...“The Turn of the Screw,” by Henry James is a novella that is open to countless of interpretations due to its ambiguity. There is contradiction after contradiction about whether the governess is sane enough to be able to see the ghosts of Ms. Jessel and Peter Quint. In fact, since the novella was published, many critics have argued that the projections of the ghosts are subjective to the governess’s imagination, while others argue the opposite. The story revolves around a young woman, who has recently finished her education. She accepts her first job: being the governess of little Flora and Miles. The two children are under the care of their uncle after the death of their parents. For this reason, the governess moves to the mansion in Bly, where...
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...Turn of the screw was published in 1898 and written by Henry James. It is a Gothic novella detailing the disturbing and ambiguous events that a young governess experiences during her time at Bly, the country house is which the children and their caretakers live. From the beginning of her stay at Bly and up until the end of the novella, the young Governess is plagued by visions of spectral figures (a man named Quint and a woman called Miss Jessel) that seem to take particular interest in the Governesses young charges( a boy named Miles and his younger sister named Flora). It is hinted, by the head of the house, that the spectral figures, which were previous caretakers of the children before their ambiguous deaths, engaged in illicit activities...
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...In Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, the reader must question the governess’ sanity and determine for themselves whether the ghosts seen by the governess are projections of her own unconscious thoughts and desires, or if they are truly there and haunting the children. The text itself allows for these two highly contradictory perceptions. The differing perceptions of readers contribute to the ambiguity of the text itself forcing the reader to become one with the story as well as a product of the story in order to gain an understanding of the text itself. To interpret the events that transpired throughout the story, one must first immerse himself or herself into the story. Felman writes, “…the story’s frame thus encloses not only the story’s content, but, equally, its readers and its reading” (124). Once one becomes part of the story, his or her perceptions become part of the story as well. Each new insight creates a deeper meaning of the story and a new lens one can use to comprehend it. At the very end of the story, when the governess begins to interrogate Miles, she becomes so engrossed in the...
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...ENC 1102 02 December 2010 Ambiguity: Is The Turn of The Screw based on a true story or is it a tale of insanity? The ambiguous writing style used by Henry James in The Turn of The Screw leaves the story open to the interpretation of the individual reader. I will show how this ambiguous writing style does not lead the reader to any specific interpretation, but it is actually used by James to deliberately confuse the reader and foster an atmosphere of uncertainty. This purposeful lack of facts by James throughout the story makes the reader draw his own conclusions about what actually takes place. Many critics have analyzed The Turn of The Screw and most of them have come to the same conclusion; that the story is littered with ambiguity, but this is where the consensus ends. Nearly everything that takes place in the story can be interpreted in more than one way (Beidler 189). This novella penned by James has generated more than three hundred books, articles, and doctoral dissertations over the last forty years (Teahan 349). One critic, Edmund Wilson, wrote in his evaluation “There is a very good reason, however, in the fact that nowhere does James unequivocally give the thing away: everything from beginning to end can be taken equally well in either of two senses” (172). Just a few of the many unanswered questions that get asked are: Why did Miles really get sent home from school, is he as angelic as he is originally portrayed or is he a bad boy? Why does the uncle...
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...The Innocents, a film directed by Jack Clayton, adapted from Henry James’ short novel The Turn of the Screw by John Mortimer, William Archibald and Truman Capote, can be argued to have subject matter of either a supernatural or psychological nature. The same can be said for Henry James’ original, but having digested both texts it is made clear to me that there are some very noticeable differences between the two, that both hinder and enhance our understanding of the stories. In both the film and the novella, the principal story is narrated, somewhat unreliably, by Miss Giddens, the governess appointed to care for the two children by their uncle. In Henry James’ version however, the story is framed in the prologue by an unknown character, Douglas, who introduces the story to a few friends at a house party. In the film, we see Miss Giddens crying with her hands together as if praying, emotionally exclaiming: “All I want to do is save the children, not destroy them. More than anything I love children. More than anything.” It then fades into the interview scene with the uncle, soft focus, to suggest a flashback. Both these openings elicit an anachronistic or nostalgic feel, and with The Innocents, this sensation is strengthened by the black and white cinematography. The cameraman, Freddie Francis, used a special filter which darkened the edges of the frame similar to the ‘vignette’ effect. This had practical uses for characters walking of screen but it also gave the impression that...
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...Frames of Reference A gothic novel has many elements, some of which can be easily identified; the gloomy tone, the strange, mysterious events. Some of the more difficult elements to recognise may be the different layers of reality, or the way the story is told . The Turn of The Screw is a perfect example of a gothic novella; it has all the above elements, which are cleverly implemented throughout the text. One of these elements is James’ use of the frame narrative. I will be discussing the frame narrative and narrators, with particular focus on Douglas, and how it affects the governess’ story. The Turn of The Screw; a novella in which one thinks less about the literary techniques, or the writing style, but more about the story itself. One finds oneself asking; are the ghosts real? Is the governess insane? Is it a conspiracy? We, as the reader need to take a closer look at the text to identity and analyse the techniques, the words, the imagery that gives the story its mystery and intrigue. One such technique is the use of a frame narrative, we hear the story from the unnamed narrator, Douglas and then from the Governess. We know very little about any of the narrators, however, perhaps the narrator that stands out most is Douglas; he is our link to the Governess and her story. Although we are not given much information on Douglas, he is very cleverly used by James. He is the only person present who knew the governess, and the similarities between him and Miles are thought...
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...Through ambiguity, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James accomplishes multiple attributes of a traditional gothic story. This ambiguity, however, spurs some debate regarding the plot of the story, whether it is a ghost story or psychological horror. The protagonist, the governess, is convinced she is interacting with the supernatural, but no one is able to confirm this, indicating that the ghosts do not exist. As her hysteria grows, she sees more ghosts and the children’s behavior becomes stranger and more distanced. One can conclude from these aspects of the story that it is not the ghosts that are harming the children, but it is the governess in fits of madness. On the eve of her employment at Bly, the governess is unable to get a proper...
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...Henry James’s book, The Turn of the Screw, is a mysterious, yet well written novel that has captivated readers since 1898. Its complex characters create a dramatic tone that adds suspense to the novel. James leads the readers to draw conclusions about the characters that lure them into the plot so they will further enjoy the story. Mrs. Grose seems to be a simple character, but is essential to the novel; she possesses a degree of ambiguity that adds to the complexity of her character and of the novel. Mrs. Grose is a simple woman, a foil to the governess, and an insight to critical information, however each one of these defines her complex nature. Mrs. Grose’s ambiguity exposes her complex identity that is hidden by her simple nature. When...
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...Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw addresses the destruction that result from the desires of the people in the government in the early 20th century who, because of their greed for more power created a corrupted and stained society. Their hunger for power and capital destroyed the balanced system of society leading to the hatred of the citizens towards the government officials. James’s imagery envelops the essence of the destruction which exists as the two apparitions, hinting at the destructions as a result of greed in the 19th century for dominance. Furthermore the narrator’s tone amplifies the dramaticness of the novella, which expresses the governess’s hysteric mind and desire to protect and shield Flora and Miles from the corruption of the ghosts that don’t exist. James employs multiple types of figurative languages throughout the whole novella, enhancing the suspense and ambiguity within the lines of the text. First the governess’s the solemn one who actually sees the ghosts, which contributes to the fact that the ghosts’ only exist in her imagination therefore classifying the narrator as unreliable. For example in chapter 20, when Mrs. Grose and the...
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...B. Levy Publication Details: JEGP: Journal of English and Germanic Philology 74.3 (July 1975): p375-387. Source: Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Juliet Byington. Vol. 95. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. p375-387. From Literature Resource Center. Document Type: Critical essay Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group, COPYRIGHT 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning [In the following essay, Levy examines Faith as a character, an allegorical figure, and a symbol.] Few of Hawthorne's tales have elicited a wider range of interpretations than “Young Goodman Brown.” The critics have been victimized by the notorious ambiguity of a tale composed of a mixture of allegory and the psychological analysis of consciousness. Many of them find the key to its meaning in a neurotic predisposition to evil; one goes so far as to compare Goodman Brown to Henry James's governess in The Turn of the Screw [Darrel Abel, in “Black Glove and Pink Ribbon: Hawthorne's Metonymic Symbols,” in NEQ 42, 1969]. The psychological aspect is undeniably important, since we cannot be certain whether “Young Goodman Brown” is a dream-allegory that takes place in the mind and imagination of the protagonist, an allegory with fixed referents in the external world, or a combination of these that eludes our ordinary understanding of the genre itself. The story is all three: a dream vision, a conventional allegory, and finally an inquiry into the problem of faith that undermines the assumptions upon which the allegory is based. ...
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...Index Abbreviations……………………………………………… 2 Executive Summary…………………………………………3 Chapter-1:Introduction………………………………………4 Chapter-2:Analysis of facts and figures of Maruti Suzuki….9 Chapter-3:Case study of Manesar plant……………………..18 Chapter4:Learnings………………………………………….29 Bibliography…………………………………………………35 Abbreviations • MUL-Maruti Udhyog Limited • GM-General Motors • BSE-Bombay Stock Exchange • NSE-National Stock Exchange • ACMA-Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India • SIAM-Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers • CSI-Customer Satisfaction Index • MDS-Maruti Driving Training School • ITI-Industrial Training Institute • OEM-original equipment manufacturers Executive Summary Maruti Suzuki India Limited is India's leading & largest Passenger car manufacturer which accounting for nearly 50 percent of the total industry sales. With a view to cater the demand of all types of customer the company has variety of brands in its basket i.e ranging from the peoples car Maruti 800 to the stylish hatch-back Swift, SX4 Sedan and luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) Grand Vitara. The company has received ample awards and achievements due to its continuous innovations and technological up gradations. The company today is very conscious about safeguarding the environment from vehicle pollution which resulted in launching of its advanced K-Series engines. Despite of stiff competition, Maruti Suzuki India Limited is presently...
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...August, 1987 ® The Academy of Management EXECUTIVE, pp. 207-219 1987, Vol. 1, No. 3, Linking Competitive Strategies with Human Resource Management Practices Randall S. Schuler and Susan E. Jackson New York University ver the past several years there has been increased recognition that there is a need to match the characteristics of top managers with the nature of the business. According to Reginald H. Jones, former chairman and CEO of the General Electric Company, O The result of such human resource staffing practices has been rather significant: When we classified. . . [our] . . . businesses, and when we realized that they were going to have quite different missions, we also realized we had to have quite different people running them.^ Within academia there has been similar growing awareness of this need. Although this awareness is being articulated in several ways, one of the most frequent involves the conceptualization and investigation of the relationship between business strategy and the personal characteristics of top managers.^ Here, particular manager characteristics such as personality, skills, abilities, values, and perspectives are matched with particular types of business strategies. For example, a recently released study conducted by Hay Group Incorporated, in conjunction with the University of Michigan and the Strategic Planning Institute, reports that when a business is pursuing a growth strategy it needs top managers who are likely to abandon...
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...Chapter One 1.1 With what other terminology is systems analysis and design synonymous? Systems analysis and design is also known as information systems engineering, software engineering, systems engineering, software development, and systems development. 1.2 What activities and deliverables are included in analysis? Activities: systems planning, feasibility study (optional), requirements determination, user acceptance,and prototyping (optional). Deliverables: Requirements specification and prototype (optional). 1.3 What activities and deliverables are included in design and implementation? Activities: Physical design, prototyping (optional), software construction/purchase, user documentation, testing, training, user acceptance, conversion, and implementing the system. Deliverable: Information system. 1.4 Describe a system and the components of a systems model. A generic systems model consists of six components- inputs, processes, outputs, controls, feedback, and boundary. Using predetermined controls, a system accepts inputs at its boundary, processes them into outputs, and provides a feedback mechanism for taking any necessary corrective action. 1.5 What two key components distinguish an information system from an automated information system? Software and hardware. 1.6 How are data incorporated into an automated information system and what role does it play? Data are either input, stored, or output. As part of the information system,...
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...Home Insulation Program The economic melt-down of many developed countries caused by the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has seen a world-wide swing to Keynesian economic policies. In an effort to boost the economies and reduce unemployment, many governments have conceived different strategies of direct intervention and increase public spending to stimulate economic activities. There are still intense debates about the main reasons why Australia has weathered the GFC much better than the others. The Home Insulation Program (HIP), also known as the Pink Batts Scheme, was primarily designed to boost the domestic economy in 2009 following the GFC, but it was beset by controversy. The $2.8 billion job-generating scheme, offering free insulation to two million households, was scrapped prematurely in 2010 after it was blamed for the deaths of four insulation workers and more than 100 house fires. This essay will attempt to analyse the impact of the HIP and argue whether governments (Commonwealth or States) or business were responsible for the health and safety of workers involved with the HIP. In February 2009, the Rudd government (Government) unveiled the HIP as part of its stimulus package in respond to the GFC. This program may have been stemmed from Kevin Rudd’s (2009, pp 28-29) belief that “Labor, in the international tradition of social democracy, consistently argues for a central role for government in the regulation of markets and the provision of public goods”; and it has “acted...
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...Item Analysis Item Analysis allows us to observe the characteristics of a particular question (item) and can be used to ensure that questions are of an appropriate standard and select items for test inclusion. Introduction Item Analysis describes the statistical analyses which allow measurement of the effectiveness of individual test items. An understanding of the factors which govern effectiveness (and a means of measuring them) can enable us to create more effective test questions and also regulate and standardise existing tests. There are three main types of Item Analysis: Item Response Theory, Rasch Measurement and Classical Test Theory. Although Classical Test Theory and Rasch Measurement will be discussed, this document will concentrate primarily on Item Response Theory. The Models Classical Test Theory Classical Test Theory (traditionally the main method used in the United Kingdom) utilises two main statistics - Facility and Discrimination. * Facility is essentially a measure of the difficulty of an item, arrived at by dividing the mean mark obtained by a sample of candidates and the maximum mark available. As a whole, a test should aim to have an overall facility of around 0.5, however it is acceptable for individual items to have higher or lower facility (ranging from 0.2 to 0.8). * Discrimination measures how performance on one item correlates to performance in the test as a whole. There should always be some correlation between item and test performance...
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