How the English language influenced African literature Essay

The use of the English language plays a crucial and dominant role in African literature. In contemporary African literature the use of English is often the key element for success as an African writer. This enables them to express their views across a larger area of today’s global world. However writing in English instead of their native tongues may come at a high price for these African writers. By them replacing their native languages with English could eventually lead to the eradication of their native tongues. The aim of this essay is to address the following key elements which influence the role of English in African literature. Colonization played a leading role in placing English at the forefront of African literature. English can be viewed as a ‘necessary evil’, especially by most of those African writers who did not inherit the English language. The English language forms the core of African literature, throughout most parts of Africa. This is often evident in our everyday experiences. For example, the majority of the educational institutes in Africa, use English as a medium for engaging in learning activities. English has long been the language of politics. Furthermore, in the media and in literature, English is clearly the dominant language. In order for us to gain an understanding as to why English is the dominate language in African literature we need to address the main factor which has placed English at the centre of African literature. The effects of colonialism had the most influence over this situation. In 1884, Europe divided the African countries into separate colonies and ‘shaped’ the African nations under their colonial powers. These separate colonies were classified according to the languages of Europe, English- speaking, Portuguese-speaking and French-speaking African countries. Colonialism controlled and limited the use of African languages by imposing negative and stereotypical views upon these African languages. This is clearly stated by S.N.Dlamini.. Another interpretation of the use of the Zulu language comes from its  association with illiteracy and ignorance. This interpretation was historic, and a typical example of how British colonisation and a British education system impacted on language use. With colonialism, African languages were downgraded, and the language of the colonising country, English became the language of commerce, education and an instrument with which to measure knowledge(Dlamini:2005:16) The use of English in African literature can most definitely be viewed as a necessary evil. On the one hand, the English language plays a fundamental part in many aspects of communication. For instance, those African writers who choose to write in English can express their opinions, views, experiences and the like, across a more global scale. On the other hand, it’s a different scenario altogether for those whom have had to acquire English as their second language. Obviously, people would generally feel more comfortable writing in their home language as opposed to an additional language. Chinua Achebe wrote: â€Å"Those of us who have inherited the English language may not be in a position to appreciate the value of the inheritance. Or we may go on resenting it because it came as part of a package deal which included many other items of doubtful value and the positive atrocity of racial arrogance and prejudice which may yet set the world on fire. But let us not in rejecting evil throw out the good with it.† (Achebe;2005;31) There is no use in ignoring the fact that most literature will continue to be written in English. There are many reasons as to why it would not be feasible to banish the use of European languages in Africa, in replace of an African language. Firstly, this would affect the levels of communication within Africa and in relation with the rest of the world, as there are very few individuals in other parts of the world that understand one of the African languages. Secondly, this process would entail many expenses and complications. For  instance, the changing of educational institutions into ones with and African language as a medium for learning. ‘†¦those African writers who have chosen to write in English or French are not unpatriotic smart Alecs with an eye on the main chance-outside their own countries. They are the by-products of the same process that made the new nation states of Africa’ (Achebe;2005;31) Clearly, there are many advantages of writing in a first world language. Firstly, this would cultivate Africa to be a part of the global network of communication. For instance, this would allow African writers to express their views across a broader scale of the globe. Mazizi Kunene stated, â€Å"African literature is no literature unless it is used as a vehicle of ideas.† Furthermore, the use of a ‘universal’ language helps to destroy the barriers between different social or cultural groups by creating the link of communication. Secondly, with the ability to communicate, this allows these different social and cultural groups to interact, thus creating recognition for these different cultural groups. Charles Taylor creates a clear indication of the importance of recognition in his article The politics of recognition. The demand for recognition in multiculturalism is given urgency by the supposed links between recognition and identity, where this multiculturalism designates something like a persons understanding of who they are, of their fundamental defining characteristics as a human being. The thesis is that our identity is partly shaped by recognition or its absence, often by the misrecognition of others, and so a person or a group of people can suffer real damage, real distortion , if the people or society around them then mirror back to them a confining or demeaning or contemptible picture of themselves. Nonrecognition or misrecognition can inflict harm, can be a form of oppression, imprisoning someone in a false, distorted, and reduced mode of being. In other words, communication helps to facilitate the recognition of groups,  which is especially crucial for those smaller cultural groups from being oppressed and viewed as inferior, due to people’s ignorance. On the other hand, one needs to address the obstacles facing the African writer. For those who have acquired English as their second language, often feel that they are incapable of expressing themselves in the correct context when writing in English. Some feel they have to first think in their native tongue and then translate it into English and in the process their writing looses its meaning. Achebe stated in his article, ‘The English language and the African writer’ â€Å"The real question is not whether Africans could write in English but whether they ought to. Is it right that a man should abandon his mother-tongue for someone else’s? It looks like a dreadful betrayal and produces a guilty feeling. But for me there is no other choice. I have been given this language and I intend to use it.† (Achebe,C:2005:33) Firstly, in order to retain ones self identity, the sense of who you are and where you came from, one must first define themselves in relation to their language and their environment. This should be a crucial element, before adopting other languages. Ngugi wa Thiongo stated, â€Å"The choice of language and the use to which language is put is central to a peoples definition of themselves in relation to their natural and social environment, indeed in relation to the entire universe.(2005:25) Hopefully there will still be writers who choose to write in their native languages, to ensure the existence and the development of African literature. Evidently as the above evaluation states, African literature will continue to be dominated by the use of the English language. Although this is the reality to date, those Africans should not do so at the expense of abandoning their mother-tongue.

Developments in transportation Essay

â€Å"Developments in transportation, rather than in manufacturing and agriculture, sparked American economic growth in the first half of the nineteenth century.† is not accurate. While development in transportation played a fundamental role in America’s growth, if it were not for developments in manufacturing and agriculture the new technology in transportation could not have successfully been completed. Without the raw materials, and the products which came out of the early US iron and steel industry, (which were all ultimately determined by the United States agricultural market), the transportation revolution could not have been carried out. Also, with the rapid growth of the agricultural markets, American economic growth boomed. All three factors, (transportation, agriculture and manufacturing) played an equal role in sparking the American economic growth in the first half of the nineteenth century. The cotton gin was just one of the few reasons in which the American economy grew at a rapid pace. Eli Whitney’s intention in 1793 of the cotton gin, which separated raw cotton from seeds and other waste, caused the economy to boom, with the growth of southern farms. As the southern plantations who could keep up with this new boom in cotton got larger and larger, small farmers moved west. This migration of small farmers to the west caused a need for developments in transportation to link the nation. In turn, these developments in transportation caused a boom in economy. Therefore, both manufacturing inventions and transportation inventions caused the growth in economy. New inventions and capital investment led to the creation of new industries and economic growth. As transportation improved, new markets continuously opened. The steamboat made river traffic faster and cheaper, but development of railroads had an even greater effect, opening up immense areas of new territory for development. These new developments just opened up entrepreneurs eyes, and helped them to create the â€Å"boom† parts of the cycles in the 19th century. The new factories which sprang up around the US starting with mills such as the Lowell mills also led to new developments which helped the United States  economy grow. More jobs were created, and wage earners were able to make twice the amount of the price of goods. Although these booms in the economy did not last for every long, it can not be intelligently argued that new developments in transportation were the only reasons in which the United States economy boomed during this time. New inventions, and new ways of creating goods, which came along with the Industrial Revolution truly opened up the nation’s workforce, and sprang its economy as well.

General Evidence To Ipo Under-Pricing

During the 1980s, the market expected an average of 11% returns on the initial public offerings (IPOs) within the first week of opening, which subsequently almost reached up to 21% during the period of 1991-1999. During the magical period of 1999 – 2000, the returns were almost 66%.   These effects can be largely credited to the amendments in the composition of a number of listed companies appearing as public.What is the most prominent reason behind the harsh under pricing of initial public offerings where the returns have been unexpectedly higher?According to the statistics, the IPO under pricing had almost doubled from 7% to 16% from the 1980’s to the late 1990’s. In general, the increase in the under pricing can be pointed towards the previously concealed group troubles between underwriters and issuing firms.Stating in other words, the problems between the two, that were initially not present on the main scene became of overriding importance during the 1999 – 2000. These two propositions are often referred to as the varying composition theory and the agency theory.The first theory of varying composition is supported by the postulation that dicey and unsafe IPO’s will be obviously underpriced by more than less dicey IPO’s. If the percentage of IPOs that correspond to unsafe stocks swells up, then the average under pricing ought to increase (Ritter (1983)).As a note, the number of IPO’s from the Information technology sector has risen up with time. Another significant point to note was that, there exists no proof about the companies which were appearing as public during the late eighties was actually older than those who went into the public sector during the nineties.The average age of an issuing company was around 7 years during the 1980s and 8 years during the 1990s, before it came down to 5 years during 1999-2000 (â€Å"the internet bubble or the magical period†). An analogous outline holds for sale s structure, that there was no secular inclination in the average sales of public companies.In contrast to the late 1980’s, the IPOs which were administered by high profile investment banks / underwriters in the 1990’s, were more highly underpriced than IPO’s which were linked to inferior status under writers or investment institutions.This phenomenon was explained as- since the underwriting in the IPO business became more profitable due to the augmented enthusiasm of firms to put down more money on the table. (Money on the table is defined as – the first-day price change (offer price to close) times the number of shares issued).As a result the underwriters / investment institutions made more profit from the money that was left on the table with the help of a rent-seeking action of buy-side investors. Moreover the market investors are prepared to give higher rates to the underwriters in order to receive IPO allocations.At the same time, the issuing compan ies are also ready to accept higher under pricing from high profile underwriters because of augmentation in the apparent significance of market analyst reporting and superior capital levels.One more reason that has come into light about the causes of IPO under pricing is that the under writers actually want to under price the issue in spite of the gross spread profits that they sacrifice.At the same the issuing firms most of the times do not try to bargain for a higher offer price when they are sure that the demand for the issue will be high enough. A number of firms went public which resulted in an obvious under pricing of IPO’s.According to Lungqist and Wilhelm (2003) as stated in a paper, that the increase in the IPO under pricing during the period of 1996 to 2000, was mainly due to the increased sharing programs like – the friends and family share allotment programs.Even more the number of shares that were owned by the company seniors like managers, CEO and venture capitalists had decreased by a significant amount, which offered fewer profits to them to stay away from harsh under pricing.Lungqist and Wilhelm further advocate that ruthless under pricing of IPO’s is also a consequence of a blend of premeditated under pricing by the issuing firms, who often assume to observe it as a way of drawing market awareness, and essential under pricing in order to pull out information from probable investors about demand for the IPO.In the year 2005, the European market had heaved up more money with the help of the initial public offerings (IPOs) and were able to create a center of attention for a large number of international IPOs as compared to the US exchanges.This increase was due to the increment in the business activities at the London Stock Exchange and in particular to the AIM, which were accountable for more than 53% of the total IPO’s in the year 2005.The London stock exchange has been the most active of the IPO world markets and a s figures suggest, the IPO activity at the LSE is much higher than all the US markets. This paper makes an attempt to further study the under pricing in the London Stock Exchange (LSE) Main market and the AIM.As the study suggests, the cost of raising IPO in the LSE is quite cheaper than on the US markets and there are some reasons that are evidence to this fact. London’s position in terms of measurable costs is similar to that of Euronext and Deutsche Boerse.UNDER PRICING OF IPO – LONDON STOCK EXCHANGEThe capital trading markets all over the world are experiencing a new level of global integration as obstacles to the flow of international funds are being removed slowly. As a result, firms now possess high amounts of flexibility while listing and raising capital.There are locations / markets that can actually prove to be quite cheaper for raising capital. This has given an opportunity to the companies as to select their own choice of trading market around the world kee ping in mind, cost of raising capital, equity, debt and market advantages.The decision of the firms to select a particular market depends upon varied issues like the market size, directness, level of expertise accessible in its financial centre, and the listing procedure involved.Also, there exist several ways to float a company – the choices of which are highly affected by the size of the company, the risk involved, and the authoritarian planning and procedures in each country.   The most common of all the methods in the London Stock Exchange or the LSE are: offer for subscription, an open issue and a stock exchange opening.The under pricing of IPO’s in the market refers to the extensive inspection that regardless of the scheme of entering into the market, the IPO’s be inclined to give considerable returns within days or weeks after the issue has been opened. Rilter (1985), Welch (1987), Ibotsen et al.(1995), Dimson (1979), Buckland et al. (1981), Jenkins and Meyer (1988) point toward the average first day gains at the UK main market which varies from 9 % to 17%. According to Levis and Thomas (1995), during the period from 1985 to 1992, the LSE market had an average first day gains of 1.87% for a total of 106 IPO’s that was issues during the period.

Hazard and vunerability analysis (Case) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hazard and vunerability analysis (Case) - Essay Example A terrorist wanting to target a populated area where the biggest affects could take place would choose and have chosen a largely populated area like the World Trade Center. The targets chosen by the terrorist on September 11th were vulnerable targets. Profile sectors in the community contributed to its vulnerability. The location was on the east coast and easy for those coming from the Middle East to access. The city is near water and there were only few ways to get in and out of the city. In the midst of a panic, this would make it difficult for emergency crews to get it and help. The height of the building makes it impossible to evacuate everyone in a quick and timely matter. All of these events, after being profiled are a perfect fit for a terrorist attack. The severity level was catastrophic on September 11th. Many lives were taken and the building was completely destroyed. There is no way around it; the World Trade Center was too vulnerable to an attack. There needs to be higher awareness of other areas that can have catastrophic losses from a terrorist attack. The terrorist are smart and often plan very carefully before a huge attack like September 11th. The terrorist may have been targeting D.C. as their main target. September 11th could have been used as a distraction while the other planes went to Washington D.C.. This is why it is very important to make sure that even after one event occurs, no one is safe. The enemy may also have plans in force to target another area. 2. What factors, if changed, may have pre-empted the disaster? There were factors that could have lessened the severity of the loss that occurred on September 11th. The building was easily accessible by many, it was located along the coastline, and there are few ways to get to and from the building. Circumstances like this create too much vulnerability. Vulnerability is what makes an area a target for terrorist attacks. The buildings location should send a flag up that the area is a hig hly targeted area. Being on the coastline allows the building to be accessed by anyone in the world. Because of this, the plane was able to come right off of the coast and straight into the building. When a building is that vulnerable a border patrol type security needs to be set up and able to monitor flights coming in and going out. If some sort of security was able to stop the plane first, the affects could have been lessened. Having an effective evacuation plan could have pre-empted the disaster. Buildings that are vulnerable need to make sure that there is a way to get as many people out of the building as possible. These evacuation plans need to apply to everyone in the building and enforced. Not only is an evacuation plan important, it is important for emergency response vehicle to get to and from the disaster. If a plan was in force and New York was prepared, the severity would have been lessoned. It is all about being prepared. Being prepared may not be able to stop the att ack from happening, but it can lessen the severity. It is never to late to be prepared for a disaster. Many vulnerable areas can learn a lesson from what happened and learn to prepare their selves if a similar incident happens. 3. Is there any indication that New York or Washington D.C. utilized a hazard and/or vulnerability analysis in their planning for this type of disaster? There wasn’t a strong indication that N

Cultural Event Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 17

Cultural Event Report - Essay Example But to witness the extravaganza the spectacle of the fairy tale complimented by a truly scintillating music was a pleasure to eyes that reached out its wings directly to the heart and enabling the soul drenched with fatigue to rejuvenate and relinquish upon the musical extravaganza at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Witnessing Shrek on silver screen was a joy forever. But watching Richard Blackwood on stage with the musical spectacular portrayed at the Theatre Royal Drury lane was a lifetime experience indeed. The show runs at 3pm on Thursdays, Saturdays as well as Sundays and again on 7:30 pm on Mondays to Saturdays. On Wednesdays there is an exception and the show initiates on that day at 7pm. I had chosen the time slot of 3pm on Sunday, 19th of August 2012. Being a holiday the theatre was almost full and there were more than 150 men and women along with much number of enthusiast children watching the show which itself was giving a different color to the set up colorful ambience of the theatre. This show is running from 6th May, 2011 and shall run till October 21st 2012. The musical is directed by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford and produced by DreamWorks Theatrical, Neal Street Production. The musical is written by David Lindsay-Abaire. The moment one steps inside the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, one can witness the charm and magic the show bequest upon its spectators. The children were all excited and some were putting the masks of Shrek and his loyal donkey which they grabbed from outside the theatre (London & Partners, 2012). All the characters of the real film appeared on stage with accuracy and grace complimented by all fresh musical scores, songs and peppy dance which excels all fairy-tales on stage was a real treat to the eyes. Especially the Shrek Anthem, ‘I’m a Believer’ is perfectly posited in the musical enhancing its effect and weight. The musical comedy filled with the adventure in which Shrek

Decisions In Paradise Part 1 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decisions In Paradise Part 1 - Research Paper Example Our organization would be establish a greater presence in Kava and contribute towards its socio-economic development through creating employment opportunities and become proactive participant in community development. There is a huge problem of unemployment as the government seems to lack necessary financial resources to establish industries and infrastructure. Despite having the support of state and military, terrorism is active from within and outside the region which is creating unstable environment for global businesses and adversely impacting the local economy. It is often seen that fast urbanization and the technological advancements have been responsible for global climate change which may have contributed to the increased frequency of natural calamities, throughout the world. Kava too is prone to natural disasters and at the same time external factors like terrorism and internal strife, has produced many securities among the local population. Hence, one needs to apply the technique of decision making that would help to decide on the projects that are best suited to benefit both Kava people and our organization. The strategy would need to take the following salient points into consideration: ‘Decision matrices are most effective where you have a number of good alternatives and many factors to take into account’ (grid analysis, internet). Decision Matrix Analysis would facilitate us to reach to the right decision because it incorporates a huge range of factors for the various projects that can be started here. The organization would be using the local raw material and would be providing employment to the local population which has diverse socio-cultural ideology. The multicultural workforce with conflicting ideologies may pose serious problems for the management and may have adverse impact on the business outcome. The natural disasters and terrorism from within and outside the country is another

Enterprise Networking and Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enterprise Networking and Security - Assignment Example 1 Introduction It has been concluded by some experts that the year 2012 is considered to be the worst year in terms of computer network security breaches (Schirick 2012). Likewise, the year that has not even passed the half year mark, some of the foremost companies were sufferers of network security breaches resulting in massive losses (Schirick 2012). However, the news buzz only highlights Sony and Citibank to be victims of network security breaches, as these companies are popular among the public. The other sides of the picture highlights organizations of all sizes are affected by the consequences of network security breaches. Likewise, it can be concluded that network security risks are continuously evolving, modifying and growing at a rapid pace. Organizations normally install a firewall and even intrusion detection systems that triggers alerts of any suspicious activity, as these two components only covers the technical domain and not the human and physical domain. The current n etwork scenario is utilizing a Virtual Private Connection that is connecting one or more sites. However, the VPN connection is also entitled to allow internet traffic on the same dedicated line from the Internet Service Provider. Moreover, the current network only utilizes a single firewall that is located at the main campus of the university. It concludes that the rest of the two remote sites are only protected via a simple Network address translation function that is incorporated in a DSL modem. Moreover, there are no advanced security appliances such as Intrusion detection systems for analyzing and monitoring any suspicious activity that may possibly become a threat to the University’s computer network. Moreover, there is no patch management for updating security patches in the workstations connected to the network. There are no indications of hardening servers for instance, email server, application server, centralized server and database server must be hardened and needs physical protection as well. 2 Security Vulnerabilities The current network security vulnerabilities will be accessed in three categories i.e. logical security, internal security and external security. As far as logical security is concerned, we can see that the fig 1.1 demonstrates a firewall, Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) server and a domain controller with Microsoft Active Directory. The three categories for network vulnerabilities are categorized as below: 2.1 Logical Vulnerabilities The current logical controls for protecting information assets within the network are active Microsoft Active directory, ISA server and a Firewall. The Microsoft active directory is not primarily a security control, as it does not mitigate any risks associated with viruses, worms, Trojans, phishing, spam, denial of service attacks etc. however, it provides a secure administration of user profiles and File sharing features. File sharing threats are spreading on a rapid pace, as every now and then, new file sharing technologies are getting being developed and in demand. Controls will not only provide value from all network based services, but will also augment productivity for the organization in terms of revenue, customer loyalty and competitive advantage. Workgroup based environment is not centralized. For instance,