Symbolism in the Old Man and the Sea free essay sample

In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to add dimension to his story. Hemingway once said, â€Å"All the things that are in it do not show, but only are with you after you have read it† (Young). He created The Old Man and the Sea with hopes that readers would understand what the story symbolizes. Primarily, Hemingway uses symbolism to comment on the journey of life and facing defeats. In addition, Hemingway creates a parallel between his own life, and the life of Santiago. Finally, the plot of the novel symbolizes many different Christian themes, including Santiago being a Christ figure. Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism to define his characters in The Old Man and the Sea. The Old Man and the Sea symbolizes life and the struggles that one endures during their lifetime. In his essay, â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea: Vision/Revision,† Philip Young comments on the struggles in The Old Man and the Sea: If we ask ourselves what The Old Man and the sea is â€Å"about† on a public and figurative level, we can only answer â€Å"life,† which is the finest and most ambitious thing for a parable to be about. Hemingway has written about life: a struggle against the impossible odds of unconquerable natural forces in which—given such a fact as that of death—a man can only lose, but which he can dominate in such a way that his loss has dignity, itself the victory. (Young 2) In this story, Santiago represents the true and noble hero. Santiago has the characteristics of a noble hero. These characteristics are courage, humility, and knowledge. Santiago shows courage as he continues to fight for the fish, even through issues with his crippled hand, and as sharks attack the fish. He shows humility as he continues to fish even after more than eighty days of unsuccessful fishing. He has extreme knowledge and expertise in the craft of fishing. The change of events from Santiago having bad luck fishing and then suddenly catching the huge marlin can be expressed through the idea that Santiago deserves only to catch the greatest fish after his religious devotion to his trade. He is only able to catch a fish that is his equal. Hemingway relates the nobility of Santiago to the stars of the sky as Santiago states, â€Å" I am as clear as the stars that are my brothers! † (Hemingway 77). After Santiago captures the fish he is akin to the stars, which he believes are the most majestic of all creatures. Santiago is again compared to a creature when he comments about the loggerhead turtles whose hearts continue to beat after they have been butchered by saying, â€Å"I have such a heart too and my feet and hands are like theirs† (Hemingway). Santiago is compared to the marlin, mako shark, and turtle. All these creatures are depicted in the story as showing intense life at the moment of their death (Jobes). The marlin shows the enormity of his life as he springs out of the water before dying. The mako shark bites the marlin after its death and takes nearly forty pounds of the fish’s meat before Santiago kills it with his harpoon. The fish takes both Santiago’s harpoon and rope as it dies and sinks into the sea. The turtle’s heart continues beating hours after it is killed. Santiago shows intense life as he fights off the sharks and tries to save his fish even as his body is deteriorating and he is reaching the end of the struggle. Through this, Santiago becomes a symbol of victory in the face of defeat. He is a victor because he does not lose himself against temptation and hardship. The marlin and Santiago symbolize each other. The fish possesses the same virtues that Santiago is commended to have. When Santiago tells the marlin, â€Å"Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come and kill me. I do not care who kills who† (Hemingway 92), he has realized the nobility of the fish. Both endure through the trials of Santiago catching the fish, and are nearly destroyed by the close of the story. After killing the fish, Santiago says, â€Å"I think I felt his heart† (Hemingway 95). He and the creature have become one during the three day course. He has finally found an equal opponent, and from the moment that the fish is caught on the line, one of the pair is destined to lose everything. For both it is a struggle against death. As the story continues, instead of only calling the marlin a fish, in Santiago’s mind it becomes â€Å"brother. † Santiago and the fish parallel each other in their conditions as they return to the village. The fish has been torn apart by sharks and only his skeleton remains that shows the former grandness of the marlin. Santiago has not eaten and has suffered hugely through the loss of his greatest prize, the fish. He is exhausted and has lost most of his movement in his left hand. By the end of the novel, it is apparent that Santiago and the fish are both the hunter and the hunted. Both have sustained loss directly from the other. The former nobility of both characters is only a lost memory. At this point in his life Santiago only dreams of the lions that he saw on the coast of Africa during his youth. These lions continuously reappear throughout the story as a symbol of Santiago’s youth. A pattern is made from the moments that Santiago imagines the lions (Young). He chooses to use the lions as a form of escape from the torment of his old age. In the darkest moments of the nights when Santiago must sleep, he combats the darkness with visions of the bright white lions playing on the beach. As he grows more tired in his battle against the marlin, he summons the vision of the lions. The lions become a form of escape from his old age and weariness. In addition to viewing the lion as remembrance of his youth, Santiago uses the character Manolin as a way to find strength and to conjure the feelings of his youth. Manolin symbolizes Santiago’s lost youth. The conversation between Manolin and Santiago exhibits the difference, but also the existing affection, between old age and youth. The two represent the beginning and ending of life. Santiago feels the need to pass his knowledge of fishing and life on to Manolin. Santiago is the teacher and Manolin is the pupil. Santiago longs for Manolin while he battles the marlin, but also is longing for his youth. He repeatedly says, â€Å"I wish the boy was here,† which also may be regarded as Santiago wishing for his own youth in addition to the boys company (Jobes). Santiago realizes that when he was young he would have been able to bring the fish in without having to struggle with a bad left hand and cramping back. As Santiago calls for the boy, he is also calling for the lost boy in himself to return. Through baseball talk, Santiago teaches Manolin the multitude of his lessons on life. While the two speak casually about baseball Santiago is the teacher and Manolin the absorbed pupil. Though their conversation may not appear to be Santiago’s lesson to Manolin, Santiago is teaching Manolin proper behavior. For example, Manolin and Santiago discuss the prosperity of the Yankees during the season in The Old Man and the Sea: â€Å"The Yankees cannot lose. † â€Å"But I fear the Indians of Cleveland. † â€Å"Have faith in the Yankees my son. Think of the great DiMaggio. † â€Å"I fear both the Tigers of Detroit and the Indians of Cleveland. † â€Å"Be careful or you will fear even the Reds of Cincinnati and the White Sox of Chicago. † (Hemingway 17). As Santiago reassures Manolin about the Yankees’ certain success, he also is advising Manolin about faith and useless fear. Santiago shows his certain faith in DiMaggio and the New York Yankees. This faith symbolizes his faith in fishing and that at some point his bad luck will end. He tries to teach Manolin that without faith Santiago would have given up, and lost his pride. Secondly, Santiago is teaching the boy to never give in to fear, or it may consume him. In the final lines of the selection, Santiago tells Manolin he must not be fearful of the Reds or the White Sox. He is teaching him that he must trust what he knows to be true, otherwise he will be overcome by fear of a team such as the inferior Chicago White Sox, or even a team that is not in the same league, such as the Cincinnati Red Sox (Barbour). Baseball is also important to the plot of the novel from the allusions that Hemingway makes during the story. For example, the sword of the fish is described as being â€Å"as long as a baseball bat† (Hemingway 62) and as Santiago finally reels the fish in he uses â€Å"both his hands in a swinging motion† (Hemingway 86). There is numerical importance in the number three in both baseball and the novel. For example, Santiago catches the fish after three days. A baseball player makes a home run after running around three bases. A baseball player also strikes out after three strikes. Santiago’s favorite baseball player, Joe DiMaggio, represents Santiago’s need for strength, and victory in the face of defeat. Santiago respects DiMaggio immensely due to the strong connection he feels to the baseball hero. DiMaggio’s father was a fisherman alike to Santiago. Both Santiago and DiMaggio show complete commitment to their trade and professions. DiMaggio represents the importance of mastering a trade to Santiago. He shows skill, strength, and endurance in his baseball skills, but most importantly, he is exact (Barbour). Santiago deals with a bad left hand that cramps while he fishes, and DiMaggio suffers from a bone spur in his foot. Both are experiencing a bad luck streak. DiMaggio’s team the New York Yankees have not won a game for some time, and Santiago has not caught a single fish in more than eighty days. DiMaggio’s achievement in the face of pain from his bone spur provides motivation for Santiago. As Santiago is struggling against the fish and his crippled left hand, he remembers the great DiMaggio and his bone spur. This drives Santiago to battle through the pain in his hand and catch the fish. It also motivates Santiago to try to preserve the fish through the shark-infested waters. Santiago wonders what DiMaggio would have thought of his battle against the sharks by thinking, â€Å"I wonder how the great DiMaggio would have liked the way I hit him in the brain? It was no great thing he thought, any man could do it. But do you think my hands were as great a handicap as the bone spurs? † (Hemingway 114). Throughout the story baseball symbolizes the idea of victory in the face of defeat, and the necessity for heroic actions (Barbour). The lions symbolize Santiago’s youth and his longing for his former strength. Baseball and the memories of the lions are all that Santiago has that is not his calling of fishing. They are his dreams and his ideal world. They have formed Santiago into a moral man who will strive through obstacles and not allow fear to overtake him. The various creatures and objects in The Old Man and the Sea symbolize the connection between life forces. The skiff that Santiago floats upon is the platform that separates the life of the creatures in the ocean and those above sea level. The fishing line between Santiago and the fish is the link between man and nature. It is the connection between two worthy opponents, each hanging on for their life (Murphy). The connections between the creatures in the novel represent life and its challenges. This is first shown as Santiago views the dark terns trying but not succeeding in catching fish: Why did they make the birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel? She is kind and very beautiful. But she can be so cruel and it comes so suddenly and such birds that fly, dipping and hunting, with their small sad voices are made too delicately for the sea (Hemingway 29) The symbolism of the ocean as life is first shown in this selection. In connection to the ocean being life, the sea birds are similar to people facing difficult challenges in life. As the ocean may either be cruel or be very beautiful, so may life. At times life is wonderful and pleasing, but may turn to harsh circumstances quickly. The reader again sees this symbolism as Santiago battles the great marlin. First Santiago celebrates the success of catching such a large fish, and then he makes the realization that he will have to fight to be able to catch it. The battle with the fish represents life’s gives and takes. As the fish takes out more line, Santiago pulls harder. The marlin is the great prize and Santiago’s love in life. After catching it and almost succeeding in bringing the fish to harbor, sharks come and eat the fish. The sharks represent adversaries that people confront during their lifetimes and the fish represents success. Santiago is left near death by the end of the story, much like how many people feel after suffering huge loss. Though The Old Man and the Sea symbolizes life as a whole, more specifically it represents Ernest Hemingway’s life and career. In most of Hemingway’s work he creates a difference between the ‘Hemingway hero’ and the ‘Hemingway code hero. ’ The Hemingway hero is a living character that is essential to the story’s plot. The Hemingway code hero is not always in a human form, but represents an ideal that the Hemingway hero tries to follow. Santiago represents both the hero and the code hero by trying to learn in situations, but by already possessing the characteristics of courage and humility. It is important that Hemingway made the code hero and the Hemingway hero the same character, because it creates reason to believe that Santiago is the character by which Hemingway wanted to be represented (Young). Santiago’s journey to catch the fish, and Hemingway’s career parallel each other. Hemingway had been famous for his early works, such as The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms. Santiago had become well known for his strength and his ability to catch fish in the early part of his life. Hemingway underwent years without another great story, and all hope that his fans had for him to reaffirm his reputation were lost. (Baughman). Santiago goes eighty-four days without catching a single fish. Other fishermen either pity him for his bad luck, or find it comical that he cannot catch fish. Ernest Hemingway labored over his book Across the River and Into the Trees just as Santiago labors over the marlin in order to hook his lost success. After catching the fish, sharks eat the marlin until there is nothing left but the skeleton of the fish, and memory of its former grandeur. The sharks symbolize Hemingway’s opinion of critics. The critics of Across the River and Into the Trees tore it apart until there was nothing left. Hemingway felt he had nothing after the failure that was Across the River and Into the Trees, just as Santiago realizes that though he has the skeleton of the fish, he will not gain anything after his three days of laboring over the fish. Both men manage to bear hope after their loss, as one is lead to believe that Santiago plans to fish again the next day. Hemingway continued to write and later publish, for which he received massive critical acclaim, The Old Man and the Sea. In addition to their careers being alike, Hemingway made Santiago an expatriate in order to represent his personal feeling of being exiled. An expatriate is a person who is living outside of their native country. Santiago was born in Spain and lived in the Canary Islands until he was in his twenties. He left Spain for the fishing in Cuba. After living in Cuba for sixty years, Santiago continues to feel that he is an outsider. At this time many Cubans disliked having the Spaniards living in their country. Santiago cannot connect with Cubans because of their dislike of Spaniards, but also does not associate with the other Spaniard fishermen. His only connection to Cuba was his Cuban wife who passed away years earlier. Santiago does not have the finances to return to Spain, so he may only dream of his true home. Hemingway also felt like an expatriate during the prime of his career. He lived and wrote in Paris, France with many of his literary colleagues. Still, he longed for his home in the United States and dreamt of being able to hunt and fish again instead of being immobilized in the high society of Paris (Herlihy). Santiago and Hemingway also are alike in their need for perfectionism in their trade. Santiago keeps his lines straight at all times because he realizes that he has no luck, and instead must be carefully exact. Hemingway worked tirelessly on his writing before allowing it to be published. He rewrote his works, especially The Old Man and the Sea, until he was confident in its success. As Philip Young said in his essay, â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea: Vision/Revision,† on the importance of expertise in the two men’s work: The Old Man and the Sea is, from one angle, an account of Hemingway’s personal struggle, grim, resolute and eternal, to write his best. With his seriousness, his precision and his perfectionism, Hemingway saw his craft exactly as Santiago sees his (Young). The two men have complete dedication to their craft. Santiago views his fishing and Hemingway viewed his writing as his personal calling and reason for being placed on earth. Hemingway connects the two men’s trade in The Old Man and the Sea as he describes Santiago’s fishing line as being â€Å"thick around as a pencil† (Hemingway 31). Hemingway uses Santiago in his novel to mirror his own passion and obsession with preciseness in his craft. Finally, Santiago’s story is a symbol of Christian beliefs. Critics have agreed that there are many biblical parallels in The Old Man and the Sea (Flora). Hemingway uses three specific Christian concepts throughout the story. As said in the I Corinthians, Chapter 13 of the New Testament, â€Å"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. † Santiago shows these three principles chronically through the story. Primarily, Santiago shows that he has unyielding faith in fishing and his dreams. Every night he dreams of lions, which signify his belief that he will begin a better time, and possibly signifies his expectation of heaven. He never abandons his confidence in the lions and better times, even as the sea and the sharks try him mercilessly. Santiago pronounces his faith in fishing during his conversation with Manolin. â€Å" ‘He hasn’t much faith. ’ ‘No’ the old man said. ‘But we have. Haven’t we? ’ † (Hemingway 11). Santiago never ceases to believe that he will catch fish again, even after more than eighty days of desolate fishing. The second Christian ideal shown in the story is hope. As Santiago begins his journey out to sea Hemingway describes Santiago’s feeling of hope by writing, â€Å"His hope and confidence had never gone. But now they were freshening as when the breeze rises† (Hemingway 13). Santiago has hope that he will once again fish as successfully as he did in his youth. Without this hope Santiago would feel no reason to continue trying, and may have stopped fishing. After Santiago catches the fish, he may not have tried to stop the sharks from eating his prize fish if he did not have hope that he could defend the marlin. As the sharks try to discourage Santiago’s hope, Santiago summons his respect of the great DiMaggio. He realizes that his hero never gave up, even through the painful bone spur that could have ended his career. It gives Santiago hope to know that a person, much like himself, could win in a battle that seems almost impossible. After killing the fish, Santiago tells himself, â€Å"It is silly not to hope†¦ Besides, I believe it is a sin† (Hemingway 101). The third moral described in the biblical selection is charity. Santiago shows his charity through his love for the fish. He tries to give the fish a suitable heroic death. He does not kill the fish out of pride, but out of need, and his belief that he is meant to catch the fish. Before killing the fish, Santiago tells it, â€Å"Fish†¦ I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends† (Hemingway 54). He cares about the fish, and for the fish’s sake hopes that the battle will be over soon. After killing the fish, Santiago protects it from the sharks due to his respect for the fish. He cannot allow the sharks to defile such a beautiful, majestic creature. There are Biblical parallels in the story through the numbers that Hemingway chooses to use. Santiago spends forty days fishing without the boy or luck in his fishing before catching the fish. He then spends three days trying to catch the fish, and on the third catches, and loses the fish to the shark. In the biblical story of Noah and the flood, Noah spends forty days at sea to survive the cleansing of sin in the world. In the story of Easter and the crucifying of Christ, Jesus spends forty days in the desert resisting temptation from the devil. After his exile, throughout the course of three days he dies, is buried, and then resurrected. The number three returns again in The Old Man and the Sea, moments before Santiago catches the fish. Before finally giving up and dying, the fish circles the skiff three times. Santiago’s journey in the novel also symbolizes a person’s journey through sin and redemption. By the middle of the story, Hemingway suggests that Santiago has sinned by describing him as going â€Å"too far out. † The idea of going too far out means that he has crossed a boundary and has therefore sinned. Santiago debates with himself if killing the marlin was a sin by saying: You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food†¦. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him while he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more? (Hemingway 105). Santiago continuously reminds himself that it is his own fault that he lost the fish because he went ‘too far out. ’ After coming into the harbor Santiago asks himself, â€Å"And what beat you? † and thinks to himself, â€Å"Nothing†¦ I went out too far† (Hemingway 120). Santiago’s punishment for his sin comes in the form of the sharks. The sharks rip apart the fish until there is nothing left because Santiago should not have gone so far out and killed the fish. Santiago repents his sins by the end of the story as he heads back to harbor. After he arrives in Havana, the reader is left to believe that he is at the end of his life, and due to his condition and his age, will die soon. The fact that he arrives in Havana is important because the name is similar to heaven, and symbolic of heaven. In review, Santiago sins, is punished, repents, and arrives in heaven. Finally, the story is symbolic of Christianity because Santiago is himself, a Christ figure. Hemingway first shows Santiago’s biblical importance through his name. The name Santiago is Spanish for Saint James. Saint James was one of Jesus’ first disciples and helped the spread of Christianity (Davis). A second moment that shows Santiago’s faith is that he keeps a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in his small shack. Santiago spends forty days and nights in exile on the sea, just as Jesus spent that time in the desert. Hemingway first obviously connects Santiago and Christ as he describes the noise Santiago makes when he sees the sharks as â€Å"a noise such as a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood† (Hemingway 103). Santiago’s ordeal with the sharks is symbolic of the crucifying of Christ. As he sails home, Santiago thinks to himself, â€Å"Think about something cheerful, old man†¦. Every minute now you are closer to home† (Hemingway 104). This quote is symbolic of Jesus waiting for death and heaven on the cross. After finally reaching his destination, Santiago tiresomely carries the mast uphill on his shoulder, falls, and then makes it to the cabin. The symbolism to Christ is unmistakable in this moment. Before being crucified, Jesus carried the cross, which symbolized our sins. When Santiago finally reaches his shack, he falls facedown on his cot, both arms straight out with his palms out. This image cements Santiago as symbolizing a Christ figure. Hemingway’s use of symbolism gives The Old Man and the Sea depth, even with its deceptively simple plot. First, he makes his characters symbols of life and the interaction between living creatures. Second, Hemingway uses symbolism to create a parallel between Santiago and his own life. Finally, Hemingway created the character Santiago as a Christ figure, and added Christian morals to the plot. The use of symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea is the foundation for its success, and the reason that it is a classic in American literature.

Truss Bridge Report free essay sample

Objective The objective of the project is to build a truss that would be able to take a specific amount of downward force remarkably with respect to the weight of the truss itself, i. e. to construct a truss that would hold a relatively high efficiency score. And construct the bridge in such a way to as to keep the deflection of the structure at minimal. Introduction First of all, what is a truss? In an engineering view, a truss is a structure that is made up of series of triangular unit made of straight members that are connected at junctions known as nodes. External forces created by bodies known as loads, are often placed on areas of the structures which then creates internal forces in the members in form of either a Tensile Force or a Compressive Force. The practical analysis was carried out to help better our understanding on the theories behind the behaviour of a truss under different circumstances. We will write a custom essay sample on Truss Bridge Report or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Analysis A Pratt truss illustrating the arrangement of the bars By calculation The length of the horizontal member is 99. 4m The height of the bridge is 20m. And the diagonal members are all 23. m The distance between the two sides (floor Beam) was 16m. Materials Today, bridges can be of the span, arch, or suspension type. Materials used throughout history include wood, masonry, cast iron, wrought iron, concrete, steel, reinforced concrete, alloy and silicon steel, pre-stressed concrete, carbon fibre, and aluminium. But since the experiment was to be performed in a small scale, Popsicle sticks where chosen to do the job. Then a non-toxic adhesive was chosen to be used to join the members at the node. A clamp of some sort is a good idea when constructing. Clamps are important because most of the popsicle stick arent flat, so if you dont clamp them when you glue them together your bridge probably wont hold together very well. Procedure The bridge truss was constructed using about 140 sticks, give or take a few. We began the construction by creating the smaller pieces that would be easier to glue together, clamped the pieces together, and then left them dry for over a period of 7 days, which made them strong enough to be used. We started with each side of the bridge, in order to keep them symmetrical, then flipped each side and added more members to strengthen the sides. We then erected the constructed sides and added angled supports across the horizontal member at the bottom, and then added some centre support to hold the structure firmly and give it its shape. We then added some horizontal members to connect the sides together and minimize the deflection of the structure. And we levelled the structure with a horizontal surface after gluing any major part to give it a stable composition. Then after the assembly process was complete. We then gave the bridge structure as a whole, time do dry so the glue would dry and give the joined members and nodes time to dry. Then it was on to the testing Testing For the testing procedure, the bridge was placed between two horizontal surfaces at a height that was enough to place weights to the lower horizontal members. And then weights were added simultaneously to the center of the lower horizontal members on both sides so as to balance the weight distribution across the bridge and keep it at equilibrium throughout the test. Then weights in newton were added continuously to the members until the structure began to show signs of major deformation that could destroy the bridge structur. Then the maximum weight it could take was noted down by the supervisor in charge of the testing procedure so that the grades would be allotted accordingly. Discussion As mentioned earlier a truss is a structure that is made up of one or more triangles connected at joints referred to as nodes. For the experiment we chose to use a type of truss known as a Pratt Truss. We chose this type of truss because of its history. It has been in use since the practice of using of wood for the construction of bridges was brought into play, and still when wood gave way to iron, and remained when iron gave way to steel. The vertical members in this type of truss are under compression, while the horizontal members respond to tension. It is unique because the long diagonal bars are only in tension for gravity load effect, which allows the members to be used more efficiently, so that slenderness effects related to buckling due to compression loads will not control the design. The prat truss which was patented in 1844 was patented by Caleb Pratt and his son Thomas Willis Pratt. Conclusion To sum it all up, according to the analysis of the truss, the theory was confirmed that the Pratt truss is one of the best trusses for withstanding vertical loadings, because of the geometry of the members.

Dont Make These 5 Mistakes If You Want a Great College Recommendation Letter

Dont Make These 5 Mistakes If You Want a Great College Recommendation Letter If youre a student getting ready for college, whether youre applying for undergrad or graduate school, and youre in the process of gathering all the documents that the college application requires, youve already learned that youll need a great letter (or letters) of recommendation. While much of creating an effective, convincing letter of recommendation is in how it is worded, there are a few mistakes to avoid (on your end, as a student requesting the letters) if you want to make sure that you have the best possible chance of appearing highly recommended to admissions committees.Mistake 1 - Picking just any teacher to write itIn most situations, college applications will ask for letters of recommendation from specific teachers or from your principal and/or school counselor. If youre given the option to submit letters of recommendation from anyone of your choice, be sure to choose a person with whom youve interacted on multiple occasions, and someone who has been in a position of aut hority (or leadership) rather than simply a peer (like your friend or sibling).Some examples of great recommenders include:Your homeroom teacherTeachers youve had for subjects in which youve excelledChoir or band directorMusic/dance teachersYour pastor or youth leaderThe leader of a nonprofit you volunteer forThe point you want to keep in mind as you choose whom to ask is that it needs to be someone who knows you well and who wants to see you succeed. This usually means someone that youve interacted with on more than one or two occasions, or someone who has known you for many years. Getting a recommendation from a pastor or a spiritual leader who has watched you in various leadership functions within your place of worship would be a far preferable recommendation than one from a teacher who has known you, and the quality of work you produce, for only a few months.One way to make sure you pick the right person is to meet with him or her briefly and ask if he or she has the time to wri te a great letter of recommendation for you. If you sense that he or she is too busy, or if he or she mentions something along the lines of I have so many to write, consider asking someone else, especially if the person you already asked is not the best person to highlight details of your interactions with him or her.Mistake 2 - Being shy if youre told to write it yourselfA common response many teachers or mentors have when asked by a student to write a recommendation letter is, Why dont you just write it yourself and Ill sign it?If your first impulse is to dread this response, dont. Its actually the golden ticket, as far as recommendation letters go. You should be excited and up for the challenge, which is primarily to toot your own horn for a bit.Mistake 3 - Leaving out specific examplesIts one thing to write in a recommendation letter that the recommended person is generous. Its something else entirely to tell of how he brought donuts to the study sessions whenever a person in his study group was celebrating a birthday, and how he was voted most giving for two years in a row in the school-wide vote for superlative categories. These specific examples serve as narrative proof of the qualities of the applicant, and they add a sense of legitimacy to the letter and to the relationship between the recommended and the recommender.When you ask recommenders to write a college recommendation letter for you, ask them if they would also include specific examples of your interaction with them. If they have been writing letters of recommendation for a long time, theyre likely already aware of the importance of adding specific examples when they write it. It never hurts to include this request just to make sure!If the recommender has requested that you write the letter for him or her, be sure to add these specific examples into your writing. If you cant come up with any noteworthy examples, it never hurts to call up (or email) the recommender and ask if there are any sp ecific encounters that come to mind that you can include in the letter of recommendation you are writing in his or her name.Mistake 4 - Having spelling or grammar errorsAny letter, regardless of content, will lose its effectiveness if it contains glaring spelling or grammar mistakes. Professionals are expected to submit written communication with clear, correct usage and syntax, and letters of recommendation to colleges should be considered professional. Sloppy usage and grammatical errors seriously deflect from the message of the letter, and they can turn a glowing recommendation into one that has a negative effect on your chances of being accepted to the college. If you notice a grammar or spelling error on a letter of recommendation that was written for you, dont be embarrassed to point it out and request that the teacher gives you a corrected copy. Think of these letters as a sort of first impression the admissions committee gets of you- do everything possible to make sure they are correct ones!Mistake 5 - Not giving your writer (or yourself) enough time to meet recommendation letter deadlinesThe college application process is a whirlwind of activity and requires paying attention to deadlines to ensure that you meet them. Writing recommendation letters takes up a lot of time, particularly if the writer has been asked by several college applicants he or she knows to write one. Thats why its important to give your recommender as much time as possible to get a letter to you (or to the admissions committee at the school(s) you want to attend). You shouldnt expect to ask for the letter and get it within one day (or even a timeframe of a few days). A week or more is a good deadline to suggest to the person writing your recommendation letter.The most important thing to remember is that in the college rush of application deadlines, giving your teachers or leaders adequate time to write and submit a letter is as much for you as for them. The more time they have t o focus on writing a great letter for you, the better the letter will be. Its as simple as that.Sample letter 1 - Focusing on applicants characterDear Admissions Committee:It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for [insert name here]. As a highly intelligent and capable student, she has demonstrated her ability to overcome tough academic and personal challenges and to succeed when others thought she would fail throughout her high school experience.I have worked with [insert name here] in the capacity of both adviser and instructor, and in both cases I have found her to be pleasant, conscientious, and motivated to excel. If something was taught in class that she could not fully grasp, she immediately asked for resources she could access at home in order to understand the topic I was teaching through her own homework.An incident I feel summarizes her character best was when her mother fell ill during her junior year and was unable to take care of [insert student name here] and her sisters fully. Instead of using this situation as an excuse, [insert student name] not only took care of her sisters in the role of a caretaker, but she also worked an afternoon job to help support the family during its financial struggles. I dont know how she managed this while simultaneously keeping up with her homework, but she did, and she didnt ask for any special treatment during the course of these events taking place. All of her teachers were shocked at her level of maturity and responsibility - two traits not usually shared by other 16-year-olds in our student body.I believe that [insert name here] has tremendous potential in her chosen field, and I look forward to seeing what she will accomplish, both during and after her undergraduate studies. If you have any questions or would like further information from me regarding my recommendation of [insert name here], please feel free to contact me at [insert phone number or e-mail address].Sincerely, Your name hereSample letter 2 - Focusing on applicants academic achievementsDear Admissions Committee:It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for [insert name here]. As a highly intelligent and capable student, she has demonstrated her ability to overcome tough academic challenges and to succeed when others thought she would fail throughout her high school experience.I have worked with [insert name here] in the capacity of both adviser and instructor, and in both cases I have found her to be pleasant, conscientious, and motivated to excel. I taught her as a math instructor, and if something was taught in class that she could not fully grasp, she immediately asked for resources she could access at home in order to understand the topic I was teaching through her own homework.An incident I feel summarizes her academic achievements best is when she was selected to be on our mathematics team and to compete in the national mathematics competitions that were h eld in New York City this past year in August. The team I took to the competition were all bright kids, but I felt that [insert students name here] showed more potential than most in becoming a success in the STEM field due to her mathematics knowledge. During the competition, she was poised and energetic, and seemed to become a natural leader of the other team members, who looked to her for advice when a problem arose that they were unsure of.I believe that [insert name here] has great potential in STEM, or any mathematics-related field, and I look forward to seeing what she will accomplish, both during and after her undergraduate studies. If you have any questions or would like further information from me regarding my recommendation of [insert name here], please feel free to contact me at [insert phone number or e-mail address].Sincerely,Your name here

Googles Marketing Efforts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Googles Marketing Efforts - Essay Example That's considered a prerequisite for their survival in these competitive times. But it is quite intriguing that a company like Google prefers to remain low key in the marketing efforts. It is not there in the electronic or print media as often as it should be in order to establish its brand equity. Brand identity forms a key strength in today's context, where visibility in media and easy identification features help in propagating the business prospects of the company. It is indeed quite surprising that Google, basically a service providing company, has yet again overtaken many well-established product identity companies like Microsoft, GE, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, IBM etc. According to Millward Brown's 2008 ranking of brands1, Google is the topmost brand with a brand value of $m 86,057. Google has worked on its brand quite consistently is apparent from the fact that the brand value has undergone a change of about 30% from the previous years. interestingly this change was about 77% last year. On the other hand, Yahoo ranks a distant 62nd with a brand value of $m11, 465 registering a decline of 13 percent. It is equally interesting that last year Yahoo figured at the 42nd position with a brand value of $m13, 201 and at that time as well Yahoo registered a decline of 6% in its brand value. These statistics raise quite a few questions about the marketing efforts of Google and the manner in which the company is not only able to retain its position year after year, without an apparent change in strategy. Though Google is known mainly for it search engine, but there are a number of other services like Google mail, Google Earth, Google News, Google Finance etc. being offered to the net community. The concept came up in mid-nineties when Stanford University graduate students Sergey Brin and Larry Page stuck upon the idea of providing a search engine which could return relevant information without wasting much time (Datamonitor, 2007). Though there are a number of players in the fray giving competition to Google, the key competitors of Google include Yahoo and MSN. Yahoo is mainly devoted to the search engines besides having a stake in other services as well. But for MSN, the primary focus area is the software development and of course the Hotmail. It is worthwhile here to me ntion that Gmail too has started gaining popularity as well amongst the net-community. While interviewing David Lawee, the then vice-president of marketing for Google (GOOG), BusinessWeek's Silicon Valley Bureau Chief Robert Hof, was able to extract quite a few interesting responses regarding the marketing efforts of Google (Hof, 2007). Some of the salient features of Google's marketing efforts can be pointed out as; i. The company is always thinking about the user's requirements and company's products, instead of devoting much time to establishing 'brand equity'. ii. The company believes in being innovative not only in the manner products and services are created, but also in the manner, things are organized in the company. iii. The company considers it an opportunity when other brands like YouTube appear on the horizon and is always on the lookout to find ways to collaborate with such companies, in order to reach out to a wider market. iv. The company has been doing co-marketing with reputed brands like Dell, Palm etc.

A hotel company I can call home Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A hotel company I can call home - Research Paper Example Corporate Offices The company’s headquarters is based in the US, in Atlanta Georgia, on 4445 Willard Avenue, Suite 800Â  Chevy Chase, Md. 20815. The company runs other 80 luxury hotels and restaurants in 26 countries including Austria, Canada, Bahrain, Chile, Egypt, China, Cayman Islands, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Ireland, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, Portugal, Oman, Qatar, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Spain, Singapore, The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, Virgin Islands and the US (The Ritz Carlton Hotel Fact Sheet, 2010). In the US, the company runs two luxurious hotels in New York, one at Central Park on 50 Central Park South, and the other at Battery Park on Two West Street (David Kamp, 216). The Ritz Carlton also has partners across Europe that help the company to offer its services in major cities around the continent. These partners include The Ritz London in the UK, Hotel Ritz Madrid in Spain, the BUKGAR Hotels and Resorts in London, and Milan. Key leader s and managers of the Ritz Carlton Hotel include Herve Humler, the President and Chief Operations Officer; Mr. Leeny K. Oberg, the Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Bob Kharazmi, the Global Officer, in charge of worldwide Operations. Public or Private Company The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company LLC is a private company with its headquarters in the US. ... rights to use the name The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company across the world and thus developed the company to operate in various locations around the world. The company has grown to become one of the best managed hotels in the US and around the world, with its great customer service recognized all over the world (David Kamp, 267). Brief History of the Company A renowned Swiss Hotelier, Cesar Ritz and his wife, started the Ritz Carlton. He ran the Ritz hotel in Paris, France and the Carlton hotel in London, UK. He teamed up with one of his best chefs, Auguste Escoffier to form the Ritz Carlton in 1913. Ritz died later on in 1918 and his wife decided to continue the business, opening up more branches under the same name. In 1926, Edward Wyner, a 29-year-old American, formed the Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1927, in Boston. After his death in 1961, his sons continued with the business and later on decide to sell it after it became difficult to run. The company was later on sold in 1983 to William B . Johnson, who moved the company to Atlanta and formed The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC. The company has since then expanded its services in the US, across Europe and Asia with future plans to move to Africa, the Middle East and South America. The company currently operates independently as a division of the Marriott International (The Ritz Carlton Hotel Fact Sheet, 2010). Reputation The company has grown to become a leader in the hospitality industry and currently has a great reputation around the world as one of the best luxurious hotels. The company’s reputation began to grow under the leadership of COO Horst Schulze who revolutionized operations in the company by concentrating on both data driven and personal service. He coined the current employee Credo that is used to guide the

SWOT analysis Essay Example for Free

SWOT analysis Essay Pizza Hut, the most popular and prominent brand in the fast food industry is the largest chain food shop in the world. Starting from 1958, it has emerged as the market leader of the industry. The franchise has its own Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats but it is clearly enjoying competitive advantages over its competitors. The franchise has a strong marketing tool, large market share and a group of loyal customers. Based on these, if the company goes for a better and stronger marketing approach in the future, they will keep enjoying the edge over its competitors in the future as well. Marketing Plan for Pizza Hut (Part 1). Pizza Hut is the world’s biggest restaurant company and international franchise which has the origin in Texas, America. It has almost 34,000 restaurants across the world and is currently operating in 100 countries. Pizza Hut offers different types of pizza along with some other dishes like pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread. It has started its journey back in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in their hometown, Kansas. Since then it has emerged as one of the most popular restaurants not only in America but also in the entire world. (Pizza Hut Corporation, 2012) Internal Environment. The mission statement of Pizza Hut is: â€Å"We take pride in making a perfect pizza and providing courteous and helpful service on time all the time. Every customer says, Ill be back! We are the employer of choice offering team members opportunities for growth, advancement, and rewarding careers in a fun, safe working environment. We are accountable for profitability in everything we do, providing our shareholders with value growth. † (Pizza Hut Website, Hawaii) So from the mission statement it is clear that the franchise wants to serve pizza of great taste and wants to retain its customer so that everybody gets the ultimate joy. They also want to be accountable to its shareholders along with quality team members and workplace. Over the years, Pizza Hut is working hard to establish the above goals and objectives through their dedication, sincerity and honest team members. That’s the reason today Pizza Hut has become the worldwide leader and a trustworthy name among the food lovers. Though today’s world is fast and mechanical people are still looking for the better quality of the food, service and also great taste. As a result, the goals and objectives of Pizza Hut is still very much correct with the peoples perspective. The present performance of Pizza Hut is very admirable as it has captured the largest market share in the industry and also has a loyal customer base. Because of their effective promotion, pricing. Food quality, distribution channel and most importantly unparallel taste, Pizza Hut has achieved a great success in the industry. The recent sale volume of Pizza Hut is also noticeable. In the year 2011, Pizza Hut had a turnover of $5. 5 billion (Financial Statement, Pizza Hut, 2012) where Dominos Pizza had $530. 6 million. (Financial Statement, Dominos Pizza, 2012) So, Pizza Hut is enjoying the edge over its competitors. Though the trend of the industry is downward because of the socioeconomic crisis hasn’t recovered still. The overall performance of the firm hasn’t declined much (only in 2007 it had a turnover of $6 billion) (Financial Statement, Pizza Hut, 2012). And the little decline is the result of the recession of 2008 as discussed earlier. In spite of those little drawbacks, Pizza Hut is trying their best to keep the pace with their mission statement and if they are unable to do that just because of external facts they will meet up with that with their honesty, service quality etc. Customer Environment. In a nutshell, everybody around the world is the potential customer of Pizza Hut. As people of all ages like foods like pizzas, they can enjoy the ultimate and different taste of Pizza Hut. The current customers of Pizza Hut have great variety. As they provide a wide range of pizzas, people from different ages can enjoy their foods. People of young age have a great attraction towards the Pizza Hut and they are a great portion of customers for Pizza Hut. In the process a few other players can be added as the young people may take money from their parents and can be influenced by their friends. The product is used only in one way and that is for eating. The great taste of the pizzas can amaze everybody and they can be the admirers of that. Customers can buy pizzas directly from the outlets and can hang around there. They can even order the food online and home delivery will be available. In the festival time with some special offers the consumption may be increased and customers may be attracted to consume more to get benefits. Because of taste, quality and service, the purchasers of Pizza Hut purchase the foods of Pizza Hut. There are other players in the market and they have a loyal customer base as well though that is not as significant as Pizza Hut. As a result, Pizza Hut are not getting those customers and they aren’t buying the pizzas of Pizza Hut. External Environment The competitors are quite a lot in the market for Pizza Hut. Some big names like McDonalds, Dominos Pizza etc. are strong contenders for taking away the crown from Pizza Hut. As it discussed earlier, Dominos pizza isn’t far away from Pizza Hut in sales volume and trying hard to get there. McDonalds also with their innovative products are looking to do the same. As it told, the recession of 2008 made a strong impact on the Pizza Hut as well as on the industry. It has experienced downward pressure in the sales volume. So, if the economy gets stabilized, the performance of the industry as well as Pizza hut is expected to be improved. Computerization is a must for the current world. Pizza Hut is computerized and centralized. As a result, the customers are enjoying digitized facilities like online ordering, home delivery etc. The sociocultural situation of the target customers are also very important factor which is needed to be considered. The target customers’ demography, economic and social condition all these things make impact on Pizza Hut as they are expanded their businesses in almost every corner of the globe. So, before going to open an outlet, they need to consider those factors and their probable profitability from that. The profitability shouldn’t be only factor for Pizza Hut. They must consider their ethical and social responsibility towards people and they have a close eye on those as well. They try to ensure the best quality and service of their food s before presenting them to their customers which made them unique in the industry. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis of Pizza Hut is like below: Strengths †¢ Largest chain restaurant of the world (Griffiths, 2009) 1. As the restaurant spreads in many countries of the world, it can reach a significant number of people in the entire world. As a result, the franchise can serve their products to many nationalities and because of that they have become e trustworthy name among the customers. People of the different parts of the world have different tastes and preferences. Pizza Hut by having so many outlets in different countries is doing that purpose quite successfully. 2. Pizza Hut enjoys the most branches around the globe (100) which the competitors of Pizza Hut aren’t able to do. As a result, the other restaurants can’t reach to people like Pizza Hut does which clearly makes a difference between Pizza Hut and its competitors and Pizza Hut is having the edge. †¢ Has large varieties and types of pizzas and known for its innovative range of pizzas under one roof (Free SWOT Analysis, 2010) 1. Because of having range of pizzas, Pizza Hut has become successful to meet up with the demands of various customers. Even the people from different countries are enjoying the different tastes of pizzas from Pizza Hut. So, the innovations from Pizza Hut are helping the franchise to be more reliable and popular to its customers across the world. 2. The other competitors like Dominos Pizza can’t offer such a variety of pizzas to its customers. As a result, they are lagging behind Pizza Hut on this regard. †¢ Strong marketing tools (Griffiths, 2009) 1. Pizza Hut has many media partners and uses television as a very strong advertising tool. That’s why their advertisements in television become so popular and has a strong impact on the people from the various parts of the world as Pizza Hut keeps the regional differences on their mind. 2. As Pizza Hut uses better marketing and advertisement tools than its competitors, the other companies of same type aren’t matching with Pizza Hut in the same way. †¢ Large market share and loyal customer base (Free SWOT Analysis, 2010) 1. As the market leader Pizza Hut enjoys the most of the profit of the industry and loyal customers encourage them to increase the number of their outlets in the 100 countries they are operating. 2. The competitors are not having as large market share as Pizza Hut has. So, they are lagging in regard of profit. They don’t have as large loyal customers as Pizza Hut as well. Weaknesses †¢ Loyal customers are feeling that the satisfactory level of the pizzas are not like before and it is in the declining process as other franchises are offering something better than that of Pizza Hut (Free SWOT Analysis, 2010) 1. If the trend of the above feeling among the loyal customers continue then the large market share that Pizza Hut is enjoying at present, will be reduced at some point which will lead the loss of market leadership for them. 2. The other players of the industry are coming strongly with new innovative ideas so that they can satisfy the customers in a better way than Pizza Hut which is be the minus point for Pizza Hut. †¢ Internal conflicts within the company regarding the computerization and centralization of processes (Free SWOT Analysis, 2010) 1. Whatever happens the customers seek the ultimate satisfaction and service from a company but because of this problem, they are not getting the desired services they expect from Pizza Hut. This will lead a bad spoken of mouth problem for the company. 2. The whole processes in Pizza Hut is centralized and computerized but those are causing internal conflicts among the franchises in different regions but the other organizations are not reported to have any problem like this. So, this problem will have an adverse effect on the image of the Pizza Hut. Opportunities †¢ Introduction of new fresh pizzas with innovation (The World’s Largest Online Library, 2009) 1. People are now more health conscious than ever. So, introducing the fresh pizzas will be great idea for attracting new customers and to meet their needs. Besides that, innovative pizzas like new flavors and sizes may create appeal to the customers especially to the young customers. 2. The needed time for innovation can be long as there is no time bindings for that but the fresh pizzas can be introduced immediately as it won’t take a lot of time. †¢ Opening new branches in the regions where the demand is increasing (Free SWOT Analysis, 2010) 1. Young generation in the countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan is probably the one big opportunity for Pizza Hut to explore. As the popularity of Pizza and other fast foods among these people is increasing day by day, Pizza Hut can use that for their market expansion. 2. As Pizza Hut already having outlets in those countries, the new branch opening won’t take too much time and will increase the profit for the company Threats †¢ Increasing cost of cheese (Griffiths, 2009). 1. The cost increase of cheese will increase of the price of the pizzas. As Pizza Hut tries to give the best taste of pizzas to its customers, it will face problems in doing that. As a result, attracting new customers and retaining the existing customers will be a big challenge for them. 2. As the price is increasing in a slow manner, at present Pizza Hut may not face the problem but in the long run with the increase of price of pizzas, they will feel the pressure. †¢ Threat from other companies and also from the local brands (Free SWOT Analysis, 2010) 1. McDonald already introduced McPizza and Dominos Pizza becoming more and more competitive. So, the competition is getting tougher and tougher day by day. So, customers who seek variety may tend to shift from Pizza Hut and in the process Pizza Hut may loss a significant portion of the existing customers. Also some local brands are trying to provide pizzas of different tastes to the customers in different countries which are alarming for Pizza Hut. 2. The threat of losing customers because of the above reason may arise very quickly. So, Pizza Hut should be aware of the fact. SWOT Matrix. |Strengths: |Opportunities: | | | | |Largest chain restaurant of the world |Loyal customers feel that the satisfactory level of the pizzas | |Large varieties and types of pizzas and known for its innovative |declining | |range of pizzas under one roof |Internal conflicts within the company | |Strong marketing tools | | |Large market share and loyal customer base | | | | | | | | |Weaknesses: |Threats: | | | | |Introduction of new fresh pizzas with innovation |Increasing cost of cheese | |Opening new branches |Threat from other companies | | | | Developing Competitive Advantages. From the SWOT analysis, it is quite clear that in spite of having some weaknesses, Pizza Hut is clearly enjoying some competitive advantages over its competitors. The three stronger points are discussed in the next section: Largest chain restaurant of the world As the restaurant spreads in many countries of the world, it can reach a significant number of people in the entire world. People of the different parts of the world have different tastes and preferences. Pizza Hut by having so many outlets in different countries is doing that purpose quite successfully. Strong marketing tools. Pizza Hut has many media partners and uses television as a very strong advertising tool. That’s why their advertisements in television become so popular and has a strong impact on the people from the various parts of the world. Large market share and loyal customer base As the market leader Pizza Hut enjoys the most of the profit of the industry and loyal customers encourage them to increase the number of their outlets in the 100 countries they are operating. Developing a Strategic Focus Focusing on marketing Among the three competitive advantages, Pizza Hut has the most prominent opportunity to develop a strategic focus on marketing. As the advertising tool of Pizza Hut is very strong they should focus more on this sector. As countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are probable opportunities for Pizza Hut and they are looking to expand their business in these countries, a strong advertisement in the television and other media can be very fruitful for Pizza Hut. (Your file library, 2010). References Free SWOT Analysis. (2010, June 02). Free Online Providerof Quality SWOT Analysis. Retrieved January 20, 2013, from Free SWOT Analysis website: http://www. freeswotanalysis. com Griffiths, M. (2009, December 23). Documents Resources for Small Businesse Professionals. Retrieved January 20, 2013, from Docstoc website: http://www. docstoc. com Pizza Hut Corporation. (2012). About Us: Pizza Hut. Retrieved January 20, 2013, from Piza Hut Web site: http://www. pizzahut. co. uk The World’s Largest Online Library. (2009, March 03). Retrieved January 20, 2013, from Scribd website: http://www. scribd. com Your file library. (2010, May 21). Retrieved January 20, 2013, from Fliiby: http://fliiby. com Pizza Hut Website, Hawaii http://www. pizzahuthawaii. com Financial Statement, Pizza Hut, 2012 http://www. yum. com Financial Statement, Dominos Pizza, 2012 http://www. ft. com.

Depression and Psychosis Essay -- Mental Health

For the purpose of this essay the user group I have decided to focus upon is people who suffer from mental health issues, in particular depression and psychosis. I will firstly talk about the illness and about the client group concerned. I will then discuss different treatments available and how effective communication is essential for the well being of these clients. I will then focus on different theories of communication from a psychology perspective and conclusively will discuss and critically analysis powers imbalances, inequalities and disadvantages. Depression haunts the lives of many. It exists in many forms, takes various guises and has been recognised for many centuries. Over two thousand years ago the Greek physician Hippocrates labelled the illness melancholia. The early thinking surrounding depression especially within the Greek community believed that "depression arouse of the body humour especially black bile." (Gilbert 1994) Early reports of depression can be found in numerous biblical texts. King soleman is believed to have suffered from an evil spirit and dark moods from which he eventually killed himself. " The book of Job is regarded as the work of a depressive." (S.Mangen 82) More recent sufferers include politicians such as Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincon and various other writers and poets such as Thomas Mann and Edgar Allen Poe. So whatever else we may say about depression, it seems that it has been in existence for a very long time. It is not unique to humans and various animal models of depression ha ve been advanced and researched. The type of people who suffer from depression vary and it is not too be stereotyped to the image of a person contained within a mental hospital rocking back... ...eds to be shown at all times and the lead should always be taken from the client. Due to word restrictions within this essay I feel that it is now important to bring together and conclude my findings regarding effective communication and depression. The example of my experience with the psychiatrist was a worse case scenario of communication gone wrong and basically everything that he did needs to be reversed for successful communication to take place. Needless to say when I felt better and was going through an "stable" period I demanded a change of psychiatrist and have since embarked on a university degree. Good communication skills can not however be read about or taught they are something that is practically learnt and the only way in which to monitor them is by being self analysing at all times and receiving feedback from clients and friends.