Searching for a Hero in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House Essay Example

Searching for a Hero in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House Essay The famous play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen has been variously interpreted during the past century and a half, and the main character of Nora and Torvald Helmer have been studied and portrayed literally thousands of times, by thousands of performers throughout the world. It was Ibsen’s first â€Å"modern tragedy, a domestic drama that dealt with concrete problems of modern life† (Shepherd-Barr 21-22). Looking at each character separately, and then comparing their actions throughout the play, we can begin to understand their personalities and what drives them to act the way that they do. Historically, there has been a transition from viewing Torvald as the protagonist when the play was first written, to Nora being viewed as a modern day heroine, with Torvald as the possessive and condescending husband who creates a fantasy world in which the two of them live; however, in closer examination we can see heroic qualities in both characters, and perhaps more easily find the faults which have helped build the doll’s house in which Nora feels she lives.An examination of Nora and Torvald’s personalities gives us better insight into the narcissistic and selfish sides to both of them. From the beginning of the play it is obvious that Torvald is the head of the Helmer household, that he, and only he, is able to do the finances right, that only he can be reasonable and keep things in order, and he feels Nora is not capable of being able to do what he does (Ibsen 1055-1058). His family must live up to the expectations he places on them, and he especially places this burden upon his wife. We see this show of narcissism particularly in the final scene, after he discovers that Nora borrowed money for their trip to Italy from Krogstad and that she has forged her father’s signature. At this revelation he goes from the gentle (if condescending) husband to a man whose first and only worry is their appearance to the outside world, â€Å" From now on there can be no question of happiness.All we can do is save the bits and pieces from the wreck, preserve appearances†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ibsen 1103). He views her not as the wife he loves anymore, but as someone who has â€Å"ruined [his] entire happiness, jeopardized [his] entire future† (Ibsen 1102). The moment she no longer lived up the expectation he placed on everyone in his life, she became only a problem to him and not someone worth loving or helping. â€Å"Torvald’s self-righteous vision of a structured, organized, and fair world, in which he is the master of his house, conflicts with the reality around him† (Shideler). Nora may not share this trait of narcissism, but her childish selfishness is evident throughout the entire play (Drake). She forges her father’s signature, but does not think about how it would affect herself or her family later, she spends money that they don’t have and ignores her husband’s warnings, she uses her husband’s view of her as a child as a means to manipulate him and get what she wants, and in the final act of the play, she leaves her children behind so she can â€Å"try to educate† herself (Ibsen 1105-1109).Nora has traditionally been considered the most beloved of Ibsen’s characters in A Doll’s House, in stark contrast to Torvald’s image as a quiet, but consistent, antagonist to Nora’s protagonist, largely due to the way they are both portrayed throughout the play. Though Nora’s depiction as a disobedient child throughout most of the play may seen strange to the modern reader, it was perhaps simply a means for Ibsen to prove a point about the subordinate position women held in society during the time of his life. By showing the resourcefulness Nora possesses, and then contradicting it with showing the personality she had to acquire to survive in a male-dominated society, we are led to believe that if she only had the chance t o prove herself in the world, she would be able to. Throughout the play Nora consistently shows that she is torn between the woman she is supposed to be according to her husband and society, and the woman she wants to be (Schwarez). In understanding the point Ibsen was trying to make we can begin to see the reason why so many people have grown an affection for her character, despite her faults, and viewed Torvald as a domineering and chauvinistic husband (Drake).While Nora’s faults are often overlooked so that the overall moral of the story can be appreciated, very few have found any redeeming qualities in Torvald, largely due to the symbolic value of his character in the story. His treatment of his wife throughout the entire play shows him restricting what she eats, what she spends, and even how she feels about herself. Through Torvald’s treatment of Nora Ibsen asks his audience to reexamine traditionally ‘happy’ marriages and the way in which men general ly treat women (Schwarez). Again, we see a situation in which the characters are representations of something greater than just a single person and a single situation.Looking at both characters, it is hard to assign either of them the title of hero. Both possess qualities that would automatically be viewed as faults and not something to be viewed as heroic; however, history and such movement as feminism have claimed Nora as the ultimate hero, a woman who, in discovering that she is in no way independent from her husband, progresses during the course of the play, eventually to realize that she must discontinue the role of a doll and seek out her individuality (Drake). Nora’s struggle to break free opens up doors to her that were at one time closed. From her quiet defiance of her husband by eating the macaroons, to the final scene in which she finally stands up for herself and forces Torvald to see her as a woman and a person, and in so doing Nora realizes that she is worthy of more than what society, and her husband, have given her (Schwarez).From Nora’s faults we see emerge a strong and independent woman whose final actions are heroic in the eyes of modern society, yet the heroic qualities that Nora expects Torvald to exhibit never come to pass. At the end of the play Nora says, â€Å"For eight years I have been patiently waiting. Because, heavens, I knew miracles didn’t happen every day. Then this devastating business started, and I became absolutely convinced the miracle would happen† (Ibsen 1107). Nora admits that for eight years she had been expecting Torvald to prove that he loves her and has kept her secret dream of being saved by Torvald. She was hoping that, in the midst of all her trouble, Torvald’s love for her would bring heroic qualities to the surface, that he would step forward and miraculously prove his true character:Torvald is characterized by his preoccupation with himself and his failure to recognize and re turn the kind of love that Nora has given him. And Nora’s love is characterized by sacrifice and devotion – and by the fact that her kind of love must be kept secret in their society (Bo 2).For the once selfish Nora, to be willing to sacrifice everything because she did something wrong to save her husband’s life is certainly a step towards her own empowerment. Nora becomes willing to sacrifice all of herself for her husband and his honor, but in the end, despite the fact that Nora was hoping for a miracle, Torvald is not willing to sacrifice anything for Nora. The hero Nora had been hoping for does not come to the rescue, and so she realizes that the only way for her to go on will be to develop heroic qualities herself (Shideler). Unfortunately, in doing so Nora must leave behind the life she has created, her home and her children, perhaps the only actions of Nora’s in that final scene that makes her seem less than heroic (Ibsen 1107-1109). Yet, these act ions are a product of the oppressive, male-dominated society in which Nora lives, a society where she cannot even feel qualified enough to raise her own children without her husband’s guidance. Nora’s character verbalizes this when she speaks to Torvald in the final scene:On the contrary, you were quite right. I’m not up to it. There’s another problem needs solving first. I must take steps to educate myself. You are not the man to help me there. That’s something I must do on my own. That’s why I’m leaving you (Ibsen 1106).In this final act Nora is seen as â€Å"the incarnation of the will to reach self-fulfillment through liberation from oppression and self-deceit† (Schwarez).The characters of Nora and Torvald are both extremely flawed. Both of them are the products of their time, a time when women were overpowered by men, when a marriage was a reflection of the male-dominated society in which they were born, and both act accor dingly. Yet, when the opportunity arises for both of them to either abandon the repressive standards placed on them or to stay in their comfortable home, play-acting the roles of husband and wife, Torvald does not stand up to the occasion. It is Nora, who in the midst of her doll’s house, realizes that in order to be saved, she must save herself (Shideler). Nora is not a hero because of the way she has lived her life, or because she is perfect, but because she was the one that found the strength to deny the patriarchal world that has denied so many women the right to realize that they are human beings as well, a realization that Torvald is not willing to accept (Ibsen 1107-1108).   As Ibsen stated himself, his mission when writing Nora’s exit was â€Å"to awaken individuals to freedom and independence—and as many of them as possible† and in so doing he created a heroine, not for the women of his day, but for women of ours (Shepherd-Barr 21). Nora is not a heroine of the play because of her strengths or because she is perfect, but because she is real. She has faults like everyone else and yet is able to recognize that there is something greater out there for her in the world than a loveless marriage, and a life without educating herself. This is what makes her a heroine.

Italian Nationalism essays

Italian Nationalism essays Nationalism is the love of ones country rather than the love of ones native region and the belief that ones country is superior to that of anyone elses. Italian nationalism became a strong force in the early 1800s when writers and thinkers became intent on reviving interest in Italys traditions. From nationalism spawned a desire for unification therefore, specific movements were founded allowing people to express these goals of liberation. Three very influential men were present in Italy during the 19th century who played crucial parts in unifying Italy as they helped to spread nationalistic ideas throughout the country. These men were Giuseppe Mazzini, Count Camillo Benso di Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi. A number of rebellions, revolts and wars broke out during this time, which united the people of Italy under similar feelings of patriotism as they were all set on fighting for their country. All of these elements helped to bring about the unification of Italy. In this essay I will explain how Italy was finally unified in the late 1800s and how nationalism influenced the people of Italy and played an important part on the road to Italian unification Three very important men of the 19th century greatly impacted Italian history. One of them, Giuseppe Mazzini was born in 1805 and devoted his entire life to his goals of Italian unification. During the early 1800s, a nationalistic movement known as the Risorgimento, the Italian word for revival was founded. Because nationalists were not permitted to express their ideas openly, they formed several secret societies. One of these groups was the Carbonari, which Mazzini was a member of. In 1831, he rallied Italian nationalists through an organization dedicated to uniting Italy. He called this movement Young Italy and described it as a brotherhood of Italians who believed in Progress and Duty. In 1848, he led groups ...

Essay on Cell Phones

Essay on Cell Phones Essay on Cell Phones This is a free example essay on Cell Phones: When I was born, in the mid 80`s, cellular telephones were just becoming popular as a wireless way of communication. But the concept caught on rapidly and people were subscribing left and right for cellular phone service. As I was growing up I began to notice more and more people around me beginning to use these new marvels of technology. I was in a state of awe about how these contraptions, which at the time were not so little; some of them so large as to have to be carried in a bag and some the size of some of the biggest house phones today, really functioned. I was in disbelief about just how you could actually take a telephone with you wherever you go and be able to talk to people on it whenever you wanted. When I was about six or seven I felt as if I was going to go crazy if someone in my family did not own one of these new contraptions, when finally the day came. I had taken a trip to Huntsville with my mom and my sister to go shopping one afternoon, we were starting to finish up our adventurous day of shopping when all of the sudden my mom walked into the Bellsouth Wireless store. My eyes glowed with excitement as we walked in. Finally, after what seemed like days of talking with salesmen about different calling plans and such, we had our very own cellular phone. When we got to the car, I frantically begged to look at the phone and all of its wonder. On the trip back to Decatur, I pressed the buttons on the phone, listened to funny sounds that it made, and sat in glee holding the mobile piece of technology. Finally the time came and my mom made the first call on it, calling back to my house telling my father the wonderful news of the new gadget, and after asking until I couldn`t ask anymore I finally got to talk on it and enjoy its wonder. Since then, over the past years, my parents have had many new phones of all shapes and sizes and colors. Over the years phones have gotten smaller, more compact and convenient and better technologically to suit our eve ryday lives. Some cellular phones are now as small as business cards, some phones being a brilliant light show of blinking, spinning, flashing L.E.D lights, and some phones basically being a little P.C. that fits into your pocket. Unfathomable amounts of time, money, and research going into these little devices of communication just to try and make our lives a little bit easier. People spending their lives making all of the electronics and technology going into these devices being made smaller and faster and better. All of this work goes into these little telephones making communication more convenient for us in our day to day lives. Work going into these telephones making it possible for us to call home, or work, across the nation, or around the world all while we are driving somewhere or walking down the street. In this day and age every man, woman, and child you see on the street is carrying one of these devices glued to their head. I have to admit that I am probably one of those people that you would see. Receiving my very own cellular phone shortly after I turned 16, I had the same excitement as I did when I was a child coming in contact with a cellular phone for the first time. That first cellular phone now sits at the top of a closet in a box along with other past cellular phones in various drawers and boxes collecting dust as the technology moves on and better things come along, all taken for granted. ______________ is a professional essay writing service which can provide high school, college and university students with 100% original custom written essays, research papers, term papers, dissertations, courseworks, homeworks, book reviews, book reports, lab reports, projects, presentations and other assignments of top quality. More than 700 professional Ph.D. and Master’s academic writers. Feel free to order a custom written essay on Cell Phones from our professional essay writing service.

The Modern Woman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Modern Woman - Essay Example A majority of the water reserve is being held by a water and power (W&P) plant, therefore taking advantage of the scarce resources to control the earth’s population. The main actress ‘tank girl,’ also referred to as Lori Pretty, is a member of a rebellious crew which aims about stealing any water that they can find, in order to sustain their community. However, Kesslee (W&P’s leader) finds and attacks the crew’s hideout, thereby killing Rebeca’s boyfriend and capturing her young friend Sam. Lori Pretty is also captured but due to her defiant nature, is enslaved and tortured. Tank girl meets a new friend ‘Jet girl,’ who convinces her to make less trouble for W&P but her efforts are futile. Meanwhile, another W&P encounters difficulty with ‘the rippers,’ which consists of a group of mutated Kangaroos. Kesslee uses Tank girl as bait to draw out the rippers but they come out clever. They gravely injure Kesslee and in the process, Tank girl is freed up. Afterwards, Lori Pretty and Jet girl learn where Sam is held and they ask the help of the rippers to help them carry out a mission to free him. This results to a killing of the W&P personnel with Jet girl angrily confronting one of them who in fact had sexually assaulted her. The purpose of this film was to show how the woman could stand up and protect the ones she cares for, against all odds. However, throughout this film, there are a couple of sexual references. Therefore, the film should be watched by young adults with absolute parental guidance. On the other hand, the documentary ‘One woman One Vote,’ is an exceptional account of the long suffrage experiences that the American woman has endured to win the right to vote. This film documents the 70 years period that men and women worked towards enfranchising women. The film emphasizes that this suffrage undertaking did not really depict an amalgamated fight towards equivalent

Reflection on the The Political Morality of Race Work Essay - 1

Reflection on the The Political Morality of Race Work - Essay Example Having ‘racial label’ do shape the way people think of themselves. As stated with the same source, â€Å"what people can do depends on what concept they have available to them; and among the concepts that may shape one's action is the concept of a certain kind of person and the behavior appropriate to that kind†. Helping one person think he is inferior among others may add more insult to injury and this indeed will result in final self-breakdown. How devastating that would be! Culture and civilization also became an object in Kwame Anthony Appiah’s essay. These two has a function in further dividing individuals globally by racial differences. He defined culture as â€Å"the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought†. There have been Orientals, Africans, and Chinese people that were to adopt a culture and civilization different from their traditional one such as th at of Americans but still there the differences are noticeable. It is said that every race has its own common culture. Like black Americans have their own common culture on â€Å"values and beliefs and practices that they share and they do not share with others†, as stated in the essay. It is true that each nation and race has its own culture. This may lead to some racial gaps in our global society. Yet, it is not simply a hindrance in having a good relationship with them. Unless they wouldn’t do something terrorist act, what is wrong with dealing with them? All of us are both humans. We do need respect and equality. What is the United Nations for but to supposedly bring peace and equality globally? Why can’t other people bridge the differences and go on living life to the full together in accord? Civilization may play a great role in stereotyping minority race. However, it is not always good for some nations that view their race inferior to others. Countries th at are well-developed economically were viewed by many as greater than anybody else. To mention some, the USA and Britain are viewed as masters of the land. They run the world market.     

Causes of the Rwanda Genocide

Causes of the Rwanda Genocide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXCoHxX1OC8list=PL089D8AFA5E9ADEC1index=20 What all begain as a social economic standing s between two groups in Rwanda ended up being the reason why 800000 people ended up losing their lives†¦ this battle didn’t only start with the Rwandan genocide in 1994, this battle has been here ever since the colonisation of Rwanda. Throughout the 1800s among other categories; Rwanda had two main categories for people that lived there, namely there were the Hutus and the Tutsis, but this had nothing to do with ethnic grouping whatsoever, these different categories were given onto another by the economical state of which they were in, if you had a large amount of cattle you were regarded as a Tutsi and if you had a small amount of cattle you would then be regarded as a Hutu there were interactions among these two categories people and one could easily move from being a Hutu to being a Tutsi vice versa, this was done either by marriage or by the accomplishment of cattle or the lose there of (Roseberg, 2014) so then the term Hutu or Tutsi had no bases of which clan one originated from or whether they were original found in Rwanda or not, and therefore generally speaking being a Tutsi held a higher strata in society (UN, 2014). This was all up until the white man came with his one ideology and human classificatio n this was all before the white men came to Africa the Rwandan people had their own system of running things but the white man came and he had the Bible and they had the land. They then put notion of Christianity into their minds and when the Rwandans got the hang of the white man’s system the white man had the land and Rwandans were left with notions that caused them hatred. (Sugirtharajah, 2006) Among these systems of how Rwanda operated the Rwandans had their own myths and believes of how humanity came to be (Mamdani, 2002, 79); firstly they believed in the sacral nature and the origin of human settlement in Rwanda that claimed monarchy originated from a heavenly king nkuba meaning thunder and that nkuba had two sons namely Kigwa and Tutsi and a daughter Nyampundu, the Rwandans believed that the nkuba alongside his wife Nyagasani lived in the heavens above and that one day these three siblings fell from the heavens and landed on the Rwandan Hill and as Kigwa married his sister their descendants were to be the Abanyinginya clan and as Tutsi their brother married on one of his nieces his descendants were the Abeega clan and these was to be the reason for the intermarriage among these two royal families(Mamdani, 2002, 79) The second myth was to be based on the social differences of the three groups. The myth claimed that the three sons namely Gatwa, Gahutu and Gatutsi went to God and asked for social abilities and the Gatutsi was given anger, Gahutu given disobedience and labour and the Gatwa was given the faculty, gluttony (Mamdani, 2002, 79) The third one claimed the first king of the earth Kigwa tested his three sons’ abilities by giving them milk to keep guide overnight, Gatwa was found to have drank the whole milk, Gahutu to have spilled his milk but the Gatutsi to have kept his milk intacked and that is why the Gatutsi was put in higher possible than the the two other brothers so that he can ensure that their bad traits are kept in check (Mamdani, 2002, 80). And it is in every one of these examples that the Tutsis and the Hutus all came from the same family even though other were put in position of power over the other but this was until the rival colonists arrived in Rwanda with their idea that the Tutsis were to be deemed better than the Hutus because they come from elsewhere (Mamdani, 2002, 80). During the era of the trans-Atlantio slave trade the racialized understanding of Africa was that there were three Africas, southern Africa â€Å"Africa proper† where there was no form of civilization and where slaves were found, north Africa â€Å"European Africa† that had some form of civilization as a result of the influence that Europe had on it and east Africa that was influenced by Asia, but as Africa was explored even further they found that this ideology became even less credible because they found forms of civilization where there had not been an European influence and this was then that they claimed this influence was not completely without European influence because these black people were the descendants of Canaan (Mamdani, 2002, 80), that were given the curse of ham. The curse of ham was given to Canaan’s children after his father ham had seen Noah who was Canaan’s Grandfather drunk and naked in the stupor. This curse was given to Ham that Canaan’s descendants shall be born ugly and black, they will have their hair twisted into kinks and their eyes will have red eyes and they will go naked and their male members shamefully elongated and they shall form subject to slavery (Mamdani, 2002, 81), this myth fitted in so perfectly with Rwanda people they both illustrated difference that arose from brothers so therefore humans(Mamdani, 2002, 80) paradox is that black people were to be regarded as slaves by this biblical curse â€Å"a servant of servants shall he be†(Mamdani, 2002, 81), by this curse the coloniser felt it highly Christian of them so enslave black people even though they were part of humanity (Mamdani, 2002, 81). But this believe of black having to be subjected to bad and all that is not to be liked does not only exist in Christianity, it is in every human being that the is a distinction from bad and good and it is in most case that black is always seen as the bad side, darkness is to be evil and light to be the good of things it is by this Manichean Allegory that colour can be deemed as a form of identifying what is good and what is bad, this allegory does only compare one from the other but it weighs it against another so there is to be degrees of which one can be deemed to be bad and so to be good, it was by this allegory that complex concepts are just to be put into black and white, bad and good, darkness and light. Because of the skin pigmentation difference that was found within the Hutus and the Tutsis the Manichean allegory was quick to take course and the Hutus being darker were to be deemed as the darkness the bad of things and the Tutsis as the more lighter ones as the light, the o nes to be in power and generally the more superior and to be regarded as foreigners in the Rwandan society and put in position of power and called the Hamitic people and the Hutus to be the Negros that are to be slaves to the Tutsis and therefore fall victim under their regime (Mamdani, 2002;82) All of these factors wouldn’t have caused the genocide to be what it was if only it wasn’t instituted into the Rwandan society and this took place when the Belgians arrived in Rwanda and put a minority power over a majority amount of Hutus. Rwanda was generally place full of magical beauty that was tacked away in the heart of Africa, Rwanda was among others an inspiration for the some writing material regard Gorillas (Meredith,2002; 485) it was a place of tourism attraction and as such its economy was just on the rise, between the 1956 and 1989 inflation rates were low, there was a high number of schoo enrolment and health facility were of good standards, their main export being coffee almost every house hold that was in the rural areas was involved in coffee production (Meredith, 2002;486) even though they were these highly positive aspects to Rwanda the politics of the country were still being ran by the Hamitic hypothesis and for this reason the Tutsis were being recognised as the enemy of the country(Meredith, 2002;486) because they were been said not to originate from but this notion was not the reason why they were killed these was just a long standing ethnic ideology that has long been standing but has commonly b een the scapegoat at the dispose of both the Tutsis and the Hutus whenever there is a crisis at hand, like in 1972 when Captain Michel Micombero a Tutsi, had rounded up all Hutus with any form of education and had them killed as a form of reducing the Hutu uprising (Meredith, 2002; 488). It seems as if though whenever the Rwandans are doing badly in the country they claim that there is up rise of the other ethnic group that wants to have their own power enforced onto others. Even though Rwanda was a place of beauty and all, during the time that President Kayibanda was the leader the government was about to collapse because of the great disagreements that were among the government (Meredith,2002;488). Among the other issues the most highlighted was that President Kayibanda favoured the southern Hutu clan more than he favoured the other Hutu clans of Rwanda because he himself was from the south of Rwanda( Meredith, 2002;489). So when the Tutsis that were exiled into neighbouring countries formed insurgent groups called the inyenzi that had a sole intention of restoring the Tutsi monarchy attacked a military camp and were heading for the country’s capital Kayibanda took this act as his opportunity to crush the Tutsi opposition(opposition (Meredith, 2002; 487) and send out his hate speeches of how the Tutsis wanted to run Rwanda once more (Meredith, 2002; 488) When his claims of terrorism by the Tutsis and his hate campaign did not work he got thrown into jail by his fellow Hutu man from the southern of Rwanda and Kayibanda died allegedly from starving (Meredith, 2002;489), he was succeeded by the very same man that put him into jail (Meredith, 2002; 490) and during most of his years of power which was during the 1970s and 1980s the Tutsi factor was not of importance to him (Meredith,2002;490) up until he himself needed a scapegoat to divert to. The killings that took place and the reasons for these kills On the 6th of April 1994 Habyarimana’s plane was shot down (Meredith, 2002; 507) although not known by which clan, the Hutu extremists and the RDF accused each other. Because of Habyarimana had signed the Arusha Accords making the hut hold on Rwanda week and allowing Tutsi participation (Rosenberg,2014), the Hutu extremists were heavily upset and therefore they took into action the plans that have been put into place for years which was the extermination of the Tutsi (Meredith, 2002;507). The victims that were be killed were not only to be Tutsis but also Hutus that were either willing to help Tutsis or that were standing in the way of the Hutu extremists that were willing to kill the Hutus lists of victims were properly prepared for both the opposition and every Tutsi’s name and addresses and they were tracked down and killed in their homes (Meredith, 2002; 503-507). So because of the Hamitic hypothesis the Tutsis had an element that made them distinct and the oppositions was just a mere minority (Girard, 1986; 17). Certain forms of media was also used as a method of not only identifying the people that were to be killed by radio broadcasts (Meredith, 2002; 507) but it was also used to pass on the propaganda of the whole genocide, it also continued the Hutus of the ways of which they are expected to behave as proper Hutus through the ten commandments that clearly stated that a hutu shall not have any form of mercy for a tutsi or any intermarriage between them(Gisenyi, 1990,4) it is paradoxical that they did not command them not to have sexual intercourses with them and that may be the reason why so many woman like Jane were raped and witnessed other being raped and killed (Nowrojee,1996). Through media the ten hutu commandments gained obedience from even pastors for they ignored the bible’s Ten Commandments and churches because the hotspots for these killings(Rwembeho, 2007) Bibliography Jennifer Rosenberg, 2014, Rwanda Genocide, http://history1900s.about.com/od/rwandangenocide/a/Rwanda-Genocide.htm , Date access: 26 May 2014. United Nations, 2014, Rwanda: A Brief History of the Country, http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/education/rwandagenocide.shtml, Date access: 26 May 2014. Sugirtharajah, R. (2006) Voices from the Margin: INTERPRETING THE BIBLE IN THE THIRD WORLD, New York: Orbis Books, p25). Mamdani, M. (2002) When victims become killers: colonialism, nativism, and the genocide in Rwanda, Chapter Three, p76-87. Meredith, M., (2006) The Graves are not yet full!† in The State of Africa: A History of Fifty of Independence, London: Free Press. Girard, R., (1986) â€Å"Steriotypes of Persecution† in The Scapegoat. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University press. Gisenyi Information, (1990), Kangura Issue 06. Nowrojee, B., (1996) Shattered Lives: Sexual Violence during the Rwandan Genocide and its Aftermath, United States of America. Rwembeho, S., (2007), Rwanda: When Churches Became Killing Fields, http://allafrica.com/stories/200703260402.html, Date accessed: 28 May 2014. Da Silva, S., (2007), Revisiting the ‘Rwandan Genocide’, http://www.globalresearch.ca/revisiting-the-rwandan-genocide/5848, Date accessed: 28 May 2014. 1 | Page

Marketing Framework

What Is It? Marketing Framework Market Research and Buyer Behaviour Understanding the behaviour of buyers in your target group is crucial in marketing. Now more than ever, success is dependant upon market research and identifying and meeting customer needs at a profit. ‘Zara' have recently become the world's largest clothing retailer, ‘by focusing on understanding consumer needs and behaviour and by providing value to the customer'. Through intense market research, they developed an important knowledge of their target market's buying patterns and recognised the need to constantly update their styles.Furthermore they understood new concepts such as fast fashion' and ‘disposable clothing, the idea that teenagers and young adults craved new styles quickly and cheaply. It is now more important than ever for marketing managers to respond swiftly and decisively to changes in consumer patterns. Nowadays, an excellent method a company can monitor their target market and con duct extensive market research is through social media. Never before have enterprises had such powerful technologies to interact with customers.Almost every company has their own ‘Facebook or ‘Twitter' account (combined with ver one billion active Facebook users globally), where they can receive immediate customer feedback about the faults in their product online. Furthermore, customers can chat online about these products. 53 percent of people on Twitter in Ireland recommend companies and/or products in their tweets'(ROl Research for Performance, June 2010). ‘Calgon' dishwasher tablets recently produced an advertisement for television, where two women chat in an online forum about their dishwashers.The first woman complains about her dishwasher, while the other recommends she starts using ‘Calgon' tablets. Calgon certainly demonstrate their nderstanding of the importance of Word of mouth'; recent statistics show that 84 percent of customers trust peers over advertisments. Social media is both an opportunity and a challenge for businesses. Consumers used to have to go looking for the product, but now the product will find us, with excess information hurled at us from every direction! We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it. There are many other concepts which are particularly noteworthy when developing a successful marketing strategy. Marketing managers must take into account the ountless amount of factors that influence consumer patterns and buyer behaviour, trom gender and age, to social and economic backgroun s c ae O'Leary, CEO ot Ryanair, flourished in recognising an untouched market segment of consumers looking for low quality air travel at exceptionally low prices by comparison to the likes of Aer Lingus.He understood that people on lower incomes neither needed nor wanted to pay high prices for comfort, such as more leg room and nice meals on flights. This has become even more evide nt since the recession, with Ryanair climbing above high fair competitors. O'Learys market strategy succeeded because of is insight and understanding he had of the buyer behaviour of his target group. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Marketers developed the processes of segmentation, marketing and positioning so that they could understand their customers and their buying behavior. Segmentation is the first step in this process of product promotion.The goal of market segmentation is finding out where the firm should compete and in what segments should they focus that will result in a comparative advantage. Segmentation leads to comparative advantages in a number of ways. Firstly, it reduces rivalry due to reduced competition in any given segment. It allows for efficient resource allocation as resources can be effectively focused on concentrated targets. Finally it can allow a firm no matter what size to become the product of choice in the given segment. Target marketing is at its most basic level is when a firm directs its marketing message at a specific market or segment.It means that a group of customer has been chosen to whom the firm will direct most of their marketing resources, times and attention. Target marketing means that firms avoid wasting resources and time by giving the consumer what they need or want rather than making a product that the irm believes the consumer needs or wants. Finally positioning, which requires the firm to establish the brand in the minds of the consumers in order to maximize the potential benefit. Businesses use positioning analysis to understand how their target customers see their product and to see where they are in relation to their competitors.All three of these components must be completed correctly or else the whole marketing campaign will be destined for failure. Branding Branding plays a major part in the marketing world. Branding exists so as to differentiate a company's product or service from that of its om petitors. It performs many roles both for the consumer and for the business. In relation to the consumer ,brands allow the consumer to shop with a reduced level of risk due to familiarity with the quality of each brand and this also would lead to a reduction in time spent shopping.Concerning businesses, branding performs a lot of valuable functions. The main function, is brand loyalty as this leads to predictability and security of demand, increased security against competitors and can allow the businesses to charge higher prices. Other roles it plays are, that it offers legal rotection due to trademarks and it can give the business a comparative edge . Companies use brand to install an image in the consumer's head when they hear of ything associated witn that brand. To make sure this is a success they must match all the elements of marketing, such as pricing policy, distribution methods etc. to the image that this wish to create. 7 P's Of Marketing An essential element of the marke ting strategy is the marketing mix. Comprising of product, price, place, promotion, process, people and physical evidence, it allows enterprises to deliver value in conjunction with satisfying consumer needs. Firstly, the product is some good or service that a company offers in the market.. A product satisfies a customers' want or need, and to what degree depends on the quality of the product which is usually quite subjective.Price is the next P and it denotes the monetary value a good is exchanged for. Price plays a major part in the decision making process of consumers. High prices, usually convey a luxurious consumption experience contrasted to affordable low prices offering basic products. Enterprises communicate their products to their target market through adopting and implementing a promotional strategy. Promotional activities seek to inform, persuade and influence the target market. Strategies include; branding, personal selling and advertising.Following on, place is the loc ation of the transaction between the consumer and business, ultimately it is the accessibility of the product to the consumer. There are various channels of distribution both direct and indirect an enterprise may adopt, in order ensure its product reaches the consumer. During the provision of a service, it is the people or staff who exert a major influence as to the outcome of the consumer experience. Therefore, staff must be adequately trained nd equipped with the necessary skills, approach and attitudes in order to achieve the desired outcome an enterprise strives towards.The process an enterprise implements is the way in which business is conducted within an organisation and is seen through the flow of activities. For example, customer-cultivating companies are designed to serve customers and customer segments, this is one part of a potential business process, as seen in the Zara fashion retail example. Finally, physical evidence is how a business presents itself to its target ma rket. It is the outward appearance of the organization and creates an impression on the consumer.