The Significance of Ethnographic Observation

Copper Iron Stoichiometry Lab Report Essays

Copper Iron Stoichiometry Lab Report Essays Copper Iron Stoichiometry Lab Report Paper Copper Iron Stoichiometry Lab Report Paper The two possible balanced reactions are Cuscus (aqua) + Fee(s) Cue(s) + Feces (aqua) [I] cuscus (aqua) + fee(s) ICC(s) + [II] Through the possible reactions, one of the best way to determine which one is the correct reaction pertaining to the lab is limiting reagent analysis, where mass of copper is quantitatively determined or by observations. Through the process of weighing by difference as suggested by the lab manual, anhydrous copper sulfate and iron powder were weighed out. Anhydrous copper sulfate was then dissolved in water on a hot plate and iron was added after the solution of copper sulfate had cooled down to room temperature. The addition of iron took place under the fume hood so as to avoid inhalation of sulfur fumes which were leased as a side-product of this reaction. Copper precipitate was then collected by the use of a vacuum filtration setup. The copper precipitate was collected in a sintered glass crucible and mathematical analysis allowed for determination of the correct reaction amongst the two possibilities. In this lab, iron is being oxidized and this property of iron also allows for the reduction of other types of compounds such as intro aromatic compounds such as intermittent. The lab had several indeterminate errors which cannot be controlled by the student and generally results from the inaccuracy of the equipment being used in the experiment. In this lab, the use of analytical balances was a major one and even something as accurate as analytical lances has some slight inaccuracy or uncertainty which is  ±O. Egg. Another indeterminate error was the measuring of wash volumes within the graduated cylinders which have an uncertainty of  ±0. Ml. These uncertainties could have affected the end result allowing lower percent yield as suggested by Table 5 and calculation [VI]. The lab also had several possible determinate errors which are a result of the errors caused directly by the student. One of the more possible determinate errors was that there was some sort of static interference with the analytical balance. One of the students using the analytical balance could have ad a glove or phone nearby which acts in turn as a source of static interference and throws off the measurements of the analytical balanced. Wrong measurements given by the analytical balance could result in a lower percent yield as calculated in [VI] by the student. Another largely possible determinate error is an error while transferring the liquid solution with copper precipitate within the solution. Improper quantitative transfer like splashing the liquid out of the glass crucible or the solution overflowing the crucible could result in a loss of suspended particles of copper precipitate. Loss of copper precipitate would result in a lower mass recorded by the analytical balance which in turn would result in a lower percent yield. When iron was added to the copper sulfate solution, a light greenish-blue color was noticed within the solution. The species present in the solution are Fee+, SASS-, and Cue and after a little research, the light greenish blue color notices could be attributed to the presence of Feces crystals which are known as green copperas as when they dissolve they form a pale green solutions. As stated before, limiting reagents is a key concept within his lab as the reaction of Iron and Copper Sulfate can result in two different products through two different Equations [l] [II]. It was up to the student to figure out which of the two equations pertained to the lab. This was done by determining the amount of moles of Cue obtained theoretically through the masses of copper sulfate and iron. Whichever reagent resulted in the fewer amount of copper moles produced will be the limiting reagent and the amount of moles produced would be the theoretical yield for that particular reaction. 3 An Introduction to Chemical Systems in the Laboratory, Hayden-McNeil, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2012, Pig. 1 Donaldson, Ian, How to make Copperas (Iron Sulfate) from Pyrites, Encyclopedia Chemistry, http://www Salutatorian. Com/encyclopedia/chemistry/copperas. HTML (accessed 9/29/12) In this experiment however, the limiting reagent and reagent in excess is easy to determine mostly due to the visual clues. Copper sulfate is a brilliant blue color in solution and after the reaction has gone to completion, the blue color is still present within the solution proving th at the reagent in excess is copper sulfate and the limiting reagent in this experiment is iron. In the experiment, however the student is able to find the mass of the copper precipitate by knowing the mass of the reagents and equipment as in Table 1 and Calculation [l]. By knowing the mass of the copper precipitate, the student was able to calculate the moles of copper formed (Calculation [l l]) and then compare it to the theoretical yield in order to get the percent yield as in Table 5. By comparing the theoretical yield of both Equations [l] and [II] with the actual yield, the student was able to determine that iron was the limiting reagent and that Equation [I] was the main action, in addition to Calculation [Ill]. This lab was successful mostly because the student was able to determine the limiting reagent through the means of quantitative and limiting reagent analysis. This experiment allowed the student to further understand redo reactions in addition to determining that iron was the limiting reagent. Further research can be undertaken into the study of elements that can displace iron much more effectively as iron is capable of displacing various dangerous elements and compounds but even iron in large quantities is not desired. References: by Zero-Valet Iron Metal, Environ.

Allstate evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Allstate evaluation - Essay Example However, Pride, Hughes and Kapoor (2008) advise that these targets should be quantifiable and attainable in order to prevent the employees from retracting to their old unproductive habits. Allstate goal setting process entails setting of goals and subsequently making certain that the respective leaders are held accountable for the end results, which is in itself one of the ways of attracting the employees’ attention. Just like any other business enterprise, Allstate also regards the diversity policies and as a result, it has made great efforts in attempting to estimate the effects of diversity based on overall cooperate running. As part of its strategy, the company has two major diversity focus strategies; external and internal diversity. The former is mainly concerned with all efforts aimed at ensuring that labor force is at par with market background and sensitivity, whereas the latter aims at making certain that workers have the appropriate machineries and resources at their disposal so as to unlock their full capability (Don & Slocum, 2010). The firm’s superb goal setting process can also be realized through their provision of educational training, m entoring as well as coaching services to workers, which allows them to develop or enhance skills essential for their career advancement. Moreover, their goals setting process also creates room for the workers to balance between personal life and their respective professions. As a matter of fact, they offer onsite child-care services at the company’s head office in Illinois, dry-cleaning, catering as well as parent discounts at adjoining child care centers. This creates a sense of belonging in the workers who will be more appreciative to the firm and would in turn be more than willing to work towards taking the company to greater heights. Indeed, it will also breed loyalty among the workers who will want to be more of assets than liabilities to the firm. In addressing the issue of

Ernesto Che Guevara dela Serna Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ernesto Che Guevara dela Serna - Essay Example At such an early age, he was said to have a dynamic and radical outlook. As a child, he already suffered crippling episodes of asthma that afflicted him throughout his life. Despite this sickness, Guevara was an accomplished athlete who excelled in rugby and became renowned for his aggressive playing style (Anderson). Apart from this, Guevara also stood out in chess and took part in local tournaments at the age of 12. Furthermore, he was a voracious reader with interest ranging from Jack London's and Jules Verne's adventure classics to Sigmund Freud's essays about sexuality and Bertrand Russell's treatises on social philosophy. In addition, Guevara was passionate about poetry and photography (James). During his college years, Guevara entered the University of Buenos Aires to pursue further studies in the medicine in 1948. It was during this time that he was enlightened regarding the poor economic and social conditions in Latin American nations. As a student, Guevara frequently traveled around the region with his friend Alberto Granado. Aboard a 1939 Norton motorcycle, dubbed as La Poderasa II, the two set off intending to spend a few weeks of volunteer work at San Pablo leper colony in Peru. This journey was chronicled in The Motorcycle Diaries, which was translated and adapted into a film. ("Wikipedia") In light of Guevara's analysis relative to the poverty and oppression of the masses, he arrived at a conclusion that the answer to the prevailing socio-economic inequities in Latin America was revolution. With this, he also asserted that his ideology required a continent-wide strategy such that the separate nations would be viewed as one entity. From this he derived the concept of Ibero-America, which means united and borderless Latin American region linked by a common mestizo culture (Anderson). This became a central concept in Guevara's revolutionary undertakings. To start off, in his homeland, Guevara participated in riots against the Argentine dictator Juan Peron ("The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia"). Headstart in Guatemala - The Communist Youth After his graduation from medical school in 1953, Guevara traversed Latin American nations including Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. He ended up in Guatemala where he was enticed to join the leftist regime of Jacobo Arbenz Guzman ("The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia"). President Arbenz ran a populist government that attempted to cause a social revolution through myriad reforms, specifically land reform ("Revolutionary Youth"). Guevara became involved in the Arbenz administration through Peruvian socialist Hilda Gadea, who introduced him to top ranked government officials (Anderson). It should be noted that it was around this time that Guevara acquired the nickname Che, a term he frequently used which is the Argentine equivalent of pal or mate. In 1954, the coup attempt led by Carlos Castillo Armas and funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had commenced and continuously gained ground. On the other hand, the Arbenz government was supported by the Communist Czechoslovakia that shipped thousands of tons of weapons to Guatemala (Holland). As a supporter of Arbenz, Guevara joined an armed militia under the tutelage of the

Consultancy Business Performance Management

Consultancy Business Performance Management Profile of Alpha Consultants Alpha Consultants is a Management and IT consultancy firm. It is a multi-disciplinary consultancy house, which offers services to both private and public sector organizations in a wide range of matters. Alpha Consultants offers knowledge innovation, brings in entrepreneurial drive, helps create bonds between clients and customers and helps organizations to achieve their goals with optimal efficiency. Alpha consultants have a resource pool of over 100 of experts available at their disposal. Depending on the requirement of the job and the expertise that are required for any particular project, services are acquired from the consultants from their resource pool. What makes Alpha consultants stand out from their competitors is the diverse skillset and background of their consultants. It allows the organization to step in a wider and a bigger market and do what others cannot. The professionals seated in the highest level at Alpha consultants bring multicultural experience, mainly in the field of development and health. This allows Alpha Consultants to pitch solid proposals for both public and private sector projects in the development and health sectors. However, over the years, Alpha Consultants has managed to hire consultants from all the various fields and sectors to make sure that they are able to cope with any challenges that a project has to offer. It adds more value and reliability to their profile, while also allowing them to aim at more diverse and new business opportunities. Moreover, Alpha Consultant is an IT firm which has been providing solutions to both private and public sector institutions. By IT, it is clear that there is a significant relation of computer oriented workforce. So, it is not difficult to categorize it as a service concern business organization. It is currently not having a larger span of services so it falls into the class of small and medium enterprises. The illustrative report will provide solutions and information related to management related functions along with other core operations of the consultancy house. Performance measurement is a set of tools to evaluate the performance of a firm. The services offered by Alpha Consultants include1: Research, Evaluation and Assessment Project Management, Design and Planning Strategy Analysis and Policy Reviews Institutional Development, Training and Organizational Management Advocacy IT Media Consultancy Vision Alpha consultants aims to become partner in knowledge based innovation with institutes that are looking to bring change to the world. Their vision is to make a name in service excellence with the help of their skilled and experienced consultants. Alpha consultants looks forward to become a name that is known to provide sustainable and innovative solutions and help their clients in capacity building, partnership building and organizational development. They want to become the bridge to fill in the gap between the clients and customers with a vision for both entrepreneurial and human development. 2[i] Every business has some certified Aims and objectives based on the strategy devised by the governing structure. Alpha Consultant as one a SME aims to extend the IT departments of their clients and provide multi-disciplinary services in the ICT spectrum. The technical facilities can be managed by IT Media Division with a mix of management services or it can deliver a full fledge built IT system to clients. The mixture of both will also be offered by the firm. Mission The fundamental purpose of the organization is to use their expertise and experience to help their clients achieve new milestones. Alpha consultants have highly professional, experienced and skilled experts in the field of Management, Development and IT. It is currently engaged with various NGOs and Public sector organization who are working in development sector in various less privileged and under developed areas. It has worked in various war and disaster struck areas for different national and international organizations. In the future, it aims to expand the target projects and aim to provide consultancy not just in development and health sector, but also in IT, Media, Education and other domains. It plans to move into more professional areas such as organization development and structural environment of organizations and work in more developed areas. Factors Affecting Business Performance Internal Innovation in the technology and the response of employees is considered of the most important factor affecting the business environment. In the case of this firm, which is in a way part of the growing IT industry it is necessary to give response to every change in the technology. The employees or the software engineers are not that much trained as the new technology comes and their expertise becomes outdated. External The political environment and the legislation of the authorities for IT activities have a great impact on management consultancy businesses. The licensing services and the tax structure changes rapidly whenever new technology is introduced that the business policies and strategy has to be changed. In the case of IT one of the most important factors is the availability of low cost substitutes being offered in the international market. Assessing the Situation – SWOT Analysis: Strengths: Extensive experience of the key personals in the assignment and their relations with officials in their major clients is the key strength of Alpha consultants. They have a broad range of clients and get various types of projects on regular basis. Alpha consultants has a wide set of expertise, the diverse resource pool allowing them to select experts from all various fields for any desired job. They have been known around the world and get large scale projects from international clients and get payments in international currency hence generating revenues and enhance profitability. The old presence of the company helps to gain the advantage of trust through which a good base of loyal customers can be maintained. About 64% of the customers of this SME are using it for supplies. This is a very strong feature of a firm. Company has got a strong financial position as there is no Debt to Equity ratios due to absence of Debt. The companys share is with 150 employees but they are serving their own company and they are connected with it (100, 2014). Weaknesses: Most consultants/experts are not employees, rather Alpha consultants has to hire freelance experts who work on contractual basis. Freelancer experts charge handsome amounts of fee and every time services are acquired, company has to search, track and negotiate with experts for each separate job. There are certain weaknesses as compared to other competing companies i.e. the concentration of the firm is divided into multiple segments under the name of Alpha Consultants. There are no separate services entities. Along with this the company is only targeting the local and the concentration towards internationalization is very less while other firms are going international or global. Considering the outreach the companies have got internationally now with the social media and search engine tools the competition has gotten very tough. Moreover, the handheld devices and smartphones influx have changed the dimension of IT industry on a massive level. Adapting to the changing needs of the market and new technologies has become very important for SME like Alpha Co and not being able to expand its outreach to international market has been a very major weakness. Opportunities: Due to their wide and diverse resource pool, they can handle all different sorts of projects and explore new work areas. Yet, Alpha consultants is associated with various NGOs and public sector organizations. Alpha consultants can use their IT and Media professionals to explore new IT grounds, provide services to Telecom giants and Entertainment industry. Also they can form collaboration with defense institutes to provide various services. As they get projects on usual basis, they need young talent as well as experienced staff. They provide employment opportunities to fresh graduates and experienced jobseekers to get benefit from their energetic minds and use them in project developments by providing economic salaries. Many of the IT firms from EU are now outsourcing the basic tasks to south Asian countries like India. This can be a good opportunity for Alpha Co to save costs along with efficiency in work. Another opportunity is to establish umbrella brands and other co-brands for different segment of IT services. Threats: The consultants who are not Alpha consultants’ employees but working only on contractual basis, get to interact with their clients and form bonds. These consultants not only gain experience under the banner of Alpha consultants, but if they decide to work alone, they can ruin these connections and the inside knowledge they have to offer competition. Freelancers will be working on organization projects; they may have access to the organizational internal details and may leak out this confidential information to others. If at some stage project accomplished by freelancer comes to the organization for feature addition or updations, the freelancer may not be available to complete that project or charge fee more than the budget. In that case, Alpha consultants has to hire a new freelance expert who will first have to understand all the previous work and this leads to wastage of time as well as money. There are multiple threats associated with IT business and SME sector. To make SME is not at all a difficult task. Most of the IT business and core operations are being performed in underdeveloped countries or the third world countries. The reason is that the cost is lessoned as compared to EU. So Alpha Consultants has threat of new entrants in the same field along with the cost determination in the current scenario of changing business environment. Overcoming Weaknesses There are different strategies to overcoming the weaknesses of SME like Alpha Co. The first solution is to outsource majorly activities for the development of infrastructure and software. Secondly, branding can prove to be a key of success. Human Resource system will be needed if the company is internationalized. According to the research the internationalization of the SME brings in 7% employment chances and gives growth to the firms. So for these methods and alternatives the evaluation is given in this report: Outsourcing: Most of the processes like development of the script of different software can be outsourced to other countries like India, where the IT infrastructure is cheap. In this way the company will be able to earn more profit by covering most of the cost incurred. The outsourcing technique will provide a contribution towards social welfare as the company will provide employment sources. Outsourcing for other activities will also help the company to attain the status of global organization. Branding: The services being offered separately can be considered as different brands like: Alpha Management Consultants Alpha Media Advocacy Consultants Alpha IT Consultants In this way different service segments will be considered as different service entities. These services will be provided under the umbrella of parent brand Alpha Consultancy. It will show the expansion of business in real as well as in imaginary terms. The co-branding technique will provide boost to the company. Compensation System: After going international, the company may develop some compensation systems to provide healthy incomes to the new employees from different companies. So that the motivation level of the employees may get higher and they may contribute towards innovation and development. Constraint and Restrictions There are many types of restriction mounted by the local authorities on small businesses. In the case of consultancy business, there are following restrictions: Registration The business or the SME should be registered under authorities with correct particulars. It should mention everything related to business and prove that is ethical business and there is no harm for environment. Authorization The SME should be authorized by the governing bodies of the country. The trademark should be registered and there should be acquisition of copyrights to run a Small Medium enterprise. This is very important that the name should be unique and in the case of IT, the processes should not be imitated from any other firm. Evaluation: The evaluation of small Medium Enterprise is necessary as the government of EU countries takes the working infrastructure of employees in account. The working of employees and the utilization of human resources are checked and evaluated by different authorities. Responsibilities and Liabilities of Owner Managers Owner In small and medium enterprises there are multiple roles associated with owner of the business. Owner is not only an investor, but is also responsible to make business strategy of the business. Conduct Financial analysis and arrange the finances if needed. Check the legal requirement of the firm along with some attention to the marketing and sales activities of the business. Managing human resource and customer feedback evaluation is also one of the liabilities of owners. In SMEs with more than one owner it is important to contribute in terms of time and finance equally in the business. Manager There are four basic management functions which should be performed by every type of manager. These four basic functions include: Planning Leading Controlling Organizing By planning it is meant to plan the routine and day to day activities in the business. In the case of Alpha Consultants it is necessary to plan activities which are the part of multiple projects on going. Some are the management consultancy projects while other is the IT services being offered different firms. The manager should ensure the good planning. Then the manager should lead the working team of employees in accordance with the policy and objectives of the business. As to provide the solutions for IT and management both, it is necessary for a manager to provide a controlled environment in which the activities are organized to deliver best quality in time. Such services can only be delivered when there is a proper control and innovation is appreciated through the leading role of a manager in business (Fincham, 2000). Finance There financial status of Alpha Consultant is one of the best in its kind. It is a debt free company. There is no incorporation and the proprietorship is sole. The companys profit is increasing gradually with time due to appropriate cost base with respect to other companies. Marketing and Sales The customer base of Alpha Co must be very strong as it has started from providing services only to customers and now it reselling the services to end users as well as public and private sector. Most of the customers were of public sector organizations. The company has increased its business portfolio by providing multiple solutions. These multiple solutions include Infrastructure, Microsoft, networking, optimized desktop, Asset Management and security. The other SMEs in this category are only limited to one type of services like only security or networking. Very less firms are giving asset management software oriented services (Eikebrokk, 2007). According to the secondary research given in the assignment, IT firm from UK or EU can easily internationalize on the basis of services provided online. In this way the firm can increase the profit and employment capacity. Human resources There are about 600 people in the SME. They are very energetic and like tradition strong innovation is demanded from the skilled workers of the firm. The detailed analysis provides the competitive advantage of Alpha Co on other similar firms. This advantage is that apart from passionate employees the preference is given to disciplined, flexible and diversified employees. In this way the firm stands at its best among other firms of same category. Use of Technology As this is an IT related firm and knows better to use the technology. The company is using the technology related to multiple fields at once. It has got many advantages along with the disadvantages. It is very difficult for a SME to provide core operations of different or multiple solutions. Especially in IT one business SME can only provide expert solution for one factor of the technology. There are other firms in the category which are having customer base and expertise only in one sector of the technology. Whether it’s the web, security or networking Alpha Consultants is giving multiple solutions which is the good point but customer can perceive a Jack of all trades and Master of None type stereotype. Developing Strategies, Goals and Objectives: Considering the weaknesses and threats faced by Alpha consultants, a number of recommendations can be suggested: Alpha consultants has a huge resource pool. It has professionals and experts in tens of sectors and fields. However, the key professionals inside the organization are development experts, so they key focus is on development projects. It strongly needs a separate department that will be dedicated to hunting new opportunities and finding new projects. That way Alpha consultants will be able to target various new projects and explore untouched domains. As discussed in the SWOT analysis, when Alpha consultants has to acquire freelance experts for various projects, it not only allows the consultants and experts to get access to company’s information, but also allows them to interact with their clients. These freelance professionals can exploit this information. However, if Alpha consultants hires more experts as their employees rather than outsourcing to freelance expert, it can gain a lot of advantage. We have been discussed that Alpha consultants has both the valuable experience and a valued name in development and health sector. It can use this name and use their profile to land in new opportunities. By entering new domains, it is expanding and at the same time giving the business a bigger name. The goal of Alpha consultants at the moment should be to gain multi-sector and multi-regional experience using its already established name in development sector. Areas such as Telecom giants, Defense organizations, Financial Institutions and Entrepreneurial start-ups are key areas of focused. Alpha consultants with their experience can provide assistance to all these clients, while also helping their inner growth. References 100, T., 2014. The Top 100 European Software Vendors: European Software Vendors Ranking 2013. [Online] Available at: http://www.truffle100.com/2013/ranking.php [Accessed February 2014]. Eikebrokk, T.R., 2007. Information and Management: An empirical investigation of competency factors affecting e-business success in European SMEs. Elsevier. Europa, 2012. SoftCat: A Case Study. Europa. Fincham, J.E., 2000. Basic Management Principles. University of Kansas, School pf Pharmacy. ISO, 2012. Quality Management Report. ISO Central Secretariat. Softcat, 2014. SoftCat: Our People. [Online] Available at: http://www.softcat.com/who-we-are/our-people [Accessed February 2014]. www.softcat.com, 2014. Softcat Limited. Terms and Conditions for Customers. [Online] SoftCat Available at: www.softcat.com/explorer/files/SoftcatTerms_Conditions.pdf‎ [Accessed 2014]. [i] Alpha Consultants (2013). Alpha Consultants, Expertise in Detail. Retrieved From: http://www.Alphaconsultants.com/Alpha/closerlook.html

Ambrose Bierces Chickamauga Essay example -- Ambrose Bierce Chickamau

Ambrose Bierce's Chickamauga Ambrose Bierce’s short story, "Chickamauga," scrutinizes American values, specifically, America’s identifying with the natural world. Bierce is critical of the American association with divine destiny, which has manifested itself throughout history in the form of John Winthrop’s â€Å"City upon a hill† speech, the notion of the â€Å"white man’s burden,† and Manifest Destiny. American history, in the scope of the short story, is one of perceived â€Å"rightly† subjugation of others. Bierce satirizes this philosophy by use of the child as a manifestation of American values that are eventually shown to be feeble and weak. The opening paragraph summarizes American history in abstract terms: â€Å"It was happy in a new sense of freedom from control, happy in the opportunity of exploration and adventure; for this child’s spirit, in bodies of its ancestors, had for thousands of years been trained to memorable feats of discovery and conquest† (455). The diction Bierce uses conveys a sense of warmongering and that war and conquest is what brings about â€Å"memorable feats.† The ever expanding frontier, the cross-continental explorations, and the colonizing of the West, though, are all described by Bierce in terms of a mirthful child going to play in the woods unabated and â€Å"unobserved† (Ibid). Bierce undermines the notion that American conquests in the past were grand exploits of a privileged and godly people. Bierce also uses hyperbole in describing the child’s playing in the woods. Though the child is merely playing war in his mind, Bierce describes him as â€Å"a mightier conqueror† and â€Å"the mightiest† (Ibid). This diction of grandeur is juxtaposed with the rabbit scaring the child away: â€Å"With a startled cry the child... ...nquest do not give triumph to one nation and defeat for another, but instead bring about defeat for all. Thus, Bierce satirizes American culture and the popular beliefs of destiny and natural superiority associated with his time. American history is shown to be nothing more than a deaf and mute child roaming in the wilderness playing war games. The arrogant notion of superiority is described as feeble and ultimately destructive. Bierce calls upon Americans to view themselves with a kind of humility toward the natural world and its it place inside of it; no longer should Americans see themselves as privileged, instead, they should become humbled. Works Cited Bierce, Ambrose. "Chickamauga." The Heath Anthology of American Literature Volume C Late Nineteenth Century 1865-1910. Ed. Suzanne P. Weir. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. 455-459.

A Natural and Privatized life Essay

Haruki Murakami, a Japanese writer of short story, The Year of Spaghetti. The depiction of Murakami’s stories with point-of-view narratives provides certain distinctiveness to the characters, depending on how the dialogue is conveyed. The abstract things the narrator says and does provide the idea of human isolation with little feelings of fear. Although the story has no definitive plot, it grabs hold of conflicting emotions between fear and loneliness. The unnamed protagonist in The Year of Spaghetti, illustrates the meaning of loneliness through naturalization and privatization. According to the Article, Murakami Haruki and the Naturalization of Modernity, â€Å"Privatization is the process that makes naturalization possible.† (Cassegard 87) The first paragraph of Haruki’s story, The Year of Spaghetti, already shows how alone and private his life it. He says, â€Å"I cooked spaghetti to live, and lived to cook spaghetti.† (pg. 178) It already seems as if his mind is made up for the rest of his life. That he has found his life’s calling to cook spaghetti every day and every night. That is what is natural to him. Naturalization means, â€Å"that one has grown used to an environment that was once shocking.† (Cassegard 83) Nothing really phases him, however, he could not have reached naturalization without having privatization occur first. Privatization is: The process whereby individuals â€Å"become used† to solitude, or—to be more precise—their instinctual needs and fundamental impulses become channeled in such a way that their gratification is made less dependent on relations to other people. The term does not imply that human interaction decreases, but stands for the subjective process whereby such interactions become less important as sources of gratification for individuals. (Cassegard 87) This explains how the protagonist in this story can be conveyed as someone who is lonely, hurt, and avoiding the rest of the world, but could actually just be content with life. Privatization explains that the interactions with other people are not necessarily something he is bad at or is avoiding, but  just has less interest in it. The story then goes on to how the protagonist’s phone rang and how he could barely even recognize the fact that someone was calling him. This was due to the fact that he does not call nor get calls regularly. This is a shock to the protagonist because he was not expecting anyone to call or talk to him. As he answered the phone it was his friend’s ex girlfriend and by the sound of her voice he already knew she needed some kind of help. He then says to himself, â€Å"whatever trouble was brewing I knew I didn’t want to get involved.† (Murakami 180) Before even knowing what the girl’s problem was he already knew he did not want any part of it. This is part of his privatized life. According to Cassegard, â€Å"Their peace of mind is paid for by loneliness.† (pg. 87) Cassegard is trying to say that Murakami’s protagonist likes being alone and therefore, knows, getting involved in any type of way with this girl or anyone else for that matter will interfere with him being alone. He is so use to his everyday life of buying different types of spaghetti every week, cooking it in his, â€Å"huge aluminum cooking pot, big enough to bathe a German shepard in.† (Murakami 178), then eating it all by himself. Perhaps the German shepard is also a symbol of loneliness because this is all he did in 1971. He did it everyday and that is what he sees as normal. He kept his life privatized like this and that is why nothing is a shock to him, because it is natural to him. The protagonist’s tone in the story sounds content with subtle undertones of fear. It is like the spaghetti has some type of deeper meaning in accordance to his loneliness. When explaining how spaghetti is cooked a specific type of way he also mentions more than once how he must eat it alone. He even says he expects to be alone, and him subconsciously thinking people are at his door proves how lonely he really is. The protagonist says: Every time I sat down to a plate of spaghetti- especially on a rainy afternoon- I had the distinct feeling that somebody was about to knock on my door. The person who I imagined was about to visit me was different each time. Sometimes it was a stranger, sometimes someone I knew. Once, it was a girl with slim legs whom I’d dated in high school, and once it was myself, from a few years back, come to pay a visit. Another time, it was none other than William Holden,  with Jennifer Jones on his arm. (Murakami 179) Although he may be content and satisfied with being alone, you can still tell how lonely he really is by his actions. Whenever, he eats spaghetti alone he imagines people coming to visit. He especially imagines people up when it is a rainy day. The rain symbolizes the mood of sadness and loneliness, therefore, especially on rainy days he would doze off. The protagonist in the story shows his loneliness because he has to daydream of random people that are visiting him but do not actually come inside. According to Cassegard, â€Å"Few things are as striking in the protagonists of Murakami as their loneliness, even when they are with other people.† (p. 83) Cassegard is saying that Murakami’s protagonists are always perceived to be lonely even when interacting with others. For example, when the protagonist in The Year of Spaghetti is talking to the girl on the phone, he makes up a lie so that he can hang up with her because he does not want to speak or help her with her problem of needing to contact her ex boyfriend, the protagonist’s friend because he owes her a sum of money. He is not happy to have a phone call because he likes to be alone, so therefore, he lies about cooking spaghetti just to cut the conversation off. After he lies he thinks to himself, â€Å" I lied. I had no idea why I said that. But that lie was already a part of me- so much so that, at that moment at least, it didn’t feel like a lie at all. (Murakami 181) That line can make us idealize the fact that he has been cooking spaghetti for the purpose of a lie that has turned true. Him cooking spaghetti symbolizes his way of privatization. Eating spaghetti provides allusion to the idea of a tangled relationship that he is avoiding with anyone, especially the girl he was speaking on the phone to. His constant rejection to the world has lead him imagining a pot with water, on his stove, and an imaginary match. (Murakami) This collectively provides the constant isolated relationship between him and his world. Murakami is a different kind of Japanese writer. He adapted his writing style from the Western side. DiConsiglo says, â€Å"Growing up, he dreamed of America. He read American detective novels, and listened to American music  on the radio. Even the defining moment in his life was distinctly American. At age 29, while watching a baseball game, he suddenly realized he wanted to be a writer.† (pg. 1) Murakami then says, â€Å"Writing in Japan for Japanese people is in a particular style, very stiff. If you are a Japanese novelist you have to write that way,† Murakami has said. â€Å"But I am different in my style. I guess I’m seeking a new style for Japanese readership, and I think I have gained ground. Things are changing now.† (DiConsiglio) Murakami was always teased for the way he writes. He was a disgrace to the older Japanese people because of the way he wrote. Japanese people would tease Americans and call them names like batakusai, which literally means, â€Å"stinking of butter.† (DiConsiglio 1) Murakami has been different from everyone else as he group up because of his interests and that is possibly why his characters in the stories he writes are so lonely, privatized, but also natural. His characters in the stories never seem to be shocked by anything because they accept everything as they are. They do not have any desire to figure out or question why certain things are the way they are. The characters just exist neither happy nor sad. And that is how the protagonist in Murakami’s story The Year of Spaghetti is like. His character shows not much emotion to anything else except his love for spaghetti and his few day dreams of random imaginary people. That is really lonely but does not seem to shock the protagonist nor phase him, because as said, t hat is what is natural to him. (DiConsiglio) In conclusion, the point of view narration has emphasized the point that gives his stories uniqueness and relatable aesthetic. It’s tone helps a reader to understand the author and protagonist’s ideas of privatization from the world that became natural to him. It is only then the symbolism of spaghetti provides a greater and deeper meaning to why the protagonist acts in the certain way that he does- a privatized and natural life. Works Cited Cassegard, Carl. â€Å"Murakami Haruki And The Naturalization Of Modernity.† International Journal Of Japanese Sociology 10.1 (2001): 80-92. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. DiConsiglio, John. â€Å"Haruki Murakami Stinks.† Literary Cavalcade 51.4 (1999): 15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. Murakami, Haruki. â€Å"The Year of Spaghetti.† (2005): 178-83. Web.