Analysing the Black Cat Using Labov’s Narrative Structure

OBJECTIVES For this assignment, the study aims to: 1. produce a frequency chart according to the elements of Labov’s Narrative Structure 2. discuss the way Edgar Allen Poe structured his short story to form the elements of tragedy, mystery and terror as presented in the short story In completing the task, I will use Labov’s Narrative Theory to conduct narrative analysis of the short story, The Black Cat written by Edgar Allan Poe. The structure of this essay begins with the introduction to narrative and narrative analysis. The second part develops in the literature review where I will explain Labov’s Narrative Structure and introducing the author of the story, Edgar Allan Poe. The section ends with the discussion of The Black Cat from non-linguistic perspectives proposed by different scholars. The peak of the task is in the third part which is the analysis of the story where the discussion mainly covers the most appealing element from Labov’s Theory used by Allan Poe to structure his story to create terror and horror sentiments. The analysis will be seen from linguistic point of view on how linguistic features or forms are associated with certain functions. INTRODUCTION Defining Narrative The word ‘Narrative’ derives from the Latin narre which means ‘to make known’, so narratives frequently convey information. (Lacey,N. ,2000). If we are using this definition, perhaps it may cover a wide range of format or genre in which may not be considered narrative as in timetable or lab report. Lacey,N (2000) points out that what distinguishes narrative from other forms is that it presents information as a connected sequence of events and these events are structured logically and causally; each event is derived from the previous event. Wikipedia, (2010) explains in a broader context that narrative is a story that is created in a constructive format in a form of writing, speech, poetry, prose, pictures, song, motion pictures, video games, theatre or dance in which describe a sequence of fictional or non-fictional events. The simplest way of describing the term narrative is someone telling someone else that something happened (Barbara Herrnstein Smith, 1981). Barbara’s definition of narrative reflects the idea that narrative occurs in most of daily conversations and involves personal experience and interest. In All American: Glossary of Literary Terms, narrative is seen as a collection of events that tells a story, which may be true or not, placed in a particular order and recounted through either telling or writing. It is a recapitulating event that is told by someone and it is naturally and purposely arranged in an acceptable way. Literary Terms and Definition proposes narrative as a story or an account in which it is usually creative and imaginative rather than strictly factual, as evidenced in fairy tales, legends, novels, novelettes, short stories, etceteras. The involvement of personal touch in many of narrative work allows readers to create an imaginative atmosphere that brings the readers into the authors’ world and even in some narratives, they persuade the readers to view the world through their eyes. The motives behind literary work are perhaps hidden behind the characters’ disposition and also the description of scenes and situations. Other scholars like Seymour Chatman and Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan, point out that narrative is a structure which is made up of narrative statements (Chatman,S. , 1990) and narrative consists of characteristics as follows; 1) events, governed by temporality, or – more precisely – a double temporality (the chronology of the events and their presentation in the text); 2)telling or narration, as an act of mediation or transmission which, in literature, is verbal. Labov (1972) defines narrative as consisting minimally of two temporally ordered clauses, and reversing the order of the clauses would change the story. In his hypothesis with his friend, Waletzky, fundamental narrative structures are to be found in oral versions of personal experience which is the ordinary narratives of ordinary speakers. By looking at many narratives, they wish to identify and relate formal linguistic properties of narratives to their functions. Labov and Waletzky have come out with a framework functions as a tool in analyzing narrative literary text linguistically. The understanding behind this framework is narrative can be seen as socially situated through sociolinguistic approach. Cortazzi (1993) stresses that narrative is more than a linear order of narrative structure. In fact, if a narrative plainly follows the order or sequence of this circular structure, perhaps it may be abnormal. Narrative is an author’s personal touch and it serves as an additional function of personal interest, determined by a stimulus in the social context in which the narrative occurs. Definition given by Toolan (2001), is comprehensively acceptable that narrative is defined as a perceived sequence of non-randomly events, typically involving, as the experiencing agonist, humans or quasi-humans, or other sentient beings, from whose experience we human can ‘learn’. He also extends the definition by stating that our preference is often for the sequence of connected events to take shape around a state or period of turbulence or crisis, subsequently resolved that is while a sequence of events entails some sort of change of state, a sequence containing a resolved crisis or problems entails a pronounce change of state. The Importance of Narrative Analysis (NA) of Literary Text Stories are in important aspect of culture and many literary work convey stories and motives (Wikipedia, 2010). Narrative analysis has contributed for development in many disciplines and has been a tool for better understanding of the literary text and anything underlies behind it. The importance of NA is that, it allows analyst to draw connections between linguistic form and the function (Labov and Waletzky,1972). The clauses as functional linguistic units appeared in narratives are structured and formed to meet the need of the author to logically create narrative sequence. The linguistic features exist in narrative text, have somehow portrayed certain patterns of structures in which help to develop particular genres and this pattern too has helped readers to create better imagination in mind. In other words, through such analysis, we can relate the formal properties of narratives to their functions. The analysis is formal where it is conducted based upon recurrent patterns characteristics of narrative from the clause level to the complete simple narrative and the analysis is functional and will be considered as one verbal technique for recapitulating experience- in particular a technique of constructing narrative units that match the temporal sequence of that experience. . (Labov & Waletzky, 1972). The idea behind Labov and Waletzky’s notion is to isolate the elements of narratives that serve certain linguistic functions where fundamental structures which are to be found in oral versions of personal experiences usually interconnected with the functions they serve. NA is also engaged in other educational disciplines. Narrative has been the subject of intensive research in a variety of disciplines, with work in contemporary literary theory leading the way (as represented in such â€Å"movements† as post-structuralism, reader-response criticism, deconstructionism, feminist theory, and neo-Marxist approaches to texts and society) (Paul. G. J. , 1991). Researchers use narrative analysis to deal with the problems of effective communications and class and ethnic differences (Cortazzi,M. ,1993). Researchers in education find NA allows access to study teachers’ culture and thinking, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Cortazzi (1993) stresses that the use of NA encourages us to develop descriptions of teacher’s culture which preserve their voices. NA is best use for exploratory purpose, sensitizing the researcher, illustrating but not by itself validating theory and a common focus is the exploration of ethical, moral and cultural ambiguous. Garson,G. D. ,2000). Alvarez and Urla (2002) have pointed out that in the field of information system implementation; NA provides richer data than is obtained by conventional system requirements analysis. Discovering narrative is a point of departure to discovering culture and its society. In the early periods of literature, writers share intellectuals, linguistics, r eligious and artistic influences (http://web. cn. edu/kwheeler/documents/Periods_Lit_History. pdf). These thoughts are put into writings and each period (such as Classical period, Medieval period, Renaissance and Reformation period, Neoclassical period, Romantic period, Victorian period and Modern period and Postmodern period) represents the background of its society and even political changes. Chafe (1990) sees narratives as ‘overt manifestations of the mind in action: as windows to both the content of the mind and its going operations. Narratives can therefore be seen as opening a window on the mind, or, if we are analysing narratives of a specific group of tellers, as opening a window on their culture. Cortazzi,M. , 1993). In Malaysian context, the knowledge of analysing narratives would encourage better participation and engagement from both teachers and students. The ability to isolate the elements of narratives and to identify the functions of the forms, motivate the learning for better understanding of the literary work. However, it depends how creative the teachers ar e to implement and make use this tool (NA) to incorporate literature in language classroom. Besides that, by studying oral or written accounts of personal experience, the students would be able to see the author’s representations and explanations of experience. (Cortazzi,M. ,1993). Primary and secondary schools students should be taught and exposed with technical terms and structure of literature to promote interest and attitude towards literature. Besides that, attitude towards literature should be inculcated since their early in order to promote appreciation towards the work of literature. Since the late 90s, many Malaysian writers have been into the trend of producing romantic novels (in Malay, such genre is called novel picisan). Compared to other genres, producing novel picisan has been the side income for many of Malaysian writers. Malaysian should be encouraged to produce diverse genres and government plays vital roles in promoting reading culture among Malaysians. The idea behind this is to increase the development of Malaysian publishing industry. But it is undeniably that this industry faces obstacle and challenges in which it may require major revamp of the present National Book Council to give it more strength in overseeing the implementation of the policy and the existing book related laws (Dato’ Ng Tieh Chuan, 2005). Malaysia has some of the important ingredients of a successful publishing industry: considerably high level of literacy, strong government support for education, relatively modest technical resources that are required, commitment towards the development of information technology, and dedicated entrepreneurs willing to take risks in a difficult economic climate. However, our book publishing sector is far from successful and there are several obstacles hampering the development of books in terms of their availability, accessibility and affordability. (Dato’ Ng Tieh Chuan, 2005) Analysing Narratives Linguistically Since narratives demand at least two connected events, then, using linguistics, we could say that ‘gramatically†¦ the minimum requirements for a story are two clauses, whether these occur in a single complex sentence or two simple sentences’ (Pope, 1995). Lacey (2000) illustrates that the statement â€Å"The King is dead† is not sufficient enough to be considered as narrative but by adding another clause, â€Å"and the queen has died of grief†, then narrative exists. When the clauses are connected with certain linguistic functions, a series of events occur. Although narrative can exist without any words at all, the fact that its structure is comparable to the structure of sentence is evidence of its universality. (Lacey,N. ,2000). He also emphasizes that the concept of sequence is crucial and without the development of sequence there is no narrative. Narrative analysis is an analysis of chronologically told story, in which concerned with how narrative elements are sequenced and why certain elements are evaluated differently from others and how past experience shapes perceptions of the present and how present experience shapes perceptions of the past and how both shape perceptions of the future (Garson,G. D. ,2000). LITERATURE REVIEW Labov’s Narrative Structure Sociological and sociolinguistics views of narrative have been developing since the 1960s (Cortazzi,M. 1993) and have influenced many scholars to challenge traditional narrative models to come out with better framework to narrative text analysis. Labov’s Narrative Structure is a sociolinguistic approach which examines formal structural properties of narratives in relation to their social functions. (Labov and Waletzky, 1972). The objective behind this theory is to show that there is correlation between form and its function. Labov’s model of narrative a nalysis comprises of six element (certain elements are optional); Abstract, Orientation, Complicating Action, Evaluation, Result or Resolution and Coda. STRUCTURE |EXPLANATION | |ABSTRACT |one or two clauses summarizing the whole story | |ORIENTATION |the time, place, persons and their activity or the situation | |COMPLICATING ACTION |tells us ‘what happens next’ | |EVALUATION |Establish and sustain the point, the contextual significance and tellability, , or | | |reportability, of story. Narrator’s personal involvement in the story | |RESULT OR RESOLUTION |Explains what finally happened. | |CODA |Signals the ‘sealing off’ of a narrative. | | |Return to the conversational mode, in ‘real’ present time. | TABLE 1: Labov’s Narrative Structure Abstract This category represents the summary of the story. In certain narratives, Abstract is optional (Cortazzi,M. ,1993) and there are some which do not have any because the title of the narratives often serves as the abstract as in ‘The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber’ for instance (Black,E. ,2006). Abstract usually initiates the narrative. It is important for certain narratives to insert this element since it conveys general propositions which often go beyond the immediate events in narratives (Cortazzi,M. ,1993). Orientation The Orientation specifies the participants and circumstances, place and time of the narratives and it is equivalent to setting (Toolan, M. J. ,1992). This element is often embedded within sentences as in Abstract and Complicating Action. Orientation sometimes initiates the narratives and this structure play major roles in creating the narrative atmosphere desired by the author. It sets the scene psychologically as well as literally (Black, E. , 2006) to serve the function of being descriptive. Toolan (1992) states that in Orientation, we can expect verb forms other than extensive verbs (such as transitive or intransitive verbs involving action) in the simple past tense. Besides, Orientation is indicated by past perfectives and past progressive verb phrases and intensive verbs such as be, become, seem, etc. Orientation information in most of the time is encoded in free clauses usually placed at the beginning, sometime coupled with the first event of the Complicating Action (Cortazzi, 1992). Complicating Action Complicating Actions can be referred to the core of the narratives. It consists of a series of narrative clauses in the simple past tense, or sometimes in present tenses. This part of the narrative, the bones of it, gives the event sequence which is often terminated by the Result or Resolution (Cortazzi, 1992). In addition, the verbs often indicate the complicating actions, to show what happen in the story. Evaluation Cortazzi, M. ,(1993), explains that the Evaluation commonly precedes the Resolution and it avoids the withering rejoinder from listeners of ‘so, what? ’ since every good narrator is continually warding off this question. The evaluation is realized by a number of evaluative devices listed below which can be distributed at various points throughout a narrative, although they are commonly positioned before the Resolution. Evaluation category consists of external and internal evaluative devices. In brief explanation, external evaluative device has a strong interpersonal function which applies to written texts and in literary fictions, external evaluation devices are most likely in first person narratives (Black,E, 2006). Black (2006) also mentions that internal evaluative devices are generally more subtle than external evaluation. Such self-questioning, and moving between past, present and future are all characteristics of evaluative devices. Result or Resolution and Coda The Result often signals the end of the story proper and Coda is a final rounding off, tiding up of the lives of characters. (Black, E. , 2006) [pic] Figure 1 Figure 1 shows the relation between all the elements under Labov’s model of narrative analysis. It begins with the present time, indicating the Abstract of the narrative, followed by the introduction of the participants, time, circumstances, and places that fall under the Orientation. The next sequence of a narrative is complicating action, to indicate ‘then, what happen? ’. Evaluation category is not placed in a fix position. It often appears between sequences in a story. The author draws the readers to the ending by indicating the Result or Resolution and finally the Coda. For instance, a story told by someone coming late to an appointment might look like this: I had a terrible time getting here (abstract). I started out an hour ago, and I only live a couple of miles away (orientation). I was standing at the bus stop for ages, and then when the first bus came it was full, and I had to wait another 20 minutes for the next one (complicating action). I was getting so worried; I really thought you'd be gone by the time I arrived (evaluation). Still, I got here in the end (resolution). I'll know to start earlier if we meet here again, though (coda) Discovering Edgar Allan Poe This section mainly discusses on the American writer, Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) who was also known for his genres; horror fiction, gothic romance, crime fiction and detective fiction. He is one the greatest and unhappiest of American poets, a master of the horror tale, and the patron saint of the detective story (Petri Liukkonen, 2008). The information presented below is cited from Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopaedia, The Poe Studies Association (PSA) and PoeStories. com: An exploration of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. [pic] Figure 2: Family Tree of Edgar Allen Poe. (Wikipedia, 2010) Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusette on Jan 19, 1809. He was the second child of actor and actress, David Poe, Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe. His elder brother, William Henry Leonard Poe (January 30, 1807 – August 1, 1831) was a sailor, clerk and also an amateur poet. David and Elizabeth’s daughter Rosalie was born in December 1810. Edgar may have been named after a character in William Shakespeare’s King Lear, a play that the couple was performing in 1809(Nelson, Randy F, 1981). When he was three years old, David Poe left the family and left his wife and his children in 1810. A year later, his wife died from consumption. Edgar was taken care of by John Allan, successful Scottish merchant in Richmond, Virgnia who involve in variety of goods including tobacco, cloth, wheat, tombstone and slaves. The Allans serve as a foster family gave him the name Edgar Allan Poe and baptized him in 1812. John Allan alternately spoiled and aggressively disciplined his foster son. In 1815, the Allans sailed to England and while they lived in England, Poe and his stepfather began to argue fiercely and frequently. Poe was sent to grammar school in Irvine, Scotland, where John Allan was born. He attended the school just for a short period of time and in 1816, he returned and joined the family in London. Mrs. Allan died, John remarried, and he and Poe became even further estranged. In 1826, Poe attended University of Virginia, but he was expelled later that year. He attended West Point for a short time; while there, he accumulated some gambling debts. John Allan, who was frustrated with Poe’s behaviour and attitude, would not help him to pay his debts and Poe had to leave the Academy. He went to Boston in 1827 and, finding that he could not support himself, he enlisted in the United States Army under the name Edgar A. Perry. After two years, he was released and moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where his maternal relatives lived. During this period, newspapers and literary magazines began to be published Poe's work. Tamerlaine and Other Poems appeared in 1827 and Al Aaraaf in 1829. His Manuscript Found in a Bottle won a literary contest in 1833. Three years later, however, his life would change drastically. In May of 1836, he married his 14-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm, who convinced Poe to settle in Philadelphia, where he obtained regular employment as an editor. In 1844, Poe moved to New York City, taking a job as editor for another literary magazine, The Evening Mirror. His most famous and popular poem, The Raven, was published in this magazine; through this one poem, Poe finally achieved his well-deserved reputation as a great writer. In January of 1847, however, after a long illness, Virginia died of tuberculosis. Poe's grief, combined with the stress caused by years of caring for his invalid wife, caused him to collapse emotionally after her death; it is believed that this loss accelerated his drinking problem. Yet two years later, in 1849, he moved back to Richmond and planned to wed Sarah Elmira Royster Shelton, a woman Poe had been engaged to marry earlier in life. (John Allan had forced Poe to abandon any thoughts of marrying her because of lack of money. ) Poe and Shelton, both now having lost a spouse, renewed their relationship. They would, however, not marry due to Poe's untimely death, the circumstances of which remain a mystery, even today. He had left Richmond for Baltimore on September 27, 1849, and was found unconscious in a gutter there on October 3rd. Poe had collected approximately $1,500 for subscriptions to his literary magazine, The Stylus, but no money was found with him, leading to the speculation that he might have been robbed. He was taken to a hospital where he regained consciousness a few times, but Poe was never coherent enough to explain what had happened to him. Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849. [pic] Figure 3: Signature of Edgar Allan Poe (Wikipedia, 2010) The Black Cat The Black Cat† is one of Edgar Allan Poe's most memorable stories. The tale centers around a black cat and the subsequent deterioration of a man (Lombardi,E. , 2010). The story is about a man, who declaring that he will die tomorrow, describes himself as a caring and loving man, who from the earliest days of his youth was mocked by others for his timidity and concern for  all living  things (http://www. bookrags. com/notes/poe/PART1. htm). Based on literary analysis conducted by Cromwell, J. , (2010), the narrator (who is also chief character and author) remains unnamed, but for a purpose. Without a name he represents every man, or rather, every man’s potential. In the opening of his story, the character describes himself as docile and tender natured with a fondness for animals, describing the affection of his pets as â€Å"unselfish and self-sacrificing love. † Cromwell states that the main character faces the relationships of humans, however, with a cynical clipped tone, â€Å"the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere Man. †(The Black Cat, line 12). He also stresses that the desires and feeling held in check by unwritten social law are cut loose by habitual drinking leading to verbal and physical abuse of the man’s animals and wife. The man’s desire was power: over his animals, his wife, and their affections toward him. For full text, kindly refer to Appendix A) ANALYSING THE BLACK CAT In analysing â€Å"The Black Cat†, I have used Labov’s Narrative Structure as my theoretical framework for the analysis. To be brief, for this section, I will explain on how I have analyse the short story b ased on labov’s theory of narrative and followed by the discussion on the findings of the analysis. My focus of discussion is on the elements that show highest percentage in which have constructed and contributed to the great horror effect of Edgar’s short story. As briefly discussed earlier, Labov’s Narrative Structure comprises of six categories in which they serve to structure the narratives. Each sentence in the short story was given a number to ease the process of categorising the sentences into abstract, orientation, complicating action, evaluation, resolution and coda (u may refer to Appendix A). A close reading was conducted and it took quite some time for the completion of the analysis. The finding of the analysis of The Black Cat is presented through the bar chart below. [pic] Figure 4 : The Analysis of The Black Cat based on the elements of Labov’s Narrative Structure The bar chart in figure 1 shows the representation of each element of Labov’s Narrative Structure based on the frequency count of sentences in the short story, The Black Cat. The structure of each sentence represents certain functions as highlighted in Labov’s Narrative Structure. As discussed earlier, Labov’s Narrative Structure consists of six elements which are abstract, orientation, complicating action, evaluation, resolution and coda. Throughout the analysis, the major finding is the elements of orientation and evaluation present in the short story, as indicated above, show the highest number of sentences. These two elements play major roles in constructing the horror sentiment in the short story. Edgar used these two elements comprehensively and most of the time, they were embedded together to show certain degree of emotional state of the character. Obviously, the setting, symbolism, plot, word choice, and character development contributed greatly to the effect of shocking insanity in Edgar Allan Poe’s masterpiece, â€Å"The Black Cat. † Poe’s skilful use of all of these elements, the least of these being setting and the greatest of these being character development, creates a shocking tale, which leaves the mind to ponder in all its horror (www. 123helpme. com, 2010). In the short story, ‘Orientation’ is widely used where Edgar has been descriptive concerning the emotional state and degree of value of the narrator, the situation or places that took place and also detailed elaboration on the crime scene, description on the characters’ attitude and world view. Examples of sentences that portray this element are shown below: SENTENCE NUMBER |TEXT | |[8] |From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition | |[79] |Pluto had not a white hair upon any portion of his b ody; but this cat had a large, although | | |indefinite splotch of white, covering nearly the whole region of the breast. | |[109] |The cat followed me down to the steep stairs and nearly throwing me headlong, exasperated me to | | |madness. | TABLE 2: Orientation From the sentences listed above, it is obvious that Edgar pays critical attention in describing the mental and emotional state of the main character, which is the narrator. In fact, for almost every sentence in the short story consists of orientation element which functions to create the atmosphere of horror. He begins the story with a clear picture of him being tortured and this had destroyed his life. The orientation can refer to a past event with an adverb of time in which will mark off the narrative from the previous talk, as an initiating mechanism (Cortazzi,M. ,1993). He also makes an innocent confession of his crime due to his unstable mental and emotional state through abusing his wife and pets, ‘I suffered myself to use intemperate language to my wife. ’, ‘†¦ I even offered her personal violence’ and â€Å"†¦ even Pluto began to experience the effects of my ill temper†. These sentences have given direct impacts to the reader as he has initially stated how his life has been ruined and destroyed. In elaborating the character of the black cat, in which the narrator claimed to be to be the causal to his failure in life, Edgar has selected certain adjectives and connotations that most suitable and deep impact words to retain the feeling of horror throughout the story. The words like, ‘frightful appearance’, ‘.. a brute beast’, ‘.. my hatred of the beast.. ’, ‘.. the terror and horror with which the animal has inspired me.. ’ , and in fact, the word ‘black’ associated with the cat, is sufficient enough to promote the evil spirit derived from the cat. The repetition of evil and dark connotations leaves the reader with the feeling terrified and suspend and it shows terror and horrified as the core atmosphere of the scenes. Towards the end, Edgar was being descriptive and he used orientation element majorly to describe the inhumane conduct of the narrator and provoke the readers with horror and unpredictable crime scene and each complicating action. The role of orientation is vital in this short story to design fear atmosphere and dreadfulness. | SENTENCE NUMBER |TEXT | |[98] |I am almost ashamed to own-yes, even in this felon’s cell. I am almost ashamed to own-that the | | |terror and horror with which the animal inspired me, had been heightened by one of the merest | | |chimaeras, it would be possible to conceive. | |[2] |Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. | |[12] |There is something in the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to | | |the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity| | |of mere Man. | TABLE 3: Examples of Evaluation Category Evalution is the most interesting and complex category. In the story, this element is associated with the narrator’s bias point of judgement and value. The narrator’s personal involvement is a story is conveyed where he states that; In their consequences, these events have terrified-have tortured-have destroyed me. Yet I will not attempt to expound them. To me, they have presented little but horror- to many they will seem less terrible than baroques. (The Black Cat, line 6 and 7) At one point, the narrator makes use of his personal involvement sentiment in the story as a way to gain sympathy and also as escapism of his brutal crime. According to his evaluative statement, the blame to all sins and the prime murder are the black cat and the evil spirit that had caused him to conduct such inhumane crimes. As he puts his words; I seized him; when, in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth. The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame. I took from my waistcoat-pocket a pen-knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket! I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity. (The Black Cat, line 31-35) And a brute beast – whose fellow I had contemptuously destroyed – a brute beast to work out for me – for me a man, fashioned in the image of the High God – so much of insufferable wo! Alas! neither by day nor by night knew I the blessing of Rest any more! (The Black Cat, line 103) Evil thoughts became my sole intimates – the darkest and most evil of thoughts. The moodiness of my usual temper increased to hatred of all things and of all mankind; while, from the sudden, frequent, and ungovernable outbursts of a fury to which I now blindly abandoned myself, my uncomplaining wife, alas! as the most usual and the most patient of sufferers. (The Black Cat, line 106 and 107) The Evaluation commonly precedes the Result. It delays the forward movement of the narrative clauses, which hold the listener suspended at that point in time (Cortazzi,M. , 1993). Other evidence such as below; It was now the representation of an object that I shudder to name – and for this, above all, I loathed, and dreaded, and would have rid myself of the monster had I dared – it was now, I say, the image of a hideous – of a ghastly thing – of the GALLOWS ! – oh, mournful and terrible engine of Horror and of Crime – of Agony and of Death ! (The Black Cat, line 101) The Black Cat is not structured in isolation according to Labov’s Narrative Structure. These categories are actually embedded within sentences in order to derive horror and existence of evil elements in the short story. Edgar was being descriptive and at the same time evaluative from sequence to anther sequence in the story in which they support the design of each complicating action. CONCLUSION Analysing The Black Cat using Labov’s Narrative Structure is my first attempt to show relations of formal narrative forms and the functions that they portray in the narrative to highlight intended criteria or to bring the certain feeling to real as the readers further reading the narratives. Poe had critically made perfect selection of adjectives, adverbials and free clauses to bring the motive of terror and horror in the narrative. Furthermore, Poe’s plot development added much of the effect of shocking insanity to â€Å"The Black Cat. † To dream up such an intricate plot of perverseness, alcoholism, murders, fire, revival, and punishment is quite amazing. (www. 123helpme. com, 2010). The use of Orientation and Evaluation elements in his gothic story, has successfully promoted the feeling of fear and terrified. Poe had been descriptive in elaborating the physical and emotional state of the characters presented especially through the bias and unreliable narrator in the narrative. The evaluation made by the narrator from the eyes of an evil spirited murderer. Labov’s model of narrative analysis seems to be very useful in my analysis to show the interconnectedness of the formal structure of the narrative and the sociological functions in the short story, The Black Cat. Through this method, I manage to point out the linguistic features exist in The Black Cat in which beneficial for building up the narrative and sustaining the interest and mood of the readers. This technique would be very useful to be implemented in language classroom to promote the attitude of appreciating literature. Besides that the learning process will be more interactive and alive when both teachers and students critically engaged. The motivation to learn and to participate in the class may be developed among students when they see the relevance of the learning material since it reflects their daily lives. ———————–

Character Analysis of Devdas in the Novel and Movie

After his wealthy family prohibits him from marrying the woman he is in love with, Devdas Mukherjee's life spirals further and further out of control as he takes up alcohol and a life of vice to numb the pain. An epic love story set in the 1900s which reveals a portrait of love destroyed by class differences, family pressures, and character weaknesses. Devdas is the wealthy son of a high-caste landlord. His best friend growing up, whom he loved dearly, was Paro, the daughter of a low-caste family. After moving to London, Devdas returns home after ten years to find that Paro is about to be married off to a rich landowner. Devdas sinks into alcoholism, and is later visited by Paro who admits to still loving him. Devdas film based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella Devdas. Devdas Mukherjee, is a slacker, though sensitive and talented. His daily chore is to spend time with his childhood friend, Parvati, the Mukherjees' neighbor, who belongs to a middle-class family. Devdas is sent away abroad so that he can improve himself. Several years, upon his return, things have not changed, his dad still regards him as a slacker, though Devdas is welcomed by the rest of his family, the welcome could have been warmer had Devdas chosen not to visit Parvati (Paro), rather than his own mother. Devdas and Paro are in love, and hope to marry. But Devdas' dad has other plans, vehemently opposing marriage to a lower caste family, and as a result Paro gets married to a much older widower with grown-up children her age, and Devdas leaves home, becomes an alcoholic, a womanizer, who is unable to get Paro out of his mind, loving and hating her at the same time. Devdas meets with courtesan, Chandramukhi, and ends up falling in love with her also, thus getting her a bad reputation. Then Paro decides to talk Chandramukhi out of getting Devdas away from alcohol, to which Chandramukhi agrees, but the question remains whether they will act in time to stop Devdas before he self-destructs. The joy-ride starts with all the glitter and shine of a Hollywood classic, it sails through the emotions and ends up at the death.. so real and reality is the biggest plus of this great movie. Its loud in dialogues as the feudal society of early 20th century in India was and is not overpowered with emotions†¦ s the people from that class should have been (expressive yet graceful). Technically it remains the best ever Indian film and one of the best around the world. Well done Bhansali. In acting Aish does wonders.. Madhuri has shown why she is the queen of the bollywood and Shahrukh khan has reached where no Indian actor would have ever reached.. I have seen Dilip sahab's Devdas too and bowing to the greatness of Dilip Sahab let me say,†Shahrukh did it better than him†. Dialogues, sequences, frames, music and acting all there to give you a treat to watch.. movie in which one finds the glimpses of one's own life†¦ beautiful yet so real, harsh and sad†¦ Devdas, is telling us about love that end with tragedy, theme that has been revisited for many times in many films. In this case, is not surprise considering that this film is the fourth version of Suraj Chandrachaterjee's novel to make in to a film. We better not to talk about the plot, because it's so typical (and sometimes could bored the viewers), but I must admit that technically, this film is superb. Visualizations of the scenes are breathtaking and make you don't have a ny complains about the plot. It seems that Sanjay Leela Bhansali try to renew the old style of the Hindi films into a kind of an innovative and colorful theatrical film. I always believe with Sanjay's skill on directing a movie (go watch â€Å"Hum Dill De Chuke Sanam† for instance). The score and sound track is enchanting. The outfits is gorgeous and so with the sets. In the acting department, Aishwarya Ray is perfect. The Acting diva once again shows her best performance, and much deserve for an award. Madhuri Dixit has the smallest role, but she proves that she is the living legend. Meanwhile, the main character that plays by Shahrukh Khan, is applaud worthy but doesn't more that. Better luck next time Mr. Khan. This movie is an excellent portrayal of indian culture. It possess so much strength and beauty and the characters act well. The characters suit each character perfectly and i thouroughly enjoyed the movie from beginning to end. The movie was very sad, but its a change from a normal hindi movie. Your heart soars for each of the characters at different stages of the movie. Overall this movie ruled, and i would watch it over and over again. Devdas: A Byronic Bollywood Hero â€Å"Devdas† by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay is one of the classics of Indian literature, subject to many film adaptations in Indian cinema, including a recent psychedelic version of the story. Devdas deserves to be placed in the Norton Anthology alongside other great writers, due to its tragic eponymous hero and the insights into Bengali life. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay was one of the leading literary deities of Bengal, he published several books earlier Nishkriti, Charitraheen, Parineeta, and Srikanta, but his most famous novel is Devdas. Sarat Chandra was born on September 15th, 1876 in Devanandapur, a village in West Bengal. He spent his childhood in poverty and was constantly shifting from town to town in Bengal, and received little formal education. In his adulthood, he moved to Burma in 1903, and it was here that Sarat Chandra started sending his novels and short stories to Calcutta journals. The reigning author during this time was Rabindranath Tagore, who had a rumoured rivalry with Sarat Chandra, whose novels were much more understandable and realistic for the reading masses of Bengal. It would be fitting to include Sarat Chandra to the canon of literature due to his indelible mark on Indian literature with his unforgettable character Devdas. His crowning achievement Devdas was written in 1901, and later published after some revisions in 1917, which included the more tragic ending to the novel. The novel tells the tragic love story of Devdas and Paro, childhood sweethearts torn apart when Devdas leaves for school in Calcutta, and when he returns Paro proposes they get married. Devdas, unable to stand up to his parents, rejects her, and Paro is married off to a wealthy widower. Devdas, heartbroken after another rejection from Paro, returns to Calcutta and along with his friend Chunilal he seeks solace in alcohol and a courtesan Chandramukhi who falls for him. Devdas continues on his self-destructive path until on his deathbed, when he travels to Paro’s home only to die alone at her doorstep. This tragic tale has stayed in the minds of readers because of its seminal hero that can immediately be identified in the subsequent films and novels featuring a self-destructive hero. Devdas is not a typical romantic hero, because he is unable to proclaim his love for Paro despite loving her dearly. In one scene in the novel, Paro boldly goes to Devdas in the night to propose their marriage, but Devdas is preoccupied with protecting her honour rather than facing up to the real reason she came to him, and answers with: â€Å"You must know that my parents are dead against this? Parvati nodded – she knew. She didn’t say a word more. After what seemed like an eternity, Devdas heaved a sigh and said, â€Å"So then, why? † (Pg36) This exchange highlights Devdas’ anti-hero like status, as he is unable to accept his love and rejects Paro, because of parental opposition. Even through earlier passages in the novel, we can tell Devdas loves Paro, but he cannot upset societal norms of marrying from another caste. After this scene, Devdas is chastised by his parents and he escapes to Calcutta, where he writes a letter of rejection to Paro claiming, â€Å"Another thing: I had never felt that I loved you tremendously – even today. I cannot feel any deep well of sorrow in my heart for you †¦ Try to forget me, I pray that you succeed,† (Pg39). This rash action by Devdas reveals his indecisive nature as soon as he posts the letter he realizes he is actually in love with Paro. He then feels guilty for sending the letter, and muses, â€Å"How would this arrow he had dispatched go and hit her? †(Pg40), he later realizes his folly of upholding the narrow-minded views of the caste system, which an educated man like Devdas can see is wrong. Devdas is a tragic character worth studying in literature because he is so inactive and indecisive in his love story, which sets forth his downward spiral. The reason he is indecisive is that the love of Paro and Chandramukhi is what drives the narrative, the situations when they confront Devdas is what develops him as a character. Devdas turns to drink when Paro rejects his proposal that they elope before her wedding, in anger he strikes her brow, â€Å"For shame Paro, I have merely left a mark for you to remember our last meeting,†(Pg46), this moment solidifies their relationship as the blood resembles the sindoor in the hair parting of a married Hindu woman. With this rejection, Devdas is dejected and he willingly goes to the courtesan harem and drinks his sorrows away. Devdas begins to hate women and spurns Chandramukhi, who finds him charming; â€Å"There isn’t a woman on earth who wouldn’t deny herself this heaven,† (Pg92) she muses of his company. Later Devdas begins to care for Chandramukhi but he cannot love her as he is still in love with Paro. He acknowledges his indecisiveness when he visits Chandramukhi, who has settled down and given up her sinful life, saying, â€Å"Perhaps Bou, you will suffer like Paro because of me,†(Pg116), the use of Bou, which means wife, highlights it is Chandramukhi who Devdas provides money and pleasure as a husband would. Devdas is one of the most complex characters of Indian literature, because the choices he makes are detrimental for all involved in the love triangle, as he pines for Paro whom he rejected, and Chandramukhi whom he also grows to like is denied by him because her low status. Devdas’ self-destructive tendencies occur because he feels like a victim of the situations that he has created for himself. Sarat Chandra does not describe characters but puts them in difficult situations to which the reader has to infer into the character, as Devdas has become an identifiable figure in the many movie adaptations or of characters that pine for unfulfilled love. Devdas is a novel to be studied in a literature class because of the strong women that shape his character. Devdas is an important novel to be included in a Norton Anthology book, because of the social conventions of Indian life affect the narrative. Devdas belongs to zamindari/landlord family and Paro’s family live and work on their land. When Paro’s grandmother broaches the subject of Paro and Devdas’ marriage to his mother, she rejects this notion, â€Å"The Chakravaty’s was a trading household. And they lived next door. Oh shame! (Pg24) the class differences are ironically the aspect, which separates the two lovers as opposed to caste differences as both families are Brahmins. Sarat Chandra uses the differences to aid in separating the lovers, as Devdas is unable to face opposition from his parents and rejects Paro. Class differences also tear apart the burgeoning relationship between Chandramukhi and Devdas, as she is a fallen woman who Devdas cannot possibly break social norms to live with. Chandramukhi nurses Devdas back to health, when she spots him during a drinking binge; once Devdas is healed, she asks to be his nurse, but he will not allow his name to be disrespected as Chandramukhi realizes, â€Å"She could help Devdas regain his health, she could give him pleasure, but she could never give him respectability,† (Pg116). The novel set in colonialist India, makes no mention of British rule other than the Devdas who is dressed smartly and smokes a pipe when he returns from Calcutta after his studies. Sarat Chandra used his novels to highlight social problems of Bengali life, and in â€Å"Devdas,† he makes light of the issue of dowry. Paro, who is of age to be married at 13, and born into a poorer household, her father, rejects the social practise, â€Å"But Nilkantha-babu abhorred this practise. He had no intention of selling Parvati and making money on the transaction,† (Pg23) Sarat Chandra here reveals that daughters should not be sold as if making a business deal for marriage. Devdas is one of the only novels where Sarat Chandra does not make an explicit social point to educate his readers, as he leaves the novel as an open text where readers may form their own opinions on the predicament of the eponymous hero. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s â€Å"Devdas† would be a suitable addition to a literature book like the Norton Anthology, because he created the classic self-destructive hero for Indian cinema and, the original source would be a good companion to the films. Devdas is a thoughtful novel that allows readers to make their own judgement of the hero, and gain insights into Bengali culture during the 1900’s.

Shakespeare and Robert Browning

Intro Shakespeare and Browning both present the theme of desire through their central characters. Lady Macbeth (and Macbeth) is motivated by the desire for ambition and authority in ‘Macbeth’ whilst in the Browning monologues; the monologists are driven by the desire of power and control in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and revenge in ‘The laboratory’. All of which seem to have fatal conclusions as a result of each of their desires.As the texts were produced over 400years ago, audiences may have found the works of Shakespeare and Browning highly thought-provoking and entertaining whilst contemporary audiences finding the different aspects of desire relatable to modern situations. Lady Macbeth’s need for authority in her famous soliloquy ‘unsex me here’ reflects on the feelings of many women at that time longing for power.Likewise, audiences of the ‘the Laboratory’ are able to empathise with the protagonist’s desire for revenge upon their adulterous lover. In ‘Porphyria’s Lover’, Browning reveals an obsessive and controlling persona who can only satisfy his absolute love for his lover by strangling her, presenting his desire for control over others. Section 1: How do the writers introduce the central characters? LADY MACBETH Lady Macbeth’s introduction to the audience in Act 1, Scene 5 immediately makes it clear of her intentions. ‘Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty’. As this is a soliloquy, it invites the audience in to see her inner thoughts and feeling and her true desire for power. * Her use of imperative verbs, ‘come’ and ‘fill me’ not only notifies the audience of her desire for power, but the lengths she is willing go to achieve it. Lady Macbeths mention of the supernatural shows how desperate she is for her desire as she craves to posses characteristics of a man by calling upon the ‘spirits’ and this possibly confirms the dark affiliation she has to the witches prophecy as she uses commanding language ‘come’ followed by supernatural references ‘spirits’ and only calls upon them. * She says ‘come to me woman’s breast and take my milk for gall’. Stating the physical differences of males and females not only shows the limitations of her desire (she is a woman), but reflects on the position of women at the time because she is pleading to have all her feminine traits emoved to attain her desire. * Likewise, when she says ‘that tend on moral thoughts’ unsex me here’ she is asking the spirits to de-feminise and undo her natural order her as she wants to be emotionless and not feel guilty as she recognises that her desire goes against the moral order thus emphasising her strong feeling of desire and how far she will go. It could also be argued that the fact that women had to act in certain ways in the 16th century, for instance being completely against violence of any sorts, may have spurred on lady Macbeth to rebel and achieve her desire. Also, the reference to ‘direst cruelty; make thick my blood’ further supports her portrayal to the audience as an evil and corrupted character. The use of the semi-colon emphasises the use of the word ‘cruelty’ which is a trait seen to be masculine not feminine * This may have been shocking yet entertaining to the Elizabethan audiences as women at that time weren’t expected to act and think in such a way. * The fact that when we meet her when Macbeth is not present (or any one else) shows her desire for power as she is telling us what she wants THE LABORATORY Similarly, in Robert Browning’s monologue of ‘The laboratory’ the audience are made fully aware of the narrators intentions from the beginning. ‘May gaze thr o’ these faint smokes curling whitely’. The personae describes deadly arsenic fumes as something beautiful which suggests to the reader that she is somewhere where chemical reactions take place- hence the title. * The fact that we are introduced to her in this setting brings a dark atmosphere similar to intro of lady Macbeth * This may portray signs of insanity which questionable throughout the poem. Reference to the ‘devils smithy’ further enhances her desire for revenge as she knows she is doing something bad by going to a devils smithy * ‘Poison to poison her’- reinforces the narrative to kill and the first glimpse to who the revenge is on (‘her) and doesn’t mention the name * It shows how deranged the protagonist's nature has become, who goes so far as to poison her rival in love The use of rhyming quickens the pace of the poem, adding to the woman's increasing excitement as the apothecary grinds up the mixture.Many of Brownin g's poems were written about people with an unusual nature. At first glance, the poem appears to be written as if she were talking to the apothecary, but reading into it shows that she may be thinking to herself as at the start of the poem she tells the man to take his time, but as she thinks about the possibilities and power the poison will bring her she begins to hurry him. Her careless attitude towards her future crime suggests that she may have previously killed and does not care about being found out as she is proud of what she will have done. PORPHYRIA’S LOVER ‘ the rain set early tonight’- tonight is a time indicator and possibly foreshadows something that will happen tonight * Use of pathetic fallacy- weather mirrors feeling felt by the narrator * Irregular rhyme pattern- may show narrators instabilltiy * No stanzas –reflective of the narrators mental state/personality * When obsessed can’t stop talking about something * Build up of tension at the beginning to get to the climax COMPARRISON OF ALL * All start in a sinister gloomy way * Section 2: How do the writers show that desire motivates and drives these characters?LADY MACBETH * Act 1, Scene 7- ‘When you durst do it; then you were a man’ shows Lady Macbeths play on masculinity as she uses the perfect tense ‘were’ highlighting the difference now and before which provokes Macbeth and in turn manipulates him to go through with the execution of Macbeth with will get allow her to attain her desire for power (again shows how far she is willing to go to achieve happiness) * * Strong imagery and emotive lang-passionate * Blank verse instead of prose * Shakespeare uses a metaphor and contrast to show that Lady Macbeth is ruthless.In Act I scene 7, when Macbeth wants to back out of killing Duncan, she tells Macbeth â€Å"I have given suck, and know / How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: / I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, / And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you†. * First, Lady Macbeth uses feminine language, showing she knows what it means to be tender and nurturing with words like â€Å"tender love† and â€Å"milk†. But then, she shocks the audience by using violent language such as â€Å"dashed the brains out†.This is an upsetting image; it makes the audience understand that Lady Macbeth would put a promise before the life of her own child. * Lady Macbeth seems to have no problem with violence of the cruelest kind: violence against a child. What makes Lady Macbeth sound even more ruthless are words like as â€Å"boneless† and â€Å"smiling† because the baby sounds defenseless, yet Lady Macbeth won’t show it mercy. * By having Lady Macbeth talk about committing infanticide, Shakespeare makes her a villain in the eyes of the audience, because in the 1600s, women were seen as soft and nurturing.Behavin g this way would be seen as unnatural and would have shocked Shakespeare’s audience. * This shows how her she is driven by desire because for Lady Macbeth (who portrays a strong personae) to talk about how she knows what I’s like to be a ‘woman’ and be nurturing, which doesn’t happen very often in the play, as a way to control her husband into getting into power shows how driven she is and again how far she’ll go. THE LAB * Browning also presents the reader with a character who is completely ruthless when it comes to fulfilling her desires.Although Lady Macbeth desires power whereas the speaker in â€Å"The Laboratory† desires revenge, they share the same determination to get what they want regardless of the consequence. When talking to the chemist about her plans for revenge the speaker says â€Å"and Elize, with her head, and her breast, and her hands should drop dead! †. Just like the presentation of Lady Macbeth, Browning al so paints a vivid image of death and murder. Worryingly for the reader, Browning strongly suggests the speaker’s enjoyment of the idea of her rival’s death.By repeating the word â€Å"and† it suggests that she is relishing the idea of revenge and also that she has thought about it just as much. Section 3: How do the writers show how desire affects relationships in the text? Section 4: How do the writers show the results/consequences of desire? LADY MACBETH * In the final stages of the play the result of Lady Macbeth’s desire for power becomes clear when she loses her mental stability and starts to re-live the murder she and her husband committed. Whilst in her room she utters the phrase: * ‘Out damned spot! * Out I say! *   The use of the command here clearly shows the fact that Lady Macbeth – a once powerful and desire driven woman – is becoming increasingly unstable. Shakespeare’s use of the repetition of the word out shows how desperate she has become, how she has lost control. The repeated use of the exclamation marks highlights the intensity of her need for her hands to ‘be clean’. The ‘spot’ to which she is referring to is that of the blood of King Duncan, however in this instance the blood is a metaphorical manifestation of her guilt, and one that will never go away.Her need for power has destroyed her; she can no longer escape the consequences of what she has done. In this dialogue Lady Macbeth also alludes to the fact that she herself has been ‘damned’, just like she may never get the spot of blood off of her skin she will never be able to clean her own soul, she will never be able to escape what she has done. Through the use of the word ‘damn’ Shakespeare successfully suggests the idea of hell, one which was key in Lady Macbeth’s initial soliloquy.In this scene many may feel a sense of sympathy for Lady Macbeth, as she is going through a traumatic experience, and yet there is no sign of Macbeth, once again taken over by desire he has abandoned his wife in her time of need. However, this scene may be considered to be appropriate by Shakespearean audiences as Lady Macbeth losing her mental stability is seen as a result of her dealing with aspects of life that are deemed to be ‘not feminine’. Conclusion: present your own ideas about the varying successes of the different writers, evaluating which of the treatments you prefer and why – exemplar to follow * Whilst Shakespeare presents highly compelling characters in the shape of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, both of whom are driven to self-destruction by their strong feelings of desire, it is Browning’s monologist in ‘The Laboratory’ that conjures this desire most convincingly. Grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste,/Pound at thy powder, — I am not in haste! ’ Both the language and the form compel the reader to reluc tantly empathise with the persona. We feel drawn into the conspiracy she has arranged with her apothecary, driven by the imperative commands she expresses through the use of alliteration, exclamations and commanding verbs. Moreover, the use of bilabial plosives ‘ paste†¦ pound†¦ owder’ attracts the reader, caught up in the excitement she feels as she anticipates the deadly outcomes of the concoction being created. Of course, she is [in haste]. What is interesting is that all three texts make desire enticing (even though we know that moral boundaries are being challenged and broken). Browning not only shows the corruption that strong feelings of desire can bring but also succeeds in corrupting the reader as we ‘warm’ to her intentions †¦

Assignment 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assignment 10 - Essay Example The users feel the sense of owning the products since their emotional attachment is taken into consideration. According to Norman, positive reception of nature induces affirmative response from the public as love for nature is considered preponderance in product design. Norman argues that the beauty of nature brings delight in people thus greatly changing their moods. Closer observation of nature harmonizes an individual’s emotion (Norman 2004). Visceral or aesthetical appreciation should not be separated due to their importance in people’s lives. Beauty and excellence is very important as it strengthens the sense of belonging. There is therefore a great need of appreciating attractiveness and brilliance in products. Attachment of nature’s gorgeousness in designing products for the most part creates a center of attention. Most people, especially women are profoundly attracted to the beauty. Inclusion of beauty and excellence in designing products intensely touche s women’s emotions thus providing an excellent rationale for buying the magnificently designed products. I very much think that addition of exciting connection in products forms a key base in product design. ... I significantly agree with Don Norman’s scheme as it boosts the products’ attractiveness (Norman 2004). . Occasionally, nearly all product firms have a roll of prerequisite to meet up, and, further characteristically, they have a number of aspects to extend. Scheming and mounting to requisite and quality lists guides to not up to scratch occurrence, for the reason that an individual is no longer oriented to the perception of the customer. While making judgment on designation, anxiety for characteristics, facts, and expertise trumps customer service. This is in large since the experimental part of the design is not taken into consideration. By starting with an idea of making something, there is an automatic way in which someone unnaturally confines what he can possibly deliver. Scores of archetypes’ progressive product designers accomplish something overtly for the reason that they do not devise products. Products are regarded as necessary work of art to take in h and purchaser requirements. Critical link between the designer and the user of the products is very necessary in the modern globalization because it makes businesses gain competitive advantage thus increasing their profits and boosting the businesses that had earlier failed. Moreover, past experiences need to be appreciated, embraced, and positive action taken to shape them in order to fit the acceptable and user-friendly target. Ways in which persuasion is used differs greatly and helps in attracting people in using products. Persuasion involves personal character of the individual speaker, positioning the addressees into a definite frame of mind and confirmation. The listeners may also influence people into believing in some

What are the principal powers available to the courts in connection Essay

What are the principal powers available to the courts in connection with the interpretation and application of statutory legislation - Essay Example The Courts have the power to declare a law void if it goes against the spirit of the Constitution of the supreme law of the land prevailing in the country. It has the power to nullify the effect of the law if it goes beyond the boundaries and parameters set forth to enact laws. The Courts have to keep an eye with the way the legislation is passing laws since it keeps checks and balances on the laws which are enacted in the Parliament, and the authority to decide on that is solely with the Juduciary. The Courts have to decide on the applicability of any law. This is the greatest power which it possesses being a wing of the State. The Court has been granted the duty and the responsibility to guard the spirit of the law in its right perspective. Let us now analyse the two main duties of the courts: 1. Power to make the law 2. Power to apply the law The above are the two basic powers which the courts possess. The Judiciary is assigned the duty to apply the law as it stands out to be in cases which it gets for referral from the people. It has the power to decide a case based on the basis of the law which has been passed by the legislation. The courts go through each and every aspect of the law and try to come up with the correct interpretation which lies in the process of making the law as well. Interpretation is the first part of making law, and we shall now discuss the different schools of interpretation which exists in Judiciary today. Literal Rule: â€Å"The literal rule of sta tutory interpretation should be the first rule applied by judges. Under the literal rule, the words of the statute are given their natural or ordinary meaning and applied without the judge seeking to put a gloss on the words or seek to make sense of the statute.†( http://e-lawresources.co.uk/Literal-rule.php) Literal rule is the way of interpretation where the Courts try to analyse the law with respect to its strict wording. According to this rule, the law is understood by the judges from the literal meaning of the word. The judges do not apply their own opinion or thoughts and read the law as it is given in the code form. One of the major advantages of this form of interpretation is that law is made by the court on the basis of the meaning of the word, so there is no chance of cheating since the meaning of the word cannot be changed from it is in the dictionary. It promotes transparency as well as upholds the Legislature as the supreme authority in making the laws, even thoug h the courts have a stake in the way the law is applied. However, the disadvantage of this form of interpretation is that sometimes the word can have inherently two meanings, or it may have been put to avoid a mischief, which the courts will not take into account when they interpret the law with accordance to the literal rule of interpretation. Golden Rule: â€Å"The golden rule is that the words of a statute must prima facie be given their ordinary meaning. It is yet another rule of construction that when the words of the statute are clear, plain and unambiguous, then the courts are bound to give effect to that meaning, irrespective of the consequences. It is said that the words themselves best declare the intention of the law-giver."( http://cssonline.forummotion.com/t1735-golden-rule-of-interpretation) In the case of Maumsell v. Olins, (1975) AC 373, Lord Simon formulated the exception to the "golden rule" required by technical words, or words of art, as follows : "(The 'golden rule') is sometimes put. (sic) that in statutes dealing with ordinary people, in their everyday lives, the language is presumed to be used in its primary ordinary sense unless this stultified the purpose of the statute or otherwise

There is no set topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

There is no set topic - Essay Example He plays with the visual elements of his beloved’s imagination, describing how he would oblige his duties at his leisure, without a care for the time that passes. He expresses his endless love for his muse by explaining the incapability of loving her the way he desires to with such a short mortal life. He wishes upon both of them health and youth eternal, so that they can truly enjoy each other’s love. The poet clear use of the word ‘mistress’ seems an acknowledgement that this relationship is indeed a secret and doomed in the long run. This reminds one of the great 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer when he said most eloquently, â€Å"To desire immortality is to desire the eternal perpetuation of a great mistake† (Malhotra, pp. 102). However, love does not often take logic or reasoning into account when it is born in the hearts of lover, in fact, in some cases, it is quite the other way around. The relationship between love and immortality seems almost inspired from Emily Dickinson’s words â€Å"For Love Is Immortality,† (Dickinson and Franklin, pp. 403). Marvell’s graphic description of death creates quite a stark contrast to his earlier visualization of immortality. He seems to scare almost his mistress with the gloominess and darkness of death and the grave, her beauty and youth being only temporary gifts of life, as if in anticipation of her mistress’s anxious and hurried consent to his proposal. He then strives to coax his beloved to release all her doubts and inhibitions, so that both of them can truly enjoy each other’s presence, and let their lust and desire fill their lives instead of the fear of a gloomy demise. Man’s unquenchable desire for immortality and his unrelenting fear of death has indeed influenced his mind and life in the most remarkable ways. From his earliest tales and myths inspired from objects, such as the fountain of everlasting

Effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention in promoting the well-being Essay

Effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention in promoting the well-being of older people - Essay Example Among such studies, there is an article by Clark, Jackson, Carlson et al. (2012) that evaluated the relevance and efficiency of a lifestyle intervention for this particular group of the population. Not only the study confirms the positive impact of the OT intervention but it also delivers the idea of readiness as one of the factors that are obligatory for the practice of this intervention becoming a working mechanism. This idea is crucial not only because it is justified by the authors but because it deals with the application of the theoretical concept of practice. The question that is posed through it is whether older adults, as well as government and administrative agents, would be able to accept the changes and utilize the tool of lifestyle intervention for improvement of the well-being of elderly people. Currently, it seems that there is still a lack of understanding, especially from older adults about the relevance of this OT practice. This is demonstrated by the number of dropout subjects who were not ready for the changes to happen despite the positive results foreseen. The questions that are to be addressed are not only within the theoretical area of research but also within increasing the awareness among the patients about the usability of the lifestyle intervention and accepting its positive impact. These questions warrant further research as they would allow the practice to become applicable in real-life situations. This would bring benefits to both older adults as well as other stakeholders.

Will US dollar lose its role as the global reserve currency before Essay

Will US dollar lose its role as the global reserve currency before 2050 - Essay Example There is a tendency among governments and individuals to diversify by storing the value of their wealth in other dominant currencies, other than the dollar or converting them into commodities. The BRICs development bank, weakening dollar trend, increased US budget deficit, emergence of alternative contender currencies, and shifting pricing away from the dollar elaborates on the serious threat the US dollar faces, in its position as the global reserve currency. The US Dollar has served as the dominant and world reserve currency for about seventy years today, since the adoption of the system back in the 1940s. Over the years, it gained acceptance and increased use in international transactions and by governments’ central banks for purposes of storing value, exchanges and invoicing transactions. It brought numerous advantages to the governments across the world, and especially the US citizens, whose purchases of goods or services have been at much cheaper rates compared to foreign nations. Some countries went on to peg their currencies to the dollar, but they have experienced the risks besides the benefits of the act. Though still a global reserve currency, the US dollar has been faced by numerous challenges towards the end of the 20th century and the past one decade. Inclusive to this are the exposed weakening US dollar, depreciated dollar and risk of volatility, emergence of challenging currencies to the dollar, changing monetary in stitution and dollar pricing, and diversification against the dollar. Though a debatable issue, the US Dollar is more likely to lose its role as the global reserve currency by 2050. It appears that countries are slowly changing their currencies in trading of products even at the international level. Where dollars have been used, other currencies are taking control. For example, most wise and even rich people have studied the behavior of the

Introduction to Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction to Marketing - Essay Example To support this idea, in a 2006 article entitled A Look at the New Marketing Landscape, a study conducted by GlobalSpec revealed that there is a potential increase in online marketing spending (n.p.). In U.S. industrial and manufacturing sectors alone, there were 56 percent of these communities who have already signalled their intention to do so, while 7 percent plan to reduce marketing spending (A Look at the New Marketing Landscape, n.p.). As such, in Lee Traupel's The New Marketing Landscape, he named some emerging marketing patterns used to advertise businesses online such as "opt-in email campaigns, webcasts, search engine optimization and marketing, as well as portal site media and newsletter sponsorships" (n.p.). The use of these patterns is necessary to maintain business success since there are tons of companies online, where a lot of them offer the same products and seek the same audience (Ezilon.com, 2006, n.p.). Not all companies use the same marketing strategies though. Depending on their needs, businesses choose only those that are more appropriate to them. In the case of opt-in email campaigns, Dr Dave Chaffey asserts that its use has become ordinary for businesses because of its worldwide usage.

John dillinger Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

John dillinger - Research Paper Example His mother died when he was barely three and his father, an industrious grocer, brought him up in an environment of disciplinary extremes, at times harsh and repressive, but permissive and generous at other times. When Dillinger‘s father married another wife six years later, he became devoted to his step-mother who took care of him as if he were her own son. He went to Public school No. 38 but he became tired of school and quit before finishing grade eight and got a job in a veener mill (Kekionga Press, 6). Dillinger quickly lost interest with the job and he stayed out all night most of the times. Bothered that city temptations would corrupt his son, Dillinger‘s father, moved his family to a farm near Mooresville, Indiana, but this did not change him – he started running wild within no time. He later joined the navy, following trouble with the law (theft) and a break with his father. However, he soon got himself into problems and left his ship after docking in Bost on.

Relationship Marketing Through a Number of Pathways Research Paper

Relationship Marketing Through a Number of Pathways - Research Paper Example Citigroup’s relationship managers have realized that the Company met all these three aspects. First of all, the Company offers both investment and commercial services which means that clients have a lot of services at their disposal. Some of them include; Mortgages, priority banking for high net worth clients, loans, investment banking, telephone banking and card products. Secondly, clients in the banking sector are in continuous need of these services. Lastly, those customers who decide to do business with the Company normally select one service or product. In the case of Citigroup, some customers strictly come to obtain loans, some would like to save their money there but access it conveniently when the need arises (commercial services and care facilities). The organization has implemented relationship marketing through consumer tracking. Since Citigroup is B2B backed, then it was able to use a comprehensive database to analyze what consumer tastes and preferences are. It ha s been a leader in business communication with the client. Citigroup has been asking its clients about their thoughts on the institution. It found that certain services were preferred over others. It also realized that consumer kept coming back for certain products during definite seasons. It was able to establish a pattern and focused its energies on products that gave them maximum returns. This was also topped up by improving services that clients were dissatisfied with. One such service was the provision of housing loans. The Company found out that many clients were happy with their rate of loan processing.

Dining Plan Proposal Essay Example for Free

Dining Plan Proposal Essay And at first though, most non-vegetarians may not take this into consideration due to a plentiful amount of non-vegetarian food available, but I can tell you from personal experience, food is one of the main factors contributing to homesickness. The day -to-day food available on Drexel’s campus is not varied or appetizing enough for vegetarians, especially international vegetarian students. Each student who purchases the meal plan can dine at certain designated locations on campus. The available dining options on the Drexel University campus consist of the following: a mini cafe in the main building, Ross Commons Take 3, Creese Cafe, Chick-fil-a, Currito, Subway, Kelly Deli, Southern Tsunami Sushi, and Starbucks. This may sounds like many options, but that does not overlook quality, or the fact that vegetarians may not have as many options as those who eat meat. As Drexel has ascended in its rankings, so have the number of students from different states and different countries. This year itself, the percentage of international students at Drexel University went up about twenty-eight percent and is expected to grow next year. (Facts and Figures) A student that purchases any meal plans spends an average amount of around five thousand amp; two hundred dollars throughout his or her university education. A relatively large percentage of these students, whether from the states or international students, are vegetarian as one of the most frequently asked questions on Drexel’s dining website. Drexel Campus Dining) I myself know up to ten vegetarians in the freshmen year itself. The number one complaint I tend to hear, or coincidentally eavesdrop on, in the dining center is about the food. According to my survey these complaints are usually voiced by international students and sometimes by vegetarian, American citizens. I also concluded from my survey that those who dislike the food and live nearby do not feel the need to complain as homemade food and favorit e restaurant visits with the parents are just a train ride away. I summarized my issues with the available dining service at Drexel by carrying out confidential surveys of a sample of students who eat at the Handschumacher Dining Center. Of course my survey was favorably given out to international students and it consisted of open-ended questions that cover a few valid issues I personally wanted to know more about. On an average, the survey revealed international students dissatisfaction with the amount of vegetarian or vegan food available at the Drexel dining locations. Although the survey revealed complaints students had about the staff, quality of food, and such, I chose to concentrate on the vegetarian food options. Students explicitly expressed their concern with the fact that vegan food was often confused with vegetarian food. A few students stated their issue with days where more of a variety of vegetarian food was made and other days where more vegan food was made, always more options of one over the other. Of course, non-vegetarian food always seems to be plentifully available. One student wrote on her survey, â€Å" although there is a pasta station that is vegetarian on the whole, the options are very limited. Vegetarians at the dining center can only eat pasta, on certain days very bland vegan wraps are available, and French fries, and the same vegetarian fried rice. â€Å" Another student said, â€Å" the passport section hardly ever has vegetarian or vegan food, which is sad because so many international students are vegetarian and we have to make do with salad and pasta every single day. To this I would like to add an observation I made at the Dining Center and Subway: most of the times, the staff uses the same gloves to touch vegetarian food as they do meat. This is very disturbing to me as I am vegetarian for religious reasons and cannot technically even have meat touched to my food. When I asked students about the other Dining options, Starbucks and the cafe in the main building were immediately opted out of consideration as â€Å"dining. † This leaves the unhealthy options of Ross Commons cheese Pizza and Chick-Fil-A fries. Two other options are Creese and Subway. The two of these are relatively healthier options, but again Subway has only one veggie patty. And Creese Cafe serves only two to three options for vegetarian paninis. But out of all the times I have been to Creese, they are out of one ingredient or the other, which limits the vegetarian options further. For example, when I asked for the Capri panini at Creese, I was told they were out of basil and hence, could not make that panini for me. Out of all the dining options Currito landed up being a favorite for vegetarians on my survey because of its many vegetarian varieties. Even though Currito is one stall that serves good vegetarian options, what about the rest? Vegetarian students I surveyed unanimously agree upon the conclusion that there is not enough variety out of the entire dining service on campus for vegetarian students. It think it is safe to say that a certain percentage of Drexel University students is dissatisfied with the vegetarian dining options on campus. I know I am. Yet, these students are paying for the dining services the same price as any non-vegetarian student. I propose a solution, or many solutions. Firstly, I think the staff should be educated on how to handle food for vegetarian or vegan students. For example, they should start with using different gloves and utensils for meat. Second, I believe the dining hall would be a good start for more vegetarian options as hundreds of students dine here each day. For example, the staff can make sure they do not compromise on the food for vegans or vegetarians. Both these categories should have a plentiful amount. Also, the passport section that serves international food can make sure they have one vegetarian alternative to each non-vegetarian dish they make. And the Asian food section can start searching into more feasible Asian recipes for both vegans and vegetarians. Coming to the options besides the dining center, it may be difficult to open more dining options on campus, so instead each service can find ways to increase its creativity and variety with vegetarian food. Currito can find more than just tofu to substitute meat, or they can cook the tofu in different ways and serve it. Chick-fil-A can look into making breakfast sandwiches. Subway can create more than just the veggie patty, or it can give more vegetable options to choose from. Ross Commons can start serving pizza with diverse vegetarian toppings. Such minor changes may go a long way. This idea may seem new, but it has been done before. Every time a fast food chain opens in different countries, it is altered to cater to the taste and customers of that country. I feel like Drexel should look into doing the same with its chains opened on campus as Drexel is an international University and the vegetarian population deserves first-rate food. (Vegetarian Subs amp; Different Countries, Different McDonalds) (A Picture of other Asian recipes that can be made)

Activation of the G Protein-coupled Estrogen Receptor

Activation of the G Protein-coupled Estrogen Receptor Activation of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor ameliorates salt-induced vascular remodeling Abstract The mRen2.Lewis (mRen2) female rat is an estrogen- and salt-sensitive model of hypertension which may reflect the higher pressure and salt sensitivity associated with menopause. We previously showed in salt-loaded mRen2 female rats that activation of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) does not lower blood pressure but attenuates renal damage. The current study hypothesized that GPER protects against vascular injury in this model. Intact mRen2.Lewis female rats were fed a normal (0.5% Na+) or high salt diet (HS; 4% Na+) for 10 weeks and treated with vehicle or the selective GPER agonist G-1 for the last two weeks of the study. Systolic blood pressure was measured by tail cuff plethysmography, and aortic sections were mounted on a wire myograph or formalin-fixed for histological analysis. Systolic blood pressure increased with HS (137  ± 2 mmHg, n=7 to 224  ± 8, n=9; P0.05). While aortic reactivity to phenylephrine and acetylcholine were not different between groups (P> 0.05), chronic G-1 treatment reduced vasoconstriction to angiotensin II (Pex vivo G-1 vasorelaxation (P Introduction Sodium balance plays an integral role in cardiovascular homeostasis. A high salt diet is considered a major risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality independent of other cardiovascular risk factors (Beil et al. Blood Pressure, 1995). Excessive salt intake has been associated with vascular remodeling, including the reorganization of the extracellular matrix and hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia of vascular smooth muscle cells. Although vascular remodeling is considered a protective adaptation to a higher wall stress, it contributes to the development of hypertension by creating a thicker, less compliant wall. Aortic stiffness, which contributes to isolated systolic hypertension in human subjects, is an excellent example of the complications presented by vascular remodeling (Lemarie et al. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 2009). The ability of estrogen to attenuate vascular remodeling in injured arteries may at least partly occur via activation of the classic steroid receptors ERÃŽ ± and ERÃŽ ² in VSMC and endothelial cells (Xing et al. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 2009). Brouchet et al. showed that estrogen’s protective effects on vascular remodeling were abolished in female ERÃŽ ± knockout mice (Brouchet et al, Circulation, 2001). Moreover, in porcine aortic smooth muscle cells, the downregulation of ERÃŽ ² protein levels by mRNA antisense oligomers abrogated the inhibitory effects of estrogen on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation, migration, and proliferation (Geraldes et al. Circ Res, 2003; Xing et al. Am J Physiol., 2007). However, the protective effects of estrogen on vascular injury are evident in both ERÃŽ ± and ERÃŽ ² knockout mice, suggesting that another receptor may be necessary (Iafrati et al. Nat Med. 1997; Karas et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1999). The novel G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is a membrane-bound receptor linked to acute signaling pathways (Revankar et al. Science, 2005; Thomas et al. Endocrinology, 2005). Our previous studies showed that GPER activation lowers blood pressure in ovariectomized mRen2.Lewis rats and attenuates salt-induced renal and cardiac remodeling in intact mRen2.Lewis rats (Lindsey et al Endocrinology, Jessup et al, PLOS one, 2010 and Lindsey et al Hypertension). Therefore, this novel receptor may play an important role in mediating estrogenic effects in the vasculature. In the current study, we hypothesized that chronic GPER activation is protective against aortic remodeling due to salt-sensitive hypertension. To test this hypothesis, we utilized mRen2.Lewis (mRen2) rats, a unique congenic model of hypertension in which HS profoundly elevates blood pressure in females (Chappell et al, Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol., 2006). We compared aortic remodeling in high salt-fed rats with or without treatment with the selective GPER agonist G-1. Because estrogen modulates oxidative stress to attenuate vascular remodeling in injured arteries (Hayashi et al, Biochem Biophys Bes Commun, 1995; Xing et al. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 2009) and GPER reduces oxidative stress in the kidneys of female mRen2 rats (Lindsey et al. Hypertension, 2011), we further determined whether the effects of HS and G-1 were mediated by modulating oxidative stress. To further elucidate the cellular mechanisms responsible for vascular remodeling, we uti lized primary cultured female rat aortic smooth muscle cells to determine the effects of salt on cellular hypertrophy. Methods Animals All procedures were approved by the institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Hemizygous mRen2.Lewis congenic female rats were obtained from the Wake Forest Hypertension Center breeding colony. Rats had free access to food and water in a temperature-controlled room (22  ± 2 °C) with a 12 hour light to dark cycle. At five weeks of age, the normal salt diet (NS, 0.5% Na) was switched to high salt (HS; 4% Na), as previously described (1, 2). The selective GPER agonist G-1 (400  µg/kg/day; EMD Chemicals, Gibbstown, NJ) or vehicle was administered for two weeks beginning at 13 weeks of age via subcutaneous osmotic minipump (Model 2ML2; Alza Corporation, Palo Alto, CA). Blood pressure was measured via tail cuff plethysmography (Narco Bio-systems, Houston, TX). Animals were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: intact NS (n=7), intact HS+vehicle (veh; n=9), and intact HS+G-1 (n = 9). Vascular Reactivity. After sacrifice, the upper thoracic aorta was submerged in formalin for histology and the lower portion used for vascular reactivity as previously described (Lindsey et al Endocrinology). Aortas were equilibrated with 2 g tension and the responses to 1 uM phenylephrine, 1 uM acetylcholine, 10 nM angiotensin II (Ang II), and 3 uM G-1 were measured. Histology. Formalin-fixed aortas were embedded in paraffin, cut into 5 um sections, and mounted on slides. To evaluate aortic wall thickness, slides were stained with hematoxylin and images analyzed using ImagePro software (XXX company, XXX city,XX state). Aortic medial area was calculated by the subtraction of the area of the inner border of the lumen (inner area) from the area of the outer border of the tunica media (outer area). Collagen staining was performed using picrosirius red and images were taken using a Texas Red fluorescent filter. The medial area was selected and the mean luminosity was recorded for each section. The NovaUltra Orcein Elastin Stain Kit (IHC World, XXX) was used for elastin staining. For analysis of oxidative stress, sections were immunostained with an antibody against 4-hydroxynonenal as previously described (Lindsey et al Hypertension). For analysis of brightfield images, positive staining was identified and the percent of positive pixels in the medial a rea recorded. For all analyses, the average of four cross-sectional measurements was calculated for each animal. Cell Studies. Aortic smooth muscle cells were isolated from adult f emale Lewis rats by explant method. Aortas were excised, cleaned of fat, cut longitudinally, scraped of endothelial cells, laid luminal side down in a cell culture dish containing Medium 199 (Invitrogen, XXX) and 5% fetal bovine serum (Gibco, XXX), and cut into small strips. Cells were subcultured up to four passages. When cells reached 80% confluence, the medium was switched to Medium 199 without phenol red or fetal bovine serum and sodium chloride (Sigma) was added to the increase the concentration to 152 mM, 160 mM, and 182 mM. Add NaCl to make high salt CS medium (152, 160, and 182 mM), Normal medium 142 mM NO, I find 117 mM Add 0.02 g NaCl to 50 ml of normal medium, that makes 152 mM Add 0.045 g NaCl to 50 ml of normal medium, that makes 160 mM Add 0.11 g NaCl to 50 ml of normal medium, that makes 182 mM After 5 days of exposure to high sodium medium, cells were harvested for further experiments. Cells were harvested using trypsin to obtain single cell suspensions. A sample was taken for determination of cell number and diameter using XXX cellometer (XXX company, XXX city, XXX state). Mean cell diameter was determined on 200 randomly chosen cells in each sample. The remaining cells were lysed in XXX with protease inhibitor cocktail (XXX company). Cellular protein content was determined in duplicate using bovine serum albumin as a standard (Bio-Rad Protein Assay Kit). Results As previously reported, a high salt diet (HS) significantly increased systolic blood pressure in intact mRen2 female rats (Figure 1A). Chronic treatment with the selective GPER agonist G-1 for two weeks did not influence blood pressure. G-1 did not influence the aortic response to acetylcholine (Figure 1B) or phenylephrine (Figure 1D). However, G-1 treatment in vivo amplified the vasorelaxant response to ex vivo application of G-1 (Figure 1C) and decreased the vasoconstrictor response to Ang II (Figure 1E). Salt-sensitive hypertension in female mRen2 rats significantly increased aortic thickness, as determined by the media/lumen ratio (Figure 2A-B). This remodeling was associated with a significant decrease in lumen area but no change in the external diameter of the aorta (Figures 2C-D). Chronic G-1 significantly attenuated remodeling, as evidenced by a decreased media/lumen ratio and an increased lumen area, with no change in external diameter. The average measurements for all groups are graphically represented in Figure 2E. In order to determine whether extracellular fibrosis was altered by HS and G-1, aortic sections were analyzed for collagen and elastin content. Figure 3 shows that picrosirius red staining was similar in all groups (Figure 3). Elastin staining was significantly decreased by HS but this effect was not reversed by G-1 (Figure 4). Elastin Breaks Space between elastin fibers Sections were assessed for proliferation using antibodies against proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Ki-67. No evidence of immunostaining was found in the medial sections of aorta for these two nuclear proteins necessary for cellular proliferation (data not shown). However, in comparison to aortas from normal salt-fed rats, HS aortas showed a significant increase in oxidative stress as measured by staining for the lipid peroxidation product 4-HNE (Figure 5). In addition, chronic G-1 treatment significantly attenuated 4-HNE staining. Aortic smooth muscle cells were isolated and cultured in order to determine the Effects of HS and G-1 on cellular hypertrophy. Discussion The present study demonstrated that estrogen receptor GPER activation attenuated salt-induced increase of aortic wall thickness in mRen2 rats. The mechanism for the G-1 effect most likely involves counteracting oxidative stress and reducing vascular smooth muscle cell hypertrophy. This study demonstrating GPER-induced vascular protection nicely complements our previous work showing similar results in the kidney and heart (ADD REF). Interestingly, GPER’s renoprotective effects were also associated with a reduction in oxidative stress. Moreover, the beneficial effects in the heart were similarly independent of alterations in the extracellular matrix but directly associated with a reduction in cardiomyocyte size. Vascular GPER protein is clearly expressed in both endothelial and smooth muscle cells of the aorta (Lindsey et al, Endocrinology, 2009; Ding et al, Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 2009; Gros et al, Hypertension, 2011). In native vessels, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed mostly of collagen, elastin and proteoglycans. These proteins inà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uence cell functions and play an important role in maintaining vessel structure by providing tensile strength (collagens) and elasticity (elastin) (Lemarie et al. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 2009). One of the earliest steps of vascular remodeling is the reorganization of the ECM. In the current study, we have shown that HS increased collagen levels and suppressed elastin content in the aorta, indicating increased stiffness and less elasticity. Most importantly, the finding that G-1 ameliorates salt-induced collagen increase, without altering salt-induced decreases in elastin content, suggests that GPER activation protects against the remodeling process via suppressing collagen levels, instead of elastin. The amount and composition of collagen depends on a balance between synthesis / deposition and degradation. The exact effects of GPER on collagen protein expression, degradation, or both remain to be investigated. Another important step during vascular remodeling is the hypertrophy and / or hyperplasia of the VSMCs (Lemarie et al. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 2009). To address this possibility, we used primary cultured ASMCs isolated from female mRen2 rats. We found that both cellular protein content and cell size increased in high salt media (160 mM and 182 mM), indicating that high salt induces cellular hypertrophy. The cellular protein content of 152 mM media-treated cells is significantly higher than that of normal media (142 mM)-treated group. However, the cell size has no significant difference. One possible explanation is that the protein started to accumulate inside cells, but cells had not begun to enlarge yet. More importantly, we found G-1 abolished the hypertrophy of cells. The hypertrophy appears to result from an increase in the rate of protein synthesis and / or a decrease in the rate of protein degradation (Berk et al, Hypertension, 1989; Gu et al, Hypertension , 1998). Future studies are required to determine the effects of GPER activation on protein expression, degradation, or both. We further looked into the possibility of salt-induced proliferation in ASMCs. Although it has been shown that GPER induced the activation of MAPK signaling and cellular hyperplasia in VSMCs, other studies have demonstrated that G-1 inhibited serum-stimulated growth in VSMCs lacking ERÃŽ ± and ERÃŽ ² (Haas et al, Circ Res, 2009,; Ding, Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 2009; Gros et al, Hypertension, 2011). In our study, we did not observe any evidence of Ki67 or PCNA staining in the medial layer of aortas from any group, although significant staining was found in the adventitia. These results are supported by our in vitro studies which show no change in cell number in response to HS. The finding that G-1 attenuates aortic thickening and cellular hypertrophy, without altering blood pressure, suggests that GPER has protective effects in the cardiovascular system that are independent of blood pressure. One possible mechanism is acute increases in oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is linked to damage within the vasculature and may contribute to vascular remodeling (Hayashi et al, Biochem Biophys Bes Commun, 1995; Xing et al. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 2009). To address this possibility, we first stained 4-HNE, a marker for oxidative stress, in the aorta. We found significantly stronger staining of 4-HNE in HS-fed rats. However, this was attenuated by G-1 treatment, suggesting that GPER activation attenuates salt-induced oxidative stress. To further confirm this finding, we used tempol, an antioxidant, or G1 to treat ASMCs and measured several hypertrophy parameters. Tempol or G-1 treatments abolished the increase of both cellular protein con tent and cell size. Broughton et al demonstrated that G1 reduces NADPH-dependent oxidase activity in isolated carotid and intracranial arteries of normotensive Sprague-Dawley rats (Broughton et al, Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 2010). Elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of GPR 30 to attenuate reactive oxygen species within aorta awaits future studies. Another possibility is that HS stimulates renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in mRen2 rats. Ang II increased medial thickening of aorta due to VSMC hypertrophy without increase in cell number (Owens et al, Circ Res, 1982 1983). However, GPER activation may reduce expression of the angiotensin II (Ang II) AT1 receptor (AT1R) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) but increase the expression of ACE2. Alterations in ACE and ACE2 may increase the ratio of Ang-(1-7) to Ang II in tissues (Lindsey et al, Gender Medicine, 2011). Ang-(1-7) inhibited vascular remodeling in rat jugular vein grafts (Wu et al, J Int Med Res, 2011). In the present study, the HS medium (152, 160, 182 mM) was made by simply adding sodium chloride to normal medium (142 mM). This increases both sodium concentration and osmolarity in the medium. It is likely that increased osmolarity plays a significant role in salt-induced hypertrophy. Future studies using mannitol are needed to rule out this possibility. In summary, this study showed a beneficial effect of the GPER agonist G-1 in salt- and pressure-induced vascular remodeling. These protective effects of G-1 may be due to suppression of oxidative stress and associated cellular hypertrophy. What about aldosterone? 1.Chappell MC, Westwood BM, and Yamaleyeva LM. Differential effects of sex steroids in young and aged female mRen2.Lewis rats: a model of estrogen and salt-sensitive hypertension. Gender medicine 5 Suppl A: S65-75, 2008. 2.Lindsey SH, Yamaleyeva LM, Brosnihan KB, Gallagher PE, and Chappell MC. Estrogen receptor GPR30 reduces oxidative stress and proteinuria in the salt-sensitive female mRen2.Lewis rat. Hypertension 58: 665-671, 2011.