Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost free essay sample

â€Å"Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost† Steph Johnson ENG 155 January 23rd, 2012 Professor Jan Ward Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost A long, white beard and curious eyes peering from underneath a largely pointed hat often leave an imprinted image in mind. A scholarly grin and archaic tobacco pipe complete the picture formed. The faint imagery of what a wizard is can only be complete when thinking of Gandalf the Grey. A magic staff and a knowledgeable mind are cause for the quest that Gandalf sets out on in the novel â€Å"The Hobbit† by J. R. R. Tolkien. He can overcome adversity and aid his fellowship of 14 unlikely creatures in their attempt to regain their long-lost home. Gandalf is a venerable wizard and exemplifies a mythological hero throughout his entire written history. Gandalf always seems to be in the right place at the right time with a sort of grace about him, as if always waiting for the perfect moment. We will write a custom essay sample on Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page His knowledge of Middle Earth is inexplicable; he rarely misses a beat. Although he is not on a personal quest, he is quick to help those he sees fit. Several times over the fellowship found themselves in a sticky situation, and Gandalf appeared only just in time. Knowledge, a keen eye, the desire to do what is right, and also a grain of mystery are all characteristics residing in Gandalf the Grey. According to Tolkien-Online (2007), â€Å"Tolkien was likely heavily influenced by one of the tales found in the Elder Edda which tells of the Norse god Odin traveling the Earth in the guise of a bearded old man with a staff. Gandalf the Grey shares several similarities with the â€Å"Father God† known as Odin. For instance, he is seen as the overseer of the group. He unintentionally becomes a father figure within the fellowship. He is constantly keeping them out of the trouble they so easily find themselves in on their adventure. Gandalf finds himself in a difficult situation in â€Å"The Fellowship of the Rings† and essentially dies. However, he is simply reincarnated from â€Å"Gandalf the Grey† into a more power ful and poignant â€Å"Gandalf the White,† which is similar to Odin. Odins death upon the tree is really more of a shamanic ritual descent to discover magic runes than an actual death† (Leeming, 1990, p. 162). Although there is physical death, it is not enough to keep these figures from life. Gandalf the Grey exemplifies a mythological hero in the sense that he defies the odds against him (which are a great deal) and overcomes the darkness attempting to pull him in. As a wizard, he is eccentric and hard-headed. He is a necessary character in the story of Middle Earth and without him, the chain of events written about by Tolkien would not have been possible. The purpose of Gandalfs quest in â€Å"The Hobbit† is to take back the Lonely Mountain from the devious dragon known as Smaug, and regain the home for Thorin and his kind once more. Gandalf knows what dismal troubles lie before them and feels a burglar is necessary to join the fellowship. With this information, he invites a hobbit with the name of Bilbo to join the quest, and ultimately shapes the stories that follow with one simple scene. Bilbo encounters a ring and hastily shoves it into his pocket. He thinks little of this and is eventually safely back within the fellowship. Gandalf is curious and aware of what Bilbo may have taken ownership of, but does not mention it for several years (and the following story). The fellowship is successful in defeating Smaug and the dwarves take their original place within the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf is a classic character with simple qualities; he is a strong-willed wizard with more knowledge, and cunning than meets the eye. His quest proves dangerous and he prevails by using several of the mythological characteristics he portrays. He attains striking similarities to the Norse god, Odin. â€Å"Tolkien himself acknowledged the similarity in a 1946 letter, calling Gandalf an â€Å"Odinic wanderer† (Tolkien-Online, 2007). Gandalf is a venerable wizard and exemplifies a mythological hero throughout his entire written history. References Tolkien-Online. (2007). Retrieved from http://www. tolkien-online. com/gandalf. html Leeming, D. A. (1990). The world of myth. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.

Why The Most Human Company Wins With Mark Schaefer

Why The Most Human Company Wins With Mark Schaefer Are you dependent on technology? Rely on it to get you through the day? Suffer from shiny object syndrome? What would marketers do without technology? The hope is that technology helps marketers connect with customers in a more personable way. In reality, it’s killing marketings impact. Today, my guest is Mark Schaefer, author of Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins. Mark shares how marketing should create amazing experiences at specific moments to help customers authentically connect with brands. Ready for a wake-up call? Traditional marketing strategies don’t meet customer expectations today Customers Takeover Control: Marketers are losing control of brand’s story, voice, and customer journey Where the action is: Shift focus from relying on technology and automation to actually talking to customers Human-centered Marketing Approach: Resonate with consumers and remove barriers by remembering what it’s like to be a customer Purpose of Marketing: Build emotional connections by bringing people together Experiential Marketing: Create encounter worthy of consumers giving brands their attention and sharing their story Testimonial Stats: Content about a brand created by a consumer gets 600% more engagement than content created by brand Taking Social out of Social Media: Easy button for automation and technology is opposite of what customers want; marketers have a way of ruining every medium Hurdles to Overcome: Organizational, cultural, leadership, and measurement Meaning is the New Marketing: Consumers want brands that represent values Levels of Loyalty: Shared Values: Take a stand to connect in a way that pushes loyalty Show up and Represent: Unifying and uplifting to display beliefs Dangerous Territory: Not every company needs to take stand/political view Words of Wisdom: Remember what its like to be a customer Be more human in everything you do Links: Mark Schaefer Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins Marketing Companion Podcast The new battleground for marketing-led growth Talk Triggers by Jay Baer Tesla An Emotional Connection Matters More than Customer Satisfaction Earth Day Habitat for Humanity Nike Nearly Dropped Colin Kaepernick Before Embracing Him Write a review on iTunes and send a screenshot of it to receive cool swag! If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Mark Schaefer: â€Å"Two-thirds of our marketing is occurring without us. The customer is in control. Advertising, loyalty, and the sales funnel are sort of in decline or, they’re gone.† â€Å"Marketing is about building emotional connections. Its hard to create an emotional connection to an ad, or a logo, or to a branded content; create connections to people.† â€Å"Wed rather not have a human voice in our company. Wed rather use personas and do automated messaging. Our social media presence has become soulless.† People want to know what you stay in for, what do you do, how do you treat your employees.

English liturature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English liturature - Essay Example One of the ways smaller merchants secured a future for their family name was by marrying off their daughters to wealthier merchants or noblemen. Daniel Rice (2008) points out that some of the common features of marriage in those days were the payment of a high price for the marriage certificate, the whole family became committed to the arrangement and the marriage was court ordered once the bond payments had been received. Little, if any, interest was given to the two parties getting married and this often led to other problems within the marriage contract. These issues are explored to some depth in a series of paintings by William Hogarth, executed around 1745. In this series of paintings, Hogarth shows the progression of a marriage from the initial signing of the contract through the young couples’ accustomed activities with each other and with others to end finally in their individual deaths at a relatively young age. The first image depicts the signing of the contract in which only the older members of the group seem to take any interest. The groom seems to be playing cards in corner while the bride flirts with the lawyer directly behind his back. Neither one seems overly concerned with the activities of the other. The group of men gathered around the table seems to be trying to work through the contract document, but it seems more of a distraction than the serious business deal it actually is. Meanwhile, one of the older gentlemen, presumably the groom’s father, stands looking out the window admiring the new mansion he’s building. Thus, this painting sets up the concept of marriage as little more than a business ar rangement which must bring some kind of materially mutual benefit to the families involved with very little concern for the interests and abilities of the two people who will have to live with each