Business Determinants of Bank Profitability Dissertation

Business Determinants of Bank Profitability - Dissertation Example From this report it is clear that that the determinants of banking profitability are into categories which are internal and external. Internal determinants include the management of expenses, liquidity and capital reserves while external ones are size of the firm, economic environment and ownership basis. Proper management of expenses was identified as the most important factor enhancing high profitability in banks. Conversely, high interest rates occasioned by ownership strategies were identified as the main factor to low profitability. The research is valid since misappropriation in handling expenses will definitely lead to more expenditure and less profits in any sector. Similarly, imposing customers to high interest rates on loans is also a factor that makes customers lose faith with the bank.This research highlights that  Molyneux and Thornton elucidated on these variables as well as revealing that liquidity affects profitability negatively. This research explains that industr y-specific variables are the factors that affect a bank within the banking industry such competition arising from homogeneity of goods and services. Whereas macro-economic variables simply entail the environment of the economy that banks operate. In terms of liquidity, a bank can be affected if it does not have proper appropriation of funds and hence using it in unproductive ventures such as imposing exorbitant loan interest rates, hence creating losses to the bank.

MIH548 - Theory Based Research - Mod 1 Case Assignment Essay

MIH548 - Theory Based Research - Mod 1 Case Assignment - Essay Example This is principally arrived at through deductive and inductive logic and parsimony within the limits and domains of science and related rational presuppositions. It is to be remembered that experiments and observations generate data, and in some point there would be a need for interaction between data and theory, which leads the methodology beyond the realm of deductive rationality to collection of data and their interpretation in such a manner that the whole affair can be replicated (Wilson 1952). John Snow is famous as an epidemiologist who first demonstrated conclusively that cholera is actually caused by microorganisms, and he deductively established that these organisms affect the human beings through transmission by food or water. His epidemiologic work is now considered as the classic reference of modern epidemiology and has been termed by Frost to be a â€Å"nearly perfect model† (Morabia 2001). Snow’s work on cholera epidemic in London would not have been possible without the scientific disease surveillance methodologies enacted by Farr, which indicated the importance of water supply in South London. Based on the data collected by Farr, Snow could reach a conclusion about the causation of cholera epidemics in London. Based on the distribution of mortality data from cholera, it was possible for him to locate the households that were getting comparatively cleaner water and hence lesser incidence of the disease and related death rates (Morabia 2001). The necessity of a controlled experiment in order to implicate the water supply in the London cholera epidemic in 1848-1849 was understood by both, but Snow got an intellectual leap from the data collected by Farr, through the simple method of grouping the households based on a definition of exposure to the causative agent. Despite the thought of controlled experiment

Cyberpunk and Science Fiction Essay Example for Free

Cyberpunk and Science Fiction Essay Cyberpunk and Science Fiction in the Information Age Cyberpunk science fiction is considered to be the â€Å"literary manifestation of postmodernism† (Elements149). According to McHale, as a sub-genre of science fiction, cyberpunk stands as the product of the convergence between â€Å"science fiction poetics and postmodernist poetics† (Elements 149). In Constructing Postmodernism, McHale states â€Å"cyberpunk†¦as science fiction derives certain of its elements from postmodern mainstream fiction which itself has†¦already been ‘science-fictionized’ to some greater or lesser degree† (229). The correlation of cyberpunk and postmodernism however is not limited to the existence of cyberpunk as a coagulation of the different factors within science fiction tales. Postmodernism, as a school of thought and as a movement in the different arts, may be characterized by its â€Å"incredulity toward metanarratives† (Lyotard xxiv). Metanarratives refer to the â€Å"‘grand narratives’ or stories that go to legitimize particular practices† (Warren and Warren 78). In the same manner that postmodernism debunks the idea of grand narratives, cyberpunk debunks such grand narratives by placing emphasis on the construction of a separate individual reality within the sphere of cyberspace. Works considered as a part of the sub-genre of cyberpunk are named as such due to their focus on â€Å"technological revolution and its social and psychological implications†¦on online publication† (Stierstorfer 109). The correlation between cyberpunk and postmodernism may thereby be traced to the existence of various worlds within cyberspace presented within cyberpunk texts. It is important to note that the importance of cyberspace is attributed to the space that it provides the individual user for the creation of fictional production. Cyberspace, within these works, stand as a space which is in continuous creation. The creation is determined by each individual and hence it provides the individual with both the freedom and the power to create and determine the worlds created by other individuals within the cyberspace. Within the aforementioned context, reality stands as an individual construction determined by a set of rules for how such a creation may occur. These rules however are not moral rules but merely substantive rules. In a sense, one may thereby state that ‘reality’ within these texts is in continuous flux since what is ‘real’ is determined by one’s point of view, one’s perspective of the world. The act of reading these texts are in a sense determined by the sequence in which these texts are presented however within the context of the assumptions of reality within the text it is possible to imagine a space wherein all acts do not merely interact or collide but occur at the same time since cyberspace is a boundless space and such is the world presented by the texts within the genre of cyberpunk fiction. In line with this, what follows is a discussion of William Gibson’s Neuromancer and Spook Country and Stanislaw Lem’s Imaginary Magnitudes. Online communication creates a space of social contact out of intertextual materials that may end up relying on the very conventional social narratives that many participants hope to escape. These hidden conventional structures within social interaction are the subject of the novel that gave us the term ‘cyberspace’ that being William Gibson’s Neuromancer. A discussion of Gibson’s novel not only provides a glimpse of the very different understanding of identity that results from this intertextuality but also suggests how best to negotiate these narratives. At the most general level Neuromancer is the story of Case’s quest to be re-integrated with cyberspace and the information that it possesses. The story opens with Case’s nervous system intentionally harmed in subtle ways by a past employer so that he is unable to access cyberspace and perform his past role as a ‘cowboy’ who infiltrates computer networks and steals information. Case is mysteriously offered surgery to repair his system if he participates in a complicated scheme to free an artificial intelligence named Wintermute from the limitations placed on it by its creator. Gibson describes Case’s experience of cyberspace in terms of the pleasure of reintegration. The experience is described in the following manner. Found the ridged face of the power stud. And in the bloodlit dark behind his eyes, silver phosphenes boiling in from the edge of space, hypnagogic images jerking past like film compiled from random frames. Symbols, figures, faces, a blurred, fragmented mandala of visual information. Please, he prayed, now†¦Expanding- And flowed, flowering for him, fluid neon origami trick, the unfolding of his distanceless home, his country, transparent 3D chessboard extending to infinity†¦And somewhere he was laughing, in a white-painted loft, distant fingers caressing the deck, tears of release streaking his face. (Neuromancer 52) In the aforementioned passage, Case’s movement into cyberspace is a kind of homecoming that brings him back into contact with a network of human information. Given the lyrical tone of this passage, it is not surprising that interpreters of Neuromancer have concluded that the connection to networks of human information that Case pursues is a uniformly positive thing. Cyberspace subculture frequently takes the disembodied integration into electronic information systems quite literally as a next stage in human evolution. Rather than asserting the value of social integration for its own sake, this story treats such connections as merely showing the protection and evolution of individuals. The links between individuals are similarly ambivalent in Neuromancer. Probably the novel’s clearest statement of the ambivalence of social connection comes late in the novel when Case reflects on his involvement with unseen ‘bosses’. Case has been hired by the mysterious Armitage, who turns out to work for Wintermute. As Case realizes the degree to which Armitage is a puppet or even a construction of Wintermute, he reflects on his involvement with larger political and social powers. It goes in the following manner, Case had always taken it for granted that the real bosses, the kingpins in a given industry, would be more and less than people†¦Hed always imagined it as a gradual and willing accommodation of the machine, the system, the parent organism. It was the root of street cool, too, the knowing posture that implied connection, invisible lines up to hidden levels of influence. (Neuromancer 203) Case’s reflections about the nature of social connection suggest both its positive and negative qualities from the perspective of the individual. Positively, these connections position the individual as a kind of parasite within the ‘parent organism’, sheltering the individual who may not share the goals of the larger system to which he or she belongs. Within this context, one might perceive individuals as pieces of a larger puzzle whose form is partially known but whose image is only available through the different vantage points available to different individuals. Such vantage points however are only accessible or can only be known to one individual unless it is penetrated and in a sense controlled by another one. Knowledge within this space is thereby continually in flux as a result of the power struggles of the entities within it. Imagining people as ‘assemblages’ whose subjectivity is constructed from sources of which they are rarely aware and whose elements do not necessarily cohere certainly seems unappealing at first glimpse since it works against traditional ideas of self-consciousness and personal coherence. However, Neuromancer also suggests that much more dangerous than this disunified subjectivity is the attempt to deny multiplicity and to hide behind some apparent unity. Precisely this tension between unity and incoherence is at issue. One might state that cyberdiscourse enables individuals to raise their consciousness about their own identity however it is also possible to state that it is nothing more than an intertextual concoction of mass media cliches and stereotypes. Gibson’s other novel Spook Country also raises these issues. Spook Country stands as a continuation of Pattern Recognition. As opposed to the futuristic setting of Neuromancer, the later novel is set within the current century. It presents the story of a former rock singer named Hollis Henry who turned into a freelancer researching about locative art for Node magazine. In the process of the research, Hollis discovers that locative art is an art form that combines virtual reality with GPRS technology. As a result of this combination, an individual is able to replicate the events occurring within a particular place thereby allowing the spectator of the artwork to participate within a different reality. This is evident in the following passage from Spook Country. As Hollis and Chombo discuss locative art, they specify the experience that one may achieve in it. They state We’re all doing VR, every time we look at a screen. We have been for decades now†¦VR was an even more specific way we had of telling us where we were going. Without scaring us too much, right? The locative, though, lots of us are already doing it. But you can’t just do the locative with your nervous system. One day, you will. We’ll have internalized the interface. It’ll have evolved to the point where we forget about it. Then you’ll just walk down the street†¦ (Spook 65). In the aforementioned excerpt, one sees the tension between unity and coherence not only in the definition and specification of reality as a result of technological innovations but also the tension that it creates in the process of determining individual identity. This tension is apparent if one considers that an individual’s conception of the ‘self’ is partially dependent upon his surrounding environment. Within the virtual space of locative art, one may thereby create and in a sense develop one’s own space separate but at the same time placed within the sphere of immediate reality. The tension brought about by the existence of the various possibilities of reality within these cyberpunk texts is also evident in Stanislaw Lem’s Imaginary Magnitude. Lem’s Imaginary Magnitude is composed of different introductions and prefaces to non-existent books. The various texts serve satirize the current trends and movements within literature and the other arts. An example of this is evident in the following passage. He states, In an extreme instance, in which there is a Propervirt of less than 0. 9%, the TEXT OF THE PRESENT PROSPECTUS may likewise undergo an ABRUPT change. If, while you are reading these sentences, the words begin to jump about, and the letters quiver and blur, please interrupt your reading for ten or twenty seconds to wipe your glasses, adjust your clothing, or the like, and then start reading AGAIN from the beginning, and NOT JUST from the place where your reading was interrupted, since such a TRANSFORMATION indicates that a correction of DEFICIENCIES is now taking place. (Lem 86) The aforementioned passage may be seen as alluding to a period in the future when it is possible for human beings to directly interact with their reading material. In another context, one might also see it as a parody of the impositions regarding the proper position and manner that individuals ought to read texts. Either way, the book in itself as well as its content of imaginary texts presents the reader with yet another conception of reality that allows the fluidity of experience. Within the aforementioned contexts, one considers how one is to understand the concept of reality, self, and knowledge within the context of cyberpunk science fiction. Within this genre, one sees reality, the self, and knowledge in itself as continuously in flux. Within a text which creates worlds determined by intertextuality, the process of reading the text becomes an act of recognizing the interrelation of its parts to the extent that one is willing to recognize that the events within it and in a sense the realities within it may all occur within the same time and space. Works Cited Gibson, William. Neuromancer. Np: Ace Books,1984. ___. Spook Country. Np: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2007. Lem, Stanislaw. Imaginary Magnitudes. Michigan: U of Michigan, 1984. Lyotard, Jean Francois. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Minnesota: U of Minnesota P, 1984. McHale, Brian. Constructing Postmodernism. London: Routledge, 1992. ___. â€Å"Elements of a Poetics of Cyberpunk. † Critique 33. 3 (Spring 1992): 149-75. Warren, William and Bill Warren. Philosophical Dimensions of Personal Construct Psychology. London: Routledge, 1998. Stierstorfer, Klaus. Beyond Postmodernism: Reassessments in Literature, Theory, and Culture. Np: Walter de Gruvter, 2003.

Kautilyas Arthasastra: Military Aspects

Kautilyas Arthasastra: Military Aspects CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1. Army has been regarded from time immemorial as one of the essential instruments for the maintenance of a state. Kings, not only in India but throughout the ancient world, maintained well organised and well equipped armies both for the defence and expansion of their kingdoms. History is abounds in instances that whenever any ruler or state neglected the proper maintenance of their armies, unpleasant results in the form of loss of sovereignty or territory have occurred. The study of the organisation and administration of the army of a particular country in a particular period shall always give clues of its basic fabric. The topic under study deals with the role of Kautilyas Arthasastra in organising and administrating large armies and its relevance in todays world armies. 2. Kautilyas Arthasastra had never been forgotten in India and is often mentioned in later literature, sometimes eulogistically and sometimes derisively. But the text itself was not available in modern times until, dramatically, a full text on palm leaf in the grantha script , along with a fragment of an old commentary by Bhattasvamin, came into the hands of Dr R Shamasastry of Mysore in 1904 who was then the Librarian of the Mysore Government Oriental Library. He published not only the text (1909) and an English translation (1915) but also an index Verborum in three volumes listing every word in the text. Subsequently another original manuscript and some fragments, in a variety of scripts, were discovered as well as old commentaries of the text. An another author Dr RP Kangle of the University of Bombay devoted many years of painstaking edition and comparing the various texts and translations. His monumental three volume edition of the Arthashastra was first published between 1960 a nd 1965 with detailed note.[1] 3. Kautilyas Arthasastra is a treatise on artha and sastra. [3]. Artha is an all- embracing word with a variety of meanings in 1.7.6-7 , it is used in the sense of material well being; in 15.1.1 livelihood; in 1.4.3, economically productive activity, particularly in agriculture, cattle rearing and trade ; and, in general, wealth as in the wealth of nations. Arthashastra is thus the science of politics as it is used in 1.1.1 or 1.4.3 .It is the art of governance in its widest sense. The subjects covered include administration; law, order and justice; taxation, revenue and expenditure; foreign policy; defence and war. 4. Kautilyas Arthasastra contains fifteen adhikaranas or books. Of these the first five deal with tantra or the internal administration of the state. The next eight deals with avapa or its relation with the neighbouring states and the last two are miscellaneous in character. The eighth adhikarna or book is concerned with vyasanas, that is, the calamities ,shortcomings or weakness affecting the various prakritis. It is necessary to overcome the shortcomings before any aggressive activity can be undertaken. The ninth adhikarna deals with preparation for war and describe the kinds of troops that should be mobilised for an expedition, the proper seasons for starting an expedition, the precautions to be taken and the dangers to be guarded against before starting and so on . The tenth book deals with fighting, and describes the camping of the army, its march, various modes of fighting, types of battle arrays and other topics.[4]Thus this study shall primarily concentrate on book eight, nin e and ten in particular and other books in general. 5. The Legend K autilya : This mastermind, who could write a definitive treatise on economics and government at a time when large parts of the world was steeped in intellectual darkness? All sources of Indian tradition – Brahmanical , Buddist and jain-agree that Kautilya (also refer to as Vishnugupta in a stanza included at the end of the work) destroyed the Nanda dynasty and installed Chandra Gupta Maurya in the throne of Magadha. The name Kautilya denotes that he is of the Kutila gotra ; Chanakya shows him to be the son of Chanaka and Vishnugupta was his personal name[6] Kautilya then retired from active life and reflected on all that he had learnt during the process of overthrowing Dhana-Nanda. Since he found the earlier works on statecraft unsatisfactory in many respects, he composed his own definitive work presenting his ideas concerning the ways in which a ruler should gain power and maintain his authority. He was way ahead of his times in his thinking and covered every conceivable aspect on th e art of politics and warfare, which could be imagined at the time he lived. For Kautilya, military strategy was an integral part of the science of polity and he made no distinction between military techniques and statecraft. Kautilyas Arthashastra is a practical work which could have been written only by one who had implemented the tactics which he preached. How to form alliances, how to organise and administer them, how to attack a powerful king, how to deal with revolts in rear, what tricks to play on gullible people- there is plenty of evidence in the text to indicate that the author was giving real life answers to every conceivable hypothetical situation. 6. Statecraft and battle craft have changed over the centuries due to the fast changing technology and increasing requirements of human beings. Kautilya a mastermind contributed immensely to the development of the same, his extraordinary arrangement of battle groups in war and administering them during peace keeping all extraneous factors in mind still remains a masterpiece for century armies. CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY Statement of Problem 7. To study the military aspects as enunciated by Kautilya in Arthashastra with a specific reference to organisation and administration and analyse its relevance for todays armies. Justification of the Study 8. The Legend Kautilya in his renowned work ARTHASHASTRA has dealt with various contemporary subjects which formed the basis of Chandragupta Mauryas rule and victories, in fact there is a general view that Kautilyas Arthashastra deals only with matters of foreign policy and economy. It is seldom realised that a great portion of this book does in fact, deal extensively with matters of military, he indeed consolidated all the prevailing grand strategy and tactics of those times and gave his expert opinion on the subjects, which ultimately led to victories of Chandragupta Maurya , who never lost a single campaign. It thus emerges that the brilliance of Kautilya was not only in diplomacy but also in warfare, but the fact that strikes out is that he was able to lay down methods to organise and manage the armed forces in a vast empire. The concepts of military administration and organisation in war and peace were inadvertently covered and spread out in all the adhikaranas, thus leading for topic of research for bringing forth, integrating and analysing those sublime aspects of organisation and administration which formed the bed rock of administering and organising large armies as of Mauryan empire, and at the same time analyse its relevance for 20th century armies. Scope 9. This study concentrates on the relevance of Kautilyas teachings with regard to military aspects in general and organisational and administrational aspects in detail including the aspects of tactics, strategy. The study aims to focus on aspects, which are still relevant for the better management of a large army like ours. 10. Methods of Data Collection. The information has been gathered from books, journals and the internet. The bibliography of sources is appended at the end of the text. Chapterisation 11. The subject under study shall be covered under following chapters: CHAPTER III : ORGANISATION OF ARMY 12. Chandragupta maintained a large standing army , though he acquired a big army from his Nanda predecessors, he made impressive accretions to its strength, so that it stood at six lakh infantry,30000 horses,9000 elephants and 8000 chariots . An efficient war office supervised this powerful army. Its thirty members were divided into five member boards . The six boards were : (a) Admirality. (b) Transport. (c) Commissariat and Army Service Infantry. (d) Cavalry. (e) Chariots. (f) Elephants. 13. Kautilya had divided the army into four arms i.e Patti or Padati(Infantry), Asva(Cavalry), Ratha(Chariots) and Hast (Elephants) and hence it was named as Chaturangabala or the four limbed army headed by their respective Adyakshas or Superintendents[7]. They had Following roles to play: (a) War Elephants. The king relied mainly on elephants for achieving victory in battles. They were the premium arm of the army and relied on their strength and shock effect to route the enemy from the battle field. They were required to destroy all arms of the service of the enemy and to break his battle formations. Kautilya has laid much emphasis on the use of elephants as a battle winning factor with following functions: (i) Marching in front, making new roads. (ii) Protecting the flanks. (iii) Helping to cross water and climb and descend from mountains. (iv) Breaking up enemys unbroken ranks, trampling enemys army. (v) Causing terror, capturing battle positions. (vi) Destroying ramparts, gates, and towers. (b) The Cavalry. The cavalry being the most mobile arm in the army was used to influence the battle. It was tasked for the following. (i) Reconnoitring battle grounds, camping sites, forests. (ii) Securing level grounds, water supply sources. (iii) Destroying enemies and protecting own supplies and reinforcements. (iv) Extending the range of raids. (v) Assault the enemys battle formation. (vi) Attack the enemy from the rear. (vii) Cut off the enemys line of supply. (viii) Isolate the enemys strong point. (ix) Feign retreat so as to persuade the en to pursue, once the enemy lost its cohesion the cavalry was supposed to turn around and rout him. (x) Restoration of sit by plugging gaps in own def made by enemys assault. (xi) Making the initial attack, penetrating or breaking through (xii) Pursue the defeated en. (xiii) Rallying the troops.[8] (c) Chariots. The war chariots had lost their effectiveness particularly against well trained cavalry, Maurian army retained war chariots as an independent arm, and they were restricted to a single offensive role of launching a charge against infantry and a near static defensive role. The arm lacked versatility and was too sensitive to terrain; it could produce result only under ideal conditions. According to Kautilya the chariots were to act as the mainstay of the formation in offensive and defensive roles. Their main function was to break up the opponents battle formation during offensive operations and repulse the enemy assault own formation and recapture lost ground by counter attack. (d) Infantry. There were primarily two types of infantry in Mauryan times, archers and spearmen and both were employed together. Archers performed the role of close support weapons as well as artillery and spearman carried out close combat. The spearman carried a large shield for protection. Chandragupta Maurya had turned the infantry into large standing force like the other three arms in the service. Infantry was the main fighting arm as it had the ability to fight over all types of terrain during all seasons and both by day and night. They were also used to protect captured grounds. Apart from the tasks mentioned above, the infantry was also supposed to give close support to the other arms ie the Elephants and the Chariots[9]. Organizational Structure 14. Kautilya had emphasised on hierarchal system for administration of army. The structure of the defence forces at the highest levels was as shown below: Commander -in- Chief Senapati(Chief of Defence) Chief Commanders of Chariot Corps Elephant Corps Cavalry Infantry Divisional Commanders 28. The chief of the four wings were subordinates to the chief of defense. Under the Chief Commanders, there were Divisional commanders. There were other officers such as Camp Superintendents who were given specific functions during the march to battle. The structure below the level of Divisional Commanders is specific to battles. 29. Every division of the formation had its own distinguishing trumpet sound, flags and banners, these were be used to signal the commands to the division-dividing themselves in to sections, joining together ,halting, advancing, turning and attacking. Battalion commanders and Divisional Commanders were responsible for moblisation and demoblisation. Secret agents, prostitutes, artists and artisans and retired military officers were kept to watch over the loyalty or otherwise of soldiers. Duties of Defence Officials 30. The Chief of Defence. (a) Qualifications. The chief of defence was suppose to be an expert in the use of all kinds of weapons used in warfare, riding elephants, horses and chariots and he was conversant with the relative strength of the four wings of the army and how to deploy them in battle. (b) Responsibilities. (i) Discipline in armed forces. (ii) Formations. (iii) Strategy and Tactics. (aa) Choose the best time to start an expedition. (ab) Choose the best terrain and the best season for fighting. (ac) Arrange the disposition of own forces (in the light of the enemies array). (ad) Plan the breakup of the enemies rank. (ae) Destroy enemies scattered troops. (af) Besiege and destroy enemy forts. 31. The Chief Commander Of Elephant Corps. Responsibilities were:- (a) Protection of elephants. (b) Construction and Maintenance of stables, stalls. (c) Training of elephants. (d) Assigning tasks to them. (e) Equipping them for war 32. The Chief Commanders Of Other Corps. Responsibilities Common to all were: (a) Knowledge of different type of equipment needed for his wing and use of such equipment in war. (b) Giving appropriate training. (c) Keeping account of equipment and animals under his charge. (d) Maintaining their equipment in good condition and repairing them when necessary. (e) Supervising the work of all employed by him. (f) Maintaining Discipline. (g) Reporting to the king the state of readiness of his troops[10]. 33. Other Commanders:- (a) Commander of the Kings Guard (Antarvamsika). This very high official, who ranked just below the seven highest paid officials including the senapati, must have been an army general, promoted after having held the appointment of director-general of his own arm. He was directly in line for promotion to senapati. He was in the pay scale of 24,000 pannas, in the same scale as the kings chamberlain and the chancellor. His importance was due to his responsibility for the security of the king and other members of the royal family in the palace. There must have been two other officers directly under his command who assisted him in ensuring the safety and security of the king and the royal family. One was the commander of the male guards who guarded the palace and the commander of the female archers who were detailed as immediate guards for the kings person and his personal quarters. (b) Commander of the Marches (Antapala) The antapala was responsible for guarding the borders of the State. For this purpose border posts were established; their primary purpose was a check on entry of enemy agents, undesirable elements, collection of customs duties and control over the entry of foreigners. Kautilya advocates the establishment of only four border posts, one in each direction of the compass. The siting of border posts on naturally defensible terrain is advocated so these must have served a defensive purpose as well. The antapala must have been a military officer, possibly with detachments from the army for the protection of his posts. (c) Durgapala. Durgapala (fort commanders) must have been army officers who also commanded detachments of regular troops which acted as garrisons, Kautilya mentions at least one fortified city or capital of the State which needed a durgapala. In the text, he refers to other forts. sited to take advantage of naturally defensible terrain. Larger States obviously had more than one fort which acted as bases for military operations and offered refuge in case of need. Types of Troops 33. Kautilya lists six types of troops which may become available to a king and examines the relative merits. The troops are maula (standing army), bhrta (local volunteers auxiliaries), serni (organized mercenaries), mitra ( trops of an ally), amrta ( enemy deserters) and atavi ( tribal levies). [11] (a) Maula Troops. These are the standing army of a state composed of soldiers who may have served the kings family for several generations. They are residents of the state and their interest coincides with those of the king. Their loyalty is assured, their weapons, equipments and the animals are the best the state can provide and their motivation and state of training is high. It is however only prudent that a proportion of this force be left behind for the security of the state. Kautilya recommends that around one- fourth of the maula troops be left in the capital. The maula troops should form a large part of an expeditionary force if : (i) The enemys troops are well trained. (ii) The campaign is expected to be difficult and hard. (iii) Other available troops are unreliable. (iv) Surplus maula troops are available after fully meeting the requirements of the capital and the rest of the state. (b) Bhrta troops. These are locally raised volunteers engaged for the duration of the campaign. They are either veterans or first time volunteers, usually trained in the handling of personals weapons. By profession they were either farmers or small traders who decided to take part in a campaign. As natives they have a stake in the security and welfare of the state. Such troops are reverted back to their professions after the end of the campaign. Their employment is recommended if:- (i) The enemy is weak and a large number of volunteers are available. (ii) The campaign is expected to be easy with little actual fighting. (iii) Success is more or less assured by the use of other means like covert operations or diplomatic efforts. (c) Sreni troops. These were trained, equipped and organised bodies of mercenaries under their own leaders who were available for hire to fight for a specified period of time. Their employment is recommended when:- (i) The opposing forces consist of primarily mercenaries. (ii) Much hard fighting is not anticipated. (iii) Sreni troops are available in adequate numbers for the campaign as well as for the defence of the capital. (d) Mitra troops. These are troops loaned for a campaign by an ally. Their utilisation is advocated if :- (i) Such troops are available in large numbers. (ii) A short campaign is anticipated because of good chances of early success of diplomatic moves underway. (iii) To oblige an ally. (iv) It is proposed to deal at first with the irregular part of enemys army, with his allies and his population centres, prior to attacking his main forces. (e) Amrita troops. These comprise enemy deserters and prisoners of war. They are not to be trusted but their employment is recommended if the eventual outcome of battle is of little consequence. (f) Atavi Levies. These were bands of tribesmen from the jungle who join the king under the command of their own chiefs with the primary purpose of collecting loot. These bands and amitra troops are unreliable and Kautilya considers both categories as dangerous as a snake. The above two categories of troops may be employed if:- (i) If they are available in large numbers to attack the enemys cities and irregular troops. (ii) It is proposed to delay the employment of the main force. (iii) It is Politic to get rid of them because their loyalty is suspect. Atavi troops may be employed as guides or to counter the use of similar to levies by the enemy both categorys of troops. 34. An army composed of units recruited from diverse sources and ready to fight for plunder may be an energetic army. On the other hand, an army whose soldiers belong to the same region, caste or profession is a mighty army; it will continue to fight even if its pay is in arrears and there is shortage of food. It shows bravery even in adverse conditions and its loyalty cannot be subverted. 35. A king should make efforts to obstruct the mobilisation of his opponent. His potential recruits should be intercepted and if necessary recruited into own army. Such personnel should however be discharged at the right time but well before the commencement of actual operations. Analysis 36. A close analysis of Organisational structure propounded by Kautilya in his Arthashastra is a sterling resemblance of what is followed in Indian Army with slight modifications. And it is clearly evident that the basic finer intricacies of the organisation remained the same though the gross structure underwent a change keeping latest technological development in mind. 37. Kautilya was way ahead in his times with clear vision and military thinking thus created an organisational structure catering for civil supremacy and ensured effective coordination between various components of the army which is still relevant at large. Chandra Gupta Maurya had a large standing army to manage similar to that of Indian Army and without a sound organisational structure it would have been virtually impossible to achieve victories which he had set for himself. 38. Kautilya had clearly categorised his army into various corps i.e Cavalry, Elephants, Infantry, Chariots etc with a clear division of roles in war, which is very much akin to our present system of various line directorates in our armies. He had also formed clear command and control structure with minimum scope for ambiguity. He had emphasised on Hierarchical system Command and control in armed forces some 2300 years ago which is still relevant in todays times. 39. The organisation of the Maruan army was little different than the one followed in our army today. Though a striking similarity is the presence of the adyakshas that can be related to our line directorate which are too led by a Lieutenant General. The rank structure is not restricted to any arm but common throughout the army. To elaborate, the pattika was a rank not belonging to a particular arm but he commanded elements of all the arms. This helped in better command and control. This also ensured of a clear demarcation of command structure which was irrespective of the arm, this practice is still followed. 40. When coming to appointment of heads of departments, Kautilya had ensured that they had requisite degree of qualifications for tenanting that kind of appointment and had a clear defined standards and roles for all of them, which is still largely relevant in our armies where selection processes ensure that the said officer had undergone necessary courses and has a requisite skills suitable for tenanting that kind of appointment. 41. Kautilya had imposed various degrees of confidence in terms of loyalty and integrity depending upon the community of troops, probably a relevant thing in those times, but in present times it is debatable whether it is relevant or not as for some community specific armies it may hold good but in Indian context, though the Indian army still have pure regiments based on caste system but the pedestal of loyalty and integrity attributed to each community is the same thus this particular thing is not relevant to Indian Army of present times. 42. Kautilya proposed to have a standing core army consisting of officials down to the Pattika and the regular soldiers to be recruited for the period of war. Specialists like elephant riders archers etc were also recommended to be retained as permanent soldiers. Though India has a large standing army which is used both for protection of its borders and for launching offensive. There is no differentiation in the kind of troops used for both the tasks as envisaged by Kautilya. Probably We can have smaller standing army which can be well trained and equipped with the best of the equipment. On the other hand we can have a larger component of Territorial Army that can be mobilised before an operation. The defensive formation can have Territorial Army and some of the regular troops where as the strike formations can be composed of regular troops. This will help in reducing the defence expenditure and the money saved could be better used for equipping and training of the regular troops. CHAPTER IV: ORGANISATI ON OF LAND FORCES IN OPERATIONS Brave men, giving up their lives in good battles, reach in one moment even beyond those (worlds), which Brahmins, desirous of heaven, reach by a large number of sacrifices, by penance and by many gifts to worthy persons- Kautilya 43. Kauilya gives an exhaustive description of how to arrange the land forces for a set piece of battle, starting with positioning various kinds of forces at various echelons of battle field after giving due considerations to planning parameters. War fighting as propounded by Kautilya has an uncanny resemblance to the methodology in practice today. He was a believer of a strong central force along with two wings which can manoeuvre and the importance of reserves. He is perhaps one of the first thinkers to suggest a tactical grouping of forces with a clear cut commander. This helped in easier organisation of the forces as well as downsizing the army when not in need. Tactical Grouping. 44. Grouping of arms for battle at the lowest level has been practised in ancient India since epic times. Kautilya suggested a standard form of grouping of all arms, for the first time ever. The suggested groups corresponds to a remarkable degree with the current practice in modern armies adopted well after WW II . The lowest grouping was at platoon level, a group now referred to as combat team. Because of this remarkable similarity, the modern designations of combat team, combat group and combat command.[12] Each horse was supported by six foot soldiers three of which were archers (Pratiyodhas) and the remaining three were armed with a sword, spear and a shield (Pratigopas) Initially the archers were placed in front so that they could exploit the range of their weapons and as the battle came to close contact, they would recede and the pratigopas would come in front. 45. Patti. Each elephant or a chariot enjoyed the support of five horse groups. This entire group including an elephant / chariot, five horses, 15 Pratiyodhas and 15 Pratigopas formed the lowest tactically grouped sub unit called the Patti. The patti was commanded by a Pattika. 46. Sena. Consisted of ten patties and was commanded by a Senapati or a battle group under a battalion/regimental commander and ten or less senas formed a brigade commanded by a Nayaka. 47. Intervals .There are two sets of intervals or gaps between the files and ranks laid down by Kautilya, one is a narrow gap with the proviso to increase it by double or three times and the other is a larger gap between archers which extends to other arms. It is possible that smaller gaps are for forming up on ceremonial and drill purposes (close order) were archers do not need extended space and larger intervals (open order) for battle information. In a battle formation adopted in an open order the minimum gap between two files of archers was one dhanu(bow) of five hastas(forearm) or 2.5 mtrs, between horses it was three dhanu(7.5 mtrs) and between elephants or Chariots it was five dhanus(12.5 mtrs). The interval between the centre and a wing as well as a wing and its flank was also 12.5 mtr. Kautilya does not indicate the gap to be maintained between ranks but it may safely be assumed that the interval between sub ranks,ie. Within a rank of elephant or chariots, i.e between a sub rank of patiyodhas and a horse would be three dhanus and between ranks, i.e the rare sub rank or padagopas of the front rank and the front sub rank of patiyodhas of the second or centre rank would be five dhanus(12.5 mtrs). These intervals could be increased in accordance with the ground available for battle and the size of the force to be deployed. 48. Reserves. Reserves held an important place in the battle formations as per Kautilya, reserves were directly involved in shaping of the battle field and were placed directly under the control of the king. A firm base was to be established on a suitable terrain approximately 600 -700 m behind the army and it was here that the reserves were placed. The reserve consisted of about one third of the best available troops. The king was advised to be stationed at this firm base after the actual fighting commenced and be in a position to influence the battle by sending reinforcement when and where needed and to make the firm base as a rallying point in case of a reverse.[13] 49. Standard battle formation (vyuha). A standard brigade group was formed for battle is referred to as a standard battle formation or array. Additions and alterations were made to it, according to a formula, in order to accommodate additional troops available for deployment. The standard brigade group deployed five senas each which contained nine to ten pattis; total troops deployed were: (a) Elephants or Chariots : 45 (b) Horses : 225 (c) Patiyodhas(archers) : 675 (d) Padagopas(foot soldiers) : 675 This force of five senas formed up in five groups i.e centre (urasysa) in middle, the right wing (kaksa) and the left wing (kaksa) after an interval of 12.5 mtrs on both sides and after another similar interval the right flank and the left flank (paksa). Each of these groups or senas formed up for battle in three ranks of three elephants each (three patti). Each elephant had three horse groups in front and two behind it with standard deployment as illustrated earlier. Thus making a total of 27 archers a head of each sena. The archers could effectively utilise their long range capability before close contact was made with the enemy and the change over placed them with the spearmen behind the horses, just prior to the two sides engaged in close combat. However in such a deployment the interval between elephants was at around nine dhanus or 22 mtrs which is tactically unsound and out of supporting range of neighbouring elephants , in any case Kautilya places the suitable gap between ele phants at 12.5 mtrs. The only solution seems to be to for

Latin American Hydroelectricity Research :: essays papers

Latin American Hydroelectricity Research Financial Analysis of Latin America Opportunity The following is an illustration of the financial feasibility of a joint venture hydro electricity power plant project in Central America. Estimating the estimated costs of our proposed project, our group chose to use Commonwealth Edison as a comparison. Commonwealth Edison, a subsidiary of Unicom Corp, is used as an assessment of our hypothetical costs of providing electricity for Central America. Using Commonwealth Edison we feel provides a good measure of the validity of estimated costs our corporation would incur. Generally Accepted Accounting Principals (GAAP), used by all U.S. corporations, is the highest standard in the world in determining the validity of a corporation's financial statements. In the subsequent paragraphs, we will demonstrate costs of the joint venture project. Future growth rates in Central America market share for electricity will be projected as well. One of the benefits that our corporation will have in expansion to Central America is a lower cost of capital. A substantially larger pool of investors would provide a larger supply of loanable funds. Having a greater selection of borrowers in the international market will reduce the cost of starting our firm in Central America. Portfolio diversification is another advantage that our firm will attain, in regards to foreign investment in the financing of our project. The projections of the percentage of debt our firm will incur will be discussed in the following paragraphs. In looking at the average debt to equity ratio (D/E) of hydroelectric firms in the U.S., we feel that a 67% debt / 33% equity structure would be feasible to initially launch our firm in Central America. To use a comparison, Commonwealth Edison's plant and equipment assets total $28.245 billion. Com Ed provides electricity for over 6.5 million residents in Chicago, and other segments of Illinois. The total population of Central America - (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and Nicaragua) total to 35.5 million. Taking account these statistics, plant and equipments costs for our firm providing the Central American region would cost $154.22 billion. Using this cost estimate, we would finance $103.33 billion though new market issuance in the U.S. 30 -year Treasury market. At a $100,000/ per U.S. Treasury bond face amount, we would need to have access to 1.03 million 30 yr bond contracts, at the prevailing market interest rate of 6.

Comparing The Grapes of Wrath and The Power of One Essay -- comparison

Comparing The Grapes of Wrath and The Power of One "Two heads are better than one," it's always been said. But is another person always valuable, or can extra baggage keep an individual from achieving his goals? Both sides can be argued effectively, and both may be true depending on the circumstances. Two historical novels, The Grapes of Wrath and The Power of One, show how two sets of characters took different routes to achieve their goals and how they fared along the way. In The Grapes of Wrath, The Joads, a family of penniless migrant workers, travel to California to look for work, depending on the help of assorted strangers along the way, while The Power of One tells the story of Peekay, a young South African boy growing up alone in a hostile world bent on destroying his chances of success. The books portray very different views on life that are equally valid and convincing; while The Grapes of Wrath is a tale that emphasizes the power that can be achieved in numbers and the consequences of trying to survive alone, Th e Power of One is a testimony to the things one person can achieve when he is forced to depend on and trust in himself only.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Joads, after they are forced to vacate their farm in Oklahoma, decide to pack all of their belongings and make the voyage to California, where there is supposedly so much work that everyone can make a living. But along the way, they quickly run into trouble. They have little money, an unreliable vehicle, a truckload of people to feed, and miles to go before they reach their destination. The Joads quickly discover something that becomes a major theme throughout the book: cooperating with others to achieve a common goal is sometimes necessary for surviva... ...ss birds banished, their rocky nests turned to river stones"(513;Ch. 24)   Ã‚  Ã‚   Each of these novels, although powerful and influential in its own right, contrasts the other greatly in terms of theme. The Joads in The Grapes of Wrath had to rely on others to obtain their goal, while Peekay in The Power of One struggled to find his way in life completely alone. Though each book is very different from the other, each is an emotional story of life's obstacles and the tremendous human spirit, whether combined or individual, that it takes to overcome them.    Sources Courtenay, Bryce. The Power of One. New York: Random House, 1989 Levant, Howard. "The Fully Matured Art: The Grapes of Wrath." John Steinbeck, Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 35-62. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin Books, 1978.

The Blind Side

The Blind Side Identify the title, text type, composer and year of publication * ‘The Blind Side’ is a film composed by John Lee Hancock (2009) Identify the context in which your ORT has been set and they key ideas related to the concept of belonging which are represented. * The blind Side was created based on the 2006 book ‘The Blind Side: Evolution of a game†. The film was set in Memphis, in various environments such as A Christian School, the Tuohy’s household and other areas.This film explores the life of the main character, Michael Oher, and his journey from a sense of dislocation and alienation from those around him, to feeling acceptance and a sense of self identity towards himself. Aspects of belonging explored in this film include the relationships that are developed throughout the film which create for Michael a sense of identity, acceptance, understanding, and the potential for Michael to take a further journey in his life. The connections t hat Michael develops with Leigh Anne Tuohy are the catalyst for the noticeable change that Michael experiences in relation to feeling a sense of inclusion.Outline at least FOUR key ideas about belonging which are represented in your ORT. * The background experiences within his family, he is one of 7 and doesn’t know his father, while his mum is a drug addict. * The journey to a new environment, connections made with people and the place. * The acceptance of Michael and being welcomed into the Tuohy’s household. * Never judge a book by the cover- Leigh Anne Tuohy accepts Michael for who he is, not what he looks like. * From this Film, we understand a new meaning to helping those who are less fortunate, its all the little things that can have a large impact on the individual.Discuss how the composer has used a variety of language modes, forms, features and structures to represent these key ideas? (At least 12 PEEL or TQE for each) FILM TECHNIQUES * Opening sequence- Show s a playback of Lawrence Taylor snapping Jo Thiemann’s leg in 1985. Leigh Anne Tuohy narrates this scene with the voice over narration and she talks about the importance of the tackle position in football to the moulding of Michael Oher and his astounding protective instincts. The long slow motion shot of Michael Oher introduces Michael to the story, with his town home within the background of the shot. The effect of Flashbacks at the moment when Michael was separated from his mother is to give a short insight as to what Michael Oher had experienced. * On Michael’s journey to the new Christian School that will eventually become a second home for Michael there is a panning shot of Michael in the back seat of the car. Visually we can see that Michael’s body language is conveying a sense of shyness, worry and alienation, as if Michael was in a completely different world.This shot also displays the new opportunity that is about to infold for Michael- new place and n ew opportunity. * The close up shot of Michael observing the ‘new world’ clearly conveys the curiosity and separation form the new town that surrounds him. * Dialogue- â€Å"It’s a brave kid†. â€Å"For wanting to come here. † â€Å"For wanting a quality education†. â€Å"I can tell you most young lads with his background wouldn’t come within 200 miles of this place†. The teachers within the Christian School discuss Michaels want to start an education.The teachers state that ‘Most’ young lads with his background†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , would not be interested in aiming to achieve something. The automatically judge Michael without knowing who he is as a person. * The use of shot reverse shot of the teacher and Michael whilst in the classroom displays Michael’s unsureness of the new school life and feeling of exclusion from the other children, as well as showing the teachers look of concern and her determination to help Michael. The Film includes a lot of close up shots, in order to convey emotions such as sadness and joy. John Lee Hancock includes close up shots within the film to purposely emphasize the range of emotions that the characters experience, so that it can allow the audience to relate to the position that the characters are in and to help them achieve a re-evaluation of their values, attitudes and beliefs.Discuss similarities between the text â€Å"The simple Gift† composed by Steven Herrick and the film â€Å"The Blind Side† composed by John Lee Hancock. * The relationship that develops between Billy and Old Bill is one that is similar to the relationship between Leigh Anne Tuohy and Michael Oher. To Old Bill, he views Billy as a son and treats him the way that he would treat his own. Leigh Anne Tuohy eventually adopts Michael Oher and the relationship that is developed is one similar to mother and son. Both Billy and Michael both come from a disconnected family in they both had no relationship with their father. Billy and Michael both have experienced a bad lifestyle but then they both start a new journey to a new life, in which they both successfully achieve. Once they have made this journey, a new sense of self identity, acceptance and inclusion is felt strongly and the audience of both stories effectively motivate us to change or re-evaluate our own values, attitudes and beliefs.While this this â€Å"rags to riches† storyline isn't new in the world of Hollywood, it definitely redefines values that have somewhat been lost in our 21st  century society. This film is based on the true story of Michael Oher, who was featured in Michael Lewis' book  The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game. While the screenwriter of The Blind Side, John Lee Hancock, probably took some artistic liberty to make these factual events more heart stirring, whatever the changes may have been, I believe that The Blind Side still remains true to the reality.After wat ching the preview, you already know what is going to happen in the movie; however, the movie truly brings to life Michael Oher's story and goes into depth to show the relationship between Oher and the Touhys. The opening scene of Blind Side shows a playback of Lawrence Taylor snapping Joe Theismann's leg in 1985. Leigh Anne Touhy, played by Sandra Bullock, narrates this scene as she talks about the importance of the tackle position in football to the molding of Michael Oher and his astounding protective instincts.Oher was born to a drug-addicted mother, he had over a dozen siblings and was homeless for years. The Touhy's took Michael Oher, who is played by Quinton Aaron, under their wings and helped him grow into an incredible athlete. For me, there were two incredibly moving scenes. The first was the when Oher told Mrs. Touhy he's never had his own bed before and the second was when Oher called Mrs. Touhy â€Å"Momma† for the first time. At the closing credits, newspaper acc ounts of young men from Oher's part of Memphis that were killed by gang violence were flashed on the screen.There are so many people in this world that are like Michael Oher before he joined the Touhy family. Where might Micheal Oher be today without the help of the Touhys? So, even though you already know how the story ends, The Blind Side is still worth seeing for both the exceptional acting and the moving story of Michael Oher's life. Not only is it just the story of Oher's life though, but it is also a thought-provoking movie that shows that there is still goodwill in this world despite the violence and hatred we see every day. The Blind Side The Blind Side Identify the title, text type, composer and year of publication * ‘The Blind Side’ is a film composed by John Lee Hancock (2009) Identify the context in which your ORT has been set and they key ideas related to the concept of belonging which are represented. * The blind Side was created based on the 2006 book ‘The Blind Side: Evolution of a game†. The film was set in Memphis, in various environments such as A Christian School, the Tuohy’s household and other areas.This film explores the life of the main character, Michael Oher, and his journey from a sense of dislocation and alienation from those around him, to feeling acceptance and a sense of self identity towards himself. Aspects of belonging explored in this film include the relationships that are developed throughout the film which create for Michael a sense of identity, acceptance, understanding, and the potential for Michael to take a further journey in his life. The connections t hat Michael develops with Leigh Anne Tuohy are the catalyst for the noticeable change that Michael experiences in relation to feeling a sense of inclusion.Outline at least FOUR key ideas about belonging which are represented in your ORT. * The background experiences within his family, he is one of 7 and doesn’t know his father, while his mum is a drug addict. * The journey to a new environment, connections made with people and the place. * The acceptance of Michael and being welcomed into the Tuohy’s household. * Never judge a book by the cover- Leigh Anne Tuohy accepts Michael for who he is, not what he looks like. * From this Film, we understand a new meaning to helping those who are less fortunate, its all the little things that can have a large impact on the individual.Discuss how the composer has used a variety of language modes, forms, features and structures to represent these key ideas? (At least 12 PEEL or TQE for each) FILM TECHNIQUES * Opening sequence- Show s a playback of Lawrence Taylor snapping Jo Thiemann’s leg in 1985. Leigh Anne Tuohy narrates this scene with the voice over narration and she talks about the importance of the tackle position in football to the moulding of Michael Oher and his astounding protective instincts. The long slow motion shot of Michael Oher introduces Michael to the story, with his town home within the background of the shot. The effect of Flashbacks at the moment when Michael was separated from his mother is to give a short insight as to what Michael Oher had experienced. * On Michael’s journey to the new Christian School that will eventually become a second home for Michael there is a panning shot of Michael in the back seat of the car. Visually we can see that Michael’s body language is conveying a sense of shyness, worry and alienation, as if Michael was in a completely different world.This shot also displays the new opportunity that is about to infold for Michael- new place and n ew opportunity. * The close up shot of Michael observing the ‘new world’ clearly conveys the curiosity and separation form the new town that surrounds him. * Dialogue- â€Å"It’s a brave kid†. â€Å"For wanting to come here. † â€Å"For wanting a quality education†. â€Å"I can tell you most young lads with his background wouldn’t come within 200 miles of this place†. The teachers within the Christian School discuss Michaels want to start an education.The teachers state that ‘Most’ young lads with his background†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , would not be interested in aiming to achieve something. The automatically judge Michael without knowing who he is as a person. * The use of shot reverse shot of the teacher and Michael whilst in the classroom displays Michael’s unsureness of the new school life and feeling of exclusion from the other children, as well as showing the teachers look of concern and her determination to help Michael. The Film includes a lot of close up shots, in order to convey emotions such as sadness and joy. John Lee Hancock includes close up shots within the film to purposely emphasize the range of emotions that the characters experience, so that it can allow the audience to relate to the position that the characters are in and to help them achieve a re-evaluation of their values, attitudes and beliefs.Discuss similarities between the text â€Å"The simple Gift† composed by Steven Herrick and the film â€Å"The Blind Side† composed by John Lee Hancock. * The relationship that develops between Billy and Old Bill is one that is similar to the relationship between Leigh Anne Tuohy and Michael Oher. To Old Bill, he views Billy as a son and treats him the way that he would treat his own. Leigh Anne Tuohy eventually adopts Michael Oher and the relationship that is developed is one similar to mother and son. Both Billy and Michael both come from a disconnected family in they both had no relationship with their father. Billy and Michael both have experienced a bad lifestyle but then they both start a new journey to a new life, in which they both successfully achieve. Once they have made this journey, a new sense of self identity, acceptance and inclusion is felt strongly and the audience of both stories effectively motivate us to change or re-evaluate our own values, attitudes and beliefs.While this this â€Å"rags to riches† storyline isn't new in the world of Hollywood, it definitely redefines values that have somewhat been lost in our 21st  century society. This film is based on the true story of Michael Oher, who was featured in Michael Lewis' book  The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game. While the screenwriter of The Blind Side, John Lee Hancock, probably took some artistic liberty to make these factual events more heart stirring, whatever the changes may have been, I believe that The Blind Side still remains true to the reality.After wat ching the preview, you already know what is going to happen in the movie; however, the movie truly brings to life Michael Oher's story and goes into depth to show the relationship between Oher and the Touhys. The opening scene of Blind Side shows a playback of Lawrence Taylor snapping Joe Theismann's leg in 1985. Leigh Anne Touhy, played by Sandra Bullock, narrates this scene as she talks about the importance of the tackle position in football to the molding of Michael Oher and his astounding protective instincts.Oher was born to a drug-addicted mother, he had over a dozen siblings and was homeless for years. The Touhy's took Michael Oher, who is played by Quinton Aaron, under their wings and helped him grow into an incredible athlete. For me, there were two incredibly moving scenes. The first was the when Oher told Mrs. Touhy he's never had his own bed before and the second was when Oher called Mrs. Touhy â€Å"Momma† for the first time. At the closing credits, newspaper acc ounts of young men from Oher's part of Memphis that were killed by gang violence were flashed on the screen.There are so many people in this world that are like Michael Oher before he joined the Touhy family. Where might Micheal Oher be today without the help of the Touhys? So, even though you already know how the story ends, The Blind Side is still worth seeing for both the exceptional acting and the moving story of Michael Oher's life. Not only is it just the story of Oher's life though, but it is also a thought-provoking movie that shows that there is still goodwill in this world despite the violence and hatred we see every day. The Blind Side The Blind Side Identify the title, text type, composer and year of publication * ‘The Blind Side’ is a film composed by John Lee Hancock (2009) Identify the context in which your ORT has been set and they key ideas related to the concept of belonging which are represented. * The blind Side was created based on the 2006 book ‘The Blind Side: Evolution of a game†. The film was set in Memphis, in various environments such as A Christian School, the Tuohy’s household and other areas.This film explores the life of the main character, Michael Oher, and his journey from a sense of dislocation and alienation from those around him, to feeling acceptance and a sense of self identity towards himself. Aspects of belonging explored in this film include the relationships that are developed throughout the film which create for Michael a sense of identity, acceptance, understanding, and the potential for Michael to take a further journey in his life. The connections t hat Michael develops with Leigh Anne Tuohy are the catalyst for the noticeable change that Michael experiences in relation to feeling a sense of inclusion.Outline at least FOUR key ideas about belonging which are represented in your ORT. * The background experiences within his family, he is one of 7 and doesn’t know his father, while his mum is a drug addict. * The journey to a new environment, connections made with people and the place. * The acceptance of Michael and being welcomed into the Tuohy’s household. * Never judge a book by the cover- Leigh Anne Tuohy accepts Michael for who he is, not what he looks like. * From this Film, we understand a new meaning to helping those who are less fortunate, its all the little things that can have a large impact on the individual.Discuss how the composer has used a variety of language modes, forms, features and structures to represent these key ideas? (At least 12 PEEL or TQE for each) FILM TECHNIQUES * Opening sequence- Show s a playback of Lawrence Taylor snapping Jo Thiemann’s leg in 1985. Leigh Anne Tuohy narrates this scene with the voice over narration and she talks about the importance of the tackle position in football to the moulding of Michael Oher and his astounding protective instincts. The long slow motion shot of Michael Oher introduces Michael to the story, with his town home within the background of the shot. The effect of Flashbacks at the moment when Michael was separated from his mother is to give a short insight as to what Michael Oher had experienced. * On Michael’s journey to the new Christian School that will eventually become a second home for Michael there is a panning shot of Michael in the back seat of the car. Visually we can see that Michael’s body language is conveying a sense of shyness, worry and alienation, as if Michael was in a completely different world.This shot also displays the new opportunity that is about to infold for Michael- new place and n ew opportunity. * The close up shot of Michael observing the ‘new world’ clearly conveys the curiosity and separation form the new town that surrounds him. * Dialogue- â€Å"It’s a brave kid†. â€Å"For wanting to come here. † â€Å"For wanting a quality education†. â€Å"I can tell you most young lads with his background wouldn’t come within 200 miles of this place†. The teachers within the Christian School discuss Michaels want to start an education.The teachers state that ‘Most’ young lads with his background†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , would not be interested in aiming to achieve something. The automatically judge Michael without knowing who he is as a person. * The use of shot reverse shot of the teacher and Michael whilst in the classroom displays Michael’s unsureness of the new school life and feeling of exclusion from the other children, as well as showing the teachers look of concern and her determination to help Michael. The Film includes a lot of close up shots, in order to convey emotions such as sadness and joy. John Lee Hancock includes close up shots within the film to purposely emphasize the range of emotions that the characters experience, so that it can allow the audience to relate to the position that the characters are in and to help them achieve a re-evaluation of their values, attitudes and beliefs.Discuss similarities between the text â€Å"The simple Gift† composed by Steven Herrick and the film â€Å"The Blind Side† composed by John Lee Hancock. * The relationship that develops between Billy and Old Bill is one that is similar to the relationship between Leigh Anne Tuohy and Michael Oher. To Old Bill, he views Billy as a son and treats him the way that he would treat his own. Leigh Anne Tuohy eventually adopts Michael Oher and the relationship that is developed is one similar to mother and son. Both Billy and Michael both come from a disconnected family in they both had no relationship with their father. Billy and Michael both have experienced a bad lifestyle but then they both start a new journey to a new life, in which they both successfully achieve. Once they have made this journey, a new sense of self identity, acceptance and inclusion is felt strongly and the audience of both stories effectively motivate us to change or re-evaluate our own values, attitudes and beliefs.While this this â€Å"rags to riches† storyline isn't new in the world of Hollywood, it definitely redefines values that have somewhat been lost in our 21st  century society. This film is based on the true story of Michael Oher, who was featured in Michael Lewis' book  The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game. While the screenwriter of The Blind Side, John Lee Hancock, probably took some artistic liberty to make these factual events more heart stirring, whatever the changes may have been, I believe that The Blind Side still remains true to the reality.After wat ching the preview, you already know what is going to happen in the movie; however, the movie truly brings to life Michael Oher's story and goes into depth to show the relationship between Oher and the Touhys. The opening scene of Blind Side shows a playback of Lawrence Taylor snapping Joe Theismann's leg in 1985. Leigh Anne Touhy, played by Sandra Bullock, narrates this scene as she talks about the importance of the tackle position in football to the molding of Michael Oher and his astounding protective instincts.Oher was born to a drug-addicted mother, he had over a dozen siblings and was homeless for years. The Touhy's took Michael Oher, who is played by Quinton Aaron, under their wings and helped him grow into an incredible athlete. For me, there were two incredibly moving scenes. The first was the when Oher told Mrs. Touhy he's never had his own bed before and the second was when Oher called Mrs. Touhy â€Å"Momma† for the first time. At the closing credits, newspaper acc ounts of young men from Oher's part of Memphis that were killed by gang violence were flashed on the screen.There are so many people in this world that are like Michael Oher before he joined the Touhy family. Where might Micheal Oher be today without the help of the Touhys? So, even though you already know how the story ends, The Blind Side is still worth seeing for both the exceptional acting and the moving story of Michael Oher's life. Not only is it just the story of Oher's life though, but it is also a thought-provoking movie that shows that there is still goodwill in this world despite the violence and hatred we see every day.