How to Teach the Past Continuous to ESL Students

How to Teach the Past Continuous to ESL Students The main concept to relay when teaching the past continuous is the idea that the past continuous expresses an interrupted action. In other words, the past continuous speaks about what was going on when something important happened. The past continuous can be used by itself to express what happened at a precise moment in the past. However, the most common use is together with the past simple  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹(when something happened). You might want to consider teaching the past simple together with the past continuous for intermediate level classes, as the past simple will be review for students. Introduction Start by speaking about what was interrupted. Describe an important past event and then fill in the details as a painter would fill in background details by using the past continuous form. This immediately illustrates the idea that the past continuous is used to set the context of what was happening at that moment in time. Id like to tell you about the day I met my wife. I was walking through the park, the birds were singing and it was raining just a little bit when I saw her! She was sitting on the bench and reading a book at that moment. Ill never be the same. This example is exaggerated for a reason. It boldly conveys the point. Continue introducing the past continuous by asking students simple questions in the past simple about events. Follow up these questions with a question asking what was happening when the event occurred. When did you leave home this morning - At nine oclock.What was your sister doing when you left home?Where did you meet your girlfriend? - At school.What were you doing when you met her? The next step in teaching the past continuous is to include simultaneous actions using while. Explain that while is used when two actions happen at the same time in the past. Its a good idea to point out the difference between while and during, to help avoid confusion. Practice Explaining the Past Continuous on the Board Use a past continuous timeline to illustrate interrupted action. Contrasting this timeline with the past continuous for something happening at a specific point in the past may help illustrate the difference between the two uses. Make sure that students understand the use of time clauses with when and while to help them use the past continuous in context. Comprehension Activities Comprehension activities such as using photos in magazines will help with the past continuous. In this case, make it clear to students that they are to describe the event in the past. You can model this by using a photo in a magazine to describe such an event. Dialogues beginning with What were you doing? will help students practice. A creative writing exercise on the past continuous will also help students build their ability to integrate the past continuous into more advanced structures. Challenges The single greatest challenge to learning the past continuous is deciding which action is the main event: in other words, which event interrupted the action in progress in the past moment in time? Other challenges can include the use of the past continuous to express an activity that happened over a period of time. Its crucial for students to understand that the past continuous describes a particular moment in time, and not a completed event. Here are examples of this type of issue: I was studying science yesterday.She was cooking dinner last night. In other words, the past continuous needs the context of another event when stopped the action in progress at the time.

Researched Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Researched Argument - Essay Example However, the success of the industry is not free of blemish. In the year 2010, a study approximated the number of users of the drugs non-medically and therefore without prescriptions as 7.0 million which represented 2.7 % of the American population (Drugs and Corbett et al.). The drugs abused by the American population range from pain relievers, and stimulants to sedatives and tranquilizers. The extent of the abuse has seen the addiction of some people to the drugs. The blame for this scenario lies in the pharmaceutical companies that influence the medical practice through the use of misleading commercials and making payments for medical practitioners and experts. However, we should delve into the use of alternative medicine in preference to the prescription drugs to reduce the wrongs that have resulted from the marketing of the drugs. Misleading advertisements Some of the companies that make the prescription drugs that are common in everyday life use misleading statements in their p roduct marketing to create the view that their products are better (Weber 98). The promotion of Darvon, a prescription drug intended for pain from surgery and fractures was studied with the results painting a clear picture of this argument. The promotional literature said the drug was better than aspirin. In the study, the opinions of physicians were reviewed. Although the physicians claimed to base their opinions on science, almost half believed the statement used in the drug’s promotion despite the fact that no results showed this to be true ("Drug Company Gifts to Doctors"). As such, the promotion of the drug misled the physicians into viewing the drug as the best option. Therefore, the reliance on prescription drugs due to the opinion of the physician should be avoided as they may be misled. Influence of medical practitioners The pharmaceutical companies are trying to strengthen the circulation of their drugs by influencing the medical practitioners to have preferences fo r their medication (Weber 47). This is done through the provision of little gifts to the physician. A case in the American Medical Association journal provides an illustration of this. The case describes an insect bite patient who has gone to the hospital to seek attention. An intern made a sensible decision to prescribe penicillin, which would be an inexpensive and suitable treatment. However, the resident thought otherwise prescribing a treatment that was more â€Å"modern† and describing the patient as â€Å"severely† ill. This option would cost the patient $183 for every day he received the new and modern antibiotic ("Drug Company Gifts to Doctors"). However, after some digging into the issue by the house officers’ supervisor who doubled up as the attending physician, it came to light that the resident’s decision was influenced. A drug representative of the drug company had wined and dined the resident prior to the developments. This shows that the re sident’s and some physicians’ decisions were not based on the best choice of treatment as they are influenced by gifts by the drug companies which adopt these as part of their marketing strategy. In some cases, the gifts to the practitioners are monetary. This is evidenced by stories published in the New York Times. In one article, there is a report of the federal law for health care requiring disclosure of payments to medical practitio

A Guide to United Arab Emirates Legal System Essay

A Guide to United Arab Emirates Legal System - Essay Example The UAE Legal System The legal system of the United Arab Emirates is founded upon the Constitution as approved by the Federal National Council in 1996. The Constitution replaced the provisional documents which had been periodically renewed since the UAE was established in 1971 (Info-Prod Research, 1999). The Constitution functions as the basic law of the land, specifying the purpose of the establishment of the federation, its components and objectives, and the public rights, responsibilities, and freedoms protected in the federation. It also establishes the structure of the federal government, provides for armed and security forces, and defines the legislative, executive, and international jurisdictions that govern the relationship between the federation and the member emirates (Tarbuck & Lester, 2009; Khedr & Alnuaimi, 2010). There are five federal institutions constitutionally provided for. These are the Federal Supreme Council (FSC – executive), the President of the Union a nd the Vice-President, the Council of Ministers of the Union, the Federal National Council (FNC – legislative), and the Judiciary of the Union. ... The legislative body, the Federal National Council, is a unicameral body comprised of 40 members, 20 of whom are elected by 7,000 notables who represent different tribes and social groups, and the remaining 20 are appointed by the rulers of the Emirates upon their discretion. Abu Dhabi and Dubai appoint eight members each, Sharjah and Ra’s al Khaymah six each, and four members each for Ajman, Umm al Oaywayn, and Al Fujayrah. Foundations of UAE Law The core principles of UAE law are drawn from Sharia, the fundamental Islamic law. However, most of the legislation enacted in the country are a combination of Islamic and European civil law concepts. The blend is not that far-fetched, since both of these systems are influenced by the Egyptian legal code that was established in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. There is apparently a strong leaning on the French legal concepts in the UAE as is shared in the European countries, in comparison to the distinctly different UK common l aw (Khedr & Alnuaimi, 2010). Federal Commercial Company Law – Forms of Business Entities Prior to 1984, there was no federal commercial company law, thus each Emirate formulated their own practices and procedures governing the establishment of business organizations within its own jurisdiction. The need was felt for a codified commercial legislation to address the concerns of international business in the country; this led to the promulgation of the Federal Commercial Company Law No. 8 of 1984, which was fully implemented by early 1993. This Law specifies that it is a requirement that UAE nations own at least 51 per cent of all public and private shareholding companies, as well

Commercial law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Commercial law - Coursework Example Apparently, the cleaner machine that is bought by The Royal Derbyshire Hotel from Walcott cleaners is seemingly suited for this category, and the laws that authorizes decline of sales and repudiation of contracts falling under this category will apply accordingly. 4 According to sec. 18(1), the title of specific goods passes when they are in a deliverable state and if the contract of sale is unconditional – this is with the exception of a contrary intention between the buyer and the seller. Whether the time of payment or delivery is postponed is of no importance in this case. This means that if all other requirement of the title of specific goods is met, the title of the cleaner would have passed to the buyer despite the delivery taking place after the date that was originally agreed. However, this assumption is contrasted with the fact that courts infer that parties to such a contract did not plan to pass the title in line with rule 1, but instead planed to pass it only when the goods are delivered or paid for.5 An â€Å"unconditional† contract means that the contract is free of any condition which may affect the passing of title. For example, a conditional sale agreement, under which the passing of title occurs only upon payment of the price, or a contract under which the seller must himself acquire the goods before he can honor his agreement to sell them to the buyer, would not be â€Å"unconditional† within the meaning of rule 1. Where the seller has undertaken to do something to the specific goods in order to put them into a deliverable state, title to the goods, according to rule 2 of sect. 18, is presumed to be intended to pass only when the seller does that thing and the buyer has actual notice of it.6 When purchasing the machine, Robin could not have doubted the rights of the seller because Section 12(1) stipulates that the seller has the right to

Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL)

Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) ORIENT OVERSEAS CONTAINER LINE (OOCL) 01.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF OOCL. Container shipping is most popular types of merchant shipping over the world. Due to size, use, and accessibility, it is famous and convenient for transporting from one place to another place to all customers from small trader to big trader. OOCL is the leading container main line operator in shipping industry having own information technology facilities. OOCL is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of OOIL (Orient Overseas International Limited) group which listed on Hong Kong Stock exchange as a public limited company. OOCL is one of the worlds largest integrated international container transportation, logistics and terminal companies having global brand images in container shipping (OOCL, 2010a) The founder of OOCL is CY Tung who dreamed to create Chinese merchant fleet in international shipping. In 1947, he succeeded when first ship with all Chinese crew reached in USA and Europe under the name of his company Orient Overseas Line (OOL). Due to the demand of container vessel and age of containerisation in shipping, OOL renamed to OOCL in 1962. Today, it has more than 230offices in 58 countries around the world and the present Chairman is CC Tung. OOCL Mission Statementis â€Å"To be the best and most innovative international container transport and logistics service provider; providing a Vital Link to world trade and creating value for our customers, employees, shareholders and partners† ( OOCL,2010b). The core values of OOCL for people or employee of the company, customers and wants to maintain high standard of services through community responsibilities. OCCL is a renewed container carrier who has own mother and feeder vessel, rail track, containers, trailers and terminals. In December 2008, OOCL awarded â€Å"Best of the Best† ocean career by World Trade Magazine of USA (Shister, 2008).All vessels of OOCL achieved the quality certificate of QUALSHIP 21 issued by US Coast Guard. However, recent world recession covered OOCL also and its container traffic fell 17.2 per cent compared with the first half of 2008, while revenue fell 37.2 per cent to $2.05bn and operating loss for the half of $197m, against a $216m profit in the first half of 2008 ( Lau and Wright,2009). United Nations Conference on Trade and development- UNCTAD positioned OOCL within the leading container transport operators of 20 MLO (Main Line Operators). Year Position Number Of Vessels TEU Capacity (TEU-Twenty feet Equivalent) 2008 11 90 364384 2007 09 84 351542 2006 12 71 275057 2005 11 68 236018 2004 11 63 216527 Figure 1 (Table) Performance of OOCL in world container trade 2004-2008 (UNCTAD,2010) The position of the OOCL is world container industry is fluctuating highly year by year. There is no constant improving that means growth in performance indicator by UNCTAD. However, they are increasing the number of vessel and container capacity (TEU capacity) in every year. Within 5 years they increased the number of vessels approx 50% and capacity over 68%. As a total logistics service provider, OOCLs international freight consolidation and logistics service unit, OOCL Logistics, provides its customers with innovative freight management services and leading-edge IT solutions. OOCL China Domestic Ltd. offers extensive domestic distribution services and supply-chain management to customers in China, the growing market which OOCL has been serving for over 50 years ( OOIL,2010 ) OOCL is renowned for its pioneering approach to developing intermodal connections. All means of intermodal transport are carefully integrated with trunk ocean services to offer seamless connections across continents using feeder services, barges, trucks and block trains (OOCL, 2010c) 02.STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT People have different views for understanding, developing and implementing strategy economically and timely to gain special advantages in business. Before taking any strategy, need to justify and assess the organisations present situation especially internal environment of the organisation. After that, external environment will help to set a preliminary plan for going forward. This is very important to assess the situations by marketing mix and political factors also. In a study (Johnson et all, 2005) of strategic exploration found that, there are three strategy lenses: design, experience and ideas which are useful to develop a strategy in a organisation. Model of Strategic Management (Johnson et all, 2005) The above model indicates that strategic management indicates the strategic position of a organisation depends on the environment and its capabilities to adapt also its expectations. The choice of strategy may be in business level or corporate-level; it may be internationally for the development of the organisation by following the strategic direction or methods. Furthermore, need to organise, enable the strategy into action to get competitive advantage. The research and development of the strategy based on the some environment analysis such as SWOT, PESTLE , value chain , Porters Five forces mode and etc. By applying these organisations can find the position where it placed and take effective measure to correct modify for developing the situation. 03.SWOT ANALYSIS FOR OOCL In a study Stacey (2000) stated that â€Å"SWOT analysis is the list of an organisations strengths and weaknesses indicated by an analysis of its resources and capabilities, plus a list of the opportunities and threats that an analysis of its environment identities. Strategic logic obviously requires that the future pattern of actions to be taken should match strengths with opportunities, ward off threats, and seek to overcome weaknesses.†(P-5). In addition, Strengths (Koch, 2000) can serve as a foundation for building a competitive advantage, and weaknesses may hinder it. By understanding these four aspects of its situation, a firm can better leverage its strengths, correct its weaknesses, capitalize on golden opportunities, and deter potentially devastating threats Container Shipping is the most complicated globalized industry which has to compete with internal competitors like other container operators also homogenous business like dry bulk or tanker operators. Moreover, it has a big competition with air transportation. Customer always wants to know the good and bad matters of the company before stuffing his cargo. By SWOT analysis of a company we can easily find out the negative and positives of an organisation. So, SWOT analysis is very important for developing company profile by correcting present weaknesses and aware the threats internally, externally and environmentally. OCCL has huge competition with other operators nationally and internationally and need to manage small shipper or big customer, moreover, fluctuation of international trade create the environment to forecast its all sight. Furthermore, it is a customer focused organisation. SWOT analysis will help to attract the customer for better business also develops the organisation economically and socially. 04.SWOT ANALYSIS A. STRENGTHS OF OOCL OOCL is a subsidiary of a global group of company OOIL group, Hong Kong. They can take any organizational or financial help from the group even from the government. Offering quality services in Asia, Europe, America and Australasia where container service is highly demanded as quick ocean transportation and easy access to shipper or consignee premises. Quick and speedy service, transit time is less, easy connection, global service network Pioneer in IT (Shipping).Very strong in information technology. Vendor services are performing by specialized software â€Å"Operationsmart†, â€Å"Depotsmart† and â€Å"Schedulesmart†. Vendor can easily log on and contract with OOCL from anywhere by using this facilities. Any customer can know his cargo position by this link. All vessels are handling by using information technology. Has own carriers (Mother and feeder vessels), rail track ( Owned in China and partnership in America Europe) Global brand image identification to trader, importer and exporter. Trained and skilled employees whos are really professional devoted in their jobs. Market leader in refrigerated container trade and temperature -controlled environment over ocean, rail and load line. Strong intermodal network in Asia, Europe and America. â€Å"DGsmart† which cares the dangerous goods customer. OOCL provides training for all for handling these types of cargo B. WEAKNESSES OF OOCL High competition and market fluctuation. Insignificant market growth of the line. No constant business growth in the industry. High freight costs. Peak season surcharge on service routes. Limited allocation of container in various routes and country GSA trade in maximum country. No direct trade for maximizing profit and mass customization. Imbalance of equipment. Huge lease container. Africa service is not available. C. OPPORTUNITIES OF OOCL OOCL can increase the number of vessels and container as world demand is increasing day by day. Introduction of Africa and South American services and intermodal connection there. Increase market share in Asian region by direct business. Introduction of feeder service in south Asia and investment in terminal business. More investment in port and terminal business. D. THREATS OF OOCL World recession which may be incurred huge loss which will impact to the share market and shareholders view to divert from their position or sell the share. Due to surcharge or extra payment, customer may divert to other operators. Heavy competition with national and international carrier. Globalization of the industry. May loose domestics cargo. Limited Feeder Vessel allotment from hub port to spoke port in Asian market 05.BUSINESS STRATEGY Business strategy is the key component of developing the organisation as reputed organisation of the world. In addition, it will help to establish the operational guidelines by which company can proceed step by step. This good plan may help to reach the target point for achieving the desired outputs. It will help to make plan, revision, control and implementation of the project. In a study Lasserre ( 2007) argued that a company business strategy is a set of fundamental choices which defines its long-term objectives, its value proposition to the market, how it intends to build and sustain a competitive business system and how it organises itself. He added that a business strategy will generally cover the followings for getting the maximum outcomes:- Ambition. This will help to set a long-term objectives of the company by which it is possible to create a target especially increasing the size of the organization economically, nationally and internationally. Positioning. It will add the value proposition to customer. Branding the product and service, customer segmentation, preference of customer choices will set a standard of the company and good position on the market. Investment. Business strategy will help to create the environment of investment for going very near of the customer. Also create a system that is able to deliver value to customers competitively. Organization. The profound beliefs of the organization will add value to the employee and long-term working facilities will develop a good structure of human resources management. From human resources to the production, everywhere will be a process and will maneuver the organization in a system. The business strategy of an organisation may be different in different location or region. The company business strategy may be FDI (Foreign Direct Investment), MA (Merger and acquisition), Diversification, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or Global Strategy or any corporate strategies that will dominate or indicate how the company will bring competitive advantages to do business. 06.DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGY OF OOCL a)Diversification Diversification (Johnson et all, 2005) is a strategy that takes the organisation into both new markets and products or services and be undertaken for a variety of reasons, value creating than others. It may gain the economies of scope by organisations existing facilities also corporate managerial capabilities. Keeping the product is the main challenge of diversification. Instead of increasing growth, it sometimes is a burden for the organisation. The growth of the core business of the organisation may create the financial or distribution channel strength to expand the business in related or unrelated function. Sometimes managers or employee motivates the owners to engage in new business. In addition, the good brand value may attract to diversify the product or introduce new product by which company can give additional customer service. Furthermore, offer from government to do business in a new area or product for protecting the national interest towards a strong position of the compa ny also financial stability in a country. In a research of diversification , Reed and Luffman ( 1986) argued that basic strategic aims can only be decided after deliberate concentration on the companys present limitation and future needs which helps to survive, growth , use of resources or adapting to customer then diversification is one alternative in several option available to the company. They also added that analysis of market; material supplies, technological development and production process are required before moving to the decision of diversification. Where the opportunity is available but risk to develop, organisation may not diversify from their core business. The assessment to expand the business in various ways can help to take a decision in what way they will look forward towards existing or new customer but offering the qualitative product or service depends on the customers desire and availability of channel by which they can promote the product or service. Otherwise, risk will be increased and core business may be hampered by the new one. Grant (2008) argued that diversification strategy or decisions by the company involves for two issues: attraction of the industry and output by competitive advantages. The economics of scope can be tangibles or intangible resources of the company even organisational capabilities can also be transferred within the diversified company. OOCL had competitive advantages by its diversified products like information systems and terminal business. The group business expanded business in related and unrelated industry for getting the logistics support for its core business ocean shipping. He prescribed that diversification motivates the organisation for growing, reducing risk and making profit to create inconsistency of shareholder view. OOCL diversified in both concentric and conglomerate to develop their organisation economically also creating brand value. But they highly focused on concentric diversification because shipping is the derived demand and highly globalized business where customer needs all kind of logistics support. Providing the logistics support they made strong information systems from the origin of transport to the final destination which one is the full version of logistics. The OOIL group diversified in container business by creating the OOCL logistics which helps to add value in their core business ocean shipping. In addition, they involved in port terminal business in Kaoshiung (China) and Long Beach (North America) which form an integral part of international containerised transport business ( OOIL,2010a). The cargo smart is the innovative software of OOCL by which they can keep relation with their clients in 24 hours. Preliminary it is developed for their own organisations but now using by most of the logistics company of the world. It ( CargoSmart,2010) is a Software as a Service (SaaS) global shipping and logistics solutions provider that enables companies to lower transportation management costs, streamline operations, and reduce the risk of late shipments. For getting the domestics cargo, they established OOCL china domestics limited for getting the domestics cargo which also add value in their business. Due to heavy industrialization in China and having competition with national and international shipping company, OOCL diversified in their product to create a good marketing approach to the local trader. Kaoshiung port terminal is supporting them by giving logistics centre facilities to the shipper and consignee in China. Furthermore, road and rail transportation also help to attract the customer as it is the multimodal facilities for transporting the cargo at carriers risk. Enhance, they structured intermodal service in China, Europe and North America In conglomerate diversification, they established property business in two countries ( China and USA) as OODL which helps to increase the shareholder value and future of the company for any crisis or recovery of their core business. b) Vertical Integration in OOCL There is a vertical integration in OOCL diversification as they set a list of product and service in front of their clients. The core business of OOCL is ocean shipping that means selling the vessel space to the customer and providing the facilities of instrument container for caring the cargo. Along with this business they integrated the services by backward and forward integration. The backward facilities are the information facilities by which customer can log on from any place of the world. In addition, Logistics Company like OOCL logistics, intermodal systems also added in backward integration. The forward facilities are port and terminal business which added value to attract the customer for clearing the cargo easily and economically. C) Performance and Outcomes. Diversification and performance are correlated in their potential activities but depends on the acceptance of the customer. Grant (2008) believes that diversification has the potential to create value for shareholders where it exploits economics of scope and where transaction costs in the market for resources make it inefficient to exploit these economics of scope through market contracts. The shipping market depends on its cycles from the ship building to scrapping and mid times using facilities. Moreover, its perishable service where customization is very important to use its all cycles. As a container service main line operator, it is very difficult to run the business by only its vessel performance but also need connecting facilities to keep the customer. Diversification in OOCl helps to create logistics products or service like Cargo Smart, Intermodal, Port Terminal and catalyst their core business ocean shipping. The conglomerate diversification of OOCL in property business he lped to survive in recession. Due ( Reuters,2010) to global economic downturn and company huge loss in this downturn , OOIL group has sold $2.2 billion in Chinese property to raise cash and focus on its core shipping business. 07. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The diversification strategy of OOCL is partially failure. Due to economic downturn, group is unable to sustain and sold their unrelated property business OODL. It will be impacted to their core business because shareholder will not be influenced to keep their share. In addition, they had opportunity for developing their business in port terminals but sold two terminals out of four. Port terminals are big access of a shipping company. However, their present terminal is using by their own and grand alliance vessels. The best option for container shipping in strategic management may be in global strategy because this is the highly globalised industry. They can choose the strategy for increasing their services in all over the world. Some companies are very successful in MA like MAERSK. They merged with Sealand firstly and finally acquired PO Nedlloyd which one is the great and highly capitalized acquisition in shipping industry. OOCL has great opportunity to merge with some African or South American container line to diversify their business in these regions. It will bring more customers. In addition, their core competence of HR policy indicated that CSR may be the best strategy to develop the business. The Grand Alliance ( Hapag-lloyd,2009) formed in 1998 is the leading integrated consortium in global container shipping by the leading main line operator in container shipping Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), MISC Berhad (Malaysia), NYK (Japan) and OOCL (Hong Kong). Jointly they are introducing shipping rout es and new services day by day to extend the container shipping. 08.CONCLUSION Lasserre (2007) stated that managers, politicians, journalists and academics are commonly using the concept of globalization along with global industries, competition, or corporation or strategies to globalize or die. Container shipping industry is highly globalised as it is the derived demand of world trade. Moreover, it has to fight with same line industry like dry bulk or tanker shipping. The business rivalry among the main line container operators is very high. In addition, world alliance by some companies that making groups and start consolidated business is the new dimension to minimize the loss or maximizing the profit. Strategic alliance between two or more firms like the grand alliance of OOCL with other operators brought competitive advantages in business. OOCL is the family business organisation and featured the core competency of human resources. SWOT analysis of the organisation and diversification strategy may show the ways to face the global economic downturn and be mo re strategic in their business.

Charles Dickens Great Expectations Essay -- Charles Dickens Great Exp

Charles Dickens' Great Expectations Chapter one of the novel Great Expectations opens in a bleak and overgrown churchyard on the eerie marsh country. Here we are introduced to Pip, as a young and naà ¯ve boy, and we discover he is also an orphan, who lives with sister and her husband the blacksmith, in a small village a mile or more from the church. Whilst Pip is in the churchyard, he meets an escaped convict, Magwitch, whom Pip gives food to, and this encounter remains poignant in both their lives, as Pip goes on to receive the opportunity to become a gentleman, from a mysterious benefactor, and he abandons his friends and family for his â€Å"Great Expectations† and his London lifestyle. The desolate choice of setting and location for the start of the novel are relevant to Pip’s unhappy childhood. Dickens uses negative descriptions such as â€Å"bleak place overgrown with nettles† to create a vivid and miserable image in the readers mind. At once it becomes obvious that Pip’s tale is not going to be a joyful or pleasant one- more the reverse, as his surroundings are described with more depressing phrases including â€Å"dark flat wilderness†, to describe the marshes and land beyond the churchyard, and â€Å"distant savage lair†, to emphasise the fierceness of the sea. We get the impression of an isolated, wild and barren marshland, and feel sorry for the poor young boy let out with nobody with him. We are told that Pip never saw his father or his mother, and told also that he childishly derived what they may have looked like from the appearance of their tombstones. Pip evidently felt alone and deserted at this time, as we see him in the churchyard visiting his parent's graves, and looking at the â€Å"five little stone... ...gers that finish off each chapter. The fact that Magwitch is introduced to Pip in the first chapter is appealing for the reader, as this creates curiosity in wanting to know what is going to happen to Pip, and what is to become of Magwitch. The reader is persuaded to read on to find out also whether Pip obeys Magwitch, and how Pip completes his task. Also, because we feel sorry for the poor boy, we are curious to find out the outcome of his life and whether it gets any better. Overall, Chapter one of the novel Great Expectations provides us with sufficient information about Pip to know that he is not going to grow up in a loving and caring environment, as we find out that he is an orphan, who lives with his sister and her husband, in a strict and unloving household, and is let out alone in a deserted churchyard visiting his parents graves one evening.

Dramatic irony Essay

The Inspector makes Mrs Birling expand on what should be done to the boy and Mrs Birling not realising what has happened by linking together the parts carries on, the Inspector asks, ‘So he’s the chief culprit anyhow?’ and Mrs Birling replies, ‘Certainly. And he ought to be dealt with very severely-.’ It is now, if the audience hadn’t already worked it out from when Mrs Birling about the father being a drunk, her realising from others Eric’s a drunk, and the Inspector wanting Eric to stay so he could see him later, that we realise from Sheila’s dramatic ‘Mother-stop-stop!’ Eric’s the father. It is such a dramatic moment, there is suspense and tension; it shocks the audience and yet Mr and Mrs Birling still don’t see Eric as the father and tell Sheila to be quiet. Mrs Birling doesn’t stop, she’s already spoken about how the father should be made an example of and she on basically saying what should be done to her son, ‘make sure he’s compelled to confess in public his responsibility.’ The Inspector too confirms what she has said asks again if she is sure that that should happen, she agrees, it is then she realises, the penny drops, it’s Eric. She’s shocked. Mrs Birling has, in other words, told the Inspector that her son is responsible, should be made an of and confess in public without even knowing it. She has convicted her own son. This is dramatic irony as we, the audience have realised it was Eric and she’s carried on sentencing him. She has matters worse, which she will eventually regret. This is such a dramatic part of the play, she has condemned her own son to the blame and also without realising killed her own grandchild ‘I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it†¦.’- She will believe it. The next dramatic moment is shorter in length but still or even more, dramatic. This is the moment at the end when the Inspector has left and everyone is left questioning what has happened.  After the Inspector has left the family start blaming one another for the girl’s death. It is after this that Sheila, first of all and then the others question the Inspector’s existence ‘It’s queer-very queer-‘. When Sheila says this Mrs Birling seems to understand what Sheila’s thinking ‘I know what your going to say. Because I’ve been wondering myself,’ to which Sheila replies, ‘It doesn’t matter now, of course-but was he really a police inspector?’ Sheila and Eric don’t think it matters but Mr and Mrs Birling clearly think it does, ‘Well, if he wasn’t, it matters a devil of a lot.’ It’s clear that the younger generation, Sheila and Eric, have very different views form that of their parents. Sheila and Eric do not feel that it matters if the Inspector wasn’t a police inspector, it’s what they have all done that is the important part, they’ve killed a woman, ‘He was our Inspector alright.’-Eric. Gerald then returns and tells them that he has found out that the Inspector was not a real police inspector. Although they had their doubts this puzzles everyone. Gerald then has idea that all that had happened wasn’t to the same girl. To confirm his thoughts he rings up the infirmary and asks if there is anyone who has committed suicide by drinking disinfectant. There is no girl. Everyone apart from Sheila and Eric are relieved and act if nothing has happened, Sheila and Eric question the way they behaved but Mr and Mrs Birling and Gerald don’t care. Just when they are trying to forget, the phone rings. The drama starts when Gerald rings the Infirmary. There is a tense wait for us to know whether there is a girl, to which all this happened to, or if the things Mr and Mrs Birling, Sheila, Gerald and Eric did was all to one girl. The characters’ actions add to the tension we sustain, for example Birling wiping his brow, Sheila shivering and Eric clasping and un-clasping his hands, showing their nerves. ‘No girl has died in there today. Nobody’s been brought in after drinking disinfectant. They haven’t had a suicide for months.’ We are lulled into believing it is over; that the suspense has ended and there is nothing more to happen. Mr and Mrs Birding and Gerald are relieved but it is only Sheila and Eric that keep in consideration what they have done and actually seriously think about what has happened, Sheila ‘But you’re forgetting one thing I still can’t forget. Everything we said had happened really had happened. If it didn’t end tragically, then that’s lucky for us. But it might have done.’ This just shows the difference of the natures of the characters. Sheila shows herself as being concerned and truly sorry for what she has done, as well as Eric. However, Gerald, Mr Birling and Mrs Birling show the totally opposite view on what has happened, they come across as selfish, cruel and arrogant people from the way they behave. An example of this is when Mr Birling says, ‘The whole story was a lot of moonshine. Nothing but an elaborate sell!’ Sheila says how disgusted she is with their behaviour, Mr and Mrs Birling and Gerald carrying on not caring. Gerald tries to get Sheila back into thinking of the wedding ‘Everything all right now Sheila. What about the ring.’ This is a prime example of Gerald’s attitude towards what has happened. Sheila-‘No, not yet. It’s too soon. I must think.’ Mr Birling then says something very ironic. After all that he and his wife, the older generation, have done and the way they have acted towards this situation (terribly), he turns round and comments on the younger generation, who are clearly more sensible, caring and altogether better, and says ‘Now look at the pair of them-the famous younger generation who know it all. And can’t even take a joke’. This is in response to Sheila saying no to Gerald, it is very ironic. It is now that it happens, the most dramatic part of the play. The Phone rings. It rings sharply, immediately we think the worst, is it? Has a girl been found in the same situation as Eva Smith? The actions of the characters, their moment of complete silence is very tense. Mr B. answers the phone; he talks slowly dragging the moment on. His actions are slow intensifying; he slowly puts down the phone. He looks in a panic stricken fashion at the others. The audience knows what is about to come but are still waiting for it to be confirmed. Mr Birling confirms our thoughts; a police inspector is on his way as a girl has just died after swallowing some disinfectant. This ending is very, very powerful. It changes the nature of the play as it becomes a mystery-who was the inspector? It becomes cyclical and therefore spiritual-how many more times will it happen? Will it start again when the inspector arrives?  Ã¢â‚¬ËœAn Inspector Calls’ with its dramatic moments is a very powerful play. It has skilful climaxes and wonderful twists to the plot. It is a very enjoyable play that always keeps you on edge.