Ethiopian Economy essay

Ethiopian Economy essay Ethiopian Economy essay Ethiopian Economy essayEthiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and the world. At the same time, the current level of the economic development of Ethiopia is still far from the level of well-developed countries, such as the EU, the US and others. On the other hand, Ethiopia has a considerable potential and the current economic growth of the country reveals the fact that Ethiopia can become one of the regional leaders, while human resources, with a large share of young people in the total population, make the potential of Ethiopia even greater. However, Ethiopia should use its actual potential and overcome existing problems which often refer not only to the economic but also to the political domain (Marcus, 2002). The democratization of the country has had a positive impact on its economic development and revival of business activities. At the moment, the country is still in the difficult economic position because of its economic and technological backwardness mainly as well as remoteness from financial and economic centers of the world, but the fast economic growth allows Ethiopia to close the gap between its economy and economy of well-developed countries or, at least, of emerging economies in a long-run perspective.Background of Ethiopian economy  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Colonial past of Ethiopia and its impact on its economic development is still very significant. In economic terms, the impact of the colonial past of Ethiopia can be traced through the strong impact of European capital and companies on Ethiopian businesses and economy at large. For instance, Ethiopia is still dependent on European technology and capital. This is why Ethiopians view Europe as the place, where they prefer to obtain their higher education. At the same time, the persisting, strong impact of foreign companies puts local businesses in the disadvantaged position and slows down the economic development (Teferra Altbach, 2003). This is why, at the moment, the government atte mpts to stimulate business activities in Ethiopia and attract foreign direct investments to enhance the economic growth of Ethiopia and ensure the economic growth in a long-run perspective.Ethiopia experienced the same colonial past as other African countries. The liberation of Ethiopia brought not only new opportunities for the economic growth but also and mainly new conflicts and struggle for power. The political struggle has had a negative impact on the economic development of the country. One of the major events in the post-colonial history of Ethiopia was the establishment of the pro-Soviet, communist government. As a result, the pro-communist government conducted specific economic policies which resulted in the nationalization of the major sectors and industries of Ethiopian economy. Consequences of such policies and nationalization are still relevant today.However, the recent democratization contributed to the fast and steady economic growth. At the moment, the government of Ethiopia attempts to enhance open market economy principles and stimulates fair competition to make the economic growth of Ethiopia long run. Reforms conducted by Ethiopian government have had a positive macroeconomic effect, but some problems, such as corruption, technological backwardness, and other problems persist.GDP growthAt the moment, Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. At the same time, the fast economic growth now is, to a significant extent, the result of a considerable downturn in the economic development of Ethiopia in the past. However, the economic growth reveals the positive trend in the development of Ethiopian economy. The government has managed to cope with major macroeconomic issues, such as slow GDP growth and high inflation rates.The growth of the economy allows Ethiopia to increase the quality of life but Ethiopia still faces the problem of the fair redistribution of the national wealth. For example, about 85% of the total population of Ethiopia works in agriculture which comprises about a half of the total export of the country but still the overwhelming majority of Ethiopian farmers are living in poverty or next to poverty conditions (Mauri, 2010). In fact, the economic disparity of the ruling elite, which comprises just a minor part of the society, and the rest of the society, which comprises the overwhelming majority of the population, is enormous. One of the reasons for such disparity is the high level of corruption and the limited access of the larger part of the population to economic benefits and redistribution of the national wealth.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Labor force as the ground for the economic growth of Ethiopia in the futureAbout a half of the total population of Ethiopia are people under the age of 18. Therefore, the large part of the population is young that means that Ethiopian labor market has a considerable potential for the growth since all young people, who are under 18 now, will become economica lly active soon and start working or launch their businesses.At the moment, the economic potential of Ethiopia is enormous because the large part of the younger population in the total population of the country means that the larger part of the population is economically active that creates conditions for the stable economic growth. The creation of new jobs will involve the growth of business activities, while the large number of tax payers will stimulate the government to conduct efficient economic policies in public sectors of the economy, which still comprise a large share in the total economy of the country.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Private vs public sectorIn the past, the government control Ethiopian economy, while now the process of privatization contributes to the fast growth of the private sector. The government control over the economy of Ethiopia resulted to its decline and profound crisis, while privatization stimulated the optimization of businesses and improvement of the perform ance of organizations and companies which used to be in the public sector (Henze, 2005). At the same time, the transition from the public to private sector dominated economic structure was accompanied by profound changes. The change of ownership required consistent changes in the development of the fiscal policy and system of the country. Taking into consideration that the financial sector of Ethiopian economy still remains under the government control, the economic development of Ethiopia cannot be viewed as driven by private sector alone because banks and banking industry can influence consistently the economic development, while decisions taken by banks depend on the government policies because the financial sector remains in the public ownership.  Ethiopian Economy essay part 2

How to Correctly Use German Adverb Auch

How to Correctly Use German Adverb Auch Sometimes the littlest words can have a big meaning. Take the German adverb auch. In its simplest form, this word means also. But it also (get it?) holds greater significance.   Auch can mean even. It can also be a modal particle and imply anything from I hope to Youre sure. Heres a closer look at the power behind this common, little adverb.   When Auch Is Accentuated This type of auch relates to the subject of the sentence and will usually be in front of a verbal group. Its meaning is also. For example:   Mein Sohn will jetzt auch Klavier studieren. My son now also wants to study piano. Meine Oma isst gerne Bockwurst und auch Bratwurst.My grandmother likes to eat Bockwurst and Bratwurst, as well. When Auch Is Not Accentuated This type of  auch bears directly upon the elements of phrase that follow it. It usually means even. For example:   Auch fà ¼r einen fleißigen Schà ¼ler, war dies eine große Hausaufgabe.Even for a hard working student, this was a lot of homework. ï » ¿Ihr kann auch kein Arzt helfen.Not even a doctor can help her. Take note that in the above sentences, the unaccented auch draws attention toward an accented word: fleißigen or Arzt, respectively. Auch Can Express Mood An unaccented auch can also be used to indicate the mood of the speaker. In such cases, you will find  auch to help underline the speaker’s irritation or reassurance. For example:   Du kannst auch nie still sein!You can never be still, can you? Hast du deine Brieftasche auch nicht vergessen?I hope you didn’t forget your wallet. Context Is Everything Consider the following two dialogues and the meaning implied by the context. Sprecher 1: Die Freunde deines Sohnes kà ¶nnen gut schwimmen.  / Your son’s friends can swim really well. Sprecher 2: Mein Sohn ist auch ein guter Schwimmer.  / My son is also a good swimmer.Sprecher 1: Mein Sohn treibt gerne Basketball und Fußball. Er ist auch ein guter Schwimmer.  / My son loves playing basketball and soccer. He is also a good swimmer. Sprecher 2: Ihr Sohn ist sehr sportlich. / Your son is very athletic. As you can see, in both dialogues, the phrases with auch are practically the same, yet a different meaning is implied. Tone and context mean everything. In the first case, auch is accented and serves the subject of the sentence:  Sohn. In the second case, auch is unaccented and the emphasis is in on guter Schwimmer, implying that the son is, among other things, also good at swimming.

CASE 11.2 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

11.2 - Case Study Example It is therefore evident that any acne patient who comes across proactiv and gets to see the results is more than thankful for the product. Using infomercials was the best decision for the marketing of proactiv for various reasons as Dr. Rodan and Dr. Kathy came to understand. First, Acne was an embarrassing issue therefore selling the product openly would not produce positive results, as patient turnout would be very low. Second, people need to be educated on how to treat their acne something that could not just work in a 30-60 second advert. Thirdly, infomercial audience was a good target as it consisted of women between their 20s to their 40s who would do anything to get rid of the acne problem therefore providing a good market segment. Through infomercials, the product has the opportunity to air testimonials from people who have experienced positive results. It is clear that Rodan and Kathy were ready to throw in the towel after unsuccessfully seeking for investment capital with no success. The deal with Guthy-Renker was their key to success and if it had not happened then proactive would have had very low chances of existing in the market today. Infomercials were a better choice for Proactiv than print and media advertising because it was necessary to educate people on the product rather than just advertise (Agree and Martin). Infomercials offered more time to make this possible as compared to advertising through media and print where not many people would pay attention and most probably would assume it not to work as the ones already in the market. Proactiv’s positioning strategy has made it to be a success in the market as these strategies were able to distinguish it from the other products that were already in the market. Categorizing their product under skin care product rather than acne products enabled them to tap into a more attractive and larger market share. Coming up with the name Proactiv also played a major role for the product

The Creation of White Supremacy in the Nineteenth-Century United Essay - 1

The Creation of White Supremacy in the Nineteenth-Century United States - Essay Example ’ and to maintain this status they needed to place their allegiances with those in power that had the resources who could divvy up the benefits† (McVey 18). Basically speaking, an emphasis on racial rather than class unity has traditionally been an emphasis in America. This essay explains the reasons the United States had become a supremacist nation by mid-1800s. This essay argues that white supremacy emerged in the United States during the 19th century because of economic exploitation (e.g. slavery) and racial myths (e.g. Manifest Destiny). The creation of white supremacy was a critical occurrence in the emergence of American capitalism. The concept of white supremacy emerged in the United States due to several major developments: the legacy of British exploitation of the Irish; the opposition to slavery, which concluded in the subjugation of the Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia in the latter part of the 17th century; the self-recognition of emancipated laborers as members of the White population in the antebellum North; and the creation of the White nation in the latter part of the 19th century. The United States could not have emerged as a White supremacist nation in the absence of slavery. It was enslaved Africans who facilitated the economic development of the United States. This economic progress climaxed from the early to mid-1800s, the era referred to as the Market Revolution. The major driving force for the emergence of the Market Revolution was the cotton trade, and this was facilitated by indentured servi tude (Roediger 32). Another thrust to the emergence of the United States as a white supremacist nation was the occupation of a large portion of Mexico. This gave the United States the opportunity to successfully gain Pacific expansion, and hence embark on a massively profitable trade with Asian markets. It also gave the United States the opportunity to tap the immense supply of agricultural resources in California and mineral resources in

U02d1 Adult Learner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U02d1 Adult Learner - Essay Example The research title has been developed to study the meaning of ‘adults’. I have entered adulthood and I have an interest to learn about the adulthood stages of development. This assignment allows us to take a brief peek at what the future holds for us. There are several different ways of looking at the term aging. A few people tend to quantify aging in terms of numbers in terms of years. Others express aging in terms of the biological changes that an individual goes through (Stagesoflife, 2009). Another way of quantifying aging involves the social changes that occur in a person’s lives. As discussed earlier, every person goes through numerous changes and these changes in terms of biological, physical, mental, and social changes according to me form the actual meaning of ‘adulthood’ and ‘aging’ (Piccini, 2008). The study aims at gaining an answer to the question "What does adult mean?" In a case like this I would suggest the title as: â€Å"Stages of Life: A Longitudinal Study to understand Adulthood†. The main reason to choose a longitudinal study has been chosen for the research as it allows a study of the same people across the period of their life span. It also allows the researcher to study the behavioral aspects and measure the differences at every stage (Thomas K. Burdenski, 2002). I prefer to use the longitudinal research method over the cross sectional research or any other type of research, as the here I get a chance to study an individual over time and also allows me to understand why a particular thing is happening. The longitudinal study allows the researcher to touch upon various aspects of life which could have otherwise been missed out in any other form of study. Hence the study title and this choice of method are preferred for the study (Other Free Encyclopedias, 20 09). Being a part of an Adult Development course allows me to get my basics right in terms of aging and

LOTTE Confectionery: Strategy Evaluation

LOTTE Confectionery: Strategy Evaluation 1. Background LOTTE Confectionery is No1.confectionery Company that holds multiple No1 selling products of gum, candy, chocolate and biscuit segments in Korea domestic market. LOTTE Confectionery stands in unrivaled position by Xylitol and occupies strong position in chocolate by Ghana chocolate and Dream Cacao. Orion Confectionery international sale exceeded domestic sale in 2009. Orion Confectionery ranks 1st in international sale among Korean confectionery companies and possesses enormous growth rate at international market, because Orion Confectionery releases gentrified domestic products to international market. Domestic confectionery market is Red Ocean, recently revenue has been decreased. Domestic confectionery market is saturated in fact (EDaily. 2011.01.11). Even Foreign confectionery companies are joining and intensifying competition in Korea. The scale and profitability of international market are larger and higher than domestic market. Thus, Korean Major Food companies decided to enter oversea markets. Among them, Orion Confectionery ranks at 1st in international confectionery business. 2. Current strategy of LOTTE Confectionery 1) Me Too strategy ‘Me Too strategy is a business strategy that following company emulates a market leading companys strategy. It is called as ‘Market follower strategy or ‘Imitation strategy. With this strategy, a follower can gain many advantages. The market leader often bears the huge expenses of developing new products and markets, expanding distribution, and education the market. By contrast, as with challengers, the market follower can learn from the leaders experience. LOTTE Confectionery is a typical company to uses ‘me too strategies for products. There are many cases that LOTTE Conf. emulates competitors successful products. Table 1. Me too products cases in LOTTE Confectionery Competitor Product (Company) LOTTE Conf. Product Remarks Competitor Product (Company) LOTTE Conf. Product Remarks Chocopie (ORION) Chocopie Pie (HAITAI) Snack Homerunball (HAITAI) Myball Snack DR.YOU (ORION) Mothers finger Premium Product Brand Source: Interview with ORION employee LOTTE Confectionery applies ‘Me too Strategy for overseas business. The Main countries where LOTTE Conf. constructed product factories by itself are China, Vietnam, Russia and India. Except India, the entry timings of LOTTE for 3 counties are recognized as ‘me too strategy. In China market, ORION entered in 1993 and LOTTE entered 1 year later. Vietnam where LOTTE entered in 2007 as acquisition of BBICA, 2nd biggest confectionery company in Vietnam, was open to ORION 2 years early. ORION established a local subsidiary company, OFV (ORION Food Vietnam Company), in 2005 and constructed local factory in 2006. In Russia market, ORION established OFR (ORION Food Russia Company) in 2003. ORION constructed a chocolate factory near Moscow in 2004 and second factory for overall confectionery manufacture in 2006. But LOTTE established LOTTE KF RUS LLC in 2007. Table 2. ORION LOTTE Confectionery Overseas entry time Country ORION LOTTE China In 1993, Establishing Beijing Office In 1994, Establishing local subsidiary Vietnam In 2005, Establishing ORION Food Vietnam Company In 2007, Acquiring 30% stocks of BBICA Russia In 2003, Establishing ORION Food Russia Company In 2007, Establishing LOTTE KF RUS LLC Source: Financial News, â€Å"LOTTE, Following ORION?† February 25.2008, LOTTE Confectionery on-line homepage, â€Å"History† (http://www.LOTTEconf.co.kr/images/company/pic_hi05.jpg) 2) MA Strategy LOTTE confectionery has invested 500 billion KRW to overseas market by 2010. LOTTE focused VRICs (Vietnam, Russia, India, China) with acquisition local companies and factory construction. Sales result was under than expectation. LOTTE oversea sales consistantly increased and last year recorded 500 bil KRW. They have a 650 bil KRW sales target this year. LOTTE sped up their global business as entering China, India, Vietnam, Belgium, Russia and Pakistan (6th largest population). 1 China LOTTE confectionery established â€Å"LOTTE China foods limited liability company† in Beijing, China in 1994 and in 2005 it acquired â€Å"Qingdao foods limited liability company† which renamed later â€Å"LOTTE Qingdao foods limited liability company†. In 2006 it also acquired â€Å"Shanghai foods limited liability company† and renamed it as â€Å"LOTTE Shanghai foods limited liability company†. The revenue in China in 2005 was about 90 billion Korean Won and slowly increased to 100 billion KRW in 2006, as the chocolate product which is main product of LOTTE Shanghai foods LLC hit its strides in 2006, the revenue jumped up to 140 billion KRW in 2008. LOTTE China foods limited liability company- Choco Pie, Gum Production LOTTE Confectionerys expansion into the Chinese Market was especially remarkable. Even through the heated competition of Global Food Industries, LOTTE was able to capture the Chinese Flavor. LOTTE indicates that it was possible because â€Å"Steady exportation and Improvement of the Corporate image from the early 80s and the supply of eminent products due to the establishment of Local plants in the Mid 90s.† Before any diplomatic relations between Korea and China, LOTTE Confectionery concentrated on supplying eminent brand products through Hong Kong. Thus LOTTE has succeeded in establishing long term faith. Lets take a look on a couple of cases. Supporting Horse Racing hosted by local merchants, production and promotion of CafÃÆ' © Coffee Gum to help Chinese quit smoking, campaign to help victims of flood damage and other activities to capture the heart of the Chinese. Through these efforts, in August of 1994, LOTTE Confectionery established the ‘LOTTE China foods limited liability company in the Economy Technology Development Zone in Beijing. Thus it has made possible to supply suitable local products. The first established local factory was completely co-operational. LOTTE Confectionery, Japan LOTTE, and Mitsui invested in the factory and are now developed in 3 divisions. The 1st factory produced Choco-pie, Cream Cake, Koalamazzi, The 2nd factory produced plate gum, and bubble gum. The 3rd factory produced Xylitol gum, Coating gum. Among these products, it can be said that GUM represents LOTTE Confectionery. Chewing gum started being produced and sold in September of 2001, Xylitol gum, plate gum in 2002 and Coating gum in 2003.Products from these factories were sold in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and other areas of China. Also the market share in China exceeded 30%. LOTTE Qingdao Foods Limited Liability Company- snacks, biscuit production In 1996 the ‘Qingdao Foods Limited Liability Companywas established at the science and technology park of Qingdao. Based on gaining the trust of Chinese, LOTTE Confectionery solely invested and acquired Qingdao Foods Limited Liability Company in 2005. Main products of that company were snacks and biscuits such as Myball, Peanut-cuttlefish ball, Choco-pie, Custard, Strawberry pie and other pies. Especially the popularity of the Custard and Choco-pie is sharply increasing and is expected to regenerate the CRAZE in Korean Market. LOTTE Shanghai Foods Limited Liability Company- Production of raw liquid of chocolate. In 2006 ‘LOTTE Shanghai Foods Limited Liability Company was solely acquired by LOTTE Confectionery, established in 1993. This factory was mainly producing the raw liquid of chocolate. In January of 2007, LOTTE Confectionery and Hersheys signed a strategic alliance to manufacture and sell the main products from this factory. And from October 2007, LOTTE Confectionery started to manufacture and supply its popular products, Ghana and Dream CaCao into all over the Chinese market. (Source: Journal ‘The Buyer 2008) 2 India LOTTE acquired Parrys in May 2004. It was a sole invest, not joint venture. LOTTE firstly acquired 60.39% stock and gained the rest later. Stock acquisition cost was about 23.2 Bil KRW. Parrys Confectionery Ltd, established in 1914, was one of the representative confectionery companies in India. Annual sales are over 22 Bil KRW. By acquiring Parrys, LOTTE could preoccupy India confectionery market as well as secured the price competitiveness making India as production base for exporting to Africa and Middle East area. (Source: 2004/5/21 food new media) 3 Vietnam In 2007, LOTTE acquired 30% stocks of BBiCa which was the 2nd largest confectionery company with annual sales 20Bil KRW in Vietnam. Using BBiCas sales network over the country, LOTTE expected to expand market presence in Vietnam, the population was about 84 Mil in 2007. (Source: 2007/10/05 Medical today media) 4 Pakistan LOTTE Confectionery acquired Pakistan Kolson companys (K. S. Sulemanji Esmailji Sons (Private) Limited) stock 69.45% (20 Bil KRW) and became the biggest stockholder. Through this acquisition, LOTTE could begin a nationwide business in Pakistan. Pakistan confectionery market size was the 1/3 of Koreans. However it was expected to grow 10% each year, since the population under the age of 14 was 37%. (Source: LOTTE Confectionary Internal Data) Kolson was founded in 1942, one of the leading company with asset 53.2 bil KRW and annual sales were about 33 bil KRW. Kolson had the 2nd largest market share (29%) in snack, 4th(6%) in biscuit, the 1st(44%) in pasta market in 2010. 3) Synergy with LOTTE groups affiliates LOTTE has a vision to make a global brand just like Samsung and Wal-Mart. One of the key strategies for achieving this goal is building â€Å"LOTTE Town† LOTTE has already opened â€Å"Moscow LOTTE Town† on last October, 2010, which is consisting of luxury hotels and department stores. That was the first oversea â€Å"LOTTE Town† Also in Hanoi, Vietnam and in Shenyang, China are under construction â€Å"LOTTE Town† which is planning to complete the end of 2013 in Hanoi, and to complete the end of 2015 in Shenyang. 1 Building LOTTE Town in China and Vietnam By 2018, LOTTE will build more than 10 LOTTE Town in Nanjing, Shanghai, Chengdu in China-, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, and Jakarta in Indonesia, etc, to serve them as a growth base for the LOTTEs global business. Additional oversea LOTTE Town will be constructed mainly focusing on VRICs (Vietnam, Russia, Indonesia, China)In China, Nanjing Jenye District, Shanghai Zhabei District, Sichuan Province, Chengdu Jin Jiang District, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, Zhongshan , Shandong Weihai , Chongqing, and Wuhan, LOTTE is discussing with those cities and governments for consulting the land, building size, business information in LOTTE Town. Those complex projects are targeting to complete in 2014 to 2015. In Vietnam, following Hanoi, Ho Chi min and Danang are planning to construct LOTTE Town. Jakarta in Indonesia and St. Petersburg .in Russia -following Moscow-, are pushing ahead for LOTTE Town. 2 LOTTE Town and LOTTE Confectionery global business LOTTE group is planning LOTTE Town construction, mainly targeting on rising countries such as China. Those countries are just about to create consumer markets based on high-growing economic development and high-growing spending spree. If LOTTE Confectionery is starting global business based on LOTTE Town, it can amplify the synergy to promote sales and maximize profits. 3 Overseas company management with Japan LOTTE LOTTE Confectionery has a lot of local subsidiary companies. And most of them are operated in collaboration with Japan LOTTE. It seems to make more stable business circumstance. Japan LOTTE has more overseas experience (Established LOTTE USA in 1978, and so on) and financing capacity (Low Yen Carry interest, and so on). Therefore LOTTE could share Japan LOTTE strengths and hedge against overseas business risks. Table 3. Overseas collaboration subsidiaries Local subsidiary Country Overseas collaboration companies LOTTE China Foods Co., Ltd China Japan LOTTE, Mitsui Co, LOTTE Confectionery etc. LOTTE Philippines Foods Co., Inc Philippines Japan LOTTE, Japan Taiwan Trade, Philippines Nugget Food LOTTE Vietnam Foods Co., Ltd Vietnam Japan LOTTE, Marubeni Co. LOTTE Packaging(Beijing) Foods Co., Ltd China Japan LOTTE LOTTE Taiwan Co., Ltd Taiwan Japan LOTTE Shandong FengCheng Cold beverage Limited liability company China LOTTE Invest Limited liability company, Shandong FengCheng Food Limited liability company LOTTE Trade And Distribution. PT Indonesia Japan LOTTE Source: Korea Information Service. INC, â€Å"LOTTE Confectionery Contingent liability and Contract clause† (http://www.kisline.com/) 3. Conclusion 1) LOTTE Confectionery SWOT analysis For strategy proposal, we analyze SWOT of LOTTE confectionery as below. Table 4. SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses A huge domestic and global distribution network and its affiliates A variety of No. 1 family brand held Excellent production facilities Abundant capital for investment Limitation of Me-Too strategy on premium product Poor performance in overseas investment Weak innovation strategy Centralized decision making Opportunities Threats Synergy with LOTTE Groups international strategy Target countrys (VRICs) population growth Keen competition with local and global companies Diversity of local consumers tastes 2) LOTTE Confectionerys key strategies Given circumstances and above analysis, we can find 4 key strategies for LOTTE Confectionery in terms of International Business Management. First, Strengthening MA (Brownfield method) based on abundant capital power Saving time for market penetration Risk hedging Table 5. Entry mode of Lotte and Orion Entry mode LOTTE Orion Remark Ownership MA O X Greenfield O Trading Exporting O O Importing X X Collaboration strategies Low commitment (Licensing) X X High commitment (JVs) O X Second, Synergy effect through Groups alignment Economy of scale economy of scope Cooperating with LOTTE Town Third. Decentralization for decision making Localization strategy for specific circumstances of each country Timely responsiveness Lastly, Market leading through innovation strategy Allocating investment in RD Recruiting and educating global experts

McTeague or Animalism Essay -- essays research papers

McTeague, or Animalism - Unpublished   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last decade of the twentieth century in America saw a rise in programs for human’s â€Å"self betterment.† A popular form of betterment is that of the inner animal. Interest in Native American animal mysticism, vision quests, and totem animals have increased dramatically in the past few years. No forms of media have been spared; Calvin Klein’s supermodels come on during sitcom commercials to tell viewers they need to be a beast, or to get in touch with their animal within. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, however, animalism was viewed not as a method of self-improvement but as the reprehensible side of humanity that lingered beneath the surface, waiting for an opportune time to come out and play. In Frank Norris’ novel McTeague, humans are no better than the beasts they claim to control. They cage and torment defenseless creatures, but cage and torment themselves far, far, worse. McTeague, Trina, Zerkow, and Marcus are animals in thin human’s clothing, walking the forests of McTeague, waiting for the opportunity to shed their skin and tear each other apart, while the real animals of the world continue leading lives far superior to their human counterparts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McTeague, the title character of the work, is the king of beasts in San Francisco. A charlatan dentist who constantly mumbles and growls when speaking, he makes his living by causing great pain to his fellow human beings. The woman he falls in love with, Trina Sieppe, is a patient in his chair. McTeague’s love is spawned from the agony of false orthodontics. Although etherized, Trina experiences the hurt of McTeague’s drills. As he works his macabre work on the beautiful girl, McTeague begins to see her as more and more attractive. The pain is a sexual catalyst for McTeague; like an animal on the hunt, he becomes aroused by the suffering he causes Trina. The instinct to take advantage of the defenseless girl becomes overpowering, and he eventually gives in to his raging, bestial nature and plants a dog-like smooch on her lips. From this love forged in sex, the downfall of McTeague and Trina is cast.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McTeague resembles the beast inside more and more as his marriage progresses. At first, sexually dominating Trina satiates him. Like a drug, however, a greater dosage is ne... ...bsp;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The final stab at humans is the way the animals in the story act. The two dogs in the alley are constantly fighting each other with barks. They are confined to cages, so for a long time they never have the opportunity to come to blows. Cages can only hold a creature for a finite amount of time, however, and eventually an opportunity arises where the two animals finally meet. Instead of tearing each other to shreds, they sniff each other and seem quite satisfied with the other. The fact that the dogs can succeed where the humans failed goes a long way in explaining the other character’s actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The four principle characters of McTeague fall short where two â€Å"simple-minded† canines win. According to Norris, humans are less than animals; they are slow-witted beasts barely able to come to grips with their own nature. Instead of pretending they are so high and mighty, Norris forces people to realize that their humanity causes them to fall beneath the animals. The very things humans pride themselves on are their downfall, and the animals are laughing, laughing as humans hunt and kill themselves closer and closer to extinction.