Examination of The Little Matchstick Girl

Examination of The Little Matchstick Girl First published in 1845, The Little Match Girl by  Hans Christian Anderson  is a story about a young impoverished girl trying to sell matches on the street on New Years Eve who is afraid to go home without selling enough for fear of an abusive father. This tragic short story paints a dismal picture of life for the poor in the 1840s but also carries with it that grim hope of a fairy tale with visions of huge Christmas trees and shooting stars appearing before the young match girl- her dying wishes and dreams. The Harsh Realities of Poverty Andersons The Little Match Girl is not far from classic fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm- they both share a certain darkness to their content, a melancholic and an often morbid obsession with consequences for actions or for merely existing. Its an often studied piece in academic circles. In The Little Match Girl, Andersons titular character dies by the end of the piece, but the story is much more about the perseverance of hope. In these sparse, unforgiving lines, Hans Christian Andersen packs so much simple beauty and hope: The girl is cold, barefoot, and poor- without a friend in the world (it seems)- but she is not without hope. She dreams of warmth and light, of a time when she will be surrounded by love, and filled with happiness. Its so far outside of the realm of her current experience that most of us would have long since given up such dreams, but she holds on. Still, the harsh realities of poverty haunt the little girls reality- she must sell a match for fear of being beaten by her father upon returning home and this fear propels her to stay outside all night, which ultimately leads to her death by hypothermia. Lessons and Adaptations Thanks to its brevity and delicate approach to the topic of death, The Little Match Girl serves as a great tool, like most fairy tales, to teach children important lessons about the tougher topics in life like death and loss as well as social issues like poverty and charity. We may not want to think about the horrible things that happen every day, and its certainly hard to explain such things to our children. It does seem, though, that we can often learn the greatest lessons from the children- in how they deal with the most hopeless situations. In those final moments, this little girl sees visions of splendor. She sees hope. But, her passing- punctuated by the shooting of a star in the night sky- is tragic and troubling. Fortunately, there have also been many adaptations of this short piece by Hans Christian Anderson including several animated and live action short films which provide an easier way for children to access the themes of this brilliant short work of fiction.

The Susquehanna Indian Tribe of Pennsylvania Essay

The Susquehanna Indian Tribe of Pennsylvania - Essay Example A great deal of the early history of the American continent has been lost thanks to the annihilation of great Indian nations such as the Susquehanna, forcing us to examine other tribes for clues as to their way of life. In early 17th century, three distinctive groups of Indian tribes, representing three different linguistic stocks, occupied the region that is now Virginia. Along the coast were many settlements of the Algonquian group, the Powhatan confederacy, enemy of the Siouan stock composed of the Monacan and Manahoac groups that spread from the banks of the upper James and the headwaters of the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers to the Allegheny Mountains (UV, 2006). The bellicose and scattered Iroquoian stock was represented by the Conestoga or Susquehanna tribe of about 600 able warriors that lived in palisaded towns to defend themselves from the Massawomeckes. The six Susquehanna towns are Sasquesahanough, Quadroque, Attaock, Tesinigh, Utchowig, and Cepowig; the earlier names obviously conventionalized forms of the original native terms (AG, 2006). Ever since, the Susquehannock apparently had been in good alliance with the Huron. It was probable they migrated to the Susquehanna Valley from the north. The earliest town sites recognized as Susquehannock were sited on the upper Susquehanna River and date from about 1550, but they probably had occupied the region for at least four hundred years before this. Even though they inflicted a major defeat on the Mohawk shortly before 1600, conflicts with the Iroquois had by 1570 forced the Susquehannock south into the lower Susquehanna Valley. Toughened by years of constant warfare, they besieged the Algonquin tribes along the shores of Chesapeake Bay and began extending their control southward. The first European contact with the Susquehannock was in 1608 when Captain John Smith an explorer from Jamestown was traveling the northern end of Chesapeake Bay (Shovel, 2006). The Powhatan also knew the Susquehannock from painful experience, and when the English first established Virginia, the Powhatan had placed their villages well-inland to defend them from Susquehannock war parties that ranged the coastline by canoes. One basis the Powhatan were not completely conflicting to English settlement at first was that they provided additional defense, but the Susquehannock still attacked the Powhatan villages in northern Virginia during 1610 (Cadzow, 1936). III. During the early 1600s, drawn by the potential profits from furs, other Europeans came to the New World. Friendly dealings with the Susquehannock were particularily valuable to the French, not just for the purposes of trade, but because they fascinated the Iroquois between two powerful enemies. Unluckily, the new coalition alarmed Dutch traders on the Hudson River, and they vigorously supported the Mohawk in 1615 against the Susquehannock. Even though they were relatively few in number and isolated by their inland location, the Susquehannock managed to turn out to be an important trading partner with all of the competing European powers. As well handicapped by their

Consumer behavior Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer behavior - Assignment Example Her decision to buy a specific vehicle was influenced by several important qualities she demanded in a new vehicle. The car had to be safe, extremely fuel efficient, comfortable, with a stellar reputation for safety, reliability and low repair costs among current owners and professionals alike. As a working mother she needs a reliable, fuel efficient and inexpensive to insure vehicle to commute and be able to depend on her vehicle for everyday errands and for fun. After interviewing her and finding what her true wants and needs are we came to the conclusion that her need for a good looking, roomy, reliable vehicle with low operating costs outweighed all other attributes like performance, status or size of the vehicle. In her case the 10 year/100,000 mile power train warranty offered by Hyundai for all their vehicles was the best in the industry and provided the peace of mind and reliability she was after. Today’s customers often seek reliability on the products they buy, but l ike all other major purchases the product has to speak to the customer. Her main concern and true high-level need was â€Å"peace of mind†, having an efficient, comfortable and brand new reliable vehicle he can depend on for work and fun for years to come coupled with the exceptional warranty achieved her goal. The desire and higher-level motivation to being â€Å"in control† and not have to rely on friends or family for transportation weighted heavily on her decision to purchase the Elantra. The always popular and reliable 2012 Toyota Corolla was a close second vehicle which she could afford based on her budget, but the corolla was more expensive similarly equipped and did not provide the same warranty as Hyundai. Another higher-level need which was fulfilled with the purchase of the Hyundai was need for safety and freedom a dependable vehicle provides to the owner. B) Their brands and specific model attributes chosen from Hyundai and Toyota played a major role in dec iding which older Japanese economy vehicle provided the best historical reliability rating, lowest overall investment costs and resale price. C) The marketing department for both Hyundai and Toyota can learn from this example in order to benefit their brands as a whole. Marketing professionals can utilize the gamma of available information from credible professional reviews, long-term consumer and expert tests and long- term reliability ratings and reviews from thousands of owners to better create a true picture of the company and their products and how consumers perceive their brands. Both companies can use consumer data to compile databases which can help provide objective data for comparative and statistical analysis about their products and the competition. Hyundai has made strides forward becoming one of America's favorite car brands and even the automotive giant Toyota can learn a few lessons from an up and coming brand like Hyundai. Marketing managers can also gain insights a bout the public perception of their products, the subjective factors that drive consumer decision making, as well as their overall brand image. In conclusion the brand's historical ratings, reputation, innovation, exceptional value and warranty of their products are the main factors that came into play when deciding to buy a replacement vehicle for this consumer. Whether you are evaluating a brand new 2013 Hyundai Elentra or 2013 Toyota Corolla the same factors come into play when making the

The Importance of Nature to Spirituality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Importance of Nature to Spirituality - Essay Example Writers following this tradition sought to find meaning within the natural world that seemed lost within the created world of the humans. However, the way they did this changed depending on their position in time and space. Blake lived from 1757 to 1827 and saw the beginning of the industrial revolution and the growth of the factories. He was aware of the dangers of this growth and saw some of the destruction it brought about, but he lived in England where some of the cities had already had long histories and the erosion of nature didn't seem so dramatic as places such as America where much of the land was still relatively untamed and all of the architecture was new. Wordsworth was an American poet who lived from 1770-1850. The changes that were taking place in America were similar to those happening in Europe, but seemed more dramatic. Both of these poets worked within the same literary movement to emphasize the importance of nature in poems such as "Tyger" and "The World is Too Muc h With Us" respectively. In poems such as "Tyger," Blake focuses on his own individual way of seeing the world and on the emotions these investigations brought out. This is in keeping with the then emerging Romantic movement which placed a great deal of emphasis on emotional feeling, particularly as it was inspired by nature. This emphasis on emotional feeling is seen in "Tyger" as Blake starts the poem with two exclamatory statements: "Tyger! Tyger!" (1) and infuses them with a strong image in the darkness of the reader's mind: "burning bright / In the forests of the night" (1-2). Most of the poem is written with the intention of creating a sense of awe around the creature that is the focal point of the poem and continues to force the reader's attention on this concept. The tiger's features are described in deadly but beautiful detail, "In what distant deeps or skies / Burnt the fire of thine eyes?" (5-6), in such a way as to constantly focus the attention on its emotional impact. At the same time, these statements are phrased in the form of rhetorical questions that naturally cause the mind to start trying to answer them and thus considering the images more carefully. This same emphasis on the emotions is found in Wordsworth's poem as he opens his poem with a sense, a feeling, that there is something missing in the new modern life of the cities. "The world is too much with us; late and soon, / Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers" (1-2). Before the reader is even certain what it is that Wordsworth is talking about, it is clear that he is feeling a sense of emptiness in daily life and a sense of having little energy or interest in this life. This is also in keeping with his personal times. Although Blake was writing at a time when the industrial revolution was having the same effect on his homeland as Wordsworth, Wordsworth wrote in a place where it seemed the factories and cities were taking over all of the natural beauty of the world, burying it un der concrete. It seemed inevitable to most writers of his time and he rightly mourns the loss. He says "We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! / ... / For this, for everything, we are out of tune" (4, 8). Although Blake's creation is filled with the profound emotion of awe, Wordsworth's demonstrates a profound sense of loss. However, both poets discover a sense of natural feeling inherent in the images they produce for their readers and both keep this emotion at the forefront of their poems. Within his poem, Blake focuses on an element of the ‘supernatural’ as something that existed outside the realm of everyday experience, another key characteristic of

Transfer admission essay for University of Pittsburgh

Transfer admission for University of Pittsburgh - Essay Example I have resided in Johnstown, Pennsylvania for the majority of my life. The small town charm and characteristics helped nurture me throughout the years. While the town’s features and residents have shaped my current lifestyle, I yearn to live among individuals from various cultures and backgrounds. These individuals are a pivotal part of Pittsburgh’s alluring framework. Since psychology is my desired major, being exposed to a motley of perspectives and behaviors is vital while performing research. Interaction with diversified groups will strengthen my psychological knowledge of human activity. Also, my peers at main campus are not only friends, but resources as well. Being part of a larger class means having more people to learn from. All in all, being a psychology student in Pittsburgh will allow me to evaluate the differing viewpoints of various individuals and will help me to discover ethical issues affecting society. The same will also be very intriguing as I have al ways wanted to involve myself in solving the ethical issues in the society and what better platform than the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to cultural diversity, the amount of educational opportunities at the University of Pittsburgh is unlimited. Seeing that psychology encompasses a vast domain, there are many aspects of which it is comprised. While the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown does offer the psychology major, I feel that the reputable main campus will offer more in terms of exploring subfields and research. While I have not yet decided upon which subfield strikes my interest, studying at the University of Pittsburgh will help direct me towards the proper subfield. Not only is the main campus renowned for its prestigious history, but the option for graduate studies are also imperative to my future. In addition to this, the University of Pittsburgh will also serve as an ideal platform for pursuing my further studies and I have always envisaged a

A Case Study on Ethics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A on Ethics - Case Study Example In this case study which was based on a real time incident of New Orleans the major ethical issue was that the police officers did not take the right action and was carried away in emotion for their fellow officer. As per morality the most appropriate approach in this situation would have been to ensure proper treatment for Archie and then execute the judgment made by legal bodies. However this form of action was highly ignored by police officials and they preferred to brutally beat Archie for the crime he had committed. Often in such criminal cases it is observed that homicide or rather encounter is considered to be the best solution but ethically it can be stated as the harshest judgment towards an individual. The form of shootout which had taken place in New Orleans is common in that region and there are many cases as that of Archie where criminals are brutally killed by police officers so as to ensure that there is proper elimination of crime from the region (Turvey & Crowder 104 ). The major factual issue which has been identified in the case was Archie had committed wrong and he was being penalized for that, but it raises ethical issues because officers in order to do justice for their team member did not give the necessary medication to Archie which he required. In this particular scenario there is couple of actions which could have been taken by police officials so as to avoid any such violation of ethics. The first action could have been taking Archie to the nearest hospital so that he can survive.

Transfer admission essay for University of Pittsburgh

Transfer admission for University of Pittsburgh - Essay Example I have resided in Johnstown, Pennsylvania for the majority of my life. The small town charm and characteristics helped nurture me throughout the years. While the town’s features and residents have shaped my current lifestyle, I yearn to live among individuals from various cultures and backgrounds. These individuals are a pivotal part of Pittsburgh’s alluring framework. Since psychology is my desired major, being exposed to a motley of perspectives and behaviors is vital while performing research. Interaction with diversified groups will strengthen my psychological knowledge of human activity. Also, my peers at main campus are not only friends, but resources as well. Being part of a larger class means having more people to learn from. All in all, being a psychology student in Pittsburgh will allow me to evaluate the differing viewpoints of various individuals and will help me to discover ethical issues affecting society. The same will also be very intriguing as I have al ways wanted to involve myself in solving the ethical issues in the society and what better platform than the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to cultural diversity, the amount of educational opportunities at the University of Pittsburgh is unlimited. Seeing that psychology encompasses a vast domain, there are many aspects of which it is comprised. While the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown does offer the psychology major, I feel that the reputable main campus will offer more in terms of exploring subfields and research. While I have not yet decided upon which subfield strikes my interest, studying at the University of Pittsburgh will help direct me towards the proper subfield. Not only is the main campus renowned for its prestigious history, but the option for graduate studies are also imperative to my future. In addition to this, the University of Pittsburgh will also serve as an ideal platform for pursuing my further studies and I have always envisaged a