Little Women by Louisa May Alcott :: Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

It is interesting that Louisa May Alcott writes Little Women, in which she incorporates her own feelings and experiences. In fact, Jo's character is a near replication of Alcott herself. This makes the novel all the more interesting and personal, with the author speaking directly through the protagonist. Alcott writes the novel from third person limited point of view, focusing chiefly on Josephine March. She develops the characters brilliantly throughout the entire work, especially the March girls. Each sister is entirely unique, and yet so tightly bound together through their love for one another. Little Women takes place during the Civil War in a small town in Massachusetts. The Marchs live a life of poverty with their father in the war. Through this hardship, the girls: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, learn to be thankful in all circumstances and help those less fortunate than themselves. The girls are very hopeful and dream of a brighter future. Each experiences adventures and pursues her own dreams. In the end, they are still gathered as one family, grateful for their many blessings and for each other. Josephine March is the protagonist, a tomboy who refuses to submit to the traditional image of ladyhood. This mindset is radically different from a typical woman of her time. Jo possesses an innate passion for writing and literature in general. However, she loses much of her headstrong independent nature through marrying Professor Bhaer. She gives up writing as he is a significant critic of her style. The reader is exposed to two the dramatically different sides of Jo March. She is rebellious, fiery, and outspoken, wishing all the while that she was a man who could fight in the war along side her dear father. Jo stresses and works to keep her family together, becoming extremely upset when Meg and Amy become married. With their father absent, Jo assumes the male role as a father figure in many ways. Nevertheless, her flaws only make Jo a more lovable character. The reader cannot help but adore Jo for her sheer humanity, much like Huck in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Amy is the youngest March sister. She is ladylike, artistic, and is regarded as the beauty of the March family. Often fantasizing a life of riches and popularity, Amy's thirst for worldly pleasures represents the inner desires of man.

Classic Pen Company: Developing an Abc Model

ANALYSIS Background Information: The Classic Pen Company was a low-cost producer of traditional BLUE and BLACK pens with profit margins over 20% of sales. They then introduced RED pens at a 3% premium, and a year later they introduced PURPLE pens due to the 10% premium that they could command. However, they were disappointed with the most recent year; RED and PURPLE pens were not bringing in expected sales (still considering their higher profit margin), and BLUE and BLACK pens profitability was down.Issue(s) Identification There are two main issues within this case: -Profitability -Pricing ?Which involves Production time and effort per unit. -Should they introduce even more variety? Can they keep up with demand and competition? Recommendations: 1. Get rid of RED pens – They are the trickiest to make; their revenue is only $. 03 more than standard pens. 2. Lower the Price for BLACK pens, since they are the most simple to make and require less overhead and direct labour. . Lower price of BLUE pens- they are the most popular, but with the changing market prices must be adjustable. 4. Invest in new equipment (Therefore eliminating time to clean vats in order to make new coloured pens). 5. Focus in only making BLUE and BLACK pens as specialty pens Conclusion: My recommendation to Dempsey would be to invest in new technology to lower the overhead costs (Set-ups, runs) in the future. With a competitive market it is important to adapt.The addition of new colours is crucial to their survival, but with the current machinery it may not be possible. New equipment would mean limited backlog (if any), more options in colour, and meeting customers’ demands. If investment of new machinery is not doable for the company, it would be best to try and cut cost, and focus on standard pens for future investments. BLACK and BLUE pens bring in the most sales volumes and they could potentially cut back to 200% overhead once again.

Analysis/Argumentative Essay of Song Bittersweet Symphony

‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’, which was written by the English alternative rock band ‘The Verve’, was an iconic song of the late 1990s and carried with it a story many people can relate to. The metaphorical title suggests that life, like a symphony, is comprised of high notes and low notes but is bitter sweet because many people can find themselves stuck in the formal structure of society and, without realizing it, watch as life passes before their eyes. The song, which is in a first person point of view, is sung by the lead singer Richard Ashcroft as he reveals that he would like more meaning in his life, but feels trapped, powerless, and unable to change due to circumstances of his life that are beyond his control. This is†¦show more content†¦The stanza finishes ironically by saying, â€Å"But I’m a million different people/ from one day to the next/ I can’t change my mould/ no, no†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which states that, although he changes himself to meet everyone else’s expectations, he is unable to change to create meaning f or himself. The repetition of these stanzas as the chorus is an indication that the listener is intended to be reminded of the literal meaning, and that this song is about one individual’s perspective on life in particular. Intended meanings within Ashcroft’s lyrics are not always obvious. In stanza one he explains that he will take us down the only road he has ever known, the one that takes us to the place where all the veins meet. Anatomically, the place where all of the veins meet is the heart which implies that the story he is about to tell is a deep and emotional one. In stanza three he states that he never prays but tonight he is on his knees which shows his desperation about his imperfect life. He continues, â€Å"I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah/ I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now/ but the airways are clean and there’s nobody singing to me now†. As he prays sincerely, he believes that any sound of compassion recognizing his pain at all is better than silence and that the melody allows him to feel better. After praying, he hears nothing back, his