Minimum of Two Suggests That Family Can Be Both a Blessing and a Curse

In Tim Winton’s collection of short stories, ‘Minimum of Two’, family is a major, recurring theme. Winton displays his interest in exploring the idea of family within each story differently, containing the positive and negative influence that family has on the actions and emotions of the Nilsam family and his alternative protagonists. In ‘Distant Lands’, he deals with the feeling of obligation towards and the traditional expectations of family whilst in ‘The Water Was Dark’ the focus is on a need to separate oneself from negative family completely. Laps’ focuses on how family can help you move on from her past. Winton has a strong belief that family shapes the kind of person one becomes, regardless of whether that is a good, or bad natured person. Within the short story ‘Distant Lands’, although it is portrayed subtly, family plays an important role. We are told of Fat Maz’s parents; her mother, who sits in the family shop for the majority of her day, emitting ‘dull thudding’ sounds from the register and Maz’s father, who is portrayed as a hot headed, intimidating individual. As Winton goes on to display Maz’s character, which contains attributes the likes of reserved, self-conscious yet quietly ambitious, we are made to create a link between Maz’s persona and her parents, that of which one is silent and dismal and the other unapproachable, and the realization that it was the impact of her family that has built the aspects her character by failing to restore her confidence and paying little to no attention of whether Maz had her own ambitions. This contributes to her overall quietness. The Water Was Dark’ has it’s protagonist, ‘the girl’, who is struggling to escape from the negativity of her mother. The girl lists her mother’s many faults bitterly and her mother’s poor decisions’ impact show heavily as we read in to the girl’s thoughts. The girl has no actual stability that she feels in her life and she is angry at her mother because her mother is to be blamed. She actually says in many a sense that her life would collectively improve if her mother rid herself of the poisonous things in her life, like drinking and being isolated. Basically, the state of the girl’s family is so ruined that she herself becomes destructive. Despite the lack of encouragement, in ‘Distant Lands’ Maz’s parents actually follow the traditional expectations associated with family. They give Maz a roof over a head and a secure, paying job in a small town. It is not what Maz wants however it is a safe, stable environment and so Maz feels a sense of debt towards her family. ‘Laps’ revolves around Queenie and her family. Queenie’s daughter Dot provides a great contrast in regards to most of the adolescents Winton writes. She is not only in a secure and stabile lifestyle, but she is content. It could be argued that this is because she is younger than other characters explored by Winton however given that Queenie and Cleve are in a healthy marriage and they openly show their pride, care and love towards their daughter, it is clear that Dot will be provided with a more normal, happy life. Every Family is different from the other. Certain are functional and certain are falling apart at the seams. The short stories of Minimum of Two explore this through different experiences and circumstances which directly reflect on how the characters are portrayed. Family is a huge aspect of a person’s identity. Throughout the stories, Winton gives us examples of how the support and love of family are required for one to be fully satisfied with life and truly be aware of their identity. The absence of this supportive, healthy family will most likely outcome in a never-ending negativity for the members within that family. In most instances, the impact of family can either act as a curse that increases one’s isolation and negativity or a blessing that provides a sense of belonging and contentment, not only with the family itself but also with the broader world. Mainly, the stories of Minimum of Two suggest that regardless of being moral or immoral, family shapes oneself.

Oceans and Tides Paper (Earth Science) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Oceans and Tides Paper (Earth Science) - Essay Example What are surface ocean currents? In simple words rotation of the earth on its own axis causes winds that form gyres or circles on the surface of oceans. These gyres are found to move in clockwise circular patterns in the Northern Hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. This is phenomena is better known as surface ocean currents. These currents flow continuously but have varied intensity and in different proportions. There is no need to mention this that the concentration of these surface ocean currents depend on the depth or depletion of the sea bed. All these factors can actually increase and decrease the speed of these currents. These surface ocean currents can influence weather conditions. These are quite significant for navigators who make use of these currents to steer through their way. What are waves, their characteristics and wave erosion? Wave is actually a disturbance that is produced by some other body. A water wave that is created by a moving boat is its best example. One of its features is the wavelength which happens to be distance between two waves, the second characteristic is frequency which can be measured by the number of crests or troughs passing through a single point at one time and the third is amplitude which is the displacement of a wave. Wave erosion is also no different from other forms of erosion like soil erosion and coastal erosion. When waves hit on the banks, it carries a part of the soil with it from there. This is called wave erosion in short and can be avoided only by planting more trees as the roots of these trees can save the soil from eroding away. What is shoreline erosion? Besides wave erosion, shoreline erosion is another of its kind that is primarily caused due to movement of currents and waves. Apart from these two factors this erosion can also be caused by a change in sea level. In general when these waves hit unguarded shores they wash off the sediments of the shoreline and this is called shoreline erosion. Any kind of soil erosion causes land misuse as it degrades on regular basis. Land is very important for animals and humans both which are very much obvious. This in turn becomes a reason for overpopulation and scarcity of usable tracts of land for cultivation and other important activities that are a prerequisite for human civilization. A few things that can control this type of erosion are planting tree that can absorb moisture, then building septic tanks and proper drainage system can also take care of this erosion. What are tides? Now the most important of all the questions is what are tides? Tides are a natural occurrence that are caused by the gravitational forces of the both the moon and the sun. Since the earth is rotating on its own, hence the position of the moon keeps on changing. This change in placing causes the height of the tides to rise and fall accordingly. That is the closer the moon the higher the tides will be due to a strong gravitational pull. This is t he reason behind the tides getting high and low in a day as well as in a month. In addition to this another fact needs to be added that is the moon takes a little longer than 24 hours (around 50 minutes more) to come to same point with the earth. So this discussion shows that oceans and tides are equally important to us. This could again be explained in the context that because of the presence of this current in the water bodies, today the world can think of generating electricity. This tidal energy thus produced will be

Blue print Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Blue print - Essay Example The service blueprint to be used in this department needs to incorporate other relevant departments of the hotel so that provision of services is of high quality promoting customer loyalty. In addition, service blueprints can be used in the promotion ventures of the Chairman and Yip restaurant. The purpose of a promotion is to create awareness of the available services to potential customers. Therefore, a blueprint can ensure that the promotional activity is successful. Moreover, promotions usually target to register a higher percentage of sales (Kalakota & Robinson 2004, p. 116). These activities can be incorporated into the blueprint ensuring a more effective promotion strategy. In addition, service blueprints can be used in the human resource management department. The principle purpose of using service blueprints in this department is to empower the staffs of the of the Chairman and Yip restaurant. A blueprint indicating job descriptions for each position in the restaurant can be designed. This helps to ensure that each individual working in this restaurant understands their responsibilities and roles clearly. In addition, a service blueprint can be used in the development of the selection criteria. The restaurant can design a flow chart that highlights the available vacancies, the qualifications of the required candidates and uses it to assess the potential candidates for the positions (Kalakota & Robinson 2004, p. 117). Using a service blueprint makes the selection criteria clear for those assigned to this responsibility. Moreover, service blueprints can be used in the appraisal systems of the Chairman and Yip restaurant. Notably, it is important for th e restaurant to appraise the performance of all the employees over a certain period. Appraisal of performance helps to determine whether employees perform their roles to the required standards, and whether they have gained new skills on the job. A blueprint can be used in determining the

The Rental Apartment Agency Industry Research Proposal

The Rental Apartment Agency Industry - Research Proposal Example In addition to apartment rentals, we will be providing additional services, which will not be considered our main services, such as car or limo rentals, student admission, translations, and immigration attorneys. We will be targeting people who are coming from the Middle East to start with, then we might expand the business to target a larger segment in the future. You can find more information about targeting and segmentation in the Segmentation section. According to the reports for the Texas medical centers, â€Å"The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science. The Texas Medical Center receives 160,000 daily visitors and over six million annual patient visits, including over 18,000 international patients.† These visitors would definitely need to find the right one or two-bedroom apartments to stay in. We conducted a site survey. Our sample was not too big, 50 Middle Eastern patients and 10 students, and we found the following results: The demand for this service is increasing every year. More patients and students from the Middle East are coming to Houston as mentioned previously because it has some of the best hospitals and schools in the world. The following figures show statistics about the number of patients’ families who come to Houston from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirate and Kuwait who we managed to get from the consulates and the medical attaches offices. On the other hand, the supply is not great. There are very few new firms that enter this industry. Those who already exist are not providing good quality service or customer service, and they are met with too many complaints to be successful. Also, there is no single firm who can provide all of the many services that we are providing. (More information about competitors can be found in the Competitors section.)

Why starting a franchise is better than starting a new business Essay

Why starting a franchise is better than starting a new business - Essay Example As a matter of fact, there is a vast array of different available alternatives and opportunities such that it is often difficult to decide on the best plan to follow. After choosing the best path, one would require help starting the business, hence the need to appreciate the differences between starting a business and franchising opportunities, as well as choosing which plan is the most applicable (Bradach 99). Although franchising is similar to starting one’s own business in various aspects, these business initiatives are inherently quite dissimilar. This paper will examine the reasons why it is better to start a franchise rather than a new business. Broadly speaking, franchising refers to the means of operating a commercial operation through the use of certain elements or aspects of other businesses, for instance, its products, brand and name. Previously, this entailed licensing agreements where business operators had the right to sell certain products in certain markers, di stribution deals that work on the same basis or other form of agency agreement in which one runs part of a greater business. However, today, franchising refers to the granting of licenses to trade under similar names as the parent companies and to make use of all or most of the aspects, which make these businesses successful to enable one’s venture to strive. ... Such support, however, runs for the duration of the franchise agreement. The contract entails the franchisee agreeing to pay the franchisor for the privilege to use such support and business tools. In most instances, such payment is made upfront although the franchisee has to pay numerous staged payments as the business develops (Libava 81). However, it is evident that certain franchise agreements stipulate that franchisees have to make additional payments if the business grows to be exceedingly successful, but, in most cases, this amount is a regular flat rate. Although in most cases the startup cost of starting a franchise is quite large, this cost is substantially lower than the cost of starting the same business from scratch. Some of the most notable franchises include, among others, Subway, Hampton Hotels, 7-Eleven Inc, Anytime Fitness, Supercuts and McDonald’s and Pizza Hut Inc. These businesses are quite profitable and their brands are widely acclaimed all over the worl d. Starting such a business from scratch can cost quite a lot. However, franchising allows business owners to pay low costs in order to start these businesses. For instance, in order to start franchises such as McDonald’s, one only requires between $1.07 million and $1.89 million, to start a Subway franchise one needs between $85,200 and $260,350. On the other hand, in order to start a Hampton Hotel franchise, one must pay the franchisor between $3.7 million and $13.52 million. These figures go to show that starting a franchise is way cheaper than establishing such a massive company. Perhaps one of the most attractive aspects of franchising is the reduction of risk. The business is not essentially a new

Social Science in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Science in Australia - Essay Example Sexuality has had diverse perceptions over decades. These include people, who are distinctively either male or female, and the heterosexuals- men and women in possession of both the male and the female sex-organs. In efforts to exploit sexual desires, divisions such as the homosexuals come up, composed of two different groups, the lesbians- women practicing sexual acts with fellow women and the gay-basically men who find sexual acts with their counterpart males compatible; and yet others practicing masturbation which is seeking to fulfill ones own sexual desire or pleasure. People have different understanding and beliefs in regard to sexuality and what is best for them sexually. Lesbians view the pleasure from fellow women as most fulfilling and the gay see it vice versa. A majority though think that its all abnormal saying that woman was made for man and likewise. In fact it has been approved with time after thorough investigations and research on homosexuals that is lesbians and ga ys. The debate over homosexual "marriage" for instance, often becomes focused on whether homosexuality is a learned behavior or a genetic trait. Many homosexual activists insist that "science" has shown that homosexuality is inborn, cannot be changed, and that therefore they should have the right to marry each other. (CWA, 2008).Because no single study can be regarded as definitive; more research on people who have overcome homosexuality needs to be done. But a considerable body of certain literature about change from homosexuality to heterosexuality has been compiled, and the sheer number of exceptions to the "born gay" theory should be a warning to researchers and media to proceed with caution before declaring that science has proved that homosexuality is genetic. Other recent developments suggest that homosexuality is not genetically determined but made. Another instance is given by Simone de Beauvoir who says "One is not born, but becomes a woman. No biological, psychological, or economic fate determines the figure that the human female presents in society: it is civilization as a whole that produces this creature, intermediate between, male and eunuch, which is described as feminine". This belief also applies to the case of men (WCA, 1981). To support the above motion, there are a number of factors to look into which include: political, socialization, work/family (gender equality), early environment, cultural background, economical, and religion. Other factors contributing to this are attitudes, discipline, effort and style. Firstly, talking about politics which has imposed oppression on especially women, a lesbian society pragmatically reveals that the division from men of which women has been the object is a political one and shows that women have been ideologically rebuilt into a "natural group." In the case of women, ideology goes far since their bodies as well as their minds are the product of this manipulation. They have been compelled in their bodies and in their minds to correspond, feature by feature, with the idea of nature that has been established for them. Distorted to such an extent that their deformed body is what they call "natural," what is supposed to exist as such before oppression Distorted to such an extent in the end, oppression seems to be a consequence of this, "nature" within them. Experience by both men and a woman in such a field finally

Marketing and Marketing Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing and Marketing Communications - Essay Example Raising visibility requires the same press release appearing in all credible newspapers, the same commercial over all television channels, the same radio jingle over all radio channels, similar hoardings in all important shopping malls etc. Credibility calls for faultless service to the customer. It requires adherence to quality and reliability. Recently Honda Motor Company, Japan's second largest auto maker, recalled 298,231 cars in Japan to repair a fault in the fuel pump relay that could have stopped the engine. In the recent past Microsoft launched its Windows Vista operating software amidst much fanfare and media glare, which raised the level of visibility for the product. Part-II (Three questions to be answered out of six) Ans-2: Internal and External factors influencing Pricing decisions Pricing is a very crucial aspect for managing the business. While carrying out the pricing decisions, a company has to take a comprehensive look at all its internal factors as well as the prevailing market scenario, economic policies and legal framework for the market and the product. Most of the companies begin pricing deliberations based on their own internal cost structures. Internal factors affecting the pricing decisions are basically the profit and cost factors. How the company arrives at the total cost of the product and how much profit is expected from the product makes. In general costs are divided in two components fixed costs and variables costs. Costs of labor, material, energy, supervision, R&D contribution, marketing, administrative, transportation, taxes, channel costs, factory overhead etc. are some of the internal cost components which form part of the pricing decision. On the other hand external factors affecting...While carrying out the pricing decisions, a company has to take a comprehensive look at all its internal factors as well as the prevailing market scenario, economic policies and legal framework for the market and the product. Most of the companies begin pricing deliberations based on their own internal cost structures. Internal factors affecting the pricing decisions are basically the profit and cost factors. How the company arrives at the total cost of the product and how much profit is expected from the product makes. In general costs are divided in two components fixed costs and variables costs. Costs of labor, material, energy, supervision, R&D contribution, marketing, administrative, transportation, taxes, channel costs, factory overhead etc. are some of the internal cost components which form part of the pricing decision. On the other hand external factors affecting pricing decisions include the existing pricing strategy resorted to by the competitors/ alternative products, market profile, customer's buying power, geographical conditions, economic policies prevailing in the country/ market, legal provisions for carrying out business in the market, acceptability of the product in the market, number of competitors and their profit margins etc. Tender Pricing: This type of pricing is based on actual costs of different sub tasks in producing the product.