Traditional Japanese History Essay Example for Free

Traditional Japanese History Essay Japanese literature spans over a large period of time for writing. Earlier literature work was greatly influenced by Chinese literature, but after opening its ports to Western trading, Japan eventually developed its own style and quality of literature. Like most literature around the world and through history, we can learn a lot about Japans history through its literature. The Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, and Tokugawa periods are the time period in which we see the development of a Japanese culture that resembles less Chinese culture than the time periods we see in the previous period in Japanese history. The Heian period was between 794 and 1185 and was named for the location of the imperial capital. This time period within Japanese history is characterized by the flourishing culture of the court aristocracy, which actively pursued aesthetic refinement which led to new developments in art and literature (Heian Period). From one of the groups I chose â€Å"The Tale of Genji† because it is a great record of life for the nobility during this time period, it also considered some of the best literature in the world. The Tale of Genji† displays the complex relationship between the literary past and its later transformation from the material you find within the story (Janet Emily Goff, 1982: p. 144). To the poets in Japan during this age, the Tale of the Genji epitomized Heian court life in its depiction of the life of Prince Genji and his affairs with various court ladies, while the inclusion of nearly eight hundred poems had offered poets a guide to proper poetic expression on a wide variety of occasions. The Tale of the Genji falls under the category of ancient literature and is considered to be one of the world’s first novels. The book is just full of poems between men and woman during the Heian period and how they communicated among each other (Web Page Template). Court life was able to flourish during this time period because of the development of the shoen, large estates of land that were owned by the kuge, the court in Kyoto, but were run by managers sent money to the kuge and this is what the Tale of the Genji tells us historically about Japan (Web Page Template). During this time period, women could not be seen or communicated with except during certain occasions, like festivals, so many woman wrote poems and in journals to communicate to men. This means that by looking at literature during this time we can find out a lot between the gender roles and how men and women communicated during this time period, which in turn can be very important when studying a culture and how life was on a day to day basis, because primary documents within the study of history are the most important documents you can find. Another documents that I looked at was the â€Å"Kagero Nikki† which is an autobiography narrative that covers the years 954 to 974, part memoir and part dairy, written by the second wife of Fujiwara no Kaneie who was a high official of the Heian court. The author who is Mitchitisuna no Haha’s intention of the writing was to give readers and alternate, more realistic view of the life of a lady of the Heian court. Her goal was to capture on paper, the elements of a real social situation without evasion or idealization (Motivations of the Author of the Kagero Nikki). In a general sense though, the dairy is in a way her protest against the marriage system of the time, and supports the idea that men are beasts. But what is important is that we see a time period where woman are able to write literature and become educated, but they must write this literature in Japanese because it is forbidden that they do it in Chinese like the men. What we can see from this is a beginning of Japanese literature that strays away from the Chinese influence and also a literature that is not dominated by men, The next period to take place in Japan after the Heian period was the feudal periods which were the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. The Kamakura period began with the transfer of power from the imperial court to the Kamakura shogunate and this time period is also considered the medieval age for Japan. The third piece of Japanese literature I look at was â€Å"The Tale of the Heiki† which is Japans most famous war story. The war story was composed during the 14th century and is an account of the Genpei War which was the war that ended Heian period which makes the literature so important when taking a look into Japanese history from that time period (Oyler, Elizabeth). The story portrays the war as a heroic clash between two great warrior lineages, the Minamoto and the Taira. This literacy work is important within Japanese history, because it is believed to be the first to reach people of all social classes in that you didn’t have to know how to read in order to hear or understand the story. Even those who could not read could listen to the tale because it was sung in public areas and performers often spread the tale and traveled around Japan in order to do so (Oyler, Elizabeth). In today’s world, the tale is often viewed as both a source of stories about Japanese history and also as a eulogy for the spirits of the dead. The tale was also a great source for medieval and early modern codes of warrior behavior which is very similar to the westerns worlds’ idea of Knights chivalry during their medieval age. During this time period, Buddhism was also prominent due to the ongoing large influence of Chinese culture, and central to Buddhism is the impermanence of life. Buddhists according to Robert Oxnam see a need to announce worldly attachments to escape the sufferings of human existence, and that Japanese literature reflected these beliefs. The literature work of Kamo no Chomei called â€Å"An Account of My Hut† can give us a good outlook on the life of a Buddhist during this medieval time period within Japan, along with the transformation in Buddhism, since the book is Kamo no Chomei’s own transformation into the religion and beliefs of Buddhism as a Buddhist monk. Within the literature, Kamo no Chomei describes of the most disastrous periods for any important city in history. He describes the great fire, the Whirlwind, the moving of the capital, the famine, and the earthquake, all while civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans is going on (Hojoki). The late medieval period of Japan was considered a time of the development of a number of Buddhists and the influence it had in Japan. This is what I believe makes this literature so important when reflecting on the Japanese history because it gives us a outlook on the perspective a Japanese Buddhist during this time period that turned out to be quite disastrous. The literature of the time reflected the unsettled nature of the period and we can see this perfectly within An Account of My Hut because it describes the turmoil of the period in terms of the Buddhist concepts of impermanence and the vanity of human projects. So both of these Japanese works of literature: The Tale of the Heike and An Account of My Hut both reflect on the Warrior spirit within the medieval time period of Japan along with its distress and cause, which both define the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. The next piece of Japanese literature I looked into was â€Å"Hizakurige† which is considered the most humorous and entertaining book in the Japanese language by some. It is story of two irrepressible men from Edo along the Tokaido, the great highway between Kyoto and Edo. It is considered by many that the literature of the Tokugawa period is inferior to earlier achievements by Japanese writers (Japanese Literature). The literature during this period was much more peaceful than the Japanese literature we would find during the Japanese medieval period and this was because there was a lack in war now and there was a rise in of the working class within Japan and the country had lost a bunch of money, and I think that this is what defined this period for Japan. And we can see that the literature from this time period represents the economic struggle in which Japan was having. The last piece of Japanese literature I looked at was The Love Suicides at Sonezaki which is the most famous and best loved play by Chikamtsu. It was based off of real events and instantly became a big hit during its time. The play also reflects the cycle of Buddhism, in that the numbers of suicides that take place during the play reflect the subtle cycle of Buddhism. Buddhism by the Edo period or late Tokugawa period was widely established and practiced under the acceptance of the Tokugawa government. The Love Suicides at Sonzaki also reflect on the marriage customs during that time for the Japanese people The connection that I see during these historical phases of Japan is that all three have some emphasis on literature and the beginning and continuing of separating Chinese and Japanese literature. But in reality I think that each period is very different. For example the medieval period of Japan was full of chaos and war while the ancient period of Japan was considered much more peaceful. The rulers and government rulers changed by period also. During the Heian Period, the Fujiwara family controlled the political scene (Japanese History: Nara, Heian Periods). But the Fujiware family rule came to an end when the Tiara family took charge until they were beat out of rule by the Minamoto Yoritomo family. During the Kamakura period the ruler was Minamoto Yoritomo who would be replaced by Ashikaga Takauki for the start of the Muromachi period. And during the Edo period the head of government were the shoguns and the government was considered the Tokugawa shogunate. Japanese literature is important within its culture and we can learn a lot from any counties or cultures literature. As I reflected on these literary pieces by Japanese I found that they all reflected on some kind of event that was taking place from within Japan, and what makes these pieces so useful for historians is that they are the insight from someone who was there during that period. It is obvious that a Japanese citizen will look at these periods differently than a Japanese citizen that is living today. Each period has its own effort and growth put into Japanese literature to make it what it is today.

The Usual Suspects Essay -- essays papers

The Usual Suspects When it was released in 1995, The Usual Suspects was hailed as original, inventive, and, most of all, unpredictable. Having now seen this movie well over a dozen times, I can say that its impact is just as powerful today as it was the first time I saw it. In what I consider to be the best movie-making year of all-time, The Usual Suspects nonetheless distinguishes itself from everything else, offering a fresh take on the mystery and suspense genre. As The Usual Suspects opens, we find "Verbal" Kint (Kevin Spacey, in an Oscar-winning role) the object of a police interrogation. He is one of only two known survivors of an explosive evening on a docked cargo ship, and the police want answers. Verbal was one of an elite group of known criminals involved in a police lineup in New York five weeks prior, and the rest are presumed to be dead from the previous night's explosion. From this opening interrogation, soon conducted solely by Special Agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri), we are shown pieces of the puzzle that lead to the events on the cargo ship. Five convicted felons - Spencer McManus (Stephen Baldwin, The Young Riders), Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), Fred Fenster (Benicio Del Toro), Todd Hockney (Kevin Pollak, A Few Good Men *cc/fewgoodmen.html*), and Verbal Kint - are brought in to answer for charges of gun-theft, a crime for which all five profess their innocence. Crowded together in their cell, however, McManus is able to convince...

Customer Value Essay

Customer Value can be explained in simple terms by knowing the difference between what the customer gets from the product/service and what he or she has to exchange in order to get it (may be money). It is very important for any company in the market to understand this difference; if failed to do so, this can be one of the biggest reasons for the product/service failure in the market. According to many researchers, in this ever growing world of technology and social media the organization’s inability of establishing unique and convincing value to their products/services is the main reason for its failure. Keeping its importance in mind, many companies tries to understand what is their customer valuing. However, this can also be one of the most difficult things to understand. There are many factors causing it to be difficult for the marketers overcome this issue. However, for this task we will focus 3 main aspects. Firstly, every customer values different product/service differently. It might be situational or might be only for a definite period of time. Secondly, the market itself! Technology and economic nature change the pace of the global market. With the competition aggressive as never seen before, it is important for the marketers to change their strategies with the ever changing market. Thirdly, some internal factors which make it difficult for organization to bring in customer value. Gist of Customer Value No one has made it clearer of this word â€Å"Customer Value† concisely than Lamb et al. (2008, 2009) who wrote, â€Å"Customer Value is the relationship between benefits and the sacrifice necessary to obtain those benefits. Which means – if a product is of very good quality and is only obtained by paying a very high price will not be considered as of value by the customers, just like a low quality product which can be purchased for cheap price; but a value of a product is only seen by a customer when the quality of the product meets their expectation at an affordable price. Let’s take an example of coffee; some people love to drink coffee at Starbucks which may cost $10 and some people like to drink coffee from a local coffee shop which may only cost $4. Now, people who drinks coffee at Starbucks expects them to use premium offee beans (Arabica) which tastes better and so are willing to pay $10 which worth (value) for Starbucks customers. On the same note, people who drink coffee at local coffee shop might just need to satisfy their caffeine addiction and they feel that it is worth for the price they pay. According to Butz and Goodstein (1996), a customer value is the emotional bond between the customer and the company (service/product provider) developed by means of the used service/product. The emotional bond is only developed when the service/product meets the customer’s expectation. Different researchers have defined â€Å"customer value† in different ways but it all revolves around words like â€Å"benefits†, â€Å"satisfaction†, â€Å"expectation† and â€Å"worth†. If a company who wants to understand â€Å"customer value† for their product/service they need to understand more about these words with respect to their customers. But it is not as easy as it seems. Perhaps, even in dictionaries it’s difficult to find synonyms for these words because these words depend on situations. Challenges for marketers For companies to operationalize â€Å"customer value† in marketing their product can only be done by learning their â€Å"customers† and â€Å"market†. These terms can be very challenging to learn or to understand because of its diverse nature. * Customer’s change is inevitable Customer’s needs or wants can be situational. Different customers can seek same products/service for variety of needs. Vodaphone has a pre-paid mobile plan that allows customers to make international calls at a cheaper rate and also allows making free calls to local Vodaphone customers. As an international student I choose this plan to make international calls at a cheaper rate but my friend who is a local chooses the same plan because most of his friends are Vodaphone users. Further to this, a customer’s needs may change with change in their circumstances. Just like, if I secure a part-time job which gets me constant income, I will consider changing my mobile plan to post-paid service which has more offers. Customer’s needs are dynamic and can change over time. We humans have different needs at different age. Products brought by a person from a shopping mall will be different when he was single and when he gets married and more so when he’s a father. (Don Peppers & Martha Rogers, 2010) It is difficult to predict or to foresee these changes in the same customer with the change in situation. At every point of time, customers are trying to actually achieve their needs for that point of time (Hultink and Atuahene-Gima, 2000). There is no single system to understand or to foresee customer’s need and to categorize them. Marketers should learn their customer’s needs beforehand to make their product valuable to their customers. To achieve this, organizations needs look at their products/services through customer’s point of view (Don Peppers & Martha Rogers, 2010). As the changes in customer’s situation can be quiet fast, organizations needs to be quick in changing their strategies and innovations to meet their ever changing customers. Technological drawbacks Climbing the technological ladder too quick might pull down the organizations efforts in boosting customer’s value for a service/product. An excellent customer service is very important to maintain or to boost the value of the product/service with regards to customers. Traditional human to human interactions have been replaced by human to machine interactions by the help of technology. These changes force customers to embrace self-service technologies which can create discomfort among some low-tech savvy customers (Parasuraman, 2000). There may be customers with limited knowledge in technology or may not be willing accept the technological introduction (Walker, Lees, Hecker and Francis, 2002). Almost everyone has experienced this scenario when they call a customer service center of telecommunication provider. The call keeps bouncing to different automated machines and still our problems are not solved until we speak to a customer service executive. Similarly, online banking system with tight security measures some people still prefer to visit banks personally for some services. This is because either the customers are not willing trust these technological services or lack of knowledge to use these services. Secondly, Internet world made it easier for customers to compare the quality, product/service details, and cost of same/similar product from different companies (Bakos, 1997 & Lynch & Ariely, 2000). Customers can comfortable get information about the various products using internet at home without physically going to the market (J. Nielsen, 2000). This increases the competition exponentially and any company is vulnerable to this situation if they do not keep up with the hanging market trends. Companies have to constantly indulge in innovation that meets their customer’s expectation and introduce strategies to keep the customers excited about their current and upcoming product. Even a speculation of an upcoming product of the competitors can adversely affect the company’s current product in the market. Like the speculation of Samsung III (latest mobile phone) with more and better specifications tremendously reduced the sales of iphone 4s current product, even to a point that the recently released iphone 5 didn’t reach its expected sales mark. Barriers within Organizations Every organization has its own culture and employees working will be very comfortable with those culture. This culture may not be aligned with the ever changing customer’s expectations and needs. Using their own employees, organization tries to understand their customer’s needs by merely guessing it. By doing so, organizations come up with customer’s needs through employee’s perspective (or sales point of view) and not customer’s perspective. Now this â€Å"guessed† customer’s needs might be exactly opposite to what the organizations actual customer’s needs. This creates a difference between the customer value and service/product offered, which in turn results in unsatisfied customers (Woodruff, 1997). Example, Kodak Company was reluctant to change with the change in the market and customer’s needs. Customers were finding it easier to use a digital camera over a film based camera. However, Kodak Company expected its customers to use film based cameras which are not user friendly. This gradually resulted in Kodak losing its customer base to its competitors those who embraced to this change in era. Now even if the organization decides to move towards the customer’s needs by proper findings and learning their customers. It depends on managers to implement these finding in marketing their product and also in future products. Managers might be too busy with their normal duties to implement the learning on customer value. Thus the adapting to change becomes a problem when it is not in line with the introduction of new information on market change and their customers. This can also happen when the organization is reluctant to continuously train their employees on the market and customer variations. Conclusion:  There are many other factors such as market variations, globalization, wide variations in customer’s psychology, brand image etc. that makes it challenging for a marketer to show value to customers in their products/services. Theodore Leavitt of the Harvard Business School explained this idea by saying that â€Å"The customer is not interested in a quarter-inch drill. Rather the customer is interested in a quarter-inch hole†. By understanding the results preferred by the customer, an organization can invest its marketing and innovation in the right direction for the customers to achieve their desired results.

The Effects Of Alcohol On The Human Body - 1292 Words

According to Zhang Lening, John Welte, and William Wieczorek’s article â€Å"The Role Of Aggression-Related Alcohol Expectancies in Explaining the Link between Alcohol and Violent Behavior† They state that, â€Å"As Lang (19) observes, expectations and tolerance of deviance in those under the influence of alcohol should increase the likelihood of a positive correlation between drinking and aggression† (Lening, Welte, and Wieczorek 466). They inform us that people who drink alcohol are likely to increase their aggression which may be triggered while the consumption of alcohol. Although people enjoy alcohol, it’s harmful towards the human body. They support Maia Szalavitz claim because alcohol is considered to be a recreational drug which she links medication to aggression. At the same time, Ferris Jabr would agree with them because the active ingredients found in alcohol shares similar affects in comparison to pyrethroid; affecting the human body and trigg ering aggressive behavior. When trying to prove violent behavior is caused multiple contributors other than one, Alcohol serves a prime example because the consumption, the ingredients, and social use of the recreational drug are all contributors linked to violent behavior. There are many different combinations of contributors that increase the violent tensions. Aggravation is another form of violent behavior. Typically, aggravation happens when an individual in the process of feeling or being annoyed. It’s an emotion that builds upShow MoreRelatedThe Effects of Alcohol on the Human Body1420 Words   |  6 PagesThe effects of Alcohol on the Human Body Name: Institution: Introduction Today, alcohol is one of the most common substances that people abuse. It is an addictive drink that has become a popular way of having a good time or relaxing in social gatherings. It is among the most commonly used psychoactive drugs. Alcohol is a popular social phenomenon, yet most societies forget its effects on their bodies. 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