Compare, contrast and summarize the information from all 3 article Essay

Compare, contrast and summarize the information from all 3 article together) - Essay Example ve perception of the nursing profession and unsatisfactory working conditions particularly played a critical role in influencing the decisions for most nurses to leave the nursing field. From the study findings, Gok and Kicaman (2011) concluded that strategies aimed at addressing the high turnover rates in nursing needed to apply a multidimensional perspective in the improvement of working conditions in the nursing field. The article by Kalisch, Lee and Rochman (2010), investigates the role of staff and unit characteristics as well as teamwork in influencing job satisfaction among the nursing staff. The study involved 3675 nurses drawn from five hospitals and 80 patient care units who participated in a teamwork survey. The analysis of the survey results revealed a strong association between occupational satisfaction and the levels of teamwork in the working environment. Other factors such as job title, current position, and gender further influenced the levels of job satisfaction in the nursing field. The patient unit in which the nurses served also influenced their levels of job satisfaction. Kalisch, Lee and Rochman (2010) concluded that high levels of teamwork, adequate staffing and the care patient units contribute to enhanced job satisfaction hence the need to promote teamwork in the nursing field. The article written by Jenaro, Flores, Orgaz, and Cruz (2010) explores the association between work engagement, dedication, assimilation, vigor, and job satisfaction. The study entailed 412 nurses who participated in work engagement surveys, an ad hoc survey and response to general health questions. The study reveals that 65.5% met the criteria for anxiety, 10% for severe depression, and 49% the somatic symptoms criteria (Jenaro, Flores, Orgaz, & Cruz, 2010). About 33% of the participants expressed high dedication, about 20% had high vigor and approximately 36% expressed high absorption (Jenaro, Flores, Orgaz, & Cruz, 2010). The reported levels were

Graffiti and Form Essay Example for Free

Graffiti and Form Essay There are a lot of different perspectives on weather or not graffiti is a form of art or graffiti is just vandalism. In my essay I will explain to you why graffiti is a form of art, I will also show you how graffiti is just vandalism as well. First, Graffiti is a form of art because its a form of self-expression much like other kinds of arts. Artist use graffiti to show their talents. Although graffiti is used on public buildings and walls its a type of street art so the public can see. Graffiti is a way to show the public your thoughts, they wouldnt have to pay a penny to go see it. Many people say graffiti is vandalism because it symbolizes gangs, but thats not what real graffiti is. Secondly, Graffiti is art because its somebodys passion and thats why they enjoy doing. Graffiti artist should not be fined money if they are caught. Graffiti not only has different meanings inside of their paintings it also beautifies cities and such. Graffiti is art because it shows who you are and what we feel inside and by doing graffiti it helps people express theirselves. Finally, Graffiti is vandalism because it destroys buildings and they are destroying somebodys property. Not only does it look bad to others it also cost thousands of dollars just to remove it. Graffiti also spread gang-related violence with all the tagging of gang names. Another example why Graffiti is vandalism is because most graffiti are just tags and gang communication. In conclusion, different people have their own opinion on weather or not graffiti is a form of art or just vandalism. Graffiti is a form of art because its a form of self-expression, it shows the public your thoughts and how they feel. Graffiti is vandalism because graffiti is done illegally on buildings and most of it is tagging, it also spreads gang violence through their work.

Cohabitation, Marriage, and Divorce Essay -- Sociology

1.0 Introduction Cohabitation is and has been a norm in almost all societies in the world. It has been perceived as the stepping stone to marriage by the modern generation. In Whitman, (2003), cohabitation has grown so widely that there is one cohabiting couple out of 7 marriages in 2010 as compared to 1 out of 90 marriages in 1960. According to her, the attitude towards the whole of marriage institution has changed drastically over time. In the same article, currently in the US, of 3 single women, 1 chooses to live with their partners before marriage as compared to the 1950’s where only 1 out of 10 chooses so. Another statistics reveal that, the number of cohabitating partners have increased exponentially from 430,000 in 1960 to 5.4 million couples in 2005 (Fowler, R, 2008). From this shocking statistics, we ought to find out the advantages and disadvantages of cohabiting. Firstly, the meaning of cohabitation and marriage must be clearly defined before more research is done. From the Concise English Dictionary (9th Edition), cohabitation come from the word ‘cohabit’ which is defined as â€Å"live together, [especially] as husband and wife without being married to one another† while marriage is defined as â€Å"the legal union of a man and woman in order to live together and often to have children†. In today’s terms, long-term cohabitation is more known as an alternative to marriage. Couples now prefer cohabitation because of the ‘freedom’ and the ‘guarantee of compatibility’ that it allegedly offers. However, the issue about cohabitation that is questioned is the stability of the relationship. We know that cohabitation is recognized by any country in the world as a legal union of a man and woman. The question arises, ‘Will cohabitat... ...ation’, Family Matters, pp. 24-27, viewed 26th January 2012, Popenoe D., Whitehead B.D. (1999), ‘Should we live together? What young adults need to know about cohabitation before marriage.’ THE NATIONAL MARRIAGE PROJECT : The Next Generation Series, New Jersey, viewed 14 January, 2012, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, (1995), 9th ed, Oxford University Press Inc., New York. Whitehead, B.D. and Popenoe, D. (2000), ‘Sex without strings, relationships without rings’, The State of Our Unions, The Social Health of Marriage in America, The National Marriage Project, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, p. 13, New Jersey. Whitman, S. (2003), ‘Shacking up: The smart girl's guide to living in sin without getting burned’, Broadway, Washington.

Compare and contrast the characters Essay

Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Hardy’s iconic novel, centres around the eponymous tragic heroine, Tess. Yet the tragedies that befall her in the course of the novel would not have occurred without the two leading male characters whom Tess encounters. The first is Tess’s ‘cousin’, Alec D’Urberville, whom she first meets in Chapter Five when she comes â€Å"to claim kin†. Alec becomes infatuated with the sixteen-year-old Tess but after he is rebuffed several times, rapes her and leaves her pregnant with his child. The second of these characters is Angel Clare, a young man Tess is introduced to at Talbothays dairy farm where she works as a dairymaid at the age of twenty. Angel and Tess fall in love, but their romance is blighted by the shadow of Tess’s past. On first reading, Angel and Alec may seem to be very different, but further analysis may prove that these men are more similar than previously seen. Alexander D’Urberville is written to be the complete antithesis of Angel Clare. Alec is rich, powerful and lazy, everything that Angel despises about the â€Å"old families†. Even the names of the characters reflect their personalities. Alexander brings to mind great noblemen, such as Alexander the Great, but the fact that the diminutive, Alec, is almost always used, suggests that perhaps the man has not lived up to the name. His surname at least sounds impressive, and the fact that it contains some of the title of the book seems to bestow a degree of importance. However, as the reader finds out just before Alec is introduced, the D’Urberville family don’t actually have a claim to their name: it was an old ancestor who simply annexed the surname ‘D’Urberville’ in order to sound more genteel and more impressive. Thus, on meeting Alec D’Urberville for the first time, we see him straightaway as a fake, an imposter. Unlike with Alec, whose name precedes him and tells us about his nature before he even meets Tess, Angel Clare is introduced very early on in the book, in Chapter One, but as a nameless student. He joins in the country girls’ dance and partners everyone but Tess, who then stares reproachfully after him. During this encounter, we find out nothing about this young man except that he has not chosen a path like his brothers, yet when Angel is ‘officially’ introduced in Chapter Seventeen, the reader straightaway knows who he is before he even gives his name. ‘Angel’, an unusual choice of first name for a male, marks him out straightaway as a hero, a harbinger of good, the light to Alec’s dark. ‘Clare’, too, suggests light, brightness, clarity. However, does Hardy set up Angel as the perfect hero only to destroy this fai ade later on? Alec is preceded by his name as this brings an ominous shadow to his later dealings with Tess, but Angel is followed by his name. His nameless presence remains in both Tess’s and the reader’s mind until we see him again: he is marked out by his intelligence and his willingness to involve himself in country life, rather than his beautiful name. Hardy describes Alec’s appearance very vividly. His â€Å"red and smooth† lips bring the first hints of sexuality and eroticism to Tess’s life, while his â€Å"well-groomed black moustache with curled points† implies he pays a lot of attention to aesthetics and appearances, which is confirmed when he continually refers to Tess as â€Å"my Beauty† and gives her beauty as the reason for his passion for her, rather than her innate qualities. Hardy uses plosives when describing Alec for the first time (â€Å"lips†, â€Å"badly†, â€Å"points†) to emphasise â€Å"the singular force† and violent, aggressive nature of the character. The contrast Hardy makes between Alec’s full moustache and his relatively young age suggests that Alec is using his moustache as a smokescreen to disguise his lack of maturity and experience: his self-assured, superior manner helps him assert power over Tess, but he has had little experience in the area of love and affection and therefore is unsuccessful at winning Tess. He is worldly and superior in many aspects, but emotionally he is still immature. Hardy also makes reference to the â€Å"touches of barbarism† in Alec’s face. Throughout Phase the First, we see how Alec falls from his aristocratic status in his efforts to make Tess love him: he curses, swears, forces himself upon her, cries and begs, simply to try and make her feel for him. The barbaric aspects of his countenance also reflect the contrast between his higher social position and his base morals, showing an even greater difference between Angel’s idealised morality despite his lower class, and between Alec’s self-degradation and lack of self-control in spite of his higher status. An interesting point is that Hardy’s vivid description of Alec paints him very similarly to the Devil. At that time, as Hardy himself makes reference to in Chapter Fourteen, Christian children were taught â€Å"quaint and curious† ideas about religion, leading to common visual stereotypes such as that of Satan with his horns and moustache. Even the colours used, such as red and black, are reminiscent of the Devil, drawing a not-too-subtle contrast between this and Angel. Unlike Alec, who has been described so vividly that almost every reader pictures him in the same way, Angel is described in a vaguer manner. While some of Alec’s outward characteristics are linked to his behaviour, Hardy only really mentions them in passing, as the pace of the story is fairly quick here, as if Hardy is eager to get to Tess’s first interchange with Alec. At Chapter Eighteen, however, the pace has slowed considerably to make room for the new main character, and so most of this chapter is given over to describing Angel and his history. Angel’s description is linked more to his personality and behaviour, and this vagueness of description also emphasises how Angel is â€Å"nebulous, preoccupied, vague†¦ had no very definite aim or concern about his material future†. In contrast to the plosives used when describing Alec, a lot of sibilance is used in the paragraph describing Angel (â€Å"past†¦ distinct†¦ as†¦ appreciative voice†¦ fixed, abstracted eyes†¦ somewhat too small† and so on) which not only adds to the vague haziness surrounded his future prospects, or emphasises our and Tess’s knowledge of him as a memory only, but hints at a gentle, placid, soft nature in keeping with his namesake. However, there are signs that perhaps Angel’s nature is not as consistent as it seems: the juxtaposition of â€Å"fixed† and â€Å"abstracted† as well as the description of his mouth as both â€Å"delicate† and â€Å"firm† suggest contradiction, if not hypocrisy, in his nature. The masculinity of both characters comes under question: while Alec’s apparent masculinity is undermined by his constant attention to aesthetics and his aversion to any form of manual work, Angel’s is enhanced by his apparent firmness, a trait valued in Victorian husbands and fathers at the time. The attitude to country folk and manual work is something that divides the two men significantly. Alec, as a gentleman, has never done a day’s work in his life. He has excessive free time to spend watching Tess attempting to whistle and looking after the birds. In fact, our first image of Alec is of him standing lazily at the gate smoking his cigar, while our first real image of Angel is when he is milking a cow. Additionally, Alec looks down on Tess’s social class. Although he sends the Durbeyfield family gifts, his motives are purely romantic, and he sees himself as a noble beneficiary, helping those lower than himself. His attitudes towards the country folk are shown perfectly when, in Chapter Ten, he addresses the group of country workers as â€Å"work-folk†, showing he considers them useful only for manual labour and of lower intelligence than himself. He defines them by what they do, rather than what they are. Angel, on the other hand, steps down from his initial family pathway due to his beliefs, and does not consider himself above the workers at Talbothays who are of a lower social standing than him. Hardy deliberately describes how Angel’s mindset and attitude change over time: at first, it is natural that Clare sees the new society in which he lives as â€Å"strange†, â€Å"undignified†, â€Å"retrogressive and unmeaning†, yet as he becomes part of the household, a change takes place. Suddenly he realises that each member of the dairy is just as uniquely human as he is, with their own memories and dreams, and this is what Alec fails to realise. The latter never treats Tess as anything close to his own intelligence, treating her like a child, while Angel learns to treat every man or woman as an equal, not an inferior. This is reflected in his change in sentiment towards where he lives: not only does he begin to â€Å"like the outdoor life for its own sake†, but he forms an attachment to the dairy and the people living and working there. Alec, however, scorns Tess when she becomes emotional at seeing the village where she was born, remarking unsympathetically that â€Å"we must all be born somewhere†. In keeping with Hardy’s Romantic leanings, Angel is portrayed as more feeling and more appreciative of his surroundings, which is exacerbated when he falls in love with Tess and starts to see her as a â€Å"daughter of Nature† rather than separate from his surroundings. In a story where something as simple as a name changes Tess’s life forever, it is fitting that both men’s attitudes and feelings towards Tess are shown perfectly through the names they use for her. As aforementioned, Alec focuses only on Tess’s appearance, continually calling her â€Å"my Beauty† or â€Å"my pretty†. When he uses her name, it is in the diminutive (â€Å"Tessy†), belittling her even more than he normally does. However when his mood towards her changes, as it so often does, his names for her change to â€Å"mere chit†, â€Å"Miss Independence† and â€Å"young witch†, simultaneously scorning and patronising her ‘disobedience’. Angel, on the other hand, calls Tess â€Å"Artemis, Demeter, and other fanciful names half-teasingly†. These names, stemming from classical mythology, show Angel to be more educated, imaginative and creative than Alec, and represent Tess as a beautiful embodiment of pure womankind, not just a pretty maid to be wooed. These names show how high a pedestal Angel has placed Tess upon, and how he associates her completely and fully with the natural world, as both these goddesses represent aspects of nature or hunting. It is important to note, though, that Tess implores him to use her real name, signifying that at this point, Angel does not know Tess for who she really is (or her full history) and therefore uses these names because of the idealised way in which he sees her. An interesting point is that both characters are required to ‘save’ Tess at some point, and that both characters take advantage of Tess’s vulnerability to fulfil their own romantic motives. At first, Alec appears to be Tess’s knight in shining armour, come to rescue her from the angry Car Darch, but he rides off into The Chase, unbeknownst to Tess, and uses the opportunity to rape her. Angel, on the other hand, carries all three of Tess’s friends and then Tess herself across the river, ostensibly to help them to get to church. Hardy emphasises the beauty and romance of this scene in contrast to the sinister tone of the scene in The Chase, reinforced by the fact that the events in the woods take place at the dead of night while the scene at the river is in broad daylight. Alec purposefully rides off in the wrong direction while Tess believes he is taking her home, and Angel actually tells Tess that he has â€Å"undergone three quarters of this labour entirely †¦ for the fourth quarter†. Both men use Tess’s predicament to be alone with her, but the key difference is that Alec goes ahead and forces himself upon the fragile and terrified Tess, while Angel remembers that â€Å"he was somewhat unfairly taking advantage of an accidental position; and he went no further with it. † Angel treats Tess with reverence and respect, while Alec believes he has a right to Tess’s maidenhood. Throughout the first part of the book, it is clear to see that Hardy makes very obvious differentiations between Alec and Angel. Both represent strong influences on Tess, even after they leave her life, but Alec corrupts and ruins her while Angel later on even takes the place of a deity in her eyes. However, both men are only human, and throughout the rest of the novel, Hardy goes on to show that despite their differences, both characters have an equally destructive impact on Tess’s life. Both offer to protect and love her, but in the end, both abandon her, believing themselves superior in intellect and character. It could be argued, therefore, that Hardy’s overall aim is not to show how dissimilar Angel and Alec are, but to show how neither of them truly cares for Tess when she needs them to, leading to her downfall.

Luxury Brands in India Essay

A luxury brand is a brand for which most of products offered are luxury goods. Luxury goods in general refer to products or services which are not fundamental and can be described as affluence. The three words which compliment luxury brands are high price, high quality and prestige. These brands create and set the seasonal trends and are also capable to pulling all of their consumers with them wherever they go. India being the second-fastest growing economy is believed to be one of the most sought after market by the luxury brands. Designers around the world have been taking inspiration from India’s rich fashion history with bright Bollywood colours, exotic saris, elegant embroidery and stunning jewellery. The growing number of Indians in the billionaire’s club coupled with a evident rise of the urban elite class has seen many international luxury giants queue up to woo the Indian customer who has a peculiar culture of â€Å"status†. A big brand like Chanel launched its 2012 Paris-Bombay Collection. in December of 2011 and Hermes put out a limited-edition line of saris, which instantly drew the world’s attention to the glamour and glitz of India. Luxury brands have thoroughly considered the significance of understanding India’s spending power and rituals as there are definite times when luxury spending isn’t welcome, but other times like weddings and festivals which are prime times for offering high-end, luxury items. As per Millward Brown Optimor consulting company the top 10 luxury brands are: 1. Louis Vuitton- $25. 9 billion, 2. Hermes- $19. 1 billion 3. Rolex- $7. 2 billion 4. Chanel- $6. 7 billion 5. Gucci- $6. 4 billion 6. Prada- $5. 7 billion 7. Cartier- $4. 8 billion. 8. Hennessy- $4. 6 billion. 9. Moet & Chandon- $4. 2 billion. 10. Burberry- $4. 09 billion. Features of Luxury market in India: ? India is the second fastest growing region in Asia Pacific for Luxury Products. ? The Indian market is expected to grow at the rate 25% over next 5 years. ? At $4. 8 billion, the luxury retail market has place for everyone. ? Apparel, jewelry & personal care are the biggest sells in the luxury market. ? Indian Luxury Market is worth $4. 9 Billion, it forms only 2% of global share thus there is a huge scope for expansion. ? There are 103,000 millionaires in India, 16,000 are added each year. ? Luxury and prestige brands such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Cartier represent the highest form of craftsmanship and command a staunch consumer loyalty that is not affected by trends. Now that India has emerged as a hot market for Luxury Brands it is important for these brands to market themselves well to the Indian consumer. Most of the Luxury Brands attract a new consumer by indicating high brand worth. With introduction of several Luxury brands in India, Luxury Brand marketing has emerged as a significant ancillary service. Luxury marketing strategies are developed in a unique way which ensures success; some of the strategies are listed below: ? Brand needs to be â€Å"expansive†- it needs to be full of modernization opportunities for the marketer for satisfying the divergent needs of the luxury consumer ? Brand must always tell a majestic story heritage & performance or other aspects that goes on to build the aura of a brand over time. The story always accentuates the identity of the brand. ? Brand needs to be relevant to the needs of consumers-Depending upon the mindset of the luxury class, it is imperative for a brand to satisfy those needs, whether they be catering to recognition or functional use etc. ? Brand must always align itself with consumers’ values-A brand that does not concur with the basic values of a consumer’s society has a small chance of succeeding because luxury items are forms of expression or identification for a luxury consumer. ? Brand needs to perform-Irrespective of which category the brand belongs to, a performance assurance is a must. For all the above mentioned strategies to work there is a strong need for specialized marketing & PR function. These two services have become backbone of the Luxury Brands in India. Through my research I shall try to find out the role played by these agencies and also the activities under taken by various Luxury brands to establish themselves in India. A RESEARCH ON Fashion shows [pic] Assignment on research problem INTRODUCTION Research can be defined as a formalized curiosity. It is â€Å"The systematic investigation into and study of materials, sources, etc., in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions† Oxford English dictionary. In other words it can also be defined as â€Å"A process of finding out information and investigating the unknown to solve a problem† according to Maylor and Blackmon (2005). The topic of my research problem is FASHION SHOWS. My research shall revolve around answering questions like: 1. What brings about the success of these shows? 2. How it affects the fashion trends in a society? 3. How it affects the sales of a country? A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase his or her upcoming line of clothing during a Fashion Week. Fashion shows are fun and creative way of highlighting some of the ethical issues surrounding the fashion industry. There is a lot to be considered so it is well worth planning ahead. This is where the latest fashion trends are introduced to the people at large. In a typical fashion show models walk down the ramp dressed in the clothing created by the designer. Fashions shows enjoy a good amount of media coverage which is essential for spreading trends across the globe. History In the 1800s â€Å"fashion parades† periodically took place in Paris couture salons. American retailers imported the concept of the fashion show in the early 1900s. The first American fashion show likely took place in 1903 in the New York City store Ehrlich Brothers. By 1910, large department stores such as Wanamaker’s in New York City and Philadelphia were also staging fashion shows. These events showed couture gowns from Paris or the store’s copies of them; they aimed to demonstrate the owners’ good taste and capture the attention of female shoppers. Magazines like Vogue and Harper’s bazaar, whose editors were obsessed with French fashion began to feature more work by American designers. American designs became the new modern trends and made their place in the industry. Many designers began to hold their own shows in private functions but some shows turned out to be mishaps. Some locations were hazardous like that of Michael Kors show where a part of the ceiling began falling on the models. Mishaps like these made the designers to send the collection to Bryant Park and Fashion Week as we know it today was born. Advantages:- †¢ Fashion shows gave many aspiring designers a platform to show their collection. †¢ It gave opportunity to see the best garments and meet the best international designers. †¢ It helps in introducing new trends and make people aware of them. †¢ It amalgamates different trends and presents an overview of seasonal trend. What brings out the success of these shows? †¢ Careful selection of the theme of fashion show. It should be in sync with the collection that the designer shows. Theme along with collection leaves an important impact on its audience. †¢ Venue that can accommodate many people and one which can efficiently handle a fashion show. It should have good lighting system, backstage area, adequate parking and also easy to find. †¢ Proper display of Collection. It should be appealing and attractive. †¢ Models that effectively and beautifully carry the designs. †¢ Proper advertisement by creating a media buzz. . World’s most talked about & influential Fashion Shows: †¢ Berlin Fashion Week – Berlin, Germany †¢ Haute Couture- Paris, France †¢ Sao Paulo Fashion Week- Sao Paulo, Brazil †¢ Copenhagen Fashion Week- Copenhagen, Denmark †¢ New York Fashion Week- New York, US †¢ London Fashion Week A/W- London, UK †¢ Tokyo Fashion Week A/W- Tokyo, Japan †¢ Milan Fashion Week S/S- Milan, Italy †¢ Paris Fashion Week S/S- Paris, France.

Free Essays on Essay On Essays

With these simple steps, anybody can write an â€Å"A† quality essay. All it takes is a well-written introduction, body and conclusion. These steps are a lot easier than most people make them out to be. The first, and most important, step to writing an â€Å"A† essay is the introduction. The purpose of the introduction is to get the reader’s attention. The introduction should also let the reader know the contents of your essay. To get the reader’s attention use a lead-in. a lead-in is a sentence or phrase that captures the interest of the reader. One way to do this is to appeal to the emotions or feelings of the reader. A lead-in can be in the form of a question, a shocking statement, a headline, or a statistic; as long as it gets the attention of the reader. A thesis statement should also be included in the introduction. The thesis should inform the reader as to the contents of the essay and how the essay is organized. The reader should be able to read the thesis statement and find a specific topic in the essay without having to read the entire essay. This can be done by organizing the body paragraphs in the same order as the items in the thesis statement. Step two, in writing an â€Å"A† essay, is writing effective body paragraphs. In order for them to be effective, they must support the thesis sentence. The worst thing to do is to go off on subjects that have nothing to do with the essay. To avoid getting off the subject, try not to use stories as examples or to prove a point. Every body paragraph should have a topic sentence. The other sentences in the paragraph should support the topic sentence. The paragraph, as a whole, should support the thesis sentence. The third and final step to writing an â€Å"A† essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should summarize the entire paper in a few sentences. To do this, cover the main points in the essay. One way of doing this is to reword the thesis statement. The conclusion should also... Free Essays on Essay On Essays Free Essays on Essay On Essays With these simple steps, anybody can write an â€Å"A† quality essay. All it takes is a well-written introduction, body and conclusion. These steps are a lot easier than most people make them out to be. The first, and most important, step to writing an â€Å"A† essay is the introduction. The purpose of the introduction is to get the reader’s attention. The introduction should also let the reader know the contents of your essay. To get the reader’s attention use a lead-in. a lead-in is a sentence or phrase that captures the interest of the reader. One way to do this is to appeal to the emotions or feelings of the reader. A lead-in can be in the form of a question, a shocking statement, a headline, or a statistic; as long as it gets the attention of the reader. A thesis statement should also be included in the introduction. The thesis should inform the reader as to the contents of the essay and how the essay is organized. The reader should be able to read the thesis statement and find a specific topic in the essay without having to read the entire essay. This can be done by organizing the body paragraphs in the same order as the items in the thesis statement. Step two, in writing an â€Å"A† essay, is writing effective body paragraphs. In order for them to be effective, they must support the thesis sentence. The worst thing to do is to go off on subjects that have nothing to do with the essay. To avoid getting off the subject, try not to use stories as examples or to prove a point. Every body paragraph should have a topic sentence. The other sentences in the paragraph should support the topic sentence. The paragraph, as a whole, should support the thesis sentence. The third and final step to writing an â€Å"A† essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should summarize the entire paper in a few sentences. To do this, cover the main points in the essay. One way of doing this is to reword the thesis statement. The conclusion should also...

How to Identify a Target Audience for Your Book in 3 Steps

How to Identify a Target Audience for Your Book in 3 Steps How to Identify a Target Audience for Your Book in 3 Steps Don’t you feel like your book could be a massive hit, if only the right people knew about it? If there were only some way of finding your target audience, you'd be able to reach out and get your novel into their hands or e-readers.This post will lay out a method on how to identify a target audience. You will find the ‘right people’ for your book, learn to see things from their perspective, and discover the most effective channels for reaching them.If you're a self-published author, you probably don't have the resources to market to everyone. The only sensible approach is to appeal to people who are actively seeking books just like yours.   If those people love your book, word of mouth will quickly spread, and you will start to build a loyal following that eagerly awaits your next publication.  So let’s get to it! How to identify a target audience: see things from your readers' perspective Step 1 - How to identify a target audienceHow do you go about figuring out who your book is meant for? While you may have a vague idea, it’s best to be as specific as you can.That’s because when you have an exact description of one ideal reader (this includes key demographics like age, sex, hobbies, interests, location, marital status, etc.), it becomes a lot easier to find similar people and expand your target audience.To understand this better, let’s borrow a concept from the business world: the idea of a ‘proto-persona.' This is basically an imaginary person who shares many traits with your most likely customer. How is this useful for authors? Let’s find out.Creating a proto-persona for your book Facebook Advertising for Authors, by Mark Dawson: Part 2 Read post Step 3 - Hone in on your real audienceYou can only go so far with assumptions of who your readers are, what they like, where they hang out and how they behave. Once you have these assumptions, you need to test them. How exactly do you go about doing that?Testing assumptions with Facebook AdvertisingTo be a successful author you have to start thinking like an entrepreneur. How do you find out whether your book will appeal more to fans of Lee Child or James Patterson? Create two Facebook ads with the same image and a similar copy ("fans of X will love this!") and target them at these two respective target audiences. For example, if fans of Lee Child respond better to your ad (higher click-through rate), then you have your answer.You can run a similar test on your image, or on the tone and length of the text you’re using. A/B test your Facebook ads to see which performs better If you have tons of questions swimming in your head at this point, that’s understandable! Check out this insightful interview with author Mark Dawson on the Reedsy blog,  for  a fun and easy introduction to Facebook advertising for authors.What’s your niche?Use forums like Goodreads to reach people who fit the description of your proto-persona, and expand your network to start conversations and get valuable feedback from real readers. Promotional activities are mutually beneficial if you reach the right communities. In exchange for a free copy, you can ask your newly found readers to review your book.The next steps†¦Most authors and book marketers recommend choosing one or two platforms and focusing your marketing efforts on them. This is a very good idea if you’re just starting out and don’t have the bandwidth to execute a massive marketing plan.You have to hold the attention of your fans by consistently provide them with value, whether that's by releasing free short stories, or engaging them on social media.  The importance of thinking from your reader’s perspective cannot be stressed enough, only because most authors ignore it completely.A loyal following will give you real-time feedback and insights into what your fans enjoy. You’ll be surprised at the amount of traction your book gets just through word of mouth.So don’t waste any more time on directionless marketing, find out where your audience is hanging out right now!Do you have any unique methods of how to identify a target audience? How important is it to have a clear strategy for finding your audience? Leave your thoughts, comments and questions below.