Study On Introductory Finance And Market Portfolio Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Having selected two stocks, LLOY.L and BARC.L, from the FTSE100 Index and downloaded the daily prices, spanning the period January 2008 December 2010, it is now time to calculate the daily returns and the average returns. The daily returns are calculated by subtracting from the closing share price of the following day the closing share price of the prior day, all divided by the closing share price of the prior day. The daily return of stocks represents the changing of the value of the stock in a short term point of view, so the value in percentage that could be obtained by trading the stock in different days at the midquote(closing) price. This paper doesnt take into account dividend in the return equation for simplicity. The average returns are the sum between the daily returns of each stock divided by the number of days: LLOY.L -0,09% and BARC.L 0,05%. As it is an average of the sum of the daily returns, the average return of a stock is like a summary value in a lon g term point of view. In order to calculate the variance, which is the measure of the variability of measured data from the average value of the set of data , we use the excel prepared formula =VAR and the results are LLOY.L 0,00329681532 and BARC.L 0,00298971628. Variance is also the measure of dispersion of a set of data points around their mean value. The standard deviation of the two stocks is calculated by the prepared formula of excel =DEV.ST or just by calculating the radical square of the variance , LLOY.L 0,05741790071952 and BARC.L 0,054678298027727 and it represents the variability of a distribution. The value which represents the correlation between two variables is the covariance of the two stocks which is 0,00197867681213. Having constructed a portfolio which consists of 50% in each stock it is now time to calculate its return and standard deviation which respectively are -0,00018953911968 and 0,05060604020891: in order to calculate the standard deviation w e have to calculate the variance as the standard deviation is the radical square of the variance. The table below shows a set of portfolios of the two stocks with different weights. It is mainly important to notice two factors: the returns and the variance. As the average return of LLOY.L is negative, a rational investor would choose to invest only in BARC.L in order to get a positive return; accordingly to the data of the variance it is significant to notice that it has high values in the extremes of the composition of the weights of the portfolio. High values of variances mean high values of risk. Actually, if an investor does not reduce the exposure to risk by diversification of his portfolio with different assets the risk of losses is higher. The risk is higher because with diversification the investor is able to reduce the specific risk of the firm and will be subjected only to the general market risk. The graph below summarizes a portfolio with different weights of asset s. The outcome is what is called the efficient frontier (the upper part) and so the graph shows the correlation between returns and risk (standard deviations). The previous explanation meant to mark the difference between what appears to be the best choice for an investor and so the highest return and what is really the best choice, which is maximizing the utility of the investor by minimizing his exposure to risk. The minimum exposure to risk is calculated by minimizing the variance and by calculating the exact weights of the assets in the portfolio. This paper has used the excel prepared function solver to get the minimum variance in the portfolio made with those two different stocks. The minimum variance is 0,25% with weights of 43% LLOY.L and 57% BARC.L as highlighted. In order to achieve a portfolio yielding a return of 25% the weight of each stock should be equal to: LLOY.L -17536% and BARC.L 17636%. This result has been obtained by using the excel function solver and it mirrors the fact that an investor should sell LLOYD.L assets (-17536%) and buy BARC.L assets (17636%) in order to achieve a return of 25%. Question (b): It is now time to define what a Market Portfolio is. This paper intends to begin describing the market with risky assets and then deals with a portfolio with risk free assets in order to scrutinize the main differences, because it is just in the composition between these two different set of portfolios that there is the market portfolio. Before dealing particularly with the market portfolio it is important to analyze the officials acting in the financial environment, investors in particular. There are two kinds of investors: risk averse and risk takers. If we consider risk as a measure of uncertainty about both the development of the market and the success of our investment, risk averse investors are those officials who prefer to invest in low risk assets even though they will not achieve a high income. Risk takers instead ar e those investors whose aim is to bet on the market development and invest in a more risky way in order to get better returns. The main objective of the description of these officials it is to describe the combination of assets of their portfolios. Risk takers invest on assets which have a high degree of dispersion (the variance and so the standard deviation) in the final income. There is a high chance that the final outcome will not be equal to the expected return. An efficient portfolio for risk takers is made by maximizing the expected returns for a given amount of risk or minimizing risk when the expected return is given. Risk averse investors will invest in assets with a low or almost nonexistent level of risk, even though the expected return is not high. Efficient portfolios are shown in the efficient frontier, which is a curve showing optimal portfolios made by assets of different degrees of risk. The efficient frontier offers the highest return for any level of risk an d it is constructed by combining mean and standard deviation, so return and risk. In the graph below the efficient frontier is just AB because for every level of risk (variance) we can get higher expected return in AB instead of in AC: this represents efficiency in the selection of assets for a portfolio. Having analyzed the portfolio made of risky assets it is now time to describe the contrast to a portfolio of risk free assets. A portfolio of risk free assets reduces its risk to zero. The expected return turns into realized return (Expected(R) = Realized(R)). Government bonds are usually the closest example of risk free assets. The most visible change is that the efficient frontier becomes a straight line. This straight line is called capital market line and its equation is E(Rp)=Rf+[(E(Rm)-Rf)/ÃÆ' Ãƒâ€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢m]xÃÆ' Ãƒâ€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢p. The expected return on a portfolio depending on a risk free rate of return suffers less risk because the variance of the portfolio is smal ler, as the variance of the risk free assets and the covariance are equal to zero. The main advantage given by risk free assets is that investors can borrow or lend any amount of money at the risk free rate of return depending on the weight they have, as the graph below shows. It is important to pay attention to both the risk component and the risk free one in order to find out the Market Portfolio (M, in the graph below) as it is just the tangent point between the efficient frontier and the capital market line. The CML is the line used in the capital asset pricing model to illustrate the rates of return for  efficient portfolios depending on the risk-free rate of return and the level of risk (standard  deviation)  for a particular portfolio. Markowitz introduced a new goal for investors, which is to maximize their utility. The utility is maximized in the market portfolio, which is the equalization between the efficient frontier and the capital market line. T he utility is approximately calculated as the expected return minus the variance of return, which is multiplied to a risk averse variable. If an investor wants to achieve the best utility from the combination between assets of his portfolio, he will try to minimize the variance in order to maximize the expected return. The Market Portfolio is where every investors will want to invest. Actually this portfolio must include all risky assets and as the market is in equilibrium all assets are included in their market value. Since the Market Portfolio contains all risky assets, it is a completely diversified portfolio, which means that all the unique risk of individual assets (unsystematic risk) is diversified away. In the presence of capital markets, rational risk averse investors select efficient portfolios that lie in the CML with the highest expected Sharpe ratio (risk premium/standard deviation) which means with the highest expected return and the lowest degree of risk. The concep t of Market Portfolio is strictly related to the concept of the Separation Theorem. James Tobin explained in the Separation Theorem that if an investor holds risky assets and he is able to borrow (buying stocks on margin) or lend (buying risk free assets) at the same rate, then the efficient frontier is a single portfolio of risky assets plus borrowing and lending. Tobins Separation Theorem says an investor can separate the problem into first finding that optimal combination of risky assets and so the tangency point (Market Portfolio) and then deciding whether to lend or borrow, depending on his attitude toward risk. If there is only one portfolio plus borrowing and lending, it is got to be the market.

Media Attention Has Brought The Issue Of Bullying - 931 Words

Jameka Smoot Professor Benie Colvin English 1101 9 April 2015 Media attention has brought the issue of bullying to the forefront. America is suffering from a bullying epidemic. Bullying is a national issue that has cost many lives within the past few decades. More than 160,000 children refuse to attend school due to fears of falling victim to bullying. There are several types of bullying and they all have been the cause and effect of many lives. Bullying can go anywhere from a cyber-setting, verbal, and the one we all know the traditional physical bullying. Bullying is intimidating because there are so many different methods of bullying. Many victims cannot defend themselves and do not believe reporting bully actions will help them or keep them protected, because they worry about retaliation, shame or the reputation of â€Å"snitching†. Many times bullying only occur to impress friends or to prove yourself to friends, because that person is unhappy themselves, or envious of their victim. There are other times where it is done simply for entertainment, revenge, or because their victim is different. Bullying targets would be of size, race or nationality, social status or class, gender and disabilities. Bullying has been the very cause of adolescent deaths within the past decades. An interview was conducted on a case where a victim turned bully, 12 year old, Richard Gale was body slammed trying to fight a fellow peer Casey Heynes. Although Heynes is believed to be the hero whoShow MoreRelatedThe Social Media And Texting1386 Words   |  6 PagesPaper 2 2/5/2015 Cyberspace Take a look around where you are. Everywhere you look people standing around, sitting, phones in hand, typing away. One may ask what it is that has everyone constantly checking their phones and taking up so much time of a busy day: social media. 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Developing Countries Are Plagued By Poor Maternal, Infant...

Developing countries are plagued by issues of poor maternal, infant and child health (WHO 2011). Approximately 358000 women die during pregnancy and 7.6 million children under five years of age die annually, worldwide (WHO 2011). Adequate maternal health and nutrition are imperative for child survival (WHO 2011). Maternal, perinatal and under-five mortality is still considerably high in South Africa [Department of Health (DOH) 2012]. This is despite efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) four and five which aim to improve the health and well-being of children and mothers’ (DOH 2012). The concept of the first 1000 days is very important as this is a period from the start of conception until a child’s second birthday (Save the Children 2012). It is also the period where foundations on a child’s future health are laid (Save the Children 2012). Many mothers’ worldwide suffer from malnutrition (Save the Children 2012). Subsequently, mothers’ have a greater risk of death or giving birth to a preterm, underweight or malnourished infant (Save the Children 2012). Good nutrition during the first 1000 days is important to lay the foundation for optimal child brain development (Save the Children 2012). This is so they have better cognitive, motor and social skills, can be successful at school and be productive members in their communities and country (Save the Children 2012). Maternal malnutrition is a changeable risk factor for the prevention of negativeShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Countries Are Plagued By Issues Of Poor Maternal, Infant And Child Health Essay1268 Words   |  6 PagesAND ITS SETTING 1.1 Relevance of study Developing countries are plagued by issues of poor maternal, infant and child health (WHO 2011). Approximately 358000 women die during pregnancy and 7.6 million children under five years of age die annually, worldwide (WHO 2011). 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Help identifying employee for the purpose of motivating, training and developing them. Generate significant, relevant, free and valid information about employees. II. Early History Somewhere or other, everyone had the experience of performance appraisal in some context. This can be traced back for thousands of years

The American Dream - 1587 Words

The American Dream is an idea that has existed for more than a century as an idea of what we can and should achieve, thanks to the freedoms supplied to us by our government. The first example of this idea appears in our very own Declaration of Independence, where founding father Thomas Jefferson wrote: â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness†(Jefferson). However, it wasn’t until over 150 years later that Pulitzer Prize winner James Truslow Adams defined The American Dream by stating â€Å"life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each†¦show more content†¦It doesn’t include children for all, but it does for many. It includes a college education, and it includes a spouse. Nevertheless, this dream will continue to change over the years, depending on the circumstances. For example, as jobs in manual labor went overseas and to Mexico, where labor was less expensive for employers, Americans saw the added value in having an education and The American Dream now includes college. Additionally, I believe that The American Dream has yet do die. Perhaps that is because I’m from a well off white family, but I believe that with hard work, going to college and becoming successful is an achievable goal. There certainly are societal barriers and economic challenges that make it difficult for many Americans to succeed, but once someone has a college education, success is not far off. Unfortunately, The American Dream is not as achievable as many of us would like to believe. On the topic of college, only 32.5% of Americans aged 25 and older have obtained a bachelors degree (â€Å"Educational Attainment in the United States: 2015†). 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The show obtains successful Entrepreneurs ready to invest their own money into other Americans wanting to be just like them, reaching the American dream and become a successful entrepreneur. The show presents entrepreneurs working towards the goal of creating a business to not only gain wealth but also change the way we live today. The show is to keep the American dream alive and well while

Saint Augustine How He Fused Classical Culture (I.E.,...

Saint Augustine: How he fused Classical culture (i.e., both Stoicism and Platonism) with Christianity In Augustine’s day there were many religions available to choose from some of which had many gods. St. Augustine was born to a pagan father and a Christian mother. He lived a life of immorality until his early thirties when he suddenly took a new path. During his upbringing his parents began to instill their beliefs and way of living which he later began to question. Though his mother taught and raised him as a Christian he did not fully accept the faith. Instead, during his education, he became fascinated with the writings of the great philosophers such as Plato. The ideas expressed in the writings of the great philosophers, such as†¦show more content†¦By replacing the absoluteness of Stoicism with absoluteness of God Augustine had successfully incorporated Stoicism into Christianity. After being sent to study in Carthage he became influenced by the Manichean religion and converted to their ways. The views that the Manicheans held stayed with Augustine for sometime but were eventually rejected by the time of his conversion. It was after a long struggle with the demons of his youth that he converted back to Christianity. In 387 A.D., at the age of 32, he was baptized and began to feel like all his misdeeds had been washed away. Although Augustine incorporated Stoicism into Christianity he still was able to incorporate Platonism as well to help connect classical culture with Christianity. These two philosophies are what Augustine had come to identify with after his vast studying and trying other religions. Throughout the Confessions of Saint Augustine there is a great allusion toward Platonist ideals, especially that of dual realities and the concept of a higher, more absolute reality. According to Platonists there is the reality that we hold before us and there is another true reality. The central point of Platonism was the participation of the soul in a supra-sensible world. This concept is easily integrated into Christianity if one views conv ersion to

Good People By David Foster Wallace Example For Students

Good People By David Foster Wallace David Foster Wallace’s short story â€Å"Good People† uses the themes of division, isolation, and loneliness to suggest how communication can overcomes these psychological problems. These themes, prominent in the story of a young couple struggling with how to react to an unwanted pregnancy, are present in many of Wallace’s stories, and come from his own struggles and literary influences. The nature of division versus unity in the story is manifested in many basic as well as complex ways. The central tension of the story comes from the position of the unborn child that Sheri Fisher is carrying. The tension comes from the fact that Lane Dean and Fisher must decide whether Fisher and the child should remain physically united or be permanently divided; to have the child would represent a permanent unity of family at least between Fisher and the child, while an abortion would be a permanent division. The two main characters are also deeply divided based on their perspective. Lane Dean, the male character, â€Å"was trying to say things that would get her to open up and say enough back that he could see her and read her heart and know what to say to get her to go through with it† (Wallace). Dean is at once divided from Fisher, his girlfriend, because his perspective is apparently different from hers. He is sure that he wants her to get the abortion, while she appears unsure. They are further divided because to Dean, his girlfriend is â€Å"blank and hidden† (Wallace), meaning that Dean does not know what Fisher is thinking or feeling. The two characters, therefore, can be considered isolated from each other. Division is present in imagery as well. Their shadows become â€Å"a two-headed thing in the grass before them†. A downed tree in the shallows of the lake is â€Å"half hidden† and later it is a â€Å"cloud of branches all half in the water â€Å"The narration also presents the image of a downed tree being divided and divided into pieces as after a recent storm Dean had heard â€Å"the sound of chainsaws all up and down his parent’s street.† Dean also fantasizes about â€Å"an image of himself on a train, waving mechanically to something that got smaller and smaller as the train pulled away†. This image clearly shows Dean becoming separated from something he wishes to leave; the â€Å"mechanic† waving implies a lack of enthusiasm, in turn implying that the journey away from the thing on the platform is a separation that Dean desires. Dean is also very seriously divided within himself. He feels himself to be â€Å"two-hearted, a hypocrite†. He is divided as well between his belief in â€Å"a living God of compassion and love and the possibility of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ† and the dark side of the Christian God that relates to the possibility of eternal damnation to Hell, as he starts to envision â€Å"the edge or outline of what a real vision of Hell might be†. Further, the vision he has of Hell is one of great personal internal division. The vision was: â€Å"†¦of two great and terrible armies within himself, opposed and facing each other, silent†¦ the armies would stay like that, motionless, looking across at each other, and seeing therein something so different and alien from themselves that they could not understand†¦ frozen like that, opposed and uncomprehending, for all human time.† This passage presents the theme of division, but also the motifs of frozenness and stillness, which relate to isolation. Dean â€Å"hated himself for sitting so frozen† and being unable to help the situation with Fisher. He knows â€Å"something was required of him that was not this terrible frozen care and caution†. This shows the relationship between frozenness and an inability to fluidly or fluently express oneself. Dean wants to communicate clearly with Fisher, but, as illustrated above, they are isolated from each other. Frozenness is also a trait that Dean associates with â€Å"the blank frozenness of his father, even in church, which had once filled him with such pity†. Frozenness and isolation was something that Dean once pitied, and is something that is especially pitiful in church, which to Dean was a place that, again, had to do with his benevolent, loving God and a personal, communicative and therefore not-frozen relationship with Jesus. .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f , .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f .postImageUrl , .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f , .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f:hover , .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f:visited , .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f:active { border:0!important; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f:active , .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u80ed277f11bb15db12de37dcca6cca5f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Consider The Lobster By David Foster WallaceWallace further associates frozenness with uncommunicativeness or division and isolation through Dean’s relationship with God. Dean immediately feels something similar to frozenness or division from others, a â€Å"terrible kind of blankness,† when he first finds out about the pregnancy, which is related to his true feelings about the pregnancy: that he wants Fisher to have the abortion. â€Å"He knew this without admitting to himself that this was what he wanted, for it would make him a hypocrite and liar†. This desire within himself here divides him from himself, and then divides him from God, which is wher e the idea of being a hypocrite comes from; â€Å"he kept thinking also of 1 Timothy and the hypocrite therein†. Elsewhere Wallace writes that Dean â€Å"had awakened early and tried to pray but could not. He was freezing more and more solid†. The story ends with a big change: the isolation and frozenness of individuals begins to thaw through communication, which helps to bring about a rapprochement between divided parts of a whole. As the story comes to a close, Dean is suddenly â€Å"answered,† or communicated with, with a â€Å"vision of moment of grace†. This communication allows him to break the frozen distance and separation between him and Fisher, suddenly allowing him to see, â€Å"into Sheri’s heart†. Fisher would hold his hands and â€Å"make him look at her† â€Å"to unfreeze him,† in other words using communication to break the frozenness of isolation. She is suddenly no longer divided within herself; â€Å"with her gaze clear and steady† she decides to have the baby. As this happens, another divide in the setting changes its nature. The other side of the lake represents the duality of the lake’s two sides. Further, Dean characterizes the people on the other side according to their differentness as â€Å"blacks†. After Fisher and Dean begin to communicate, closing divides and thawing frozen isolation, â€Å"one of the opposite side’s blacks raises his arm in what may be greeting†. The duality of the sides of the lake is also being overcome through communication. Meanwhile, between the time that Dean hears Fisher’s conclusion and decides how to react, he is â€Å"neither frozen nor yet moving,† implying that the communication has unfrozen him and that to begin the journey to the opposite of frozenness and isolation he must â€Å"move† and communicate back to Fisher. He is ultimately â€Å"moved by pity†, which shows that emotional communication breaks the spell of frozenness and isolation. The story ends with unity and division overcome, at least temporarily. Dean finds a single truth: that he just needs to have â€Å"simple courage† to unify himself with Fisher and decide that he can live with her and perhaps love her. He finds union with his values as his prayer for courage reflects his thoughts on â€Å"what would Jesus even do?† The last phrase of the story is pure unity and therefore relief for Dean: â€Å"to meet both her eyes as she says it and trust his heart†. Dean and Fisher are unifi ed in their gaze and Dean has overcome his internal divisions to â€Å"trust his heart.† The story revolves around the tension of isolation and internal division and its resolution through communication. The themes in this short story that allowed Wallace to do this were heavily influenced by Wallace’s relationship with another author, R. D. Laing. Laing investigated â€Å"the divided self† and how the divided self can be overcome by achieving a â€Å"real, whole, alive personal identity† (Brick 71). Laing’s divided person â€Å"experiences a rent in his relation with the world† (Brick 71). Wallace was substantially influenced by Liang in the theme of â€Å"the resistance to genuine interaction with other individuals, and specifically that this comes about as a result of anxious self-consciousness† (Brick 71). In â€Å"Good People,† Dean’s character, as described above, becomes â€Å"frozen† and isolated as soon as he hears about the pregnancy because he knows he wants the abortion but does not want to admit this to himself as this violates his principles. He fears being a hypocrite, and this gives him the â€Å"anxious self-consciousness† that results in his inability to genuinely communicate with Fisher and even with God through prayer. .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 , .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 .postImageUrl , .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 , .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733:hover , .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733:visited , .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733:active { border:0!important; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733:active , .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733 .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5b91d917c0c0f5ce295899cc98c2f733:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Essay on Authority and American Usage, by David Foster WallaceIndeed, Wallace was obsessed with the relationship between communication and loneliness or isolation throughout his career (Phillips 680). He wrote that communication is often a â€Å"charade† and that language isolates people because â€Å"what goes on inside is just too fast and huge†¦ for words to do more than barely sketch the outlines† (Phillips 680). Wallace’s struggles with depression and loneliness, Phillips says, lent these themes to his work, and his vocation as a writer led him to meditate on how communication relates to these themes (Phillips 681-2). â€Å"Good People† is about how communication, isolation, loneliness, and division are all interconnected. Dean begins divided from his values and his girlfriend, frozen into non-communication. He ends the story united with her, after communication helps him thaw and overcome his divisions. This reflects broader themes that reappear throughout Wallace’s work, and that come from Wallace’s literary influences and his personal experience with depression, loneliness, and communication.

Romantic Poetry Analysis free essay sample

These two themes go hand in hand when interpreting romantic poetry, with the development of the hectic industrial cities many poets longed for the simplicity that nature had to offer. Poems such as Wordsworth’s â€Å"Resolution and Independence†, Coleridge’s â€Å"The Dungeon† and Shelley’s â€Å"To Night† embody the themes of nature and reminiscence. William Wordsworth is said to be one of the most influential poets of the Romantic Era. Wordsworth’s religion of nature was influenced by his childhood, growing up in the Lake District of northwestern England and through his travels to foreign countries. Resolution and Independence† was written in 1802, roughly four years into the Romantic Period. The poem is about a man walking through the countryside after a night of rain, he reflects on the livelihood of the creatures that surround him and initially share their joy until his mind wanders to the dejection he feels for what man has become. He comes across an old man, who he envies because his job is to collect leeches for medical purposes. The traveller envies the old man because he gets to work in nature. The theme of nature is prevails in this poem as well as the theme of nostalgia. Wordsworth writes â€Å"The birds are singing in the distant woods; over his own sweet voice the Stock-dove broods; the Jay makes answer as the Magpie chatters; and all the air is filled with pleasant noise of waters. † Wordsworth describes the sounds of nature that the traveler hears, clearly showing his appreciation of nature when he describes the birds singing as â€Å"pleasant noise†. As the poem continues the traveler demeanor embodies the same joy that the creatures of nature are feeling, yet his jubilation diminishes when he reflects on what man has become. â€Å"The pleasant season did my heart employ: my old remembrances went from me wholly; and all the ways of men, so vain and melancholy. † The traveler is displeasured with what man has become, describing him as â€Å"vain and melancholy†, such displeasure can be interpreted as the theme of nostalgia. William Wordsworth’s â€Å"Resolution and Independence† embodies the dominating themes of nostalgia and nature in romanticism. Samuel Taylor Coleridge is better known for his influence on literary criticism rather than his poetry. Between 1797 and 1803 Coleridge’s best poetry is said to be produced. â€Å"The Dungeon† was written in 1797 and is about a dungeon in which criminals are forced to reside in. The first verse of â€Å"The Dungeon† is dreary and very critical of using dungeons to punish criminals. The emphasis on industrialized cities and the insignificance of rural areas and the upset it causes romantic poets can be seen in this poem. â€Å"Is this the only cure? Merciful God! Each pore and natural outlet shrivell’d up by Ignorance and parching Poverty, his energies roll back upon his heart, and stagnate and corrupt; till chang’d to poison, they break out on him, like a loathsome plague-spot;† Coleridge’s text is trying to convey that when man is separated from his natural environment he might turn to crime. The theme of nostalgia can be seen in â€Å"The Dungeon† through Coleridge’s emphasis on nature over civilization, because industrialism is a new concept for romantics. Essentially Coleridge believes that nature betters a man and believes that sending a criminal to a dungeon only turns them into savages rather than letting them find harmony in the natural world. â€Å"With other ministrations thou, O Nature! Healest thy wandering and distemper’d child: Thou pourest on him thy soft influences, the sunny hues, fair forms, and breathing sweets, thy melodies of woods, and winds, and waters,† This quote can be interpreted as Coleridge’s way of expressing how nature can heal man. Samuel Taylor Coleridge exemplifies the themes of nostalgia and nature in his poem â€Å"The Dungeon† through his message of nature having the power to better man. Percy Bysshe Shelley is categorized as the perfect romantic poet due to his quest for truth and justice. Shelley’s poetry peaked in 1816 until he died in 1822. The poem â€Å"To Night† is about Shelley’s longing for the day to end and night to come. Shelley wants to escape the day and find refuge in the night, although he never explains why in his poem. In the third stanza Shelley writes â€Å"When I arose and saw the dawn, I sighed for thee; when light rode high, and the dew was gone, and noon lay heavy on flower and tree, and the weary Day turned to his rest, lingering like and unloved guest, I sighed for thee. † When Shelley writes â€Å"and the dew was gone† it shows that he is fond of the nature that occurs at night such as the dew on the grass when the night ends. In the second stanza Shelley anticipates night’s arrival â€Å"Wrap thy form in mantle gray, star-inwrought! † Shelley describes another aspect of nature at night; the sky changing colors and the emerging stars. Themes of nostalgia can also be detected in â€Å"To Night† but are interpreted differently in comparison to other poems. â€Å"Sleep will come when thou art fled; of neither would I ask the boon I ask of thee, beloved Night – swift be thine approaching flight, come soon, soon! † Shelley longs for the night on a daily basis; the difference of nostalgia in this poem is that his melancholy demeanor is relieved when night begins unlike other poems that reminisce on the old ways of life. â€Å"To Night† exemplifies a different interpretation of the romantic themes such as nature and nostalgia. Themes of the Romantic Era dictated the literary works during the 18th and 19th centuries. The most influential theme was nature and poets developed this theme through their works. Nostalgia was also a common theme in romantic literature, as industrialization grew in popularity, many romantics opposed the new way of life and longed for the way things used to be. William Wordsworth’s â€Å"Resolution and Independence†, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s â€Å"The Dungeon†, and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s â€Å"To Night† all exemplify the themes of nature and nostalgia through their poetry.