Monday, December 30, 2019

Study On Agro Industry And Agro Based Products Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2163 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Cause and effect essay Did you like this example? We would like to put forward to you all an Investment Idea, which would be real one worth investing in present market conditions. We considered our target investors to be Moderate Risk appetite and looking for stable returns in the long term. Sectors such as Infrastructure, Construction, Auto, and Consumer Durables, Banking are more interest rate driven industries. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Study On Agro Industry And Agro Based Products Finance Essay" essay for you Create order In the current scenario interest rates are just 15 20% (approx) behind the highest levels we have seen in recent years or just before recession of 2008. Above that Interest rates are expected to move up in this year further with increasing inflation. So these Industries may not perform as good as in the past in short to medium term period. In this trying period it makes sense to go overweight on conservative but stable return generating industries such as FMCG, Agro Products which have continuous demand for products even in lower liquidity conditions in terms of money. The Indian Agricultural Scenario Total geographical area of India is 328.7 mn hectares of which 140.3 mn hectares is net sown area, while 193.7 mn hectares is the gross cropped area, according to the Annual Report 2009-10 of the Ministry of Agriculture. Agriculture is one of the strongholds of the Indian economy and accounts for 14.6% of the countrys GDP in 2009-10, and 10.23% of the total exports. The sector provides employment to 55% of the work force as per recent numbers. Indias agriculture and allied sector grew by 3.8% in the first 6 months of the current fiscal (2010-11), against 1% in the year-ago period. According to the GDP data released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) on November 30, 2010, the countrys farm sector grew by 2.5% and 4.4% each in the 1st 2 quarters of the current fiscal, against 1.9% and 0.9%, respectively, in the same period last year. The Government is giving highest priority to agriculture and allied sector. The 11th Plan allocation has been considerably higher over the 10th Plan allocation. An amount of US$ 19 bn has been allocated for the Ministry of Agriculture during the 11th 5 Year Plan. Capital investment in agriculture has increased from US$ 1.2 bn in 2007-08 to US$ 3.26 bn in 2010-11 (inclusive of State Plan Scheme Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana), as per a Ministry of Agriculture press release dated August 3, 2010. Production India has become the worlds largest producer across a range of commodities due to its favourable agro-climatic conditions and rich natural resource base. India is the largest producer of coconuts, mangoes, bananas, milk and dairy products, cashew nuts, pulses, ginger, turmeric and black pepper. It is also the second largest producer of rice, wheat, sugar, cotton, fruits and vegetables. As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) farm output will grow by 10% to 114 mn tonne (MT) in the 2010 Kharif season, while Rabi season is expected to report a 2% increase at 116.6 MT. Oilseeds production is expected to rise by 11.1% during the season to 18.1%, sugarcane to notch up by 15.6% to 321 MT and cotton to grow by 12.4% to 26.9 mn bales compared to 23.9 mn bales in the last season. The agency pegs the overall food grain output growth up by 5.3% to 229.7 MT. Major agricultural crops, including food grain, oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane, and fruits and vegetables, are pro jected to grow by 7.2% in 2010-11, while production of non-food crops as a whole is projected to grow by 9.7% in the year. Exports According to the governments Agri-trade promotion body, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Indias exports of agricultural and floricultural products, fruits and vegetables, animal products, cereals and processed food products was worth US$ 1.14 bn during April-May 2010-11. Indias Agri-export turnover is expected to rise to nearly US$ 18 bn by 2014, according to APEDA. At present, around 70% of the countrys agricultural and processed food exports are to developing countries in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America. Indian seed companies are eyeing the export markets in SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and African countries with a host of hybrid seeds and best farm practices. While some of the companies like J K Seeds, Namdhari Seeds, Nuziveedu Seeds, Nath Seeds, R asi and Vibha Seeds have already ventured into the export markets in the region. Investments The public and private sector investment in agriculture have been steadily increasing since 2004-05. While public sector investments in agriculture have increased from US$ 3.61 bn in 2004-05 to US$ 5.5 bn in 2008-09, private sector investment has increased from US$ 14 bn in 2004-05 to US$ 25.5 bn in 2008-09, according to the Annual Report 2009-10 of the Ministry of Agriculture. Government Initiatives In the Union Budget 2010-11, the Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee has made the following announcements for the agriculture sector: Provision of US$ 86.9 mn to extend the green revolution to the eastern region of the country comprising Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Orissa Provision of US$ 65.2 mn to organise 60,000 pulses and oil-seed villages in rain-fed areas in 2010-11 and to provide an integrated intervention for water harvesting, watershed management and soil health to improve productivity of the dry land farming areas Provision of US$ 43.4 mn for sustaining the gains already made in the green revolution areas through conservation farming, which involves concurrent attention to soil health, water conservation and preservation of biodiversity Banks have been consistently meeting the targets set for agricultural credit flow in the past few years. For the year 2010-11, the agricultural credit flow target has been set at US$ 81.5 bn Under the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme (2008), time frame for the repayment of the loan has been extended till June 30, 2010 from six months up to December 31, 2009 In addition to the 10 mega food park projects already being set up, the government has decided to set up five more such parks External commercial borrowings are to be available for cold storage or cold room facility, including for farm level pre-cooling, for preservation or storage of agricultural and allied products, marine products and meat A number of other initiatives are already in place for the agriculture sector, which include The National Food Security Mission was launched in 2007-08, with an outlay of US$ 1.24 bn during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012). It aims at enhancing the production of rice, wheat and pulses by 10 MT, 8 MT and 2 MT respectively, by the year 2011-12 The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) was operationalised with effect from August 2007 with a n outlay of US$ 5.3 bn during the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-12). The RKVY scheme aims at incentivising states to increase outlays for agriculture and allied sectors in order to achieve 4% growth in the sector in the current five-year plan. RKVY has encouraged states to step up allocations to this sector. Allocation to agriculture and allied sectors was 5.11% of total State Plan Expenditure in 2006-07 and this has gone up to 5.84% in 2008-09, according to the Annual Report 2009-10 of the Ministry of Agriculture The government has allocated US$ 1.43 bn this fiscal to the states under RKVY, 87% more than in 2009-10 at US$ 763.3 mn According to the Annual Report 2009-10 of the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) was launched in 2005-06. During 2009-10, 201 new nurseries were set up under NHM 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) is allowed under automatic route in Floriculture, Horticulture, Development of Seeds, Animal Husbandry, Pisciculture, Aquac ulture and Cultivation of Vegetables and Mushrooms under controlled conditions and services related to agro and allied sector. Besides the above, FDI is not allowed in any other agricultural sector/activity, according to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotions (DIPP), consolidated FDI Policy The Planning Commission is working on an ambitious action plan to boost secondary agriculture, which includes value-addition to farm products, in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17). According to K Kasturirangan, Planning Commission Member, the sector was estimated worth over US$ 12.8 bn three years back and now it could be more than US$ 21.3 bn The government will provide US$ 6.43 bn in 2010-11 as subsidy to decontrolled fertilisers under the nutrient-based subsidy policy that came into effect from April 1, 2010, according to Mr Srikant Kumar Jena, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers. Under the new nutrient-based subsidy policy (NBS), the government provides subsidy o n decontrolled (whose MRP is not decided by the government) nutrients such as Phosphorus (K) and Potash (S). A budget estimate of US$ 11.9 bn has been set for fertiliser subsidy during the 2010-11 In April 2010, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved US$ 142.5 mn for the National Horticulture Board to implement its existing schemes and promote 25,000 integrated commercial horticulture projects in the 11th Plan period ending 2012. Road Ahead The countrys demand for horticulture products is expected to grow by over 20% to touch 360 MT in 2020-21, according to a study conducted by the Horticulture Society of India. The report said that rising income will create more demand for horticultural products, which will further push the production of such crops in India. The horticulture sector encompasses a wide range of commodities, including fruits, vegetables, potatoes, tuber crops, ornamental, medicinal and aromatic crops. The Indian organic product market, currently pegged at US$ 322.41 mn, is expected to reach US$ 2.15 bn in the next five years, as per, International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture. Source : IBEF India Brand Equity Foundation About New Age Agro Industry Companies we have considered and selected? There is a new approach towards Agro industry with technological advancement all over the world and India is not exception for that. There are new age companies evolving such as Karuturi Global, REI Agro, Ruchi Soya which have integrated new technologies to be successful in this industry and taking Indian agro industry products to the world. Karuturi Global is focused on Flower plantation and export of flowers world over. It is leading Rose providers to the world. This company came up in just last 5 years with small entrepreneurial efforts of an Individual out of his own need for the product. These days the world and even in India people are becoming more n more health concisions and Soya is one of the leading agricultural healthy food product used to make number of products right from fried snacks to vegetables to frozen foods to Oils and many more. Ruchi Soya used these products to its advantage to emerge as the leader in this category. Our another major company which is mainly into Rice production and selling Agri products activities has established itself as a leading Rice distributor over the last 5 years in India. 1st Company: REI Agro REI Agro Limited engages in processing and marketing basmati rice. The companys activities include procurement, storage, drying, dehusking, polishing, color sorting, grading, inspecting, maturing packaging, branding, and distribution. It sells basmati rice primarily under the brand names of Kasturi, Real Magic, Mr. Miller, Hungama, Hansraj, AI-Tahaan, Ikon, Rain Drop, Mehrab, and Nausheen. The company distributes its products through a network of distributors and retail stores. As of March 31, 2009, it operated 380 retail stores under the brand name 6Ten. The company markets its products in India and internationally. In addition, it engages in wind power generation in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat with installed capacity of 46.1 megawatts. REI Agro Limited was founded in 1994 and is based in New Delhi, India. Company Background: REI Agro Limited was established in the year 1994. REI Agro is the largest basmati rice processing and marketing company in the World. The company carries on an integrated process from paddy procurement to drying, de-husking, milling, polishing, colour sorting, grading, inspecting, packing, branding, distribution and retailing facilities. It has a diversified income stream with strategic forays into the wind energy business with a 35.9 MW installed capacity in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In 2007, the company forayed into the retail sector of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh with the opening of 5 retail stores. It has planned to open 50 more stores with an investment of Rs 50Cr in a year. The Company exports products to Saudi Arabia, Dubai, USA UK. It has a strong pan-India network of 460 dealers, and the products are available across 100,000 retail outlets. Investment Rationale: Companys Half-yearly Profits for the current year of Rs. 90.50Cr are substantially more than last years full year profits of Rs. 60.93Cr. Companys Net Sales have been rising steadily since last 9 years (CAGR of 38.59%) and in FY 2009-10 the company is expected to post yet another year of highest sales in its history. Companys Operating Income has registered a growth of 41.11% in current fiscal amounting to Rs. 2448.23Cr vs. 1735.01Cr in the last year. Companys book value has increased with a CAGR of 38.23% p.a. during the period 2006 to 2009. The Net Worth has risen with a CAGR of 25.28% p.a. in last 3 years from the year 2006 to 2009. Companys Foreign Earnings have been continuously rising since last 7 years with a CAGR of 143.22% p.a. Financial Highlights of the company: Companys Operating Profits have swelled from Rs. 320.58Cr in 2007-08 to Rs. 449.44Cr in 2008-09. Companys reserves have grown at an average of over 29.23% p.a. during the period 2005-06 to 2008-09. Operating income for the period ending March 2009 has increased by 41.11% compared to last years full year income of Rs. 1735.01Cr.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Effects Of Alcohol Awareness Programs On College Students

Effects of Alcohol Awareness Programs on College Students Valerie Love Grand Canyon University: PSY-550 October 2, 2015 Abstract In this paper, the effects of alcohol awareness programs on college students will be discussed. The discussion and study will be based on the before and after effects of alcohol awareness programs on college students. The study presents a CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy), or an Alcohol 101 Psych-Education CD-ROM to a randomly assigned group of 113 college students with prior history of alcohol consumption. In comparison to the college students who receives CBT, the post-prevention program Alcohol 101 have a greater likelihood of being cautious while in a dangerous environment involving alcohol, as well as greater alcohol awareness in understanding the consequences involved in engaging in that behavior. However, when comparing the two prevention programs a month before and after treatment, they both showed significant reduction of equal reduction regarding the number of alcoholic drinks consumed by students per drinking occasion. As compared with the Alcohol 101 program, the CBT prov ed to have a greater reduction in total number of days consuming alcohol, and the number of drinks consumed. The results of the study will show the implications of these results (Donohue, Allen, Maurer, Ozols, DeStefano, 2004). Alcohol Awareness Programs: Do They Lead to More Responsible Alcohol Consumption by College Students Alcohol consumption byShow MoreRelatedBinge Drinking Among College Students And Its Implications On The Society1462 Words   |  6 PagesBinge Drinking among College Students and Its Implications on the Society Binge drinking is a term used to describe a situation where women drink more than 4 bottles of alcohol in a row and men drink 5 or more bottles of alcohol in a row. It is taking too much alcohol in a short period. Alcohol is a substance that gradually produces an addiction in the body. Many college students use alcohol in recreational activities and parties. The alcohol gradually leads to addiction and causes a decline in theirRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol Abuse And Binge Drinking1523 Words   |  7 Pages College students will always encounter some type of â€Å"problem† during their college experience. A problem can be something simple such as a lack of adequate parking or more complex such as sexual harassment. â€Å"A new report from Student Monitor asked college students to identify the biggest problems on campus, and their top three answers were cost of education, stress, and alcohol abuse,† (Jacobs, 2014, p.1). College students will be affected by a number of problems during their college career. AsRead MoreMindfulness Based Practices1079 Words   |  5 Pagesof meditation, but is determined by the development of one’s mental state to be able to create nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. Awareness of the present moment can be induced by thoughts, emotions, physical perceptions, and one’s environment (Grow, Collins, Harrop, Marlatt, 2015). Research has begun to analyze mindfulness-based practices as an alternative treatment program for ind ividuals with a substance abuse dependence. Substance abuse dependence often is correlated with increasedRead MoreIs Attending The Most Difficult Times For An American Student?1273 Words   |  6 PagesAttending college is undoubtedly one of the most difficult times for an American student. 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Hazardous drinking amongRead MoreAlcohol Research Paper1257 Words   |  6 PagesAlcohol Research Paper Alcohol plays too significant a role in society today and should be an after thought as opposed to the most essential addition to any social event. Alcohol creates numerous social, economic, and health problems that could very easily be stopped if it played a less influential role in every day events. The use of alcohol is prominent in, but not limited to three social circles that include students, family groups, and religious gatherings. Experts have much toRead More Lowering the Legal Minimum Drinking Age Essay1622 Words   |  7 PagesThe issue of underage drinking has become a major problem, especially on college campuses. But, underage drinking is not purely the root of all accidents related to alcohol. The real problem lies within the unsafe underage drinking habits amongst youth. There are ways that these alcohol-related accidents can be avoided. Several organizations have been created that are targeting a change in the legal drinking age laws. One key way to lower the risk of unsafe drinking is to lower the minimum legalRead Moredrugs and alcohol on college students1105 Words   |  5 PagesDrugs and alcohol, do they have a significant impact on the lives of college students or just the ones that fall short to the influence? There is a major problem with students using and abusing these substances, not only does it have negative effects on the user, but on the user s friends and family as well. A lot of drugs and alcohol become easily available to college students over the course of their college years. What can be done to help prevent students from abusing drugs and alcohol? OverallRead MoreEssay on The Legal Drinking Age Should Be 181540 Words   |  7 Pagesto cut down on underage drinking, it is commonplace and happens everywhere from grade school through high school and predominantly in college. The government is looking to stop teen drinking rather than manage it. According to Time Magazine, half the students age 10 to 24 questioned i n a 1999 study by the Centers for Disease Control said they had consumed alcohol in the preceding month.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If the minimum drinking age was reduced to 18, or at least made to be more convenient and logical, I believeRead MoreDrinking Is A Rite Of Passage For Teenagers1110 Words   |  5 Pagesfor parents to purchase alcohol for minor children, but majority of parents follow the age sixteen limit guidelines for allowing their children to drink. There are no known alcohol awareness programs in the school systems in Denmark. Conservapedia sites that in 2005, Denmark was ranked the third most atheistic country in the world with the highest belief in evolution in the Western World. (Conservapedia, 2016) Denmark has a tuition-free privilege for qualifying students who choose to take advantage

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Night Creature Hunter’s Moon Chapter 16 Free Essays

That there were no missing persons reports continued to bother me. Were the werewolves only killing transients? I had a hard time accepting that. In wolf form, werewolves were hunters, like me. We will write a custom essay sample on Night Creature: Hunter’s Moon Chapter 16 or any similar topic only for you Order Now When presented with a weaker entity, they attacked. They might posses human level intelligence, but I’d never known them to be able to pound back the bloodlust. They saw people in the woods and they killed them. Plain, simple, to the point. I doubt they stopped long enough to ask for a resume. I put the thought aside and headed to my apartment. I had more pressing concerns. The route into the woods was as familiar as the array of cars surrounding the tavern and the wail of jazz through the open windows. I glanced at my watch. Coming up on 5:00 a.m. Did anyone ever go home around here? I retrieved a spare .22 from my glove compartment and shoved the smaller gun into the waistband of my jeans. They were too tight to hide the thing, but I wasn’t going anywhere without a silver bullet-firing weapon again. I might be slow, but eventually I caught on. Dirty, hungry, tired, I needed a shower, food, and bed in that order. But before I climbed the steps to my lonely room, I wanted to check behind the Dumpster one last time. Maybe the gun had fallen into a hole or something. I was grasping. Pretty much anyone could have taken the gun while I’d been inside the tavern. Of course he’d have to have been watching me hide the thing†¦ a fact I didn’t want to examine too closely. As I approached the garbage bin, a fat raccoon shot a glare in my direction and waddled away. Better than a rat, though I bet a few of them made regular visits here as well. I wasn’t afraid of animals. How could I be? But rats made me shudder. What was with those hairless tails anyway? I’d brought the flashlight from my car, and I shone the beam back and forth across the front of the Dumpster, across the paper-strewn ground, then behind. Not a single gleam of gunmetal made my life any easier. It was bad enough I’d have to admit taking Damien’s gun; I didn’t want to tell him I’d lost it, too. Kneeling next to the wall, I reached into the crack between the building and the steel container. Something skittered out the other side and ran away. â€Å"I did not hear that,† I assured myself. I continued to feel around but came up with nothing. The shriek of a dying animal shot my heart straight into my throat. Whatever had run from me had slammed straight into something else. Bummer for him. I retrieved my hand, sat back on my heels, scowled at the scum under my nails. A growl rumbled along my spine like sandpaper. Slowly I straightened, then turned. â€Å"One, two, three, four, five. Shitty odds,† I muttered, and drew the gun. I didn’t know how many bullets I had. Not enough. Who’d have thought I’d need more than a clip’s worth to get from my car to the house? The wolves advanced, legs stiff, hackles raised. My first bullet kicked up dirt in front of the lead animal. His lip curled; then he threw up his head as if laughing at me. I shot a glance toward the staircase that led to my apartment. A wolf sat on the bottom step, tongue lolling as he panted like a great big dog. I could shoot him and try to get to my apartment, but there were five – I looked back just as several shadows detached themselves from the trees and crossed the parking lot – make that ten wolves behind me. Thank God none of them were white. Still, I was in serious trouble. The main wolf pack was between me and the tavern. I could yell for help, but the music was too loud. They’d never hear me. My mind raced as fast as my heart. I cast a glance toward Damien’s cabin. Nothing between it and me but grass. That building was the only chance I had. I fired another shot, actually hit one of them this time. The flames, the stench of burning flesh and fur, the howi of the dying distracted the others long enough for me to achieve a small lead. I’d take what I could get. They were going to catch me. There was no way I could outrun close to a dozen wolves. Hell, I couldn’t outrun one, but I had to try. A chorus of howls rose behind me, so loud I flinched, stumbled, and nearly fell. Their footsteps echoed mine. The warmth of their breath brushed my calves. The scent of predator after prey cascaded through the night – a sharp and gamy aroma reminiscent of fear and death. I couldn’t recall if I’d locked Damien’s door after I’d picked it. If I had, I was dead or soon to be furry. Either way, I’d take a few of them with me. I reached for the knob, but the door swung open. I smashed into Damien’s chest. â€Å"Oomph,† he said, and caught me. My momentum propelled us inside the cabin. â€Å"Shut it! Shut it!† I shouted, kicking back, managing to catch the door with my heel. I tensed, expecting bodies to thud against the other side. Glancing at the window, I waited for the shadow, the crash, death. Nothing happened. I pulled free of Damien’s arms, ran to the glass. The first rays of sun lightened the eastern horizon, threw streams of pink and gray across the hauntingly empty clearing. â€Å"Are you all right?† I ignored him, stepping to the door, yanking it open, and sticking my gun outside. The wind blew a leaf end over end across the threshold. â€Å"Did you see them?† I asked. â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Couldn’t you hear them?† He didn’t answer and I turned. Gently he removed the gun from my shaking hand. â€Å"There’s nothing there, Leigh.† â€Å"Ten. Maybe more. They howled. Chased me. You had to see them.† â€Å"All I saw was you.† My head jerked up. Our eyes met and something passed between us that had nothing to do with the situation. We both remembered the last time we’d been together. Remembered it and wanted more. He was the first to look away. We’d been gazing at each other so intently, the loss of that contact was like a physical break. I took a single step toward him before I caught myself. Now was not the time. He crossed the short distance to the kitchen table and laid the gun on top. He wore his usual outfit – black on black – his feet were bare, but his shirt was buttoned. For reasons beyond my understanding, I was more turned on by his pale, long feet than I’d ever been by his smooth, muscled chest. I was dizzy from the adrenaline; fear-induced sweat chilled my skin. I needed to sit down, so I did. On the floor at his feet. Bad idea. I was reaching to run a thumb along the lilting arch before I knew what I was doing. He fell to his knees beside me. I yanked my hand back and held it still in my lap as he put a palm to my forehead. â€Å"You’re sick.† / must be if I’m thinking about how your feet would feel all tangled up with mine. I turned my head, afraid if he kept touching me I’d beg. I wanted him, but not like this. Not when I was sweaty, smelly, not quite certain of my sanity. â€Å"You didn’t see them?† I asked again. â€Å"Them who?† â€Å"The wolves.† â€Å"Wolves?† He glanced out the door, which I’d left wide open. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Shit.† I rubbed a hand over my face. My palm came away wet. With sweat or tears I wasn’t sure, and that scared me almost as much as the wolves had. â€Å"I heard some howls. They – † He stopped. â€Å"What?† â€Å"They came from the woods. I didn’t think anything of it. Wolves howl all the time. I like the sound.† He shrugged. â€Å"Makes me feel less alone.† I snorted. Better to be alone forever than to have company like that. I didn’t know what to think. Had the werewolves run into the woods instead of chasing me? Why? I’d never known them to give up on a sure thing. I didn’t like to think what it meant if they had. The only other explanation was that they’d never been there at all. I liked that idea even less. â€Å"I have to go.† I got to my feet. So did he. I knew I should stay. I needed to question him. Who the hell are you? Why are you here? But right now I wasn’t capable of it. I had to get away from Damien. Be by myself. Get a grip. I looked out the door. The white wolf stood at the edge of the forest, waiting for me. I blinked and he was gone. There was no way I could go out there. Damien must have mistook my hesitation for something else. He came up behind me, shut the door, locked it. Then he put his hands on my shoulders. His breath brushed the bare skin of my neck, and I shivered again for an entirely different reason. What the hell? I thought. I couldn’t go back to my room. I might as well stay here. In the past I’d tried drinking and drugs to make me forget the damned white wolf. They hadn’t worked. There was one vice I’d neglected. I bet Damien could make me forget†¦ everything. I turned and offered my mouth to his. How to cite Night Creature: Hunter’s Moon Chapter 16, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Narrative Criticism of Gillian Welch’s “Caleb Meyer” free essay sample

Throughout this essay I will identify â€Å"Caleb Meyer† as a rhetorical narrative, criticize its form and function, and evaluate its effectiveness. In order to criticize â€Å"Caleb Meyer† using Rowand’s method of narrative criticism, I must first establish that it meets all of the criteria of a narrative according to Sonja Foss. The first criteria Foss requires is that the artifact contain two events. The song in fact includes multiple events, but for explanative purposes we will assign those two events as Meyer drunkenly wandering into the narrator’s yard and raping her, and the narrator slicing his throat with the broken bottle. Foss then requires that the two events in a narrative happen in a sequence of some sort, which, using the examples above, we can easily find to be true in a chronological nature. Meyer first assaults the narrator, and it is not until he does that she retaliates. Foss’s third standard for a narrative requires that the sequential events have a casual relationship. Again, using the events above, we can easily argue that without the first event (Meyer assaulting the narrator) the second event (the narrator slicing his neck with the bottle) would not have occurred, for there would have been no reason for her to retaliate against Meyer. The last criteria Foss requires is that the sequential, casual events be about a unified subject. All of the events that take place in the artifact, including those aforementioned, are about the interaction between Caleb Meyer and the narrator from the time he gets drunk and rapes her to the time she cuts his throat. Now that I have satisfied Foss’s requirements for a narrative and determined â€Å"Caleb Meyer† to be such, I am able to apply Rowand’s method of narrative criticism. According to Rowand, the main components of a narrative are the characters and their roles, the setting, the plot, and the theme. While on the surface many of these things may seem obvious to the audience, in order to discover the artifact’s rhetorical purpose it is important that we uncover more than just who, where, and why. There are two main characters in Welch’s song: the antagonist, Caleb Meyer, and the protagonist, the narrator. Caleb Meyer is established as a lonely, drunken abusive male whose purpose in the artifact is to create conflict to allow resolution (he rapes the narrator and pays the price). The narrator is a married woman whose husband has left her home alone while away on business. Her function is to tell a story and create Welch’s message. She is established as religious (prays to God and believes in Hell [Caleb Meyer your ghost is gonna wear them rattling chains]), brave, and resilient. Meyer represents the abusive, alcoholic male figure in society, while the narrator represents women who are taken advantage of and decide to put up a fight. A secondary character, Nellie Kane, is minimally important but adds to the severity of Meyer’s actions, as he is the narrator’s husband whom Meyer knows is not around to protect her. The setting in the narrative is a wooded area on a mountainside, although it is unspecific where exactly. Meyer asks the narrator if her husband has gone down the mountainside after emerging from where he lives â€Å"in them hollering pines. † This setting, including the fact that the narrator’s husband has gone to Bowling Green for work, creates a picture of a helpless, isolated woman in the woods. This forces the audience to empathize with the narrator as the antagonist attacks, knowing that there is no one to aid her after being thrown down by her hair and pinned beneath a drunken man. It is because of intrinsic humanitarian values that the audience cannot help but wish they could come to her relief, which makes the persuasiveness of Welch’s message more powerful. The plot of Welch’s song first provides that Caleb Meyer lives alone and drinks to pass the time, implying that he is an alcoholic. Lonely, he stumbles to the back of the narrator’s home and yells until she comes outside. We then hear the chorus, which consists of the narrator claiming that Meyer’s ghost will wear rattling chains, implying either that he is going to hell or that he will forever be tormented in the afterlife. Meyer then asks the narrator where her husband has gone and if he has left her alone, to which she replies that he has indeed left on business. Meyer then grabs her by the hair and pins her hands above her head as he lay across her dress, implying that he is attempting to rape her. The narrator begins to pray and finds the bottle of whiskey that Meyer had dropped, slicing his neck open as he bleeds all over her. Welch provides a fantastic crescendo into a climax, which includes a conflict and resolution in order to keep the audience engaged. The theme of â€Å"Caleb Meyer† stems directly from the plot. Meyer represents generic abusive, womanizing, and drunken men that sadly exist in society, while the narrator represents women who are imposed upon by them. Welch’s â€Å"Caleb Meyer† sends a message to women to be strong and independent, while it sends a message to men to mind their belligerence and forcefulness or there will be consequences, as seen in the death of Caleb Meyer. Another message that Welch may be trying to get across is that alcohol is wicked and leads to sinful behavior. One could even go as far as saying that her message is intended to warn men of the dangers of leaving their loved one’s side, however the supporting evidence for these two arguments are insignificant in comparison to the support for the message to women to stand against abuse. Gillian Welch’s â€Å"Caleb Meyer† not only meets all of Foss’s requirements of a narrative, but also establishes itself as a powerful narrative by persuading the audience to feel hatred and anger toward the actions of Caleb Meyer. It forces the audience to identify with the narrator, and understand that what she is experiencing is wrong. Certain audiences, women in particular, and abuse victims especially, identify greatly with Welch’s narrative because rape is the greatest fear of many women. However, men too can see the pain in the narrator’s words as Welch does a wonderful job evoking the emotions of the audience. It is because of her ability to do so that the crescendo is so effective, creating great relief when at the end of the song she sings â€Å"Then I felt his blood pour fast and hot / Around me where I laid† as the antagonist meets his rightful demise.