An Analysis Based on Marks and Spencer Annual Reports Essay

An Analysis Based on Marks and Spencer Annual Reports - Essay Example In 2007, Cash inflow from continuing operating activities had been increased by '259 million. Cash inflow from continuing operation in 2008 has been decreased by '206.6 million that has reflected a higher working capital outflow. In 2007, there was reduction in cash outflow on leasehold repayments as compared to 2006 and hence it resulted to an increase in the working capital which was accounted to be '114.1 million. Non Financial Performance Marks and Spencer's stores in UK are highly sophisticated and are established in such a way that it can offer most convenient shopping to the customers. According to the latest survey' Over 21 million people visit Marks and Spencer's stores each week' is highly important in a fluctuating market where competition among groceries and other large scale retailers are fierce (Your M&S- 2008) Amenities including vehicles parking and restaurants are available at its most stores. Around 300 Marks and Spencer stores in UK are equipped with entrance cameras that can record the number of people who visit the stores. It is helpful to establish the ratios between the visits numbers and sales. The annual report details its strategies that it is changed and technologies are upgraded in order to capture customer footfall more accurately. Marks and Spencer has introduced thermal image cameras in its stores that are more sensitive in picking up flow of individuals and separating groups of people as they walk into the stores (Your M&S-2008). The annual reports also indicate that Mystery Shopping strategy is another way used by Marks and Spencer in order to evaluate the service qualities and convenient shopping... This essay stresses that Marks and Spencer’s stores in UK are highly sophisticated and are established in such a way that it can offer most convenient shopping to the customers. According to the latest survey’ Over 21 million people visit Marks and Spencer’s stores each week’ is highly important in a fluctuating market where competition among groceries and other large scale retailers are fierce (Your M&S- 2008) Amenities including vehicles parking and restaurants are available at its most stores. Around 300 Marks and Spencer stores in UK are equipped with entrance cameras that can record the number of people who visit the stores. It is helpful to establish the ratios between the visits numbers and sales. As the paper declares the annual report details its strategies that it is changed and technologies are upgraded in order to capture customer footfall more accurately. Marks and Spencer has introduced thermal image cameras in its stores that are more sensitive in picking up flow of individuals and separating groups of people as they walk into the stores. The annual reports also indicate that Mystery Shopping strategy is another way used by Marks and Spencer in order to evaluate the service qualities and convenient shopping possibilities. Each of the stores will be anonymously visited once a month by the experts. Marks and Spencer has created a broad approach towards customer orientation programs. ‘Marks and Spencer’s new manifesto campaign goes a step further by introducing powerful messages on provenance and healthy eating.

WHY PLAGIARISM IS CONSIDERED TO BE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY Essay

WHY PLAGIARISM IS CONSIDERED TO BE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY - Essay Example By cheating with plagiarism, the student is using someone else’s work but letting their instructor or professor believe that the work is of their own creation. This can also be accomplished if the person writing the paper does not acknowledge work they adapted from someone else. Just as a student is capable of looking at their friend’s answers during a test and then using those answers on their own exam, a student who plagiarizes uses someone else’s words for their own purpose (Gilmore, 2008). They treat another’s work as if it were their own. When a student plagiarizes and resorts to academic dishonesty, they are cheating themselves out of learning. Instead of doing what they must to understand the topic or subject matter, they take the ideas or words that someone else has come up with to trick the instructor or professor into thinking that the student has come up with the ideas. As such, plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty, and cheating, because the student used immoral means of completing their assignment, claiming someone else’s hard work and unique thoughts for themselves (Whitley & Spiegel, 2002).

Understanding The Stereochemistry Of Organic Compounds Environmental Sciences Essay

Understanding The Stereochemistry Of Organic Compounds Environmental Sciences Essay Stereoisomers are defined as molecules of identical atomic compositions (molecular formulas), but with different bonding arrangements of atoms or orientation of their atoms in space. Based on this definition, several types of isomerism are possible including constitutional, configurational, and conformational isomerism. Constitutional isomers (also called structural or positional isomers) are molecules with the same atomic composition but different bonding arrangements between atoms, as illustrated by theexamples of catechol, resorcinol, and hydroquinone . All of these compounds have the same atomic composition (C6H6O2), but different bonding arrangements of atoms and are thus distinct chemical entities with different chemical and physical properties. Stereochemistry (from the the greek stereos,meaning solid) refers to chemistry in three dimensions. Since most molecules are three dimension , stereochemistry ,infact, prevade all chemistry. It is not so much a branch of the subject as a point of view, and wheather one choose to take this point of view in any given situation depends on the problem one wants to solve and on the tools one has available to solve it. We factorize stereochemistry into its ststic and dynamic aspects.STATIC stereochemistry (better called stereochemistry of molecules) deals with the counting of stereoisomer, with their structure, with their energy and with their physical and most of their spectral property. DYNAMIC stereochemistry(stereochemistry of reaction) deals with the stereochemical requirement and stereochemical outcome of chemical reactions, including interconversion of conformational isomerms. If we represent the following imaginary molecule with no stereochemistry, there is nothing apparently special about it: However, if we represent it fully, including the position of atoms in space, it becomes apparent that the description above is vague, as it encompasses two molecules; those below: This is what stereochemistry is we can define compounds into many way and can also originate many new compouds. So stereochemistry is chemistry that studies the property of isomers. HISTORY Historically the origins of stereochemistry stem from the discovery of plane polarized light by the french physicist MALUS. In 1815 biot note that certain natural organic compounds rotate plane polarized light as ARGO(1811), discovered that a quartz plate, cut at a right angle to its crystal axis ,rotates the plane polarized light through an angle proportional to the thickness of the plate. S ome quartz crystal rotate towards left while some to the right. However in 1847 LOUIS PASTEUR find that equimolar solution of seprated mixture have equal but opposite optical activity. In 1874 LEBEL and VANT-HOFF proposes that carbon with 4 attachment is tetrahedral and a molecule having a teahedral geometry will exist as pair of two isomer. ISOMERISM Isomers are defined as molecules of identical atomic compositions (molecular formulas), but with different bonding arrangements of atoms or orientation of their atoms in space. Based on this definition, several types of isomerism are possible including constitutional, configurational, and conformational isomerism. Constitutional isomers (also called structural or positional isomers) are molecules with the same atomic composition but different bonding arrangements between atoms, as illustrated by theexamples of catechol, resorcinol, and hydroquinone . All of these compounds have the same atomic composition (C6H6O2), but different bonding arrangements of atoms and are thus distinct chemical entities with different chemical and physical properties. GEOMETRIC ISOMERISM Geometric isomers have the same empirical formula or molecular formula and also the same structural formula, but have a different relative arrangement of the substituent groups. For example, the two geometric isomers of 1,2-dichloroethene (Figure 2) have the molecular formula of C2H2Cl2, and the same structural formula of Cl(H)C=C(H)Cl, but the relative position of the two chlorine atoms can either be the same side of the C=C double bond (i.e., cis, see Figure 2a) or on opposite sides of the C=C double bond (i.e., trans, see Figure 2b). The use of cis and trans is not limited to organic compounds such as olefins, but can also be used in metal complexes, e.g., Figure 3. Figure 2: The two geometric isomers of 1,2-dichloroethene. Figure 3: Examples of (a) cis and (b) trans geometric isomers for metal complexes. When it is not possible to describe geometric isomers by the terms cis or trans, the terms facial (fac, Figure 4a) or meridinal (mer, Figure 4b) are commonly employed. Examples of (a) fac and (b) mer geometric isomers for metal complexes. POLARIMETRY AND OPTICAL ROTATION Polarized light is obtained by passing ordinary light through a polarizer , such as nicol prism.The orientation of the polarizers axis of polarization determines the plane of the resulting polarized light. OPTICAL ACTIVITY:- Unpolarized light from a suitable source is made to pass through a polarizer that usually consists of a pair of crossed Nichol prisms. The light leaving the polarizer is plane polarized and, in the diagram, the angle of the Nichol prisms has been adjusted to produce vertically polarized light. This light is then passed through a tube containing the sample. If the sample is optically active, the plane of the polarized light will be rotated, as shown in figure The extent of rotation will depend on the polarizability of the substance and its concentration. The light from the sample cell is then passed through another pair of crossed Nichol prisms called the analyzer. The analyzer prisms are then rotated so that the transmitted light is again vertically polarized. The angle through which the analyzer has been turned is called the angle of polarization. Clockwise rotation of polarized light is designated as (+) and anti clockwise rotation as ( ). The established method of defining rotatio n is that the (+) isomer is termed dextro and the ( ) isomer laevo. Optical activities of enantiomer A pair of enantiomer are distinguised by their optical activites because a pair of enantiomers rotates the plane of polarized light by equal amounts in opposite direction. In a mixture of two enantiomers, each contribute to the optical rotation in proportion to its concentration.It follows that a sample containing equal amounts of two enantiomer must have an observed optical rotation of zero. Enantiomer of tartaric acid is: ENANTIOMER Enantiomers are compounds that have the same ordering of atoms as each other, but that differ from one another when viewed in three dimensions. The compound drawn to the left is an enantiomer because it has the H3C group projecting up from the page toward the reader. The corresponding enantiomer would have the H3C group projecting below the page away from the reader. A racemic mixture refers to a 50:50 mixture of two corresponding enantiomers. CHIRALITY Chirality is a structural property of an object. An object is said to bechiral if its mirror image can not be superimposed with itself by the means of rotations. The most familiar example of a chiral object is our hand. To see this, we first have to convince ourselves that our two hands are mirror images of each other. Then we can spend hours rotating our two hands around and trying to superimpose them point-to-point, only to find out that it is impossible. Thus a human hand is a chiral object. An object is said to be achiral if its mirror image is its exact replica DIASTEREOMER They are different physical/chemical properties in chiral/achiral environments. Stereoisomers that are not enantiomer are called diastereomers. FISHER PROJECTION Fischer projections are used to visually describe various isomers of the same compound in two dimensions. They are also used as a basic test for optical activity (or chirality). The Fischer projection looks like a cross, with the (invisible) asymmetric carbon located at the points where the lines cross. The horizontal lines are taken to be wedges, or bonds that project out of the plane of the paper. The vertical lines are taken to project away form the viewer, or back below the plane of the paper, as dashed lines. CONFIGURATION Configurational isomers are defined as molecules of identical atomic composition and bonding arrangements of atoms, but different orientations of atoms in space, and these different orientations cannot interconvert freely by bond rotation. Since these types of isomers differ only in relative spatial orientations of atoms, they are commonly referred to as stereoisomers. Configurational stereoisomers are subcategorized as optical isomers (enantiomers) or geometric isomers (Fig. 2), depending upon the hybridization state and geometry of the atoms that impart the properties of stereoisomerism and the overall structure of the molecule. Stereoisomers of this type are distinct chemical entities that may have different chemical and physical properties. CONFORMATION Conformational isomers (conformers) are stereoisomeric forms characterized by different relative spatial arrangements of atoms that result from rotation about sigma bonds. Thus, unlike configurational isomers, conformers are interconverting stereochemical forms of a single compound. STEREOCHEMICAL CORRELATION The absolute configuration of most organic compounds are determined instead by using chemical reaction correlate with other compounds of known absolute compounds is known as stereochemical correlation. STEREOCHEMISTRY OF CHEMICAL REACTION No chemical reaction can be planned without stereochemical details,and no chemical reaction can be planned without considering problems oe stereochemistry that might arise. A.STEREOCHEMICHEMISTRY OF ADDITION REACTION An addition reaction can occur in either of two stereochemically different ways,called syn addition and anti addition. Stereochemistry of an addition can be determined only when the stereochemically different modes of addition give rise to stereochemically different products. Syn and anti addition gives different products only when both carbons of the double bond becomes carbon stereocentre in the product. STEREOCHEMISTRY OF SUBSITITUTION REACTION A substitution reaction can occur in two stereochemically different ways, called retention of configuration and inversion of configuration then x and x have the same relative stereochemical position. Substation rxn with retention of configuration is It implies that if x and x have the same relative priorities in the R,S system then the carbon that undergoes subsititution will have the same configuration in the reactant and the product. When the subsititution occur with inversion of configuration then x and x have different relative stereochemical positions. Subsititution with inversion of configuration is: They have same relative priorities in the R,S system, then the carbon that undergoes substitution must have opposite configuration in the reactant and the product. Stereochemistry of   Reactions Two products are formed when a chiral substrate that possesses an asymmetric, electrophilic carbon is applied in an   reaction. One of them has the same absolute configuration as the starting product (if, according to the CIP rules, the leaving group and the nucleophile have the same position in the priority order of the substituents), which is called retention. In contrast, the other product possesses the opposite absolute configuration, known as inversion. In reactions, the nucleofuge exits the substrate before the nucleophilic attack can ever occur. Thus, an intermediate carbocation is then formed. Due to the carbocations trigonal planar shape, its two enantiotopic sides are susceptible to attack by the nucleophile with the same probability. Stereochemistry of  Reactions If a pure enantiomer is applied to an reaction, three different stereochemical results are conceivable: The initial spatial arrangement of the reaction centers substituents remains (retention). The initial substituents spatial arrangement is inverted (inversion). Retention, as well as inversion takes place. If retention and inversion occur to the same degree, the reaction yields a racemate (racemization). Stereochemistry of E2 Elimination In the E2 elimination reaction, the carbon-hydrogen sigma bond and the carbon-leaving group sigma bond must lie in the same plane. This allows the orbitals to begin to overlap to form the pi bond as the bonds to the hydrogen and the leaving group are broken. There are two possible planar arrangements of these bonds: both on the same side of the C-C bond (syn-coplanar); or on opposite sides of the C-C bond (anti-coplanar) In syn the bond from the carbon to the leaving group (green) and the bond from the other carbon to the hydrogen (blue) are syn-coplanar. The dihedral angle between these bonds is zero degrees. This conformation is eclipsed about the carbon-carbon bond In anti the bond from the carbon to the leaving group (green) and the bond from the other carbon to the hydrogen (blue) are anti-coplanar. The dihedral angle between these bonds is 180 degrees. This conformation is staggered about the carbon-carbon bond. Because this conformation is more stable than the eclipsed conformation required for syn elimination, anti elimination is preferred in E2 reactions STEREOCHEMISTRY OF ALKANE Conformations Alkane conformers arise from rotation around sp3 hybridised carbon carbon sigma bonds. The smallest alkane with such a chemical bond, ethane, exists as an infinite number of conformations with respect to rotation around the C-C bond. Two of these are recognised as energy minimum (staggered) and energy maximum (eclipsed) forms. The existence of specific conformations is due to hindered rotation around sigma bonds, although a role for hyperconjugation is proposed by a competing theory. CONSTITUTIONAL ISOMER There are different types of isomer. Isomers such as butane and isobutane that differ in the connectivity of their atom are termed as constitutional isomer.butane and isobutane are only constitutional isomer with the formulaC4H10 . However ,more constitutional isomer are possibles for alkane with more carbon atoms. STEREOCHEMISTRY OF ALKENE The stereochemistry of halogen addition is unequivocally determined by the anti addition and the almost completely restricted rotation of the carbon-carbon bond of the halonium ion. Therefore, the bromination of cis-2-butene yields a racemate of (2R,3R)- and (2S,3S)-dibromobutane, whereas the bromination of trans-2-butene yields the meso compound. CIS TRANS GEOMETRY OF ALKENE If alkenes have two different substituents at each end of the C=C then they can exist as stereoisomers (as geometric isomers ). This is because there is restricted rotation of the double bond due to the pi bond CIS TRANS E-Z SYSTEM The cis- / trans- style is based on the longest chain whereas the E/Z style is based on a set of priority rules.   You need to know both styles. Z SYSTEM cis-but-2-eneor (Z)-but-2-ene The E- and Z- style is more reliable and particularly suited to highly substituted alkenes, especially when the substituents are not alkyl groups. STEREOCHEMISTRY:-FUTURE PROSPECTUS AND APLLICATION 1.Temperature modulation of the stereochemistry of enzymatic catalys. 2.It is used in medical purpose for malarial prevention, control and research 3.The HeI resonance line used for UPS was produced by DC discharge of pure helium gas. 4. Stereochemistry is highly used in biochemistry in various purposes like enzyme catalyst e.t.c. 5. Penning ionization is known to be one of the most important types of chemical reaction in aerospace. Steric shielding effect of methyl group an penning ionization in subsitutional aniline. 6. Stereochemistry is always used in discovering new compounds 7. Stereochemistry is used to know the property and other new property of the existing compound or the compounds not knownà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. REFRENCES Hehre, W.J.(1975),J.AM.CHEM KARLE J.(1973),ELECTRON DIFRACTION IN NACHOD,F.C AND ZUKERMAN, VOL 5 P12. ELIEL L. ERNEST(2009),STEREOCHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS,WILEY STUDENT EDITION LOUDON MARC G.(2009),4th EDITON ,ORGANIC CHEMISTRY ,OXFORD UNIERSITY PRESS WEBSITE http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Example_of_stereoisomers http://www.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/5564/81111276.jpgimgrefurl=http://www.chemicalforums.com/index. WWW.CHEMISTRY.UK www.wileyindia/chem.com

Interview with Lenin :: Russian History

Interview with Lenin Question: What were the historic events that led up to revolution, and why did you become involved in revolution? Lenin’s answer: To answer this question we have to go way back in 1812, when Napoleon came to Russia. Russian people stood up and fought against the invader by burning the villages and supplies, thus helping Czar Alexander I. After such sacrifice, people were not rewarded for their devotion to the Czar. In December of 1825 in St. Petersburg, Russia, a group of military officials staged a revolt against Tsar Nicholas I. These rebels were liberals who felt threatened by the new ruler’s conservative views. They were, however, defeated by the tsar’s forces. As a result of this revolt, Nicholas I implemented a variety of new regulations to prevent the spread of the liberal movement in Russia. My Brother - Alexander, and me, we organized the Union for the Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class. We have traveled around Europe and we saw that all Europe was changing in the direction of Democracy. Russian Social Democratic Party in Switzerland came to conclusion that Autocracy and Czars are getting old. New and radical changes were needed. Czar, Alexander III, hanged my older brother,Alexander, for an alleged plot against him. I swore on his grave that I would avenge his death. Revolutions of 1905 and World War I also played a significant role on the â€Å"My† revolution in November. Q: What is the main target you want to achieve by revolting? A: I want to make better place for regular working class people. I want to give them everything that they have wanted for so many years. I also want to end the war. The government is blind and can’t see that people don’t understand why they are fighting and losing their fathers, brothers and sons. Q: What kind of government will you set up after the revolution? A: I want to set up socialism/communism. Central to the meaning of socialism is common ownership. This means the resources of the world being owned in common by the entire global population. I want to build the society where individual don’t own anything. People own everything. Q: What is the difference between Red Army and White Army (both of them rob peasants)? A: What we are facing here is a small economic precipice.

Compromise and Concession

Compromise and Concession In most immigrant families, making more money, living better and raising kids as Americans are their goals. Parents know the importance of assimilation, but may not know the paradoxical predicaments their children may face. On one hand, parents expect children to become fully â€Å"American†; on the other hand, they desire children to inherit their ethnic culture as well. Concession and compromise are unavoidable in many occasions and this is more obvious in immigrant families.Concession or compromise means to give up something, especially in order to end an argument or conflict. In the essay, â€Å"The Good Daughter,† Caroline Hwang describes her as a second-generation immigrant; her life is paradoxical with compromises and concessions. Hwang becomes fully assimilated in America, but her â€Å"American culture† conflicts with her parents’ â€Å"Korean expectation†. As an immigrant, I fully understand Hwang’s plight because it reflects me well: being myself or obey parents. I am a second-generation immigrant from China.Before I moved to US with my mother at the age of 15, my father had already worked in a Chinese takeout restaurant in Connecticut for more than 10 years. He worked 6 days a week and more than 12 hours a day, but without good pay. Lacking skills in English not only shrank his career choices but also excluded him to study the American culture. Therefore, he expected me study English hard and engage in school. However, he also wanted me to help at the restaurant at the same time because of my family’s financial situation.So my high school life was like a line between the school and restaurant. I learned English hard in school, but I had to speak in Chinese after school when a group of Chinese staff in the restaurant surrounded me. I engaged in school and enrolled in clubs as much as I could, but I had to stay in the restaurant after school most of the time. I felt that I was distant from classmates and American society. My reading and writing skills improved gradually, but my speaking remained almost the same. I noticed this after a while but I chose to concede and remained silent.Then, this problem emerged unsurprisingly after I attended college: my social inability hurt me badly. I ate in the cafeteria alone; I studied without companions; I wandered in school aimlessly with no friends. I dropped out of college after one year because I was not able to fit into the community and got lost between two cultures. Studying new culture and engaging in community is essential and important. However, after we absorbed new culture, our own one will remain less and the divergence will become greater.Therefore the differences in viewpoint among cultures will become greater. Immigrant parents like to think or do the way they are familiar. The ingrained conventions or habits will influence their judgments and determinations. As Hwang writes, â€Å"Though they raised me as an American, my parents expect me to marry someone Korean and give them grandchildren who look like them† ( Para. 17). In my culture or community, most of the parents expect children to have lovers from China, and some parents even expect lovers from the same home – city.Allowance and acceptance from parents before marriage are critical because of filial duty. Lovers are not allowed to decide by themselves unless they wish to separate from the family. That is why many fully assimilated Chinese find it is difficult to find matches unless they are willing to concede or compromise. Different cultures can lead to paradoxical predicaments and bring problems back to family. Concession or compromise is often unavoidable when deciding. Because of vast of opportunities in America, most of the people can pick a career they like based on self-interests.Nonetheless, some people are not able to decide for themselves, and this problem is more obviously in immigrant families. A s Hwang writes, â€Å"A writing career is riskier than law† ( Para. 14). Surely, a lawyer is a better career than writer, and it has a bigger chance to be successful. For Hwang’s parents, career is not for self-interest but living better; despite her interest, Hwang concedes to her parents because of her cultural habits. â€Å"After 20-some years of following their wishes and meeting all of their expectations, I couldn’t bring myself to disobey or disappoint† (Caroline, Para. 4). Living freely and thinking independently are two the prominent values in America; however, obedience is important in China. We have to obey the rules in schools and government when we are young, and we cannot challenge because of punishments; we have to obey our parents because of filial duty. Parents like to plan the future for children, and they believe this job is their duty too. Therefore, we obey the â€Å"commands† and concede even if we have different opinions most of the time.By making a choice, either parents or we may be dissatisfied or disappointed. Immigrant parents sacrifice themselves by leaving the homeland to give us a better opportunity to become successful, we cannot just do whatever we like or want. We need to concern about our families, parents, and even siblings. As Hwang writes, â€Å"By making the biggest move of their lives for me, my parents indentured me to the largest debt imaginable—I owe then the fulfillment of their hopes for me† (Caroline, Para. 15).My parents do not require me to bring a bulk of wealth back to them, what they expect is one day I can fulfill their dreams that they do not have the chance to achieve, and live in happiness. I was unhappy with their decision sometimes, but I felt their love for me also. Therefore, I never minded or regretted making concessions or compromise. Straddling two cultures are complicated, even though different cultures may complement values in each other. Concession and compromise are necessary in a family or different cultures. Compromise and Concession Compromise and Concession In most immigrant families, making more money, living better and raising kids as Americans are their goals. Parents know the importance of assimilation, but may not know the paradoxical predicaments their children may face. On one hand, parents expect children to become fully â€Å"American†; on the other hand, they desire children to inherit their ethnic culture as well. Concession and compromise are unavoidable in many occasions and this is more obvious in immigrant families.Concession or compromise means to give up something, especially in order to end an argument or conflict. In the essay, â€Å"The Good Daughter,† Caroline Hwang describes her as a second-generation immigrant; her life is paradoxical with compromises and concessions. Hwang becomes fully assimilated in America, but her â€Å"American culture† conflicts with her parents’ â€Å"Korean expectation†. As an immigrant, I fully understand Hwang’s plight because it reflects me well: being myself or obey parents. I am a second-generation immigrant from China.Before I moved to US with my mother at the age of 15, my father had already worked in a Chinese takeout restaurant in Connecticut for more than 10 years. He worked 6 days a week and more than 12 hours a day, but without good pay. Lacking skills in English not only shrank his career choices but also excluded him to study the American culture. Therefore, he expected me study English hard and engage in school. However, he also wanted me to help at the restaurant at the same time because of my family’s financial situation.So my high school life was like a line between the school and restaurant. I learned English hard in school, but I had to speak in Chinese after school when a group of Chinese staff in the restaurant surrounded me. I engaged in school and enrolled in clubs as much as I could, but I had to stay in the restaurant after school most of the time. I felt that I was distant from classmates and American society. My reading and writing skills improved gradually, but my speaking remained almost the same. I noticed this after a while but I chose to concede and remained silent.Then, this problem emerged unsurprisingly after I attended college: my social inability hurt me badly. I ate in the cafeteria alone; I studied without companions; I wandered in school aimlessly with no friends. I dropped out of college after one year because I was not able to fit into the community and got lost between two cultures. Studying new culture and engaging in community is essential and important. However, after we absorbed new culture, our own one will remain less and the divergence will become greater.Therefore the differences in viewpoint among cultures will become greater. Immigrant parents like to think or do the way they are familiar. The ingrained conventions or habits will influence their judgments and determinations. As Hwang writes, â€Å"Though they raised me as an American, my parents expect me to marry someone Korean and give them grandchildren who look like them† ( Para. 17). In my culture or community, most of the parents expect children to have lovers from China, and some parents even expect lovers from the same home – city.Allowance and acceptance from parents before marriage are critical because of filial duty. Lovers are not allowed to decide by themselves unless they wish to separate from the family. That is why many fully assimilated Chinese find it is difficult to find matches unless they are willing to concede or compromise. Different cultures can lead to paradoxical predicaments and bring problems back to family. Concession or compromise is often unavoidable when deciding. Because of vast of opportunities in America, most of the people can pick a career they like based on self-interests.Nonetheless, some people are not able to decide for themselves, and this problem is more obviously in immigrant families. A s Hwang writes, â€Å"A writing career is riskier than law† ( Para. 14). Surely, a lawyer is a better career than writer, and it has a bigger chance to be successful. For Hwang’s parents, career is not for self-interest but living better; despite her interest, Hwang concedes to her parents because of her cultural habits. â€Å"After 20-some years of following their wishes and meeting all of their expectations, I couldn’t bring myself to disobey or disappoint† (Caroline, Para. 4). Living freely and thinking independently are two the prominent values in America; however, obedience is important in China. We have to obey the rules in schools and government when we are young, and we cannot challenge because of punishments; we have to obey our parents because of filial duty. Parents like to plan the future for children, and they believe this job is their duty too. Therefore, we obey the â€Å"commands† and concede even if we have different opinions most of the time.By making a choice, either parents or we may be dissatisfied or disappointed. Immigrant parents sacrifice themselves by leaving the homeland to give us a better opportunity to become successful, we cannot just do whatever we like or want. We need to concern about our families, parents, and even siblings. As Hwang writes, â€Å"By making the biggest move of their lives for me, my parents indentured me to the largest debt imaginable—I owe then the fulfillment of their hopes for me† (Caroline, Para. 15).My parents do not require me to bring a bulk of wealth back to them, what they expect is one day I can fulfill their dreams that they do not have the chance to achieve, and live in happiness. I was unhappy with their decision sometimes, but I felt their love for me also. Therefore, I never minded or regretted making concessions or compromise. Straddling two cultures are complicated, even though different cultures may complement values in each other. Concession and compromise are necessary in a family or different cultures.

Practical Criticism on the Tamer and Hawk poem Essay

Tom Gunn’s Tamer and Hawk is an extended metaphor depicting a powerful, strong, almighty, wild bird of prey (a metaphor for Gunn) being controlled by a seemingly inferior body (a human) – his true love. It depicts an image of a bird and its master (with the use of indirect personification). It tells a story of Gunn’s adoration of his ‘Tamer’ and his strong desire to entice his love. It is an effective metaphor because as the poem continues the danger and violence becomes more prominent, especially at the end of the poem. There are three main theme to the poem; love (â€Å"To fly for you and show†), loyalty (â€Å"For you I fear to lose†) and devotion (â€Å"You seeled me with your love†). The first stanza explains how the Hawk is happy to be domesticated by this person, as he expresses no objection to his situation. He even wants to show off his capabilities in a performance to his Tamer in the hope of impressing him. Gunn idolis es his Tamer by portraying him as kind (â€Å"But gentled at your hands†) and being gently powerful (â€Å"I thought I was so tough†) – with the emphases on the second ‘I’ trying to show the Tamer is more powerful than himself, as well as the quotation â€Å"Upon your wrist† which depicts the Tamer as somewhat of a godly figure who is in control of another life. Also, the quick rhyme scheme: A, B, A, C, C, B, along with the lack of any punctuation and the fast rhythm of the stanza (without any assonance or alliteration or sibilance), due to the Iambic trimeter, emphasises the Hawk’s effort he is putting into his performance, and hence trying to impress his Tamer. This is cemented by Gunn’s use of the phrase â€Å"Cannot be quick enough† which implies that his pace is still not enough to please his lover. The second stanza could be seen as a continuation of the first stanza, the themes are interrelating and also the ideas are common. It evinces the Hawk still not being able to fly away, as he is too in love with his Tamer that whenever they are apart, as soon as he calls him back he returns as fast as he can. It is evidence of how he is becoming so subservient to his Tamer (â€Å"I am no longer free†). Additionally, this quotation implies that the Hawk is in the process of being tamed, which means that there are st ill some wild aspects of his nature. This links to the quotation â€Å"You but half-civilise† which leads to hazardous consequences. One also gets the sense that the Hawk has some desires to be released – showing his wild core aspects, by the use of regular polysyllabic words,  with possible double meanings – â€Å"no longer free,† â€Å"seeled,† â€Å"blind,† â€Å"hooded.† The fact that the majority of these words are polysyllabic could be intended to extend the length of the word in order to express his pain, suffering and anguish. Stanza three explains how the Hawk has now broken free and has the opportunity to open his wings and explore, however, there is one major drawback. He cannot release the thought of his love, the Tamer, which is constantly on his mind (â€Å"In my possessive thought, Of catcher and of caught†). Additionally, in the first line of this stanza the word â€Å"formerly† links back with the idea that he is putting on his best show in order to try and impress his love, continuing the themes of devotion, loyalty and love, and also dete rmination and fortitude. Despite the clues embedded within the poem, it is the final stanza that is the climax of the poem. There are several integral parts to the poem in this stanza. The general picture of the stanza is that the Hawk is willing to go to the very extremes if it means not losing his love. The phrase â€Å"half-civilised† proves that the Hawk still contains his wild instincts and nature, as he is still half wild, however, this is no excuse for what the Hawk plans to do to his Tamer – Kill him. â€Å"For you I fear to lose, I lose to keep, and choose Tamer as prey† explains the Hawk’s plan. It may not be very evident but it does illustrate what the Hawk is willing to do, in order for him not to lose his Tamer. The Hawk obviously longs for the Tamer, however, he might long for him slightly too much because it could be on a parallel with how much a Hawk longs for its prey. One could form the opinion that what the Hawk is a metaphor for is monomaniacal as he is willing to kill his love in order to keep it. â€Å"I lose to keep† is a paradox because the two words in juxtaposition are opposites, contradicting each other, creating an antithesis. It is incomprehensible that one must lose something in order to keep and preserve it. This is the most extreme example of devotion. Generally, the fact that all of the stanzas end in an abrupt fashion, with a four syllable line instead of the previous six syllables, could be interpreted, by the reader, as the Hawk’s realisation that his Tamer is not returning his love and reveals the Hawk’s desperation and disappointment when he is rejected his ultimate wish. The extended metaphor is a very good and effective one because it gives very clear images of all of the scenes created by Gunn and also it is appropriate because the relationship is so  domineering, possessive and un-natural.