The School Exclusions in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The School Exclusions in Britain - Essay Example The fixed term exclusion is not exceeding 45 days in a school year. 1-3 day's exclusion usually gives desired results in behaviour of the excluded student and it does not lead to adverse educational consequences. However, if new evidences come into the light the exclusion limit may be raised. The lunchtime exclusions, which are for one-half day, are also fixed term exclusions (DCSF 2008). Informal or unofficial exclusions are child and parent friendly but law does not take these into consideration. These are generally made for students who had shown good behaviour previously. The problem is solved and stigma of exclusion does not occur. The student is sent home due to improper appearance or dress code. The African-Caribbean students are sent home for hair cut. The parents of constantly disruptive students voluntarily accept to change his/her school rather than official permanent exclusion. While in internal exclusions student is allowed to remain in school premises but can not participate in school activities (Blyth & Milner 1996). The DCSF (2008) guidelines do not consider exclusion appropriate if made on minor incidents, poor academic performance, being late or truant, pregnancy, breaches of rules regarding uniforms and appearance unless persistent and for behaviour of the parent The DCSF (2000) advice schools to avoid excluding SEN students with statement except under exceptional conditions. The pupils with mental, sensory, intellectual and physical impairment should not be excluded because of challenging behaviour due to their disability. There should not be discrimination on racial grounds. The pupils in public care should be retained in school. The Head teacher's power to exclude: The head teacher of a maintained school or the teacher in charge of a pupil referral Unit (PRU) may exclude a pupil from the school for a fixed period or permanently. To exclude permanently means removing a child from the school on disciplinary ground (Education Act (s.52) 2002). Thus the statutory power to exclude a student reside with the head teacher since the Education (No. 2) act 1986. The decision to exclude a pupil should be taken only: (a) in response to serious breaches of the school's behaviour policy; and (b) if allowing the pupil to remain in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the pupil or others in the school. The headteacher should exclude a student as a last resort when all other remedies have genuinely failed (Harris et al 2000). The head teacher should regard following prior to this serious decision lest a student is unfairly excluded: Behaviour Policy; School's Drug Policy; Schools Equal Opportunities Policy, Human Rights Act 1998;Disability Discrimination Act 1995; Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice; Race Relations Act 1976 as amended by Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.(DCSF 2008) The headteacher should ensure that the exclusion is not imposed in the heat of the moment unless there is an immediate threat to safety. He should take statements from witnesses and see the possible provocation. He may also take other persons' opinion to

Profit Maximization Theories Applicable to Firm - Micro economics Term Paper

Profit Maximization Theories Applicable to Firm - Micro economics - Term Paper Example In accounting a negative difference implies a loss, whereas a positive one implies a profit. Mathematically, calculating profit shall be: Total revenue is the total value expected and received by a firm from the sales of its goods and services. Total revenue on the other consists of all factors of production and other operational considerations. In economics, there are other types of costs that come into play, for instance, opportunity cost, and not specifically those costs that involve explicit monetary payments. The accounting profit implies the monetary values reported in the books, whereas the economic profit includes other factors such as the non quantifiable opportunity costs, implicit and explicit resources employed. Firms face certain constrains in the process of maximizing their profits. The main constraints face by profit maximizing firms include: technology, prices of factors of production and the demand for a firms product. According to Hall and Marc (201), a firm’s total revenue is the total inflow of receipts from selling output. Theoretically firms can be grouped from two extremes; perfectly competitive firm and monopoly, each facing different demand curves. The concept of demand is closely related to the understanding of profit maximization. A perfectly competitive firm has a horizontal demand curve implying high elasticity. A monopolist demand curve on the other hand faces the whole market demand curve, which is highly inelastic. Understanding the concept of profit maximization, graphical and mathematical analysis becomes imperative. If an assumption of perfect market is made for a profit maximization firm. Where p is the unit price for each product from the organization and q is the total number of quantities sold by the firm. Conventionally, small q are used instead of the capitalized version, Q as it is used to imply the whole market. From figure 1, an increase in

The Determinants Of Customer Satisfaction In Airline Industry Tourism Essay

The Determinants Of Customer Satisfaction In Airline Industry Tourism Essay Introduction Customer satisfaction has been established as a psychological concept that involves the feeling of customers well-being and pleasure which results from obtaining what he or she hopes for and expects from consuming an appealing product and/or service (Florian and Maren, 2007; Christian, 2005; Abraham and Taylor, 1999). While different scholarly write-ups have confirmed variety of approaches to the explanation of customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction in marketing, in a comprehensive work done by Abraham and Taylor (1999), they developed nine distinct theories of customer satisfaction: namely expectancy disconfirmation; assimilation or cognitive dissonance; contrast; assimilation-contrast; equity; attribution; comparison-level; generalized negativity; and value-precept (Oh and Park, 1997). Customer satisfaction and service quality have also been confirmed to be critical issues in most service industries, and are even highly important for Airline service providers that offer generally un differentiated products. For example, in the airline industry, the main approach to differentiation and the principal means by which one Airline can distinguish itself from another is service before and after sales services (Stafford et al, 1998). Otherwise, companies will be generally unable to differentiate their services based on market offerings because Airlines offer state-mandated standardized products/services. The recent emphasis on service quality and customer satisfaction in the Airline industry illustrates the increased importance Airlines are placing on customer quality and satisfaction (Halil et al, 2008). As such, service quality measurement and customer satisfaction are increasingly becoming important for service firms to stay in the business (Parasuraman et al. 1988). And these service quality measurements processes differs across different industrial domains, because the service manager will account for the unique nature of services, while different service attributes in each organizations are acting as determinants of customer satisfaction because of the complex interrelationship and dependability that exist between them (Fochen and Robert, 2003). Customer satisfaction, one of the central marketing objectives, is closely linked to customer loyalty, the likelihood of recommendation to others, cross-buying behavior; up-grading and lower price sensitivity (Anderson, 1994; Matzler, 2005; Reichheld and Sasser, 1990; Zeithaml, 2000). Literatures like Kurt et al (2006), have explore the dimensionality of price satisfaction as a means to determine customer satisfaction. In their paper, they empirically find that price satisfaction is a complex construct consisting of several dimensions, i.e. price-quality ratio, price fairness, price transparency, price reliability and relative price. Their analyses of these dimensions are given as thus; price transparency is defined as increasing access to information, access to more alternatives, more simplified transactions, increasing communication between customers and a general distrust and resentment among customers. They argued that as a consequence, customers will increasingly demand open, ho nest and complete information on products and prices. Thus, price transparency can be considered as an important aspect of pricing policy. They concluded that price transparency exists when the customer can easily get a clear, comprehensive, current and effortless overview about a companys quoted prices (Matzler et al, 2006). They also explained that price-quality ratio is when the consumers ascribe value to a product or service subject to their perception of two factors: perceived price and perceived quality, or, in other words, the price-quality ratio. They defined customer value as a cognition-based construct that captures any benefit-sacrifice discrepancy. They said if perceived quality exceeds perceived costs, customer value is high, if cost exceeds quality, customer value is low. In their conclusion, they explained that the buyers perceptions of value represent a trade-off between the qualities of benefits they perceive in the product relative to the sacrifice they perceive by paying the price. 1.1 Background of the study The history of Saudi Airline could be traced to 1945 when the then US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a Douglas DC-3 plane as a token gift to the then Saudi Arabia King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud. This event actually marked the Muslim Kingdoms gradual development in the civil aviation industry. The Kingdoms main carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines was founded in September 1946, which is fully owned and controlled by Saudi government under the control of the Ministry of Defense. In addition to the above development, the airline took extra two delivery of Boeing 720s in 1962, giving it an opportunity to officially register its operations on 19 February 1963. This continuous development has led into establishing the Kingdoms airline as one of the leading in the industry, especially Asia in particular (). In fact, Saudi Airline has been confirmed as the regions second-largest airline by turnover after the giant Emirates airline (). This is because Saudi airline has continuously remained larger than the Qatar Airways in terms of its revenue, and also rated larger than the current fast growing airline popularly called Etihad (). But if measured by the numbers of traffics in the region, the Saudi Arabian airline will still be number three behind the Qatar Airways and the Emirates (). Part of the arguments in favour of Saudi airline is that it is strategically located at the crossroads between Africa, Asia, and Europe and also serving as the largest country within the Arabian Peninsula (). But very important concerns among its transportation stakeholders is how to maximize this external opportunity in conjunction with its current population of about 28 million people that are still depending on few rail network and air travels, an issue that have been argued as a critical component to the economic development of Saudi Arabia (). Following this trend was why the Kingdoms government encouraged the idea of strategically allowing the privately owned low cost airline competitors to rival with the Saudi Arabian Airlines both in the domestic and international markets (). This initiative from the government was subsequently reciprocated by the private investors first through the establishment of NAS airline in February 2007, and Sama airline in Marh, 2007 both initially focusing on various trucks routes within the country (). 1.2 Research problem Due to excessive subsidy of the transport system in Saudi Arabia, both the air and land transport marketers are strategically challenged on best approach to apply in order to efficiently acquire, service and retain profitable customers both within and outside the country (). This issue of subsidized fuel prices does not exclude the Saudi Arabian airline, but practitioners have continuously argued in favour of the need to remove the fare cap so that marketers can conveniently compete without any fear of fare restrictions (). This and many more are the reasons that experts believe serves as the primary cause of Saudi Arabia airline inability to strategically compete with other international airlines like the Emirates and the Qatar Airlines (). Sequel to the above practical issues in Saudi Arabia airline, several authors have argued that service quality can be a strong differentiating factor for any Airline that wants to boost up their market shares and profit position (Halil et al, 2008; Fochen and Robert, 2003; Dennis et al, 1993). Also very recent among the scholarly write-up on Airline Customer Satisfaction is Ekiz et al. (2006), that developed an alternative to SERVQUAL and called it AIRQUAL. They emphasized that this scale is to overcome the psychometrical application of existing problems in Airline Service Quality scales, as initially guided by Churchill (1979) and Parasuraman et al. (1985, 1988). The findings of Ekiz et al (2006), through their AIRQUAL identified a scale of five distinct dimensions, i.e. (airline tangibles, terminal tangibles, personnel, empathy, and image) as a means to successfully manage and measure the quality perceptions of airline customers. Although, it is confirmed that they successfully developed the AIRQUAL scale, but evidences from other scholars shows that their findings failed to identified the impact of Airline price, solution quality, and employee job satisfaction on customer satisfaction, because these variables have been proven to be very significant in determining customer loyalty (Dean, 2007; Kau and Loh, 2006; Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004). Considering Ekiz et al (2006) and other authors limitation and given the importance of these dimensions to the Airline industry, this proposed study wishes to develop on the findings of Ekiz et al.s (2006) and other related literatures on Airline service quality and customer satisfaction. And studies like this will assist in determining the true behavioral intentions of airline customers in Saudi Arabia and the world at large. This proposed research work has develop an additional variable (Price) with specific reference to literatures like Kurt et al (2006), which has explo re the dimensionality of price satisfaction as a means to determine customer satisfaction. In their paper, they empirically find that price satisfaction is a complex construct consisting of several dimensions, i.e. price-quality ratio, price fairness, price transparency, price reliability and relative price. Besides service quality and employee satisfaction, another strong factor that has a direct bearing on a customers satisfaction with a service provider is the quality of the solution that the service provider provides for the customers business problem (Whyte, Bytheway, and Edwards, 1997). To achieve the intended purpose of this proposed study, below is a proposed conceptual framework for this research: Price Customer Loyalty Loyalty Customer Satisfaction Satisfaction Service/Product Quality Quality Solution Quality Employee Satisfaction Satisfaction + + + + 1.3 Research Questions The following questions are based on the issues discussed in the research problem by analyzing the practices of Airline industry in order to find out the impact of Price, Product/Service Quality, and Solution Quality on Customer satisfaction. These research questions are meant to get a feedback from Airline customers that patronize Saudi Airline and a comparable industry leader such as Singapore Airline on what actually constitute their Satisfaction and loyalty. How does Price/Fare affect Customer satisfaction in Airline Industry? How does Product/Service Quality affect Customer satisfaction in Airline Industry? How does Employee Job Satisfaction affect Product/Service Quality in Airline Industry? How does Employee Job Satisfaction affect Solution Quality in Airline Industry? How does Solution Quality affect Customer satisfaction in Airline Industry? How does Customer satisfaction affect Customer Retention in Airline Industry? 1.4 Research Objectives This primary objective of this study is to establish the interdependence of Price perception, Service Quality, Employee Job Satisfaction and Solution Quality on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. To achieve this, this study plans to measure the impact of metrics such as Price perception, Service Quality, Employee Job Satisfaction and Solution Quality on customers satisfaction and loyalty in the Airline industry. Equally included in the study objective is to test the mediating impact of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty, an issue the researcher believes will strong assist in better understanding the mechanism that are behind the relationships between the antecedents and outcome of customer satisfactions within the airline industry. The theoretical framework is based on market orientation approach as a means to exploring and establishing the relationship between Efficient Airline projects as the independent variable and customers loyalty as the dependent variable. To simplify this, the researcher has designed the following objectives to capture the research problem and provide answers to the research questions. To test a model that can explain the impact of Price, Service Quality, Employee Job Satisfaction and Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty. Research objective 2: To determine the mediating effects of Customer Satisfaction on Customer Retention/Loyalty. 1.5 Scope of the study The focus of this study is to understand what aspect of Airline operations determines Customer satisfaction. This research is limited to the Airline industry, where Saudi Arabia Airline and a leading Airline such as Singapore Airline will be selected for investigation with a set of sampling technique to explore the determinants of customer satisfaction and loyalty. The focus of this research is limited to the airline industry, where selected customers from the airline industry will be investigated with a set of sampling technique to explore their perceptions of the airline services within tourism industry as a strategic part of tourism marketing. The theoretical background of the research is base on market orientation approach and customer satisfaction theories, while airline Tourism will be study from the perspective of the customers. The researcher is planning to structure this research study as a triangulated exploratory investigation that will integrate both qualitative and quantitative techniques, which will be primarily based on an in-depth interview with managers and professionals from the Saudi Arabia airline industry. 1.6 Significance of the research Airline Industry has been chosen as the subject of this study because it will assist in identifying those variables that determine customer satisfaction and loyalty. To the Airline industry, this proposed research work will assist in establishing industry standard and assist the academics in developing alternative theories and models that will facilitate the general operations of the Airline Industry (Halil et al, 2008; Fochen and Robert, 2003; Dennis et al, 1993). Significance to the Academics Very important to the academics on this research is the detail explorations of the linkages that are between airline operational processes, service quality and contemporary customer satisfaction theories. Arguably, the existing literatures have implied that there exist a relationship between airline operation processes and customer satisfaction (), but till date there is very little published empirical research in this area that is looking at the impact of price, solution quality and employee satisfaction on customer satisfaction and loyalty. In addition to this, existing theoretical gaps have indicated that there is need for the academics to further explore, analyze, explain and expand the links between customer satisfaction theories and airline operation processes. Given the aforementioned, this research will be primarily contributing to the academics through its conceptualization and empirically testing the impacts of airline operational processes like price, service/product quality, employee job satisfaction and solution quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty within the airline industry. Through the developments of a measure that can determine the impact of airline operational processes on customer satisfaction and loyalty will provide the empirical methods for the academics in better understanding and able to predict the actual relationship that is existing between service quality and customer satisfaction theories within the airline industry. Measuring the impact of price will provide the knowledge to determine if increase or decrease in the prices of airline services will lead to better customer satisfaction and improved customer relationship performance or not. Significance to the Practitioners Airline management and managers will benefit by better understanding those factors that actually influence the relationships that exist between their operation processes and customer satisfaction and intention to repurchase. In particular, airline mangers will benefit from their understanding of how solution quality and price can affects their relationship with the customer, and how key attributes in airline services can be developed and supported by operational processes. Both the HR and Production managers will benefit how employee satisfaction can be of significant impact to their service quality and solution quality, specifically through their understanding of the key relationships that exist between airline operational processes and their customer relationship performances. The enhanced knowledge though this research would a long way assist the airline management decision-making processes when they are evaluating their customer relationship performances. In the final analysis, it is worth mentioning here that service quality cannot be separated from the concept of customer satisfaction. This is because the nature or characteristics of the service has also been found to influence the relative importance of the drivers of customer satisfaction (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2000). 1.7 Proposed Methodology and data collection process Though there are many methods of collecting data via survey. In this proposed research work, primary data for the intending statistical analysis will be collected through questionnaire design among the selected Airline customers in Saudi Arabia. The researcher is planning to adopt a second qualitative measurement to affirm research findings and assist in the interprà ©tations of the research results with the help of the Airline Experts/Managers. The Unit of Analysis is who or what that is being studied in a given research. Evidences from the social science research have established a unit of analysis as an organization, an individual, a social interaction or a group of organization/individual. Relating the above into this research, the unit of analysis are the Airline customers that will be surveyed. 1.8 STRUCTURE OF THIS STUDY Chapter one introduces the research topic determinants of customer satisfaction in airline industry and argues on the reasons for using price, service quality and solution quality, also included in it were statement of the research problem, the research questions, the research objectives, scope and limitations of the study and significance of the research. Chapter two will define the dimensions of service quality and offer the theoretical background of airline marketing through a series of literature reviews on tourism marketing and customer satisfaction. The theoretical background upon which the researcher plans to develop a theoretical framework and hypothesis in form of summary will equally be contained in chapter two. Chapter three will introduce the research methodology to be employed in this research, by providing a detailed qualitative and quantitative approach to be applied on each case study; and also contain the procedures for the selection of each case, data collection and discussion of data quality that will assist to determine the validity of the research. Chapter four will consist of the descriptions and analyzes of the practices of the airline projects in Saudi airline. The outcomes of the findings on Saudi airline will be presented for discussion in chapter five. While chapter six will analyze, discuss and make conclusions regarding the research questions and points to the theoretical contribution along with the managerial implications contained in the research. Also to be included in chapter six are the alternative recommendations as a direction for future research.

The Contrasts between Hayden and Stevens Essay -- Poetry Analysis

Both Robert Hayden’s poem â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† and Wallace Stevens’ poem â€Å"The Plain Sense of Things† describe different aspects of what defines house and home. Although a home can be a house, a house does not always mean a home. This difference, among other factors, correlates with how both poets play on the emotional undertones between a house full of people and a lone house in the woods. While Hayden seeks to describe how one’s house is a home because of a father’s love-filled action, Stevens delineates a house’s transformation from a home for people to a home for the natural world. Although the poets use two different tones for their respective poems, both define what a home could stand for. â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† depicts the speaker’s childhood memory of Sunday church mornings. The speaker explains that his father, despite having to work outside the rest of the week to provide for his family, would go outside early mornings to retrieve firewood to heat the home. Only when the heat from the fire would warm the whole house and he polished his son’s church shoes, would the speaker’s father wake the family from their slumber. No one showed their appreciation for this action that displayed the father’s love for his family. The speaker shows deep self-reproach from his indifference toward his father, which he concludes was from being young and naà ¯ve. In line 5 (â€Å"No one ever thanked him†) and in line 10 (â€Å"Speaking indifferently to him†) the speaker explicitly states that during those times he did not particularly care whether or not his father took the time to warm the house, polish his good shoes and then wake him up for church. At the time the speaker may have been fearful of his parents fighting, confrontation or yelling tha... ...s and downs. Both â€Å"These Winter Sundays† and â€Å"The Plain Sense of Things† set out to describe what the speaker feels a home is, whether it’s where one’s family is or where life resides in. Either poem takes intricate detail using the seasons to help reflect the underlying emotions of the poem’s voice along with standout lines that help the reader know what the speaker aims to say, why they say it and how they choose to say it. Hayden and Stevens do a nice job of conveying a certain sense without having to be boldly explicit. Works Cited Hayden, Robert. â€Å"These Winter Sundays†. Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. Ed. Karen S. Henry. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. 6. Print. Stevens, Wallace. â€Å"The Plain Sense of Things†. Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. Ed. Karen S. Henry. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. 8. Print.

Concealed Carry on College Campuses

The debate concerning the laws of concealed carry on college campuses has been going strong since the Virginia Tech tragedy on April 16, 2007. Concealed carry should be allowed on college campuses. On one side, people oppose the right of concealed carry on campus stating reasons such as this one presented by Concealed Campus, â€Å"It’s unlikely that allowing concealed carry on college campuses could help prevent a Virginia Tech-style massacre because most college students are too young to obtain a concealed handgun license,† (Common). That statement is incorrect and quite misleading. Nineteen of the thirty-two victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy were of or over the age of twenty-one† which is the minimum age to receive a concealed weapons permit in most states (Common). Another common argument against concealed carry on campuses is, â€Å"Life on college campuses often involves some drug use and alcohol consumption that could impair the judgment of a law-abidin g gun owner,† posted by The Warrior (Umpir). However, each state that gives concealed weapons permits has laws prohibiting license holders from carrying while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.Anyone who knows anything about guns would know this. Allowing concealed carry on college campuses should not only be allowed, but encouraged. Between 2001 and 2003 there were 10,472 cases of aggravated assaults on campuses across the US as presented by the U. S. Department of Education (Criminal). These large numbers could very well be prevented in the future if concealed carry is allowed on college campuses. Part of American citizens’ civil rights, as guaranteed by the US Constitution in the second amendment, is to keep and bear arms.The second amendment stating â€Å"As passed by the Congress: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. † This has been a long stand ing principle and all states have laws for concealed weapons, some stricter than others, but all in some way may advocate for it. The National Conference of State Legislatures posted in August 2012, â€Å"Recent court cases have also overturned some †¦ system wide bans of concealed carry on state college and university campuses.In March 2012, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the University of Colorado’s policy banning guns from campus violates the state’s concealed carry law, and in 2011 the Oregon Court of Appeals overturned the Oregon University System’s ban of guns on campuses †¦ it was ruled that state law dictates only the legislature can regulate the use, sale and possession of firearms†¦,† (Guns). This supports the arguments for concealed carry on campus by showing the Supreme Court’s support for long standing laws. Concealed carry on campus would do well for the common good. In having a concealed weapon, others may becom e uneasy.However, if the lisecense holder is responsible and caring, they could actually make others feel at ease knowing that a responsible US citizen could protect them in an emergency. To advocate for my position, I have joined the group â€Å"Students for Concealed Carry† at www. Concealedcampus. com. The group has given me the information to write to my state elected officials to encourage concealed weapons on college campuses, which I have done. Works Cited â€Å"Common Arguments Agaisnt Campus Carry. † Concealed Campus. Students for Concealed Carry, 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Criminal Offensess – Aggravated Assault. † Ed. gov. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Guns on Campus. † NCSL. National Conference of State Legislatures, Aug. 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. . Umpir, Evan. â€Å"Against Concealed Carry on Campus. † The Warrior. N. p. , 03 Nov. 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. .

Heart of Darkness Active Reading Guide

Conrad1. * Fifteen days after leaving the outer station Marlow â€Å"hobble[s] into the Central Station†, which was being run by â€Å"the flabby devil†, referring to the greed of the Europeans. There he finds out that his ship had been sunk when they tried to take off before he got there. He also meets the manager of the Central Station who is only employed because he never gets sick, and the brick maker who doesn’t actually make any bricks. He overhears a conversation between the manager and his uncle, who is leading the â€Å"Eldorado Exploring Expedition† that passes through the station.They are talking about Mr. Kurtz. This all occurs two months before they reach Kurtz’s station. * Marlow then takes off in his newly repaired boat (Conrad 21). Fifty miles before Marlow reaches the Inner Station where Kurtz is, he comes across a hut on the side of the river. They approach and see a sign on a pile of wood that says â€Å"Wood for you. Hurry Up. A pproach Cautiously†. Then inside a hut, Marlow finds a book entitled An Inquiry into some Points of Seamanship inside of which are notes written in what Marlow says â€Å"looked like cipher† (38). Eight miles before Marlow and his crew reach Kurtz they get stuck in a heavy fog, and are unable to move for quite a bit of time. Then once the fog lifts they are able to proceed, but find themselves stuck once again one and a half miles before reaching Kurtz. Here they are attacked by the natives. They blow the whistle on the boat and the natives are scared away (47). * Finally, Marlow reaches the Inner Station. The first person that he meets is the Russian/Harlequin, who idolizes Kurtz. He then meets Kurtz who is taken aboard the steam boat. Kurtz dies aboard the steamboat, and Marlow returns to Europe. In Brussells, Marlow goes to visit Kurtz’s intended. She is distraught over Kurtz’s death, so Marlow lies to her about the reality of what really happened, sayi ng Kurtz was a good and honorable man (75-79). 2. * While Marlow is in the Central Station, page 23, he is required to repair his ship which had sunk before he reached the Station. Marlow says: I went to work the next day, turning, so to speak, my back on that station. In that way only could I keep my hold on the redeeming facts of life. Still, one must look about sometimes; and then I saw this station, these men strolling aimlessly about in the sunshine of the yard.In this passage, when Marlow states he is turning his â€Å"back on [the] station† he is referring to the lack of work that goes on at the Central Station, and how his hard work repairing his steam boat looks in contrast. When he says that work allows him to â€Å"keep [his] hold on the redeeming facts of life† it lets the reader know that he values work, and thinks it encourages people to become better. * Still at the Central Station, Marlow makes another comment on the work ethic of the Europeans who are at the station saying that their pretending to work was as unreal as everything else—as the philanthropic pretence of the whole concern, as their talk, as their government, as their show of work†¦They intrigued and slandered and hated each other only on that account—but as to effectually lifting a little finger—oh no† (25). His sarcastic tone toward the end of the excerpt, shows that he views their refusal to work as silly and ridiculous. The way he can so easily see through their pretence also shows how little effort they put into everything in the Congo, because they are driven by greed, and greed alone. When Marlow comes across the book in the hut on the side of the river he exclaims that it was â€Å"not a very enthralling book; but at the first glance you could see there a singleness of intention, an honest concern for the right way of going to work, which made these humble pages, thought out so many years ago, luminous with another than a profe ssional light† (39). The fact that Marlow is so impressed by the book because it appreciates hard, honest work, shows what an anomaly this outlook is down in the Congo. Marlow appreciates the book so much because the book lines up with his same views on work. On page 18, when Marlow is talking to the Chief Accountant, the Accountant mentions how he is able to keep such clean clothes saying I’ve been teaching one of the native women about the station. It was difficult. She had a distaste for the work. This is more representative of the European’s view of work than of Marlow’s. The Europeans believe that work is something for slaves and people who aren’t as privileged as they are. Overall, Marlow believes that work is highly beneficial to a person. When someone works, they are kept sane, and are kept honest.Not only are they more sensible, and productive, it makes one a better person in the long run, unlike the ridiculous Europeans overcome by greed a nd laziness. 3. * One reference to futility in the novel occurs after a fire starts in the Central Station. The people in the camp are rushing to put it out, and as one of them ran past Marlow he notices â€Å"there was a hole in the bottom of his pail† (24). This shows how ineffective much of what the Europeans were doing, as a pail with a hole is not able to transport nearly as much water as an intact bucket.This also shows how ignorant the Europeans are about matters in the Congo as the man holding the bucket is not aware of the hole in it, even though that detail is so vital to his plight. * When Marlow needs to fix his ship, he only needs one material to fix it, which would be rivets. However, there are none to be found at the Central Station. Marlow says that at the Outer station, â€Å"You could fill your pockets with rivets for the trouble of stooping down†, but â€Å"there wasn’t one rivet to be found where it was wanted†.This example shows yet a gain the ignorance of the Europeans. They have an ample amount of something that is quite unnecessary in one place, but are blind to the needs of those in other places. Just like they have an ample amount of people digging for ivory in the Congo, but they pay no attention to the needs of the natives. * Only 8 miles from the inner station, Marlow and his ship get trapped in the fog. Marlow has a conversation with his manager: â€Å"[The manager] muttered something about going on at once, I did not even take the trouble to answer him.I knew, and he knew, that it was impossible†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢I authorise you to take all the risks,’ he said, after a short silence. ‘I refuse to take any,’ I said shortly; which was just the answer he expected† (43). This conversation is an excellent example of futility, because the conversation is merely for show. There was no actual reason for the conversation to take place, because the conclusion had already been arrived at. Th is is similar to when Marlow sees the men blowing up parts of the cliff to build a train track, even though the cliff was not in the way (16). 4.When Marlow first comes to the Inner Station he describes it by saying, â€Å"Through my glasses I saw the slope of a hill interspersed with rare trees and perfectly free from undergrowth. A long decaying building on the summit was half buried in the high grass; the large holes in the peaked roof gaped black from afar; the jungle and the woods made a background. There was no enclosure or fence of any kind; but there had been one apparently, for near the house half a dozen slim posts remained in a row, roughly trimmed, and with their upper ends ornamented with round carved balls.The rails, or whatever there had been between, had disappeared. Of course the forest surrounded all that. The river-bank was clear, and on the water side I saw a white man under a hat like a cart-wheel beckoning persistently with his whole arm. Examining the edge of the forest above and below, I was almost certain I could see movements—human forms gliding here and there. I steamed past prudently, then stopped the engines and let her drift down. The man on the shore began to shout, urging us to land. ‘We have been attacked,’ screamed the manager. ‘I know—I know. It’s all right. yelled back the other, as cheerful as you please. ‘Come along. It’s all right. I am glad. ’ His aspect reminded me of something I had seen—something funny I had seen somewhere. As I maneuvered to get alongside, I was asking myself, ‘What does this fellow look like? ’ Suddenly I got it. He looked like a harlequin† (53). And then later states, â€Å"You remember I told you I had been struck at the distance by certain attempts at ornamentation, rather remarkable in the ruinous aspect of the place. Now I had suddenly a nearer view, and its first result was to make me throw my head back as if before a blow.Then I went carefully from post to post with my glass, and I saw my mistake†¦I had expected to see a knob of wood there, you know. I returned deliberately to the fist I had seen—and there it was, black, dried, sunken, with closed eyelids—a head that seemed to sleep at the top of that pole, and with the shrunken dry lips showing a narrow white line of teeth, was smiling too, smiling continuously at some endless and jocose dream of that eternal slumber† (58). This passage shows excellent impressionistic style, because of the unreliability of the narrator.The scene is described exactly as it first appeared to Marlow. He first sees the heads on the poles, and thinks that they are knobs of wood so instead of saying, â€Å"I saw something on the poles that I later found out were human heads†, Conrad allows the reader to believe that they are indeed, only knobs of wood, for as long as Marlow believes that they are knobs of wood. It is also s hown in the slightly erratic narration, which doesn’t follow an exact order, but instead jumps around wherever Marlow’s mind happens to be at that exact moment in time.Another clue, would be Conrad’s use of commas. Impressionist writers tend to use a wide variety of commas, which some believe are also symbolic of the short brush strokes of impressionistic painters. 5. Kurtz shows interest in two very different women in the novel. The first we are introduced to is his native lover. she is described as being â€Å"savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent; there was something ominous and stately in her† (62). This woman is powerful and wearing â€Å"the value of several elephant tusks upon her†.She shows her emotions openly, but does not allow weakness to show through. Kurtz’s intended on the other hand is described as having â€Å"a mature capacity for fidelity, for belief for suffering†¦This fair hair, this pale visage, this pure br ow, seemed surrounded by an ashy halo from which the dark eyes looked out at me† (76). The intended is more meek, and full of suffering. She claims that she is the only one who understood Kurtz, and Marlow feels the need to protect her from the truth.With the native lover, one of the men onboard says that he would have shot her if she had intended to board the boat. One of the women inspires fear, while the other inspires pity. But they are both very similar in their fierce loyalty to the man they love, Mr. Kurtz. 6. * The first motif that I noticed was that of the â€Å"savages†. They are often referred to by names which are not usually used to describe a human, because they were not thought to be human the way the Europeans were thought of as human.The first example that I found was on page 6 when Marlow is describing what his occupation includes, â€Å"Sandbanks, marshes, forests, savages—precious little to eat fit for a civilized man†, which implies th at he believes that food that the natives find acceptable, wouldn’t be good enough for him, because he is better than the natives. The second example was on page sixteen when Marlow describes the faces of the chain gang that walks past him saying, â€Å"They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages. This shows the way they group all of the â€Å"savages† into one conglomerate mass, saying there is no difference between one of them, and the next. The third example was one page eighteen. Marlow walks through a group of dying natives, and picks out one in particular. â€Å"While I stood, horror-struck, one of these creatures rose to his hands and knees and went on all-fours towards the river to drink†. This sentence doesn’t refer to the native as something resembling a human. The words â€Å"creatures†, â€Å"hands and knees† and â€Å"all-fours† are phrases that are on ly used to describe animals, which reflects on the European opinion of African natives.The fourth example was a comment made by the Chief Accountant when he has a sick native recuperating inside his â€Å"office†. â€Å"When one has got to make correct entries, one comes to hate those savages—hate them to the death†. This comment puts his work, and his accounting, over the well being of human beings. Meaning he values the lives of the natives less than he values his work. The last example was on page 24 when Marlow talks of viewing the man who was beaten, when a fire starts in the Central Station.He says, â€Å"A nigger was being beaten nearby. They said he had caused the fire in some way; be that as it may, he was screeching most horribly. I saw him, later, for several days, sitting in a bit of shade looking very sick and trying to recover himself: afterwards he arose and went out—and the wilderness without a sound took him into its bosom again†. This shows the treatment of the â€Å"savages†. The fire obviously started for absolutely no reason, but still they insist on blaming the fire on the native, rather than on one of their own. The second motif that I chose, was that of the jungle. The jungle is obviously a main part of the story, because most of the land around the Congo River is jungle. The first instance that I found was on page six of the novel Marlow says â€Å"all that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men. † The jungle is often referred to as wilderness, which is a good example of what it represents. The jungle is the wild aspects of the world, and the uncivilized parts of the earth. he second example was on page 23. Marlow speaks of the difference between the station and the surrounding area, â€Å"And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion. † This quote is interesting, because Marlow speaks of the Europeans in the Congo as an â€Å"invasion†. Meaning, the forest is a separate entity, and is not just there for the Europeans to take as they please.The third example is on page 24, when Marlow is talking about the native that was beat for the fire he says â€Å"the wilderness without a sound took him into its bosom again†. This shows that the wilderness is only cruel to those that aren’t used to it, meaning the Europeans. it is a kind home to the natives just as Europe is a kind home to the Europeans. The fourth example was page 27 where Marlow says, â€Å"Could we handle that dumb thing, or would it handle us? I felt how big, how confoundedly big, was that thing that couldn’t talk and perhaps was deaf as well†.Marlow usually describes the forest as being silent, which is usually associated with a sense of for eboding. This shows the unknown threats and dangers that can be found in the jungle. The last example was on page 33 where Marlow describes the silence again saying â€Å"The high stillness confronted these two figures with its ominous patience, waiting for the passing away of a fantastic invasion†. * The third motif that I chose was the river. This is the most integral part of the story, because it is the primary mode of transportation.On page five he asks, â€Å"What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unkown earth! † The river is a connection between civilization and wilderness, ancient times, and modern. The second example is on page 14 where he says, â€Å"Nature herself had tried to ward off intruders; in and out of rivers, streams of death in life, whose banks were rotting into mud, whose waters, thickened into slime, invaded the contorted mangroves, that seemed to writhe at us in the extremity of an impotent despair† . Here he is describing the rivers as the embodiment of the suffering the Europeans are causing.The third example is spoken by the unknown narrator who describes listening to Marlow, â€Å"I listened on the watch for the sentence, for the word, that would give me the clue to the faint uneasiness inspired by this narrative that seemed to shape itself without human lips in the heavy night-air of the river†. Here he uses personification, by saying that the river itself was actually the one telling Marlow’s story. The fourth example is on page 34 when he says â€Å"Going up that river was like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth, and the big trees were kings. This again shows the connecting power of the river from ancient times to modern. The last example was on page 35 where Marlow says, â€Å"The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return†. He views the river as a one way path into â€Å"the heart of darkness†. 7. * The first example of assumptions made in the book would be Marlow’s interaction with his Aunt. Because his Aunt has only heard what the companies are telling the world, she believes that the sole purpose of expeditions to Africa is to civilize the â€Å"brutes† who live there.This is, in her mind, a worth while undertaking, so she praises Marlow for his decision. However, if she had actually understood that the reason that the Europeans were in the Congo was to destroy the country in their search for ivory, and mistreat the natives, then her reaction, may not have been as kind. * The second example would be the first interactions between Marlow and the brick maker in the Central Station. Because the brick maker believes that Marlow has connections with officials who are high up in the company, the brick maker is extremely nice to Marlow and immediately attempts to be friend him.He only does this, because he assumed that being friends with Marlow would allow him to get a boost in his standing with the company. * The third example would be the interaction between Marlow and Kurtz’s intended. Marlow who has quite a misogynistic view of women says, â€Å"It’s queer how out of touch with truth women are. They live in a world of their own, and there had never been anything like it, and never can be. It is too beautiful altogether, and if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset. Because he has this preconceived notion of women being so fragile, he acts cautiously when he meets Kurtz’s intended, and eventually, this preconceived notion causes him to lie to her about exactly the kind of man that Kurtz really is. 8. â€Å"The horror† that Mr. Kurtz refers to would partially be his involvement in the European presence in the Congo. Unlike the other managers of stations, Kurtz is not completely detat ched from the natives. He gets to know them on a personal level, until they idolize him as a God, and I believe that eventually he began to feel remorse for the way that he was using them.He could never have a real, true relationship with them, because he still had to report to a company, so the main basis of their relationship would always be extortion. Kurtz eventually realized how wrong this was, but at that point he was so involved that there was no way he could reverse the damage he had done there. I feel that he was also, in his last dying breath, attempting to continue the legacy that he had managed to build for himself. Throughout the entire book it seems as if people idolize him for his speeches, but are never able to give real substance for why he is this fantastically, amazing person they describe him to be.This would be a great example. No one will ever be able to explain exactly what â€Å"The horror! The horror! † refers to, but the words are just haunting enoug h that Marlow will never be able to go a day without contemplating what they could possibly mean. In this way, Kurtz is ensuring that his legacy will live on. 9. I believe that the frame structure is very important, because it gives credibility, and a sense of meaning to the story. A story being relayed by the person who experienced it may or may not be interesting or of extreme importance.But, because Conrad chose to have another narrator relaying Marlow’s story, it shows that Marlow was not the only one who thought that the story was worth hearing. It lends that the narrator heard the story from Marlow, and decided it was worth while enough that other people besides those that heard it from Marlow, should hear the story. It also allows Conrad to skip over the least important parts of the story, and only leave those details that are crucial to the story line. Works Cited Conrad, Joseph, and Robert Kimbrough. Heart of Darkness: An Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Essays in Criticism. New York: Norton, 1971. Print.