By the 1600s, pease was viewed as a word that, like sheep, could be either singular or plural. Before the end of the 17th century, pease had become pea in the singular and peas in the plural. That the older form persisted for a time is indicated by the nursery song â€Å"Pease Porridge Hot,† which dates from about 1765. M-W cites pea in its defense of singular kudo. Here are some examples of singular kudo on the web: That deserves a big KUDO! (agricultural site) Riverfront venue kudo deserved (Mankato Free Press) That deserves an even bigger KUDO. (product testimonial) How can I give a kudo to a great comment? (Myspace FAQ) In a way, kudo is like pea; both are back-formations. But the changes in pease and pesen occurred at a time when other number changes were taking place. English speakers once formed the plural of hose as hosen and tree as treen. I can think of only two nouns that have kept the -en plural: child/children, ox/oxen. We still use the plural brethren in a spiritual sense, but the regular plural of brother is brothers. It seems to me that kudo belongs with jocular back-formations like kempt from unkempt and gruntled from disgruntled. In these days of universal education and easy access to reference materials, using kudo seriously doesn’t seem any more acceptable than rendering the word as these writers have: Jane Hamsher deserves Kudo’s (political blogger) Director Brown reported the FB Dept deserves a BIG KUDO’s. (minutes of a public meeting) Kudo’s from clients (category on a technology site) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:What is Dative Case?List of 50 Compliments and Nice Things to Say!

Art Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art Museum - Essay Example My recent experience of visiting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), one of the prominent art museums in Los Angeles, may be explained in this connection. It is the most significant and largest encyclopedic art museum in the region. Situated on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angels, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has a number of great art pieces which attract people all over the world. The art museum is a storehouse of American art, ancient Islamic art, South and Southeast Asian art, Chinese and Korean art, Japanese art, modern and contemporary art, European painting and sculpture, photography, prints etc. However, it was one of the chief art pieces in the Modern Art Collection which caught my particular attention. It was 'Weeping Woman with Handkerchief' (1937) by Pablo Picasso which made me reflect on the significance of art on human world. To introduce the great art piece that won my interest, 'Weeping Woman with Handkerchief' an elegant example of the modern art especially the art by Picasso. The piece is a painting, oil on canvas. I found the luxurious piece ready for public view in Ahmanson Building 2nd Floor and the gallery display of the piece kept on changing from time to time. I approached the piece with an expectation of how it demonstrated Picasso's work in general as well as how it expressed the artist's personal life. The view of the magnificent work by Picasso has been one of my dreams for a long time and the beauty of the sight helped me appreciate the power of modern art. The size of the piece is 21 x 17 1/2 in. (53.34 x 44.45 cm). It was gifted to the museum by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mitchell and every one who comes to enjoy the beauty of the art recognizes the value of the gift. The piece remains one of the permanent examples of beautiful interpretive art and it remains a decoration to the Los Angeles Cou nty Museum of Art. The beauty of the piece is mainly because of the physical agony evident in the face of the lady in the picture. It is the emotional elements of the piece which attracted me more. The exploration of the main themes of the stylistic period which was noted for Cubism, Neoclassicism, and Surrealism, etc was the major concern of Pablo Picasso and it is evidently visible in the piece 'Weeping Woman with Handkerchief'. The art piece with tears all over her face is a symbol of despondency. The woman in the piece, adorned with the traditional matronly mantilla, is the manifestation of Spanish womanhood and she articulated the artist's public as well as private distress. "She was the victim of war, the grieving mother, the terrified peasant, the stunned survivor; but more specifically, she was a portrait of his lover, the artist-photographer Dora Maar, one in a long line of Picasso's muses." (Highlight from the Modern Art Collection) The dramatic relationships of the artist with women reveal the meaning of the metaphors he used in the art in order to convey the amount of his feelings over events in Spain. The symbolic elements of the pieces of art are often considered significant and as remarked before the main symbol of the piece 'Weeping Woman with Handkerchief' is the face of the woman expressing misery. It is a representation of Picasso's inner torment due to the horrendous images of the massacres in the Spanish Civil War. There is a strong political and social message that the art piece demonstrates. The artist's empathy for his lover and partner Dora also represents Picasso message

Effects of Western global expansion after 1500 C.E Essay

Effects of Western global expansion after 1500 C.E - Essay Example This is too harsh. While negative things certainly happened during this time, wonderful things happened too. New cultures were introduced to one another. Although this process started unequally, it was the beginning of globalization, a process that has brought great prosperity to all parts of the world. It is now seventeen years since I came to serve these princes with the Enterprise of the Indies. They made me pass eight of them in discussion, and at the end rejected it as a thing of jest. Nevertheless, I persisted therein... Over there I have placed under their sovereignty more land than there is in Africa and Europe, and more than 1,700 islands... In seven years I, by the divine will, made that conquest (Morison, 576) One man could conquer all of this territory and bring back to Spain all the riches of these islands. It is an extraordinary story. However, Spain was not the only country involved: its efforts were mostly limited to the Caribbean (Paine, xvi). It was driven in large part by the changes Europe was undergoing. First, came discovery, and then came exploitation. Mercantilism developed in Europe in the 18th century (Duiker, et al, 320). This was one of the dominant economic doctrines of the time. It led European powers to seek out new markets across the world. These were often less developed countries that had some sort of resource the Europeans could exploit. The wealth generated from these conquests allowed Europeans to build massive public works such as the French palace at Versailles (326). While this was clearly a form of greed at the time, these buildings were truly beautiful. It is easy to argue that this period in world history was filled only with calumny and misery. However, much of the economic activity at the time laid the groundwork for the current global economy, which provides so much prosperity to us all. Certain countries needed to become rich so

Human Resource Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resource Managment - Essay Example Figure 1 Applying the principles of total reward strategy into reality, Taj Group devised the STARS (Special Thanks And Recognition System) as an attempt to appreciate the excellent performers and making employees happy by recognizing their efforts and contribution made to the organizational success. STARS was more inclined towards fostering a spirit of cooperation, motivation and excellence by introducing more of intrinsic rewards than cash awards. STARS as such, worked as a five-level strategy where employees earned points for their acts of kindness, hospitality and teamwork (Chandran 2003). Based on the accumulated points, employees were put into silver, gold, platinum, etc. grades and were applauded in public. An overview of the nature of reward system and its components at Taj are shown in table 1 below: STARS Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Grade Silver Gold Platinum Chief Operating Officer’s Club Managing Director’s Club Points 120 130 250 510 >760 Time l imit 3 months Within 3 months of attaining silver grade Within 6 months of attaining gold grade SPECIFIC FEATURES OF STARS Receipts Only recognition, no cash awards Acts Honesty, kindness, leadership, teamwork, etc. Gathering points Positive feedback or appreciation received either from colleagues or customers Rewards Hampers, vouchers, free vacation sponsored by Taj Group, etc. Recognition Award giving ceremony to highest point earners and public display of their photographs. Table 1: Components of STARS at Taj Group The incorporation of STARS fulfills the basic underlying principles of reward management. As Taj Charter says, its people philosophy is orchestrated to make employees feel important and special while working at Taj (Chandran 2003). Its core principle remains to attract,... This paper approves that reward management facilitate employees remain stuck to the organization’s vision of quality, responsiveness and assurance. Cross-functional teams which are the talk of the town also perform well when total rewards strategy is put in place. Reward management even establishes a sense of equity amongst employees whereby they feel that efforts of every single person are appreciated proportionately. The research conducted on Le Meridian’s Hotel of practicing reward management as one of its core HR strategy put forth many positive findings, major of which was employees ranking high on their health and energy aspect. This essay makes a cocnclusion that Taj Group has no doubt innovated in its human resource adaptations and aligning its business objectives with that of people objectives. It thrusts on people-oriented culture rather than work or profit oriented one. This is the reason behind its immense success and expansion spree worldwide. Same feat is replicated by Le Meridian Hotel in Mauritius which is also known for its top class quality and service delivery. The commonality between both remains their people strategy and inclusion of a total reward component in their HR dimension to retain their best talent. Both these hospitality giants present an example of how recognizing and appreciating the efforts of people can garner unimaginable benefits and growth prospects to a service business. Though sustaining on such philosophies and making them happen against set standards remain risky, yet what these two have done is commendable and should be followed by others in the industry.