Analysis of Major Characters in Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Major Characters in Great Expectations Essay Pip is the main character of this story. The whole plot of the novel revolves around him and his metamorphosis into an adult from an immature adolescent.  1. Immature: pip was highly immature. This characteristic in him can be clearly seen in pg 59 where he says but when she was gone, I looked about me for a place to hide my face in and got behind one of the gates in the brewery lane and leaned my sleeve angst the wall there, and leaned my forehead on it and cried. As I cried, I kicked the wall and took a hard twist at my hair; so bitter were my feelings so sharp were the smart without a name that needed counteraction. Pip cries so much, suddenly begins to have such a low self esteem, why? Just because a girl came and commented that he had coarse hands, wore thick boots and called the knaves Jack. Instead of standing up for himself, pip simply cries. This goes to show how immature pip was.  Pips immaturity is also seen in his romantic idealism. Ever since his first meeting with beautiful Estella, he always thought of her in page 101 he says, often after dark, when I was pulling the bellows for Joe, and we were singing Old Clem, and the thought how we used to sing at Miss Haveshams would seem to show me Estellas face in the fire, with her pretty hair fluttering in the wind and her face scorning at me. Often at such a time I would look towards those panels of black night in the wall which the wooden windows then were, and would fancy that I saw her drawing her face away and would believe that she had come at last. In spite of Estella being so insulting he instantly falls for her, rather for her loo ks. This again shows the immaturity in pip. 2. Generous and sympathetic: pip was generous and sympathetic, a fact that can be seen in his numerous acts of kindness throughout the novel. In page ___ he sympathizes with Magwitch and helps him escape. A small boy going out of his way to help a wretched convict! This goes to show how sympathetic pip was.  Not just sympathetic, pip was large at heart. He was generous. This can be witnessed in page _____ where he secretly buys Herberts way into business. The third example to show that pip was generous is in page 137where he says, as I passed the church I felt a sublime compassion for the poor creatures who were destined to go there, Sunday after Sunday, all their lives thru and to lie obscurely at last among the low green mounds. I promised myself that I would do something for them one of these days and formed a plan in outline for bestowing a dinner of roast beef and plum pudding, a pint of ale and a gallon of condescension upon everybody in the village. 3. Had a great desire for self-improvement: pip always wanted to better himself, better his condition and better his status. This trait in him can be witnessed in page 66 where he tells Joe, and that there had been a beautiful young lady at miss Haveshams who was dreadfully proud and that she had said I was common, and that I wished I was not common, and that the lies had come of it somehow, though I didnt know how. Moreover his deep desire to improve in life, to be Uncommon is also seen in page 68 where he goes to one of his relatives, Biddy to get educated from her. He says, when I woke up the best step I could take towards making myself uncommon was to get out of Biddy everything she knew.  In page 164 he asks Herbert to correct his mannerisms if he found them un-gentlemanly. He says, I further mentioned that as I had been brought up a blacksmith in a country place, and knew very little of the ways of politeness, I would take it is a great kindness in him i.e. Herbert if he would give me a hint when ever he saw me going at a loss or going wrong.

Christopher Columbus Biography :: Christopher Columbus Essays

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy on August 25th 1451, and he died in Valladolid Spain on May 20th 1506. His life is filled with mystery and controversy. Even though there has been contevercy about his birth date and this birthplace, the historians have narrowed it down to this date and place. His childhood is another mystery. It is said that Columbus was the oldest of five children to poor â€Å"wool weavers†. His son has stated that Columbus had attended the University of Pavia, Columbus was a good observer and very well read. In 1476 Columbus traveled to Lisbon, Portugal were there he an established Genoese population, including Bartolome, he was a noted to be a mapmaker. After a couple of years Columbus sailed with the Portuguese through the Mediterranen and the Atlantic as far south as La Mina (Present day Elmaina , Ghana) and as far north as England. Columbus also made a voyage to Iceland in 1477. In 1479 Columbus married the Portuguese noblewomen Dona Felipa e Perestrello e Moriz and established land in Porto Santo were his son Diego was born in 1480. When his wife died somewhere between 1481 to 1485, Columbus returned to Lisbon. As early as 1484 Columbus got a plan to sail west from the Canary Islands to the Indies (now East Indies) and the island kingdom of Cipangu (modern day Japan). When King John II declined Columbus’s â€Å"Enterprises to the Indies† he decided to go to the Spanish monarch. Columbus traveled to Cordoba, in 1488 he and his mistress had another son. Columbus presented his plan to King Ferdinan and Queen Isabella two different times but both times a counsel of experts rejected his project. Columbus’s ideas were made fun of by many in the court. However he received support from other powerful people, for example â€Å"Luis de Santagel†, â€Å"chancellor of the royal household of Aragon and prior Juan Prez (the Queen’s con fessor). As a result of this Queen Isabella approved to Columbus’s project. Columbus’s first was to find a short voyage to the Indies by sailing west, and the second goal was to convert any foreign inhabitance to Christianity. There were three ships the first was the Santa Maria, which can hold up to forty sailors, The second ship is the Pinta, which held up to twenty-six sailors, and the Nina, which held twenty-four sailors. On October 12 1482 a seaman on the Pinta claimed â€Å"he spotted land†, his name was Rodrigo de Triana.

Pacific Grove

Question 1: Based on the company’s forecasted financial statements, can the company quickly comply with the banks requirements? It depends on what you consider quickly. If the deadline is to only to have a plan ready by June 30th, 2012 then it looks like they can come pretty close without implementing any major changes. Just by following their expected future growth plans they will almost reach the requirements of the bank within 4 years. Using the information provided from their forecasted financials, by 2015 Pacific Grove will reach a 55% ratio of interest/bearing debt to total assets and their equity multiplier will be 2. 7. (See Exhibit 1) Depending on how stringent the bank is this may not be quick enough of a timeline or progressive enough of a plan. If they want these figures lowered to the required levels by 2012 then Pacific Grove must do something more aggressive reduce interest bearing debt levels. The company should explore ways to reduce its need for working capit al financing. They should see if there are ways of improving their supply chain efficiency and forecasting so that they can reduce their inventory levels.They should look to negotiate with suppliers to reduce the rate they are paying for inventory. Pacific Grove should also see if they can extend the length of their accounts payable. Even if they have to pay a slight price premium, if the rate(APR) is less than what the banks are charging them in interest, it could help to both save money and reduce their capital needs. They should also see if they can adjust the credit policy terms with their customers to shorten the number of days before payment.By reducing receivables and increasing payables they should be able to reduce their financing needs from the bank in notes payable and thus lower their interest-bearing debt. It is unlikely that even with changes in working capital structure they will be able to reduce their debt within a year. Raising funds by selling common stock to pay- off some of their interest bearing debt may be necessary in order to quickly comply with the banks requirements. My suggestion however would be to acquire the other company which has better debt structure.When the two companies are financial are combined Pacific Groves ratios will be under those required by the bank. Exhibit 1: 2. Should the new television program be produced and sponsored by Pacific Grove Spice? If yes how the necessary investment should be financed? I would say no. At first glance the new investment looks good. The upside of the investment is that it would increase the company’s sales, profits, and cash flow above their currently expected levels. Despite this upside it also significantly increases the yearly net working capital investment.The additional funds needed to pay for additional working capital means that the project has negative cash flow for both year 0 and year 1. Pacific Grove would really need to borrow or raise a total $2,573,118 to initially start and fund the venture before positive project cash flows start. If we are only looking at the financial implications of investing in the company using the expected IRR and NPV we may be fooled into thinking this new television program would be a great investment. Even if our WACC were 20%, we can expect the NPV of the project to be $1,716,414.When we look at discounted payback, however, we see that at a WACC of 20% the project payback period would be a little over 4 years and even the simple payback period is 3 years (see exhibit 2). This demonstrates that there is significant risk that the project investments may not be paid off, especially if actual performance is worse than expected. The most important issue currently facing the company is to reduce its interesting bearing debt so that it can continue to receive financing from the bank to support operations and growth.Investing in a project with a payback period of 3 years or longer would not be a wise decision as it would initially raise the level of interest bearing debt unless funded through the selling of equity. Although there may be some synergies between the television network and Pacific Grove which could help to promote their brand, it may also take away needed focus from their core business and lead to a poorer performance and erosion of its competitive position in the market.Pacific Grove’s lack of experience and knowledge about producing a television show add to the level of risk of the project. If they were confident that the investment will work the only viable option to raise capital while not increasing debt would be to sell shares in the company. This may not please current shareholders as they would face dilution in both the value of their shares and their percentage of ownership in the company. Exhibit 2: 3. Should the company issue new common stock to the external investment group?No, I don’t think they should issue the stock. If they decide to issue shares they will lose some percentage of their company control. In fact, Peterson and the Founders will go from controlling a total of 32% of the company to only 23. 8% meaning that the investment group would actually have more control of the company than the founders at 25. 6%. (See exhibit3) Although the share price will only drop slightly to $31. 30, the dilution of shares and drop in stock price may displease current shareholders.The market may respond by the further selling off of existing shares dropping the stock price more and further hurting the company’s financial status. Another problem with issuing the common stock is that although it will provide access to capital which they can use to pay off interest bearing debt If the bank requires the company to lowers its debt levels within the next year and no other banks are willing to lend, then issuing the common stock may be seem like the only viable option to quickly meet the bank’s lending requirements.I would argue, however, that acquiring High Country Seasoning company would be a better choice as it will also resolve the debt issues while also providing other synergies and not lowering the stock price of the company. Exhibit 3: 4. Should Pacific Group Spice acquire High Country Seasonings? Yes. Acquiring High Country Seasoning would help to do several things. First because of the company’s better financial debt structure will improve Pacific Spice Groups overall debt structure upon merging.The deal would not require the issuance of debt and would not lower the company’s current stock price. The two companies also operate in the same business line. This should help them to become a stronger player in the market by capturing more market share in the industry. There should be some cost savings because of economies of scales and the ability to leverage both companies’ assets. The only question remaining is whether the purchase price is greater than the estimated value of the company. E xhibit 4: Exhibit 5:

Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Lincolns Dressmaker and Friend

Elizabeth Keckley was a former slave who became the dressmaker and friend of Mary Todd Lincoln and a frequent visitor to the White House during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Her memoir, which was ghost-written (and spelled her surname as Keckley though she seemed to have written it as Keckly) and published in 1868, provided an eyewitness account to life with the Lincolns. The book appeared under controversial circumstances, and was apparently suppressed at the direction of Lincolns son, Robert Todd Lincoln. But despite the controversy surrounding the book, Keckleys accounts of Abraham Lincolns personal work habits, observations on the everyday circumstances of the Lincoln family, and a moving account of the death of young Willie Lincoln, have been considered reliable. Fast Facts: Elizabeth Keckley Born: About 1818, Virginia.Died: May 1907, Washington, D.C.Known for: Former slave who opened a dressmaking business in Washington, D.C., before the Civil War and became a trusted friend of Mary Todd Lincoln.Publication: Wrote a memoir of life in the White House during the Lincoln administration which provided unique insight into the Lincoln family. Her friendship with Mary Todd Lincoln, though unlikely, was genuine. Keckleys role as a frequent companion of the first lady was depicted in the Steven Spielberg film Lincoln, in which Keckley was portrayed by actress Gloria Rueben. Early Life of Elizabeth Keckley Elizabeth Keckley was born in Virginia in 1818 and spent the first years of her life living on the grounds of Hampden-Sydney College. Her owner, Col. Armistead Burwell, worked for the college. Lizzie was assigned work, which would have been typical for slave children. According to her memoir, she was beaten and whipped when she failed at tasks. She learned to sew growing up, as her mother, also a slave, was a seamstress. But young Lizzie resented not being able to receive an education. When Lizzie was a child, she believed a slave named George Hobbs, who belonged to the owner of a another Virginia farm, was her father. Hobbs was allowed to visit Lizzie and her mother on holidays, but during Lizzies childhood the owner of Hobbs moved to Tennessee, taking his slaves with him. Lizzie had memories of saying goodbye to her father. She never saw George Hobbs again. Lizzie later learned that her father was actually Col. Burwell, the man who had owned her mother. Slave owners fathering children with female slaves was not uncommon in the South, and at the age of 20 Lizzie herself had a child with a plantation owner who lived nearby. She raised the child, whom she named George. When she was in her mid-twenties, a member of the family who owned her moved to St. Louis to begin a law practice, taking Lizzie and her son along. In St. Louis she resolved to eventually buy her freedom, and with the help of white sponsors, she was eventually able to obtain legal papers declaring herself and her son free. She had been married to another slave, and thus acquired the last name Keckley, but the marriage did not last. With some letters of introduction, she traveled to Baltimore, seeking to start a business making dresses. She found little opportunity in Baltimore, and moved to Washington, D.C., where she was able to set herself up in business. Washington Career Keckleys dressmaking business began to flourish in Washington. The wives of politicians and military officers often needed fancy gowns to attend events, and a talented seamstress, as Keckley was, could obtain a number of clients. According to Keckleys memoir, she was contracted by the wife of Senator Jefferson Davis to sew dresses and work in the Davis household in Washington. She thus met Davis a year before he would become president of the Confederate States of America. Keckley also recalled sewing a dress for the wife of Robert E. Lee at the time when he was still an officer in the U.S. Army. Following the election of 1860, which brought Abraham Lincoln to the White House, the slave states began to secede and Washington society changed. Some of Keckleys customers traveled southward, but new clients arrived in town. Keckley's Role In the Lincoln White House In the spring of 1860 Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary, and their sons moved to Washington to take up residence in the White House. Mary Lincoln, who was already gaining a reputation for acquiring fine dresses, was looking for a new dressmaker in Washington. The wife of an Army officer recommended Keckley to Mary Lincoln. And after a meeting at the White House on the morning after Lincolns inauguration in 1861, Keckley was hired by Mary Lincoln to create dresses and dress the first lady for important functions. There is no question that Keckleys placement in the Lincoln White House made her a witness to how the Lincoln family lived. And while Keckleys memoir was obviously ghost-written, and is no doubt embellished, her observations have been considered credible. One of the most moving passages in Keckleys memoir is the account of the illness of young Willie Lincoln in early 1862. The boy, who was 11, became sick, perhaps from polluted water in the White House. He died in the executive mansion on February 20, 1862. Keckley recounted the sorrowful state of the Lincolns when Willie died and described how she helped prepare his body for the funeral. She vividly described how Mary Lincoln had descended into a period of deep mourning. It was Keckley who told the story of how Abraham Lincoln had pointed out the window to an insane asylum, and said to his wife, Try to control your grief or it will drive you mad, and we may have to send you there. Historians have noted that the incident could not have happened as described, as there was no asylum within view of the White House. But her account of Mary Lincolns emotional problems still seem generally credible. Keckley's Memoir Caused Controversy Elizabeth Keckley became more than an employee of Mary Lincoln, and the women seemed to develop a close friendship which spanned the entire time the Lincoln family lived in the White House. On the night Lincoln was assassinated, Mary Lincoln sent for Keckley, though she did not receive the message until the following morning. Arriving at the White House on the day of Lincolns death, Keckley found Mary Lincoln nearly irrational with grief. According to Keckleys memoir, she remained with Mary Lincoln during the weeks when Mary Lincoln would not leave the White House as Abraham Lincolns body was returned to Illinois during a two-week funeral which traveled by train. The women stayed in touch after Mary Lincoln moved to Illinois, and in 1867 Keckley became involved in a scheme in which Mary Lincoln tried to sell some valuable dresses and furs in New York City. The plan was to have Keckley act as an intermediary so buyers would not know the items belonged to Mary Lincoln, but the plan fell through. Mary Lincoln returned to Illinois, and Keckley, left in New York City, found work which coincidentally put her in touch with a family connected to a publishing business. According to a newspaper interview she gave when she was nearly 90 years old, Keckley was essentially duped into writing her memoir with the help of a ghost writer. When her book was published in 1868, it attracted attention as it presented facts about the Lincoln family which no one could have known. At the time it was considered very scandalous, and Mary Lincoln resolved to have nothing more to do with Elizabeth Keckley. The book became hard to obtain, and it was widely rumored that Lincolns oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, had been buying up all available copies to prevent it from achieving wide circulation. Despite the peculiar circumstances behind the book, it has survived as a fascinating document of life in the Lincoln White House. And it established that one of the closest confidantes of Mary Lincoln was indeed a dressmaker who had once been a slave. Sources: Keckley, Elizabeth. Behind the Scenes, Or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years In the White House. New York City, G.W. Carleton Company, 1868. Russell, Thaddeus. Keckley, Elizabeth.  Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History, edited by Colin A. Palmer, 2nd ed., vol. 3, Macmillan Reference USA, 2006, pp. 1229-1230.  Gale Virtual Reference Library. Keckley, Elizabeth Hobbs.  Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 28, Gale, 2008, pp. 196-199.  Gale Virtual Reference Library. Brennan, Carol. Keckley, Elizabeth 1818–1907.  Contemporary Black Biography, edited by Margaret Mazurkiewicz, vol. 90, Gale, 2011, pp. 101-104.  Gale Virtual Reference Library.