Visual Argument Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Visual Argument - Research Paper Example Judging from the first instance of seeing this visual argument, the researcher of this paper thinks that Nike is supposedly advocating freedom to do what you want, breaking barriers and conquering limits (especially when buying Nike products), which is in this case invoked by the freedom of the boy peeing on a wall. This argument would be analyzed further in the next part of the paper. In order to evaluate carefully the visual argument of Nike’s ad, the researcher would try to use the three rhetorical appeals: ethos (credibility), logos (logical reasoning and evidence), and as well as pathos (emotional appeal). In this case, the visual argument would be evaluated according to ethos logos and pathos, in that order, through using the text, the design, and as well as the image of this particular visual argument. In addition to this, the researcher would also cite the opinion of a colleague on Nike’s visual argument, wherein the researcher would react from his opinion. Usin g the first rhetorical appeal of ethos, the researcher thinks that Nike’s visual argument actually compromises the credibility of the rhetoric that Nike is trying to point out.

Smoking Is Bad for Our Health Essay Example for Free

Smoking Is Bad for Our Health Essay Almost 50 years ago, evidence began to accumulate that cigarette smoking poses an enormous threat to human health. More than 30 years ago, initial reports was made began meticulous documentation of the biologic, epidemiologic, behavioral, pharmacologic, and cultural aspects of tobacco use. The present report, an examination of the methods and tools available to reduce tobacco use, is being issued at a time of considerable foment. The past several years have witnessed major initiatives in the legislative, regulatory, and legal arenas, with a complex set of results still not entirely resolved. This report shows that a variety of efforts aimed at reducing tobacco use, particularly by children, would have a heightened impact in the absence of countervailing pressures to smoke. Besides providing extensive background and detail on historical, social, economic, clinical, educational, and regulatory efforts to reduce tobacco use, the report indicates some clear avenues for future research and implementation. It is of special concern to derive a greater understanding of cultural differences in response to tobacco control measures. Since racial and ethnic groups are differentially affected by tobacco, elimination of disparities among these groups is a major priority. Perhaps the most pressing need for future research is to evaluate multifocal, multichannel programs that bring a variety of modalities together. For example, school-based education programs are more effective when coupled with community-based initiatives that involve mass media and other techniques. As pointed out in our report, a combination of behavioral and pharmacologic methods improves the success rate when managing nicotine addiction. Synergy among economic, regulatory, and social approaches has not been fully explored, but may offer some of the most fruitful efforts for the future. It also provides the preliminary data on new statewide, comprehensive tobacco control programs, which offer great promise as new models for tobacco control and combine multiple intervention modalities. Although all aspects—social, economic, educational, and regulatory—have not been combined into a fully comprehensive effort, it is exciting to contemplate the potential impact of such an undertaking to eventually ensure that children are protected from the social and cultural influences that lead to tobacco addiction, that all smokers are encouraged to quit as soon as possible, and that nonsmokers are protected from environmental tobacco. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It is our great privilege to express our gratitude to our creator Allah (SWT) for such great opportunity to be in touch with this report and came to know the present condition of smoking in these following days. We also have to put our heartened feelings and gratitude for the kindness and assistance that was provided to us to complete our assigned report as on the topic and such way you assigned us.In preparing the proposed report we have taken great assistance support and guidance from the persons of our group, the information you gave as our faculty and website. Table of Content 1. Introduction 2. Real situation 3. Real situation of Bangladesh 4. Tobacco Smoking Prevalence, Total and by Gender Bangladesh, 1995-2010 5. Given statistics 6. Show a table 7. A chart 8. Tobacco Production in Bangladesh 9. Smoking Damage 10. Quitting statistics 11. Economic and Opportunity cost 12. Social cost 13. Recommendations 14. Conclusion Introduction: Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Casual smoking is the act of smoking only occasionally, usually in a social situation or to relieve stress. A smoking habit is a physical addiction to tobacco products. Many health experts now regard habitual smoking as a psychological addiction, too, and one with serious health consequences. Real Situation in all over the world: About 2.0 billion people smoke all around the world. The World Health Organization states that global prevalence is 48% for adult males and 12% for adult females, about 1/3 of the adults worldwide, making about 2.0 billion smokers around the world including child smokers. Percent of Population that Smokes by Gender: 22.3 percent are male smokers. 17.4 percent are female smokers. Smoking Statistics by Age: Ages 18 to 24 years 22 percent, ages 25 to 44 years 22.8 percent, ages 45 to 64 years 21 percent, ages 65 and over 8 percent. Smoking Statistics by Race: Blacks are 19.8 percent, American Indians are 36.4 percent, Asians are 9.6 percent, Hispanics are13.3 percent and Whites are 21.4 percent. Smoking Statistics by Education Level: 44 percent of adults with a GED diploma, 33 percent of adults with 9 to 11 years of education, 11 percent of adults with an undergraduate college degree, 6 percent of adults with a graduate college degree Smoking Statistics by Poverty Status: 28.8 percent of adults who smoke live below the poverty level and 20.3 percent of adults who smoke live at or above the poverty level. Number of People Who Start Smoking Each Day: Even with what we know today about the health effects of smoking and the dangers associated with it people continue to start smoking. There are many reasons people start smoking and none of them are good. Each day, nearly 1,000 kids under the age of 18 will start smoking on a daily basis. Eighteen hundred adults, 18 and over, will also start smoking on a daily basis. Smoking situation in Bangladesh: Smoking is an increasingly prevalent habit in Bangladesh, particularly among men. In the past 10-15 years cigarette consumption has more than doubled. In Bangladesh 43.3% of adults (41.3 million) currently use tobacco in smoking and 44.7% of men, 1.5% of women, and 23.0% overall (21.9 million adults) currently smoke tobacco. 26.4% of men, 27.9% of women, and 27.2% overall (25.9 million adults) currently use smokeless tobacco. BDHS 2007 found 60 percent of Bangladeshi men smoke cigarettes and 20 percent consume other forms of tobacco. Although rural men are more likely (62 percent) to smoke cigarette than urban men (54 percent), urban smokers tend to smoke more cigarette per day (42 percent)smoke 10+ cigarette in the past 24 hours) than their rural counterparts (21 percent smoke 10+ cigarette in the past 24 hours). Population (Million) Population(Age Limit)| 1975| 2000| 2025| 2050| All adults, ages 15+ Female adults| 73.115 35.210| 84.249 40.127| 151.428 74.103| 207.054 100934| All youth, ages 0-14 Female youth| 50.457 24.523| 53.190 25.855| 59.344 28.965| 58.368 28.561| Tobacco Smoking Prevalence, Total and by Gender Bangladesh, 1995-2010 Tobacco Production in Bangladesh: Cigarette production and consumption patterns in Bangladesh were examined and the health, nutritional, and economic consequences of these patterns was assessed. Consumption of cigarettes and biri, hand-made tobacco rolls, is increasing. Annual per capita consumption of cigarettes, taking into account all males and females over the age of 15, is 350 cigarettes. Previously conducted surveys of 2 villages indicated that 67% of the males and 1% of the females, over the age of 15, smoked 1 or more cigarettes or biri each day. Cigarette, bidi, chewing, hookah, cigar, cheroot, snuff, natu, burley etc. are the various types of tobacco grown in different parts of the country. Each month approximately 1500 million cigarettes and 3000 million biri are produced. 57% of all commercially produced cigarettes are manufactured by 1 company, which is affilated with the British American Tobacco interest group. Biri are generally produced in cottage industries. Cigarette production is expected to increase by 40%. The cigarette industry is not labor intensive and it provides only a small number of jobs for the population. 123,000 acres of land are currently devoted to the production of tobacco. This constitutes a serious loss of land which might otherwise be used to raise needed rice. It is estimated that the annual rice production loss attributable to the use of land to raise tobacco is equal to 1/2 of the countrys yearly food grain deficit. Regional variation is also notable in men’s cigarette smoking: 73 percent in Sylhet division to 45 percent in Barisal division; 66 percent in Dhaka, 62 percent in Chittagong, 57 percent in Rajshahi and 52 percent in Khulna. Cigarette smoking in men found to have an inverse co-relation with education attainment: 73 percent with no education to 39 percent with secondary complete and higher; 63 percent in primary incomplete and 53 percent in secondary in complete. Similarly wealth quintile reversely influences men’s cigarette smoking: 71 percent in lowest quintile and 46 percent in highest quintile; 65 percent in second, 62 percent in middle and 60 percent in fourth quintiles. Area | Number of Company Card holders | Number of other growers in tobacco cultivation| Total number of growers in tobacco cultivation | Kushtia (Daulatpur upazila) | 11689 (90%) | 1266 | 12955 | Kushtia (Mirpur Upazilla | 8437 (91%) | 796 | 9233 | Bandarban (Lama upazila) | 5754 (98%) | 79 | 5833 | Bandarban (Ali Kadam upazila) | 1149 (97%) | 37 | 1186 | Cox’sbazar (Chakaria Upazilla) | 3008 98%) | 65 | 3073 | Market Share by Cigarette Manufacturer, 1999-2010: BAT Bangladesh 60% Other domestic 32% Imports 8% Health Effects of Smoking Statistics: Smoking is the leading cause of many different health issues within our society. Many types of cancers, heart disease, and lung diseases have been directly linked to smoking. For every person who dies from a smoking related disease, 20 more suffer from at least one serious illness related to smoking. 1 out of 5 people die each year from smoking. Over 400,000 people die each year from smoking related illnesses. Nearly 50,000 nonsmokers die annually from secondhand smoke exposure. Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 different chemicals which can damage the cells and systems of the human body. These include at least 80 chemicals that can cause cancer (including tar, arsenic, benzene, cadmium and formaldehyde) nicotine (a highly addictive chemical which hooks a smoker into their habit) and hundreds of other poisons such as cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia. Every time a smoker inhales, these chemicals are drawn into the body where they interfere with cell function and cause problems ranging from cell death to genetic changes which lead to cancer. Risk factors of smoking: People take up smoking for a variety of reasons. Young people are especially vulnerable because of pressure from their peers and the image that smoking is clever, cool or grown-up. Just trying a few cigarettes can be enough to become addicted. Many people say that smoking helps them to feel more relaxed or cope with stress but nicotine is a stimulant not a relaxant, so it doesn’t help stress. What people are describing is more likely to be relief from their craving or withdrawal symptoms. Smoking Damage: There are hundreds of examples and volumes of research showing how cigarette smoking damages the body. For example, UK studies show that smokers in their 30s and 40s are five times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers. Smoking contributes to coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries) where the heart’s blood supply becomes narrowed or blocked, starving the heart muscle of vital nutrients and oxygen, resulting in a heart attack. As a result smokers have a greatly increased risk of needing complex and risky heart bypass surgery. Smoking also increases the risk of having a stroke, because of damage to the heart and arteries to the brain. If someone smokes for a lifetime, there is a 50 per cent chance that your eventual death will be smoking-related half of all these deaths will be in middle age. Smoking and Lung problem: Smoking does enormous damage to the lungs, especially because these tissues are in the direct firing line for the poisons in smoke. As a result there is a huge increase in the risk of lung cancer, which kills more than 20,000 people in the UK every year. US studies have shown that men who smoke increase their chances of dying from the disease by more than 22 times. Women who smoke increase this risk by nearly 12 times.Lung cancer is a difficult cancer to treat long term survival rates are poor. Smoking also increases the risk of the following cancers: * Oral * Uterine * Liver * Kidney * Bladder * Stomach * Cervical * Leukemia Even more common among smokers is a group of lung conditions called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD which encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These conditions cause progressive and irreversible lung damage, and make it increasingly difficult for a person to breathe. Harm to children from Smoking: Smoking in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of miscarriage, is associated with lower birth weight babies, and inhibits child development. Smoking by parents following the birth is linked to sudden infant death syndrome, or cot death, and higher rates of infant respiratory illness, such as bronchitis, colds, and pneumonia. Smoking and young people: Smoking is particularly damaging in young people. Evidence shows people who start smoking in their youth aged 11 to 15 are three times more likely to die a premature death than someone who takes up smoking at the age of 20. They are also more likely to be hooked for life. Nicotine, an ingredient of tobacco, is highly addictive – it takes on average on about six cigarettes before nicotine receptors in the brain are switched on, generating a craving for nicotine which may continue for the rest of the person’s life. In less than one packet of cigarettes, a person’s brain can be changed forever from that of a non-smoker to a nicotine addicted smoker. Although the health risks of smoking are cumulative, giving up can yield health benefits, regardless of the age of the patient, or the length of time they have been smoking. Quitting Smoking Statistics: Nearly 70 percent of smokers want to quit smoking altogether. Approximately 40 percent of smokers will try to quit this year. About 7 percent will succeed at quitting smoking their first try. That may sound like a small number but it is over 3 million people. 3 to 4 percent of people who quit smoking will do it cold turkey. If we join a proper smoking-cessation service, using all available help including medication and counseling, your chances of quitting may be as high as one in three (compared to just three per cent if you go it alone). Many smokers are lead to believe that quitting smoking is impossible. That is ridiculous! We have it in our right now to quit smoking we just need to believe. Yes, it is going to be tough and we will face challenges but thats true for anything worth obtaining in life. No one starts smoking to become addicted to nicotine. It isnt known how much nicotine may be consumed before the body becomes addicted. However, once smoking becomes a habit, the smoker faces a lifetime of health risks associated with one of the strongest addictions known to man. About 70% of smokers in the United States would like to quit; in any given year, however, only about 3.6% of the countrys 47 million smokers quit successfully. Although specific genes have not yet been identified as of 2003, researchers think that genetic factors contribute substantially to developing a smoking habit. Several twin studies have led to estimates of 46-84% heritability for smoking. It is thought that some genetic variations affect the speed of nicotine metabolism in the body and the activity level of nicotinic receptors in the brain. Causes and Consequences of smoking: Tobacco usage accounted for 4.1% of the global burden of ill-health in 2000. Much of this burden was due to an increase over the previous decade of tobacco-related illnesses in developing countries. Almost 4.9 million deaths in 2000 were attributed to tobacco usage (Ezzati et al., 2002). According to a recent study on smokers, the average loss of life expectancy per tobacco related illness in India was estimated at 20 years, with middle-aged smokers having twice the death rates than non-smokers (Gajalakshmi et al., 2003). Thus, tobacco usage results in loss of life – and in turn productivity – during the active years of experienced workers. Economic and Opportunity cost: The study in Bangladesh identifies and compares the economic costs and opportunity cost of tobacco consumption with a view to providing economic data to frame tobacco control policy. More specifically it provides an estimation of opportunity costs (costs necessitated by tobacco usage that could otherwise have yielded greater benefit) incurred because of ill-health attributable to tobacco usage. Accounting includes the costs borne by the health system to treat tobacco-related illnesses, and out-of-pocket costs borne by the household of the person afflicted by these illnesses. These two items make up the direct costs. To this is added the cost to the economy due to premature death and disabilities, or the indirect costs. The initial task was to identify the types of illnesses that can be attributed to tobacco usage, although the etiology of the illnesses is not exclusive to tobacco. The list of illnesses varies from country to country due to different habits for tobacco usage (Peto et al., 1992). In this study, eight illnesses were selected as they are consistent with tobacco usage in all regions of the world. These are given below: * lung cancer, cancers of the mouth and larynx * stroke and ischemic heart diseases (IHD) * chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Murray and Lopez, 1996). Studies in the People’s Republic of China and India have shown that tobacco contributes to the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis. Buerger’s Disease occurring primarily among heavy smokers. Here, tobacco-related illnesses are all those that have been associated with tobacco usage. A portion of the prevalence of the illnesses can be attributed to tobacco usage. Thus the main interest of this study is to estimate the opportunity costs imposed by occurrence of illnesses directly caused by tobacco usage are poor and work bare feet in wet soil condition, has been shown to be a source of disease burden in Bangladesh and other developing countries. Having identified the illnesses, the study compared the total cost of tobacco usage to zero usage. The difference between these costs would represent the magnitude of the problem. The calculation of annual costs followed the cross-sectional, or prevalence-based, approach for cost of illness studies. This estimates actual costs as a function of all illnesses related to current and past smoking. Costs were calculated using standard guidelines on economic â€Å"cost benefit† analysis. All costs attributable to tobacco-related illnesses were deemed excess medical costs Consumption of tobacco is addictive and can therefore be seen as an unwarranted cost. The opportunity costs of tobacco-related illnesses included: * private expenditures (out-of-pocket or insurance) of patients on medical care, e.g., drugs, medical examination, hospitalization, and transportation to health centers * cost of the public health care system * loss of potential income and investment opportunities due to illness and consequent working disability or termination of working life by premature death. * The first two components are the direct costs to the patients and the health care system. * The third component constitutes the indirect cost of illness to individuals and society. The measurement of the total annual cost of tobacco-related illnesses to the economy involves the estimation of: * the relative risk of the eight selected diseases with respect to tobacco the proportion of tobacco users having any of the diseases; * the prevalence rates of the eight diseases attributable to tobacco usage–the probability that one of them would befall a tobacco consumer, derived from the ratio of tobacco users having any of the eight illnesses compared to the proportion of tobacco users in the economy; * the average cost of private treatment of individual patients; * the average hospital cost (inpatient and outpatient) of treatment of individual patients; * the average indirect cost from the loss of working days and income of both the patient and the attendant family members due to the treatment; * average indirect cost from the loss of income owing to disability or early demise caused by the illness. * Methods and analytical framework * Impact of Tobacco-related Illnesses in Bangladesh * The sum of the average costs , weighted by the rate of prevalence of tobacco-related illness, yields an estimate of the expected average cost of illnesses attributable to tobacco usage. To obtain the expected total cost of illness, the average cost needs to be multiplied by the total population. Thus the following basic economic cost structure for each illness will be calculated for each year. Objectives: The objective of the study was to obtain information on the economic costs of illnesses resulting from tobacco usage in Bangladesh. It entailed calculating the opportunity costs borne by the government attributable to tobacco related illnesses, and an analysis of the extent to which these may frame tobacco control policy. The specific objectives were to determine: * the prevalence of tobacco usage; * the prevalence of tobacco-related illnesses; * utilization of health services (in a partial way); * hospital costs borne by the health system due to tobacco-related illnesses; * out-of-pocket expenditure of households, either when(6) deaths and disabilities due to tobacco-related illnesses; * the impact of second-hand smoking; and * benefit of tobacco consumption for the economy. Using the above criteria we attempted to test the following hypotheses: * tobacco-related illnesses impose substantial costs to the society; * total expenditure (household out-of-pocket, health system and indirect costs) exceeds total income (public and private) earned from, domestic consumption of tobacco; and * the cost of tobacco usage is disproportionately high for the poor. The prevalence of tobacco-related diseases and the average private and public costs of treating them were estimated using data collected in 2004 from various sources, including a national household survey, hospital costs and patient surveys (from three public medical college hospitals and one private one), and an expert survey that determined the survival rate and quality of life after occurrence of the diseases attributable to tobacco. These data were supplemented by others from the institutes that provide specialized care for the diseases. On the other hand, a major reason that tobacco consumption has not been considered as a cost has been the concern of policy-makers in poorer countries of losing tax revenues from sales of tobacco products (including surpluses which are normally seen as benefits in welfare economics), as well as wages earned through the production of tobacco. The study therefore adopted a mixed approach while the tax and wages associated with tobacco consumption and production were seen as benefits the producer and consumer surpluses from domestic consumption were discounted as they stem solely from addictive consumption and cause damage to health. In the United States of America, the direct costs of treatment of illnesses directly attributed to tobacco usage accounted for 0.46% to 1.15% of gross domestic product (GDP). This is the actual expenditure in a given year. In the United Kingdom, these costs amounted to 0.13% of GDP, while those in Canada ranged from 0.12% to 0.56% of GDP. Similar ranges were found in Australia. The only comprehensive study from any developing country , carried out in China, showed that direct costs amounted to 0.43% of GDP. Social cost: Social costs included the indirect costs of morbidity and premature mortality, as well as direct medical costs. While social costs averaged 1.4% to 1.6% of GDP in the USA and Canada, the China study showed a higher figure of 1.7% (In 2000) While directly not accounted in the cost calculations in any of the studies mentioned above, the effects of tobacco consumption on poor populations are significantly higher than for other income groups. Taking education as proxy for income levels, data from both developed and developing countries suggest that poor people consume more tobacco products than people in higher income groups in nearly all regions of the world. In the United Kingdom, the least educated people smoke three times more than the highest educated group, and this rate is up to seven times more in some developing countries. The risk of death from tobacco usage is also related to income. A study in Canada determined the risk of death attributable to smoking to be 5% for high-income earners, rising to 15% for the poorest population group. The effects of high consumption of tobacco in developing countries is compounded by the opportunity costs of consuming other essential items. Studies in several countries observed that up to 17% of household income was being spent on tobacco products (de Beyer et al., 2001). A study in Bangladesh estimated that 10 million people currently malnourished could have an adequate diet if money spent on tobacco were spent on food instead. In developed countries, considerable efforts have resulted in a lower number of smokers, often as a result of banning direct and indirect tobacco advertising, high taxes on tobacco products, the enforcement of laws requiring tobacco-free public and work places, and clear graphic health messages on tobacco packaging. Developing countries, on the other hand, are not only witnessing an increase in tobacco usage; they are also lacking effective legislation, often for the socioeconomic arguments stated above. Based on these arguments, some policy-makers conclude that amount gained as revenue from tobacco exceeds the cost to society due to tobacco use. This study seeks to assess the validity of this view in Bangladesh, a pioneer among countries considering legislation to control tobacco consumption. Household survey: The household survey allowed us to estimate the prevalence of tobacco usage, construct a population disease profile for the age group of 15 years and above, determine out-of-pocket costs incurred for tobacco-related illnesses, and diagnose associated health-seeking behavior. Sampling and cluster selection: The household survey took place from May to July 2004. A representative sample of 2467 households was drawn from six divisions. We made sure that the districts selected had different degrees of accessibility to tertiary health care Facilities: Districts within a 25 kilometer radius from a tertiary health-care facility were considered near and those 25 to 50 kilometers were considered far. Unions or Wards (clusters) were selected randomly from the districts. A total of 59 clusters were selected from 6 divisions that included 11985 young and adult individuals. Impact of Tobacco-related Illnesses in Bangladesh: The household sample is representative of the Bangladeshi population in terms of urban–rural composition, distribution of household expenditure, as well as age composition. For example, youth and infants (those aged below 30) accounted for 63% of the total sample, while the national figure is 64%. The distribution of sample population by age group is shown in. The present study focused on adults aged 30 years and above, who constituted 37% of the sample, because tobacco-related illnesses are observable primarily among people of this age group. Impact of Tobacco related Illnesses in Bangladesh are, * Ischemic heart disease (IHD), stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), oral cancer, lung cancer * laryngeal carcinoma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) * pulmonary tuberculosis * X-ray: A chest X-ray was performed on any suspected case of lung cancer, COPD or tuberculosis. * Carbon Monoxide Monitor (CO-monitor): In order to corroborate the use of tobacco, a CO monitor was used to measure the ambient air quality and individual CO level. A conversion table was used to determine the CO level in blood (hemoglobin). Recommendations: Despite dissemination and availability of the recommendations on smoking cessation, few countries had taken sufficient action. Therefore, in June 2002, the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative organized a meeting to develop ‘Policy Recommendations for Smoking Cessation for governments, non-governmental organizations and health professionals interested in making public health gains in the short and medium term. The policy recommendations were published in June 2003 and launched during the 12th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Helsinki, Finland. The recommendation chart is given below: pressure| Companies| People| Government| 1.Adhunik2.Bangladesh 2nd Sub-National Smoke-Free Project organized a Workshop. 3. PROGGA organized a workshop on 17th May,20124. YPSA(Young Power In Social Action) organized a program on May,20105. Bangladesh 2nd Sub-National Smoke-Free Project Workshop† held in Chittagong on 17th to 19th May, 20106. WHO(World Health Org.), BAT, BATA, other Non-governmental org.7. The Anti-tobacco advocacy and campaign. 8. The World No Tobacco Day has been celebrated throughout Bangladesh in befitting manner on 31 May| 1. Banglalink campaign on 15th June, 2012.2. Nokia-Banglalink joint campaign named ‘Ovijaan’ and Ovi internet against smoking.3.Grammenphone4. The Daily Star and Kaler kontho.5. Prothom Aloo organized Anti Tobacco campaign, Bandhushava with the help of DIU.6. Google and anti smoking campaign against tobacco.7. Samsung Electronics leads other companies in the campaign against smoking. 8. The Truth About Tobacco Times of India campaign and workshop against tobacco.9. Radio Today, Bangladesh Betar and other radio TV channel also working against Tobacco.| 1.We should avoid smoking for our own health and environment.2. We should stop smoking among nonresidential area and public places.3. We should avoid smoking before children and young generations.4. We should not smoke too much and encourage other for smoking.5. We should not smoke in school. Colleges and universities. 6. We should follow the tobacco control campaign and avoid smoking.7. We should encourage others to avoid smoking.8. We should follow the rules and regulations of Govt. and other organization against smoking.9. We should avoid smoking in offices and public places.10. We should try to avoid smoking with the help of health agencies and doctors.11. We should aware the local people.12. We can aware the urban and rural people about the consequences of smoking.| 1.Govt. should fund state tobacco control activities at the level recommended by the CDC.2. excise tax rates below the level imposed which states excise tax rates should be indexed to inflation.3. States and localities should enact complete bans on smoking in all nonresidential indoor locations. 4. All health care facilities should meet or exceed JCAHO standards in banning smoking in all indoor areas.5. Colleges and universities should ban smoking in indoor locations.6. State health agencies, health care professionals, and other interested organizations should undertake strong efforts to encourage parents to make their homes and vehicles smoke free.7. All states should license retail sales outlets that sell tobacco products.8. All states should ban the sale of tobacco products directly to consumers.9. Congress should ensure that stable funding is continuously provided to the national quit line network.10. Can increase the high level of prices for tobacco products is an important factor in preventing people.11. Govt. can aware the people about the effect of smoking. 12. Govt. can increase tax among the sales of tobacco.| Recent changes to legislation: In July 2009, further provisions of the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 and 2004 were commenced. These included * ban on all in-store/point-of-sale advertising of tobacco products. * ban on the display of tobacco products in retail premises. * introduction of a closed container / dispenser provision. * tighter controls on the location and operation of tobacco vending machines, introduction of a retail register. The recommendations propose a broad framework for addressing treatment of tobacco dependence. In this framework, Governments can progressively choose minimal, expanded and core recommendations as they strengthen their resources and capacities. The recommended framework includes a mix of three main strategies: * A public health approach that seeks to change the social climate and promote a supportive environment. * A health systems approach that focuses on promoting and integrating clinical best practices (behavioral and pharmacological) which help tobacco-dependent consumers increase their chance of quitting successfully. * A surveillance, research and information approach that promotes the exchange of information and knowledge so as to increase awareness of the need to change social norms. These are recommendations from WHO and social welfare organization for people and Government also working for prohibiting tobacco. Conclusion: As countries prepare to develop national policy guidelines for the treatment of tobacco dependence, the international community can help by providing a forum for sharing and distributing information, writing up guidelines, reviewing best practices, raising funds and establishing partnerships.

Analyse the relationship between the product life cycle and cash flow :: Economics

Analyse the relationship between the product life cycle and cash flow The 'product life cycle' is split into 5 stages: * Research and development * Introduction * Growth * Maturity/Saturation * Decline The product life cycle is the model that represents a sales pattern for a product over a period of time. It shows the revenue by a product from is introduction to its eventual decline. There are four stages to the product life cycle: Introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Research and development is the first stage of the product life cycle. This is where a firm has a research team look in to possible new ideas and products for a business. This can be very expensive for the firm. No income is made at this stage as there is no revenue coming in to the firm but capital being paid out on resources. The cash flow at this stage is very low. Introduction: This is the point when the product life cycle begins. This is when the actual product is launched and does not include testing or research and development. Manufacturers at this stage spend a lot of money in order to create awareness. The cash flow at this stage would not be very positive. A lot of money has been spent at the introduction to get the public to notice the product and to make them aware. The firm would not expect to make any profit at this stage as the product has just been launched. Growth: If the product succeeds, sales will grow. Prices could still be high but with increased competition prices will drop. The producer still advertises at a high level to fight off competition. Product starts to move into profitability. The cash flow starts to gain more revenue. Maturity: Sales growth begins to slow as market saturation is approached. Sales are kept going by those who are late to adopt new products. This stage will last longer than the earlier stages. This is where the most revenue is taken in for the longest period of time. This is where the cash flow reaches its peak but also at the point of saturation starts to decrease. To stop the revenue and the product going down at the point of saturation maybe the firm could give the product a new identity and maybe a new advertising campaign. Decline: Eventually the product will become less interesting for purchasers, and the decline of the product will commence.

Open University

Democratising higher education: the ignou initiatives Dr. Nayantara Padhi Assistant Professor, Centre for Corporate Education, Training & Consultancy, IGNOU, New Delhi Email:[email  protected] acin Starting with two courses and 4,000 students in 1985, IGNOU has reached the ladder of success being the world’s largest mega university, most diverse and inclusive institution offering over 3500 courses and catering to over 2. 5 million students.IGNOU is committed to be accessible to all by ensuring learner convenience through its unique ‘age no bar, place no bar and pace no bar’ approach. This approach of IGNOU falls in line with the objectives of democratizing higher education as the current initiatives of IGNOU indicate. During last few years IGNOU has been experimenting various innovative ideas and methods for meeting the above mentioned objectives and ultimately to cater to the diverse needs of people. This has resulted into successful launching of number of prog rammes, courses, medium and modules.To name a few, Community College establishment, programmes for physically challenged, providing second career opportunity to Indian Army: Gyan Deep, Convergence of distance education and higher education, starting of face to face programmes, use of 3G technology for imparting education , Flexilearning mode, satellite based communication etc. In this paper an attempt has been made to present an overview of the above mentioned innovations that has been carried out by IGNOU in order to align with the mission of democratising higher education. Also the current status of these innovations and the related issues are highlighted.DEMOCRATISING HIGHER EDUCATION: THE IGNOU INITIATIVES Vision Statement of IGNOU â€Å"Indira Gandhi National Open University, the National Resource Centre for Open and Distance Learning with international recognition and presence, shall provide seamless access to sustainable and learner-centric quality education, skill upgradati on and training to all by using innovative technologies and methodologies and ensuring convergence of existing systems for massive human resource required for promoting integrated national development and global understanding†. IntroductionThe Indira Gandhi National Open University was established by an Act of Parliament in 1985. Today the University is making all efforts to take higher education to the doorsteps of the hitherto unreached. The University imparts education and knowledge through various flexible means suited to the open and distance education mode, including Information and Communication Technologies, in order to fulfill the vision of democratizing higher education, it provides higher education and training to large sections of population, particularly the disadvantaged segments of the society.It promotes national integration and the integrated development of human personality; encourages, co-ordinates and assists open universities and distance learning systems across the country to improve standards in such systems. Learners from varied groups including rural and tribal areas, physically-challenged, jail inmates and rehabilitation houses, government and non-government sectors, parents and home-makers, the employers and the employed have been beneficiaries of the IGNOU programme.The University has put special focus on women, socially and economically disadvantaged groups, the north-east region, and other tribal and low literacy areas of the country. The University provides a multi-mode learning system comprising print, audio, video, radio, television, teleconferencing, interactive radio counseling, Internet-based learning and face-to-face counseling. IGNOU recently has also been involved in the National Skills Mission particularly in generating employment in line with the various schemes of the Central Government and State Government.The aim is to provide flexible knowledge and skill opportunities for the unemployed youth of India so as to meaningfully equip them with skills and opportunities. This approach of IGNOU falls in line with the objectives of democratizing higher education as the current initiatives of IGNOU indicate. During last few years IGNOU has been experimenting various innovative ideas and methods for meeting the above mentioned objectives and ultimately to cater to the diverse needs of people.This has resulted into successful launching of number of programmes, courses, medium and modules. To name a few, Community College establishment, growth, programmes for physically challenged, providing second career opportunity to Indian Army: Gyan Deep, Convergence of distance education and higher education, starting of face to face programmes, use of 3G technology for imparting education , Flexilearning mode, satellite based communication etc. All these noble initiatives of IGNOU are presented in the following paragraphs. A. Empowerment of Indian Soldiers- Gyan DeepGyan Deep is a bold initiative of Indira Gan dhi National Open University (IGNOU) to educationally empower the soldiers of the Indian army by granting of degree- a step aimed at providing the jawans with a second career option. Gyan Deep aims to equip the soldiers who join the force just after school. Nearly 50,000 Indian soldiers retire from the army every year after completion of 15 years in service. They constitute a young workforce but they lack any kind of professional skill to enter the job market after retiring from army.The soldiers would be receiving certification in knowledge and skills within the educational framework stipulated by IGNOU. With the imparting of formal degrees, the soldiers would be in a position to obtain a second career option and earn for themselves and their families reasonably well even after retirement. The certification and enhancement of educational qualifications would be within the broad framework of Community colleges, as set by IGNOU. Community colleges recognised by IGNOU will empower the already excellent training ystem within the Indian army and provide an opportunity for in service trainings to be benchmarked and credits issued for the Indian-Army soldiers to obtain a formal degree. In due course of time this innovative process will allow for lateral entry into the regular university system by allowing the candidates enrolled in Certificate, Diploma or Associate Degree courses to accumulate credits. Associate Degree of Community Colleges includes: †¢ Minimum two years/4 semesters of study †¢ Total of 64 credits 1st Semester: Basic Foundation Course (16credits) – compulsory subject – Basic Military Training – Certificate course. nd Semester: Applied Course in the chosen Programme Sector (16 credits)- compulsory subject –Advanced Military Training – Diploma (minimum one year). 3rd Semester: Army Class 2 Standards (16 credits) –Application oriented courses (8 credits) and elective courses (8 credits). 4th Semester: Army Class I standards (16 credits) – Elective courses, compulsory internship and Project work (16 credits). Degrees offered by IGNOU †¢ 64 credits obtained on successful completion of Associate Degree will become transferable towards the completion of 96 credits in total in order to obtain a degree. The 3rd year of 32 credits will be earned with IGNOU. †¢ Subsequent accumulation of credits and a third year of graduation with IGNOU can be taken within five years of completion of the Associate Degree. †¢ Degrees awarded may be BA, BCom, BSc. , BBA etc. , with varying specilisations. Towards achieving these goals, IGNOU will facilitate the registration of various Regimental Training Centers and Army Schools of Instruction/HRDCs of Indian Army as Community Colleges. If need be, IGNOU would also introduce new subjects in the curriculum.Upon completion of 96 credits, the degree awarded would be similar to the ones awarded to other students. B. Education for All: Co mmunity Colleges Community Colleges are an innovative but alternative system of education aiming to empower the individuals through appropriate skill development leading to gainful employment in collaboration with the local industry. Community Colleges aim at developing skills for self-employability of the marginalized and under-privileged sections of the society including urban-poor, rural poor and women.The methodology employed under the scheme of community colleges is the imparting of skill based training to the uneducated youth. Community Colleges generally have a two year curriculum leading to an Associate Degree by transferring to an undergraduate college or direct entry into an occupation or trade. Starting in July 2009, IGNOU commenced the scheme of Associate Degree Programmes through community colleges in various parts of India. The theme of community college embodies in itself the democratic goal of imparting livelihood based education to the disadvantaged section of the p opulation.Another major contribution of community colleges has been to expand access to post secondary studies for millions of students who would otherwise not have an opportunity to participate. Establishing one community college in each of the 600 districts in the country in the next five years as IGNOU Community College is one of the approaches of IGNOU in this direction. These colleges in different regions will be under the administration and academic control of the regional centres of IGNOU.Community Colleges will ensure vertical mobility for those who opt at a later stage for further education in the respective areas through credit transfer in the open university and distance education system in the country. Through IGNOU Community Colleges, the effort is to institutionalize the mechanism of providing skill based programmes in India till now undertaken by non-governmental organizations and training centres. The training in skills provided in these colleges will be recognized a nd formalized through various certifications. Functioning of Community Colleges . Eligibility for becoming community college An institution applying to IGNOU for registration as a Community College should be run by an educational agency/registered society/trust or corporate body rooted in community-based activites. Theymust be credible institutions with a minimum period of five years of proven service and be located in the community it seeks to serve. On receiving the application, IGNOU will scrutinize its feasibility based on the recommendations of an expert committee and the applicant will be informed of its eligibility.Prior to launching programmes, the agency should have done a need analysis of the local job requirements and opportunities and incorporate these findings into the curriculum. It should have active linkages with rural, agricultural,industrial and commercial organizations of the locality for empanelling part-time instructors, providing on job training to students and provide job placement to successful students. ii. Organisational Structure of Community CollegeThe college will constitute the following bodies to facilitate smooth functioning of its academic and administrative activities: Community College Board will be the Executive body of the college. The Board will manage the academic matters of the college relating to appointment of faculty, approval of programmes leading to award of Certificate/Diploma/Associate Degree, and regulate the finances of the college. Academic Committee will be the principal Academic body of the college responsible for the maintenance of standards of instruction, examination and linkages with the industry/community.The academic committee will: Make regulations regarding admission of students;Recommend to the Community College Board proposals for institution of new programmes of study;Advise the Community College Board on suggestions pertaining to academic affairs made by it;Prepare syllabi for various programmes; and Coordinate the industry/community linkages. Examination Committee will be responsible for the smooth conduct of internal assessments, mid-term examination and term-end examinations.It will be the custodian of processes related to evaluation such as question paper setting, answer script evaluation, moderation, timely announcement of results and handling of examination related grievances. Programme Structure †¢ Associate Degree Programmes are offered both full-time or part-time. †¢ Mode of delivery : face-to-face and Blended †¢ Mandatory apprenticeship. †¢ First year Foundation courses 16 credits per semester. Application oriented courses 16 credits per semester. †¢ Second year-Electives of 8 credits; Application oriented-8 credits, Internship and Project work-16 credits.Programmes under Community Collges: The following academic programmes leading to an Associate Degree may be considered: †¢ AA (Associate Arts) †¢ AS(Associate Science) †¢ AC S (Associate of Computer Science) †¢ AC(Associate of Commerce) †¢ ABA (Associate of Business Administration) †¢ AAT (Associate of Arts in Teaching) Academic Framework of Community Colleges Since Associate Degree is a new academic qualification in India, it is essential to have a common set of descriptors for the programme which articulate entry requirements, curriculum content, teacher qualifications and training and exit avenues. Entry Requirements Students who have completed School final are eligible for direct entry into the Associate Degree Programme. †¢ Alternatively students who have completed 10th standard may enroll in the Bachelor’s Preparatory Progrmmes and on completion of first year may transfer into the Associate Degree Programme. †¢ Non 10+2 (Eighteen years age) will have to complete BPP and Associate Degree Programme from Community college for lateral entry to third year of the Degree Programmme. Curriculum Design †¢ The curriculum of the Associate Degree Programme should include a substantial amount of generic skills with a major portion to be completed in the first year. First Year Courses (all foundation courses, 16 credits), Second Year (application oriented courses, 16 credits) and some of the basic electives in the respective subject of study worth of 32 credits to be completed in the first two years of Associate Degree Programme of the community college. The equivalence of the courses will be recommended by the Committee appointed. †¢ A number of existing courses of IGNOU may be appropriately combined for an Associate Degree. Challenges of Community Colleges †¢ Academic pathways- transfer of students to third year in IGNOU and other universities. Quality assurance – recruitment of faculty, standards in industry – based curriculum development. †¢ Avenues for technical and vocational teacher and trainer-training. †¢ Business/industry linkages including training contracts . †¢ Programmes to be rooted in communities – regional and local needs. C. Flexi Learn: Access to Quality Higher Education e-GyanKosh (www. egyankosh. ac. in), a repository of learning resources, is an initiative that was taken up by IGNOU in October, 2005 to store, index, preserve, distribute and share the digital learning resources developed by the IGNOU.Emerging as one of the world’s largest educational resource repositories, it includes digitized and uploaded storage of over 95% of the IGNOU’s self-instructional print material. With help of special channels like YouTube, IGNOU is providing with video programmes, through the metadata link in the repository. At present about 40,000 self-instructional print materials and over a 1,600 videos are available in the repository. After its public launch in June 9, 2008, the site already had received around 700,000 hits with an average of 1,000 visits per day from all over the world.At present, there are more than 60,000 active registered users of the repository. The facilities of e-GyanKosh are now being extended with a Flexi Learn platform to offer ‘open courses’ free of cost with course wise registration and assessment. IGNOU’s Flexi Learn platform will facilitate informed learning wherein anyone can register and explore courses free of cost to gain knowledge and skill in a particular area of interest. Certification for courses will be based on payment of the requisite fees. The Flexi Learn platform will provide an alternative way of awarding degrees and diplomas.The Flexi Learn platform offers courses in a complete open and flexible environment with following features. – Any visitor to the Flexi Learn site has the option to register for any particular course or a full length academic programme. A modular approach is followed wherein a registered learner can combine course credits to obtain a diploma or degree of their own choice. – The platform provides self learning environment with a list of Academic Advisors/Course Guides to act as mentors. The Personal Learning Environment (PLE) will have interactive tools like Discussion Board , Blogs, Wikis, Podcasting,RSS feeds, etc. Each course has option for both online assessment as well as an offline one as per the choice of the learner wherein a learner can take their exams ‘on demand’. The final exam will be in a proctored environment. The evaluation will be at three levels – diagnostic (where prior knowledge testing is required), formative and summative and will be designed by the faculty based courses requirements. Various of evaluation may be adopted viz. objective, short essay type, term paper, course projects, practical activities etc. A complete tracking mechanism is integrated in the platform through the e-portfolios of individual learners. The e-portfolio will keep a formal record of all formal and informal studies carried out by the registered learner. Cert ification of the course will be based on stipulated time spent on a course (for a 4 credit a minimum at 45 days) and completion of all learning activities identified by the faculty. The Flexi Learn platform provides an opportunity for prospective learners to sample a course before enrolling and also help them in choosing courses and programmes of study.Course wise registration facilitates offering topic specific continuing education progammes especially in skill based and professional areas. A flexible framework is provided through this model for Schools of Studies to identify and combine different courses already available, for offering new tailor-made and need based programmes. In the long run this will help in achieving IGNOU’s objective of democratizing higher education by taking it to the doorsteps of the learners and providing access to high quality education to all those who seek it.D. Convergence Scheme: Merger of ODL and Conventional Higher Education System The objec tive of the Scheme is to achieve the targets setout in the Eleventh Plan Document for Higher Education, and focusing on access and equity issues. Inclusion as a concept goes beyond just providing distance learning access. It takes into account the need to interface with the conventional system, use innovative technologies and to optimize the access to physical facilities, intellectual and knowledge resources in institutions to achieve its goals.The Scheme, jointly conceived by University Grants Commission (UGC) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Distance Education Council and AICTE under the guidance of the Ministry of Human Resources Development, aims to focus on enhancing the quality and quantity of education delivery in the context of social dimensions of the country, with a thrust on capacity building and strengthening of the conventional university and collegiate education system. The success of the Scheme, announced in 2007, is not surprising. Many of the exis ting IGNOU courses have also found new takers with the announcement of the Scheme.Given a target of achieving 15% gross enrollment in higher education by 2015, the scheme aims to move it from the current enrollment ratio of 11% in the 16-23 age group. Under this Scheme, a student can be enrolled for obtaining a regular degree while pursuing another complementary course. Thus, a student can aim to get two degrees at the same time. Another programme, called Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme (BPP) enables the students who have not been able to get Pre-University/Senior Secondary education to become eligible for applying for bachelor’s degree courses.This is a boon to those who were not able to complete their schooling or pre-university courses. This is a six-month intensive training programme. While IGNOU has over 2500 Learner Support Centres by different names depending on the specific role they play such as Regular Study Centres, Programme Study Centres, Special Study Ce ntres, Recognised Study Centres etc. , the Scheme on Convergence has helped in developing synergies with well endowed colleges. This has resulted in qualified faculty and state of art infrastructure being made available to students, in addition to providing additional mentoring on a flexi time basis.In short, technology in Education, when applied creatively enhances the potential to address both access and inclusion issues, especially in India. E. 3G and Mobile Technology usage for Reaching the Unreached The significance of mobile technology is evident from the fact that increasing number of people have started using mobile devices, carrying mobiles with them all the time. Hence, any service provided to the students through mobile devices enables quick connectivity as compared to any other technology such as PC based internet technologies.IGNOU launched the SMS Alerts service on November 18th 2008. Since then, SMS Alerts Service is being used by various constituents of IGNOU includi ng its Regional Centres to communicate information to its students. Following are some of the applications of 3G technology to ODL system: †¢ ODL institutions can develop high bandwidth applications that can be used by prospective students to apply for admission using their 3G enabled mobile devices. †¢ ODL institutions can develop 3G enabled student response systems.These response systems can respond in real time with information such as Study Centre allocation etc. †¢ Such 3G enabled student response systems can aid in providing responses to queries of students in real time. †¢ Most of ODL institutions send course material to their students by post as well as host material on the web for students to download. It is difficult for students to download course material which occupies large memory due to poor Internet connections. 3G technology enables faster downloads of course material to the student’s mobile devices.They can download course material wherev er they are, anytime. This ensures that the course material is available to every learner who is having a 3G enabled mobile device. F. Education through Digitally Enabled learning The National Mission of Education through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was launched recently with the broad objective of ensuring connectivity of the learners to the ‘World of Knowledge’ in cyberspace and to make them ‘Netizens’ in order to enhance their self-learning skills and develop their capabilities for on-line problems solving†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.The efforts of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) would be geared towards creating an open house for knowledge. The attempt is to harness a large number of knowledge resources in the manner that adds value to them by making them more personalized and useful to the lifelong learner/student. The effort would also involve content packaging and integration to suit specific needs of the students at various levels or with different kinds of talent/mental prowess. A budget allocation of Rs. 02 crores has been made in 2008-09 for the National Mission on Education through ICT. For bridging the digital divide and empowering teachers/learners to harness information and communication technologies for their empowerment through knowledge, the need of the hour is to provide digital literacy to teaching learning community in Higher Education. The aim has to be to ensure that this community should be able to operate the computer or other devices and connect to the knowledge network.It should be for the teacher/learner to identify the content from its suitable pictorial representation and to play the audio-visual content to derive knowledge from the relevant module of knowledge. Obviously, this digital literacy cannot be spread through the computer networks since it aims to empower the teacher/learner to use the network. Hence, digital literacy for teacher empowerment will have to be imparted through oth er means relying heavily on audio-visual material, non-governmental organizations, change agents and institutions established for them, and mass contact programmes.Provision of e-Books and e-Journals Free to the Learners Overall education has two parts, formal and informal. Both forms of education require text books, reading material, journals and magazines and access to them can be provided through digital libraries which would substitute comprehensive brick-and-mortar libraries. Since everything in the library would be available on line with concurrent access to multiple sites for a large number of students, good bandwidth around the year would be the key.Support for Generation of e-Content and Digitization and Indexing of Existing e-Content It shall be the endeavour of the Mission to continuously work for enriching the repository of e-contents of the nation. For the purpose it shall encourage the academicians, scholars and institutions to contribute to the world of knowledge in c yber space by creating e-knowledge content. The Mission shall also evolve a mechanism to rate the quality of the e-content generated before admitting it to the national repository. Evaluation of e-ContentBenchmarking learning content would ensure quality which is central to the philosophy of the Mission. As content generation shall take place at various places, by different sets of experts, the development of quality assurance procedures and testing mechanisms is essential. These tools shall be deployed on the Mission website so that anybody developing content can routinely use these to get proper feedback. The Mission shall also attempt to provide guidance to them in order to facilitate their search for quality material.Finance Assistance to Institutions of Higher Learning for Procurement of Hardware/Replacement of Obsolete Hardware In order to accomplish its major objective of utilizing latest technologies to make higher education easily accessible, the Mission shall provide finan cial assistance to all the institutions of higher learning for the procurement of hardware or replacement of the obsolete hardware essential for accessing to the world of knowledge in cyber space. National Testing ServiceThe Mission shall provide financial and technical support to a designated Government agency for establishment of a National Testing Service (NTS). The Mission shall be free to move for the establishment of a separate body to act as a National Testing Service in order to fulfill its objective of certifying the competence and skills acquired by the individual through formal or non-formal means of education and / or training in different disciplines/professions.This shall help them in gaining employment as also to continue their higher studies/training. Content Generation The National Programme of Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) was started by the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. A good number of quality material on v arious courses has been created by these premier institutions of the country. E-Contents are being continuously generated by the reputed faculty members of the premier institutions under NPTEL programmes.This programmes has been subsumed with the Mission to give it a new dimension. The Mission hopes that the e-contents generated under this programme shall be of great use for the engineering students enrolled in engineering colleges across the country. Standardisation and Quality Assurance of Contents & Certification /Automation of Certification The main objective here would be to evolve Quality Assurance (QA) Process for E-learning Content and to create an environment for Quality Audit of Content.The mission seeks to promote R&D in specific important areas of content creation and management for enriching the QA process and also promote multi-institutional involvement for definition of quality and dissemination of Quality awareness. Developing Suitable Pedagogical Methods for Various Classes and Intellectual Calibers and Research in e-learning Web enabled learning modules suffer from the absence of teacher and peer interaction/pressure. Many a times, the content developers develop the modules keeping in mind their own clientele of students or their own impressions of the student’s caliber, receptivity, etc.This may result in a â€Å"one shoe fit all† syndrome. It is well known that any given class would have very bright students, mediocre students and weak students. Even among them, the grasping power of concepts would vary based on their surroundings and the perceptions that the students have derived over a period of time. The most efficient pedagogical method would also depend on the extent of knowledge that the students has in that area. Development of Language Converter Tool KitThe focus of the National Mission on Education through ICT would be on content for all classes starting from nursery level to research level. Presently, the content bei ng developed for Sakshat under this Mission is in English. English content also makes it possible to tap into the convenient, open access educational resources available on the Internet, be they in text, audio, visual, simulation, animation, question answer or in any other form. This abundant resource, however, cannot be tapped in regional languages because of IPR restrictions.Hence, efforts will be made to convert knowledge modules into various regional languages and also to subsequently launch a movement for creating the above types of content in the regional languages. Development and Realization of Virtual Reality Laboratories and Supporting Facilities for e-learning The Mission shall work for providing all the institutions of higher learning, in the country, with access devices and connectivity through high speed broadband and VPN etc. It is estimated that approximately 20,000 institutions of higher learning shall reap this benefit.It shall be the endeavour of the Mission to en sure that the access devices are available with maximum number of learners in the country to enable them to become ‘Netizens’. To achieve this objective it shall support development of low cost and low power consuming devices through their field trials. The Central Government would also bear 75% of the cost of the connectivity having bandwidth up to 10-25 Mbps per college or per department of a University if remaining cost is borne by State Government or college/institution concerned.Development of Certification & Testing Modules for Virtual Technological Universities & Creation of VTU, Multi Media Research and International Programmes The proposed Virtual Technical University (VTU) shall serve as a nodal agency for imparting training to undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as to the newly recruited teachers in the fields of Science, Technology, Management, Architecture, Pharmacy and other applied areas. The University will provide flexible, credit based cour ses to all registered participants using modern technology. VTU will help them in updating their knowledge and advancing their career objectives.G. Inclusive Growth for the Disadvantaged Group IGNOU with its diverse, low-cost programmes and a wide network has succeeded in attracting a significant group of learners from amongst the disadvantaged. However, a considerable cross-section of people still remains outside its reach. The University is mandated to reach them. The University has taken up a number of new initiatives mainly focused on empowering women, persons of the SC/ST category and the differently abled population of the country. Women’s Empowerment The University has been making conscious efforts to reach out to women, especially those from the remote and rural areas.Some of the initiatives in this direction are: a) Setting up the School of Gender and Development Studies in 2007: One focus are of study of this School is â€Å"Women‘s Studies†, which anal yses the status of women in society with the objective of strengthening individual and institutional efforts that enable women’s empowerment. The School is offering the following pertinent programmers: – Certificate in Empowering Women Through Self-Help Groups (under Women’s Empowerment Project sponsored by Department of Women and Child Development, MHRD, GOI). Certificate in Women’s Empowerment and Development (CWED). – Diploma in Women’s Empowerment and Development (DWED) – Ph. D in Women’s Studies. b) Establishing 26 women-specific study centres across the country. c) Setting up a Committee for Prevention of Sexual Harassment against Women (CPSHW). This committee oversees all work related to complaints of sexual harassment at IGNOU, besides carrying out awareness-raising workshops, seminars and other related activities.During the year 2008-09, the CPSHW prepared a document on the Policy & Procedures for the Prevention, Prohi bition, and Punishment of Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace, as per the Supreme Court guidelines. The document has been submitted to the University authorities for adoption in the form of an ordinance. SC/ST Empowerment The University has made extensive efforts regarding the empowerment of persons in the SC and ST categories. Some of the measures taken in this direction are: – SC/ST Cell: this cell looks after all issues pertaining to the grievances of SC/ST employees. Increased Access to ST Population: IGNOU has tried to increase its reach to the tribal population of Madhya Pradesh through a new scheme of mobile study centres, which has been found to be successful. – EEBB Centres: To provide access to people in the Economically and Educationally Backward Blocks (EEBB), identified by the Sachar Committee, efforts have been initiated to establish Special Centres in these blocks, irrespective of whether such centres fulfill the conditions normally expected of I GNOU study centres.Through these centres, aspiring learners of these blocks are given opportunities to pursue a variety of vocational programmes, besides BPP and bachelor degree programmes. – EDNERU: Initiative for North East Trbal population education and research. Empowerment of the Differently Abled A national Task Force has been constituted to make the IGNOU premises and its programes completely accessible to people with disabilities across the country. The access audit of the IGNOU campus at the headquarters was conducted on 22-23 October, 2008.In order to develop human resources in various areas related to disability for creating a disabled-friendly society as also promoting interdisciplinary study of disability with the purpose of removing barriers to empowerment of the persons with disabilities, the National Centre for Disability Studies (NCDS) was established in 2006. NCDS has launched a Post-graduate Diploma in Disability Management for Medical Practitioners, in col laboration with the Rehabilitation Council of India. The Pprogramme equips the medical practitioners with the skills and knowledge to effectively deal with persons with disabilities.H. Usage of Satellite The University endeavors constantly to make appropriate use of new technological solutions to achieve its mission of seamless education, cost-efficiency and borderless access to quality education. The University has enhance, in the recent past, its technological capabilities in the production and transmission of audio and video programmes through radio and television as well as the latest Web-enabled online services offered through the internet to learners spread across the globe.Gyan Darshan Gyan Darshan (GD) is a digital bouquet of four channels – GD-1, GD-2, GD-3, and GD-4. These channels beam programmes produced by IGNOU, UGC, NCERT, CIET, NITTTRs, IITs, DST and different ministries of the government of India. The transmission of GD channels is almost completely automated through the installation of the video server, GD-1 is a 24-hour channel which airs enrichment programmes produced by various government and educational organizations, and IGNOU curriculum-based programmes.GD-2 is the Interactive Distance Education Channel, dedicated entirely to distance education. Regular teleconference sessions and induction meetings are held through this channel for learners and trainees of the open university system and other apex bodies. During the year 2008-09,Gyan Darsha-1 and 2 have witnessed a tremendous growth in reach, since both channels were placed on the following DTH platforms – DD Direct Plus, Dish TV, TataSky, Sun TV, Big TV and AirTel. It was also available in the IPTV network for which an MOU with M/s Goldstone was signed.Further, GD-1has been declared a ‘must carry’ channel for all IPTV service providers and has been made available in many cities through the BSNL network. GD-1 and GD-2 are also being webcast through IGNOU†™s website . Test transmission of the Science Channel on GD-2 started, with effect from 23rd December, 2008 to broadcast programmes made by IGNOU,CEC, Vigyan Parsar, etc. Gd-3, â€Å"Eklavya†, was inaugurated on 26th Jan. 2003. It is a 24-hour channel dedicated to technical education and runs programmes generated at variousIITs, for students pursuing degrees n different disciplines in the area of engineering and technology. The signals are sent through microwave links, from where they are uplinked to the satellite. The nodal offer for this is at IIT, Delhi. GD-4, â€Å"Vyas Channel†, launched in Jan. 2004, is a 24-hour channel catering to the needs of students pursuing higher education under the university and college system in the country. The programmes are coordinated by the Consortium of Education Communication (CEC).The Vyas Channel has now become available on the DTH platform as well. Gyan Vani Gyan Vani, a ‘radio cooperative’ funded by the MHRD, i s the only FM Radio channel in the country devoted exclusively to education. Gyan Vani programmes include information relevant to students of pre-primary to post-graduate classes, it also carriers enrichment programmes for generating environmental awareness, awareness on female empowerment, legal literacy, capabilities in professional and science education. Each Gyan Vani has a range of about 60 kms.At present there are 26 GyanVani FM Stations functioning across the country at Allahabad, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Coimbatore, New Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Kolkatta, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Mysore, Nagpur, Patna, Panaji, Raipur, Rajkot, Shillong, Varanasi and Viskhapatnam. Eleven new stations are on the anvil. Gyan Vani has made significant strides in recent years with all the 26 stations producing programmes. The radio programmes are contributed by NCERT, NIOS, IGNOU, NGOs and various State Government Departments.Gyan Vani has crea ted a Programme Exchange Unit and all the radio stations have access to the best productions of each station. Developmental and educational programmes from broadcasting organizations of countries such as Australia, Canada and Germany are also being aired on Gyan Vani stations. Gyan Vani, Delhi, is also webcast using IGNOU’s in-house facility. Interactive Radio Counseling (IRC) IGNOU runs at least one hour of live phone-in counseling programmes every week in the regional languages through the various Gyan Vani stations.The studio invites experts to clarify learners queries put across to them for their homes via the telephone. Both broadcast and non-broadcast modes of delivery were adopted by the University and the audio/video programmes produced at the University’s Electronic Media PrdocutionCentre (EMPC) were broadcast/telecast over Gyan Darshan, Gyan Vani, EduSat, AIR/Doordarshan Channels. In order to infuse interactivity in open and distance learning, one-way video a nd two way audio teleconferencing facilities are offered through GD-2.Important nation-wide programmes for IGNOU learners, lectures by eminent experts/dignitaries, discussions with RC staff, induction for new learners and convocation for graduating learners were conducted live through teleconferencing mode. Besides this, telecounselling and communication sessions were conducted for select application- oriented programmes such as nursing, information technology, MBA etc, in which the students got ample opportunities to interact with the faculty.The teleconferencing facility was also used by other institutions, such as the DAV College Management Committee (DAVCMC), National Board of Examination (NBE), Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), and the Department of Power, amongst others. EDUSAT is the first Indian satellite designed and developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) exclusively for serving the educational sector. It is mainly intended to meet the dema nd for an interactive satellite-based distance education system for the country.It is a collaborative project of the MHRD, ISRO, Department of Space and IGNOU. The satellite has six Ku-Band transponders and six Ext. C-Band transponders. One beam or Ext. C-Band covers the entire country, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It reflects India’s commitment to use space technology for national development, especially for development of human resources in remote and rural locations. The University has established 134 interactive terminals across the country with a two-way interactive facility. An EduSat Mini Hub has been shifted from ISRO, Ahmedabad, to EMPC.ISRO has also provided a new Learning Management System (LMS) for the network. A recent study was conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi, aimed at assessing the impact, effectiveness and sustainability of interactive media technologies being utilized in the delivery system of IGNOU. The study included Gyan Vani, Edust-based teleconferencing, the IGNOU slot on the national channel, Doordarshan, the web platform and internet facilities. The broad findings of the study as stated in the final report submitted, are as under:IGNOU Hour on Gyan Vani Forty percent of students listen to the IGNOU Hour programmes broadcast on Gyan Vani. Fourteen percent students listen to the IGNOU Hour programmes on a regular basis. Forty one percent students tune in sometimes and the rest do not listen to programmes broadcast on Gyan Vani . IGNOU Programmes on Doordarshan Forty seven percent of students watch IGNOU Programmes telecast on Doordarshan channel 1. Ninety three percent students who watch IGNOU programmes on Doordarshan’s main channel are comfortable with the language of telecast.Sixty percent students who watch the IGNOU slot on Doordarshan rated the content quality of programmes telecast as good. More than seven out of ten students said the programmes telecast on the IG NOU slot on Doordarshan are useful in the learning process. Sixty percent students who watch programmes telecast on Doordarshan felt it helped them in understanding their progrmme topics better. The awareness of students about IGNOU programmes on Doordarshan DTH is quite high as more than seven out of ten students were aware about it. Fourteen percent students of IGNOU were found to have Doordarshan DTH in their homes.Conclusion As India strives to become a knowledge society, IGNOU ensures that no section gets left behind, that’s where attaining the objective of democratizing higher education. From the above discussion, it is worth mentioning that IGNOU’s contribution in democratising higher education is commendable. The innovations of IGNOU to impart education anybody, anywhere anytime using all channels is visible from the initiatives and the current status. With the growing demand of skilled workforce across the globe, IGNOU is taking all steps towards this.Right to Education is very much evident from the above mentioned initiatives. To conclude IGNOU’ s initiatives in democratising higher education ,a dynamic and innovative university with a passion to educate all and reaching the unreached, IGNOU has become the People’s University†¦the university of a billion plus. References Annual Report 2008-2009, IGNOU. IGNOU, Celebrating 25th Year of Success in Open & Distance Learning 2009-2010, Vol. 1, Issue1. IGNOU, Education Without Barriers. IGNOU, Profile 2010. IGNOU, IGNOU Community Colleges. IGNOU, Flexi Learn. IGNOU, Gyan Deep. IGNOU, Open Letter. www. ignou. ac. in

Is Shylock a Victim or a Villain? Essay

Shylock: Victim or Villain? With close reference to at least three scenes examine Shakespeare’s presentation of Shylock. Is a villain someone who lends money to help others but then charges interest? Intending to receive a pound of human flesh resulting in certain death if a promise is broken, surely this is somebody who is viewed as a villain. The same man who has experienced prejudice and discrimination all his life only because of his religion, which would be unimaginable in modern day, has this man now turned into a victim? Shakespeare a play writer of the 16th century, so much more creative, sophisticated and knowledgeable then the Elizabethan audience he wrote this play for whom would have perceived Shylock as a Jew a villain, presents Shylock in a more complex way. Jews were thought of by Christians as stubborn non-believers and were accused of poisoning wells and spreading the plague. Shylock was shown to be treated as all these things were true, yet he had a complexity about him as an audience today, against discrimination and accepting other religion and cultures, would feel pity, sympathy and put him towards the victim category. However trying to murder someone for revenge, this is clear villainy to anybody now or thousands of years ago. Throughout the play we ask ourselves, is Shylock a villain or a victim? Shakespeare intends this as he gives Shylock emotive speeches about inequality, which contradicts Shylock as being a villain. Shylock as a character represents the Old Testament, Judaism, which is the belief of justice, retribution and following the law by the letter. Shakespeare gives a clear message about Justice against Antonio for all that he has done towards Shylock; he wants to get his revenge within the law hence the bond. Shylock talks about the Old Testament with Bassanio and Antonio in Act 1: Scene 3, â€Å"This Jacob from our Holy Abram.† Christianity, the New Testament, follows mercy and forgiveness. The Duke and Antonio both show mercy towards Shylock when he has shown none. Shakespeare first introduces Shylock in Act1: Scene3. With no stage directions we have to decipher what a character is like only through what they say. â€Å"Three thousand Ducats-well.† His first line is about money. Shakespeare instantly gives us the impression that his only interest is money. This is also the case when he is at home with Jessica, his daughter and away from work. He explains how he dreamed of money bags yet does not acknowledge his daughter or show her any affection. However we later find out that money is not the only thing on his mind but his longing hatred for Antonio. Shylock hates him for he is a Christian but more because he lends money with no interest. â€Å"I hate him for he is a Christian. But more, for that low in simplicity he lends out money gratis.† Antonio’s hate is reciprocated as he compares Shylock with the Devil and other animals like dogs. In the ring plot involving Portia and the caskets the first Prince is from Morocco, who was black, chose the gold casket but it was not the correct one. The complexion of a Devil in the eyes of An Elizabethan audience was black. Furthermore he has been associated with the devil by his own daughter and also Salerio and Salanio referred to him as the devil in Act 3: Scene 1. This hatred between them is introduced only to grow throughout the play. Shakespeare is very clever and drops hints about Shylock’s character and the actions he will take at the start of the play. Shylock mutters â€Å"Cursed be my tribe, if I ever forgive him.† He will show no mercy towards Antonio and he does not in the trial scene in Act 4: Scene 1. It hard to decide whether Shylock is a victim or villain when he is first introduced as we learn about what he has had to put up with, being called a â€Å"misbeliever†, â€Å"cut throat dog† and others spitting on his beard for the reason that he is a Jew. We feel pity and sympathy for the things he has had to endure which means we cannot cling to a unique view of Shylock as a villain. He wants people to respect him and like him yet he cannot show any affection or respect towards his own daughter. He shows the same hatred back towards Antonio and if he catches him out, â€Å"If I catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.† he will take his revenge. Coiling up all the hatred he has inherited has caused him to pass on the mistrust and hatred to others without being totally aware he is doing so. Moments later he talks about being Antonio’s friend and charging him no interest. This sudden change of feeling and thought gives the audience a suspicion that he is planning something. We no longer think of him as a victim alone, he has shown us through his speech and actions that he has a villainies way about him. He hates him for he is a Christian just as the way Antonio hates Shylock for he is a Jew. Should we now feel sympathy for Antonio? We don’t and I think Shakespeare has decided to portray Shylock as more as a Victim in this scene is to capture the Elizabethan audience alone. A victim is the opposite of what they would have thought of him yet Shakespeare is trying to send a message. They would have though of him to be a stereotypical villain yet he is not Shakespeare has added complexity to his character. A relationship between father and daughter is surely the most precious, the relationship between Shylock and Jessica. However we soon learn a totally different story about the hostile environment when they are together and the deeply buried hatred of Shylock from his only Daughter. Act 2: Scene 3 is where we first meet Jessica, we learn how unhappy she is willing to leave her home town and convert to Christian in order to be with Lorenzo and away from her father, â€Å"I have a Father, you a Daughter lost.† Jessica is also ashamed to be her Fathers child. Again we hear comparisons between Shylock and the Devil: ‘Our house is hell, and thou, a merry Devil’. Shylock has not noticed Jessica’s odd behaviour, too caught up with his own problems and obsession with money. This shows us that although he may love Jessica he does not show it, he is not perceptive and can’t read his own daughter’s unhappiness. Act 2: Scene 3 when we first learn about her willingness to escape to Act 2: Scene 6 when she leaves with Lorenzo for Belmont. The inevitable happens but was this, the turning point for Shylock. Was his daughter running away the point were Shylock would go as far as attempting to kill a man for his revenge? At least before he had someone who looked up to him, loved him and looked after him, or so he thought. The shame would have overwhelmed him, his own flesh and blood turning into a Christian. I think he feared the most what others would say; they would mock him even more once this news had spread. Shylock, his only child that he has bought up single-handed has fled, leaving him totally alone as he has already been widowed. He is evidently controlling over Jessica, â€Å"Do as I bid you, shut doors after you. Fast bind, fast find.† This controlling manner could also be attributed to the over protective nature of a loving single parent. Shakespeare has intended for us to think of Shylock as the victim and we sympathise with him but at the same time we sympathise with Jessica. In Act 2: Scene 5 we see Shylock and Jessica alone. At the start Shylock speaks about money indirectly once again, he is preoccupied and cares more about material things than his only daughter. Shakespeare also portrays the relationship as an awkward one with Jessica not saying a great deal but when she does it is a lie: â€Å"His words were ‘Farewell Mistress’ and nothing else.† When, in fact, they had been talking about Lancelot. A Christian. She is reluctant at first: â€Å"Call you? What is you will?† but by the end she is letting her emotions and true feelings out: â€Å"Farewell and if my fortune be not crossed, I have a Father, you a daughter lost.† Shylock does not know his own daughter yet holds something over her, which makes her scared and a little ashamed to betray him. Through Jessica we see Shylock as an old, cruel man. Devil, hell, blood, ashamed and tediousness are all words that Jessica related to her father. In the 16th century daughters should have respected their fathers, even to this day they still seem a little extreme. These words don’t show respect, only hate. In Act 2: Scene 8, Shakespeare has decided to play this scene so we hear the information second hand. Salerio and Salanio are gossiping about how they have seen Lorenzo and Jessica on a Gondola escaping. The two characters could play this scene in a laughing manner full of jokes. I think this is how Shakespeare intended it to be played. Doing it like this would mean as an audience we would also be influenced by the joking atmosphere and therefore feel less sympathetic towards Shylock. The Elizabethan audience would have loved this, as they would be in the shoes of Salerio and Salanio, mocking Shylock about his loss. We would feel dramatically more sympathetic if Shylock had spoken this speech by himself. However in this scene Shakespeare portrays Shylock as a villain in the way he talks about the flight of his Daughter. A single parent loosing their only daughter should have been the worst possible outcome imaginable. Turmoil, distress, depression and anger should have been the things that were felt. They were but not for his daughter Jessica, but Shylocks money, jewels and wealth. Our sympathy grows as Shylock is portrayed as a victim but is stripped away when we learn he is more interested in his precious stones and jewels that have been taken: â€Å"My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! †¦ And jewels, two stones, two rich and precious stones. Stolen by my daughter. Justice! Find the girl!† these are definitely not the words of a warm hearted, doting father. Did he really love his daughter? Or did he only use her to take his aggression out on that he had built up from all the discrimination he had received. He also loses our sympathy in Act 3: Scene 1 when he finds out that Jessica has run away with a Christian. He treats Jessica merely as another possession and when he learns of her flight he is more anxious of the whereabouts of his treasures and precious ducats: â€Å"I would my daughter were dead at my foot†¦and the ducats in her coffin.† These are not the words of a loving Father, it proves that Shylock would not mourn Jessica’s death or disappearance and the only thing he is interested in his wealth and status. This backs up the points said on Act 2: Scene 8 but this time we read and listen to Shylocks words from his mouth. Salerio and Salanio are here once again but this time mock him directly. They claim Jessica is a better person for converting and that they are not nearly related: â€Å"There is more difference between thy flesh and hers, than between jet and ivory; more between your bloods, than there is between red wine and rhenish.† Shylock has been discriminated on and betrayed by others all his life but when his own daughter does the same, is this the point when he decides to take his revenge and relieve is anger? Shylock claims that Salerio and Salanio knew about his daughter going to flee, he blamed them but how can this be when he lives with his daughter yet did not notice or acknowledge her unhappiness and disconnection with him. Shakespeare is taking us on a roller coaster of emotions towards shylock. We feel sympathetic for him in this scene because he is being mocked for his loss but we then feel hostile towards him only minutes later when he proves he is no better than the Christians who mistreat him. This is the scene when he decides to take a stand and follow through with his unimaginable bond. Well its unimaginable to everyone else but necessary for him, to him he is only giving back what he has taken in the past. â€Å"†¦He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?†¦ the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.† This is one of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches but why does he give it too Shylock, the villain of the play in the Elizabethan audience’s eyes? It gives him a different dimension and makes him seem more human. He stands up for himself and is not as in control or as noble as he was previously. He lets his emotions out many of the ideas used have been taken straight from the teachings of the Christian church. He is using the Christian’s own arguments against them. Shakespeare illustrates Shylock as being intelligent and is no longer a stereotypical villain; he has true, strong feelings that cannot be argued against by anyone. In this scene we also learn the scale of Jessica’s betrayal when she gambled his ring that he had given to Leah when he was a Bachelor for a monkey: † One of them showed me a ring that he had of your daughter for a monkey.† A pit in his stomach is what he would have felt yet it was quickly filled with the thought of Antonio’s misfortune and finally having a chance to take revenge against Antonio within the law. When talking to Tubal about Antonio’s sunken ships he uses a lot of repetition that could mean he has other things on his mind such as how and when he is going to take this inevitable revenge: â€Å"I thank God, I thank God†¦Is it true? Is it true?† Act 3: Scene 1 is one of the most important in the play but also has the most unusual layout. The scene follows the layout of the whole play and also Shylocks emotions. It starts calm, Bassanio trying to take Portia’s hand in marriage, Shylock is doing his job and Salerio and Salanio are just gossiping. It then advances to irritation ad revenge. Shylock decides to take his revenge and in the ring plot Portia and her maid trick both their husbands. Furthermore it reveals all the relationships that Shylock is involved in, his relationship with his daughter, Christians and Tubal who is a Jew. The last time we meet Shylock and the scene that the whole play has been moving towards, the Trial scene. Wanting to go as far as killing a man for revenge is what Shylock wants to do. He is the only being in the court room that believes what he is doing is what he deserves.. He wanted to get his revenge within the law, which is exactly what he is about to do. The duke of Venice greets Antonio and expresses pity for him, calling Shylock an inhuman monster who can summon neither pity nor mercy. The duke of Venice greets Antonio and expresses pity for him, calling Shylock an inhuman monster who can summon neither pity nor mercy. This shows just how biased on others religion people were in the 16th century. The duke, a man of the law has already taken Antonio’s side. However at the same time we get a sense that the Duke is also frightened that Shylock might well go through with his promise inevitably killing Antonio. With words such as inhuman wretch, incapable of pity and stony adversary the Duke turns the audience against Shylock from the start. In addition he says: â€Å"Call the Jew into the room.† They are reminded that he is only a Jew not a human being worthy of credit. Although Shylock is portrayed in a poor light by the other characters, Shakespeare give him intelligence in what he says. â€Å"You have among you many a purchased slave Which, like your asses and your dogs and mules, You use in abject and in slavish parts Because you bought them. Shall I say to you ‘Let them be free, marry them to your heirs. Why sweat they under burdens?. . . You will answer ‘The slaves are ours.’ So do I answer you. The pound of flesh which I demand of him Is dearly bought. ‘Tis mine, and I will have it.† Shylock is not attacking the Venetian law just wants to be treated the same and to be allowed to share in it. This is not something a stereotypical villain would say and we can take this view and relate to it yet for us is does not excuse the killing of another human being. Again, in this passage, we find Shylock cleverly using Venice’s own laws to support his very own revenge. He abides by the law by the letter as his religion of Judaism teaches. Furthermore Shylock asks many questions making people think if they were in his shoes would they not do the same: â€Å"What wouds’t thou have a serpant sting thee twice?† every time he makes a point he justifies it and compares it to the Christians around him. Throughout the play Shylock is reffered to as animals such as dogs, wolves and the Devil. This has been from Antonio because he has been higher in society and power than Shylock but not in this scene. Shylock compares Antonio cats, pigs and rats. Just as some Christians hate cats, pigs, and rats, Shylock hates Antonio. The tables have turned and he is so near to his revenge and Antonio is now so helpless under Shylocks new power. Just as some Christians own slaves with their power, Shylock owns a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Shakespeare shows Shylock to be a new, triumphant man that can show no mercy towards Antonio. In the trial scene, we can see the conflict of idea of judgment of two religions. According to Judaism (Jews religion), justice means punishing the bad people. So, Shylock feels that he has suffered and he must get an eye for an eye. On the other hand Christianity believe in mercy and forgiveness. Mercy is an apparent theme in this scene. It is first mentioned by the Duke, then by Portia who delivers another one of Shakespeare’s speeches. â€Å"The quality of mercy is not strain’d, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Portia states first that the gift of forgiving the bond would benefit Shylock, and second, that it would take Shylock to an improved status. Lastly, Portia warns Shylock that his quest for justice and revenge without mercy may result badly and to his own diadvantage. Rather than a trial scene this scene is more like an interlectual argument between Judaism and Christianity. Once again the two religions are against each other. Shylock decides to unwisely ignore Portia’s speech. Shakespeare creates tension here as it is almost inevitable that he will be allowd to take Antonio’s life and Shylocks greed and blindness has alone portrayed him as a villain. Furthermore he is offered twice the amount in money but he replies: â€Å"If every ducat in six thousand duats were in six parts, and every part a ducat, I would not draw them, I would have my bond.† He explains clearly that he only wants his bond. All his l ife it has been about his money, stones and wealth. It had driven away his daughter and his job involving money was one of the reasons he had been mistreated all these years. Shylock always put money first, if he had only done this once more he could have saved himself and his religion. Yet he was so intent on getting his revenge and this clouded his judgment. Shylock is still relishing his revenge just before the final moment: â€Å"O noble judge, O excellent young man.† He is thanking Portia but little does he know he is about to have his life and religion taken from under his feet. We feel resentful towards Shylock for the actions that he is going to take but when Portia reveals he can no longer do so we feel reeif. This does not last for long though as when we hear the punishments and consequences we cannot empathise. In a society today it would be unimaginable for someone to be forced to be taken from their religion. in the 21st centruy we respect others and the religions that they follow, we judge a pearson by their actions. Not their religion. which is what Shylock experienced. As a modern audience we feel sickened when we think and watch this happening yet to the Elizabethan audience this would have only greatly added to the humour of the play. The tables have trned and now after Shylock showed no mercy he is now made to plead for it. as Christians they show it to him. We have to remember that this play is a comedy. A comedy in which the baddy, Shylock the Jew, is punished and the goody, Antonio the Christian, is saved. In this case Portia was the one who restored the humour for the Elizabethan audience by restoring justice against Shylock. There are many themes in this play that link all characters. Bonds that exist between people, revenge, the sea and law versus justice. The bond of hatred that existed between Shylock and Antonio was a central element of the play. It leads to the actual bond of the pound of flesh being signed. They are bound together with Antonio’s life being in Shylock hands but then at the end Shylocks life in Antonio’s hands. Futhermore in the casket plot when Portia marrys Basanio she makes him vow never to give his ring away. This is a tight bond but is broken when Bassanio gives it away in appretiation, in the same way as when Antonio broke his promise in having 3000 ducats available to pay back Shylock back in the given time. Another is the sea. Had Antonio’s ships sailed to saftey Shylock would not have been able to demand revenge. The Elizabethan audience would have also enjoyed this familiar sea lore. The link between the law and justice is one that came up often and is explored in depth by Shakespeare. Through the behavior of Shylock towards Antonio, Portia when punishing Shylock and showing no mercy after she asks Shylock to show it, Antonio when insisting Shylock converts to Christianity and the Duke letting events follow the law. We learn the law in Venice is not capable of providing fairness and justice. Finally, the theme of revenge, which appears in two plots in the play. Firstly when Portia and Nerissa trick their husbands then watch them suffer and try to redeem themselves. Secondly Shylock attempts to kill Antonio for all he has done, then Antonio shows mercy but then takes his revenge by making Shylock convert to Christianity. To Shylock this may have been a worse punishment, did he want to live an empty life with no meaning or direction, betraying his own God? This play, Merchant of Venice, was written for an audience and Shakespeare creates suspense extremely well. He does this by switching between plots and locations at vital points in the play. He never spends too much time on one that we forget about the others. For example, in Act 1: Scene 2 we learn that Portia must marry whichever man chooses the right casket. At the end of the scene the arrival of Prince Morroco is announced, but we have to wait whilst Shylock and Antonio agree a bond before we are taken back to learn the outcome. Switching between plots this way is even used today particularly in soap operas. For audience advantage, Shakespeare makes them ahead of the characters, such as in the episode with the rings. On anther occasion the audience do not know something untill the characters themselves see it, as in the choice of the caskets. By varying these techniques, Shakespeare is able to develop dramatic tension and ultimately humour. â€Å"The quality of mercy is not strained.† Or is it? Shylock found it impossible to show mercy but can we blame him? His only daughter deserted him then sold his preciouse ring. The very same one that he had given to the love of his life when he was a bachelor. She left with all his wealth, money and stones to be with a christian. Shylock had lost the closest person to him but also the most important thing to him, his money. He has been spat upon and called names such as â€Å"cut throat dog† all his life, mocked at and laughed at by every other. He should not then be expected to show mercy to the very same people who had caused him all this pain and misery. Afterall mercy was not an aspect of his religion, Judaism, but justice. However in the end his own religion is what let him down. If he had turned, only for a second, from his religion and showed a llittle mercy he would have been able to hold onto his religion and wealth rather than having it stolen away. He was portrayed as a victim from the start and we sympathised with him when we hear the discrimmination he had to put up with. â€Å"†¦ lest the devil cross my prayer, for here he comes in the likness of a Jew.† To an Elizabethan audience Shylock would have only been viewed in the light of a villain and a Jew going through misery would have just added to the humour for the Christians watching. Shakespeare plays to this when he gives Shylock a menacing turn. He tells us how Shylock hates Antonio: â€Å"I hate him for he is a Christian.† But then, in contrast, Shakespeare shows us that in fact, Shylock wants to be Antonio’s friend: â€Å"I would be friends with you and have you love.† Has this been done on purpose? Or has Shakespeare done this too confuse the audience and portray him as a vitim with potential to become a villain? There are no rules to whether Shylock is a victim or a villain, only interpretations. Shakespeare has given Shylock a complex character with mixed emotions that many producers and directors have interpreted for their purposes. In the film version, with Albaccino, Shylock was portrayed as a vulnerable victim who was easily sympathised with. With such an intelligant, crafty play writer who included deeper meanings, no-one will ever truly know if Shakespeare intended Shylock to be a victim or a villian. Maybe this was his intention, you decide whether you sympathise with him because all he has been through or you may think he is a man that has crossed a line with bad intentions. People to this day have acted because of the way they have been treated or how they have been bought up. Remember, Is a villain someone who lends money to help others but then charges interest? Intending to receive a pound of human flesh resulting in certain death if a promise is broken, surely this is somebody who is viewed as a villain. The same man who has experienced prejudice and discrimination all his life only because of his religion, which would be unimaginable in modern day, has this man now turned into a victim? Shakespeare fills your mind with suspicions, theories and questions but only your emotions and thoughts can decide whether Shylock was a victim or a villain. Or maybe he was neither.