Explore the theme of escapism in Peter Pan Essay Example for Free

Explore the theme of escapism in Peter Pan Essay The theme of escapism is prominent in much childrens literature. Frances Hodgson-Burnetts The Secret Garden is, like Peter Pan, an example of Edwardian childrens literature. Both these novels are tales of escapism from real life into another world. There are also more recent examples of escapism in childrens literature. In the 1950s C. S. Lewis invented Narnia, and in even more recent literature, Harry Potter escapes his everyday life to go to school at Hogwarts. J. M. Barries Peter Pan, an early Edwardian novel, is one of the great classics of British childrens literature and is, on the surface, a tale about a boy who refused to grow up. There is however, an underlying plot concerning a girl who must grow up. It is from this obligation that Barries Neverland acts as a form of escape. Throughout Peter Pan, there is little focus on the female characters. It is almost assumed that Wendy will grow up and become a Mother, as all daughters do. Although Neverland allows Wendy to escape from her home and from the domestic world she knows, she does not escape domesticity altogether. She almost becomes mother to the Lost Boys, and is given a number of domestic duties such as ironing Peters shadow. However, Wendys relationship with Peter is not entirely conventional. She appears to be the closest thing Peter has to a girlfriend, as he rejects the sexual advances of both Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily. However, Wendy also appears to be acting as his mother, something Peter has been deprived of his whole life. It is the childish energy of Barries imagination filled with such a splendid jumble of pirates, redskins, fairies and mermaids that enthrals so many children (Carpenter p172). Through this manipulation of other peoples minds and emotions, Barrie carries them off from the real world to a country of his own invention (Carpenter p179). Barrie seems to be presenting his readers with a substitute faith, to act as a form of escape from the Christian teachings of the Victorian era. It has even been suggested that Peter Pan is in fact an alternative religion. Humphrey Carpenter suggests that in many respects Peter is Christ-like. Possibly the most obvious example of this is when he takes Wendy and her brothers on a flight of fantasy to his own heavenly land (Carpenter p182). The Lost Boys who live there seem to represent the souls of the dead as Peter asserts, They are the children who fall out of their prams when the nurse is looking the other way, therefore further increasing Neverlands resemblance of heaven. The concept of escaping to heaven was extremely important to Barrie. He lost his brother David at a young age and subsequently spent much of his life trying to become a living version of the boy who by dying remained ever young (Wallshli ger p120). To observe Peter and Hook as the Christ and Satan of Barries religion, the reader must have faith in the novel. The theme of belief is interesting throughout Peter Pan as the reader is, like the Darling children, constantly being asked, Do you believe? In order to fly, the Darling children must have faith, and think lovely wonderful thoughts, as Peters fairy dust is, in itself not enough. In turn the reader or audience must have faith and believe in the fact that a child can fly. Similarly, in order to escape to Neverland, a reader must have faith that there is such a place somewhere past the second star to the right and straight on until morning. The theme of belief is particularly important at the end of Barries story when the darling children lose their faith and no longer believe in Peter, and so cannot see him. Though faith and belief are important in Peter Pan, the dream of escaping to another world seems to be almost self-sufficient. Barrie implies there is little need to grow up or awaken from this dream as it is in fact already framed by the Edwardian domesticity of the real world where wealth and relationships are important. Carpenter in fact goes further than this by asserting that children must not grow up and claims that to visit Neverland requires an act of belief that children cannot sustain as they grow up (Carpenter p180). Peter himself seems to be of the opinion that it is only children, who can escape the drudgery of everyday life and claims, I want always to be a little boy, and to have fun. Barries adventure story and his creation of such a magical hero seems to have achieved what so much childrens literature had previously tried to do. Peter represents the shift from the Victorian perception of the child as a moral icon to a craze for the child as a fun-loving playboy hero (Wallshli ger p111). Peter has no memory or emotion, and so can live only for the moment and experiences ecstasies that other children can never know (Wallshli ger p117). Peter is an asexual child rather than a young man. Barrie himself was also somewhat sexless, and it is doubtful whether his marriage was ever consummated. This lack of sexuality and romantic relationship is represented well on stage as Peter is often played by an actress, and is therefore viewed as an androgynous figure. Another interesting aspect of the casting of Peter Pan is that of Mr. Darling and Hook, who traditionally, are played by the same actor. This becomes particularly significant when considering the theme of masculinity in Peter Pan. There is much evidence of male competitiveness in the novel. The most obvious example of this is Peters dual with Hook, which appears to be an assertion of masculinity by Peter. It is particularly interesting that it is Peter and the lost boys who triumph over Hook who is a mature villain. This youthful triumph acts as another form of escape for a young reader. Traditionally in Victorian society adults were in control and would have power over children. In Barries Childrens fantasy, it is youth and sexual immaturity that enable Peter to triumph over his adult rivals. It has been suggested by many critics that Peter, The boy who wouldnt grow up, is a representation of Barrie himself. Barrie was a short man and despite a moustache retained a markedly boyish look until old age (Carpenter p173). He was in a physical respect, quite literally, a boy who couldnt grow up. This figure of a man in a childs body is undoubtedly the principle model for Peter, who is neither child nor adult (Carpenter p177).

The State Fair Horse Show :: Descriptive Essay About A Place

The State Fair Horse Show As a small child, my parents and I made an annual pilgrimage to the State Fair. For my parents, the primary objective of the trip was to attend the World Championship Horse Show in Freedom Hall. My major enjoyment as a young child was the midway and the fair rides; however, this changed as I grew older. My perception of the State Fair was one filled with amazement and adventure. The loud music of the rides and the familiar, huge crowds overwhelmed me with excitement. Unfortunately, I was forcibly taken, by my parents, to watch the World Championship Horse Show in Freedom Hall. At such a young age, I was not interested in seeing the next world champion horse make the show of his or her life. In my mind, the horse show was a waste of good ferris-wheel time. My parents usually set aside an afternoon in which they, with long-suffering faces, would indulge me in my fair frenzy. For these few hours, we waded into the jostling crowds, surrounded by the screams of thrill-seekers, the cacophony of bells and whistles, and the powerful smells of fair cuisine. To me, these were the best sights and sounds on earth. If anyone had told me that I would one day regard this sensory experience with the same disdain as my parents, I would not have believed it. However, as I grew older, my priorities at the State Fair changed. The very things that sent me into a transport of delight began to irritate and annoy me. As I grew older, I developed a desire to show horses at the top level of competition. Showing at the State Fair World Championship Horse Show became my ultimate goal. With the change in my focus came a change in my attitude toward the State Fair. The once-exciting fair crowds became an obstacle for me to overcome as I made my way to Freedom Hall with my horse. The hustle and bustle of these crowds as they passed through the barn area frightened the horses. Many of these people would also make ignorant and obnoxious comments about some of America's most elegant horses. The greasy fair food that I had loved as a child now brought on waves of nausea and a harsh case of heartburn.

A Report on Kingfisher Airlines Essay

Overview of Airlines industry in India The aviation industry in India is one of those sectors that saw a constant pace of growth among the other industries in the world over the past many years. The open sky policy of the government has helped a lot of overseas players entering the aviation market in India. From then, it has only been growing in terms of players and the number of aircrafts. At present, private airlines account for around 75% portion of the domestic aviation market. The 9th largest aviation market in the world is India. Taking the help of the statistics from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, approximately 29.8 million passengers traveled to/from India in 2008, showing a surge of 30% from 2007. The prediction stated that international passengers will touch 50 million by 2015. More opportunities in the aviation industry in India are likely to make way for about 69 foreign airlines from 49 countries. Growth of aviation industry in India The Indian Civil Aviation market grew at a CAGR of 18%, being valued round US$ 5.6 billion in 2008. Further statistics revealed that the air traffic in August 2009 was a double digit figure. The domestic airliners flew 3.67 million passengers in August 2009, as against 2.92 million in the corresponding period of 2007, up by 26%. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has estimated that the domestic traffic will go up by 25% to 30% till 2010 along with a surge in the international traffic by 15%. There would be more than 100 million passengers by 2010. Then again by 2020, Indian airports will in all probability handle over 100 million passengers every year. The investment plans to the tune of US$ 9 billion has been made by the Aviation Ministry for modernizing the existing airports by 2010. In terms of domestic passengers’ volume, US have always been the leader with followers in the league like China, Japan and India. The number of domestic flights went up by 69% from 2005 to 2008, with the domestic aviation sector growing at 9-10%. Vision â€Å"The Kingfisher Airlines family will consistently deliver a safe, value-based and enjoyable travel experience to all our guests.† Mission   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Kingfisher Airlines will have ‘Fly the Good Times’ approach and this will reflect in the experience we will offer to passengers Introduction Kingfisher Airlines Limited is an airline group based in India Its head office is in Andheri (East), Mumbai and Registered Office in UB City, Bangalore. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red. The airline has been facing financial issues for many years. Until December 2011, Kingfisher Airlines had the second largest share in India’s domestic air travel market. However due to a severe financial crisis faced by the airline at the beginning of 2012, it has the lowest market share since April 2012.The airline has temporarily shut down its operations when on October 20, 2012 the DGCA suspended its flying license. This suspension had been due to failure to give an effective response to the show-cause notice issued by DGCA. However, The airline had locked out its employees for several days before this suspension. On 25 October 2012, the employees agreed to return to work. Strategic Management â€Å"Strategic management is an ongoing process that assesses the business and the industries in which the company is involved; assesses its competitors and sets goals and strategies to meet all existing and potential competitors; and then reassesses each strategy annually or quarterly [i.e. regularly] to determine how it has been implemented and whether it has succeeded or needs replacement by a new strategy to meet changed circumstances, new technology, new competitors, a new economic environment., or a new social, financial, or political environment.† (Lamb, 1984) The systematic analysis of the factors associated with customers and competitors(the external environment) and the organization itself(the internal environment) to provide the basis for maintaining optimum management practices. The objective of strategic management is to achieve better alignment of corporate policies and strategic priorities. Sociological Today’s air traveler is like any other consumer looking for value for money. Disposable incomes are on the rise and the consumer is willing to spend more for quality and brands. Air travel is no more about transporting passengers. It is more about the flying experience. People like travelling in planes. ‘Kingfisher airlines’ has a very good social image. Being a five star airlines, customers want to travel with Kingfisher. Also, the brand charges a premium price that is why only upper Socio Economic Class people prefer Kingfisher airlines. The lifestyle of the people is improving. Luxury is becoming necessary. They are ready to pay more for luxury services. Kingfisher has a strong advantage here. So, we can conclude that sociological conditions are favouring Kingfisher airlines. Technological People are becoming more and more tech-savvy. Kingfisher does provide a TV at the back of the seat. That means every commuter has his own TV. Apart from that, Kingfisher also has facilities such as e-booking. Now, commuters can even book the tickets by mobiles. So, it can be stated that Kingfisher’s image and sales are driven by technology too. Economic Figures indicate that purchasing power of Indians is increasing. People look for more options now, even luxury goods. Bank Credit is easily available in case of travelling. Economic slowdown is one of the major factor which is affecting the sales of aviation industry. In INDIA there is a mixed economy so private organization easily perform their tasks within any given economic system of course, organization are influenced by a variety of economic features over which they have little independent control, such as inflation, interest rates and recession Another important input to the enterprise is the nature of government fiscal and policies. Ecological One important factor is that how natural factor affects the aviation industry as whole. The most important factor is the stability of the weather. The timings of the flight are highly affected by shifts in weather. Also, it can be noticed that a highly unstable weather is directly proportional to the added costs to the company. For example, if there is a delay in the flight, the company has to provide facility for accommodations of commuters. In India, weather is quite stable in most of the time during the year. Thus, aviation is a profitable business in India, if we consider ecological factor. Political The political environment is stable. In India, government changes after 5 years. Also, it is a democratic country. Kingfisher has an added advantage over here that the owner of Kingfisher, Vijay Mallya has very good political network. That means even political environment favours Kingfisher airlines. Legal Aviation fuel prices in India are regulated by government. So the competition for price becomes quite still. All the companies in the industry have to pay the same amount for fuel. Now companies can increase or decrease the prices depending on the services they provide. A premium service provider, of course, would charge the prices for its services. Ethical Indians are highly ethical people. They always make a trade off between what is right and what is wrong before they make any purchase decision. For example, if a company says that 50% of their contributions will go for the charity, then Indians are more likely to buy products or services of that company. Kingfisher airline gives value for the money. It is India’s only five star airline service provider. Hence, considered ethical. Porter’s 5 Forces for Kingfisher Airlines Threats from competitors: The level of threat from the domestic competitors is very high. Competitors like Jet Airways, Indian are some of the old well established players in the market which prove to be strong competitors for the emerging Kingfisher Airlines Threats from new entrants: The level of threat from new entrants is quite low such as Virgin Atlantic, Qantas. The major players in the Indian aviation industry form an obstacle to foreign airlines and moreover Indian flyers prefer to have an Indian experience on the flight. Threats of substitutes: The introduction of high speed trains, high tech buses and other means of transport has given more options to people to travel. Aviation in India is booming and with the entry of several new players in the market competition has stiffened. In such a scenario it is imperative for any airline to build its brand and have a focused marketing strategy in place Bargaining power of suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers is medium. For example, Airbus and Boeing are the major aircraft manufacturers and there aren’t many aircraft manufacturers other than these two, this confines Kingfisher’s options therefore the bargaining power of Airbus or Boeing increases. In case of other suppliers such as caters the bargaining power of the suppliers is low therefore Kingfisher has many other options of caters to contract to. Bargaining power of customers: The bargaining power of the customers is low since kingfisher is designed to meet the total comfort and value for money; therefore customers aren’t reluctant to pay a little more sum to gain this experience. Competition Analysis Kingfisher’s only strong obstacle proves to be Jet Airways, since Jet has control on both ends of the market and secondly it has penetrated into the international market as well. Benchmarking against Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines has acquired Air Deccan which was one of the most profitable low cost airlines, hence kingfisher too has entered in the lower end of the market but bearing in mind that they haven’t changed the name â€Å"Deccan† to â€Å"Kingfisher Airlines† so that the brand doesn’t lower. Kingfisher is still testing the lower end of the market with Deccan. Kingfisher is also going to start non-stop flights to US so as to foray into the international market.

4 Surprise Interpretations of a ‘Bachelor’ in Creative Writing

We are all well aware that some words in the English language have more than one meaning. Some words have meanings that are polar opposites or completely different from one another. These can lead to interesting and funny misunderstandings if taken out of context. The good thing is that in most cases these misunderstandings don’t happen because they are used in a particular content, and it is quite easy to understand what a person wants to say. These types of words are still worth being explored and analyzed in a creative manner. One of such words is ‘bachelor’. ‘Bachelor’ is a word that can be fun to use in a creative writing assignment. In the traditional sense, the term ‘bachelor’ is one that we are all very familiar with. It is a scholarly term that is used to describe a qualification received through college or university. In this sense, there are many types of ‘Bachelors’, for example, a Bachelor in Biology, or a Bachelor in Anthropology. These are usually obtained through a four-year program. However, there are some other meanings for ‘bachelor’ that you can use in creative writing. 1.(noun) An Unmarried Man A ‘bachelor’ can also be an unmarried man. He is usually single but doesn’t have to be. As you can already see, this meaning is quite different from the typical definition discussed above. Using ‘bachelor’ in creative writing, you can make your piece definitely more interesting very quickly! 2.(noun) A Desirable Unmarried Man Used in this way, ‘bachelor’ is preceded with the term ‘eligible’ as in ‘eligible bachelor’. People usually talk about an eligible bachelor in such a way that they are suggesting to a woman, for example, that a particular man is a good choice for marriage. For example, â€Å"Do you know John? He is kind, funny, and a doctor. What’s more is that he’s an eligible bachelor.† The person suggests that John is available for a lucky woman to snatch him up. 3.(noun) A Place Where a Single Man or a Group of Single Men Live In this case, the ‘bachelor’ is followed by ‘pad’ or ‘flat’. The former is rather a slang, but both mean a dwelling of a single man. This usually implies that it is a good place for one person to live, or more of a guy’s hangout, aka a place without a womanly or feminine touch. It could also be a place where the bachelor takes his many dates to, which leads us to our next meaning. 4.(noun) A Player In addition to merely being single, a bachelor can also have the added meaning of a person who dates or goes out with many women. He is also considered to be good at getting women and does not stay with one for very long, for which he will also be known as a player. With these four similar, but slightly different surprising meanings, you can create a paper, story, or essay that will be unique and interesting to readers. Utilize them well!