My grandmother Essays

My grandmother Essays My grandmother Essay My grandmother Essay My grandmother and grandfather have kept a small group of extremely close friends, which she has found to be very rewarding as a social support group. The hardest part of getting older that my grandmother has found is seeing many of their close friends leave for the great social circle in the sky as she put it, but she found that working hard at keeping those who were important to her close to her was incredibly rewarding. The close friendships she maintained were the best support she ever found throughout her life. Friends that she kept close had many of the same values she did, or values she admired and aspired to obtain. Social support has also come from her family, a value that she obtained at an early age living with so many close relatives. Her entire family, two children, son and daughter-in laws and grandchildren all keep very close ties and provide frequent visits, phone calls, and e-mails to make sure that she is doing well. Although she a world-renowned writer and one would think her pride would lie mostly with her career, it is a true showcase of my grandmothers character that out of everything in life she is proudest of her children. She is especially proud of her son (my father) Joseph who is an incredible parent to his two children. Being a parent has been an unparalleled and most rewarding experience, and she takes great pride in her children and grandchildren as well. Secondly, she is most proud of her wonderful 56-year relationship with my grandfather and the strength of their marriage. Taking a back seat to family and friendship, my grandmother is also very proud of the National Book Award that she won in 2000 for her book Homeless Bird. The award was an exciting validation of a continuing career in childrens literature. The most prominent aspect of my grandmothers life has been her faith. Beginning when she was young, she was impressed and influenced by her fathers faith and hope throughout the Great Depression. All of her decision-making has been guided by the hand of God, and she feels that her faith really formed her. She believes that choices we make and the path we chose are all part of Gods plan for us, mistakes and lessons are learned and we are so often blessed with that which we might not deserve to help us see his guiding hand. Her great faith has helped her realize the incredible benefits of aging; the on-going quest and acquiring of knowledge is a truly spiritual and nearly inconceivable process. As one grows older they gain massive quantities of life experience to draw on and become more cognizant of their faults, often utilizing the looking glass self which allows others to reveal their failings to them. Aging, my grandmother has found, ultimately leads to a greater sense of identity and self. My grandmother is truly the picture of generativity. Her concern for the next generation is very apparent in her writing as she tries to preserve historical evidence and present it to children through her fictional writing. She is obviously aware of the many ways in which she has been blessed and very sensitive to the wants and needs of her husband who now genuinely needs her support. She has reached old age and faces death with a sense of integrity; her faith has lead her through a satisfying and meaningful life. Although she realizes that she is reaching the end, she is celebrating the many gifts life has presented her with and is satisfied with what she has been able to offer to others. The respect that I have for my grandmother is continually increasing, I do not know if I will ever be able to put into words how much of an idol she has served as for me in how I have shaped and the courses I have chosen in life. She has taught me the importance of a strong sense of self, how to value close friendships. She has shown me the wonderful support system and overall warmth family brings to ones life. Her amazing faith, which guided her through hardships and times of joy, showed me the importance of self-transcendence and the relationship I would someday like to build with God. Her steadfast and strong relationship with my grandfather has re-emphasized the importance of finding a true life partner and developing a relationship where conflict can be overcome. In her telling me about the social development and self-discovery she achieved in college I realize the importance of maximizing my college career and truly finding what I am passionate about as early in my life as I can. My father is a wonderful parent and I see how having children and watching them raise their own children can become the most rewarding experience in a persons life. I have inherited my passion for writing from my grandmother and I hope that someday I will be as skilled at using words to paint a picture is she is. The chapters of my grandmothers life have enlightened me greatly, as a quote from Anton Chekhov suggests her writing inspires me to do the same, Dont tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

The Earths Core - Its Structure and Possible Composition

The Earth's Core - Its Structure and Possible Composition A century ago, science barely knew that the Earth even had a core. Today we are tantalized by the core and its connections with the rest of the planet. Indeed, were at the start of a golden age of core studies. The Cores Gross Shape We knew by the 1890s, from the way Earth responds to the gravity of the Sun and Moon, that the planet has a dense core, probably iron. In 1906 Richard Dixon Oldham found that earthquake waves move through the Earths center much slower than they do through the mantle around it- because the center is liquid. In 1936 Inge Lehmann reported that something reflects seismic waves from within the core. It became clear that the core consists of a thick shell of liquid iron- the outer core- with a smaller, solid inner core at its center. Its solid because at that depth the high pressure overcomes the effect of high temperature. In 2002 Miaki Ishii and Adam Dziewonski of Harvard University published evidence of an innermost inner core some 600 kilometers across. In 2008 Xiadong Song and Xinlei Sun proposed a different inner inner core about 1200 km across. Not much can be made of these ideas until others confirm the work. Whatever we learn raises new questions. The liquid iron must be the source of Earths geomagnetic field-   the geodynamo- but how does it work? Why does the geodynamo flip, switching magnetic north and south, over geologic time? What happens at the top of the core, where molten metal meets the rocky mantle? Answers began to emerge during the 1990s. Studying the Core Our main tool for core research has been earthquake waves, especially those from large events like the 2004 Sumatra quake. The ringing normal modes, which make the planet pulsate with the sort of motions you see in a large soap bubble, are useful for examining large-scale deep structure. But a big problem is nonuniqueness- any given piece of seismic evidence can be interpreted more than one way. A wave that penetrates the core also traverses the crust at least once and the mantle at least twice, so a feature in a seismogram may originate in several possible places. Many different pieces of data must be cross-checked. The barrier of nonuniqueness faded somewhat as we began to simulate the deep Earth in computers with realistic numbers, and as we reproduced high temperatures and pressures in the laboratory with the diamond-anvil cell. These tools (and length-of-day studies) have let us peer through the layers of the Earth until at last we can contemplate the core. What the Core Is Made Of Considering that the whole Earth on average consists of the same mixture of stuff we see elsewhere in the solar system, the core has to be iron metal along with some nickel. But its less dense than pure iron, so about 10 percent of the core must be something lighter. Ideas about what that light ingredient is have been evolving. Sulfur and oxygen have been candidates for a long time, and even hydrogen has been considered. Lately, there has been a rise of interest in silicon, as high-pressure experiments and simulations suggest that it may dissolve in molten iron better than we thought. Maybe more than one of these is down there. It takes a lot of ingenious reasoning and uncertain assumptions to propose any particular recipe- but the subject is not beyond all conjecture. Seismologists continue to probe the inner core. The cores eastern hemisphere appears to differ from the western hemisphere in the way the iron crystals are aligned. The problem is hard to attack because seismic waves have to go pretty much straight from an earthquake, right through the Earths center, to a seismograph. Events and machines that happen to be lined up just right are rare. And the effects are subtle. Core Dynamics In 1996, Xiadong Song and Paul Richards confirmed a prediction that the inner core rotates slightly faster than the rest of the Earth. The magnetic forces of the geodynamo seem to be responsible. Over geologic time, the inner core grows as the whole Earth cools. At the top of the outer core, iron crystals freeze out and rain into the inner core. At the base of the outer core, the iron freezes under pressure taking much of the nickel with it. The remaining liquid iron is lighter and rises. These rising and falling motions, interacting with geomagnetic forces, stir the whole outer core at a speed of 20 kilometers a year or so. The planet Mercury also has a large iron core and a magnetic field, though much weaker than Earths. Recent research hints that Mercurys core is rich in sulfur and that a similar freezing process stirs it, with iron snow falling and sulfur-enriched liquid rising. Core studies surged in 1996 when computer models by Gary Glatzmaier and Paul Roberts first reproduced the behavior of the geodynamo, including spontaneous reversals. Hollywood gave Glatzmaier an unexpected audience when it used his animations in the action movie The Core. Recent high-pressure lab work by Raymond Jeanloz, Ho-Kwang (David) Mao and others has given us hints about the core-mantle boundary, where liquid iron interacts with silicate rock. The experiments show that core and mantle materials undergo strong chemical reactions. This is the region where many think mantle plumes originate, rising to form places like the Hawaiian Islands chain, Yellowstone, Iceland, and other surface features. The more we learn about the core, the closer it becomes. PS: The small, close-knit group of core specialists all belong to the SEDI (Study of the Earths Deep Interior) group and read its Deep Earth Dialog newsletter. And they use the Special Bureau for the Cores website  as a central repository for geophysical and bibliographic data.

Interview question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interview question - Essay Example Areas that have improvements over the national average will be highlighted along with weaknesses from observation as compared to the achievement scores. Development of goals begins with the production of a time management plan that consists of the required curriculum elements and how best to incorporate psychological principles of learning (such as social learning theory) into the classroom environment. Proper planning for social and cognitive learning must be developed into a goal-attainment plan. 2. Three month goals include an introduction of youth psychology into the learning plan that includes role modeling of teacher and high performing students so as to incorporate them into the classroom teaching structure. Previous primary research studies that found success in motivating youths in the concrete operational stage of development will be used as the foundation for teaching style in the first three months. The goal is to promote more group learning for the younger children to re duce egocentric behaviors common to this stage of development to improve the social environment and motivate retention. Students will be delivered a survey or questionnaire instrument with language developed appropriate for youths of these age brackets to identify key needs.

Accounting Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting Issues - Assignment Example Retained earnings are the accumulated wealth of earnings not paid as dividends that the company obtained over the years. The cash balance of the company as of December 31, 2012 was $2,800,000. In terms of retained earnings the company had a balance of $31,400,000. Based on the asset distribution of the company it seems as if the company invested its retained earnings in the past in property, plant, and equipment. Common stocks, preferred stocks, and bonds payable are three distinct financial instruments that corporations can utilize to raise money. A common stock can be defined as an equity security that has last claim on residual assets and earnings of a corporation (Tewales, Bradley, Tewales). Common stocks are traded in the open market and its price fluctuates daily. A common stock gives its owner a participation stake in the ownership of a company. Common stocks have voting rights. At the end of the fiscal year shareholders are eligible to receive dividends if the board of direct ors declares them. A preferred stock is a special type of stock that has a claim on a corporation’s earnings, dividends, and assets ahead of common stock, but behind debt (Tewales, et al.). Corporations are mandated to pay dividends to preferred stock holders. If dividends are not paid they become cumulative and must be paid in the next accounting period. Preferred stocks do not have voting rights. A bond is a long term note that corporations sell to the general public. A bond has the obligation of paying its holders an interest payment to be paid on a quarterly, semiannual, or annual basis. The interest rate paid on a bond is known as the coupon rate. The principal of the bond must be repaid to the investor in full upon maturity date. The use of preferred stock is ideal for the company for a variety of reasons. First of all the use of preferred stocks does not dilute the power of the current owners of the company because preferred stocks do not have voting rights. Most impor tantly preferred stocks are accounted for as an equity option. The debt on the balance sheet of the company will not increase by selling preferred stocks. The use of preferred stocks does have a cost as the company will be obligated to pay dividends to the owners of preferred stocks. The capital structure of the company did not include any preferred stocks at the end of 2012. The company has a covenant on its previous debt that requires the firm to maintain a debt ratio below 60%. The total liabilities of the company in 2012 were $48.6 million, while its total assets amounted to $90 million. The debt ratio of the company is 0.54. This ratio is an indicator of the solvency of the company. If the company were to acquire an additional $10 million in debt its debt ratio would increase to 0.65 violating the existing covenant on its debt. The firm would also not quality for a $20 million loan since doing so would increase its debt ratio to 0.76. The use of capital leases is a viable finan cing arrangement that the company can use to acquire equipment and machinery. The debt analysis performed on the company showed that additional debt is a limiting option due to a covenant on its existing debt that requires the firm to maintain a debt ratio below 60%. The use of a capital lease is a very attractive option because the debt on the lease is not reflected on the balance sheet liabilities section, but the asset being leased is considered an asset in the accounting books of the company. The use of a capital lease affects both the income statement and balance sheet of the firm. The balance sheet is affected because the leased equipment must be included in the asset section of the balance sheet under the

Ordinary People :: essays research papers

The book Ordinary People explains the troubles that occur in a typical American family. The family, the Jarrets, tries to maintain as much as a normal life as possible without a dysfunctional status. In the beginning of the story, the family deals with minor problems that had little impact to them. Since they had just moved to a new house in a new neighborhood, they try to establish relationships with other neighbors. Their son, Conrad, faces depression in which he must recover from through frequent visits to the hospital, and to his psychiatrist. The father of the family, Calvin, is a determined and responsible man, is positive on his outlook in life and looks forward to everything, including having a productive day at work. He tries to take care of Conrad by giving sending him to a psychiatrist. The mother, Beth, a strong working woman, is also like Calvin; she is responsible to the family as well. Obviously, the parents have no personal problems, but ironically they create conflic ts with each other. Although these conflicts are very minor, they eventually build up to separate the family later on throughout their marriage. An example of this was seen while the parents had troubles deciding where and when to go on vacation during their night out at dinner, because both their times conflicted with each other. The both of them always had minor conflicts that sprouted out every once in a while, but they were acceptable to each other. Conrad on the other hand had problems with his low self-esteem, grades in school, depression, suicide and interacting with other people. The loss of Buck brought Conrad down to his depression and low self-esteem, which eventually collapsed on his academic achievements in school. Also his social attitude towards society was weak, since his moods were always aimed towards quiet environments and loneliness. He took blame for his brother’s death in a boat accident and wanted to commit suicide. Conrad wanted to be in his own world, where he could relax and be in peace from all the annoying people in his life. The only people he really spoke with outside of his family were his teammates in his swim team, Lazenby, Bergen, his psychiatrist, Jeannine, and Karen. This did not necessarily mean that he liked the people he had relationships with. Conrad found his own teammates annoying, his psychiatrist too nosy in his life, and Karen wasn’t creditable either because she had similar problems like him, since they met each other at the hospital.

How can buyer attitudes about products country of origin affect marketing strategy Essay

A number of researches have been done on the effect of the county of origin (COO) on the acceptance of a product.   There has been close related studies examining attitudes within a country towards imported goods based on the evaluation of their country of origin.   Although most of the studies have focused on  Ã‚   consumer from the developed country, it has been shown that even consumers in the developing nations have developed certain attitudes on products based on their country of origin. There are some countries which are associated with high quality products while there are others which are associated with low quality products.   The attitude of the consumers about a product based on their country of origin affect the marketing strategy of the commodity since the marketing strategy will concentrate on creating a positive attitude on the products in the markets where customers have a negative attitude.   Compared to other marketing influences, country-of-origin has a lesser effect on the process of consumer decision making but it affects the overall acceptance of the products depending on the level of influence in the market. (Daser 1997, p.53) The concept of Country-of-origin Country of origin is an important factor that affects the consumer purchasing decision making and industry purchases.   The country of origin in combination with other marketing characteristics has great influences on the perception of the product in the market.   This is  Ã‚   based on the concept o superiority or inferiority. Most of the studies conducted on the issue assert there are few stereotypical images that are consisted across a number of nations.   For example the image of robustness of Gernamn products, the luxurious products from France,   the cheap products from Korea, the substandard products from china, and many others.   There are also positive stereotypical images that have also been upheld. For example the Iranian pistachios and rugs, vegetable from Poland, Oranges from Israel, Coffee form Columbia, French perfume, Silk from china,   Leather from Italy, electronics from Japan, and Rum from Jamaica. (Cattin 1992, p. 244) These stereotypes have not been based on emptiness. They have either been based on  Ã‚   hearsay, experience or just a myth. At the same time is has been shown that customers will react different from country of origin cues.   For example, Japanese goods are highly rated by consumers all over the world.,   in china western products which retail   at more than three times the domestic products are   in   relatively high demand, in Russia the country of origin of the product is more important than then the brand name of the product which   pus product from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand and others still suspicious in the country,   Australian like French perfume but   thy will not buy French cameras of French wine, and   others Most of the studies conducted on the evaluation of the Japanese and American consumers have shown that Japanese products are considered to be of high quality  Ã‚   and therefore they are  Ã‚   preferred by the consumer to product from other countries.   This same effect has also been found in studies conducted in several other areas on the world.   Studies conducted in other areas in the world like Saudi Arabia and Bahaarian, Nova Sotia, Finland, South East Asia, Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong, and other have all rated Japanese products as superior to other product in the world as far as it relates to service, promotion, and delivery. With the increasing presence of  Ã‚   foreign products in the domestic markets,  Ã‚   there have been increase studies in the last one decade about the perception of these productions the market and the preference of consumers when purchasing them.   The country of origin cue has become an important factor in the market as consumer tend to evaluate imported goods   differently than the way they   evaluate domestic produced goods. Most of the studies have been carried out in American and have shown that American consumes have a preference to certain products from some countries. They tend to purchase products from  Ã‚   some countries as compared to others.   This has shown a national stereotyping phenomena which is not limited to the US only but has been observed in other countries. The same findings have been found in England, Finland, Canada, New Zealand, France, and Singapore. (Howard 1994, p. 92) Consumer attitudes and perception of  Ã‚   important from various countries usually vary from one country to another. What the consumers of country A will perceive product from country X is not the same way consumer in Country B will view the same products.   Although it has been shown that the relationship between  Ã‚   the two countries  Ã‚   is an important factor, the overall reputation of the production the market is a major factor affecting the consumer perception. It has also been found out that even consumers writing the same country may have different views of the same product with show individual variance within the same country.   Consumers’ attitude about the product from a particular country can also vary with time as the rate of development and pace of industrialization changes.   Change in market development in the culture and  Ã‚   lifestyle in that particular country can also affect the perception of the product. (Akaah 2003, p. 78) A  Ã‚   country at its initial pace of development may accept cheap product from a country while this may change rapidly as the country develops its own industries. This varies with the levels of disposable income which signify the rise of a middle class in any country. As a middle class emerge in a country, it may have an influence in the perception of a product from country which may influence market trends. Early studies on consumer attitudes and preference of domestic and imported produces tend to focus on  Ã‚   just one cue instead of a number of cues that could show the market influences. However the trend have chanced in the last three decades with most studies focusing on multiple cues which   have been designed to use tangible products   rather that  Ã‚  Ã‚   description of the   products. According to these early studies,  Ã‚   the effects of Country of origin were shown to have a direct effect on the existing beliefs of eh consumers. The past experience on the product is also an import factors that influence the attitude that a consumer may have on the product from a certain country. Other studies have shown that it may necessarily be the same product that the consumer may have had an earlier experience with but it may be another product which will affect the construction about the product from that particular country. (Loureiro and Umberger 2002, p. 59) To create a certain perception about products from a certain country, consumer use  Ã‚   evaluation based inference to reason about the image of that product.   This means that it will evaluate factor of quality value, styling, and others and correlate them with  Ã‚   the country of origin.   This is known as the halo effect where a belief about a trait of a certain products which in this case is the country of origin of the product produces a certain belief structure on traits that are not known to the customer but which are congruent with the traits that have already been experienced by the consumer.   The willingness of any consumer to purchase a product is based on the  Ã‚   characteristics of the country of origin of the product and its people.   The perception about the country of origin may also be affected by the comparison that the consumer makes about the similarities and differences between their country and the country of origin of the product.   This comparison may be made in terms of the economic development, political status, the social culture climate, and other factors which may crate differences and similarities between the two nations. (Dougla and Nonaka 1995, p. 350) Therefore it shows the  Ã‚   country of origin is one factor that embraces so many other factors inside it.   There are other market considerations that are made about the country of origin that ultimately determine consumer perception of the  Ã‚   products.   In this case there are several factors that we can identify that influence the overall consumer perception of the country and the products. Some of these factors include the following: †¢ Quality †¢ Technology †¢ Features of the product †¢ Brand recognition †¢ Perception of value †¢ Advertising images †¢ Perception of retailers and distribution These are some of the factors that may affect consumer perceptions of the products based on the country of origin.   There are many other factors that a customer takes into considerations but these are the main ones. Let us look closely at each of these factors. (i) Perception of quality The quality of the product is important to the consumer as it is used to develop descriptive and inferential beliefs about the product and service.   The  Ã‚   actual consumer choice of a product can be as a direct function  Ã‚   based on these medicating beliefs.   This shows the  Ã‚   quality evaluation is important factor in the overall decision making process of the consumers.   If the consumer develops a positive quality attitude towards the product, they are likely to increase  Ã‚   their confidence on the  Ã‚   product evaluation before giving their final choice.   There are several studies that have documented that quality is second to price in the consumer choice of product from foreign countries. (ii) Technology sophistication perception Sophisticated technology can be defined as technology which involves a high level of  Ã‚   operation using complex material and equipment.   It is also as production process that uses high level of skills to formulate and develop products. In this case we can take the examples we had given earlier bout Japan. It ahs been argued that   products from Japan have been receiving a high   rating and   increased preference in different parts of the world owing to the   high level of   technology that is used to produce them.   It has also been shown that American consumers have shown increased preference to German made products owing the capability of German to produce high technology products.   Contrary to this   a study carried out in Austria showed that   they preferred products from   Euro pan compared to other products outside Europe due to the high level of technology used to produce   goods in Europe. (Crodel 2003, p. 53) (iii) Features of a   product as suited to the market The features of a product compared to other in the market are an important factor that determines the overall product perception and choice preference.   Simple features like colour of the product, has been shown to be an import factor in the purchase of product like bread as compared to  Ã‚   price and nutritional aspect of the bread.  Ã‚   Yellow coloured bread which appears to have been prepared with a lot of eggs is mostly preferred compared to white bread by consumers in the market.   A study carried out in New Zealand showed the colour of the automobiles was important in the overall effect of purchase of automobiles. (iv) Recognition of the brand   Consumers have shown increased preference of  Ã‚   well known brands compared to unknown brands owing to its prestige. It has also been shown that preference of favourite brands is a way of  Ã‚   reducing risk in the purchase decision.   Brand recognition is an important factor that helps the consumer confidence in the purchase of branded products.   A country with a portfolio of well known brands will create a positive attitude towards the consumers and they are likely to purchase other products from the same country event without  Ã‚   preference to quality of the product. In this case country branding is very important in influences the overall consumer perception of products from that country.   If we take a contemporary example of Japan and China, we will find the both of them are emerging markets in the world.   While Japan is reputed for its quality in and durable products, china on the other hand is known for  Ã‚   cheap low quality products.   Apparently china accounts for more than 70% of all the counterfeited products in the world.  Ã‚   Therefore it would be difficult to convince a consumer from a country that china which is reputed with cheap low quality products can actually produce high quality products. It has also been found out that consumer have an increased preference toward branded produces rather than unbranded products. A study carried out in Britain showed the American and French brands were preferred by British retail managers as they were more recognized compared to the domestic brands. (Bannister and Saundrsm 1998, p. 60) (v) Perception of values The perception of values involves the overall consumer assessment of the use of a product  Ã‚   based on the   consumer will give in monetary values and what they expect to receive in terms of  Ã‚   quality. This is a kind of a balance equation that the consumer makes regarding the products that they wish to purchase.   The past research that have been carried out on the perception of values have shown that compared to all countries in the world, Japanese products were low priced while at the same time they were considered to be of high values and therefore the consumes preferred to buy them because they got an acceptable product values for the amount of monetary sacrifice they made for that particular product.  Ã‚   A recent study has also shown that Japanese products are likely to be preferred to the US products even without so much concession on the price of the products. (vi) Advertising image The adverting strategies that are used in the market can improve the image of the products and therefore increase the consumer preference of the product.   There has been a reported relationship between advertising influence, that attitude toward a brand, and consumer preference in the marketing  Ã‚  Ã‚   of the product.   In the early emergence of the Japanese products, they were shown to receive a low key in the market  Ã‚  Ã‚   because they were not well advertised and their low prices  Ã‚   created a negative consumer perception.   After some years, Japanese product recorded increased sales in Canada, US, Britain, Hungary, and others where they had recorded low sales after an aggressive and competent advertising that changes consumer perception. (vii) Distribution and retailing perception   The realties influence the consumer preference and decision to purchase a product through their promotional efforts.   Retailers makes particular efforts to promote the products to in the market  Ã‚   through merchandise offering, merchandise display, reliable dissemination of information, and through many other efforts.   The retailer can also influence the consumers by presenting a higher credibility for a product and an apparent warranty and guarantees which increase consumer confidence in that particular product.   Consumer perception of a products has partly been linked to various level of activities carried out by the retailers in creating their awareness about that product in the market. Weak promotion activities have a negative effect on the consumer perception of quality and  Ã‚   preferences to purchase that particular product. (Cheung and Dention 1995, p. 55) There are the main factors that influence the perception of a product from a country.   This shows that  Ã‚   country of origin is influenced by the above  Ã‚   factors.  Ã‚   Consumer perception is not a  Ã‚   condition that is created at once but it is an after thought  Ã‚   which comes after interplay of the above factors.   Country of origin perception is not a condition that is crated overnight and does not evaporate overnight but it is a perception that may last for some time and may be difficult to deconstruct.

Things Fall Apart Character Analysis - 1564 Words

The story of â€Å"Things Fall Apart† is three part story that tells the life of Okonkwo. The main character in the story to which he is much known in nine villages. In part one of the story it shows us the way on how Okonkwo rose to power and becoming a very valuable person. He is very well respected on how hard he worked to get at the top. The struggles Okonkwo went through as a young child was pretty tough. His father Unoka was a failure. He had owed money to every neighbor he lived around. One thing that Unoka loved to do was play the flute. When Okonkwo father had passed away, Okonkwo was ashamed of him. Okonkwo started to become a great farmer growing up and then became the greatest wrestler out of the nine villages becoming famous. He†¦show more content†¦From there he was well received by his mother’s kinsmen in Mbanta. Note that Okonkwo mother is dead and Okonkwo has not been in Mbanta years ago. Uchendu which is the kinsmen has noticed Okonkwo and his family carrying their personal items. Uchendu has not spoken the reason why Okonkwo has come until the following day and from there Okonkwo has told him the whole story on what had happened and the reason why he came to Mbanta. In his second year of exile Okonkwo has gotten a visit from his friend Obierika to tell him some things that has been going on in Umuofia. Obierika has told them that a white man has appeared in their clan with an iron horse riding on it. The elders had spoken to the white man and the white man in response has told them that they would break their Oracle, break their clan, and also spread destruction. From that point on Obierika has left and paid another visit nearly two years later but this time circumstances were less happy. Obierika has told Okonkwo that the missionaries had come to Umuofia and built a church, won a handful of converts, and were already sending evangelists to the surrounding villages. Next after hearing everything that has been happening in Umuofia about the white man and missionaries taking over places and telling the villagers that there is only one God and trying to change their view on religion. Okonkwo exile of 7 years has come to an end he is ready to go back home.Show MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart Character Analysis1071 Words   |  5 PagesIn life, we all have fears whether it’s spiders, darkness, or even death. In Things Fall Apart, we see the fears of many of the main characters being shown especially in Okonkwo. Okonkwo was not born into power and wealth and it was up to him whether he was going to make something out of his life. His choice was to disregard his father’s ways and work as hard as possible so that he can become one of the most powerful men in his village of Umuofia. His work ethic and passion for success drive himRead MoreThings Fall Apart Character Analysis1568 Words   |  7 Pagesof â€Å"Things Fall Apart† is a three part story that tells the life of Okonkwo. The ma in character in the story to which he is much known in nine villages. In part one of the story, it shows us the way on how Okonkwo rose to power and becoming a very valuable person. He is very well respected for how hard he worked to get at the top. The struggles Okonkwo went through as a young child was pretty tough. His father Unoka was a failure. He had owed money to every neighbor, he lived around. One thing thatRead MoreThings Fall Apart Character Analysis1007 Words   |  5 PagesThe theme of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is that life is shaped more by outside events than what is inside you. Okonkwo is a man grappling with adversity and trying to define and walk his own path according to his own wisdom. Okonkwo rejects his father, and lives his life to be as different from his father as he can. Okonkwo is trying to determine his fate, yet the thing he wants to be least like he becomes which parallels his society’s struggle to navigate the changes of colonis ation andRead MoreThings Fall Apart Character Analysis824 Words   |  4 PagesChinua Achebe’s novel, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† is an extraordinary example of life lessons and internal battles characters can face. The novel show cases that sometimes characters can have struggles within themselves and that it does don’t necessarily have to be a person. Throughout the novel the audience gets to meet Okonkwo, the main character who is quite hard to read. As the book progresses the true Okonkwo is discovered. Okonkwo is faced with this immense pressure he puts on himself and soon weRead MoreThings Fall Apart Character Analysis1130 Words   |  5 PagesPower â€Å"No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and children (and especially his women) he was not really a man† (Chinua Achebe 53). This quote from Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart demonstrates the power of men as it is presented throughout the novel. Things Fall Apart is the story of Okonkwo’s struggles in society, and his search for power throughout his life. During his exile, cultures clash and chaos erupts in the Igbo village. Okonkwo’s father, his exile in MbantaRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart917 Words   |  4 PagesEA 3.2 Literary Analysis: character analysis The introduction of a new culture to another culture can be quite a challenge, as well as life-changing for those individuals who decide to assimilate the new beliefs and customs. The arrival of the missionaries to Nigeria affected the the Ibo culture and introduced its people to a new set of religious beliefs and westernized customs. Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, portrays the contrasting reactions of people to the new culture brought to theirRead MoreThings Fall Apart: Okonkwo Character Analysis Essay856 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel Things Fall Apart, strength and pride are very important aspects of the main character, Okonkwo, however, these traits may sound like excellent traits to possess but because of the way he was raised, Okonkwo harbours many of his emotions under an outer shell of violence, strength and pride. His traits can be shown by looking at where he has come from in his life, for example, Okonkwo has acquired a large amount of wealth in his life because of his hard work and dedication which he alsoRead MoreEssay Character Analysis of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart541 Words   |  3 PagesIn the novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected and determined individual whose fatal flaw eventually works against him. Throughout the novel the readers are shown that Okonkwo has many of these Characteristics because he is obsessed with the idea of becoming just like his father. This becomes his flaw in the novel that puts him into exile and makes it hard for him to adjust to the changes that were made with in his village. Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected individual inRead MoreThe Analysis of the Main Characters and the Impact of Colonialism in Things Fall Apart and Avatar1868 Words   |  8 Pagesnatural resources, all the while disrupting your way of life. The only thing that you can do is react, maybe you choose to fight back, or maybe you learn to accept these new ways as your own. The Navi from Avatar and the Ibo from Things Fall Apart are both under the attack of an imposing nation, although the way that the natives and the invadors handle the situation are very different. Okonkwo and Jake Sully, the main characters from these two stories, have a huge impact on the outcome of the nativesRead MoreWork1068 Words   |  5 Pages2013 Things Fall Apart: Character Analysis Research Paper In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the main character Okonkwo has only one tragic flaw; he has raised himself so that looking weak or effeminate is the worst thing to him that he could do. Okonkwo is a model clansman based on his success. However, he is more alienated from his culture based on his lack of respect for it. In this research paper, I’ll walk through a character analysis of Okonkwo. The protagonist of Things Fall