The Marxist Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

The Marxist Hamlet In his article "'Funeral Bak'd Meats:'   Carnival and the Carnivalesque in Hamlet," Michael D. Bristol mingles Marxism and Bakhtin's notion of double discoursed textuality into an unique reading of Shakespeare's drama as a struggle between opposing economic classes.   Bristol opens with a two paragraph preface on Marxism, highlighting Marx's own abnegation of Marxism:   "Marx is famous for the paradoxical claim that he was not a Marxist" (Bristol 348).   While he acknowledges some of the flaws inherent in Marxist criticism, Bristol uses the introductory paragraphs to assert the "enormous importance" of "the theory of class consciousness and class struggle" which Marxist theory includes (349).   Having prepared readers for a discourse whose foundation lies upon "the most fundamental idea in Marxism," Bristol recasts Hamlet as a class struggle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A strange, mutli-faceted mingling pervades Bristol's argument, and, according to his thesis the drama of Hamlet as well.   According to Bristol, two contrasting texts, two opposing social worlds, flow past one another in the drama, forming a strange suspension "of grief and of festive laughter" (350).   This odd juxtaposition of opposites becomes the basis for Bristol's introduction of the carnivalesque.   The echoes of Carnival within Hamlet, according to Bristol, ceaselessly evolve throughout the play until they reach their most perfect representation in the grave-diggers' scene of the fifth act.   Bristol assigns Carnival a function that immensely strengthens his thesis:   "Carnival opens up alternative possibilities for action and helps to facilitate creativity in the social sphere" (351).   Bristol's discussion of Carnival expands in order to include the theories ... ...istol concludes his article by explaining the ultimate end of the Carnivalesque, "the dissolution, and finally the extinction of identity, the annihilation of the individual in the historical continuum" (365).   The bodies of the festival-makers, the court of Hamlet, lie on the stage like "slaughtered 'meat'" (364).   Bristol concludes that the second culture, or the second language, of Carnival within the drama of Hamlet, supplies an alternate reading for the drama by "uncrowning the shifting rationales used to explicate political intrigue," by transforming the play into a struggle between social classes as expressed by the carnivalesque (365).   The doubleness of Hamlet, the mingling of tragedy and the comic, sheds new light on the drama as an ambivalent and grotesque Carnival which diametrically contrasts the power and propriety typically associated with the play.

Discussion Case: Mountain Bank

At first glance, one would wonder why Mountain bank currently has fifty percent of Retail accounts within the market which are the less profitable accounts in the banking industry. Secondly one would also ask or wonder why Mountain Bank has less than 10 percent of the most profitable accounts in the market, corporate accounts. To achieve a competitive advantage Mountain Bank should implement the cost leadership strategy and the differentiation strategy. Currently Mountain Bank has a strong presence in the Retail Banking line which has proven to be the least profitable line in the industry. Their goal short term goal need to be to own a stronger presence within the more stable and profitable lines, Real Estate and Mortgage and Corporate banking. With the recent mergers and acquisitions, Mountain Bank may have the opportunity to expand and develop efficient methods that will enable them to sell its products and services at a lower price than its competitors. The decrease in the cost of its products and services will attract new customers and retain existing customers. By lowering the interest rates and cost of its products and services to a rate that smaller banks would not be able to compete with, Mountain Bank will gain the leadership of cost within the industry. The success of weeding out the competition will allow Mountain Bank to achieve its goal of obtaining a stronger presence of the most stable and profitable lines within the industry, Real Estate and Mortgage and Corporate accounts. Currently Mountain Bank provides the same four lines of banking (retail, consumer lending, real estate and mortgage and corporate banking), products and services as other banks in the industry. Differentiating its brand would allow Mountain Bank to gain a competitive advantage above its competitors. Mountain Bank would need to offer to its customer’s different and unique products and services that are not offered by its competition. This plan should restrict competitors from entering their market, or make it difficult for them to compete with them head on. The differentiation strategy may include implementing mergers with some larger corporations to obtain exclusive contract to do business with that business. The contract could encompass corporate accounts where Mountain Bank would be the sole provider of the company’s accounts for some of their benefits packages. Based on the universalistic approach and commitment strategy, what types of practices should a human resource professional recommend for Mountain Bank with respect to its tellers? The tellers are the key to the success at Mountain Bank. It is important that Mountain Bank’s human resource team focus on empowering the workers and build a stronger sense of loyalty and commitment within the tellers. Because the tellers are expected to complete some of the task as customer service it is imperative that hr encompass extensive recruiting and training within their hiring process. The tellers should have more involvement with the communication with management. Tellers should be encouraged to make suggestions about their daily responsibilities, customer service, daily goals, quotas, sales projections etc. Training programs should readily be available for those who show that they are able to handle more responsibilities. Of course compensation and appraisal systems should be measured and rewarded to those who use the training effectively on the job. These practices would foster a strong sense of cooperation between management and the tellers. Discuss the four human resource strategies (internal/cost, external cost, internal/differentiation and external/differentiation) that may be implemented within an organization. The Internal/Cost strategy combines the theories of the cost leadership strategy and emphasize on employing individuals with a long term goal of employment with the focus of reducing cost. The employer focuses on satisfying the needs of the employees while the employees work complete their various task in a manner in which to reduce cost for the employer. This is a win-win situation in which employees and employer are both satisfied. Employee satisfaction in turn reduces the likelihood of employee turnover. Mountain Bank would need to implement this strategy to ensure that not only its employees but its frontline employees, the tellers, are satisfied with their job. If they are satisfied then they have a higher chance of building a stronger bond becoming loyal longtime employees which reduces the cost to Mountain Bank in the long run. The Internal Differentiation strategy focuses on hiring and retaining long term employees that specialize in performing certain task with a combination of differentiation. This strategy emphasizes the importance of the employees. It values the employees and provides training to enhance their career within the company. This strategy compensates the employees with high wages/salaries and good benefits packages for their hard work and dedication for the company. These employees are known as the experts within the field. The External Cost strategy also known as the bargain labor strategy focuses on hiring employees with a short term goal while reducing the cost. This strategy unlike the previous two would not offer many perks to its employees. This strategy does not offer room for advancement within the company, and they do not offer training to empower employees to advance their careers. The pay rate for employees within this strategy is usually hourly wages. Employees are thought of as being easily replaced because they are not valued as much compared to the previous two strategies. This is a strategy that should not have top priority for Mountain Bank to implement. External/Differentiation strategy also focuses on hiring employees with a short term goal of employment combined with the differentiation strategy. These employees have critical skills but do not intend to remain loyal long term employees. Little to no training is provided because they are hired based on the skill set and experience they have to perform and complete a certain job/task. Employees who encourage this strategy have no long term commitments for the employees hired. The only portion of this strategy that Mountain Bank should implement is to hire employees that acquire necessary skill sets and experience to perform the job needed. Recommend a human resource strategy for Mountain Bank with respect to its tellers and support the recommendation. The case states that â€Å"bank tellers are crucial to the success of the Mountain bank because they are often times the only person that a customer may come in contact with while visiting the bank. † (Stewart 2008) The bank tellers at Mountain Bank are entry level employees and they receive a low pay. Within their daily responsibilities they are expected to cross sell and convince customers with retail accounts to open corporate accounts or obtain a mortgage from Mountain Bank. In a since, the tellers are also acting as sales reps for Mountain Bank and are not being compensated for the success if a sale is accomplished. It is stated that the employee turnover at Mountain Bank is quite high which means that the employees have a shorter average tenure than those of other companies in the same industry. Because employee turnover at Mountain Bank is quite high they should consider adopting the Internal/Cost HR Strategy: The Loyal Soldier. This strategy emphasizes hiring and retaining loyal employees who will do whatever the company asks of them. The efforts are made to satisfy the needs of employees and build a strong bond that reduces the likelihood of employee turnover. † (Stewart 2008) HR would be responsible for recruiting candidates and hiring employees (tellers) who fit th e organizational culture. Because the bank tellers complete several task, it is safe to assume that Mountain Bank expects them to do whatever the company asks of them like cross sell to existing customers to increase profits. HR will also be responsible for providing tellers with extensive training in a number of different skills. These skills will be related to the teller daily duties/responsibilities i. e. handle a wide range of banking transactions, such as cashing checks, accepting deposits and loan payments, and processing withdrawals. The tellers should also receive extensive training on customer service and sales representative skills as well because they are expected to cross sell and onvince customers with retail accounts to open corporate accounts or obtain a mortgage from Mountain Bank. The sales training crucial to the tellers because it will ensure (1) that they have accurate product knowledge, (2) they are familiar with the company’s sales procedures and (3) they know how to accurately fill out paperwork regarding the successful sale of the product. This process will help improve sales performance in the corporate accounts which are the most profitable accounts within the Mountain. Alongside finding the â€Å"right† employee, the loyal soldier strategy focuses on long term incentives and benefits for its employees. Because the tellers are paid a low wage they should be offered full time employment after a probation period. They should also be offered a benefits package which should include medical dental and the option to purchase stocks within the company. Performance appraisals/evaluations should determine the level of pay increase. This process will result in a great since of pride for the tellers and a strong bond between the employees and Mountain Bank.

Establishment Of Library In Philadelphia - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1011 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/06/10 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Benjamin Franklin Essay Did you like this example? Establishment of the public library in Philadelphia and its effects Benjamin Franklin loved books he spent most of his time reading Reading was the only delight I allowed myself. I spent no time in hostelries, games, or frolicks of any kind; (Franklin, 1986: Chapter 5) . Also, he was a member of a group of people whom would come together hold club meeting where they read and shared books. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Establishment Of Library In Philadelphia" essay for you Create order Franklin felt that it would be much better if the group began an internal library where everyone would pitch in their collection of books. They would lend these books to each other and would have a continuous flow of books for their reading. All the members of the club agreed, and that led them to the opening of a small library at Mr Graces where they had been holding their meetings. Contrary to what they expected the library did not do well. For starters, the books they put together, each member bringing their collection, were not as much as they expected. Also, managing the group was very hectic because there were inconveniences in caring for the books. Therefore, the library was dissolved, and everyone took back their books. However, Franklin considered the idea of having a public library was very beneficial. Consequently, he brought forth the approach to the Junto members and on 1st July 1731 they came up with the terms and conditions for the subscribers. Also, they contributed the capital which they used to buy new books for the library. They also agreed on an amount that they would contribute on a yearly basis. The library began with a total of 50 subscribers who would invest 40 shillings whereby 10 shillings were purchasing more books thus adding to the librarys collection. The library was being opened once per week whereby subscribers would lend books and return borrowed books. Late returns were fined double the price of the book. The library was very beneficial to the community because they had access to books thus improving their conversations. Franklins moral perfection Franklin wanted to have a life whereby he would not commit any faults it was about this time I comprehended the bold and laborious project of reaching to moral perfection. I coveted to live without committing to any fault at any time; (Franklin, 1986: Chapter 6). Knowing what was right and wrong, Franklin assured himself that he would do one thing to avoid the other. Franklin found that it was challenging to live without faults. Therefore, he concluded that it was not adequate to prevent the slip-ups, but it was better to acquire and establish the right habits avoiding the contrary ones. In all the years that Franklin had spent reading he had received different virtues shown by various writers, and each writer gave diverse meanings to those virtues. He came up with a method which included 13 virtues that were necessary to him at the time and made them more understandable with fewer ideas placed on them. Since he intended to attain all the thirteen virtues, he saw it necessary to deal with each at its own time until he had achieved to live by all of them. After making the virtues his habits, he came up with a table whereby he crossed the days of the week against the thirteen virtues. The purpose of that table was to help him find out the virtues he experienced difficulty and what days of the week. On the table, he concentrated on one virtue each week ensuring that he perfected on that specific virtue on its week of concentration. Throughout the year he would go through four seasons of strengthening each morality in its week. Later on, he improved his table to a memorandum book in which he went through on program in the year. For Franklin, the order moral was the most challenging virtue of maintaining, and therefore he came up with a plan which included all the 24 hours of the day and what he was to do in every hour. But being a businessman who travelled a lot, it was complicated to stick to the schedule he had created. Also, order regarding placing things where they were supposed to be Franklin found it exceedingly problematic to maintain. At some point due to continued imperfection in that area he wanted to give up and I made so little progress in the modification and had such regular relapses, that I was ready to give up the effort, and content myself with a defective character in that respect ( Franklin, 1986: Chapter 6). According to Franklin, the phrase a speckled axe is best he meant that it is better to try to attain morality regardless of the many obstacles there are to face than to wholly give in to immoral preferences. By struggling against evil a person will have both virtuous and wicked appearances which were more satisfactory than not trying at all Religious Background of Franklin Franklin was a very holy man, and he believed in the Bible. In his autobiography, he mentions a travelling doctor in England who spitefully biased the Bibles message. Franklin described this doctor as wicked for disrespecting the Bible showing that Franklin knew what the Bible says and understood the meaning. Besides, the morals that he was striving to attain, one of them was humility which he described as the imitation of Jesus and Socrates which meant that he knew about Jesus and His doings thus wanting to emulate them. Therefore, Franklin depicts himself as one who had studied the Bible. Also, in his little book he had quoted the book of Proverb from the Bible and used the word as his motto. He was also prayerful as illustrated in the different prayers he had cited in his little book as guidance in achieving moral perfection. For instance: And conceiving God to be the cascade of wisdom, I thought it right and essential to solicit his aid for obtaining it; to this end, I moulded th e following little prayer, which was prefaced to my tables of examination, for daily use. (Franklin, 1986: Chapter 6). Reference Franklin, B. (1986). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin