Tesla Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tesla Analysis - Essay Example Tesla continues to decrease limitations and make them better with each new model as envisaged in the Tesla Model S. There has been low allocation of research and development funds by established automobile companies to electric vehicles allowing Tesla a competitive advantage and the success in the market (Hartung, Par. 14). Tesla has the iconic CEO and founder Elon Musk to thank for access to best engineers and access funds easily beating the established brands on this front especially access to talent. Tesla chose a market demographic consisting of wealthy, environmentally conscious, and educated people providing it with reputational advantage over established companies like Ford. The demographic also offers Tesla access to high margins on each car sale owing to the ability of the market segment to pay for high-performance car that sacrifices very little to efficiency. Innovation also allowed Tesla to overcome the above barriers in the market including the introduction of direct sales to the consumers cutting expenses on dealers and the need to have networks. The other benefit of innovation is that the company was in a position to produce high performing electric car and with innovation it is currently continuing the provision of charging stations to meet client needs and concerns as well as develop the electric market

A Comparison of Traditional and Non Traditional Way of Living Essay

A Comparison of Traditional and Non Traditional Way of Living - Essay Example However, there is not much pressure for children to break away from their families because they are taught to value family more than wealth. Moreover, the norms in our community suggest a simple and timid way of living. There is not much challenge that can really force a person to plan and strategize in order to break away from poverty and difficulties of rural living. Instead, the similar lives of each family somehow seem to say that life in Bhutan is just fine because it is how everybody in the community lives. Being of Nepali origin who was born in Bhutan, I became one of the refugees who suffered many difficulties. The refugee camps were made of bamboo, mud, and plastic. The camp is not a good place to live in but we did not have any choice. Therefore, we have to endure the extremely harsh circumstances brought to us. Living in camps is the worst experience I ever had. It was worse than the lives of many animals. Some animals are given good homes and enough food but we lived with just small spaces allotted for each member of the family. So many times, food is not enough for all of us so we learned to share what meager food is available. In addition, there was no electricity so we also suffered the heat and cold through changing seasons. We were also in dire need of water and sanitation. Life in camps means being thankful we are still alive. We had no right to complain. We only had to hope and pray that someday, the sun will shine brightly on us. Thankfully, that day finally came for me in 2010 when I resettled in the United States. The American lifestyle is completely different from what I have been used to. There are no friends to have a lazy chat with and no time that we can afford to waste. Even in rural areas, American living has high demands because of the standard of living.

Outsourcing and Total Quality Standard Comparison

Outsourcing and Total Quality Standard Comparison 1.0 INTRODUCTION Human resource strategies are taking the is very vital for an organization, different type strategies may produce different type of result. There are two strategic issues facing human resource management which may critically influence operation of an organization. Outsourcing can be defines as a subcontracting work to a related organization or a company that specializes in and is more efficient to produce the output rather than completing in internally. Outsourcing also commonly are one of the organization provide sources or service for another organization, involving an agreement to exchange payment or other services. Besides the outsourcing strategic, total quality standards also are the best strategic that being used by human resources management. Total Quality Standards are best known as an organization effort to continually improving their business and product in the way to increasing business and reduce unnecessary practices. Total quality management is also aim to improve the quality into a service, produce or knowledge in order to continue meets the customer satisfaction. 2.0 Advantages of the strategies 2.1 Outsourcing Outsourcings are benefits to most of the business activities, one of the benefits are common being known by the company are its cost low and perform high quality product. Outsourcing meaning that organizations may not have to worry about the labor problem, wages problem and quality problem from the product due to different in lower price source are able to be found in different countries. The company may except that an external expert may do it more better quality output and more cheaply than company do it internally. Therefore, company can reduce their cost fee thought the outsourcing strategies in order the company can streamline its cash flow problem. In addition, an organization can have high quality output and lower cost in same time. Companies get advantage in kill two birds with one stones. 2.2 Total Quality Standard The core benefit of total quality standard is helpful in meeting the competition. Total quality standard are extremely helpful in understanding the competition of the environment today. Nowadays, there is increasing importance to organization in this full of the competitive environment which quality improvement is important to ensure consumer satisfaction. This management can prevent and detect more effectively in what kind of error-prone is occurring in the product or service. For instance, organizations able make a better vision to reach their future goal and able keep up with the times changing. Furthermore, an organization able to identify and eliminate the weakness in the business in order to provide high quality services and produce to their customers. It’s can be done through the decision making process in order to measure what are the necessary thing are need to be proceed to make the company produce a high quality output. 3.0 Challenge of the strategic issue 3.1 Outsourcing Although there is numerous of benefits are toward to outsourcing strategic, however one of the biggest challenge that outsourcing facing is hard to synchronizing the deliverable. It can be arise if the companies do not proper select a right partner for outsourcing, in case stretched delivery time frame will be occurred. Furthermore, this may lead more problem approaches including time-consuming and quality of output may influences into substandard quality output, organization may confronting more operational challenges and cost pressure. If the outsource company does not supplying on time, it may deal a great damage to the organization reputation. Due to these problems, organizations are more likely to regulate these internally rather than an outsourcing partner. 3.2 Total Quality Standard Total quality standard sometimes may face the employee resistance issue. In carrying out the total quality standard strategic, some company may require adapt new mindset, new goal, new attitude, and new method for perform their jobs. For instance, managements does not reflect well or not effectively communicate with team, it may occurs when employee are confuse to new idea and conflict among each of the teammate which lead to employee resistance. In addition, when employees are refuses to program it may become unproductive for the business and may lower the morale of an organization. It will critically influence the operation of an organization and may form a serious trauma that may affect an organization for need some time to fix it. 4.0 Evaluation and Recommendation 4.1 Outsourcing Organizations need to ensure that the business objective should able to fit appropriate collaborative outsourcing company. As an organizations that need to understand what can accommodate and need from the outsourcing company that you choosing. It’s the role for organization to do essential research before starting outsourcing relationship to the company. Organization should get more information from the outsourcing company and interview the company in order to understand more details regarding how flexible and reliable their service is supply to the organizations. Apart from that, an organization should arrange for constant communication. An organization should periodically to ensure the outsourcing provider is functioning regularly, hence organization should regular contact with their outsourcing company as well as able to control situation and guide decision when problem is occurred. When organization is staying awareness, they may prevent physical problem and able to solving it immediately. In addition, it builds up strong relationship among the organization and provider. Organizations should define their service in the agreement very precisely. Sometimes, an organization with the outsourcing conflict among their service and souring relationship occur into trouble when the objective of the service is too narrowly, broadly or ambiguously (suggested by Alexandra P. Woolcott, 2014). Hence, it very vital that organization should make sure the Service Agreement on what should the outsourcing company need to provided. Service Agreement should state crystal clear and objectively in order avoid loophole among each of the party. 4.2 Total Quality Standard An organization should make sure quality improvement is measurable. Organization should establish the degree into how process is implemented and the result is able to meet the main objective and company strategy. This is helpful for organization to set a goal for future and ensure where all departments in organization are willing work as one to reach the high quality standard. Therefore, an organization should do the research and analyze through market data in order to predict decision making more accuracy and allow to prediction the threat on past history (based on the suggestion by Philip B. Croaby, 2014). In term to make sure the quality improvement is measurable and comparable, organization should compare on the benchmark on the market for the sake of organizations able adopt innovative concept into quality management to perform the better output. It’s important for every employee in the organizations involve in quality improvement. Regardless of the bottom line or top management in company they are all playing an important part in providing high perform of quality in their service and produce. All employees should take part of their responsibility to ensure customer satisfaction. For instance, organization should do the communication within their all departments to allow each of the employee get a better knowledge and skill on how should the total quality processes are needed to be done in order to achieve the high quality output. Moreover, there’s a core benefits to thrust the total quality management more effectively is continuously improvement. There’s many reason why the organization should continuously improvement, it’s due to today market are become pressure of competition. Continually improvement in total quality management drives an organization to boosts to be creative in looking of the ways to become competitive edge in the market and more effective in meeting on customer requirement (based on the suggestion on Chartered Quality Institute CQI, 2015). It’s make an organization more competitive to growth successful in the market. 5. Conclusion These two strategies are being commonly used by many organizations today. It’s no matter how huge of the organization is and how small of the cooperation is, it also will beneficial and useful to each of the organization to fulfil their demand. Human resource management should acquire these strategies to organization in order to make organization growth rapidly to keep up with the time.

Success and Failure in Alice Walker’s To Hell With Dying Essay example

Success and Failure in Alice Walker’s "To Hell With Dying"Â   Alice Walker’s "To Hell With Dying" appears on the surface to be a story of a man who has many near-death experiences. However, I believe that the story of Mr. Sweet shows the side of depression and failure that Alice Walker might have faced had she not pushed her way to success. Mr. Sweet grew up in a time period where the life between whites and blacks was very segregated. However, Mr. Sweet "had been ambitious as a boy, wanted to be a doctor or lawyer or sailor, only to find that black men fare better if they [were] not" (Walker 1143). When he realized this defeat "he turned to fishing as his only claim to doing anything extraordinarily well" (1143). This failure seemed to overcome Mr. Sweet as he turned to the bottle as a sort of sanctuary. Mr. Sweet "was constantly on the verge of being blind drunk" (1144); however, to the kids this made him the perfect playmate. Often when Mr. Sweet was "feeling good" (1144), he would dance about and play in the yard with the children. When he was in this state he was just as vulnerable as they were. In fact, most of the time the children won the battles. An ironic behavior that Mr. Sweet has in this story, however, is that we read about him playing with the neighbors’ children, but we never read about him playing with his own child. Maybe this is because of the second failure that occurred in Mr. Sweet’s life. When he was younger he had to marry Miss Mary, for she was pregnant with his child; "he was not sure that Joe Lee, [Miss Mary’s] baby, was also his baby" (1144). Mr. Sweet had been in love with another woman though. He had made up a song that he played on his guitar on this unhappy part of his life. When Mr. Sw... ..., was another Mr. Sweet. However, this Mr. Sweet took her route of success. He expressed his pain through the poetry he wrote so that whoever wanted to could read it and feel the pain that he had to overcome. Mr. Sweet, by showing Alice Walker what would happen to her if she surrendered to the racism of the outside world, helped her achieve success. Works Cited Walker, Alice. "To Hell With Dying." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1143-1147. Walker, Alice. "Remembering Mr. Sweet." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1147-1149. Works Consulted Harrison, Faye. "Writing Against The Grain: Cultural Politics Of Difference In The Work Of Alice Walker." Women Writing Culture. Ed. R. Behar and D.A Gordon. University of California Press, 1195. 233-245. Â  

English Essay

Culture polity, traditions, language, food, costume, belief system, architecture, arts, craft, music, dance, and sports which will be discussed in this article to give you an indication of Fiji’s indigenous community but also the various communities which make up Fiji as a modern culture and living. The indigenous culture is an active and living part of everyday life for the majority of the population. However, it has evolved with the introduction of vibrant and old cultures including Indian, Chinese and European culture, and various cultures from the Pacific neighbors of Fiji; in particular the Tongan and Rotuman cultures. The culture of Fiji, including language, has created a unique communal and national identity. Tradition and hierarchy Fijian indigenous society is very communal, with great importance attached to the family unit, the village, and the vanua (land). [1] A hierarchy of chiefs presides over villages, clans, and tribes. Chiefly positions are hereditary; a deceased chief is invariably followed by a kinsman or kinswoman, though not necessarily his own son or daughter. This reflects Polynesian influence: in most other Melanesian societies, chiefs are appointed on merit. The largest social unit for Fijians is the Yavusa, defined by R. A. Derrick as the â€Å"direct agnate descendants of a single kalou-vu† (deified ancestor). Chiefly succession was from older brother/sister to younger brother/sister, after the death of their father/mother. When the youngest brother/sister died, the eldest son/daughter of the eldest brother/sister became chief. This tradition still influences Fijian society today, though less rigidly: there is more of a tendency nowadays towards primogeniture. [2][3] Each brother/sister in the family then formed his own branch of the yavusa, called the Mataqali. Each mataqali became the custodian of a specific task. A fully developed Yavusa has several mataqali: * Turaga: This mataqali descends from the original ancestor through primogeniture – inheritance of the eldest son in each succeeding generation. The chief of a village is always chosen from the Turaga mataqali. [1][4] * Sauturaga: These are next in rank to the chiefs, support him, and enforce his commands and also have final say in the installation of a Chief[1] * Mata ni vanua: These form the official heralds of the village. They are also in charge of ceremonial functions. [5] * Bete: This was the traditional priestly class. The kalou-vu was believed to speak through the Bete. [1][6] * Bati: This mataqali forms the traditional warrior class. [6] * Dau (skill) and Matai: these are the crafts people and specialized skilled people of the tribe e. g. Dau ni vucu (Poet/choreographer/composer), Dau ni yau (treasurer), Mataisau (carpenter/or Canoe builder)[1] The mataqali are subdivided into Tokatoka, each comprising closely related families. Several mataqali comprise a village, several of which form a yavusa or district. The British colonial rulers amalgamated the districts into Yasana, or Provinces. The districts also form three Matanitu, or Confederacies. These are often said to be agglomerations of provinces, but as the latter were a colonial imposition, the boundaries do not coincide exactly, and the Provinces of Tailevu, Ra, Naitasiri, Lomaiviti and parts of Yasawa and Ba makes the Kubuna Confederacy. This Confederacy in modern Fiji is considered to be the most senior. The other two are Burebasaga (covering the rest of Viti Levu), and Tovata, covering Vanua Levu, Lau archipelago and Rotuma. Despite its isolation and relatively small size, Tovata has been politically dominant since Fiji gained its independence in 1970. Language The official language is English while the national indigenous language is Bauan which is only one of the many dialects that exist in the Fiji Group, each of the fourteen provinces more or less have their own dialect though there is a clear distinction between the dialects of the West, Central and Eastern parts of the country. Other languages spoken in the country are Fiji Hindi, Cantonese, Rotuman, Gilbertese (Rabi Island), and Tuvaluan (Kioa Island). The Fiji Islands are traditionally linked to their island neighbours Rotuma, Tonga and Samoa, and this is evident in the culture and dialects of the Northern and Eastern provinces being Cakaudrove, Bua, Macuata, and Lau. The many dialects spoken in these four provinces consistently use sounds that are heard in Tongan and Samoan, but not so with dialects from the Western and South Western parts of Fiji. The Fijian language uses a Latin alphabet. However, the Fijian alphabet is dissimilar from the English alphabet. Fiji English The existence of many dialects within the Fijian language as well as exposure to the other languages spoken have contributed to many Fiji Islanders being bilingual. For general communication in an informal environment, a very interesting cross use of the languages has developed, resulting in slang now commonly referred to as Fiji English. In formal settings, of course, correct usage is adhered to. Fiji English comprises aspects of Fijian, English and Hindi, which reflects the history and identity of the people of Fiji. Fiji English is non-rhotic. . Cultural arts and social polity In culture, its various crafts and music give it an identity along with it traditional etiquette and varying forms of clothing attire, its unique architecture also tells a story of a culture and its evolution, the following will discuss these aspects of culture in Fiji. Arts and crafts Fiji’s arts and crafts reflect local adaptations of their Polynesian and Melanesian heritage. By tradition, the men’s and women’s crafts are separate. Women’s crafts The village of Na lotu on Kadavu Island is famous for its pottery, the making of which is still governed by strict rituals. Nadroga and Rewa also produce fine pottery. Each region has its own unique style in the making of pottery. Tapa from the Lau Islands in Fiji. The making of Tapa cloth, or (masi), is another craft associated with women. Tapa is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree and decorated in charcoal with symbolic motifs and various patterns. In modern times, it has become fashionable for a masi to bear the name of the person who made it. Masi are often exchanged as gifts on formal occasions. The island of Vatuelele of the southern coast of Viti Levu is famous for its masi products. Most Fijian mats are made from the leaves of the pandanus tree. The long process of preparation includes scraping and boiling the leaves, and drying them in the sun. There are different mats used for different occasions, and some are made as gifts for formal occasions such as weddings. Most mats are bordered with highly decorative and brightly coloured wool. One well-known Fijian mat is the kuta, made by women in Vanua Levu, particularly Bua. Weaving using various materials was another craft generally mastered by the women but also aspects of weaving were mastered only by the men, various types of weaving practiced were and still are; basket weaving, coconut rope weaving, and coconut leaves weaving. Men’s crafts Carving was practiced by the men; carving would be used for items of practical use and simple shapes and design were used. A lot of effort was put into well adorned weapons and items for the home and ceremony, today carving is practiced for its use in tourism and no longer plays a major role in Fijian society and life except in the case of the Tanoa used from drinking Kava. Drua, the most impressive Fijian canoe. Canoe Building was another art practiced only by the men, canoes were not only the major form of communication, but were important in all aspects of Fijian society, from the gathering of food and transporting of crops to use in presentation ceremonies and they were instrumental in wars and politics which were rife in Fiji. 9] The art of Canoe building was varied across the group and had several different types but of a similar design, the Camakau was a small twin hulled canoe for fishing or small transportation purposes, the most impressive of Canoes in Fiji were that of the Drua. In Fiji’s early history before European involvement, Control of the seaway was a major and decisive objective ; disrupting or cutting off the enemies supply and reinforcements gave great advantage in battle and would ensure victory. Sea battles involving hundreds of canoes were frequent. The canoe, which inspired fear and awe and so often held the balance was the mighty Drua. One of the most elaborate and beautiful artifacts of Oceania, the Drua was a product of considerable group efforts and human sacrifice. Double hulled and of gigantic proportions, the Drua was a masterpiece of design and craftsmanship, requiring total community involvement in its construction and human sacrifice in its launching. 10] Its speed out at sea would be in excess of twenty knots and still remained highly manoeuvrable, it was capable of carrying upward of 150 warriors and took some 6 to 7 years to build and would vary in length from 100 feet to 118 feet and have a mast height of 60 to 70 feet, in the mid-19th century the following accounts were recorded: â€Å"Up went the huge sail, down went the great steering oars, splashing into the sea, and away we shot like a racehorse. Owing to the great rate at which we were going, the sea was like a hissing cauldron on either side of our course, and the vessel, instead of having time to mount over the smaller waves, cut its way through them. † (West, 1869). â€Å"It had a magnificent appearance with its immense sail of white mats; its velocity was almost inconceivable. † (Wilkes, 1840). Ratu Seru Cakobau commanded an impressive fleet which had Several Drua with armed warriors ready for battle the led Canoe was named ‘Rusi I Vanua’ or ‘Cursed is the land’. 11] Much of the art of Canoe building has been lost and only a small few still practice the art on a very small scale as its use in this modern era seems to have lost its place. The craft of Canoe building was traditionally reserved for the male. Performing arts Fijian Rugby Team Performing a Traditional War Dance before their Rugby encounter against Canada. The Meke An indigenous art form is the Meke, which may incorporate the seasea (women’s fan dance) or a meke wesi (men’s spear dance). It is usually a narrative of an important event such as a war, a chiefly installation, or even a scandal. Some mekes are generations old, and form an important part of Fiji’s oral history. In olden times, the meke was considered to be an oracle from the gods, and the Dau ni vucu, or composer, would often go into a trance before a performance. Others are modern, composed for a particular event, much as a poet laureate might write a poem to celebrate an event in a Western country. Each district of Fiji has its own form of meke, performed in the local dialect. Other forms of Polynesian and Melanesian dance art forms exist with most widely known being dances of Rotuma and Tonga. There are also various Indian dances and Chinese dances which are performed at relevant festivals marking important times for these communities which are now a part of Culture in Fiji. Music Music of Old Fiji consisted of various chants which often told a story or preserved information to be passed on from generation to generation, these songs used various traditional instruments. With the introduction of European and Asian cultures music in Fiji has evolved and songs sung in the Fijian vernacular are popular but so also are songs in Indian and English, some local artists mix all three languages and traditional instruments from each culture making for a very interesting musical experience. A distinct Indian sound has evolved in Fiji that some see as influencing modern Indian music and even jazz. Clothing and costume The traditional attire was loin cloths for men and grass skirts for women. Skirts were short for single women, and long for married women, with girls wearing virgin locks before marriage. Most ladies of rank had the lower parts of their bodies decorated with tattoos. Chiefs dressed more elaborately. Modern Fiji’s national dress is the sulu, which resembles a skirt. It is commonly worn by both men and women. One type worn by both men and women is the ‘Sulu va Taga’ pronounced Sulu vah Tanga which is a wrap around piece of rectangular material which is elaborately decorated with patterns and designs of varying styles this is for more casual and informal occasions. Many men, especially in urban areas, also have Sulu va taga which is a tailored sulu and can be tailored as part of their suit. Many will wear a shirt with a western-style collar, tie, and jacket, with a matching Sulu va taga and sandals, this type of sulu can be worn to a semi formal or formal occasion. Even the military uniforms have incorporated the Sulu va taga as part of their ceremonial dress. Women usually wear a multi-layered Tapa cloth on formal occasions. A blouse made of cotton, silk, or satin, of often worn on top. On special occasions, women often wear a tapa sheath across the chest, rather than a blouse. On other occasions, women may be dressed in a chamba, also known as a sulu I ra, a sulu with a specially crafted top. There are many regional variations throughout Fiji. Residents of the village of Dama, in Bua Province and Cakaudrove i Vanua (Province), Fiji wear finely woven mats called kuta, made from a reed. While traditional and semi-traditional forms of dress are still very much in use amongst indigenous Fijian culture, there is a greater influence for Western and Indian Fashion in urban areas as in neighboring developed nations. Traditions and ceremonies Etiquette in indigenous Fijian ceremony is rather intricate depending on the function as various formalities and presentations which do several things; firstly it shows respect between two communal groups, strengthen tribal and family ties and reinforce social, tribal and family ties. Various items are used in ceremony and surrounded by ceremony, Kava, known in Fiji as yaqona, is Fiji’s national drink. Traditionally, it was used only in important ceremonies. Nowadays, it is a social beverage. There is a strict protocol associated with yaqona drinking. One should clap once, clasping the hands, take the cup, and drink the yaqona in a single draft before returning the cup to the bearer. Another highly prized item in ceremony is the tabua or Whale’s tooth, other items also the use of mats (masi) are also used traditionally in ceremony also various regions have tradition that has been passed down generation to generation for centuries one example are the firewalkers of beqa. The Sawau tribe of Beqa are noted for their ability to walk on white hot stones without being burned. 12] Strict rituals have to be observed before the firewalking ceremony. There is an ancient myth about how an ancestor of the Sawau tribe was given this power by a spirit god in exchange for his life, after the god was captured by the man who was fishing for eels. Cuisine The cuisine of Fiji in pre-colonial times consisted of root crops, vegetables, and fruits, as well as various land animals such as wild pig, human, and various birds. The coastal tribes wou ld have had the same, but also had a large amount of local seafood. These would have been prepared with local herbs and spices on wood fire rock ovens. Most cooking areas were located in the center of house so the smoke would repel insects and strengthen the roof thatching. Another popular method of cooking, which is still used today, is the lovo which is an earth oven[13] — a fire made on in a pit in the ground lined with heat-resistant stones. It closely resembles the hangi of the New Zealand Maori. When the stones are hot, food wrapped in (banana) leaves, is placed in the pit, covered with soil and left to cook before being exhumed and eaten. Dishes cooked this way include palusami, parcels of taro leaves saturated with coconut milk, onions, and sometimes tinned meat. Modern Fijian Cuisine is rather diverse with great influence from Indian cuisine and spices. When these are applied to local traditional dishes, it makes for interesting eating. European, Indian, and Chinese variants of cuisine, along with traditional foods, are common place in most, if not all households in Fiji. Architecture A bure kalou, a sketch done in the early 1800s. In Old Fiji, the architecture of villages was simple and practical to meet the physical and social need and to provide communal safety the houses were square in shape and with pyramid like shaped roofs,[14] and the walls and roof were thatched and various plants of practical use were planted nearby, each village having a meeting house and a Spirit house. The spirit house was elevated on a pyramid like base built with large stones and earth, again a square building with an elongated pyramid like [14] roof with various scented flora planted nearby. The houses of Chiefs were of similar design and would be set higher than his subjects houses but instead of an elongated roof would have similar roof to those of his subjects homes but of course on a larger scale. With the introduction of communities from Asia aspects of their cultural architecture are now evident in urban and rural areas of Fiji’s two main Islands Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. A village structure shares similarities today but built with modern materials and spirit houses (Bure Kalou) have been replaced by churches of varying design. The urban landscape of early Colonial Fiji was reminiscent of most British colonies of the 19th and 20th century in tropical regions of the world, while some of this architecture remains, the urban landscape is evolving in leaps and bounds with various modern aspects of architecture and design becoming more and more evident in the business, industrial and domestic sector, the rural areas are evolving at a much slower rate. Literature The emergence of Fiji’s literature (as distinct from oral literature) coincides with the country’s transition to independence in 1970. Among the first published works of Fijian literature, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, were Raymond Pillai’s short stories (in English) and Pio Manoa’s poetry (in English and in Fijian). More recent notable Fiji writers include Satendra Nandan (poet and novelist), Sudesh Mishra (poet), Larry Thomas (playwright), and Joseph Veramo (novelist). Religion Religion is quite diverse with Christianity being the dominant faith in Fiji. Many Christian denominations are present in Fiji, the most prevalent of which is Methodist. Of the other Asian religions the Hindu faith is dominant, followed by Islam. There are other belief systems observed by Fijians as well. The impact of Christianity The impact of Christianity in the 19th century resulted in certain traditions being proscribed. In the pre-Christian era, human sacrifice was practiced. Men were buried alive to hold the pillars to the house of a chief. Cannibalism was practiced, too:[16] the bodies of enemies slain in battle, or in sacrifice, were piled up and cooked for festivals, such as the installation of chiefs or the launching of a great canoe. 16] Seru Epenisa Cakobau. The Bauan warlord who united the disparate tribes of Fiji and proclaimed himself King in 1871, renounced cannibalism on his conversion to Christianity in 1854. A bure kalou, a pre-Christian Fijian religious Building. Old religion Fiji’s old religion is no longer practiced by the majority in the indigenous community who have adopted Christianity. Old deities are still acknowled ged and respected, but not worshipped. Fijian rituals still exists in private. Demographics Of the various faiths, Christianity is the dominant belief system and ncluding all the various denominations of the Christian faith they number in total 449,482. Hindus, with their various denominations, number in total 261,097. Muslims make up 54,324 of Fiji’s population. Followers of other belief systems make up 10,166 of Fiji’s population. Sports Sports culture is unique as different racial mixes and cultures come together in a common interest. Fiji is fanatical about sports and the two most dominant being rugby and soccer. Traditional sports Sports in older times had a practical place, apart from recreation, helping to train young warriors. One such practice would have the older men bring the male children a severely injured captive of war, allowing the boys to practice their archery skills against this living target. There were other sports that were practiced in older times which are not practiced now. Notable traditional sports used to be played were tiqa, ulutoa, veisaga, and veisolo. Modern sports The Fiji sevens team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Sports have developed greatly over the past two decades in Fiji with a wide variety of sports undertaken. Fiji is most well known for its prowess in the game of rugby union and in particular rugby sevens. Rugby union Rugby union is the most popular sport in Fiji. The highest level of competition is the Colonial Cup. The Fiji national rugby union team has competed in five Rugby World Cup competitions. The Fijian Rugby Sevens team is constantly one of the top two or three teams in the world, often the premier team. Rugby league Rugby league is a popular team sport played in Fiji. The Fiji national rugby league team is known as Fiji Bati, with the team competing in three Rugby League World Cup competitions. They made it to the semi-finals of the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Football Football was a minor sport, but over the last decade with further international funding from FIFA and sound local management of the sport has grown in popularity amongst the Indian community initially but now also the Fijian community. Other sports Many sports exist in Fiji and in many ways has its own cultural following, sports such as golf which has been made famous by Fiji athlete Vijay Singh. Sports such as cricket and surfing which was brought to prominence by former world champion and Fiji athlete Tony Philips. Sailing in varying forms, various adventure sports, athletics, various Asian martial arts, boxing, and the list goes on.

Great expectations coursework Essay

My essay is going to be about the 1876 edition novel ‘Great Expectations. ‘ The author of this novel is Charles Dickens. When the novel opens we meet Pip as a rather young child. Pip is the narrator as well as the main character. This is known as the first person. Pip as an adult talks about Pip as a child. He talks about his life as a child and how it was a struggle without his parents being around to help him. This makes it interesting to read. Dickens creates sympathy for Pip by talking about his dead parents. â€Å"As I never saw my father or my mother, and never saw any image of either of them. † This suggests that Pip never saw his parents because he was young when they died. Pip also tries to create an image of what they looked like. Another way Dickens creates sympathy is by talking about Pip’s dead brothers. â€Å"They all had been born on their backs with there hands in their trouser pockets. † This makes us think of them in a childish way like the young Pip. In the 19th century people used to die commonly so if they read this novel they wouldn’t suffer any sympathy because the death rate was regular. If a person read this novel in the 20 century they would feel sympathy because the death rate is much less and we are not used to children dying anymore. Dickens knew what a poor existence was like as a child because he had been through it all. He came from a working class family. In his school the teacher paid particular consideration to Dickens because he was making incredible progress but he was forced to leave school at the age of 12 and go labour in a factory because his parents were in enormous debt. To write this book Dickens got his sympathy from his early days. What he saw in his time made him want to write about how life wasn’t fair. The opening chapters are good at getting us to feel all sorts of emotions. The way Dickens gets the readers awareness is he creates a tense, terrifying setting. The reader then knows something dreadful is going to take place so he reads on. Dickens describes how frightening the setting is. â€Å"The small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry was Pip. † This suggests that he is extremely terrified of the graveyard that he is in. Dickens describes the graveyard as a hiding place for people. â€Å"And that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing was the sea. † This suggests that the grave yard can be used as a hiding place because of its darkness and emptiness. All of this makes the reader really scared so that we can feel the same as Pip. Dickens was especially renowned for the good way he created his characters. We meet one of his bloodcurdling characters in this novel. Dickens describes the character as a fearful man, all in course grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man who had been â€Å"soaked in water and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered. † This suggests that the man had been through an awful lot to get to where is. He also wanted to really escape from the prison that he was held in. We know that he had been to prison because of the great iron on his leg. We also know that he had been beaten by stones, drenched in water, smothered in mud, slashed by flints and unpleasantly cold. I can feel what he is feeling because of the words Dickens uses. Dickens uses dialogue to state where his characters come from and how their personality is. The convict uses dialect language. â€Å"Show us where you live, pint out the place. † This tells us that the convict doesn’t use correct English language instead of saying ‘point’ he says ‘pint’ missing out the ‘o’. this tells me that he is from a working class not a middle class like Estella or other ladies and gentlemen. Dickens is very intelligent the way he creates his characters names. This helps use to discover what the characters are like and what part they play. Mrs Joe Gargery takes on her husbands name to show other people that she’s the one who obeys her husband. The reader sees a different side. Mrs Joe Gargery is the one in charge and her husband obeys her. Dickens is using ironic humour here to make us laugh at the situation. I liked the first two chapters of the novel that I studied because it was very thrilling to examine about how existence was like in the historic days. I liked the way Dickens wrote this novel because he described the background in a lot of detail.