Business Report of Lenovo Essay Example for Free

Business Report of Lenovo Essay Introduction Lenovo was found in 1984 in Beijing and it is the world’s second-largest PC vendor. According to the last official statistic, Lenovo consolidated turnover of 146.6 billion Yuan and Lenovo employs nearly 40,000 people. Lenovo is a well-known national brand in China and Lenovo is serving customers in more than 160 countries. In order to expand overseas business and access to world-class brand, Lenovo carried out an acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division in 2005. IBM was founded in 1911 in the United States and it is the largest information technology and business solutions company in the world, currently has more than 30 million employees in the world, with operations in over 160 countries and regions. The problems experienced by Lenovo concerns the construction of cross-cultural teams. Most of the merger and acquisition fail in the post-merger cultural integration. Lenovo set up work teams for designing the future of IBM and developing the new view after acquisition. The results had been shown it uneasy and can lead to the failure of the Lenovo’s acquisition strategy. At the beginning of the acquisition, cultural differences had not been enough anticipated in the acquisition process. And Lenovo wants to remedy the problem as soon as possible to make IBM acquisition profitable in the next strategy. The report part of the business plan Summary This report is intended to identify, describe and propose some solutions to Lenovo to solve the problems about teams and groups in the acquisition of the IBM. This report will describe problems associated with team building, provides some possible solutions and evaluates each of these. And, this report will describe the impact of cultural differences on the establishment of work groups. Actually, Lenovo had taken some measures, but it with little success. According to the current state of Lenovo, this report will give some suggestions and solutions to overcome or avoid the conflict caused by cultural differences and set up effective cross-cultural teams. Especially, these solutions are based on literature on the issue. It concludes that it is necessary for the company to establish effective and appropriate measures to eliminate the barriers in cross-cultural teams, as absence of this may threaten the company’s long-term development. To overcome the problem, Lenovo should take the follow action for IBM survival: * Obtain the core values between Chinese employees and American employees through an internal survey. * Design an international training program for all the employees and especially for managers. * Incorporate both corporate cultures of Lenovo and IBM to create a new corporate culture. * Every cross-culture team should organise monthly meeting or weekly meeting to evaluate the progress of communications and work. * Organise some internally non-working activities to create more opportunities for the communication among employees with different cultural context. * Set up the special teams to deal with the problem caused by cultural difference in every cross-cultural team. Introduction This section of business plan will introduce the problems caused by cultural differences in cross-cultural teams and give some suggestions to overcome the problems. In the acquisition of IBM, Lenovo accepted more than 10,000 employees and it also means that Lenovo accepted a very different culture. Lenovo is not only facing the differences between western and eastern culture, but also Lenovo facing the problems of how to integrate the teams with different organisationally cultural context. In this report, the recommendations to overcome the problems in cross-cultural teams and groups are based on the literature on team building and cross-cultural team management. Body At the beginning of the acquisition of IBM, Lenovo had taken some measures. For example, in order to both sides can communicate better, the new Lenovo use the international common language English as the official language of the company. But cultural integration is a long-term process, which requires companies to devote their time and patience and the communication, compromise between both of high level, and staff in the acquisition. It must not be too hasty. Base on the fact of Lenovo, there are three aspects should be noticed and improved. Firstly, IBM has a long history and IBM has very high brand awareness. In addition to the brand, employees can get the respect for personal values ​​and a comfortable working environment can be provided for employees by the human resources services and the improvement of the system. In contrast, Lenovo has a big gap no matter the position in IT industry and the strength of themselves. If some team members uphold the cultural superiority or group superiority that their own cultural value system better than those members from other cultures or groups, their behavior maybe resulting in the failure of team building because they will be possible to take hate and boycott from other members, even lead to conflict. Because the conflicts caused by cultural differences between team members and individual differences under thus influence, analysis and identification of cultural differences is necessary. Secondly, communication is the process of exchange and transmission of information among people or groups. Because of the multi-cultural background, language and non-language barrier, people lack of understanding of each others political, economic, legal, social and cultural environment, and the understanding of the customs, values, etc. are different. They are often based on their own perspective to make an analysis and judgment on each others information, and thus the misunderstanding and conflict are often obtained. Because of these, design a multi-cultural training and hold a monthly meeting or weekly meeting is necessary. Thirdly, a company has an acquisition of another company means an integration of two different corporate cultures. When the employees of a cross-cultural group are conscious of the different of personal cultural awareness with others, it will be cause the group lost their purpose. Based on the possibility, establish a common business concept and corporate culture is a good solution to this problem. Establish a new joint management concept and a strong culture based on the environmental requirements and the principle of the companys strategic development, so that reducing cultural conflict and that each employee’s thinking and behavior can combine with the companys operations and purpose. Adopting these recommendations and the actions in summary can make internal and external combination of the teams more closely, establish a good reputation in the international market and enhance multinational cultural adaptability. This is the ultimate goal of why Lenovo needs solve the cross-cultural issues of teams and group in the acquisition of IBM. (1077 words) Section 2 1. What the literature says â€Å"teams and groups† The importance of teams and groups for an organisation In modern society, one person’s power, information and resources are limited. Most time people need cooperate with others no matter working or others as Handy (1993) said â€Å"On average, managers spend 50% of their working day in one sort of group or other. Senior managers can spend 80%†. Although there is no clear and single definition of a teams and groups, there is a basic limited definition by Bennett (1991) â€Å"a collection of two or more people who possess a common purpose†. The formation of an organisation groups in order to achieve the purpose of work more efficiently. An organisation can produce some different kinds of groups, for example: formal and informal, LOCO, HICO, teams, etc. An organisation needs to be aware of their differences and use them as efficiently as possible. There are a lot satisfying reasons why an organisation should create work groups. For example, organising effective groups can have some uses for the distribution of work, the management and control of work, problem-solving and decision-making, information processing, information and idea collection, testing and ratifying decisions, co-ordination and liaison, increased commitment and involvement, negotiation and conflict resolution, inquest or inquiry into the past. (Handy, 1993) No matter what kind of a group there is a bottom line is â€Å"A strong group is †¦ usually more powerful than a strong individual and can have a considerable effect on organizational policy and practice.†(Thomson, 2002) This literature review will pay attention on teams mainly. In a team, everyone plays different role and they have specific function and they working with an important principle â€Å"voluntarily co-ordinate their work in order to achieve group objectives†(Bennett, 1991). Building a team People hope they can define their identity through their membership of certain groups like people belong to local political and pressure groups, for example, because they experience a shared set of values with the other people in the group which reinforces their own values. But, according to Thomson (1997), one reason why people belong to group is â€Å"social needs†. As Thomson Mabey said â€Å"some †¦ groups will be family or friendship groups, which are formed to meet a diverse range of needs such as affection, security, support, belonging or identity. Some may be committees, where members usually represent different interest groups who come together to discuss their differing perspectives on matters of interest†, people should build a team for the work that is highly complex problems, need for consensus decisions and there is uncertainty when a broad range of competences are required. A company is a big group of a lot of people working together, so the managers are responsible to build effective teams or workgroups. After collecting more individual talents, building a team has the ability to use the talents on a united effort and success is very important (Woodcock, 1979). Consequently, the managers should know how to effectively build a team. In general, the managers must have the knowledge about the five development stages (forming, storming, norming, performing and mourning) in a team or workgroup and they should have an appropriate leading method for themselves (Thomson Mabey, 1994). Of course, this is not enough for managing a team. The managers need realise everyone’s advantages and dis advantages in the team and especially the differences of their culture context. Teams and cross-cultural context In modern society, business environment developed quickly international. Different cultural members mixed in a team so that the team has powerful ability to solve complex problem. But, individuals from different cultural context must show a different behavior and values in the team. This is because the peoples cognition, thinking, needs, values, code of conduct, customs, etc. are formed in the years of life, work and education. The individual differences caused by cultural differences led to the conflict of the team in the cross-cultural context (Sun, 2012). So, how to make a cross-cultural team working effective is the main responsibility of managers. In a cross-cultural team, there is an important factor is a clear understanding of every one culture and values, and a process of acculturation. The acculturation process is a mutual exchange of cultural pattern (Olie, 1995). Related to the case of Lenovo, the best recommendation for acculturation is integration. It different with one culture dominate the others, integration is a process of acculturation (Nahavandi Malekzadeh, 1995). Interest for Lenovo In the case of Lenovo, Chinese and American must accept each other for working effectively. But the main problem in the cross-cultural groups is communication. The managers of Lenovo must make everyone in the group understands and adapt to the different culture with some training or actions. And more important is design a politic cooperatively cultural pattern. 2. What does the literature say about different cultural contexts and its influence on teams and groups What are culture and its importance According to Hofstede(2003), culture is â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another†. It related to a group. With a large-scale research study of IBM branches around the world by Geert Hofstede, the culture is considered a compositive project. Geert Hofstede creates a new way to describe culture through five variables: power distance, individualism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation. All theories have limitations. Although this method created by Geert Hofstede is not absolutely right, it does not affect the theory of Hofstede can analyse one country’s culture as a valuable tool. Contract with the case of Lenovo, the most important effect by culture is â€Å"Currently only 25% of international mergers and acquisitions in Europe are successful. The price of failure is high. Cultural misunderstanding lead to loss of face, loss of money and, in extreme case, even loss of life† (Gibson cited in Naysmith, 2006). If managers do not pay enough attention on the culture, it possibly can cause the failure of the acquisition of IBM. Organisational culture Culture is not only exists in the countries, but also culture exists in any organisation constituted by people. Based on Handy (1993) said, â€Å"The role organisation will succeed as long as it can operate in a stable environment†. A steady cultural environment is necessary for an organization get success. At the same time, organisational culture is manageable and it can affects the approach of management, the accepted goals and customer of the society determine and influence that what managers strive for and the rule observed by managers (Stewart cited in Naysmith, 2006). So, the organisation also based on the cultural context of the country. The organisational culture can also measured by the five variables created by Hofstede.(Geert Hofstede, 2001) Influence of culture on â€Å"teams and groups† If a company formed by people comes from different cultural country, this company will own a special energy. It is a competitive advantage from a cross-cultural context. But, exerting the competitive advantage effectively is the most important challenge for the cross-cultural group. Because in a cross-cultural group the members have different working purpose and processes will be revealed. (Maznevski Peterson, 1997) The effectiveness of work group will be decreased by the ethnocentrism, stereotypes, different expectations and difference in values. And these negative emotions will produce the anxiety and misunderstanding in-group, even diminishing the workers dedication to the company and destroying the group ardor. Interenst for Lenovo Cross-border mergers and acquisitions not only include the corporate cultural differences of both sides, but also include the cultural differences between the countries of the two sides. Organise some activities or cultural training to make more opportunities for every understanding different culture can eliminate the negative affects effectively. 3. Conclusion This literature review introduces some keys briefly for understanding teams and groups in a cross-cultural context. Firstly, teams and groups are particular important for an organisation. But there are some problems should be solved in a cross-cultural group. The managers is not only should know everyone’s skill and talent, but also they should know their difference caused by different cultural context. And some actions can make a good communication between each other for understanding the differences are necessary. Secondly, based on enough knowledge to understand the importance of culture, the managers should eliminate the negative affects of cross-cultural context through some activities or training. And the most important is creating an appropriate organisational culture. It can give the cross-cultural group an approach, so the cross-cultural group can exerts the competitive advantages completely. Bibliography Bennett, R., (1991), Organisational Behavior, London: ME/Pitman, pp.145, 154. Geert Hofstede, (2001), Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations, Second Edition, Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications Geert Hofstede, (2003), Cultures and Organisations, Intercultural Cooperation and Its Importance for Survival, Soft ware of the Mind, London: Profile Books Ltd. Handy, C, (1993), Understanding Organisations (4th ed.), London: Penguin, pp.150-2. Maznevski, M. Peterson, M.F., (1997), Societal Values, Social Interpretation, and Multinational Teams. In C. Skromme Granrose S. Oskamp (Eds.), Cross-Cultural Work Groups, pp. 61-89, London: Sage Publications Ltd. Nahavandi, A. Malekzadeh, A.R., (1995), Acculturation in mergers and acquisitions, In Jackson (Ed.), Cross-Cultural Management, pp. 328-341, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd. Olie, R., (1995), Culture and integration problem in international mergers and acquisitions, In T. Jackson (Ed.), Cross-Cultural Management, pp. 308-325, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd. Sun Ziwen, (2012, April 13), Case analysis of the cultural integration in cross-border mergers and acquisitions of Chinese enterprises, Peoples Forum, 356(2), 7. Thomson, R., (2002), Managing people (3rd ed.), Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, pp.92, 95. Thomson, R. Mabey, C., (1994), Developing Human Resources, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann in association with the Institute of Management, pp.177. Woodcock, M., (1979), Team Development Manual, Aldershot: Gower Press Teakfield Limited, pp.177.

The Poetics of Carol Muske and Joy Harjo :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Poetics of Carol Muske and Joy Harjo I began a study of autobiography and memoir writing several years ago. Recently I discovered two poets who believe that recording one’s place in history is integral to their art. Carol Muske and Joy Harjo are renowned poets who explore the intricacies of self in regards to cultural and historical place. Muske specifically addresses the poetics of women poets, while Harjo addresses the poetics of minority, specifically Native American, writers. Both poets emphasize the autobiographical nature of poetry. Muske and Harjo regard the self as integral to their art. In this representation of self, Muske and Harjo discuss the importance of truth-telling testimony and history in their poetics. Muske says, â€Å"†¦testimony exists to confront a world beyond the self and the drama of the self, even the world of silence—or the unanswerable†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Muske 16). Muske asks, â€Å"The question of self, for a woman poet†¦is continually vexing†¦what is a woman’s self?† (Muske 3). Women have historically had their self created for them by the patriarchal society in which they live, which leaves contemporary women wondering how to define a woman’s self at all. Even if they, as women, can create a self, how accurate is it? Muske muses on what is a truth telling self since a woman’s perception of truth is colored always by what the patriarchal society is telling her is truth. Muske says in her poem â€Å"A Private Matter†, â€Å"†¦there are the words, dialogue of people you once became or not†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . It is in these words that a woman finds herself, a poem of all the selves in a self, but not without a cost. In â€Å"Epith†, Muske muses: You forget yourself with each glittering pin, each chip off the old rock, each sip of the long toast to your famous independence, negotiated at such cost— and still refusing to fit. â€Å"The inclination to bear witness seems aligned with the missing self† (Muske 4). Women create the ‘missing’ self by telling their stories, not the stories that have been told to them by a male dominated society, but those stories that define that missing self. In so doing, Muske reiterates the statement James Olney makes when he says, â€Å"... even as the autobiographer fixes limits in the past, a new experiment in living, a new experience in consciousness ... and a new projection or metaphor of a new self is under way† (Olney).

Father-Daughter Conflicts in Shakespeare’s Plays Essay

William Shakespeare is a playwright and poet with no need of introduction. He has written several of the most distinguished and well-received plays in the history of literary writing. With so much reflection focused on his works and writings, little is said about Shakespeare’s personal life. It has been generally accepted however that Shakespeare himself had two daughters and one son. Shakespeare placed great value in the ability of his offspring to immortalize his own name and to uphold the dignity of his family (Bevington 193). However, his hopes were not to be carried out through Hamnet, his only son. With Hamnet’s early death, Shakespeare was left to look to his daughters for the propagation of the respect due his family name (Bevington 193). This close relationship with his daughters may have played a part in the establishment of many father-daughter conflicts in his plays. This paper will further inspect several plays written by Shakespeare with particular focus on the father-daughter relationships displayed in the texts to be studied. Five plays have been chosen for this study: The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, and Othello. The elements of the father-daughter relationship in each play will be discussed individually. By the end of this paper, it will have been shown that Shakespeare uses father-daughter conflict both as a plot device and as a means of reflecting views regarding father-daughter relationships. Where there is a conflict between father and daughter, the theme invariably revolves around the daughter’s pulling away from her father. Thus, it can be seen that through the daughter’s falling in love and the father’s choice of an ideal mate, there is a strain between father and daughter. The struggle to maintain authority over daughters causes fathers to hold indomitably to their decisions, leading daughters to resort to other means to accomplish their own desires. A Midsummer Night’s Dream In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Egeus demands that his daughter Hermia wed Demetrius when in truth it is Lysander whom she loves (Shakespeare 6). This causes the rift between the father and the daughter. A dominant theme in the play is thus the father’s stubborn belief that his word is law over his daughter’s affairs. Because of Egeus’ mislead belief; Hermia is forced to resort to her won measures in attaining the love she professes. Smith discusses that the conflict between the father and the daughter in this play serves to highlight the need for Hermia to establish her own character in order to free herself of the dictates of the authorities in her life. It should also be noted that the play reflects the empowerment of women. Egeus gives no reason why Hermia should follow his wishes apart from the fact that he is her father and he is the primary male authority in her life. Hermia gets her way and her own will is upheld against that of her father’s. However, this does not clearly show the power of the woman to decide for herself. If nothing else, the play only serves to put the point across that the woman’s opinion is of import as well as the man’s. It is the duke, Theseus, who overrides the will of Egeus and validates Hermia’s love for Lysander (Shakespeare 152). Thus, it is the will of a man of greater authority from which Hermia derives her freedom to act as she would. In this particular play it can be seen that the conflict between father and daughter serves more to move the plot forward than to speak of the actual interaction between the two. Egeus’ stubbornness gives insight into the latter but serves more as a blocking mechanism for Hermia’s story to develop (Bevington 193). The refusal of Egeus to have Hermia wed Lysander served to birth the entire story. This shows how Shakespeare used the relationship between the father and daughter as a plot device. It is true that Shakespeare expressed through the scenes how Hermia needed to break free from her father’s authority in order to accomplish her own ambitions. However, Hermia inevitably found such freedom only through another man clothed with a greater power than her father but to whom they both were subject. Thus, the intricacies of the father-daughter relationship though touched on, were not fleshed out. It served a greater purpose as a literary device. Romeo and Juliet Another clear illustration of the utility of the father-daughter relationship as a plot device is the relationship of Juliet with her father. The feud between the Capulets and Montagues was an inherited rivalry strongly advocated by Juliet’s father. Lord Capulet, Juliet’s father, serves as a literary plot device designed to give an obstacle to the blossoming love of Romeo and Juliet (Bevington 193). In this regard, Romeo and Juliet is much like A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Lord Capulet also serves as the authority figure over Juliet’s life and her decisions. Thus, Juliet and Romeo have to overcome the restrictions set by Lord Capulet Upon finding her own voice, Juliet is able to overcome the prohibitions of her father against her desiring a Montague. Juliet thus matures and finds that there is no sin in a name and Romeo’s name does not make him her enemy. This reflects how Juliet is pulling away not only from her father’s rules but even from her family’s tradition in order to blaze a path for herself and her love. Unlike in Hermia and Lysander’s story, the greater authority figure does not arrive to bring a peaceful reconciliation of the conflicts; rather the arrival of the Prince and his judgment of exile for Romeo starts the unstoppable turn of events leading to the demise of the two lovers. It is only upon seeing his daughter dead and hearing of the monument that the Montagues have decided to erect for Juliet that Lord Capulet decides to accept this love that his daughter has found by erecting a monument for Romeo as well (Shakespeare 239). Given however that even this last act of acceptance is fueled by rivalry, it can be shown that there was no real reconciliation between father and daughter and the strain between them a mere tool for the evolution of the plot. The Merchant of Venice In The Merchant of Venice, Bevington insists that the father-daughter conflict is yet another simple plot device (Bevington 193). However, in this play there are more distinct reflections of the daughter’s pulling away from her father. The character in focus herein is Jessica, the daughter of Shylock the merchant. It should be noted that one of the strongest themes in this text is the religious battle between Jews and Christians. Shylock himself is a strong advocate for Judaism, as is shown in a number of his lines as he mocks and argues with Christian philosophy. It is therefore a devastating blow when Jessica falls in love with a Christian. She professes, although not to her father’s face, that she is willing to become a Christian in order to become Lorenzo’s wife: â€Å"Alack, what heinous sin is it in me To be ashamed to be my father’s child! But though I am a daughter to his blood, I am not to his manners. O Lorenzo, If thou keep promise I shall end this strife, Become a Christian and thy loving wife. (Shakespeare 61). † This shows how willing Jessica is to sever her ties with her father and pursue her own heart’s will. Considering the importance that Shylock places on his religion, Jessica’s defiance of her inherited religion is much the same as Juliet’s repulsion of her family’s rivalry. When Jessica finally succeeds in running away with Lorenzo, the importance that Shylock places in her worth as a daughter is revealed. Shakespeare reflects the basis of the strong paternal possessiveness: â€Å"My daughter! O, my ducats! O, my daughter! Fled with a Christian! O, my Christian ducats! Justice! The law! My ducats and my daughter! A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats (p. 81)† Smith interprets these lines in the context of Jewish tradition regarding the role of daughters in the continuation of family lineage. It is explained that in Jewish tradition families are matriarchal by nature thus the family line is passed down through the female line (Smith). Jessica being an only daughter, Shylock’s security in his lineage depended on her acquiring a suitable husband. The cries of Shylock connecting his money with Jessica reflect how he viewed her as another instrument for the attainment of his success. This theme hits quite close to the personal views and state of family affairs that Shakespeare himself was subject to at the time. Othello Othello on the other hand presents a more distinct portrait of the tension between father and daughter. Even Bevington (pp. 193-194) admits to the different quality of father-daughter relationship that is made manifest in this text. Here the conflict is more than a simple plot device utilized to move the story forward. Much like in The Merchant of Venice, the theme of the story touches on the role of marriage in the life of a family. In the former play, marriage was a means of joining together people while those who were not married became isolated and desolate. In Othello, marriage again serves as a divider between father and daughter as Desdemona elopes with the protagonist, Othello. Their elopement causes much hurt to her father, Barbantio who feels that he has been deceived by his daughter (Bevington 194). In an attempt to maintain his authority over his daughter he asks of her to whom she owes her allegiance but is devastated by her answer: â€Å"I am hitherto your daughter. But here’s my husband, And so much duty as my mother showed To you, preferring you before her father, So much I challenge that I may profess Due to the Moor my lord (Shakespeare 41). † This shows how upon marrying, the daughter ceases to hold primary loyalty towards her father and his house and moves toward the household of her groom. The pain that Barbantio manifests is thus not only a result of the elopement of Desdemona but more so of his feelings of loss of his progeny. This play therefore serves to show more vividly the change in relationship that occurs between a father and his daughter as the daughter marries. Even though reason is planted in the wisdom of Desdemona, the possessiveness of fathers as a result of the many years of watching over and protecting their daughters is a force to be reckoned. The desire to bind unto themselves their daughters is so strong that fathers brashly discount the bind of the matrimonial tie between their daughter and another man. King Lear The sense of entitlement to the loyalty and love of a daughter are best demonstrated in Shakespeare’s King Lear. In this play King Lear tests his three daughters in order to assess whether or not they deserve to get their share of the inheritance of his kingdom. Because of their desire to gain, Goneril and Regan outbid each other in professing their love for the King. However, the third daughter, Cordelia, professes that she loves the King as she is under obligation to do so but will reserve some of her love for her future husband (Shakespeare 36). This outrages the King and he refuses her the portion of the inheritance allotted to her, believing her to be an ungrateful daughter. It is revealed however that Goneril and Regan are the ungrateful ones as they soon plot to overthrow their father and appropriate for themselves his rule. King Lear’s desire to possess the entirety of his daughters’ hearts and their dedication is not without reason. His use of the word â€Å"ungrateful† reflects how he sees his relationship with his daughters. He has invested much into their relationship – both in terms of material and emotional store. He therefore expects to reap what he has sown into all three daughters. The King has reached old age, an age wherein it is only fitting that he be cared for by others. As most parents who reach this age feel, the King imagined that the years he had spent taking care of his daughters should be repaid through service to him at his infirm age. However, Cordelia spoke wisely when she pointed out that her heart should be allowed the freedom to serve other men aside from her father. The words of Desdemona ring true herein as well. A wife should first be loyal to her husband before serving her father. Although a daughter is obligated to show respect and gratitude to her parents through her service to them, she is also allowed to experience the freedom of a life apart from her parents. Should a parent disallow a child such liberalities, then the entire essence of watching such a child grow and mature should have been for naught. Conclusion The five plays reviewed herein serve to show the importance that the father-daughter relationship held for Shakespeare. The relationship was one so strong that instabilities in the same justified the evolution of complete stories based on singular notions. There is no doubt that the conflict between a father and daughter is a strong plot device which was utilized by Shakespeare in a number of his plays. The result gave rise to some of the best works written by Shakespeare, including the popular Romeo and Juliet. The conflict may take the form of a daughter’s moving away from the den of a father or from a father’s overzealous attempts to keep a daughter’s love. The former has been shown in Shakespeare’s plays through several acts. It may be a simple disobedience to a father’s will. Sometimes it may take the form of invariance to the beliefs and traditions held by the father. However, it is seen that Shakespeare repeatedly uses the escape of marriage and love to dishonor the father. It has also been shown though that father’s themselves may desire unreasonably the regard of their daughter. In King Lear most especially has this desire been shown to be impractical as the daughter who was punished had committed no act of disobedience to her father. In the various plays it can thus be seen that the underlying theme in father-daughter conflicts is the daughter’s desire to break free from the authority of her father. This act of separation allows for the daughter’s ability to decide for herself what is best and what is desirable. Along with the freedom that the separation gives the daughter however is the anxiety that it visits upon the father. The daughter to some is the only means of ensuring family lineage and to most the daughter is the gem that has been protected for so long and should be given away only to the most worthy. The breaking away of the daughter from the father’s authority therefore leads to insecurity and feelings of loss from the side of the parent. It is this sense of loss which causes the strife between father and daughter, particularly so as the father continues to cling to the power he holds over his daughter. It is this pattern of removal from the father’s fold that is repeatedly shown in Shakespeare’s themes. Works Cited Bevington, David. Shakespeare: The Seven Ages of Human Experience (2nd ed. ). MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2005. 1. Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1993. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1992. Shakespeare, William. Othello. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1993. Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1992. Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Edited by Mowat, Barbara A. and Paul Werstine. NY: Washington Square Press, 1992. Smith, J. N.. â€Å"GradeSaver: Midsummer Night’s Dream – Study Guide. † www. gradesaver. com. 11 May 2008. GradeSaver. 11 May 2008 . Smith, J. N.. â€Å"GradeSaver: Merchant of Venice – Study Guide. † www. gradesaver. com. 11 May 2008. GradeSaver. 11 May 2008 .

Arthurian Legends Effects on English Society - 1104 Words

What role did the great King Arthur play in the way English Literature is perceived? The Arthurian Legends reveal King Arthur as a chivalrous king and not as a historical figure but as a myth of mass amounts of achievements. From his search of the Holy Grail, to his perfect society in Camelot and his development of the Round Table, King Arthur’s legend displayed his heroic character. Through the many countless legends of the glorious King Arthur, England’s society underwent a drastic change in the outlook on life. With the influences of King Arthur came an extreme change in philosophies and lifestyles. Countless situations on how exactly the people of England altered their views on life were they became more cultivated and highly†¦show more content†¦The castle itself also proved to have some magical presence to it, mainly because it was forged by , Merlin, the wizard adviser of King Arthur. â€Å"The castle served as headquarters for King Arthur and his knights as well. A special hall held the Round Table, where Arthur and the knights would plan their campaigns. The hall also contained lifelike statues of the twelve kings who had tried to overthrow Arthur. All had been defeated by him and were buried at Camelot. Each statue had a lighted candle. According to Merlin, the candles would stay lit until the Holy Grail—the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper—was found and brought to Camelot. It was from Camelot that the knights rode out to perform good deeds and to search for the Holy Grail.† (Camelot Vol. 2). As the king of Camelot king Arthur and his men protected his reign of power against twelve kings who had wished to overthrow him. Maybe they believe he was too weak to maintain power over his glorious kingdom. Consequentially, that belief resulted in their downfall. During the reign of King Arthur his form of government resembled a Utopia, due to the fact that the system of which Arthur was contro lling his kingdom transpired the happiness of his people. Everything was going right for King Arthur, his men appearing to be loyal to him; the magic sword could not fail him in battle, and the love of his life his Queen Guinevere was at his side during his rule. ThereShow MoreRelatedEssay about Arthurian Legends Effects on English Society2368 Words   |  10 PagesWhat role did the great King Arthur play in the way English Literature is perceived? Did King Arthur honestly exist? â€Å"Whether King Arthur existed or not is doubtful. However if King Arthur did exist, then he would have lived sometime between 400 AD and 600 AD, a time of turmoil in Britain following the Roman withdrawl. 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