Inscribing Beloved The Importance of Writing in Morrisons Novel - Literature Essay Samples

In an essay entitled Writing, Race, and the Difference it Makes, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discusses the way in which over the course of history, a binary has existed between whiteness and writing, blackness and silence. Summarizing this tradition, he writes, Human beings wrote books. Beautiful books were reflections of sublime genius. Sublime genius was the province of the EuropeanBlacks, and other people of color, could not write' (56). Attacking a tradition of European writers including Kant, Hegel, and Bacon, Gates outlines the way in which whites asserted their superiority through writing, and maintained that superiority through the suppression of black voices or pens. For example, a 1740 South Carolina Statute made black literary mastery unlawful, thereby preventing blacks from developing the tools to break out of the inherent hierarchy (58).In the final pages of Toni Morrisons Beloved, when Sethe pleads, I made the ink, Paul D. He couldnt have done it if I hadnt made the in k (271) she alludes to a larger theme of the novel, and one with which Gates is extremely concerned the relationship of writing to the institution of slavery. The ink to which she refers is the product of her labors as a slave; it is the substance that Schoolteacher takes from her in order to write a white supremacist discourse and perpetuate slavery. Acts of writing or inscription in the novel, as is true in much of literature, represent assertions of agency. Conversely, the inability to write symbolizes a loss of agency, as does becoming the object of inscription. By writing Beloved, Morrison gives voice not only to the murdered infant, but also to Sethes lost ink, attempting to ventriloquize the slave woman and provide a way for contemporary readers to confront the issue of slavery. Revisiting a time when whites controlled the power of inscription under the institution of slavery, Morrison first presents a series of images that dramatize the suppression of black agency thro ugh inscription Sethes ink, and the scar on her back and then presents another series of images that attempt to counteract that inscription. By asserting her own black, female identity on the white pages of the novel, Morrison nullifies the process of white inscription that took place during slavery. Just as the ghost Beloved haunts 124 and the novel as a whole, the novel itself haunts contemporary society, demonstrating an alternative to the tradition of white inscription.I must mention here that Paul Ds recollections of having the bit in his mouth vividly and effectively symbolize the assertion of white agency through the silencing of black voice, as does Sethes recollection of having bitten her tongue while being whipped. However, the treatment of speech and voice is beyond the limits of this paper, so I shall for the present deal solely with the occurrences of writing in the novel.The first of two central images of suppression is Schoolteachers act of stealing the ink. The ink, like a child, is the product of Sethes labor. That ink represents her ability to control her destiny, to rise up against the association of blackness with silence and inferiority, and to do what Gates calls write [herself] out of slavery (66). Schoolteacher does not merely confiscate the ink; he exploits it to write history and perpetuate the white supremacist discourse of slavery. As Sethe laments at the end of the novel, He couldnt have done it if I hadnt made the ink (271). Paralleling the way in which white slave masters raped their slaves in order to perpetuate the commodity, Schoolteacher robs Sethe of the fruits of her labor the ink in order to inscribe the discourse of slavery. While Sethe has the potential to write her own history, that potential is shattered in the robbing of her ink, and the white supremacist inscription that ensues.Sethes scar is the other major symbol of negative inscription, and the multiple ways it is interpreted underscores its literarine ss. Sethe, although refusing to look at it, embraces Amy Denvers interpretation of it as a chokecherry tree, while the narrator describes it as the decorative work of an ironsmith (17). While the scar is not so obvious as to be in the shape of a letter, it is still a form of inscription, and the impulses to interpret it as a signifier suggest its discursive quality. By whipping her, the slave master permanently inscribes her, placing the mark of his white identity on her black skin. Like the stealing of her ink, the permanent scar on her back represents the way in which inscription, or the act of writing, is integral to the hierarchy of slavery and its perpetuation.With the placement of these images of negative inscription, Morrison sets about balancing them with more positive images of inscription, accompanied by the assertion of black agency. The first of these images is Sethes infanticide, which serves to counter Schoolteachers act of stealing her ink. Interestingly, Sethes child and Morrisons work have the same name. That is, there is a deliberate conflation of Sethes and Morrisons offspring. Sethes ink, Sethes child, and Morrisons novel are all products of labor. But whereas Schoolteacher claims the product of Sethes labor (the ink) and uses it to write history, Sethe claims the product of her own labor (her child) by murdering it. Through the infanticide, Sethe controls the fate of her offspring, just as Morrison controls the fate of her characters. By killing her child, Sethe makes up for the ink that has been stolen from her, essentially writing her own discourse. Ironically, that discourse is written at the cost of a human life.In addition, Sethes infanticide is made possible only by Morrisons literal act of writing the novel. Her infanticide is a kind of writing in that it is an assertion of her agency, despite her status as an enslaved black woman. Morrisons act of writing literally allows the events of the novel to take place, but it also asserts her own identity as a free black woman on the white pages of the book. Thus, the inscription of the book is presented as a way to counter the previous acts of racial inscription that have taken place in the past.This idea of inscription as retribution for past offenses is underscored by three key ideas or images that appear in the novel: the inscription of Beloveds gravestone, the appearance of Beloveds skin, and the location of the word Beloved on the very last page. In the first few pages of the novel, Sethe recalls how Beloveds headstone was engraved. Morrison writes:there it was again. The welcoming cool of unchiseled headstones; the one she selected to lean against on tiptoe, her knees wide open as any grave. Pink as a fingernail it was, and sprinkled with glittering chips. Ten minutes, he said. You got ten minutes and Ill do it for freeTen minutes for seven letters. (4-5)The image of unchiseled headstones evokes the idea of blank pages, and the act of engra ving closely parallels Morrisons act of inscribing the novel. However, the engraving of the word Beloved on the headstone occurs as the result of a sacrifice here, Sethe must give up her body to pay for the engraving. Placed at the beginning of the novel, this symbolizes a problematic inscription; the engraving itself represents an assertion of black agency through writing, yet the act is performed only as the result of sacrifice.The description of Sethe with her knees wide open foreshadows the birth of Beloved into the novel, and her appearance helps counteract the first series of inscriptions (the scar on Sethes back and the stealing of her ink). Specifically, it is the appearance of Beloveds skin when she arrives at 124 that serves this purpose. In the first few paragraphs describing her, the narrator comments that her feet were like hands, soft and new (52) and that her skin was flawless except for three vertical scratches on her forehead so fine and thin they seemed at fir st like hair (51). Beloveds soft, new, and nearly flawless skin resembles the unchiseled headstone both images have the quality of blankness, like surfaces that await inscription. Morrisons description of Beloveds skin is cleverly self-referential; it is like a blank canvas, marked by three vertical lines, and closely resembles the pages of Beloved that await Morrisons inscription. The blankness of Beloveds skin directly opposes Sethes scarred back, and that blankness welcomes writing a more positive form of inscription than the kind that appears on her back. Again, Morrisons act of inscribing Beloved (that is, writing both the character and the novel) serves to counteract the previous instances of racial inscription that have occurred in slavery. However, the lines of Beloveds forehead suggest that inscription is still problematic, and that despite her good intentions, Morrison cannot simply heal the past through writing.Finally, the placement of the word Beloved at the very end of the novel draws attention to the novel itself, and its presence as an example of an alternative form of inscription, meant to counter the binary that Gates identifies between whiteness and writing, blackness and silence. The location of the word Beloved as the last word of the final page suggests that Morrison has re-enacted the inscription of the headstone at the beginning of the novel; in other words, Beloved remains entombed in the book. However, I would argue that although Morrison does provide a series of inscriptions the gravestone, Beloveds skin, and the novel itself as retribution for past transgressions the stealing of Sethes ink, and her chokecherry tree scar she does not mean to merely insert a black literary voice in the place of white discourse. In his essay, Gates writes, Whereas I once thought it our most important gesture to master the canon of criticism, to imitate and apply it, I now believe that we must turn to the black tradition itself to arrive a t theories of criticism indigenous to our literatures (67). While he ostensibly writes about literary criticism, he evokes larger separatist notions regarding the formation of a distinctly black literary voice. And although Morrison directly addresses Gates notions of blackness and suppression, whiteness and writing, Morrison does not share Gates sentiments on reconciling this tradition.

The Classroom Management Is Defined As A Person...

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Even though he didRead Moreâ€Å"the Jazz Age† and F. Scott Fitzgerald1095 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Jazz Age† and F. Scott Fitzgerald It was an age of miracles. It was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.† (â€Å"Fitzgerald: The Jazz Age† p. 3). As the 1920s began, the old, conservative ways of life began to disintegrate. A new era was just beginning. This era is called â€Å"The Jazz Age.† The Great Gatsby, a literary masterpiece written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the social historian of the 1920s, directly reflects the virtues, materialism, and revolutionary nature

Challenges Struggle and Arnold Spirit Jr Free Essays

Challenges Challenges, struggles are always a part of human life. Challenges are to test of one’s abilities. Struggle what makes people stronger physically and emotionally it’s a difficulty, conflicts that people face to be success. We will write a custom essay sample on Challenges: Struggle and Arnold Spirit Jr or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is not easy to accept challenges and struggle and achieve what you have been challenged for. In a novel called The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the main character name Arnold Spirit Jr. was born in a poor Indian family and lived in a Indian reservation. Junior is a boy who wanted to do something different, different then people in his rez have ever done. His life always brings new challenges and struggled a lot. Life always brings challenges and struggles but the most important thing is how you accept challenges and struggle in order to succeed. Arnold spirit Jr. Life is began with a challenge He was born with cerebral spinal fluid and forty two teeth. Doctors said he is not going to survive or just a living object â€Å"even if I somehow survived the mini Hoover. I was supposed to suffer serious brain damage during the procedure and live the rest of his live as a vegetable† (page # 2). Due to his brain damage he had eyesight problem. But he survived he was fine a lived his live normally. He was born in a poor Indian family were they live in Indian reservation. They sometimes have to sleep empty stomach, â€Å"My family misses a meal, and sleep is the only thing we have for dinner† (page #8). One of his best friend name Oscar his pet. He lost him because he and his family didn’t have money to cure him. In spite of being poor and losing his pet Oscar he understood that his family is poor. He controlled his anger he had towards his family and him being poor. He learned and understood that it wasn’t his or his parent’s fault that they are poor. His anger level increased and he got out of control when he saw her mother’s name on his book. He had to study so old book. His teacher realizes and tells him that he is strong and he has hope in his life that he can fulfill it. He doesn’t want to live his life like others. He then decided that his life is not going to be like others in rez he then decided to study in other school to fulfill his dream and goal. One of the most important challenge in his life was when he decided to think beyond what he have thought before, No one in his family or in his rez have ever thought of doing he decided to leave his rez school and join another school where white people studies in Readan. He had to face many problems and strugg led a lot in order to go and study and be what he wants to be in life. His best and his only friend in rez Rowdy was no longer his friend. He was alone as he was the only Indian in that school. He was being bullied being called by different names in his new school as he was Indian. In spite of all his problem struggled he accepted it as a challenge. He fought with roger a student who bullied him all the time he punched him. Students started knowing him he was no longer being bullied or an unknown in school. He gained confident on himself. He started making friends. Even Roger became his friend. As he was physically weak than others he still joined basketball team were students in his team were big and tuff. It was hard for him to join the team but he did it he proved himself that he can do it. He worked hard one his selection were he had to face roger one on one in order to be selected he lost several time but he didn’t give up. His coach inspired him a lot it was him who made him strong, his advice, â€Å"The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regard less of his chosen field of endeavor† (page #148). He then started playing game so good that he became star of Readan. He lost his loves one people who he inspires and loves. He lost his grandmother his father’s friend Eugene and his sister. Their death made him upset and depressed his but he still managed to control himself and fulfill his biggest challenge. Life is not easy I believe struggle and challenges are parts of live. No matter who you are what you are life always brings challenges and struggles. Life always brings challenges and struggles but the most important thing is how you accept your challenges and struggle in order to succeed Arnold Sprit Jr. faced challenges and struggles from the day one of his life. In spite of all his problems in his life he managed and survived from all his struggle and challenges. I always knew that no matter what I have to face challenges in life as Arnold did. Many famous people in this world like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther king and Christopher Columbus accepted challenges in life and succeeded. How to cite Challenges: Struggle and Arnold Spirit Jr, Essay examples

Corporate Finance of FXZ Samples for Students †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Corporate Finance of FXZ Capital Structure. Answer: Introduction In relation to the financial calculation done, we hereby elaborate WACC in details and discuss the effect of FXZ capital structure and recommended changes in it. FXZ is a un-geared company with its capital structure highly dependent on equity share capital. It is an attempt to find out the efficiencies and deficiencies in the capital structure of the company. The capital structure basically comprises of four elements- Equity, Preference, Debt and Retained earnings. There can be various combinations of above depending upon the needs of the company. It may be different from company to company suiting to their needs and requirements. Calculation of Weighted Average Cost of capital In the given Company, the Weighted Average Cost shall be calculated for Equity and Debt. There are no preference shares in the company portfolio. The retained earnings are in negative i.e there are retained losses. Hence, we shall take the total equity mentioned in the Balance Sheet for calculation of the cost of equity. WACC: W(Ke) + W(Kd) (1-T) where W= Weight Ke Cost of equity Kd Cost of debt T Corporate Tax Rate To find out WACC, first we need to find its component : figures in `000 $ Total equity: 10,34,092 Total debt: 1,79,312 Total Finance Cost: 18,257 here Rf= 2.12% Beta: 0.77 Rm: 12.8% Cost of Equity= 2.12% + 0.77 (12.8% - 2.12%) = 10.34% Cost of Debt = Interest payment/ Interest bearing liabilities (debt) figures in `000 $ Interest Payment = 11,100 Interest Bearing Liabilities = 1,79,312 Cost of Debt = 11,100/ 1,79,312 (1-0.30) = 4.33% Weighted Average Cost of Capital (Amount in '000 $) Year 2016 Amount Proportion Cost of Weighted (%) Capital Cost Total Equity Capital 10,34,092 85.22 10.34 1,06,925.11 Debt 1,79,312 14.78 4.33 7,764.21 Total 12,13,404 100.00 1,14,689.32 figures in `000 $ WACC = Weighted Cost / Total of Equity and Debt = 1,14,689.32/ 12,13,404*100= 9.45 % The cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate of Return + Beta * (Market Rate of Return - Risk-Free Rate of Return). Judgment on the WACC of the company (FXJ) The company is well placed in terms of its capital portfolio as it is not dependent upon outside debts. The company comprises of 85.22% of total capital as equity which suggests that the company is not liable to pay fixed interest and hence it helps them to retain their profits for any other purposes like capital investment, asset purchase or payment of other liabilities (Fairfax Media, 2016). The company pays a dividend as a return on investment to its shareholder which is $ 4,59,90,000 against a total equity of $ 1,03,40,92,000 which is 4.44 % which is quite low compared to the average cost of capital which is 9.45%. In this way, the company has played a very smart move by not indulging them in any fixed interest payments. The company has not issued any preference shares as well which also suggests that there is no requirement to pay any preference dividend to its shareholders (Bloomberg, 2016). The company has not either issued any debentures as well. So it has also allowed them f rom paying debentures interest. However, there are two reasons to worry for FXZ, which are briefly explained below: The amount of retained losses is huge and ever-increasing which suggests that the company has not been run properly by the management. There are retained losses of $ (37, 20,198,000) which is a dent on companys reputation (Fairfax Media, 2016). The same was the case in the year 2015 as well where retained earnings were in negative to an extent of $ (2, 72, 55,44,000). As the company has not included any outside debt in its capital structure, the company is sure to lose tax benefits on payment of committed interest on outside liabilities and debentures (Fairfax Media, 2016). Also, the financiers do not have any say in companys decision making, unlike equity shareholders which is one of the reasons that the companys management is always under the influence of equity shareholders which shows its adverse effect in companys decision making also (Henderson et. al, 2015). Computation of gearing ratios Gearing ratio refers to an analysis of the ratio of a company's long-term debt compared to its equity share capital. It is a comparison of total debt utilized in the company against the total capital of the company. It reflects the ratio of debt to total capital or total debt against total equity capital. A high gearing ratio reflects that the company is highly dependent on debt as its capital which also says that company shall be required to pay high-interest payments to its financiers (Brealey et al, 2014). On the other hand, A low gearing ratio reflects that company is using more of equity as its source of capital. Both the situations are different and have different effects on the company workings. We shall explain this by an example: Situation no. 1 Total Debt: 100 million $ Total Equity: 500 million $ Total Capital: 600 million $ Gearing Ratio: Debt/ Equity 100/ 500 m $ = 1:5 ratio or 0.2:1 In this situation, we see that company has 20% exposure in debts in its total capital which suggests that company has not entered into any high fixed intrest payments annually. Dividend payment is not necessary hence the dividend payment potion can be retained in the company for various decisions. Situation No. 2 Total Debt : 400 million $ Total Equity: 100 million $ Total Capital: 500 million $ Gearing Ratio: Debt/ Equity = 400/ 100 = 4:1 In this situation we see that the company is highly dependent upon debt as its capital sources, it is evident that company shall be required to pay off annual interest payment to its debt holders may be its bank, debenture holders or other borrowings (Brigs, 2013). The company shall not have the option to save or retain that part of payment. The company shall have the option to pay or not pay dividends to its shareholders. Findings with reference to Capital structure As shown above, the two situations show two different capital structure mixes. Both the situations have its advantages or disadvantages respectively. It is the company strategy or company vision to use the type of the funds it wants to utilize in the company that is dividend or interest (Davies Crawford, 2010). In our recommendation, the company in its earlier years of existence should depend on equity as its mode of capital because the company initially should not want to indulge in fixed payments. On the contrary, the established companies should use debts in its capital portfolio 9 Healy et. al, 2012). The reason behind is that the established companies do not want to share their company voting rights with issuing more equity share capital. The company strategy should decide whether it should use more of debt or equity in its capital structure. An optimal capital structure is one which has a best debt-to-equity ratio for a corporate house that maximizes its market capitalization. The optimal capital structure which offers a balance between debt-to-equity and minimizes the firm's cost of capital is considered as the best capital mix (Correia et. al, 2005). The company aim should be to reduce its total cost of capital i.e. cost of utilization of capital debt, preference shares, equity should be minimum. This shall ensure that the company shall be well placed in terms of optimum capital structure. FXZ is highly un-geared and equity capital oriented company meaning that it has low debt compared to equity share capital, this is not an optimal capital structure as this does not ensure the minimum cost of capital or maximized share value. Market share price is dependent upon company financial performance (Albrecht et. al, 2011). FXZ uses high equity as its source of capital. Its gearing ratio is saved by negative retained earnings which have further reduced shareholders funds. Hence gearing ratios of FXZ are not optimal. The year 2016 has not been good for FXZ because its financial position is not so rosy for its investors . There has been huge impairment and amortization cost in this year 2016 which has an effect on its profits and accumulated losses (Deegan, 2011). Recommendation We recommend changes in company capital structure due to the high dominance of equity capital because the company is able to please its shareholders with negative retained earnings and low dividend payout. The company should borrow some long-term funds with low-interest rates also and it should try to break even or try to reduce its losses (retained losses). The company should try to issue corporate bonds with late maturity or fewer interest rates or it may issue debentures to public to raise funds. Fundraising by the company shall reduce its burden on existing capital structure and shall fuse new energy in the company. The company should also try to explore more earning avenues. The company should various optimal capital structure to find out which suits them better for their company (Brealey et. al, 2016). The company should calculate the cost of capital at different capital mixtures. Conclusion The company FXZ is in cash crunch and is running into losses, the management should seriously think about ways to pull back the company from this awful situation. The company is eating up its resources with every day like high retained losses shall finish shareholders funds and the company shall not have anything to pay back its shareholders. The company can approach its debtors and receivables to pay them fast and soon so that they may invest them and reduce their losses. The company should try to identify areas where cost cutting can be done to reduce its expenses. Budgeting is an excellent tool which can be used by the company to standardize its expenses and spend accordingly. These are some of the ways we would like to recommend to the company to improve company financial position. The company FXZ has to try to include some leverage effect to its financial statements at minimum interest rates. The company board has to bring a radical change in its capital structure by managing it s long-term capital commitments. The company should decrease its cost of capital by using an optimal capital mix. The basic aim of optimizing capital structure is to select that proportion of various forms of debts and equities mixes that maximizes the firms value while minimizing the average cost of capital. References Brealey, R. A., Myers, S. A., and Marcus, A. J. (2015). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 8th ed. Australia: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Correia, C, Mayall, P, O'Grady, B Pang, J. 2005. Corporate Financial Management, 2nd ed. Perth: Skystone Investments Pty Ltd. Henderson, S, Peirson, G, Herbohn, K, Howieson, B. (2015). Issues in financial accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU. Healy, P. M, Palepu, K. G. (2012). Business Analysis Valuation: Using Financial Statements. Cengage Learning. Albrecht, W, Stice, E Stice, J. (2011). Financial accounting. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western. Brealey, R, Myers, S. Allen, F. (2014). Principles of corporate finance. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Brigs, A. (2013).Financial reporting analysis. Mason, Ohio: South-Western. Davies, T. Crawford, I. (2012). Financial accounting. Harlow, England: Pearson. Deegan, C. M., (2011). In Financial accounting theory. North Ryde, N.S.W: McGraw-Hill Fairfax Media. (2016). Fairfax media 2016 annual report accounts. Retrieved May 22, 2017 from https://www.fairfaxmedia.com.au/ArticleDocuments/193/FAIRFAX%20Annual%20Report%202016.pdf.aspx?Embed=Y Bloomberg. (2016). Australian rates and bonds. Retrieved May 22, 2017 from https://www.bloomberg.com/markets/rates-bonds/government-bonds/australia