Has the Criminal Justice Act 2003 effectively removed the rule against Essay

Has the Criminal Justice Act 2003 effectively removed the rule against the admission of hearsay evidence - Essay Example Discussion The Criminal Justice Act 2003 states, as a general rule, that hearsay inadmissible. Section 114 (1) states that â€Å"in criminal proceedings a statement not made in oral in evidence is admissible as evidence of any matter stated if, but only if,† then it goes on to outline four different exceptions.1 One exception is for when any provision, whether in this chapter or in any other statute makes the statement admissible.2 Another exception is when â€Å"any rule of law preserved by section 118 makes it admissible.3 The other exception is when the parties agree to the admissibility of the statement.4 The fourth and final exception is when â€Å"the court is satisfied that it is in the best interest of justice for it to be admissible.†5 Further, the Act carves out exceptions for when a witness is unavailable. In this case, hearsay is admissible if the statement that the unavailable witness would give would be deemed admissible as evidence;6 the person who made the statement has been identified to the satisfaction of the court;7 and that the witness is unavailable according to five different criteria.8 The criteria are that the witness must either be dead, unfit, outside the UK, cannot be found, or is in fear.9 More problematic are the categories that state that a judge can use his or her discretion in deciding whether to admit the statement, and when the witness is unavailable. When the witness is unavailable, then the defendant cannot cross-examine the witness. This would be fundamentally unfair to the defendant. A prosecutor should make every effort to bring witnesses into court so that he or she may be cross-examined, and the statutory provisions that are used for determining whether a witness is unavailable seem too broad. One of the provisions states that a witness may be unavailable because of fear. â€Å"Fear†in this case may either be fear for that person’s life or another person’s life, or it may be fear of f inancial loss. It seems that it would be too simple for a witness to use this excuse. Most witnesses have jobs, and these jobs are not always understanding about having to take off of word to testify. Therefore, the witness can state that he or she is unavailable because of fear of financial loss, and then that witness’ statement can be introduced as evidence against the defendant, without the defendant being able to cross-examine. This rule seems to be weighted in favor of the prosecution, because it seems that virtually any witness can be unavailable under this particular section of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Further, if the witness cannot be on the stand because the trial occurs on a workday, and that person could be fired, then it should be the prosecutor’s responsibility to have secured the statement, through a deposition, on a date that was convenient for the witness. This exception does not put the responsibility on the prosecutor to secure the statement, so this is another flaw. Moreover, although the court has guidelines as to when it can accept a statement under these conditions, these guidelines are rather vague. The judge may accept the statement if the statement should be â€Å"admitted in the interests of justice,†

Strategic Decision Making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Decision Making - Assignment Example age in innovation process which covers the period from the idea generation or opportunity search to the approval of firm for its development or termination (Postma, Broekhuizen, and Bosh, 2012: 643). The activities of the front-end phase case can include the following: idea generation, product strategy formulation, early executive reviews, project planning, etc. The front-end phase is also recognized to be the most important and more difficult to manage compared to the other two phases of NPD as it has higher uncertainty level. The quality of management front-end phase is highly correlated with the final outcome of the project (success or failure). Some of the potential problems with which firms face during the front-end phase include two categories: management of ideas and management of attention (Postma, Broekhuizen, and Bosh, 2012: 643). Management of ideas is an important process as it involves the way the ideas are generated, shared, communicated, and viewed by different stakeho lders. Uncertainty about outcomes, shortage of adequate ideas, and short-term problem orientation are some of the possible pitfalls the firms face during front-end NPD phase. Management of attention is another significant aspect during the initial stages of the NPD process as human factor and limited human capacity to maintain attention can serve as a limiting factor in idea generation process. Limitations of organizations and group is another type of management attention issues and refers to the problem of group thinking, and organizational structures and systems undermining creativity and innovation (Postma, Broekhuizen, and Bosh, 2012). Postma, Broekhuizen, and Bosh (2012) tried to address the above mentioned issues and problems and to make the front-end phase more effective and productive by offering a scenario analysis method as a creativity and innovation enhancing tool. Scenario analysis is a tool which enables management and other team members to define various uncertainties

Introduction of gatorade company

Introduction of gatorade company Abstract In this term paper I first give introduction of Gatorade Company and then its expansion into international market. The political, economic, social, technological, ecological and legal (PESTEL) environments of the company in India and Porters 5 forces model is also being discussed in this term paper. It also defines the opportunities in international market for Gatorades products, its market selection decision, pricing approaches of Gatorade product for Indian market. Introduction Gatorade is a brand of flavored non-carbonated sports drinks manufactured by the Quaker Oats Company, now a division of PepsiCo. Intended for consumption during physically active occasions, Gatorade beverages are formulated to rehydrate and replenish fluid, carbohydrates and electrolytes. Gatorade started in the summer of 1965 with the realization that the Florida Gators football players could not make it through practice without struggling. Many players reported being dehydrated and playing sluggish during team drills. So the physicians got together and determined what exactly the problem was. The athletics suffered from a back lack of electrolytes and carbohydrates, which was not being replenished with just water. The group of four physicians blended a drink that had perfect balance of carbohydrates and electrolytes. The drink would prove to help the Gator football team perform better on the field, so naturally they called the drink Gatorade. What happened next was rather remarkable because then players started performing better. They finished with a record of 7-4 that season and the next seasons they finished with a record of 9-2, winning the orange bowl for the first time in school history. Eventually, the drink moved into the professional leagues and the first team to adopt it was the Kansas City Chiefs. The chief has trouble practicing in the stifling heat of Missouris summer afternoons and they kept it on the side-lines the whole year. It resulted in the chiefs beating the heavily favoured Minnesota Vikings in super bowl sixth. Soon it become popular to have Gatorade on the side-lines and it started the sports drink category. By 1965, Gatorade had expanded its research in sports science by building the Gatorade sports science institute. The institute allows them to better understand the human body, its needs during the stress of competition and how to improve their products. Gatorade is the official sports drink of the National Football League Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, Womens National Basketball Association, USA Basketball, National Hockey League, Association of Volleyball Professionals, US Soccer Federation, Major League Soccer, and many other pro or collegiate organizations, providing supplies of the drinks to the teams in all flavors available. Gatorade extended their market to the U.K., in 2008, and promoted this, in part, by becoming the sports drink provider for Chelsea F.C. Composition The original Gatorade contained water, sucrose (table sugar) and glucose-fructose syrups, citric acid, fish oil, sodium chloride (table salt), sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, and flavoring/coloring ingredients; some Gatorade flavorings use brominated vegetable oil as a stabilizer. Gatorade Thirst Quencher meets the Food and Drug Administrations definition of a low sodium product. Gatorade is available in a variety of flavors, including the original Lemon-Lime, Grape, Orange, and Fruit punch. In the past decade, several new formulations of Gatorade, including Rain, AM, Fierce and X-Factor, have been introduced with each only being minor tweaks of the original 1965 formula. Gatorade revealed the Gatorade line Energy Bar in 1999. This energy bar was Gatorades first foray into solid foods and was introduced to compete with PowerBar and Clif Bar. Gatorade Energy Bars contain a large proportion of protein, in addition to its carbohydrates. The bar is mainly made up of puffed grains and corn syrup, common components of other energy bars. Gatorades Products Original Gatorade Thirst Quencher Gatorade Fierce Gatorade Frost Gatorade Xtremo Gatorade Nutrition Shake Gatorade Energy Drink Gatorade Energy Bar Propel Fitness Water Propel is a lightly flavored water with essential vitamins and just 10 calories. Available in four natural flavors including Lemon, Berry, Black Cherry and Orange, Propel is currently the market leader in the rapidly growing fitness water category. PEST Analysis of Gatorade Company Political analysis for Gatorade: The government plays a role within the operation of manufacturing these products in terms of regulations. There are potential fines set by the government on companies if they do not meet a standard of laws. The following are some of the factors that could cause Gatorade companys actual results to differ materially from the expected results described in their underlying companys forward statement:- Changes in laws and regulations, including changes in accounting standards, taxation requirements, (including tax rate changes, new tax laws and revised tax law interpretations) and environmental laws in domestic or foreign jurisdictions. Changes in the non-alcoholic business environment. These include, without limitation, competitive product and pricing pressures and their ability to gain or maintain share of sales in the global market as a result of action by competitors. Political conditions, especially in international markets, including civil unrest, government changes and restrictions on the ability to transfer capital across borders. Their ability to penetrate developing and emerging markets, which also depends on economic and political conditions, and how well they are able to acquire or form strategic business alliances with local bottlers and make necessary infrastructure enhancements to production facilities, distribution networks, sales equipment and technology. Economic analysis for Gatorade: The economic stability in the target market facilitates an international marketers task. For example a recession creating increased activity at the lower ends of product price ranges. Rate of interest raises depressing business and causing redundancies and lower spending levels. Economic environment of India affects the international marketing decisions of Gatorade greatly. The economic conditions of a country such as the state of foreign exchange reserves and inflationary conditions also affect the openness of a countrys trade policies. In the recent years, the opening up of the Indian market has paved the way for import and distribution of consumer goods. However, it has put pressure on domestic firms to compete with international brands such as Gatorade, PowerAde etc. Social Analysis for Gatorade: Social change involves changing attitudes and lifestyles. Many Indian citizens are practicing healthier lifestyles. This has affected the non-alcoholic beverage industry in that many are switching to bottled water and diet sports drink instead of beer and other alcoholic beverages. The need for bottled water and other more convenient and healthy products (Gatorade sports drink) are in important in the average day-to-day life. Consumers from the ages of 37 to 55 are also increasingly concerned with nutrition. There is a large population of the age range known as the baby boomers. Since many are reaching an older age in life they are becoming more concerned with increasing their longevity. This will continue to affect the non-alcoholic beverage industry by increasing the demand overall and in the healthier beverages. Technological Analysis for Gatorade: The effectiveness of Gatorade Companys advertising, marketing and promotional programs are the factors which cause company actual result. They make some products look attractive. This helps in selling of the products. This advertising makes the product attractive. This technology is being used in media to sell their products. Introduction of cans and plastic bottles have increased sales for Gatorade as these are easier to carry and you can bind them once they are used. As the technology is getting advanced there has been introduction of new machineries all the time. Due to introduction of this machineries the production of the Gatorade company has increased tremendously then it was few years ago. Porters 5 forces model for Gatorade Company Rivalry among competitors: There is high competition for Gatorade Company because other Sports drink companies are also there which are providing the same tough competition to Gatorade. Rivalry is increasing, as the market decreases, and competitors downsize, the competitors become more or less equal in size and capacity. This means that as economic conditions worsen, competitors downsize and then compete for the same remaining market. Threats of new entry: The threat of new entrants is high in the Sports drink industry because many other companies are also coming in the same market in order to provide cut through competition to Gatorade. Threats of substitutes: Threats of substitutes is very high because many other forms of soft drinks are available in the market which is doing the same work as that of the Gatorade. Bargaining power of Buyers: The bargaining power of buyers is very high because many other sports drinks are also available in the market such as PowerAde so buyer if not satisfied with the product can switch to other companies products. Bargaining power of suppliers: The suppliers power is low for Gatorade Company because other player such as PowerAde of Coca Cola are also present in the market so the suppliers cannot charge high cost by the customers than its competitors. Current Products G Series and Elite Series In early 2010, Gatorade announced its latest marketing campaign, promoting its products as the G Series. Gatorade describes the G Series as a three-part regimen designed to fuel every step of its consumers athletic performance. The first part, Prime, includes a pre-game fuel with B vitamins, carbohydrates, and electrolytes to be taken before athletic performance. G Prime is described as coming soon on the companys website. The second part of the series, Perform, includes traditional Gatorade products such as Gatorade G, G2, and Gatorade powder. The third part of G Series, Recover, is described as the worlds first rehydrating protein drink and is designed for consumption immediately following athletic activity. In addition to the G Series, Gatorade also maintains a line of products called the Elite Series designed for serious athletes. Similar to the G Series, the Elite Series includes products for before, during, and after workouts, as well as All Day nutrition shakes. G2: Off the Field Hydration, Otherwise known as Gatorade 2 (G2), is a low-calorie electrolyte beverage that was launched in late 2007; G2 is currently available in six flavors: Orange, Fruit Punch, Lemon-Lime, Strawberry Kiwi, Blueberry-Pomegranate, and Grape. It is also labeled as a healthy choice beverage. It was the top new food product of 2008, generating the sales of $159.1 million. 2009 Rebranding In 2009, Gatorade began a massive rebranding, resulting in new names for most of their products; however, some products only had name changes: Original Gatorade was relabeled as Gatorade G Gatorade Rain was relabeled as No Excuses Other products were reformulated as well: Gatorade AM was relabeled Shine On, which now contains the addition of 20% RDV of Vitamin C per 8-oz. serving. Gatorade X-Factor was relabeled as Be Tough, which now contains the addition of 20% RDV of Vitamin E per 8-oz. serving. Gatorade Fierce was relabeled Bring It, which now contains the addition of 25% RDV of several B vitamins, including B3, B5 and B6. G2, which was not renamed, now contains the same added B vitamins as Bring It. G2s label was further redesigned at the end of 2009, giving it a silver label and a new slogan: Â ½ the Calories, All the G. Former Products Gator Gum In the late 1970s and early 1980s (as well as the late 90s to early 2000s), Gatorade sold a brand of chewing gum called Gator Gum. The product, manufactured by Fleer Corporation, was available in both of Gatorades original flavors (lemon-lime and orange) and was rather sour-tasting by normal chewing gum standards. In the late 1970s, Stokley-Van Camp (owner of Gatorade prior to 1983) negotiated a long-term licensing deal, with Swell and Vicks, to market Gator Gum. T he gum, which had no functionality or ingredients of Gatorade Thirst Quencher, was discontinued in 1989 after the contract expired. Mueller Sports, in Wisconsin, manufactures a gum called Quench; it is based on Gator Gum but is not the same as what Stokley-Van Camp created. Gator Gums foil packaging advertised that the product Helps Quench Thirst. However, like all chewing gums, the product would not actually rehydrate the body on its own but would, instead, only give the feeling of a wet mouth. However, it did contain electrolytes to assist the human body with the rehydration process. Competition of Gatorade with PowerAde Gatorades main competitive brand is POWERade, made by the Coca-Cola Company. PowerAde is the main competitor for Gatorade, others like all sport exist, but they do not present a challenge to Gatorade. The brand of PowerAde has essentially the same target market as Gatorade: 18-24 year old males who are engaged in athletics. However, PowerAde appears to be looking for the trendier types of consumers. Based upon their company website design, it seems as through PowerAde is trying to offer the attributes of having the cooler drink. PowerAde has a very interactive website compared to Gatorade, one can choose from 8 different varieties of musical beats that represent each unique flavour. The website also allows individuals who are visiting the site to put up their own thoughts about PowerAde. PowerAde does not have a good target market perception; they are considered a second place to Gatorade, PowerAde does not have the same quality of winning athletics that Gatorade has. They also lack scientific research behind their product without a research institute. The future for competition against Gatorade seems bleak. Gatorade owns the sports drink category and much can be done to stop them. Segmentation, Targeting Positioning Demographics The demographics of the Gatorade target market are active males, aged 18-25. They can be students, just starting their career, or well established, regardless of status the majority of them believe they are athletics. They grew up idolizing many different sports athletics and teams, which still have an influence. They make very wide variety of incomes because Gatorade is inexpensive. Education could vary also, most have at least high school level education and some have college experience. Their attitudes can vary a little, but most of them are competitive, care about sports and enjoy their perspective athletics endeavours. These types of consumers may also be interested in other sport-related clothing and accessories. They may be interested in items such as jerseys, hats, shoes or anything that will show off their allegiance to a team, sport or player. Advertisement TARGET MARKET: Athletes CURRENT SLOGAN: Is it in you? TYPES of ADS: commercials, web site, print, sponsorship, partnerships, promotion, etc. Endorsements Gatorade scored a slam dunk in 1991 when it tabbed Jordan to become its first athlete endorser. Although the sports drink brand already dominated store shelves, millions of people still have the Be like Mike jingle stuck in their head so many years later. Other Endorsers include, Mia Hamm Derek Jeter Vince Carter Peyton Manning Yao Ming Positioning of Gatorade Positioning is making unique identity in the mind of the prospective customers. Sports being Gatorades biggest focus, they brand themselves as the best sports drink for an athletics trying to reach their peak performance. They have done this through source credibility, by gathering a group of athletics like Peyton Manning, Dwyane Wade, Derek Jeter, Kevin Garnett and Michael Jordan. All of these athletics are memorable and influential to kids and adults, but Jordan has the most impact. Recent Programs Defeat the Heat Campaign to protect kids from heat illness After a 10 year old boy collapsed on a sports field, he and his mom helped initiate Defeat the Heat which was sponsored by Gatorade, National Athletic Trainers Assoc., and SAFE KIDS. This program teaches kids the importance of staying hydrated while playing sports. Gatorade loves Racing Gatorade has become a huge influence on NASCAR racing by becoming a huge sponsor. They introduced the G.I.D.S. (Gatorade In-Car Drinking System) to give drivers fluids during long races. Makes getting fluids easier Gatorade is able to advertise heavier now during a sporting event that has a huge fan base that increases every year. Expansion Strategies of Gatorade in India Diversification Strategy: Gatorade as US Company will use Diversification strategy in India because it is new product for Indian customers and the market is also new for Gatorade. So for the growth of the product in the new market in order to make people aware of the Gatorade products for increasing market share diversification strategy will be used by Gatorade company. Under the direction of the Quaker Oats company, Gatorades distribution was increased and new flavours have been added. This also included an advertising and promotion campaign held in conjunction with the NBA (National Basketball Association) Championship. Pricing Strategies for Gatorade in India Skimming Pricing: Selling a product at a high price, sacrificing high sales to gain a high profit, therefore skimming the market. Gatorade use skimming pricing strategy in India as they have targeted mostly athletic so they can charge high because of their new product in the Indian market as a division of PepsiCo Company. So skimming pricing strategy can be used by Gatorade Company for Indian market. Competition based pricing: Setting the price based upon prices of the similar competitor products. Competitive pricing is based on three types of competitive product: Products have lasting distinctiveness from competitors product. Here we can assume The product has low price elasticity The product has low cross elasticity The demand of the product will rise Products have perishable distinctiveness from competitors product, assuming the product features are medium distinctiveness. Products have little distinctiveness from competitors product. assuming that: The product has high price elasticity The product has some cross elasticity No expectation that demand of the product will rise Gatorade is priced slightly lower than its main competition, PowerAde. PepsiCo keeps very close control over the pricing of its products, ensuring that every channel member makes a profit. Product promotion for Gatorade is focused in three areas, media advertising, event sponsorship, and contests. The main competitor for Gatorade is the Coca-Cola product, PowerAde. Currently Gatorade seems to have the upper hand because it is experiencing sales growth while PowerAde is not expecting any growth. Gatorade keeps its competitive edge through product innovation. Current Trends Despite aggressive competition, Gatorade was able to maintain its market share in 1997 and make further inroads into foreign markets. The company cited the addition of new flavours in addition to packaging changes, promotions, and scrutinized distribution. Among these were the Cherry Rush, Strawberry Kiwi, and Mmmmandarina flavours, added in 1996. Prior to that, three new flavours, aimed at women athletes, were introduced-Alpine Snow, Glacier Freeze, and White water Splash. Global Presence For many years, Gatorade was primarily a United States phenomenon. In 1992 Quaker Oats decided to distribute the beverage worldwide. The theory was that the drink would be equally successful outside the United States because no other sports beverage because of its distinct scientific formulation and market position is more poised to take advantage of a worldwide opportunity. The company continues to work at expanding distribution beyond the United States, particularly in Latin America and the Pacific Rim countries. More than $20 million was spent on expansion in 1996, resulting in sales of $283 million in more than 45 nations. The number of countries in which the sports drink was sold increased by 10 over the previous year. Worldwide sales increased 19 percent internationally, reflecting growth in both Latin America and Italy. In 1997 international sales climbed 18.7 percent to $335.2 million. By 1998 the company was the worlds leading manufacturer of sports beverages, with Gatorade being sold in 47 countries around the world. The number one sports drink in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Indonesia and the Philippines, Gatorade is also one of the leading sports drink brands in Korea and Sport Drink Gatorade is marketed not merely as a tasty drink, but as a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage designed to provide rapid rehydration. How does it work? Well, all food and beverages are absorbed by the small intestine, and Gatorade claims that its 6-percent carbohydrate level and small amount of sodium are ideal for rapid fluid absorption. By comparison, beverages with a higher percentage of carbohydrates, such as fruit drinks and soft drinks, are said to slow the absorption rate of fluids. Gatorade points out that the salt and sugar in Gatorade stimulates people to drink more fluid voluntarily. Current Strategy Target Market Athletes Males 18 to 24 Focused on Point of Sweat Getting to Market TV Ads /ESPN Sports Venues cups, coolers, billboards Sports Magazines Limited Radio Sponsored Events Celebrity Endorsements High School Athlete of the Year Current Market Facts Part of PepsiCo Control 80% 90% of Market Share in North America 1.5 Billion dollar brand Competition PowerAde (Coke) Private Label Isotonic Sports Drinks Water View of Future State Create Brand Loyalty Younger generation Increase market share New Market Non-athletes How Do they Attract Youth? Parenting Magazines Emphasize health benefits of the active child Kids Magazines Sports Illustrated for Kids, Seventeen, etc. Internet Pop Ups / Websites Nick Jr., Discovery Kids, Disney TV Ads on Kids Programming Target Youth Endorsements appealing to the younger child Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob Video game background banners Form strategic partnerships with other companies, Ex. EA Sports Continue celebrity endorsements aimed at pre-teens/teens Derek Jeter Mia Hamm Supporting Facts Current National Trend is to Decrease Childhood Obesity Overweight children 9 million (3x that of 1980) Children dehydrate faster that adults Instill brand recognition at an early age Studies show taste promotes more consumption with kids Attracting a New Market Non-Athletes Home Improvement Contractors Do-It-Yourselfers Construction Workers SWOT Analysis of Gatorade Strengths Gatorade is the market leader in the sport drink category, dominating the main competition of PowerAde. Gatorade has science to back up their product and it is proven to excel and maintain physical performance during competition. It is the field of play in many professional sports, which means not is it on television, but it is also proven to work at the highest level. A wide array of athletes endorses the Gatorade message from virtually every type of sport. Not only are those, but nearly every one of their athletes proven winners which instils additional credibility in the brand. Gatorade has a loyal consumer base and their brand is held in high regard. This gives them flexibility to expend into other products meant to help athletes. Weaknesses There may be too many varieties and flavours of the Gatorade product, which might ultimately, might confuse and annoy customers. Gatorade also does not have an energy drink and do not have lot of potential to make one because it could lead to dehydration. Work needs to be done in these two areas and they can heal the few weaknesses they have. Opportunities If Gatorade can develop a unique blend that would provide additional energy and keep athletes hydrated it would certainly give them an edge. Adding one athlete from the mixed martial arts (MMA) could help them expand quite a bit. Since MMA has recently boomed in the sports world as the new, exciting form of entertainment. They could also add a vitamin-enhanced hydrator to complete with brands like vitamin water that take some of their target market. Gatorade also has some products listed on their website that have some potential like protein shakes, but they are not promoted as much. Threats New energy drinks flavours present a threat to Gatorade because it is also appealing to the target market of 18-24 year old males. The currency economy also has an effect on what people will consider to buy the grocery store. Finally, Gatorade has to worry about their brand plateauing and losing interest in their target market. Suggestions and recommendations I would like to give certain suggestions to the Gatorade company which are as follows: Gatorade Company targeted mainly athletics and sports persons and there exist a huge potential in the market for them so they should also have targeted other segments in order to have more market share. In India they use skimming pricing approach by which they can charge high prices but if they charge less by reducing the price of the Gatorade products they can increase their sales which give them maximum profits. In Indian market they should have created more awareness among the peoples as less number of peoples knows about the Gatorade brand. For promotion in Indian market they should have used celebrity endorsement such as cricketers or Bollywood stars as they use Michael Jordan for the promotion of their energy drink products. They should have also made the Gatorade products for the rural India as more than 70% of the sector is unorganised and there exist huge potential for growth. Conclusion References GATORADES EXPENSION INTO INTERNATIONAL MARKET-BY-MOHD FAHAD

The Work of Langston Hughes Essay example -- Poetry Langston Hughes Au

The Work of Langston Hughes Langston Hughes is considered by many readers to be the most significant black poet of the twentieth century. He is described as  ³...the beloved author of poems steeped in the richness of African American culture, poems that exude Hughes ¹s affection for black Americans across all divisions of region, class, and gender. ² (Rampersad 3) His writing was both depressing and uplifting at times. His poetry, spanning five decades from 1926 to 1967, reflected the changing black experience in America, from the Harlem Renaissance to the turbulent sixties. At the beginning of his career, he was surrounded by the Harlem Renaissance. New York City in the 1920 ¹s was a place of immense growth and richness in African-American culture and art. For Hughes, this was the perfect opportunity to establish his poems. His early work reflects the happy times of the era. However, as time progressed he became increasingly bitter and upset over race relations. Except for a few examples, all his poems from this later period spoke about social injustice in America. The somber tone of his writing often reflected his mood. Race relations was the shadow of his career, following him from his first poem to his last. The tone and subject matter of Hughes ¹s poetry can be linked to certain points in history, and his life. The youth of Hughes is brought out by his poem  ³Harlem Night Club ², a piece which describes living in the moment. Often children do not consider the consequences of their actions; they act on instinct and desire. Hughes might have been 27 when he wrote this poem, but the feisty, upbeat tempo of a school boy is present in his style.  ³Harlem Night Club ² is unique in that it describes the integration of blacks and whites in an optimistic tone. The vigor and spirit of his youth is reflected in the energy of the writing,  ³Jazz-band, jazz-band, ­ / Play, plAY, PLAY! / Tomorrow....who knows? / Dance today! ² The repetition of the words, and the increasing emphasis on the word  ³play ² bring out the excitement to the reader. More evidence of Hughes ¹s youth comes from the very focus of the poem: the interracial couples. The entire poem can be summed up as  ³...a single-glance tableau of interracial flirtation against a background of heady jazz. ² (Emanuel 120) This festive relationship between the two sexes can rarely be seen in any of Hughes ¹s later poems. At th... ... civil rights movement had peaked, Hughes is left feeling worthless. The bitterness he faced during his lifetime built up to a dull apathy that appears in this piece. Despite the fact that Hughes is  ³...among the most eloquent American poets to have sung about the wounds caused by injustice ² (Rampersad 3), he thought his poems made no impact on society. On the contrary, Hughes ¹s poems had a tremendous influence on African-American society. Although scholars and critics throughout his career dismissed his poetry as too  ³simple and unlearned, ² his primary audience, the black masses, and even Hughes himself viewed his work as  ³folk poetry ² which was beneath criticism. (Rampersad 4-5) His poems, when studied as a collection over the span of his life, clearly show how the tone and emphasis in the writing reflect the mood of Hughes himself as he grew old. The universal theme of racism and race relations defined all the important work of Langston Hughes. Langston Hu ghes Danny Belinkie December 23, 1999 Period 2 Works Cited Emanuel, James. Langston Hughes. Twayne Publishers, Boston, 1967. Arnold Rampersad. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. Vintage Classics, New York, 1994.

Aunt Polly in Huck Finn

In the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Aunt Polly is a minor character but her role is very important. She is Tom Sawyer’s aunt and also his guardian. Aunt Polly is a sharp woman who tries to keep Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn out of trouble. She is a character that is fearsome, respectable, and loved. When Huck Finn sees Aunt Polly at Aunt Sally’s house he say she was â€Å"looking as sweet and contented as an angel half-full of pie, I wish I may never! † (1460). Huck Finn describes Aunt Polly in a loving way but he also expresses his fear in seeing her. Huck fears her so much that he hides under the bed (1460). As soon as Aunt Polly tells Huck to come out from under the bed, he does so timidly which indicates he respected her enough to do what he was told immediately (1461). Aunt Polly demands that Tom should give her the letters that she wrote to Aunt Sally. Tom acts as if he does not know what she is talking about. Aunt Polly responds by saying, â€Å"I be bound if I have to take a holt of you I’ll –â€Å" (1461). She doesn’t have to finish her sentence because Tom interrupts her where they are. He does this because he fears Aunt Polly. When Aunt Sally wrote to Aunt Polly about Tom and Sid arriving safely she was puzzled because Sid was with her. She wrote to Aunt Sally several times with no response. Aunt Polly made the 100 mile trip to Aunt Sally’s because she knew that something wasn’t right. This shows just how sharp Aunt Polly was. When Aunt Polly arrives at Aunt Sally’s she looks at Tom, â€Å"-kind of grinding him into the Earth, you know. † And this indicates that Aunt Poll was an intelligent woman because she knew that Tom and Huck had tricked Aunt Sally (1460). When Aunt Polly arrives Huck Finn disappears under the bed and Aunt Sally does not know where he is. â€Å"Come out from under the bed Huck Finn. †, says Aunt Polly (1461). She had only been there briefly but could easily assess the situation. Evidently Aunt Polly is a sharp character. She is feared by Tom and Huck. It is clearly shown that she is a respectable person. Aunt Polly is a very important character because she helps the story come together at the end. She is the one who puts an end to Tom and Huck’s charade. I believe Aunt Polly to be a stern but kind person. She loves Tom and Huck and they love her.

Reflection paper Essay

Visiting the Daybreak Family Centre gave me the opportunity to learn more about social services in reality. Albeit not having the chance to interact with their clients because we were untrained, I had a fruitful discussion session with the social workers there. â€Å"Learning in social work isn’t a linear process,† shared one of the social worker. Theories though being taught in school – seems like there is an accurate answer – social work is not a mere transfer of learning. With real clients, it takes time to generate solutions. Some lessons can only be self-discovered through experiences. Since social workers usually deal with case-works, this provided me another insightful take-away of the importance of self-reflection – which allows most practitioners to explore reasons they response in certain ways, helping to create self-awareness of own strength and weaknesses. Social workers too have attitudes, past and prejudices that will affect their resp onses to certain things. Without learning from oneself and acknowledge all these, it will be exceptionally difficult for social workers to assist clients effectively. These social workers shared that critical reflection allows them to form new perspective of the situation, understand themselves better and hence, advance. In social services, the importance of maintaining confidentiality and establishing professional boundaries could not be emphasizes enough. Also, bearing in mind, social workers cannot overpower clients, make assumptions or put own expectations on them. I have learnt that only when appropriate, can then a social worker take more control of clients’ lives. Social services focus on client’s self-determination. Clients ultimately have to be responsible of the decisions they make. Social workers cannot allow a particular incident to affect them so as to continue their profession. It is apparent that females mainly dominate the social work profession. It struck me on how this negatively impacted the manpower issue. In particular, the root cause of delinquency is the distant-father-figure at home. The  general consensus that men are more likely to be receptive towards other men in this issue causes a greater demand for male social workers. Unless the society takes a step forward and change this delusion that social work is a â€Å"voluntary-work†, not a profession, it will be rather difficult to ameliorate this situation. This general misconception has to be addressed meritoriously. On a side note, all the social workers I have meet were like angels, kind-hearted, understanding and never failed to wear on a big-smile!