Analysis Of My Antonia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis Of My Antonia - Essay Example But as the story progresses and he comes to understand the reality of the situation, he shows his appreciation for immigrants like Antonia by stating –‘One result of this family solidarity was that the foreign farmers in our county were the first to become prosperous". As Jim blossoms in his youth, he undergoes a lot of changes in his life especially the areas where his personal life is concerned. His experiences in the West are interwoven with his academic education which is what makes the story all the more interesting.Antonia to Jim is someone whom he respects and loves a lot. In fact, Jim’s memoir is titled ‘My Antonia’ and is dedicated to her, proving the depth of his admiration and love for her. His memoir is not just about the story of his childhood and his experiences but it focuses on Antonia and what she had meant to him. The beauty of this memoir lies in the ambiguity of love. Jim’s feelings and emotions towards Antonia are very stro ng and though he does admit his deep love for her, yet it does not explicitly advertise it. Jim takes pride in her strong physical appearance and her sexual appeal, but he is also very protective of her, from the other ‘creepy guys’ in the neighborhood. However, now and then he is filled with flashes of passion and this is evident when he tries to kiss her one night near the gate, while Antonia jokingly pushes him away. But, whatever his feelings were towards Antonia, it had a great impact on him for the rest of his life.... Jim takes pride in her strong physical appearance and her sexual appeal, but he is also very protective of her, from the other ‘creepy guys’ in the neighborhood. However, now and then he is filled with flashes of passion and this is evident when he tries to kiss her one night near the gate, while Antonia jokingly pushes him away. But, whatever his feelings were towards Antonia, it had a great impact on him for the rest of his life. The following lines testify Jim’s feelings for Antonia -"I'd have liked to have you for a sweetheart, or a wife, or my mother or my sister – anything that a woman can be to a man" (4.4.7).   Antonia’s influence over Jim helps to change his life. The impact is clearly evident when Jim states -"You influence my likes and dislikes, all my tastes, hundreds of times when I don't realize it. You really are a part of me" (4.4.7) Both Antonia and Jim have opposing characteristics. While Antonia is strong and decisive, Jim is mor e emotional, passive and indecisive. All the above points show that Antonia represents a part of his past which was simple, pure and innocent. Representing yet another part of his life which is his adolescence and adulthood is the character of Mr. Shimerda who was the father of Antonia, Marek, Ambrosch, and Yulka well. He was an intelligent and dignified gentleman who loved his life in Bohemia and hated his new life in America. Mr. Shimerda became heart broken because he could not adjust to the hard life on the farm. Jim took a great liking to Mr. Shimerda because he understood the sadness and exhaustion that he was experiencing by feeling alone in this world. Jim admired Mr. Shimerda and was

Oil prices and its effect on the global market Term Paper

Oil prices and its effect on the global market - Term Paper Example The developing countries are heavily dependent on oil exporting countries for their import of petroleum products. So if there is a rise in oil prices only the oil exporting countries benefit while bringing a destructive effect on the developing nations. What really affects the oil prices is the demand and supply of oil which we are going to look into detail later. The global market saw a recent surge in oil prices since the last two years with the most recent rate of today being $124 per barrel (forex.com). It was predicted that the production of crude oil must be increased by the oil producing countries to bring the prices down. The Arab oil exporters held a meeting in early 2011 in Cairo to discuss this issue but refused to increase oil production as they believe that the supply is sufficient in the market. The oil prices rose to $ 94.74 per barrel this year since October 2008 when oil prices were record breaking high. The forecasted trend is an increase in oil prices in the coming weeks touching up to $ 100 a barrel. After the financial crisis of 2008, OPEC or Oil Producing and Exporting Countries decreased their level of output in order to deliberately create a shortage so that prices go up. In 2010, the demand for oil increased and is expected to increase more in 2011. OPEC must release some of their stock and raise the supply of oil or else the prices can rise to unprecedented level of $ 150 per barrel. These unfavorable conditions can lead the world into another crisis. Body: The trading of oil is one of the most significant trading done in the world. Crude oil is a primary ingredient in many energy manufacturing and services industries. I certainly believe that oil should not be treated on the commodity exchange because it can have significant impact on the world economy. So if there is a fluctuation in oil prices it affects oil producers and exporters both. The market price for any product is determined by the demand and supply of it in the market. The desire to want something is defined as demand or when you realize that you want a product, can afford it, and have made a definite plan to buy it. The law of demand means that other things remaining the same, the higher the price of the good, the smaller is the quantity demanded The higher price of any product will reduce the quantity demanded for two reasons. A notable economist, Kotler has found that one of the reason is the substitution effect, that is, when the price of a product rises, other things remaining the same, its opportunity cost rises. Although each good is unique but has its substitutes, for example the substitute of oil in an energy producing plant could be water or solar energy to produce electricity. As the opportunity cost of a product rises, people have a tendency to buy less of that and more of its substitute. Another reason for change in quantity demanded is the income effect. When a price changes and all other influences on buying plans remaining the same, t he price rises relative to people’s incomes. So faces with a higher price and an unchanged income, people cannot afford all the things they previously bought. Subsequently, the demanded quantity reduces. Price has an inverse relationship with demand (Kotler, 2006). A supply is more than just having the resources and the technology to produce something but the