Dynamics of machine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dynamics of machine - Essay Example can easily be determined especially if the equations are of the mechanical system or machine units, which usually consists of larger components of machines such as motors, transmission mechanisms, and control devices or in most cases a working machine. The concept of dynamic of machine consists of a number of equations that are equal to the number of degree of mechanical system’s freedom. For the equation to work or to enhance the ease of the mechanism operation, all forces or masses in a plane mechanism with a single degree of freedom are to be reduced to a single link which is normally called reference point or reduction link (89). And the subjective link that is to be applied to the reduction link is known as reduced moment of inertia. When the moment of reduction is equal to the aggregate of all moments and the forces applied to the links of the mechanism, the subjective moment of inertia is considered to be the reduced moment of inertia. The chain of the equation of dynamic of machines includes the determination of the kinetic energy, and when the kinetic energy of the reduction link is equal to the sum of the kinetic energy of all of the mechanism, the reduced force can be analogously (100). Through rational selection and placement of counterweights, that reduces the dynamic pressure in kinematic pair of mechanisms the concept of machines and mechanism can be easily balanced. Practically the machines are always balanced by reducing the vibrations and balancing the rotation of masses, while in modern high speed machines the inertia forces attain high values (100). The relation of the dynamic studies in machines is highly linked to the calculation of the strength and stiffness of the machine components that highly relates to the dimension and the designs of the parts. The studies are also performed through three dimensions mechanisms and with many degrees of freedom. Therefore it is important to notice that the operations performed by systems of high

The Key Political Ideas Essay Example for Free

The Key Political Ideas Essay Over the past 150 years a number of new political ideas have developed and been accepted as normal practice throughout the majority of European and international society, these come from all sectors on the political spectrum; ranging from extreme left to extreme right. Most of these have been manifested in one way or another since as far back as the middle ages, but it is only in very recent history that they have really ‘stolen the limelight’. These ideas are not only responsible for forming the contemporary societies we live in, but also along the way they have influenced some of the most principal and key events history cares to remember. These political ideas that have developed can be classified into two separate categories. The first category includes liberalism and nationalism, both of which are not confined to one country, these are broad ideals and can be found in many ideologies throughout the world we live in today. The second involves the more radical and extreme ideologies such as Fascism, Communism and Nazism. The main school of thought indicates that the first category contains the base ideals for the second categories more extreme politics. For example Nationalism is widely believed to be the basis for Fascism. History is created when something changes and we look back at what it was before. The period of study is full of history, therefore it is also packed full with change and developments. Main areas of change were the specific areas of politics, societal change and economic change. 150 years ago, perhaps the most significant change in recent history was sweeping the world. Industrial revolutions were now seen as the way forward and Britain was at the heart, other countries were beginning to follow suit. Gone were the days of people and animals powering the machines that would draw in the harvest or produce the goods. Now machines would signify a better and more stable economic life for everybody. Or would they? One of the most prominent effects of the industrial revolution was that now people had lost their jobs to machines then surely they would not be needed by the owners of the means of production. It would only take a small number of men to operate the machines, surely the rest would have to look elsewhere for work? Not long before a German Sociologist and Historian named Karl Marx had warned against the dangers of the industrial revolution for the workers. His theory was largely ignored at the time of writing but by the time ten years had passed, his ideas had become widely accepted, cue Socialism. Marx had felt that the industrial revolution would shorten the gap between the owners of the means of production and the upper classes. A bourgeoisie culture would arise, but if these people were getting richer then the poor would only get poorer. The proletariat as he referred to them, would not benefit from this industrial revolution, the new economic age would only heighten the gap between bourgeois and proletariat. Only a small number of workers would benefit with the revolution, the rest left to become the minority, the ‘proles’ who had no influence or power, by the early 1850’s, the Proletariat had become the largest growing class group in Europe, yet they still held the minority status. Only a small number had joined trade unions, but the reason behind this was that they were illegal in a lot of places. For the Proletariat, any benefits the revolution may hold would have to wait in the future. Marx’s ideas would soon become a force in driving the striving proletariat into achieving what they believed to be a healthy state of living. Marx highlighted the fact that throughout the whole of history, the mode of production was decided upon by a small elite who only stood to gain from it, by making themselves in charge and reaping the benefits, whilst the majority of people would tire night and day helping the elite achieve their aims of being richer and more powerful. Marx also wrote on how every system that would take this form would be plagued with conflict, as the rich attempted to exploit the poor. He realised to the people however, that every system that relied so heavily on this exploitation had cracks that could be widened until the system eventually destroyed itself, he felt that Capitalism would eventually ‘Choke on it’s own wealth’. Marx felt that once the Capitalist system had destroyed itself, the system would be replaced by a new ideal, of a government run by, and for the people. The oppressed would turn against the oppressors, private ownership would be abolished, industry and commerce would now not be in the business of profit-making, but more to do with producing what was needed to get by. This was prophesised by Marx, who believed it would occur in the most highly advanced and capitalist countries in the west of Europe. This prophecy by Marx is yet to come true, many have tried and failed to instil the ideals, but pure Marxism has yet to be realised. By the many, it is meant that for example in Russia where the Bolsheviks, a Communist group, came to power, the country that lay before them did not comply with the stringent conditions Marx had laid for the realisation of his theory. Russia at the time of the Bolshevik revolution, was largely a backward country. Many of the citizens were illiterate peasants with no political experience whatsoever, the country had only just shown shades of industrialisation and the economy was in a terrible state. The previous system of government had been the Autocratic Tsarist system, not strictly a Capitalist system, due to the lack of industrialisation. This system of government had weakened after a series of reforms had been demanded, it eventually crumbled away leading a period of political tempest and reformation, this was then succeeded by the revolutions of the Bolsheviks, a group of Russian-Marxist Zealots led by Lenin, they seized power and later became the Communist Party. From the onset the Communist party were faced with a indomitable task, to take a country as backward as Russia and speed up the economy, prepare the people for twentieth century life and later industrialise to a similar level as the rest of Europe, whilst at the same time becoming a military power. Russia had been devastated from World War I and the only way to succeed in bringing any remote prosperity to the land was through a method of rule which involved suppressing individual power and concentrating every into state hands. The result was a term that very much summed up the Communist rule, ‘Totalitarianism’, in a way this was similar to the autocratic rule of the Tsar, but the consequences were promised to be better than the hardship and backwardness of the nineteenth century. The totalitarian system of government was not quite as apparent under Lenin’s rule as his was under his successor’s leadership. Such was the totalitarian extent of Joszef Stalin’s rule that many have substituted the word ‘Totalitarianism’ for ‘Stalinism’. The police state was everything, harsh discipline and economic limitations had to be imposed for success purposes. The government had total power, citizens were basically a tool of the state, used for work and as a catalyst to reach the utopian goal. This form of rule however, was in no way the method of reaching the utopia society that Marx had foreseen, there was absolutely no way forward for the people of Russia. This became apparent by the late 1980’s, when over thirty years after the death of the tyrant Stalin, the USSR was still managed in an authoritarian method, a huge bureaucratic regime where the people were distanced from the management and the communication routes for individual expression lay false and laden with danger. Official word of the Soviet government however was still promoting the false dream that the Socialist state had been achieved and that pure Communism was only a heartbeat away. It would not be fair to say that the Bolshevik system had replaced one evil for greater one. Since the second World War, the state of Russia had made huge strides towards security both economically and socially. By the 1980’s the USSR had become the world’s second highest ranked industrial country, living standards had risen significantly (although still lower than that of the Western Countries), and scientific and technological advances helped illustrate that the government had made good strides into educating a workforce quite capable of intelligent thought. However, coupled with this was the fact that the government was still of totalitarian stock and therefore had only reached the pivotal stage in Marxist theory, the dictatorship of the masses. There was no way that this could have progressed towards the final utopia. By the end of the decade this had finally dawned upon society, Nationalist uprisings throughout the Soviet Bloc, and internal political disagreements led to the final dissolution of the Soviet rule in 1991. The people of the great Soviet Union had been led on too long, they had finally decided that the decades of low economic standards and harsh militarial rule were no longer aimed at reaching the goal, they were just installed now to keep the people quiet. The people were grateful for the changes that had been made but were now impressed by the high standards of living that were rumoured about in the west. When the ‘Iron Curtain’ finally fell, the state of Eastern Europe was not one of complete turmoil, but the picture painted was of one of hardship, violence and oppression. If this was pure Communism then Capitalism need have very few worries. If Communism involved a police state and oppression, then at the other end of the scale was liberalism, a political ideal that was the exact opposite, designed to combat these exact values and create a state that was fit for mankind to live in humanely. European Liberalism can be first documented from the time of the French Revolution. The 1789 revolution draws largely upon liberalism as the reason why they are revolting against the oppression and autocratic rule. The classic quote from the ‘Declaration of the rights of man and the citizen’ reads ‘protection of the unprescriptable rights of liberty, security, property and resistance to oppression.’ These were basic rights that every man should have, it is a kind of humanitarian ‘communism’ whereby everybody is equal as a man and everybody is equal in front of the law, regardless of wealth or status. These ideals recurred in every demand by liberals for reform from that moment on. Following the rise of the new European Middle Classes in the early nineteenth century, a new challenge arose to those who had the power due to being born into the right family. The educated society outside of nobility were tired of being oppressed into accepting the ‘blue blooded’ constitutions that had evolved over centuries. They did not believe in the divine right to rule. They felt that the true way to run a country was through electoral motion, whereby a Parliament of educated and responsible elite took the power away from the ‘blue blood’ and made democratic decisions over what was right for the country they lived in. Yet because they were not committed revolutionaries intent on causing havoc until their demands were met, they were making very few steps towards achieving their goal of the liberal and Parliamentary society, especially when faced with experienced ministers as Metternich, the ‘main man’ in the Hapsburg Dynasty of Austria. Their suggestions were constantly laughed off, that was until 1848 when things finally came to a head. Early in this year the revolutions that had been imminent throughout Europe for almost twenty years finally were set into motion. These revolutions had been expected for a long while, the national revolutionaries were the most recognised groups fighting for change. However this time they were joined by a number of Liberal Revolutionary groups. Most of the liberals came from middle-class backgrounds and were businessmen fighting for the right to self-government and personal liberty, demanding that the servant-culture so apparent throughout the monarchical countries be severed and replaced with a freedom of speech for all policy. They managed to turn a few heads when at the end of the revolutions, their manifesto had been well received, and what seemed like a group of almost revolutionaries had managed to alter the course of political, social and economic history forever. However, with hindsight it is noted by major historians that the 1848 revolutions which had seemed so successful were not quite what they were thought to be. Trevelyan writes ‘1848 was the turning point at which modern history failed to turn.’ Recent historians suggest that 1848 did not bring much social and political change, this however is only apparent when looking from a liberal perspective, not from a nationalist view. In a number of ways liberalism ties in very well with Nationalism and the fact that both had their roots lie in the French Revolution promotes a sense of enormous brotherhood amongst them. The nationalists above all follow the idea that the ‘source of all sovereignty lies in the nation’, whilst the liberals have an intense dislike of Conservative Foreign powers. The nationalists in this sense were not racially orientated, nor were they into any kind of aggression about expansion and power, they basically wanted the same sort of brotherhood that the liberals wanted. One where the nation treats everybody similarly in the eyes of the law, and a nation where the rule of a number of elite intelligentsia will work for the greatness of that nations and not for the greatness of themselves. If liberalism was the glue that helped to initiate the revolutions of 1848, then Nationalism was by far the brush that it was applied with, it was the forerunning catalyst that engaged the need change. It was their campaign that led to the clash with the old orders and eventually caused them to give somewhat. The revolts had started a process of modernisation amongst the European System of governing, some of these changes were not strictly in keeping with the aims of the nationalist idealists. One of the more notable leaps into modernisation was the arrival of the new conservative rulers who realised that to pacify the masses they must appeal to them in a way that would suit their interests. Rulers who had before seen themselves as the divine ruler and kept unquestionable power were now beginning to see the benefits they would receive if they adopted a favourable stance towards nationalism. Before they had been opposed to Nationalism but now they saw it as a way of making the masses accept them as a king or queen, the masses could relate more to a leader if they were seen to be working for the greatness of the country at large, some rulers even went one step further by setting up institution that would now concentrate more power into the citizen’s hands. Whilst this was going on, German and Italian middle class liberalists who had failed to realise unification through the use of liberal tactics now turned away from their allegiance in favour of adopting a more nationalist stance. Middle class militants throughout Europe now grew closer intent on securing the goal of Conservative Liberalism and soon the prospect of two new states of Germany and Italy was shining through the previous dark clouds. In the Italian state of Piedmont, Camillio di Cavour was Prime Minister, he had been implementing economic policies that were proving admirable to the Italians of nearby states. His liberal stance was realised by the calculated leaders of some of the more powerful modernising states throughout Europe. They came to him with a redrawn map of political Europe with an aim of creating a new Kingdom of Italy. He already had the admiration of most nearby Italians, he was then left to use political diplomacy in order to force the Austrians out of Italy, his plans and policies proved successful and the new Italian Kingdom was just about complete when all but two states had joined the kingdom dominated by Piedmont, those two states joined ten years later. His cunning policy had gained him the success in creating a united Italian state, this was the success that had been eluding the more idealistic nationalists that wished for the same result. The same sort of thing was going on in Germany whereby Prussian Minister-President Otto Von Bismarck, was following similar policies to Cavour and soon had initiated the German state. However, in contrast to Cavour, Bismarck had won mass support for his king and together they devised a type of Nationalism that was more conservative and incorporated Bourgeois economics and popular authoritarianism. This conservative Nationalism allowed Bismarck to modernise the economy and constitution in Germany without having to become a liberal. Once these states were achieving political modernity the whole of Europe began a process of economic modernisation. This allowed the already industrialised states to become highly industrial, and also for the rest to join the industrial revolution. These changes in political styles of governing allowed the way for new breakthroughs in science and technology. Major breakthroughs in natural science coincided with the idea that science was now the way to answer all theoretical questions about life, humanity and other relevant topics. No longer the romanticism of the philosophical answers, idealism was now a thing of the past and the stage was set for the realist attitude that had been sweeping European politics to become the new and socially approved way of thinking. Nationalism provided the chance for members of the old order to restructure the way that they governed their lands, the people had called for change and conservative nationalism had provided the answer. However with Nationalism came the patriotic idea, and the danger that lay within this idea was that it could become too fierce. This did indeed happen and the resulting political ideal was perhaps the most dangerous we have seen throughout history, Fascism. The basic concept of Fascism was to ensure a process of regeneration in the areas of the social, economic and cultural ways of life through the concept of ethnic belonging and identity. Fascism was a strictly conflict theory and quite violently rejected liberal ideas such as freedom of expression and individual rights. The way Fascism works is that it is so extremely nationalist that it often leads to wars and destruction. The concept of Fascism really only arose in the early part of the twentieth century, even though it was not widely popular, there was usually a Fascist group operating in every country of any significance. The key to Fascist success lay within the mass destruction and suffering that had occurred in World War I, coupled with this physical devastation a number of countries were also in the middle of political upheaval. The fierce patriotism that resulted would be played upon by the Fascist groups. However it is safe to say that with the quite notable exceptions of Germany and Italy, Fascism in itself never managed to do much in the rest of Europe. In both Italy and Germany the Fascist movements managed to manouvere themselves into power, which would last until the end of World War II. The result as we know is a period of intense totalitarian rule that would lead to the deaths of millions of people. It seems easy to write but it is almost impossible to get across on paper exactly how in tense this Fascist-era was. The major Fascist force throughout Europe was the Nazi Party in Germany, although Mussolini was the founder of the ideal and the first leader, he was in effect extremely weak and ineffective. Hitler’s Germany on the other hand was a well-oiled Fascist bandwagon that kept going from strength to strength. Hitler’s plans to destroy an old and unfit Germany and replace it with the most potent nation in the world was no secret. Through the abolition of democracy and such institutions causing a person to choose, Hitler’s Nazis managed to remove anything that would cause National divisions. The replacement was the implementation of the Third Reich ideal, something that the German’s as a people could work towards, the core and the roots of the new healthy Germany. The Third Reich promoted German culture, youth and it’s importance to securing future strength and above all an allegiance to the Aryan ideal both physically and mentally. Nazism used this ethnic ideal to create it’s foreign policy, this was the same foreign policy that would lead to world war. Firstly it involved the unification of all German’s into a mother country, then once that objective had been fulfilled they would initiate the imperial policy of a Nazified Europe free from all racial enemies. It was this myth of Nazi superiority that really appealed the Germans as a people. Nazi literature would write of scientific proof that Natural Selection had led the Aryan to becoming the most advanced race on Earth, this theory of Social-Darwinism also prescribed that the Jewish race were the ‘primates on the chart’, the least evolved of all races, and it was this that was supposed to excuse the barbaric nature with which they were dealt with. This culturally based belief was one of the two most significant parts of Nazism as a political ideal. The second was the development of a modern economic structure and a modern social stratification system. Even after the devastating terms of the Treaty of Versailles, German society was still one of the most advanced in the world. The Governmental infrastructure was superior and the standards of education and living really were good in context. Coupled with the huge economic potential of industry Germany were still near the top of the power structure in Europe. One advantage that the German’s had, was their deep belief in culture and identity. They respected their history and had utmost respect for great Germans, this is why they were not really ready for democracy. They had been living under Autocratic rule for a long time and to simply adjust is not as easy as it sounds, it was almost inevitable that a dictatorship be formed as the people were more or less crying out for it . Hitler’s take on Fascism was far more extreme and committed than that of Mussolini’s. The German had a great deal more commitment to the Totalitarian principle, the race based ideology. Mussolini on the other hand was a little more liberal and didn’t really have a watertight plan as to his aims. This is not to say that the Italian was not committed, and Italian Fascism is still radical. In Italy Fascism was far less effective than in Germany and it did not really enter into peoples lives as much as the German take on it. However the two ideals came together when it came to overall aims, for Italy the idea was a rebirth of the Roman empire that once had made Italy so great; for Germany the concept was the re-aryanisation of Europe to create the ideal national community. Vitally important to both states were the state economies. Germany’s economy had been struggling since the double impact of the Ruhr crisis and the Wall Street Crash, she had been keeping extremely low reserves of foreign currency and her Balance of Payments was in drastic deficit. However, the Nazis employed Schacht to control the economy, he was a supremely efficient economist and by clever manipulation managed to produce impressive and more than stable results. The Italian economy on the other hand was fluctuating between ‘bad’ and ‘worse’ when Mussolini and his crew took charge. Mussolini took on board his own concept of the ‘corporate state’, whereby socio-economic classes lived and ruled themselves in harmony. The ‘corporate state’ however was merely a myth and the result was that behind it Mussolini was approving economic supremacy for propertied interest. The plan for it to yield prosperity for all was ludicrous. The Nazi party were also in the business of creating a huge social change throughout Germany, this was a plan to create a harmonious people who would stay allied to the cause. This was not quite as important as the economic program but no less effort went into it to ensure that it was successful. The truth is however that no matter how hard they tried the Nazis could not attain the social revolution they wished for. In the end they had to settle for a contented society, not one who were happy all the time with the government. One thing that they did manage though was the near elimination of unemployment, this was a minor miracle in itself, especially considering that in 1929 almost 6 million Germans were receiving no salary at all. The rise in production and sales figures for consumer goods in the early thirties suggest a rise in the standard of living. Because of the lack of commitment in Italy, the Fascist period for them was one of a decline in living standards, researchers have found it hard to put an accurate estimate on the extent of the decline, but one of the best estimates is that a farm labourer lost half of the value of his real wages in the period 1929-1937. One thing that the Fascists did give was a range of benefits for the worker, such as sick pay, holiday pay, severance pay and end of year bonuses. Many of these benefits were important to the Fascists and their success is easy to see as most are still in use today in all industrial countries. Over the past 150 years, it is quite clear that some of the political ideas have in some way or another influenced the change and development that has occurred in society. Some have influenced society in a positive way, whilst others have perhaps added a negativity to society. Socialism has helped highlight the fact that it is easy for Capitalist systems to neglect and exploit the worker. The reaction to this has been to make a number of reforms and draw up a list of workers rights. If Socialism had not been realised then even today we may still see men growing extremely rich upon the exploitative toils of the common worker. As it is men do grow rich off of workers toils but the exploitation is certainly not considered a regular problem in European society. The extremity of Socialism, Communism however has illustrated that attempts to create utopian societies are more or less in vain as human nature dictates that the equality and economic similarity cannot be achieved. Liberalism and Nationalism are perhaps the most influential political ideals that have come about in the last century and a half. They have helped design the standard style of government for contemporary society, whereby democracy prevails and the issues of the masses are dealt with in a way that best suits them by people they have elected to represent them. The Nationalist approach has seen the modernisation of economies and encouraged all European countries to industrialise. This has been for the good of all as a more stable economy creates greater employment and subsequently a better standard of living. The Fascist and Nazi dawns have obviously shed a darker light on the development of society. They have shown how barbaric people can really be, however had they not occurred then society would be a different place. They have helped show that in a multi-cultural society extreme racism is not acceptable, and hopefully with the disastrous consequences they inflicted upon themselves, they will have dissuaded people today who may have the urge to try and take over Europe. The basic underlying theme is that without these ideals then the world as we know it today would be different, our economies have been modernised by them, our living standards have been raised by them and our political influence has been greatened by them, these are the three most significant changes they have influenced and the fact they have covered social, economic and political factors is an example of how important the development of new political theories and ideals is. What these political ideals have left us with is the latest theory, and the one that many societies use today, Liberal-Capitalism is believed to be the end of history. The way in which free market business is encouraged, yet the exploitation of the common worker is not the norm. Whether this is the end of history is yet to be determined, for we don’t know whether Marx’s pure, utopian Communist society will happen, or whether a Fascist regime that has all the appeal to control Europe could occur. In my opinion these ideals have contributed to the development of the fairest society possible today, but tomorrow who knows?

Competition and Market Analysis for Red Bull

Competition and Market Analysis for Red Bull This paper investigates the competition analysis of Red Bull energy drink in the market and deciding about its competitive advantage if there is any. Some information about the energy drink market in general is presented. This is followed by product, company background and history is presented. Then we analyzed Red Bulls brand positioning and direct competitors. Afterward, analyze and classify the features of Red Bull through macro and micro factors to determine the strength of competition. This followed by looking at Red Bulls marketing mix. We will identify the problems and opportunities of Red Bull. For that part we are going to search for data about market segments and market share of Red Bull and its competitors. To support all this we are going to make a local market quantitative survey in the city of Abu Dhabi using a questionnaire targeting youth aged 18-34. The Market When looking into Energy drinks market, we can notice a doubling increase since they were first introduced into the United States and Europe. The current U.S. domestic market may be around $4 billion and is expected to reach an estimated US $15 billion by 2011. The reasons for the increasing demand for energy drinks are attributed to consumers concerns about time stress to keep balance between work-life and private life. Consequently the market is bombarded with many new energy drinks, with strange names and claims of a higher energy increase compared to the prior brands to find their way in the market. There are, however, a few major energy drinks that control most of the market and do not have too much amounts of caffeine. In addition to caffeine, a range of other energetic ingredients as taurin, Guarana, and B vitamins are added into energy drinks to make them more effective. New probable developments are geared toward increasing the health functionality of energy drinks which will increase market approval due to a growing society obsessed by health. The Energy drink market is not only limited to products or brands competing with each other but it also includes the whole non alcoholic drink market. Many outside factors have influenced the demand for this market such as the increasing attractiveness of health lifestyles and sports club membership. -Company and Product Review Red Bull is classified as a soft drink. It is a non alcoholic stimulus drink with an absolutely exclusive formulation consisting of  two natural substances and important metabolic transmitters such as, amino acid, taurin and glucuronolacton in addition to stimulating caffeine, vitamins and carbohydrates. It gives stimulation and revitalizes the body after effort and activates the human performance both mentally and physically. The industry is capital-intensive: average annual profits per production worker are about $700,000. History of Red Bull market expansion In 1982, Dietrich Mateschitz, originator of Red Bull and Chalerm Yoovidhya, decided to enter the market of energy drink which was controlled by Japan and Thailand at that time. In 1987, the product was first introduced to Austria which was a difficult market for Red Bull to carry on. Shortly Mateschitz developed a marketing strategy and as a result the product became well known in Austria and extended into Hungry and the rest of Germany. After that Red Bull has been successfully recognized world-wide and has reached a market leader position in 20 countries- in Europe, Asia and the USA. By 1997, Red Bulls buzz marketing strategy proved successful in the U.S. The following timeline shows the expansion of Red Bull in the market.  [1]   Date Market Expansion 1987 Austria 3.5. (not mature market) 1994 UK, Germany and Eastern Europe 3.6. 1997 US and South Africa 3.5. 3.6. 2006 Japan 3.7. (very mature market) When Mateschitz realized that a great sporting event could be useful, Red Bull started sponsoring about 500 extreme sports athletes and hosting stylish parties. Events are now hosted by Red Bull throughout the world such as the Xgames and the Red Bull Air Races and thus their tagline, gives you wings is known worldwide. Product Review The following table sums up the product review  [2]   Cost $2.00 Cost Per Ounce $0.25 Active Red Bull Ingredients Caffeine, Taurine, B-Vitamins, Sugar Taste Rating 7.5 Kick Rating: 8.0 Final Judgment Rating: 9 Its the original energy drink! Red Bulls mission is to stretch their wings over the world. It is a short phrase that communicates vivid information about the brand. This slogan which is used in all Red Bull campaigns worldwide is creating strong brand awareness of the product and is connecting between the brand and the product type. They are expanding rapidly into global market. They are keen on keeping Red Bull values, while maintaining the control position in the energy drinks category by delivering better-quality customer service in a highly experienced and commercial manner. Direct Competitors Although Red Bull still maintains a dominant position in many significant markets, it is no longer the only player. The major challenge to Red Bulls leading position has come from US-based imitators: Monster, Rockstar and Full Throttle which have introduced price competition to the segment and this is possible to have become more and more important during the depression periods. Monster energy drink does its best to be like Red Bull. The taste is similar, the ingredients are identical, and they target the male/18-25 demographic. Though, they do have one different advantage over Red Bullquantity. The Monster energy drink comes in a 16 oz. can, whereas Red Bull only offers 8.3 oz cans. So, youre essentially getting twice the product at the same price ($2 per can) Rockstar competitive energy drink whose motto is party like a Rockstar, targeted at the younger consumers who want to be wild and crazy and spend all night dancing. There are a number of flavors of Rockstar cola, energy drink, and juiced. The energy drink is similar in taste to all the others, whereas the cola product has the best taste. The juiced version is said to be 70% real fruit juice and 100% energy. They were the first to use the 16oz larger size, and this has fixed and become the standard. Only Red Bull continues to market the smaller cans, which is part of their image. Full Throttle is manufactured and owned by Coca Cola, just like their Coke Blak mixture of coffee/cola drink. Full Throttle energy drink is marketed as a rebellious drink, with erupting flames on the can. An 8 oz. serving has 110 calories (comes in a 16 oz can) and 29g of sugar. It also includes things like ginseng extract and plenty of caffeine. Full Throttle comes with a citrus taste and a red can. Full Throttle was first introduced to the market in 2005. It is targeted at 20-30 year old men, and contains Taurine like Red Bull. From the above stated information we can find that: 1-Monster is similar to Red bull in taste, but only targets males. It has two advantages over RB in price and quantity which is double size of RB. 2- Rockstar is double the size and Price as it is 1.99$ so it is cheaper than RB. 3-Full Throttle has the same taste and ingredients as RB, but it has advantage of quantity and price There are also other industries where Red Bull GmbH  competes such as sports, leisure and recreation. The Brand Positioning In spite of the competition, Red Bull resembles a new type of drinks called the energy drinks. In this new market sector Red Bull has a branding as a top border brand product. The brand positioning of Red Bull comes from the benefits of the product and the brand image. The positioning message of Red Bull is Red Bull vitalizes Body and Mind. This positioning idea has become the unique brand personality of Red Bull, which can be explained below. Sarcastic Self confident Intelligent Innovative Humorous, charming Individualist Impulsive It can be assumed that the positioning idea of Red Bull has created the best energy drink status among the target market. It is also clear that customers appear to be attracted to the general appearance and brand of Red Bull. The positioning strategy of Red Bull aims at best product, top price and top profitability. As for the price, Red Bull has a position in which it can command a best price because there is nothing to compare it with. It is an exclusive useful drink, promising and offering benefits that cannot be offered by any other drink. Threats of new entrants The most significant development in the market of energy drinks and the main direct competitor to Red Bull is the new product from Coca Cola, Relentless. It is also cheaper because it is sold in can double the size of Red Bull but the same price. -First-mover advantage has disappeared as the market has matured. Red Bull is the giant of the stimulant drink industry, in comparison to Coca Cola and Pepsi in the cola market. Red bull has achieved economic level which would allow them to be the most competitive price in the market. Although there is a price gap between Red Bull and other cheaper energy drinks, it seems that Red Bull has surmounted the position segment of the market due to its marketing strategy which is considered a huge barrier to entry. Red bull has a strong brand power that impresses loyal customers and consequently they can charge high prices even when competition comes from Coca Cola. Analysis of Macro and Micro factors affecting the attractiveness of Red Bull in the market Macro factors Political and Legal Forces When Red Bull was first introduced into the market as a new non-alcoholic drink labeled with a new idea as an energy drink, the Health Organisation was doubtful that Red Bull could be an appetizer medicine. Rumors saying that Red Bull contains ingredients like bulls galls, added to their doubts. But confidence in the product increased due to the fact that Red Bull has been used in the Australian market for 9 years and in the Asian market for 30 years without any registered complaints. Moreover a study conducted by an independent institute (ISME) in 1998 proved that although Red Bull has stimulating effects like caffeine, it does not lead to addiction. On the other hand Red Bull still needs approval from each country to be sold. This procedure is time consuming and consequently costly. Some countries still have suspicions about Red Bull. According to msnbc.com in May, 2009, Six German states have asked retailers to stop selling Red Bull Cola energy drinks after a test found a trace amount of cocaine. However authorities say the drug level was too low to cause a health risk. Countries such as Denmark, Norway, and France have banned the sale of Red Bull. This means that legal factors have a high negative effect on RB Economical Factors Red Bull is hardly affected by economic periods of expansion and contraction because it is a particular drink, serving a niche market. Red Bull target market includes sportsmen/women as well as hard working people. The main consumers of the product are Athletes, night clubbers, shift workers, executives and long-distance drivers. Despite the availability of few substitutes, the sales of Red Bull are increasing through their well positioned advertisements. This factor has low influence on RB. Socio-Cultural Factors When the product was first introduced people had doubts about the product and nobody wanted to try it. But now due to change of peoples lifestyle, people are now much more open for new experiences. In addition they are confident to try it, because any health concerns were cleared by organisations like the ISME. The consumers are male and females regardless of age who are very sporty or work very hard. Longer working hours as well as increased road traffic led to more need for energy boost. Nowadays Red Bull has a very stylish image and is sold in a lot of supermarkets and clubs (See the graph which illustrates the categories of males and females consumers)  [3]   Technological factors Red Bull is totally manufactured in Austria where it is exported to 28 countries. There are two reasons why it is not manufactured in any other country; first, to guarantee taste reliability and to make sure that Red Bull tastes the same all over the world. Secondly in that way the formula will be kept securely in one place. Red Bull is normally produced in 250ml cans, but glass bottles are an alternative jus in case they do not have enough cans as it once happened. Energy drink Red Bull, uses electronic points of sale (EPOS) data. This system allows customers research team to check the distribution of Red Bull. This system points out the gaps that can be returned to the retailers. Environmental factors Red bulls cans are environmentally friendly because they are made of recyclable aluminum. Glass bottles can also be recycled and therefore do not damage the environment either. This might give the product a competitive advantage when rules become stricter and more equal throughout Europe as well as in the rest of the world. http://researchwikis.com/Energy_Drinks_Market Micro Factors 6.1 Bargaining Power of Buyers: Top 4 Energy Drinks by 2010 Market Share Rank Energy Drink Parent Company Market Share 1 Red Bull Privately Held 42.6% 2 Monster Hansen Natural 14.4% 3 Rockstar Privately Held 11.4% 4 Full Throttle Coca-Cola Company(KO) 6.9% By working out the concentration ratio of the 4 top energy drinks brands as seen in the above table it will be possible to come to the relative size of the products in relation to the industry as a whole and to determine the market form of the industry. By using the four-firm concentration ratio we find that it is 75.3% which is high, and is bordering between oligopoly and monopoly, In this concentrated market the customers dont have high bargaining power which enables Red Bull to position high prices. Moreover, other products may find it difficult to compete with the brand loyalty due to the huge advertising spending of Red Bull. Consumers in energy drink market are not actually aware of price because they are Consumer with high income and buy it when it is required to regenerate their energy after a long day of hard work. The relationship between the manufacturer and retailer has developed along the market lifecycle resulting in swing of power. The fame of energy drinks has created a market pull where retailers have no real bargaining place. The extent of bargaining power differs according to the distribution channel. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Red Bull production process is to some extent simple therefore the power of the suppliers is apparently rather low. The added value at each stage leads to large profits. Suppliers can only enter energy drink market through the brand-owner, thus the balance of power is in the favour of the brand owner. -Threats of substitute products Red Bull is a fast moving consumer product and, consequently, it mainly depends on desire purchasing. Although price sensitivity is a low factor inside the target segments, handiness is the average purchase criteria. Red Bull has successfully created a position where product substitution threats are low due to the brand power and customer loyalty. On the other hand, there are other products substituting the need for caffeinated drinks with less sugar and a better blend of carbohydrates and protein that give a greater energy enhancement. Also drinking plenty of fluids, such as water and herbal tea are useful. The market is full of better alternatives than relying on expensive energy drinks that only give you a momentary feeling of energy. The Marketing Mix Strategy Red Bull has its own marketing which is different from the Marketing Mix Theory based on the 4 P ´s. Red Bulls own  Marketing Mix Strategy is consisting of [ 1] the mediaadvertising category, [2] sports-and event sponsoring and [3] sampling. In 2008, Red Bull spent on marketing approximately more than 1 million$ which equals 30% of its revenue. Media Advertising Red Bull uses all the available media channels such as cinema, TV, radio, press and the internet in order to reach its main target market-young people. Thus they successfully advertise in TV shows like T.F.I. Friday and in magazines like Time Out and mens health. By doing so, they let the consumers understand the product and decide about the moments they can use it themselves. Red Bull realizes this by an amusing and humorous cartoon campaign, through which they easily send the message that this energy drink helps you to escape by giving you wings. The idea of communicating with the consumer in the form of a simple cartoon makes the people enjoy the campaigns and at the same time remember the brands name and the message it delivers. Sports-and Event-Sponsoring The company also uses sponsoring in their marketing mix strategy. Red Bull does event sponsoring either by creating its own events (i.e. Red Bull Music Academy .) or by promoting other events (i.e. Speed Ski World Championship). This strategy means that Red Bull brand appears in the form of logos and stickers and that the product  ´s target market is accurately defined. The image, the reliability and the visibility of the product are supported by sponsoring specific events where the peoples attention is drawn to the product. Red Bull sponsors the athlete target market where Red Bull is always needed in extreme sports such as free climbing and motorsports and fun sports as well. Sampling Sampling is another very important part of their three component -marketing system. The methods used are well tested and proven in other markets. The main purpose of Red Bull is to boost the company samples at the right place and at the right time by finding its precise target market such as driving, studying, working night shifts and sports. Sampling is conducted in a charming way by extremely motivated and cultured employees of Red Bull. All their equipment is the product, a free range of clothes and a small, but very attractive sampling car. Red Bull is following the basic sampling rules consisting of: never force the product always explain the benefits of the product drink always a full can ( 250 ml) It must always be cooled being cautious about whom are sampling the product Surveying the local market To have some information about Red Bulls brand image and how the people see it, we made a questionnaire of 3 sections including 13questions. The survey targeted males and females whose age is between 18-34 living in or near Abu Dhabi. 22 % of the respondents are females, whereas 78 % are males. We used Emails to send and collect back the questionnaires. Significant findings The energy drinks market proposes the following drinks: Red Bull, on top then come power Horse, and Monster, The best known beverage is in the city of Abu Dhabi and avenues, is Red Bull as 88 % of the respondents have tasted it and the majority of these people find it good (41 %). The other data have no significance. The most common consumption rate for energy drinks is occasional: 80 % drink occasionally drink and 20 % frequently. With relation to Red Bull, which of the following is important to your purchase?     For 58 % of the people, find the physical boost is important. 36.4 % of the total respondents are influenced to buy Red Bull because it is sponsored by athletes and some related it to formula 1.the taste of the beverage is an extremely important criterion. The smell and the energizing properties are very important (with respectively 45 % and 42 %). The design of the can does not influence so many consumers: 9.1%  buy the drink because of the design. Where do you buy Red Bull? 80% present of the respondents buy it from supermarkets whereas 20% buy it from fending machines at petrol stations. What is the first word that springs to mind when you hear the words Red Bull? 60% said superman, 30% wrote formula1, and 10% said flying in the air Which tag line, if any, do you most associate with Red Bull? 70% chose Brain and body energy, whereas 30%chose Gives you wings Which sports do you most associate with Red Bull? 55% Formula1 and 25 % said motorbikes, 10%responded Golf and 10% chose Athletic 90% described Red Bull as the best energy drink in the market and 10% finds it suitable for their lifestyle Result People dont buy Energy drinks because they really need it but because this need is created by the manufacturer. It is the big advertising campaign which has convinced people to accept this product. Red Bull has been the first energy drink in the market. Red Bulls target is people who need energy and concentration such as sportsmen and students. For that reason, the company sponsors numerous sports events: Formula 1, Xtreme competition. Red bull gives you wings. It is the famous slogan that makes consumers think that Red Bull gives more energy than usual. The result is that the Red Bull has quickly got success by young people. Red Bull keeps on marketing by this young generation. more Conclusion When Red Bull was first introduced, it was easily imitated because the ingredients were printed on the can and the product was not patented. Although the taste of Red Bull did not do well in taste tests, it succeeded due to the marketing strategy. It can be said that Red Bull was not only the first energy drink to be in competition with soft drinks but also created the new energy drink type in the majority of markets. After Red Bull hit the market in the late 90s till the present, many other companies entered the energy drink market but unable to compete with it. Red Bulls has approximately 100 major competitors and the main competitors are Monster, Rock Star and Full Throttle. Many substitute products have been introduced and categorized as energy drinks such as Iceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ T creating an energy drink called Liquid Ice, Nellys Pimp Juice and Lil Johns, Crunk Juice. Although these competitors are present in the market no other energy drink could maintain Red Bulls 70à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  90% of the market share it has in over 100 countries all over the world. Problems and Opportunities: Problems: Red Bull is not a patented drink product, therefore anyone is able to choose a can, read the ingredients on the label and start their own business. That is why the market is flooded by competition. In addition, Red Bull as well as all other energy drinks and supplements, have received negative reports from a medical point of view. Elevated amounts of caffeine and sugar can lead to adverse effects on heart and blood pressure. Opportunities: Red Bull is one of the most popular energy drinks in the world. They earned this position by intelligent, consistent marketing strategy. Red Bull has the opportunity to maintain their position and develop a continuing pace to aim their niche target consumers by seriously using untraditional and traditional marketing strategies. Red Bull has a competitive advantage over its competitors As we have seen Red Bull is an international energy drink that is sold by Red Bull GmbH. In 2006, more than 3 billion cans were sold in more than 130 countries. -Red Bull has a continual international marketing strategy by sponsoring a variety of great sports to promote a cool public image and enhance brand power. -The product has remained the top energy drink throughout its growth due its effective marketing strategy. The product speaks for itself and its consumers do not report any complaints despite of negative publicity Red Bull has developed a sugar free option. -Red bull has this competitive advantage not only because other drinks that follow it are not as appealing in packaging, marketing, but also because Red Bull is aware of their marketing challenges and they are continually changing and developing their marketing philosophy to overcome and avoid possible competitors. Red Bull Consumer Questionnaire This questionnaire is all about Red Bulls consumers and targets males and females between 18 and 34 years old and based in the Abu Dhabi. Section 1(background) Please specify your age group by putting an x in the box that applies to you. 18-21 22-25 26-29 30-34 2) Where do you live? Please specify closest town/city. Abu Dhabi   Shahama Shamkha   Bani Yass Samha 3) What is your gender? M/F Please specify. Section 2( Loyalty) 1) Are you familiar with the Red Bull brand? Yes/No Please enter in the box. If your answer is no then please do not go past question 3 of this section and I thank you for your time. 2) Which of these drinks are you most aware of? Please rank your top three 1 being youre most aware and put an x beside any others you are aware of. Monster Rockstar Red Bull Power Horse Full Throttle Others please state 3) Which of these drinks would you buy, if applicable? Please rank your top three 1 being your first choice Rockstar Red Bull Power horse Full Throttle Others please state 4- With relation to Red Bull, which of the following is important to your purchase? Please rank each option by putting a circle around the appropriate number. Important Un-important Taste 1 A Hydration 1 B Physical Boost 1 C Mental Stimulant 1 D Sponsored Athletes 1 E Price 1 F Availability 1 G Image 1 H Can shape, colours and size 1 I Association with Extreme Sports 1 J Others please stateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and rank 1 5) Where do you buy Red Bull? Please underline all that apply. Wholesaler Supermarket Independent Retailer Vending Machine Restaurant Hotel Other please state : Section 3 Brand Image 1) What is the first word that springs to mind when you hear the words Red Bull? Please specify your word in the box. 2) Which tag line, if any, do you most associate with Red Bull? Please choose a tag line by underlining it Stimulation for body and mind Brain and body energy   Gives you wings   Your sport, our science 3) Which sports do you most associate with Red Bull? Please rank the sports 1-5 with which you most associate Red Bull. 1 being the highest Please also put an x beside any other sports you associate with Red Bull. Golf Formula 1 Skiing/Snowboarding Mountain biking Athletics Cricket Surfing Motorbikes Skateboarding Obscure Extreme Sports 4) Which sports do you partake in regularly? Please list in the box provided. 5) Does any Red Bull advert stand out in your mind? If so please describe the advert in the box provided. 6) Please try to describe Red Bulls packaging. Please describe any colours and/or emblems in the box provided. 7) How would you rate Red Bulls image? Please rank your option by circling the appropriate number. Cool Un-cool 1 2 3 4 5 8) Which of the following statements if applicable best describes why you buy Red Bull? Please make your selection by underlining the appropriate statement. a) Red Bull fits my lifestyle choice. b) Red Bull has an image Id like to be associated with. It provides me with a welcome energy boost. c) It gets my mind in gear. d) It provides good value against the competition. e) Its the best energy drink on the market. f) It tastes good on its own or as a mixer.

Critical Analysis of the Story The Sky is Gray by Ernest Gaines Essay

Critical Analysis of the Story The Sky is Gray by Ernest Gaines The title of the story â€Å"The Sky is Gray† by Ernest Gaines is ironic. It suggests at first the bleak mood of the story but also hints at hope in the future. Just as the clouds clear after a storm, James finds out on his trip to Bayonne that the stormy clouds that are his life are parting to let some sunshine through. Throughout the whole story, a very bleak mood is portrayed. The setting contributes to this gloominess. For example, the weather is awful. James, seeing how cold it was, said, â€Å"I seen the smoke coming out o’ the cow’s nose.† Later he says, â€Å"The sleet keep falling. Falling like rain now- plenty, plenty.† Once James turns up his collar to protect himself from the very windy conditions that also exist throughout the story. Another sign of the story’s gloominess is the fact that many of its scenes are without color. For example, the road in this story is very gray: â€Å"It’s a long old road, and far’s you can see you don’t see nothing but gravel,† as James put it. James also lets it be known that â€Å"the sky is gray† and that there isn’t much grass. Even the clothing that they wear is very dull-colored! James’ mother is â€Å"wearing that black coat and that black hat.† The story takes place during a war, which contributes to the overall gloomy setting of the story. â€Å"I wonder when us go’n see him again†¦Look like he ain’t ever coming home,† James laments, showing that his father went into the war and most likely is dead. The father’s absence leaves his family without adequate food, money, or manpower. The family’s poverty (which is partially due to the father’s absence) makes their future seem hopeless. The family lives in a poor, rural area, which was typical of black persons of their time. The family is crowded into a small, shabby home, so they must share rooms and beds. The family’s clothes are quite shabby too, for when James sees a mannequin in a store with new brown shoes, he looks at his own old shoes and thinks, â€Å"You wait till Summer†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The family does not even have enough money for some of life’s other necessities, such as food and medical care. For example, they eat bread and syrup every day for breakfast; and as James’ younger brother, Ty, said, â€Å"I’m getting tired of this old syrup. I want me some bacon sometime.† Beans are another bland food that J... ...le also recognizes James and his mother’s dignity. The woman lets James take her trash to the corner in exchange for the food (â€Å"Ernest [her husband] has a bad cold and can’t go out there.†). However, when James lifts the cans, he can feel that they are empty. When James and his mom are leaving, she asks the old lady if she sells salt meat (seeing that the old woman’s house is also a store). The old lady does, and Mama asks for two bits worth. The old woman knows that this isn’t much, so she tries to give mama more than her money’s worth. Mama notices this, so the old lady, trying to restore mama’s pride, eventually gives her the correct amount of salt meat for her money. Throughout the story, James begins to pass his mother’s tests for being a man of the household. For example, James doesn’t show the pain of his toothache, trying to appear strong for his family. He’s also learning to hide his fear, which shows in the â€Å"bird event.† The biggest test of all perhaps is when James learns that dignity (â€Å"you’re not a bum, you’re a man†) is more important than the chill wind. The reader is left hoping with James that soon the sun may finally peak through the clouds in his life.

Eliezer’s Relationship with God in Night

Hanging On: The Description of Eliezer's Relationship with God in Night World War II breaks out in Europe during the conclusion of the 1930s. Adolph Hitler plunges Germany into darkness while quickly moving to take over bordering countries with his army of Nazis. Eliezer, a boy no more than 15 years old, lives in Hungary, which is dangerously close to Germany. Along with many other Jews, Eliezer is deported from his home and into a world of unimaginable terror. Night is a memoir of those experiences and, more importantly, a stark reminder that these events should never be allowed to repeat themselves.The Holocaust presents one of the most disturbing theological dilemmas of the twentieth century. As a survivor of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel has to reevaluate God in his world. He does so through his writings, in which he questions God and tells us of the answers, or lack of answers, that he receives. In Night, author Elie Wiesel writes about his devotion as a child, religious observance s, and anger towards God to reveal how he is still a believer in the Jewish faith despite all that happen to him. Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Treblinka are just a few of the names which evoke nightmares of the Holocaust.The suffering and death at these and other concentration camps were greater than any before endured. Before the Holocaust he had been one of the most devout Jewish children. The Holocaust created a void in the souls of many of those who survived. Elie Wiesel was one of those people. Before the Holocaust he had been one of the most devout Jewish children. Up until the end he waited for God to intervene in Biblical fashion. When that intervention was not forthcoming, he began to doubt in God and in His mercy. He began to accuse God of cruelty against his people.After the torture was over, he had to reevaluate the role of God in his life. He could be forgiving of God and allow Him another chance, as many he had seen had done. Or he could take on the role of God to himsel f and try to define his own destiny. To deal with this, Wiesel has to question God and himself. He does so through his writing. Elie Wiesel tells his heart-wrenching story of his imprisonment in Nazi Germany. He overcame the odds with his strength and will to live. Elie was told by his father to never lose his faith of his religion it would help him through everything, and keep him strong.One should never lose faith or whatever guiding force that may keep them going. This faith was the only force that helped Elie to survive, and without this faith Elie would have surely succumbed to dying. The question now is how far does Elie’s belief in God and in his own faith helps him to go on. He receives many answers, though none are satisfactory. Wiesel thought of God before and during the Holocaust as both the protector and punisher of the Jewish people. Whatever had happened before, he had faith that it was for their good, or one of God's greater plans.Either way, he would accept Go d's will without questioning. When rumors of the Nazis' crimes first reached some of the outlying Jewish towns, like Wiesel's Sighet, no one believed them. The town felt that God was with them and would protect them from anything as horrible as what these rumors suggested. They felt safe and secure in their faith. â€Å"And we, the Jews of Sighet, were waiting for better days, which would not be long in coming now†(17). Others who did not feel guilty believed that God at least had a good reason for punishing the Jews. They thought it must be a test. God is testing us. He wants to find out whether we can dominate our base instincts and kill the Satan within us. We have no right to despair. And if he punishes us relentlessly, it's a sign that he loves us all the more†(53). Faith delayed the revolution that might have erupted in the camps. The younger people felt it would be better to die fighting than to go like lambs to the slaughter. They had knives and a strong will. B ut their elders reminded them, â€Å"You must never lose faith, even when the sword hangs over your head. That's the teaching of our sages†¦ †(40).As long as the elders were willing to accept God's will, the younger people were willing to respect their faith. They still had faith that God had a greater purpose in mind, and though they opposed the idea of suffering, they would suffer with pride that they are part of God's plan. And so Wiesel and his town were indoctrinated without incident into the camps, believing that if their faith endured, they would be saved. Soon the delusions faded and Wiesel began to doubt God. It was not easy for Wiesel to doubt in God, or he would not have held on to his faith with such tenacity.But sooner or later, the seeming meaninglessness of the suffering his people endured had to burst into the consciousness of his seemingly indomitable Jewish faith. In the face of the crematory pit, Elie Wiesel noted, â€Å"For the first time I felt revo lt rise up in me. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for? †(42). He awoke to the idea that he was â€Å"alone-terribly alone in a world without God†¦ †(75). Lack of faith turned quickly to despair. If God wouldn't save His children, who would? No one believed the rumors of peace and safety.In the hospital at Auschwitz, Wiesel met a man consumed with this kind of despair. He said, â€Å"I've got more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He's the only one who's kept his promises, all his promises, to the Jewish people. †(87). All around Wiesel, the number of faithful were dropping. As hard as they tried to hold on, Wiesel's people were finding it hard to believe in God and what He was allowing to happen. Others, like Wiesel, were given the burden of carrying the questions with them, never to be answered. At the hanging of the angel-faced pipel, Wiesel had an answer, when someone asked, † ‘Where is God now? And I heard a voice within me answer him: ‘Where is He? Here He is-He is hanging here on this gallows†¦ ‘ †(72). God died for the child Wiesel then. The destruction of his faith in the God of his childhood was complete. No longer did his name bring cries of praise from Wiesel. God seemed unworthy in the face of His worshipers to accept their worship. Wiesel cannot deny God His due. If anything he can question it and feel angry about it. He can even try to change it, by reevaluating God's role in the world. That is what many of those he encountered did once they got over the initial anger.Any answer cannot come from man, but from God himself. This is what Moshe the Beadle had tried to tell Wiesel when he was a young boy in Sighet, before the terrors of the Holocaust destroyed his life. Moshe said, â€Å"Man raises himself toward God by the questions he asks Him†¦ That is the true dialogue. Man question s God and God answers. But we don't understand His answers. We can't understand them. Because they come from the depths of the soul, and they stay there until death. You will find the true answers, Eliezer, only within yourself! †(15). There can be no end to the questioning, even if there are no answers.In reading the works of Elie Wiesel, I had to ask God some of the same questions that he did. The storm of emotion followed the paths of anger and despair, and finally ended with the acceptance that Elie Wiesel finds. God is not easy to figure out, and he never will be. With all our knowledge, we cannot guess at his reasons for doing anything. I will never stop wondering what happened, and, more importantly, why, but I will sleep quietly, as long as when I wake I watch to see that there is not another Holocaust, and I pray to God that whatever the reasons for the first one, there never will be a second.The Holocaust presented a call to people everywhere to reevaluate the role o f God in their lives. The pain and suffering that we know took place is in dark contrast to what we would have thought possible in the presence of our God, and anyone who comes in contact with these horrors will be forever shaken in his present faith. Some have reacted with anger toward God, others with denial. Still others reacted with mistrust of all that God had meant before. But by asking questions, some have grown to learn that God never did things the way people expect Him to, and that fact becomes the cornerstone of the new start to their theology.God does not answer questions unless they suit His purposes. This is what we have learned from Auschwitz and from the writings of Elie Wiesel. We must continue to ask questions, continue to challenge God, until, one day, He Himself will give us the answers. And until then we should never feel so secure in faith as to think that Auschwitz could never happen again. We must make certain, through our actions, that it will never happen a gain and to never lose the faith that has been devoted to God.

The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, born in 1821, was a great Russian prose writer. He was born in Moscow and studied at the St Petersburg Engineering Academy. His first published work was a translation of Balzac’s Eugenie Grandet, which appeared in 1844. Two years later his first original works, the short stories Poor Folk, The Double were published, later followed by other short prose pieces.(Leatherbarrow, 47-48) In April 1849 Dostoevsky was arrested for suspected revolutionary activity and condemned to death, or at least was taken to the scaffold and to the last moments before execution before the true sentence of four years in prison and four years as a private in the Siberian army was read out. He was released from the army in 1858. The result of his imprisonment was the change of his personal convictions: he rejected the socialism and progressive ideas of his early years, and instead adhered to the principles of the Russian Orthodox Church and belief in the Russian people.A nother immediate fruit of his imprisonment experience was his remarkable House of the Dead that appeared in 1861. Other novels followed which display a profound understanding of the depths of the human soul. Notes from the Underground of 1864 sets rational egoism, which proffers reasons for treating others as instruments, against irrational selfishness which treats others as enemies. Crime and Punishment of 1866, The Idiot of 1868, and The Devils (also translated as The Possessed, written in 1871) led up to his great achievement, The Brothers Karamazov, completed in 1880.With the Slavophils, Dostoevsky venerated the Orthodox Church, and was deeply impressed by Staretz Amvrosy whom he visited at Optina. (Leatherbarrow, 169) But his sense of goodness was neither facile nor naive. He saw human freedom as something so awesome that most people are ready to relinquish it. This is epitomized in the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor. In his speech accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature, Solz henitsyn quoted Dostoevsky, ‘Beauty will save the world. ’ The Brothers Karamazov is Dostoevsky’s final novel, completed only two months before his death.It was intended as Dostoevsky’s apocalypse. Its genre might best be called Scripture, rather than novel or tragedy. (Bloom, 5) This novel is the synthesis of Dostoevsky’s religious and philosophic search. The scene of the novel is laid in a sleepy province in the family of the noble, the Karamazovs. A sleepy province had always been for Russian writers the source of characters of integrity, pure passion and spiritual relations among people. However, Dostoevsky presents the life in such province in different light. Spiritual decay had penetrated into patriarchal up-country.From the very early stages of the novel’s writing Dostoevsky underwent several influences. The first was the profound impact the Russian philosopher and thinker Nikolai Fyodorov had on Dostoevsky at this time of his life. A ccording to Fyodorov’s doctrine Christianity is a system in which â€Å"man’s redemption and resurrection could be realized on earth through sons redeeming the sins of their fathers to create human unity through a universal family. † (Sandoz, 221) The tragedy of patricide in The Brothers Karamazov acquires more poignant coloring as Dostoevsky applies a complete inversion of this Christian system.Thus the sons in the novel do not attain resurrection for their father. Quite to the contrary they are complicit in his murder, and such turn of events is for Dostoevsky a metaphor for complete human disunity, breakage of the mentioned spiritual relations among people. As already noted religion and philosophy played a vital role in Dostoevsky’s life and in his novel in particular. Nevertheless, much more personal tragedy changed the way the novel took later. In 1878 Dostoevsky stopped writing the novel because of the death of his son Alyosha who was only three-yea rs old.This tragedy was even more difficult to endure for the writer as Alyosha’s death was caused by epilepsy, a disease he inherited from his father. Dostoevsky’s desolation could not escape being reflected in the novel; one of the characters has a name Alyosha. The writer endued his character with the features he himself aspired to and would like to follow. Though very personal experience had a profound influence on Dostoevsky’s choice for theme and actions that dominated the external of the novel, the key problem treated by this work is human disunity, or breakage of the spiritual relations among people.In comparison to previous novels social split-up is accruing, getting more distinct the relations between people are becoming more fragile in The Brothers Karamazov. â€Å"For everyone nowadays strives to dissociate himself as much as possible from others, everyone wants to savour the fullness of life for himself, but all his best efforts lead not to fullnes s of life but to total selfdestruction, and instead of ending with a comprehensive evaluation of his being, he rushes headlong into complete isolation.For everyone has dissociated himself from everyone else in our age, everyone has disappeared into his own burrow, distanced himself from the next man, hidden himself and his possessions, the result being that he has abandoned people and has, in his turn, been abandoned. † (Dostoevsky, 380) This is how the situation with the Russian society of the 1870s is defined by the novel character, Starets Zosima, who is especially close to the writer. The Karamazovs family in Dostoevsky’s novel is Russia in miniature – it is absolutely deprived of warmth of family ties.Unvoiced hostility relates the father of the family, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, and his sons: the eldest – Dmitry – the man of spoiled nature, Ivan, the captive of loose manners, Pavel Fyodorovich Smerdyakov, a child of shame, lackey by his posit ion and in his soul, and a novice Alyosha, who is making his best to reconcile hostile clashes that finally resulted in a dreadful crime of patricide. Dostoevsky shows that all participants of this drama share responsibility for the tragedy that had happened, and first of all, the father himself, who is, for the author, the symbol of decay and degeneration of human person.The contemporary society thus was infected with a serious spiritual disease – â€Å"karamazovshchina†. The essence of â€Å"karamazovshchina† lies in the denial of all sacred things and notions that sometimes ranges up to frenzy. â€Å"I hate the whole of Russia, Marya Kondratyevna. † – confesses Smerdyakov. – â€Å"In 1812 Russia was invaded by Emperor Napoleon 1 [†¦] and it would have been an excellent thing if we’d have been conquered by the French; [†¦] Everything would have been different. † (Dostoevsky, 281-282) The same Smerdyakov â€Å"As a child [†¦] had loved to string up cats and then bury them with full ceremony.He would dress up in a sheet, to represent a chasuble, and chant while swinging some imagined censer over the dead cat. † (Dostoevsky, 156) â€Å"Smerdyakovshchina† is the lackey variant of â€Å"karamazovshchina† and it demonstrably uncovers the essence of this disease – perverted passion for expressing humiliation and desecration of the most sacred values of life. As it is said in the novel â€Å"'people do love the downfall of a righteous man and his degradation'†. (Dostoevsky, 415) The main bearer of â€Å"karamazovshchina† is Fyodor Pavlovich who enjoys constant humiliation of the truth, beauty and good.His carnal relation with a foolish Lizaveta Smerdyashchaya, the result of which is the lackey Smerdyakov, is a cynical desecration of love. Fyodor Pavlovich’s voluptuousness is far from being a mere animal instinct and unconscious behavior. His volupt uousness has an idea to engage in controversy with the good. Karamazov is quite conscious of meanness of his intentions and deeds, and so he derives cynical satisfaction in humiliation of the good. He is always longing for spiting upon a sacred place.He consciously makes a row in Starets Zosima’s cell and then goes with the same intention to the abbot to dinner: â€Å"He wanted to take revenge on everyone for his own tricks. [†¦ ] I can’t hope to rehabilitate myself now, so I’ll spit in their faces and be damned! I’ll not be ashamed of myself in front of them and that’s that! ’† (Dostoevsky, 109) A distinctive feature of â€Å"karamazovshchina† is a cynical attitude towards the nation’s bread-earner – Russian farmer: â€Å"The Russian people need thrashing† (Dostoevsky, 282).According to Karamazov’s psychology all higher values of life has to be overridden, dragged through the mud for the sake o f frantic self-affirmation. There is a father Therapon living together with the saint Starets Zosima in a monastery. Outwardly this man is striving for the absolute â€Å"righteousness†, he leads an ascetic existence, exhausts himself with fasts and prayers. But what is the source of Therapon’s righteousness? What is its inducement? As it turns out then, his inducement is the hatred to Starets Zosima and desire to surpass him.Katerina Ivanovna is very kind to her offender, Mitya, all because of smoldering hatred to him and of a sense of wounded pride. The virtues turn into delirious form of self-affirmation, into magnanimity of selfishness. With the same selfishness and same magnanimity Grand Inquisitor â€Å"loves† humanity in a tale contrive by Ivan. In the world of Karamazovs all relations among people are perverted, they acquire criminal character since everyone here is trying to turn those around into â€Å"marble pedestal†, the pedestal for one†™s selfish ego.The world of Karamazovs is the world intersected by the crime chain reaction. Which one of the sons is father’s killer? Ivan did not kill, however, this is he who first formulated the idea of permissibility of patricide. Dmitry didn’t kill Fyodor Pavlovich either; he teetered on the brink of crime in a fit of hatred to his father. Fyodor Pavlovich was killed by Smerdyakov, but he only brought to an end Ivan’s ideas and passion that overfilled Dmitry’s embittered mind. In the world of Karamazovs the definite moral boundaries of crime cannot be restored – everybody is, to certain extent, guilty of murder.Potential delinquency reigns the atmosphere of mutual hatred and exasperation. Every person individually and all people together are guilty, or as Starets Zosima says â€Å"As to every man being guilty for everyone and everything, quite apart from his own sins. † (Dostoevsky, 379) â€Å"Remember especially that you may not si t in judgement over anyone. * No man on this earth can sit in judgement over other men until he realizes that he too is just such a criminal as the man standing before him, and that it is precisely he, more than anyone, who is guilty of that man’s crime. † (Dostoevsky, 402)â€Å"Karamazovshchina†, according to Dostoevsky, is a Russian variant of the disease, suffered by the all European societies; this is a disease of civilization. Its reasons are the loss of moral values by a civilized man and the sin of â€Å"self-worshipping†. The upper classes of Russian society, following the progressive classes of Western European society, worship their ego and consequently decay. The crisis of humanism comes, which in Russian conditions acquires forms which are particularly undisguised and defiant: â€Å"If you want to know, – argues Smerdyakov, when it comes to depravity there’s nothing to choose between them and us.They’re all blackguards, bu t there they walk about in patent leather boots while our scoundrels go around like stinking beggars and don’t see anything wrong in it†. (Dostoevsky, 282) By Ivan Karamazov’s formula: â€Å"for if there is no God, how can there be any crime? † (Dostoevsky, 395). The sources of Western European and Russian bourgeoisie were considered by Dostoevsky to be not in economic development of society but rather in the crisis of modern humanity, caused by â€Å"strenuously self-conscious† individual. (Lambasa et al., 118) Thus it can be concluded that Karamazov’s decay, according to Dostoevsky, is the direct implications of isolation, solitude of a modern civilized man, it is the consequence of people’s loss of feeling of great universal relation to the secular and divine world that is superior to the animal needs of human earthy nature. Repudiation of the higher spiritual values may bring a man to indifference, loneliness, and hatred to life. T his is the path kept by Ivan and Grand Inquisitor in the novel. Works Consulted Bloom, Harold.Fyodor Dostoevsky’s the Brothers Karamazov. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Karamazov Brothers. Trans. Ignat Avsey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994 Lambasa, Frank S. , Ozolins, Valija K. , Ugrinsky, Alexej. Dostoevski and the Human Condition after a Century. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986. Leatherbarrow, W. J. The Cambridge Companion to Dostoevskii. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2002 Sandoz, Ellis. Political Apocalypse: A Study of Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor. Wilmington, DE: ISI Books, 2000.