My Turn at Bat :: English Literature

My Turn at Bat Book Review My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life, written in 1969, could be the name of any number of hitters that have played the game of baseball. It could even be a metaphor for something that doesn’t even relate to the game of baseball. But that’s not the case here, this book is about, arguably the greatest hitter to ever play the game. This book is about the only player to ever hit .400. The only man to be inducted into seven different hall of fames. This book tells the story of Ted Williams through his eyes, the way he lived on and off the field. The author John Underwood does a good job in terms of letting the reader get a first person point of view when it comes to the life of this Boston Red Sox legend. The book first starts out with Ted Williams stating that, â€Å"I’m glad it’s over†, he then goes on to explain what he means by this. Williams says that he is so grateful for what baseball has done for him as a person but he was glad to be out of the game as a player. He tells the reader through out the book that if he could go back to when he was 18 or 19 years of age he wouldn’t do it because knowing now what was in store for him. He says that he had to deal with so much physical pain, the weight of the world being on his shoulders, and last but certainly not least the Boston reporters. At that point in his life, Ted Williams had finished playing Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox and moved on to managing the Washington Senators, a move that he wasn’t all that comfortable with, but was willing to try. This book is a constant one-way conversation with the reader. It seems that is just the way Williams wanted it to be, just so he could tell the story without any interruptions. Williams’s talks about how he always wanted to be the greatest hitter of all time through out the book. He says that a man needs to have a goal for a day, a lifetime and his was to hear people say, â€Å"there goes Ted Williams the greatest hitter of all time†. Williams also talks about how his 22 years of playing the game were the best years of his life but they were also some of the unhappiest. Through out his time as a professional ball player, he felt that people didn’t like him,

Pricing Strategy of Alitalia Airline Essay

Price is very important to the seller of any good or service who wants to make a profit. This is due to the reason that most consumers first look at the price, before considering whether or not to buy a good or service. The sellers have to be very careful when setting price, so that the good or service does not appear to be very expensive, since this will discourage the potential clients from purchasing them (Schade and Schlag 2002: 43-52), (McGrath 2000: 37-43). On the other hand, if the good or service appears to be too cheap, the clients will be suspicious of it. There are many strategies that are used by sellers in pricing their goods or services. These include loss leader, price discrimination, cost plus, penetration, limit, predatory, premium, creaming, marginal cost, target pricing among others (Yates 2003: 22-29), (Nagle and Holden 2002: 26-37). This paper will analyse Alitalia’s problems regarding pricing, among other factors. Introduction Alitalia is an Italian airline that began operation in 1947, and transports cargo and passengers in several destinations throughout the world. This airline serves twenty five Italian airports, forty five airports in North Africa, Europe and Middle East. According to Iatrou and Oretti (2007; 23-28) and Hanlon (2007: 26-28), it is one of the members of SkyTeam, an airline alliance that includes such major airlines as AeroMexico, Aeroflot, China Southern, Air France and others. Last year, the airline transported over 24 million passengers which represented an increase of 1. 5% from the previous year. Nature of Alitalia’s problems Alitalia has experienced financial difficulties over the years, which are mostly attributed to problems with crew members and pilots, political interference by the government and labour difficulties. There have been many allegations of mismanagement and misappropriation of cash. Strikes by workers on several occasions have led to flight cancellations which further discourage customers from using the airline. According to Doganis 2006 (34-39), the government uses the airline to reward its cronies, further fostering its mismanagement. In terms of pricing, Alitalia is perceived by many passengers to charge very high prices which are not reflected by the service it offers. The airline’s customer service, among other departments is also not very effective, and many passengers have complained that the services offered are below standard. This makes customers move to other airlines whose prices reflect the services offered. According to Morrell (2007: 56-67), another problem that the airline faces is bureaucracy, and this causes delay in making crucial decisions. Bureaucracy also leads to inefficiency, since there is duplication of efforts (Wilson and Gilligan 2005: 22-29). Finally, the airline also lacks a clear leadership structure since most CEOs are changed very frequently, which hampers continuity. These factors have combined to discourage potential clients from using this airline. The end result is that the airline has suffered losses for very many years. In fact, since Alitalia began operations in 1947, it only made profit in one year, 1998 (Jarach 2005: 44-46). The net losses that Alitalia has experienced over the last decade amount to 3. 7 billion Euro. Government and private sector attempts to help this airline has bore no fruits yet. The airline has such major financial difficulties that stock exchange regulators in Italy requires it to file its debts, each month in order to monitor them. In 2006, Keegan and Schlegelmilch (2001: 55-61) add that, EU forbade the Italian government from injecting further capital, leading to its sale. Alitalia had a plan of filing for bankruptcy thus protecting itself from creditors. The second part was splitting the airline into the profitable and non profitable part and subsequently liquidating the latter. Comparison between FIAT’s and Alitalia’s problems and strategies. FIAT and Alitalia both experienced similar problems, not only in pricing but in mismanagement. According to Laux 1999 (33-38), FIAT began operations in 1899 and dealt with construction and agricultural equipment, commercial vehicles, aviation, natural gas and power distribution among other operations. It was however not doing well financially, with losses accumulating gradually each year. In 2002, the financial problems became clear after it was announced that the company had losses amounting to $1. 2 billion. General motors was a minor shareholder in FIAT, but did not see it fit to further invest in this company in order to help it overcome these financial difficulties. According to Simonis and Garwood (2004: 44-46), FIAT’s financial difficulties were reduced with the entry of Sergio Marchionne as the CEO. He made radical changes that streamlined operations in the company an improved efficiency. He also integrated an innovation facility specialising in innovating transmissions and engines, which was known as Powertrain technologies. The CEO also ensured that the joint venture with General Motors was terminated since he perceived it to hinder the development of FIAT. He also strengthened the governance structure and introduced non executive and independent directors. Alitalia, as discussed above can use FIAT’s solutions; the revolutionary strategy, not only in pricing but in overhauling the entire organisational structure. Other strategies available. Alitalia has very limited choice of strategies, since its problems go beyond pricing (Baker 2002: 17-19). Any other strategies used, that do not include the revolutionary strategy that overhauls the whole organisation, are not likely to increase the company’s profitability. This is due to the reason that the major problem for the airline lies in the organisational structure and mismanagement. Revolutionary pricing strategy. I would highly recommend a revolutionary strategy, not only in pricing, but the overall organisational structure, in solving Alitalia’s problems. This is due to the reason that most of the strategies that have been previously used have not been successful. In choosing a pricing strategy, I would recommend the penetration pricing strategy, which uses low prices to establish a grip on the market. The airline would then break loyalty that customers have on other airlines, and attract them. This should however be done after re-branding the airline, so that customers may perceive it to have changed for the better. In my opinion, pricing is not the major factor that caused Alitalia’s problems; Government interference did, as seen above. The government of Italy kept on pumping capital to the airline until the EU forbade it. It does not make sense to keep on pumping money into an organisation that is inefficient, since the money will just be wasted. Alitalia needs a revolutionary leader such as FIAT’s CEO, Sergio Marchionne who made changes across the organisational structure of FIAT. He also cut the company free from the joint venture with general Motors in order to create room for FIAT to grow. The CEO of Alitalia should do likewise, and free the airline from interference by the government so that there is room for the airline to grow and develop. He or she should overhaul the current organisational structure since that is where the problem is. He or she should then hire open minded, focused, competent and independent managers who will guide the airline towards prosperity (Pollack 2007: 44-48), (Rhonda 2003: 66-75). Other strategies. Organisational changes cannot take place under the current circumstances since the airline has already lost goodwill and reputation from its clients. The airline should be re-branded and a new vision which reflects the current goals and objectives should be set by the management (Buss 2006: 12-14), (Steward 1999: 44-49). The airline should also take advantage of the airline alliance that it is part of. It should utilise the goodwill of the other bigger airlines such as AeroMexico and use code sharing as a means of marketing its flights. It can also reduce several costs due to sharing resources with the other member airlines. Such resources include spare parts, personnel, administration buildings and others (Lu 2003: 55-59). This will reduce the amount of expenditure that it incurs, which is crucial in attaining profits. Conclusion and recommendation. FIAT and Alitalia both faced similar problems that went beyond pricing. In my opinion, pricing is not the major contributor for the decline of Alitalia. Government interference, mismanagement, bureaucracy and poor service, in my opinion are the main contributors to the airline’s downfall. The airline needs to adopt a revolutionary strategy in the entire organisation, like FIAT did. It also needs to free itself from government interference and re-brand in order to market itself as a new product. After doing this, I would recommend penetration pricing strategy as a means of attracting customers from the other airlines. The airline

Argumentative Essay Sleep Deprivation - 768 Words

Less Homework Endless hours. Sleep deprivation. Deadlines, cutoff dates and time limits. Welcome to the life of every student who has ever lived. When a class is about to end and the teacher announces the homework requirements, everybody wants to flee. â€Å"When school’s out, it should be OUT.† Homework has historically been given to students to reinforce what they learn at school and ultimately help them learn the material better. However, too much homework is not helpful, and can be counterproductive. It can cause stress and usually does not help the student at all. The amount of homework a teacher can give out needs to be restricted, and only assigned due to necessity. Otherwise it will have a bad influence on their academics as well as the students’ social life. A typical school day might begin at 8:30am and conclude by 3:00pm. So piling on three hours of homework each night means students must endure seven hours at school (including lunch time) as well as three hours of homework. Most students spend five days a week at school for seven hours each then are expected to come home and complete homework for the next day. It may be important but that is a bit much to expect. â€Å"My life is a black hole of boredom and despair. So basically I ve been doing homework.†(Kierstin White). 30 percent of high school students say they spend between two and five hours per day studying and doing school work outside of class (Survey conducted by the Hautes-Rivià ¨res school board inShow MoreRelatedShould Schools Compensate And Start Later?1347 Words   |  6 Pagesning head: ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY 2 BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! A door opening and a parent saying â€Å"wake up, time for school,† is the average child s worst part of the day. Most kids hate having to wake up before noon to go to school. But why? Why is waking up early as a child such a problem, when adults wake up just as early to go to their jobs? Is it because children stay up later into the night than they used to? Or just because they’re bodies are on a different time schedule all together? And ifRead MoreEssay on Level 3 Childrens and Young Peoples Workforce Assignment 0234376 Words   |  18 PagesBegins to ask why, when and how questions, talks confidently and is able to define objects by their function. | 7 – 12 years | Begins to use and understand complex sentences, enjoys making up stories ans telling jokes and can write fairly lengthy essays. | 12 – 16 years | Has legible style of handwriting, understnads abstract language and can relate word meanings and context. | 16 – 19 years | Communitcates in an adult manner, is able to process texts and abstract meaning and can form complexRead MoreIgbo Dictionary129408 Words   |  518 Pagesillustrated the meaning and use of words; the great majority of the examples are due to him. Their merit is that they are not translations from English, but natural Igbo sentences elicited only by the stimulus of the word they illustrate. The short essays which appear from time to time (e.g. under otà ¹tà ¹, à ²Ã¯â‚¬ ¤gbanÌ„je) on aspects of culture are also his work, as are the sketches which served as basis for the illustrations, a large number of new words, and various features of the arrangement. When he hadRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 PagesPatterns of Industrial Bureaucracy (New York: Free Press, 1954). 4. See, for instance, James D. Thompson, Organizations in Action: Social Science Bases of Administrative Theory (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967). 5. Warren G. Bennis, Changing Organizations: Essays on the Development of Human Organization (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966); Rensis Likert, The Human Organization: Its Management and Value (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967). 6. Henry Mintzberg, The Structuring of Organizations: A Synthesis of the Research

English As an Additional Language (EAL)

The Modern Age Of College Is A Dream That Almost All...

College is a dream that almost all parents share for their children. Getting a college education is the gateway to becoming a doctor, or a lawyer, or possibly even an astronaut. In reality, the modern era is filled with technological advancements that require one to have a specialized education – an education that is only obtained at a college institution. Unfortunately the modern age is directly colliding with the wallets of many families whom want their kids to go on to college and obtain such dreams. Some students decide that college is far too expensive, thus his or her hopes and dreams are crushed do to inflating college costs. This creates a disparity in society. Those who come from more wealthy families are better able to take on the financial burden of college. The wealthy students are able to acquire a degree and therefore obtain a better job. Due to this, generational poverty as well as other socioeconomic issues ensue. These chain of events create an inequa lity in power best described by Karl Marx. In his conflict theory, Marx claims that society is in a continual state of conflict due to the competition of limited resources. Conflict theory holds that those with wealth and power will try to keep it by any means necessary. If America is to continue making great strides in areas like medical advancements, it needs as many individuals to attend college as possible. If public colleges are not made free to all students, then not only will America eventuallyShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Maya Angelou And Alice Walker927 Words   |  4 PagesMaya Angelou and Alice Walker are two well-known contemporary African- American writers. Although both women are from different generations they share some of the same qualities and experiences. Both women used their past experiences of tragedy and hardship as a stepping stool for growth by turning that pain into what now are famous stories and poems. For most writers, majority of their work stem f rom their own experiences, and for both Alice and Maya a great deal of their works regarded the dilemmasRead MoreThe American Dream And The Trouble With Diversity By Walter Benn Michaels2068 Words   |  9 Pages In the last few decades, the American have become proud of the American Dream, which they believe in coming true, as one working hard now will have a glossy life in the future. However, there is a wonder whether the American is living in the American Dream while the inequality still exists in American society. To get the answer, there are two helpful articles: â€Å"What Ever Happened to Upward Mobility?† by Rana Foroohar and â€Å"The Trouble with Diversity† by Walter Benn Michaels. These articles talk aboutRead MoreDiscrimination and Prejudice in United States History2772 Words   |  12 Pagescommunity, reminding them it was required by the rule of law (Banks 239) which stated that all men are to receive a fair trial. 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He inspires in her the feeling of a mother talking to her son, where she says: â€Å"Boy,†¦ oh boy; I’ll say...Pretty good† (150) And â€Å"You’re welcome†¦ dear ...† (158) Stenz says that â€Å"Albee deliberately parodies theatrical conventions in order to satirize the vacuity

Technology Audit & Technology Assessment

Question: Describe about the Technology Audit Technology Assessment. Answer: Introduction Audi is one of the leading car manufacturers that produce high quality premium cars with modern designs. The company is currently operating in over 100 markets of the world. It has several manufacturing units in Germany, Belgium, Hungary, and China. 3D printing is an additive manufacturing technology in which objects are produced using layer by layer addition of small nano sized particles. This report would explore the concept of 3D printing, its applications, its limitations and industry scenario. Audi is one organization that has adopted 3D printing for printing its parts and thus, in the reflective section of this report, the case of Audi would be explored and a framework for technology adoption of 3D printing would be created for Audi as an automotive brand. This framework would be based on the understanding of the concept learned about technology management in the course curriculum. Article Summaries Additive Manufacturing: The effects of 3D printing The paper explored global opportunities for 3D printing considering consumers, SMEs, and large corporations. The technology is already used in crafts and animation by consumers, medical services, auto parts and toys manufacturing by SMEs and industrial RD by large corporations. Companies have also started to use it for apparels, food, bicycles, life science experiments, and power tools. Some applications are still being researched such as organ replacement and consumer electronics(KANDELA, 2015). In additive manufacturing very small components of the size of 100 nanometers are made and deposited to create an object. Initially, the technology was used only for mockups and prototyping but now its use is spread to production of finished parts as well as products. 3D printing can produce light weight materials at lower costs. Scientists today are exploring if it can be used to produce self-organizing materials that can change shape based on the changes in the environment. 3D printing is growing fast today and is expected to reach $5 billion sales by next year, 2017. Major industries using it include automotive, industrial, aerospace, and healthcare. 3D printing has many benefits as well as challenges that were described in detail in this paper such as the benefits of inexpensive single item prototyping, reduced lead times, and rapid innovation, and challenges of dependence on printer speed, limitations on materials, and high cost of production in large volumes. 3D printing adoption framework was presented in the paper that identified steps including establishing initiative, investing in the technology, creating a network, changing organization with respect to skills and abilities, and implementation of innovation(Halmes Pierreu, 2014). The Impact of 3D Printing on the Automotive Sector Factors like continues improvements in manufacturing processes, expiring patents, and newer processes of manufacturing such as 3D printing have created several opportunities for automotive organizations and newer consumer segments are emerging as a result. With the use of 3D printing, manufacturing parts and tools can be produced at lower costs. 3D printing has got much media attention and questions have been raised on its potential to replace traditional manufacturing processes. This report explored various companies cases to examine how 3D printing technologies like those provided by Stratsys and 3D systems are being used in automotive sectors(IHS, 2015). How will 3D printing make your company the strongest link in the value chain? 37% of German companies have already adopted 3D printing technology for improving their supply chains while 12% are planning to adopt. Traditional machines and materials are being replaced by that 3D printed. This has helped companies in two ways - produce lightweight or complex components that improve the quality of the product and allowing customization even in low volume production. Further, 3D printing makes a flexible and low cost production process for spare parts that can help companys turnaround their supply chains. However, there are still some barriers to its adoption such as high level of initial investment and technical limitations on size, color and material printing. Yet, because of its sustainability potential and cost effectiveness, companies have started to adopt it in large numbers. Operational models of companies using 3D printing as the manufacturing process can involve an acquisition of a facility, joint establishment, or use of existing 3D printing network of suppliers. The choice of operational model is dependent on value add by process, necessity for in-house production, cost of implementation, and so on. 3D printing can help a company at three levels: Supply chain operations that can be made more cost effective and efficient with reduction of transportation and inventories; product designing through new structures and use of customization; and company through addition of business models and value chain re-positioning(EY, 2016). The Current Status and Impact of 3D Printing - An Analysis of Six Case Studies The paper talks about some benefits of 3D printing such as reduced need of fixed assets, low cost production even in low volumes, and ability to easily produce complex shapes in parts. It also highlighted major applications of 3D printing such as consumer products, medical products, commercial hardware, and toys. The paper also discussed intellectual property implications of replacing traditional parts with 3D printed parts. AS per European Design Directive while producing a new part with 3D printing, it should have new design and must also have separate individual characteristics that do not match with existing produces manufactured using patented traditional manufacturing processes. The paper presented some case studies on different markets included automotive, domestic appliances, and customized goods. Automotive market case study covered 3DP parts, automotive aftermarket, additive manufacturing drivers, AM limitations, and data considerations. Domestic appliances use cases were described. It was found that Am presented many short-term opportunities in automotive production but parts produced cannot fully replicate traditionally produced parts. In domestic appliances production, 3D printing is still majorly used for DIY products and its use for production of spare parts is still in the nascent stage of adoption. The paper also highlighted the fact that consumers have started to act as designers with the use of 3D printing solutions like MakiLab, UCODO, and N-E-R-V-O-U-S system making way for many online production tools(Reeves Mendis, 2015). The 3D opportunity in the automotive industry 3D printing has changed the way companies design, develop, manufacture and distribute products. Additive manufacturing is majorly used by Original Equipment Manufacturers for rapid prototyping. OEMs in automotive sector are few due to high entry barriers but competition in suppliers is high as there are over $1.5 trillion suppliers of parts and accessories of automotive sector. Additive Manufacturing can become a game-changer when considering the competition between the manufacturers as it provide a source of innovation, can reduce overall costs of production, reduce lead times, and reduce complexity of supply chain. When considering the value provided by AM, there can be performance trade-offs like capital versus scale and capital versus scope. If a company uses less of capital and is still able to achieve the scale, it can affect the configuration of supply chain and if it can achieve a greater scope with it, the impact would be on product design(Wahlstrm Sahlstrm, 2016). While using AM, companies can take any of the four tactical paths from improving value delivery, transform supply chains, achieve innovation with performance improvement, or alter both supply chain and products. Most automotive companies are currently on the path 1 or stasis which involves only improvements in value delivery and no radical changes are made. In this path of adoption of 3D printing, companies use it for product design improvements, rapid prototyping, customizing tools, and reducing tooling costs. In future, companies are likely to adopt path III and IV with more complex designing, production cost reduction, improvement in market responsiveness, and creation of smaller supply chains. There are some key drivers to adoption of AM such as greater choice in material and their properties, reduced preprocessing, and improved quality of AM manufactured product. There are also certain challenges such as low volume production, limitations on production of large parts, shortage of talent, and concerns of intellectual property rights. Despite these challenges, AM has the potential to support automotive companies through improvement in performance and through innovation(Giffi, Gangula, Illinda, 2014). Framework A technology adoption and management framework may be used for describing the adopting of 3D printing technology by Audi manufacturing organization. Before going into the technology adoption by any organization, a world view may be used for understanding its current operations and their connection with the external environment and the industry. The World view creates boundaries of knowledge in any area of technology including micro environment which explores the organization, its customers and competitors, and macro environment explores industry trends, technology trends, and political trends. Using the model, Audi as a company and automotive industry can be exploring with respect to 3D printing as a potential technology to adopt for manufacturing. Automotive industry is moving towards the use of 3D printing for making small parts that can be used while assembling cars in production line. However, critical parts that go inside the car are not being produced using 3D printing. The automotive industry uses 3D printing mainly for two purposes - one, is to reduce cost of production and second, to bring innovation through flexibilities in part designs. For managing technology, a framework which links technological resources with the objectives of the company can be used in the following ways: Objectives of the company: The Company aims to introduce new models to the market and thus, is spending on building new production capacities and producing innovative automobiles. 3D printing adoption supports the objective as it would help company produce more innovative vehicles and produce them faster with 3D printed parts such that time to market is less and the company is able to achieve its strategic goal of introducing new vehicles and increasing its sales. Environment: The business environment of the company is affected by the fluctuations in currency and variations in the economic environment which can affect operations of the organization. In such a situation, if the cost f production can be reduced such that the margins of the company increase, it would be able to sustain in such fluctuations and still get decent profits. When using 3D printing is used, the cost of production can be reduced drastically which would help Audi company to sustain in the highly dynamic business environment(Audi, 2004). Technology adoption can be seen from technological and commercial perspectives which would the lenses used for exploring strategy, innovation capability and operational decisions of the organization. How each of these factors would be managed in the management of 3D printing technology by Audi is discussed below: Strategy: The Company aims to launch new vehicles which would bring more business value as the company would make more sales in the market. 3D printing would help company produce external parts that are different and innovative designs which would bring an opportunity for the company to come up with more variants and thus, make more products to sell in the market. Innovation: 3D printing can bring in innovation as it provides flexibility in production of parts with varied and complex designs. Moreover, the parts produced by 3D printing can be tailored to individual models of vehicles making the innovation work differently for different models. From the perspective commercial impact of such innovation, it can be observed that innovation would help company sell to wider segments and thus, make more business. Moreover, innovative designs can be priced higher from base models which would further increase the profit margins for the organization. Operations: The Company had already purchased its own 3D printing facility which it is using for the production of some parts of the automobile and in future the same can be used for production of more and more parts. This can be a huge cost at the time of acquisition of the technology but once that is done, it would save on the operational and production costs later on. Conclusions This report was prepared to understand how technology adoption works. A case of Audi was taken and the technology explored was 3D printing. The paper took 5 research reports that were explored to understand 3D printing, its applications, its limitations, adoption and more. A framework for adoption of 3D printing as a business model for Audi was presented. References Audi. (2004). Our Vision, Mission, Strategic Goals, and Objectives. USA department of Commerce. (2016). How will 3D printing make your company the strongest link in the value chain? ErnstYoung GmbH. Giffi, C. A., Gangula, B., Illinda, P. (2014). 3D opportunity in the automotive industry:Additive manufacturing hits the road. Deloitte University Press. Halmes, M., Pierreu, L. (2014). Additive Manufacturing: The effects of 3D printing. Deloitte. IHS. (2015). The Impact of 3D Printing on the Automotive Sector. IHS Technoology. KANDELA, A. R. (2015). IMPACT OF DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESSES. Jamshepur: XLRI. Reeves, P., Mendis, D. (2015). The Current Status and Impact of 3D Printing - An Analysis of Six Case Studies. CIPPM. Wahlstrm, T., Sahlstrm, J. (2016). Additive Manufacturing in Production. Lund University.

Siddhartha’s Road to Enlightenment free essay sample

Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, is a novel about a man’s journey to finding his inner self, to be enlightened. Siddhartha was born a Brahmin, the highest of the caste system in Hinduism, but he felt that he had to find his own path to enlightenment. As a Brahmin, he was expected to reach Nirvana. He joined the Samanas, listened to the Buddha, lost himself in riches and pleasures, and found himself again at the brink of suicide. Siddhartha finds himself when he looks into the river he is about to jump in. The river awakens him. The novel centers on Siddhartha’s journey through experiencing the extremes of deprivation and excess and leads the reader to understand how he found peace. Hermann Hesse uses the river symbolically to represent Siddhartha’s final understanding of the meaning of life; he lived through the extremes and found the middle path, which put him at peace with himself. We will write a custom essay sample on Siddhartha’s Road to Enlightenment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Through Siddhartha’s journey, he experienced the extremes in order to find the middle path. One of the extremes he went through was depriving himself of all desires and pleasures. Siddhartha became a Samana, which are groups of people who roam around trying to attain non-attachment. This represents one of the extreme experiences because Siddhartha deprived himself of everything in order to reach non-attachment because he tried to be at peace at with himself by getting rid of suffering and desires. â€Å"’Well, Govinda, are we on the right road? Are we gaining any knowledge? Are we approaching salvation? Or are we perhaps going in circle – we who thought to escape from the cycle? ’† (17-18). Siddhartha is trying hard to get to enlightenment so he goes to extremes and joins the Samana’s to get rid of his desires. Siddhartha wants to find his way to enlightenment so he can live in peace. He wants to break the cycle of Samsara and reach Nirvana. Siddhartha is starting to see that the way of the Samana’s might not take him to enlightenment as quick as he had hoped. He wants to get rid of his desires so he can be free minded and not have suffering. Being a Samana made him grow impatient and desired to be at peace with himself. Siddhartha learns from being a Samana to fast, wait, and think. He uses these tools to help him come closer to conquering his inner Self and reaching Nirvana. Siddhartha crosses a river, physically and spiritually. He leaves his past life of a Samana to be a Brahmin again and spoil himself in riches and pleasures. He crosses the river into a town where he meets people who help him become a merchant. He left one extreme for another extreme. Another extreme he had to experience to be able to find the middle path is physical pleasures and desires. He loses his state of being in riches and pleasures. â€Å"†¦the world and inertia creep into Siddhartha’s soul; it slowly filled his soul, made it heavy, made it tired, sent it to sleep. But on the other hand his senses became more awakened, they learned a great deal, experienced a great deal. (Page 76-77). Siddhartha left being a Samana and became rich, in wealth and in desires. He started to suffer, almost to the brink of suicide. Siddhartha forgot a little about trying to be at peace with himself and instead started doing the polar opposite of what he did as a Samana. Siddhartha learned to work with business affairs, to use his power ove r people, to wear rich clothes, to smell nice and he learned how to eat rich and sweet foods. Siddhartha became irritable; he started to feel the suffering that came with all his desires and pleasures. From this extreme experience his senses awoke after being suppressed when he was a Samana. His new use for his senses helped him to become awakened and find the middle path. After being through two extremes, he sat by a river, the same river he had crossed to become a Brahmin again, and he awakened. He felt himself be born again; he became a new Siddhartha. Siddhartha, overcome with suffering, leaves the town and goes stumbling through the forest. He comes across the river and starts thinking of suicide. As he is staring into the water he starts to hear, from deep inside of himself, the word â€Å"Om. The word opens his eyes to the world again and he remembers every thing that he learned from his experiences. â€Å"Then from a remote part of his soul, from the past of his tired life, he heard a sound†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Om,’ he pronounced inwardly, and he was conscious of Brahman, of the indestructibleness of life; he remembered all that he had forgotten, all that was divi ne. † (89-90). Siddhartha was lost, th en found his way. He realized that his wish to find peace would not happen by destroying his body. He realized that all the despair and disillusionment had not brought him closer to finding peace. Siddhartha realizes that in order to be at peace and to find enlightenment he couldn’t do it by doing either one of the extremes but by using the skills and tools he learned from his experiences. By using the things he learned he could go right in the middle of the two extremes and still be able to find enlightenment. Siddhartha had just found the middle path, the shortcut to be at peace. Hermann Hesse uses the symbolism of the river, and the way Siddhartha crosses it, to represent Siddhartha’s final understanding of the meaning of life. On one side of the river, Siddhartha is a Samana and learns to fast, wait, and to think. On the other side of the river he loses him self in physical pleasures, desires and suffering, but he awakens his senses again. Using the experiences and his newfound tools he created him self a middle path between the extremes and a shortcut to finding enlightenment. I don’t think Siddhartha could have found the middle path and enlightenment with out the experiences he went through. Siddhartha’s journey resulted in enlightenment and it shows that your experiences in life shape who you are as a person.