The Catcher In The Rye 3 Essay Example For Students

The Catcher In The Rye 3 Essay Sometimes characters can allow a strong feeling or emotion todominate their lives.;Holden allows the strong feelings and emotions of death, society, schooland innocence to dominate his life. Holden is a very sensitive boy who can notignore his problems, instead he dwells on them. These feelings and emotionsare dominant because Holden believes strongly in them. The strong negative feelings that Holden has for his school and itscommunity are present because of its concern for an image. When students donot put in they are expelled to keep the schools high academic rating, This isrepresented when Holden says I got the axe. They give guys the axe quitefrequently at Pencey.; he does not like this as it does not allow students to beindividuals and be who they really want to be. Another reason Holden dislikesschool so much is because the way teachers have an unfair authority over theirstudents. Mr Spencer used his authority when he read out Holdens paper. We will write a custom essay on The Catcher In The Rye 3 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now holden thought this was rude and said I dont think Ill ever forgive him forreading me that crap out loud. I wouldntve read it out loud to him if hedwritten it I really wouldnt.;Holden is not fond of the society that he lives in. It is a superficialsociety that worships the movies and actors because they portray a type ofliving that seems wonderful, although it is very false. Holden does not like themovies, he views them as a world that people wish they could be in. Anexample of this is when Holden says If there is one thing I hate, its themovies.; Holden also dislikes the actors. He feels that they do not act likecommon people instead they act more like they knew they were celebrities;and that annoyed him because he can not understand why people admire themso much. He thinks that actors are shallow and create an even biggermisconception on life. Holdens way to cope with society is to wear his redhunting hat in public. This is a way for him to demonstrate that he is differentand that he will not conform to the way society and people want him to. This isshown when he calls his hat a people shooting hat;. Holden feels that societyis too concerned with materialism and appearance and he does not want to beea part of it and this is why he wears his red hunting hat. The death of Holdens bother has effected him tremendously. WhenAllie died Holden revealed to us that he broke all the windows in the garage;with his bare fists. When Holden felt lonely he would think of Allie, this isrepresented when Holden is walking down a street and at the end of everyblock he would say ; Allie, dont let me disappear. Please Allie.; Anotherreason why death dominates Holdens life is because Allie is one of the fewpeople he actually likes. When Pheobe told him angrily that Allie was deadHolden said ;Just because somebodys dead, you dont just stop liking them,for Gods sake especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than thepeople you know thatre alive and all.;Trying to maintain peoples innocence is something that Holden stronglybelieves in. It is a quality that he thinks people should never lose and go into afalse and deceptive world. Holden especially wants to stop children fromentering this world and because of this Holden said that if children are runn ingon a cliff and they dont look where theyre going I have to come out fromsomewhere and catch them. Thats all Id do all day.I know its crazy, butthats the only thing Id really like to be.; He wants to be the person whomakes them see that the world is a hypocritical place to belong to and that theyshould try to avoid it as much as they can. This shows us how strongly Holdenfeels about preserving peoples innocence and individuality. .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 , .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 .postImageUrl , .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 , .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49:hover , .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49:visited , .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49:active { border:0!important; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49:active , .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49 .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6aebaaee3d1b54c53ae25b808f65fb49:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The character traits of macbeth EssayThe feelings and emotions that Holden allows to dominate his life are allimportant to him, which is expressed during the novel. Holden allows them todominate because they are something that he believes strongly in, even thoughthey bring back bad memories and things he is not fond of.

Visiting the Johnson Houston Space Center

Visiting the Johnson Houston Space Center Every NASA mission is controlled from the Johnson Space Center (JSC)   in Houston, Texas. Thats why you often hear astronauts on orbit call out Houston. when theyre communicating to Earth.   JSC is more than just mission control; it also houses training facilities for the astronauts and mockups for future missions.   As you can imagine, JSC is a popular place to visit. To help visitors get the most out of their trip to JSC, NASA worked with the Manned Space Flight Education Foundation to create a unique visitor experience called Space Center Houston.  Its open most days of the year and offers a lot in the way of space education, exhibits, and experiences. Here are a few of the highlights, and you can learn more at the centers website.  Heres what to do at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.   Space Center Theater People of all ages are fascinated with what it takes to be an astronaut. This attraction shows the excitement, the commitment and the risks taken by the people who fly in space. Here we can see the evolution of the equipment and the training of the men and women who dreamed to be astronauts. We want guests to experience first hand what it takes to be an astronaut. The film, shown on a 5-story tall screen, takes the viewer by the heart to bring them into the life of an astronaut from the time they receive notification of their acceptance into the training program to their first mission. Blast Off Theater The only place in the world where you can personally experience the thrill of launching into space like a real astronaut. Not just a movie; its the thrill of personally feeling the launch into space - from the rocket boosters to the billowing exhaust. After docking at the International Space Station, guests enter the Blastoff Theater for an update on current shuttle missions, as well as details on the exploration of Mars. NASA Tram Tour With this behind-the-scenes journey through NASAs Johnson Space Center, you may visit the Historic Mission Control Center, the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility or the current Mission Control Center. Before returning to Space Center Houston, you can visit the all new Saturn V Complex at Rocket Park. Occasionally, the tour may visit other facilities, such as the Sonny Carter Training Facility or Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. You may even get to see astronauts training for upcoming missions. Keep in mind that the buildings visited on the tram tour are real working areas of Johnson Space Center and are subject to closure without notice. Astronaut Gallery The Astronaut Gallery is an unparalleled exhibit featuring the worlds best collection of spacesuits. Astronaut John Youngs ejection suit and Judy Resniks T-38 flightsuit are two of the many spacesuits on display. The walls of the Astronaut Gallery also contain portraits and crew photos of every U.S. astronaut who has flown in space. The Feel of Space The Living in Space module simulates what life could be like for astronauts aboard the space station. A Mission Briefing Officer gives a live presentation on how astronauts live in a space environment. It uses humor to show how the smallest tasks like showering and eating are complicated by a microgravity environment. A volunteer from the audience helps to prove the point. Beyond the Living in Space Module are 24 part task trainers that use sophisticated computer technology to provide visitors with the experience of landing the orbiter, retrieving a satellite or exploring the shuttle systems. Starship Gallery The journey into space begins with the film On Human Destiny at the Destiny Theater. Artifacts and hardware on display in the Starship Gallery trace the progression of Americas Manned Space Flight. This incredible collection includes: an original model of the Goddard Rocket; the actual Mercury Atlas 9 Faith 7 capsule flown by Gordon Cooper; the Gemini V Spacecraft piloted by Pete Conrad and Gordon Cooper; a Lunar Roving Vehicle Trainer, the Apollo 17 Command Module, the giant Skylab Trainer, and the Apollo-Soyuz Trainer. Kids Space Place Kids Space Place was created for children of all ages who have always dreamed of experiencing the same things astronauts do in space. Interactive exhibits and themed area make exploring the different aspects of space and the manned space flight program loads of fun. Inside Kids Space Place, guests can explore and experiment commanding the space shuttle or living on the space station. (Age and/or height restrictions may apply on some activities.) Level 9 Tour The Level Nine Tour takes you behind the scenes to see the real world of NASA up close and personal. On this four-hour tour you will see things that only the astronauts see and eat what and where they eat. All your questions will be answered by a very knowledgeable Tour Guide as you discover the secrets that have been kept behind closed doors for years. The Level Nine Tour is Monday-Friday and includes a FREE HOT LUNCH in the astronauts cafeteria which makes it a Big Bang for your buck! The only security clearance is that you must be 14 years of age or older. The Space Center Houston is one of the most worthwhile trips any space fan can make. It combines history and real-time exploration in one fascinating day!   Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Tap Water in 42 States Contaminated by Chemicals

Tap Water in 42 States Contaminated by Chemicals Public water supplies in 42 U.S. states are contaminated with 141 unregulated chemicals for which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has never established safety standards, according to an investigation by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Tainted Tap Water Used by Millions of Americans Another 119 regulated chemicals- a total of 260 contaminants altogether- were found by the environmental group in a two-and-a-half-year analysis of more than 22 million tap water quality tests. The tests, which are required under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, were conducted at nearly 40,000 utilities that supply water to 231 million people. Pollution Threatens Tap Water Quality According to a report by the EWG, the top 10 states with the most contaminants in their drinking water were California, Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Illinois- in that order. EWG said the biggest sources of contaminants were agriculture, industry, and pollution from sprawl and urban runoff. Utilities Need More Enforceable Standards for Tap Water EWGs analysis also found that almost all U.S. water utilities comply fully with enforceable health standards once they are developed. The problem, according to the environmental group, is the EPAs failure to establish enforceable health standards and monitoring requirements for many tap water contaminants. Our analysis clearly demonstrates the need for greater protection of the nations tap water supplies, and for increased health protections from a number of pollutants that are commonly found but currently unregulated. said Jane Houlihan, vice president for science at EWG, in a prepared statement. Utilities routinely go beyond what is required to protect consumers from these contaminants, but they need more money for testing, and for protection of vital source waters. Additional Information: Why Is Chlorine Added to Tap Water?Does Fluoride in Tap Water Improve or Harm Your Health?

Articles annotation Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Articles annotation - Annotated Bibliography Example The results indicate that â€Å"within the EFL context in the current Chinese cultural environment, integration may not be a significant factor in motivating language learning effort† (Chen, Warden, & Chang, 2005, p. 622). The importance of incorporating cultural norms and values in the motivational process is deemed crucial for these factors to work and be considered effective in the given situation. The study conducted by Yihong, et.al. (2007) enumerated seven motivation types: â€Å"intrinsic interest, immediate achievement, individual development, information medium, going abroad, social responsibility, and learning situation (p. 133) where â€Å"intrinsic interest was correlated with productive and additive changes, individual development with self-confidence change, social responsibility with productive and split changes† (Yihong, Yuan, Ying, & Yan, 2007, p. 133). The value of the author’s findings is emphasized in terms of focusing both on the language and the learner to enhance the learning process. positive attitudes toward the language and expectations of success were maintained over the period, whereas their attitudes toward the experience of formal learning tended to deteriorate† (Lamb, 2008, p. 1). Several teaching interventions were suggested such as provision of simpler examples, giving positive feedback, and encouraging students to explore other alternative possibilities to enhance learning skills in the English

Tesla Car Fires Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tesla Car Fires - Research Paper Example However, the company’s reputation dwindled in October 2013 when a model S caught fire in Kent, Washington. Investigations into the fire determined that the fire broke out at the car’s battery pack especially after a metal struck the battery pack. The discovery thus portrayed the cars as risky a feature that would later result in a reduction of the company’s market share. Negative reputation hampers the profitability of a business (Burrow & Jim, 2009). As the new marketing consultant, the car manufacturing company requires effective marketing strategy in order to reposition its products strategically in order to rebuild its reputation in order to enjoy its dwindling market share. Key among the marketing activities that the company must undertake is to reconstruct the consumer confidence in the products. Prior to the fires, the American car consumer preferred the company’s products because of its fuel efficiency and low maintenance costs among many other features. Unfortunately, the accidents revealed that the same factors [resented substantial safety concern that resu lted in the dwindling market share. The company carried out an investigation into the fires and made public its findings. Such was a bold undertaking that portrayed the management of the company as integral individuals who care for their consumers. The company must therefore now engage its target market in effective processes meant to rebuild the confidence of the consumers. Key among such is to investigate the cause of fire and address it effectively. This will include recalling all the cars with a similar battery packs. The company must redesign the battery packs and cushion the consumers from similar fires. In fact, the company must reinvent the engine of the car and ensure that the consumers of the products are safe. After redesigning the engine of the car and safeguarding the safety of

Problem Solving and Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Problem Solving and Decision Making Essay Background I work for a company called npower and we are an energy supplier in the UK. Specifically, I work within the Blended Services department and we deal with various types of inbound contact from our customers such as email, letters and telephone calls. I manage a team of 15 people advisors and their role is to effectively deal with customer enquiries that come in via the different methods of contact. Due to the large volumes of correspondence that we have come in, it’s not always practical to respond to customers via a written response and we therefore ask the advisors to call as many customers as possible and resolve their enquiries by phone, this allows the advisors not only deal with the customer’s original enquiry but to also answer any subsequent questions that may arise when they are presented with the answer we give them. Description of the problem When advisors call a customer there are regulations around data protection and also keeping customer contact details up to date that we must adhere to, we refer to these regulations as compliance. This is a very black and white subject, we must be compliant in all we do 100% of the time. The problem that has come to light that in our department, is that our advisors are not 100% compliant 100% of the time. They will fully cover data protection and request up to date contact information on some calls but not others. This presents a problem for the department and me as a manager as well as the advisors in question as these inconsistencies can lead to varying degrees of disciplinary action for the advisors and the company. The impact of this for the advisors is that it can lead to disciplinary action such as informal warnings, up to more formal action such as written warnings and even loss of their job. In extreme cases offending advisors can even face personal fines. As a manager, I then have to consider the potential knock on effects of such action which can include loss of advisor confidence, a reduction in staff morale, and opportunity for progression may be reduced or taken away and all of these in turn may affect an advisors attendance. For me as a manager the concerns are that these actions could affect my time as I am required to carry out investigations in to each case of non-compliance. This is turn could leave other members of my team to feel neglected as my time becomes consumed with investigations and carrying out disciplinary action. Potentially, this could lead to a general loss of morale within my team as a whole and go on to impact their performance. This issue also affects our customers as if we are seen to be breaking such important regulations as data protection, and then this could cause an increase in complaints, damage our customer’s confidence in us as a company, lead to a decrease in customer loyalty and ultimately the loss of their business. From a company point of view the impacts are possibly the greatest. Just a few potential knock on effects from non-compliance are loss of customers, brand damage, legal consequences including large fines and potentially losing out license to trade. Disciplinary action can lead to loss of staff and this brings further impacts such as the time and cost of recruiting and training new staff and all of these could eventually impact our ability to provide a desired service to our customers. Analysis of the problem In trying to identify options to solve the problem of advisors inconsistently adhering to compliance regulations, I first looked at gathering as much information as I could in to how much it was affecting my department and if there were any contributing factors to the problem. I liaised with our quality analysts. The QA team had recently marked a sample of the calls we make within the department and informed me that in the month of September they sampled four calls from each team within the department. This was made up of one inbound call (calls where the customer calls npower) and one outbound call (calls where we call the customer) for two advisors on each team. There are 18 teams so this is 36 advisors that were sampled and scored. The results showed that of the advisors monitored only 69% were fully compliant. This is cause for concern then as the target is 100%. Following on from this, I needed to do further investigation. My time, however, is very valuable and for me to take on such an investigation alone is not feasible. I discussed the problem with my manager and we came up with an idea to help us follow up the results from the QA Teams quality checks. Within our own operations group (5 Teams) we asked each manager to mark two calls for each of their advisor focussing solely on whether or not the advisors were following compliance regulations that we must adhere to. In the first week of October, each manager carried out the quality checks for their teams. The results showed that we were 50% compliant as an operations group. Following these results each manager went out to the advisors that were not following the compliance regulations and gave them a training session as well as an informal warning that this kind of action was not acceptable and that compliance must be adhered to at all times. The managers including myself then left the advisors for a couple of weeks and then went back and completed the same quality checks once more. The second time around we noticed an improvement as we scored 70%. However, we were and still are a long way short of our ultimate goal. Following on from this, I devised what I saw to be a simple yet effective questionnaire that would be completed by a sample group of advisors. The purpose of the questionnaire was to establish possible reasons why the advisors failed to be consistent in regards to meeting compliance when speaking to customers on the telephone. I looked to address such matters as how confident they were that they were personally 100% complaint 100% of the time, were they aware of the tools that npower provide to assist them in being complaint, what barriers they have encountered that make it difficult to be compliant and what do they feel would ensure that they were 100% compliant 100% of the time going forward. The results of the questionnaire showed that the advisors knew what was required of them to be compliant and that they recognised the implications of not being compliant. It also showed that all of the advisors were aware of the various support tools that npower provides them to help with compliance though not all of them used them. This suggests then that the problem of being inconsistent in regards to compliance may be down to advisor attitude or focus but at this point I wanted to avoid making assumptions. With all of this information, I used a simple fishbone to drill down for possible reasons for these inconsistencies. I looked at the following headings and then added the possible reasons: Confidence (lack of) * Inconsistent message * Unclear on what’s expected * Cannot deal with conflict (from customers) * DPA doesn’t feel natural (in call structure) * Situations outside of the norm (3rd party calling on behalf of the customer) Knowledge (lack of) * No or little training (new to business) * Lack of communication (not advised of possible changes) * Inconsistent message (unsure what is correct) Skill * Unsure how to resolve conflict * Not certain how to incorporate data protection in to their call structure * Not able to control a call (allows a customer to drive a conversation, potentially skipping past vital areas for not wanting to interrupt) Attitude/Behaviour * Doesn’t understand potential consequences * Doesn’t like change * Refuses to comply After considering all of the above the potential solutions to my problem could be creating a guide that points out to advisors what they must do to be fully compliant but that isn’t rigid in its delivery so that the advisors can make it their own. Ensuring that the guide and its use is trained out in a clear manner that makes sure there are no questions unanswered. Providing the advisors with additional training to enable them to capably and confidently deal with situations of conflict i.e. if a customer refuses to go through data protection. Finally, making sure that the consequences of non-compliance for both advisors and the company are clearly communicated. Resolution of the problem I went to manager with my findings and stated what I wanted to achieve. I needed the goal to realistic and to be measurable. Remembering that QA Team reported the department to be 69% compliant for the month of September my goal statement was this: * To decrease the compliance fail rate in our department by 15% during the month of November based upon 36 evaluations. In making this statement, I ensured that if would be a fair reflection since it would match the original investigation completed by the QA Team. It’s SMART, because I have a specific goal that can be measured against previous findings. It’s both achievable and realistic as all managers will make numerous quality checks throughout the month and I’m trying to achieve the ultimate goal of 100% compliance but instead make a small but reasonable step towards it and finally, it’s time bound as all steps will be put in place and measured throughout November. Once the goal had been set, my manager and I held a brain storming session to look at possible options to resolve the problem. Further to those I mentioned earlier, we came up with these additional ideas: * Speech Analytics * Scripts for data protection * A specific inbound call team * A specific outbound call team * Feedback, coaching and evaluations * An inbound and outbound call decision making tree * Brief to include what’s expected and what the consequences are for non-compliance * Compliance champs * Compliance tick sheet After we had come up with these various options I went away and decided which would be the best course of action. To help me decide I used a simple Pro’s and Con’s method. I put each of the above options in to a table and then listed what the advantages and disadvantages were. Below, I have just briefly outlined some of the key points for each one. Speech analytics Pros * It saves time (it’s all automated, listening to and identifying key words and phrases in conversations) so managers don’t have to do manual checks. * A large sample is gathered (it pulls data from all recorded calls) therefore the reflection is very accurate. * Reports can easily be pulled, since all data is compiled and exported in excel spread sheet format. Cons * It’s not an immediate solution. Speech analytics for npower is in early testing stages and it’s unlikely to be available for at least another year. * Cost – It’s very expensive to implement and so even to run in a small test environment is currently unlikely. Scripts for data protection Pros * It would clearly set out what needs to be said (no grey area) * Advisors would have something to reference at all times * Can easily be updated when changes occur * Managers could easily cover this in a coaching session Cons * Advisors may not feel it comes across as natural * Advisors may forget to keep it on their desk each day * It would need to be updated with each new change (potentially old ones could be in circulation) * Repeat contact customers would have to go through the exact same process each time and may feel it comes across as robotic Specific inbound/outbound call teams Pros * Advisors would deal with only one call type (one set of compliance regulations, more specialised, less chance of failure) * Becoming specialised may increase confidence Cons * It may not be feasible to have a enough specialised teams to deal with the workload * We would lose multi-skilled advisors, impacting our ability to deal with other work volumes * Specialised teams leave us vulnerable to outside influences such as absence. Compliance Champs Pros * Position of responsibility for trusted advisors * Someone on hand to reference in uncertain situations Cons * Those not chosen may feel disappointed * The cost of taking advisors away from completing work may not be feasible in such a busy time * Having to wait for a ‘Champ’ may impact customer wait times and thus service * Takes ownership and responsibility away from the advisors Compliance Checklist Pros * Advisors already use something similar, so it would be familiar * Advisors could clearly track what they have and haven’t asked * Peace of mind as it states clearly what they must ask * Natural, as it states what they must ask but doesn’t tell them how to do it * Cheap and easy to implement * Easy to amend when changes occur * Advisors can easily keep it with them either paper based or electronically * Puts the responsibility on the advisor * Best use can be coached around Cons * Must be altered with each change (old ones could be left in circulation) * Puts the responsibility on the advisors (must be trusted to use it) After evaluating the options and the pros and cons to each. I decided to go with a compliance checklist. Once I had decided on what I believed to be the best solution I asked myself two important questions, in various decision making models these are also known as Acid Tests 12. Acid Test 1 – If I implement all of my plans for action will my problems be overcome? In considering the answer I thought back to areas that I had identified earlier that linked into the problem of inconsistent compliance. To recap these were things such as: * Advisors were unsure what they should be asking. * They lacked confidence that they were saying all the right things. * They could often miss important information if interrupted by a customer before the compliance checks were complete. * The solution needed to be simple and easy to implement, so that it was clear and simple to train out. The majority of my advisors already use a checklist of sorts to capture the work they complete and how they contacted the customer, by adding compliance prompts to this it creates a visual aid for the advisors reminding them of what they need to ask and it remains in a setting that they find familiar. Also, because the advisors are able to tick off the various requirements as they go along it makes it very clear what must be asked and it’s less likely that they’ll miss things out if they are interrupted as they can simply go back along the list and pick up where they left off. It’s also likely to come across as more natural when the advisors are talking to them customers as well as again it only prompts them with what they need to ask rather than telling them how to say it. Finally, it’s relatively cheap to implement, it isn’t very time consuming to put in place and it’s something that can be done immediately. A copy of the checklist is attached (Appendix A) Acid test 2 – If I get rid of all my problems will I achieve my objectives? Again, the answer should be yes. My solution will give advisors something black and white, that’s clear and easy to understand and familiar to them in their day to day role. This should in turn give them the added confidence when talking to customer’s on the phone. There is, however, a human element. This is that the solution once trained out and implemented, relies upon the advisor taking some ownership and making sure that use it every day even if they feel confident that they are fully compliant. Because this is a personal choice there is no plan that I can implement that will solve this. However, as a company we do have measures already in place to manage this. If an advisor is proven to have the skills and the knowledge to be fully compliant and yet for whatever reason chooses not to, then I or any other manager would need to ensure that this is managed in the proper fashion. Implementation and communication of the solution As previously stated the advisor already usage a data capture sheet in their day to day jobs. I have taken that and added some simple yet clear checklist boxes that prompt the advisors on what they need to be asking when speaking to customers on the telephone. I will start off with a trial in my operations group and then if the desired results are proven then I will discuss with my manager a plan to roll it out to the whole department. I’ll start by holding a small group meeting with my fellow team managers, briefly describing the problem that I’ve been looking in to. I’ll present my solution and tell them how I would like it to be used. The managers including me can then go out to our own teams and deliver the message in a brief team meeting. The compliance checklist will be distributed via email to the managers and advisors alike. This way the advisors can choose to print it off and fill it in manually or they can simply fill in in on their PC’S. This also means that they will always be able to access a copy even if they have to move desks as it will be saved to their email. Following this, I would plan to follow up with some side by side observations. This would be to ensure that the advisors are using the checklist as intended and it also gives me the chance to answer any questions that they may have as well as offer advice and praise where they are doing things well and hopefully begin to build that confidence in their ability back up. As far as monitoring and reviewing of the situation, this should be quite straight forward. I know what the problem is and I have identified a list of causes. I also know clearly what I expect to achieve from the solution. I perform at least one quality check on each of my advisors each week, so these will prove useful when monitoring progress in this area and the results should be clear to see. These quality checks are always given to the advisors as feedback and trends from multiple quality checks are used to build useful coaching sessions. The feedback that I receive from the advisors at this point should also allow me to monitor if they are using my solution as expected and how confident they feel with it. As a department, we also receive daily, weekly and monthly reports. These will enable me to view the progress of the other teams in my operations group to see if they are showing the results that are expected. I will raise the matter for discussion in the weekly operations group meeting and this will allow me to receive feedback from my fellow managers and get their thoughts on what is and potentially isn’t going well. Finally, the QA Team will perform another quality check across a random sample of the department. This will perhaps be the ultimate mark of whether or not my solution has been successful. If so, then there should be a significant increase in the percentage of advisors that pass compliance.

Swot analysis of Tesco plc Essay -- essays research papers

Swot analysis of Tesco plc We all know Tesco as a food retailer, and we know that they are in constant competition with other retailers such as Sainsburys and Asda, yet we do not know much about what goes on beyond the shelves and the tills, the marketing plans and the day to day tactics that have to be devised to stay the number one food retailer in the United kingdom today. I am going to analyse Broughton Parks Tesco and their possible competitors Swot Analysis Firstly, four main goals, under which these particular four are Strengths: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tesco is about a strong UK core business. Last year the industry saw some very marginal growth as a whole, however Tesco continued to grow beyond the market by offering better value for money and through getting cheaper. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be as strong in non-food as in food. The market for non foods (such as clothes entertainment cleaning products) is worth seventy five billion pounds in the UK today. You can see through the growth of their dot.com business which now has over four hundred and fifty thousand users and is the largest grocery online retailer in the world, and through the success of tescos personal finance with over 1,5 million customers that they are making some real in roads into non foods. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  International growth, Tesco have 30% of their stores outside the United Kingdom and plan to make it 45% by the end of next year, and will be approached through central Europe and trough Asia 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To have the most loyal and committed staff. Tesco as a company uses clear values to underpin what they do. Their core purpose is based on â€Å"Creating value for our customers to earn their life time loyalty?Tesco have invested one billion pounds Tesco believe that one of they offer the best quality on a broad range of products and believe that they offer the best value. They have invested one billion pounds since 1996 on the campaign to reduce prices to customers and that continues to build as they go in to 2004. They offer outstanding customer service, every customer is offered help at the checkout. Location and convenience is another reason to choose Tesco, they have introduced a staggering 200 in the last two years that stay open 24 hours a day and they plan another 1540 new express stores, which are Tesco mini sto... ...onsolidated balance sheet Fixed assets  £m Fixed assets Intangible Assets 154 Intangible Assets Tangible assets 11,032 Tangible assets Investments 317 Investments Total Fixed Assets 11,503 Total Fixed Assets Current assets Current assets Stock 929 Stock Debtors 454 Debtors due within one year Short term investments 225 Short-term investments Cash at bank and in hand 445 Cash at bank and in hand Total Current Assets 2,053 Total Current Assets Creditors -4,809 Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year Working Capital -2,756 Net current assets (liabilities) Total assets less current liabilities 8,747 Total assets less current liabilities Long Term Liabilities -2,741 Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year Provisions for liabilities and charges -440 Provisions for liabilities and charges Net assets 5,566 Net assets Represented by Capital and reserves Ordinary share capital 350 Called-up share capital Share premium 2,004 Share premium Other reserves 40 Other reserves Profit and loss account 3,136 Profit and loss account Ordinary shareholders' funds 5,530 Equity shareholders' funds Minority interests 36 Minority interests Capital Employed 5,566 Total capital employed

1. Carefully Explain the Concept of Economic Meltdown. Answer: the Term Economic Meltdown Is the Going Down of the Rate of Economic Activity of a Country, in the Simplest Term, Economic Meltdown, Could Be Called

1. Carefully explain the concept of economic meltdown. Answer: The term economic meltdown is the going down of the rate of economic activity of a country, in the simplest term, economic meltdown, could be called economic â€Å"Go-slow† just like traffic jam which grind. The first and foremost action that an organization must take is to cut cost, this is because during these tough times, we all must make the utmost effort to save money, take care of expenses such as electricity stationery unnecessary wastage of resources in factories, office and other work places. One would of course face a lot of problem but there are solutions. Again instead of sacking employees, a pay cut of say 11-16% for the employees is a more acceptable solution than carrying off people. The government is required to take action by cutting down taxes so that people will have more money to spend and therefore the economy can come back to track. 2. What are likely the causes and effect of economic meltdown on cost of production in an organization. The likely causes of economic meltdown in cost of production in an organization are: a. The culture of the people within the immediate vicinity as it affects the employees, belief systems, byelaws and traditions. b. The organizational market-share and protection, its financial capabilities, resources availability, credibility and goodwill c. The nations economic position, competition from internal and international organizations, supplies of production equipment and materials. . High rate of importation: this has been a great menace to the production of a company as many commodities are imported and on the long run other economies benefits e. Inflation: The effect of inflation is not distributed evenly in the economy and as a consequence there are short fall of money and goods. The supply of money is a major, but not the only cause of inflation, organization for economic cooperation and development. However, frequent economic meltdown that could not be explained scholar’s though accelerated consumption and production of goods and services. From economic crisis of 2008 (According to the National Bureau of Economic Research) much of the over production turned to cause deflation. f. Poor health. Due to poor animal husbandry production and storage this demand for milk far outstipping supplies use of other potentially harmful chemical. g. Nuclear power: Nuclear waste production transport and cost over runs on nuclear plants due to regulatory issues.

‘Desiree’s Baby’ by Kate Chopin Essay

At a glance, ‘Desiree’s Baby’ published in 1893 By an American writer Kate Chopin, depicts the miscegenation in Creole Louisiana during the antebellum era. The Antebellum period in American history is generally considered to be the period before the civil war and after the war of 1812. The technological advances and religious and social movements of the Antebellum Period had a profound effect on the course of American history, including a population shift from farms to industrial centers, sectional divisions that ended in civil war, the abolition of slavery and the growth of feminist and temperance movements. Though Kate Chopin is known to be a writer of American Realism and naturalism, the story ‘Desiree’s Baby’ is strenuous to classify, because it is extremely short. Kate Chopin often wrote about subjects that were extremely sensitive, and many of them still strike as a nerve in the United States today. In this story Kate Chopin highlights a compelling critique of the class and racial prejudice that permeated the behaviors of Antebellum South. There are many perspectives to the story including racial and ethnic abuse, shades of patriarchy and discrimination by class. There are also political and semiotic panoramas to this story, according to Ellen Peel. In addition, through the relationship between Desiree and Armand, Chopin expounds the precarious status of both those without a family and those of biracial descent. Undoubtedly, the story despite of its brevity, highlights the disruption of meaning. The character mainly responsible fo this disruption is, Desiree. She acts as a synergist to the whole subversion of meaning. The whole political and semiotic perspective, combined together gives the looming shadows of race, sex and class discrimination. According to Ellen Peel, this whole charade of disruption reaches its climax when Desiree, who everyone including her knew as white, gives birth to a baby boy that has shades of black. She is eventually rejected by her husband due to the fact that she belongs to a black race. Later in the story Armand, Desiree’s husband reveals that he himself is black from his mother side.  The story takes place in an antebellum Creole community. Looming shadows of patriarchy, slavery and racism were the accepted and adopted crisis of that era. Everyone had accepted the categorized and distributed system. Racism was at its peak and the worst part about it was that the undermined people had accepted this fact, as mentioned in the story, â€Å"Negroes had forgotten how to be gay, as they had been during the old master’s easy-going and indulgent lifetime.† Furthermore, as Emily Toth has inferred, in the story of the three dualities parallel each other. Clearly, the symbol of the multifaceted society is the character Armand Aubigny. He is self-confident because of some minor yet major facts encapsulating him being white, being a male and being a master over several slaves. In order to get a grip on how this poignant story depicts various perspectives and drawbacks lets follow through the whole story. The tale begins when Madame Valmonde is going Desiree and her newly born baby. On her way, she reminisces about when Desiree herself was a baby. Monsieur had found her asleep at the gateway of Valmonde. Though many people believed that a band of Texans had abandoned her, but Madam Valmonde stuck to the theory that providence sent her this child as she lacked any children of her own. Like a queen and king in a fairy tale, they were delighted by her mysterious arrival and named her Dà ©sirà ©e, â€Å"wished-for one,† â€Å"the desired one.† The beginning of the story points towards no bitterness but a good and happy side to the story. Though the racial and slavery crisis were tremendous but the fact that even the masters of that particular society adopted a homeless child, knowing that she belonged to a black origin, shows signs of kindness and humanity. It also depict the ulterior motives behind adoption, which was the lack of her own children. But neither in the beginning nor in the end, has it ever mentioned the feelings of resentfulness from mother to her daughter or vice versa. Desiree seemed a blessing in disguise for them and they raised her as their own daughte r. Desiree grew up to be beautiful, gentle and affectionate and sincere too. She turned out to be exactly like their perfect daughter. Skipping the eighteen years of Desiree’s life, Chopin has directly jumped to the love part of the story, where Armand Aubigny saw Desiree standing next to the stone pillar of the gateway and he falls in love with her instantly. Although, he had known her for years since first arriving from Paris after his mother’s death. â€Å"That was the way all the Aubignys fell in love, as if  struck by a pistol shot. The wonder was that he had not loved her before; for he had.† This love part of the story, highlights many things. The way it is shown that Armand fell in love with Desiree delineates the male dominance and pride in that society. It also depicts the lack of maturity and a bit ruthlessness in the prescribed culture. Monsieur Valmonde takes a practical approach and wants Armand to get ensure first that Desiree origin was unknown but Armand is so deeply in love with her that he doesn’t care about her origin. He decided that even if she hasn’t a family name, then he would give her his own and soon as depicted in the story, they get married. Living deeply in the roots of a society where slavery and racism is all-in-all, accepting a girl despite of her known origin highlights true signs of love as Armand doesn’t care before marrying whichever origin she belongs to. Another important universal truth and human nature has been highlighted here. Not only in the era of antebellum but since the world has started, it is but human nature to fight for what he truly loves and believe and there are so many examples and incidents in the history which show that once that thing is achieved, a person starts to lose interest in it and that is what is overshadowed by the intensified love. As soon as the story builds up its plot, a major transition is portrayed. Armand, other household staff and eventually Desiree too, see some unusualness in the complexion of the baby. She isn’t sure about the underlying problem and on confronting to her husband she finds out that the child is not while and hence she doesn’t belong to a white origin. Desiree couldn’t believe him because this was a total disastrous surprise for her. The fact that is portrayed here is the significance of the facts. The issue regarding Desiree’s origin was already present but her husband didn’t care. But confronting the truth of her origin suddenly changed every bit of him. The narrow-mindedness and injustice of that society is delineated again. What if there’s some friend of mine and we are very much close. Someday if I find out, that he originates from a family who were slaves. Would it change anything between me and him? What if someone asks the same question from Armand? The difference would be obviously seen and that is the whole point and the major transition in the story. The reasonless transition of a character from being attached and so full in love with a person to rejecting her. As described by Ellen Peel, that there are moments of surprises and transitions in the story. So, the  first surprise comes when he interprets his baby’s appearance, concluding the fact that the child and its mother are not white. This fact revealed a major flaw and weakness in her husband’s character. There’s another perspective to this transition as well as it can be inferred that Desiree seems to invite projection: Madam Valmonde wanted a child so she got deceived by herself and the urge to be a mother. That doesn’t change the fact that she denied symbolism. She was a true believer and that too contradicts the writer’s beginning enlightenment. Secondly, Armand too got fooled by himself for believing that they could safely project their desires onto Desiree. In this manner, it is illustrated that even though Desiree didn’t look like from black origin but the discovery to her origin made her black. In this regard, a person who look white but has a tiny drop of black blood is considered black. As Joel Williamson believes, that the ‘one-drop-rule’ has a stand point but it eventually leads to the invisible blackness crisis. At this point in the story, two major panoramas can be looked upon too, miscegenation and disruptiveness. Disruptiveness is also a semiotic point of view explained by Ellen Peel. There’s a complex perspective to Desiree’s nature and its relevance to society. She doesn’t herself produce flaws as the flaws were there before she was even born but the role she plays is to reveal them which makes her disruptive. Another major transition to the story presents itself in the end of the story. Armand finds out that the black genes come from the baby through his own mother who was black. After Armand kicks out his wife and child, in the abusive storm of racialism and cruelty, he comes across a letter to his mother by his father, â€Å"I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery.† As Ellen Peel believes that the heart of darkness lies within the self and so do I, the letter, unveils Armand’s shadowed face to himself. At this point, a big shift occurs when Armand is actually is in a position where he left his wife and child. Also, Armand had rejected his own blood because he was a product f rom a white man and a black woman and after the unveiling of the letter he finds himself in the same place as his child. This revelation shakes the whole picture of the story and the main dominant and brutal figure, Armand as he is now in the same position as his son. The famous quotation, ‘What  does around, always comes around ‘: Could be the best way to explain his situation. Though the whole plot is shaken but that only highlights the issue of society at a micro level. Neither it describes the change factor nor does it propose any possible solution. In the nineteenth century, sexual relations between two people of different races, or miscegenation, bore a distinctly deprecatory connotation. As seen by the quadroon slave child who fans Dà ©sirà ©e’s own baby, interracial relations did occur with relative frequency, but such children often ended up as slaves under the theory that even one drop of African or black blood made a person black rather than white. Likewise, many biracial people who happened to inherit pale skin and European rather than African features were able to in corporate at least temporarily into white society, passing for white if they chose. In Armand’s case, he did not even have to hide because he did not know his status. Some people who passed as white, like Armand, even successfully entered the Southern ‘ruling’ class, which was not only putatively white but also rich from owning plantation lands. Meanwhile, whereas most people fell on one side of the social divide between black and white, those of mixed descent lived on the border of social acceptability. Thus, the quadroon boy serving the quadroon master is ironic but also representative of the biracial group as a demographic sector of the population. Another irony of Chopin’s story is that although Dà ©sirà ©e is probably of Caucasian blood after all, only she and her innocent baby suffer from the accusation of miscegenation, whereas the mixed-race Armand Aubigny will probably not face any consequences for either his racial descent or his cruelty to his wife. This patently unjust state of affairs occurs not only because Armand will probably take the secret to his grave but also because, as Chopin informs us in the third para graph, Dà ©sirà ©e’s status is as much a question of familial class as of racial class. Although her presumed European ancestry places her above the slave class in the hierarchy of Louisiana, being white is not sufficient to place her in a class equal to that of the Aubignys. Note also that although Armand can echo his father in forgiving a beloved woman for her societal status, Armand can never be his father’s equal because he cannot forgive her presumed racial heritage. By contrast, Madame Valmonde is portrayed as loving, kind, and eminently ethical in her refusal to condemn Dà ©sirà ©e for her questionable blood. In addition to hinting at Armand’s  family secret, Chopin hints at his cruelty toward his slaves and creates an obvious parallel between his treatment of them and of his wife, who was by the legal code of the era barely higher than property. Whereas his father is described as â€Å"easy-going and indulgent,† Armand lives too strictly by the social mores of his era and not enough by a true moral code. Despite her name, Dà ©sirà ©e is only desired insofar as his standards are exceeded, and when he burns their wedding corbeille, it is the physical manifestation of the destruction of their wedding vows, in which he presu mably would have promised to cherish and care for her until death. In this manner, his seemingly ardent love shows itself to be shallow and undeserving. Another view to this story is a very different idea by Gary H, Mayer, who believes that this story originates and explains the general semantics or in other words, the story revolves around observation-inference confusion. An inference is nothing more than a mere guess which could be really destructible for anyone, according to Gary H, Mayer. According to him, the main sick character Armand, highlights a semantic error called ‘allness’, which happens when a person believes that he/she happens to know everything. Delving into the story, it can be seen that there’s a sequence of conclusions without any solid reasons by the characters. Adding icing to the top, it can also be delineated that the story represents a series of rational decisions. The decision of instantly falling in love. The decision of kicking Desiree and the child out of the house and most importantly the very first decision in the story where without any thinking, Desiree is fondled. Another weakness of human nature can be seen if we take into account a much deeper perspective to the story, which is to judge people by appearance. Armand loved Dà ©sirà ©e’s outer beauty, not her inner beauty. She was like a trophy to him. When the trophy became tarnished in his eyes, he removed it from its shelf and discarded it. He also rejected his child, for its skin exhibited a taint of impurity. Finally, like other Old South plantation owners, he viewed the blackness of his slaves as a defect that colored even their souls. However, conversation between Dà ©sirà ©e and Madame Valmondà © indicates that he apparently found time for La Blanche, the slave woman whose name (French for white) suggests that she was of mixed heritage, with light skin that made her a tolerable sexual object for Armand. Dà ©sirà ©e, speaking of the loudness of her baby’s crying, says, â€Å"Armand heard him the  other day as far away as La Blanche’s cabin.† To put it briefly, the whole panorama to this short little story contains versatility in it. The beauty of Kate Chopin is that she has presented this story as a symbol as well as a lesson that should be learnt. The extent of understanding differs for the readers as some readers would find it only a depressing tragedy. Unarguably, this story portrays the racial and gender based differences in the society. Though it should be mentioned that in the present day, this major issue has been eradicated to great extent but traces can still be found at a very micro level. Overall, the human weaknesses and tantrums and can cause to such differential crisis but society as we speak, has transformed into a better example of humanity. References Peel, Allen. â€Å"Semiotic Subversion in Desiree’s Baby.† Pegues, Dagmar. â€Å"Fear And Desire: Regional Aesthetics and Colonial Desire in Kate Chopin’s portrayals of The Tragic Mulatta Stereotype.† Mayer, Gary. â€Å"A matter of behavior: A semantic analysis of five Kate Chopin stories.† Khamees, Raghad. â€Å"Desiree’s Baby.†< http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3088548-desiree-s-baby>

Transactional Analysis Essays

Transactional Analysis Essays Transactional Analysis Essay Transactional Analysis Essay The reaction of people to a management problem cannot always be anticipated. But, we can predict the kind of responses our interventions may evoke from people. How? The answer is –with the help of transactional analysis. When people interact in assertive or non-assertive ways, there is a social transaction in which one person responds to another. The study of these social transactions between people is called transactional analysis. It is a method of analyzing and understanding behaviour. Transactional analysis was developed by ERIC BERNE for psychotherapy in the 1950s. It was popularized by Berne’s book ‘Games People Play (1964)’, the writings of Thomas Harris, Muriet James and Dorothy Jougeward and Abe Wagner. Jougeward and Wagner have shown how the concepts of transactional analysis can be applied to organizations. Objective- The objective of transactional analysis (TA) is to provide better understanding of how people relate to one another so that they may develop improved communication and human relationships. TA is are outgrowth of earlier Freudian psychology Sigmund. Freud was the first to suggest that there are 3 sources within the human personality that stimulate, monitor and control behaviour. The Freudian ego and superego are important concepts, but their definitions are difficult to understand or apply without extensive training in psychotherapy. Thus, one of the major contributions of TA theorists is that they have, in a sense, borrowed from Freud but have put some of his concepts into a language that everyone can understand and without being trained psychiatrists, can use for diagnostic purpose in understanding why people behave as they do. Ego States According to TA, a transaction is a stimulus plus a response. For eg. if we praise somebody, that’s a stimulus. The thanks which that person gives in return is the response. Thus, transactions take place between people. They can also take place between the people in our heads. If we have a sudden impulse to say something to someone, we may mentally hear a voice telling us not to say it and then a second voice agreeing. These people in our heads are called ego states. According to BERNE, two people interact with eac h other from one of the three psychological positions, known as ego states. PERSONALITY- COLLECTION OF BEHAVIOUR His idea about human personality being multi-faceted was particularly influential on Berne. This idea that regardless of what the particular areas of personality are labeled, each person â€Å"possesses factions that frequently collide with each other. It is these collisions and interactions between these personality factions that manifest themselves as an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. † (The International Transactional Analysis Association, 1999). Through Freudian theory, these would be understood as the id, ego, and superego. Dr. Berne felt that Freud’s proposed structures were more â€Å"concepts and not phenomenological realities:†(Berne D. E. , 2001). Although influenced by Freud, his approach took on a different method altogether. Freud believed that the three aspects of personality (Id, Ego, and Superego) needed to be well balanced in order to achieve a good state of mental health. Berne created a theory that considered a different approach, one that was based on the original idea of Freud that personalities are multi-faceted(Berne D. E. , 2001). Berne took the alternative approach to therapy and instead of asking the client about it directly, it seemed that a problem was easier understood by observing the communication (verbal and nonverbal) in a transaction. Therefore, instead of interviewing the client directly, he took a different route and would observe the client in the group setting, noting all of the transactions that occurred between both the patient and the individuals involved in therapy. Also attractive to Berne was Federn’s work on analysis, structure, and the multiple aspects of the ego that resulted in human transactions (Turner, 1986). This also represents the split from the Freudian mainstream between the psychodynamic theorists and the ego psychologists. Probably most notable is Erik Erikson, whose life-span theory focused more on the ego as a separate structure, rather than a derivative of the id. Dr. Berne studied under Erik Erickson for two years prior to striking out on his own. Erickson’s view on the importance of developmental life stages was the springboard for Transactional Analysis, as demonstrated by the key concepts of this theory. Berne believed that the personality was structured into three different ego states: Parent, Adult, and Child. He moved from believing these were mere â€Å"theoretical concepts† to the idea that these were directly observable in his patients. Instead of making assumptions based on prior Freudian teaching, Berne would ask the question directly to the patient, asking which state was currently speaking(Prochaska, 2010). Biologically speaking, there is evidence that helped to also support the development of Transactional Analysis. Dr. Wilder Penfield, a neurosurgeon from McGill University in Montreal, Canada was experimenting with the effects of applying electrical currents to specific regions of the brain(Berne D. E. , 2001). From this he found that by stimulating certain areas, it brought forth meaningful memories, which helped to reveal a person’s past, accompanied with feelings and emotions that went with these forgotten memories. The direct influence on Berne as a result of these experiments was as follows: -the human brain acts in many ways like a camcorder, vividly recording events. While that event may not necessarily be able to be consciously retrieved by the owner, the event always exists in the brain. -both the event and the feelings experienced during that event are stored in the brain. The event and the feelings are locked together, and neither one can be recalled without the other. -when an individual replays his or her experiences, he or she can replay them in such a vivid form that the individual experiences again the same emotions he or she felt during the actual experience (Berne D. E. , 2001). Individuals are able to exist in two states simultaneously. Individuals replaying certain events are able to experience the emotions associated with those events, but they are able to objectively talk about the events (Berne D. E. , 2001). This would explain how a client could identify which â€Å"state† from where the discussion or feelings are coming from. Berne worked to assist the patient in identifying the emotions, feelings, and this became the point from which the progress in therapy could begin. It was in 1958 that Berne started the San Francisco Psychiatry Seminars, a small group of professionals that met to discuss their interest in social treatment. Turner, 1986). It was during these sessions that many different approaches to psychotherapy were discussed. The idea of these seminars took off and soon professionals interested in this type of discussion were traveling from everywhere to attend. His theory became a method of therapy, through which standards, training, and certification were developed. Key Concepts/Central Propos itions The framework of this approach is based on a transaction, which Berne considered the fundamental unit of social intercourse. He also used the terminology of â€Å"strokes†, which he defined as â€Å"units of social recognition† (Turner, 1986) He drew on the work of Rene Spitz, who looked at why infants suffered from failure to thrive. Spitz did studies on children in orphanages and the devastating effects of lack of touching and nurturing of the child. It was through these studies that Berne developed the concept of the importance of stroking, and how he felt it crucial for human survival. He expanded on this idea of the physical touch and attention to include that of verbal transactions as well. He defined a stroke as â€Å"the fundamental unit of social action† (Berne D. E. , 2001). Berne’s theory of Transactional Analysis explored this idea of stroking, based on the assumption that people spend their lives seeking strokes (Turner, 1986). These strokes can be negative, positive, conditional, and unconditional and can be given verbally, nonverbally, and physically. It is by knowing your own and your client’s â€Å"stroke economy†, it helps develop information on how you can problem-solve (Witkin, 1988) together (Turner, 1986). Berne also developed the idea of three ego states; this is in addition to the analysis of the interactions between individuals. He defined the ego state as â€Å"a consistent pattern of feeling and experience directly related to a corresponding consistent pattern of behavior (Berne D. E. , 2001). Berne noticed as he worked with his clients that they had different displays of behavior that constantly changed during his counseling sessions. He would notice that the individual had different â€Å"states of being†, which he began to refer to as the â€Å"adult, child, and parent†. Not at all imitating the id, ego, and superego; these concepts stood on their own as phenomenological realities. He was able to confirm these ego states with observable behaviors that could be measured, thus creating a justifiable place in the scientific community. Berne created unique definitions for the three ego states, Parent, Child, and Adult, all of which were the underlying fabric for his theory. He felt that child were widely influenced by their parents, thus the first few years of life were spent collecting and recording what as experienced and modeled to them. This includes the values, morals, and beliefs taught by the parents. When a patient was in this stage, they would react in a way that they feel their parents would react. Berne referred to this as a time â€Å"when children have no way of filtering the data, therefore these events are â€Å"imposed† on the child†(Berne D. E. , 2001). There are two aspects of this Parent ego state which need to be address ed, those being the Nurturing Parent (NP) and the Controlling Parent (CP), both of which have positive and negative aspects (Corey, 2008). The positive consists of nurturing the Child stage and moving from the parental influence to more of how the child actually perceives events. Exploration was done in the area of feelings and emotions that were experienced during this stage. The final ego state in this theory is Adult, this is the time when a child starts to experience some independence (thus, the start of the Adult in the small child). This is exhibited by gross motor activity within the child. Different than what the child observed (Parent) and felt (Child), the Adult provides the platform for evaluating and validating the Child and Parental data. A simplification of Transactional Analysis would be to describe the Parent as the taught concept, the Child as the felt concept, and the Adult as the learned concept(Berne D. E. , 2001). Yet another important concept in Transactional Analysis is what Berne considered Time Structuring(The International Transactional Analysis Association, 1999). Looking at how humans use their time can indicate whether or not they are socially healthy. With each distinction of time usage (withdrawal, ritual, pastimes, activities, games, and intimacy) there are both social advantages and disadvantages. It is through this analysis that one can be determined to be in â€Å"control† of their time spent. This theory encourages time spent for creative, spontaneous work and play, which is indicative of a healthy person. In his book, The Games People Play, Berne states that the â€Å"eternal problem of the human being is how to structure his waking hours† (pg. 5). Time-structuring is also known as â€Å"programming† and consists of three aspects: material, social, and individual. The material programming provides opportunities for â€Å"stroking† that arise through activities where social exchange must occur in order to progress to the intended goal. These activities offer a matrix for â€Å"stroking†, recognition, and other more complex forms of social intercourse(Berne E. , 1964). The social aspect of â€Å"programming† is the criteria provided by both the parents and the culture in which a child is raised. These are the cues to what types of behavior are acceptable, which are reinforced through structure and reinforcements. This guidance is provided for the individual through unspoken rules and regulations, however, eventually the individual programming will take over. Individual programming takes over and the person may choose to act against the norm- this is known as â€Å"the game†(Berne E. , 1964). This individual programming attempts to explain abnormal, dysfunctional behavior, which Berne describes as â€Å"games†(The International Transactional Analysis Association, 1999). As related to the concept of needing strokes, whether positive or negative, dysfunctional behavior is a result of attempting to get these strokes. Often times, this need for strokes tends to reinforce negative feelings and self-concepts, which in turn, tends to help hide the real thoughts and emotions of people. Thus, the negative behavior of the individual continues. Berne described this cycle as a result of â€Å"self-limiting behaviors†- these are actions that were learned during childhood that were used as a means of survival. This is what is known in Transactional Analysis as the â€Å"life script†, or the pre-conscious life plan that governs the way life is lived out (The International Transactional Analysis Association, 1999). The purpose behind Transactional Analysis is changing this â€Å"life script† through a mutual contracting for change. It acknowledges that clients have the ability to decide what they need for their lives and work in a positive manner to make the changes needed to move towards reaching these goals. Assumptions Transactional analysis is based on the assumption that individuals have the ability to become aware of decisions that govern behavior. These individuals are assumed to have the capacity to make new decisions that will alter the life course in a beneficial manner(Corey, 2008). Another core assumption of this theory is that a life position is chosen early in life, based on early experiences. Children make a precocious decision about how they are in life compared to others around them. This â€Å"life position† has four possibilities: â€Å"I’m OK- you’re OK, I’m OK- you’re not OK, I’m not OK- you’re OK, or I’m not OK- you’re not OK† (Prochaska, 2010). Berne believed that generally, all children are born with the notion that they are â€Å"OK†, it is the programming that occurs that may change how the child views themselves and the world around them. This theory also assumed that people experiencing social or emotional difficulty are intelligent and capable of understanding their stress. People are responsible for their own healing process. He also felt that all social and emotional difficulties are curable, given adequate knowledge and a proper approach. Berne demonstrated through Transactional Analysis theory the belief that anything that has learned can be relearned(Corey, 2008). There are some instances where we have not discovered how to approach specific populations of people that are diagnosed with things such as schizophrenics, alcoholism, etc. Berne felt that these populations of people were â€Å"good† and capable of leading satisfying lives that do not interfere with others. Using the foundation of theory evaluation criteria provided by Witkin and Gottschalk(1988), the first condition is that the theory should be explicitly critical; including an examination of its historical, political, and cultural implications. This theory is substantive in that it collects content based on the three ego states(Berne D. E. , 2001). Through this procedure, it provides a methodology of steps needed in therapy, information that is important to obtain, and ways to evaluate and analyze information collected. It takes into account the aspects of social constructivism, which is an attempt to develop a meaningful science of human behavior(Witkin, 1988). Social contructionism, as defined by Witkin and Gottschalk(1988), consists of assumptions based on common understandings of the world as a function of cultural and historical contexts. This understanding occurs through a process of social interaction and the understanding is based on social processes- these descriptions and explanations of social phenomena constrain certain patterns and reinforce others(Witkin, 1988). Transactional Analysis theory parallels social contructionism through the life scripting that occurs early in childhood, based on the transactions and reinforcements that occur through programming, particularly the social aspect. By utilizing the client as the resource for gaining the information, whether it is through observing interactions both verbal and nonverbal, it will provide a better comprehension of the meaning behind the client’s communication. Witkin and Gottshcalk(1988) also consider the idea the theory should recognize that humans are active agents, meaning people act according to their intentions nd can surmount obstacles and transform them. Based on this concept, Transactional Analysis fits this criteria perfectly. It is a theory based on the idea that it is essential for people to be involved in their own treatment process. Berne had an implicit viewpoint that humans understand their stress more than any other and they also realize that the change process is v ital to their happiness. Witkin and Gottschalk(1988) also evaluate theory on the aspect that it should account for the life experiences of the client. By looking at the three ego states of Transactional Analysis; the Child, the Parent, and the Adult, it takes into consideration the specific influences, both internal and external that each person has experienced in their life. This is the basis for the predicated movement towards change for the client. The social justice aspect would be present in allowing the opportunity for each individual to feel their experiences were valid, and beneficial to the therapeutic process (Witkin, 1988). Viewing this theory through another analytic framework provided by Fischer(1973), there are five areas of theories that may be considered for analysis to determine effectiveness. The structural characteristics of Transactional Analysis are proscriptive in nature, meaning there is an explanation and tools to use in therapy. Unlike Freudian concepts that are descriptive, Berne was able to create measurable terminology that was used to determine findings in a consistent manner. The measure of an effective theory, according to Fischer(1973), is that the theory is testable. Through Transactional Analysis theory, there are clearly defined terms, such as strokes (both positive and negative), ego states, and transactions. Berne gave solid, measurable definitions of these terms and provided the ability to test this theory in a scientific, measurable manner(Berne D. E. , 2001). By following the process of script analysis, Transactional Analysis provides the individual with the awareness of how they acquired their life script and allows them to see more clearly their life role. This realization assists the individual in opening up possibilities for making changes and contracting provides the roadmap. Fisher (1973) also provides criteria that the theory should be comprehensive in nature, which Transactional Analysis seems to comply. It allows the client to explore both learning externally (the Parent) and internally (the Child), with the client analyzing these interactions through an exploration of how one affects the other (the Adult). This would appear to be a useful theory, as it is provides techniques for therapeutic intervention. Transactional Analysis is able to explain normal behavior, although it is not clear on abnormal behavior such as schizophrenia or criminal behavior. It does not account for those clients that do not have a positive viewpoint or willingness to change their â€Å"life script†. When utilizing Fischer’s method of analyzing theory, one must consider the assumptions made about human nature. This theory views people in a very optimistic, positive manner. It promotes creativity, relaxation, and the ability to recognize what changes need to be made(Berne D. E. , 2001). It emphasizes a positive worker/client relationship that promotes good rapport, trust, and the willingness to create a plan for change(Clary, 1980). It appears to be in line with the core values of social work, including self-determination and respect for client rights, individualism, and dignity(NASW, 2008). This is demonstrated by allowing the client to recognize instances of how the â€Å"life script† developed and thus clients are increasing empowered to choose their ego state at any particular time(Prochaska, 2010). Transactional analysis provides the opportunity for the therapist to relate as an equal to the client. The clients are able to progress in therapy at their own pace, further demonstrating the value of self-determination. This theory encourages the volitional powers of patient right from the onset of treatment by making it a contractual arrangement(Prochaska, 2010). According to the analytical framework provided by Fischer, this would appear to be a very useful, valid theory for use in practice (Fischer, 1973). Using the theory in the social work profession Transactional Analysis still is utilized today in the field of social work. In fact, there still exists training and certification in this very area of specialization. Berne was interested in more than just the client progressing slowly, he wanted to provide a method of coping that would assist individuals on an immediate, daily basis. In general, social workers also strive for immediate relief for clients, groups, and communities. It is important to establish an immediate rapport with clients in order to make progress towards meeting goals. Transactional analysis describes this very concept through â€Å"stroking â€Å", which requires a social worker to understand both their need and ability to provide this type of reinforcement (Berne D. E. , 2001). In practice social workers must be able to model positive stroke giving as an important part of effective practice. In theory, the process of learning to give and receive strokes will help alleviate feelings of depression and loneliness and increase personal intimate relationships. Using the three identified ego states allows for the therapist to make assessments regarding the client in the areas of thinking, feeling, and learning. Berne provides four ways to identify or diagnose ego states; behavioral, social phenomenological, and historical(Berne D. E. , 2001). Behavioral diagnosis would consist of gesture, voice, and vocabulary that are typical in each ego state. A social diagnosis would consist of how people react to the client; a phenomenological diagnosis is experiencing in the present old feelings from the past, and a and historical diagnosis would be looking at the past reflected in the present. All of these consist of the process of deciding how one wants to be socially with others, social work theory and practice support methods to gain autonomy (Turner, 1986). Providing an atmosphere for change is another way in which this theory is used in social work practice. The Child ego state wants comfort and warmth, time for exploration and activity. This is provided for the client using this theory by giving them a comfortable atmosphere in which to do therapy. This helps to develop a caring position for developing the rapport needed for the client to be able to problem solve and work towards changing their behavior. To be effective, transactional analysts must be genuine in therapy, they must believe in relating as equals with clients(Prochaska, 2010). Another form of social treatment using the Transactional Analysis method for social workers is the initial use of positive stroking. In this field the recognition of asking for help is a sign that the client is trying to cope and it is an indicator of client autonomy. Therefore, it is essential in the initial stages that the practice of positive stroking occurs, this builds rapport and provides and effective, therapeutic environment(Napper, 2009). The social worker also is able to provide a provision of protection for the client, in both an individual and group therapy situation(Corey, 2008). A client is encouraged to participate in self-analysis, this type of therapy provides them with a safe, nurturing environment in which to do so. Group therapy is preferred in Transactional Analysis, in part because it allows a greater number of transactions, including more troubled transactions, than might ordinarily occur with an individual therapist relating primarily as an Adult(Prochaska, 2010). Regardless of the venue, providing clear rules about the session and what to expect will allow the client to feel safe to reveal themselves, thus allowing the opportunity for a trusting relationship with those involved in the therapeutic process. Patients are not the only potential game players in transactional analysis. Therapists using this method must be ever vigilant in enacting their own scripts at their clients’ expense(Prochaska, 2010). Self-awareness of the social work practitioner assists in eliminating this phenomena It would also be essential that the therapist seek strokes away outside of the workplace so as not to utilize the client in this manner. This is beneficial not only to the client/therapist relationship but to the basic premise behind the theory of Transactional Analysis. Major Contributions One of the major criticisms of the science or lack thereof behind psychotherapy is based on the fact that there is often no unit of measurement for study. Berne was able to create a measurable concept by defining the transaction of stroking, thus providing a measure that was able to give some credibility to this theory in the world of science. In the book Games People Play (1964 ), Berne defined transactions as a unit of social intercourse: â€Å"If two or more people encounter each other†¦sooner or later one of them will speak, or give some other indication of acknowledging the presence of the others. This is called transactional stimulus. Another person will then say or do something, which is in some way related to the stimulus, and that is called transactional response. â€Å"(Berne, 1964) Transactional Analysis is a versatile theory that can be used in group, couples, family, and individual therapy (Corey, 2008). This theory focuses on establishing intimacy and joy in interaction and communication, which is effective in creating positive outcomes for group and family members. By acknowledging ego states and the programming that has occurred, this can assist clients in becoming more self-aware and confident in their communication and interactions. It is through this realization that self-actualization can occur, thus providing a platform for success in changing behavior (Sills, 2007). Transactional analysis makes extensive use of the interpersonal interactions between therapist and client within sessions (Prochaska, 2010). This theory is still utilized currently still in therapy, there is a certification one can obtain in this theory that consists of training in the areas of psychotherapy, educational, organizational, and counseling arenas (The International Transactional Analysis Association, 1999). This movement continues today and has a worldwide list of members that both practice and belong to the International Transactional Analysis Association, thus supporting the idea that this is an effective theory that can be used in current practice. Ethical Issues/Consistency with social work values and ethics/Diverse Populations Transactional Analysis provides the foundation for self-determination (NASW, 2008). It recognizes client autonomy and the importance of allowing the client to guide their own decision making process (Corey, 2008). It embraces the ethics of preserving the value of human beings, equality (social justice), and self-responsibility(NASW, 2008). By observing the client’s interactions and behaviors (verbal and nonverbal), this honors the client as the expert and would require the therapist to have competence when working with various cultures. This would encourage and promote education on the differences of social constructionism when working with clients of diverse populations. The user-friendly nature of Transactional Analysis transcends cultural barriers, along with the educational approach to personal development (Corey, 2008). The idea of â€Å"life scripts† encompassed in this theory help to break through assumptions when it comes to our clients, whether it is with personality, culture, or other dramatic scripts that may include drug addiction or mental illness. These types of scripts, particularly those of cultural can affect whole populations in a harmful way. This violates our ethical principles of self-determination and by working through these situations using Transactional Analysis, it would serve to enhance the core values of social work. This type of theory is useful in working with women due to the use of contracts, equal relationships between client and practitioner, and empowerment of individuals (Corey, 2008). The feminist perspective is also celebrated by allowing the client to become empowered, and giving the opportunity to challenge the therapist’s ideas, allowing them to compare their reality with that of other women (Corey, 2008). Requisite skills for the practitioner Transactional Analysis would require a practitioner to have excellent observation skills and special training. The Berne Institute offers this training to those wishing to excel in the area of psychotherapy using the Transactional Analysis Techniques (The International Transactional Analysis Association, 1999). Practitioners would need to be familiar with the strengths perspective and have the ability to identify their own ego states. It would require maturity and the ability to recognize how their own external and internal experiences have affected them. By recognizing this it will allow the practitioner to remove biases and act in a professional manner when helping clients. The practitioner would need to be able to engage clients in a positive style and create rapport through the stroking method as proscribed through this theory (Berne D. E. , 2001). Strengths/Weaknesses of the theory Noted strengths of this theory are that it is positively focused and client centered. The client leads the sessions, and the identification of the ego states allows insight into the coping power of clients (Berne D. E. , 2001). Transactional analysis is a contractual and decisional model for change on the part of the client. It connects that mind and body, moving the transactional analysts to take a more holistic approach. These contracts may lead to new behaviors and give the client a sense of control. Therapy interventions are more likely to succeed and produce enduring change when involving the emotional and behavioral approaches (Corey, 2008). This theory would appear to be flexible and its concepts easily applied to individual, couples, families, groups, and community interventions. Also noted by Corey (2008) is that the concepts in this theory are congruent with a gender-sensitive approach to group work. Many clients are often unaware of how gender plays a role in their lives, this theory applied is helpful in realizing the role of importance it has and the effect is has on the client. It is often used in evaluating organizations, thus proving that it is a versatile theory with the ability to go from the micro to the macro in application (Clary, 1980). The emerging conclusions are that Transactional Analysis with adults has been proven more effective than no treatment, it roduces outcomes at best comparable to other forms of insight-oriented psychotherapy (Prochaska, 2010). Some notable limitations to the approach are that it has not been adequately subjected to empirical validation (Corey, 2008). Some of Berne’s concepts were stated in a manner that it would be impossible to design a research study to test them. Although there are measurable items in place (i. e. contract builds and supports accountability), the main determinate of success is based on feeling and observations (Corey, 2008). There is also the danger of losing the client to the jargon or structure of the theory- this structure can be used to avoid person-to-person interactions and focus on labeling ego states. Clients may be replacing old processes with new terms, and in doing so, preventing themselves from reaching self-actualization (Corey, 2008). Other Limitations with regards to Transactional Analysis are not openly apparent, with perhaps the exception of the cognitive aspects of reviewing the ego states (Berne D. E. , 2001). If a client is not mentally capable of identifying situations of learning and past experiences, or if they are limited in their capabilities for emotion, this may inhibit the effectiveness of this theory. Perhaps there may be a flaw in thinking that we can experience the past as it actually occurred, when in fact we are in the present. There needs to be some consideration as to how the present influences our thinking and assumptions. Based on where we are today, our morals, values, and experiences, it would be difficult not to be biased in some way when discussing our Child/Parent experiences and filtering it through the Adult ego state. Overall, the optimistic quality of this therapy seems to be a positive indicator, along with a positive client/therapist relationship that is encouraged by stroking and identifying the ego states essential to creating a contract for success.. References Berne, D. E. (2001 Feb). Transactional Analysis- As Originated by Dr. Eric Berne. Retrieved 2010 10-March from from Detailed History and Description of Transactional Analysis: www. ericberne. com/transactional_analysis_description. htm Berne, E. (1964). Games People Play- Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis . New York, NY: Ballantine Books. Clary, T. C. (1980). Transactional Analysis. Training and Development Journal , 48-54. Corey, G. (2008). Theory and practice of group counseling. 7th Ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Eagly, A. H. -S. (2003). Tranformational, Transactional, and Laissez-Faire Leadership Styles: A Meta- Analysis Comparing Women and Men. Pscyhogical Bulletin , 129 (4), 569-591. Fischer, J. (1973). A Framework for the Anlaysis and Comparison of Clinical Theories of Induced Change. In J. Fisher, Interpersonal Helping (pp. 110-130). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Napper, R. (2009). Positive Psychology and Transactional Analysis. Transactional Analysis Journal , 39, 61-75. National Association of Social Workers (2008). Code of Ethics. Retrieved 2010, 4 May from National Association of Social Workers. socialworkers. org/pubs/Code/code. asp Nichols, M. P. (2008). Family Therapy Concepts and Methods (Eighth Edition ed. ). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Inc. Prochaska, J. O. (2010). Systems of Psychotherapy: A Transtheoretical Analysis (7th Edition ed. ). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Sills, C. (2007). Transactional Analysis- a relational psychotherapy. Therapy Today , 18 (1), 15-17. The International Transactional Analysis Association. 1999). Retrieved 2010 10-March from Key Ideas in Transactional Analysis: www. itaa-net. org/ta/CoreConcepts/index. htm Tudor, K. (2009). In the Manner of: Transactional Analysis Teaching of Transactional Analysis. Transactional Analysis Journal , 39 (4), 276-292. Turner, F. J. (Ed. ). (1986). Social Work Treatment: Interlocking Theorectical Approaches. New York, NY: The Free Press. Wal sh, J. (2006). Theories for Direct Social Work Practice (2nd Edition ed. ). Belmont , CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Witkin, S. . (1988). Alternative criteria for theory evaluation. Social Service Review , 62, 211-224.

Denouement 101 Definition and Must-Know Tips (With Examples!)

Denouement 101 Definition and Musts!) What is a Denouement? The denouement in the plot of a fictional work refers to the final moments of the story - the closing scenes and sigh of relief after the climax. It's the last stage in the narrative arc of Freytag's Pyramid, following the exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action.Of course, all books end - but a denouement purposefully provides some degree of resolution and fulfills the author's promises to the reader. If you're using the three-act structure to write a climax and then immediately jump 50 years into the future to detail an entirely new plot, only to end on a sudden cliffhanger - well, a denouement that is not. (More on cliffhangers later). What is a denouement? And how do you write one? Find the answers here! With this in mind, we can see the denouement in action when the Capulets and Montagues find Romeo and Juliet’s dead bodies, realize how their actions contributed to the tragedy at hand, and decide to try and make peace. Or Nick Carraway trying and failing to plan Gatsby’s funeral, and then reflecting on his summer in West Egg with one of literature’s most quoted closing lines: â€Å"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.†Alright, now that we all know how to define denouement, let’s start writing one.How to write a denouementBecause all stories have to end at some point, a denouement is universal to every story structure. Individual readers will, naturally, have their own definition of a "satisfying ending" but it usually combines the feeling that you reached a natural conclusion and the wistful hope that you could also know what comes next.Here are a few things to keep in mind while writing your denouement so that it achieves both those feelings. The Hero's Journey: an Author's Guide to Plotting Read post PRO-TIP:  If you're curious about how the denouement figures into narrative structures outside of the three-act structure, we recommend that you read about the Hero's Journey or Dan Harmon's Story Circle.Fire all your fictional â€Å"guns†Most of us have heard of Chekhov’s Gun - the rule that if you let readers know that something is significant, you eventually have to explain why. An unfired gun is therefore an unfulfilled promise. class=tm-tweet-clear> class=tm-click-to-tweet> class=tm-ctt-text>4 tips for writing your novel's 'beginning of the end' - the denouement. class=tm-ctt-tip>This doesn’t mean that you now have to go back through your novel, make a note of every promise you made readers, and then dump the explanations into the denouement. The closing of a story is a place to follow through on the important promises you made to readers - the ones that will add to their understanding of the story. If you have lots of other tiny guns that you haven’t yet fired by the denouement, it probably means you should remove them.That said, you don't necessarily want to over-explain everything. Which brings us to our next point†¦Tie off loose ends - for the most partSome genres come with the expectation of a particular kind of story-ending. Romance novels, for example, typically conclude with a â€Å"Happily Ever After,† where all remaining questions are addressed and we have a complete picture of the characters and their lives moving forward. What is the Narrative Arc? A Guide to Storytelling Through Story Structure Read post Mystery novels also tend to tie up most loose ends - or all the ones that pertain to the mystery at hand, at least. The narrative arc usually reaches its climactic peak when the clues scattered throughout the story suddenly click together in the detective’s mind and they identify the guilty party. After, during the denouement, the rest of the major characters are often gathered round so that the detective can explain to them (and readers) how they cracked the case, and tie up loose ends. A denouement should tie off loose ends but still leave some things in the air. Find out how. While some stories that end by wrapping all their threads into a bow can be satisfying, it can also sometimes feel a little contrived and jolt readers out of the narrative. If you’re not writing a book that specifically needs to resolve all of its uncertainties, you might be better off writing a denouement that achieves the above point of fulfilling promises, but that also leaves a few lingering questions in the characters’ minds - that feeling that there’s still more that could be said. How to End a Story: Tips from Top Editors Read post To see how some famous authors ended their stories, go here.Leave something up in the airIn the novel The Fault in Our Stars, protagonist Hazel Grace talks about her favorite book, a fictional work called An Imperial Affliction. It is revealed that the book ends in the middle of a sentence, and the fates of the characters are left completely up in the air.The abrupt ending gives Hazel pause, and she concludes that the unorthodox conclusion is meant to reflect the uncertainty of death. Hazel reading An Imperial Affliction - and probably frustrated by it's open end (image: 20th Century Fox)Now, this is an extreme way to go about leaving lingering questions in your readers’ minds - one that is sure to frustrate many of them.However, if you want readers to reflect on your story after the final words, you should end your novel in such a way that implies the characters’ lives will continue. You can do this by nudging at potential future events or by demonstrating that while major arcs have been resolved, there are minor conflicts that have yet to be worked out. These are the kinds of endings that leave readers with a sense of longing to know what’s yet to come.Underscore the themeMany fables, such as Aesop’s The Tortoise and The Hair, end by stating the moral: â€Å"The race is not always to the swift.† What is the Theme of Your Story? A Guide for Authors Read post Unless you’re writing an anthology of parables, you probably don’t want to spoon-feed your readers this way. However, the denouement can be a great place to give a final, subtle, nod to your novel’s theme or motifs. Just make sure you’re not being repetitive or heavy-handed. Instead, offer insight that gives readers a final thought to chew on. Not all books need to overtly state their theme at the end.These are the main functions of a denouement, and if you can incorporate these elements into your story’s end, readers are sure to close your book with a satisfied sigh. Next up are a few bonus tips to keep in mind and pitfalls to avoid.Additional tipsDO†¦ show the effects of the character’s inner journeyMost novels feature some kind of â€Å"character vs self† conflict - whether it’s the main conflict of the story, as with Mrs. Dalloway, or a sub-conflict that mirrors a character’s external conflict. It’s their internal conflict that drives the character arc - the inner journey that unfolds over the course of the plot. Don't bail your characters out in the denouement. More tips for ending your story inside! How to Create a Character Profile: the Ultimate Guide (with Template) Read post Just as the narrative arc comes to a head at the climax, so will the character arc. Readers will, therefore, want to know what effect the climax has had on the character and their journey. Character development should continue into the denouement, and we should get a sense of how the events of the story have impacted them.DON’T... bail your plot/characters outA Series of Unfortunate Events is known for exaggerating and parodying tropes and storytelling gaffs. The first installment of the series concludes with the antagonist - Count Olaf - escaping arrest when one of his associates simply turns a light off so that Olaf can escape.While author Lemony Snicket presents readers with this ending in a self-aware, tongue-in-cheek manner, such an ending would is an example of a writer cop out: a denouement that undermines all of the preceding plot and character development.Writer cop outs usually involve a conflict resolution that’s contrived, unbelievable, and not in tune wit h the rest of the story.DO†¦ show, don’t tellIt’s one thing to have a detective list all the clues and rule out all the suspects at the end of a novel. But most novels shouldn’t end with a big speech that explains all of the different aspects of the story. A far more compelling ending is one that shows the appropriate resolution, as opposed to stating it. Check out our new guide for more tips to nail the â€Å"Show, Don’t Tell† rule. class=tm-tweet-clear> class=tm-click-to-tweet> class=tm-ctt-text>We all know the wistful feeling of ending a novel. Find out how to write your own. class=tm-ctt-tip>DON’T†¦ forget to release the tensionAuthors write the story and readers are just along for the ride, right? Wrong. If a story is written well, readers become invested participants in the journey your story unfolds. This is one of the denouement’s most important functions: giving your readers a chance to breathe after the climax, and to see the view from the top of the mountain they’ve just spent pages hiking.DO†¦ think carefully about using cliffhangersThere’s nothing more frustrating than reading through hundreds of pages of a story, only to find it's totally open-ended. And yet, there’s nothing more exciting than starting a second or third novel in a series, keenly anticipating answers that the previous book didn’t supply. Gone Girl ended on a cliffhanger that left many readers fuming.That’s why, if you’re not writing a series, you should approach cliffhangers with caution. Many feel that to end a novel on sudden plot-twist or without any sense of resolution whatsoever is to betray your readers’ trust. So if your stand-alone novel just has to end on a cliffhanger, make sure you lay adequate groundwork and foreshadowing through the story so that readers are caught off-guard - but not left feeling like the rug has been swept out from under them. In other words, your cliffhanger should leave readers speculating, not consternating.Denouement examplesRead on for examples of denouements from famous novels that hit all the marks of a well-written denouement - but be warned: spoilers ahead.Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha ChristieThough the ending of this classic mystery novel answers all the logistical questions of how Cassetti was murdered, the denouement of Murder on the Orient Express doesn’t end on a note of total resolution. It closes with a moral debate: who should be condemned for this crime? In the end, while Poirot feels the murder was justified, there is still a question that hangs in the air: is the law absolute? And if not, where does it fade? Poirot does not seem to reach a conclusion that wholly satisfies this ethical quandary in the denouement. Hence, even though the mystery   reaches a satisfying close, the novel ends on an ellipsis that allows us to reflect on its themes.PRO-TIP: Mysteries in general are great examples of denouements. To see what we mean, you can't go wrong reading more classic works of Agatha Christie. Or if you lean more toward the cozy side,  check out these nine great cozy mystery books!To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeSometimes a denouement echoes the climax as a way of hitting one final nail on the head of theme - without having to overtly state it. Bob Ewell attacking Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbi rd is an example of this: it’s an outcome of the climax that occurs in the denouement and is what really drives Scout’s character development home. The denouement of To Kill a Mockingbird completes Scout's character development in the novel (image: Universal Pictures)In the aftermath of the attack, Scout realizes that Boo Radley saved her and her brother’s life. For the first time, she sees him as a human being rather than the subject of a ghoulish local legend. She also backs up Heck Tate’s decision to report Bob Ewell’s death as an accident in order to spare the already-taunted Boo from the publicity of a trial. Both of these actions and realizations signify Scout’s final steps towards acquiring a more â€Å"adult† and complete moral perspective - one Atticus has been encouraging for the duration of the book. This moral perspective includes the recognition that the human experience is comprised of experiences with both â€Å"good† and â€Å"evil,† and that people have the choice to live consciously without becoming cynical losing hope in human kindness. How to write a denouement that leaves readers wondering: "what could happen next?"   class=tm-ctt-tip>As you can see, the denouement doesn’t need to include fireworks - or even answers to every question a novel poses. Stories where everything works out and everyone rides off into the sunset can feel rather contrived or like a harsh yank from the stories world into reality. Use your denouement to fulfill your promises to your readers but to also leave a small kernel of wondering: what could happen next?Do you have examples of favorite (or most frustrating!) denouements? Perhaps you're currently working on the end of your own novel and have tips for, or questions about, getting it right. Leave any thoughts in the comments below!