Critical Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Using Women in Advertisements in Saudi Arabia

Critical Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Using Women in Advertisements in Saudi Arabia Aims of the Dissertations The steady economic growth and increasing political stability in the Middle East has set it up as a market targeted by many of the top global brands aspiring to have a portion of the business. As a result of this increased focus, there have been activities and developments to open up opportunities for businesses. These activities have centered on marketing, development, and distribution of new products.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Critical Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Using Women in Advertisements in Saudi Arabia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Marketing forms an essential part of all business ventures. The success of any business is dependent on its marketing strategies. The past decade has seen businesses in Saudi Arabia invest heavily in marketing to attract potential buyers to consume their products. As competition for market share intensifies, many companies have opted to take their marketing strategies a notch higher by using models, actors, and celebrities to promote their products. However, the effectiveness of using women in advertisements is yet to be established considering the high levels of male chauvinism in Saudi Arabia. This report aims to establish if the use of women in an advertisement is effective in influencing chauvinist males in Saudi Arabia to buy products and the extent of this effectiveness (Al-Olayan Karande 2000).  To arrive at its findings, the report will employ the use of both primary and secondary research strategies. A critical review of literature on the subject will be carried out to establish research gaps and to develop strong and credible background information on the subject. The literature review will encompass concluded research work on the influence of women on men in Saudi Arabia, the extent to which women are used in advertisements, and consumer perceptions. Information for literature review will be gathered from credible journals, books, websites, databases, newspapers, and magazines. These will act as the background for revealing the gaps for focusing on the study’s objectives.  Multiple data collection methods will be employed, as they have been proven to be effective. As such, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups will be used to collect data for analysis and evaluation. The results shall be processed through the use of one way analysis of variance to realize the attitudes and perceptions regarding the use of women in advertising in Saudi Arabia. Further analysis involving the relationships between the different variables shall be done through correlation and regression measures.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Methodology Theatrical Back Ground Advertising is one of the most widely relied upon forms of sales promotion. Advertisements may serve t o draw attention to a new product, encourage the use of older ones, and get entrance and acceptance to new market or niche markets. In this competition to gain attention and draw consumers to the advertised item, the advertisers are desperately competing to produce the best adverts so as to draw the attention of the unsuspecting consumers (Erdem 1998). The key ingredient to successful advertising is being able to communicate the value of the product or service so that it elicits the desire for the advertised commodity and assure the consumer that the product has the capacity to respond to that very need. The second ingredient is that advertisement must achieve the goal of the advertisers since advertising is expensive. To capture consumer attention, most adverts focus on emotions of fear, humour, contrast, worth, novelty, music or sexual arousal. The use of women as sex objects in advertisement is a well-documented one (Walters 2008; Waller 2000). However, for any advertisement to s ucceed it must fit within the context of the moral, social and religious practices of the target market. The extra conservative and male chauvinistic market of Saudi Arabia presents a tricky situation for the Western advertisements and especially the use of women in advertising (Bjerke Polegato 2006). The Research Objectives This work aims at the following objectives: To determine the factors affecting the choice of women in advertisements by businesses in Saudi Arabia. To determine the consumers perceptions and attitudes towards the use of sexy women in advertisements in Saudi Arabia. To determine the trends in the use of women in advertisement over the last 10 years in Saudi Arabia. To determine the nature and context of the role women play in advertisements in Saudi Arabia. Research Questions What are the main factors affecting the choice of women in advertisement in Saudi Arabia? What are the major perceptions and attitudes of the consumers regarding the use of women in adve rtisements in Saudi Arabia? What are the trends regarding the use of women in advertisements in Saudi Arabia? What is the nature and context of the roles played by women in advertisements in Saudi Arabia? The Sampling Design and Framework Quantitative Research A set of 30 questions shall be presented to respondents from which they will respond on a 5 five point hedonic scale ranging from 1 to 5; (where 1=dislike extremely and 5 =Like extremely). The first ten shall focus on the factors affecting the choice of women for use in advertisements in Saudi Arabia. Questions 10-20 shall focus on the perceptions and attitudes of the consumers on the use of women in advertisements in Saudi Arabia. Questions 20-25 shall deal with the notable trends regarding the use of women in advertisements in Saudi Arabia. The last five questions are targeted to investigate the various roles and contexts in which women are used in advertisements in Saudi Arabia. Respondents shall then be grouped on the bas is of demographic representations such as: age, educational background, marital status, profession, gender, number of children, occupation, and religion. Sampling frame shall encompass the respondents randomly selected from the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Critical Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Using Women in Advertisements in Saudi Arabia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The simple random sampling technique shall be used to target a sample size of 400 to 650 persons. A response rate of at least 80.5% shall be accepted. The questionnaires shall be filled by the respondents themselves but limited help will be given by researcher only where it is absolutely necessary. Qualitative Research The reliability analysis model (the Cronbach alpha reliability analysis model) will be used as a tool to determine and confirm the reliability of the questionnaires. The descriptive statist ics will be used in the evaluation of the standard deviations for the 30 questionnaires to give the various levels of importance to the respondents’ answers. The ANOVA table precisely will be used to show the direct effects of the major independent variables. These variables, noted as culture, control, emotions, and women appeal or attitudes as shall be used as a test of the significance of the model. Both the regressing and correlation models shall be employed to understand the relationship between the factors responsible for the use of women in advertisement as well as the trends observed in their use (Baker Churchill 1977). Brief Literature Review Advertisements often use sex appeal as a tool to affect the cognitive responses and attitudes toward advertisement in order to enhance brand credentials on the mind of the consumers leading to increased likelihood of purchase. The attention seeking may be desirable or a turn off especially where the advertisement clashes with th e cultural, moral, and religious views of the target market. Human beings it has been argued, possess a sense of rationality and that they will make a wise choice based on the presented information (Ajzen Fishbein 1980). However, it is apparent that there must also be positive pressure and that any contentions present are not at all effective with the consumer. The advertisers therefore concentrate on effects of emotions of fear, humour, worth, novelty, difference, animation, sexual arousal or music.  It is through this rationalization that sexual appeal has been exploited as a tool for sales promotion. Specifically, women are used in a manner that exploits sexual nudity, sexual imagery, innuendo or the use of double entendre (Reichert 2002). Furthermore, Courtney and Whimpple (1983), suggest that the use of sexual appeal in advertisements has always taken the form of nudity, physical arousal, sexual behaviors and interactions as well as other important factors such as setting co ntext and the use of camera effects. There have been a series of reported misrepresentation of women in advertisements observed in many countries.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The issue has raised several theories why women are used in advertisement. According to the sexist theory, women do not like advertisements as much as men do. It therefore suggests that human beings often give up something they in exchange of a product superior to whatever they given out. This implies that since men are the ones most affected by advertisements, women are used to play to this desire. This then elicits sensual feelings to arouse desire for a particular product or service. Furthermore, it has been suggested that in some situations, women get into advertisements and allow themselves be used due to poverty. Much as this may be true, there is also recognition of psychological reason for this phenomenon. Some women who are well off may indulge in sensual advertisement for purposes of demonstrating a sense of liberation, independence, and power. From this perspective, the whole idea would be to achieve a sense of psychological satisfaction. In addition, there has been an as sociation of the use of women in advertisement with the rise and speed of globalization. Specifically, the bridging of barriers between the West and the East has accorded the citizens in the Middle East the opportunity to experience the life of the West. This has had influence particularly among young people and specifically on the teenage girls who desire to ape the sophisticated culture of the West. Lastly, the current business environment seems to thrive on the idea of increased consumerism at whatever cost. This consumerism culture has fueled the cut throat competition witnessed in advertisements thus propelling the use women playing sensual roles (Clow Baack 2009). The challenge to most companies attracted to the emerging markets of the Middle East, is the ability to customize their sales promotion tools and especially advertisements to capture the acceptable conducts of the people. Balancing between the use of women sensually in advertisements with the religious and cultural practices is the challenge every business has to face. The cultural practices of the communities in Saudi Arabia consider women lowly and their use as suggestive objects to arouse male desire is a taboo. This discrepancy stands in the way of businesses’ successful entry and exploitation of this market segment (Das 2000). Some studies have aimed at the realization of better ways to reach out to the Middle East market that do not raise much controversy. The fact is any adverts raising major controversies will always prove counterproductive. The focus has been on advertisers’ ability to customize their adverts to the specific niche market rather than assume a global appeal. This customization may take several forms including placing women in advertisement roles that are traditionally acceptable. For example, women may always be presented in a home environment and among men, rather than as independent, self-asserting individuals. The other way that may be applied is to inv oke the religious practices of the people. The Muslim community is extremely conservative and does not like extravagance and pomp. Adverts which are designed to appeal to better utilization of resources and modesty will be more effective at achieving a desired outcome more than those that use women as sexual objects. Apart from the appeal to conservative nature of the consumers, it has also been suggested that higher effectiveness with advertisements may be achieved through appeal to humour, fairness, morality, and incentives strategy. The truth of the matter is that there will be a continued growth in business and advertisements in the Middle East as the global and local firms compete for a share of the market. The rapid expansion in the media and the wide spread communication are grounds enough for enhanced activity in advertising. However, all this development is taking place against a backdrop of a strict, male chauvinistic culture that does not look kindly upon women displaying any sexual undertones. This work will determine the value placed on women in advertisements in Saudi Arabia and particularly the attitudes and perceptions of the consumers on this matter (Waller 2005). Resources/Data Access The work will deal in documents available in public domain and advertisement agencies plus a collection of past and present advertisements on TV, cinemas, newspapers, magazines, cartons, paintings, billboards and internet. Much of the current advertisement uses the platforms being developed within the context of expanding media to reach consumers. The study will therefore take advantage of this development.  The matrix below gives a layout of the time plan for the conception to implementation of the project. Reference List Ajzen, I Fishbein, M 1980, Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Al-Olayan, F Karande, K 2000, ‘A Content Analysis of Magazine Advertisements from the United States and the Arab World’, Journal of Advertising, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 69-82. Baker, M Churchill, Jr, GA 1977, ‘The impact of physically attractive models on advertising evaluations’, Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), vol.14, no.4, pp. 538-555. Bjerke, R Polegato, R 2006, ‘How well do Advertising Images of Health and Beauty  travel across cultures? A self-concept perspective’, Psychology and Marketing, vol. 23, no. 10, pp. 865-884. Clow, K Baack, D 2009, Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communiation, Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J. Courtney, A Whipple, T 1983, Sex Stereotyping in Advertising, Heath, Lexington, MA.  Das, M 2000, ‘Men and Women in Indian Magazine Advertisements: A Preliminary Report’, Sex roles, vol.43, no. 9/10, pp. 699-717. Erdem, OT 1998, ‘Advertising agency scene in Saudi Arabia’, Management research news, vol. 21, no.1, pp. 1-8. Reichert, T 2002, ‘Sex in Advertising Research: A Review of Content, Effects, and Functions of Sexual Information in Consumer Advertising’, Annual Review of Sex Research, vol.13, pp. 241-273. Waller, D 2000,’ Cultural Values and Advertising in Malaysia: Views from the Industry’, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol.12, no.1, pp. 3-18. Waller, D K 2005, ‘Advertising of controversial products: a cross-cultural study’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 22, no.1, pp. 6-13. Walters, P W 2008, ‘Global strategy in the international advertising industry’, International Business Review, vol.17, pp. 236-249.

Financial instruments and markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial instruments and markets - Essay Example This paper computed the above ratios with a view to assessing the capital of Fortescue Metals Group (FMG). According to1, these ratios are used to measure the entitys capital structure, and they show the extent to which the business has borrowed to finance its assets and other resource acquisitions for it to efficiently carry out its normal operations. From Table 1 above, the debt to total equity ratio of Fortescue Metals Group improved in 2014 as $1 of equity had $1.99 of debt from $2.90 in 2013. This was largely attributable to the fall in the amount of the total debt from $15,578M in 2013 to $15,111M in 2014, as well as an increase in the equity from $5,289M in 2013 to $7,583M in 2014. This implies that the capital structure of Fortescue Metals Group improved as it increased the proportion of the equity fund in financing its assets and operations and reduced the debt amount. This improvement was also evidenced in its debt ratio, which indicated that for every $1 of asset financing , the debt amount was $0.67 in 2013 from $0.75 in 2013. Further results showed that Fortescue Metals Group’s debt servicing capacity improved in 2014, compared to 2013. The firms times interest cover increased to 6.25 times from 5.15 times, indicating that the company had no difficulties in generating enough cash flows to pay its interest expenses and even increased in 2014. This paper went further ahead to establish the liquidity position of Fortescue Metals Group using liquidity ratios, which measure an entitys ability to meet its short-term maturing obligations as and when they fall due.

Lady Macbeth is the real driving force behind the murder of Duncan Essay

Lady Macbeth is the real driving force behind the murder of Duncan Discuss this statement and decide whether or not you agree (1000 words) - Essay Example He is praised and made to feel successful. Discovering that Macbeth is a kinsman to the King Duncan, the audience learns of his bravery and ability on the fields of battle, but they see nothing yet of base envy, or of any desire to rule the country. His loyalty and respect for Duncan are not put into question. But the encounter with the witches plants the seeds of ambition and arrogance. Macbeth is silent while Banquo answers the witches. His mind is at work, and in his heart is growing the seed of evil. Elements of treachery enter the scene, and delusions of grandeur infiltrate where before there were none. ‘If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir.’(Act I, Sc 3). Still, he does not exactly leave it to chance, even if he thinks he does not have to do much. He puts the whole thing in a letter to his wife. From the apparition on the heath, desire for power has entered the credulous thane’s spirit, like a curse cast on completion of a successful battle. All of a sudden, being a respected thane is not enough. Through the fateful flaw of being gullible, and believing tenuous predictions, Macbeth is spellbound. This gullibility leads him to ignore his formerly good conscience and become obsessed with gaining what he had previously not even considered for a moment to be rightfully his: ‘to be king / Stands not within the prospect of belief,’ (Act I, Sc 3). Bewitched, he ruminates repeatedly on the prospect of authority and power. The curse travels inside a letter from Macbeth to his wife, who reads it, entranced. She cannot wait for Macbeth to return, so she can persuade him not to be so timid: ‘Hie thee hither, / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; / And chastise with the valour of my tongue / All that impedes thee from the golden round.’(Act I Sc 5). She knows that so far, her husband has proved himself to be a good man, and fears he might be too nice to share her

The Fundamental Arguments Of Nature Versus Nurture Philosophy Essay

The Fundamental Arguments Of Nature Versus Nurture Philosophy Essay Nature is generally considered the part of a person that is a genetic inheritance, the fundamental identity that determines the choices someone will make. Nurture is the environmental factor to someones development: his or her socioeconomic standing, privileges, disadvantages, opportunity, access, etc. The blank slate, or tabula rasa, theory presented by John Locke during the 17th century states that everyone is born with nothing and is shaped by his or her environment; in other words, Lockes theory supports the nurture side of the nature versus nurture debate. On the other hand, ones genetic disposition to intelligence determines how one will interact with the environment. These two sides propose that they each hold the ultimate verdict to a persons personality and all of the psychological aspects that go along with it. Of course, both the idea of nature and the idea of nurture contribute to the human psyche but they do so at varying degrees in each individual: that is to say, one m ay feel the effects of nature more persistently than the effects of nurture and vice versa. Because of the inconsistent nature of clinical psychology, there is no absolute value for ones percentage of influence being that of nature or nurture but there are instances in which there is no denying that each theory plays a role in human development. A study of leadership suggested that varying degrees of socioeconomic status, perceived parental support, and perceived conflict support determined how much genetic or environmental influence affected someones leadership position; these findings are consistent with the conceptual argument proposing that the presence of adversity and conflict allows for a greater influence of genetic differences in capabilities related to leadership (Zhang et al.). That is to say, depending on the environmental stresses involved, the genetic aspect of the debate took more or less control. A study dealing with low-income mothers perception of their childrens obesity revealed that most of the mothers believed that because of their childrens genetic heritage, no matter what diet, the children could not lose weight; on the other hand, the mothers, with equal force, blamed themselves and/ or other environmental factors on their childrens weight problems (Hughes et al.). Despite the fact that the mothers fi rst argument logically disproves their second argument, the mothers have a vested interest in both aspects of the nature versus nurture debate. They are very unsure as to what degree they have made mistakes and to what degree genetics has influenced their childrens weights. The science is not all there but, for now, it is safe to assume that both sides of the debate carry different percentages of the weight. We all know of cases of people brought up in horrendous circumstances who somehow transcend these to display compassion and tendernessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Conversely, people brought up in seemingly balanced households may be capable of the most horrific crimes (Gaba). Without delving too deeply into clinical psychology, Gaba has made a sizable case for the nature aspect of the debate. Oprah Winfrey stands to be a great example of the rags to riches fable. She was not only a poor, black Mississippian but she had also been sexually abused in addition to getting into trouble as a teen (Walker). Oprah is now one of the most prominent figures in todays society, easily reaching the millions, if not billions, with her successful television and business career. In his autobiography, Stephen Fry describes his stealing compulsion despite coming from an upper-middle class family. At boarding school he would take money from other students even though his parents set up a deal with a local shop owner where Stephen could take as much money as he liked (Fry). His environment provided him with non-thieved money yet Frys nature caused him to develop kleptomania. Psychological studies veer off into the impact of environment. The increasing recognition of genetic propensity to mental health disorder suggests that the advent of genetic therapies in the not-too-distant future may eventually provide alternative biological means of treatment (McVicar, Clancy). In other words, because mental health is a part of the nature piece of the debate, the drugs used to facilitate the mental illness are the environmental aspect. In this case, nurture controls nature. The relationship between an individual and his or her environment is a cause towards that persons mental stability and there are many instances of environmental influences on physical as well as psychological health (McVicar, Clancy). On the other hand, some environments bring forth mental instability for some people. Homelessness tends to wreak havoc on the mind and may bring about a psychological disorder that could have been at bay under a different environment. Mental illness is a source of complication for the nature versus nurture debate because certain peoples genetic dispositions will cause them to develop psychological disorders no matter what the circumstance while others experience trauma which causes them to develop mental disorders while still others inherit genetics that will see them through any difficult episode. There was a study that addressed the environmental and genetic impacts on alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine dependency: the control was Vietnam-era twins from the United States and the researchers concluded that alcohol and nicotine dependency were based primarily on genetic factors but that cannabis dependency was a mixture of genetic and environmental influence (Xian et al.) The contributors of this study fully recognized that their findings do not cross over to different cultures or different time periods within the history of the United States. They do, however, mention that they had a large sample that was pretty much consistent throughout their observations. This simply shows that human science and understanding of the mind is so very complex that it will take an indefinite amount of time to fully understand the human condition on a scientific level. On the issue of drug abuse, the government likes to bombard the television with antidrug campaigns that endorse the environmental influence as the main perpetrator in the case of evil drug use. Conversely, alcohol advertisements are out there on full display, usually showing that drinking is a very natural state of socialization. The study of nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis dependency would support alcohol and discourage the use of drugs. If drugs are an environmental cause, they can therefore be more easily combated because ones environment is more easily controlled than ones genetic inheritance. If drinking and smoking, i.e. nicotine use, are genetically controlled, they are much more difficult to wane out of society. Those in favor of the legalization of marijuana, or, at the very least, comedians, like to argue that drug use is generally less harmful to other people because alcohol is major factor of death by car. Both alcohol and drug abuse are harmful to the individual, most ca n agree to that, but if drug abuse is, indeed, less harmful to the outside world, alcohol is the more harmful of the two substances. Here is the problem with the nature versus nurture debate: if humans are genetically predisposed to like alcohol but they are environmentally enticed to take pleasure in drugs, which is the lesser of two evils? Nature cannot be controlled; people are stuck with the hereditary cards they have been dealt. On the same note, nurture is around at all times, it will have an influence no matter what the case. People who are introverts will stay introverts if they keep to their cabins millions of miles away from human contact. If some introverts are introduced into society at as quiet intellectuals, some will choose to stay, some will choose to go. There are two different paths and which path one will take is dependent on ones emotions which are directly connected to genetics. This argument likes to runs circles around itself until there is no telling which wa y is up. Environment pressure cannot be overlooked simply because genetic bias is the basic groundwork for ones behavior. Environmental experiences come into contact with, and influence individualsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ some individuals may possess genetic risk and protective factors that exacerbate, or partially insulate them from, the effect of negative environmental experiences (Petrill). The key word here is experience. At the first touch of experience, ones genetic impulses take control. Babies do not automatically latch on to their mothers breast for milk but through genetic imperative and experience do they become more accustomed to their environment and learn different techniques by which they may derive their food. Some would argue that music is a genetic inheritance but because of time and effort involved in mastering scales, finger patterns, rhythmic beats, and all of the other skills required to be a master of music, the environmental concept of experience definitely outweighs the geneti c basis for music inheritance. It takes roughly 10,000 hours, or 10 years, to truly be an expert in any given field (Gladwell). Wisdom is the fundamental basis for knowledge. Young people who endlessly fill their heads with historical, scientific, philosophical, theological, and other types of knowledge do not have the experience to back up their findings whereas the older someone ages, the more likelihood there is that his or her wisdom will be deemed more valid simply because he or she possesses more experience. Masters teach pupils for a reason; there will be a day when the student usurps the master but that is because the student has enough experience to do so. Reinforcement theory is the process of shaping behavior by controlling the consequences of the behavior (Cengage). Instead of using physical punishment as a form of reinforcement, parents will try to encourage their children to stop throwing large jars of liquid pickles at the local grocery store in return for an ice cream sandwich. The child is genetically predisposed to throwing a temper tantrum, looks around his environment, sees jars of pickles, and throws them to the ground screaming in sordid agony about not being able to finish watching his favorite television show three times over that day. The mother then introduces another environmental factor, in this case the ice cream bar, to stop the effects of the double-teaming of the effects of nature and nurture. She is unable to control his demented wailing and so chooses to try even further reinforcement therapy by offering a life-time supply of ice cream for the next seven days. He accepts because now the environmental stimulus h e is now receiving is stronger than his genetic malfunction earlier that minute. This just goes to show that for each individual, that nature versus nurture debate is extraordinarily inconsistent within the span of a human life but also inconsistent within just a few seconds. There is no scientific way to determine how much influence nature or nurture has within one human mind but there is evidence to suggest that both exist in their metamorphic forms.

Poetry Is Key Essay

I interview Amani because she is a teenager guided by mentorship. She revealed to me how being mentored by positive, loving, and caring people has changed who she is as a person. She said â€Å"I see a big change in myself. It’s like my whole life I’ve been so angry and upset, and it was all because I was being misguided and I didn’t have the chance to become who I am now. † This interview helped me because It kind of showed me what type of response I should be getting from the kids in my program. It is simply a calibration of how the kids that decide to participate in my mentorship program should react. Frohman, Denice. â€Å"Denice Frohman – â€Å"Gangsta Poetry†Ã¢â‚¬  YouTube. YouTube, 16 June 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. This video is a video of a youth poetry mentor for PYPM (Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement) who also participated in the Unliter Us Campaign. In this poem she speaks about differ writing tools (metaphors, similes, personification, etc) and different types of poems (haiku, slam, etc). She also talks about motivating the youth to get involved in poetry and imagination. This poem will help me because It is not only an introduction to different types of poetry and all types of writing tools but it’s in a cool poem that, to me, will make the kids want to know more and be less reluctant to participate in my program. Howard, Zora. â€Å"Zora Howard Mama (lyrics). † YouTube. YouTube, 04 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is a video by a youth slam poet alumni named Zora Howard who is now on a traveling adult poetry group called Strivers Row. This video is of a poem she performed. The poem is in letter form so it starts out saying, â€Å"Dear Son,†. Evidently, she is talking to her son in the letter. Her son is in the army and she’s writing him on his birthday just reminiscing about all the things they used to talk about and do before he was drafted into the army. This poem will help me because performance wasn’t at a competition so the tension is low and she’s just releasing. Although, from my knowledge, the poem is just not real fact for her, it still tells a story in it. It will show the kids how to turn a poem from a regular free  form poem into a letter or a story. James, Cliche M. â€Å"Who Need’s Mentorship. † Personal interview. 27 Jan. 2013. I interview the mom of a boy who had never had any form of mentorship to ask her if she thought that mentorship was important and who did she think that it was for. She said that she thinks that it is a difference between â€Å"needing† mentorship and â€Å"wanting† it. She feels as though kids who going down the wrong road in life or kids who just have pain in there life that is hard to let go of should have mentorship. This interview helped me with my research because it, for the most part, proved to me that I made the right choice in targeting kids who have some pain in them, kids that practically have nothing to look forward to because of the situation that their parents are in. James, Nasir. â€Å"The Importance of Mentorship. † Personal interview. 27 Jan. 2013. I interview my nephew, a 15 year old boy who has had mentorship every super since he was 12. I asked him what the importance of mentorship was. At first he was a little reluctant because he though that he didn’t get much out of it but when I began to ask him other questions to break it down. Questions like was there anything about his personality that changed because of the interaction with someone who you could put your trust in and things like that. He ultimately said that after 3 years of being in contact with his mentors, he has seen a difference in who he is and that being with them, he now knows what kind of man he wants to be. He also said that if he didn’t have mentors, he would still have become a good person it would have taken a bit longer. This interview was important because I wanted to know how younger teens felt about mentorship because if they didn’t care, then there would be no purpose of me doing it in the long run because it wouldn’t have changed anything. Lissaint / Strivers Row, Carvens. â€Å"†Praise† by Carvens Lissaint. † YouTube. YouTube, 02 Feb. 2011. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is another video of a youth poet alumni from New York city. He is another member of the poetry group called strivers row and in his younger years, he was on the NYC poetry team that went to the nation wide poetry competition BNV (Brave New Voices) which  premiered on HBO in 2006. This poem is about poetry and every sense that plays a part in writing and speaking poetry. I think that this will help me because I know that a lot of people have a single story about poetry. A lot of people don’t really know what it cane be and in this poem, the poet Carvens Lissaint, touches in on all of that . Mans, Jasmine. â€Å"Michelle Obama by Jasmine Mans. † YouTube. YouTube, 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is a video of yet another strivers row poet. Jasmine Mans was on the NYC team in 2006. This is a video of a poem she recorded called Michelle Obama. This poem is about how first lady Michelle Obama inspires young black women to be great and do great things. It tells them that because she did it, that they can. I think that this will be a good video to use in my program because when I visited the shelter, there was a significant number of girls and I think that showing them this will help them find confidence. Perrin, Brianna. â€Å"The Importance of Mentorship. † Personal interview. 30 Jan. 2013. I interview a senior named Brianna Perrin about her experience with mentorship and community service to get a better understanding of how she felt about it afterward. I also got a chance to find out what she took from the experience as a person who had been mentored and decided to pass it on. I think that this interview was very helpful and very successful. It gave me a perspective of a person who had the same urge as I had. She expressed to me that to her it was more than just helping others and I feel the same way. Going to the shelter is about more than helping others its also a branch of growth for myself. â€Å"Poetic Devices. † Poetic Devices. N. p. , n. d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is a link to a list of poetic devices. This link will be useful because I know that even I don’t know so It’ll help me and help the kids at the program. â€Å"Poetry. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. I decided to use this link because some people think that poetry is only one thing, when in all actuality, poetry can be many things. This will be helpful because it will give a mor formal introduction than me saying this is was a metaphor is. It will actually explain to them what things are and how they should be used. I also think that this will show the kids the overall brand of poetry so that they know that poetry can be almost anything. This will be just an outline for what I want the kids to take from this program come April or May. Shearlds, Khalil. â€Å"Mentorship. † Personal interview. 7 Jan. 2013. This is the Manager, Center for Parenting & Early Childhood Education at the People’s Emergency Center. I interviewed him about the importance of mentorship and who needs it. This interview was important for me to do because this is what he does on a day to day basis. He mentors kids to show them where they can go and to let them know that they don’t have to stay planted in a place where they aren’t happy just because someone put them there. This will be important in the long run because, not that I already didn’t know, i will always know my mission. â€Å"What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy? † What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy? N. p. , 05 Apr. 2007. Web. 04 Jan. 2013. This is a link to the definition of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I was talking to someone about my capstone and they told me that my whole idea fell along the lines of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. When I looked it up it actually told me a lot about myself and why poetry seemed to work for me. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that is directed toward dysfunctional emotions, maladaptive behaviors and cognitive processes. It’s basically disturbances of your feelings triggered by the things and stresses that you go through. This helped me because it told me almost exactly what these kids are going through inside. Young, B. â€Å"I Am A Queen – Urban Word NYC – BNV Semis 2008. † YouTube. YouTube, 24 July 2008. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. I decided to use this video of a New York City Poet B. Young. This poem was about his theory of why he would want to be a queen in the game of chess because it’s not about being the protected, he thinks that the protecter is the most important. I decided to use this video because I think it is a good perspective for young men to A realize how important a Queen/girl is and B to understand that being the protected or being the person who everyone who is always being looked after isn’t always who you want to be, sometimes you want to be apart of something bigger. Z. , Sharvon. â€Å"Philly Youth Poetry Movement. † Philly Youth Poetry Movement RSS 20. N. p. , 01 Feb. 2013. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is the website for PYPM or Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement. This is the where I got my mentoring from so not to incorporate and utilize this source would be foolish of me. This website will give me the latest updates on the PYPM team, there videos and events that I could possibly invite my teens to. I can use the videos posted on the website and some of the ideas from poetry workshops to use during my program.

Why did the US find it impossible to defeat the Vietcong?

There were a number of problems facing US forces when fighting the war in Vietnam. Perhaps one of the biggest problems that they faced was the fact that the Vietcong were fighting using guerrilla tactics: fighting on a small scale, taking independent, irregular actions.The Vietcong depended on stealth, concealment, and surprise attacks and ambushes. Guerrilla warfare spread as Vietminh soldiers who were trained and armed in the North – the Vietcong, returned to their homes in the south to assassinate, ambush and sabotage. Unlike conventional wars in which the Americans may have fought, the war in Vietnam had no defined front lines. Much of the fighting consisted of hit and run attacks, with the guerrillas striking at government outposts and then retreating into the jungles.Most of the US soldiers were also caught out by booby traps set up by the Vietcong. These ranged from simple holes in the ground to metal spikes covered in poison or human excrement. Despite their sophistica ted weapons, the Americans could not eradicate the skillful and determined rebellions of the Vietcong.Another thing that made fighting the war difficult for the Americans was the uniform that the Vietcong wore. Their uniforms consisted of black pajamas and shirts, with straw hats. This led to a great lack of trust among the Vietnamese and the Americans, as they were unable to distinguish between real Vietnamese civilians and Vietcong soldiers in disguise.The Vietcong were also able to remain well hidden with their extensive underground tunnel system, which reached 250 kilometers in length. There were underground kitchens, weapon stores, dormitories, hospitals and rest areas. These tunnels made it increasingly difficult for the US forces to find the Vietcong.By 1966, the Americans began a series of ‘Search and Destroy Missions' in order to hunt down the Vietcong. The problem was that, by doing this, they began to loose the trust of, and ‘alienated' the Vietnamese civilian s. More importantly the American public began to doubt whether or not they were the ‘good guys’ in this war and grew increasingly dissatisfied with the nations war policy. The American government began losing the support of the public once they witnessed reports about the war and events such as the My Lai massacre.The unfamiliar terrain and conditions in Vietnam also made life more difficult for the US forces. The intense heat made it difficult for them to see where they were going, carry weapons and move swiftly. As much of Vietnam was covered in jungle, swamp and paddy fields, it soon became clear that the terrain was unsuitable for tanks.

Matilda And Markwardt And The Diamond Necklace - 1140 Words

Story and Character Comparison This essay will explore two stories, The Diamond Necklace and The Man Who Had No Eyes. This essay will show the reader the common theme in both of the stories and how those themes affected the characters. The essay will also analyze the two main characters Matilda from The Diamond Necklace and Markwardt form The Man Who Had No Eyes. The essay will analyze the traits of both characters and what traits they share. It seems in both stories if the characters told the truth they wouldn’t have gotten into trouble. When Matilda borrowed the necklace from her friend and lost it but her chose not to tell the friend which forced her to work super hard for the rest of her life. Although Matilda eventually told her†¦show more content†¦It seems that Matilda’s life wasn’t bad at all. It seems that Matilda should have been more grateful for the life she had. Matilda was also very careless. If she thought that the necklace was very expensive, she should have been a lot more careful with the necklace. She should have felt her neck got lighter, which would have indicated that the necklace was no longer on her neck. It seems that Matilda let all of her rich things get to her head and she got distracted. The point is that no body is perfect. Although, Matilda had some good traits she also had some bad traits. In the story The Man Who Had No Eyes, Markwardt lost his eyes. But, the reader could argue that Markwardt didn’t give up at all. When the chemical explosion hit the factory, Markwardt kept on going, he tried to escape. The reader could also say that Markwardt was ungrateful for his life, because he could have died in the explosion, and Markwardt doesn’t see that. All he noticed was that he is blind and he couldn’t do anything about it. The most noticeable character trait about Markwardt is his dishonesty. He lied about his story and how he became a beggar. This is the most noticeable because this lie is what the entire story is based on. The reader can argue that Markwardt lied because he wanted people to feel sorry for him or he lied because he was ashamed of what he did to Mr. Parsons. Markwardt was very negative about his life. It wasn’t his