Replacing Textbooks with Tablets - 1024 Words

As more people began to access the Internet through smart phones and tablets rather than laptops and computers, it is not a surprise that they would also want to transform the American education system by bringing tablets into classrooms. In fact, a few schools around the country have already replaced textbooks with tablets and have seen improvements in students’ standardized test scores. Using tablets instead of textbooks is not only convenient and helpful, but it can also reduce the amount of paper wastes in school. However, it is not a good idea to completely transform textbooks with tablets with the current technology, for it can not only be damaging to the environment and costly to set up, but also might not be effective in improving†¦show more content†¦Since â€Å"we are currently spending more than 100 million dollars a year on textbooks,† schools can save a lot of money this way because â€Å"E-textbooks on tablets cost on average 50-60% less than pri nted books†. Moreover, hundreds of e-books can be updated to the latest version with just a few of clicks, while replacing the actual textbooks can be a pain to most of the schools. This way, students can learn from the latest and most accurate version of their textbooks (â€Å"Tablets†). However, the cost of revolutionizing the textbook market can be an even more drain on the economy. Currently, the â€Å"total expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools in the United States amounted to $638 billion... or about $12,743 per public school student (nces). Replacing textbooks with tablets will make these numbers even higher since each tablet is very expensive and has to be replaced periodically as newer technologies come out. They are also costly to maintain and time consuming to fix. The schools will have to set up costly wifi infrastructures to support tablets, and employ technicians to fix these fragile electronics because they are a lot less prone to brea k than textbooks. Considering that many students do not have sufficient home internet bandwidth to use tablets, it can be very hard for them to do? homework and study at home. â€Å"Many families and classrooms will be left behind as tablet technologyShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Essay On Textbooks Vs Textbooks967 Words   |  4 PagesTextbooks are going out while tablets are coming in! Textbooks have almost always been used in some form in the classroom. Recently, new technologies have been invading our society, making many things more convenient and changing the way communities do everyday things. Technology has helped the world with communication, transportation, learning, reading, etc. and now it can help students and teachers with education. Teaching and learning can be faster and more convenient for everyone with the helpRead MoreShould Tablets Become The New Primary Way Students Learn?989 Words   |  4 PagesShould Tablets Become the New Primary Way Students learn? With each passing year, school systems strive to become the best/top school in their district by developing new ways to help further educate young minds and improving over all testing scores. To achieve their goals, some schools has cut down on recess and increased class room proactivity. Other schools just simply took out your basic electives such as home EC and work shop and replaced them with more math classes and science class. Then youRead MoreA Modern Alternative to Textbooks Essay914 Words   |  4 Pagesover 7 billion dollars on textbooks a year, and in many cases, those textbooks are out of date(â€Å"The Future of Education: Tablets vs. Textbooks† online). Schools have been using textbooks for as long as anyone can remember. In fact, some textbooks were found from as early as the 16th century(Goslin online). With the many new developments in technology, it’s time for a change. Schools should store away those heavy textbooks and make the switch to electronic tablets. Tablets would have many advantagesRead MoreTablets Can Help Students Improve Their Learning943 Words   |  4 Pagestechnology, schools have considered replacing textbooks with tablets. According to a 2012 report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), schools spend more than $7 billion dollars on outdated textbooks a year. It has become a major problem. With all the outrageous expenses including paper, printing, and publishing costs that go towards printing textbooks, schools should consider using tablets instead of books for students to use. Therefore, buying tablets would make it more affordable andRead MoreAdvantages And Disadvantages Of Textbooks In K-12 Schools1216 Words   |  5 Pagessociety, tablets have dominated computers and laptops in the workforce and textbooks in some schools in the United States. As tablets are becoming more prevalent, a debate has been established regarding whether K-12 school districts should switch from print textbooks to digi tal textbooks on tablets in the classroom. In definition, a tablet is a handheld computer, but they are usually much bigger than a cell phone. There are many reasons why school districts may or may not replace digital textbooks or tabletsRead MoreEssay On Tablets1036 Words   |  5 PagesA Sign of the New Age: The Implementation of Tablets in Classrooms In a scenario akin to when the spread of books was first introduced and to when the internet was popularized and replaced our â€Å"traditional† means of media and communication, we are seeing an opposition to a new integration as our changing world progresses. In schools all around America, tablets are being implemented in classrooms to phase out and replace traditional textbooks. As with every new, â€Å"radical† revolution of a symbol ofRead MoreTextbooks Vs Tablets in schools Essay1310 Words   |  6 Pages Textbooks VS Tablets Teachers are always assigning homework in the textbook and of course every student complains. Not only because they have homework, but because they have to lug home multiple textbooks. Many school districts have been trying to find a way to solve this complaint. What school board officials have come up with is replacing the textbooks with notebook computers or tablets. It is the 21st century, there is technology booming everywhere. However, converting the notebook computersRead MoreThe Tablet Based Textbook: An Iceberg Toward Dystopia1597 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tablet Computer: An Iceberg Toward Dystopia The textbook first appeared in the American education system in the late 1600’s in the form of the New England Primer. Dominated with religious content, the New England Primer was used as an introductory tool for reading instruction. As time progressed, more secular messages filled the pages of the book, and this shift in content paved the way for further textbooks, such as Webster’s American Spelling Book, and The McGuffey Reader. These books helpedRead MoreThe Greatest American Company1673 Words   |  7 Pagesof the greatest American companies was created: Apple Incorporated. From that point on, tablets were never the same. Apple has paved the way for tablet devices in the field of technology. Apple is mostly known for their Macintosh computers, which were first unveiled on January 4, 1984, but on April 3, 2010 Apple outdid themselves once again with the the invention of the iPad. The iPad is an all-in-one tablet-like device. With the iPad learning is able to à ¢â‚¬Å"go way beyond the classroom† (www.appleRead MoreHow Technology Can Make A Younger Student995 Words   |  4 Pagesstyles of teaching that arise from the implementation of tablet devices. These are the instrumental teaching style and the opposite innovative teaching style. Educators who follow the instrumental style are â€Å"those who did not change their beliefs about their role after the implementation of the tablet in their classroom and consequently, did not change their teaching style drastically† (7). A teacher who uses tablets as a replacement for textbooks is an example of this. Innovative teachers are â€Å"those

Dialectical Behavior Therapy - 833 Words

Description of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment developed by Marsha M. Linehan for the treatment of complex, difficult-to-treat mental disorders. Originally, DBT was developed to treat individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD; Carson-Wong, Rizvi, Steffel, 2013; Scheel, 2000). However, DBT has evolved into a treatment for multi-disordered individuals with BPD. In addition, DBT has been adapted for the treatment of other behavioral disorders involving emotional dysregulation, for example, substance abuse, binge eating, and for settings, such as inpatient and partial hospitalization. Dimeff and Linehan (2001) described five functions†¦show more content†¦Finally, therapist may be reinforced for iatrogenic treatment, where they reward clients for ineffective treatment strategies and punish them for effective treatment strategies. To address these difficulties, Linehan developed several modifications which formed the basis of DBT. (Dimeff Linehan, Dialectical behavior therapy in a nutshell, 2001) DBT is designed to treat clients at all levels of severity and complexity of disorders. A growing body of empirical studies has examined DBT. DBT has been the subject of the most study and is the most widely used (Carson-Wong, Rizvi, Steffel, 2013). In one study, Axelrod, et al. (2011) adapted DBT to treat pre-adolescent children who were engaging in nonsuicidal self harming behaviors. The goal of this study was to adapt DBT skills to accommodate the developmental level of younger children. The results of the study provided promising evidence for the use of DBT for children with severe suicidal and nonsuicidal behaviors. At the end of the study, there was a significant increase in adaptive coping skills and a significant decrease in depressive symptoms, behavioral problems and suicidal ideations. However, there are several limitations to this study. One, the sample size is small, and there results may not generalize to other populations. Second, the study was conducted for only sixShow MoreRelatedDialectical Behavior Therapy And Mindfulness Essay1353 Words   |  6 PagesDialectical Behavior Therapy Mindfulness Mindfulness is another way of meditation. Meditation was used to seek to improve one’s psychological or physical health, or spiritual growth. (Brantley, 2007). The history of Mindfulness comes from Buddhism and his search for enlightenment and a foundation of the four noble truths. The Buddha teaching focus on the four noble truths which consist of knowing suffering exists, there is a cause of suffering, there is cessation of suffering and there is a pathRead MoreDialectical Behavior Therapy Is A Second Wave Therapy1065 Words   |  5 PagesDialectical Behavior Therapy is a Third Wave Therapy created by Marsha Linehan in the 1970’s. It comes from a Cognitive Behavioral perspective. In High School she wanted to become a psychiatrist and work with the most mentally disturbed patients. She realized, however, that there weren’t a lot of effective treatments for these patients. She then decided to earn a PhD in experiential personality psychology (Prochaska Norcro ss 2014 p. ). Linehan wanted to work with the most difficult patients,Read MoreDialectical Behavior Therapy As A Treatment For Borderline Personality Disorder1482 Words   |  6 PagesDialectical Behavior Therapy as a Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder What is Borderline Personality Disorder? Personality disorders are characterized by the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) as disorders where impulsivity is the main deficit and without treatment, it acquires new symptoms as time progresses. The four core features that are prevalent in all personality disorders include dysfunctional thinkingRead MoreDialectical Behavior Therapy ( Dbt ) Essay1974 Words   |  8 PagesDialectical Behavior Therapy Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an innovative and contemporary approach to treatment for clients that display behaviors associated with the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) (Andreasson, Krogh, Wenneberg, Jessen, Krakauer, Gluud Nordentoft, 2016). DBT was created by Marsha Linehan at the University of Washington, where she studied emotionally vulnerable individuals who were diagnosed with BPD (Burke Stepp, 2012) Individuals living with BPDRead More Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Essay2635 Words   |  11 PagesDescription of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral treatment developed by Marsha M. Linehan for the treatment of complex, difficult-to-treat mental disorders. Originally, DBT was developed to treat individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD; Carson-Wong, Rizvi, Steffel, 2013; Scheel, 2000). However, DBT has evolved into a treatment for multi-disordered individuals with BPD. In addition, DBT has been adaptedRead MoreLiving With Borderline Personality Disorder Essay1131 Words   |  5 Pageswhat is borderline personality disorder? Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental disorder marked by a pattern of ongoing instability in moods, behavior, self-image and functioning (Borderline Personality Disorder, 2016). I wanted to know what symptoms of BPD are and Patient A stated, â€Å"symptoms of BPD are impulsive actions or behaviors, really unhealthy relationships, it’s all or nothing, there can be no in the middle with rela tionships, feeling alone or isolated, feeling empty, always beingRead MoreMy Emerging Behavioral Therapy Theory1711 Words   |  7 PagesMy emerging theory employed aspects of therapy from the humanism, existentialism, dialectical behavior, and when necessary exposure therapy. These theories have represented me as a person. As I have presented them here, they through the lens of each other, they work to form one integrative approach. As Rogerian humanism has laid the foundation for ways of being, this theory also incorporated Dr. Marsha Linehan’s structure of dialectical behavioral therapy’s and goals expressed by Yalom in existentialismRead MoreDr. Young Uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy Essay1751 Words   |  8 Pageswith therapy – until I conducted an interview with Dr. Priscilla Young, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with Kennebec Behavioral Health. First, a little bit about the interviewee - Dr. Young received a Master’s in Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing from Husson University in 2005. As a psychiatrist, she prescribes medications to clients, but also does psychotherapy during sessions. My goal for the interview was to determine the population Dr. Young works with, the therapies and techniquesRead MoreDialectical Behavior Therapy : An Evidence Based Treatment For Borderline Personality Disorder1141 Words   |  5 PagesDialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and PTSD (Cukor, 2009). The therapy focuses on a balance between change and acceptance. DBT is combined with individual psychotherapy and building skills groups to regulate emotion, mindfulness and distress tolerance. There are two stages associated with DBT. The first entails the use of DBT for individuals with BPD with significant trauma histories and PTSD (Welch Rothbaum, 2007). Patients Read MoreClass, Dialectical Behavior Therapy ( Dbt ) Skills Group, And A Chronic Pain Group2062 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout this semester I have been able to attend three different groups and they all have taught me something different. The three groups that I have been a part of are: Love and Logic Parenting Class, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Group, and a Chronic Pain Group. The DBT group is the one that I have been a part the longest and will write most of my paper on. In this group there were originally three members, however, as of this week a new group member has joined. The way the DBT

Concept of Purchase Power Parity-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Questions: 1.Define Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) theory. Based on PPP, would you expect the price of a new car to be the same in China as it is in Brazil? Provide justifications for your answer. 2.The September 2016 inflation rate for China is 1.9% and for Brazil 8.48%. Based on PPP, what would you expect to happen to the foreign currency? Show your calculations and discuss the expected effect. 3.Collect monthly data on the spot exchange rate between the Australian Dollar and Chinese Yuan from July 2012 to June 2015 from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Plot the data and comment on the factors that influence the exchange rate behaviour (theory and practice) - search for 2 articles in reputable sources to support discussion 4.Compute the forward rate discount or premium for the Brazilian real whose 180 day forward rate is USD3.27 and spot rate is USD3.23. State whether your answer is a discount or premium. 5.Define a currency option, related terms, and pricing factors. 6.How much will Howard pay per option and in total if the MNC wants to hedge the bid with call options? 7.What is the maximum amount necessary to purchase the R$500,000? 8.Would Howard Ltd exercise the call option if the bid is rejected? Explain. Answers: Introduction 1.Purchasing power parity is one of therories of economics which mentions about the rate of exchange among the currencies in different countries is equal to the currencies ratio in respect of the purchasing power. The main concept behind is that when the price of any particular product is at par in both the countries, the currencies of the countries will be in equilibrium with each other (Lothian 2016) PPP is denoted by the formula = S = P1/P2, where P1 denotes cost of basket of products in country 1 and P2 denotes cost of basket of products in country 2 and S is the rate of exchange between the two currency of 2 countries. It is determined based on inflation and the cost of living in the given 2 countries. As per the PPP model, purchase price of a new car in Brazil will be same as it is in China, because the concept of PPP is based one price for all the commodities. Thus if the exchange rate ratio does not alters, the price of the given basket of products will remain same in both the countries. It will also depend on other factors like inflation and interest rates that will affect the price of goods in a particular country. 2.As per the concept of PPP, the rate of inflation is a critical factor that determines the exchange rate ratio. In the given case, the inflation rate for two countries is given. The spot rate for the home currency is 1CNY= 0.48644 BRL. According to the PPP model, the forward rate will be Spot rate (1+Inflation of home currency/ 1+inflation of foreign currency) = 0.5365 Thus, we see that if the inflation of the home currency is more than the inflation of the foreign currency, it will have appositive effect, as there will be an overall increase in value of the home currency. Further, in case the home currencys inflation is lower than the foreign currencys inflation, the overall value of the home currency will decrease. In this way the inflation rates of the countries impacts the overall purchasing capacity of the company (Lin Lee 2016) 3.Post taking into consideration the spot rates of the two given countries namely Australian and Chinese dollar, following are the main factors which impacts these exchange rate- Difference in inflation rates - The inflation rate is one of the major factor which has an impact on the exchange rate amongst different countries. The country, in which there is lower inflation rate will have higher currency value, as the purchasing power of that particular country will increase in comparison to the other countries(Horioka Ford 2017). Difference in rates of interest - All the three rates namely interest rate, inflation rate and exchange rate are related to one other. The central banks in each country influences the rates of interest to exercise pressure over the exchange and inflation rates. If the interest rate is high in particular industry that economy will provide more return to the investor then other economy. This will in turn impact the inflation rates and the exchange rates(Bergin, Glick LinWu 2017) Current-Account Deficits The current account is indicative of the total payment made between the 2 countries in exchange of goods and services bought and sold. In case there is a deficit in the current account balance, it reflects that the economy is not doing well. It reflects that the overall demand for the foreign currency is more then what the company receives through export of goods. This excess demand of the foreign currency will lower the exchange rate of the home currency(Yee Ramirez 2016) Public Debt A large number of countries engages in large amount of foreign borrowings to finance public developments. This large-scale borrowing often affects the balance of trade, which in turn impacts the exchange rate of the given country.(Toulaboe 2017) In the said two countries, we see that the AUD/CNY Exchange Rate is depreciating over the years, that means that one of the currencies is getting strong and one is depreciating, that may be because of the changes in the rate of inflation and the interest rates. The highest was on 29th July 2011 7.567 and the lowest was on 30th September 2015. If the forward rate of any currency is more than the spot rate of that particular currency it reflects that the currency is at forward premium and if the currencys forward rate is less than the currencys spot rate then it is said to be at a discount. In the given case, the forward rate is USD 3.27 and spot rate is USD 3.23, thus the currency is at a forward premium. The main is calculated hereunder- Calculation in annualized percentages of Forward rate Premium or Discount: Premium = (Forward rate - Spot rate) / Spot rate x 12 months N forward rate USD3.27 spot rate USD3.23 N 180 days Premium 0.025111799 4.A currency option is contract in which the buyer has option to buy or sell any definite currency at any specific price, but there is no obligation to do the same. These are widely used options by corporations to hedge against currency risks. The investors can hedge the currency risk, by either buying or selling the options in various ways. The price of currency option is calculated by numerous factors which includes the currencys present spot rate, the rate at which the currencies can be deposited in the banks, and the current level of volatility. The two main terms that is related with the cull option and the put option(Habib, Mileva Stracca 2017) The call option is a contract amongst the two parties that gives buyer a right to buy any commodity or any stock within a particular time. However, there is no obligation to buy the same. The put option gives buyer a right to sell any commodity, stock or bond within a particular time, but there is no obligation to do the same. It helps the investors in allocating their portfolios without any actual buy or sell. It helps them in hedging the currency risks that are associated with foreign exchange transaction. It helps them to get themselves covered in the stock exchange. Thus, options are widely used. It also helps in generating a large amount of revenues because of the covered call strategy. The investor does not only own the underlying security, but it also owning the right to sell the call option and exercise the put option effectively. It helps in getting an exposure for the stock in very less price. The only cost that the investor will bear will be the cost of the contract. Thus, many factors influence the overall pricing policy and the revenue that a contract may earn. Currency options are very volatile in nature and the major drawback that is associated with such options is that there is large-scale speculation involved, which often leads to loss. Hedging is important because there is a lot of uncertainty involved. The currency rates keeps on fluctuating and that causes a large amount of issues. It is therefore important to make use of the currency options in such a manner that it yields maximum return to the investors(Ahlip, Park Prodan 2017) 6.In the given case, each option consists of 50,000 Brazilian Real units. Thus total pay per option will be (50000*(0.41+0.004) = AUD 20700. Total amount that the company needs to pay the MNC is (20700*10= AUD207000) this is because total amount need is R$500,000, and each option consists of 50000 Brazilian real units, there 10 such options will be needed to cover the entire amount. Thus, the company would have to pay to the MNC, AUD 207,000. 7.The total amount needed by the company to buy R$500,000 will be (R$500,000*0.41) = 205000AUD. We will not consider the premium price because it is considered only while we purchase the option. 8.In case the bid is rejected, the company will exercise the bid only if the spot rate is less than the AUD 0.41. In case the spot rate is more than this, then the call cannot be exercised. The breakeven point is at AUD0.41. If the spot rate is AUD0.45, then purchase the currency at the spot rate of AUD0.41 and then sell it a profit in AUD0.45. Because the company is paying a premium of 0.004, then company can earn a profit of 0.396. The formula for profit calculation is, Profit = Spot Rate - (Strike Price + Premium).This is the way in which the company will exercise the call option in case the bid cannot be exercised. In any case, the loss will be the premium paid and the gain can be unlimited(Qi Xie 2016) Conclusion Thus after the entire analysis, it can be said that the concept of purchase power parity holds good more on paper then in real life scenario. The exchange rate ratio is affected by so many factors, thus the assumption that the purchasing price of a particular product will stay same in both the countries does not hold good. There is variety of other factors that is to be taken into consideration.(Brooks, Cuthbertson Mayes 2017) References Ahlip, R, Park, AFL Prodan, A 2017, 'Pricing currency options in the Heston/CIR double exponential jump-diffusion model', International Journal of Financial Engineering, vol 4, no. 1. Bergin, PR, Glick, R LinWu, J 2017, 'Conditional PPP and real exchange rate convergence in the euro area', Journal of International Money and Finance, vol 73, pp. 78-92. Brooks, S, Cuthbertson, K Mayes, DG 2017, The Exchange Rate Environment, Routledge., NewYork. Habib, MM, Mileva, E Stracca, L 2017, 'The real exchange rate and economic growth: Revisiting the case using external instruments', Journal of International Money and Finance, vol 73, pp. 386-398. Horioka, CY Ford, N 2017, 'A possible explanation of the Exchange Rate Disconnect Puzzle: a common solution to three macroeconomic puzzles?', Applied Economics Letters , vol 24, no. 3. Lin, L Lee, CI 2016, 'Central Bank Intervention, Exchange Rate Regime and the Purchasing Power Parity', The World Economy, vol 39, no. 8, pp. 1256-1274. Lothian, JR 2016, 'Purchasing power parity and the behavior of prices and nominal exchange rates across exchange-rate regimes', Journal of International Money and Finance, vol 69, pp. 5-21. Qi, H Xie, AY 2016, 'Cost of capital: spot rate or forward rate?', Applied Economics , vol 48, no. 40, pp. 3804-3811. Toulaboe, D 2017, 'Real exchange rate misalignment of Asian currencies', Asian Pacific Economic Literature, vol 31, no. 1, pp. 39-52. Yee, S Ramirez, DM 2016, 'Purchasing Power Parity: A Time Series Analysis of the U.S. and Mexico, 19952007', International Advances in Economic Research, vol 22, no. 4, pp. 409-419

Samuel Barclay Beckett an Example of the Topic Personal Essays by

Samuel Barclay Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (12 April 1906 to 22 December 1989) was an Irish dramatist, novelist, and poet. Beckett's work is stark, fundamentally minimalist, and, according to some interpretations, deeply pessimistic about the human condition. The perceived pessimism is mitigated both by a great and often wicked sense of humor and by the sense, for some readers, that Beckett's portrayal of life's obstacles serves to demonstrate that the journey, while difficult, is ultimately worth the effort. Similarly, many posit that Beckett's expressed "pessimism" is not so much for the human condition but for that of an established cultural and societal structure which imposes its stultifying will upon otherwise hopeful individuals; it is the inherent optimism of the human condition. Therefore, that is at tension with the oppressive world. His later work explores his themes in an increasingly cryptic and attenuated style. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969 "for his writing, whichin new forms for the novel and dramain the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation." Need essay sample on "Samuel Barclay Beckett" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Beckett's attempt to capture the process of creation of a text requires the dramatic structure of endless repetitions. The endless repetition in Beckett's plays can be seen as a quest for the true text where a character gropes for his true "self." Repetition is not only a technique in Beckett; it is also a theme, which means that repetition is spoken of repeatedly. This was read in his 1961 novel Comment cest (How It Is), He sings yes always the same song pause SAME SONG, words that echo what the narrator of the story LExpulse (1945, The Expelled) had said of any table he could tell: You will see how alike. Now in this essay, we will critically analyze the implementation of Becketts repetition philosophy that mainly appeared in his following short plays. Students Frequently Tell Us: How much do I have to pay someone to write my essay today? Essay writers suggest: Buy Essays Cheap Get Paid To Write Essays For Students Best Essay Writing Service Make Money Writing Papers For Students Play Play was written between 1962 and 1963 and first produced in German as Spiel on June 14, 1963, at the Ulmer Theatre in Ulm-Donau, Germany. The first performance in English was in 1964 at the Old Vic in London. The curtain rises on two women and a man (referred to only as W1, W2, and M), in a row along the front of the stage with their heads sticking out of the tops of large urns, the rest of their bodies unexposed. They remain like this for the play's duration. At the commencement and the conclusion of the play, all three characters speak, in what Beckett terms a "chorus," but in the main, the play is made up of short, sometimes broken sentences spoken by one character at a time. Over the course of the play, it becomes apparent that the man has betrayed Woman #1, or W1, by having an affair with Woman #2. The three characters speak of the affair from their respective points of view on the matter, in an almost contrapuntal manner. Near the end of the script, there is the terse instruct ion: "Repeat play." Beckett elaborates on this in notes, by saying that the repetition might be varied, by changing the intensity of the light, giving a breathless quality to the lines, or even shuffling some of the lines around. At the end of this second repetition, the play appears to start again for the third time but does not get more than a few seconds into it before it suddenly stops. One interpretation of the play is that the three characters are actually in purgatory, where they are confessing their sins - indeed, one of the characters exclaims "I confess" at one point when recalling their illicit relationship. The use of urns to encase the bodies of the three players is thought to symbolise their entrapment inside the demons of their past; the way in which all three urns are described at the start of the play as "touching" each other is often deciphered as symbolising the shared problem which all three characters have endured. The spotlight, which illuminates only the face of those characters who it wishes to speak, is believed to represent God, or a Higher Power of some sort, who is weighing up each character's case to be relieved from the binds of the urn, and having to relive this relationship which has ruined all their lives. What Where What Where is Samuel Beckett's last play. It was written in 1983 in English, and revised over a three year period for separate stage and television productions in French and German. Four characters (Bam, Bom, Bim, and Bem) appear at intervals; all dressed in the same grey gown with the same long grey hair. Bam controls and interrogates the others, sending them off to be tortured (given "the works") to confess to an unnamed crime that he, in turn, places on all of them. A seasonal cycle from spring to winter passes in the course of the play, with Bam repeating the same questions and actions: eventually, Bom, Bim, and Bem have interrogated each other at least once, and the cycle begins again. Bam has an additional manifestation in the Voice of Bam (V), an omnipresent force that directs the proceedings from a "small megaphone at head level." The voice acts something like a "voice of God," and determines things to be positive or negative on a whim. Somewhat elusive in theme although with a definite totalitarian edge, Beckett himself struggled over its meaning: "I don't know what it means. Don't ask me what it means. It's an object". Happy Days Winnie, the main character, is buried up to her waist in a tall mound of sand. She has a bag full of interesting artifacts, including a comb, a toothbrush, toothpaste, lipstick, a nail file, a parasol and a music box. She also has in her bag a revolver, which she strokes and pats lovingly. The harsh ringing of a bell demarcates waking and sleeping hours. The play begins with the ringing of this bell and Winnie's declaration, "Another heavenly day." Winnie is content with her existence: "Ah well, what matters, that's what I always say, it will have been a happy day, after all, another happy day." Her husband Willie lives in a cave behind her, sunk into the back of the mound. Unlike his wife, he can still move, albeit by crawling on all fours. During the course of the first act, he comes out of his hole to read the newspaper and to masturbate, sitting behind the mound with his back to the audience. Despite Winnie's constant chatter and requests that he speak, he says little to nothing quotes from a newspaper, affirmations that he can hear her, the word "fornication," and the explanation that hogs are "castrated male swine, raised for slaughter." Winnie's increasingly restricted movement can be interpreted as many things but is most likely a metaphor for the aging process itself. Throughout the play, she distracts herself from her true condition by both consistent denial and through the toys in her bag and conversation with both an imagined listener and Willie (although the amount that the fourth wall is actually broken can be reasonably controlled by the director). While presented with the option of suicide early in the play, it is not one that she seriously considers, or refuses to overtly reference. In Act 1, she notes that she has the gun because Willie begged that she take it from him out of fear that he would use it, and the play concludes by exploring his mentality further. As he attempts and fails to mount her mound (an overt sexual reference, and one of several throughout the show that hint at Willie's impotence), it is unclear whether he is attempting to reach her for a kiss or the gun in order to make an end. Becau se he cannot climb the slope, we are left with the tableau of two characters who are meant for each other trapped in hellish circumstances and unable to escape. Footfalls Footfalls was written, in English, between March and December 1975 and was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre as part of the Samuel Beckett Festival, on May 20, 1976. Footfalls is about the relationship between a mother and daughter, played by Martha Hill and Barb Lanciers, respectively. That Time is a solo performance featuring Mike Mathieu as a character known only as "Listener." In Becketts Footfalls, we watch an old woman, dressed in a tattered wrap, pacing up and down a track, while a voice off tells us of a young girl who paced with a similar intentness and desperation, and eventually asked her mother to take up the carpet, explaining: the motion alone is not enough. I must hear the feet, however faint they fall. Hearing the feet establishes the young girls sense of being there, in the sensation of the faint impact on the ground and its answering resistance. In Naumans work, the ground is similarly a place of last resort, the lowest common denominator, both a continuous threat and also a place of trust, a generalized securing or orientation of the sense of place. A human body moves between many different experiences of different floors and plots of ground but is nevertheless orientated always just to one ground, just to the ground, spreading, various, but everywhere singular. As the hypostasis, that which lies beneath, or understands all being and beings living on earth, even and especially creatures of the air like birds, and of the midair, like spiders, the ground has its say in every action and experience. The ground is limit itself; the hereness, or present condition that underwrites every elsewhere, the actual of every possibility. It is time thickened and slowed into space, a stay against the passage of time. It is that towards which all movement tends. The dimension of downness or under ness can never be fully in mind, or in view, but is always at work. That Time That Time was written, in English, in 1975 and was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, as part of the Samuel Beckett Festival, on May 20, 1976. In this play, only thing seen on stage is a face and the only things heard are three voices. The voices, A, B, and C, alternate throughout the play with only two pauses, which consist of the termination of one of the voices' monologues, the listener's eyes opening, one of the voices starting to speak again, and the eyes closing. The distinctions between voices are not always clear because some of the text is the same and some images are common among them, such as a stone or slab which the speaker sits upon or remembers sitting upon. The voices seem to represent the same person at different points in his life: voice A in middle age trying to remember his childhood, voice B in childhood, and voice C presumably in old age (Acheson and Arthur 121-126). The play is entirely lacking in punctuation, and because of this and the switches from voice to voice, the meanings of the narratives given by each voice are ambiguous. The text of the play is difficult to read and understand due to the style in which it was written and the organization, and similarly, the end does not seem to conclude the play: the eyes open after the voices stop, and 5 seconds later, the face smiles. After rereading the text, themes and images are easier to pick up, and different meanings can be found. Conclusion Beckett's hero is a Sisyphusean type of man waiting for the fulfillment of his fate, which seems to be eternal through his suffering and hoping. He is alienated from the world, which is unknown, remote, and indifferent, and from which he is isolated by the walls of his self. The conflict between two different substances - the world and the human subject, leads to the feelings of Absurdity and to fundamental existential questions about the meaning of human life in a world where he lives as a stranger. We find the whole greatness of Beckett's absurd man in his intractability with which he continually fills up his precarious fate, and although his suffering increases as time stop he does not live without hope and joy in life. References: Cronin, Anthony. Samuel Beckett: The Last Modernist. New York: Da Capo Press, 1997. Bair, Deirdre. Samuel Beckett: A Biography. Vintage/Ebury, 1978. ISBN 0-09-80070-5. Understanding Samuel Beckett By Alan Astro, Published 1990 Univ of South Carolina, Press, ISBN 0872496864 Burnt Piano, by Justin Fleming, Xlibris, 2004 (Coup d'Etat & Other Plays) Knowlson, James. Damned to Fame: The Life of Samuel Beckett. New York: Grove Press, 1996. Mercier, Vivian. Beckett/Beckett. Oxford University Press, 1977. ISBN 0-19-281269-6