Monsignor Quixote: Unleashed

Graham Greene is known in recent years as the â€Å"old master† as a writer. He had already accumulated tremendous achievements which led him in having an expertise in writing. Because of the freedom that he exudes in writing, his subject matter, intensity and tone of writing style is quite extended significantly. Greene’s works were usually focused in pity, doom and the impenetrability of God’s will. In his work entitled â€Å"The Human Factor† (1978), he talks about the protagonist victim trapped in a twist of betrayal and spying. In his another book entitled â€Å"Dr. Fisher of Geneva, or The Bomb party† (1980), tells about he chilling story of a wealthy man who plays God sadistically with his poor assistants who tried to entertain him and humiliate and hurt them in return. However, another masterpiece from the old master, the gentlest among Greene’s works, has introduced a worthwhile read entitled â€Å"Monsignor Quixote†. â€Å"Monsignor Quixote† is an offshoot of Cervantes’s work (Greene, 1990). In this version, the readers are opened to the idea of Catholic faith and Communist sympathy conflict. The setting is in Spain in the late 1960’s were the end of the Second Vatican Council and of the end of the Latin Mass happened. This novel tells the story of a humble and kind priest who believes that himself that he was a descendant of Don Quixote, the famous Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance. After such belligerent, he was promoted as Monsignor and later forces Father Quixote from his parish in El Toboso wherein such promotion had been made by a powerful Italian bishop whom Quixote helped in fixing his car and providing him with a sumptuous lunch. Outrage of a local bishop in El Toboso arises and requested him of leave of absence to go to Madrid and buy purple socks and bib as the new Monsignor. Father Quixote’s cavalry will soon emerge. This book teaches valuable reflections about authority, hope and despair, love and selfishness (Greene, 1990). However, the rejection of dogmatic authority in the church and state is the focused of the book. Greene emphasizes the value of the spirit and not in the letter (system). Greene was said to be intertwined between two systems which requires utmost obedience and submission to the adherents. He delves onto the human weaknesses rather than uprightness. Doubt is seen as a paradox, which it is in human nature to doubt for humans are intrinsic and can control their instincts. Decisions made from incomplete information arises the matter of doubt. Greene’s inclusion of the Catholic faith as a background is hope in the most extreme situations. Monsignor Quixote and Sancho Plaza had congruent hopes on such event, thus, Monsignor hopes for Sancho, being a Communist to convert into being a Catholic while Sancho hopes for Monsignor to be a Marxist. And these hopes did not end triumphantly which lead to despair. In the book, their hopes arise through the books they read: Sancho’s preference in Marx’s works and Monsignor’s in religious books. Sancho is a materialist while Monsignor is selfless and do care for the world’s salvation. Considerably, the greatest virtue amongst all is Love. Greene knew that there is hope because there is love in it. In this regard, Sancho was faced in a conflict if he will rescue his friend from El Toboso or seek refuge form his fellow Communists. But because of love and loyalty, Sancho did not cross the frontier and instead went to El Toboso to save his friend. His loyalty and love for his friend is more important than his safety. In Greene’s works, usually there are borders which are not meant to be crossed. Love is eternal. Sancho’s reflections on the nature of love, that hate is finished through revenge, still love persists after death. Monsignor realized that Sancho would not abandon him, because he saw in him love and unselfishness (Greene, 1990) . â€Å"Monsignor Quixote† is an inspirational read, a book which greatly exemplified the humble characteristics of its author, Graham Greene. References: Greene, G. (1990). Monsignor Quixote (Reissue ed.): Pocket. Towers, Robert.   (1982, September 19).   An Amiable Graham Greene.   The New York Times on the Web.   Retrieved July 13 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/02/20/specials/greene-quixote.html      

Popular Culture Media and Society: Culture Jamming Essay

Introduction â€Å"Culture jamming† is a strategy often utilized by the anti-globalization movement in the creation and reappropriation of memes, or memorable and persistent ideas. Traditional culture jamming strategies have included a variety of actions, ranging from billboard liberation, wherein artists reclaim billboards as public space, to media activism, wherein activists attempt to garner news coverage through some form of direct action in order to have their message heard. Additional tactics such as spoof advertisements geared to mock a particular brand or industry and branding removal, wherein activists remove all marks of branding from products, have also been deployed. Culture jammers attempt to expose the norms of western industrial society and call them into question but often their attempts are not popular enough to reach a large audience and encourage a large scale questioning of the status quo. The goals of the culture jamming community are to introduce new norms into societies that effectively turn back the meanings of current social norms. Despite the best intentions of those working within the movement, traditional culture jamming rarely makes it into popular culture and is thus often thwarted in the attempt to successfully challenge the norms perpetuated by globalization. The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which culture jamming that permeates the media and crosses the line from subculture to pop culture can challenge hegemonic structures of power while simultaneously reinforcing those challenges by increasing their popularity. Through the study of popular culture artifacts from a variety of genres I hope to determine whether or not popular culture may serve as an effective strategic forum for the introduction of culture jamming artifacts, as opposed to the traditional and more subversive tactics being deployed by culture jammers. Towards an Understanding of Culture Jamming Culture jamming and studies of culture jamming have typically focused on the ability of an activist group or individual to effectively redeploy the signs and symbols of a dominant system in a manner that disrupts their meaning and critiques the overall system from which the symbols originate. In his recently republished 1993 pamphlet on culture jamming, Mark Dery (2001) states that culture jammers: †¦ introduce noise into the signal as it passes from transmitter to receiver, encouraging idiosyncratic, unintended interpretations. Intruding on the intruders, they invest ads, newscasts, and other media artifacts with subversive meanings; simultaneously, they decrypt them, rendering their seductions impotent (para. 36). From Dery’s perspective culture jamming can be seen as actions or artifacts that are politically or subversively charged. Jamming can range from parody to media gags, but always aims to make a statement against a particular target of power or popularity within a culture. Similarly, semiotic theorist Umberto Eco (1984) advocates that one form of media can be utilized to spread criticism pointed at another type of medium in order to â€Å"restore a critical dimension to passive reception† (p. 138). Eco refers to acts and artifacts that have this potential to be part of â€Å"semiotic guerilla warfare.† The signs and symbols of a culture are open to interpretation. While within a culture there may be a common meaning for these signs and symbols within a culture that meaning is not set in stone. A sign or a symbol may be used to contradict its own popular meaning. Thus we can see how semiotics plays an important role in developing tools for the toolbox of the culture jammer. The lack of fixed meaning in the signs we see on a daily basis allow culture jammers to turn back symbols as semiotic weapons against their creators. Kalle Lasn (2000) defines culture jamming as the demarketing of marketing. As the founder of Adbusters magazine, Lasn has pushed for the reclaiming and redeployment of particular brand names, icons, and advertising campaigns through a process known to culture jammers as subvertising. Lasn explains in his book, Culture Jam that culture jammers utilize Debord’s notion of detournement, or turning back specific aspects of a spectacle against itself. In the case of culture jamming, brands and their advertising are turned back upon themselves to reveal questions and inconsistencies about a particular advertiser’s ideals as seen through its campaigns. Lasn (2000) also claims that successful culture jamming can function as a pincer movement utilizing both high profile media campaigns that challenge industry in combination with grass roots campaigns for local action. The challenge to an industry or target combined with encouragement of behavioral change has the potential to change the perception of the target on a broad scale while also reducing support for the target. A well-organized pincer will get millions of people thinking about their lives—about eating better, driving less, jumping off the fashion treadmill, downshifting. Eventually the national mood will evolve (pg136). Lasn’s pincer attack attempts to make that which is currently chic or popular in a society unpopular on a massive scale. As fewer people within the society buy into the imagery of a particular industry or brand the industry loses financial support and must either change its practices or face rejection by the community at large. Lasn has spear headed grass roots campaigns such as â€Å"Buy Nothing Day;† an annual campaign urging consumers to avoid buying anything on the last Friday of November (a date commonly known among retailers as â€Å"Black Friday† as it often marks record profits for retailers as a result of holiday shopping). Lasn combines this grassroots campaign with thirty-second television ad spots on CNN each year as well as more locally oriented promotion such as fliers that activists can print off the Internet and disseminate at will. Christine Harold (2004) claims that the culture jammer â€Å"seeks to undermine the marketing rhetoric of multinational corporations, specifically through such practices as media hoaxing, corporate sabotage, billboard ‘liberation,’ and trademark infringement† (p. 190). These strategies are used by jammers in an effort to â€Å"glut the system† by supplying audiences with contradictory messages. Their goal is to generate a qualitative change in the minds of the audience about the subject matter targeted. Harold (2004) critiques traditional culture jamming as a rhetorical strategy because it often relies upon revelation of hidden truths and rejection of the systems it attempts to play upon. In her analysis, Harold specifically indicts Lasn’s publications and others who deploy parody or direct negation of corporate logos in their attempts to cause questioning of norms. Reliance on parody as a mechanism for revealing truth requires audiences to deconstruct the common meaning of a sign with little to work with but the sign itself. Additionally, parody causes a commitment to rhetorical binaries that articulate rejection of the targeted idea with little room for the idea to be reframed. Dominant powers within a criticized system can easily utilize these tactics for their own means. The reliance on a recognized symbol helps to maintain its cultural prominence. The rhetorical binary used by culture jammers allows the targeted entity to easily deflect criticism and quash the questioning of norms. While Adbusters and activists of similar ideology may put forth a message of rebellion and rejection corporate targets can use these concepts of rebellion and rejection to sell their products. Recent advertisements for Sprite illustrate this concept well as they focus on rejecting celebrity culture and embracing one’s own character by purchasing the product. Harold (2004) advocates a more appropriative approach to culture jamming seeks to be appropriated by commercial media in order to redirect the focus of dominant media systems. Much of Harold’s argument focuses on the value of media activism via prank, pointing to groups such as the Barbie Liberation Organization (BLO) and Biotic Baking Brigade (BBB) as groups that have successfully received positive media coverage through their pranks. Clearly, we can see that culture jamming may be an effective strategy for putting dominant hierarchies, organizations, and systems into question. However, Reinsborough and Harold (2004) both raise interesting points in terms of the effectiveness of the strategy, with Harold illustrating the problems of strategies that are not appropriative and Reinsborough recognizing that subversive media strategies (such as those Harold advocates) are often limited in scope. When considering Reinsborough’s (2003) usage of the word meme the concept that he is referring to is not necessarily identical to that articulated by memetic theorists. Susan Blackmore (1999) has broadly defined memes as â€Å"everything that you have learned by imitation† (pg6). The definition of imitation from a memetic perspective should not be confused with â€Å"copycat† acts. Instead, imitation should be seen as memes passing from one mind to another. In his article on culture jammers and the World Wide Web, Stephen Downes (1999) defines the meme as a â€Å"contagious idea that spreads from one mind to another† (para. 2). He articulates that memes are a way to represent the ideas contained within advertising and explains that in order for ideas to take hold in one’s mind they must appeal to the audience in a way that helps them to be remembered. Similarly, Kalle Lasn (2000) speaks of â€Å"infotoxins,† or â€Å"infoviruses,† that permeate dominant media forums. Lasn claims that disinformation is propagated through media and public relations spin resulting in the establishment of incorrect beliefs about the world. In one example, Lasn refers to the media’s portrayal of anti-automobile activists as limiters of personal freedom as a contributing factor in the failure of activists to popularize their message. The movement becomes unable to stimulate a mindset shift towards a culture that is less dependent upon petroleum products. As the activists are seen as â€Å"anti-freedom† harms they are attempting to solve such as global warming are not taken seriously. Additionally, he argues that while the effects of global warming can be seen on both local and global scales, disinformation that has been spread through dominant media forums has led to a sense of complacency about the issue in the minds of Americans. Lasn believes these â€Å"infoviruses† are untruthful memes that must be challenged through the production of counteractive memes that outperform those that movements wish to question. â€Å"We build our own meme factory, put out a better product and beat the corporations at their own game. We identify the macromemes and the metamemes—the core ideas without which a sustainable future is unthinkable—and deploy them† (pg124). Both Reinsborough (2003) and Lasn (2000) seem to be identifying that memes are memorable and popular concepts that have the ability to be spread in order to transform cultural norms. Blackmore (1999) and Downes (1999) clearly illustrate that memes are made up of ideas that are picked up from popular culture and imitated. The process of culture jamming can be seen as one generating memes that hold a meaning that challenges existing norms. To return to the analogy of the gene, culture jamming can be seen as a form of â€Å"memetic engineering† with a goal of producing a dominant and meaningful meme that causes new â€Å"traits,† or meanings, to become exemplified within a culture. Understanding the Transformative Potential of Popular Culture Communication and mass media scholars have examined the extent to which popular culture may contribute to the formation of cultural norms and social structure. Guy Debord (1977) implicates popular culture in large portion of what he labels â€Å"the society of the spectacle.† Debord’s (1977) view of the world in the era of global capitalism is one in which popular culture serves to provide images or representations of the world that do not represent its historical state, but instead inspire audiences to digest the world around them as commodities as a replacement for the real. Artifacts such as films are not representative of art, but are tools to inspire audiences to strive towards the acquisition of consumer goods and respect the hierarchal structure. Debord (1977) points out that the society of the spectacle is replete with images and representations that drive audiences to become consumers. This consumption leads audiences to respect the structural hierarchies that repress them. In essence, the complacency most audiences have towards the consumption of images and subsequently the world around them drives this structuralism. While Debord (1977) implicates popular culture and the spectacle as paramount in the construction of a social order of consumption, he does offer some hope for those striving to work against the consumptive nature of capitalist hierarchies in the form of â€Å"detournement† By creating contradictions, negations, or parodies of a given work, â€Å"corrections† can be made to the meaning of the work in order to create a meaning that is more representative of the â€Å"true† states of societies. Marshall McLuhan (1964) argued in his groundbreaking work, Understanding Media, that popular culture experienced a drastic shift with the advent of technologies such as film, radio and television. Whereas popular culture had been print dominated in years previous, the shift to new types of media changed the way media was created and the effect was dramatic. McLuhan argues that the introduction of printed texts into cultures undermined the tribal aspect of communities and collective ideas that had once dominated small communities. Cultures became more individualistic and increased the power of logic and rationale of the written word as opposed to commonality among group members. The advent of new media brought about a more collective consciousness as individuals were drawn to its aesthetics. New tribal communities formed that were rooted in both local and global norms. Audience exposure to new and different sights and sounds increased the shared understanding across cultures. McLuhan also illustrates that the spread of media united people as a result of the media’s importance by comparing media to staples of a society’s economy. Television, for example, can be used to construct the cultural norms of a society. Those people who are active audience members of a particular television show or genre are likely to have shared beliefs, forming a tribal community of their own. McLuhan argued that the community building potential of television and the syndication of programming created the potential for these cultures to spread globally. While McLuhan’s work was performed in the 1960s the subsequent popularity of the Internet seems to confirm at the very least that communities of people who make up television audiences extend worldwide as fan sites, bulletin boards, and blogs dedicated to television programs cross multiple borders and cultures. Television, much of McLuhan’s media, is a part of popular culture. Research has also been conducted suggesting that popular culture has the ability to reaffirm existing cultural norms or as a tool in transforming current norms. Lee Artz (2004) has examined the cultural norms that are present in the bulk of the animation produced by the Walt Disney Co. Artz argues that the autocratic production process embraced by Disney executives results in four dominant themes present in nearly every animated film the company has released. These themes include the naturalization of hierarchy, the defense of elite coercion and power, promotion of hyper-individualism and the denigration of democratic solidarity (p. 126). The prevalence of these themes can be identified through study of the narratives contained within Disney films as well as through the stylistic elements of the animation itself. The ease with which animated film can be translated and transported into the languages and cultures of peoples worldwide offers a large audience to Disney in marketing its films and film-related products. The portability of Disney products from one culture to another is a problematic notion for Artz (2004), as he explains the social stratification present and reaffirmed in the films produced is largely representative of the global capital system that allows Disney to thrive as a media giant. Artz suggests that effective resistance against these thematic representations cannot be implemented by rogue Disney artists injecting subversive messages into films. Instead, â€Å"cooperative creations and narratives† and the appropriation and subsequent use of animation technology by artists, writers, and producers committed to the promotion of democracy would be more effective. This conclusion appears to be impirically proven. While not discussed in Artz’s work, subversive strategies have been employed by disgruntled artists involved in the production of Disney films (such as the post-production inclusion of an image of a topless woman in the background artwork of The Rescuers). However these acts did not generate substantial negative publicity for the company. Peter Simonson (2001) has examined the successes the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have experienced as a result of using communication strategies rooted in popular culture. PETA seeks to change predominant cultural norms in the area of animal welfare. Their traditional communicative strategies have relied on the generating news controversy and gaining news coverage. Simonson proposes that social movements and organizations seeking to change popular morals or norms rely upon social noise—a multifaceted concept that can be defined as messages that are compelling or loud enough to be heard amidst the signals of mass-media. Noise disrupts commonly held social meanings and is often discordant or disagreeable to a subset of the audience. Scholars have also focused on what makes a particular artifact or action popular. John Fiske (1989) studied culture as popular culture in terms of texts. By making textual analysis of artifacts in popular culture, Fiske began to make claims about the structure of popular messages. Fiske introduced the concept of the producerly text as a primary characteristic of popular culture. The producerly text is conceptually anchored in the distinctions made by Barthes (1977) between the writerly and readerly texts. Barthes contends that readerly texts are those that we are able to read passively. Interactions between the audience and these texts are receptive; there is no need to question or interpret the text in a different way than it is written. Writerly texts can be seen as those texts that require the reader to constantly evaluate and rewrite the meaning of the text, and writerly texts usually require some specialized knowledge or a toolset to decode (Fiske 1989). Many scholars and activists concur that there is a risk when entering into pop culture that the rhetoric used by those critiquing dominant ideologies and structures may be co-opted. The potential exists for the message to be appropriated by those in power for their own means; the message becomes incorporated by those in power in order to embolden their own claims or profits. The same process that allows activists to change the meaning of texts is available to everyone. Popular culture has the potential to create and transform both societal structure and norms. Additionally, communities of common exposure and belief can be developed using popular culture as a medium. There may be a risk of that subversive ideas can be incorporated by dominant systems of power, but this incorporation does not necessarily limit the transformative potential popular culture holds. When considering the culture jammer’s intent of questioning and changing norms popular culture becomes an interesting point of cultural injection. Conclusion In essence, the popular culture jam seeks to be appropriated into pop culture- it becomes pop culture and helps to redefine that which is popular. The result is a sort of â€Å"subpropriation,† where in the author seeks to have his or her work popularized in order to simultaneously popularize a previously subversive concept or idea. However, this appeal to the popular does not necessarily stop culture jamming from occurring. Entry into popular culture does not dictate that the message will be recuperated by industry. Rather, popular culture jamming takes place at a different point than other types of culture jamming. The â€Å"jam† in popular culture jamming occurs at the point that the artifact, action, or behavior becomes popular. The most obvious effect of moving towards a jamming of popular culture is the increased access to larger audiences. Popular culture does not request to be covered in the same way that news-oriented communication or advertisements often do. Instead, popular culture places demands upon media outlets to not only be covered but also be distributed to the masses. This sense of demand results because the popular is attractive to the media as a potential form of profit. Again, we see Fiske’s (1989) theories on production and incorporation at work. A popular culture jam spreads as a result of its popularity. Often this popularity is created by the irresistible profits that may be yielded from an artifact’s incorporation into the popular. In essence, one aspect of the structures that propagate and allow for globalization (and the subsequent problems that those in anti-globalization movements perceive to be resultant from it) to persist and thrive are turned back to criticize either itself or another portion of the hierarchal structure. Popular culture, despite the criticisms it often faces for lack of sophistication or intelligence, is an important element of our lives. Popular culture may also serve as a tool for those struggling against globalization, rampant consumerism, and capitalist exploitation. Each time we turn on a television or listen to the radio or log on to the Internet we are exposing ourselves to popular culture. Popular culture should not be perceived as an intellectual wasteland. While much of that which makes up popular culture may be perceived as being detrimental to society by any number of people, activists and media scholars cannot ignore or reject it. Popular culture needs to be embraced and transformed through the use of producerly texts in order to improve and transform the genre into another persuasive conduit for activists. Popular culture is not going away. In the age of new media popular culture is becoming even more pervasive in our lives as media formats are combined. If embraced as a rhetorical forum by culture jammers, popular culture can be transformed into a more revelatory and revolutionary space for communicating ideals that activists wish to make popular. References Artz, L., (2004), The Righteousness of Self-centered Royals: The World According to Disney Animation, Critical Arts Journal, Vol. 18, No. 1, 116-146. Blackmore, S., (1999). The meme machine, 1st ed., Oxford University Press. Debord, G., (1977), The Society of the Spectacle. Available at http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/pub_contents. Dery, M., (2004, Oct 10), Culture jamming: hacking, slashing and sniping in the empire of signs. Available at: http://www.markdery.com/archives/2004/10/cultureJamming_l.html. Downes, S., (1999, Oct. 4), Hacking memes. First Monday, 4.10. Available at: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_l 0/downes/index.html. Eco, U., (1984), Semiotics and the philosophy of language, 1st ed., Bloomington, USA: Indiana University Press. Fiske, J., (1989), Understanding popular culture. 1st ed. Boston, USA: Unwin Hyman. Harold, C. (2004). Pranking rhetoric: â€Å"culture jamming† as media activism. Critical Studies in Media Communication, Vol. 21, No. 3, 189-211. Lasn, K., (2000), Culture Jam: How to Reverse America’s Suicidal Consumer Binge—And Why We Must, 1st ed. New York, USA: HarperCollins Publishers. McLuhan, M., (1964), Understanding Media. London, England: Routledge Press. Reinsborough, P., (2003, Aug.), Decolonizing the revolutionary imagination, Journal of Aesthetics and Protest, No.1, Available at: http://www.journalofaestheticsandprotest.org/l/de_colonizing/index.html. Simonson, P., (2001), Social Noise and Segmented Rhythms: News, Entertainment, and Celebrity in the Crusade for Animal Rights, Communication Review, Vol. 4, No. , 399-420.

The Arrogance of Man in Stephen Crane’s Short Story, The...

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Children s Learning During Ppl3 - 3281 Words

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Essay on Letter from Birmingham Jail Brief Analysis

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Economics Performance of Singapore

Question: Describe about the Economics Performance of Singapore. Answer: Economics Performance of Singapore Singapore is one of the economies that have been able to move from third world country to the first world within a short period. The country experienced dire economic and political situations similar to those of many third world countries in the past (Felker et al.,2013). However, development of effective policies, a supportive government, and right economic conditions has made Singapores economy grow at a very fast rate. Singapore adopted and utilized free market economy where they promote international trade and is open to international investment through Foreign Direct investment. The economy of the Republic of Singapore relies heavily on Foreign Direct Investment. The country has invested in IT products, consumer electronics, financial services and pharmaceuticals. Singapore is ranked as the most open economy globally which his most pro-business and having low tax rates of roughly 14% of the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Production Output Performance Analysis Real Gross Domestic Product Gross Domestic product (GDP), is a macroeconomic assessment that is utilized to evaluate the sum value of commodities and services that are produced by a nation within a particular time. Real GDP is arrived at after deduction of inflation from Gross Domestic Product and is a value that accounts for changes in price because of inflation (Burda Wyplosz, 2012). GDP is an important tool because it is used to give an estimate of the total spending in the economy. However, inflation may increase the value of GDP doing the project a wrong figure of the actual growth economy, and is thus the reason why Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is adjusted by deducting inflation to arrive at the real GDP. Real GDP Growth Rate The real GDP growth rate measures the performance of the economy by showing the speed at which the real GDP increases from one year to another. The value is often expressed as a percentage, and one can quickly identify if the economy is growing or declining by looking at the real GDP Growth rate over the years. The real GDP growth rate is considered to be a better measure of the performance of the economy as compared to nominal GDP growth rate because it takes into account the purchasing power and inflation. Real GDP per Capita Analysis Real GDP per capita analysis considers the population. Real GDP per capita is arrived at by dividing real GDP by the number of people living in the country (Goodwin et al., 2013). Real GDP per capita analysis measures the performance of the economy by analyzing the standards of living in the country. Real GDP per capita analysis is also critical in measuring economic performance as it can be used in comparing standards of living over time in the country or between different nations that share the same currency. Performance Trends of the Republic of Singapore The economy of Singapore has been growing rapidly over the years since its independence in the year 1963. Currently, the country is among the ones with the highest GDP globally. The average GDP growth rate of Singapore since its independence in 1963 up to now is 6.88 percent with an all-time low of -13.50% in the year 2008 and an all-time high of 37.20% in the year 2010 (Baker, Bloom Davis, 2015). (Source Tradingeconomics.com, 2016) Economic Performance since the Year 2005 to the year 2015 As at 2015, Singapore Gross Domestic Product was valued at 402.5 billion dollars and increase from 388.2 billion dollars (Department of Statistics Singapore, 2016). The GNP per capita also improved from 67,462 in the year 2014 to 69,283 in the year 2015. However, the real economic growth rate slightly decreased from 3.3 in the year 2014 to 2.0 in the year 2015 (Department of Statistics Singapore, 2016). Year Nominal GDP (Billion US $) Nominal GDP per Capita Real GDP (Billion US$) 2005 127.417 212.074 29,866 49,715 2010 236.420 63498 46,569 63498 2011 275.369 346.353 53,122 66,816 342.371 2012 289.941 362.332 54578 68205 354.061 2013 302.245 378.200 55979 70047 324.592 2014 308.051 390.089 56319 71318 380.585 2015 388.2 402.5 67462 69283 392.147 (Department of Statistics Singapore, 2016) Government Measures adopted to achieve the production output performance Economic development in Singapore is attributed to sound macroeconomic policies developed with the objective of maintaining a good long-term investment environment as a result of openness to the market, limited government spending, the regulatory efficiency with little or no capital required and instituting of laws that deter corruption (Hall Sambu, 2013). The fiscal policies are bound for fundamentally promoting long-term economic growth instead of distributing income or cyclical changes. Singapore is also an advocate of free trade and has developed trade policies to promote international trade in the country. According to World Bank Group (2016), Singapore is ranked as at position ten regarding ease of starting a business in the country. Registering a business in Singapore is relatively easy and with taking even less time to complete. On the same note, the registration procedure can be done online via ACRA website. Labor Market Analysis Decreased unemployment is also an indicator of economic development. Unemployment takes place when a person who is aggressively searching for employment is not able find a job (Hall Sambu, 2013). As at 2012, the overall unemployment rate was 2.0 in Singapore which is lower compared to other countries such as Hong Kong (303%), South Korea (3.2%), United States (8.1%). Taiwan (7.5%), Spain (25%), and United Kingdom (8.1%) (Gov.sg, 2013). Types of unemployment in an economy Different types of unemployment exist in the economy. Some of the main types of unemployment comprise: Structural Unemployment: This type of unemployment occurs because of mismatch of jobs and potential workers because of lack of requisite skills required to do available jobs (Weiss, 2014). That is the mismatch between skills that the workers in the economy have and what employers want. Structural unemployment is dependent on dynamic changes in the economy and the social needs of the economy. A good example is when advances in technology make skills of workers obsolete hence increasing the unemployment rate. Frictional Unemployment: Frictional unemployment occurs in the economy because of transitions made by employers and workers having incomplete or inconsistent information (Chron, Hairault Langot, 2013). That is the typical turnover in the economy and the duration it takes for a person to hit upon new employment. Workers tend to take a lot of time to match up with new employers because of lack of information. Frictional unemployment is perceived as a transactional cost of trying to get a new job because of imperfect information about the job market. Cyclical Unemployment: This is a type of unemployment associated with economic contraction. Cyclical unemployment occurs because of up and downs that the economy undergoes (Gregg et al., 2014). An economy that is under recession has higher levels of unemployment as compared to an expanding economy that creates a lot of job opportunities. Seasonal Unemployment: Seasonal unemployment occurs because of seasonality in production. They are mainly associated with industries such as tourism, farming, and construction. Voluntary Unemployment: Voluntary unemployment occurs when a person decides not to take a job at the current equilibrium wage rate. Some of the reasons that contribute to voluntary unemployment include high levels of income tax, low pay, and excessively generous welfare benefits. According to Hall Sambu (2013), voluntary unemployment tends to happen when the equilibrium wage rate is below the salary that individuals want to supply their labor. Types of Unemployment in Singapore Cyclical Unemployment: The primary cause of joblessness in Singapore is Cyclical or demand-deficient unemployment. The reason is that Singapore has a large external sector which is the biggest source of economic growth. For example, Singapore manufactures and export electronics to other countries. Therefore, if the international demand for electronics falls employers may resort to reduce the number of people employed so as to lower the cost of production. Frictional unemployment: Singapore also faces frictional unemployment because of people moving between jobs. Many people are unemployed while being involved in searching for employment in Singapore. There is imperfect information in Singapore labor market increasing the rate of frictional unemployment because people are not aware of the available job opportunities in the labor market. Structural Unemployment: Globalization and advancement in technology have led to the restructuring in Singapore. Therefore, structural unemployment may happen in the economy. Singapore economy has transited from labor intensive to capital intensive economy meaning that many people may become unemployed because of lack of the necessary skills. Government Measures Adopted to Achieve Full Employment Frictional Unemployment: The government of Singapore can reduce labor immobility by disseminating information about available job opportunities to ensure that people are quickly and efficiently placed into the available job vacancies. The key measures adopted by Singapore to reduce unemployment include: Organizing job matching by Community Development Council to disseminate information concerning available jobs and match people in search of jobs to the most suitable jobs quickly, provision of job search services, labor market information, and networking. Structural Unemployment: The government of Singapore has developed supply-side policies where workers are trained to gain the necessary skills that can make them ready for employment. Singapores Workforce Development Agency (WDA) runs the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Reliance with assistance from Employment Employability Institute (E2I). The program is used to upgrade workers skills to ensure that workers are constantly updated with the current skills and knowledge demanded by the economy. Price Level Analysis Inflation determines the purchasing power of a Currency. The inflation rate has been decreasing over the years in Singapore. The average annual inflation rate for the year 2015 was at -0.43 a decrease from 1.02 in the year 2014. Since 2011 the inflation rate decreased significantly from 5.24%. (Source Kaiser, 2016) Definition and Causes of Inflation Inflation can be defined as the persistent increase in the general price level in the economy. Bresciani-Turroni (2013) defined inflation as the rate at which the general price levels of both goods and service is increasing and at the same time, the purchasing power of the currency in the economy decreasing. The causes of inflation can either be demand side factors or increased aggregate demand and cost-push factors. Demand-pull inflation: The underlying factor that cause demand pull inflation is the rise in aggregate demand. Increase in aggregate demand without a corresponding increase in supply could result in increasing price levels hence inflation (Carbaugh, 2013). Causes of demand pull inflation include depreciation of the exchange rates, monetary stimulus to the economy because of the decrease in interest rates, fast growth in other countries increasing the amount of income because of exports, and fiscal stimulus that may result in an increase in demand. Cost-Push Inflation refers to inflation that occurs because of rising costs. The main causes of cost-push inflation include rising labor costs, increasing tax rates, increase in prices of raw materials, declining productivity, a decrease in exchange rates, and inflation because of monopoly powers (Cowen Tabarrok, 2015). The expectation of inflation may result in further inflation because people will be concerned with rising prices triggering higher pay claims hence wage price effect. Causes of Inflation in Singapore Inflation in Singapore is primarily caused by: Immigration: Singapore is open to any persons who are interested in living there. Therefore, the countrys population has been increasing over the years. Many foreigners are immigrating to Singapore because of the countries friendliness. The economy is also rapidly increasing over the years. There is also an increase in international demand for domestically produced exports in Singapore resulting in an increase in aggregate demand hence demand-pull inflation. The increasing cost of doing business because of hiking of prices: For example increase in Goods and Service Tax, increase in the cost of transportation, kindergarten fee, and utilities. Growth in government spending: The government expenditure has grown over the years in Singapore. For example, increase in budgetary allocation for Singapore police force or Salaries for Civil servants. Government Measures to Achieve Stable Price Monetary Policy: The Central Bank can use monetary policies to decrease inflation in Singapore, which can be achieved by increasing interest rates to reduce aggregate demand in the economy. Increasing interest rates decrease consumer spending because it becomes expensive to borrow. People will thus save money rather than spend money. Supply Side Policies: The government of Singapore can reduce inflation by using supply side policies to increase the economys long-term productivity and competitiveness, for instance, privatization of public organizations to improve the countrys productivity. Fiscal Policy: The government can also use economic policies to reduce the aggregate demand. Singapore government can cut its spending and increase taxes to curb inflation. Conclusion Singapore is one of the economies that have been able to move from third world country to a first world within a short period. Singapores economic growth is attributed to the development of constructive policies, effective government and right economic conditions. Singapore adopted and utilized free market economy where they promote international trade and is open to international investment through Foreign Direct Investment (Cowen Tabarrok, 2015). Singapore economy has been performing well with an increasing real GDP, decreasing levels of unemployment and low rates of inflation because of the development of sound macroeconomic policies. References Felker, G., Jomo, K. S., Rasiah, R. (Eds.). (2013). Industrial technology development in Malaysia: industry and firm studies. Routledge. Gov.sg.(2013). Unemployment in Singapore. Gov.sg. Retrieved 24 July 2016, Singapore in figures 2016. (2016) (1st ed.). Kaiser, a. (2016). GDP Inflation | Economic Indicators of Countries: Inflation Rate in Singapore (from 1993 to 2016) | Forecast. Tradingeconomics.com. (2016).Singapore GDP Growth Rate | 1975-2016 | Data | Chart | Calendar | Forecast. Tradingeconomics.com. World Bank Group. (2016). Ranking of economies - Doing Business. Doingbusiness.org. Burda, M., Wyplosz, C. (2012). Macroeconomics: a European text. Oxford university press. Mankiw, N. G. (2014). Principles of macroeconomics. Cengage Learning Cleaver, T. (2013). Understanding the world economy. Routledge. Goodwin, N., Nelson, J., Harris, J., Torras, M., Roach, B. (2013). Macroeconomics in context. ME Sharpe. Baker, S. R., Bloom, N., Davis, S. J. (2015). Measuring economic policy uncertainty (No. w21633). National Bureau of Economic Research. Hall, K., Sambu, W. (2013). Income poverty, unemployment and social grants. ChildGauge, 2010105 Weiss, A. (2014). Efficiency wages: Models of unemployment, layoffs, and wage dispersion. Princeton University Press. Chron, A., Hairault, J. O., Langot, F. (2013). Life-cycle equilibrium unemployment. Journal of Labor Economics, 31(4), 843-882. Gregg, P., Machin, S., Fernndezà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Salgado, M. (2014). Real wages and unemployment in the big squeeze. The Economic Journal, 124(576), 408-432. Bresciani-Turroni, C. (2013). The Economics of Inflation: A study of currency depreciation in post-war Germany, 1914-1923. Routledge. Carbaugh, R. J. (2013). Contemporary economics: an applications approach. ME Sharpe. Cowen, T., Tabarrok, A. (2015). Modern principles of economics. Palgrave Macmillan.

Sophistication Essays (792 words) - Films, Willard, Loneliness

Sophistication Sophistication, an intriguing story by Sherwood Anderson, is written about George Willard and his lonely journey into manhood. He is a small town boy from Ohio who is discouraged by the lack of direction in his life. When he reached the age of 18, he began to see himself as just another soul to live and die. Willard realizes that unless he does something to change the course that his life is taking, he will never be a great man in anyone's eyes. More than anything else, he needs someone to know what he was going through, and understand how he felt. There is a time in the life of every boy when he for the first time takes the backward view of life. Perhaps that is the moment when he crossed the line into manhood. I think this one sentence is the essence of what Anderson is trying to communicate throughout the story. As George Willard looks at his meaningless life and his bleak surroundings, fresh ideas, new ambitions, oppressing sorrows, and lonely thoughts play with his mind, trying desperately to overcome him. He likens the transition into sophistication to a deep mood that takes over. It sweeps over his whole being and completely encompasses all of his thoughts and actions. George Willard realizes and aches over the time limitations placed on his ambition. He knows death is inevitable and he is taunted by its gloomy calling. He intends to journey to a major city and get a job at a newspaper. He hopes that his feelings of immaturity will be erased by his importance there. Although it isn't much, it is vital to him that he finds something to be remembered and admired for. George Willard has an intense craving to be different than other men. He wants to amount to something more than every other small town farmer's son. He has a need to prove himself to everyone so that he is given the recognition that he feels he deserves. One of the reasons that he wants this so badly was because the woman that he understands most fully is out of his class division. She is a college student with wealthy parents. Although he isn't on the right ring of the social ladder, George cannot suppress his feelings for her. Anderson states that at the moment George Willard came into sophistication is when his mind turned to her. Helen White is the only woman he longs for. Helen is a beautiful girl with all the necessary attributes to find a good husband. However, her mother doesn't believe that anyone from a small town is good enough for her daughter. Suitors from other towns and cities are invited by her mother to visit. They intend for Helen to fall for one of the men that her parents find appropriate for her to be seen with. If George Willard never amounts to anything, then he will never be granted permission to court her. George Willard had never really talked to Helen with the intention of seeking her hand. The feelings that they have are unspoken. He is conscious of the long-lasting impression that she casts upon him and the dignity that she possesses. He is acutely aware of her graceful yet significant presence and he longs for her closeness. They both need the other to feel and understand the changes that are taking place within their souls and minds. In understanding each other, they join together to take the final step into adulthood. Their ability to sit and communicate without saying a word is a sure sign of growing up. Their thoughts have taken a transformation so that they now look at the world with a more knowledgeable and worldly view. George and Helen are changing and growing into sophisticated adults. At the same time, they are merely on the verge of adulthood and have an occasional tendency to slip back into the playful innocence of youth. They are caught somewhere in an animal-kind of world that only evolves with time. In the company of another adult who understands, loneliness is banished but somehow deepened at the same time. It is like a security blanket. George knows that she is there to