Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story Essay Example for Free

Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story Essay The short story of Little Red Riding Hood is a simple to understand child’s tale and clearly portrays the deceitfulness of appearance. The story is clearly organized with characters and symbols of innocence by a child and the sly dangers represented by a wolf. Throughout the story we see the characters build more of a persona of innocence and evil. It is stated by Cassady, M. (1991), â€Å"Symbolism plays a large part in Identity and Difference.† This is seen a lot and very clearly with the oblivious thoughts of Red Riding Hood and the singular objective of the wolf constantly reminded throughout the story. The characters add to the theme and the theme is portrayed though these characters. The theme of Little Red Riding Hood is made clearer and understanding in many ways. In the original short story there are clear references to what the clear idea is behind the theme. These are pointed out and recognized by asking simple questions even supported through the text. Clungston, R. (2010), â€Å"How does the writer use setting to narrow the underlying idea? How do characters make particular aspects of the underlying idea clear? How does conflict reveal the strength or worth of the underlying idea?† These are questions more clearly defined in this story than could be found in many others. The most clear and obvious would be the characters. The antagonist being represented as a mischievous and blood thirsty wolf gave a clear view on the danger posed against the young and innocent Little Red Riding Hood. The little fun loving child was also a character who added to the theme, making it clear there was an innocent victim. Along with the presence of the characters there is a clear instance of conflict making the theme clearer. In the short story there was a most noted and memorable moment when the wolf and Little Red Riding Hood reunited without Red Riding Hood knowing she was in the presence of the wolf. The famous lines in the story written by l’Oye (1697), â€Å"Grandmother, what big arms you have! All the better to hug you with, my dear. Grandmother, what big legs you have! All the better to run with, my child. Grandmother, what big ears you have! All the better to hear with, my child. Grandmother, what big eyes you have! All the better to see with, my child. Grandmother, what big teeth you have got! All the better to eat you up with.† Said and repeated, this became one of the most notorious childhood short stories to ever exist. This conflict showed the adolescence of the child and the trust she put into the wolf’s words. As these go on it becomes more obvious the appearance of Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother become less resembling to how Little Red Riding Hood know her to appear. This is where â€Å"looks can be deceiving† seems to be most appropriately referenced. In the story of Little Red Riding Hood the child character had no knowledge of not talking to the stranger wolf, which led to her and her grandmother’s peril. . The story has the intertwining relations between the characters and their symbolism in the story. As the little child frolics and plays with butterflies and picks up nuts to enjoy the wolf tears through the woods to be sure not to lose out on his opportunity to feast. This is the image brought to the reader of the characters and heightened by the influences of the child being a child and the wolf being a wolf. Cassady, M. (1991) also states, â€Å"the characters are symbols as well as individuals† this explain our predicted image of the characters and the importance of why these two characters have to be who they are to make a clear statement in the story. Without the presence of these characters or the manifestation of the theme, neither would exist without the other to create the effect this story created. This is symbolism and character created strongest in the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Irr Finance Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Irr Finance Essay Internal Rate of Return of a project is a discount rate at which the net present value of a project is zero. In case of several independent projects, a project where IRR is greater than the cost of capital shall be accepted and in case of mutually exclusive projects, the project with a highest IRR shall be selected. It is also known as realized rate of return. (K.J.S. Satyasai) Net present value indicates the impact of a projects value on firms value. The projects with a positive NPV shall be selected and those with a negative NPV shall be rejected not to be undertaken. In case of mutually exclusive projects, the project with a largest NPV shall be selected. NPV is computed as the difference between the present value of the project cash inflow and the present value of the project cash outflow. Capital budgeting is a process by which firm decides among the various long term projects which project is to be undertaken. The factors to be considered while deciding various projects is the cash flows generated from the project and the cost related to that project. How to Calculate IRR measures the growth of the portfolio in absolute terms. To compute internal rate of return, we should use either trial error method or average capital base. Trial error method This method requires certain information for the time under consideration All inflows of capital for the project. All outflows of capital for the project. The beginning value of the project at beginning of the computation period. The ending value of the project at end of the computation period. PV = Sum of (FVi / (1+r) ni) + FVe / (1+r) N Where, PV represents the present value, FVi represents future cash flow i, ni represents number of period i, r is IRR, FVe is end value and N represents the number of period. Average capital base method IRR = (End Value Begin Value Total Contributions + Total Withdrawals) / (Begin Value + Total Weighted Contributions Total Weighted Withdrawals) Where Total Weighted Contributions Total Weighted Withdrawals = Sum of (Each Change in Capital Xi (Days Left in Period for Xi / Total Days in Period)) Advantages and Disadvantages of IRR Advantages: It takes into consideration the time value of money while evaluating a project as compared to ARR method (Accounting Rate of return) which does not takes it into consideration. This method is simple to interpret as compared to other methods. It does not require to compute hurdle rate or required rate of return. The required rate of return is a rough estimate and IRR is not completely based on required rate of return. Disadvantages: It ignores the actual dollar value of benefits. Assumes that the project will generate future cash flow which is reinvested at IRR. If a project generates low IRR, then it will assume reinvestment at low rate of return and on the other hand if the other project has very high IRR, it will assume reinvestment rate at very high rate of return. But this is not a realistic situation. As at the time the cash flows are generated, will have same investment opportunities is very difficult. In case of certain projects, a manager may require to invest into certain contingent projects also. So, IRR ignore these additional costs. IRR may suggest to purchase a asset but the benefits derived from that project may be wiped off by the cost of the contingent project. In case of mutually exclusive projects, that is the manager if selects then he has to reject other projects. In such a case IRR is not suitable as it gives a percentage of interpretation value which is not sufficient. It does not take into consideration the duration of a project in case two projects are evaluated with different time period. Other competitive methods Pay Back Period (Investment appraisal techniques, The Institute of Chartered Accounts England and Wales) Refers to time required for cash generated from a project to become equal to the initial cash outflows. This method is an initial screening method where by a manager can determine the initial time period by which projects return would equate the cost invested in a project. Hence, it would reject a project whose payback period is more than the targeted payback period. This method is very simple to use. It enhances the liquidity by focussing on early pay back. This method is alone is not suitable to determine the real worth of a project as it has several disadvantages: Ignores the timing of cash flows with the payback period. Ignores the cash flows after the end of an project as well as the total return of a project Also ignores the time value of money. In case two projects has similar payback period then it is difficult to determine which method is suitable. It could also lead to excessive investment in short run. It takes into account the risk of the timing of cash flows but does not take account of the variability of the cash flows. Accounting Rate of Return (Investment appraisal techniques, The Institute of Chartered Accounts England and Wales) ARR is defined as the average accounting period as a percentage of the accounting outlay. Higher the ARR better it will be. In order to select a project, ARR should be above the minimum acceptable level. The main advantage of the project is that it is very simple to calculate and understand. But it has several disadvantages: It does not take into consideration the timing of the project. It is subject to various accounting policies as it is based on accounting profits rather than cash flows. It ignores the time value of money. It does not take into account the size of an investment as it is a relative measure rather than absolute measure. Net Present Value (Investment appraisal techniques, The Institute of Chartered Accounts England and Wales) The difference between present value of future cash flow of an investment and the amount of an investment. Discounted cash flow (DCF) techniques discount all the forecast cash flows of an investment proposal to determine their present value. The main advantage of this methodology is that it takes into consideration the time value of money. If NPV is positive, it indicates cash inflows from a project will generate a return more than the cost of capital hence the project shall be undertaken. If NPV is negative then it indicates that the inflows from a project would generate a return lower than the cost of capital, hence the project shall not be undertaken. If NPV is zero then it indicates that the cash inflows from a project would generate return same as the cost of investment, hence the project should not undertaken as it would have certain inherent risk and will not generate any wealth to the shareholder. Disadvantages: The project size could not be measured or is not reflected. It is difficult to compute. It is difficult to compute appropriate discount rate. It may not give appropriate result when projects have unequal span of life. Time Value of Money Time Value of Money (TVM) is based on the principle that money is available at the present time is worth more than the same amount in the future due to its potential earning capacity. It is an important concept in financial management and can be used to compare investment alternatives. The drivers of time value of money are inflation, consumer preferences and risk. The concept has an impact on the appraisal of long term projects. So, the future cash flows are discounted to reflect the time value of money. The total of these discounted cash flows reflect the true value of a project. Disadvantages This method requires an estimate of the cost of capital to decide a project. In case of mutually exclusive projects, the method does not give value maximizing decision. In case of capital rationing it does not give value maximizing decision. This method cannot be used in situation where the sign of cash flow during a project more than once during the life of a project. Conclusion IRR is an appropriate method to select a project as it considers the time value of money. As in todays world of competition, inflation plays a very significant role which decreases the value of money over a period of time. So, by considering these factors it becomes one of the methods while evaluating a project. Recommendations Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages so a manager should be very careful while selecting an appropriate methodology. If a manager chooses a wrong methodology then he would end up selecting a wrong project and can incur heavy losses. Appendix

Canadas Independence from Britain

Canadas Independence from Britain Canada: An Independent Nation â€Å"A British subject I was born, a British subject I will die,† As said by the founding father of our nation, Sir John A. MacDonald, 1891. Like Sir John A. MacDonald, many Canadians have expressed full support and loyalty to Britain, as â€Å"Mother Empire.† Canada is one of the oldest established colonies of Britain and a senior member of the imperial family. Over the course of history beginning with Confederation Canada has developed a bond with Britain. This connection is rooted in common history, family ties, shared values and traditions. Though expressed support to Britain, Sir John A. MacDonald believed that Canada could be a â€Å"powerful auxiliary to the Empire,† in other words; he believed that Canada can be a powerful support to Britain as an independent country. Subsequently, it is without a doubt, that earlier on in history, Canada was meant to be a sovereign country. Certain battles and laws prove that Canada is, after all, a self-governing n ation. For this reason, the three most significant defining moments in Canadian history would be the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Statute of Westminster and D-Day when Canada emerged under the shadow of Britain, becoming a strong and independent nation. The 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge proves that Canada is a united and independent country through its ability to pull through a tough battle, as one unit. Even under British leadership, Canada was able to achieve control and gain victory at Vimy Ridge. Yet many had low expectations from Canadian troops from the start. This proves that Canadian troops are tough, well trained and can pull through any battle they are faced with. Vimy Ridge is a difficult location to capture – due to its strategic ridge – the territory was an advantage if captured. Even with restrictions, this was the first total Canadian victory under Canadian leadership with no British involvement. With the help of Canadian General Arthur Currie, Canadians created and mastered the â€Å"Vimy Glide,† a military technique used to help successfully capture the ridge. After all circumstances, the capture of Vimy Ridge became more significant due to the fact that other countries such as France and Britain fa iled to capture the ridge – and above all, Canada was successful. This helped increase Canada’s reputation as a strong, independent and professional nation, gaining the respect from many people. The Battle of Vimy Ridge is a battle contributing to Canada’s international reputation and as a united country, the first step to the growth of Canada’s independence. The Statute of Westminster, passed on December 11, 1931, officially proves that Canada is a self-governing, independent country from Britain. This law gave Canada its freedom to control it own foreign affairs and was no longer a colony of Britain. This British law outlined Canada’s full independence and freedom from â€Å"the Empire†. It is an important, defining moment in Canadian history, because it gave Canada the freedom to make decisions on their behalf, with no British involvement. Hence, this freedom was generally established during World War Two, when Canada was not automatically at war when Britain was, and was able to decide as an independent country. The Statue of Westminster contributed to Canada’s full independence from â€Å"the Empire,† revealing a supreme nation ready for anything that comes its way. The 1944 battle of D-Day is an important event for Canadians, proving the strength Canada has as a newly formed independent nation. It is one of the toughest, important battles Canadian troops had faced. Not only was battle of D-Day the largest, planned invasion against Germany, but also the turning point and end to World War Two. Being a part of this event, as an independent country, was significant for Canada. This battle made up for the Canadian efforts of the failed 1942 Dieppe raid. June 6, 1944 Canadian troops were assigned to capture â€Å"Juno Beach,† one of the five beaches of Normandy. Since Juno Beach was one of the central beaches, the most deadliest fighting took place here. Many Canadian soldiers drowned even before reaching the beach, just to show the harsh conditions experienced by the courageous troops. Although the beach was typically flat, Canadian troops had to go through a series of obstacles to advance this territory, for instance, barbed wire, mines and beach obstacles that prevented Canadian advance. As a result, Canadians successfully accomplished the mission given to them, particularly driving the Germans off the territory and capturing Juno Beach. The battle of D-Day proves to one important battle, demonstrating Canada’s independence and ability to carry out a mission. Although this was a tough battle, Canada was able to prevail during an important battle of World War Two. The Battle of D-Day proves Canada’s strength as an independent nation. In the long run, Canada gradually and peacefully emerged under the shadow of Britain, becoming a self-governing nation. As a part of the imperial family, Canada has demonstrated loyalty to Britain and has always been very close to the Empire. Events in history prove that Canada is, after all, an independent country. It was only a while ago when Canada fought alongside Britain during World War One and when Canada fought as an independent country during World War Two, proving that Canada has surely become a sovereign nation. Early on, fears of Canadian involvement in Britain’s foreign affairs were present even back to the late 1800s to the early 1900s. These fears were soon destroyed as the nation grew, revealing the true, independent side of Canada. That is to say, there was a time when Canada was dependent on Britain for most of their battles. Through the battle of Vimy Ridge, the Statute of Westminster and the invasion of Normandy when Canada grew, and developed into an indep endent nation, becoming one of the strongest, successful countries in the world.

Sprawl and Small Businesses Essay -- Stores Retail Essays

Sprawl and Small Businesses During the past 15 years, I have seen my once-rural hometown of Washington Township transform into a maze of single-family housing developments and strip malls. This type of growth has not been gentle on the local economy, especially small businesses. Stores such as the mom and pop hardware store, a local mainstay for many decades, have been forced out of business by the construction of two Home Depots and a Lowe’s within a two-mile radius of the town’s main street. This negative aspect of sprawl has been a trend that has repeated itself nationwide in recent years. Mega chain stores, or big boxes, are a phenomenon that has spread all over the country, and has exploded in popularity in recent years. Contributing to this phenomenon are monster chain stores, such as Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Target, Kmart and Best Buy. The success of these stores has depended upon the saturation of the retail market in areas where they are built. For instance, Wal-Mart’s strategy of store placement is such that in urban areas, stores are placed within a 10-mile radius of each other and a 30-mile radius is created in rural areas. (sprawl-busters.com/hometown.html) The density of store placement can vary, depending on the presence of competitors in the area. By saturating the market, these stores are undercutting their competition and making it virtually impossible for their smaller competitors to survive, or even start up in a free-market economy. In addition to their planning strategy of market dominance, big box stores have other attributes that are difficult to compete with. These attributes are attractive to the consumer, but come at a detrimental price.... ..., these corner stones are becoming a dying breed. Although progress cannot be stopped, we must hope that ideas like town centers can catch on, and save our small businesses. References: 1. http://www.sharbell.com/washington/washmain.htm : Sharbell is the developer that is building the Washington town center. 2. http://www.sprawl-busters.com/hometown.html : â€Å"Home town America fights back.† â€Å"A citizens view of Home Depot: The Orange Wars.† 3. www.reason.com/9505/NICKwalmart.may.shtml : â€Å"Do Wal-Mart and Home Depot spell the end of Community?† 4. www.nlcnet.org : National Labor Committee Website. 5. www.tradelocal.org/arts/wrongwal.html : â€Å"What’s wrong with Wal-Mart?† 1999 6. www.lawmall.com/rpa/chap1.html : â€Å"Surviving the Invasion of the Mega Stores: The Impact of Mega-Retail Discount Chains on Urban, Suburban and Rural Economies†

The Motionless Arrow: Aristotles Thoughts On Zenos Arror Argument :: essays research papers

The Motionless Arrow: Aristotle's Thoughts on Zeno's Arror Argument Aristotle's thoughts on Zeno's Arrow Argument as represented in Chapter 9 of Aristotle's Physics: A Guided Study can be understood in such a way that it might not be "next door to madness". In this chapter, Aristotle interprets Zeno's argument of the Flying Arrow as "missing the mark". There are four premises for this argument, and in Aristotle's opinion, premise three can be rejected. He does not believe that time is composed of indivisible nows, which he proves with laws of science. However, by evaluating the falsity of premise three, you will find that premises one and two are also false. Almost all opinions can be argued, however, and by evaluating the philosophy of both men, many points can be reached about the validity and soundness of the argument. Though, by finding the premises false, the argument is not sound, and therefore, Zeno's argument leaves much to be said. Deciphering from what we know of the argument by what Aristotle tells us in Chapter 9, the premises are sketched out: 1. Everything is at rest when at a place equal to it; 2. The Flying arrow is at rest when at a place equal to it; 3. Time is composed of indivisible nows (instants). 4. Everything that changes place is doing so in the now. 5. Conclusion: The flying arrow doesn't move. According to Zeno, time is composed of many indivisible nows, or instants. Aristotle disagrees, stating in line 210 that no magnitude, including time, is composed of indivisible nows. Exactly how long is an instant? Is time finite? As you start dividing time, the smaller you get, the less movement occurs. But even when you do divide it smaller and smaller, is there not at least some small amount of movement occurring? When will time get so small that movement does not occur? This is Aristotle's reasoning: that time will never get to a "smallest" point, as length will never have a "smallest" division. Therefore, he is rejecting the third premise, stating that time is not composed of indivisible segments. Zeno, however, feels that time can be divided into a "smallest" part. After all, in physics, you can determine an object's instantaneous velocity or acceleration at a specific point in its journey, at a specific time. Wouldn't this make time indivisible? Velocity and acceleration are given to mean motion, which means the object is moving at this specific point in time. Therefore, according to Aristotle, this paradox would not be so if it were not taken that time were composed of nows. By rejecting this premise, and reevaluating the argument, you will read

Theseus Or Hercules? :: essays research papers

Theseus or Hercules? Theseus is most worthy of emulation. He was a great hero in Athens. "Theseus was, of course bravest of the brave as all heroes are, but unlike the other heroes he was as compassionate as he was brave." (p. 159). Theseus also was a man of bravery, intellect and bodily strength. Hercules on the other hand was what all Greece except Athens most admired. He was very strong but wasn't too smart. Hercules never thought of the consequences that his actions would bring about before he followed through with them. First, Theseus was very strong. He fought many terrible horrendous monsters such as the Minotaur, "..a monster, half bull, half human.." (p.151), and went on many great ventures such as the Quest for the Golden Fleece. Theseus showed his great strength in adventures such as the one with the Minotaur. Hercules was also involved in many great adventures in which his great strength was shown. Hercules was much stronger than Theseus, but Theseus made up for this small loss in other ways. Second, Theseus was very smart. Because of his great intellect the Athenians, people who valued thought and ideas, chose him and not Hercules as their hero. Theseus escaped from the Labyrinth and killed the Minotaur. Neither of these tasks were easy and required someone with aptitude unlike Hercules. Theseus always thought things through and made good decisions. Hercules' foolishness was shown on many occasions such as when he killed his family and his music teacher. Theseus' intellect is one very valuable quality which makes him more worthy of emulation. Third, Theseus was very brave. In fact he went on so many great excursions that a saying grew up in Athens "Nothing without Theseus!" (p. 149). When it was time for Theseus to seek his father he would not go by water " But Theseus refused to go by water because the voyage was safe and easy." (p. 149). Theseus insisted to take the way by land. His idea was to become a hero as quickly as possible, and he accomplished his goal by ridding the land of all the banns to travelers on his way to find his father. Theseus had many other adventures. He was on the Argo, in the Caledonian hunt, as well as many others. Hercules also had many adventures but his were often the result of his own

Communication Between Agencies Essay

In order to be successful having great communication is the key to that success. Our country has endowed many tragedies with many of them due to the poor communication. Many lives had been lost because of poor communication or the first responder’s not being trained properly for a situation as this. Communication problems became the focal point of our nation’s emergency management improvement ever since September 11. Every day in cities and towns across the Nation, emergency response personnel respond to incidents of varying scope and magnitude. Their ability to communicate in real time is critical to establishing command and control at the scene of an emergency, to maintaining event situational awareness, and to operating overall within a broad range of incidents (National emergency communications, 2008). Communicating messages to the general public is a critical yet underdeveloped aspect of effective emergency management. Such messages fall under three basic categories: risk, communication, and warning and crisis communications. Risk communication involves alerting and educating the public to the risks they face and how they can best prepare for and mitigate these risks in order to reduce the impacts of future disaster events. Warning involves delivering notice of an actual impending threat with sufficient time to allow recipient individuals and communities to take shelter, evacuate, or take other mitigated action in advance of a disaster event. Crisis communication involves the provision of timely, useful, and accurate information to the public during the response and recovery phases of a disaster event (Bullock, 2009). The emergency management community as a whole has vast experience in practicing risk and warning communications. Preparedness programs have been an active part of emergency management in this country for decades, and public education programs conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, local fire departments, and other public and private sector agencies have disseminated millions of brochures and checklists describing the risks of future disaster events and the steps that individuals and communities can take to reduce and prepare for them (Bullock, 2009). In our text Bullock States, â€Å"The National Commission on terrorist attacks on the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, found that inadequate communications contributed greatly to hindering the ability of responding agencies to respond to the events that unfolded, and led directly to the high number of police and fire department employees who were killed when the towers collapsed† (Bullock, 2009). From this you can conclude that information was not passed along fast enough so as a result many people lost their lives because of this. There were also language barriers many of the different agencies did not use the same â€Å"lingo† and because of this confusion information was not passed between them correctly.