The influence of Anne Fisher Essay Example For Students

The influence of Anne Fisher Essay Fishers pedagogical concern clearly represents an advancement in the practicality of grammars, when compared to those of Lowth (1762), Priestley (1761) and Ussher (1785), which did not discuss teaching techniques, as the only important thing was the content, not the form (Rodriguez-Gil, 2006: 20). Despite this, children had a tendency to merely memorise lists of rules and apply them to the examples in isolation, and Mitchell (2001: 104) therefore suggests that exercises such as this did little to enhance writing. The exercises were also criticised by Daniel Fenning (1771: vi), who argues that They are more likely to perplex a young Scholar, and to confirm an old one in error, than to direct the judgment of the one, or correct the bad habit of the other. Instead, in what appears to be an early form of peer editing (Mitchell, 2001: 105), he recommends students writing letters to the schoolmaster or to each other, where they will frequently err against every rule of syntax, as from his experience, a Child will attend more carefully to the correction of an error made by himself, than to the correction of one made by another (vii). We will write a custom essay on The influence of Anne Fisher specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Nonetheless, Fishers exercises made a significant impact on subsequent grammars, as demonstrated by Murray, who suggested that a proper selection of faulty composition is more instructive to the young grammarian, than any rules and examples of propriety that can be given (1795: iv). The exercises were included in about eighty eighteenth and nineteenth century English grammars (Michael 1987: 325-327) and even in separate textbooks, such as Murrays English Exercises (1797). This was supplemented by Key to the Exercises (1797), which aimed to guide readers through the examples. In the Orthography section, Fisher provides a list of how the letters of the alphabet are pronounced. She distinguishes between vowels and consonants, and more specifically, between long and short vowels, as well as diphthongs. While Fisher introduced various innovations in other sections of her grammar, her treatment of orthography is traditional among English grammarians, according to Michael (1970: 184), who states that Orthography meant the study of letters of the alphabet, which were enumerated, and classified as consonants, vowels and diphthongs The structure of a word was therefore shown by the syllables into which it could be divided. This latter remark is demonstrated by her conception of spelling as the DIVISION of WORDS into SYLLABLES (Fisher, 1753: 29), which is not dissimilar to Douglas (c. 1720) suggestion that To Spell is to Name all the letters of a Word, divide them into distinct Syllables, and then join them together in order to read or Pronounce them aright (cited in Michael, ibid). Thus, Fisher appears to continue this English orthographic tradition with few additions or variations. However, the various similarities between features in this section and Daniel Fishers The Childs Christian Education (1743) leads Rodri guez-Gil (2008) to suspect that Daniel Fisher may have acted as a co-author in A New Grammar. The spelling rules in the two grammars, she suggests, run almost in parallel, even occurring in the same order, although with some more or less trivial changes (159). For example, Daniel Fishers Rule I is If two Vowels come together, not making a Diphthong, they must be divided, as Li-ar, Ru-in (Daniel Fisher, 1759: 101), which is identical to Ann Fishers Rule I, with the minor exception of her replacement of Li-ar with pi-ous (Ann Fisher, 1750: 33). Rodri guez-Gil (2008: 161) admits however, that it was not uncommon for the same or similar rules to appear in contemporary grammars or spelling books and she is therefore unable to provide sufficient textual evidence that Daniel Fisher was the co-author. Despite this, Rodri .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 , .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 .postImageUrl , .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 , .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0:hover , .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0:visited , .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0:active { border:0!important; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0:active , .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0 .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3063a9a4345e1ad0ec44dcbd0c6ed1e0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Dead Poets Society: The Influence Of Transcendental Thinking Essayguez-Gil presents circumstantial evidence that supports Daniel Fisher being somehow connected with A New Grammar. The second edition (1750) states that it was written by the AUTHOR of THE CHILDS CHRISTIAN EDUCATION, and others, and Daniel Fisher was in fact, the author of this work. Moreover, the third edition (1751) was written by D. FISHER, and others. Rodri guez-Gil (2008: 150) dismisses the suggestion that Ann Fisher used Daniel Fisher as a pseudonym as Daniel Fisher was already a popular contemporary author and the use of his name without his permission would cause legal problems. Furthermore, Isaac Thompson published a number of books by both Ann and Daniel Fisher. Based on this, Rodri guez-Gil suggests that this common acquaintance supports the possibility that Ann Fisher and Daniel Fisher knew each other (153). This indicates that as Ann Fisher was an unfamiliar author when A New Grammar was first published, having not produced anything before this, and due to her disadvantage as a female, it is possible that she presented the book as being co-written with Daniel Fisher in order to increase its chance of success. Consequently, there is convincing evidence that Daniel Fisher contributed, at least in some ways, to A New Grammar, and as Rodri guez-Gil (2008: 175) suggests, he seems to have introduced Ann Fisher into the male-dominated world of scholars, thus acting as her patron. A New Grammar presents a descriptive account of features of the English language, based on Fishers linguistic observations. She is clearly a reformer grammarian, who celebrates the uniqueness of English, embracing its peculiarities and outwardly rejecting the traditional Latin model of English grammar. Her career as a teacher shines through with her emphasis on a practical grammar, which revolutionary takes into consideration pedagogical methods. Although Fisher is often overshadowed in modern linguistic studies by grammarians such as Lowth and Murray, the innovations she brought to the grammatical tradition cannot be overlooked. Bibliography Baugh, A. and Cable, T. (2002), A History of the English Language. London: Routledge. Bodine, A. (1975), Androcentrism in prescriptive grammar: singular they, sex-indefinite he, and he or she . Language in Society 4: 129-46. Goldsmith, L. (1979), Ambivalence towards womens education in the eighteenth century: the thoughts of Vicesimus Knox II. Paedagogia-Historica 19: 315-27. Michael, I. (1970), English Grammatical Categories and the Tradition to 1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Michael, I. (1985), English Grammatical Categories and the Tradition to 1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Michael, Ian. 1987. The Teaching of English from the Sixteenth Century to 1870. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mitchell, L. (2001), Grammar Wars. Hampshire: Ashgate. Moessner, L. (2000), Grammatical description and language use in the seventeenth century. In Ricardo Bermi dez-Otero et al. (eds. ), Generative Theory and Corpus Studies: A Dialogue from 10 ICEHL. Berlin/New York, Mouton de Gruyter: 395-416. Myer, A. (1997), Myers Literary Guide, the North East. Manchester: Carcanet Press. Percy, Carol. 1994. Paradigms for their Sex? Womens grammar in late eighteenth-century England. Histoire Epistemologie Langage 16:2. 121-141. Rodri guez-Gil, M. (2003), Ann Fisher, descriptive or prescriptive grammarian? . Linguistica e Filologia 17: 183-203. Rodri guez-Gil, M. (2006), Deconstructing Female Conventions: Ann Fisher (1719-1778). Historiographia Linguistica 33. 1: 11-38. Rodri guez-Gil, M. (2008), Ann Fischers A New Grammar, or was it Daniel Fishers work? In Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade (ed. ), Grammars, Grammarians and Grammar-Writing in Eighteenth-Century England. Berlin/New York, Mouton de Gruyter: 149-77. Rydi n, M. (1984), The study of eighteenth century syntax. In Jacek Fisiak (ed. ), Studies and Monographs 23: Historical Syntax. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter: 509-21. Yi i ez-Bouza, N. (2008), Preposition stranding in the eighteenth century: Something to talk about. In Ingrid Tieken-Boon van Ostade (ed.), Grammars, Grammarians and Grammar-Writing in Eighteenth-Century England. .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 , .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 .postImageUrl , .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 , .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715:hover , .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715:visited , .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715:active { border:0!important; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715:active , .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715 .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua92a548e61f0bbdc40a78cf7a8558715:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Poetry Analysis- A Litany In The Time Of Plague EssayBerlin/New York, Mouton de Gruyter: 278-308. Grammars Consulted Anon. (1706), English Scholar Compleat. London: printed by W. O. and sold by Benjamin Bragg. Anon. (1760), The Pleasing Instructor: Or, Entertaining Moralist. Newcastle upon Tyne: printed for Thomas Slack. Bullokar, W. (1586), William Bullokars Pamphlet for Grammar. London: printed by Edmund Bollifant. Fenning, D. (1771). A New Grammar of the English Tongue. London: printed for S. Crowder. Fisher, A. (1750), A New Grammar. Newcastle upon Tyne: printed for I. Thompson and Co. by J.Gooding. Fisher, A. (1751), A New Grammar. Newcastle upon Tyne. Fisher, A. (175 3), A New Grammar. London. Fisher, A. (1754), A New Grammar. Newcastle upon Tyne: I. Thompson. Fisher, A. (1789), A Practical New Grammar. Newcastle : printed for S. Hodgson, successor to Mr. T. Slack. Fisher, D. (1759), The childs Christian education. London : printed and sold by B. Dod. Greenwood, J. (1711), An essay towards a practical English grammar. London : printed by R. Tookey, and are sold by Samuel Keeble, John Lawrence, Jonah Bowyer, R. and I. Bonwick, and Rob. Halsey. Johnson, S. (1775), A Dictionary of the English Language vol. 1. Dublin : printed for Thomas Ewing, 1775. Lowth, R. (1763), A short introduction to English grammar. Dublin : printed by H. Saunders. Murray, L. (1795), English Grammar. York : printed and sold by Wilson, Spence, and Mawman. Priestley, J. (1761), The rudiments of English grammar. London : printed for R. Griffiths. Websites Oxford English Dictionary Online www. oed. com Accessed on 20th April 2009. van Ostade, I. (2000), Female grammarians of the eighteenth century. Historical Sociolinguistics and Sociohistorical Linguistics website: http://www. let. leidenuniv. nl/hsl_shl/femgram. htm#N_1_

Free Essays on American Economics

Most of the problems of the United states are related to the economy. One of the major issues facing the country today is social security. The United States was one of the last major industrialized nations to establish a social security system. In 1911, Wisconsin passed the first state workers compensation law to be held constitutional. At that time, most Americans believed the government should not have to care for the aged, disabled or needy. But such attitudes changed during the Great Depression in the 1930's. In 1935, Congress passed the Social Security Act. This law became the basis of the U.S. social insurance system. It provided cash benefits to only retired workers in commerce or industry. In 1939, Congress amended the act to benefit and dependent children of retired workers and widows and children of deceased workers . In 1950, the act began to cover many farm and domestic workers, non professional self employed workers, and many state and municipal employees. Coverage became nearly universal in 1956, when lawyers and other professional workers came under the system. Social security is a government program that helps workers and retired workers and their families achieve a degree of economic security. Social security also called social insurance (Robertson p. 33), provides cash payments to help replace income lost as a result of retirement, unemployment, disability, or death. The program also helps pay the cost of medical care for people age 65 or older and for some disabled workers. About one-sixth of the people in the United States receive social security benefits. People become eligible to receive benefits by working in a certain period in a job covered by social security. Employers and workers finance the program through payroll taxes. Participation in the social security system is required for about 95 percent of all U.S. workers. Social security d... Free Essays on American Economics Free Essays on American Economics Most of the problems of the United states are related to the economy. One of the major issues facing the country today is social security. The United States was one of the last major industrialized nations to establish a social security system. In 1911, Wisconsin passed the first state workers compensation law to be held constitutional. At that time, most Americans believed the government should not have to care for the aged, disabled or needy. But such attitudes changed during the Great Depression in the 1930's. In 1935, Congress passed the Social Security Act. This law became the basis of the U.S. social insurance system. It provided cash benefits to only retired workers in commerce or industry. In 1939, Congress amended the act to benefit and dependent children of retired workers and widows and children of deceased workers . In 1950, the act began to cover many farm and domestic workers, non professional self employed workers, and many state and municipal employees. Coverage became nearly universal in 1956, when lawyers and other professional workers came under the system. Social security is a government program that helps workers and retired workers and their families achieve a degree of economic security. Social security also called social insurance (Robertson p. 33), provides cash payments to help replace income lost as a result of retirement, unemployment, disability, or death. The program also helps pay the cost of medical care for people age 65 or older and for some disabled workers. About one-sixth of the people in the United States receive social security benefits. People become eligible to receive benefits by working in a certain period in a job covered by social security. Employers and workers finance the program through payroll taxes. Participation in the social security system is required for about 95 percent of all U.S. workers. Social security d...

Holding High Standards... The Power of Disaffirming

Holding High Standards... The Power of Disaffirming If you manage other people and you hold high standards for work product, you probably have encountered a situation or two where you have had to tell someone they did not do a good enough job. How do you feel when you face this type of situation? Do you feel bad about it afterward? Or do you feel empowered and like you made a positive difference in the world? I grew up thinking that if I corrected someone or disaffirmed them, I was being mean and overly critical. I still did it, but I felt self-critical more than anything else and made myself wrong for hurting others. I’ve been spending the better part of the last year becoming more comfortable with my opinions and with expressing them, even if I know someone might feel hurt. As the owner of a company who cares greatly about the quality of the work we put out, I have many opportunities to be honest with people about their writing. â€Å"Behind the scenes† at the Essay Expert, I work with a team of subcontractors and review their work before it goes out to a client. Sometimes the first drafts that come to me do not meet my standards. And The Essay Expert’s clients count on my high standards. Last week, I faced two situations that inspired me to write about the power of disaffirmation in creating results and even cultivating relationships. In one, I received a draft of a LinkedIn summary from one of my writers that I felt didn’t hit the mark. There was time for me to have a quick call with him and steer him in the right direction. I told him what didn’t work about what he wrote and gave him some different ideas of how to approach the project. The second draft was brilliant and here’s what the client, who lives in Switzerland, had to say: â€Å"Thank you so much for sending the draft. I cannot put my first reaction into words (not even in German) in the very best meaning of the word!† If I had been shy about issuing corrections, I would not have had such a happy client. Because I disaffirmed the writer, he learned about how to write for a new type of client and both of us got to feel great about the client’s response. In another situation, an editor took 5 hours to edit a document that would have taken me 3. Not only that, but she sent it to me an hour late and failed to correct some glaring errors in the document. I spent 2 hours editing the document before sending it to the client- 1 hour more than I would have spent if I had edited it myself. Again, my disaffirming power sprang into action. I very directly told her about the problems I saw and what I was prepared to pay her for her work. We ultimately reached an agreement and parted amicably. Sometimes when I work with someone on a project like a law school admissions essay, the applicant tells me not to hold back with my criticism. I laugh when they make this request – I have no problem telling it like I see it! But when it comes to critiquing in a managerial role, I’ve historically had a more difficult time. The greatest part about these two recent experiences to me is that I felt strong and good about myself even though I had criticized people I am managing. I’ve been learning a lot about stepping into a managerial role in a powerful way. Sometimes disaffirmation can hurt both the recipient and me- but what hurts more is compromising on what I know is right, or on the quality of the work my business produces. Ultimately I am somewhat of a mama bear, willing to growl a bit in order to provide a top product to my clients. I will take strong action, give direct feedback, and use the power of disaffirmation if that’s what it takes to run a successful and well-respected business. If you are in a managerial position, how do you express your criticism? How do you handle it when someone fails to come through in the way you expect? Are you willing to talk straight to people? And how do you feel when you don’t? And what’s the bigger goal that inspires you to take the actions you take?

Should Parents Know of Increased Alzheimer's risk Essay

Should Parents Know of Increased Alzheimer's risk - Essay Example The answer is quite clear that awareness is very important about this disease in the present time. Psychotic symptoms such as delusions and aberrations have been observed in large percentage of patients suffering from this disease. In fact, it is the presence of these symptoms which can lead to early regimentation. (Tappen R. M. 1998) â€Å"You know, people get frustrated because their loved ones who have Alzheimer's, oh, he doesn't recognize me anymore, how can I recognize this person, if they don't recognize me? They're not the same person.   Well, they are the same person, but they've got a brain disease. And it's not their fault they've got this disease.† --Ron Reagan In the present age, only a negligible number of ordinary people have proper awareness about the Alzheimer’s disease. In general, the people know merely two things about this disease. Firstly, they know that it is an attenuating disease which is incurable. And secondly they know that memory loss is it s common symptom. That is enough information to produce lot of depression among the aging population but a little more awareness would definitely bring some needed relief. Another misconception among the people is that they think that Alzheimer’s disease can only occur in old age. ... However, children and young adults can also experience this disease as a result of number of rare diseases and conditions. For example, in Batten Disease, unfortunately, Alzheimer’ disease can be observed in many facets, many age ranges and in many different aberrations. The intensity ranges from mild to almost extreme of the worst possible. This disease seems very difficult to treat in the world. (Taylor, Richard 2007) Some of the reasons as to why awareness is important for parents about this disease are related to different aspects of the world. If a parent does not know much about Alzheimer’s disease and has it in his genes then it is possible that his/her child would also suffer from this disorder. The possibility of the disease increases further when both the parents are susceptible to the disease. The parents should be aware about the disease so that they would not opt for a child as it would ruin his whole life. Moreover the child may cause increased medical cos ts if he suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Awareness of the parents would help them to treat their children or at least get a check up at an early age so that the deteriorative processes do not end up in the last stage. Timely intervention can be counted as one of the most important factors which can help in the treatment of the disease. Awareness of parents can help to increase this timely intervention and can thus enhance the treatment process of the children suffering from the disease. Awareness of the issue can further help in lowering down the incidence of the disease as it is being prevailing in the world. All these points strongly support the point that parents and other

WA3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WA3 - Assignment Example Halmann and Steinberg (1) explain that Earth has blanket like atmospheres that prevent heat from the solar radiation directed from the sun to the earth. The authors point out that the atmosphere maintains the temperature of the earth at 15 degrees Celsius. However, without atmosphere, the temperatures would have been lower, approximately -19 degrees Celsius. This fact can be explained clearly from the lower surface temperatures of the moon. The moon has no atmosphere making it inhabitable, unlike the earth. The earth surface is warm due to blanket like atmosphere; the atmosphere is created by gases in the atmosphere of the earth. The gases are referred to as greenhouse gases because their capability to trap heat. Some of the gases behind the earth’s atmosphere are carbon dioxide and water vapor. Other greenhouse gases include nitrous oxide and methane (Greenhouse Effect). Some of the greenhouse gases mentioned above are carbon dioxide and water vapor. Carbon dioxide CO2 as name suggest has a carbon atom and two-oxygen atoms. Two atoms of oxygen are bonded to CO2. As a molecule, all the three atoms are bonded making it easy to absorb energy from the sun inform of infrared radiation. The infrared radiation is absorbed by the molecule and so the molecule vibrates. Vibrating molecule loses the previously absorbed radiation easily which in turn another molecule absorbs it. This goes in the cycle and in the end the infrared radiation is not lost, therefore, the surface of the earth is kept warm. Nitrous oxide, methane and water vapor does the same as carbon dioxide. Their molecules absorb and lose heat because they are loosely bounded to compound atoms (Greenhouse Effect). Greenhouse gases previously in 19th century were seen as natural functioning gases with positive effects. However, in mid 20th-century people became more concern with greenhouse gases due change of climate and increasing temperatures. Some greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide,

The Rich Diversity of Meanings of the Pardoners Tale Essay -- Pardone

The Rich Diversity of Meanings of the Pardoner's Tale Chaucer’s innovation in the Pardoner’s performance tests our concept of dramatic irony by suggesting information regarding the Pardoner’s sexuality, gender identity, and spirituality, major categories in the politics of identity, without confirming that information. Our presumed understanding of the Pardoner as a character lacks substantiation. As we learn about the Pardoner through the narrator’s eyes and ears, we look to fit the "noble ecclesiaste" (l. 708) into the figure shaped by our own prejudices and perceptions, as any active reader must do. But the Pardoner, ever aware of his audience, does not offer clear clues to his personality. This break between what the other characters say about the Pardoner and what the Pardoner says about himself has been a major source of tension for all readers of the Tales and especially critics who search for substantiation of their views beyond the Chaucer’s own language. The general tone of the Canterbury Tal es is comic. After all, the pilgrims are traveling to the shrine St. Thomas Beckett in a public act of holy reverence, but the Tales take a darker turn when the Pardoner is brought to the foreground. The whole Canterbury Tales is a collected set of performances, stories told about telling stories. As Joseph Ganim has written, theatricality, by which he means "a governing sense of performance, an interplay among the author’s voice, his fictional characters, and his immediate audience," is "a paradigm for the Chaucerian poetic" (5). This paper shall endeavor to show that the major effect of the Pardoner’s presence in the Tales is to focus the reader’s attention to questions of performance and performativity, literary perception, ... ...University of California Press, 1988. Lochrie, Karma; McCracken, Peggy; Schultz, James A. Editors. Constructing Medieval Sexuality. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1997. McAlpine, Monica E. â€Å"The Pardoner’s Homosexuality and How It Matters.† Geoffrey Chaucer’s The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Ed. by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. pp. 103-124. Nevo, Ruth. â€Å"Chaucer: Motive and Mask in the General Prologue.† Geoffrey Chaucer’s The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Ed. by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. pp. 9-20. Ross, Thomas W. Chaucer’s Bawdy. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1972. Sedgewick, G. G. â€Å"The Progress of Chaucer’s Pardoner, 1880-1940.† Chaucer: Modern Essays in Criticism. Ed. by Edward Wagnknecht. New York: Oxford University Press, 1959. pp. 126-158.

De Beers Analysis

STRATEGY: INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION Problem Set 3 1. Throughout the 1990s, several developments contributed to the loss of market-share of the Central Selling Organization, which inevitably led to diminishing profits for De Beers. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and this disintegration brought down the exclusivity that the CSO had enjoyed for so long. Indeed, the fall of communism made it difficult for the cartel to protect its trading agreements.As such, only limited shares of the Russian production reached the CSO, the rest being supplied to the competition by Alrosa (which became the worldwide dominant non-African producer) and other Russian enterprises. In 1996, as a consequence of the CSO’s reluctance to satisfy demand for very small stones, the Argyle mine in Australia (with a very distinctive rough production that De Beers had only a limited capacity to match), controlled by Rio Tinto – a multinational mining company and one of their main upstream competitors – became the first major producer to departure from its contract with De Beers.This disruption seriously compromised De Beers’ punishment capabilities through stockpiling. Additionally, in Canada, another major competitor arose (BHP). De Beers had a problem in these two markets. Unlike African countries, these are nations characterized by strong institutions, with a degree of bureaucratization and stability as well as cultural advancement that do not favor for the kind of â€Å"easy bribes† that had allowed the company to control the quantities sold worldwide.However, even in Africa other obstacles appeared. While Angolan and West African output were being diverted to other channels, the concerns about conflict diamonds – reaching their peak with outbursts in Angola through the 90s – also damaged De Beers’ image and only made it more difficult for those diamonds to be sold through the CSO. Finally, pressure from some African governments (Bot swana and Namibia, for example) inadvertently or purposely created internal competitors.Thus, De Beers saw its monopolistic position seriously threatened and since it could no longer control the diamond flow to the market, it was forced to practice a price closer to that of a competitive market, which meant lower profits. 2. Besides the increasing competition that was subject to in the last decade of the 20th century, De Beers also had to concern itself with the possibility of new entrants in the very market where it had prospered.Due to the compliance with the Global Witness proposal against conflict diamonds, De Beers saw the noose tightening around its operations and as a consequence the threat of new entrants surged, with several groups expanding aggressively on the continent. Perhaps the biggest of those threats was the business group controlled by Leviev, the world’s largest diamond cutter and polisher. One of his ideas was to integrate backward into marketing rough dia monds. Also, the pressures in Angola were putting in danger the marketing agreement the country had with the company.That agreement would eventually be terminated already in this century, being replaced with a single-channel marketing entity in which Leviev held a one-quarter interest. Obviously, these potential threats had a negative effect in De Beers’ profits, despite its strong Brand Image. 3. Traditionally, De Beers would buy the supply from other producers to control the market output. With the rise of competitors this became increasingly difficult. As alternatives to the cartel emerged, the bargaining power of suppliers grew. Argyle’s eventual withdrawal and Angola’s termination of the exclusivity with De Beers are clear proof of this growing power.Governments began to pressure the company as well. South Africa aimed to have more gems cut locally and other nations such as Botswana and Namibia sought to increase the value captured with the activities perfo rmed within their borders. Of course, for the company to grant this it would have to see its percentage of value retention lowered. In a climate of an undeniable backdrop, this was yet another factor that contributed to decreasing diamond earnings. 4. Although an increase in competition means that buyers will have alternatives (higher bargaining power), this was still an area (of the five forces) where the market remained attractive.Competitors did not have the level of expertise or the established supply chain that characterized a company with more than a century of market knowledge. The most relevant fact to mention on the buyers side is the Japanese recession of 1998. De Beers suffered severely from this downturn, after obtaining almost a decade of expansion in various Asian markets. Still, buyers in this industry are not just final consumers, but intermediaries as well. With the rising competition and consequent declining credibility, De Beers could not control sightholders, for instance, with the same discipline and efficiency as before.Leviev (a sightholder himself) is the perfect example of this reality. Of course the less control the company exerts, the lower its returns are. 5. Regarding substitutes, the closest product would be synthetic diamonds. Yet, these diamonds remained exclusive to industrial applications (to compensate for the scarcity of the others for these functions) and so natural diamonds were still a unique luxury. In spite of the social issues brought up by conflict diamonds, the product was still protected from substitution throughout the 1990s.The marketing efforts of the previous efforts (mainly represented by the campaign â€Å"Diamonds are forever†) continued to provoke the desired effect. By establishing them as a symbol of lasting love, power and wealth, De Beers had assured that nothing could be compared to a diamond, which translated in a he amount of profits throughout that century. On this area, the main challenge for the company presented itself in the early 1990s in the Chinese market. Not only were these consumers traditionally focused on gold and jade, while unfamiliar with diamonds, but also â€Å"white† color were thought to bring misfortune.This might seem trivial for a western consumer, but Chinese people were and are still today some of the most superstition nations on earth. The gold and jade products had certainly a negative effect on De Beers’ profits. Nevertheless, the company managed to overcome this paradigm by using Chinese beliefs to its advantage (the â€Å"red thread† ad is a perfect showcase for this idea). This advertisement strategy was very successful and by 2000, retail sales had reached $731 million. Duarte Costa, # 1284