Critique of the Ramayana Modern Prose Translation Essay

In a just world, Mr. R. K. Narayan’s estate would be responsible for reimbursing seventeen-fifty, plus applicable taxes, to all those who purchased the Penguin Classics 2006 publication of his book, The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. Stated clearly on the back of the cover is the promise that R. K. Narayan â€Å"recounts [The Ramayana] with the narrative flair of a master novelist’’. The back cover lied. Narayan’s re-telling condenses the epic poem so much to the point of nearly listing a series of events. No matter the inspiration, Narayan’s The Ramayana is still a story, and should therefore be able to stand on it’s own as a captivating tale—with further literary research or expansion being used to enhance it’s appeal, not explain it. Arguably, the ‘narrative flair’ of this re-telling is little more expressive than unsolicited summaries found on the Internet, and without further literary aide or instruction, does not stand as a solid piece of literature. What is worse, is that instead of allowing a greater breadth of readers to relate and experience tale of the Ramayana, new readers are alienated by it’s convoluted atmosphere. While the task is grand, Narayan’s translation is not listed as an aide to a larger, more in-depth version; it is still a novel and as such needs to be able to stand strong in its own right when evaluated alone. People who have no prior knowledge of the original Sanskrit story, and who have not been raised with the Hindu epic as a part of their life, should be able to pick up this book, read it, and—regardless of how far the tale may go in global history—be able to enjoy one hundred and fifty one pages of literature, without having any prior knowledge, or requiring further research. Having more knowledge, and doing more research on the original epic tale should increase what readers are able to receive from the book, but it should not be necessary in order to understand it. As it stands, without knowing the original tale, new readers are left with very little literary flow and a patchy depiction of what is supposed to be a lush world. At one point, while Bharatha and Rama argue as to who should be the rightful king, their entire episode is related with: â€Å" The argument went on at a highly academic and philosophical level, the entire assembly watching with respect. (Narayan 60) That assertion does not express a deep academic and philosophical argument, but rather states that one was occurring; the reader doesn’t get to experience what transpired between the brothers, or garner any emotion from it. It goes on to almost quite literally depict the event with a he-said/he-said monotony: So be it; if I have the authority—then I confer it on you as the ruler,† said Bharatha at one stage. â€Å"On my command as the ruler, if you desire to think so, you shall be the King. † It went on thus. Rama went on repeating that there could be no word higher than that of a father; no conduct other than obedience to it. Throughout he referred to Kaikeyi in the gentlest terms and always as â€Å"mother†. (Narayan 61) The listed manner in which the plot is unfolded by Narayan’s re-telling is barely more narrative as a piece of literature than an excerpt from that of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia: Bharatha refuses to profit from his mother’s wicked scheming and visits Rama in the forest. He requests Rama to return and rule. But Rama, determined to carry out his father’s orders to the letter, refuses to return before the period of exile. However, Bharatha carries Rama’s sandals, and keeps them on the throne, while he rules as Rama’s regent. (Wikipedia Contributors) There is very little more efficiency or flair in Narayan’s telling, and in fact, Wikipedia depicts the stages of the long tale with better clarity; if the prose is not going to be linguistically lush and evocative, it may as well be clear (Wikipedia is not only clear, but free of charge as well). It is of course not a simple task to undertake translating an epic poem from a rhythmic language, into prose with a language devoid of the same musicality. However, to the novice reader of The Ramayana, they would not know the difficulty of the task, and thus—however harsh it may seem— should not be a factor in the reviewing of the story as it stands alone. Narayan was by no means an incapable writer, and as winner of numerous awards and accolades—not the least of which being multiple nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature (Rajnish Wattas), he does not need defending that he has great ability as a writer, yet the bottom line remain that when it is stripped of further discussion, research, and introductions, The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic just does not stand on it’s own as captivating modern prose. With nearly each new episode of the tale, Narayan prefaces the action with even more listed information, take for example the introduction to the chapter of Vali: The characters in the drama that follows are Vali, Sugreeva, Hanuman, and Rama. The action takes place in the mountainous forest regions of Kiskinda, a kingdom ruled and inhabited by monkeys. In the Ramayana, the articipants are not only human beings, but many others from God’s creation, intelligent, cultured and with their own achievements of spirit as well as physique: Jambavan was a bear, Jatayu was an eagle, Lakshmana—Rama’s brother—was himself a human incarnation of the Great Serpent Adisesha in whose coils Vishnu rested. (Narayan 90) Again, the story is told by listing statements of what is going on. As with the landscape, and even the characters themselves, nothing is depicted in the story-writing of the prose, but stated, as if the entire epic was a news article being reported by Narayan, as opposed to a vivid history with grand escapades and extreme characters. By translating an epic tale from poetic verse into shortened modern prose, the objective is ultimately to enable a broader audience to relate to and appreciate a classic tale. Poetry is a secluded literary world that does not have the mass appeal that modern prose does; yet Narayan’s re-telling is too constrained and overwhelmed by the amount of story condensed into it. By trying to constrain the length of the story to allow for more readers to get through it, Narayan’s ‘master narrative flair’ seems lost, and the epic tale is a heavy list of events that merely occur on the page.

Children Literature Essay

No one can explain the literally unprecedented Harry Potter phenomenon, starting with J. K. Rowling, now 35, whose life has been changed utterly by the product of her imagination. Seven years ago, she was the single mother of a small daughter, living in a two-room flat in Edinburgh, listening to mice skittering behind walls. Now she is internationally famous and earning, according to various estimates, somewhere in the range of $30 million to $40 million a year. Once, during a bad patch, she dreaded the hostile looks she would attract while lining up at the local post office to claim her weekly income support check. Now however she still gets lots of stares, but in the reverse order (Neil 45). Yes, it true J. K. Rowling life has chanced and her books has been the hottest commodity for commercialization since forever. THESIS: There has been a lot of controversy regarding the Harry Potter book series, the scope of the controversy range in conversations from schools, churches, board rooms, colleges and universities. Some of the discussions have been positive and some negative, but mostly what everyone is saying is that the Harry Potter book series will become a classic, because when compared to other children literature books they are just good or better than most, if not all of the other children’s books. In this essay I will prove the point that the Harry Potter books have all that it takes to become part of the literary canon. I will compare the Potter books to five children literature books to determine their literary authentic. I will look at the Potter books from a Philosophy prospective to give a clear concept about the books. I will compare opinions of lay persons, and scholars, and lastly I will discuss the affects that commercialization have had on the books. The books that I have chosen to compare the Potter books are: â€Å"The Chronicles of Narnia,† â€Å"Alice in Wonderland,† and Through the Looking Glass,† Hackberry Finn,† and â€Å"the Wizard of Oz, I have chosen these five books to compare to the Potter books, because these books are books that have endured for centuries. First I will compare the Harry Potter books with â€Å"The Chronicles of Narnia†. The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. They are considered classis of children’s literature and are perhaps the author’s best known work. The books that make up the Chronicles of Narnia consist of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Trader, The Silver Chair, the Magician’s Nephew, and The Battle. The Chronicles of Narnia are great children literature books because they contains Christian themes, â€Å"These books may also be used to teach children about spirituality, and are often times viewed as religious allegories. These books teach child about good verse evil, and at the time of their publication they were very popular books, and still are today. Like the Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter books also teach children about good verse evil. But these books like the Potter books have had plenty of criticism. There were certain Christians and Christian organizations who felt that The Chronicles of Narnia promotes ‘soft sell paganism and occultism†, because of the recurring pagan themes and the supposedly heretical depictions of Christ as an anthropomorphic lion. Satyrs, fauns, centaurs, dwarves, werewolves, giants, and even the pagan god Bacchus and the Maenads are depicted in a positive light, when they are distinctly pagan motifs (Smith 10). Although, there was all this criticism about the Chronicles it wasn’t enough to prevent these books from becoming classic. Secondly, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a great children literature book. This book is considered one of the first books created solely to amuse children. It is witty, playful, full of clever conceits and genuine comedy and downright entertaining. But what makes it better than the Harry Potter books? Or is it? No! The Harry Potter books are witty, with genuine comedy, full of clever conceits and downright entertaining, also the Harry Potter books are read by children, young adults, and adults as well. Even children who as a rule are skeptical of reading are reading the Harry Potter books. Should this alone be reason enough to allow the Harry Potter books to classify as a classic? I think so, but let’s continue with our comparison of the other children books (Carol 3-10). The third comparison to the Harry Potter books will be Lewis Carol’s Through the Looking Glass. Just like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass is a great children’s story. This book is a continuation of the story of Alice in Wonderland, and over the years it has amused and entertained many children, but what makes its better than Harry Potter? Is it really better than Harry? Before we answer the question lets continue with our comparison of the next book (Carol 6-10). The fourth comparison will be The â€Å"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this novel a young boy is in search of freedom and courage. I believe that this book became a classic because it was one of the first American books in which a black character is portrayed as someone to be emulated, in this case serving as the voice of reason for a cast-off urchin and a middle class white boy. There was plenty of criticism about this book, because it used the word â€Å"nigger† throughout. Many people feel that the word’s racist and discriminatory connotations make it unacceptable to use any where, and particularly in a book aimed at child. Others, however, claim that to call the book racist because of this usage is to miss its point. Again, â€Å"The Adventures of huckleberry Finn is a very nice story, full of fantasy, but it has nothing that the Harry Potter is missing. The fifth comparisons will be the Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz, created the popular political fable rather than having Christian inspiration uplift, with a protagonist who is an admirable, individualistic, and rather selfish child rather than a cooperative do-gooder. However, Baum at the same time retained the dominant structure of nineteenth (twentieth century fantasy and with it the neo imperialism that assumed the inherent superiority of certain racial types. The Wizard of Oz is a great children literature with lots of fantasy (Baum 28). Development of fantasy itself owes a great deal to children’s literature, but this does not mean that fantasy is only for children. However, the Harry Potter books have made it trendy to ready fantasy again, but I think it’s worth reminding ourselves of the great tradition that preceded Rowling’s books and helped children to grow up realizing that it is okay to be imaginative and to continue to dream. The Harry Potter books have all the fantasy and intrigue as all the other books and more beside. Each of the books that I have named were usually books that were read by adults to children as a bedtime story, where as the Harry Potter books are being used for the same purpose and more. Not only are parents reading the Potter books to their child as bedtime stories, but in addition they are reading them, themselves for the sake of getting lost and carried away in the magical world of Harry Potter.

Global Leader in Foreign Direct Investments Essay

This dissertation focused on the Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) of India relative to China, together with its competitive advantages and the underlying factors which set them apart. In addition, strategies in which India can further strengthen its competitive advantage were elaborated together with the best approaches to keep at par or surpass China in terms of its FDI dominance. This chapter presented the background of the research problem, the research questions that the dissertation aimed to answer, significance of the study, the dissertation’s adopted research design and methodology, together in which how the sections in this dissertation were organized. 1. 1 Background of the Problem The surge of foreign direct investments in Asian countries is primarily determined by the privatization and at the same time the globalization of production. The degree of political stability, government policies, together with trade and investment regimes allowed host countries to be very open in terms of FDI investments. Due to the liberalization of the developing countries’ economies, the Global Development Finance of the World Bank in 1999 claimed that FDI flows to developing countries have increased more than six times (Chakraborty and Basu, 2002). Foreign direct investments have bloomed for both China and India by more than 1,500 percent between 1990 and in the recent years, and both countries have growing domestic considerable consumer markets, both economies are starting to produce higher value products and develop networks to maintain competitive advantages beyond mere cost (Laudiciana and White, 2005). Both India and China share the same level of competitiveness in terms of FDI attractiveness among multinational companies. However, it could be noted that India or China being a more favorable destination for FDIs should be closely taken into consideration. It could be noted that there are business ventures that are proven to be more profitable exclusively in only one of the countries even though the aforementioned offers the same services. On another perspective, specific business ventures could experience a relatively highly specialized output given for instance that such would be deployed in the right geographic location (Laudiciana and White, 2005). It could be noted that India has undergone remarkable international integration and development over the past few years. Since 1991, after the external payment crisis in India, there has been liberalization of various policies implemented by the government. In turn, the current investment climate has attracted many foreign investors in the country in various sectors. As such it is with this respect that competitive advantages possessed both by India with China, could be noted as it plays a vital role in terms of the success and eventually business profitability. On the other hand, it could be traced back that China started its state-led modernization reform in the late 1970s after many years of operating according to the Soviet model. Contrasting this to India, the aforementioned’s main reform started after 1991 after which relied largely on the private sector. China’s FDI mainly consists of capital intensive flows whereas India’s FDI is mainly skill intensive (Laudiciana and White, 2005). The impact of such investment has on the domestic economy and the experience of the multinationals with the overall business environment in the sub continent is very vital. Thus it becomes necessary to study the impact of such inflows as it has important policy implications. 1. 2 Research Questions The dissertation aims to answer the following questions: 1. What are the factors that differentiate India’s and China’s FDI performances that influence the inflows and stocks of the aforementioned? 2. What are the effects of FDI inflows and stocks to the economy of India? 3. How will India develop a competitive advantage in terms of its FDI and take over China as a leader in FDI in the future?

Found Dog Flyer Essay

According 2013 IPCC Status Report on Climate Change, climate change is occurring due to global warming. Observational evidence is coming back from all continents and most oceans, And it shows that many natural systems are being affected by regional climate changes particularly temperature increases. There is much scientific data backing the (intergovernmental panel on climate change) with conclusions and facts, based on changes in weather patterns (increasing temperatures, changes in snow and ice including, permafrost) also according to findings there is a high confidence that natural water systems, are also affected including, enlargement and increased numbers of glacial lakes, settlements in mountain regions are at high risk of outburst floods caused by melting glaciers. Governmental institutions in some areas are responding to the problems caused by global climate changes by building drainage networks and dams. The climate changes also lead to increasing volatility in storms and wild fires, droughts, and reduced energy demand’s and increasing sea levels. The aspects of climate change we are certain of are as follows, increased water availability in moist tropics and high latitudes, and decreasing water availability and increasing drought in mid-latitudes and semi-arid low latitudes, hundreds of millions of people exposed to increased water stress causing localized negative impacts on small business and coastal areas, and increased damage from floods and storms, and leading to erosion in coastal areas in addition based on satellite observations since the early 1980s there is high confidence that there has been a trend in many regions towards earlier â€Å"greening† ( measured by the normalized difference vegetation index) Of vegetation in the spring linked to longer thermal growing seasons due to recent warming. About which we are uncertain is many of the long term effects of climate change. The main factors determining climate change are carbon dioxide and pH levels in the environment, and are mainly a result of human activity with factors  such as carbon emissions. The report states phenomenon and directions of trends and, passes assumptions based on past trends are believed to wide spread effects on water systems but not limited to in addition to food and water shortages, increased death food and water borne diseases and wide spread erosion. Many assumptions are made based solely on passed trends I feel some of are inconclusive due to the lack of data in the report to support. And in conclusion This is my first time in a college class like this and everything is new to me and I need a lot more research to draw any more conclusions, and I am uncertain of information that is missing to support more of the causes.

Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Assignment 2 - Essay Example Assessing the risk comprehensively includes evaluating the total magnitude and likelihood of the potentiality of losses, and also offers a full understanding, of the roots and impact of these losses (Kevin, n.d.). A comprehensive risk assessment involves the following steps: 1. Setting and understanding the context. It involves articulating the objectives and the parameters of the institution considers when managing risks. This is assesses the current situation, needs gaps and evaluates what already exists, to build on the capacity and avoid duplication of efforts. This is carried out through a systematic inventory and evaluation of the already existing risk assessment studies and the available data (FIRESCOPE, 1994). 2. Hazard identification This involves finding the type, location, intensity, and likelihood of threats and risks prevalent in a given community. 3. Evaluating exposure This identifies the population and the property that is at risk and demarcates disaster prone areas. 4. Analysis of vulnerability This determines the capacity of the elements in a given community at risk to withstand the risk conditions. 5. Impact analysis This outlines the estimation of potential losses of the exposed population, property, livelihood, environment and the economy. 6. Profiling the risk This evaluates the various cost effective risk reduction options available, in terms of the ability of the community in risk reduction and its socio-economic concerns. 7. Formulation and revisions of action strategies and plans. This involves setting priorities, allocation of resources (both human and financial) and initiating relevant programmes. The all hazards approach entails inclusion of all the possible types of risk or threat in risk assessment. It aims to include all the types of risk, irrespective of the source, to give a standardized overview guided by a set of principles and steps. It’s a comprehensive and integrated means of assessing threats and risks. Assessing r isks using the all hazards approach in an integrated way significantly reduces the vulnerability of people, property, environment and the economy (Service, 2010). Question 2 Business continuity refers to the ability of an organization to provide support and service to its clients and its ability to keep up its viability before, during and after a business continuity occurrence. It’s a holistic management approach that recognizes the potential impact that would threaten the firm and it offers a framework of building the capacity and resilience for an effective response so as to safeguard its interests. Although it may be more practical for large businesses, it is very important to maintain full functioning throughout a disaster crisis. Business continuity plans also outlines the basic concerns like the leadership command in an event a company leader dies or is really ill. They also address backup plans for drastic scenarios such as patent lawsuits, labour disputes, or bottlene cks distortions. This allows the leaders to review the threats and weaknesses to their organization from a detached point of view. Tight plans guarantee the teams that the leaders are aware of how to turn on a dime when in challenging times. The process can also highlight the weaknesses of an organization can correct way before facing a disaster. For a business to be successful, it has to constantly meet the needs to its customers. Failure to

Financial Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Accounting - Assignment Example Although the companys liquidity position has improved from 2010 to 2012, the company should take further measures to improve its liquidity positions so that the short term obligations can be paid of whenever they are due. The profitability ratios are used to gauge the overall profitability of a company relative to its level of sales. The operating profit margin of the company registered an increase from 27.47% in 2010 to 31.98% in 2012. The operating profit increased on account of considerable decrease in the unusual expenses of the company. This shows that the overall operational efficiency of the company has not improved and the increase in operating margin is the result of a decrease in unusual expenses of the company. Profit margin of the company witnessed a considerable increase from 11.09% in 2010 to 18.22% in 2012. The increase in operating profits of the company translated into better net profit of the company. Return on assets and return on equity of the company also showed signs of improvement on the back of an increase in the companys overall net income. BEP ratio remained relatively stable in 2012 at 10.37% as compared to 10.49% in 2011. The debt management ratios helps in assessing the mix of companys debt relative to equity. Higher amount of debt on the balance sheet can be risky for the company as it has to make the fixed interest payments to the debt holders. InBevs total debt to total assets fell from 50.45% in 2010 to 48.25% in 2011 and increased slightly to 48.41% in 2012. The companys total debt increased in 2012, however subsequent increase in total assets led to a stable total debt to total assets ratio. The asset management ratios helps in determining the efficiency of the assets in generating a companys revenues. The inventory turnover ratio of the company has shown slight improvement from 2010 to 2012. A steady increase in companys revenues along with subsequent increase in total inventory has led to a stable inventory ratio. This

Theater Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Theater - Essay Example Personally, I believe there are universal events, emotions and perceptions among people around the world regardless of race, religion, status or gender. Everybody is born, everybody dies, everybody needs to be loved, and to love. These are just a few of the human experiences that are common to men and which are usually portrayed in theaters, bringing to life what some might run away from, get obsessed with or would not just mind at all. In such cases, the theater can serve as an encouragement for me at times I am undergoing sufferings and think that I am not able to rise from a sorry state; or an awakening call when I am bound to engage in things that are morally unacceptable. It could also call my attention when I do not involve myself so much with other people to have an awareness of what is going on; so that I can look for things or activities that I can deliberately improve to give my best performance in the stage am playing my part, and to do my part