Implementing Pricing Strategies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Implementing Pricing Strategies - Term Paper Example Moreover, fixed costs and prices are those which are essential for running any business. Hence, these contributions are mandatory for any individual. If an individual is operating any business enterprise, the remunerations, rent and raw material cost among others are considered as overhead or fixed costs. Besides, the employees and general public also gives rise to certain fixed costs and prices such as insurance cost, health cost and medical cost among others. Therefore, fixed costs and prices can be referred to as those expenses which do not change with any alterations in the function of the business. Thus, it can be affirmed that fixed cost and prices relates to those components which are essential for measuring contribution (Avis, 2009). Apart from these, fixed cost and prices charged are also necessary in case of marketing. It facilitates in predicting the earnings of a business generated by varied modifications in ‘unit sales’ as well as the impact of anticipated p romotions. Hence, both cost and price play a significant role in contribution. In addition, these uncertain variables might prove indecisive due to changing needs and demands of customers. When the demand of a particular product or service is high, the amount of contribution might also be increased in order to attract the premium group of customers. It would enhance the market share and profitability of an organization as well as improve the brand identity. Similarly the contribution percentage or investment should be lowered at the saturation stage of a product or service to avoid incurring huge loss. Thus, it can be avowed that determination of uncertain variables such as cost and price is entirely based on the demand of product or service (Bloom, Bond & Reenen, 2007). Hence, these tentative components should not be considered as fixed, because it entirely depends on the demand fluctuations in the market with high possibility of changing values. Question 2 Pricing strategy is refe rred as the idea of implementing an optimum price, based on the features of the particular product or service. The prime objective behind the notion of shaping pricing strategy is to capitalize profit thereby enhancing the total sales of specific product or services. There are varied types of prices such as ‘cost-plus-pricing’, ‘skimming pricing’, ‘penetration pricing’, ‘value-based pricing’ and ‘target pricing’ among others. Moreover, the pricing strategies are mainly implemented based on the competition of product or services in the market. In addition, price of products and/or services help to determine the sustainability and consistency of a brand in the market among others. Thus, it can be affirmed that pricing policy is one of the significant decisions of product or service of an organization. However, at times, determination of pricing strategies of products and/or services also creates conflict among the employ ees of an organization thereby hindering their dedication towards work. Hence, pricing strategies also hamper enthusiasm and employee morale which might prove detrimental for an organization (Avis, 2009). Pricing strategy is a tool which is utilized in order to enhance the profit of an organization augmenting the demand of products and/or services in the market. Moreover, at times, experienced managers also had to change the

Agency or in house advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Agency or in house advertising - Essay Example Before coming to the question whether ‘I’ll Run for You’ should pursue outside advertising agency or in-house advertising agency, some critical factors are needed to be considered. Based upon the analysis, it is advisable that ‘I’ll Run for You’ should pursue outside advertising agency. The prior mentioned major reasons reveal that it is not applicable for ‘I’ll Run for You’ to run its own advertising agency. Needs & Resources Since the decision of advertisement responsibility for ‘I’ll Run for You’ is suggested to be an outside advertising agency, therefore no substantial resources are required. If Darla would had been recommended to pursue in-house marketing and advertising campaign then required resources would be considered such as hiring and training of employees, Research and Development etc. However, Darla needs a significant amount of cost to bear in order to make payment to the outside advertisin g agency. Therefore, the only concern or ‘need’ for Darla is to ensure her company can bear the required amount of upfront cost for outsourcing its advertising. Pros & Cons of In-house Advertising Department.Pros:†¢ Timeliness; a strong in-house analytics team can provide refresh software models monthly. New business information related to a business or its competitors can quickly be adjusted into these models †¢ Transparency and Consistency; an in-house process of advertisement allows a business to develop, validate and supervise the marketing analytics. †¢ Data Assets; A centralized advertising system can evolve over the period to incorporate valuable and new data sources. †¢ Enterprise Knowledge; In-house advertising allows a business to advertise in a convenient manner.... Data Assets; A centralized advertising system can evolve over the period to incorporate valuable and new data sources. Enterprise Knowledge; In-house advertising allows a business to advertise in a convenient manner. The advertising department knows all of the information therefore advertisement is performed accordingly. Cons: Hiring and Recruitment; in order to meet the demand of top notch analytic talent, finding and hiring people with right skills can be very expensive as well as challenging. Upfront Costs; if resources are not available at that point of time, an upfront investment in data infrastructure and technology will be required. Time; establishing infrastructure, implementing software systems, hiring appropriate people can take years. It will take even more time to the business to reap the benefits of these investments. Pros & Cons of Hiring Outside Advertising Agency Pros: Better realization of revenues and increased returns on investments Labour cost gets lower and econo mies of scales are achieved Tapping into a knowledge of innovation Increases quality, delivery and speed of outsourced activities Cons: Chances of loss of control over the business processes of the company Shortcomings in performances Under realization of results and benefits Recommendation ‘I’ll Run for You’ is a start up business. If the company tries to keep every department under its control, then it might lead to an increased cost to the company. Therefore, primarily in order to avoid increased costs, the company must outsource its advertising department. It is recommended that ‘I’ll Run for You’ should relinquish its advertising department to an experienced advertising company, which can perform better professional services. Next Steps Agencies Available

The Analysis Of Pz Cussons Website Marketing Essay

The Analysis Of Pz Cussons Website Marketing Essay E-commerce has the capacity to improve existing businesses and also expand operational efficiency. However, in the wake of fierce competition, businesses are forced to be at their best as competitors are just a click away. (Xia Yang et al 2003) The limitless potentials of the internet in todays world have revolutionized the way business is done all over the globe thus making the world a global village. The thrust of this paper critically overviews the web site of PZ Cussons as a communication medium; in line with e-business management theory, the paper discusses issues bordering on advertising and branding. PZ was founded in 1879 by George Paterson and George Zochonis in which they set up a trading post in Sierra Leone. By 1899, they opened their first branch office in Nigeria (http://www.pzcussons.com/pzc/about/ourhistory/). The company has recorded remarkable achievements since then. The company majors on manufacturing leading brands of household items from soaps to milk. With the emergence of the World Wide Web, PZ Cussons is poised to take its business to the next level by taking advantage of technology. Needless to say that with the advent of e-business PZ Cussons should do even better. In todays world, it would be difficult to extricate a companys success from its website as this can either attract customers or repel them depending on customer relationship techniques employed by the web designer. The consistent growth in technological advancement and inventive initiatives has made tremendous impact and also made e-advertising interactive, exciting, and affordable to businesses. This paper analyses the website of PZ Cussons in relation to its competitors and highlights how PZ Cussons can benefit from vast potentials of the internet in advertising and promotion as well as building a better brand. Advertising Research has shown that much of what is expected from a website is largely dependent on the consumer. Lu and Yeung 1998 suggests that human to computer interface design factors are applicable to commercial web applications. However, the nature of the business and the way the business is done has to be taken into consideration when developing a web site. Putting together and responding to consumer feedbacks are an important part of communication activities when attempting to convert a first time buyer to a potential customer, as such fostering an online relationship. (Berthon et al 1996) In a bid to explore empirical studies and dimensions created basically for research on advertising, past works have attempted to forecast consumers behaviour towards internet advertising. It has been observed that culture or beliefs play a more pivotal role in consumers purchase intention rather than other factors like creativity, market size or internet usage. (Yang 2003). With the advent of e-commerce, PZ Cussons have taken up the initiative to advertise its company on the web, however, a lot of issues regarding the website would be discussed in the course of this paper. The process of ensuring that a site visitor becomes a customer and is retained is actually a proactive approach that can be stimulated by interactive features on the site (Geissler 2001). For most businesses, the home page in itself is an advertisement (Singh and Dalal 1999). The appearance of a home page can either engage a customer to go further or make the customer go elsewhere. It is imperative for the company or web designer to make the site as interactive as possible to enable businesses gain higher customer retention. Even as advert placement on web sites has become a normal occurrence in e-business world, it is noteworthy to comprehend internet advertising and understand consumer reactions or behaviours to advert placement on the internet. It is a well known fact that those who are optimistic about advertising are likely to be convinced by advertising (Mehta 2000). If a web site is very effective, it would always encourage first time visitors to the site to make a future purc hase of goods or services offered for sale. Since its origin in early 1990s, the structure of internet advertising has progressed from banner ads, spam emails, interstitials, superstitials, site sponsorships, and involuntary browser relocations (Yang 2003). Adverts online have consistently come under criticism (Bulik 2000b) and have been often considered as unnecessary and imprecise (Hwang and Kranhold, 2000). It has been argued that there is no inter-relation between advertising and corresponding results such as sales or profits (OConnell, 2001). Some Benefits of Online Advertising The power of the internet cannot be overemphasised as its reach is global at a fast pace. Online advertising has identified new means of passing personalized messages to be conveyed to specific customers. Most people these days would rather spend more time online than read a conventional newspaper. As such, businesses are more likely to create a greater awareness from online advertisement. It has the capacity to properly segment customer base as well as measure the impact or effectiveness of an advert. Online advert gives the customer the opportunity of choice based on their knowledge of a companys product or services. Website Effectiveness Although a lot of work has been done in the overall area of e-business (Hoffman Novak, 2000; Kauffman Walden, 2001) however, to further drive down the issues with PZ Cussons web site, we would take a look at Nathan Heinz and Quing Hus web site measurement effectiveness technique to help analyse their internet advertising application. They classified web site measurement effectiveness technique into three categories which are; the interactivity metrics, the information metrics and the service metrics. (Heinz and Hu 2006) Interactivity involves a platform in which customer feedback is encouraged for optimum performance. It also includes the availability of search engines on the web site as well as live chat or blogs in order to get the customers candid opinion on products or services. It also maintains a data base for registered customers. Zhu and Kraemer (2002). Information involves true and precise information on the web site at a particular time. This refers to continuously updating clients with reliable information on goods or services offered for sale. For example the cost of product or services and updating photos of new stock etc. It also encompasses the concept of simplicity of information passed across and gives detailed analysis of product uniqueness and relevance. This, if communicated effectively would go a long way in retaining first time customers. Kim et al (2002); Barnes and Vidgen (2003). Service involves maintaining good customer care operations as well as responding to customer query or issues. It also involves timely processing of online orders and security of online transactions on a web site. It also involves intermediating with social networking sites like face book to maintain an online community for excellent customer service. Barnes and Vidgen (2003); Rust and Lemon (2001). Analysis Based on Theory When we closely observe the PZ Cussons web site based on these three classes of efficiency measurement, we can see that interactivity level is very low. Site navigation and interactivity are significant factors of system quality for web buyer satisfaction (McKinney et al 2002). There is the absence of chat rooms to encourage customer interactions of feedback on brands. Though there is a search engine in place it is however limited to the site instead of expanding search capability to other search engines such as goggle. On the information metrics, it has been observed that PZ Cussons does not update its web site quite often to notify customers of changes made to products or upcoming events. Liu and Arnett (2000) highlight information provision as a major factor in the success of e-business web sites. PZ Cussons produces a wide variety of brands and with competitors such as Proctor and Gamble and Nestle, a lot needs to be done in terms of quality of information and timeliness of delivery. The service metrics on PZ Cussons web site shows very customer biased attributes as the is the absence of an online register, no avenue for customer registration online so no opportunity for feedback on customer queries on brands, there is also no opportunity for placing online orders so the issue of timeliness of orders does not even arise. Quite clearly, PZ Cussons has been able to develop their brand name over the years but are yet to tap into the vast potentials of the web for a greater market share. Branding A brand has been viewed as a promise made by a company to its customers and not a name or statement (Sterne 1999). Given the emergence of the World Wide Web and the revolution in the way business is being done across the globe, it would be expected that the perception of brands would come under a new dimension (Rowley 2004). Also, Ward and Lee (2000) suggest that an effective online presence is pivotal to a brands online success. A brands website has the capacity to create an impression on the consumer (Muller and Chandon 2003). From the graphics and pictures to texts on a web page can either attract or put off potential buyers. Chiang, I-Ping (2008) also suggests that brand awareness can be used together with specific consumer requirements and consumer behaviours to better position online brands. Most small and large businesses across the globe today can boast of an online presence. However, creating an online presence is hardly enough as Porter (2001) suggest that creating an online presence at a point in time was a competitive advantage but today a web site requires more competitive and distinctive features in order to achieve competitive advantage. The elements of a web site can be classified in different contexts depending on the products or services being marketed on the web site. For instance a car manufacturers website cannot be designed in the same pattern as a fast food website. World brands seek to identify with values that are common to many communities such as safety, style and status and service, which can be classified in different ways in diverse national contexts (Rowley 2004). However, for the purpose of the analysis of PZ Cussons website we would analyse the following elements: Logo, Graphics, Colour, Texts, Currency and news (Rowley 2004). Logo A logo presents a graphic language and discipline for the clear, consistent reflection of a companys visual identity (Henrion and Parkin 1967). Although the PZ Cussons brand name has built a reputation for itself in Africa, Asia and Europe over the years, it has done very little to project its logo. Its red, blue and white logo remains in it simplest form. Some of its leading brands like Venus have become more popular than PZ Cussons as a result of its inconspicuous logo. The logo represents a companys corporate visual identity through official corporate symbol (Balmer 1995). It is believed that a company corporate identity transcends mere symbols and signs but relates more to issues like corporate culture. Graphics This refers to visual logos, pictures and other images that may depict a brands values on a website (Rowley 2004). There are not too many graphics on the PZ Cussons web site, the pictures are not holistic and does not reflect the charisma of the company. Also, the Web Content Accessibility Guideline reveals that the PZ Cussons website is using (WCAG WAI) 1.0 (1999) which is an outdated version. Colour The PZ Cussons website makes use of a white background with red and blue colours. This is a very common colour combination as millions of websites use this same colour combination. This does not give any uniqueness to the company web page. Text Text addresses the tone of voice, and determines whether a message is intellectual, understandable and necessary (Rowley 2004). Text typifies the brands individuality; it is the brands vocal cords. The words that are written carry the brands message and the font determines the approach of communication. The PZ Cussons website uses the Calibri body font, and a text size 11. This is considered to be quite small and depicts timidity. The words on the home page are too much and should have been more of pictures and less words. News This refers to allowing visitors to the site access to current news and information relating to products and happenings in the industry. The PZ Cussons web site however, is not being constantly updated. On the PZ Cussons front page, there is a column for latest news, but the news in question are actually stale. A lot needs to be done in that regard. Recommendation PZ Cussons has come a long way since its inception without doubt, with its acquisition of major companies and continued expansion but yet to tap into the vast prospect ability of the World Wide Web. A web advert can be for both infotainment and promotional activities (Diaz et al. 1996); however, PZ Cussons seem to only have tapped from using the web as an informative medium thus relegating the latter. PZ Cussons in a bid to further expand the global reach of its company can take advantage of the web and promote its leading household brand to continents like America and Australia, this must however be done with some of the following recommendations. PZ Cussons must realise that its website is its corporate identity to the world and a representation of its corporate image as such should take advantage of that medium to make it web site more interactive with site visitors. It can incorporate the use of live chats and blogs to gather customer feedback on its brands. It can also adopt the concept of an online register to enable it maintain a database of customers online. PZ Cussons must come to terms with the realities of digitization and begin to open up marketing and sale of its brands online. With the emergence of e-market places, grocery shopping can be done by the click of the mouse. There must also be consistent updates on product offers, special sales and product information and ensure maximum customer satisfaction. With the advent of social networking sites like face book and twitter, PZ Cussons must build an online community for its customers who can share brand experiences with friends and further expand their network. It is often difficult to distinguish between online and offline branding. However, online branding comes with a lot pros and cons as such it will be reminiscent to highlight the plausibility of online branding and its effect on businesses with an online presence. PZ Cussons operates as a promoter for leading other brands which are distributed through an organised distributive channel. The online presence merely transmits brand messages and houses information. PZ Cussons would need to take advantage of their online presence build a dynamic approach to marketing its brands online. Conclusion PZ Cussons has to come to terms with the cutting edge of technology. It must parallel its real world brand dominance with that of its online branding experience and as well deliver its promise to customers. PZ Cussons must use their online presence to create awareness for its brands and encourage customer rapport. There is a huge difference between businesses that do not use online channel in marketing their goods and service and those that use the online channel. PZ Cussons must take advantage of both online and offline channels to expand their reach. Given the publicity the internet generates, PZ Cussons can benefit from cost savings spent on television and print media adverts by channelling funds to a single and cheaper advertising channel.

The Role of Mrs. Hammond and Emily in Rebecca Rushs Novel Kelroy Essay

The Role of Mrs. Hammond and Emily in Rebecca Rush's Novel Kelroy In this day and age, women have liberties that are often taken for granted. Women have the freedom to choose which university they will attend (if they plan on attending college), what career they wish to pursue, and also whom their mate in marriage will be. In early American days, liberties of women were looked upon from society as being wealthy and holding high social status. Many did not have the opportunity to pursue a career, much less decide what university they preferred to attend. They were fortunate to even have the opportunity receive a higher education beyond reading! Choosing the right men for their futures ensured them the luxuries they wished to maintain. If they were not already included in "upper society," their chances of upward mobility were slim to none. If the family lost their fortune, their only salvation was to be married back into wealth, another slim to none chance. This is the reality Rebecca Rush clearly paints in Kelroy. Rush projects her jud gment on early American society and the role of women and marriage. Using the creation of two main characters, Mrs. Hammond and Emily Hammond, Rush is able to project her disapproval of society's ways through their opposing views and personalities. The opening of the novel begins with a transparency of American society. Rush quickly illustrates how "the good natured world" orchestrates. The reader is not disillusioned to the reality of the Hammond's society. A reality Mrs. Hammond herself is fully conscious of. "Still she retained an unabated relish for show and dissipation, which her knowledge of the world, on which she prided herself much, taught her could only be o... ... They are viewed as gossips only concerned with the display of proper mannerisms and fashions. Rush is able to enlighten readers to see that even though women were allowed little liberties, they could still provide a higher level of human nature. Something that neither liberty nor education can provide. Through Mrs. Hammond, she displays the outlook of society's views on women and how many women perceived it as their only reality. Through Emily, Rush is able to challenge society in all its vanity and selfishness. Emily represents the future aspiration of women and the mark they will leave for following what they know to be true, their hearts. Work Cited Murray, Judith Sargent. "On the Equality of the Sexes." Ed. Paul Lauter.The Heath Anthology of American Literature, third edition. Volume 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1992. 1058-1064.

Kant vs. Kierkegaard Essay

I also believe that the issue that I am discussing is deep, and therefore interesting. Its weaknesses would be its lack of quotes. The difficulty with this paper was trying to find the idea in the first place. It took me a lot of time to find deep similarities and differences between the two. It also took me some time to figure out how I would lay the essay out and how I would flesh the essay out. As this paper is not superficial, I found myself finding new ideas and problem as time passed. This gave me another problem as I always had to rethink and re-edit. The goals for my next paper are to include more quotes, as my papers lack evidence. My other goals are to carry on writing interesting and thought provoking papers. I aim to try to make my essays as clear as possible, as tackling deep issues can sometimes make the writing quite convoluted. Love of Duty vs. Love of Choice In their essays ‘Lectures on Ethics – Friendship’ and ‘Works of Love – Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor’, respectively, Kant and Kierkegaard both appear as idealists: They each portray a utopia in which friendship is universal. Kant believes that perfection can be achieved if people put love of mankind before love of oneself, and Kierkegaard believes that perfection can be achieved if you love everyone as if they were your neighbor. Ironically, both also contradict themselves: Kant contradicts his other idea that one will never be able to achieve the ideal of friendship, where partners share everything with each other. While Kierkegaard contradicts himself by saying a true Christian is completely selfless. This is a contradiction, as someone who is selfless cannot have a choice (free will), but as rational humans we do have a choice. Given these parallels, are these two thinkers ultimately offering us the same sense of utopia? No – in fact, Kant is a realist who uses a scientific approach to figure out what it means to be a friend, whereas Kierkegaard is a religious thinker who applies his religious morality on people. Their utopias look very similar on the surface, but their underlying methods to reach them are vastly different. Both Kant and Kierkegaard come from two very different backgrounds. Kant was born in Prussia, and was interested in physics and mathematics. He didn’t have a positive view of religion was also asked to stop teaching Theology at the University of Konigsberg by the government as he allegedly ‘misrepresented’ the principles of Christianity. This shows that Kant was a thinker independent of religion. Kant believed that â€Å"mankind’s final coming of age,† was â€Å"the emancipation of the human consciousness from an immature state of ignorance and error. † This is the opposite of Kierkegaard, as he was a devout Christian. Kierkegaard tried to incorporate religion (Christian morality) with reason. This is where he comes up with his idea of ‘loving thy neighbor’. Whereas Kierkegaard comes from a position that his way is the ‘right’ way, as it was mandated from God, Kant comes from a position which is influenced by Rousseau and Aristotle, in fact Kant’s idea of man having self-love and love for humanity comes straight from Rousseau’s book ‘The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality’. There is also a deeper difference: Kierkegaard’s religious morality implies duty, whereas Kant’s view on friendship implies choice. Choice lies at the heart of Kant’s philosophy. He says that man has two basic instincts: self-love and love for humanity (pity). These two instincts conflict with each other and only one can win. Kant believes that in an ideal world, all people would put love for humanity before self-love. This would create a world where love is reciprocated, and therefore man does not have to worry about losing his happiness. In essence, Kant’s version of a utopia is where man chooses to love humanity. This is vastly different to Kierkegaard’s version, where man has no choice, as it is his moral duty to love everyone as if they were his neighbor. Kierkegaard does acknowledge Kant in a way, by distinguishing between earthly love and spiritual love. He says earthly love (Kant’s type of love) is the exact opposite of spiritual love. He argues that a ‘poet’ (Kant) is absolutely right in saying that earthly love cannot be commanded. Kierkegaard believes that Christian love is better as it is ‘completely selfless’. For Kierkegaard, â€Å"Christian love teaches love to all men, unconditionally all. Just as unconditionally and strongly as earthly love tends towards the idea of there being but one single object of love, equally unconditionally and strongly Christian love tends in the opposite direction. If a man with respect to Christian love wishes to make an exception in the case of one man whom he does not wish to love, then such love is not ‘also Christian love,’ but it is unconditionally not Christian love. † (41) Kierkegaard also believes that it is quite liberating to be forced to love. As if the absence of choice creates peace. He believes that â€Å"it is encouraging in your relation to a distinguished man, that in him you must love your neighbor; it is humbling in relation to the inferior, that you do not have to love the inferior on him, but must love your neighbor; it is a saving grace if you do it, for you must do it† (50). Thus the difference between earthly and spiritual love is that earthly love is a choice and spiritual love is a command from God. Both Kierkegaard and Kant come to different conclusions because in their writing, their focus is on separate ideas. Kant, being a man of reason primarily, approaches his philosophy in a scientific manner. To explain, he breaks one thing into smaller things. Kant makes observations based on what he sees, hears, tastes, smells, and feels (like his three types of friendships). However, he does also make some conceptual assumptions (discussed earlier) such as his idea of putting love of humanity before self-love will cause reciprocation of friendship. Unlike Kierkegaard, Kant does not focus on religion as it is unnecessary for someone who is only interested in empirical observations. Kierkegaard however is not concerned with empirical observation, as he believes that there is something higher and more important i. e. Christianity. Kierkegaard concentrates more on morality and what he believes is right, instead of focusing on what is actually there. Kierkegaard doesn’t even talk about friendship in his writing. This shows that he places much more importance on what his religion says is right instead of trying to observe and deconstruct what friendship is. Although both philosophers have radically different ideas on how to achieve a utopian world, their ideas as an end result are very similar. They both want a world in which everyone loves everyone. The difference is that Kant’s love comes from reason, whereas Kierkegaard’s is spiritual. For this reason Kant’s idea seems more logical to the rational human being. Kant doesn’t believe in forced love, he believes in a choice to put either love of humanity or love of oneself at the fore. Kierkegaard’s idea of loving as a moral duty is contradictory at its heart, because how can you love if you don’t have a choice who to love? If you ‘love’ everyone it stops being love because love is defined by its opposite. How can there be love without hate? If it can’t exist, then how feasible is Kierkegaard’s idea? This is the main problem with Kierkegaard, because his observations come from his faith. In the real world, love should come from understanding, not dogma. If there is no understanding, it’s like a slavery of the mind. Works Cited Immanuel Kant, â€Å"Lectures on Ethics†, Ethics. Trans. Louis Infield, Harper Torchbooks, The Cloister Library, Harper & Row Publishers, New York and Evanston. Soren Kierkegaard, â€Å"Works of Love†, Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor. Trans. David F. Swenson & Lillian Marvin Swenson, Princeton – New Jersey, Princeton University Press.

3.05 Fireside Poets Assignment

What metaphors does Holmes use to describe the ship in stanzas one and two of â€Å"Old Ironsides†? Long has it waved on high, Beneath it rung the battle shout, and burst the cannon's roar, and no more shall feel the victor's tread. In 1830, the 44-gun American warship Constitution, the inspiration for â€Å"Old Ironsides,† was scheduled to be scrapped – that is, stripped of everything valuable or reasonable. What proposal is put forth by Holmes, in the last stanza of his poem? Holmes is saying it would be more respectable to take the ship out and sink her.What do you think Holmes wants the ship to symbolize? The American warship Constitution. The term,†Harpies,† in line 15 of â€Å"Old Ironsides† is an allusion to predatory flying creatures in Greek mythology, which have bodies of vultures and heads of women. The name meant â€Å"snatchers† or â€Å"robbers. † Why do you think that Holmes uses this allusion in his poem? Basically he's saying the government robbed the Constitution of her glory. He is comparing the ship to an eagle and the harpies are picking at the leftovers.In Longfellow's â€Å"The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls,† how does the title foreshadow the fact the traveler will not return? Well, the word fall is a metaphor for death, or failure. So, the second part of the title, The Tide Falls, basically says the traveler isn't gonna make it to the next day. Do you think Longfellow's poem is about one specific traveler, or could it apply to all in general? Explain your answer. It could be about one specific traveler, or all in general. All who dare to move under the cover of darkness aren't gonna succeed.Personification is a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes. Cite an example of Longfellow's use of personification in â€Å"The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls. † â€Å"But the sea, the sea in darkness calls; The little waves, with thei r soft, white hands† How does the division into stanzas reflect the passage of time in the poem? Example: Stanza One presents twilight darkening into night. What do stanzas two and three represent? The second stanza represents the darkest part of the night, and the third represents morning light.