William Golding Stated in a Radio Broadcast free essay sample

William Golding stated in a radio broadcast that â€Å"the boys are suffering from the terrible disease of being human†. Explain how this pessimistic assessment of human nature is constructed in â€Å"Lord of the Flies†. What indicators are there of â€Å"a light at the end of the tunnel†, that is, of any signs of hope for the future of humanity? The novel ‘Lord of the flies’ is a text by William Golding which deals heavily with underlying themes of an evil that lives in the heart of all of mankind. The novel does indeed portray the idea of the boys suffering from ‘the terrible disease of being human’, and this is suggested at various instances throughout the text. There are also references to a light at the end of the tunnel through the appearance of the character Simon. Throughout the novel, there is a constant contrast of ‘good versus evil’ on a primitive political level between Jack and Ralph, while toying with the themes of the island boys becoming savages due to fear, and evil that lurks within humanity. We will write a custom essay sample on William Golding Stated in a Radio Broadcast or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although there are hints at goodness within mankind, this is also silenced during the second third of the novel due to the arising savagery of the boys. Examples of such behaviour (both good and bad) include the political struggle for power between Jack and Ralph; the face paint of the savages as a representation of evil; the presence of the Conch as a representation of civil authority; the appearance of the character Simon and his messiah-like presence amongst the boys; and the collapse of all society leaving Ralph as the final civil member. During the novel, there is a maintained contrast between the civil, political governing of Ralph, against the savage, tribal ways of Jack’s rule. This eternal dance of opposites on the island serves to show that the evil within all of mankind can stir and grow, and savagery can overcome civilisation in the right circumstances. Even at one point, Ralph almost descends into savagery as he felt the desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering. (p. 126). This occurs during the play-hunting passages, a scene in where the boys re-enacted the killing of the first pig in an almost tribal ritual, where the primal urges overcome even the civilized chief. This shows that even the main representation of civilization was perhaps falling and faltering, if only for momentarily, this is still an example of a sophisticated human giving into primal temptation. A key example of a savage metaphor includes the boys’ face paint. The painted faces of the savages do not exist early on in the book, as not many children have the desire to hunt, a possible reason for this is that the memories of civilization and rules are not yet forgotten, and to kill innocent animals was as yet unheard of: Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. (p. 56). Jack was hesitant in killing his first pig, perhaps the downfall of the society begins here, as the hunter is enraged at himself, his naked face symbolizing the innocence of the children. This is changed by the presence of face paint, which provides the boys a barrier to hide behind, a mask to hide, yet one which reflects the true nature of man. I painted my faceI stole up. Now you eatall of youand I William Golding, p. 67 This is a demonstration in the sheer pride of Jacks first kill. His confidence and his tribal, hunting nature is accentuated by his mask of paint. His inner primal form escapes for the first time escapes here for the first time in the text. In contrast to this emergence of animal-like behavior are metaphors for authority and civilization as a whole, such as the Conch. The conch represents civilization and stability, highlighted by it’s impressive shape and pure white glow (white obviously representing cleanliness and purity). Early on, the conch holds authority, and is used to maintain control over the tribe of boys, as the story progresses however; the conch becomes less and less valuable. As the boys begin to disrespect rules and authority and disregard them, the conch deteriorates, if only to be kept alive by the human representation of rationality, Piggy. The fall of civilization is climaxed with the death of piggy, and simultaneously, the conch: The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. William Golding p. 200 As the conch shatters into pieces, so does the island boys chance for civilization to restore, the last remaining flicker of society gone in an instant when faced against the painted faced tribal boys. It can also be argued that the downfall of the boys was reinforced by the death of Simon. As the true nature of humankind comes to light here, Golding shows that the existence of purity will ultimately be silenced by the evil within man. As evil nature is a key theme in this book, so is the existence of goodness and purity which is personified through the character Simon. Simon can be considered a Christ like figure throughout the novel. He often thinks to himself on his own in the forest and experiences hallucinations and faintness, much as biblical prophets did. As he was the only one who understood what was going on truly in the island, suggested when he says Maybe there is a beast. maybe its only us. (p. 80). It can be suggested that even though he was killed before his message was spread of the beast; his mere existence proves there is still hope for mankind according to Golding, however small this glint of hope may be. Somewhat similar to Christ, who was (according to Christian belief) free of original sin, and died for mankind before he could spread his message. The merciless death of Simon and Piggy show the extent of mankind’s evils, but one civil member of society was left to tell the tale for a reason. Golding’s purpose for this was to allow the boys themselves to realize their evil, by keeping Ralph alive, he was able to reflect on the deaths of Piggy and Simon. In doing this, he was able to truly appreciate the ‘darkness of man’s heart’ for what it was. This climax provides a gritty, emotional realization for the focal character and in turn, the reader. Through Ralph remains as the only civil member of the society left by the end of the novel, he can still be considered an ‘average boy’, though he remained civil and dignified throughout the novel, he occasionally lapsed into temptation unlike Piggy and Simon. Because there are still occasional hints of him regressing in his primal form, he occasionally forgets the purpose of his fire. â€Å"There was something good about a fire. Something overwhelmingly good† William Golding p. 200 The reader is shown that even the nominated, democratic leader is succumbing to the terrible disease of being human. The disease that given the right circumstances, the right timing, man with regress back into it’s original, evil, diseased state of cruel humanity. As this is discovered finally by Ralph at the end of the novel, a powerful passage involves him breaking down in pain and realization of humanity’s evil. Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy. William Golding, Lord of the Flies, Chapter 12 As Ralph realizes the true nature of mankind at the climax of the text, he is emotionally and mentally distraught at the thought that all of humankind is cursed with the terrible disease of being human. This shows that even the strongest of men can be reduced to tears at the thought of humankind and its ways. To conclude, the pessimistic nature of man is constructed throughout the novel in the form of various acts and metaphors representing the different social statuses of the boys on the island, such as face paint representing savagery, and naked faces and the conch represent civilization. However, there is also some ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ depicted through the uncorrupted characters of Simon and Piggy. Though ultimately killed, their existence shows that perhaps there is still hope for mankind, despite its humane sickness. The ever changing dance of opposites between good and evil is finally resolved on the island, but as Ralph realizes, the darkness of man’s heart will never be changed.

My Memories of Roger

My Memories of Roger Free Online Research Papers If you were to imagine the ideal, no, perfect best friend, then that would be Roger. He was amazing. You would be lucky to have a brief chat with him, even though he didn’t usually say much, or even meet him; then again he stayed in the house most of the time. Don’t get me wrong, I know I seem very chipper but I do miss him everyday. You have no idea. Even if you have lost someone close to you I still don’t think it could compare to the loss of Roger. We had a bond like no other. We were like peanut butter and jelly, you know? It was just one of those things that you know has to stay together. I remember this one time when my family and I took Roger on vacation with us up to our cottage in Espanola. We got up there and during the ride Roger didn’t look so good. I think he was a little motion sick; too much rocking. Well we got all settled in and I was so tuckered out from the car ride up that I went into an â€Å"instant coma† just as soon as I hit the pillow, so I didn’t really see Roger till morning. I went into the kitchen and I was going to get food for Roger and me, but my mom told me that Roger ate while I was still comatose. Later on in the day, I decided to go for a swim down at the beach, so obviously Roger came with me. We were inseparable remember? Well, then came one of the scariest moments of my life. Roger was always a strong swimmer. Way stronger than I was or ever could be. So, I lost him. He had decided to go for a long swim to a far off little island or something. Just as I was screaming for my mom I saw him and let out a sigh of relief. Even though this isn’t the happiest moment I have of Roger, it is definitely one of the strongest. I haven’t really been able to talk to anyone about what I’ve been dealing with since the loss of Roger. Everyone thinks I just need to let it go by and start anew with a new best friend. I’m just glad I can finally vent my feeling to someone. Keeping all those emotions pent up was not good for me at all. I just can’t really believe he’s actually gone, I guess it hasn’t really hit me yet. Well, I know he’s gone; it’s just that the sadness of the situation hasn’t come to me. I just miss him like crazy! I miss everything about him, his personality, sitting around just talking to him and him listening to every word, even though he was constantly moving. Even his childish habits are something I miss; I grew out of blowing bubbles but I guess he just never did. If you can hear me Roger, I just want you to know that our friendship meant the world to me and I hope it meant just as much to you. I know that some days will be hard to cope with and other days might go by smoother than others but that doesn’t mean I won’t be thinking of you. I might even meet new people and make new friends but they will never replace you. I won’t let them and they would never measure up. I’ll never forget you, Roger. You were my best friend. I’m so glad my parents decided to get me a fish instead of a dog. Research Papers on My Memories of RogerPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayThe Hockey GameLifes What IfsHip-Hop is ArtCapital PunishmentThe Spring and Autumn19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHonest Iagos Truth through Deception

Cost of Capital Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words

Cost of Capital - Dissertation Example Cost of capital is the minimum returns that a company can give shareholders on their investments and accordingly the company has to earn the minimum returns. If merging happens between one company that has high cash flows and another company that has low internally generated cash flows, then such merger can reduce the cost of capital. Introduction In today’s economic world, mergers and acquisitions (M & A) have become common strategy for growth and diversification of companies. During the 1990s, M & A activities broke all previous records both in terms of the number of such transactions and also the size of the mergers or acquisitions. In the early 2000s, there were major setbacks in the economies all over the world with global recession setting in. This resulted in drop of M & As worldwide although the volume still remains at a high level (Stahl & Voigt, 2003, p.2). The terms mergers and acquisitions involve a large number of transactions. Mergers can be of different forms li ke one firm can take over a different firm resulting in both the firms ceasing to exist individually to create a new firm. The principle purposes of merger of two companies are to strengthen their hold in the market and also to earn a competitive advantage in the industry. There are five common types of mergers. ... This type of merger is done to reduce the manufacturing cost and to acquire a larger share of the market. For instance, merger between Coca-Cola and Pepsi will be a horizontal merger and will allow both companies to acquire large share of the soft drink market. The third type of merger is market extension merger. This happens between two firms dealing with similar products but in different markets. The goal is to capture greater portion of the market. For instance, acquisition of Eagle Bancshares Inc by the RBC Centura has allowed RBC to extend its operations in the North American market. The fourth kind of merger is vertical merger which occurs between two firms that manufacture different types of products, but the products are manufactured for the purpose of common finished products. Vertical merger is done between firms in different stages of the industry’s supply chain to increase efficiency of their production process. For instance, vertical merger can take place between an automobile manufacturing firm and its supplier firm. The fifth and final kind of merger is production extension merger which takes place between firms manufacturing associated products in the same market. One example is the acquisition of Mobilink Telecom Inc. by Broadcom. Here it is expected that the products of the two firms will compliment each other (5 types of Company Mergers, 2013; Vadapalli, 2007, p.1). The processes involved in mergers and acquisitions are complicated and needs a complex web of preparations. Series of negotiations are needed along with due diligence which means the buyer company needs to be aware of any obstacles that may arise because of the merger. Activities also include