The Stone Angel Essay -- English Literature Essays

The Stone Angel Self-Inflicted Isolation and Loneliness â€Å"I never realized until this moment how cut off I am.† (Laurence, 1988, 294) In the novel The Stone Angel, author Margaret Laurence portrays a lonely old woman by the name of Hagar. Over the course of the novel, Hagar reflects back on the memories that have created the story of her life. Hagar is a deeply lonely woman, and much of that loneliness is self-inflicted. This mental isolation is caused by her stubbornness, her pride, and the blindness that she has towards any opinion other than her own. Hagar Currie-Shipley is a very stubborn woman at the age of ninety. She is very set in her ways, and does not appreciate being told what to do. The reader is introduced to this stubbornness when Hagar is brought to Silverthreads nursing home to view the location. Upon this discovery, Hagar attempts to run away, only to find herself lost in a forest. However, this stubbornness is not a new characteristic of Hagar’s, for she has been this way since early childhood. I wouldn’t let him see me cry, I was so enraged. He used a foot ruler, and when I jerked my smarting palms back, he made me hold them out again. He looked at my dry eyes in fury, as though he’d failed unless he drew water from them. He struck and struck, and then all at once he threw the ruler down and put his arms around me†¦ â€Å"You take after me,† he said, as though that made everything clear. â€Å"You’ve got backbone, I’ll give you that.† (Laurence, 1988, 9-10) This passage shows Hagar’s ability to hide her true emotions, which is a tool that she uses a lot later on in life. She later talks of making love to her husband, Bram, stating that even when she did enjoy it, â€Å"He never knew. I never let him know. I never spoke aloud, and I made certain the trembling was all inner.† (Laurence, 1988, 81) Also, early on in life, when her brother Dan was dying of pneumonia, she could not bring herself to perform his final wish. He cried for his dead mother, and Matt had asked Hagar to wear an old shawl, to act as their mother, and hold Dan, but Hagar could not bear the thought of portraying someone as weak as her mother. Her heart seems to be made of stone, much like the stone angel that her father had imported from Italy for her mother’s grave. Hagar kept all of her emotions bottled up inside. After Bram died, she did not allow herself to cry. It w... ...d to send Arlene to Toronto. When John tells Hagar about the move Hagar pretends to know nothing about it. John informs her that she â€Å" ‘always bet on the wrong horse,’ John said gently. ‘Marv was your boy, but you never saw that, did you?’† (Laurence, 1988, 237) it really opens Hagar’s eyes. She realizes that she has been wrong in her favoritism, although she will not admit it until later on after John is dead. When she is lying in her hospital bed many years later, she lets this realization be known, telling Marvin â€Å" ‘You’ve not been cranky, Marvin. You’ve been good to me, always. A better son than John.’† (Laurence, 1988, 305) Sometimes these realizations come too late. The self-inflicted isolation that Hagar feels is a result of her stubbornness, pride, and blindness towards other views. Her past has shaped her to become the bitter, stolid, rigid old woman that she is in the novel, also greatly contributing to her mental isolation. This isolation is a result of the personal decisions and actions that she has made throughout the course of the novel. â€Å"Every last one of them has gone and left me. I never left them. It was the other way around, I swear it.† (Laurence, 1988, 164) The Stone Angel Essay -- English Literature Essays The Stone Angel Self-Inflicted Isolation and Loneliness â€Å"I never realized until this moment how cut off I am.† (Laurence, 1988, 294) In the novel The Stone Angel, author Margaret Laurence portrays a lonely old woman by the name of Hagar. Over the course of the novel, Hagar reflects back on the memories that have created the story of her life. Hagar is a deeply lonely woman, and much of that loneliness is self-inflicted. This mental isolation is caused by her stubbornness, her pride, and the blindness that she has towards any opinion other than her own. Hagar Currie-Shipley is a very stubborn woman at the age of ninety. She is very set in her ways, and does not appreciate being told what to do. The reader is introduced to this stubbornness when Hagar is brought to Silverthreads nursing home to view the location. Upon this discovery, Hagar attempts to run away, only to find herself lost in a forest. However, this stubbornness is not a new characteristic of Hagar’s, for she has been this way since early childhood. I wouldn’t let him see me cry, I was so enraged. He used a foot ruler, and when I jerked my smarting palms back, he made me hold them out again. He looked at my dry eyes in fury, as though he’d failed unless he drew water from them. He struck and struck, and then all at once he threw the ruler down and put his arms around me†¦ â€Å"You take after me,† he said, as though that made everything clear. â€Å"You’ve got backbone, I’ll give you that.† (Laurence, 1988, 9-10) This passage shows Hagar’s ability to hide her true emotions, which is a tool that she uses a lot later on in life. She later talks of making love to her husband, Bram, stating that even when she did enjoy it, â€Å"He never knew. I never let him know. I never spoke aloud, and I made certain the trembling was all inner.† (Laurence, 1988, 81) Also, early on in life, when her brother Dan was dying of pneumonia, she could not bring herself to perform his final wish. He cried for his dead mother, and Matt had asked Hagar to wear an old shawl, to act as their mother, and hold Dan, but Hagar could not bear the thought of portraying someone as weak as her mother. Her heart seems to be made of stone, much like the stone angel that her father had imported from Italy for her mother’s grave. Hagar kept all of her emotions bottled up inside. After Bram died, she did not allow herself to cry. It w... ...d to send Arlene to Toronto. When John tells Hagar about the move Hagar pretends to know nothing about it. John informs her that she â€Å" ‘always bet on the wrong horse,’ John said gently. ‘Marv was your boy, but you never saw that, did you?’† (Laurence, 1988, 237) it really opens Hagar’s eyes. She realizes that she has been wrong in her favoritism, although she will not admit it until later on after John is dead. When she is lying in her hospital bed many years later, she lets this realization be known, telling Marvin â€Å" ‘You’ve not been cranky, Marvin. You’ve been good to me, always. A better son than John.’† (Laurence, 1988, 305) Sometimes these realizations come too late. The self-inflicted isolation that Hagar feels is a result of her stubbornness, pride, and blindness towards other views. Her past has shaped her to become the bitter, stolid, rigid old woman that she is in the novel, also greatly contributing to her mental isolation. This isolation is a result of the personal decisions and actions that she has made throughout the course of the novel. â€Å"Every last one of them has gone and left me. I never left them. It was the other way around, I swear it.† (Laurence, 1988, 164)

Explain what Plato meant by the Form of the Good Essay

Plato was an Ancient Greek philosopher whose writings and theories have greatly influenced the development of Western philosophy. Perhaps his most famous theory is that of the Forms – pure ideas or concepts of what a THING is. It was Plato’s belief that as well as this world, the material world – or the world of Appearances, as he called it – there exists another dimension, where the true Forms of everything in the material world reside; Reality, or the realm of the Forms. A Form, by Plato’s reckoning, is eternal, perfect and unchanging, unlike the images or shadows of Forms that we see in the world of Appearances. In the material world, nothing is perfect, everything changes and eventually everything dies. However, Plato was a dualist, so he believed that as well as our mortal body we also have an immortal soul which existed before and will exist after our time in this world of appearances. The place where our souls resided before we were born and will return to when we die is the realm of the Forms. This, according to Plato explains why we have an innate (though dim) recollection of what Forms are, and why we can recognize things like beauty and justice without being taught. Plato believed that the true philosopher was the one who knew about the Forms and was trying to appreciate and understand the Form of the Good. The Form of the Good is the highest in Plato’s hierarchy of Forms, the highest reality. It is the source and the unity of all the other Forms, and illuminates them so that if one has understanding of the Form of the Good, they have understanding of all the Forms. In Plato’s analogy of the Cave, the Good is represented by the Sun, which is the source of all the objects that the escaped prisoner finds above ground. The Sun makes all the things above ground visible, just like the Form of the Good makes all the other Forms understandable. The Analogy of the Sun by Plato tells us more about the Form of the Good. Plato believed that sight was the â€Å"most noble† of the five senses, because the other four require only two things, a sensor and a sensed (eg. an ear and a sound, a nose and a smell). Sight, however, requires three: an eye, a thing to be seen and the sun to provide light and make it possible for the eye to see it. Plato likens sight to reason; reason requires somebody to understand/to be enlightened, a thing to understand, and the Good to make it possible to understand it. The Form of the Good cannot ever be wholly present in the world of Appearances; however it can, like the other Forms, be reflected in a variety of ways. This, Plato argues, is the reason why we can call so many different things â€Å"good† – because they all correspond to the true reality of goodness at least in part. A cake can be called â€Å"good† if it satisfies someone’s hunger and pleases their taste buds; a chair can be called â€Å"good† if it is comfortable and doesn’t break when you sit on it; a person can be called â€Å"good† if they are kind to others, or if they volunteer in developing countries. But the Form of Good is all of these things, and more than all of these things, says Plato, and because all the Forms come from the Form of Good, every time Truth or Beauty or Justice is reflected in the world of Appearances, Good is being reflected too. Some people think that Plato’s theory of the Form of the Good doesn’t work, because, they argue, around the world and through the ages there are different concepts and understandings of what it means to be good or what a good thing is, so there cannot possibly be a perfect singular Good to which all these different actions and people agree with. These people are known as moral relativists and they do not believe there is absolute morality, rather one must decide what is right and wrong from the particular situation they are in. For example, in some cultures, it is never a good thing to take a life, even if that person has done terrible things including taking lives themselves. However, in other cultures, if the person has done terrible things society will agree that they should be executed for the good of the rest of society and to protect them from future crimes that the person could commit in the future. Plato was a moral absolutist, someone who does believe in a total, unchanging good. Moral absolutists would argue that just because not every culture recognizes the true goodness for what it is, that doesn’t make it any less good.

A Streetcar Named Desire Final Scene

Scene eleven (in some editions it is labeled as Act III Scene Five) of A Streetcar Named Desire takes place a few days after Blanche DuBois was raped by Stanley Kowalski. In between scene ten and eleven, how has Blanche processed the sexual assault? It seems that she has told her sister, Stella. however, having returned from the hospital with her first born child, and being fully aware that Blanche has become mentally unstable, Stella has chosen not to believe her story. Miss DuBois Is Being Sent Away Blanche still clings to fantasy, telling others that she is expecting to go away on a trip with her wealthy gentleman friend. During the last few days, Blanche has probably been maintaining her frail illusions to the best of her ability, staying hidden as best she can in the spare room, trying to hold onto what little privacy she has left. How has Stanley been behaving since the rape? The scene begins with yet another macho poker night. Stanley demonstrates no regret, no transformation -- his conscience seems a blank slate. Stella is waiting for a psychiatric doctor to arrive and take Blanche away to an asylum. She contemplates with her neighbor Eunice, wondering if she is doing the right thing. She refers to ​Blanches rape: Stella: I couldnt believe her story and go on living with Stanley! (Breaks, turns to Eunice, who takes her in her arms.) Eunice: (Holding Stella close.) Dont you ever believe it. Youve got to keep on goin honey. No matter what happens, weve all got to keep on going. Blanche steps out of the bathroom. The stage directions explain that there is a tragic radiance about her. The sexual assault seems to have pushed her further into delusion. Blanche fantasies (and probably believes) that she will soon be traveling on the sea. She imagines dying at sea, killed by the unwashed grape from the French Market, and compares the color of the ocean to that of her first loves eyes. The Strangers Arrive A psychiatric doctor and nurse arrive to take Blanche to a hospital for mental patients. At first, Blanche thinks that her wealthy friend Shep Huntleigh has arrived. However, once she sees the strange woman she begins to panic. She runs back into the bedroom. When she claims to have forgotten something, Stanley cooly explains, Now Blanche -- you left nothing here but split talcum and old empty perfume bottles, unless its the paper lantern you want to take with you. This suggests that Blanches entire life offers nothing of lasting value. The paper lantern is a device she has used to shield her looks and her life from the harsh light of reality. One last time, Stanley shows his addict disdain for her by tearing the lantern off of the light bulb and casting it down. Blanche grabs the lantern and tries to run away, but she is grappled by the nurse, and then all hell breaks loose: Stella screams and pleads for her sisters well-being.Eunice holds Stella back.Mitch, blaming the situation on his friend, attacks Stanley.The doctor enters and eventually calms Blanche (and everyone else). After looking at the kind doctor, Blanches demeanor changes. She actually smiles and says the plays famous line, Whoever you are - I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. The doctor and nurse lead her from the apartment. Stella, still wracked with mixed emotions, calls to her sister, but Blanche ignores her, perhaps now forever lost in her illusions. The Films Ending Vs. The Plays Final Moments It is important to note that in the Elia Kazan film, Stella seems to blame and reject Stanley. The movie adaptation implies that Stella will no longer trust her husband, and might actually leave him. However, in Tennessee Williams original play, the story ends with Stanley taking his sobbing with into his arms and soothingly saying: Now, honey. Now, love. The curtain falls as the men resume their poker game. Throughout the play, many of Blanche DuBois words and actions denote her revulsion of truth and reality. As she often states, she would much rather have magic, much rather live a fanciful lie rather than deal with the ugliness of the real world. And yet, Blanche is not the only delusional character in the play. Delusion and Denial During the final scene of A Streetcar Named Desire, the audience witnesses Stella adopting the delusion that her husband is trustworthy, that he did not, in fact, rape her sister. When Eunice says, No matter what happens, weve all got to keep going, she is preaching the virtues of self-deception. Tell yourself whatever you need to in order to sleep at night, in order to carry on with each day. Mitch adopts the delusion that Stanley is the only one responsible for Blanches undoing, eschewing any moral responsibility. Finally, even Stanley himself, the masculine character who prides himself on being down-to-earth, at facing life for what it is, falls prey to delusions. For one, he has always been more than a bit paranoid about her intentions, believing that Blanche has been trying to usurp him from his role as king of his castle. Just before raping Blanche he declares, Weve had this date with each other from the beginning, implying that Blanche has complied with the sexual act -- another delusion. Even in the last scene, while witnessing Blanches mental frailty in all its pathos, Stanley still believes that he has done nothing wrong. His powers of denial are stronger than that of Blanche DuBois. Unlike Stanley, she cannot skirt regret and guilt; they will continue to haunt her no matter how many illusions (or paper lanterns) she creates.

William Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream, Julius...

The Use of Structure in a Shakespearean Play: Structure in Henry the V Authors use structure in their written or performed pieces of work to further the reader or viewer’s understanding of the plot, to illuminate and widen the perception of a certain text. This is so in the case of Shakespeare and his many plays; Shakespeare makes incredibly meticulous use of the structure and order in which the events occur to more specifically make the point he is anticipating the reader to grasp. Many authors do this, but Shakespeare deserves a closer look, as he is one of the most famous, if not the most famous, classic literature artist who understood this concept broadly. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet all display Shakespeare’s understanding of the rhythm of events that contribute to the overall understanding of a piece of work. Moreover, Henry V is a play that does this with a magnanimity of eloquence, in which Shakespeare arranges the speeches, wars, and comedy in a perfect chronological order to please the reader. Most of Shakespeare’s work ends in the protagonist, depending on how many there are, tragically dying and leaving the reader or viewer motionless, irritated at the fact that the story will not go on with that character. Henry the V is different in this aspect because the play leaves the reader very satisfied, they have experienced the building up of certain characters, they have experienced suspense, a climax with the highest form of action,Show MoreRelatedDefining The Terms Renaissance And Humanism875 Words   |  4 Pagesscientific and artistic transformation and advancement between the Middle Ages and the early stages of the Modern age in Europe (2014). 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Asian Americans - 1039 Words

Jose Cruz Asian-Americans Soc/262-Contemporary American Society Nantrece Carraby August 10, 2015 Asian Americans According to the United States Census Bureau the definition of Asians refers to those people of origins of any original peoples of Southeast Asia, Far East, and or the Indian subcontinent. Asian Americans cover four point eight percent of the United States population. Asian Americans tend to have the highest educational accomplishments and income compared to other races. Along with other races and ethnicities Asian Americans have a remarkable thorough history. Analysis Cultural value of Asians towards education Educational goals from Asian American parents play a vast role in their children’s†¦show more content†¦This act was but a revised act of the US- China Burlingame Treaty that allowed the United States to suspend Chinese immigration. This act was only intended to last ten years but, was renewed again in 1892 and made permanent in 1902. This was the first United States law that prevented a specific ethnic group from immigrating into the United States. Despite all this racism, came along the Manguson Act which canceled the Chinese Exclusion Act in December 17, 1943. Similarities and differences between Asians and Americans Just like many other families, Asian values are similar to those of American values but, there are some differences. One main similarity between Asians and Americans is that both seek for the best quality of life they possibly deserve. The Asian culture is very communal and family orientated, unlike the American culture, Americans tend to be very independent and individually orientated. An interesting topic that I came across was how Asian and Americans interpret directness. In the Asian culture people tend to value politeness above directness. On the other hand Americans tend to value directness over being polite, in other words Americans lay it out how it is and Asians tend to sugar coat it. 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Nutrition in Fitness and Sport Free Essays

string(29) " the risk of protein losses\." Final Case Study: A Teenage Female Champion Grace MacMillan Nutrition for Fitness and Sport Introduction Ice hockey is characterized by high intensity intermittent skating, rapid changes in velocity, lengthy duration and frequent body contact (1). The typical player performs for 15 to 20 minutes of a 60 minute game (1). Each shift lasts from 30 to 90 seconds with 4 to 4 minutes of recovery between shifts. We will write a custom essay sample on Nutrition in Fitness and Sport or any similar topic only for you Order Now The intensity of a particular shift is determined be the duration and the extent of the contribution from aerobic to anaerobic energy systems by the player (1). In order to accommodate the body for these high intensity bursts and length of activity the player must develop muscle strength, power and anaerobic endurance in addition to a good aerobic system (1). Hockey players tend to have a mesomorphic structure and are relatively lean to positively influence their skating performance (1). For my nutrition analysis I chose an adolescent female hockey player. As far as teenage athletes go, AC has already more than filled her resume with an abundance of accomplishments including a gold medal from the 2012 IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship, the 2011 Tier 1 Under 19 U. S. National Championship, the 2010 Under 16 U. S. National Championship and the 2009 Atlantic Challenge Cup in addition to representing Team Nova Scotia at the 2011 Canada Winter Games. As a student at the private hockey prep school of Sattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribauly, Minnesota she is limited to a very specific selection of food on campus as she is a boarding student there. Female athletes are faced daily with the challenge of meeting the nutrient requirements for growth and development in addition to sport performance (2). Due to the wide range of physiological demands a large proportion of female athletes regularly do not meet DRI’s for a number of macro and micronutrients some of which include vitamin D, folate, vitamin E and calcium (2). The current research illustrates the challenges that female athletes may face, otherwise known as the â€Å"female athlete triad† which include disordered eating, amenorrhea and osteoporosis (3). Furthermore, female teenage athletes have found to have relatively low energy intake and inadequate intakes of certain nutrients which are observed to improve seasonally in correspondence to their in-season and off-season, respectively (4). Assessment Part A: Objective Data AC is a 17 year old female who is currently 68. 95kg at 1. 73m tall and has reported to have a 21% body fat composition, which equates to a normal BMI of 23. AC communicated the desire to cut weight to 65. 7kg, which equates to a normal BMI of 22 by August 1st 2012 in preparation for her next achievement of playing for Team Canada in the Olympics. In the patient’s case it would be more appropriate to use the body fat percentage to measure weight loss because the losses will be in body fat not lean body mass (5). Fortunately in preparation of this event, AC is required to fill out a daily reflection including food log, physical activity as defined by strength training, cardio and core exercise and personal r eflection. Thus, from the data given to me I have chosen to pick 3 weekdays and 3 weekend days to analyze. In summary, in-season she participates twice weekly with a strength training workout for approximately one hour and ice skating (practice) every day for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. As part of school extra circular activities she incorporates basketball 3 times weekly for 45 minutes in addition to games once to twice weekly. During the off-season she strives to maintain 4 days per week of strength training exercise, in addition to skating twice a week and running for approximately an hour each day. The raw data can be viewed in appendix A. Part B: Analysis of the Data The analysis of AC’s daily reflection reveals that as most female athletes she does not meet the required amount of energy for her physical activity level and body structure, but due to her current goal of losing weight, restricting calories while maintaining the recommended amount of servings as per the Canada’s Food Guide does not put her at risk for any of the symptoms of the female triad. AC’s diet analysis reveals that although she is meeting her calcium requirement, other nutrients of concern as revealed by the literature review such as vitamin D, E and folate are not being met. AC is currently taking a multivitamin but was unable to describe in any detail in the interview type or contents (as her mother sends them too her from home) but the vitamin most likely supplies micronutrient needs. Furthermore, in most cases AC is effective with meal timing, especially when you look at her inclusion of mid-morning snacks most days, which tend to be the days where a morning practice or working out is has occured. In regards to AC’s recommended food guide servings, as analyzed in appendix B, she meets her dairy servings all of the time, meat and alternative servings most of the time but only meets her fruit and vegetable and grain servings half some of the time. This further eliminates the risk of osteoporosis and protein losses, thus, analysis should focus on grain servings to promote increased carbohydrate consumption and reaching daily servings of fruits and vegetables. If we calculate AC’s carbohydrate (CHO) requirement as a recommendation based on body weight (per kg) and expressed as total grams per day considering her sport as intermittent high intensity she requires approximately 400g – 680g CHO/day. This amount can easily be adjusted daily in correspondence to the amount of exercise and energy level to accommodate weight loss. The average CHO intake was 246. 67g per day which equates to approximately 1000 Kcal per day but only nearly half of the recommended CHO consumption. As the role of protein is to build and repair tissue, consuming the recommended serving amounts is extremely important to protect herself against the risk of protein losses. You read "Nutrition in Fitness and Sport" in category "Essay examples" If we calculate AC`s protein (PRO) requirement as a recommendation based on body weight (per kg) and expressed as total grams per day considering her sport as intermittent high intensity she requires approximately 89g – 103g PRO/day. To protect against protein losses and maintain existing muscle, timing of consumption becomes extremely important. After exercise protein sources should be consumed immediately after (stage 1) and within 2 hours after (stage 2) but should not exceed more than 1. 6g/kg per day (5). The average PRO intake was 104g per day which equates to approximately 417. 33 Kcal per day and exceeds her recommended protein intake slightly. As some dietary fat is essential to cell development and synthesis, and the recommended amounts range from 20-35% of the dietary energy intake are required. In comparison to her recommended range of fat intake as described by EatTracker, AC is not usually achieving her recommended amount of fat as her average fat intake was 42g per day which equates to approximately 378 Kcal, which is just less than 12% daily intake from fat. Lastly, fluids impact the regulation of body temperature, hydration and remove metabolic excretions which all improve athletic performance. Sweat rates and hydration level are affected by the duration, environmental temperature and intensity of the exercise the participant is engaged in, ergo, water needs are fairly diverse. As a regular participant in vigorous and enduring exercise AC’s fluid recommendations would be fairly high. AC reported to consume at least one cup of water usually at every meal and drinks as much as 2L over the duration of any length of exercise. Nutrition Plan and Recommendations In regards to the literature review of typical female athlete concerns, AC is an ideal patient considering she does not show any symptoms of the female athlete triad and although weight loss is desired, she has determined an appropriate weight loss and time frame to achieve her goal by maintaining food guide recommendations while reducing energy intake. AC has described an appropriate goal of losing 3. 18kg over 8 months (as the goal was acknowledged in January) to increase athletic performance and maintain good health by reducing body fat. To improve weight loss results AC should consume a number of small frequent meals that have a high proportion of CHO to maintain blood glucose levels and moderate protein levels to ensure adequate replacement of lean protein tissue (5). Although AC is typically meeting her Food Guide recommendations, she needs to ensure adequate energy intake of approximately 2700 Kcal/day and devise energy into 5-6 small meals every day. Some days she is just barely consuming 1200 Kcal which is not enough energy to keep her body strong and maintain muscle tissue when considering the amount of physical demand on the body from the substantial amount of exercise. An energy reduction of 500 Kcal (2700kcal/day from 3200kcal/day) is appropriate to reduce weight by approximately 0. 45kg (1lb) per week, reducing weight by approximately 3. 6kg over 8 weeks. This gives the participant approximately 24 weeks to maintain and stabilize weight loss. As AC’s physical activity participation is generally stable it is more appropriate to request stable and reduced energy intakes versus increasing physical activity duration (5). Further recommendations for AC would be to monitor weight changes during exercise to ensure adequate hydration status. Before exercise, increase fluid intake and reduce fat and fiber intake to facilitate gastric emptying and minimize GI upsets (5). During and after exercise consume fluids to replace sweat losses and maintain hydration status, which may include incorporating a sport drink to replenish water, carbohydrate and electrolyte levels. To increase consumption, ensure fluids are chilled to approximately 10 degrees Celsius (5). Advise that most liquids including milk, water, soup, 100% percent juices and sports drinks all contribute to fluid intake recommendation. * I would advise AC to increase carbohydrate and fat intake by adding a carbohydrate rich snack in the afternoon each day and increase fat of dairy products. A recommended meal plan using the ‘Beyond the Basics’ guidelines can be viewed in appendix G taking into consideration AC’s limited food choices, EER, carbohydrate, protein and fat recommendations. Appendix A: AC’s Daily Reflections Appendix B: Nutritional Analysis via eaTracker (Dietitians of Canada) January 7 2012 Food Group Analysis Nutrient Analysis January 10 2012 Food Group Analysis Nutrient Analysis January 16 2012 Food Group Analysis Nutrition Analysis January 21 2012 Food Group Analysis Nutrient Analysis January 23 2012 Food Group Analysis Nutrient Analysis January 30 2012 Food Group Analysis Nutrient Analysis Appendix C: Overview of Vitamin Intake Analysis via eaTracker (Dietitians of Canada) Appendix D: Estimate Energy Requirements Calculation Female (age 9-18) = 135. 3 – 30. 8 x Age + [PA x (10. 0 x Wt. + 934 x Ht. )] + 25 = 135. 3 – 30. x Age + [1. 56 (10. 0 x 68. 95kg + 934 x 1. 73m)] + 25 = 3233 kcal/day ? 3200 kcal/day Appendix E: Carbohydrate Requirements As a percent of 3200 Kcal and expressed as total grams per day = 55 – 60% x 3200Kcal = 1760 – 1920Kcal / day = 1760 – 1920 Kcal / 4 Kcal/g ? 440 – 480 g CHO/day As a recommendation based on body weight (per kg) and expressed as total grams per day considering her sport as intermittent high intensity = 6 – 10g/kg x 68. 95kg = 413. 7g – 689. 5g CHO/day ? 400g – 680g CHO/day Appendix F: Protein Requirements As a recommendation based on body weight (per kg) and expressed as total grams per day = 1. 3g/kg – 1. g/kg x 68. 95kg = 89. 64g – 103. 43g PRO/day ? 89g – 103g PRO/day Appendix G: Meal Plan Breakfast 1 cup 100% fruit juice, 1 large banana, 1 slice French toast, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 cup yogurt Morning Snack 1 Instant Oatmeal pouch, 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1 med. apple Lunch 1 cups 2% milk, 1 cup pasta, ? cup ground beef, ? cup tomato sauce, 1 cup strawberries Afternoon Snack 12 crackers, 1 medium orange Supper 1 cup 2% milk, 1 cup rice, 1 chicken breast, ? cup carrots, ? cup kernel corn Evening snack 24 tortilla chips, ? cup salsa Appendix H: Meal Plan Analysis via eaTracker (Dietitians of Canada) Food Group Analysis of Meal Plan: Nutrient Analysis References 1. Montgomery DL. Physiology of Ice Hockey. Sports Med. 1988;5(2):99-126. 2. Gibson JC, Stuard-Hill L, Martin S and Gaul C. Nutritional status of junior elite Canadian female soccer athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011;21(6):507-14. 3. Gabel K. Special nutritional concerns for the female athlete. ACSM. 2006;5(4):187-191. 4. Ziegler P et al. Nutritional status of teenage female competitive figure skaters. J Amer Diet Assoc. 2002;102(3):374-379. 5. Williams MH. Nutrition for Health, Fitness and Sport. 9th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc; 2010. 6. Dufour, A. Introduction to Protein Powerpoint. Bedford, MSVU; 2012. 7. Dufour, A. Practical Applications of Protein (PRO) Powerpoint. Bedford, MSVU; 2012. 8. Convertino, V. A, Armstrong L. E. , Coyle, W. F. , et al. (1996). American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: Exercise and Fluid Replacement. American College of Sports Medicine, 517-521. 9. Dufour, A. Energy Metabolism and Carbohydrates Powerpoint. Bedford, MSVU; 2011. 10. Dieticians of Canada. EatTracker. Dieticians of Canada; 2012. 11. Canadian Diabetes Association. Beyond the Basics: Meal Planning for Healthy Eating, Diabetes Prevention and Management, Version 2. Toronto: Canadian Diabetes Association; 2005. How to cite Nutrition in Fitness and Sport, Essay examples

Kingsford Charcoal Case free essay sample

Competition – is Kingsford competing against other charcoal manufacturers, gas grills manufacturers, or a combination of both? 4. Promotion – what was the best strategy to promote the Kingsford brand? Should Kingsford strive to increase overall grilling events, or just emphasize the Kingsford brand? 5. Capacity – if the Kingsford business could be grown substantially, is the current manufacturing capacity adequate in the near-term? Long-term? I. 1Goals I determined that the specific goals that the brand managers should be focused on achieving are: 1. Growing the charcoal market (resulting in growth for Kingsford due to its huge share of the market), 2. Increase profitability through growth and production optimization, 3. Strengthen the brand by employing a marked increase in advertising and specific promotional themes, 4. New product development, and 5. Increase in non-seasonal business (this will both increase volume and smooth out production). I. 2Challenges The challenge facing the brand managers is how to achieve these goals in the face of a declining charcoal market. This is a benefit to Kingsford in value building of the organization and beneficial information that can be used to increase their value communication in advertisements, prices, promotion and production. With the largest market share in charcoal sales, Kingsford’s market share in the first half of 2000 was 56. 1% and in the second half of 2000 market share was 59. 1% due in part to price increases by its competitors Royal Oak and private label brand charcoal manufactures. The promotion of â€Å"better taste† is also a benefit to the Kingsford Brand, as there is intensive growth in the gas grilling market.The production of the regular charcoal (blue bag) and match light instant charcoal (red bag), keeps Kingsford distinguished as a brand and will continue the growth of product distinction. Weaknesses Since 1998, Kingsford has not adjusted their prices while competitors have raised their prices and have also allowed their advertising budget to decrease over a span of 5 ye ars to about $1 million per year. Kingsford is also not taking their association to Clorox Company to their advantage by partnering with other sub-brands, and has not effectively responded to the increase of gas grill customers.The lack of control of vendor and retail pricing is also a weakness for Kingsford sales are less predictable for their various markets. Opportunities Kingsford has many opportunities to increase its market share in the charcoal and gas grilling industries through a strategic marketing strategy that will connect gas grill consumers to the Kingsford brand. Through the use of marketing information systems, information can be provided to show how advertising can be effective for targeted, available and potential markets.The information gathered would also provide measures that would determine market demand and give insight into how Kingsford should price their products to appeal to each market group to develop customer relationships through promotional events, brand placement advertisements and t he production of new products. Finally, Kingsford can tap into global markets to expand their market demand. Threats Kingsford’s lack of advertising within the industry while gas grill advertising has increased is a detriment to their brand recognition. Kingsford also has limited production capacity and affect its supply of charcoal if demand increases by 5%, so it is important to monitor production to avoid capacity shortages. While Kingsford has not raised its prices in recent years, distributors have slightly increased Kingsford’s prices to consumers (approximately 5%), and Kingsford needs to narrow the price gap between private label brands. Weather patterns have also impacted the grilling season and can potentially affect overall sales. AlternativesIn a response to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the organization, several alternatives should be considered in strategizing the best way to increase the wealth of the organization. Expand Product Line: Kingsford has the option to set the pace for charcoal innovation by expanding product lines to generate additional interest in charcoal grilling. Engineering more environmentally friendly, flavor imparting and scented charcoals such as vanilla or mint fl avored charcoal may do this.In response to the trending up of gas grill usage from previous years, Kingsford could consider entering into wood chips production for gas grills. Additionally, to prevent seeing charcoal as a seasonal product, awareness could be drawn to other uses of charcoal, such as an odor remover in the home or a type of soil amendment by gardeners to improve crop growth. Education on these other uses will increase demand for charcoal all year round and not just during the warm months when grilling is prevalent.Increase advertising: An increase in advertising focusing on brand quality, affordability, and flavor adding benefit, as a way to counter the growth of gas grilling is another alternative considered. Integrated marketing whereby Kingsford would form partnerships with other brands and distributors to increase brand association with other industries could be employed such as working with food companies that promote grilling to cultivate relationships with customers. Increase Price: Kingsford could consider increasing prices like its competitors, although this would only generate short-term profits.The right time to launch a price in crease is crucial and Kingsford could decide to hold off on any price increases until such a time that the market has been clearly defined and it is safe to do so. Although a price increase will re-emphasize Kingsford’s brand quality, there exists the danger that its current market share will decline once the prices go up. Penetrate Global Markets: Another alternative is for Kingsford charcoal to penetrate global markets. As the US market gets saturated, untapped markets such as Europe and Asia could potentially become the ‘moneymakers’ for Kingsford and Clorox as a whole.Do nothing: A final alternative is for Kingsford to do nothing in the hopes of marinating its current business strategy on advertising and limiting the opportunity for increased growth. Recommendations The proposed strategic plan should consider advertising, pricing, promotion and production. Advertising needs can be met through the use of customer information; it is best to focus on the penetrated markets and targeted markets because they are most likely to remain loyal customers despite the rowth of the gas grilling industry. In a built-in effort to provide future growth to the Kingsford brand, a suggestion of researching global markets in order to expand consumer market should be considered. A decision to maintain cur rent prices should be made to maintain differentiation of Kingsford in the market. A second step to guarantee price differentiation is to consider a price control from within the organization to limit the pricing flexibility of retailers and vendors.Through the growing use of the World Wide Web, an effort to create product loyalty is suggested on creating promotional features that will make the Kingsford brand unique in the services that are offered. Considerations should be made for a cookbook, grilling cook-off during off peak grilling periods (which will create an opportunity for penetrated and targeted consumers to learn more about the products as well as to maintain interest), customer testimonials (to bring a face to the brand) and grilling tips. Finally, production should be maintained for the â€Å"red† and â€Å"blue† bags to continue product recognition.A new aspect of Kingsford that should be considered is expanding into the gas grilling industry, in order to have a market share and customer base in both industries. In conclusion, the prim ary objective of Kingsford should be to balance the needs of its advertising, pricing, promotion and production features to ensure that the brand remains a leader in the grilling industry, resulting in market share growth for the Clorox organization Exhibit A SWOT A SWOT analysis will formulate a strategy to determine the best alternatives and recommendations in regards to advertising, pricing, promotion and production for Kingsford.Strengths Kingsford is considered the top brand in charcoal and consumer studies show that Kingsford is perceived as a better product (60%) whereas only 13% said the same for private labels. This is a benefit to Kingsford as they are not required to spend funds on the value building. The increased operating funds can be used to develop new-offering realization process or customer relationship management process, since one-third of charcoal purchases are impulse buys. This is beneficial information for Kingsford because they can utilize this to increase their value communication in advertisements, prices, promotion and roduction. With the largest market share in charcoal sales, Kingsford’s market share in the first half of 2000 was 56. 1% and in the second half of 2000 market share was 59. 1% due in part to price increases by its competitors Royal Oak and private label brand charcoal manufactures. These price increases had consumers turning to Kingsford due to its lower price in the marketplace which will continue to solidify Kingsford’s control of the market. The promotion of â€Å"better taste† is also a benefit to the Kingsford Brand, as there is intensive growth in the gas grilling market.The continued positive relationship that Kingsford has with vendors and retails will be sustained through promotional alliances, pricing collaborations and logistical placement. The production of the regular charcoal (blue bag) and match light instant charcoal (red bag), which are distributed through food stores (66% of total sales), mass merchandisers and Wal-Mart (15%) and drug stores (2%), club stores and other non-traditional outlets (16%), keeps Kingsford distinguished as a brand and will continue the growth of product distinction.Weaknesses Since 1998, Kingsford has not adjusted their prices while competitors of private label brands and Royal Oak continually have raised their prices. Kingsford has also completed limited measures of market productivity, because they have allowed their advertising budget to decrease over a span of 5 years to about $1 million per year on the internal notion that Kingsford was a ‘sales-driven business’. Kingsford is also not taking their association to Clorox Company to their advantage by partnering with other sub-brands to promote their products through joint advertisement.The company also fears that the loss of some customers is a result of the increasing gas grilling industry and the increased charcoal prices has led to customer dissatisfaction. The lack of control of vendor and retail pricing is also a weakness for Kingsford, because they have not taken corrective action, sales are less predictable for their various markets. Kingsford needs to access their current vendor relations and strategically determine what marketing tools they can use to market charcoal in off peak seasons and with more strategic placement within stores.Opportunities Kingsford has many opportunities to increase its market share in the charcoal and gas grilling industries through a strategic plan that uses innovative approaches to bridge a connection to consumers that are using gas grills as well as using a marketing strategy that will appeal to Kingsford’s penetrated markets. Through the use of marketing information systems in Kingsford and through secondary sources on the gas grilling market a market intelligence system can be used to monitor purchasing habits of both charcoal and gas grillers.This information can provide insight as to how K ingsford should advertise to show brand quality in targeted, available and potential markets. The information gathered would also provide measures that would determine market demand and give insight into how Kingsford should price their products to appeal to each market group. The perception of Kingsford being a superior brand is something that can be used to develop customer relationships through promotional events, brand placement advertisements and the production of new products. Several things that Kingsford should consider are using grill-offs to promote the brand during off-peak grilling periods. Sparking interest at strategic times and encourage customers to purchase items and contribute the Kingsford market-buildup method. A cookbook, grilling tools ( added flavor briquettes, spatulas, grill brushes) and new gas friendly products (gas flavorings, eco-friendly propane) can be produced for market research, through the use of survey research or focus groups prior to determine what products are desired by consumers.Finally, Kingsford can tap into global markets to expand their market demand. Threats Kingsford’s lack of advertising within the industry while gas grill advertising has increased their media spending from less than $4 million in 1998 to over $10 million in 2000 is a huge advertising budget in comparison with Kingsford’s current $1 million budget. Any planned promotions to increase market share can have a negative effect on Kingsfor d’s bottom-line, with limited production capacity of some of Kingsford’s manufacturing sites (approximately 80%) will affect its supply of charcoal if demand increases by 5%.With the high cost of expansion $30-$50 million to build a new plant and at least five years for the permitting process, Kingsford needs to keep an eye on its capacity to avoid the pitfalls of not meeting demand due to capacity shortages. Pricing strategy; Kingsford pricing varies based on product type and size. The price of Kingsford regular (blue bag) and Match Light (red bag) products range from $4. 25 for A 10 pound bag of regular charcoal to $8. 07 for a 15 pound bag of Match Light.While Kingsford has not raised its prices in recent years, distributors have slightly increased Kingsford’s prices to consumers (approximately 5%). Even with unplanned price increases to consumers, Kingsford has increased its market share in the industry category. A critical pricing issue is the narrowing of the price gap between Kingsford and private label brands. Kingsford should seek to maintain a moderate gap between its quality product and private label brands.