Contemporary Indian Theatre And Habib Tanvirs

Contemporary Indian Theatre And Habib Tanvirs Habib Tanvir and Naya Theatre are two inseparable names which will always be remembered in the modern theatrical scenario in India. Its been a year since the death of Habib Tanvir, one of the most popular Indian Hindi, Urdu playwrights, a poet, a theatre director, and an actor, but still the majority of theatergoers in India remember his famous artworks like Agra Bazar and Charandas Chor. The country will always recall this man as the founding father of contemporary theatre of India. But before we go into his life and work details we will have a quick understanding of the evolution of contemporary theatre in India. The traditional theatre, The classical or Sanskrit theatre and The Modern theatre. Contemporary Indian theatre, as we know it today, has been widely influenced by the change in the political scenario in India. During the 200 years of British rule Indian theatre came in direct contact with western theatre. With the union of power by the British Raj in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bengal, it was in the metropolises of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta that they first introduced their style of theatre, primarily based on London concept. This genre of theatre began to expand in the 1850s as more enthusiasts started to perform their own play on different languages based on western style. Due to the growth of this new form of the theatre the other conventional form of theatre felt the heat. Theatre started being ticketed from the 1870s. By the 20th century and First World War, it became a product for sale and was restricted into the auditorium. As the Indian freedom movement picked momentum, the creative side of the theatre took a setback. In 1922, the Indian Communist Party was founded and along with it came the Indian People`s Theatre Association (IPTA), which worked as its cultural wing. They took the initiative of portable theatre and these were based on various political agenda primarily against the British Rule. Indian theatre was turning out as a medium of social and political change that would be more concerned about reaching out to the common people. Post-Independence, Indian theatre got a fresh and broader outlook from appropriate mixing of various styles from medieval, Sanskrit, and western theatre. This newly found entity was further enhanced by the formation of Sangeet Natak Academy in Jan 1953 and the National School of Drama, New Delhi under Ebrahim Alkazi in 1959. This dramatic revival brought many pioneers in the theatrical front among which Habib Tanvir was one of the most popular theatre playwright-director in Hindi and Urdu. Along with B.V. Karanth (1928-2002), Ibrahim Alkazi (born 1923), Utpal Dutt (1929-1993) Satyadev Dubey (born 1936), Tanvir shaped the structure of modern theatre in India. The individuality in Tanvirs form of theatre was that it showed how Indian theatre could be simultaneously blended with traditional and contemporary aspects. His theater was not fixed to any one form as a whole. His works reaped the skills, energies of folk performance and made them relevant to the secular and democratic perspective. The effect was that his artwork was as challenging as it was entertaining. During the five decades of his stint in theatre, Tanvir gave such memorable productions as Agra Bazar[1954], Mitti ki Gari[1958], Gaon ka Naam Sasural Mor Naam Damaad[1973], Charandas Chor[1975], Jis Lahore Ni Dekhya[1990], and Rajrakt[2006], of which many are renowned as classics of the contemporary Indian stage. In popular culture, the name of Habib Tanvir is closely related to the concept of the folk theatre. However, Habib Tanvirs appeal with the folk was motivated by the folk performers who brought their own styles along with them. Habib Tanvir plays involved actors who can sing and dance. His project from the start had been to utilize elements of folk as an instrument to produce theater to appeal general masses. Habib Ahmed Khan was born in Raipur, Chhattisgarh to Hafiz Ahmed Khan, who belonged to Peshawar. Tanvir was a pen-name he took later when he started writing poetry. Raipur, during that time was a small town surrounded by villages. As a child, Tanvir too had many opportunities to visit villages, interact with the residents and listen to the songs of the locals. He was so attracted by those melodies that he even memorized some of them. Tanvir completed his schooling from Laurie Municipal High School in Raipur and his BA from Morris College Nagpur in 1944. After pursuing his Masters for 1 year at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Tanvir moved to Bombay in 1945 and joined All India Radio (AIR). He also joined the PWA (Progressive Writers Association) and became an essential part of IPTA (Indian Peoples Theatre Association) as an actor. When the Communist Party of India was banned many IPTA members were jailed or went underground. From 1948-50, Habib solely handled the responsibility of running the organization. In 1954, Tanvir moved to Delhi, and worked with Hindustani Theatre formed by Qudsia Zaidi and authored many plays. It was in this period he met Moneeka Mishra, also an actor-director, whom he later married. In the same year, he produced Agra Bazar, based on the times of the 18-th-century Urdu poet, Nazir Akbarabadi, an older poet in the generation of Mirza Ghalib. He used students of Jamia Millia Islamia and local residents and folk artists from Okhla village and created an ambience never seen before in Indian theatre. The play was not staged in a restricted space, but in a bazaar, a marketplace. Later, On a Govt of India scholarship, Tanvir went to England in 1956. He received training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and the British Drama League, and having exposure to Western drama and production styles. He traveled extensively throughout Europe, watching theatre. In 1956 he spent about 8 months in Berlin and saw numerous productions by Bertolt Brecht. Being Tanvirs first experience with the German playwright-directors work he was quickly influenced by it. Simplicity and directness were the benchmark of Berliner Ensemble productions, and Tanvir was reminded of Sanskrit drama, about its simplicity in technique and presentation. By the time he got back to India, he was determined to unlearn much of what he had learnt at RADA. Thus following a path of development opposite to that followed by other Indian directors trained in Britain. Soon after returning from Europe, he worked with some folk artists of Chhattisgarh and tried to understand their forms and techniques. His first production, Mitti ki Gadi, included 6 folk actors from Chhattisgarh in the cast. Besides, to give a distinct Indian form and style, he used the conventions and techniques of folk stage. This play though is now performed entirely by village artists, but it is still considered as one of the best modern portrayal of the classic. Tanvir and his wife Moneeka Misra founded Naya Theatre in 1959. During this stage of career, Tanvirs interest in the folk traditions and performers continued to grow. But, it was not until the early 1970s that this association reached a new and more sustained phase. Tanvir wasnt entirely satisfied with the working of folk actors. He identified two faults in his approach to tackle them. Firstly, the problem with the rural artists was they not only could read or write but couldnt even remember what way they needed to move in the stage. So, it wasnt wise enough to pre-define their movements in advance. Secondly, making these people speak standard Hindi in Hindustani plays created a severe handicap for them and restricted their freedom of expression and creativity in performance. To improvise on these faults, the folk actors were allowed to speak in their native Chhattisgarhi dialect. He also worked intensively with rural performers in their language delivery and style of performance. Also, to make them feel stage worthy, he allowed them their own portion of delivery in their own traditional way. The second breakthrough came when Tanvir conducted a nacha workshop in Raipur in 1972 where more than a hundred folk participants were involved in a month-long exercise. During this workshop, three different traditional comedies were selected and combined to form a full length play. Further improvisations linked them up to a full story, leading to a stage play called Gaon ka Naam Sasural, Mor Naam Damaad. This play marked a turning point in Tanvirs career, not only because the play was a grand success in Delhi but that he finally found the form and style he was searching since his directorial debut. Since then, he continued his construction and casting of play through improvisations. Through this method, at that time he produced his best work Charandas Chor(1975). This play is still the evergreen favorite for most theatre goers. Tanvirs Naya Theatre worked almost entirely with folk actors. But, his occasional productions with other theatre groups were also marked by the style he developed through his work with folk artists. But, this newly developed style was not folk theatre by any sense. He was still an urban artist with sensibility, modern outlook and strong sense of history and politics. His unique style and content in theatre always reflected his commitment to common people and their causes, primarily due to his involvement with the leftist cultural movement in early years. Tanvirs fascination with the folk was motivated by the fact that he believed there is a huge artistic and creative energy inherent in these traditions. He always borrowed techniques, music and themes from these traditions as and when required. His theatre never belonged to any one form or tradition wholly. His plays, from the beginning, have been utilizing elements of folk traditions as a tool and make them give new, contemporary meanings, and to create an art form which has that touch of soil in it. The performance styles of the actors were always in their conventional nacha background, but the plays were not original nacha productions. While the number of actors in a nacha play is usually 2 or 3, the rest being background dancers and singers, Tanvirs plays used to involve a whole casting of actors, some of whom could sing and dance. His productions always had a structure which one doesnt associate with the original form of the nacha. Another significant difference is that while the nacha songs are mostly used as intermediate musical delays, in Tanvirs plays they were closely embedded as an important part of the theme of the play. This is best displayed in some his adaptations like The Good Woman of Szechwan (Shaajapur ki Shantibai) and A Midsummers Night Dream (Kamdeo Ka Apna, Basant Ritu Ka Sapna). Tanvir not only gave his poetic compositions the freshness of the original but has also used his words to fit native tunes with ease and skill. However, Tanvir was always conscious not to create a difference between his own educated minds over the uneducated creative mind of his actors. An example of this approach is the way Tanvir mixed his poetry to the traditional tribal and folk music, retaining its own imaginative power without in any way less valuing the latter. Another example is the way he allowed his actors and their skills to be projected by less complicating the lighting stage design. Therefore in contrast to the stylish genre of drama on one side and the traditional theatre on the other, Habib Tanvir, with his own blend of tradition, folk creativity and critical consciousness, offered a fresh and innovative model of field of dramatics. It is this rich blend which made his art so memorable. Even after Tanvirs death, his innovative art form and style is still being carried forward through newer productions of Naya Theatre. Seeing recent performance of Naya Theatre actors in movie Peepli Live we can probably comment that Tanvirs art form is gradually crossing the barriers of contemporary theatre and exploring newer towards mainstream cinema.

How Upholding Ethical Values Helps an Organisation

HOW UPHOLDING ETHICAL VALUES HELPS AN ORGANIZATION THAT USES INFORMATION SYSTEMS? INTRODUCTION In order to understand the role of ethical values and the related ethical codes of conduct with regard to information systems in organization performance, there is need to put the, whole affair in a broad context as to the rise of ethical issues and dilemmas in the management of systems for organizational performance and development.Information systems has been defined as â€Å"a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store, retrieve and distribute data or/information in an organization referred to above facilitates decision making and control in an organization† The data or information referred to above facilitates decision making and control in an organisation and hence being crucial to organizational management and performance.It can therefore be said that the system of managing the collection, processing, storage, retrieval and distribution of data and information is what is termed as Management Information Systems. Infact Management Information Systems is about the relationship between management and the operations of an organization. When you think about this assertion, three things stand out; How IT or information systems improves the management of an organization How IT or information systems helps in the improvement of organizational performance How IT contributes to organizational developmentThe fact of the matter is that the rapid growth of Information Technology and hence the use of information system has contributed significantly to organizational management, improvement in organizational performance and organizational development in general. The rapid advancement in IT has led to creation of INTERNET and the rise of the DIGITAL FIRM. While significant achievements in social progress have been recorded, at the same time, it has led to social costs for other users, and the rise of computer crimes.Infect the rapid advancement of IT and the attendant use of information systems has created ethical issues and this is due to the following; I. T changes the distribution of decision making rights, power and other resources. For example IT makes it possible for millions of people to download video files weakening the exclusive rights of movie studios to control distribution for their own profit. IT creates new opportunities to commit crimes. For example e-mail creates conditions for extensive â€Å"Phishing† or online con games designed to defraud ordinary citizens.In this era if IT and the expansion of computer usage, ethical values for good management information system can be looked at in relation to the following ethical moral dimensions. Information rights and obligation – this is about ourselves as human beings and organizations Property rights and obligation – this is the protection of intellectual property rights Accountability and control – this pertains to who will be held accountab le in case harm is done. Systems quality – standards of data and systems quality.Quality of life – this is in connection with in the preservation of values and culture WHAT IS ETHICS Ethics refers to the principle of right and wrong which people use to make choices to guide their behavior and actions in the operations for organizational performance It is necessary here to reflect on some key technological trends which have led to ethical issues in information systems; Computing power doubles every 18 months. Almost everything is computerized. The over dependence on computers us giving rise to errors.As computer usage increases its use if being abused Rapidly declining data storage costs. Modern computer techniques have led to the creation of multiple databases. Software’s have become cheap and this led to some people to store phonographic material. Data making advances – the use of high speed search engines has led to things like harking. It has led to va luated access to information and hence interfering with people’s privacy and the confidentiality of organizational information and data is at stake. Advances in networking including the INTERNET – This has led to increased computer crime.Thus, as we witness increased technological advancement and the increased use of information systems, concern must be put on the attendant rise of computer crime and other ethical issues, ethical concerns and dilemmas in this era of globalization. Therefore organizations using information systems must concern themselves with the need to put in place ethical codes of conduct and enforce them with emphasis on inculcating into the minds of their employees the use of ethical values in their day to day work for the proposer management of their organizations and managementHOW THE USE OF ETHICAL VALUES CAN HELP AN ORGANISATION WHICH IS USING INFORMATION SYSTEMS Upholding ethical values in an organization using information systems is of benefi t to both within and outside stakeholders. That is To outside stakeholders, the organization gives assurance to its clients of security and confidentiality of their data. Hence the integrity of the organization is reaffirmed. Ethical values are used to assure people of fair and free judgment thus transparency in operation. Ethical values emphasize law and order which affect the behavior of employees in a desired direction.For example workers of an ethical upright organization would not spend working time moonlighting since they are aware of illegality involved in using organization resources for private work. Ethics controls dilemmas. For example it is not certain if software fits in intellectual property law since it is a code created by mathematical texts (Severson 1997 p. 33). Hence in such incidences the law would work best with morality. Ethics is used for consistent decision making at all levels of management in the organization because everyone would be aware of what is accep ted or not.For example someone from an ethically upright organization was asked to steal funds using the electronic fund transfer would immediately say no because he or she would know is wrong without putting too much thought on the benefits of stealing. Through upholding ethical values, trust among employees is established since they are assured of confidentiality. This in turn brings a sense of belonging and commitment to the organization. By ensuring ethical values, the security is made certain since the organization ensures that the hacking is illegal and punishable especially in incidences of uncertainty.Fair presentation ensures honesty and fairness in the market to avoid law suits despite the pressure to succeed. This encourages whistle blowing in order to avoid negative publicity that may tarnish the image of the organization in the public eye. For† example it is unethical for an organization to bribe a worker from a competitor company to be their informer on the compe titor’s plans. Ethical values act as a driving force to achieving organization goals and objectives thus increasing productivity.That is ethics provides basic guidelines on which behavior is more likely to achieve the best results in the wrong run instead of mixing wrong and right. An organization upholding ethical values controls misuse of organization resources. For example if the organization considers download if internet material like movies, music for personal gain as un ethical, then its workers may not do that and this would minimize wastage of internet data. Upholding ethical values would create a conducive working environment which would create team work and sense of belonging for the workers.This reduces chances of corruption and malice as everyone would look out for each other from bottom to top and top to bottom. This also reduces supervision of workers thus providing opportunities for innovation. For example in an ethically upright organization, the manager may enjoy leave away from work without worrying about decline of profits in his absence. REFERENCES C. A Raiborn&D. PayneCorporate codes of conduct: A collective conscience and continuum. Journal of Business ethics. 9:879-889, 1990.

Costco case Analysis Essay

1. What is Costco’s business model? Is the company’s business model appealing? Why or why not? Costco’s business model is focused on producing high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover by offering members low prices on a limited selection of national name brands and select private-label products in a wide range variety. Costco is focused in low-cost strategy is concentrated on a narrow buy segment and out competing rivals by having lower costs, therefore being able serve a niche consumers at a lower price. (Gamble, John and Thompson, Arthur (2009). Costco’s business model is appealing because they are able to continually sell to a niche market. This niche market has annual income which ranges from $75,000 to $100,000 or more a year. By offering the best products possible at lower price, they are able to have these members return. Presently there are 47,679,000 card holders which include Executive members, Business member, Primary cardholders and Add-on cardholders. Whereas Costco has offered the most popular products in order to have a rapid turn-over. Cost co has proven that there business strategy has worked by continually producing higher net sale. 2. What are the chief elements of Costco’s strategy? How good is the strategy? Strategy is the organization’s pre selected that means to achieve its goals or objectives, while keeping in view current and future external conditions. Costco’s strategy’s elements are low prices, limited product lines and selection and treasure hunt shopping environment. Costco’s is following cost leadership strategy which is good because on this base they can compete with their competitors. By limited product lines and limited selection they are offering limited 4000 items which are less as compared to its competitors. Costco’s is adopted market development strategy by capturing new markets for existing products. Also it provides such product at low prices to its members which they believe will not be available in next visit. This works as an incentive and members try to take maximum advantage and therefore Costco’s sales volume increases. At Costco’s warehouse products are not offered in every size. The strategy they followed is th at by offering every size their efficiency will decrease therefore it is said intelligent loss of sales. 3. Do you think Jim Sinegal has been an effective CEO? What grades would you give him in leading the process of crafting and executing Costco’s strategy? What support can you offer for  these grades? Refer to figure 2.1 in Chapter in developing your answers. Jim Sinegal is an effective CEO after gone through the case study. There are various reasons which show that Mr. Jim Sinegal was responsible to lead the path of strategy effectively. First, Jim Sinegal had made a transparent and well defined planned path for the Costco to follow. He was the only person in the company for the preparation of business model and appreciated over the growth of the strategy of the company. He had know how skills and created an environment to offer treasure hunt in the stores and maintain low prices and helps in promoting large volume of store traffic that helped in building quick turnover of inventory. He was responsible for driving the ability of the company to achieve yearly sales nearly to $130 million per store. According to the case study Sinegal had performed excellent job in the execution of the strategy process at Costco. He performed three functions in the company as producer, knowledgeable critic and director. He went to stores for investigation for checking out the performance of store managers and asked various questions from them, about the performance of stores and told them to do more work on their weak areas. In this case, when Sinegal found answers to his questions less than expected than he told store managers to do more research and come back with sufficient information. 4. What core values or business principle has Jim Sinegal stressed at Costco? The main business principle activity of Costco is to provide high value to users by offering global and local tag products at low prices, also it integrates its employees in a very nicely way. Jim Sinegal wanted to say that these two principal activities reflected in working environment of Costco which makes them profitable throughout the world as compared to other conventional wholesalers and merchandisers. 5. (in the event you have covered Chapter 3) What is competition like in the North America wholesale club industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest and why? Use the information in Figures 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 (and the related discussions in Chapter 3) to do a complete five-forces analysis of competition in the North American wholesale club industry. The wholesale club industry has evolved into a common oligopoly just as other major industries have. The â€Å"big three† of this industry are Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s. A five forces analysis will be examined in regards to the wholesale club industry. Force one, barriers to entry; the three companies  are at an advantage because of the difficulty of new firms entering the industry. They accomplish economies of scale and scope due to the size and volume of their sales by buying and selling more goods on a larger scale with lower costs. It would take a considerable amount of time for a new entrant to achieve the benefits of economies of scale. The capital requirements are large due to the construction of buildings and acquisition of land and licenses. Only companies with an established distribution network would have a fair chance of entering the industry. Force two, the threat of substitutes, is not a factor because the service they offer is not offered by other outside competitors. Force three, the bargaining power of buyers, is the strongest force working in the favor of the industry. This is so because buyers cannot negotiate the price. The main reason customers come to wholesale clubs is they are attracted by the already low prices and value of buying in bulk. Force four, the bargaining power of suppliers could come into play if a more favorable opportunity presents itself in the general retail industry. Wholesale clubs offer only a percentage of the products that a general retailer does. A key strategy of Costco is aimed squarely at selling top-quality merchandise at prices consistently below what other wholesalers or retailers charge. Force fifth, rivalry among existing players, is not a major factor. Costco, the runaway leader presently, offers the â€Å"treasure hunt† deals where extreme bargains are offered for short, unannounced periods of time. This creates buzz amongst customers by enticing them to return on a consistent basis to explore what â€Å"treasures† are available. BJ’s sets itself apart by being the only club among the three to accept manufacturer’s coupons. They also are the only club to accept all four major credit cards, MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express, at all locations. They also offer a broader assortment of items as compared to Sam’s and Costco. 6. Base on the data in case Exhibits 1 and 4, is Costco’s financial performance superior to that at Sam’s Club and BJ’s wholesale? 7. Does the data in case Exhibit Exhibit 2 indicate that Costco’s expansion outside the U.S. is financially successful? Why or why not? 8. How well is Costco performing from a strategic perspective? Does Costco enjoy a competitive advantage over Sam’s Club? Over BJ’S Whole sale? If so, what is the nature of its competitive advantage? Does Costco have a winning strategy? Why or why not? Costco has been playing very successful in the wholesaling industry as it can be seen from its business strategies. First of all, for the purpose of supporting the Costco’s business model of generating high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover, Costco members are given a limited selection of nationally branded and select private label products in a wide range of merchandise categories. Then Costco combine its rapid inventory turnover with the operating efficiencies to run the business profitably at significant lower gross margins than traditional wholesales, mass merchandisers, supermarkets and supercenters. As a result, Costco takes advantages of its high sales volume and rapid inventory turnover to obtain the benefits of early payment discounts from merchandise vendors due to the high sales volume and rapid inventory turnover allow Costco to generate enough cash in account. Secondly, the pricing strategy of Costco is key factors to support the low price business strategy which is to cap the margins on branded name merchandise at 14 percent so that its members can buy with low price. Thirdly, Costco focus to offer limited selection that is about 4000 items with fast selling models, sizes and colors, and target the small businesses for its commercial and professional models selling. Furthermore, advertising and sales campaigns are not being used frequently by Costco for the marketing strategy and the company only launches campaigns for new warehouse openings. In addition, Costco also use direct mail to prospective new members occasionally and direct mail programs promoting selected merchandise to members regularly. Opening more new warehouses, building an ever larger and fiercely loyal membership base and employing well executed merchandising techniques to encourage members to shopping more frequently with big trip are the main central growth strategy of Costco. Moreover, online shopping is another alternative that Costco offered to members so as to make their shopping more convenient rather than switch to competitors. In addition, Majority of merchandise is owned by Costco, and the company also builds direct buying relationships with many producers of national brand name merchandise and manufacturers and this result in the available of flexible alternatives of suppliers for Costco in anytime to  have sufficient of stocked merchandise. Also, Costco’s membership base and member demographics contains powerful buying ability as it mainly target the individual customers with minimum income of $75000 and 30 percent of the targeted customers earn more than $100000 annually. For the purpose of executing Costco’s strategy successfully, the company offer biannual bonuses and full spectrum of benefits for its employees. More important, the promoting opportunities will consider the insiders first based on the company policy. Other factors that determine the success of Costco also include the business philosophy, values and code of ethics such as obey the law and governmental regulations, take of members, take of employees, respect suppliers and business partners, and reward the shareholders. Costco is beating both Sam’s Club and BJ’s wholesale in net sales and market share. However, Sam’s Club has launched an aggressive campaign to increase its market share. 9. Are Costco’s prices too low? Why or why not? Yes, because the gross profit margin falls into the normal range for this industry. However, it should be trending upward and as you can see it is actually decreasing slightly. If this trend continues, steps will need to be taken to correct the problem. Another probability indicator, return on stockholder equity indicates that the company has a problem. Average returns are around 12%, which Costco was nearing in 2004 and 2005. In2006, the company experienced a sharp decline which is causing for concern. Investigate this decline. It could be due to low profits after taxes. If the pricing is too low, this can happen. Currently, Sinegal, admittedly, tries to sell products at the lowest price possible for longevity. However, if the investors in the firm are not making appropriate returns for the risk, they will invest elsewhere. The current ratio figure is in the average range but on the decline. The debt to equity shows a strong balance sheet and low levels of debt. It is trending downward. The inventory turnover rate is slightly higher than average, indicating that Costco is outperforming competitors in moving product. Also cause for concern is the fact that the working capital is shrinking. This might indicate the inability to expand without a loan. 10. What do you think of Costco’s compensation practices? Does it surprise you that Costco employees apparently are rather  well-compensated? Costco’s compensation and benefits are higher than those at walmart. Salaried employees in Costco warehouses could earn anywhere from $30000 to $125000 anually. Costco employees enjoyed a benefit package that included the following points. Health and dental care plans. A dependant care reimbursement plan. Confidential professional counseling services. Company paid long term disability coverage equal to 60%,of earning for workers that were out for more than 180 days on a non-worker’s compensationleave of absence. Generous life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment coverage. An employee stock purchase plan. 11. What recommendations would you make to Costco top management regarding how best to sustain the company’s growth and improve its financial performance? Costco is a company that have some criticism, such as people has to wait for a long time to pay their products. However costco doeS not have big problems that desperately need to be fixed. So it should stand in the same course using the present strategy. I think Costco has the capacity to continue investing in new stores and grow sales. It can also expand sales by introducing new products line, like furniture. The company has the financial resources to keep growing its business and open more warehouse locations

What Is Free Verse Definition, Examples, Analysis

Free verse poetry has no rhyme scheme and no fixed metrical pattern. Often echoing  the cadences of natural speech, a free verse poem makes artistic use of sound, imagery, and a wide range of literary devices. Free verse:  Poetry that does not have a rhyme scheme or a consistent metrical pattern.Vers libre:  The French term for free verse.Formal verse:  Poetry that is shaped by  rules for rhyme scheme, metrical pattern, or other fixed structures. Types of Free Verse Poetry Free verse is an open form, which means it has no predetermined structure and no prescribed length. Since theres no rhyme scheme and no set metrical pattern, there are no specific rules for line breaks or stanza divisions.   Some free verse poems are so short, they might not resemble poems at all. In the early 20th century, a group who called themselves Imagists wrote spare  poetry that focused on concrete images. The poets avoided abstract philosophies and obscure symbols. Sometimes they even abandoned punctuation. â€Å"The Red Wheelbarrow,† a 1923 poem by William Carlos Williams, is free verse in the Imagist tradition. In just sixteen words, Williams paints a precise picture, affirming the importance of small details: so much dependsupona red wheelbarrowglazed with rainwaterbeside the whitechickens. Other free verse poems succeed at expressing powerful emotions through run-on sentences, hyperbolic language, chanting rhythms, and rambling digressions. Perhaps the best example is Allen Ginsbergs 1956 poem Howl. Written in the tradition of the Beat Movement of the 1950s, Howl is more than 2,900 words long and can be read as three strikingly lengthy run-on sentences.   Highly experimental poetry is also often written in free verse. The poet might focus on images or word sounds without regard to logic or syntax.  Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) is a stream-of-consciousness collection of poetic fragments. Lines like  A little called anything shows shudders have perplexed readers for decades. Steins startling word arrangements invite debate, analysis, and discussions on the nature of language and perception. The book often prompts  readers to ask, What is a poem? However, free verse isnt necessarily experimental or difficult to decipher. Many contemporary poets write free verse narratives in the language of  ordinary speech. What Did I Love by Ellen Bass tells a personal story about a menial job. If not for the line breaks, the poem might pass for prose: What did I love about killing the chickens?  Let me startwith the drive to the farm as darknesswas sinking back into the earth. Free Verse Controversies With so much variation and so many possibilities, its no wonder that free verse has stirred  confusion and controversy in the literary sphere. In the early 1900s, critics riled against the rising popularity of free verse. They called it chaotic and undisciplined, the mad  expression of a decaying society. Even as free verse became the standard mode, traditionalists resisted. Robert Frost, a master of formal rhymed verse and metrical blank verse, famously commented that writing free verse was like playing tennis with the net down. A modern-day movement called New Formalism, or Neo-Formalism, promotes a return to metrical rhyming verse. New Formalists believe that systematic rules help poets write more vividly and more musically. Formalist poets often say that writing within a structure prompts them to reach beyond the obvious and to discover surprising words and unexpected themes. To counter this argument, proponents of free verse claim that strict adherence to traditional rules stifles creativity and leads to convoluted and archaic language.  A landmark anthology,  Some Imagist  Poets, 1915, endorsed free verse as a principle of liberty. Early followers believed that  the individuality of a poet may often be better expressed in free-verse and a new cadence means a new idea. In turn, T. S. Eliot  (1888–1965) resisted classification. Free verse mingles with rhyming verse and blank verse in Eliots book-length poem,  The Waste Land.  He believed that all poetry, regardless of form, possesses an underlying unity. In his often-quoted 1917 essay, Reflections on Vers Libre, Eliot stated that there is only good verse, bad verse, and chaos.  Ã‚   Origins of Free Verse Poetry Free verse is a modern idea, but its roots reach into antiquity. From Egypt to the Americas, early poetry was composed of prose-like chants without rhyme or rigid rules for metrical accented syllables. The richly poetic language in the Old Testament followed the rhetorical patterns of ancient Hebrew. Translated into English, the Song of Songs (also called Canticle of Canticles or Song of Solomon) might be described as free verse: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth — for thy love is better than wine.Thine ointments have a goodly fragrance; thy name is as ointment poured forth; therefore do the maidens love thee. Biblical rhythms and syntax echo through English literature. 18th century poet Christopher Smart wrote poems shaped by anaphora rather than meter or rhyme. Readers mocked his wildly unconventional Jubilate Agno  (1759), which he wrote while confined to a psychiatric asylum. Today the poems seem playful and eerily modern: For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry†¦For first he looks upon his forepaws to see if they are clean.For secondly he kicks up behind to clear away there.For thirdly he works it upon stretch with the forepaws extended. American essayist and poet Walt Whitman  borrowed similar rhetorical strategies when he wrote his rule-breaking  Leaves of Grass. Composed of long, unmetered lines, the poems shocked many readers, but eventually made Whitman famous. Leaves of Grass set the standard for the radical form that later became known as free verse: I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself,And what I assume you shall assume,For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. Meanwhile, in France, Arthur Rimbaud  and a group of symbolist poets  were dismantling long-established traditions. Rather than regimenting the number of syllables per line, they shaped their poems according to the rhythms of spoken French. By the dawn of the 20th century, poets throughout Europe were exploring the potential of poetry based on natural inflections rather than formal structure.   Free Verse in Modern Times The new century provided fertile soil for literary innovations. Technology boomed,  bringing powered flight, radio broadcasting, and automobiles. Einstein introduced his theory of special relativity. Picasso and other modern artists deconstructed perceptions of the world. At the same time, the horrors of World War I, brutal factory conditions, child labor, and racial injustices spurred a desire to rebel against social norms. The new modes of writing poetry were part of a larger movement that encouraged personal expression and experimentation. The French called their rule-breaking poetry  vers libre. English poets adopted the French term, but the English language has its own rhythms and poetic traditions. In 1915, poet Richard Aldington (1892–1962) suggested the phrase free verse to distinguish the work of avant-garde poets writing in English. Aldingtons wife  Hilda Doolittle, better known as H.D.,  pioneered English free verse in minimalist poems like 1914s Oread. Through evocative imagery, H.D. dared Oread, a mountain nymph of ancient Greek mythology, to shatter tradition: Whirl up, sea—whirl your pointed pines H.D.s contemporary, Ezra Pound (1885–1972), championed free verse, believing  Ã¢â‚¬Å"No good poetry is ever written in a manner twenty years old, for to write in such a manner shows conclusively that the writer thinks from books, convention and clichà ©, and not from life. Between 1915 and 1962, Pound wrote his sprawling epic,  The Cantos, mostly in free verse. For readers in the United States, free verse had special appeal.  American newspapers  celebrated informal, democratic poetry that described the lives of ordinary people.  Carl Sandburg  (1878–1967)  became a household name.  Edgar Lee Masters (1868–1950) won instant fame for the free verse epitaphs in his Spoon River Anthology.  Americas  Poetry  magazine, founded in 1912, published and promoted free verse by  Amy Lowell  (1874–1925)  and other leading poets.   Today, free verse dominates the poetry scene. Twenty-first  century  poets chosen to be the Poets Laureate  of the United States have worked mainly in the free verse mode. Free verse is also the preferred form for winners of the  Pulitzer Prize for Poetry  and the National Book Award for Poetry.   In her classic text, A Poetry Handbook, Mary Oliver (1935– ) calls free verse the music of conversation and time spent with a friend. Sources Beyers, Chris. A History of Free Verse.  University of Arkansas Press. 1 Jan 2001.Childress, William. Is Free Verse Killing Poetry? VQR (Virginia Quarterly Review). 4 Sept 2012. https://www.vqronline.org/poetry/free-verse-killing-poetry.  Eliot, T.S. Reflections on Vers Libre. New Statesman. 1917. http://world.std.com/~raparker/exploring/tseliot/works/essays/reflections_on_vers_libre.html.  Lowell, Amy, ed. Some Imagist Poets, 1915. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin. April 1915.  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/30276/30276-h/30276-h.htmLundberg, John. Why Don’t Poems Rhyme Anymore? HuffPost. 28 Apr 2008. Updated 17 Nov 2011.  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-lundberg/why-dont-poems-rhyme-anym_b_97489.html.  Oliver, Mary. A Poetry Handbook. New York: Houghton Mifflin Hartcourt Publishing Company. 1994. pp 66-69.Warfel, Harry R. A Rationale of Free Verse. Jahrbuch fà ¼r Amerikastudien.  Università ¤tsverlag WINTER Gmbh.  1968. pp. 228-235.  https://www. jstor.org/stable/41155450.