Deviance & Control in a Feature Film `Boyz n the Hood`

Deviance is a variation from the norm. Everything from picking boogers in public to murdering somebody is considering an act of deviance. There are many theories of deviation and the film Boyz in the Hood and it provides a good base for understanding and providing real life examples concerning deviant behavior. The major issues apparent in the film are concerning the control and labeling theory which gives insight into the characters lives. Boyz N the Hood provides many examples of the deviance and control theories.Deviance in statistics is the variations in what the outcomes are supposed to be. In sociology a deviant is a person who isn’t what he should normally be. Any variation from social, cultural or religious norms can be deviation. â€Å"In a recent book about deviance, Douglas (1984) has identified rape, homosexuality and terrorism as major categories of deviance today, and his choice of these highlights a recurrent concern among sociologists to link an analysis of de viance with that of particular forms of sexual and violent behavior.Indeed, a quick glance through the contents of any book dealing with deviance is likely to reveal an interest in making sense of forms of sexual behavior as diverse as prostitution, child abuse, homosexuality, transexualism and extra-marital sexual activity. Similarly with respect to violence, interest has been shown in gang violence, rape, juvenile delinquency, football hooliganism and acts of terrorism. To this list of concerns, however, should be added studies looking at less spectacular forms of deviances such as alcohol dependence, childlessness, stuttering, and solvent use† (Aggleton 1-2)Many of these deviations are portrayed in the movie. The most significant ones relate to crime, murder, sex, and alcohol and drug abuse. A lot less spectacular forms of deviation are also apparent in the movie. One example of this is when Ricky urinates in one of the alleys right before his death. By studying this film c losely a lot of deviant behaviors can be pointed at easily. â€Å"John Singleton’s 1991 film Boyz N the Hood in the context on American sub cultural deviance theories†¦ presents aspects of many of the major theories of deviance (labeling, strain, social control, and differential association).(Leblanc, 1998, p. 64) The major characters Tre, tre’s father, Ricky and Doughboy represent different forms of deviance and control. Tre’s father is a controller because he continuously tells everyone around him to start thinking. Tre is different than the other people in the neighborhood because his father has raised him differently. The dad tries to instill good values in his son so he can succeed and not conform to the deviant norms of his surroundings. Tre’s dad is also active in social control. In one scene after the SAT exam Tre’s dad takes Tre and Ricky out to see something.He brings them to a billboard in the neighborhood and asks the two boys wha t they understand from it. While he explains to them what gentrification a small crowd starts to surround his sermon like speech. He says, â€Å"They want us to kill ourselves†¦ the best way you can destroy a people you take their ability to reproduce themselves. † This reflects the opening lines of the movie and the death toll concerning African Americans. â€Å"One of out of every twenty-one Black males will be murdered in their lifetime†¦most will die at the hands of another Black male.† The dad wants the people in the neighborhood to stop killing each other because â€Å"you’re doing exactly what they want you to do, you have to think†¦ about your future. † This reflects the control theory and how the dad manages to keep a strong relationship with his son. The control theory states that the closer people are to each other and the stronger their bonds they will be less likely to deviate. Continuously throughout the movie the dad talks to his son about everything and tries to teach him along the way. Another example in the movie is when the dad gives him advice about not having children at a young age.He says that any guy can a have a child but raising one makes him a man. Also after the SAT exam the dad tells the boys how the exam is biased and math is the only section that is universally unbiased in the exam. The father son relationship is not there when it comes to Tre’s friends. Ricky and Doughboy are half brothers and there father is never around. Doughboy is the deviant in the family whereas Ricky tries to stay away from trouble. The control theory states that people who have stronger bonds are less like to deviate compared to people who have weaker bonds.The boys’ behavior and their future can be observed and analyzed by both the control theory and the labeling theory. When their lives are analyzed according to the labeling theory it is easy to see why the two brothers act in a specific way. â⠂¬Å"The labeling theory states that of people are called something or told who they are often enough shall begin to act in that manner. † (Leblanc, 1998, p. 64) For example, if a child is labeled a bully in school even if he has done the act one and continues to be called a bully it is quite likely that he will try to or conform to the label that has been given to him.On the other hand if a person is told that they can excel over and over again they will most like live up to those expectations. In the movie this contrast is observed between Ricky and Doughboy. Their mother continuously puts Doughboy down and praises Ricky. â€Å"You ain’t shit, you don’t do shit, and you ain’t never going to amount to shit,† is one of the remarks passed by the mother to Doughboy. When we observe the first half of the movie which depicts the boys childhood it is apparent that Doughboy was not always a deviant. When the boys in the hood, pun intended, take away Rickyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s football Doughboy is appalled.The child simply wants his brother to have his ball back. He stands up for his brother and he gets beaten up. Because of his personality type he gets into trouble. Eventually his mother starts putting him down because he is continuously getting into trouble. â€Å"The labeling theory suggests that this would explain why he was in jail most of his life, deals drugs, kills people, and is eventually murdered in the end of the movie. This theory also suggests that the encouragement of his mother led Ricky to become a football star and receive a scholarship to USC. † (Leblanc, 1998, p.64)In the end of the movie, Ricky dies when other guys from the neighborhood shoot him and Doughboy dies two weeks after avenging his brother’s death. The assumption can be made that Doughboy was murdered by the people connected to his brother’s murderers. When he is young he gets into trouble and starts going down a slippery slope because he defen ds his brother and when he gets old he dies trying to avenge his brother’s death. When the lives of Ricky and Doughboy are observed according to the control theory we can have an even better understanding of why Ricky is the polar opposite of his brother.The control theory talks about the affect of strong bonds between people. Ever since Ricky is little he has had a stronger bond with the people around him. Although both the boys’ fathers’ are never present Ricky has a football that his father gave to him. When they grow up Ricky has a stronger bond with his mom and his mom favors him more. Ricky also has a girlfriend who lives in his house and a son. Ricky has reasons to not deviate. Although his premarital sexual relationship and having a child before marriage is a type of deviation he does not conform to the deviations that his brother does.At the end of the movie when Ricky is dead and Doughboy is talking to Tre he says that he has no one, no brother and no mom. He says that his mom never loved him and it was all about Tre. Doughboy and his weak bonds with the people around him led him to deviate more often. Both the labeling theory and the control theory help us understand the lives of the brothers and how they behaved. Tre’s father is one of the controllers in the movie and his portrayal of a Black man who thinks is presented respectfully. He continuously teaches his son to think and stay away from deviant behavior.After Ricky’s death he explains to Tre that he should not go out to seek revenge because that is exactly what the system is designed to do. He tells his son that if he wants to shoot a man he should shoot his dad first and that it is too stupid to loose Tre over a stupid battle. His message to Tre and everyone else has always been to stop killing each other and pursue a life that is better. With his guidance Tre is one of the characters that is alive at the end of the movie and goes to college. Although Ricky gets accepted and has a scholarship he dies before he can even embark upon the opportunity.The other controller is Tre’s mother. Ever since he was young he has taught him to stick to his word and that there would be consequences if he wouldn’t. He ends up living with is father because he has gotten into a fight at school and his acts have been a breech of contract with his mom. When we compare Tre’s and Doughboy’s childhood they were both involved in confrontations and physical fights as young children. The only thing different was that Tre had a set of parents who were controllers and instilled strong bonds with each other. The police officer is also a controller in the movie except he presented cynically.He believes that everyone in the neighborhood is a deviant and should die. When he comes to Tre’s house after a break in he tells them that the burglar should have been shot and that he shouldn’t have gotten away. He is extremely cynical and does not believe in the betterment of the people in the neighborhood. When Tre is older he is pulled over by the same police officer although he hasn’t broken the law. The officer pulls him over out of spite and just to see if he has been drinking, possesses any drugs or weapons. There are many acts of neutralization present in the movie when the deviants try to justify their behavior.At the sermon in front of the billboard that Tre’s dad gives about people killing themselves over stupid things and conforming to the system a few guys listening in try to defend their actions. They say that if someone â€Å"messes with them† or causes any trouble they are not going to tolerate anything and take action. They say that they will not tolerate any sort of misconduct or even an attitude problem and resort to killing if they need to. This is later reflected in the movie when Ricky gets murdered over an argument. At a party he gets shoved in the arm so he starts yelli ng at the other guys.Those guys are scared away initially by Doughboys gun but then they come back to kill Ricky. This shows that whatever Tre’s dad says has a lot of truth to it and that when a deviant deviates he doesn’t see it as a deviation. He sees it as an act of neutralization. He is simply standing up for himself and defending him self. He is simply justifying his cause. The quality of a deviant is that he fights back each time. Every little thing such as the role of an eye or an argument is reason enough to kill someone. Sometimes people deviate intentionally because they want to prove people wrong.Sometimes people deviate because they are living up to their labels. Sometimes people deviate because they don’t know any better. Tre’s insistence on having sec with his Catholic girlfriend can be considered deviant behavior because he is going against what his parents have told him. His girlfriend gets angry with him but he does not resort to further deviations. Doughboy gets labeled a deviant from an early age but he never fights back to clear the misconception. He continuously involves himself in activities that live upto his reputation.This film seeks to normalize society. The message at the end of the movie is to stop and to create peace. The movie shows a real life depiction of what happens in the hood and how it hurts everyone living in it. It sheds light on how their behavior is affecting them negatively. They show all aspects of particular societal trends in order to create awareness among the people. The movie asks questions about traditional ways of controlling a form of deviance when it highlights the role of the police officer and the kids who try to fight deviance.The police officer just wants to kill everybody and is an extreme cynic and Ricky believes that the only way to stop another deviant is by acting the same way with him. The police officer hopes that the guy who broke in the house should have been dead and that everyone on the street is a gangster. All throughout the movie deviant behavior can be clearly spotted. The only way to normalize deviant behavior is to understand why it happens and how it happens. Young kids like Ricky all over the world end up committing crimes because of the weak bonds they have.They end up deviating from societal norms because they have been labeled a specific way. They already have a reputation and they feel that they cannot get away from it. They accept what society has labeled them and give into the norms of deviation. Kids who have stronger bonds with family and society on the other hand can easily breakaway from any childhood delinquencies they were a part of like Tre. People should understand that the labeling theory is not always negative and that it can be used to boost people’s morale and have positive outcomes.This happened for Ricky because of the continuous support from his mom but in the end he did not live to see any of it. This is why the control theory should be implanted along with the labeling theory in a positive way. When people realize the roots of the problem only then will they be able to fix it. The movie is a message to all the people of America to realize what happens in the certain neighborhoods and how to eradicate the problem. The message is to stop killing each other and to promote peace. References Aggleton, P. (1987). Deviance. Society now. London: Tavistock. Leblanc, Lauraine (1998, January). Observing Reel Life: Using Feature Films to Teach Ethnographic Methods. Teaching Sociology, 1, Retrieved June 16, 2008, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.uh.edu/stable/1318681?seq=3 Singleton, J (1990). Boyz N the Hood. (movie)   

Strategic Management Accounting

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING This report will attempt to explain what Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) is, how it developed, why Traditional Management Accounting (TMA) is not sufficient to provide information for strategic decisions and the difference between SMA and TMA. It will further outline some of the essential analytical tools or techniques in SMA such as Activity Based Costing (ABC) and the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). SMA is an extremely broad concept, so in order to give a bird’s eye view of the subject this report mainly focus on comparing SMA to TMA and finally describes the importance and criticisms of SMA.What is Strategic Management Accounting? â€Å"A form of management accounting in which emphasis is placed on information which relates to factors external to the firm, as well as non-financial information and internally generated information. † (CIMA Official Terminology) â€Å"Strategic management accounting is a crucially important activity beca use it is outward-looking. It focuses specifically on the market, hence its common description as market-driven accounting. The main data it produces is on customers, products and competitors.This is softer in form than the hard numbers associated with financial reporting, but it forms a part of the inclusive strategy process that is linked to the pursuit of competitive advantage. † (Roslender and Hart, 2006) As mentioned above, SMA emphasis on information external to the firm, such as information about competitors and customers, and non-financial information such as product quality and customer satisfaction, along with emphasising on firm’s internal factors such as information regarding company’s overheads and management of raw materials.The professional strategic management accountant engages with the organization’s top management team and contributes to strategy development and implementation with the aim of creating customer value and a strong competit ive position for the organisation. The business environment has undergone significant changes due to globalisation and developments in information and production technologies (Burgstahler et al. 2007). Trading on a global stage with exponentially advancement in technology has indirectly and radically ffected the traditional management system. These sudden changes have generated the need for Traditional Management Accounting, which is preoccupied with numbers and accounting measures to shift to the next level, which is to focus on value addition and integration within a company. Strategic Management Accounting VS Traditional Management Accounting The three main limitations of Traditional Management Accounting (TMA) are, first, TMA information was acquired from the existing financial accounting information systems.As a result the focus generally remained on annual periodical targets and internal accounting systems thus failing in providing accurate and holistic information that mirror s the technology, products, and complexity of the operational processes on the one hand and on the other hand failing in integrating these for operating in a highly competitive environment (Baines and Langfield-Smith, 2003). Second, its aggregated form renders it less useful for a manager who wants information to be customised according to the specific managerial needs.Third, the window dressing applied by financial accountants to make it look good to the external users makes it less reliable for managerial decision making. Just as TMA was developed and introduced as a recipe for the shortcomings of the traditional cost accounting textbooks, SMA has, arguably, been launched by the accounting scholars as the new state of the art discipline. It has been claimed that the development of the field of SMA would render the old fashioned TMA extinct as the newer version focuses not only on the internal financial information, but also upon the external aspects of the business operations (Smi th 2005).Simmonds (1981), who is credited with phrasing SMA, differentiates it from TMA on the basis of its greater focus on the comparison of the business with its competitors. Bromwich, (1990) contends that SMA enables the management to have a bird’s eye view of the competitors’ procedure and business techniques business and to take decisions accordingly. In this way a major hallmark of SMA is its inclusion of non-financial aspects for the purpose of decision making. Lords (1996) identifies the following functions which are commonly associated with SMA: 1.Collecting information related to the competitors. 2. Using accounting for strategic decisions. 3. Cutting costs on the basis of strategic decisions. 4. And, gaining competitive advantage through it. Wilson and Chua (1993) tabulate ten key differences between MA and SMA as following: | Traditional MA| Strategic MA| 1| Historical| Prospective| 2| Single entity| Relative| 3| Introspective| Out-ward looking| 4| Manufac turing focus| Competitive focus| 5| Existing activities| Possibilities| 6| Reactive| Proactive| | Programmed| Un-programmed| 8| Data orientation| Information oriented| 9| Based on existing systems| Unconstrained by existing systems| 10| Built on conventions| Ignores conventions| Critics have regularly complained that TMA focuses too much on internal business functions of accounting in order to meet the requirements of the internal managers. Some argues that while special attention is given to the internal affairs of the business sight is lost of the external opportunities and potential business threats.The underlying assumption of this discipline is that it improves upon the traditional management accounting by enlarging its scope and realigning it more tightly with other disciplines such as strategy and marketing. Some of the analytical tools which were developed in the fields of strategy and marketing, which are now considered an essential part of SMA toolbox, are: Attribute Costi ng: In this costing system the attributes of a product are emphasised, including the products features, certain purchase agreements, or after-sale services.The information inspected, however, has to be relevant to current or future competitors. Competitor Cost Assessment: Taking advantage of the increasing trend of readily accessing available information, the competitors’ costs (production, labour, raw materials) are keenly analysed. Bromwich (1990) stresses the need for studying competitor’s costs as understanding them helps in managing a business’s own costs. Competitor Appraisal Based on Financial Statements: It is another effective oncept as it permits comparison and benchmarking, information contained in financial statements can be strategically used with the help of ratio analysis. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC): The BSC was proposed by Kaplan and Norton (1992) in which financial and non-financial measures were integrated for strategic performance management purpose. It aimed to create a balance by linking vision and strategy of the business with multi-dimensional perspective of customers, internal business processes, learning and growth, and financial position.Strategic Costing: A further concept of relevance as costs are broken down to measure them for strategic relevance, such as matching the amount competitors spend on areas such as marketing and pricing. Valuing Customers as Assets: It is a concept that illustrates the importance of a customer or particular group of customers, Guilding and McManus (2002) state that it can be assessed through a method where the present values of estimated profits are discounted from the trading correlation of particular customers.Value Chain Costing: The technique has been developed from value chain analysis proposed by Porter (1985) for gaining competitive advantage. In this analysis all value-creating activities related to the development of a product or service is linked in the form of a chain. Those activities which are vital for adding value are given more importance. Activity Based Costing (ABC): The ABC is a costing system in which manufacturing overhead costs are assigning to products through a cogent approach, as opposed to allocating the costs on the basis of a predetermined rate.It initially assigns costs to an activity that is directly linked to overheads; and subsequently assigns the costs to those products that require the production activities. Disadvantages of Strategic Management Accounting Some argue that Management accountants do not have a set of policies and procedures to follow, as financial accountants follow accounting procedures and principles outlined by IFRS committee or GAAP. Strategic accountants form their own standards and therefore information cannot be compared from company to company as in financial accounting.Another form of criticism is that strategic accountants focus mainly on quantitative information, and quantitative information obtaine d are very rational. The drawback with focusing mainly at rational information is that other relevant and crucial information may be ignored. For example, they might determine a new office should be built at a specific location because wage and taxes are lower; however they might have failed to look at the bigger picture by only focusing on quantitative information.Since there is no standard procedure or principle to follow, strategic accountants add their own personal beliefs and feelings into making decisions. Free of bias is next to impossible but even if there is one, requires individuals that can focus on the entire job at hand and take all factors into consideration. Expensive Conclusion: Strategic Management Accounting involves major decisions, business choices, and actions of organisation by using both financial and non-financial information with a greater focus on the comparison of the business with its competitors.Implementation of SMA tools provides a sustainable competit ive advantage for the company to build a stable economic position within the industry. TMA focuses too much on internal business functions and that result in lost of the external opportunities and potential business threats. Despite the disadvantages mentioned above, it can be concluded that SMA improves upon the traditional management accounting by enlarging its scope with other disciplines such as strategy and marketing. Bibliography: 1. Baines, A. And Langfield-Smith, K. 2003), ‘Antecedents to management accounting change: a structural equation approach’. Accounting Organizations and Society, 28 (7-8). 2. Burgstahler, D. , Horngren, C. T. , Schatzberg, J. , Stratton, W. O. And Sundem, G. L. (2007), Introduction to management accounting, 14th ed. , Pearson/Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 3. Smith, M (2005), Performance measurement and management: a strategic approach to management accounting, SAGE, London. 4. Simmonds K, (1981), ‘Strategic Management Acco unting’, Management Accounting, 59(4), 26-29. 5. Bromwich, M. (1990).The case for strategic management accounting: The role of accounting information for strategy in competitive markets. Accounting, Organisation and Society. 15 (1-2), 27-46. 6. Lord, R. (1996). Strategic Management Accounting: The Emperor’s New Clothes? , Management Accounting Research, 7 (3). 7. Wilson, R. M. S. And Chua, W. F. (1993) Managerial accounting : method and meaning/Richard M. S. Wilson, Wai Fong Chua ;series edited by Richard M. S Wilson Chapman &Hall, London ; New York: 8. Kaplan, R and Norton, D (2002). The balanced scorecard. USA: Harvard Business Press. 92-225. 9. Guilding, C. , and McManus, L. , (2002), The Incidence, perceived merit and antecedents of customer accounting: an exploratory note, Accounting, Organization and Society, 27, 45-59. 10. Ehow. The disadvantages of strategic management accounting http://www. ehow. com/list_6793416_disadvantages-strategic-management-accounting. html 11. Robin Roslender, Susan J. Hart, (2006) â€Å"Interfunctional cooperation in progressing accounting for brands: The case for brand management accounting†, Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, Vol. 2 Iss: 3, pp. 229 – 247

A Thematic Analysis of Hope and Other Urban Tales by Laura Hird

The ideological model of literacy[1] (Street, 2000) will underline the analysis of the book, and direct the way in which it is read. Analysis Hope and Other Urban Tales focusses mainly on the darker side of the human experience. In Hird’s own words, her work is centred on â€Å"nasty stories about dysfunctional people† (Taylor, 2009).[2] With key themes involving escapism; social change, manipulation, depression and sexuality, the book offers a detailed glimpse into 21st Century Scottish culture primarily through each narrators’ introspective qualities. This essay however, will concentrate on the main under-lying theme of escapism in the text, as well as Hird’s syntactical and lexical choices, and what effect they culminate to. The author’s tone and style will be the first literary aspect to be considered, with reference to the ideological model of literacy as proposed by Brian Street in his paper Literacy and Development. One of the most important literary aspects that achieves Hird’s sense of an empathetic, self-aware and socially observant author is Hope’s narrative tone and style. Since most of the stories are written through first-person perspectives, the narrator is able to connect at a very personal level to the reader as though the happenings of the story are real. Each narrator’s feelings and emotions are captured through their own descriptions of them; allowing the reader to better understand their experiences. We are also subject to a large amount of narratorial interference (which at times, is arguably quite stifling) that serves to remind the reader of what the narrator is feeling at any exact moment. This ties in well to Hird’s stream-of-consciousness style of writing, in which thoughts and actions are described in real time. Present-tense also intensifies this reaction from the reader, as we are lead to know as much or as little as the protagonists do.  œ (Pg. 1 – 10, Hope’s best example of psychological realism) Present tense is used in many of the short stories in this collection (Hope, The Happening, Destination Anywhere, and Meat). Hird puts this device in place not only in order to allow the reader to live the events of the story at the same time the characters are; (there by making them more ‘alive’) but to compliment her inter-personal, nonchalant style of writing. For example, in Hope, the narrator explains: â€Å"We seem to become embroiled in this intense conversation as soon as we sit down. There’s none of that ridiculous small talk that Edinburgh people usually use to keep people at a distance till they’ve decided what to dislike about them. Hope appears to have angles on everything that I’d never even contemplated before†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hope, Chp. 2, pg.14)[3] This quote also implies a deep-seeded basis of empathy that is present within the narrator’s tone. It is with lines like â€Å"none of that ridiculous small talk†¦Ã¢â‚¬  that shows a wanting for personal connection between the characters and indeed, the rest of the world around him. Past the confines of Hope’s apartment, this speaks volumes about the state of 21st Century Scottish culture. The previous passage is particularly interesting because of its implications towards contemporary Scottish culture. Here the subtext dictates that ordinary Scottish citizens are closed-off, reserved and un-involved with each other to the point of even disliking one another’s company. Whilst the narrative choice of first-person means that everything in the story is somewhat biased to an extent, the reader can see beyond that; and look into the real-life writer’s feelings about her surroundings. Such a blunt observation coupled with judgement (â€Å"what to dislike†) allows the confidence and self-assuredness of the writing to materialise plainly in the reader’s mind. Further to this, it can be said that although Hope is a product of the mid-2000s, it pays noticeable homage to mid-90s Scottish literature. For instance, Hird’s work has been said to be caught in a â€Å"Trainspotting hangover† [4] (Briscoe, 2006) – a nod to Scottish author Irvine Welsh. Hird herself has confessed also that she is a great admirer of Ian McEwan, author of Enduring Love[5], where her methodical approach to de-familiarization was born. The ideological model of literacy dictates that literature should be judged as social practice and not merely â€Å"technical and neutral skill†[6] (Street, 2000). It also describes a more culturally sensitive approach towards literacy than its counter – the autonomous model. This effectively directs the way that the book should be read; with more allusion towards a social commentary. Hird wrote this collection as a product of her own inherent knowledge and understanding of the working world. Her state of ‘being’ attaches itself to the stories, the characters and her choice of words throughout the entire book and results in enabling the reader to see her most-inner workings and the effects of the defensive, emotionally stale culture of Scotland in the 21st Century. Furthermore, the ideological model also commands the way in which the reader reads. Each reader’s conception of themselves and their identity becomes the root of their understanding of the text. Hope and Other Urban Tales then becomes a mix of both the author’s perceptions of being and the reader’s. Allowing the two perspectives to inter-twine as such culminates to a very personal response that elicits an extension of the reader’s set of prior beliefs. Whilst the 90’s have clearly influenced Hird and her attitudes to her art, the period has not distracted her from contemporary 21st Century culture with reference to the writer’s loyalty to her idols, such as Welsh[7] (Morace, 2001). Hird adheres to the stream-of-consciousness writing style popular in the mid-90s, as well as psychological realism[8] (Cuddon, 1999). This means that Hird’s characters are not content to merely explain the events of a story; they have to explain their motives and thoughts aswell. Interior monologues are therefore a staple technique employed in the collection, as well as narratorial interference, which is consistently present throughout every story involving first-person narration. These modernist techniques result in a slightly fragmented style of story-telling, in which the narrator’s character is arguably the most important aspect of the story, as not only do they tell the story, they act in it as well. The writer’s attitudes are most notably introduced in the title’s novella, Hope. Here we are subject to Martin’s (the story’s narrator) account of Scottish people, society and culture. Hird’s choice of syntax, her sentence structures and passages of time demonstrate a noticeable disassociation from the novella’s universe; it’s ‘real world’. This disassociation carries well into the collection’s escapist theme; which has been said to be the common link between every character in Hope and Other Urban Tales[9] (Alapi, 2006). Escape is mentioned in almost every story and implies an escape from the morally deprived society of the 21st Century. Whether this ‘escape’ is physical or metaphoric, it denotes the action of leaving a life behind, and it inhabits every story: In Hope: â€Å"I’ve got to get out of here. Go somewhere hot.† (Pg.2) In The Happening: â€Å"Annual leave is precious.† (Pg. 69) In Reanimation: â€Å"We need to get out. If we don’t go out now I’m afraid we’re never going to escape.† (Pg. 97) In Victims: â€Å"Would you leave them for meNever see them again?† (Pg. 166) In Destination Anywhere: â€Å"I’ve found, by experience, that running away is usually the answer. I have been running away since I was a kid.† (Pg. 203) In Meat: â€Å"Atleast it feels like I’m escaping for a little while.† (Pg. 217) (Most obvious examples) This escapist attitude stems from an inherent disassociation in every character. They could even be argued to be tragic heroes; who pave the way for their own downfalls through poorly guided actions. If each character maintained their innocence and their naivety, then they would be more comfortable and engaged with the world around them. As Hird clearly demonstrates through her incredibly observant narrations, these characters describe events and other people as if they are, on the most part, static and blind to real understanding (with the exception of Hope’s character in Hope: Pg. 1 – 69). There is therefore a feeling of superiority that parallels this and which results in a cynical, pessimistic writing style that implies dissatisfaction with the novel’s universe. Because the story is based upon the element of realism, this denotes dissatisfaction with the real world as well. The culture of the time is obviously a closed, harsh and faceless one. One that is controlled by television, rat-race artistic types as symbolically shown in Destination Anywhere by ‘the artist’, who remains nameless throughout, and money (Pg. 182). This theme of escape is symbolised effectively in Meat by a few different aspects. The initial death of the lamb being the most notable (Pg. 223 – 230). What reinforces this theme is how the father reacts to its death: â€Å"You know how much these things are worth?†[10] The father thinks only of the saving he will make if he brings the lamb home to be eaten, instead of deliberating on the tragedy to any kind of extent at all. He uses the death of the lamb as an escape from his son’s confession (Pg. 221). Instead of confronting his son about being homosexual, he â€Å"pushes [his son] away† (Pg. 222). The narrator’s father does not acknowledge his son whilst he is â€Å"clearing up†. These semiotics exhibit the â€Å"clearing up† of the relationship between father and son – the â€Å"dismantling† of his involvement with the situation. This metaphor leads to a physical symbol of escape: when the boy says in his interior monologue how he’s â€Å"not sure where we’re heading† (Pg. 222). The father takes country roads back from the fishing trip and drives through thick fog and darkness on the way. Fog traditionally symbolises foreboding, or the clouding of emotions. In this case, it symbolises the growth of the father’s anger and disappointment at his son because he is not addressing it. Instead he runs in both an emotional and physical sense – adding that he â€Å"doesn’t bloody know† why they are going the way they are (Pg. 223). Desperation to escape is therefore effectively symbolised here, as anywhere is better than being alone on that boat with his son. (Pgs. 221 – 230 are discussed h ere). To intensify the author’s allusion to characters that wish to escape their respective realities, we are permitted to see how it has affected Hope itself (or herself, as the case is); she does not own a television, and claims she â€Å"can’t stand it. The real opium of the masses. I can’t tell you how many good friends I’ve seen wither to death in front of the box. It’s worse than cancer† (Pg. 16). Here the author’s pessimism for the modern age again appears. Not even hope is un-tainted by it. Television is the most practical semiotic of the contemporary age, and here it is regarded as being a kind of poison that is transporting people away from reality. Hope seeks to stop the modern age entering his dwelling so she can remain in her own version of reality – thereby escaping the shared experience of â€Å"the masses†. (Pgs. 16 – 18 cover this issue). Escape is also demonstrated in the story Destination Anywhere, where we witness the result of contemporary TV culture on the youth. In this story, a thirteen-year-old girl appears at first to be genuinely interested in the narrator’s line of work (photography), and is the only one at the gallery party that will pay him any attention. Whilst this seems hopeful, the culture of drinking and drugs is once again introduced into the fabric of the text, and the girl transforms after her initial attempts at persuading the narrator to take photographs of her. Behind the closed doors of the narrator’s apartment, the reader witnesses her manipulative personality that she adopts in order to â€Å"become famous†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"proper famous† (Pg. 192). Hird makes this aspect even more disturbing by choosing a young girl to portray it – Thereby saying that the â€Å"innocent† young are far past being innocent. (Destination Anywhere begins on Pg. 181 and ends on Pg. 211). â€Å"She doesn’t have a hope in hell. I despise people like her. Jesus, even the youth don’t have any substance left any more. It depresses me.† (Pg. 192) Here we see how the narrator has developed a strong hatred for contemporary culture of all kinds, especially the new generation. This becomes intensified when he flees his own apartment after the child makes her manipulative intentions clear. He is forced to escape his private space, even, and enter society for a brief period of time. The narrator also details how â€Å"the sense that I may have just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life is tempered slightly by the feeling of relief at being away from her.† (Pg. 198). Escape becomes the thing that he desires most, regardless of the cost. Hird’s character comes across as dysfunctional and borderline weak-spirited in this regard, as all he seemingly wishes to do is run away from any situation. The reader’s expectations of her character are mis-informed, and the archetype is thoroughly mutated and transformed into something devoid of any soul or empathy. Characterisation here is truly impressive as a result, as we are made to share in the narrator’s hatred and frustration of the girl, after feeling like the narrator truly has the upper hand at the party: â€Å"Her face brightens as I walk towards her again. It’s almost a shame.† (Pg. 186). The reader wants to like the girl in the first part of the story, as she is a symbol of innocence; a symbol of hope. This is however juxtaposed by her comment â€Å"I’ll love you forever†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pg. 195). The quote is also important as it demonstrates how the modern age will even sell love and the immaterial in order for media exposure. Nothing is sacred in the new age’s eyes. Hird sees this. Structurally, the book is fairly one-sided; as if the prose is primarily constructed around â€Å"off-the-cuff one-liners†[11] (Taylor, 2009) that have spawned from the writer’s real-life observations. Not only does this make the prose hyper-real, but it adds to the chatty, micro-literate feel of the book aswell. Chapters often begin with very short statements that try to hook in the reader’s attention: â€Å"Time passes quickly.† (Pg. 23. Dependant clause). â€Å"The other day I killed a wasp.† (Pg. 93). â€Å"Ken. Perfect name for the bastard.† (Pg. 79). Hird recognises reader psychology in the sense that she knows shorter flashes of imagery will capture the attention of people quickly; set a scene for them or throw them into the physical action of a plotline. She also uses the same technique to conclude stories or chapters: â€Å"I can make myself like anyone.† (Pg. 10). Techniques like this serve to increase the deliverance of the prose, and enable easier-reading of the text. In conclusion, the main theme of Hope and Other Urban Tales surrounds the more deceptive, malicious personality traits of human beings on the fringes of a society-gone-wrong. Whilst these characters are documented as such, their behaviours culminate to real, balanced individuals with hidden pockets of tenderness underneath their hardened exteriors. The shared feeling of wishing to escape their respective realities is found in all the protagonists in question, yet the ways that these wishes materialise differ substantially as they all possess a realistic duality in their natures. The ideological model of literacy governs this reading of the prose and proves that culture, society and the writer’s own understanding of them has a deep all-around effect on the creation of such psychological texts. References Adams, J. (2003). Interview with Laura Hird. Available: http://www.barcelonareview.com/35/e_int_lh.htm. Last accessed 19/08/2013 Alapi, Z. (2006). The New Review. Available: http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/hopeandotherurbantales.html. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Blake, W. (1970). Songs of Innocence and Experience; Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. Oxford Paperbacks. ISBN-10: 0192810898. The Lamb, Pg. 1. Briscoe, J. (2006). Hope Springs Infernal. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/nov/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview21. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Caesar, M. (1999). Umberto Eco: Philosophy, Semiotics and the Work of Fiction. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 9780745608501. Pg. 55. Cuddon, J.A. (1999). The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, UK, Penguin Books, ISBN-10: 0140513639. Fairclough, N. (2001) Language and Power, UK, Longman, ISBN-10: 0582414830. Goodman, K. Goodman, Y. (1979) Theory and Practice of Early Reading, U.S., Routledge, ISBN-10: 0898590035. Learning to Read is Natural, pg. 137 – 54. Hird, L. (2009). Interview by Trev Taylor. Available: http://www.laurahird.com/. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Hird, L. (2006). Hope and Other Urban Tales, Scotland, Canongate Books, ISBN-10: 1841955736. McEwan, I. (1998). Enduring Love, UK, Vintage, ISBN-10: 0099276585. Morace, R. (2001). Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting: A Reader’s Guide, UK, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0-8264-5237-X. Randell, Stevenson. (1992). Modernist Fiction: An Introduction, The University of Kentucky, ISBN-10: 0813108144. The Scotsman. (2006). Hope Heralds a New Dawn. Available: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/hope-heralds-a-new-dawn-1-1416335. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Street, B. (2000). Literacy and Development: Ethnographic Perspectives, Introduction, London, Routledge, ISBN-10: 0415234514. Pg. 7 -8. Welsh, I. (1994). Trainspotting, UK, Vintage, ISBN-10: 0099465892. A Thematic Analysis of Hope and Other Urban Tales by Laura Hird The ideological model of literacy[1] (Street, 2000) will underline the analysis of the book, and direct the way in which it is read. Analysis Hope and Other Urban Tales focusses mainly on the darker side of the human experience. In Hird’s own words, her work is centred on â€Å"nasty stories about dysfunctional people† (Taylor, 2009).[2] With key themes involving escapism; social change, manipulation, depression and sexuality, the book offers a detailed glimpse into 21st Century Scottish culture primarily through each narrators’ introspective qualities. This essay however, will concentrate on the main under-lying theme of escapism in the text, as well as Hird’s syntactical and lexical choices, and what effect they culminate to. The author’s tone and style will be the first literary aspect to be considered, with reference to the ideological model of literacy as proposed by Brian Street in his paper Literacy and Development. One of the most important literary aspects that achieves Hird’s sense of an empathetic, self-aware and socially observant author is Hope’s narrative tone and style. Since most of the stories are written through first-person perspectives, the narrator is able to connect at a very personal level to the reader as though the happenings of the story are real. Each narrator’s feelings and emotions are captured through their own descriptions of them; allowing the reader to better understand their experiences. We are also subject to a large amount of narratorial interference (which at times, is arguably quite stifling) that serves to remind the reader of what the narrator is feeling at any exact moment. This ties in well to Hird’s stream-of-consciousness style of writing, in which thoughts and actions are described in real time. Present-tense also intensifies this reaction from the reader, as we are lead to know as much or as little as the protagonists do.  œ (Pg. 1 – 10, Hope’s best example of psychological realism) Present tense is used in many of the short stories in this collection (Hope, The Happening, Destination Anywhere, and Meat). Hird puts this device in place not only in order to allow the reader to live the events of the story at the same time the characters are; (there by making them more ‘alive’) but to compliment her inter-personal, nonchalant style of writing. For example, in Hope, the narrator explains: â€Å"We seem to become embroiled in this intense conversation as soon as we sit down. There’s none of that ridiculous small talk that Edinburgh people usually use to keep people at a distance till they’ve decided what to dislike about them. Hope appears to have angles on everything that I’d never even contemplated before†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hope, Chp. 2, pg.14)[3] This quote also implies a deep-seeded basis of empathy that is present within the narrator’s tone. It is with lines like â€Å"none of that ridiculous small talk†¦Ã¢â‚¬  that shows a wanting for personal connection between the characters and indeed, the rest of the world around him. Past the confines of Hope’s apartment, this speaks volumes about the state of 21st Century Scottish culture. The previous passage is particularly interesting because of its implications towards contemporary Scottish culture. Here the subtext dictates that ordinary Scottish citizens are closed-off, reserved and un-involved with each other to the point of even disliking one another’s company. Whilst the narrative choice of first-person means that everything in the story is somewhat biased to an extent, the reader can see beyond that; and look into the real-life writer’s feelings about her surroundings. Such a blunt observation coupled with judgement (â€Å"what to dislike†) allows the confidence and self-assuredness of the writing to materialise plainly in the reader’s mind. Further to this, it can be said that although Hope is a product of the mid-2000s, it pays noticeable homage to mid-90s Scottish literature. For instance, Hird’s work has been said to be caught in a â€Å"Trainspotting hangover† [4] (Briscoe, 2006) – a nod to Scottish author Irvine Welsh. Hird herself has confessed also that she is a great admirer of Ian McEwan, author of Enduring Love[5], where her methodical approach to de-familiarization was born. The ideological model of literacy dictates that literature should be judged as social practice and not merely â€Å"technical and neutral skill†[6] (Street, 2000). It also describes a more culturally sensitive approach towards literacy than its counter – the autonomous model. This effectively directs the way that the book should be read; with more allusion towards a social commentary. Hird wrote this collection as a product of her own inherent knowledge and understanding of the working world. Her state of ‘being’ attaches itself to the stories, the characters and her choice of words throughout the entire book and results in enabling the reader to see her most-inner workings and the effects of the defensive, emotionally stale culture of Scotland in the 21st Century. Furthermore, the ideological model also commands the way in which the reader reads. Each reader’s conception of themselves and their identity becomes the root of their understanding of the text. Hope and Other Urban Tales then becomes a mix of both the author’s perceptions of being and the reader’s. Allowing the two perspectives to inter-twine as such culminates to a very personal response that elicits an extension of the reader’s set of prior beliefs. Whilst the 90’s have clearly influenced Hird and her attitudes to her art, the period has not distracted her from contemporary 21st Century culture with reference to the writer’s loyalty to her idols, such as Welsh[7] (Morace, 2001). Hird adheres to the stream-of-consciousness writing style popular in the mid-90s, as well as psychological realism[8] (Cuddon, 1999). This means that Hird’s characters are not content to merely explain the events of a story; they have to explain their motives and thoughts aswell. Interior monologues are therefore a staple technique employed in the collection, as well as narratorial interference, which is consistently present throughout every story involving first-person narration. These modernist techniques result in a slightly fragmented style of story-telling, in which the narrator’s character is arguably the most important aspect of the story, as not only do they tell the story, they act in it as well. The writer’s attitudes are most notably introduced in the title’s novella, Hope. Here we are subject to Martin’s (the story’s narrator) account of Scottish people, society and culture. Hird’s choice of syntax, her sentence structures and passages of time demonstrate a noticeable disassociation from the novella’s universe; it’s ‘real world’. This disassociation carries well into the collection’s escapist theme; which has been said to be the common link between every character in Hope and Other Urban Tales[9] (Alapi, 2006). Escape is mentioned in almost every story and implies an escape from the morally deprived society of the 21st Century. Whether this ‘escape’ is physical or metaphoric, it denotes the action of leaving a life behind, and it inhabits every story: In Hope: â€Å"I’ve got to get out of here. Go somewhere hot.† (Pg.2) In The Happening: â€Å"Annual leave is precious.† (Pg. 69) In Reanimation: â€Å"We need to get out. If we don’t go out now I’m afraid we’re never going to escape.† (Pg. 97) In Victims: â€Å"Would you leave them for meNever see them again?† (Pg. 166) In Destination Anywhere: â€Å"I’ve found, by experience, that running away is usually the answer. I have been running away since I was a kid.† (Pg. 203) In Meat: â€Å"Atleast it feels like I’m escaping for a little while.† (Pg. 217) (Most obvious examples) This escapist attitude stems from an inherent disassociation in every character. They could even be argued to be tragic heroes; who pave the way for their own downfalls through poorly guided actions. If each character maintained their innocence and their naivety, then they would be more comfortable and engaged with the world around them. As Hird clearly demonstrates through her incredibly observant narrations, these characters describe events and other people as if they are, on the most part, static and blind to real understanding (with the exception of Hope’s character in Hope: Pg. 1 – 69). There is therefore a feeling of superiority that parallels this and which results in a cynical, pessimistic writing style that implies dissatisfaction with the novel’s universe. Because the story is based upon the element of realism, this denotes dissatisfaction with the real world as well. The culture of the time is obviously a closed, harsh and faceless one. One that is controlled by television, rat-race artistic types as symbolically shown in Destination Anywhere by ‘the artist’, who remains nameless throughout, and money (Pg. 182). This theme of escape is symbolised effectively in Meat by a few different aspects. The initial death of the lamb being the most notable (Pg. 223 – 230). What reinforces this theme is how the father reacts to its death: â€Å"You know how much these things are worth?†[10] The father thinks only of the saving he will make if he brings the lamb home to be eaten, instead of deliberating on the tragedy to any kind of extent at all. He uses the death of the lamb as an escape from his son’s confession (Pg. 221). Instead of confronting his son about being homosexual, he â€Å"pushes [his son] away† (Pg. 222). The narrator’s father does not acknowledge his son whilst he is â€Å"clearing up†. These semiotics exhibit the â€Å"clearing up† of the relationship between father and son – the â€Å"dismantling† of his involvement with the situation. This metaphor leads to a physical symbol of escape: when the boy says in his interior monologue how he’s â€Å"not sure where we’re heading† (Pg. 222). The father takes country roads back from the fishing trip and drives through thick fog and darkness on the way. Fog traditionally symbolises foreboding, or the clouding of emotions. In this case, it symbolises the growth of the father’s anger and disappointment at his son because he is not addressing it. Instead he runs in both an emotional and physical sense – adding that he â€Å"doesn’t bloody know† why they are going the way they are (Pg. 223). Desperation to escape is therefore effectively symbolised here, as anywhere is better than being alone on that boat with his son. (Pgs. 221 – 230 are discussed h ere). To intensify the author’s allusion to characters that wish to escape their respective realities, we are permitted to see how it has affected Hope itself (or herself, as the case is); she does not own a television, and claims she â€Å"can’t stand it. The real opium of the masses. I can’t tell you how many good friends I’ve seen wither to death in front of the box. It’s worse than cancer† (Pg. 16). Here the author’s pessimism for the modern age again appears. Not even hope is un-tainted by it. Television is the most practical semiotic of the contemporary age, and here it is regarded as being a kind of poison that is transporting people away from reality. Hope seeks to stop the modern age entering his dwelling so she can remain in her own version of reality – thereby escaping the shared experience of â€Å"the masses†. (Pgs. 16 – 18 cover this issue). Escape is also demonstrated in the story Destination Anywhere, where we witness the result of contemporary TV culture on the youth. In this story, a thirteen-year-old girl appears at first to be genuinely interested in the narrator’s line of work (photography), and is the only one at the gallery party that will pay him any attention. Whilst this seems hopeful, the culture of drinking and drugs is once again introduced into the fabric of the text, and the girl transforms after her initial attempts at persuading the narrator to take photographs of her. Behind the closed doors of the narrator’s apartment, the reader witnesses her manipulative personality that she adopts in order to â€Å"become famous†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"proper famous† (Pg. 192). Hird makes this aspect even more disturbing by choosing a young girl to portray it – Thereby saying that the â€Å"innocent† young are far past being innocent. (Destination Anywhere begins on Pg. 181 and ends on Pg. 211). â€Å"She doesn’t have a hope in hell. I despise people like her. Jesus, even the youth don’t have any substance left any more. It depresses me.† (Pg. 192) Here we see how the narrator has developed a strong hatred for contemporary culture of all kinds, especially the new generation. This becomes intensified when he flees his own apartment after the child makes her manipulative intentions clear. He is forced to escape his private space, even, and enter society for a brief period of time. The narrator also details how â€Å"the sense that I may have just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life is tempered slightly by the feeling of relief at being away from her.† (Pg. 198). Escape becomes the thing that he desires most, regardless of the cost. Hird’s character comes across as dysfunctional and borderline weak-spirited in this regard, as all he seemingly wishes to do is run away from any situation. The reader’s expectations of her character are mis-informed, and the archetype is thoroughly mutated and transformed into something devoid of any soul or empathy. Characterisation here is truly impressive as a result, as we are made to share in the narrator’s hatred and frustration of the girl, after feeling like the narrator truly has the upper hand at the party: â€Å"Her face brightens as I walk towards her again. It’s almost a shame.† (Pg. 186). The reader wants to like the girl in the first part of the story, as she is a symbol of innocence; a symbol of hope. This is however juxtaposed by her comment â€Å"I’ll love you forever†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pg. 195). The quote is also important as it demonstrates how the modern age will even sell love and the immaterial in order for media exposure. Nothing is sacred in the new age’s eyes. Hird sees this. Structurally, the book is fairly one-sided; as if the prose is primarily constructed around â€Å"off-the-cuff one-liners†[11] (Taylor, 2009) that have spawned from the writer’s real-life observations. Not only does this make the prose hyper-real, but it adds to the chatty, micro-literate feel of the book aswell. Chapters often begin with very short statements that try to hook in the reader’s attention: â€Å"Time passes quickly.† (Pg. 23. Dependant clause). â€Å"The other day I killed a wasp.† (Pg. 93). â€Å"Ken. Perfect name for the bastard.† (Pg. 79). Hird recognises reader psychology in the sense that she knows shorter flashes of imagery will capture the attention of people quickly; set a scene for them or throw them into the physical action of a plotline. She also uses the same technique to conclude stories or chapters: â€Å"I can make myself like anyone.† (Pg. 10). Techniques like this serve to increase the deliverance of the prose, and enable easier-reading of the text. In conclusion, the main theme of Hope and Other Urban Tales surrounds the more deceptive, malicious personality traits of human beings on the fringes of a society-gone-wrong. Whilst these characters are documented as such, their behaviours culminate to real, balanced individuals with hidden pockets of tenderness underneath their hardened exteriors. The shared feeling of wishing to escape their respective realities is found in all the protagonists in question, yet the ways that these wishes materialise differ substantially as they all possess a realistic duality in their natures. The ideological model of literacy governs this reading of the prose and proves that culture, society and the writer’s own understanding of them has a deep all-around effect on the creation of such psychological texts. References Adams, J. (2003). Interview with Laura Hird. Available: http://www.barcelonareview.com/35/e_int_lh.htm. Last accessed 19/08/2013 Alapi, Z. (2006). The New Review. Available: http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/hopeandotherurbantales.html. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Blake, W. (1970). Songs of Innocence and Experience; Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. Oxford Paperbacks. ISBN-10: 0192810898. The Lamb, Pg. 1. Briscoe, J. (2006). Hope Springs Infernal. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/nov/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview21. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Caesar, M. (1999). Umberto Eco: Philosophy, Semiotics and the Work of Fiction. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 9780745608501. Pg. 55. Cuddon, J.A. (1999). The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, UK, Penguin Books, ISBN-10: 0140513639. Fairclough, N. (2001) Language and Power, UK, Longman, ISBN-10: 0582414830. Goodman, K. Goodman, Y. (1979) Theory and Practice of Early Reading, U.S., Routledge, ISBN-10: 0898590035. Learning to Read is Natural, pg. 137 – 54. Hird, L. (2009). Interview by Trev Taylor. Available: http://www.laurahird.com/. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Hird, L. (2006). Hope and Other Urban Tales, Scotland, Canongate Books, ISBN-10: 1841955736. McEwan, I. (1998). Enduring Love, UK, Vintage, ISBN-10: 0099276585. Morace, R. (2001). Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting: A Reader’s Guide, UK, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0-8264-5237-X. Randell, Stevenson. (1992). Modernist Fiction: An Introduction, The University of Kentucky, ISBN-10: 0813108144. The Scotsman. (2006). Hope Heralds a New Dawn. Available: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/books/hope-heralds-a-new-dawn-1-1416335. Last accessed 19/08/2013. Street, B. (2000). Literacy and Development: Ethnographic Perspectives, Introduction, London, Routledge, ISBN-10: 0415234514. Pg. 7 -8. Welsh, I. (1994). Trainspotting, UK, Vintage, ISBN-10: 0099465892.

Project management of aproject that i will give Essay

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Self-Regulation and graduate students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Self-Regulation and graduate students - Essay Example The research scope is based on The McClelland theory (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborn, p. 15). This identifies the presence of nAch - need for achievement, nAff - need for affiliation, and nPower - need for power in themselves and in others to be able to create work environments that are responsive to respective need profiles. The aim of this project is to establish what components of the common graduate student's internal and external environment and how this may impact their ability to self-regulate in the learning environment, based on the graduate student's perspective. This can be considered important because, while anyone can read about motivation, understand the actual environment that supports internal motivation can lead to a better understanding of how to create a self-regulated learning environment. The final results will allow for an environmental perspective on the forces that guide the graduate student towards self-learning or away from it. Understanding how the internal and external environment impacts the graduate student's capability to be a self-regulated learner can assist in developing stronger methodologies and resources for the graduate student. McClelland's theory describes three different types of personalities and the techniques that motivate them. "A high-need achiever will prefer individual responsibilities, challenging goals, and performance feedback, a high-need affiliator is drawn to interpersonal relationships and opportunities for communication. The high-need-for-power type seeks "influence over others and likes attention and recognition" (Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborn, p. 15). The need for achievement is defined by Schermerhorn, Hunt & Osborn as, "the desire to do something better or more efficiently, to solve problems, or to master complex tasks" and is commonly referred to as "nAch" (2003). McClelland has developed his Theory of Acquired Needs. He states that amongst our needs is the need for affiliation (nAFF). The need for affiliation is "the desire to establish and maintain friendly and warm relations with others." Need for Achievement (as internal motivation) Bruce Tuckman at the The Ohio State University presented his Tripartite Model of Motivation for Achievement: Attitude/Drive/Strategy* to the Symposium: Motivational Factors Affecting Student Achievement - Current Perspectives. Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, August 1999. He presents the need for achievement as the following: "a model of motivation for achievement that includes three generic motivational factors that influence outcome attainment : (1) attitude or belief about one's capability to attain the outcome; (2) drive or desire to attain the out

Financial Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Financial Institutions - Essay Example A financial institution has a pool of experts in the fields of investment planning, estate planning, tax planning, and other financial matters at the household level. I do not believe that a busy person who hates numbers and anything about finances will want to have the burden of learning all these. Therefore, a financial institution provides an individual the expertise and perhaps the peace of mind that he will not be burdened with debt once he religiously follows a financial plan. Financial institutions also act as intermediaries for individuals, governments, and businesses, but they treat each customer differently according to the category which one belongs. For individuals, as hinted earlier, they provide financial information where the individual is more likely uninformed. For governments and businesses, they treat them almost the same as institutions but depending on their credit rating. I believe individuals without a finance background have other subjects, interests, or callings. Or perhaps, they are afraid of anything related to money. Nevertheless, financial information is necessary. Therefore, financial institutions bridge that gap of ignorance by providing financial education and information to the public. For the most part, financial institutions deal with businesses as brokers for debts and other sources of money. Of course, this is different for individuals. An ordinary citizen needs financial information in order to live below his means. Businesses need capital and financial information necessary for huge investments.

University of California Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

University of California - Personal Statement Example I am part of a learning group that serves as foundation of out of class education. Before knocking at the doors of educational institutions, I ensure that the schools I am interested to enroll have the best standards. Given my skills and inclination to learn further, I have to be in University that embodies credibility and excellence. Moreover, the school needs to emanate its values and disseminate to the students. Among the schools, University of California (UC) satisfies all the criteria. Indeed, UC has the reputation of producing great leaders and difference makers in the society. I believe that the school will serve as the most viable avenue for me to show my capabilities and skills beyond my expertise. It is my tenure at the Long Beach Polytechnic High School is the most noticeable. The high school that I have attended is one of the best in the area offering top notch education. Despite of the challenging environment, I have responded well and delivered in several occasion. The learning schemes offered by the school have given me the opportunity to enhance my potentials and skills. The school also developed a personality in me that is flexible to changes. Undeniably, my possible enrollment in the University will provide several positive outcomes. Academically, I can perform with the best and continue to improve. I have a strong background in engineering and have participated in events related to the course. My experience as a learner has been observed are my previous stints as captain and member of teams playing in contests. In particular, I have participated in events that search for the best team in creating robots and other related innovations. Basically, my superior scholastic record will catapult me to success. Also, my achievements suggest that I am part of the top echelon of freshmen entering to college. Because learning is part of my system, I have been encouraged to join clubs that propagate education. Previously, I have been part of volunteering individuals who serve as facilitators of learning. This experience will be vital for the university as I bring a mentality of learning. Most important, I can be a part of clubs in the University that primarily functions learning organizations. The contributions I can partake to the students and the University are crucial as the school aims to build a reputation of superb learning. Indeed, learning is a collaborative process that demands quality institutions and willing individuals. 2nd prompt I have recognized the need to transfer the success I have experienced the University. Among the accomplishment that I have made, I think that being the President of the Engineering club is one of the most important. Aside from the learning, I have honed my leadership skills guiding the club towards stability and cohesiveness. As the club President, I have represented the organization is competitions and I had my share of victories. Also, I have instilled and learning mentality among my peers and encouraged continuous propagation of teaching programs. I can use this experience to lead an organization in the University that will promote higher causes. Learning embraces different perspectives and fields. Apart from my academic exploits, I have been involved in sports activities. I have been leading the Poly Solar Boat Team in regional and national competitions. Because of this, I can be part of the University boat team and participate in other sports. Aside from academic contributions, I

Objections to Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Objections to Utilitarianism Essay Darwell’s objection to Utilitarianism states that it conflicts with moral common sense in three particular case studies. The first objection to Act Utilitarianism is â€Å"promise keeping. † Act utilitarianism is inconsistent with the moral conscious, because it forward looks considerations of what one would do. The consequences of not keeping the promise may be hard to determine whether it is right or wrong. One example of Darwell’s objection to Utilitarianism of â€Å"promise keeping† is keeping promises to the dead. Suppose you made a promise to your father to carry on the family business when he passes away. You have inherited your father’s multi-million dollar business after he has died. According to act utilitarian, you can sell the company and donate all of its money to a children’s charity, since your father is dead and his happiness is no longer an issue. You have maximized happiness for many children by breaking your promise to your father and destroying the family business. But, Rule utilitarianism says to keep the promises you have made. Rules were made to maximize happiness. The second case study is â€Å"the moral asymmetry to harm and benefit. † Acting as an act utilitarianism, harming one person to benefit two people can be compensated. Suppose there are five homeless men, and it just so happens that a rich man happens to drive by asking for directions. They can kill the rich man and steal all his luxuries, which will maximize happiness for all five of the homeless men. All would benefit from one man’s death. Rule Utilitarianism oppose against this sort of action. Rule utilitarianism would not pass such a rule to kill an innocent man to benefit others. RU dos not want to live in a society that takes from one to give to others, because it can happen to anyone. The third objection to utilitarianism is distributive justice. Act Utilitarianism believes it does not matter how happiness is distributed, as long as it produces the same net total happiness. Though, common sense states that happiness can be distributed justly or unjustly. Rule utilitarianism does not want a rule or distributive justice. Society looks at how people are treated. Rule Utilitarianism wants equal treatment towards people. In my opinion, I would have to agree with the objections of Darwell’s essay against Utilitarianism. Rule Utilitarianism seems to be much closer to common sense that Act Utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism does not have a reliable ethical decision system. It does not seem justifiable in believing that under a utilitarian’s condition can satisfy moral theory. Since Act Utilitarianism is not justifiable then it cannot be true. In order for Act Utilitarianism’s to be justifiable it’s claim would have to be understood, instead of contradicting itself. Rule Utilitarianism follows the rules in the legal system, in which these rules are created to maximize happiness. According to Rule Utilitarianism, if an action is justifiable by others and the general rule is proved to reduce happiness, the rule can be changed or ignored. This shows that Rule Utilitarianism is closer to correct moral theory than Act Utilitarianism.

Cytotoxic Activities and Synthesis of Plumbagin

Cytotoxic Activities and Synthesis of Plumbagin 3.1  Introduction Plants produce a large number of diverse natural products or secondary metabolites which are involved in the normal cell growth, development or reproduction of organisms. Some of these compounds offer protection against herbivores and microbial pathogens, while others are involved in defense against abiotic stress, such as UV-B exposure Many of the secondary metabolites have interesting biological properties, which make them desirable candidates for optimization of drug discovery and development processes. The quinonic moiety is considered by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as an important biologically scaffold for the development of new bioactive compounds with good levels of cytotoxicity. Clinically important several well-known antitumoral drugs containing a quinone moiety such as anthracyclines, doxorubicin, mitomycin and mitoxantrones and saintopin which are possess a quinonoid structure. These compounds have also been identified as privileged structures due to their biological activity and structural properties that have been linked to the stimulation of oxidative stress and alkylation of cellular nucleophiles in cancer cells. A representative group of quinonoid compounds of naphthoquinones (1,4-naphthoquinones) constitute one of the largest and diverse groups of plant secondary metabolites which are widely distributed in nature with a wide range of important pharmacological activities 3,4 that include antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifeedent, antiinflammatory, anticancer, and allelopathic activity. Some examples of antitumoral naphthoquinones are plumbagin, juglone, b-lapachol and rhinacanthone. Plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-napthoquinone, Fig.la) is a medicinal plant-derived naphthoquinone , which is one of the simplest plant secondary metabolite of three major phylogenic families viz. Plumbaginaceae, Droseraceae, and Ebenceae. Plumbagin is also present in black walnut and other various medicinal plants. It was isolated from the roots of the medicinal plant Plumbag0 zeylanica 1. (also known as Chitrak); The roots of Plumbag0 zeylanica have been used in Indian medicine for more than 2,500 years for treatments of various ailments and which exhibits highly potent biological activities, including antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal activities. Plumbagin are found in plants as they are thought to be present as a defense mechanism due to their cytotoxicity. It is also used extensively in studies investigating oxidative stress. plumbagin has been shown to exert anticancer and antiproliferative activities in animal models and in cell culture. The mechanism of anti-cancer activity of Plumbagin is reportedly by induction of mammalian topoisomerase II mediated DNA cleavage.4 Plumbagin has been reported to intercalate into the DNA. It induces higher levels of p21 and thereby inhibits long patch base pair excision repairs leading to apoptosis . Hybrid drug molecules of plumbagin by combining plumbagin with other appropriate anticancer agents may lead to the generation of novel and potent anticancer drugs with pleiotropic action against human cancers. 2.2  Present work our group has been engaged in the design and synthesis of more potent, less toxic, and more selective analogues, through chemical modification of lead compounds isolated from the active extracts. In the course of such studies, we have undertaken the plumbago zeylanica, a well-known medicinal plant. The major quantity coupled with the biological profile of plumbagin (1) prompted us to continue our studies. Thus, present work was undertaken to synthesize a library of plumbagin derivatives to study their anti-cancer properties. We here in report the synthesis, cytotoxic activities and their preliminary structure-activity relationship studies. to the best of our knowledge no semi-synthetic derivatives of plumbagin derivaties and test for their till date were reported. (Figure 1). Figure 1: Structure of Plumbagin (1). We focused on the synthesis of new of Plumbagin analogues by following routes. As shown in scheme-1, Piperazines and substituted piperazines are most useful pharmacophores that can be found in many marketed drugs, such as the piperazinyl- linked ciprofloxacin dimmers reported as potent antibacterial agents against resistant strains,15 Merck HIV protease inhibitor Crixivan,16 and drugs under development. A novel class of mixed D2/D4 receptor antagonists, dual calcium antagonist, anti malarial agents and potential antipsychotic agents. Recently piperazine derivatives containing tetrazole nucleus have been reported as an antifungal agent and phytochemists had prepared the derivatives of isolated natural products, which are coupling with piperzenes. This piperzene containing natural products enhance the activity than the parent compound. For designing the analogues of plumbagin a substituted piperzines was introduced at the third position of Plumbagin. This was achieved by the Michael addition of plumbagin with secondary amines and a series of Plumbagin derivatives with the Michael adduct were synthesized. plumbagin (1) was subjected to Michel addition of substituted piperzines with K2C03 in EtoH solvent under roomtemparature conditions for 8 h to yield corresponding substituted piperzine plumbagin analogues (scheme 3.1) in 85 to 95% yield. scheme 3.1 Introduction of propargyl group into hydroxy position of plumbagin scheme 3.2 Preparation of oxime derivatives of plumbagin by substituted acids and substituted piperzines. As shown in scheme 3.3 plumbagin (1) was first subjected to methylation on 0H group of plumbagin and then 9 is treated with NH30H.C1, CH3C0ona in EtoH solvent under room temparature conditions for 6 h to yield corresponding to oxime of 5-0-methyl Plumbagin(lo), it was planned to prepare the new ester derivatives of oxime of 5-0-methyl Plumbagin with various aromatic substituted aromatic carboxylic acids by using standard esterification strategies viz: DDC/DAMP, EDCI/DAMP. Despite the considerable experimentation, however, ester derivatives were never being obtained and moreover, in all cases starting material was completely recovered. In view of these discouraging results, we decided to implement the Yamaguchi esterification protocol (2, 4, 6-trichlorobenz0yl chloride, Et3N, THF, DMAP, toluene) to access ester derivatives. to our delight, the reactions proceeded smoothly to yield the target compounds in moderate to good yields. The structures and yields of all synthesized compounds ( ll21) and the yields were in the range of 80 to 95%. scheme 3.3 oxime of 5-0-methyl Plumbagin(lo) treated with propargyl bromide in presence of K2C03 in acetone solvent under roomtemparature conditions for 8 h to yield corresponding propargyl oxime of 5-0-methyl Plumbagin (22) in 90% yield. According to mannich reaction 22 was treated with secondary amines as substituted piperzines in presence of formaldehyde in ethanol solvent under roomtemparature conditions for lo h to yield corresponding propargyl oximes of 5-0-methyl substituted piperzine plumbagin analogues (23-26) (scheme 3.4) in 85 to 90% yield. All the compounds were synthesized for the first time and well characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and ESI HRMS. biological activity: a). Evaluation of the anti-proliferative activity against Hela, PANC1, MDAMB-231, IMR32, HepG2and SKNSH cell lines: Cancer is one of the most serious threats on human health in the wor1d. The mortality and morbidity of cancer patients is the second highest among all diseases in the wor1d, after heart disease. over the past few decades, extensive research has led to the development of a plethora of chemotherapeutic agents; however, none of these agents are capable of completely eliminating cancer. The limitations of current anticancer drugs, increased incidence and rapid development of drug resistance have highlighted the need for the discovery of new anticancer agents, preferably with novel mechanisms of action. to identify new chemical entities for a more effective treatment of cancer, drug designers can follow many strategies, but the crucial decision is always the selection of a suitable starting point from the vast chemical space . In this respect, natural products can be viewed as evolved privileged structures and biologically pre validated leads, in other words, as molecules that have probably evolved evolutionarily to exert highly specialized functions. Recent review pointed out that, about 74% of anticancer compounds being either natural or natural product-derived products, indicating potency of these scaffolds29. Hence, libraries designed and synthesized around the basic structure of such compounds have better chance of displaying desirable biological and pharmacological properties. As a primary screen for cytotoxic activity, cancer cell growth inhibitory properties of plumbagin derivatives along with parent compound were examined using SKNSH, Hela, HepG2 pancreatic carcinoma cell line (PANC 1), breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB 231), neuroblastoma cell line(IMR-32), by MTT assay. doxorubicin was used as the reference drug and the results are summarized in Table-1. The results revealed that some of the synthetic analogues were exhibited promising anticancer activity when compared their parent isolated compounds. Among the tested all derivatives, compounds 9,12, and 16 showed more potent active against HePG2 cell line with an GI50 value of 0.02 ±0.ol, 0.03 ±0.ol, 0.06 ±0.03  µM respectively and Compounds 3, 5, 24, 25 and 26 manifested potent activity against PANC 1 with an GI50 value of 0.4 ±0.03, 0.ol ±0.ol, 0.3 ±0.03, 0.2 ±0.ol, 0.1 ±0.ol,  µM respectively. While remaining all compounds showed moderate activities on all cell lines. Through it is difficult to discuss the structure activity relationship criteria responsible for the cytotoxic activities in this set of compounds from these results, it can be concluded that me, bis(4-fluorophenyl, 4-ethylpiperazin-1-yl on N in piperezens increase the activity and 0-C1, p-methyl, p-no2 on benzene increase the activity. Table 1: Anti-proliferative activity of plumbagin analogues Table- 3.1: biological activities of Plumbagin analogues (1-26). Sample Hela PANC 1 HepG2 SKNSH MDA-MB-231 IMR32 GI50 GI50 GI50 GI50 GI50 GI50 3.6 ±0.2 2.3 ±0.3 0.7 ±0.1 1.1 ±0.2 8.7 ±0.62 >lo0 14.8 ±0.9 2.9 ±0.7 49.9 ±0.6 4.0 ±0.6 4.3 ±0.65 >lo0 8.4 ±0.7 0.4 ±0.03 >lo0 0.4 ±0.05 2.7 ±0.82 >lo0 2.0 ±0.6 0.9 ±0.6 2.8 ±0.3 0.6 ±0.ol 0.97 ±0.78 0.13 ±0.02 4.1 ±0.9 0.ol ±0.ol >lo0 lo.0 ±0.6 2.3 ±0.7 0.ll ±0.06 4.0 ±3.1 0.5 ±0.07 6.1 ±0.3 3.1 ±0.1 >lo0 >lo0 14.1 ±0.8 2.6 ±1.8 1.7 ±0.2 14.9 ±0.7 0.35 ±0.03 >lo0 19.9 ±1.7 5.5 ±0.4 >lo0 >lo0 0.4 ±0.02 0.17 ±0.08 9.2 ±1.3 6.4 ±0.5 0.02 ±0.ol 1.3 ±0.6 >lo0 >lo0 12.3 ±6.6 0.8 ±0.09 0.5 ±0.06 35.1 ±0.9 6.8 ±0.6 0.046 ±0.ol 6.5 ±1.6 0.9 ±0.06 >lo0 0.9 ±0.09 >lo0 21.5 ±0.5 2.6 ±1.7 1.8 ±0.1 0.03 ±0.ol 1.0 ±0.06 0.79 ±0.07 0.13 ±0.02 3.8 ±1.0 0.4 ±0.1 0.3 ±0.03 0.16 ±0.03 >lo0 0.6 ±0.06 2.3 ±1.2 90.0 ±1.0 12.4 ±1.7 >lo0 5.2 ±0.3 >lo0 16.2 ±0.9 26.4 ±0.9 2.9 ±0.2 4.3 ±0.7 >lo0 >lo0 7.8 ±2.9 24.4 ±6.1 0.06 ±0.03 >lo0 26.2 ±0.63 1.7 ±0.2 8.6 ±1.5 22.2 ±0.7 2.5 ±0.3 >lo0 0.06 >lo0 13.8 ±0.1 25.9 ±0.4 0.2 ±0.04 >lo0 >lo0 >lo0 7.6 ±3.7 18.8 ±1.3 2.0 ±0.9 >lo0 >lo0 0.ll ±0.02 4.1 ±0.3 14.7 ±0.9 0.3 ±0.05 20.5 ±2.2 >lo0 0.34 ±0.07 7.4 ±1.2 16.0 ±1.0 3.5 ±0.4 >lo0 1.8 ±0.6 51.3 ±0.4 5.7 ±0.3 >lo0 34.2 ±2.6 >lo0 1.8 ±0.8 0.32 ±0.05 2.2 ±1.0 0.6 ±0.04 57.0 ±0.7 22.4 ±1.1 5.8 ±0.4 >lo0 1.1 ±0.06 0.3 ±0.03 3.5 ±0.4 >lo0 3.5 ±0.5 >lo0 1.3 ±0.1 0.2 ±0.ol 1.2 ±0.7 12.6 ±3.3 >lo0 19.8 ±0.8 5.2 ±0.4 0.1 ±0.ol 2.0 ±0.2 >lo0 4.7 ±0.78 >lo0 doxorubicin Cytotoxic assy : All cell lines (SIHA, PANC 1, MDA MB -231, IMR -32, DU-145 and A549) used in this study were purchased from the American Type Culture The cell lines (ATCC), United States. The synthesized test compounds were evaluated for their in vitro anti proliferative activity in these six different human cancer cell lines. A protocol of 48 h continuous drug exposure was used, and a SRB cell proliferation assay was used to estimate cell viability or growth. All the cell lines were grown in Dulbecc0s modified Eagles medium (containing lo% FBS in a humidified atmosphere of 5% C02 at 37  °C). Cells were trypsinized when sub-confluent from T25 flasks/60 mm dishes and seeded in 96-well plates in lo0ÃŽ ¼1 aliquots at plating densities depending on the doubling time of individual cell lines. The microliter plates were incubated at 37  °C, 5% C02, 95% air, and lo0% relative humidity for 24 h prior to addition of experimental drugs and were incubated for 48 hrs with different doses (0.ol, 0.1, 1, lo, ,lo0 µM) of prepared derivatives. After 48 hours incubation at 37  °C, cell monolayers were fixed by the addition of lo% (wt/vol) cold trichloroacetic acid and incubated at 4  °C for 1h and were then stained with 0.057% SRB dissolved in 1% acetic acid for 30 min at room temperature. Unbound SRB was washed with 1% acetic acid. The protein –bound dye was dissolved in lomM Tris base solution for 0D determination at 5lo nm using a microplate reader (Enspire, Perkin elmer, USA). Using the seven absorbance measurements [time zero, (Tz), control growth, (C), and test growth in the presence of drug at the five concentration levels (Ti)], the percentage growth was calculated at each of the drug concentrations levels. Percentage growth inhibition was calculated as: [(Ti-Tz)/(C-Tz)] x lo0 for concentrations for which Ti>/=Tz [(Ti-Tz)/Tz] x lo0 for concentrations for which Ti Three dose response parameters were calculated for each experimental agent. Growth inhibition of 50 % (GI50) was calculated from [(Ti-Tz)/(C-Tz)] x lo0 = 50, which is the drug concentration resulting in a 50% reduction in the net protein increase (as measured by SRB staining) in control cells during the drug incubation. The drug concentration resulting in total growth inhibition (TGI) was calculated from Ti = Tz. The 1C50 (concentration of drug resulting in a 50% reduction in the measured protein at the end of the drug treatment as compared to that at the beginning) indicating a net loss of cells following treatment was calculated from [(Ti-Tz)/Tz] x lo0 = -50. Values were calculated for each of these three parameters if the level of activity is reached; however, if the effect is not reached or is exceeded, the value for that parameter was expressed as greater or less than the maximum or minimum concentration tested. 3.4  Conclusion In conclusion, we have successfully synthesized thirty one analogues of Plumbagin (1) and these analogues were evaluated for their anti-cancer activities. Majority of the compounds exhibited significant anti-cancer activity than the parent compound Plumbagin (1) and this study also provides an initial structure–activity data, based on derivatives of Plumbagin (1). The results are an indicative of the fact that the compound 5 proved to be the best analogue with GI50 of 12 proved to be the best analogue with GI50 of invivo studies need to be carried out for revealing the exact mechanism of action and will be taken up in the future in our laboratory. 3.5  Experimental Section Plant material : Plumbag0zeylanica was collected from Tirumala forest, Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh, India, in August 2007. The plant material was identified by Dr. K. Madhav Chetty, Botany Department, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi. A voucher of the plant was deposited in the Herbarium of the Botany Department. Extaction and isolation: The shade-dried roots of Plumbag0 zeylanica were powdered in a pulvarizer (lo kg) and extracted with chloroform/methanol, 1:1 followed by the concentration under reduced pressure. The resulting extract was (70 g) chromatographed over silica gel (60–120 mesh) and eluted with n-hexane/ethyl acetate combinations of increasing polarity. Plumbagin (12 g) was obtained by elution with n-hexane/ethyl acetate, 99:1. General procedure for the synthesis of piperzene (Secondary amine) derivatives (2-7): to a solution of the Compound 1(leq) in ethanol (3m1) in presence of potassium carbonate as a catalyst was added secondry amine (piperzene) stirred at room temperature for 8 h. The reaction mixture was diluted with Ethyl acetate (lo m1), washed with c0oled ice and brine solution. The organic layer was dried over Na2so4, filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by column chromatography using the mobile phase Acetone in Hexane afforded secondary amine (piperzene) derivatives.