Coming of age is a prominent theme in Her First Ball by Katherine Mansfield Essay

Coming of age is a prominent theme in ‘Her First Ball’ by Katherine Mansfield. It is expressed in the plot, wherein an adolescent girl attends her first ball and is fascinated and thrilled by it all. Her hopes are then let down by an older gentleman who cruelly reminds her that she will soon be an old lady with no happiness and excitement left in her life. Mansfield depicts the theme of growing up in title, language, literary devices and characterization. The title, ‘Her First Ball’, clearly states the subject of the story while maintaining the implications of growth and ageing. The use of the pronoun, ‘her’, instead of the name, Leila, shows how ubiquitous this process- how every woman has had a first ball that is a milestone in their journey to adulthood. This reiterates the notion that Leila, like everyone else will grow up and will no longer be the ecstatic young girl in awe of everything, whether it be for better or worse. The word ‘first’ implies youth and the change that comes with ageing. It suggests many more balls and experiences to come and marks this incident as a milestone in her life. Another technique Mansfield uses to express the theme of growing up in the story is the language. The language in ‘Her First Ball’ is extremely descriptive and ornate. She uses irony in ‘I can’t see a single invisible hairpin!’. This adds to the humor of the story. This also suggests the idiocy and stupidity of the youth, lost in the thrilling chaos of the ball. Mansfield also uses elaborate phrases to capture the magnificence of the ball and how Leila feels about it such as the alliterative phrase, ‘gleaming golden floor’. The words ‘gleaming’ and ‘golden’ both represent an epitome of beauty and splendor that is contrasted with descriptions from Leila’s school. The phrase ‘ dusty smelling hall- with calico texts on the wall’ provides a juxtaposition between Leila’s past and her present to show beyond doubt the changes in her life as she ages. An additional aspect of language that brings out the significant experience of the ball is the register used in ‘Her First Ball’. It is one of informal 18th century British English. Mansfield uses words and phrases such as ‘Twig’, ‘Oh, I say’ and ‘Pardon’. This adds to the authenticity of he story and emphasizes the setting and time. The tone used in ‘Her First Ball’ changes often in the story, which adds to the notion of change and growth. Although, it’s a third person narrative, it captures Leila’s feeling very effectively in the tone. At the start of the story, the tone is one of excitement and anxiety. Leila feels unsure yet thrilled about how the ball will be and also feels slightly out of place being a country girl. She expresses her doubts and the tone is also one of wistfulness and longing to be like everyone else. As the story progresses, the tone becomes more ecstatic and admiring of the ball. The hall, the people and the experience is absolutely thrilling to Leila. This excitement is represented in the tone until she converses with the fat, old man. He reminds her that this is only temporary and this happiness will soon be replaced with a feeling of sadness and longing to be youthful once again. This brings upon a new tone into the story- one of dismay and dread. Leila knows it’s inevitable and her visions of a life of joy and come crashing down. However, the tone soon changes to one of renewed happiness and everlasting joy. The music changes to something better and she loses herself in the dance, forgetting the words of the fat man; forgetting him altogether. The frequent changes in tone conceivably represent the changes in life that come with ageing and development. The music plays an important part in the story, mirroring the feelings of Leila. ‘with rabbit ears thumping the cold piano’ is a description of Leila’s boarding school dance lessons that were uncomfortable and a drag to her. This contrasts with ‘a soft, melting, ravishing tune’. The words chosen describe the music as an art or even as a food- ‘soft’, ‘melting’. This shows the overwhelming joy Leila feels in the fantastic ball. However, after the fat old man reminds Leila of her fate, ‘the music seemed to change; it sounded sad, sad’. The music that once ‘rose upon a wave’ now ‘rose upon a sigh’. This illustrates the quick changes in mood symptomatic of the youth, the gullibility and naivety as well. Even more so, Leila doesn’t even recognize him with the advent of another dance and has forgotten her dreadful encounter, which adds to the notion of the growing up and the mercurial c hanges in adolescence. Perhaps the most potent techniques to show the theme of ageing are the literary devices used. Mansfield uses an array of similes, metaphors and imagery to capture the scene and Leila’s emotions. The metaphor ‘all became one beautiful flying wheel’ expresses Leila’s intense happiness and high spirits. The old man, the antagonist, is described with the simile ‘ his coat looked as if it was dusty with French chalk’. It shows his lack of involvement in the ball and in it’s customs that comes with age. Another sign of this is when Leila’s partners ‘were not more interested’ and joyful about the ball as she was. This shows the inevitable mellowing down that Leila will, like everybody else, achieve. The author also uses visual imagery at the end of the story to show how the reminder of the inexorable affects Leila. Although she is initially dissatisfied, she soon notices that ‘the stars they had long beams like windâ⠂¬â„¢. This phrase with striking visual imagery marks the end of her short period of unhappiness and signifies her change in mood to once again being delighted. This leads to an important idea in the story, that adds to the characterization of Leila. The old man’s attempt to remind her of her destiny, however cruelly done, is quite true. Leila remembers this for only a short period of time before returning to her admiring self. This shows that the reminder of her future has fallen on deaf ears and that Leila is so intent on having a good time she forgets her worries and perhaps that she simply doesn’t consider the advisory anything more than a bitter man’s negative opinion. Her lack of heed to her wake up call indicates the naivety of the youth. She is quick to forget unpleasant experiences rather than to learn from them and ignores the prospect of growing up entirely as it upsets her. An important idea in the story is one of symbolism. There are many symbols in the story, Leila being on of youth. She represents the curiosity and happiness of adolescence along with the gullibility and inanity. She lives in the present, which is seen both positively and negatively in the story. Her ability to concentrate on the current happenings result in her extreme joy and thrill from the dancing and fun of the ball but also result in her sadness on meeting the fat man. The ball changes from her heaven to a place where she must face her inexorable depressing fate. However, it is this quality of hers that leads her to forget her bad memory and move on to the pleasures of life, even if they are short lived. The Old man on the other hand, could be a symbol of wisdom. When he first meets her he says ‘ Do I remember this bright little face’ although he’s obviously never seen her before. This creates an atmosphere of eerie knowledge around him. His shabby appearance and the fact that he dances with the youth despite his age sets him apart from the rest of the gentlemen and marks him as different. His age, his correct conjecture that it’s Leila’s first ball and his accurate prediction of her future signifies that he perhaps plays the role of a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. The fact that Leila forgets him suggests her immaturity and her inability to see past the present. Thus, Mansfield perhaps tries to achieve the notion of the pettiness and fatuity as well as happiness and celebration of the youth in the story and its contents. She uses the plot to describe an incident where Leila is at her most happy and later, probably her least. The ending of the story shows Leila’s resilience, or rather, her ignorance. While centered on the theme of coming of age, I feel that Mansfield used the many effective literary techniques and the conclusion of the story to show that Leila has, essentially, not matured.

Principles of Banking and Finance

Principles of Banking and Finance: Single Cashflow 1. Present Value (PV) * the value on a given date of a payment or series of payments made at other times (past or future) * Discounting from the future * Value at t=0 on a given time line (â€Å"t† is the period, ranging from 0 to n where â€Å"n† being the last period). * Net Present Value (NPV): PV after deducting all the costs 2. Future Value (FV) * The amount to which a specific sum and /or series of payments will grow on a given date in the future * Compounding (interests upon interests) Value at t>0 on a given time line Single Cashflow: Formulas FV = PV(1 + i)t PV = FV / (1+i)t i = (FV / PV)1/t – 1 Effective Interest Rate * Effective (Annual) Interest Rate (EIR) * The interest rate expressed as if it were compounded once a year. * Used to compare two alternative investments with different compounding periods * Does not include any fees incurred as part of the loan package * Nominal or Quoted Annual Interest Rate (NIR) * (periodic rate) x (number of periods per year) The rate normally quoted in the loan agreement * All-in Rate * NIR that includes all the fees incurred as part of the loan package Formulas: Uneven Cashflow Even Cashflow * Annuity – series of equal payments (â€Å"PMT†) that occur at regular intervals for a period of time (â€Å"t†). * Payment is normally made at the end of the period. For payment occurs at the beginning of the period, it is Annuity Due. Perpetuity – infinite series of equal payments Formula: Annuities Formula: Perpetuities When n > ? , PV (Perpetuity) = PMT/i

Professional Values for the BSN Student Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Values for the BSN Student - Essay Example The empathetic attitude and understanding of cross cultural values greatly facilitate in overcoming the language barriers. I therefore, strive to understand my patient’s cultural paradigms and learn to communicate in a manner that would promote mutual trust. According to Raz (1986), personal autonomy means that the person ‘holds the free choice of goals and relations as an essential ingredient of individual well-being’. Autonomy empowers a person with informed choices instilling self confidence in one’s ability to make independent decisions about themselves and their welfare. Hence, an empowered nurse has more options and freedom to transform those choices into concrete action plans for the betterment of self and the patients at large. I am person who is highly motivated towards social issues which need to be reformed to suit the demands of the changing times. I firmly believe that each person, must be empowered so that they are better equipped to make independent choices. Carter says that one should be ‘acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost’ (1996). I therefore, like to work with the proactive participation of the patients and if required, involve patient’s family in the rehabilitation process. Human dignity broadly recognizes that ‘inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world’ (EU charter). Nurses make sure that caring for human beings, cuts across class divide, status, race and culture. The core of nursing involves dedicated and ethically delivered care to the medically sick persons. I personally believe that the nursing professional helps to understand human relations at the critical juncture of human vulnerability. For me my patients are just human beings who need to be cared for. Through personal care, compassion and positive attitude, I try to facilitate their recovery by instilling optimism and

Experiences with People of Other Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Experiences with People of Other Cultures - Essay Example I have traveled to different parts of the globe because I want to experience as many cultures as I possibly can. I believe that we can all learn from other cultures because everyone has different values and beliefs. Learning about someone else’s culture not only develops my understanding for their culture, but it also helps to develop my own. This is because I can use another culture and compare it to my own, thus critically examining all the strengths and weaknesses of it. My experiences with other cultures will help me to work with a diverse student population because I already feel comfortable working with students from different cultural backgrounds. I believe that every student should be treated fairly and not discriminated against because of their culture or race, which is something that they have no control over whatsoever. Promoting equality among students also helps to improve the overall learning environment in the classroom because it gives students of minority ethnic groups the chance to thrive. I understand that some people feel uncomfortable learning alongside students of other cultures, but it will be my responsibility to promote fairness and understanding among all students. This way, they will learn to respect each other no matter where they come from. One useful idea is to allow one student of each culture in the class to have a turn each week standing in front of the class and teaching the rest of the students about their own culture. This will break down cultural barriers.

How sedentary lifestyle affect identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How sedentary lifestyle affect identity - Essay Example By this time, everybody should know the health effects of inactivity, almost as damaging to the mammal body as cigarette smoking and pets are just as susceptible. The earth is definitely getting heavier because obesity is an epidemic in the developed countries. New cases of adult onset Diabetes (also known as Type II Diabetes) are growing at an astronomical rate in the West, where 350 million people now have the disease and more than three million people succumb annually. Shockingly enough, more children are getting this version of Diabetes, which at one time was extremely rare in those under eighteen. In addition, coronary disease (heart attacks) and hypertension evolving into debilitating or fatal strokes are more common in the immobile person. Many works have blamed the sedentary lifestyle on the technology age and it is true that many more people hold an office-type job in 2012 then the populace did in the 1960’s. However, the average Western adult only works forty hours a week, less than 25% of the 168-hour week. The other seventy-two hours (after subtracting fifty-six hours for sleep) lead to sedentary trouble. The kid playing video games for hours on end, the family watching the latest DVD, adults and kids alike glued to the home computer shopping and catching up on Facebook, Twitter, etc. are all inactivity red flags that identity change is eminent. . To multiply the problem, a myriad of unhealthy food choices are available, potato chips, burritos, cookies among others, with more items invented all the time. Diet and exercise are the two solutions to inactivity. Healthy, home-cooked meals with less eating out, especially at fast food restaurants, can make a vast difference in a person’s weight and health, and feelings of identity. Instead of dad and son watching football all Sunday afternoon, they could go out in the backyard and have a game of catch. The whole family could go for a brisk walk in the park and rather than driving around the mall trying to grab a parking space near the entrance, it would be much better to park in the nether regions and walk to the door. Gardening, housework, walking the dog (it needs the workout also) and even sex are wonderful everyday devices in which one would get exercise. Is it raining? The inactive person could try walking up and down the stairs a few times. New York Times correspondent Michael Pollan has written several tongue-in-cheek books on the subject of food, most notably The Omnivore's Dilemma: a Natural History of Four Meals. Pollan stresses that he essentially agrees with the Government in their assessment that junk food and other processed foods are not good for the human body. He also acknowledges that so-called â€Å"organic† food is not that anymore, what started out as a good idea quickly turned no better than non-organic foodstuffs. In addition, modern transportation and storage methods, bringing regional foods such as Cajun nationwide, are not necessarily for the betterment of humankind. While recommending more plant matter, he stresses that humans should become a society of hunter-gatherers, as they were less than 150 years ago. Pollan in the chapter â€Å"The consumer a republic of fat† speaks explicitly on the sedentary lifestyle and oddly enough blames it partly on the glut of corn produced in North America. Americans don’t each that much corn so the excess resulted in the massive alcohol manufacturing in the 1800’s, which is still being used today (Pollan). Also high

Diversity Boing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diversity Boing - Essay Example Moreover, systemic changes to the way in which the Boeing culture existed and the way in which it currently exists were also required. As a means of tracking these changes and making key observations concerning them, the following analysis will engage the reader with a level of understanding concerning the way in which diversity was motivated and the ways in which it was implemented within Boeing. Further, a brief summary and reflective statement will be provided at the end of this assignment as a means of classifying and categorizing the utility that working as a part of the group dynamic was able to have with regards to better understanding the case study and the many factors associated with it. As Boeing’s upper management and senior stakeholders began to realize that their firm’s hope of long-term success hinged upon the ability to integrate with the outside world, a brief internal audit revealed the fact that diversity within the firm’s design and production elements was ultimately extraordinarily low (Mecham, 2002). As such, in order to appeal to a more broad demographic and come more in line with the globalized nature of an increasingly diverse society and world, Boeing saw the immediate need to seek to diversify its staff. Whereas many firms realize this particular need and slowly make moves to see this happen over time, Boeing initiated an aggressive diversity strategy that hinged upon seeking out the most qualified applicants while keeping in mind the unique levels of diversity that the firm required. This two-pronged approach was effective in the fact that it did not place either ability or diversity as the prime goal for the firm. In such a way, the expertise and focus of the firm was able to be maintained while a subtle yet decisive change to company culture was initiated. Moreover, even a cursory level of analysis with regards to the way in which diversity takes place indicates the fact that sudden rapid changes with regards t o diversity and/or diversity implementation within a culture can oftentimes be negatively received by the stakeholders. Realizing this, Boeing set out to engage a slower and more gradual approach that would seek to replace outgoing talent with a more diverse workforce; while at the same time reinforcing the mores and norms of diversity appreciation within the culture of the firm. This nuanced approach proved to be highly effective as the company was not only able to continue to operate in a profitable manner domestically; it was also able to continue the march towards global success by providing its international clients with the products and services they required. This is a testament to the success of Boeing’s diversity is the fact that the firm championed this goal alongside the vision and mission statements that had already proven to be so effective in helping to garner profitability to the Boeing firm (Holmes, 2003). Without inherently changing the scope of activities an d/or the expertise that it had already accrued over the years of successful business implementation, Boeing was able to chart a somewhat distinct approach to the future. Looking all the way into the present era, it can be noted that Boeing exhibits a very high degree of diversity within an aerospace company that

Leadership and Management for Service Improvement Essay

Leadership and Management for Service Improvement - Essay Example This stage of our group formation had been lagging for a while before I emerged as a facilitative leader. When this stage passed, our relationships became more harmonious with agreed upon values and rules of operation. Each member began to take responsibility, as they understood their other team members, with the group leader taking a back seat to proceedings. As the group leader, I think I took up a democratic style of leadership. These types of leaders make decisions at the final stage but include the other team members in the process of decision-making (Gillam, 2011: p65). While I took care of coordinating the team and their work delivery, I allowed them to carry out their research without giving instructions. However, whatever went into the report was finally decided upon by me, with any additional material needed communicated to the team member responsible. The benefits of this sort of leadership are numerous. The team members got job satisfaction since they all participated in drafting the final assignment. This style also helped to develop their research skills. The members of the team felt that they controlled the destiny of their assignment marks thus felt more motivated to do their best (Hartley & John, 2010: p26). However, since participation by all members takes time, the decision-making process was slow. Coulin’s absence caused the assignment’s timeline to stretch. ... Overall, this leadership style made me feel in charge although giving everyone a chance to give their opinion brought on some conflict. During the initial stages of the holiday, my inability to access the University’s homepage on my computer proved to be a hindrance. It actually raised a storm with some of the members when I told them that I had not handed in the assignment because of this problem. In the future, it would be better if this sort of assignments were held face to face rather than online since team members are generally least interested in the assignment over the internet. It is possible that some had multiple pages on their computer screens and were multi-task during teamwork (Muller et al, 2006: p9). The team’s five-team members could be fitted into at least five Belbin’s team roles (Gold et al, 2010: p15). Ken could be considered a resource investigator, as he was enthusiastic, extroverted, and communicative. He explored the different sources of i nformation that we had and, through his contacts in the library, was able to get more information sources. Stacy was the implementer, as she was efficient, conservative, reliable, and disciplined. Danny was the shaper, given her dynamic and challenging nature. She never lacks the courage and drive to overcome obstacles. I acted as the leader and doubled up as the coordinator. My confidence and maturity cut me out of this, in addition with my clear goals, promotion of decision-making and proper job delegation. Finally, Coulin was supposed to be the plant, especially given her unorthodox, imaginative, and creative mind. However, she was rarely available and brought about a lot of frustration for the other team members. On the days when she showed up for meetings, though, she was very