Arthur Conan Doyle Essay

Examine the ways in which the author, creates suspense and tension in ‘The Speckled Band’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the ‘Body Snatcher’ by Robert Louis Stevenson Speckled Band The Speckled Band is about an evil stepfather named Dr Roylott who has the intention of murdering his stepdaughter Helen to gain her property, having already murdered her older sister Julia, in a mysterious way. When his younger stepdaughter gets suspicious, as the mysterious circumstances repeated themselves, she contacts Mr Holmes. Mr Holmes tries to help Miss Stoner find out who killed her older sister and what with. In the opening paragraph we are given unanswered questions, which makes the reader feel uncertain of the situation. We are told Holmes only investigates strange cases; this makes the reader wonder what they are going to be learning of. Sherlock Holmes awoke from his sleep earlier than usual, even though he is described as a ‘late riser’. This interests the reader because of the sense of urgency, which Homes shows. Miss Stoner is described as wearing ‘a black dress and veil’. This makes the reader curious as to why is she wearing black as black usually symbolises death or that a tragedy has happened. Watson and Holmes mention that she is shivering, a sudden twist occurs when the woman replies ‘It is not the cold which makes me shiver†¦ it is fear†¦ it is terror’. This reply creates tension and apprehension, we are presented with many unanswered questions, ‘Why is she scared’ being the main one. This creates suspense and tension because the unanswered questions give us vague details about the whole situation. Miss Stoner had ‘prematurely grey hair’ this detail was mentioned because sometimes people who have a lot of stress get grey hair prematurely, so the author is trying to emphasise that she is extremely worried about the situation. Also she is described as a ‘hunted animal’, this emphasises her vulnerability and causes the reader to be uncomfortable. We only know that she is troubled and fatigued but what caused it is unknown to the reader even though we are told all of these descriptions of Miss Stoner. We are told about Dr Roylott and of how he murdered ‘his native butler’. This increases the awareness of the reader about Dr Roylott’s aggressive and violent behaviour. He keeps exotic Indian animals such as the ‘baboon and cheetah’, which makes Dr Roylott baffling since he doesn’t act in a normal way so the reader cannot fully understand his character. Dr Roylott followed Miss Stoner to Mr Holmes house. This makes Dr Roylott seem a desperate person seeing as he is willing to spy on his stepdaughter and it therefore seems that he has something to hide. Dr Roylott is described as a man with ‘immense strength’ and with a very short-tempered anger. This is reinforced when Dr Roylott bent the poker and warned Mr Holmes that he is a very dangerous man. This striking first appearance of Dr Roylott makes the reader understand why he is such a dangerous man. Dr Roylott has the ability to intimidate most people but not Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is now seen as the knight in shining armour who is going to save Helen. Dr Roylott lets gypsies to stay on his land he becomes friends with them. This makes him seem more mysterious because people in that time of age wouldn’t usually allow gypsies to stay on their grounds and then associate themselves with them, this is a very abnormal type of behaviour. Miss Stoner told Sherlock Holmes that Julia said before she passed away that it was the ‘speckled band’ and then pointed towards Dr Roylott’s room. This leads the reader to think that the death had something to do with the gypsies, the reason being that gypsies were usually stereotyped as wearing bandanas. The reader assumes that the gypsies may have killed Julia. We learn about Helen’s problems when she explains them to Holmes, we are now answered some of the questions the reader had before. We are told that Helens sister was murdered which raises tension in the conversation. The fact that Julia died just before the day of her wedding raises the awareness of the reader. Since Dr Roylott wanted to keep the money, he’d have to get rid of Julia before she was married, this raises suspicion about him. The reader asks ‘why did he go to bed early? ‘ We have more unanswered a question such as ‘How did she die? ‘ that bewilders the reader. Helen tells us in great detail about the night Julia died next-door to Dr Roylott’s room. Julia earlier that night heard a peculiar ‘low whistle’ and a loud sound of metal being struck. These strange noises give a sense of unease to the reader. The two sisters would lock themselves in their room, which tells us they don’t feel safe on their own, ‘we had no feeling of security unless our doors were locked’. Julia is alone and isolated from her sister and the strange sound creates tremendous stress within the reader because the reader is scared for her. A cheetah and a baboon are loose in the garden. Helen is engaged; when Julia was just about to get married she was killed. The reader already knows that if they got married Dr Roylott would lose a lot of money. These two factors are put together and now the reader fears for Helen’s life. Mr Holmes inspects the room that Julia died in. He notices that the house is being repaired even though it doesn’t seem to need repair. Helen told Holmes ‘I believe that it was an excuse to move me from my room’, now that she is in the room in which her sister died in, she is now very vulnerable. The fact that the house has scaffolding gives the reader the impression that a person may have entered the house from the outside, this misleads the reader slightly from what really happened. The room door had been locked and shutters with iron bars blocked the windows. The room had very unusual features such as ‘dummy bell ropes and ventilators that did not ventilate’. The ventilator goes into Dr Roylott’s room, we are now wary of Dr Roylott that he used these features to kill Julia. In Dr Roylott’s room was a ‘saucer of milk’, which is quite strange since if it were for a cheetah it would have drank it in one lick. Also a ‘lash that was tied in a loop of whipcord’ was found in Dr Roylott’s room, this produces an image that he may have strangled Julia because it was designed to get tighter when pulled and could have been placed through the ventilator to strangle her. The whole situation holds the reader in suspense and there is a sense of unpredictability as to what is going to happen. Mr Holmes is capable of noticing small points and then reaching a conclusion, he demonstrated his ability as a detective at the beginning of the story when he knew how Miss Stoner got to his house by glancing at her ticket and coat. He notices these small points and puts them together, after that incident the reader is able to rely on Mr Holmes for answers. After he examined both of the rooms he advised Helen to listen to what he said because her life may depend upon it. Holmes had certainly spotted something very significant but he does not tell us which adds to the anxious and tense atmosphere. Mr Holmes and Watson discuss the situation, Mr Holmes clearly informs Watson that the bed being clamped to the floor, the ventilator and dummy bell rope played a link of the death of Helen. The scene is dark that gives a chilling scene. Mr Holmes and Watson encounter a ‘distorted child’ whilst walking on the grounds it was described as having ‘writhing limbs’. This is a grim picture that adds to the dark and chilling atmosphere. The child is described as ‘running swiftly across the lawn into darkness’, which makes everything seem mysterious and strange. We later find out it was the baboon. When Holmes is in Helen’s room they agree to ‘sit without light’, since there is no light unexpected things happen such as the noises they hear. The reader is now fearful for Holmes and Watson because they can’t clearly see what’s happening. Holmes tells Watson to have the pistol ready which gives the impression that they are waiting for something terrible to happen which creates a huge amount of anxiety and apprehension. Holmes for the first time in the story is nervous; this makes the reader think that a big event is about to take place. The cheetah is at liberty that increases the sense of insecurity. We as readers are unsure of what is going to happen and so is Watson, they waited ‘silently for whatever might befall’. They sit in the room waiting for what is going to happen for hours. ‘Holmes sprang from the bed and lashed furiously with his cane at the bell pull’; the reader and also Holmes are very anxious and edgy. Mr Holmes shouted to ask Watson if he could ‘see it? ‘ but he couldn’t, this creates tension and the fact that Watson can’t ‘see it’ he is at a higher risk of being harmed so therefore the reader worries for Watson. Then the low whistle occurred followed by a ‘horrible cry’ which swelled up louder and louder’, Watson and the reader are disorientated about what could of that scream have meant. The doctor was being choked but we don’t understand what is going on. Watson and Holmes feel insecure, ‘take your pistol and we will enter Dr Roylott’s room’. Holmes and Watson find a swamp adder wrapped around Dr Roylott’s neck. The reader now understands that the ‘speckled band’ was the patterns on the snake, the suspense and the tense feeling gradually fades away from the reader. At the end of the story an unpredictable twist happens, that of the ‘speckled band’. The author used a very successful red herring; the reader now knows the red herring was the gypsies, because the reader when told of the ‘speckled band’ in the beginning assumes that it was the gypsies. As the story progresses there are more and more possibilities of the cause of Julia’s death, the gypsies being one of many. Holmes solved that the ‘saucer of milk’ was there to lure the snake, the reader couldn’t link these clues together and therefore tension is built up very well. The baboon and cheetah acted as a slight red herring since they made them feel insecure and increased the tension in situations even though they were not involved. The author is successful in keeping suspense and tension all through out the story keeping the reader intrigued and interested.

Impact of Inflation on Common Man Essay

* The banking industry produces some of the most lucrative profit margins around. If you are interested in starting your own bank then you need to be prepared for the fund-raising, organizing and form filing required to set one up. These steps will help make the process easier * Evaluate how practical it is for you to start a bank. Look at your business experience. You will need to have business management skills, financial management skills and fund-raising skills. * 2 Get to know your market. Before you start a bank you need to find a hole in your current market. After all people are not going to come to a start up bank if they can’t offer the customer something unique. If your local market is already saturated with banks consider moving your bank to an outlying area that is underserved by financial institutions, or consider starting an online bank. * Sponsored Links * Laser Marking Printers Print On Extremely Small Areas W/ High Speed And Print Quality! videojet.com/Free_Whitepaper * 3 Recruit professionals to head the board of your bank. Look for people who you can work well with, for people who have banking skills and experience and for people who have business management skills and experience. * 4 Research the requirements your state has for starting a bank. You can find this information at your state’s Department of Financial Institutions. * 5 Create a plan for raising the required capital funds for your bank. Search for investors, grant programs and ways to earn money to back your bank’s start up. Expect to be required to raise millions of dollars for your bank’s start up. California, for example, requires charter banks to have between $6 million and $10 million dollars in capital funds before their doors open. * 6 Download and fill out the required paperwork for starting a bank. These forms can be found online at your state’s Department of Financial Institutions’ website. This application packet will include a general information sheet, several questionnaires, financial reporting sheets and eligibility checklists. You will also be required to complete supplemental documentation to back up your request to start a bank. You may need to put together a proposal for your bank and you may also need to create a business plan. * 7 Wait for approval. This can take between several weeks and several months. * 8 Implement your business plan after getting approved by your state’s Department of Financial Institutions. Start your fundraising, look for a building, acquire insurance and bonding, hire employees and develop a marketing campaign. Sponsored Links Read more: How to Start a Bank | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2062432_start-bank.html#ixzz2KNFkFA2m

A Family Tree Of His Family - 923 Words

Jonathan Rea was interviewed for a family tree of his family. He begins by stating he has two parents who and are still currently married. His mom, Judy, loves to cook and is the typical middle age Italian mother. His father, Sandy, is very laid back and spends most of his time watching movies in his room. He also describes his brother, Anthony, who is always busy working. If Anthony is not working he is playing video games. Jonathan explains this is his immediate household. He explains he lives in a two family home. Downstairs his father’s sister, Catherine, lives. She is divorced with her husband for 16 years. She has a son, named Michael, who is Jonathan’s cousin. Since they have grown up in the same house Jonathan reports that they are close. He even reports being closer to his cousin than his brother. When asked about his grandparents, he states he has only met his grandfather, Anthony, on his father’s side of the family. He passed away from lung cancer when Johnathan was very young. Jonathan states he does not remember much about him. Judy’s mother died when she was just a young girl. Her father, Herbert, remarried to a Polish woman whose name Jonathan was not sure of since it is not something his mother talks about often. Judy left home soon after her father, Herbert, remarried, since her and her step mother did not get along. Jonathan has recently found out his grandfather on his mother’s side is still alive. His mother also had one brother, Herb, who sheShow MoreRelatedBootstrap Assignment 11404 Words   |  6 Pageson any mobile device. So, if the user has knowledge of it can be good like as bootstrap framework provide a same way of developments and design of N-level binary tree, sometimes reference of MLM website. Tester: A person who can understand best about social linking and professional linking to be applied to it and how a normal life family can link to multiple people. If the tester can visualize this behavior in testing than it can be easier to work on this because this is real life concept and allRead MorePlanting A Sequoia Commentary Essay example1014 Words   |  5 Pagespoem’s central assertion is remembrance and honoring of the dead with the family and rebirth. The poem is about the a father that plants a sequoia tree in honor of his recently deceased infant son. Gioia uses imagery in the first few stanzas to emphasize the severity of the father and his families’ grief and despair. In these sections he also reveals the setting of the poem which is Sicily and the reason he chose a sequoia tree. The very first stanza of the Gioia’s poem sets the tone for the poemRead MoreShel Silverstein and The Giving Tree1342 Words   |  5 PagesThe boy then visits again asking the tree for a house so he can have a family; the tree then gives the boy her branches to provide what he wants. However, the boy does not stay, he wonders off into his own world with the tree’s branches. As the boy comes back once again the tree is just as happy as before, and although so much time has gone by and the tree has aged she still offers him the same joys he once had as a child. The boy however does not seem interested in playing in leaves instead heRead MoreSummary : Christmas Tree 1171 Words   |  5 Pagessymbols when they think of Christmas.(GS1) A Christmas tree is a huge part of Christmas, it is decorated and the presents are set under it for Christmas day.(GS2) Snowflakes are a trail of pureness left by God to notice all the little things. (GS3) Santa is one of the first thin gs that kids today think of when they hear the word Christmas. 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Throughout the novel we see Tree’s struggle with what the revelations signify about her life as well as her daily struggle to keep her tiny family—namely herself and her brother—afloat. SETTING: The story takes place in the late seventies. Tree and Dab live in Detroit. The storyRead More Literary Analysis of ?The Grandfather? by Gary Soto Essay examples846 Words   |  4 Pageswould be like when living in a Hispanic community. Soto is able to do this with a naturalistic writing style, writing in a simple style, and using his real life experiences as a basis. Naturalism is a writing style in which the writer takes a slice of life and makes it last forever. In â€Å"The Grandfather† Soto uses a naturalistic style of writing. In his writing Soto contemplates over everyday life such as marriage, parenthood, friendship, or making a living (Fields 284). In â€Å"The Grandfather†, Grandfather

The American Pit Bull Terrier - 706 Words

In the State of Kentucky, The American Pit Bull Terrier is banned in the following cities: Alexandria, Augusta, Beaver Dam, Bracken County, Butler, Dayton, Eslmere, Falmouth, Fourt Thomas, Lewis County, Ludlow, Maysville, Pendleton County, Southgate, Walton, and Williamstown (DogsBite). All Pit Bulls in these areas are considered dangerous and will be removed from anyone caught with one and/or euthanized regardless of who owns them. Imagine, having a family member slaughtered because of the bad rep people assume the breed brings. This breed deserves a second chance at life. At first, the breed was considered a Nanny dog due to its loyal and friendly attitude towards children (Holland). Since the 80 s this name for Pit bulls went†¦show more content†¦The fighting alone is abuse, but the prepping for the fight itself is even more horrifying. Pit Bulls spend their lives in a small cage cooped up in filthy conditions. Trainers add weights to the Pit Bulls chain to strengthen the dogs upper body. The Pit Bulls are beaten and starved to increase their aggressiveness. Trainers force the Pit Bull to kill cats or rabbits as form of training to practice for the real deal. After fifteen months of training, the Pit Bull will participate in a roll where the Pit Bull fights another for ten minutes to test and seeif the dog is worth the trainers time anymore. If not, the dog is neglected or killed (Silverman 4). This a prime example that people are the problem, not the breed. Some may argue that the American Pit Bull Terrier was bred to fight and attack peopl e; however, it is the trainers who abuse and neglect the breed to make the breed trust no one. Through proper training from a professional trainer, the Pit Bull attacks would go down. The final road of a Pit Bull in most cities that ban them is the pound. Roughly 75% of shelters euthanize Pit Bulls once they are in their custody because that’s the law in that particular city (Leavitt). Euthanizing is when a drug is administered through the bloodstream of an animal to stop its heart (Dogtime). The ones that get lucky and bypass the euthanasia never getShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Paper on Pit Bulls1664 Words   |  7 PagesAre Pit-Bulls an overly vicious breed or are they just misunderstood by todays American society? Jessica Williams Strayer University ENG215046VA016 June 04, 2011 When you see a Pit bull, what is the first thing that goes through your mind? For some, it is a sense of fear and for others it is the thought that this breed is misunderstood. 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When the wrong owner gets a Pit Bull and withholds food and teaches the dog to fight it makes a very dangerous dog. Pit bulls are known for their bite strength and fearless personalities. Due to all the negative media, abusive and neglectful pit bull owners; the pit bull terriers are thought of as vicious and unsafe dogs to be around. Pit bull terriers are discrimina ted against due to a misconception of the breed itself. The name pit bull is slangRead MoreEssay on Pit Bulls1458 Words   |  6 Pages As an owner of an American pit bull terrier, I witness first hand how the pit bull is discriminated against on a daily basis. C. Audience Relation How many of you enjoy being categorized by the way you look? Just as we, as people, are evaluated, all animals need to be evaluated by its own qualities, not their appearance. D. Central Idea Today, I would like to take the time to refute the falsely made claims that have been made against the pit bull breed and provide you

America Has Apologized, By Mychal Massie - 883 Words

The first article that I chose was â€Å"America Has Apologized,† by Mychal Massie. It gave a history lesson that showed many flaws about reparations. Also, it points out some ideas that could hold out the reparation idea. One idea Mychal mentioned is that, â€Å"The United States didn’t invent slavery.† Assuredly, it gives us the real reason why slavery was introduced and how African people enslaved themselves. The other main point about the reparations is that there are already plenty of African Americans who are already rich. Mychal gives the idea that Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jorden, and Tiger Woods are billionaires. He also explains that there are many people that do not need reparations and that it will be hard to judge who should get the money. I personally do not agree with the reparations for African American slaves. I agree with a lot of what the articles had to say because it is just too late for slavery reparations. The African American population is huge and it will be hard to determine whose relative was really a slave. The other point I agree on is that the inner cities are not good places to be in, where it is filled with violence and drugs. Most of the people who lives in areas like these are African American so we would be giving money to drug dealers or to murderers. The second article is about President Obama trying to get reparations for African Americans in the United States by 2016. This is the last thing he wanted to accomplish in office. This article by

Competitive Analysis on Cinema Industry

Question: Discuss about the Competitive Analysis on Cinema Industry. Answer: Introduction: The Australian cinema industry has been experiencing the robust growth in recent years. Since 1980, the number of cinema screens has risen more than 150%. From 1980 to 2015, the cinema screens have increased 829 to 2080 (Sereen Australia, 2016). By analyzing the business report published in 2015, among 2080 screens, 1179 screens are digital screens. The number of screens is being increased every year, which indicate the expansion of the particular industry in an efficient manner. In this context, the external environmental analysis on the cinema industry has been discussed along with the competitive analysis. On the second part of the assignment, the competitive advantages of Hoyts cinemas have been highlighted in a detailed manner. The particular discussion has also included the analysis of companys key resources, capabilities, and competencies. External Environment analysis-Macro and Industry Level (Cinema industry) PESTEL analysis: Political: There are several laws for the cinema industry in Australia. According to the Australian government, the National classification guideline for films needs to be followed by the film makers to produce and present the films to the market. Moreover, the classification guideline for publication along with the authorization also creates boundaries for the cinema industry in Australia. In this context, the political factors indicate the tax policies, labor law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs and political stability (Murray, 2012). The Australian government has been contributing the cinema industry in enhancing the business opportunities in an efficient manner. Due to the political legislations, the cinemas have faced challenges in expanding the business into the international market. Consequently, the organization would not be able to accumulate the high sales revenues from the market. It has been seen that the limited global presence is responsible for the limited market s hare (Crane, 2014). Hence, it can be assessed that without political support, the organization would not be able to experience the profitable outcome. On the other hand, the cinemas pay high taxes to the Australian government. Subsequently, it facilitates in strengthening the national economic development. Economical: The economic factors include the economic growth, interest rates, exchange rate and the inflation rate (Dunleavy Joyce, 2012). The taxation changes need to be done in order to enhance the industrial growth in an efficient manner. The Australian government would decrease the tax percentage so that new development can be happened in the particular areas. After decreasing the taxation on the film industry, more new ventures will start producing films in Australia, which would adversely facilitate the government in enhancing the national economic strength. On the other hand, the economic crisis can affect the particular industry in enhancing the business opportunities in an efficient manner. Due to the economic crisis, most of the new organizations face challenges in producing more productive films in Australia. By analyzing the annual report of the organization, it can be assessed that the company earned the gross sales of $417 million in 2013-2014. The huge profit margin facilitates t he organization in enhancing the economic growth of the country. There are also some issues related to Australian foreign trade deficit. Besides this, the rising cost of the advertisement has created challenges in executing the business in an efficient manner. The inflation rate in the Australia was 2.0 percent to 3.0 percent on average in 2016 (Cunningham Silver, 2012). On the other hand, the changes in the Australian Taxation system have created difficulties for the Cinema industry in enhancing the business opportunities in an appropriate manner. Social: Over the past few years, the entertainment values have increased in Australia. Hence, it provides adequate opportunities to the cinema organization for experiencing the high growth in the business. For example, the Hoyts industry has been operating 450 screens across both Australia and New Zealand (Hoyts, 2016).Due to the high social demand; the Hoyts cinemas have been experiencing enhanced sales revenues in the business. On the other hand, the increasing influence of the internet has improved the social life. Besides this, the increasing importance of the work-life balance would also facilitate the organization in including extra business tools. There are some positive and negative impacts of cinema on the society. By discussing the positive impacts of cinema on society, it can be assessed that the cinema often provides social messages to the society so that it could improve the culture of the society. Besides this, due to the cinema industry, many societal people get opportunities for being employee of the industry. Consequently, it indeed facilitates in reducing the unemployment issues. On the contrary, there are some negative impacts of cinema industry on the society. For example, some cinema spreads violence among the young group of people in the society. Hence, it ruins the normal living. Technological: Over the past decade, the cinema industry has experienced many technological implementations. Consequently, the demand of the cinema industry has changed. For instance, the increasing demand for the 3D technology has facilitated the cinemas to bring anew dimension to the cinema lovers (Cunningham, 2013). With the involvement of the technological implementation, the cinema industry has experienced the high sales revenues. For obtaining the profitable outcome from the business, most of the cinema companies in Australia have included digitalization method for filming. In a recent business report, it has been published that the out of 2080 cinema screens, only 1179 screens are digital (Sereenaustralia.gov.au, 2016). Hence, it can be identified that the Australian government needs to focus on developing the cinema industry so that it could deliver high revenue in return. Ecological: Environmental issues are associated with the global warming. Moreover, it also includes other factors such as weather, climate, and climate change (McKenzie Walls, 2013). It may damage the industry. Without having the appropriate weather, the cinema cannotbe shot in a proper manner. Subsequently, it creates challenges for the cinema industry to produce more films for enhancing the business opportunities within the short timeline. Legal: Sometimes, the licensing issues create challenges for the cinema industry to experience the profitable outcome in an efficient manner. Due to the legal issues, the cinema industry in Australia has been facing difficulties in retaining the high sales revenues (Turner, 2013). On the other hand, most of the cinema companies in Australia have been facing challenges in operating their business in the foreign market due to the legal barriers. Hence, the Australian government needs to develop these key highlighting areas of the particular industry. Figure 1: Growth of Cinema Screens in Australia (Source: Sereenaustralia.gov.au 2016) Porters five forces analysis: Threat of new entrants: HIGH Due to the high demand for the entertainment, the threat of new entrants is very high. In the Australian market, cinema industry has been growing in a robust manner (Connell, 2012). For instance, the cinema screens in Australia have risen by 150 percent between 1980 and 2015. Hence, it can be identified that the cinema industry has been growing in an efficient manner. The screens number has been rising 150 to 175 per year. The enhanced demand for the entertainment indicates the high threats of new entrants to the existing cinema organization. Due to the significant economic crisis, most of the new entrants face challenges in establishing their business in the market. Besides this, the reputation of existing company would create difficulties for them to obtain high sales revenue within the short timeframe. Moreover, it becomes difficult for the new entrants for grabbing enhanced technological access and proper location for the business. although the new entrants are increasing in numb ers, they have to face several challenges at the initial stage of business establishment. Bargaining power of Suppliers: HIGH Bargaining power of suppliers is high, due to the low number of cinema screens available in the country. The suppliers are the distributors of the films. Due to the high demand of cinema screens, most of the companies have to bargain with the movie distributors. Sometimes, the distributors demand high amount due to accumulate high profit from the movies. Due to the low number of screens, sometimes, the low budget movies face challenges in obtaining the adequate number of cinema screens (Danaher Waldfogel, 2012). Technology also indicates unusual competitors of the particular industry. Although the bargaining power of the supplier is high, they also might face challenges for retaining their high demand due to the low infrastructures of some cinemas located in the nation. Sometimes, the distributor has to decrease their demand for distributing the 3D movie prints, as the half of the Australian cinema screens are yet to be digitalized (Cartwright, 2013). Threats of substitute: LOW The substitute of the cinema industry is theaters, drama, and other acting activities. Over the past few decades, the demand of the theaters has significantly decreased. In these days, most of the audiences prefer cinema for getting entertained rather watching the theaters. However, the Australian government has been providing adequate support to the theaters and drama companies for retaining the tradition in an efficient manner (Mould, 2014). On the other hand, the substitute of the cinema indicates other fun activities including street plays, stage performance, etc. Hence, it can be assessed that the increasing demand of the cinema industry plays an integral role in decreasing the threat of substitute. Bargaining of power of buyers: HIGH The bargaining power of the buyer is immense, as there is no switching cost for the audience to change the cinema hall at any point of time. Due to the high bargaining power, most of the cinema halls try to uphold the decent pricing policy (Khoo, Smaill Yue, 2013). On occasion, the cinema theaters provide adequate discounts to the customers for enhancing the profit margin within the short timeframe. Consequently, the audiences obtain high opportunities to change the option easily. On the contrary, it creates a competitive situation in the market, where every cinema company tries to deliver the best possible services at an affordable cost. Rivalry among existing: HIGH In the global platform, the entertainment industry has been experiencing the immense growth due to the increasing demands. Hence, the new cinema companies have to face huge challenges in executing business into the existing market. There are some groups of cinema rule the Australian entertainment market. For instance, the Hoyts group is the second largest cinema chain in Australia. It has more than 450 screens across Australia. Consequently, it has high brand value in the entertainment industry (Hoyts, 2016). Most of the new cinema organizations face difficulties in enhancing the business opportunities within the short timeframe. At the initial stage of the business, the organization could face achallenging situation in engaging the audience. Over the past few years, the competition in the Australian cinema industry has risen. Besides Hoyts group, there are other cinema organizations including Wallis Cinemas, Palace Cinemas. Consequently, it indicates the high chance of rivalry for n ew entrants. Figure 2: Porters Five Forces on Cinema industry (Source: Created by author) Analysis of the firms Key resources, capabilities, and competencies: Hoyts Cinemas Key resources: The Hoyts is an Australian group of companies. It includes the Hoyts Exhibition, HoytsKiosk, and Val Morgan. By discussing the key resources of the company, it can be assessed that the particular organization includes 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes. It is the second largest cinema chain in Australia. The organization was established on 29thSeptember 1909 (Hoyts, 2016). Hence, it can be assessed that the particular organization has a high brand value in the market. The headquarter of the organization is located in Sydney, Australia. At the initial stage, the particular organization had faced challenges in expanding the business in an effective manner due to the lack of financial resources (de Valck, 2013). However, the continuous growth has facilitated the organization to experience the high growth in the industry. In June 2015, Wanda Cinema Line, the worlds largest cinema chain operator, acquired the organization. Capabilities: By analyzing the recent growth of the company, it can be assessed that the particular organization has high capabilities of making a high profit in future. Hoyts has more than 4000 employees, who deliver their best performance for providing the enhanced experiencing to the audience. It has been reported that the Hoyts has earned $417 million gross earning as of March 2014 (Hoyts, 2016). Hence, it clearly indicates the capabilities of the company. On the contrary, the Australian Taxation Office has evaluated that the company has avoided paying tax. Competencies: The Hoyts has high competencies in enhancing the business opportunities within the short timeframe. By discussing the features of the cinemas, it can be identified that the particular organization has several facilities including Hoyts Lux, Recliner Cinemas, Xtremescreen, Hoyts IMAX, Bean Bag Cinema and D-Box. Hence, it can be evaluated that the organization has included several dimensions of the cinemas for providing enhanced theater experience to the audiences. Feedback- Make heading for Key resources, capabilities, and competencies and use theory to support this from book contemporary strategy analysis by Robert m. grant. By discussing the contemporary strategies in context to the book written by Robert m Grant, it can be assessed that there is a link between the organization and its environment. The firm executes the business based on the goals and values, resources capabilities and structure and systems. On the other hand, the industry environment depends on the competitors, customers and the suppliers. Hence, the idea of strategy shaping an interface between the organization and its environment develops the organizing framework for the competitive strategy analysis. in this context, the goals, values of the Cinema company provides a direction for developing contemporary strategy analysis. The strategy analysis would be focusing on the competitors, customers and the suppliers. Figure 3: The basic frame work (Source: Grant, 2016) Identify the approaches for generating competitive advantages: For obtaining the sustainable competitive advantages, most of the organizations have been focusing on including the enhanced technology. With the involvement of improved technology, the organization could enhance the business opportunities in an effective manner. For example, nowadays, 3d movies have been making extra attraction to the audiences. Hence, new cinema organizations, which do not have the potential technology, could face challenges in enhancing the customers base. On the other hand, the cost advantages is also responsible for the upholding t he competitive advantage in the business. Besides this, the product differentiation is also responsible for making extra advantages for this particular industry. However, the product or service differentiation is largely dependent on the technological advancement. Without including the effective technological tools, the cinema organizations would not be able to obtain the competitive advantages. Hence, it can be assessed that the mix of both cost advantages and product or service differentiation facilitates in upholding the competitive advantages in the business. The Hoyts is the second largest cinema chain in Australia. The organization was established in 1909, nearly 100 years ago. Hence, the organization a huge brand value in the domestic market as well as in New Zealand. The high brand value is its prime competitive advantage that facilitates it in experiencing the high growth in the industry. By analyzing the key advantages of the business, it can be assessed that the particular company has over 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes (Osuri Ghosh, 2012). Besides this, the advertising platform of the company named Val Morgan has been dominating the cinema advertising market with over 95% of market share. Hence, the particular organization has astrong advertising platform that facilitates thecompany in expanding the products and service related information to the large domestic m arket as well as in the international platform including New Zealand. Moreover, the Hoyts is the largest film distributor in Australia. Consequently, it is the biggest competitive advantage of the company, as it facilitates the organization in enhancing the business opportunities in an efficient manner (Doring, 2014). The particular company has been distributing independent films through television, theatrical, and home entertainment channels. Hence, it can be assessed that the competencies of the organization facilitate them in dominating the Australian film industry in an efficient manner. Although the particular organization has high capabilities, it has some competitors including Village, Greater Union, Wallis Cinemas, Place cinemas, etc. However, these competitors belong to the exhibition business. On the other hand, the company has gained themore competitive advantage after the emergence with Wanda Cinema Line, the largest property developer in China and it is the worlds large st cinema chain operator. The Wanda Cinemalines huge financial resource that facilitates the organization in enhancing the business opportunities in an easy way (Bye, 2013). Moreover, it would contribute the organization in expanding the business to the large demographic areas as well as in the foreign market. Internal and external factors shaping up the firms Strategy: The Hoyts group is an Australian group of companies that has several businesses including HoytsExhibition, Hoyts Kiosk, and Val Morgan. By discussing the internal factors, it can be assessed that the organization has adequate financial resources that facilitate them in enhancing the business opportunities in an efficient manner. Over the past few decades, the value of the entertainment has been increasing robustly (Arbuckle, 2013). Consequently, it becomes beneficial for the particular organizations. Hoytsgroup of industry has the high internal strength that enables them in expanding the business to the large demographic areas as well as international market. The prime strategy of the organization is to enhance the sales revenue in both domestic and international market. For achieving the particular goal of the company, the management has focused on their internal opportunities. By discussing the internal strength, it can be assessed that the organization has 4000 full-time employees . Moreover, it engages 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes. The prime advertising arm of the company is Val Morgan, which dominates the cinema advertising market with over 95% market share (Sereenaustralia.gov.au, 2016). It indicates the internal strength of the organization. It allows the organization to take up new strategic approaches for the enhancement of the business in an efficient manner. Besides the internal factors, there are some external factors facilitating the organization in shaping up the strategic implementation. The external factors include political, social, economical, technological, legal and ecological factors. The political factors depend on the Australian market as well as New Zealand market. The organization has been operating its services through domestic market and New Zealand cinema complex. The particular organization is executing its business since 1906 (Hoyts. 2016). Hence, it can be identified that the organization has accumulated adequate financial resources and brand value in the domestic and international market. However, the company has been caught by the Australian Tax Companyfor not paying any tax for the session of 2013-2014. It creates difficulties in retaining the brand values in the market. Over the past few decades, the cinema industry has experienced robust technical change due to the power of invention (Murray, 2012). For instance, the popularity of 3D technology has risen to the extreme limit, and it facilitates the cinema industry to earn a huge amount of revenue from the market. For fulfilling the technological demand, The Hoyts cinemas has included enhanced technologies including Xtremescreen, Hoyts IMAX, etc. Moreover, the Hoyts Exhibition has replaced entire film equipment with the digital cinema equipment within the 18 months of timeframe. Hence, it can be assessed that the management has focused on their strategic implementation depending on the market demand. References Arbuckle, K. (2013). Australian film explores China's obsession with Bordeaux wine.Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, (595), 22. Barbieri, N. (2012). Why does cultural policy change? Policy discourse and policy subsystem: a case study of the evolution of cultural policy in Catalonia.International Journal of Cultural Policy,18(1), 13-30. Bye, S. (2013). World film locations: Melbourne [Book Review].Media International Australia, Incorporating Culture Policy, (148), 170. Cartwright, W. (2013). Applying the theatre metaphor to integrated media for depicting geography.The Cartographic Journal. Connell, J. (2012). Film tourismEvolution, progress and prospects.Tourism management,33(5), 1007-1029. Crane, D. (2014). Cultural globalization and the dominance of the American film industry: cultural policies, national film industries, and transnational film.International journal of cultural policy,20(4), 365-382. Cunningham, S. (2013).Hidden innovation: Policy, industry and the creative sector. University of Queensland Press (Australia). Cunningham, S. D., Silver, J. (2012). On-line film distribution: Its history and global complexion.Digital Disruption: Cinema Moves Online, 33-66. Danaher, B., Waldfogel, J. (2012). Reel piracy: The effect of online film piracy on international box office sales.Available at SSRN 1986299. deValck, M. (2013). Sites of initiation: Film training programs at film festivals. InThe education of the filmmaker in Europe, Australia, and Asia(pp. 127-145). Palgrave Macmillan US. Dring, C. (2014). The British Film Industry and Hollywood: Joint Venture for British Heritage Films. Dunleavy, T., Joyce, H. (2012).New Zealand film and television: Institution, industry and cultural change. Intellect Books. French, L. (2014). Gender then, gender now: surveying women's participation in Australian film and television industries.Continuum,28(2), 188-200. Grant, R. M. (2016).Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley Sons. Hoyts. (2016).Hoyts. Retrieved 22 September 2016, from https://www.hoyts.com.au/ Khoo, O., Smaill, B., Yue, A. (2013).Transnational Australian Cinema: Ethics in the Asian Diasporas. Lexington Books. McKenzie, J., Walls, W. D. (2013). Australian films at the Australian box office: performance, distribution, and subsidies.Journal of Cultural Economics,37(2), 247-269. Mould, O. (2014). Mediating the city: The role of planned Media cities in the geographies of creative industry activity.Hub Cities in the Knowledge Economy: Seaports, Airports, Brainports. Murray, S. (2012).The adaptation industry: The cultural economy of contemporary literary adaptation(Vol. 32). Routledge. Osuri, G., Ghosh, D. (2012). /cinema: an archive of politics and pleasures.Continuum,26(6), 799-802. Sereen Australia (2016) Screens and theatres - Industry trends - Cinema - Fact Finders - Screen Australia. (2016).Screen Australia. Retrieved 22 September 2016, from https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/cinema/industry-trends/screens-and-theatres Turner, G. (2013). Keynote Address: Australian Literature and the Public Sphere.Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, 1-12.

Raise the Red Lantern

Raise the Red Lantern directed by Yimou Zhang is full of symbolism as many other Chinese films. The director employs a variety of tools to convey such ideas as freedom and dependence, doom and luck, friendship and betrayal, life and death. The sequence under analysis reveals the protagonist of the film, Songlian, who witnesses the murder of the second concubine of the master. The sequence ends with the protagonist’s screams.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Raise the Red Lantern specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This sequence is also very symbolic as it reveals females’ position in the society of those days. Females were treated as things that could be removed if they were not needed. Zhang uses a number of cinematographic tools to articulate his message. It is possible to consider two shots which are conspicuous in terms of the cinematographic tools used. One of the shots, Shot A, depicts the servant s dragging the second concubine to the door of the dark room. The other shot, Shot B, depicts the protagonist’s face when she is approaching the dark room. Some of the major tools used to convey the idea of inferiority, lack of knowledge and despair in these shots are certain camera angles, a specific color scheme and depiction of complicated architecture. Architecture is used as one of the major symbols in the sequence. Zhang reveals the idea of the complicated life the Chinese female in the early twentieth century had to live (see Fig. 1). The protagonist of the film finds herself in the huge house which has lots of rules and secrets. The protagonist follows the people dragging the poor woman. Scene A represents the maze of the architecture and the end of the second concubine (see Fig. 1). The complicated architecture stands for women’s unawareness of their true position and their subordinate roles. Songlian will have to go through different passages to find out the truth and this way is a symbol of her own reasoning. She is wondering in her doubts as she does not understand her place in this house and she does not understand whether she is ready to accept it. However, her long way will end near a small room where the second concubine is hanged. This small room is also a representation of the inferior position of the woman who is placed in a tiny room to die (or rather to be killed). Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Figure 1: Shot A. Servants drag the second concubine to hang The sequence in question is remarkable for the use of color. To convey the idea of ambiguity and uncertainty, Zhang uses dimmed grey and blue color. It is snowing and there is almost no sun light. It is necessary to note that even snow is not white. It only adds obscurity to the scene. The protagonist is wondering in her doubts and she does not see the picture clearly. She does not understand what the real position of a woman is. She is walking through dimmed passages to find out the truth. It is also necessary to stress that there is almost no black color. Zhang emphasizes that even though women had to live in complete darkness (or rather blackness), they could not clearly understand it. Women of that period did not see that they were confined to certain roles. Women were wondering in the dusk. The dimmed color scheme stands for Songlian’s unawareness of the second concubine’s destiny and her own future. The scene is also characterized by a specific camera angle. It is a long shot which is used to show the dimmed future of women. Songlian can see everything from certain distance and she only understands that there is something bad and wrong, but she does not see what exactly is going on. Figure 2: Shot B. Songlian approaches the room where the second concubine was hanged At the same time, Scene B shows Songlian’s face (see F ig.2). The young woman is hesitating. She is afraid of what she can see. However, she still goes to the room to see what they have done to the second concubine. Her face reveals her fear and her doubts. She is afraid to find out the truth but she is determined to do it no matter what.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Raise the Red Lantern specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Notably, Zhang employs the same tools as in the scene A. The prevailing colors are grey and blue. There is no bright light. Of course, there is no depiction of architecture as close-up is used. However, the walls in the background remind the viewer of the maze. The walls in the background suggest that the protagonist is in a certain cage. These two scenes help Zhang create the contrast. Thus, there is a long wondering to learn the truth and there is some inner state (fear, hesitation and determination). The two scenes are central to the film as t his is the point where Songlian understands that she is doomed to be treated as a thing. She also understands that women are treated as inferior creatures that do not deserve much respect. Zhang also employed quite specific camera angles. The long shot depicts the people dragging the woman (see Fig. 1), whereas the close-up (see Fig. 2) reveals Songlian who is following the men. The long shot helps reveal the idea of certain distance. Thus, the protagonist is alienated from what is happening. She is watching everything at certain distance. However, Zhang focuses on Songlian’s feelings, i.e. her anxiety, hesitation, fear, reluctance and eagerness to find out what is going on. The close-up helps Zhang reveal the protagonist’s emotions. On balance, it is possible to note that the shots in question focus on the idea of females’ inferiority in the society which is conveyed with such tools as the use of a particular color scheme, the use of specific camera angles and symbolic depiction of complicated architecture. Zhang manages to recreate the world of the protagonist who is imprisoned in a complicated structure of a building and a complicated structure of the Chinese society of the early twentieth century. This essay on Raise the Red Lantern was written and submitted by user Vicente Walters to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Raise the Red Lantern