Staging in Six Characters in Search of an Author :: essays papers

Staging in "Six Characters in Search of an Author" Pirandello's masterpiece, "Six Characters in Search of an Author" is well known for its innovative techniques of characterization, especially in the fullness of character as exhibited by the Stepdaughter and the Father, but it is especially renowned, and rightfully so, for the brilliant staging techniques employed by its author. Pirandello uses his innovative staging techniques specifically to symbolize, within the confines of the theater, the blending of the theater and real life. Chief among these, of course, is the way in which the author involves the audience in his production, to the point which, like a medieval audience, they become part of the action, and indeed, a character in its own right. The use of lines provided in the playbill was the first of its kind; never before had an author dared to ask the members of the audience to perform, even though unpaid, and indeed, paying for the experience themselves. But without those lines, how much less impressive would that moment be when the Director, understandably at the end of his rope with the greedy characters (who have been from the start trying to coerce him into writing a script for non-union wages), shouts "Reality! Fantasy! Who needs this! What does this mean?" and the audience, in unison, shouts back, "It's us! We're here!" The moment immediately after that, when the whole cast laughs directly at the audience, pointing at them in glee, is nearly unbearable for an audience, as shown b! y the riot after the first performance, when the audience not only ripped the seats out of the theater, but stole the popcorn. Pirandello also used a technique he inherited from the "Cirque de Soleil," involving a trapeze hung from the catwalk. But though the trapeze was not in itself his own invention, its use during the intermission as a means to annoy the audience was absolutely innovative. He had gotten the idea from watching the inhabitants at the mental institution in Switzerland where his wife was recuperating from a Venetian holiday. The Swiss hospital, renowned for its experimentation, had started a program of gymnastics, meant to boost the patients' self-esteem. The Stepdaughter's foray above the audience's heads, during the "intermission," is a direct reflection of that Swiss technique; no one before Pirandello had dared to use it in the theater before, but it not only symbolized neatly the problems with defining reality inherent in the text, but kept the audience from actually getting a rest during the intermission, since

Literary Devices Essay

While attending my course on â€Å"War and Literature†, and listening to the conversation, I found myself struck by an intellectual question presented by another student. This student asked, â€Å"When does paradox become hypocrisy? † Immediately afterwards I wrote the response, â€Å"A good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them. † At first I didn’t know if I had truly responded to the question. I analyzed both the question and response carefully through the literary devices and found myself satisfied with the responses standing. When analyzing the response I first had to return to the question. â€Å"When does paradox become hypocrisy? † Referring to this question I had to ask if my response held a paradox. â€Å"A good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them. † Considering that a paradox is a statement that seems self- contradictory, and that â€Å"a good war† is the introduction to the response, suggested that â€Å"a good war† is a paradox. However, why is it that â€Å"a good war† is a paradox? War can best be defined as active hostility. Good can also be best defined as being well behaved. Considering these definitions and the response, â€Å"a good war† would certainly be a paradox  because active hostility is contradictory to being well behaved. However, most would assume that â€Å"a good war† was the responses paradox, and to assume otherwise would be insulting to someone’s intellect. So then one has to ask how it is so commonly understood that â€Å"a good war† is a paradox? To conclude this question, one must consider that most of everyone was raised with the developmental understanding of good and bad. Most of everyone also would commonly agree that war is not good. So why do people still go, and why do we not learn from â€Å"it’s mistakes without someone having to live with them†? From statistics taken in the year two thousand fourteen, seven percent of America’s society is a veteran, and in that year there were near three hundred eighteen million citizens. That means that over twenty two million American citizens are veterans of foreign war. So how is it that we can convince over seven percent of our citizens to go risk their livelihood? We determined that war is wrong so how do we replace the ideas of good and bad? To better answer that question, it is better to replace the employment of a soldier with a painter. In order to make someone who is  not a painter become a painter, one would have to go through a series of tasks. First, cut off access to other mediums. Do not allow that person to work with anything other then painting. If they want to write a letter home, they paint it. If they want to create something three dimensional, they paint it. If they want to tell a story, they again, will paint it. Now there is no difference between the painter with their paintbrush, and the recruit with their rifle. Second, apply influences to praise the ideals. The same recruited painter now needs to be surrounded with people who share the same ideals. The painter cannot have the influences of sculptors, graphic designers, or any other ambassador of other art form. The painter needs the overall support of peers with the subject matter. This again, is no different from the soldier and their peers. Third, discourage all other ideals. The facilitator, who is regulating the transition between non-painters to painters, needs to openly degrade the ideals of all other art forms. The facilitator needs to make sure that the recruits hear their passionate opinions about how other art forms are â€Å"wrong†. This will guide the recruits to also share the same ideals. This relationship resembles the relationship between Drill Instructors and their recruits. Fourthly, revival the title has a distinguished history of renowned individuals. For a painter, there are many distinguished individuals that made a dramatically difference within the realm of art. For some examples, there is Vincent Van Gough, Pablo Picasso, and Leonardo De Vinci. It is up to the facilitator to idolize these individuals in front of the forth-coming painters. This will give the recruited painters the expectations they need to become idolized into their new profession. This will  also make the recruited painters strive to achieve the same honor. For the recruited soldier, they hear about the selfless actions of the Medal of Honor, Prisoners of War, and Purple Heart recipients. For them, they also strive to achieve that honor. Lastly, provide the graduate with a quote that brands them with honor. For instance, EARTH, Semper Fi, or Army of One. This will give the graduate something to display as pride and unite them forever with the other individuals who also have endured the same training. Now returning back to the question, â€Å"when does a paradox become a  hypocrisy†, the response needed to be evaluated for the literary device of hypocrisy. Is â€Å"a good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them†, a response of hypocrisy. Through the development of good and bad, we have concluded that war is wrong. To suggest otherwise would propose a state of insanity. Insanity is a derangement of the mind or not conforming. Since we have conclude that the popular choice is tosay that war is wrong suggests that people who desire to go to war, miss war, or idolize war are insane. So are they insane? If the response,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"war teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them† is true, than yes. However, the statement is hypocrisy and hypocrisy is the pretense of having. So reverting back to the practice of transitioning from non-painter to painter, the recruit became a painter. Now what if, during the transition, the recruit never got the opportunity to paint. The entire time the recruit was given black ink to practice the techniques of painting, but never received oil or acrylic paints. The recruit sat through sessions where they viewed images of others painters and their colorful  paintings, only to never receive color to paint with. After the transitions period, after the recruit was given the title of painter and hope to finally paint with color. However, the restriction continues and they again were never given oil or acrylic paints. They had practiced the trade for years without actual execution. The outcome is apparent. They will forever long to paint. This is the situation with the soldier. The soldier practices with blank ammunition for years, views images of warfare, practices the techniques of warfare, and never gets to execute their practices in war. The outcome is apparent. They will forever long for warfare. So in regards to the response, from the soldiers perspective, they would disagree because war cannot â€Å"teach it’s mistakes without one having to live with them. † They themselves desire warfare. However, for sanities sake, they would suggest the response to be true in the company of other American citizens. This is the pretense of having and concludes the statement to be hypocrisy; at least from the soldiers perspective. So does the statement apply to other citizens of America? Again, the response  to the initial question suggests that war is wrong and a sane response is to agree with the statement. This implies that American citizens do not see the statement as hypocrisy. However, how much money is accumulated over the showing of one Hollywood movie about warfare? How much money and time is spent reading through the stories about warfare? How often do people find excitement when sharing a conversation with a veteran where they can ask personal questions about their experiences? As peaceful people who agree with the statement, American citizens curiously find something compelling about war. It is not my position to accuse the masses of being warmongers. However, to defend the integrity of my response, the response is hypocrisy. It cannot â€Å"teach it’s mistakes† if people live vicariously through the experiences of war. Without war that satisfaction is taken away and the entertainment lost, suggesting that the mistakes aren’t learned; they’re idolized. To propose other wise is the pretense of having or also known as hypocrisy. So can war teach â€Å"it’s mistakes†? Can the statement ever become true? Lets again look at the question, â€Å"when does paradox become hypocrisy? † and compare it  to the response, â€Å"a good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them. † In order to make the response true we would have to rephrase the question. This time we will ask, when does paradox become integrity? We have concluded that the response to the initial question is both a paradox and hypocrisy, but we have overlooked one literary device. Personification. Personification is the representation of an abstraction in the form of a person. In the response we suggested that â€Å"a good war† is a paradox, and if â€Å"war teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them† is hypocrisy. However, the response also suggests that we have personified war. So in order to make the statement, â€Å"a good war is a war that teaches it’s mistakes without one having to live with them† true, we have to remove the personification and rephrase the response to â€Å"a good person is a person that teaches their mistakes without one having to live with them†. By removing the literary device of personification we have successful removed the other literary devices of paradox and hypocrisy, and gave the response integrity. If a good person were to teach others about their life’s mistakes, maybe others could  learn from them. It is the gift from the veteran of foreign wars to express to others the mistakes of warfare. From that point forward, it is up to the recipient of the gift to learn from the veteran’s mistakes. War cannot teach it’s mistakes because war as a whole removes the personal aspect of warfare. It gives the individual a number instead of a valued story. However, the individual’s personal story, the veteran, includes the emotional toll of warfare. From that personal story, the audience can now begin to understand the dysfunction of warfare and that personal story can be identified as the gift.

The Problems With Refugee Detention Camps Essay example

Genocide, poverty, religious intolerance, misogynism, these are only a few of the atrocities the people in some countries face every day. What choice do they have? Their only means of escape are death or refuge. So the obvious choice is refuge. They stowaway on ships or airplanes, pack into cars, or just start walking to a country where they have a small hope of not only surviving, but living a normal life. Most of them will end up in detention camps, and most will end up in camps where the conditions are very poor. Some will apply for asylum and be in camp for an undetermined amount of time. Others will not and could be held for even longer, maybe indefinitely. The effects of detention on the human mind are debilitating, and a child†¦show more content†¦People worry about population control, jobs, crime, disease, and any other social problem people decide to connect immigrants with. When someone applies for refuge in a country this is called asylum seeking (Refugees and Asy lum 2011). European countries are popular for this because they usually have stronger human rights foundations (Refugees and Asylum 2011). Unfortunately, because of anti-terrorism efforts, it has become increasingly hard for people to seek asylum in these countries (Refugees and Asylum 2011). Many asylum seekers in the past have gained citizenship, and have become normal members of society, but often times their only hope is for repatriation (Refugees and Asylum 2011). A problem faced by both host nations and refugees is that the accommodations given at the detention camps are meant to be temporary. They are only meant to hold the persons until the conflict in their country has stopped, but millions of refugees around the globe have been detained anywhere from 10 to almost 60 years (S. Feldman 2010). One of the largest refugee camps in the world is located in Dadaab, Kenya. The conditions in the camp are horrendous. Overpopulation is the biggest problem there, as Somalian refugees c ontinue to pour in escaping from the famine that has ravaged their country. The camp is supporting more than quadruple its capacity. Many die on the way toShow MoreRelatedGo Back to Where You Came from Documentary Analysis Essay786 Words   |  4 PagesFinding Safe Refuge English Task 1 [Type the author name] [Type the company name] English Task 1 There are many different views about refugees in Australian society, where illegal boat people and over flowing detention centres are a controversial problem today. Go Back To Where You Came From is a documentary directed by Ivan O’Mahoney about a social experiment that challenges the dominant views of six Australians about refugees and asylum seekers. These six Australians are taken on a 25 dayRead MoreDifferences Of Immigration In The United States1478 Words   |  6 Pageshuman rights that the United States offers. However, in 2015 the United States accepted over 1-million permanent migrants which made it the #1 country for immigration. At the same time, the United States also held onto its top spot as one of the top refugee resettlement countries4. Comparatively, countries such as Japan showed only 1.7% of the total population (2010) as being foreign and have immigration policies that have drawn heavy criticisms24,36. The United Nations defines foreign-born as a â€Å"personsRead MoreSri Lank A Diverse Population Of Ethnic Groups2615 Words   |  11 Pagestwo groups and the Tamil people were targeted and segregated within their society which has resulted in thousands of Tamil fleeing to India. This conflict would have been the Alagiah families reasoning for fleeing Sri Lanka to live in an Indian refugee camp for four years. 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The first topic both girls jumped onRead MoreThe Refugees Crisis : The Causes Of The Refugee Crisis1705 Words   |  7 PagesRefugee crisis can refer to large groups of displaced human beings, who could be either internally displaced persons, refugees or other migrants, the incidents in their country of origin, or to problems while on the move, or it can refer to problems in the hosting countries after arrival involving large groups of displaced persons, asylum seekers or exiles. In June 2015 the United Nations refugee agency reported that wars and persecutions are the main reasons behind the refugee crises all over theRead MoreThe Movement Of Sudanese Refugees1510 Words   |  7 PagesJanuary 2012 revolution, refugee communities, including Sudanese refugees, found themselves left out, disintegrated and distrusted. According to the Egyptian Foundation for Refugee Rights, refugee complaints about violence, discrimination, detention, and arbitrary arrest increased by over 20 percent after the revolution. The Sudanese refugees are facing discrimination in their jobs, housing, and property rights. They are unable to be employed in Egypt due to their refugee status. Their housing situationRead MoreThe Labor Party Of Australia2448 Words   |  10 PagesLabor intends to protect the minimum wage and weekend penalty rate, as they understand the negative impact which abolishment can cause to some of Australia’s lowest income earners. I would vote for them, as they not only understand the needs and problems of the middle class, b ut also have plans to support them. Labor sets a goal for an equal society where everyone is given a fair go with no discrimination. I support them as I idealise Australia as a country free of judgement, whether it be of sexualRead MoreThe Freedom Of Movement Of Refugees1773 Words   |  8 Pagescountries seeking refugee status or prohibited to move in territories because of the popular and common closing borders policies. The case in Sri Lanka was recognized as a serious violation of the right to movement when 260,000 persons were illegally held in detention camps after the civil war of the country. â€Å"The issue of limited freedom of movement and closed camp is a human rights issue that should be treated with greater legal precision† . Refugees tend to be grouped in refugee camps, allowed to

The Basketball Association Of America Essay - 1170 Words

The game of basketball was founded by Canadian physical education instructor James Naismith in 1891. It was a game that was first played in local YMCA that helped develop the game to what it is today. The YMCA had a major role in spreading basketball throughout the world. In 1893 basketball was now playing at the collegiate level. A few years later in 1898 the first professional league was founded. The National Basketball League consisted of six teams, but was later abandoned in 1904. The game continued to be played in the YMCA and colleges around the world. Basketball was known as an international sport and in 1932 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) was formed. Fifty-five years later, after the game we all grew to love was introduced to the world, the National Basketball Associated was established in 1946 and grew to be a multibillion dollar enterprise. â€Å"Without the precedent of labor unions, or government involvement the two major basketball associations (the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League) were completely controlled by the franchises within each organization and their owners. The beginning of the player’s union movement came in 1954, when Bob Cousy began to organize the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) by writing to an established player from each of the league’s teams in hopes of encouraging solidarity among the players. From 1946 to 1949 players used the two opposing leagues as leverage to ensure that theirShow MoreRelatedThe Basketball Association And The Nba1635 Words   |  7 PagesThe National Basketball Association, or the NBA, is a men’s professional basketball league in the USA. 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Safety An Ethical Obligation - 1211 Words

Safety: An Ethical Obligation For an engineer, safety is a full time job. As engineers, it is not only seen as fulfilling a social responsibility or an ethical obligation, but considered the top most priority in our line of duty. It is partially for this reason that design standards, codes and specifications have been established. These design standards serve as guidelines or insurance so to speak for an engineer to meet his or her legal obligations. However, at the end of the day it is the engineer’s responsibility for bearing any consequences, not the design codes used. Over the centuries, the need arose to have codes addressing ethics since there have been countless instances of an action considered legal but far from ethical. Among†¦show more content†¦Best Engineering Judgement In the event the local codes and standards are at a level below what the engineer is accustomed to, should the engineer use the first as the basis for providing the solution design? The engineer may well be within his or her legal right, but the question thereafter asked is whether this decision can be considered ethical. Whilst meeting that country’s minimum building requirements, the engineer will most likely be opposing the first canon, thereby leaving leeway for potential safety risks to the general public; risks that were foreseen and not mitigated. It is these instances where an engineer’s best judgement becomes very important. As the engineer decides on which standards to employ, a balance will need to be struck between the local standards and that which the engineer is accustomed to and/or in conjunction with global building codes. To establish a balance, an engineer, thus uses his best judgement to make compromises. This decision making process, whilst a critic al and difficult one, an engineer should recognize that he or she does not have to do so alone. Of course the canons help to guide the engineer, but an important characteristic to have as an engineer is to be open-minded. In keeping an open mind you learn from other engineers who have faced a similar dilemma since they may have suggestions to offer. As an engineer, you may also bring seek the right people to aid you in making your decision about the

Forward the Foundation Chapter 14 Free Essays

string(644) " you suppose I take no risk because I will be here\? If the gambit fails, if the plot miscarries, if some of our people are taken, do you think they won’t tell everything they know\? If you were somehow caught, would you face the tender treatment of the Imperial Guard without ever telling them about me\? â€Å"And with a failed assassination attempt at hand, do you suppose they won’t comb Trantor to find me\? Do you suppose that in the end they will fail to find me\? And when they do find me, what do you suppose I will have to face at their hands\? Risk\? I run a worse risk than any of you, just sitting here doing nothing\." 21 Gleb Andorin gazed at Namarti through half-closed eyes. He never liked the man, but there were times when he liked him less than he usually did and this was one of those times. Why should Andorin, a Wyan of royal birth (that’s what it amounted to, after all) have to work with this parvenu, this near-psychotic paranoid? Andorin knew why and he had to endure, even when Namarti was once again in the process of telling the story of how he had built up the movement during a period of ten years to its present pitch of perfection. We will write a custom essay sample on Forward the Foundation Chapter 14 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Did he tell this to everyone, over and over? Or was it just Andorin who was his chosen vessel? Namarti’s face seemed to shine with malignant glee as he said, in an odd singsong, as though it were a matter of rote, â€Å"Year after year. I worked on those lines, even through hopelessness and uselessness, building an organization, chipping away at confidence in the government, creating and intensifying dissatisfaction. When there was the banking crisis and the week of the moratorium, I-â€Å" He paused suddenly. â€Å"I’ve told you this many times and you’re sick of hearing it, aren’t you?† Andorin’s lips twitched in a brief dry smile. Namarti was not such an idiot as not to know what a bore he was; he just couldn’t help it. Andorin said, â€Å"You’ve told me this many times.† He allowed the remainder of the question to hang in the air, unanswered. The answer, after all, was an obvious affirmative. There was no need to face him with it. A slight flush crossed Namarti’s sallow face. He said, â€Å"But it could have gone on forever-the building, the chipping, without ever coming to a point-if I hadn’t had the proper tool in my hands. And without any effort on my part, the tool came to me.† â€Å"The gods brought you Planchet,† said Andorin neutrally. â€Å"You’re right. There will be a group of gardeners entering the Imperial Palace grounds soon.† He paused and seemed to savor the thought. â€Å"Men and women. Enough to serve as a mask for the handful of our operatives who will accompany them. Among them will be you-and Planchet. And what will make you and Planchet unusual is that you will be carrying blasters.† â€Å"Surely,† said Andorin with deliberate malice behind a polite expression, â€Å"we’ll be stopped at the gates and held for questioning. Bringing an illicit blaster onto the Palace grounds-â€Å" â€Å"You won’t be stopped,† said Namarti, missing the malice. â€Å"You won’t be searched. That’s been arranged. You will all be greeted as a matter of course by some Palace official. I don’t know who would ordinarily be in charge of that task-the Third Assistant Chamberlain in Charge of Grass and Leaves, for all I know-but in this case, it will be Seldon himself. The great mathematician will hurry out to greet the new gardeners and welcome them to the grounds.† â€Å"You’re sure of that, I suppose.† â€Å"Of course, I am. It’s all been arranged. He will learn, at more or less the last minute, that his foster son is among those listed as new gardeners and it will be impossible for him to refrain from coming out to see him. And when Seldon appears, Planchet will raise his blaster. Our people will raise the cry of ‘Treason!’ In the confusion and hurly-burly, Planchet will kill Seldon and then you will kill Planchet. You will then drop your blaster and leave. There are those who will help you leave. It’s been arranged.† â€Å"Is it absolutely necessary to kill Planchet?† Namarti frowned. â€Å"Why? Do you object to one killing and not to another? When Planchet recovers, do you wish him to tell the authorities all he knows about us? Besides, this is a family feud we are arranging. Don’t forget that Planchet is, in actual fact, Raych Seldon. It will look as though the two had fired simultaneously-or as though Seldon had given orders that if his son made any hostile move, he was to be shot down. We will see to it that the family angle will be given full publicity. It will be reminiscent of the bad old days of the Bloody Emperor Manowell. The people of Trantor will surely be repelled by the sheer wickedness of the deed. That, piled on top of all the inefficiencies and breakdowns they’ve been witnessing and living through, will raise the cry for a new government-and no one will be able to refuse them, least of all the Emperor. And then we’ll step in.† â€Å"Just like that?† â€Å"No, not just like that. I don’t live in a dream world. There is likely to be some interim government, but it will fail. We’ll see to it that it fails and we’ll come out in the open and revive the old Joranumite arguments that the Trantorians have never forgotten. And in time-in not too much time-I will be First Minister.† â€Å"And I?† â€Å"Will eventually be the Emperor.† Andorin said, â€Å"The chance of all this working is small. This is arranged. That is arranged. The other thing is arranged. All of it has to come together and mesh perfectly or it will fail. Somewhere, someone is bound to mess up. It’s an unacceptable risk.† â€Å"Unacceptable? For whom? For you?† â€Å"Certainly. You expect me to make certain that Planchet will kill his father and you expect me to then kill Planchet. Why me? Aren’t there tools worth less than I who might more easily be risked?† â€Å"Yes, but to choose anyone else would make failure certain. Who but you has so much riding on this mission that there is no chance you will turn back in a fit of vapors at the last minute?† â€Å"The risk is enormous.† â€Å"Isn’t it worth it to you? You’re playing for the Imperial throne.† â€Å"And what risk are you taking, Chief? You will remain here, quite comfortable, and wait to hear the news.† Namarti’s lip curled. â€Å"What a fool you are, Andorin! What an Emperor you will make! Do you suppose I take no risk because I will be here? If the gambit fails, if the plot miscarries, if some of our people are taken, do you think they won’t tell everything they know? If you were somehow caught, would you face the tender treatment of the Imperial Guard without ever telling them about me? â€Å"And with a failed assassination attempt at hand, do you suppose they won’t comb Trantor to find me? Do you suppose that in the end they will fail to find me? And when they do find me, what do you suppose I will have to face at their hands? Risk? I run a worse risk than any of you, just sitting here doing nothing. It boils down to this, Andorin. Do you or do you not wish to be Emperor?† Andorin said in a low voice, â€Å"I wish to be Emperor.† And so things were set in motion. 22 Raych had no trouble seeing that he was being treated with special care. The whole group of would-be gardeners was now quartered in one of the hotels in the Imperial Sector, although not one of the prime hotels, of course. The gardeners were an odd lot, from fifty different worlds, but Raych had little chance to speak to any of them. Andorin, without being too obvious about it, had managed to keep him apart from the others. Raych wondered why. It depressed him. In fact, he had been feeling somewhat depressed since he had left Wye. It interfered with his thinking process and he fought it-but not with entire success. Andorin was himself wearing rough clothes and was attempting to look like a workman. He would be playing the part of a gardener as a way of running the â€Å"show†-whatever the â€Å"show† might be. Raych felt ashamed that he had not been able to penetrate the nature of that â€Å"show.† They had closed in on him and prevented all communication, so he hadn’t even had the chance to warn his father. They might be doing this for every Trantorian who had been pushed into the group, for all he knew, just as an extreme precaution. Raych estimated that there might be a dozen Trantorians among them, all of them Namarti’s people, of course, men and women both. What puzzled him was that Andorin treated him with what was almost affection. He monopolized him, insisted on having all his meals with him, treated him quite differently from the way in which he treated anyone else. Could it be because they had shared Manella? Raych did not know enough about the mores of the Wye Sector to be able to tell whether there might not be a polyandrous touch to their society. If two men shared a woman, did that make them, in a way, fraternal? Did it create a bond? Raych had never heard of such a thing, but he knew better than to suppose he had a grasp of even a tiny fraction of the infinite subtleties of galactic societies-even of Trantorian societies. But now that his mind had brought him back to Manella, he dwelled on her for a while. He missed her terribly and it occurred to him that missing her might be the cause of his depression, though, to tell the truth, what he was feeling now, as he was finishing lunch with Andorin, was almost despair-though he could think of no cause for it. Manella! She had said she wanted to visit the Imperial Sector and presumably she could wheedle Andorin to her liking. He was desperate enough to ask a foolish question. â€Å"Mr. Andorin, I keep wondering if maybe you brought Miss Dubanqua along with you. Here, to the Imperial Sector.† Andorin looked utterly astonished. Then he laughed gently. â€Å"Manella? Do you see her doing any gardening? Or even pretending she could? No no, Manella is one of those women invented for our quiet moments. She has no function at all, otherwise.† then â€Å"Why do you ask, Planchet?†** Raych shrugged. â€Å"I don’t know. It’s sort of dull around here. I sort of thought-† His voice trailed away. Andorin watched him carefully. Finally he said, â€Å"Surely you’re not of the opinion that it matters much which woman you are involved with? I assure you it doesn’t matter to her which man she’s involved with. Once this is over, there will be other women. Plenty of them.† â€Å"When will this be over?† â€Å"Soon. And you’re going to be part of it in a very important way.† Andorin watched Raych narrowly. Raych said, â€Å"How important? Aren’t I gonna be just-a gardener?† His voice sounded hollow and he found himself unable to put a spark in it. â€Å"You’ll be more than that, Planchet. You’ll be going in with a blaster.† â€Å"With a what?† â€Å"A blaster.† â€Å"I never held a blaster. Not in my whole life.† â€Å"There’s nothing to it. You lift it. You point it. You close the contact and someone dies.† â€Å"I can’t kill anyone.† â€Å"I thought you were one of us, that you would do anything for the cause.† â€Å"I didn’t mean-kill.† Raych couldn’t seem to collect his thoughts. Why must he kill? What did they really have in mind for him? And how would he be able to alert the Imperial Guard before the killing would be carried out? Andorin’s face hardened suddenly, an instant conversion from friendly interest to stern decision. He said, â€Å"You must kill.† Raych gathered all his strength. â€Å"No. I ain’t gonna kill nobody. That’s final.† Andorin said, â€Å"Planchet, you will do as you are told.† â€Å"Not murder.† â€Å"Even murder.† â€Å"How you gonna make me?† â€Å"I shall simply tell you to.† Raych felt dizzy. What made Andorin so confident? He shook his head. â€Å"No.† Andorin said, â€Å"We’ve been feeding you, Planchet, ever since you left Wye. I made sure you ate with me. I supervised your diet. Especially the meal you just ate.† Raych felt the horror rise within him. He suddenly understood. â€Å"Desperance!† â€Å"Exactly,† said Andorin. â€Å"You’re a sharp devil, Planchet.† â€Å"It’s illegal.† â€Å"Yes, of course. So’s murder.† Raych knew about desperance. It was a chemical modification of a perfectly harmless tranquilizer. The modified form, however, did not produce tranquillity but despair. It had been outlawed because of its use in mind control, though there were persistent rumors that the Imperial Guard used it. Andorin said, as though it were not hard to read Raych’s mind, â€Å"It’s called desperance because that’s an old word meaning ‘hopelessness.’ I think you’re feeling hopeless.† â€Å"Never,† whispered Raych. â€Å"Very resolute of you, but you can’t fight the chemical. And the more hopeless you feel, the more effective the drug.† â€Å"No chance.† â€Å"Think about it, Planchet. Namarti recognized you at once, even without your mustache. He knows you are Raych Seldon and, at my direction, you are going to kill your father.† Raych muttered, â€Å"Not before I kill you.† He rose from his chair. There should be no problem at all in this. Andorin might be taller, but he was slender and clearly no athlete. Raych would break him in two with one arm-but he swayed as he rose. He shook his head, but it wouldn’t clear. Andorin rose, too, and backed away. He drew his right hand from where it had been resting within his left sleeve. He was holding a weapon. He said pleasantly, â€Å"I came prepared. I have been informed of your prowess as a Heliconian Twister and there will be no hand-to-hand combat.† He looked down at his weapon. â€Å"This is not a blaster,† he said. â€Å"I can’t afford to have you killed before you accomplish your task. It’s a neuronic whip. Much worse, in a way. I will aim at your left shoulder and, believe me, the pain will be so excruciating that the world’s greatest stoic would not be able to endure it.† Raych, who had been advancing slowly and grimly, stopped abruptly. He had been twelve years old when he had had a taste-a small one-of a neuronic whip. Once struck, no one ever forgets the pain, however long he lives, however full of incidents his life is. Andorin said, â€Å"Moreover, I will use full strength so that the nerves in your upper arms will be stimulated first into unbearable pain and then damaged into uselessness. You will never use your left arm again. I will spare the right so you can handle the blaster. Now if you sit down and accept matters, as you must, you may keep both arms. Of course, you must eat again so your desperance level increases. Your situation will only worsen.† Raych felt the drug-induced despair settle over him and that despair served, in itself, to deepen the effect. His vision was turning double and he could think of nothing to say. Raych only knew that he would have to do what Andorin would tell him to do. He had played the game and he had lost. 23 â€Å"No!† Hari Seldon was almost violent. â€Å"I don’t want you out there, Dors.† Dors Venabili stared back at him with an expression as firm as his own. â€Å"Then I won’t let you go, either, Hari.† â€Å"I must be there.† â€Å"It is not your place. It is the Gardener First-Class who must greet these new people.† â€Å"So it is. But Gruber can’t do it. He’s a broken man.† â€Å"He must have an assistant of some sort. Or let the old Chief Gardener do it. He holds the office till the end of the year.† â€Å"The old Chief Gardener is too ill. Besides†-Seldon hesitated-â€Å"there are ringers among the gardeners. Trantorians. They’re here, for some reason. I have the names of every one of them.† â€Å"Have them taken into custody, then. Every last one of them. It’s simple. Why are you making it so complex?† â€Å"Because we don’t know why they’re here. Something’s up. I don’t see what twelve gardeners can do, but-No, let me rephrase that. I can see a dozen things they can do, but I don’t know which one of those things they’ve planned. We will, indeed, take them into custody, but I must know more about everything before it’s done. â€Å"We have to know enough to winkle out everyone in the conspiracy from top to bottom and we must know enough of what they’re doing to be able to make the proper punishment stick. I don’t want to get twelve men and women on what is essentially a misdemeanor charge. They’ll plead desperation, the need for a job. They’ll complain that it isn’t fair for Trantorians to be excluded. They’ll get plenty of sympathy and we’ll be left looking like fools. We must give them a chance to convict themselves of more than that. Besides-â€Å" There was a long pause and Dors said wrathfully, â€Å"Well, what’s the new ‘besides’?† Seldon’s voice lowered. â€Å"One of the twelve is Raych, using the alias Planchet.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Why are you surprised? I sent him to Wye to infiltrate the Joranumite movement and he’s succeeded in infiltrating something. I have every faith in him. If he’s there, he knows why he’s there and he must have some sort of plan to put a spoke in the wheel. But I want to be there, too. I want to see him. I want to be in a position to help him if I can.† â€Å"If you want to help him, have fifty guards of the Palace standing shoulder to shoulder on either side of your gardeners.† â€Å"No. Again, we’ll end up with nothing. The Imperial Guard will be in place but not in evidence. The gardeners in question must think they have a clear hand to do whatever it is they plan to do. Before they can do so, but after they have made it quite plain what they intend-we’ll have them.† â€Å"That’s risky. It’s risky for Raych.† â€Å"Risks are something we have to take. There’s more riding on this than individual lives.† â€Å"That is a heartless thing to say.† â€Å"You think I have no heart? Even if it broke, my concern would have to be with psycho-â€Å" â€Å"Don’t say it.† She turned away, as if in pain. â€Å"I understand,† said Seldon, â€Å"but you mustn’t be there. Your presence would be so inappropriate that the conspirators will suspect we know too much and will abort their plan. I don’t want their plan aborted.† He paused, then said softly, â€Å"Dors, you say your job is to protect me. That comes before protecting Raych and you know that. I wouldn’t insist on it, but to protect me is to protect psychohistory and the entire human species. That must come first. What I have of psychohistory tells me that I, in turn, must protect the center at all costs and that is what I am trying to do. Do you understand?† Dors said, â€Å"I understand,† then turned away from him. Seldon thought: And I hope I’m right. If he weren’t, she would never forgive him. Far worse, he would never forgive himself-psychohistory or not. 24 They were lined up beautifully, feet spread apart, hands behind their hacks, every one in a natty green uniform, loosely fitted and with wide pockets. There was very little gender differential and one could only guess that some of the shorter ones were women. The hoods covered whatever hair they had, but then, gardeners were supposed to clip their hair quite short-either sex-and there could be no facial hair. Why that should be, one couldn’t say. The word â€Å"tradition† covered it all, as it covered so many things, some useful, some foolish. Facing them was Mandell Gruber, flanked on either side by an assistant. Gruber was trembling, his wide-opened eyes glazed. Hari Seldon’s lips tightened. If Gruber could but manage to say, â€Å"The Emperor’s gardeners greet you all,† that would be enough. Seldon himself would then take over. His eyes swept over the new contingent and he located Raych. His heart jumped a bit. It was the mustacheless Raych in the front row, standing more rigid than the rest, staring straight ahead. His eyes did not move to meet Seldon’s; he showed no sign of recognition, however subtle. Good, thought Seldon. He’s not supposed to. He’s giving nothing away. Gruber muttered a weak welcome and Seldon jumped in. He advanced with an easy stride, putting himself immediately before Gruber, and said, â€Å"Thank you, Gardener First-Class. Men and women, gardeners of the Emperor, you are to undertake an important task. You will be responsible for the beauty and health of the only open land on our great world of Trantor, capital of the Galactic Empire. You will see to it that if we don’t have the endless vistas of open undomed worlds, we will have a small jewel here that will outshine anything else in the Empire. â€Å"You will all be under Mandell Gruber, who will shortly become Chief Gardener. He will report to me, when necessary, and I will report to the Emperor. This means, as you can all see, that you will be only three levels removed from the Imperial presence and you will always be under his benign watch. I am certain that even now he is surveying us from the Small Palace, his personal home, which is the building you see to the right-the one with the opal-layered dome-and that he is pleased with what he sees. â€Å"Before you start work, of course, you will all undertake a course of training that will make you entirely familiar with the grounds and its needs. You will-â€Å" He had, by this time, moved, almost stealthily, to a point directly in front of Raych, who still remained motionless, unblinking. Seldon tried not to look unnaturally benign and then a slight frown crossed his face. The person directly behind Raych looked familiar. He might have gone unrecognized if Seldon had not studied his hologram. Wasn’t that Gleb Andorin of Wye? Raych’s patron in Wye, in fact? What was he doing here? Andorin must have noticed Seldon’s sudden regard, for he muttered something between scarcely opened lips and Raych’s right arm, moving forward from behind his back, plucked a blaster out of the wide pocket of his green doublet. So did Andorin. Seldon felt himself going into near-shock. How could blasters have been allowed onto the grounds? Confused, he barely heard the cries of â€Å"Treason!† and the sudden noise of running and shouting. All that really occupied Seldon’s mind was Raych’s blaster pointing directly at him and Raych looking at him without any sign of recognition. Seldon’s mind filled with horror as he realized that his son was going to shoot and that he himself was only seconds from death. 25 A blaster, despite its name, does not â€Å"blast† in the proper sense of the term. It vaporizes and blows out an interior and-if anything-causes an implosion. There is a soft sighing sound, leaving what appears to be a â€Å"blasted† object. Hari Seldon did not expect to hear that sound. He expected only death. It was, therefore, with surprise that he heard the distinctive soft sighing sound and he blinked rapidly as he looked down at himself, slackjawed. He was alive? (He thought it as a question, not a statement.) Raych was still standing there, his blaster pointing forward, his eyes glazed. He was absolutely motionless, as though some motive power had ceased. Behind him was the crumpled body of Andorin, fallen in a pool of blood, and standing next to him, blaster in hand, was a gardener. The hood had slipped away; the gardener was clearly a woman with freshly clipped hair. She allowed herself a glance at Seldon and said, â€Å"Your son knows me as Manella Dubanqua. I’m a security officer. Do you want my reference number, First Minister?† â€Å"No,† said Seldon faintly. Imperial Guard had converged on the scene. â€Å"My son! What’s wrong with my son?† â€Å"Desperance, I think,† said Manella. â€Å"That can be washed out eventually.† She reached forward to take the blaster out of Raych’s hand. â€Å"I’m sorry I didn’t act sooner. I had to wait for an overt move and, when it came, it almost caught me napping.† â€Å"I had the same trouble. We must take Raych to the Palace hospital.† A confused noise suddenly emanated from the Small Palace. It occurred to Seldon that the Emperor was, indeed, watching the proceedings and, if so, he must be grandly furious, indeed. â€Å"Take care of my son, Miss Dubanqua,† said Seldon. â€Å"I must see the Emperor.† He set off at an undignified run through the chaos on the Great Lawns and dashed into the Small Palace without ceremony. Cleon could scarcely grow any angrier over that. And there, with an appalled group watching in stupor-there, on the semicircular stairway-was the body of His Imperial Majesty, Cleon I, smashed all but beyond recognition. His rich Imperial robes now served as a shroud. Cowering against the wall, staring stupidly at the horrified faces surrounding him, was Mandell Gruber. Seldon felt he could take no more. He took in the blaster lying at Gruber’s feet. It had been Andorin’s, he was sure. He asked softly, â€Å"Gruber, what have you done?† Gruber, staring at him, babbled, â€Å"Everyone screaming and yelling. I thought, Who would know? They would think someone else had killed the Emperor. But then I couldn’t run.† â€Å"But, Gruber. Why?† â€Å"So I wouldn’t have to be Chief Gardener.† And he collapsed. Seldon stared in shock at the unconscious Gruber. Everything had worked out by the narrowest of margins. He himself was alive. Raych was alive. Andorin was dead and the Joranumite Conspiracy would now be hunted down to the last person. The center would have held, just as psychohistory had dictated. And then one man, for a reason so trivial as to defy analysis, had killed the Emperor. And now, thought Seldon in despair, what do we do? What happens next? How to cite Forward the Foundation Chapter 14, Essay examples

Managerial Accounting for Advertisement Expenses and Commission

Question: Discuss about the Managerial Accounting for Advertisement Expenses and Commission. Answer: The provided case study states that the president of Kranbrack Corporation orders to reclassify period costs as product costs. Period costs are such costs that cannot be capitalized into inventory, fixed assets and prepaid expenses. The inclusion of these types of expenses can be seen in the selling and administration expenses of the companies that is a major force to reduce the organizational profits. They are selling expenses, advertisement expenses, commission, depreciation and others (Samak-Kulkarni Rajhans, 2013). On the other hand, products costs are such costs that are incurred for developing the products. This cost can be recorded as inventory asses in the balance sheet in case the products are not sold. Thus, the above discussion shows that the reclassification of the period costs into the product costs would decrease the selling and administrative expenses of the companies. At the same time, the assets would be increased. Overall, this reclassification process would increa se the reported earnings of the company (Drury, 2013). It is the responsibility of the management of the companies to record the expenses on their actual basis. Only then, the financial reports will show the actual financial position of the companies irrespective of good or bad. However, in the following case, it can be seen that the president of Kranbrackk Corporation passed the order to show the period costs as product costs with the help of reclassification process. Thus, this particular process does not show the actual revenue and profitability of the company. For this reason, this is not an ethical action. References DRURY, C. M. (2013). Management and cost accounting. Springer. Samak-Kulkarni, S. M., Rajhans, N. R. (2013). Determination of optimum inventory model for minimizing total inventory cost.Procedia Engineering,51, 803-809.