Feasability of customizing a pop music concert

Feasability of customizing a pop music concert The report is prepared in feasibility stage outlining activities needed for the project of customizing a pop music concert. The report covers the background of Woods Ltd and brief info of PLC. There after detail discuss on the stages of PLC from concept stage, development stage, implement stage to commission stage will all details of each sections and subsections, finally a brief summary of report in conclusion. Woods Ltd are a company specialising in the special events and have 1 base in the North West of England. The major job of Woods Ltd is focus upon giving customised special events on behalf of major organisation. Woods Ltd has developed an outstanding reputation on both large and small projects, nationwide and overseas. 1.1 PURPOSE OF REPORT The purpose of this report is Woods Ltd is planning to provide a one off event for a major music company. This report also discusses a range of activities required to manage the project successfully. 1.2 PROJECT LIFE CYCLE Burke (2003) said the project is a framework for dividing the project up into manageable phases. The four phases are concept phase, development phase, implementation phase and termination phase. Figure 1.0 Project Life Cycle 2.0 Concept Stage Burke (2003) said starts the project off by establishing the need for the project and the feasibility phase is in this stage. 2.1 Goal and objective The objectives of the project are customised a pop music concert. Beside that, make sure the project fulfil all the requirements for the sponsor of pop music concert. Once the project is conceptualized, the next obvious step is to set SMART goals for its successful implementation. Most professionals agree that the successful implementation of a project demands setting up of certain meaningful guidelines and SMART goals. Special Well defined Clear to anyone that has a basic knowledge of the project. Measureable Know if the goal is obtainable and how far away completion is Know when it has been achieved Agree upon Agreement with all the stakeholders what the goals should be Realistic Within the availability of resources, knowledge and time Time Based Enough time to achieve the goal Not too much time , which can affect project performance Table 2.1 Smart goal analysis 2.2 Project feasibility study Feasibility study is a critical part of the project life cycle. The aim of the study would be to carry out a preliminary investigation which should help to determine whether the project should proceed further and how it should proceed. A well-orchestrated project feasibility study provides the kind of impartial analysis that can separate profitable ideas from unproductive brainstorms (Joe Taylor Jr.). Table 2.2 shows that, the PM responsible for conducting the feasibility study would normally consider: Cost Is this within the budget set by the organisation or within the capabilities of the organisation to finance it? Timing Are there specific constraints on timing and is it possible to complete the project within these constraints? Performance Will the project satisfy performance criteria which have been determined? Effect on the organisation Is it feasible in the context of the organisation and the effect with it will have upon it? 2.3 STEEP analysis of the project According to Field and Keller (1998), STEEP analysis provides concentrated information covering social, technological, economic, ecological as well as political factor. STEEP analysis is a technique used to aid groups to focus on what is driving change in the external environment. STEEP Description Social Woods Ltd provides professional service to customer. Woods Ltd will provide all the customers wants. For example selling the DVD music, drinks and others to them when in the pop music concert. Technology Company is adapting new technologies and techniques to improve the customer needs and satisfaction. For example offer several options in eye-soothing and attractive plain and multi-colored stage lighting, including stage floor lights, pedestal-mounted lights, suspended overhead lights, and more. Economic Woods Ltd increases their levels of employment, reduce the national unemployment rate. Ecology This pop music concert will not cause any pollution and effect to the environment. Beside that, in introducing new products, Woods Ltd is offering more paperless transactions, implementing electronic payment and online statements. Political and Legal Woods Ltd ability to create more affiliated business and improve public perception of organization and government. Woods Ltd should also protect its workers by ensuring all the hiring, compensation, training or repatriation is according to UK Labour Law as stipulated. Table 2.3 STEEP Analysis 2.4 Identify the stakeholder group According to Slack et al. (2004), to understand the project environment is to consider the various individuals and groups of people who have direct or indirect interest in the project. The five primary project stakeholders are the PM, project team, functional management, sponsors and customer. Each stakeholder has an essential contribution to make and all stakeholder expectations need to be met. Stakeholders for this project are shown in the table below. Group of stakeholders Responsibility in this pop music concert Project Manager Project manager is the person who is responsible for ensuring that the project team completes the event for a pop music concert on time. Beside that, the project manager develops the project plan with the team and manages the teams performance of the project tasks. Project team members The project team members are responsible for executing tasks and producing deliverables as outlined in the project plan and directed by the project manager, at whatever level of effort or participation has been defined for them. Vendors Vendors are contracted to provide additional products or services the project will require and may be members of the project team. Consumers Consumers include all the people that will use the product or services that the project is developing. Consumers internal to the Performing organization may also be customers. Table 2.4 Group of stakeholder and Responsibility in this pop music concert 2.5 Identify the Resources Required In the Project According to (Sloman 2006), there are three types of resources form the perspective of economic study, they are human resources, natural resources and manufactured resources. Pop music concert is a big project and it needs a comprehensive plan on resources in terms of manpower, budget, equipment and machineries required. Below are the examples of the estimated music concert equipment that the PM planned to be required in this event. 2.6 Approval obtains in concept stage Once the project proposal gets endorsement of the stakeholder of client, project manager will move to the continuous phase which is development phase. 3.0 DEVELOPMENT STAGES In this stage, a project team is conceived with responsibilities allocated. The planning events will mostly be prepared in this stage. 3.1 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Since the pop concert project is also a portfolio of several activities, it is necessary to breakdown the work. The work breakdown structure (WBS) is used to capture all the works of a particular project. WBS is required throughout the entire project. This is a results-oriented family tree presenting the activities to conduct or perform. WBS is represented by a hierarchical figure to organised complex and large projects (Senaratne and Sexton, 2009). The WBS is designed to help more accurately and specifically define and organise the scope of the total project. Beside that, WBS in pop concert projects is to help with assigning responsibilities, resource allocation, monitoring the project, and controlling the project. Finally, it allows PM double check all the deliverables specifics with the stakeholders and make sure there is nothing missing or overlapping. 3.2Network Diagram According to Levine, R 2010 network diagram is representation of projects activities to show logical relationship between activities to find out the completion date. The PM will establish a network diagram as in the table 3.1 by stating all the activities that perform in the project. Based on the table 3.2 shows that, pop concert project needed 49days to be completed. (Please refer appendix 1 for example of network diagram). 3.3 Financial Project Appraisal Financial Appraisal Financial project appraisal is a series of methods used to assess the financial feasibility of a pop music concert project. In this report will cover several types of financial appraisal method which aims to aid management in project selection and to improve shareholders wealth as well. Payback Payback period is a type of financial appraisal that measures the duration it takes to recover the initial investment costs which can be closely describe as break-even point (Petty, et al 2006). Under the payback periods rule, which ever project that gives the shorter payback duration will be accepted (Andrew and Gallagher (2003)) p 271. Net Present Value (NPV) NPV method can be said to increase shareholders wealth as this method can be easily understood. The main point is as long as the benefits (cash inflow which already taken future discounted value into account) exceed its cost, it can be said the investment has created a value (Andrew and Gallagher (2003)), p 274. Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is a type of financial appraisal that finds a single rate of return that determines whether it is worth undertaking a project or not by measuring the rate of return that makes the NPV equivalent to zero. (Investopedia2010). 3.4 Project budget Keown 2005 said that, PM must make a master budget where all other budgets from various quarters are consolidated into the master budget. PM will determine the reasonable cost that required to accomplishing the pop concert project. When the estimated cost of an item is uncertain, the project budget often includes a design allowance. This is money that is set aside in the budget just in case the actual cost of the item is wildly different than the estimate. Estimated Expenses à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ (pound) Performers Taken That Rhianna Jay Z à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ 30,000.00 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ 50,000.00 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ 25,000.00 Manpower expenses à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ 15,000.00 Concert services à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ 10,000.00 Equipment Rental à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ 18,000.00 Space Rental à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ 12,000.00 Concert decorate à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤15,000.00 Total Costs à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤175,000.00 Table 3.2 list of estimate project budget 3.5 Project Policy and Procedure A well-laid out policy and procedures manual will help attract informed members and allow the company to operate more efficiently and effectively. As argued by Utar Project Management, a policy is created as guidance for the project team to carry out their task without go against the law and regulation. Beside that, a procedure is a method by which a policy can be accomplished; it provides the instructions necessary to carry out a policy statement. Project team has to set some significant policies such as employment policy which respectively bound to the UK Employment Act. Beside that, all the staffs are needed to follow the rules and regulation as presented in (appendix 3) to avoid anything occur in the workplace. 3.6 Obtain approval from owner to proceed with implementation stage At last of this stage, PM will discuss and show all the paper work of the development stages to owner and get approval to go ahead with the project implementations. 4.0 Implementation stage According to Burke (2003) this phase involve the actual implementation of the pop concert project as agreed by all stakeholders. 4.1 Leadership style for PM PM needs to understand human motivation, team development and how to influence people, Boddy (2002).The best leadership style is always subject to each situation and the objective of leadership is to lead the team to a common goal. Lead is to adapt to the situation and the group you need to lead. Woods Ltd would need to adopt democratic leadership as each key team member is able to provide better proposals in addressing problems in a particular area with their expertise.Below are five leadership styles. Leadership Style Characteristic Autocratic *Leader makes decisions without reference to anyone else * High degree of dependency on the leader * can create de-motivation and alienation of staff Democratic *May help motivation and involvement * Improves the sharing of ideas and experiences within the business * workers feel ownership of the firm and its ideas * can delay decision making Laissez-Faire *can be very useful in businesses where creative ideas are important * relies on good team work and interpersonal relations * can make coordination and decision making time-consuming and lacking in overall direction Participative *Leader acts as a father figure * Paternalistic leader makes decision buy may consult Consultative *Share the problem with relevant subordinates individually * The manager makes decision that may or may not reflect the subordinates influence. Table 4.1: Leadership style 4.2 Motivation Motivation for pop concert projects to be used is Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. Maslows model indicates that fundamental, lower-order needs like safety and physiological requirements have to be satisfied in order to pursue higher-level motivators along the lines of self-fulfilment. In order to motivate employees, leadership must be understand the current level of needs at which the employee finds themselves, and leverage needs for workplace motivation. Table 4.2: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid 4.3 Procurement procedure Sound planning of procurement is crucial. PM shall determine what material and equipment are needed to purchase for this project and to ensure that the quality of material and equipment meet the requirement. Based on fair standards and non-discriminatory supplier selection, Woods Ltd is ready to enter into partnerships with new supplier applicants. Initially, PM need to identifying potential companies that can supply the products and services. After that, audition tasks should be held in order to identify the quality approved suppliers. Beside that, PM should also identify whether they require Just-in-Time delivery from their suppliers. (Please refer appendix 5) 4.4 Risk Management Tinnirello, 2000 said that risk management is to recognize potential problems before it happens so that corrective actions can be planned ahead and appeal when necessary to minimize undesirable impacts on the completion of projects. The approach PM has taken to manage risks for Pop concert project included a methodical process by which the project team define risk, identify risk, quantify risk, and develop response. The most likely and highest impact risks were added to the project schedule to ensure that the PM take the necessary steps to implement the mitigation response at the appropriate time during the schedule. (Please refer appendix 4) 4.5 Monitoring and Control According to Cadle, J Yeates, D (2001) PM require to control and monitor 4 main criteria into the pop concert project which is time, cost, quality and resources. The purpose of project monitoring and control is to provide actions can be taken when the project performance deviates significantly form the plan. During the execution of work, close monitoring and control is needed in order to ensure that progress, cost expenditure and scope performance are measured and reported with methods which are in line with the way the plan was set up. It could be daily, weekly or monthly. Criteria to Control Monitor How it is possible Time Time must be in control because it is significant to project to complete without any delay Cost Cost also should be in control because just for renovation and opening, owners should not spend a lot. Quality If the quality of project being monitored the ISO 9002 standard can be achieved Resources Resources also must be in control and require to use it until the maximum. Table 4.3 How to control Monitor the project. 5.0 Termination stage This phase is to confirm and aggress that the project has completed and meets customers requirement and satisfaction. Jack and Samuel (2003) 5.1 Opening concert preparations After all the checking is properly done, the PM will organize event management department to take over the opening preparations. 5.2 Release Unused Resources PM should transfer out all the unwanted materials, equipment, and any other resources to the appropriate places and redistribute personnel for the next project. For example machine and working equipment will transfer to the new project sites. 5.3 Documentation checked PM will run the last check into the pop concert, to ensure completion of the work, including tasks performed by subcontractors. Notify the pop concert owner of project completion and ensure that deliverables as planned. Beside that, PM must ensure that documentation is complete, including a terminal evaluation of the project deliverable and preparation of the projects Final Report. The PM is responsible to explain in detail about the item in the contract and after the owner of the pop concert has agreed with the item in the contract, the contract is sign off. 5.4 Payment and close up After the pop concert owner has sign off the contract, PM will submit the invoice for pop concert owner and remit payment. The information on an invoice includes invoice number, payment term, date invoice, client details and etc. Once payment being made by pop concert owner, the project will be finalize and close. 6.0 Conclusion In a nut shell, this report listed the activities needed by using the concept project life cycle. As a project moves through each process, the PM and senior management should continually monitor the projects critical success factors to ensure it is still viable. For the pop concert project, there are specific areas, and these are: integration to ensure that various project activities are coordinated; scope to ensure that all the work required and only the work required are included; time to provide an effective project schedule; cost to identify needed resources and maintain budget control; quality to ensure functional requirements are met; human resource to effectively employ project personnel; risk to analyse and mitigate potential risks and procurement to obtain necessary resources. Beside that, the project should be viewed alongside with the control techniques at all stages to ensure customers satisfaction throughout. 2145 words 7.0 Reference Sloman, J 2006, Economics, 6th Edition, Prentice Hall, Spain. Bruke Rory, Project Management: Planning and Control Techniques2003, John Wiley Boddy, D2002, Managing project Building and Leading the Team, Pearson Education Limited, London Project Management University of Tunku Abdul Rahman , Malaysia University of Sunderland Managing of Project notes. 2005 Field, M., Keller, L (1998) Project management. Open University. Richman, L (2002) project management Step-by step. AMACOM. Maslow, A. (1943) Motivation and personality, revised by R. Frazer et al (3rd edn 1970) Harper and Row, London. Herzberg, F. work and the Nature of Man. Ty Crowell Co Referring from Internet http://www.brighthub.com/office/project-management/articles/2645.aspx Viewed 15 December 2010 http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/rsv9182#how Viewed 15 December 2010 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:MNTXauAUAYoJ:fm.dal.ca/policies/files/ae269c8cdab2a6ab9af1aa0d3b788bb4.doc+policy+and+procedure+definitionscd=4hl=enct=clnkgl=my Viewed 18 December 2010 http://www.12manage.com/methods_goleman_leadership_styles.html Viewed 18 December 2010 http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/Maslows_Needs_Hierarchy.html Viewed 18 December 2010 http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=vq=cache:weh8P22Py4UJ:www.wiley.com/college/dec/meredith298298/resources/ppt/Ch13.ppt+project+termination+processhl=engl=mypid=blsrcid=ADGEESiy7TJ0FuzLsZKfCWxNcvvB4dqm_IZc6b9L9LMFWjOjvggX6Hsy7pJCdGTN-oiM54pzGQ7aUxp3L2vUZtoY1Fj2H-4XE3IEDCgFRolkeMcmEk3n5fyAea94dckyPWRK8XgOELLhsig=AHIEtbRSLeD7hwcgLsDncMJnBUvJkerPkw Viewed 22 December 2010 http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/smart-goals.html Viewed 22 December 2010 http://www.hireking.com.au/stage-hire-perth.shtml Viewed 22 December 2010 http://www.allbusiness.com/management/444125-1.html Viewed 27 December 2010 Appendix 2 The difference between policies and procedure Policy Procedure Describe the rules that establish what will or will not be done. Can range from broad philosophies to specific rules. Are usually expressed in standard sentence and paragraph format. Include WHAT the rule is, WHEN it applies and WHO it covers. Describe the critical steps undertaken to achieve policy intent. Are succinct, factual and to the point. Are usually expressed using lists. Include HOW to achieve the necessary results. Appendix 3 Safety rules and guidelines 1) Observe and practice the safety procedures established for the job. 2) In case of sickness or injury, no matter how slight, report at once to your supervisor. In no case should an employee treat his or her own or someone elses injuries or attempt to remove foreign particles from someone elses eye. 3) Do not wear loose clothing or jewellery around machinery. It may catch on moving equipment and cause a serious injury 4) Where required, you must wear protective equipment, such as goggles, safety glasses, masks, gloves, hair nets, etc. appropriate to the task. 5) Safety equipment such as restraints, pull backs, and two-hand devices are designed for your protection. Be sure such equipment is adjusted for you. 6) Observe No Smoking regulations. 7) Do not operate machines or equipment until you have been properly instructed and authorized to do so by your supervisor. 8) Do not engage in such other practices as may be inconsistent with ordinary and reasonable common sense safety rules. 9) Shut down your machine before cleaning, repairing, or leaving it. 10) Report any unsafe condition or acts to your supervisor. Appendix 4 Risk management Planning Risk Management Planning is the systematic process of deciding how to approach, plan, and execute risk management activities throughout the life of a project. It is intended to maximize the beneficial outcome of the opportunities and minimize or eliminate the consequences of adverse risk events Identify risk event Risk identification involves determining which risks might affect the project and documenting their characteristics. It may be a simple risk assessment organized by the project team. Qualitative Risk analysis Qualitative risk analysis assesses the impact and likelihood of the identified risks and develops prioritized lists of these risks for further analysis or direct mitigation. The team assesses each identified risk for its probability of occurrence and its impact on project objectives. Project teams may elicit assistance from subject matter experts or functional units to assess the risks in their respective fields Quantitative Risk analysis Quantitative risk analysis is a way of numerically estimating the probability that a project will meet its cost and time objectives. Quantitative analysis is based on a simultaneous evaluation of the impacts of all identified and quantified risks. Risk response Planning Risk response strategy is the process of developing options and determining actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to the projects objectives. It identifies and assigns parties to take responsibility for each risk response. This process ensures that each risk requiring a response has an owner . The Project Manager and the project team identify which strategy is best for each risk, and then selects specific actions to implement that strategy Risk monitoring and control Risk Monitoring and Control tracks identified risks, monitors residual risks, and identifies new risks-ensuring the execution of risk plans, and evaluating their effectiveness in reducing risk. Risk Monitoring and Control is an ongoing process for the life of the project. Appendix 5 procurement procedure Woods Lth supplier Procurement procedure

Apache And Cherokee Indians :: essays research papers

The Apache Indians of North America prospered for years throughout Kansas, New Mexico, and Arizona. They were a religious society who believed in a “giver of life';. As any complex society today, The Apache had many inter-tribal differences, although the tribe as a whole was able to see through these conflicts. Women and the extended family played an important role in the society and also in the lives of young children. Groups of different extended families, called bands, often lived together and functioned democratically. The Apache also evolved as the coming of the white man changed their lives. These Indians became adept at using horses and guns, both introduced to them by the coming settlers. As with most Indian tribes in North America the lives of the Apache were destroyed as their life-blood, the buffalo were slaughtered by the whites. The Apache were forced into surrender after years of struggle. One leader, Geronimo, was especially hard for the whites to capture. After years of evading white soldiers Geronimo was taken to Florida and treated as a prisoner of war. Government sponsored assimilation saw English forced upon the Apache robbing them of their culture. In 1934 The Indian Recognition Act helped establish the Indian culture as a recognized way of life. This act gave the Apache land, which the Apache in turn used for ranching. The destruction of the Apache culture was not recoverable and saw the Apache lose much of their language.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The documentary on the Apache was very well done. The Indians of North America series, produced by Chelsea House, seems to be a very well thought-out series and the film on the Apache was no exception. The film moved quickly throughout the life and times of the Apache. This film, as no surprise, is a great educational tool. I felt that the life of Geronimo, the best-known Apache throughout history, could have been examined a little more carefully. The Cherokee   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story of the Cherokee Indians was probably the most disturbing of any we have seen so far. The Cherokee were the most unfortunate of the North American Indian solely because the lived on the Eastern half of the United States. Their geographical location left them to be the first major tribe to come in contact with the white men. The Cherokees saw one man, Andrew Jackson, as a sole enemy. Jackson, ignoring, a treaty President Washington had signed, waged war on the Cherokee.

Dracula in Today’s Pop Culture

In his novel Dracula Bram Stoker addresses the fundamental clash between good and evil. In this view vampirism, in terms of the fascination that it holds to the modern citizen, is indeed a direct consequence of modernism. It is but a reaction to modern tendency to ignore the mystery of death. Stoker is squarely confronting the brazen attitude of modern science which believes that everything has an explanation, and which thereby proceeds to ignore the ineffable. Science cannot explain death, and simply chooses to ignore it, says Stoker.It has introduced the hustle and bustle of modern city life, where all is engaged in a mad rush towards material possession, and the frenzy is meant to erase the recollection of death. Stoker’s message is that the modern ploy of evasion will not succeed, and that death will eventually catch up with the modern citizen. This is not to say simply that someone will die, but that the process of death will be forced upon him. From the point of view of religion, especially Christianity, all life is but a preparation for death (Delany, n. p. n. ).It is not as simple as science believes, that the biological body simply stops working. And if one is not prepared at the moment of the biological cessation, then one remains â€Å"undead†. This is the vampire that Stoker, and Gothic writers in general, describe. The vampire will continue to function as long as the soul remains ignorant of death. It will prey on the living, in order to sustain a material body that is soulless. Though we cannot pronounce on the theological implications that Stoker evinces, yet it is sure that the modern fascination for vampires finds its source here.While hardcore science continues to ignore it, mass culture becomes the outlet for something that cannot be suppressed. And because Stoker’s novel is the exceptional instance in modern literature that squarely confronts the issue, the character of Dracula has become the definitive representation of the vampire in pop culture. Much of what Stoker has to say is voiced by the Dutch doctor Abraham Van Helsing, who is the real protagonist of the novel. John Seward is the representative of conventional science, a qualified medical doctor who approaches the mysterious condition of Lucy Westenra with the equipment of modern science.But it is clear that Dr Seward is completely out of his depth here, and the intervention of Van Helsing is vital. â€Å"It is the fault of our science,† he tells him, â€Å"that it wants to explain all; and if it explain not, then it says there is nothing to explain† (Stoker 228). Vampirism cannot he handled with the tools of experimental science, and therefore it reacts as if it doesn’t exist. Van Helsing is not an ignorant quack, but is a qualified scientist himself. The difference is that science is not a fanaticism to him; is useful to the extent that it is applicable.Science is properly restricted to material evaluation, and there fore it will fail if it tries to explain matters pertaining to the soul. Vampirism, as Van Helsing tries to make out, is something entirely concerned with the soul. Thus, to overcome it he must become the agent of God, and not simply a rational doctor. He knows that ancient wisdom contains truth that is inexplicable by the yardstick of science. Therefore his is an open mind, which takes in both the old and new, with intelligence and common sense as the guide. It is the middle way which Stoker presents as the ideal.The modern fascination with vampires must be put in its proper historical context. We must take note that it is a universal theme, and that people of all cultures and all epochs have tales to tell about the vampire. For example the ancient Hindu goddess Kali is depicted as bloodthirsty, and is decorated with a garland of skulls. In Indian lore it is believed that if death is not consummated then the soul is trapped in the material sphere, and it becomes a Pret, attacking t he living for its sustenance. Similar legends appear in other places, and Christian Europe is not exempt.In the eighteenth century Voltaire, in his Philosophical Dictionary, was able to give a succinct and graphic account: These vampires were corpses, who went out of their graves at night to suck the blood of the living, either at their throats or stomachs, after which they returned to their cemeteries. The persons so sucked waned, grew pale, and fell into consumption; while the sucking corpses grew fat, got rosy, and enjoyed an excellent appetite. It was in Poland, Hungary, Silesia, Moravia, Austria, and Lorraine, that the dead made this good cheer. (Ibid 371)The Enlightenment of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is the specific social phenomenon which we need to consider in this regard because it is the particular point where the old wisdom and new part ways. The Enlightenment was specifically directed against the Roman Catholic Church, but it was also against religion par se. Replacing religious doctrine, it took scientific measurement as the new criteria of judgment, declaring that science has the explanation for all things. That which did not find explanation with science was immediately judged to be superstition, meaning an irrational belief, and therefore false.We expect vampirism to have faded in such a climate, because many other â€Å"superstitions† were being discarded during this period of boundless faith in science. But instead we take note that there was a marked resurgence of vampire related activity. Reports start flooding in of vampire sightings, of graves being violated, and similar efforts to overcome the evil menace. The increased fascination with vampires is reflected in the advent of Gothic literature, which is a genre that the eighteenth century gave birth to. The fact that science and rationalism cannot overcome the reality of the vampire is the central theme of Stoker’s novel.This is reflected in Jonathan Harkerâ⠂¬â„¢s first impression on Count Dracula in his secluded castle, and he comments that â€Å"unless my senses deceive me, the old centuries had, and have, powers of their own which mere ‘modernity’ cannot kill† (Ibid 87). In fact modernity itself has become the target of the renovated vampire. The first thing we notice about Count Dracula is his suave and civilized appearance. This is in contrast to earlier depictions of the vampire as evil incarnate, and therefore gruesome in appearance at all times. The explanation for this is that subterfuge is not necessary when everyone knows that the vampire is real.But in the modern context such recognition is absent, and there is a concerted effort by society to dismiss it as superstition. In this situation Dracula has needs to practice deception, and therefore Stoker presents him to us as a refined gentleman with subterranean motives. It is not just the blood of the living which Dracula requires for his sustenance, but he is also motivated by revenge. When he has finally made it to the hub of London, to the Piccadilly quarters of Van Helsing, the Count declares, â€Å"My revenge is just begun! † (Ibid 347). The revenge is directed against modernity, that which denies his very reality.When he is hosting Jonathan Harker is Castle Dracula, he expresses a lurid curiosity about â€Å"the crowded streets of your mighty London† (Ibid 51). To him the city stands as a monumental statement of defiance against him. With a barely disguised gloating at the prospect of his revenge, he tells his guest, â€Å"I long †¦ to be in the midst of the whirl and rush of humanity, to share its life, its change, its death, and all that makes it what it is. But alas! † (Ibid). Apart from the ethereal aspect there is also a palpable human dimension to Count Dracula.To Harker he introduces himself as a descendant of the noble lineage of the Severinys. The description he provides about the exploits of h is ancestors leave no room for doubt that he is indeed descended from the real-life Dracula, and later on in the novel Mina Harker is able to confirm this, when she expresses in her journal: He must indeed have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turks†¦ If it be so, then was he no common man: for in that time, and for centuries after, he was spoken of as the cleverest and the most cunning, as well as the bravest of the sons of the ‘land beyond the forest'.(Ibid 280) The real-life Dracula in question is Vlad III Dracula, who ruled over the Wallachians in the fifteenth century. He was inordinately cruel and bloodthirsty, and was even nicknamed â€Å"The Impaler†, because he used to impale his victims, watching them die slowly, after he had first lured them into his castle (Skow, n. p. n. ). A resemblance is found here with the ancient wisdom that a vampire may only be killed by impaling through the heart by a stake. But apart from such similaritie s, Vlad the Impaler has also a direct connection to vampirism.Like his father he was initiated into the Order of the Dragon, an occult organization with rites pertaining to the vampire. Stoker was very likely to be privy to these secrets of occultism being a Freemason himself, and a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn, a cult organization deeply involved in the arcane arts (O’Connor D27). He is known to have traveled much in Eastern Europe towards his research to discover the roots of vampirism. The character of Count Dracula must therefore be declared as both ethereal and historical at the same time. Another agenda for revenge is from the point of view of being a descendent of Vlad III Dracula.He laments that the â€Å"warlike days [of his ancestors] are over. † He lusts after blood and glory, and tells Harker that â€Å"blood is too precious a thing in these days of dishonorable peace; and the -glories of the great races are as a tale that is told† (Stoker 61). The fascination that the character of Dracula commands is finally of religious implication. In the end it is the stance of science against religion that lies at the root of the preponderance of evil. Modernism is at heart a step towards irreligion. Its goal is to shed the light of science in all areas so that the mystery of religion is finally eradicated.The rise of irreligion runs parallel to the rise of modernism. If the visitation of evil is a consequence of this, then it must be combated only through a return to religion. Van Helsing makes this clear when he declares, â€Å"Thus are we ministers of God’s own wish: that the world, and men for whom His Son die, will not be given over to monsters, whose very existence would defame Him† (Ibid 360). In the words and deeds of Dracula we notice a distinct resemblance to Satan – the devil is Christian lore. This comes across clearly when we notice his particular approach to his revenge.We take note that it is t hrough the woman that he wants to perpetrate his corruption. The Biblical parallel is where the devil, disguised as a serpent, intrudes into Eden and tempts Eve to eat of the fruit of knowledge. ‘Dracula’ signifies the dragon, which in turn denotes the Biblical serpent (Vere 76). We know about the act of temptation and the impending corruption when he boasts to the men, â€Å"Your girls that you all love are mine already; and through them you and others shall yet be mine† (Stoker 347). We also take note that Dracula’s target for temptation is Lucy Westenra and not Mina Harker.While both are taken in by modernism, and may be describes as â€Å"progressive women†, Mina accommodates her modernism to the limits imposed by Christianity. She tries to keep in touch with the latest mores and technologies; for example, she is intent on learning to use the typewriter, at that time at the cutting edge of technology. But if she does so it is only because she ca n become of use to her husband. The opportunities that modern life affords do not tempt her to stray beyond the bounds of a Christian wife, whose prime duty is towards her husband and children.Van Helsing summarizes her for us in this way: â€Å"[O]ne of God’s women, fashioned by His own hand to show us men and other women that there is a heaven where we can enter, and that its light can be here on earth. So true, so sweet, so noble†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ibid 226). Lucy, on the other hand, turns liberty into license. She is so flattered when three men propose to her at once she laments â€Å"Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her, and save all this trouble? † (Ibid 91). We are led to believe that she is aggressively sexual, and in some ways a siren.We understand why Dracula finds a ready target in her, whereas he cannot seduce Mina after repeated attempts, and despite his challenge thrown to the men that he will. Van Helsing’s mission is concerned with saving the soul, and it is not the physical life which worries him. In the second half of the novel the principal issue becomes whether Mina’s purity remains intact, and it is not at all about saving lives from a violent monster. The purity of Mina is vital because on it depends the spiritual condition of the men folk of England. She is depicted as the paragon of womanhood, and therefore suggestive of Eve in the Garden of Eden.For her to fall to the temptation of â€Å"the Dragon† is of the highest consequence, we believe. After Lucy is killed, it is the fact that she is ‘undead’ that spreads unease, so that her three suitors are determined to kill her again (or, kill the vampire that she is become), in order that the soul of Lucy attains peace and passes into the otherworld. When she is finally killed properly, by impaling her heart with a stake, her suitors, including her fiance Arthur Holmwood, look on as a hideous visage is transform ed into one of â€Å"unequalled sweetness and purity,† which is reflecting the condition of the soul within (Ibid 225).Stoker’s masterpiece crystallized the various trends in Gothic literature, and became the benchmark for all successive efforts in the genre, especially in film and television. Next to Sherlock Holmes, there is no other fictional character with more depictions in film and television than the character of Count Dracula (Dyson, n. p. n. ). The gothic genre is not especially known for quality literature. Outlandish landscapes, ancient castles, the evocation of dread, gruesome details, violence met upon ravishing young ladies, such were features that made the gothic novel, and Stoker does not depart much from the convention.But his effort is special in that he grapples with the fundamental issues, for example the visitation of evil in the wake of modernism. Stoker was not merely concerned with horror, but with evil itself. Paul Santilli points out a distinc tion between the two in terms of existentialism: â€Å"Evil is defined within a cultural matrix; horror is the undefined other of a culture. Evil represents the negation of being; horror shows the sickening presence of being as being† (173). Because the typical writer of Gothic literature is bound by the dictates of the horror genre, he tends to lose sight of the underlying theme of evil.Thus we notice in nineteenth century vampire literature a trend towards sympathizing with the representation of evil, a fundamental error. The vampires that we find in James Malcolm Rymer’s Varney the Vampire and Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla are sympathetic characters to some extent (Silver et al, 40-41). Stoker’s novel stands firm against such deterioration and presents to us evil in its most pristine form. This is why Stoker’s characterization of Dracula has become iconic, and also the standard bearer for all subsequent depictions of the vampire in popular culture .However, popular culture being what it is, the trend towards sympathizing with the vampire was resumed once mass media took hold of the character of Dracula and made it part of its own province. The picture of Dracula in the popular mind is now wholly derived from Hollywood films, and is very different from how Stoker describes him in the novel. For example in the novel he is described as having white hair and a drooping moustache; but the popular imagination sees him as dark haired, clean shaven and immaculately groomed.Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of the Count in the 1931 Hollywood production is most responsible for this picture. By most accounts this film, directed by Tod Browning, is the best adaptation to date, though it is not the first. This distinction must go to the 1922 German production Nosferatu, directed by F W Murnau, which makes the vampire particularly gruesome, and therefore is a return somewhat to the traditional depiction. But with films there is always the dan ger that villains become heroes, which happens when the film becomes very popular and even negative characters assume the charm of being famous.Once Browning’s depiction of Dracula entered the public imagination it set of a trend towards sympathizing with the embodiment of evil. In this trend must be included the series of films is that which issued from the Hammer House of Horror Studio in England. The first film appeared in 1958, with Christopher Lee in the role of the Transylvanian Count, and was largely faithful to the original novel, both in the plotline and in the depiction of the vampire. But as the series dragged along the tendency was to indulge in the evil exploits of the Count.This is in line with the general trend in Hollywood to lean more and more towards the â€Å"antihero†, and to glorify socially subversive activity. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 production Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a consummation of this process, so that the vampire here is almost a Christ-like figure. Regarding Coppola’s cinematic technique Humphries-Brooks points out that the subjective camera is used from the Count’s point of view, â€Å"which frequently lets us see the world through Dracula's eyes and allows a visceral empathy with the character.† The major sacrilege is of introducing a love affair between Dracula and Mina Harker, thereby reversing the entire tenor of the original novel. Despite such misguided efforts, the sheer preponderance of adaptations of Stoker’s novel in film, as well as the insatiable appetite of the public for vampire films in general, is a measure of the iconic status that Stoker’s Dracula has acquired. In conclusion, the modern fascination with vampirism must be viewed as a symptom of modernity. We must trace its origin to the Age of Enlightenment, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in which we identify the roots of modernism.It was a concerted effort to overcome the religious worldview, and to replace it with a scientific representation. The resurgence of the public fascination with vampires must also be dated to this period. The explanation of this lies in the tendency to ignore the reality of death, or the consequences for the soul after death. Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, at the turn of the twentieth century, crystallized this fascination with a masterful study of vampirism with a thoroughly entertaining plotline. Like all Gothic literature, it aimed primarily to please.But at the same time it tackled the issue of evil in the most fundamental way, and in this way recovered focus to Gothic literature. It identified modernism as the root cause behind the re-emergence of the vampire, and outlined the battle lines in which modernism and traditional belief clashed. For all these reasons the character of Count Dracula has come to acquire an iconic status in popular culture, and it continues to spurn adaptations and imitations in film and television. Works Cited Delany, Joseph F. â€Å"Preparation for Death. † New Advent.Internet. Retrieved: 23 March 2008. < http://www. newadvent. org/cathen/04660c. htm> De Vere, Nicholas. The Dragon Legacy. Contributor Tracy R. Twyman. New York: Book Tree, 2004. Dyson, Jeremy. â€Å"Battle of the bloodsuckers. † The Guardian. Wednesday October 31, 2007. Internet. Retrieved: 23 March, 2008. Humphries-Brooks, Stephenson. â€Å"The Body and the Blood of Eternal UnDeath. † The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. Volume VI: Spring 2004. O’Connor, John.The Enduring Fascination Of ‘Dracula’. The New York Times. March 5, 1978, Sunday. Santilli, Paul. â€Å"Culture, Evil, and Horror. † The American Journal of Economics and Sociology. Volume 66, Number 1, January 2007, pp. 173-193. Skow, John. â€Å"Vlad the Impaler. † Time Magazine. Monday, Jan. 15, 1973. Silver, Alain & Ursini, James. The Vampire Film: From Nosferatu to Interview With the Va mpire. New York: Limelight Editions, 1997. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. New York: Broadview Press, 1998. Voltaire. Philosophical Dictionary Part 2. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2003.

Bhagavad Gita Analysis - 943 Words

Bhagavad Gita The author Stephen Mitchell reflects on a scripture titled â€Å"Bhagavad Gita†. This scripture is a new translation based on ancient Hinduism. Throughout the scripture, it explains the teachings that can be used in an everyday life situation. Its diverse audience can learn how to face different dilemmas, and how to live in this world with happiness and peacefulness by doings ones’ duties. It also helps the audience understand the true purpose of life. For those who go through the battles of life learning discipline, knowledge, and intelligence, they are considered God dearest devotees. Overall, the scripture assures that God will respond to his devotees with love. Its teachings focus on those who are suffering and want to find a†¦show more content†¦Their names are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Sattva is known as pure happiness and knowledge. It helps us free from all sinful reactions that can later lead to happiness and knowledge. Rajas are known to be full of p assion with intense desires. It helps us control our selfish desires. Tamas are known to be the darkness and crudeness. They are the ones who are born with ignorance and madness. Higher worlds are Sattva, middle worlds are rajas, and lower worlds are tamas. Each of the three Gunas try to have higher power, and overpower one another. They are responsible of the behavior of all living things. The goal of the three Gunas is to create a bondage through desires. Understanding the three Gunas helps a devotee overcome their battles, and can accomplish perfection. Our souls are known to be influenced by the three Gunas. The three Gunas also helps us with complying with our duties. The three Gunas are responsible to get rid of desire actions in all beings. Instead of just putting these practices into use we should go beyond our own expectations. The one who is successful with all three Gunas is a qualified devotee. 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