Definition Essay Example The Right Stuff - Bestessay4u

Definition Essay Tom Wolfe’s celebrated novel The Right Stuff (1979) narrates the story of seven US pilots who were central to the nation’s post-war experiments with space program and investigational high-speed aircraft. The story of The Right Stuff has been the result of Wolfe’s all-embracing research and he treats the theme in a realistic manner. The seven military pilots in the novel dedicated their lives in pioneering the in forwarding the US technology which helped in the advancement of rocket-powered flight. They ultimately succeeded in breaking the boundaries of earth and pioneer the US space development programs. However, the novel is more illustrious for its definition of a key concept, ‘The Right Stuff’, which corresponds to some essential talents and qualities of the most elite that are associated with seven pilots including bravery, physical fitness, mental determination, patriotism, self sacrifice and willingness to risk one’s life. According to Tom Wolfe, the concept of ‘The Right Stuff’ is a virtue of the highest order which includes some unique qualities. These talents and qualities break up the men from the boys and they include bravery, physical fitness, mental determination, patriotism, self sacrifice and willingness to risk one’s life. In defining the concept of ‘The Right Stuff’, the author, first of all, connects it to the quality of bravery and it is background of military flight training that he demonstrates this specific element of the great concept. Thus, Wolfe, in the early pages of his book suggests that bravery is an â€Å"ineffable quality† which only people with ‘The Right Stuff’ can acquire. Conversely, one needs to comprehend bravery as something more than merely â€Å"being willing to risk your life.† (Wolfe, 17) In fact, bravery, to the author, refers to the unrelenting in pursuit of glory which is accompanied by steadiness and almost modesty. Another chief component of the concept of ‘The Right Stuff’, according to Wolfe, is the patriotism of military pilots which distinguish them from the ordinary citizens of a nation. The author illustrates the self sacrificing patriotism as essential feature of this concept and he makes use of the combat experiences of the seven pilots as the best example of this concept.   The altruistic self-sacrifice of these men is evident in their keenness to offer their service to the prosperity of the nation away from their families and friends and this feature corresponds to ‘The Right Stuff’ in them. Although bravery is an essential component of ‘The Right Stuff’, it is not all about that and, in fact, it is much more than mere bravery. To him, the concept is something more than the willingness to risk one’s life and it is, exactly, about intellect, courage and elegance under pressure which leads people to greater deeds in life. According to Wolfe, â€Å"a man should have the ability to go up in a hurtling piece of machinery and put his hide on the line and have the moxie, the reflexes, the experience, the coolness, to pull it back at the last yawning moment.† (Wolfe, 148) Therefore, one with mere bravery cannot possess ‘The Right Stuff’. Also, the author points out that the concept of ‘The Right Stuff’ refers to â€Å"presence† and an â€Å"aura† in people and he illustrates it with the example of Senator John Glenn (Wolfe, 277). Accordingly, this character is â€Å"the sort of mortal who brought tears to other men’s eyes† (Wolfe, 279) To Wolfe, the significance of this quality is unquestionable and â€Å"Even the President would become merely another awed male in the presence of the right stuff† (Wolfe, 217) He also illustrates the importance of the â€Å"aura† with the example of General Chuck Yeager. In conclusion, Wolfe defines the concept of ‘The Right Stuff’ in a broader sense which cannot be encapsulated in just a few words.   The concept incorporates essential talents and qualities such as bravery, physical fitness, mental determination, patriotism, self sacrifice and willingness to risk one’s life.   However, it needs to be realized as a quality above and beyond mere bravery, courage, talent, and patriotism and the author presents the various elements of ‘The Right Stuff’ through the various characters in the novel. Works Cited Wolfe, Tom. The Right Stuff. New York: Bantam Books. 2001. P 17. Its Time to Order Your Essay Join the team of thousands of students who have trusted our essay help online. They were able to improve their grades with our help, so you can do it too. Open Live Chat and order now.

Gender Representation Essays

Gender Representation Essays Gender Representation Essay Gender Representation Essay Traditionally, specific qualities, characteristics and roles have been socially and culturally assigned to males and females on the basis of gender. In traditional patriarchal societies, females have been assigned domestic and demurred roles, dependent from their male counterparts to succeed in life, where as males are generally expected to be physically strong, brave and unemotional. The short story The Altar of the Family by Michael Wilding features a young boy, David, who initially challenges traditional gender stereotypes but is brutalized by his insensitive father who’s obsession in preserving ‘Family Honour’ is taken too far. Mr Murray treats his sons feminine behaviour as unacceptable and crudely insults him with harsh remarks such as â€Å"poofter† and â€Å"moping.. poet. † Because society rejects those who step outside their allocated roles, femininity is sacrificed to maintain family honour but in doing so, a facet of David is also drained and he is left â€Å"empty†. Mrs Murray’s character reinforces traditional gender stereotypes of a prim, proper lady and child nurturer who is demurred and suppressed by her sexuality. She has a traditional patriarchal relationship with her husband and in doing so is marginalized, silenced and â€Å"dem . . . † This clearly raises question about the roles fathers have to play to define to their sons; what it means to be a man. The play on the masculine name â€Å"Bredon† to which the family had settled and built reinforces a patriarchal family with traditional beliefs and values. This would appear to encourage the reader to reject particular versions of masculinity. : Although we condemn Mr Murray for his behaviour and the conduct towards his son, Wilding uses him as a vehicle that represents a microcosm of society at large with its traditional beliefs and values. However we are able to relate to David and sympathise with him being the victim of unruly injustice. Symbolism is used by Wilding to signify Mr Murray’s disgrace and shame of his son David. Setting is used to both emphasize gender representations but also used to reinforce David’s femininity. † By this constraint, David is banned from experiencing life and Mrs Murray is impeached for David’s femininity. David’s character is compared to lilies which symbolize him being â€Å"soft, rich-textured, so white† representing David with the feminine characteristics of innocence and purity. Traditionally, altars are used in a church where animals are sacrificed and often symbolise death. Mr Murray was â€Å"incensed at such a suggestion [to] sell it, or build a modern house on the site,† which clearly suggests he had no intentions of â€Å"destroying its traditions,† which was constructed on the idea of male dominance and authority. Because David challenges his allocated gender role, he is tormented and revolted by society, which in end, triumphs over his femininity. Although we know texts never reflect a mirror of the world, it questions society’s endorsement of effeminate, so called â€Å"lesser men,† as equal and worthy of â€Å"honour. Mr Murray is insensitive and brutal towards his son David, because he lacks the same masculine qualities that he attains himself, that prove him to be ‘Honourable. This story colludes with notions of gender even though David is initially judged by society as incongruously effeminate.

Management business operation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management business operation - Essay Example According to analysts of the company, instead of focusing on the volume, variety of products and sales incentives it offers, it is more interested in finding a variety of investment schemes to earn their profits (Bawden, 2011). It is also working on controlling or limiting the damage of their production process that might be inflicting on the environment ((Agarwal, Shankar & Tiwari, 2006). However, according to analysts the company is suffering due to the price difference from other competitors, such as Tesco, Sainsbury, Montrose etc. Also these food stores do not offer a variety of products and have very low scale entities. The company needs to convert at least some of its superstores and also offer a variety of ready to cook items. In short they need to improvise, to meet the requirements of the customer by bringing an apparent variation in their style of business. Variations and innovations may be appealing and attractive for the customer and they may prefer visiting the store to check out the variations. Other stores offer a number of services and items on their outlets, whereas Cooperative has simple food stores which it can turn into super markets (Just-Food.com, 2012). The other stores are carrying out customer centered operations; they are offering goods that the customers look for upon entering their stores, such as organic, fresh and affordably priced groceries or a wider variety of groceries. The Cooperative also needs to follow the trend of looking after and focusing on its customers, rather than working on the replenishment systems, finding investments etc. It can be observed that their competitors have priced a good notice of the customers purchase power in mind; this has...Visibility talks about improving communication between the customer and the manufacturer (Slack et al, 2009). Numerically, its annual sales have dropped from GBP 142 mn to GBP 119 mn and food stores sales went down by 2.2%. Other stores offer a number of services and items on their outlets, whereas Cooperative has simple food stores which it can turn into super markets (Just-Food.com, 2012). The other stores are carrying out customer centered operations; they are offering goods that the customers look for upon entering their stores, such as organic, fresh and affordably priced groceries or a wider variety of groceries. The older generation’s chief concerns, when shopping at the convenience stores, are product quality and price (Lawson, 2012). Agile manufacturing requires that the company work on controlling costs, while also maintaining a good standard of quality and more importantly meeting customer needs and requirements rapidly as well as effectively. Murrel is not looking to achieve customer satisfaction through hiring of more staff or improving service. The Cooperative’s state-of-the art supply chain seems to be just that, an agile supply chain. The value of a supply chain is described as the difference between the worth of final product in view of customers and costs incurred in the supply chain process to fulfil the customer’s demands.