Brand Placement in Bollywood Movies

Brand Placement in Bollywood Movies Do the Consumers get Sensitized towards the Brands by the Brand Placement in Bollywood Movies? Abstract The practice of product placement is seen everywhere in media across the world and is now ubiquitous. The same practice of Product placement in Bollywood is not new and the practice of placing the products in the bollywood movies is seen from the time of early 1970s. The movies produced in last ten years are seen with a lot of product placement and the practice of strategically planned product placement has grown to a major extent in Indian movies (bollywood). The practical implication of the methods of product placement is evidenced in the Indian Cinema but there is hardly any substantial evidence present for the product placement and its strategies in Bollywood. The research presents an overview of the strategies adopted by Hollywood for the product placement and consolidates the technique of product placement with the practical brand placement done in bollywood by assessment of a recently released bollywood movie ‘Blue. The brands placed in this movie are classified on the b asis of the methods of classification derived from the theories which are drawn from the literature based on Hollywood. The main objective of this research is to find out whether or not the consumers are sensitized by the practice of brand placement in bollywood, and if yes then which is the method which scores most number of recalls of brands shown in bollywood movies. The findings of this study indicate that the Indian consumers do get aware from the brands shown in the bollywood movies. The findings are based on the empirical study derived from three main methods which are used in this dissertation for the collection of data, those three methods are; Case study, semi-structured interview and questionnaire. The investigation led to the other findings as well which were indicating that the format of bollywood is very different than the format of Hollywood and brand placement can be experimented much more freely as there is another dimension of music in the bollywood movies; brand placement in the bollywood movie ‘Blue investigated as a case study provided a 100% recall on the brand ‘Kylie Minogue who was placed in a song; recalls from such placement are assumed to be long lasting as the songs are shown on satellite television generating frequent encounter. No theories or methods are found on this kind of placement as the methods are der ived from Hollywood format of which is different and does not includes songs. Dissertation concludes with providing the limitations of the research and directions for future researches. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.0 Synopsis This chapter provides with the introduction of the subject of the research and also looks at the background of the topic in brief. This chapter throws light on why I have chosen to work on this topic and what are the aims and objectives of the research made. This chapter takes into account the summary of chapters in the content which are to be followed further down in the dissertation. 1.1 RESEARCH BACKGROUND Indian Film Industry also popularly known as â€Å"Bollywood† is one of the biggest film making industries in the world and is the only other film making industry which can stand against Hollywood. Mishra in his work says â€Å"the massive size of Indian cinema is obvious from its statistics; eight hundred films a year shown in more than thirteen thousand predominantly urban cinemas, viewed by an average of eleven million people each day and exported to more than hundred countries.† Mishra (2002, pp.1) having considered this data which has grown to even much bigger numbers in year 2009, Indian Films have become one of the biggest instruments of mass communication. The commercial breaks on the satellite television are now avoided by the viewers as the number of channel on television have increased to huge extent which gives liberty to the viewer to flip to a channel which is more interesting and avoid the advertisement, the technology give the viewer the privilege of rec ording the programs without commercial breaks as well, factors like these has open portals for movies to become a new carrier for brand promotion. Being a mass media of this enormous magnitude, Bollywood has a lot of potential and a significant number of opportunities for In-Film planned brand placement also known as brand entertainment or brand integration (Glaiseter, 2005 ) and these opportunities are being well grabbed by the advertisers and marketers in the Indian market. In recent years a lot of research is done on Brand/Product placement in Bollywood films by marketers and advertisers so as to understand the concept and strategies of brand placement in movies. Although not many academic researches can be seen in the field of product placement in Bollywood, the practical usage of the practice of Brand Placement has grown significantly. Lehu in his work defines, â€Å"The expression ‘Product Placement or, ‘Brand Placement essentially describes the location, or more accurately, the integration of a product or a brand into a film or televised series.† Lehu (2007, pp.1) it can be understood from the work of other scholars like Kalish (1988), Gupta and (Gould 1997) Balasubramanian (1994) that brand placement is planned consolidation of brand with the elements of a feature film in return for money, service, barter, or any other kind of consideration. The research also focuses on the strategies of brand placement in Hollywood as no substa ntial academic can be found on classification of brands in the Indian cinema. The literature looks and analyzes the Tripartite typology of product placement by Russell (1998) , two dimensional approach to classify brand placement by Gupta and Lord (1998), Classification on the basic on Integration and explicitness by dAustos and Seguin (1999) and finally Shapiros (1993) classification of brand placement. 1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The main aim at which the research focuses is to answer the question -â€Å"Do the consumers get sensitized towards the brands by the brands placement in bollywood moives?† Following are the main objective for this research * To know, does the Indian audience get aware of the brands shown in the movie through in-film brand placement? * Which method of brand placement leads to maximum number of recalls of brands by analyzing the data collected after conducting surveys and unstructured interviews? 1.3 KEY REASONS FOR RESEARCH The key reasons for research in this field are, not much research has been made on this field and it is a very interesting and challenging task and the field has a lot of potential for growth in future and substantial findings might prove to be an insight for marketeers and will be useful for the adoption of correct method of brand placement in future projects in Bollywood. 1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY The dissertation is divided into five different chapters; Chapter one is introduction which describes in brief the research background, aims and objectives of the research, why I have chosen this research and the structure of the dissertation. Chapter two reviews the literature and most of it is drawn from Hollywood. It begins with the definitions of Branding and Brand placement; it also draws the methods in which brand placement can be done and its classification. Chapter three of this dissertation depicts the methods used for the collection of data and also draws out the limitations of this research with other issues in detail. The fourth chapter will portray the research findings from survey and unstructured interviews. Chapter five of this dissertation is the final chapter which begins with consolidation of the research objectives with the literature review and concludes the dissertation with recommendation for future researches. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Synopsis: This part of the dissertation focuses on defining the two most important terms for this dissertation which are branding and brand placement. This chapter also reviews the existing literature on brand placement and the strategies for its classification. The chapter is divided as follows; the first section of this chapter defines Branding after understanding of which the section second of the chapter looks at one of the methods of Branding or brand promotion which is Brand placement. Section three of this chapter begins with describing the strategies for brand placement and critically analyzes work from different scholars with their classification techniques in the subsections of section three. Section four and final section of this chapter portrays the instances of successful brand placement in Bollywood. As there is hardly any literature available on Indian film industry and brand placement the theories and literature retrieved for this chapter is majorly captured from American film industry. 2.1 Branding The word so commonly used, yet not correctly interpreted by a lot of people. For the establishment of brands, companies around the world spend millions of dollars and formulate new strategies and techniques to market their product, this is what the common notion and understanding of brands for a lot of people is. (Levine, 2003) in his work says that the brand is not necessarily associated with a product or an organization or a title but anything that can be identified. One of the most popular footballers David Beckham is a brand and so is Mercedes Benz. De Chernatony and McDonald in their work define Brand as â€Å"A successful brand is an identifiable product, service, person or place, augmented in such a way that the buyer or user perceives relevant, unique, sustainable added values, which match their need most likely.† De Chernatony and McDonald (2003, pp.25) Taking this definition into consideration it can be said that consumers identify a product/services with its distinc t feature, an attribute which associates product with some quality which are distinguished from the rest in one way or the other. This unique association encourages the consumers to buy the brand and give the brand an edge over the other products in the market. Thus, it can be said that a brand is a product/service with some attributes or features that helps the product/service to stand out in the market for having such distinguished attributes. A few examples of most commonly known brands all over the world can be: Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nike, Adidas, Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, Michael Schumacher, David Beckham, Omega, Rolex, etc. It took a lot for the marketers and brand promoter to first establish these brands and a huge amount of money is spent for the promotion of these brands by using different strategies and techniques. One of such techniques is Brand Placement. 2.2 Brand Placement Also commonly known as Product Placement, the term Brand Placement has been defined by many scholars like (Steortz, 1987), (Balasubramanian, 1994), (Karrh, 1998), etc. This part of the dissertation highlights the definitions of brand placement by these scholars. (Steortz ,1987) defines Brand Placement as â€Å"the inclusion of a brand name, product, package, signage, or other trademark merchandize in a motion picture, television show or a music video†, another definition of Brand Placement is contributed by (Balasubramanian, 1994) who in his work said, â€Å"a paid product message aimed at influencing movie (or television) audience via planned and unobtrusive entry of branded product into a movie (or television program)†, the definition by Balasubramanian covers the concept of integrating brands as done in the definition by (Steortz, 1987), but it also considers the aspect of paid inclusion which is ignored by Steortz. (Karrh, 1998) defines the brand placement by covering almost all the dimensions associated with it, he defines Brand Placement as â€Å"the paid inclusion of branded products or brand identifiers, through audio and/or visual means, within mass media programming†, he further explains that the brand placemen t can also be obtrusive and is done to compliment the characters image and help in setting and filling up the elements in background. The purpose of brand placement is to promote the brand but the ways in which it is done also generates a hybrid message, it merges the major features of advertising, it give the sponsors privilege of retaining the control over the content and format but also increases the credibility by not identifying the sponsors directly. (Cohen, 1988) With the definitions above it can be drawn that the Brand Placement in movies is that technique of advertising in which the Brand or the owner pays a compensation for its integration in the movie for the exchange of marketable benefit that the brands enjoy after being noticed by the audience, however, these placements are sometimes done just because the plot of the movie requires them to be placed there, this way brand placement can also be of non commercial nature. 2.3 Strategies of Placing the Brands The practice of brand placement has been there for decades, the placement of brands in american feature films can be seen since the time of late 1940s and early 1950s (DeLorme and Ried 1999) One example of such placement is legendary actor Joan Crawford sipping Jack Daniels whiskey in the film â€Å"Mildered Pierce† in year 1948. (Nebenzahl and Secunda 1993) The evidence of brand placement in Hollywood can been seen in feature films produced in late 1940s but one of the earliest evidence of product placement in Indian cinema was seen in early 1970s when Rajdhoot motorcycles brand was placed in movie Bobby featuring one of legendary Indian actor Raj Kapoor. Brand placement in feature films caught the attention of marketers and companies when the sales of Reeses Pieces candy increased by 65% in three months after the successful placement of the brand in the American film â€Å"E.T†. (Reed, 1989) The strategies that help brand placement the most in regards to its impact and effectiveness are elaborated by Russell (1998) and Gupta and Lord (1998) further on, this research looks at classification of brand placement by dAustos and Seguin (1999) and Shapiro (1993). Russells argument for techniques of brand placement is three dimensional and focuses on modality of Visual, auditory and plot connection, whereas Gupta and Lord emphasizes on two broad categories Audio-Visual and the level of prominence. The studies from both the scholars are discussed below. 2.3.1 Tripartite Typology of Product Placement According to (Russell 1998) product placement can be classified on the basis of three dimensions visual, auditory and plot connection. Visual dimension enables the placement of the brand in such a way that the product is seen on the screen and these placements on the screen can also be further classified on the basis of their appearance. The auditory dimension or the verbal dimension refers to the mention of a brand in a dialogue these placements are also called as ‘script placements and the degree of such placements varies depending on the number of times the brands were mentioned, what was the tonality in which the brands were mentioned and in what context the brand was mentioned. The Plot connection dimension indicates the magnitude of integration of brand with the plot of the story. The dissertation will now look at the literature/the findings from previous researches, which point towards the combinations or particular method amongst the three methods stated above that migh t get the maximum recalls. Russell in his work says product placement modality and its effect is now expanded to a new dimension of elaboration, the difference between visual and auditory presented information can now be distinguished by exploring the audio-visual context of product placement. The screen placement and the script placement, or the visual and the auditory type of brand placement differ from one another especially in the terms of conveying a meaning. Visual placement of brands act as props in television and movies so as to make them more real and close to the practicality and visual channel leads to the creation of context in which the story is set whereas the audio channel is the medium through which the television program is scripted, narrated and is made audible, this makes the information received through this channel more meaningful. (Russell, 2002) The reception and processing of auditory information also happens when a person is not looking and the auditory moda lity conveys semantic information through speech. (Rolandelli et al., 1991) The reception and processing of such information which is audible is higher as it also posses the basic characteristics of intrinsic alerting and intrusiveness which also are the basic characteristics of auditory modality. (Posner et al. 1976) Using brands for representation in any of the modalities brings a relativity of the same to the story and brings more meaning to the presentation and gets deeply integrated to a persons cognitive structure. (Lehnert, 1981) Such stimulus generates deeper meaning and leads to greater recalls of brands. (Craik and Lockhart, 1972) The third dimension of brand placement also called as dimension of meaning is that of Plot Connection. The magnitude of such placement depends upon the integration of brand with the plot, the higher the connection of the brand with the story, the more significant the placement of brands is. The plot connection connects the brands with the macro s tructure of the story, with which are associated important information, hence increasing the significance and role of placement. (Russell 1998) The different combinations in plot connection and modality can also be of great significance. There can only be two situations in which the combination of modality and plot connections can be established; Match and Mismatch. The combination can said to be a ‘match when the auditory method of placement is higher in use than the visual and the brand names are audible in narration and is deeply linked with the story whereas the combination can said to be a ‘mismatch when the visual method of placement of brands is higher in application than auditory in plot connection. (Russell, 2002) A good example of a matched plot connection can be the movie â€Å"Cast Away† featuring Tom Hanks who by an accident gets left alone on an abandoned island. The two brands that were integrated well with the plot were one of the biggest courier c ompanies â€Å"Fed Ex† and another was sports goods brand â€Å"Wilson† which was integrated well in the narrative structure. A good example of a mismatched plot connection can be seen in the movie Transformers and its sequel Transformers Revenge of the Fallen in which the car which is major attraction of the movie and transforms itself into a robot is manufactured by Chevrolet, here more of Visual placement is seen and the brand is hardly mentioned in the narrative structure. Mandler in his work says lesser exposed information which is less congruent in nature is more memorable as it grabs the attention of the person by provoking his/her mind to elaborate the information. (Mandler, 1982) Modality of placement is thus a very significant factor in categorizing the recalls as it persuades and influences people and also shows the significance of stimulus. 2.3.2 Two Dimensional Approach After studying Russells approach of Tripartite Typology of Product Placement this part of the dissertation will look at Gupta and Lords Two Dimensional Approach. Gupta and Lord (1998) distinguish the product placement on two major categories Mode of Presentation and Level of Prominence. Mode of presentation further classified by (Karrh et al., 2003) as: Visual only, audio only and combined audio-visual. Visual only: this kind of presentation involves visibility of signage, hallmark, billboards, logos, or any other kind of presentation that is represents the brand. The presentation or the placement is only visual with no presence of audio or gestures. One example of ‘Visual-only placement can be seen in the movie Top Gun where the lead actor Tom Cruise wears aviator model of Ray-Ban sunglasses. Although, this method has comparatively low recall rate visual-only form of product placement is one of the most common methods for brand placements and can be seen in a lot of movies. â €˜Audio-only technique of brand placement represents the brand by transmitting the message in only auditory way. (Gupta et al., 2000) The name of the brand or a tune or even a jingle closely associated with it can be added to the script and also be a part of the narration. One example of such placement can be from the movie â€Å"The Aviator† in which the lead mentions the brand â€Å"Sears† in his dialogue delivery. ‘Audio-Visual method of brand presentation represents the brand by both, the presence of brands logo, billboard, signage, product, etc. on the screen with the mention of it in the narrative of the script. One example of such can be from the movie â€Å"James Bond-Die another day† in which, with the presence of Aston Martin, the narrative include the product name which was mentioned as Aston Martin Vanquish. This method of brand placement produce more recalls as compared to both ‘Visual-only and ‘Audio-only methods of brand place ment. The other major segment drawn out by Gupta and Lord (1998) for classification of brand placement is on the basis of level of prominence. The differentiation in this segment was on the basis of prominent placement of brand from the subtle placement of brand, wherein in prominent placement of brand the product or the brand is kept in foreground and is in the prime focus, the field in which the brand is placed is not shared and the visibility of brand is prominent, example of such brand placement can be seen in the Tom Hanks starrer movie terminal, when he is in office of immigration officer while he explains him the situation of his country he refers to a bag of chips, the bag of chips shown for over 30 seconds was â€Å"Lays†. On the other hand the subtle placement of brand is normally not prominent and does not catch attention, the visual field is shared with other brands and the products are placed in the background. Subtle case of brand placement can be seen in the mo vie ‘Hangover which shows billboard of brand ‘Riviera in background while the actors are driving in a police car in Las Vegas. Although the strategy which used prominent visual brand placement with properly exposed information and auditory mention of brands name and its attributes is said to have more effectiveness than just the visual placement, but it is not clear as the results from different academics do not coincide. (Law and Barun, 2000; Sabherwal et.al,. 1994; Galician, 2004: 188-190) 2.3.3 Brand Placement on the basis of Integration and Explicitness The brand placement methods defined by Russell were three dimensional, as by Lord and Gupta were bifurcated into two major segments based on audio-visual as mode of presentation and level of prominence. dAustos and Seguin (1999) in their work classify brand placement in three different ways. 1. Implicit product placement: The placement in which the presence of product, brand or firm is a part of the program and is placed there to fulfill the requirement of the context and plays a passive role and can be seen on the screen but the product name is not formally mentioning or demonstrating the product benefits, etc. 2. Integrated Explicit product placement: An integrated brand placement is the one in which the brand, firm, product placed plays an active role, the brand is formally mentioned and the attributes of the brand are clearly demonstrated. 3. Non-Integrated Explicit product placement: In this type of placement the brand, firm or the product is not related to the contents of program and no integration can be seen, but the name of the brand is formally expressed. Such placement is often seen in the title of the movie or in the beginning or in the end of the movie and it is seen that the brands placed in this kind of placement are often sponsors. (dAustos and Seguin 1999) The classification of brand placement by dAustos and Seguin classifies brands on the basis of their integration and explicitness whereas there can be seen similarities in the classification made by Gupta and Lord (1998) and Russell (1998) as they classify the placement using similar grounds of mode of placements which are audio and visual, though the approach of Gupta and Lords classification is simpler as the modes are clearly distinguished, the difference arise when Russell base the placement with the connection to the plot and Gupta and Lord ground their classification on prominence of brands. 2.3.4 Shapiros Method Shapiro (1993) relegates product placement in four different categories which were modified to three as practitioners agreed this classification to be the most suitable compilation for conducting the research at the initial most stage as it covers the spectrum of brand placement. The classification is grouped as: 1. Implicit: In this kind of placement the brand is visible on the screen, it might be foreground or background, etc. but brand name or benefits is given no verbal reference. 2. Used in a scene: In this kind of placement, the brand is visible and is used in the scene, but no verbal reference is given to the brand. Instance of such brand placements can be seen in movies when the characters are driving in a car or using a cell phone and the logo or name or identification of car is clear. 3. Integrated Explicit product placement: This kind of placement shows the lead actor or main characters of the movie using a product while mentioning and describing the benefits or attributes of the brands or the product. The brand placement method enunciated by dAustos and Seguin were quite similar to that of Shapiros classification as both the practitioners focused at the integration and explicitness of brand to major extent but the classification from dAustos and Seguin cover the dimension in which brand is place in the beginning or in end of the movie which he calls as Non-Integrated Explicit brand placement which is not discussed by any other scholar. The classification by dAustos and Seguin is very simple and can be used to sort and categorize the placement of brands in a broader way as it covers the major aspect of placement in a well defined manner. I adopt the usage of the classification techniques of brand placement portrayed by dAustos and Seguin (1999) as it will help me to create a clear distinction in the placement of brands and will be an optimum method to put into application for my research question. 2.4 Brand Placement and Bollywood The technique of brand placement in Indian film industry also called as Bollywood is not new, one of the earliest example of the same was seen in the film Bobby in year 1973 when the lead actor Raj Kapoor was seen riding on a bike which was ‘Rajdhoot Since that time a lot of brand placement can be seen for aerated soft drinks in a lot of Indian movies, brand like ThumsUp, Gold Spot, etc were commonly visible in movies in early 1990s, also the visibility of high ended cars during that time were prominent on the screen. Branded liquor with bottles was a common sight in many movies during this phase and the most common brands placed were Black Dog, VAT69 and Black Label. Latest examples can be seen in movies like Om Shanti Om (2007) with brands placed like Tag Heuer (Implicit), Nokia (Integrated explicit), Shoppers Stop (Implicit), etc, another instance can be seen in the movie Goal (2007) with integrated explicit brand placement of Reebok and Western Union Money Transfer. More th an 54% of Indian audience is under the age of 25 which comes under the target audience slab and of most of movie makers and the advertisement companies aiming of brand placement, and according to (FICCI and Ernst Young, 2003) this generation has more propensity and access to wide range of media and entertainment than the previous generation hence creating a lot of opportunities and scope for brand placement in the Indian Film industry from both Indian film industry and brand promoters point of view. Not only the access to modes of entertainment but also because the Indian middle class has grown more flexible and receptive towards international outlook because of the risen standard of living through increase in purchasing power (Varma, 1998) which is also another factor of supporting the growth. There are not many studies done on Brand placement in Bollywood and no substantial research can be seen focusing on the recalls towards the brands from the brand placement shown in the bolly wood movies. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.0 Synopsis This chapter focuses on the importance of research methodology and explains in brief why it is necessary to draw a frame work of the research before bringing it into practical application. This chapter clearly states the aims and objectives of the research and defines the research approach undertaken. Also this chapter looks at the research methods used for this research and explains in brief the reason for their implementation as well. As almost every other research this research also is encountered with some limitations which are stated in the end of this chapter. 3.1 Research Methodology Research literally means the search for knowledge, a systematic and scientific search for relevant information and answers on a specific topic, searching new facts in any new branch of knowledge through inquiry, search and careful investigation. (Kothari, 2009) It is of very importance to detail out the research approach and the methods used, as it helps the reader to understand the research in a much convenient manner. Research plan includes the instruments of research which will lead to investigation of data (quantitative or qualitative) keeping the research question as prime consideration so as to be ascertain of the information gathered is fitting in with the requirement of the research. (Chisnall 1997) The following chapter includes all the activities concerned with the research conducted for this particular academic work and also tends to draw out research method which sets up an appropriate frame so as to fulfill the objectives and aims of the research further stated. The stru cture of this chapter is as follows * Aims and Objectives * Research philosophy * Approach * Data collection techniques * Data Analysis * Research Limitations 3.2 Aims and Objectives The main purpose of this research is to work on the concept of awareness or consciousness of brands as people watch movies. The critical issue that the research focuses at is; do the consumers get sensitized towards brands after watching Bollywood movies. The main objectives of this research are; * To know is Indian audience/Bollywoods Viewers are getting aware of brands shown in the movies through in-film brand/product placement? * If yes, then which is the most effective method of in-film Brand/product placement by analyzing the recalls? 3.3 Research Philosophy Research philosophy helps the researcher to find out the ways in which his/her research will comprehend the development of researchers knowledge. (Crossan 2003) Three of the major reasons for which the research philosophy must be taken into consideration are; a) it helps the researcher to figure out the methods he can use to design and conduct the research and to chalk down a strategy, b) it helps the researcher to evaluate the limitations of the research by putting different methodologies to test, c) it helps the researcher to explore different methods beyond his knowledge or experience. Thus researchers perception towards the development

Reducing My Personal Impact on Global Climate Change Essay -- Global Wa

Over the years scientist and international stakeholders in global climate and environment such as the IPCC and UNEP have overwhelmingly agreed that the major cause of the earth’s climate change and environmental degradation is of anthropogenic origins. These anthropogenic activities include the release of large volumes of gases into the atmosphere especially carbon gases from both industrial and domestic sources, deforestation, landfilling and encroachment of swamps and wetlands. The effects of the impact of human activities on the global climate and environment are already being experienced by humans in the form of rising sea levels threatening low lying areas, extinction of certain animals and plant species, increase in neoplastic and respiratory diseases especially in newly developing industrial countries such as China. Although others have questioned the validity of the assertion that human actions are responsible for current global climate and environment predicaments, it remains an undeniable fact that the current changes we are experiencing in the global climate and environment is as a result of our actions and the inactions to alter these adverse actions. The adverse effects of climate and environmental change and the rapid rate of damage emanating from this phenomenon place an urgent call on us, as individuals and society, to change our behavior (Ehrlich & Ehrlich 2012, Patchen 2006, Schellinhuber et al. 2006). Although in the last decade many people around the world have been trying to bring relevant changes in policy and behavior in the form of political parties, non-governmental organisations and lobby groups; however, a great number of people seem to be unperturbed about climate and environment change and as such ... ...k, NY, USA. Patchen, M. (2006). Public attitudes and behavior about climate change: what shapes them and how to influence them. East Lafayette, Indiana, University of Purdue. Schellnhuber, H. J., & Cramer, W. P. (Eds.). (2006). Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change: Key Vulnerabilities of the Climate System and Critical Thresholds; Part II. General Perspectives on Dangerous Impacts; Part III. Key Vulnerabilities for Ecosystems and Biodiversity; Part IV. Socio-Economic Effects; Part V. Regional Perspectives; Part VI. Emission Pathways; Part VII. Technological Options. Cambridge University Press. Schlitz, M.M., Vieten, C. and Miller, E.M. (2010) â€Å"Worldview transformation and the development of social consciousness†, Journal of Consciousness Studies, 17 (7-8): 18-36 Steffen et al. 2011. The Anthropocene: From Global Change to Planetary Stewardship. Ambio 40(7): 739–761

Power of One Word

A single word can be used to belittle, hurt, and humiliate. One word can cause so much hurt to a person that they burst into tears or spiral down into a damaging hole that they can't get out of for an extended amount of time. Throughout history, names have been used to keep a population in its place. Insults have been hurled to make a single person understand what another thinks of them. Words are used all the time to cause damage to a person or an entire peoples soul. One word can have a lot of power. In â€Å"What's in a Name? †, Henry Louis Gates father was a well respected negro in his community.Maybe the better way to put it is more respected. He worked two jobs, and being more financially successful elevated the family's status. The Gates family was the only negro allowed into a local drugstore to actually sit down and eat. On one occasion, Mr. Gates and his father went in together for ice cream and his father greeted a white man. The white man, Mr. Wilson, responded, bu t called his father â€Å"George†. George was a disparaging name for black men. Mr. Gates asked his dad to correct the Mr. Wilson, thinking it had been a mistake. When he realized that Mr.Wilson had deliberately insulted his father, it changed something in him forever. I believe Mr. Gates could not comprehend Mr. Wilson acknowledging and belittling his father at the same time. Why did he say anything back at all? Why would he be rude on purpose? Mr. Gates, up until that moment, had believed that Mr. Wilson was a nice person. After Mr. Gates' father explained that he called every black man George, his opinion shifted. The white man insulted every black man he knew. This was the first time Mr. Gates could see that people were not always who they seemed.He was confused about why his father did not correct Mr. Wilson. Surely his father must have been insulted. He must have understood that Mr. Wilson meant to insult him. I believe he became embarrassed for his father and wanted hi m to correct Mr. Wilson, to stand up for himself. His mother called it â€Å"just one of those things† (Gates 6), and he was upset that they accepted that. It was painful that they had so many of those moments. He wanted his father to change something, to correct the wrong. Accepting it was painful and shameful. He wrote that he could never look Mr.Wilson in the eye again. One word, â€Å"George†, made a little boy see clearly a white man, his black father, their positions in society, and the injustice that society tolerated. It changed his view of the world and of his family forever. In A Lesson Before Dying, a black man, Jefferson, is sentenced to be electrocuted for a murder that he did not commit. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time with a couple of boys he had known his whole life, and they were trouble. They robbed a liquor store that was owned by a white man, and during the robbery the white man was killed.A black man at the scene of the crime never stoo d any chance of not being convicted. When the sentencing part of his trial came up, his lawyer tried to get him out of a death sentence. The lawyer claimed that he was the equivalent of a hog. â€Å"I ask you, I implore, look carefully- do you see a man sitting here? † (7; pt. 3, ch. 1)†¦ â€Å"What justice would there be to take this life? Justice gentlemen? Why, I would just as soon put a hog in electric chair as this. † (8; pt. 4, ch. 1) Jefferson and his godmother, Aunt Emma, are both deeply affected by the word hog.She calls on a family friend, Grant, to help Jefferson learn to be a man. She says, â€Å"I don't want them to kill no hog† and â€Å"I want a man to go to that chair, on his own two feet. † (13; pt. 2, ch. 2) She wants him to die with dignity. The first time they see him after the court date, Jefferson has taken being a hog to heart. He's so hurt that he snuffles and makes hog noises, saying that dignity is for â€Å"youmans† (83; pt. 8, ch. 11) and they should only be bringing certain foods that hogs eat, since he was a hog. Grant has no idea how to teach dignity to a man, but over time they start to communicate.They talk about ice cream, which Jefferson wants for his last meal, and Grant brings him a radio. This reminds Jefferson of his humanity, and he thinks maybe Grant is trying to do him some good. Grant had been struggling with his own demons since he came back to his hometown after college. He no longer believes in God and is bitter and beat down by the way black people are treated. He separates himself from his community because he thinks that he no longer belongs. He thinks that his family and friends don't understand how white people keep them all in their place, and that they are weak because they just accept it.He never wanted to help Jefferson and thought he would never be able to make a difference. Breaking through to Jefferson makes him realize that as much as he hates the way life is in their small town, he does belong. He is a part of it and the people. He can finally understand what Jefferson's aunt wanted him to do, and explains to Jefferson that he can die a man, that Jefferson can go to the chair with so much dignity that he strengthens the whole community. They all owe something to each other, and like it or not, they should all be trying to help each other out.Jefferson realizes that since he loves his aunt he should learn to â€Å"be a man† so she can have peace when he dies. When he finally goes to the chair, he is a man. He dies with dignity and leaves his mark behind. White men know deep in their hearts that his punishment was unjust. He starts a slow change in certain people in that town. Jefferson left behind more than he had brought with him to the world. One word, â€Å"hog† changed two men forever. Jefferson found himself and became something for the people to look up to. Grant realized that he was not better than everyone else, and be gan wanting to make his world a better place.The word hog took Jefferson down so low that he believed he should be eating slop off the floor and that they should just hurry up and slaughter him. When his time finally came, he was calm and understood that he could actually use this to do some good. He was a man. Females can be horrible to each other. They can be vicious and sneaky, and sometimes that is most evident in sororities. Sororities have intense and sometimes demeaning tasks and initiations to become a member. The older girls will tell their pledges that they are losers, fat, or stupid.There is one word that seems to be thrown out more often than not, and it should be a word that women don't use against each other, â€Å"bitch†. The girls that pledge to sororities are looking for somewhere to belong when they get to a new school and are away from home for the first time. In a lot of cases, instead of being welcomed and introduced to their new school in a friendly way, they are put through hazing and degrading situations. In Pledged, one of the initiations was putting the new girls in blind folds, stripping them down and laying them face down on the floor.Boys from a fraternity were then free to move around the room with markers and mark on the girls. The boys would highlight the areas on their bodies that the new girls needed to work on. (Robbins 259-260) Others sororities have branded their new girls with lit cigarettes or metal brands after encouraging the girls to drink heavily and then stripping them down without their consent. (Robbins 258-259) Any girls who objected to this treatment, however, would be called a bitch and kicked out. Women should not be treating each other this way.It is hard to understand that sororities, which should be lifting their members up, would want to subject their members to even worse treatment than what they already saw at home, in the outside world. They put each other down and are constantly telling them how to do their hair, how to dress, how much to weigh, and how to act. The whole time they are doing this, however, they are telling the new girls that they are not good enough, and probably won't be able to meet those standards. They are told that all of this is to help improve themselves and it's all for the greater good.If a girl decides to stand up for herself, she will have no choice but to leave the sorority for not being able to cut it. Girls that complained were called a bitch and had their rooms ransacked. (Robbins 359) The new girls are told that the sorority is tearing them down in order to build them back up. It destroys their trust in other girls and in a system they thought was going to protect and nurture them. In Born Round, Frank Bruni always had a little trouble with his weight. He came from a big Italian family, where big family dinners and having a lot of food in the house was normal.He had a personal struggle with food. He knew he should not eat so much and dieted f requently because he was embarrassed of his weight. When he got into adulthood, he gained quite a bit of weight at one point. He realized that he was judged, sometimes just by his weight alone. He liked to eat however, and got a job as a food critic. Starting out as a food writer, he managed to keep his weight down to a manageable level. As time went on, however, his weight started to creep back up. When he saw an old family friend while he was heavier, she judged him and told him he was so fat. Bruni, 35)This word. â€Å"fat† sent him into a slight depression, where he put on even more weight. He dieted again, continuing in his circle of up and down weight. It took him a long time to accept who he was and find his healthy weight, and most of his psychological problems with his weight came from the word fat. A single word can be used to belittle, hurt, and humiliate. One word can cause so much hurt that it makes a person doubt who they are and their self worth. It can, howeve r, make a person stronger. It can put events into motion that change a community. One word can change people forever.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Allusions - 1308 Words

A Golden Ticket to Hell: Personal Experience, Allusion and Morality Oompa Loompas. A mystical chocolate factory. A bizarre, yet lovable chocolate tycoon. These are only a few elements that readers of the literary brilliance known as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have come to love and cherish. Written by Roald Dahl and published in 1964, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory chronicles the adventure of five atypical children, their adult supervisors and an eccentric chocolatier. What seems as a once in a lifetime, blissful journey for these fortunate children turns out to be a hellish, last man standing bout in which the victor inherits a multi-million dollar operation. But why should this novel deserve literary merit in classes across†¦show more content†¦Dahl accomplishes this through characters’ personality and development as well as the features of the journey through the factory. The first allusion, and most obvious, to Inferno is the characters in the novel. Each of the children, sans Charlie, represents at least one of the seven deadly sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride) that divide the circles of hell. Take for example Agustus Gloop. This nine year old, quite rotund child whose main pastime, as the narrator points out, is eating, is the clearest example of gluttony. And if this is not clear enough by his actions at the chocolate river, the Oompa Loompas reiterate through song. They sing, â€Å"Augustus Gloop! Augustus Gloop! The great big greedy nincompoop! How long could we allow this beast to gorge and guzzle, feed and feast on everything he wanted to? However long this pig might live, we’re positive he’d never give even the smallest bit of fun or happiness to anyone† (Dahl 85). Through the Oompa Loompas’ song Dahl alludes to the third circle of hell through which Dante and Virgil pass in Inferno. In this circle, the gluttonous are forced to live in a pool of vile matter representing their life’s pursuit of indulgence. Moreover, Gloop is bound to the same fate as he nearly drowns in his own gluttony in the form of a chocolate river. However, Agu stus Gloop is not the only child in which Dahl conceals many of theShow MoreRelatedChildrens Literature13219 Words   |  53 Pagesmajority of the childrens books that preceded the Alice books, Carrolls works are remarkably free of religious or social lessons. Carroll even gently parodied Isaac Wattss poem Against Idleness and Mischief from Divine Songs (1715), yet the allusion also confirms the continued popularity of Wattss religious work. Religious lessons, such as those found in George MacDonalds At the Back of the North Wind (1871), or social lessons, as those emphasized in Christina Rossettis Speaking LikenessesRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesmetals are magnetic is also a generalization. It is a nonuniversal generalization, a statistical generalization. Universal generalizations are sometimes called categorical generalizations. When someone says, Generally speaking, adults prefer chocolate ice cream to vanilla ice cream, the word generally here indicates a non-universal generalization. It means most of the time but not necessarily all the time. Ditto for in general and usually. Generalizations arent always easy to detect. A shark