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‘The Thousand and One Nights’
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‘The Thousand and One Nights’
This is the name given to numerous narratives all compiled together under one book. The theme of the story, however, revolves around a Persian king and his newly acquired bride. The king soon finds out that his brother’s bride has been unfaithful and he is heartbroken to find out that his own wife has also been unfaithful. This leads him to conclude that all women are the same, and this triggers in him an extremely peculiar behavior. He begins to marry brides, only virgins, only to execute them in the morning with the argument that by doing this, they will not have a chance to betray him anymore. Brides start to get scarce, however, one bride called Scheherazade, offers herself to him. On their first night, she tells him a story that does not end, and he does not execute her as wants to hear the rest of the story. She continues giving him similar stories for 1, 001 nights. It is these stories that make up the bulk of this work of literature. These stories are widely varied and they cover such topics as poems, love stories, historical tales, comedies, burlesques, and other erotic and romantic stories. This paper, therefore, will take a look at the position of women during this time, and how they are displayed in the stories. It is clear from the start of this piece of literature that women play an extremely essential role in the narratives.
One of the things that become apparent in the story is that women can be both evil and good at times. The Persian king marries a girl who betrays his love and trust; his brother’s bride commits the same crime and this leads the king to believe that women cannot be trusted. However, the character of Scheherazade is created, probably for the purpose of showing the king and the audience that women should not be put under the same category, that of being evil, devious or canning, and probably to show that men can also be bad or evil at times. There are numerous women in the tales who act evilly to show that there are bad women and good women. Examples of women who are described as evil in the book include such women as the farmer’s daughter and the she- demon found in the second tale of the merchants. It is quite clear that the perception of the women in the tales is extremely different from that seen in today’s society. For example, in the narrative of the farmer who has created an understanding with the animals, it is said that the wife is mercilessly beaten until she learned to obey. This is also said to have made everyone else happy. This is a side of the society we do not see today. It is clear that during these times women were beaten as forms of discipline, and no one minded, even the parents and the women. This is notably different from the current affairs. However, there is something highly significant about the book. Though some women are evil and without morals, the authors do not attack or praise any of them for their bad or good deeds. The character of women is shown as being varied just like in any other group of people, unlike the general view the king had about women.
Women are also depicted as entertainers, as well as, teachers. In the story, Scheherazade takes up the role of a teacher, a storyteller and entertainer to her husband. Through her many tales of wickedness and goodness, one cannot help but derive moral lessons from these stories. Her tales are full of lessons on some social ills, and her taking up of this role depicts her as a heroine. She rescues her husband from the hatred he has for women and the mistrust he harbors of them. This is an essential character that the author indicates, through the example Scheherazade, which some women in the society possess. Additionally, we later come to learn that Scheherazade is well educated and that she has pursued numerous subjects from art to philosophy to science to poetry. It is also implied that she came upon this education through personal love of books and self- teaching. She has, therefore, become strong willed as a result of this education, and she does not easily relent to the pressure and authority society imposes on men.
Her strength is showed when she stands up to her father who threatens to give her the same treatment the farmer who could understand his animals gave his wife; by beating her to obedience. She says to him that ‘…. Either I shall live or I shall be a ransom for the virgin daughters of Moslems and the cause of their deliverance….’ (Burton 15). Her answer towards her father’s threats show how she was determined to go by her own rules and not according to the male expectations of her. This role she played can be said to have gone against the expectations of most Islamic communities, which to- date expect women to remain submissive and obedient to their male counterparts. This can be an essential lesson for such women that they are allowed to think and make decisions by themselves without necessarily having to rely on their men.
Scheherazade’s cause can be said to have been feminist in this case. However, what is striking is that the tales she gives her husband are void of these feminist motivations as one would expect. She, for example, gives stories of a wife who was unfaithful and evil. She further tells stories of women who engaged in magic to put men under their spells, like the woman who manipulates the two kings to have sex with her because she threatens to awake the genie, and women who participate in power- plays governed by sex. One might think her foolish for further pointing to her husband the way women cannot be trusted, and knowing that she is in a position to be executed. This, however, is not the case. She does this because she has confidence that through her truthfulness, charisma and wisdom she can sooth her husband’s anger and mistrust of women. She chooses to use words and wisdom to influence her husband’s thoughts on women, other than using her sexual appeal like most women would. One might conclude that this is an essential role that all women should undertake in the society, that of using knowledge and wisdom to make a point.
Through her many narratives, Scheherazade shows representations of women who rely on their vast knowledge stores to solve problems and do not rely on their sexual appeal to get what they want. She also provides a wide variety of tales that depict women who are unfaithful, traitorous, and evil just like the stereotypical women displayed at the beginning of the book. Additionally, there are also women who are shown not to be that good, but capable of summoning their wits when the need occurs, hence, proving themselves to be more than sex objects.
Women are also displayed as powerful at some point in the book. The temptress who forced the two kings to have sex with her, under the threat that if they did not concede to her requests she would awake the jinni is shown as a wicked and powerful woman. Power in this character is displayed in the form of rings. It is said that from each man she sleeps with, she acquires a ring and keeps it as a sign of female power. She uses these rings to show the many victories she has had over men, and the rings increase with time. This presentation of power can be used to mean many things, for example, it can be used to indicate the wickedness of women and weakness of men. It can also be used to present the many ways through which women can subdue or have power and authority over men.
These are just a few examples of how women are shown and represented in the stories. Women are shown as wicked, some are shown as good, and others are shown as powerful and authoritative through men. What becomes apparent in this whole piece of literature, however, is that the generalization of women by the Persian king was misplaced, as Scheherazade has given numerous instances in which women are shown as different and varied in character.
Works cited
Burton, Richard. A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments (10 Vols.) London: Benares stoke Newington, 1885. Print
‘The Ricklantis Mixup’ episode of Rick and Morty paints the perfect picture of racism and police corruption within law enforc
‘The Ricklantis Mixup’ episode of Rick and Morty paints the perfect picture of racism and police corruption within law enforcement. It is no secret that people of color receive differential treatment compared to their white counterparts. Police brutality and excessive use of force on black people have become rife in today’s society. Racism and police violence are seen when rookie cop Rick is paired with grizzled cop Morty. The two are making patrols when cop Morty attacks regular Morty for absolutely no reason other than he is just a regular Morty. In this case, Mortys represent the minority while Ricks represents the non-minority. This view of racism in police enforcement can negatively affect how people view the police. It makes the people see the police as a corrupted organization that cannot be trusted and does not have the people’s best interests at heart. It can also lead to a divide between white police officers and their black counterparts. If the police force gets divided along racial lines, executing their mandate of keeping the citizens safe becomes an impossible task.
The Citadel was a trans-dimensional city-state that Ricks and Mortys inhabited from various infinite realities located in the Central Finite Curve. In my viewpoint, the Citadel is not as utilitarian as it claims to be. There is no equality first because of the way the Citadel came to be formed. The Ricks came together to destroy C-137 before he could kill them, but instead, he nearly wiped them out. The Ricks that survived the attack pledged allegiance to Rick as their leader, and together, they came up with the idea of building the Citadel. At the time, it was the only way to ensure the Ricks lived in peace. Inequality started after the Citadel came under the rule of evil president Morty. He was an authoritarian leader. After evil Morty was elected President, he carried out unprecedented purges that went against the Shadow council that was de facto. Up until its destruction, President Morty remained an absolute dictatorial leader.
A lapse of ethics between law enforcement and government can have dire effects on the members of the community. When the police force exhibits negative behavior such as excessive use of force and racism, it makes the community members feel unprotected by its government. It paints a negative picture that the government has no concern for its people. As such, when police officers go against the law, they should be treated like everybody else because nobody is above the law. This way, the police force remains in check and, at the same time, establishes trust with the members of the public.
How Groupon has adopted controversial business models
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Groupon
Introduction
Entrepreneurship has become quite popular with many people in the recent times. It revolves around getting a tidy sum of money as return on investment. Of course, this calls for a lot of patience in the growth and development of the business or enterprise. It goes without saying that there exists numerous categories of businesses, all of which require different entrepreneurial skills. One of the businesses that have adopted the most controversial business models in the recent times is Groupon.
Groupon refers to a deal-of-the-day website featuring discounted gift certificates that are usable at national and local companies. The website was launched in late 2008 with Chicago forming its first market. This was followed by other towns such as Toronto, Boston and New York City. This enterprise underwent a tremendous growth as to serve over 150 markets in North America, as well as 100 other markets in Asia, South America and Europe by late 2010. Its growth is evidenced by the fact that the business was valued at $1.35 billion in April 2010, which was a far cry from the $1 million that was provided at its beginning as “seed money”. The business was projected to make $1 billion in terms of sales, faster than any business. The attainment of this dream was, however, dependent on its business model, which underlined its entrepreneurial capability.
The company gives out one Groupon every day in every market under its service. It acts as an assurance contract via The Point’s platform. In this case, if a predetermined number of people sign up for the company’s offer, then the deal will be availed to all people. However, kin cases where the number of people does not meet the predetermined minimum number, all people who had signed up for the offer would lose the deal of that day. In essence, the retailers have their risk reduced, as they treat the Groupons as sales promotion tools, as well as quantity discounts. The entrepreneurial bit of the entire idea rests in the fact that Groupon keeps have the amount of money that the customer has paid for the coupons. Groupon, unlike classified advertising, does not require its participants to pay any upfront costs so as to take part in the deal, rather, it collects personal information pertaining to willing customers before contracting consumers by email. These are customers who may have an interest in a certain service or product.
However, questions have been raised as pertaining to the viability of the business model. As much as Groupon has been recording an incredible growth of revenue, it has not been making any profits. This may be attributed to the high hiring and marketing-related costs, which underlines the reason why the company declared that it would cut back or reduce its marketing expenses. Since June 2009, the company has incurred net losses amounting to more than $650 million. In addition, the rate at which its gross billings have been growing has tremendously reduced as a result of unsustainable and faulty business model. It is worth noting that the workability of the plan to lower its marketing expenses is still in question. This is because the business considerably relies on marketing so as to have new customers, as well as retain existing ones. In essence, recurring marketing expenditure cannot be done away with without affecting the growth of the company. The financial situation at Groupon today comes as a surprise as it is a far cry from the picture painted by Frank Sennett in his book “Groupon’s Biggest Deal Ever”. This is especially considering that the company had Google, the largest search engines in the world, craving to acquire it at $6 billion in early 2010. In addition, Forbes magazine had christened the upstart daily-deals site had been christened the second quickest to hit the billion-dollar valuation. It was also the quickest firm to make $1 billion in sales (Sennett, 17). It is, therefore, surprising that the company would be making losses in millions of dollars. However, it is worth noting that the deals offered by Groupon are not profitable to the merchants. More often than not, it deducts half of the sales proceeds as the commission for marketing the deals of the vendors, over and above the discounts that customers are offered. In addition, it is imperative that the sustainability of the business is determined in line with customers who still find the model viable. It is worth noting that most of the businesses that still find its model viable are yoga clubs or studios, as they can profitably exploit its business model. This is because such service providers can offer their customers long-term subscriptions that are not bound by the terms of Groupon. This could explain the contracting customer base as other customers have had their ideas rebuffed as inappropriate.
In addition, the company’s undoing lies in the process by which it creates value. It is worth noting that the company only derives its revenues from commissions that earned from the money customers pay. This is in contrast with other companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Apple. Facebook makes money through online marketing in which case once other companies advertise their wares they remunerate Facebook. Apple and Microsoft, on the other hand, are involved in the design and sale of computer hardware and software, not to mention their operation of online stores. Their models of business are undoubtedly different from Groupon’s. It is noteworthy that, in cases where a vendor becomes bankrupt, the customers would go to Groupon for their money. This underlines the risk that it posses to the company especially since Groupon does not carry out credit assessments on the vendors.
The performance of Groupon is a clear indication of the personal, entrepreneurial skills of its founder Andrew Mason. It is worth noting that ThePoint was Mason’s first entrepreneurial venture. Andrew Mason was an inexperienced CEO who was hiding a brilliant and analytical mind behind his golf demeanor. He turned 30 years old in October around the same time when Yahoo! was expressing its interest in buying Groupon (Sennett 55). This was followed a few weeks later by Google’s offer through Allen & Company for $6 billion. On the other hand, Bill Gates had worked painstakingly for a number of years before making a breakthrough in the 80’s, which was more than five years after launching Microsoft. This is the same case for Steve Jobs who worked for a number of years before his company Apple Inc became successful. He is known for his charisma and entrepreneurial spirit. The emphasis of Jobs and Gates, on hardware and software that would be used even by small businesses, has been the key thing in the long-term success of their respective companies. However, Groupon’s model only works for a select few and mainly alienates small businesses.
Nevertheless, Mason can ensure the long term growth of Groupon by allowing its acquisition by larger companies such as Facebook, Amazon.com and Google. This would be a leverage for its brand value and subscriber base. Google, being the world’s biggest technology firm, could offer Groupon key advantages. The integration of daily deals in the dominant online search product would rapidly increase the company’s reach as far as its offers are concerned. It is worth noting that Groupon would still be capable of operating as a truly autonomous unit, as suggested by Google’s acquisition of YouTube (Sennett, 67). Alternatively, it could tie up with Internet giants such as Facebook and Google to enhance its reach by publicizing its deals. In addition, it could go beyond its fundamental business of presenting daily deals and evolve into an e-commerce site such as eBay and Amazon. It had already hooked local merchants to an enormous e-commerce machine and then provided the resulting bargains directly to numerous consumers in the world. This strategy may make become an incredible breakthrough of the decade perhaps equal to Amazon’s establishment of an online only retail superstore that occurred in the 90’s (Sennett, 97).