The Life of Yukio Mishima Essay Example for Free

The Life of Yukio Mishima Essay Yukio Mishima is a pseudonym of Kimitake Hiraoka, a famous Japanese novelist, playwright and short story writer, actor and social activist, Radical and aesthete, who is considered to be one of the most talented and influential Japanese artists of the 20th century. Mishima was a very prolific writer, who worked in various literary styles and genres and whose creative legacy amounts to more than hundred literary works including 40 novels, 18 plays and screenplays, as well as traditional Kabuki and Noh style theatre dramas, etc. Mishima was born in Tokyo in 1925 to a family of aristocratic samurai ancestry. Future writer was raised by his paternal grandmother, Natsuko Hiraoka, who separated the little boy from his mother for some years. She was a very tough and authoritarian woman, who was keeping the boy in severe discipline. At the same time, she developed in the heart of her grandson a true love for Japanese and European cultures, as well as for theatre, literature and art: in particular, for the works of Izumi Kyoka. He was back to the family at the age of 12. Being a student of the Peer’s School, Mishima started writing the first stories inspired by his favorite Japanese classic writers and Oscar Wilde. Some of this works were published in school magazine and received positive reaction from students and teachers. But, unfortunately, his father, a governmental officer, was strictly against such literary â€Å"exercises† of his son. Therefore, couple of years later Mishima decided to take a pen-name in order not to be revealed by his anti-literary parent. After finishing high school Mishima studied law in Tokyo University. In 1947 after the graduation he worked as an official in the Ministry of Finance, but a year later he made up his mind to resign and completely dedicate himself to writing. His first conceptual work, a semi-autobiographic novel Kamen no kokuhaku (Confessions of a Mask), which was exploring the difficulties of homosexual culture in Japanese society, was published in 1949 and marked a start of bright career and great worldwide popularity of Mishima. In his works Mshima was discussing the issues of love, death, suicide, human beauty and sexuality, personal and religious values, etc. The novels which are the most known in America and Europe include The Sound of Waves (1954), The Temple of the Golden Pavilion (1956), After the Banquet (1960) and, finally, the trilogy The Sea of Fertility (1969-71), which describes the fall of Japanese culture in the beginning of the 20th century. His writing style can be characterized with unique presentation and paying a lot of attention to details, along with engaging some exclusive allegories and elements of paradoxes. But certainly, Yukio Mishima was greatly esteemed on his own lands for his numerous theatre plays. With his pieces The Damask Drum, Hanjo, Kantan and others, he is supposed to be the first writer of modern times who worked in old-fashioned Noh theater style. Several dramas, including Madame de Sad and My Friend Hitler, were written in modern genre Shingeki. Besides, Mishima wrote a number of plays in traditional Kabuki style, which requires some special talent and very rich cultural background. It is necessary to mention that traditional Japanese values were of great importance for Mishima, influencing significantly his life and works. He was particularly disturbed by global imagination about Japan as â€Å"a nation of flower arrangers†, so he devoted his life to reviving of bushido, the traditional code of conduct and values of samurais. Also, he was a fierce antagonist of any Westernization of Japan, arguing in public to spend every effort on preserving Japanese culture and traditions. (Schoenberg Trudeau). As a real Japanese patriot, Mishima had a reputation for discipline, order and self-organization. He used to work on his literary masterpieces from sunset to dawn, spending the daytime in his various social activities. Mishima was three times nominated for the Noble Prize for Literature. He died in November 1970, committing a spectacular ritual suicide seppuku after his unsuccessful speech against the existing pro-American Japanese constitution and anti-emperor regime. Bibliography: †¢ Liukkonen, P. (2003). Yukio Mishima 1925-1970. Pegasus. Kuusankosken kaupunginkirjasto, Finland. Retrieved May 29, 2007, from http://www. kirjasto. sci. fi/mishima. htm . †¢ Schoenberg, T. L. Lawrence J. Trudeau (Eds.) (2006). Mishima, Yukio:   eNotes. com. Retrieved May 29, 2007, from http://www. enotes. com/twentieth-century-criticism/mishima-yukio/introduction? print=1. †¢ Yukio Mishima. (2005, November 18). UXL Newsmakers. 5-6 (1): 87-88. †¢ Yukio Mishima: A 20th Century Warrior. (1995, January March). New Dawn Magazine. 29 (1): 23-24.

The Pros and Cons of Collective Bargaining Essay -- Collective Bargain

　Discuss the pros and cons of Collective Bargaining and explain their significance for improvements in labour productivity. 　　 　　â€Å"Collective bargaining can be defined as a process whereby trade unions, representing workers, and employers through their representatives, treat and negotiate with a view to the conclusion of a collective agreement or renewal thereof.† (Morris L. 2002). Collective bargaining may also include the process of resolving minor or major conflicts between labor and management or their agents. Therefore it essentially can be seen as a mutually recognized system of industrial jurisprudence creation. Collective Bargaining can act as an introduction to civil rights in the respective industry, but that can only happen if management is conducted by rules and regulations an not by arbitrary decision making processes. It defines and restricts the traditional authority exercised by management by the establishment of rules. 　　 　　Collective Bargaining has a number of objectives that are geared towards work life improvement. The first objective of collective bargaining is Workers’ participation, in the organizational decision-making. collective bargaining gives the worker an opportunity to participate in some areas of company direction such as the formation of rules and regulations. Participation leads to the enhancement of the quality of the enterprise condition thorough the employees’welcomed productive suggestions, as the are the ones who are familiar with the actual working realities of the enterprise. This also can assist in the boosting of the employees’ morale, self-esteem and cense of belonging, thus leading to an enhanced feeling of commitment to the organization. The second objective is the resolution of ind... ...e-of-collective-bargaining.html>. http://www.shvoong.com/business-management/human-resources/1923283-collective-bargaining-objectives/#ixzz30HKnBRdH References Dessler,G. and Varkkey,B. (2009) Human Resource Management. Eleventh Edition.Pearson Education. Howell, C. (2007) Trade Unions and the state: The Construction of Industrial Relations Institutions in Britain, 1890-2000. Princeton University Press Khan, J. and Soverall, W. (2007) Gaining Productivity. Arawak publications. Morris, R. L. (2002)"Chapter 2 The Collective Bargaining Process." New Issues in Collective Bargaining: A Caribbean Workers' Education Guide. Port of Spain: ILO. Pp 12-22. Print. Salamon, M. (2000). Collective Bargaining. In: Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall (ed), Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice. 4th ed. (pp.321 - 368.) England: Pearson Education Limited.

Development in Moroccan Economy Essay

Economic Environment Development of the Moroccan Economy The Moroccan economy is known for its macroeconomic stability. Inflation rates have always been relatively low, mainly due to the country’s restrictive currency regime. Morocco has been characterised by moderate to high growth rates. The country has benefited from its low labour cost and strategic location near the European mainland. Morocco has experienced a stronger growth than usual since the year 2000, caused by improved weather conditions, a strong export growth and various liberalizing policies. These liberalizing policies have been introduced by King Mohammed VI in 2003. He came up with a number of economic reforms resulting in a growth of the small modern manufacturing sector and the development of the tourism industry. He has put his main focus on the European Union since the Free Trade Agreement in the year 2000. Morocco’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has steadily gone up since 2002. According to statistics of â€Å"Datamonitor 360† the GDP in 2002 was about 40 billion dollar, in 2010 the GDP had grown to approximately 60 billion dollar. That is a rise of 50% in only eight years time. The World Factbook from the CIA mentions that in 2010 Morocco ranked number 58 in the world when it comes to the GDP. The real GDP growth rate has not been negative since 2002. In 2010 Morocco ranked number 77 in the world of real GDP growth. The lowest growth rate was about 2,5% in 2005 and 2007 and peeked with 7,5% in 2006. This could have possibly been caused by the Free Trade Agreement with the United States of America, which was introduced in 2006. I will further explain the results of the Free Trade Agreement with the EU and the USA later on in this chapter. The three main sectors: industry, service and agriculture, all grew steadily the past ten years. In 2009 the service sector was the biggest sector and contributed 49,4% to the GDP, the industry sector came second with 31,3% followed by the agriculture with 19,2%. Morocco has a profitable industry sector, mainly because of its large amounts of phosphate. Tourism plays a big role in the service sector. The tourism industry has remained vibrant despite the Casablanca bombings in 2003 and 2007. Morocco’s external trade has also been increasing steadily, with only a slight decrease in 2009. However, the total external trade still grew from 25,7 billion dollars in 2002 to 77,6 billion dollars in 2009. This is a growth of 51,9 billion dollars, which is a growth percentage of approximately 202%. Even though Morocco’s economy has been doing well the past decade, the unemployment rate is still relatively high. During the period from 2002 to 2008 the unemployment rate was at least 11%. In 2007 a small decrease of unemployment of 300 thousand took place, still leaving 1,1 million people unemployed. By the end of 2008 the unemployment rate was 9,6%. In 2009 a total of 93,000 new jobs got created resulting in a decrease to 9,1% by the end of 2009. We can conclude that the overall Moroccan economy has shown a fairly good development, but there is still a lot more to improve. The government has been working on new reforms that should lead to better business conditions in the country. International Financial Crisis Morocco together with Algeria and Tunisia has been one of the least affected countries by the international financial crisis. The international financial crisis started with the credit crunch in the US. Morocco has not been affected by this so-called credit crunch, because Morocco does not have the kind of credit that caused the American credit crunch. Besides this Morocco had minimal exposure to foreign assets. Morocco did however get affected by the international financial crisis as soon as it hit Europe. The Western European crisis resulted in diminishing growth rates. The crisis in Europe did not only slow down Moroccan export rates, but also the tourism industry. As European unemployment rates increased, many Moroccans working abroad lost their jobs, causing a decline in remittances. Morocco has been able to keep the negative effects of the international financial crisis to a minimum due to its good macroeconomic policy, an open economy, clear trade policies and several investment opportunities with emerging countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Because of the effects the financial crisis has had in Europe and the US, Gulf investors are expected to invest in African countries and the Middle East. At the end of 2008 Gulf investors announced a 1,7 billion US dollar investment in real estate in Morocco. These investments and planned reforms will make sure the Moroccan economy will continue to grow in the future. Effects FTA US and EU Morocco’s economy has largely benefited from the free trade agreements it has made with the European Union and the United States. In 1996 Morocco signed an association agreement with the European Union. The association became effective on March 1, 2000. The free trade agreement with the EU is mainly applied on industrial products and hardly any agricultural products. The objective is to have completely free trade between Morocco and the EU by 2012. In 2010 the EU proposed a new trade deal with Morocco to include duty-free trade in agricultural, food and fisheries products. On June 15, 2004 Morocco also signed a free trade agreement with the USA, which became effective on January 1, 2006. For America this was the second Arab-US free trade agreement and the first African-US free trade agreement. During a video of the ‘Moroccan American Trade and Investment Council’ the counsellor to King Mohammed VI for financial and economic affairs says about the FTA with the US: â€Å"We want to put Morocco as a platform for business with Europe, with the US, with Asia, China, Africa, Middle East. It was part of a global vision of Morocco. † Mr. Hassan, the president of the Moroccan Business Association says during the same video â€Å"The Morocco – US free trade agreement is a great opportunity for the Moroccan economy. † Due to the free trade agreements many American and European businesses have opened establishments in Morocco. These businesses have employed thousands of Moroccans causing a decline in the unemployment rate of the country. Both free trade agreements have been a huge step in the right direction for Morocco. The country still has a lot of poverty and unemployment; much more is needed to solve the country’s issues. However, the country is one of the most stable African and Arab nations. Current Economic System Morocco has a relatively liberal market economy regulated by supply and demand. From 1993 onwards there has been a policy of privatization. The heritage foundation, a research and educational institution, has come up with an index of economic freedom. This index makes it possible to measure the economic freedom in countries around the world. The world average score on the index of 2011 is 59. 7 out of 100 points. Morocco’s overall score is 59. 6, only a tenth point under the world average. Morocco is the 93rd country on the 2011 world rank of economic freedom. The regional average of the Middle East and North Africa is 60. 6, which makes Morocco the 10th country on the list of 17 regional countries. The overall score is determined by ten economic freedoms. In figure below the ranking of all ten separate economic freedoms of Morocco compared to the world average is shown. The most important economic freedom for this specific country report is business freedom. The business freedom represents the procedures for setting up and registering a private enterprise and the possibilities of private investment and production. In figure you can clearly see the Moroccan business freedom compared to the Dutch business freedom. King Mohammed VI has come up with many economic and non-economic reforms over the years. The two largest current reforms are the â€Å"Plan Maroc Vert† (Green Plan) and the â€Å"Plan Emergence†.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller - 651 Words

Drama is around us every day, everywhere people go no matter what is happening it is there. That is what The Crucible is about; Teenagers starting drama and spreading false rumors. Abigail is responsible for the witch hunts in Salem because of her immaturity, obsession with John Proctor, and for being a liar. This story takes place in small town Salem where you worked and went to church, until some teenagers of the town said some false things about the most innocent people of the town. Abigail Williams is responsible for the Salem witch hunts because she is a liar. Parris was hustling Abigail with questions as to what the girls were doing in the woods. Abigail claimed, â€Å"But we never conjured spirits† (Miller 170). Abigail is to be blamed because she first lied about conjuring spirits in the woods. Then the girls are in Betty’s room trying to wake her. Abigail cautioned the girls, â€Å"Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth’s dead sis ters. And that’s all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Miller 175). Abigail is not just lying personally but now, she is telling the other girls to lie as well. Abigail is not admitting to what she did wrong already and she will not back down now. Another reason that Abigail is solely responsible for the witch hunts is that she is very immature. They are in court and Mary Warren is trying to tell the truth about the girls lying but as soon as the court starts to believe Mary, Abigail turns their attention to Marry by lying about Mary sending her spiritShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1269 Words   |  6 PagesAt first glance, the playwright Arthur Miller in The Crucible highlights the historical significance of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, but in fact it is an allegorical expression of his perception of McCarthyism. If the reader has some background information on Arthur Miller’s victimization as a communist, it is evident that the play is a didactic vessel illustrating the flaws of the court system in the 1950’s. The communist allegations were launched at government employees, entertainers and writersRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1681 Words   |  7 Pagesof their way to the last dying breath to make sure they leave with a good or bad reputation. In one of the recent literature study in class â€Å"The Crucible† by Arthur Miller, Miller uses characterization to illustrate reputation throughout the play. â€Å"The Crucible† takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. It is based upon the Salem witch trails. In â€Å"The Crucible†, we journey through the life of three characters who reputations plays a major role in the play. The three characters are John Proctor, AbigailRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1333 Words   |  6 PagesAs the various characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller interact, the dominant theme of the consequences of women’s nonconformity begins to slide out from behind the curtains of the play. Such a theme reveals the gripping fear that inundated the Puritans during the seventeenth century. This fear led to the famous witch-hunts that primarily terrorized women who deviated from the Puritan vision of absolute obedience and orthodoxy. Arthur Miller presents his interpretation of the suffering by subtlyRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller998 Words   |  4 Pagesmotivated by jealousy and spite. The Crucible is a four-act dramatic play production that was first performed on January 22, 1953. Arthur Miller used dialogue within the characters to cover the multiple themes; conflicts and resolutions, plus the few directions for the different actions of the play. The Salem Witch Trials were intended to be performed as the play however, when read, it can be more carefully examined and broken down to analyze the techniques. Miller, the playwright, uses literaryRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1145 Words   |  5 PagesUnbalance Through The Centuries In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the author reflects the persecution of communists in America in the 1950’s through a recount of the Salem witch trials. It is often presumed that Miller based his drama directly off of events that were particularly prevalent in the years surrounding the publication of The Crucible- which was released in the year 1953, towards the conclusion of the Korean War. Although there was not a literal witch hunt occurring during this timeRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1063 Words   |  5 PagesIn the English dictionary, there are three definitions of the word crucible. One is a metal container in which metals are mixed and melted. Another is a severe test. But the third definition, and the one that I think fits the best for this book, is a place or situation in which different elements interact to create something new. In my mind, this fits because all of the characters had their little grudges and dirty secrets. But when all th ose seemingly little things interact, they formed somethingRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1285 Words   |  6 Pages Rationale, Morality, Stereotypes, Pressure, Self-Censorship, Unanimity, and Mindguards. Groupthink has also taken place in our history a a country. The play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about a the real-life Salem Witch Trials that happened in 1692 - 1693, in Salem, Massachusetts. Some symptoms of Groupthink found in the Crucible are Rationale, Pressure, and Self-Censorship. The Groupthink symptom, Rationale, is described as when victims of Groupthink ignore warnings: they also collectivelyRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller811 Words   |  4 Pages While The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is only a four act play, it still resembles the format of a five act play. The five-act structure evolved from a three-act structure, which was made famous by Roman Aelius Donatus. Donatus came up with three types of plays: Protasis, Epitasis, and Catastrophe. The five-act structure helped to expand the three act structure, mainly made famous by Shakespeare through his many tragedies. Even though The Crucible contains only four acts, it still has the commonRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1052 Words   |  5 PagesBuddy Al-Aydi Ms.Healy English 9 CP 14th October 2014 The Crucible Essay The Crucible was a novel written by Arthur Miller in the 1950’s. It was written in a format of the play, portraying an allegory of the Salem Witch-Hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The book is known to have a inexplicable plot. This plot is advanced by multiple characters in the book in order to ensure that the reader maintains interest with the material that is being read. The farmer, John Proctor, would be theRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller841 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crucible is a chaotic play, throughout this American classic Arthur Miller takes the reader through multiple events of terror and insanity. While creating a great on-stage play, Arthur Miller portrays his life through the events, the characters, and plot of The Crucible. Using vivid imagery and comprehensible symbolism, Miller manipulates the real personalities of the characters and events in 1600 Salem, Massachusetts to create a symbolic autobiography. Throughout this play, the reader experie nces