Thorin Oakenshield Character Analysis in The Hobbit Essay Example

Thorin Oakenshield Character Analysis in The Hobbit Paper Thorin Oakenshield He brings out the best in others but the worst in himself, and his contradicting traits come through in the end. Some may find him useless to the plot, others might see him as essential to the growth of other characters. His position may be challenged, but his history will forever remain the same. He is Thorin Oakenshield, the greedy, arrogant, first leader of the expedition, who gains wisdom only in his death. Thorin has penchant for money and is strong and prideful with others. When he was aptured by the elf-king, who also has a weakness for treasure, especially for silver and white gems; and though his hoard was rich, he was ever eager for more, since he had not yet as great a treasure as other elflords of old. (Pg. 195) The elf-king persisted in asking Thorin about his intentions, such as asking him the reason for three times trying to attack his people at their merrymaking. (Pg. 196) All Thorin would reply was, Looking for food and drink, because they were starving. Thorin is willing to say anything to keep his information of the treasure to himself, as he tubbornly replies the same answer to the elf-kings every demand. He refuses to expose any details about the treasure, and is determined that no word of gold and jewels should be dragged out him. (Pg. 196) Thorin is too prideful to admit that he has a secret, has a huge unwillingness to bend to the will of others; and is too greedy to share any of his information to anyone as he has an over desire fo r his family treasure. Thorins arrogance lets Bilbo seize the chance and become a true hero to himself and his companions. We will write a custom essay sample on Thorin Oakenshield Character Analysis in The Hobbit specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Thorin Oakenshield Character Analysis in The Hobbit specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Thorin Oakenshield Character Analysis in The Hobbit specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Thorin uses his talent of dressing words up to suggest to Bilbo that he should go into the secret passage first, and at the same time shirking the riskiest activities, forcing the small hobbit to face them instead. Thorin is too arrogant to admit that he is afraid to be harmed by anything in the secret passage, as he says here: Now it is time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins, who has proved himself a good companion on our long road, and a hobbit full of courage and resource for exceeding the usual allowance now is the time for him to perform the service for which he was included n our Company; now it is the time for him to earn his Reward. (Page. 246) Thorin is implying that he wants Bilbo to enter the tunnel first, the service being Bilbos agreement to be a burglar, but he has to say it in the most formal way possible by speaking with mock politeness and stiffness; offending Bilbo with his sarcastic and selfish sayings, yet at the same time appealing to Bilbos ego and unleashing his en ter the tunnel: He was trembling with fear, but his little face was set and grim. Already he was a very different hobbit from the one that had run out without a pocket-handkerchief for ages. (Pg. 248) Thorins pride gets in the way of himself, setting off Bilbos best qualities that were unknown to the readers and creating a leadership void that provides Bilbo the chance to seize the initiative and become a true hero. By the end of the novel, Thorins arrogance gets him into trouble, but he dies with words of friendship and praise for Bilbo on his lips. Even though he has benefited rom the help of many people along the way to reach the treasure and gold, once he gets his hands on Smaugs treasure, he becomes irrationally greedy and obsessed with wealth, to the extent that he would rather wage a violent war than give the men from Lake Town their fair share of the treasure. His intense desire for the treasure, typical of the dwarf love for beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic (Pg. 19), and his refusal to reconcile with the elves add to the tension in the plot and to Thorins and Bilbos friendship. When he dies of fatal wounds suffered in the Battle of Five Armies, he is buried with the Arkenstone, a gesture of love but also of the futility of battling for treasure. It is only in his death that he apologizes to Bilbo, Farewell, good thief I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would take back my words and deeds at the gate If more of us valued food and cheer and song about hoarded gold, it would be a much better world. (Pg. 333) He finally realizes the wrong in his deeds and knows the importance of true value. Overall, Thorin Oakenshield is a stubborn, proud person that is especially foible to the appeal of Jewels, yet he can also be a thoughtful, decent person if you give him time to think about the situation. He might be a straight-forward thinker that makes decisions rashly, and he might be selfish and conceited, but he is a noble person and would never give up without a fght. He plays a big role in showing the readers Bilbos true abilities, and despite his mistakes, he winds up coming through in the end when it really counts, which makes him a true, brave hero in The Hobbit to me.

Phyllis Wheatley essays

Phyllis Wheatley essays Our American history is composed of a great deal of historical events and individuals. Phyllis Wheatley is one young woman who greatly contributed to history and holds a valuable spot in it. Phyllis Wheatley was born in West Africa, present day Senegal, in 1753. She remained there until she was captured and brought to the American colonies at the age of seven. In Boston, Massachusetts she was sold to a wealthy merchant, John Wheatley, and his wife Susannah. Mary Wheatley, the daughter of the family helped guide Phyllis to learn how to read and write and Phyllis was eventually literate and even knew how to speak Latin and Greek. This was very rare because slaves werent usually offered any type of education. Impressed by her achievements and her clearly evident intelligence, the Wheatleys encouraged Phyllis to continue expanding her knowledge and kept her workload rather light. Soon Phyllis level of education was higher than that of an upper-class colonial man. She was accepted as a member of the family rather than just considered as a slave. At the age of 13, Phyllis wrote her first poem about a tale of two men who came close to dying at sea and their faith in God. The publication of that poem in the Newport Mercury as well as an elegy she wrote about George Whitefield boosted her popularity and credibility. By 1773, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious, and Moral was published in London and included 39 of her poems. Upon taking a trip to England with the Wheatleys son, Nathaniel, she was immediately recognized and caused a sensation. When Phyllis returned back to America after hearing that Susannah Wheatley was very ill, the family she was raised by began to slowly fall apart. Susannah Wheatley passed away the following spring of 1776 and John Wheatley also passed away a few years later in 1778. This granted Phyllis technical freedom and the chance to live her own life. ...

Sample Report Card Comments for Social Studies

Sample Report Card Comments for Social Studies Creating a strong report card comment is not an easy feat. Teachers must find the appropriate phrase that suites that particular students progress thus far. Its always best to begin on a positive note, then you can go into what the student needs to work on. To help assist in writing out your report card comments for social studies, use the following phrases.   Positive Reinforcement In writing comments for elementary student report cards, use the following positive phrases regarding students progress in social studies. Is on the path to becoming a great historian.Social Studies is his/her best subject.Is able to use a map, globe, or atlas to locate continents, oceans, and hemispheres.identifies a variety of social structures in which they live, learn, work and play.Recognizes and understands national holidays, people and symbols.Describes the locations of school and community and understand the parts of a map.Understands laws, rules, and good citizenship.Exhibits a positive outlook and attitude about history.Uses social studies vocabulary correctly while speaking.Demonstrates a deep understanding of social studies concepts.Learns new social studies vocabulary quickly.Has demonstrated increased social skills, such as...Applies process skills in social studies.Uses and applies above level process skills in social studies and uses them to analyze and evaluate information.Takes an active part in discussions pertinent to ___. Encouraging Words In addition to the phrases above, here are a few words and phrases to help you prepare positive descriptive statements. hard-workingdependablecreativerespectfulefficienttalentedself-disciplinedwilling to try againapplies him- or herselfshows effort Aim For Improvement On those occasions when you need to convey less than positive information on a students report card regarding social studies, use the following phrases to assist you. Has difficulty understanding the differences between the...Struggles to understand the influence of...Does not yet demonstrate an understanding of social studies concepts and content.Support is needed in using social studies vocabulary correctly.Support is needed to apply skills in social studies.Would benefit from supervision of homework in social studies.Needs to demonstrate improvement in academic work if he/she is to gain the fundamentals needed for this grade.Has difficulty using a map, a globe, and an atlas to locate continents, oceans, and hemispheres.Has difficulty identifying the significance of place names originated by...Does not complete social studies assignments in the allotted time.Has difficulty locating major landforms and bodies of water in...As we discussed in our last parent-teacher conference, ________s attitude toward the social studies is lacking...Requires repetition to retain information in...Support is needed to apply process skills in social studies.Demonst rates a need for consistent effort and motivation, especially in... Guiding Words In addition to the phrases above, here are a few words and phrases to help you when concerns are evident and a student in need of assistance. Demonstrates a need forRequires help withCould benefit fromNeeds to be encouraged toRequires support toNeeds to be encouraged toNeeds to demonstrate improvement inNeeds help to increaseWould benefit from learningNeeds to be encouraged to comply with

Poverty in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poverty in the US - Essay Example From the table given below it is clear that different norms were there to calculate the poverty levels of different people. People below the age of 65 and over the age of 65 have different criteria to calculate their poverty levels based on the number of children they may have. It is an accepted fact that two people with same revenue cannot be considered as rich if they have different number of family members. 2009 Poverty Thresholds, Selected Family Types    Single Individual Under 65 years   $ 11,161 65 years & older   $ 10,289    Single Parent One child   $ 14,787 Two children   $ 17,285    Two Adults No children   $ 14,366 One child   $ 17,268 Two children   $ 21,756 Three children   $ 25,603 (Poverty in the United States, 2010) A parent with fewer children may have less expenditure than a parent with more children. In other words, population increase is a factor which is affecting the poverty statistics in America. America is a country of paradise for the i mmigrants. People from all over the world are migrating to America in order to achieve better living standards. It is a fact that these people are contributing heavily to the economic growth of the country. At the same time they are increasing American population and subsequently the poverty rates may also go up. The following table provides a brief idea about the poverty rate among children of different communities in America as per the 2008 statistics Children Under 18 Living in Poverty, 2008 Category Number (in thousands) Percent All children under 18 15, 451 20.7 White only, non-Hispanic 4, 850 11.9 Black 4,480 35.4 Hispanic 5,610 33.1 Asian 531 13.3 (Poverty in the United States, 2010) From the above statistics, it is clear that the... Poverty is a universal phenomenon which can affect any country irrespective of their economic power. No country, developing, developed or underdeveloped, is free from poverty. Poverty is one of the major concerns for the sociologists and economists.United States is supposed to be one of the wealthiest countries in the world. However, the recent financial crisis has created strong concerns among the public about America’s credentials as one of the richest countries in the world. United Sates faced several accusations when globalization entered the world. Many countries, including China, perceived globalization as a strategy by capitalist countries like America to loot the resources of other countries. However, at present economic experts are unique in their opinion that America failed to exploit the globalization properly whereas China succeeded in exploiting it heavily for their economic growth. Many people are of the view that globalization also played a role in increasing th e poverty rates in America. This paper analyses the major reasons for poverty in America in general and the role of globalization in particular, and proposes some solutions to eliminate it. It is not necessary that the poverty in America is dependent only on the factors inside America alone. In a heavily globalized world, problems of one country can affect other countries also, both directly and indirectly.

The Impact of Technology on Society Research Paper

The Impact of Technology on Society - Research Paper Example Thus, even the microlithic flint tools used by the  early  man was just as much technological advanced as robots may be in a few centuries to modern man, that is, allowing for the chronological differentiation. This paper will seek to  establish impacts of technology on  humanity  through discussing some of the effects, and some negative effects. If technology needed a face,  communication  would be the most  suitable  since it is one thing all human beings have in common. In addition, it has been the main beneficiary of the technological  development, which  has taken place over time. The most significant aspect of this is evident in the new means by which communication occurs, in the past communicating with someone in a different  town  would take weeks as one waited for the postman. This  has been drastically changed with mobile telephony, internet and other wireless means of communication, since through video conferencing one can easily  hold  a fa ce-to-face meeting with someone in different continents. ... This way, technology is its own  vehicle  since, through it; information can be communicated and shared  rapidly. Humans today are privy to more information that any time in the past when governments and the church would  control  what one could  know  or not. The internet does not  recognize  e political boundaries and this  way  there is a free flow of information. Evidences of this can be found in the recent uprisings in Egypt and Libya. In Egypt, the internet  was used to  rally  the citizens to  rise  against tyrannical  leadership  by using Facebook pages for strategizing since mainstream media  were controlled by the state (Crovtiz  1). This gives new meaning to the  adage  information  is power, because, in those cases, it was  literal  power. That the world is becoming a global village, is no longer just cliche used by pro technologists but a reality that requires little imagination to  appreciate. As a result of  develop ment  in mechanical and aeronautical engineering, humans can now  travel  from any place to the other at speeds that would have seemed  supernatural  in the not so distant past. Consequently, jets and other airplanes  enable  the distance between continents to be covered in a matter of hours. Many of these  are automated  and are travelling in them is  significantly  safe this also applies to cars, and trains. In fact, many of these automated planes are self-flown and even when they have pilots, they do not have to  man  them all the time (Peter 1). This has exponentially reduced the importance and role of distance. Today, the distance between say Europe and America can be covered in about 3 hours. This way people in far off

The purpose of a Dream: Hispanic and African Americans adult students :: essays research papers

The purpose of a Dream: Hispanic and African Americans adult students within a Multicultural Environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An analysis of this problem is due to such issues as age, gender and power. In working with adult students and multicultural groups as a teacher ¡Ã‚ ¦s assistant (which consist of related factors such as teaching along with instructor and applying knowledge and promoting learning skills in away to help older students learn and help to apply a technique of understanding (which motivate students in a way to learn. It been claimed that adult aged student ¡Ã‚ ¦s accounts for problems in the classroom, especially ethnic groups as Hispanic and African Americans. As an observer, I have encountered such an environment of students, returning to school after being away for many years. These students are back again willing to take on classes which will further Their education and prepare them for better jobs. In an environment of culture differences, these students are not only focusing on learning but engaged in grouping whether with their own culture or others. Much of the problems as I had observed, stems from the categories as was mentioned. The semester working with this group was challenging and yet what took place was a learning experience with a diverse group. These people will eventually express a form of a new beginning of affliction in the classroom. We as educators have struggled throughout the times. Our cohorts, and this adult community manner of relating within the classroom shows that there lies a division of differences that needed to be mended.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This class was held at a high school for evening students. The students were African Americans and Asian Americans and Hispanics. I observed the relationship between African-Americans and Hispanics. Communication was dealt with uncertainty. Many students grouped with people of their own culture , although the class was constructed to teach these students skills that would help both into the work place, no concern for communicating was seen between this group. It was observed as cultural conflict in the classroom among adults. There were no confrontations but nonverbal oppositions were there. The Asian American s did not respond yet, kept their distant- another form of not accepting change in a diverse community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Multi-cultural citizens soon learn to recognizing limitations and the meaning of what white norms and practices of dominancy. Ruth Frankenburg (1993) speaks of three meanings of such. She names them as; race cognizance  ¡Vcultural practices seen as different but the same in value ; (2) essential racism, races are seen as different and unequal within the systems of White superiority; (3) this is called a discourse of power evasiveness which is called color blindness, or essential

Elliot Company Essay

The Elliot Company was established in the early 1950’s and has been a profitable greeting card company. It had always been a pioneer in developing creative means to attract its target group, in spite of which the group’s market share has been limited to merely 4% in the industry. Industry leader Hallmark has the lion’s share of about 41%, American Greetings about 30%, followed by over 300 companies, including   Elliot Company that account for the remaining share. Technological advancements in the telephone industry and the advent of the internet have pushed most greeting card companies against a wall, with flat sales, diminishing margins and a threat of decimation. The way forward is to identify means of generating sales by entering newer markets and the company has identified two markets that remain unexplored for Elliot Company American Hispanic market Overseas English speaking market Problem Statement Elliot Company had never ventured into unchartered territories, and finds both these markets intricate. The American Hispanic market is unique and has different sensitivities than the dominant white and black market that Elliot Company has been catering to. Meeting the needs of the overseas market is even more complicated as the company would need to study several cultures and meet their respective needs. Marketing the product to both these unique markets is the challenge that Elliot Company faces, for which a solution is required. The company cannot enter both the markets at once, and hence an ideal market should be identified that would suit the interests of the company. There are about 30 million Hispanics in America, who predominantly come from Mexico, Cuba and other Spanish dominated countries. The interesting facts about this population are: The Hispanic population has the highest growing population in the country with almost 40% of population growth between the years 1985 to 2010, coming from this community. The Hispanic population can be broadly divided into three groups, the native Spanish people who speak and follow Spanish culture alone; the assimilated Spanish, who cannot be distinguished from the Americans; and the Accultured Spanish, who are about 57% of the Hispanic population. (Arjona, Shah, Tinivelli & Weiss, 1998) The Hispanic community prefer significant influence of their culture in the marketing process, even if the communication occurred in English. Price conscious audience that chooses price over value Just like the Hispanic community, the overseas market has different sensitivities that make it an equally tough opportunity to expand into. Also, there are certain problems the company faces when entering these markets, which are listed below. Existence of multiple cultures in each country Semantic barriers that can prevent communication as anticipated Cultural perceptions about greeting cards, as customers in some countries prefer customized and hand written communication to pre-printed cards. Huge costs of research & development, product and distribution.   List of Critical factors The management if Elliot Company is apprehensive with both the solutions provided by the consultants, as each of them has their own concerns, which are listed above. A study shows that more than eighty percent of greeting cards customers, the world over are women. Hence, whichever strategy adopted by Elliot Company, would need to target the women predominantly. Which group of women, overseas women or Hispanic American women, can be targeted easily is one critical factor of success.   While venturing into foreign markets like UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand would be good option for the penetration of the company into newer markets, it would expose the company to the competition of each market. While Canada is a market that Elliot Company should find easy to understand with its proximity to the American culture, each of the other markets is complex in their own ways. Hallmark has already made preparations to launch Spanish greeting cards by including several Spanglish messages (The Washington Times, 2002), and would aggressively market its brand when compared to Elliot Company. Hence, which market is less competitive and can easily be penetrated becomes the second critical factor. The third critical factor is the consumer’s buying behavior in both these markets. Hispanic customers have a buying behavior that is strongly influenced by culture and cultural cues, which include importance for family, formality and status. (Haegele, 2000 in Lynn Brandon, Judith C. Forney, 2002) The above three factors can contribute greatly to the success of Elliot greeting cards in this target group, the company can focus the marketing strategy on how to express emotions to its family, how to upkeep formalities and use greeting cards as a status symbol for greeting someone. On the contrary, some of the overseas markets are less liberal and more demanding. The culture of Australia and New Zealand is strongly influenced from the English, and the English culture finds it more appropriate to send a personalized letter than a pre-designed and pre-printed greeting card. The success of the company is dependent on how well it breaks this cultural barrier. Recommended Solution In spite of the advantages of a larger market that the company can cater to when it reaches out to the overseas market, it is recommended that Elliot Company focus on reaching out to the Hispanic American community, by offering customized greeting cards. Justification The biggest factor that justifies the above recommendation is the huge costs involved in establishing a brand and a business overseas, in multiple markets. To reach out to the overseas English market also would require significant investments in research about respective cultures, making the cost of research irrelevant for the decision making process for either decisions. A third of the Hispanic community would identify themselves with the rest of the Americans, and no special campaigns need to be done for them. However, the accultured Hispanics and the native Spanish speakers prefer a brand that they can identify with their ethnic group, to a business that seems very un-ethnic. (Dyer & Ross, 2000) Elliot Company should reach to the Hispanic community with a brand that they can identify with, design greeting cards based on their preferences and deliver the same as per their needs. Mere translations from the exhaustive designs that Elliot owns might not be as helpful, as designing cards that meet the needs of the Hispanic customers. References Luis D. Arjona, Rajesh Shah, Alejandro Tinivelli & Adam Weiss (1998) Marketing to the Hispanic Consumer,   Journal Title: The McKinsey Quarterly. Volume: 1. Issue: 3. Publication Year: 1998. Page Number: 106+ Lynn Brandon, Judith C. Forney (2002), Influences on Female Purchase Motivations and Product Satisfaction: a Comparison of Casual and Formal Lifestyles and Anglo and Hispanic Ethnicity, Journal Title: Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences. Volume: 94. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 2002. Page Number: 54+ Linda M. Dyer, Christopher A. Ross (2000), Ethnic Enterprises and Their Clientele, Journal Title: Journal of Small Business Management. Volume: 38. Issue: 2, Page Number: 48 ‘Spanglish’ Speakers Mix Home Languages; Popular Trend Seen as Obstacle. Newspaper Title: The Washington Times. Publication Date: November 21, 2002. Page Number: A01