Optimism in Anatole Broyards Intoxicated by My Illness Essay -- Intox

In Anatole Broyard's Intoxicated by My Illness, instead of confronting the reality of his illness, he tries to rise above it. From the moment he found out he had been diagnosed with cancer of the prostate, Broyard was composed about it. "He felt something like relief" he says. He figures you have two choices when your life is threatened, "you can turn towards it or away from it" He turned toward it and let the illness make him even more appreciative for being alive. Although he had realized for the first time that he didn't have forever he knows that life itself has a deadline, his might just come a little sooner than other peoples'. His friends found him courageous for thinking this way. Broyard never believed that his perspective of life had anything to do with courage, but instead with his desire to live and move on with his everyday routines. If he still had more time to live, why should he waste it by becoming depressed over the reality of things? In the 1950s, when he tried to talk his friend Jules out of commiting suicide, he began to "sell life to him" by makin...

Airline Ticket Prices Essay

An airline’s ticket price is determined by several factors to include time of day a consumer wishes to travel, day of the week such as Tuesday’s and Thursday’s are usually the most affordable days to travel, popular versus non-popular destinations, first class costs more than general class, cost of fuel, competition from other airlines, special factors such as discounts for military, government or corporate personnel, (How Stuff Works, n.d.) Airlines are constantly analyzing how much consumers are willing to pay and pushing consumers to pay more. Airlines have used numerous models and computer programs to manage revenue throughout time. These models and computer programs have become increasingly complex and expensive, over a million dollars. However, these older models and computer programs have been phased out due to the low-fare program that many airlines switched to for a while. â€Å"Low-fare carriers do have models to manage revenue, but they’re very simple: Prices tend to step up steadily as a flight date nears, and travelers who want flexibility — a refundable ticket, perhaps — pay more.† (NBC News, 2008) The problem with this marketing of tickets is that â€Å"locking buckets of seats into specific fares — left airlines with empty seats, losing money.† (NBC News, 2008) More airlines are using bidding wars to sale their tickets, increasing the price of the ticket over time. The highest bidder wins the ticket proving that people will pay for what they want. â€Å"The new system accommodates the proliferation of new ways to buy plane tickets, including discounters and online markets such as Priceline and Hotwire, which sell â€Å"distressed inventory† that airlines would otherwise write off.† (NBC News, 2008) Now to compare why an airline ticket costs the same from Casper, Wyoming to Denver, Colorado, and from Denver, Colorado to Orlando, Florida. Logically this makes no sense considering the difference in distance from one location to the other, consumers would assume the ticket from Casper to Denver would be cheaper than the ticket from Denver to Orlando. In the example given Casper, Wyoming to Denver is 280 miles with a four-hour driving time approximating about an hour-long flight compared to driving 1845 miles with a 27 hour drive from Denver, Colorado to Orlando, Florida with flight time of no more than five-hours nonstop. Airline ticket  prices generally are not set soley by distance for the most part, there are several factors such as consumer base such as cities that are more popular for business or pleasure trips, operating costs, and competition from other airlines, which leads to supply and demand. â€Å"When one increases the other decreases. As supply grows, demand diminishes. As does the price for that product. As demand grows, supply diminishes. And price goes up. It’s a function of our market.† (Consumerism, 2011) The price is the same due to supply and demand, which is usually set by which type of airlines frequent certain areas, â€Å"big airlines that fly to both Los Angeles and London from New York face low-fare airline competition on the domestic route, but not the international route, and so they charge far more.† (McCartney, WSJ, 2010) The cost curves affects airline ticket by pushing airline tickets to the lowest possible price where an airline will still be able to make a profit yet permitting consumers to pay the lowest price possible. â€Å"At the bottom of the curve the business in question achieves productive efficiency, this is where a unit of production is being made for the lowest possible cost.† (Rodda, 2012) Airlines have to take operating cost and amenities into consideration when setting ticket prices. Airlines must be able to make a profit when setting ticket prices. â€Å"By comparing the demand curve with the average total cost curves for each airplane type, the airline can determine which size airplane will maximize profits for a given flight.† (Kons, n.d.) In summary, as with any product, from airline tickets to gasoline prices â€Å"consumers have continued to pay the increased fares, so the airlines have become bolder in driving the prices up even further.† (Smith, CNNMoney, 2011) Consumers, their desire, need and want for an item or service will always affect supply, demand, and cost curve. Most organizations have the same goal, which is to make a profit while keeping their costumers happy. References: Consumerism (2011, March 4). Supply and Demand Goes Both Ways – Beating Broke | Beating Broke. Retrieved May 14, 2013, from http://www.beatingbroke.com/supply-and-demand-goes-both-ways/ How Stuff Works (n.d.). HowStuffWorks â€Å"How Airlines Work†. Retrieved May 14, 2013, from http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/airline4.htm Kons, A. (n.d.). Understanding the Chaos of Airline Pricing. The Park Place Economist, 8, 15-29. Retrieved from http://www.iwu.edu/economics/PPE08/alex.pdf McCartney, S. (2010). Decoding Airline Ticket Costs. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.etopaz.com/news/3/57/Decoding-Airline-Ticket-Costs-WJS-com NBC News (2008, May 8). Inside the mysteries of airline fares – Business – US business – Aviation | NBC News. Retrieved May 14, 2013, from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3073548/ns/business-us_business/t/inside-mysteries-airline-fares/#.UZLPd5UylUQ Smith, A. (2011, March 4). Rising airfares could overtake their 2008 peak – Mar. 3, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2013, from http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/03/pf/saving/rising_airfare/index.htm

How Is Marxism Portrayed in Animal Farm by George...

How is Marxism portrayed throughout ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell? The main aim of Marxism is to bring about a classless society, and ‘Animal Farm’ is generally considered to be a Marxist novel, as all its characters share a similar ambition at the beginning. ‘Animal Farm’ represents an example of the oppressed masses rising up to form their own classless society, whilst offering a subtle critique on Stalin’s Soviet Russia, and communism in general. Orwell is, ironically, revolutionary in his work, as contextually in 1945, communism was a ‘taboo’ subject, punishable in post-war America by arrest and even death. It is clear from the political references in ‘Animal Farm’, that Orwell considered Russia, and consequently communism as a†¦show more content†¦In this way, Orwell portrays the ways in which the Russian people were influenced by figureheads and ideological saints. ‘Napoleon’, another of Orwell’s characters, portrays the role of the Soviet leader, Joseph St alin – ‘Man of Steel’. The novel identifies Stalin’s ambition to lead and control the masses, winning over his more intelligent and influential counterpart, Leon Trotsky, who is represented by ‘Snowball’. ‘Napoleon’ also identifies himself with the French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte, whom Orwell considered to be a repressive power seeker and dictator. The resemblance of some of the novel’s events to events in Soviet history is indubitable. For example, Snowball’s and Napoleon’s power struggle is a direct allegory of Trotsky’s and Stalin’s. Frederick’s trade agreement with Napoleon, and his subsequent breaking of the agreement, represents the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact that preceded World War II. The Battle of the Windmill represents World War II itself. The fact that Orwell’s characters reflect so obviously the figureheads in Soviet Russia is paramount to the effect of its dramatic and satirical critique. The purpose of satire is to point out or illustrate societal flaws by mocking them or highlighting their absurdity. So the outcome of satire can be the change of those behaviours. Animal Farm was published on the heels of World War II, in England in 1945 and in the United States in 1946.Show MoreRelatedAnimals Take Over in Animal Farm by George Orwell1370 Words   |  6 Page sIn the novel â€Å"Animal Farm† by George Orwell, the animals take over the farm and develop their own independent society. Just as it happened during the Russian Revolution of 1917. George Orwell underlies the tension between the oppressed and the exploiting classes between the condescending ideals and harsh realities of socialism. During the course of the literary piece by George Orwell makes it clear how the animals are mistreated by â€Å"Mr. Jones â€Å", because of this treatment they are receiving; OldRead MoreOrwell s Animal Farm As A Critique Of Bourgeoisie- Proletariat Relation And How Tyranny Operates1475 Words   |  6 PagesConnection: George Orwell’s Animal Farm as a critique of Bourgeoisie- Proletariat Relation and How Tyranny Operates Literature is said to be the mirror of a society and one of the major functions of it has been to make people aware of their surroundings as well as themselves. While many writers of today might digress from the true purpose of writing, the classics have always held a special place in what may be called as the awakening of the individuals. In this context, George Orwell’s Animal Farm- A FairyRead MoreMarxist Criticism Is Always Concerned with the Class Struggle in History.1525 Words   |  7 PagesThe main aim of Marxism is to bring about a classless society. Thus the reason I chose to study George Orwells Animal Farm is because its characters share (originally) this same ambition. Animal Farm represents the oppressed masses rising up and forming a classless society of their own. While offering a critique of communism in general, the book also serves to act as a mirror of Soviet Russia under Stalin. As reflected throughout the text, it was no secret Orwell considered Russia, and consequently