Definition of Expatriate Failure

Definition of Expatriate Failure Understanding what expatriate failure is and minimising the risk of it occurring is important to multinational companies.  Ã‚  Discuss. Introduction Staffing in Multinational Company (MNC) is a challenging but crucial and strategic issue to international human resource management (IHRM) (Graigner Nankervis, 2001). According to Edstron and Galbraith (1977), MNCs may decide to use international staffing for three major reasons. First, the lack of suitable and qualified resources in the host country national (HNCs); second, a mean for management development and third, a way to establish control and coordination among the subsidiaries. A fourth reason, increasing knowledge transfer among the subsidiaries, was added later (Bonache et al. 2001 and Hocking et al. 2004). There are four major categories or practices for MNCs staffing: ethnocentric, polycentric, geocentric and regioncentric (Perlmutter, 1969 and Heenan Perlmutter, 1979 as cited in Dowling et al., 2008, p.80). In general, a multinational company can select several different approaches to international staffing. It may recruit from the local country (HCN), or from the pare nt country (PCN) or from a foreign subsidiary (TCN) (Dowling et al 2008, p.80). The IHRM literature has an extensive amount of research that has studied the field of international staffing and expatriates, their effectiveness (Dowling Wetch 2004 as cited in Nanda Kumar 2012, p.58), associated costs (Dowling et, al. 2008, p.81) and return on investment, compensations, performance, expatriates adaptation in the local countries, challenges and issues and failure. Effectiveness of expatriate assignments International assignments are very costly as they are estimated at millions of dollars annually (Collings, Scullion, Dowling 2009). Consequently, the effectiveness, utility and viability of expatriates assignments and international staffing have been questioned (Dowling et, al. 2008). Collings and his colleagues (2007) have addressed this issue by identifying five aspects: supply side issues, demand side issues, expatriate performance and expatriate failure, performance evaluation, cost and career dynamics. Recently, Return on Investments (ROIs) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"both individual and corporate, instead of costs, have been used to evaluate their effectiveness (McNulty Tharenou 2005; McNulty, De Cieri Hutchings 2013). Expatriate Failure Definition In its simplest term, expatriate failure could be defined as premature return. However, Harzing (1995, p.2) argues that this definition might be very inadequate way to measure expatriate failure, as the ones who stay but failed to achieve expected performances are more damaging to the organisation. According to Lee (2007), it should also include the expatriates that failed to adapt, to learn new things or to meet expected performance standards. Bruning and McCaughey (2005) argue that it amounts to an expatriates premature return from the international assignment or under-performance whilst conducting the assignment. Harzing and Christensen (2004, p.7) defines expatriate failure as the inability of [an] expatriate to perform according to the expectations of the organisation. This definition include both under-performance during the international assignment including premature return and the inappropriate repatriation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"permanent departure or dysfunction after return (i bid, p.7). As the objective is to successfully complete the international assignment, a broad definition of expatriate failure should be considered. Failure Rates In the recent years, many studies have reported high rates of expatriate failures. For example, around 10 to 20% of the US expatriates returned prematurely while 33% of the ones who stayed had poor performance standards (Black and Gregersen 1997). A survey of global trends in international assignments, by GMAC Global Relocation Services, National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and SHRM Global Forum (GMAC, NFTC SHRM) in 2004 shows that 7% of expatriates prematurely returned. However, as the cost of expatriates is relatively high (PriceWaterhouseCoopers 2006, as cited in Dowling et al 2008, p.81, others), a key issue in international staffing literature is expatriate failure and its cost. However, Harzing (1995, p.2), in The persistent myth of high expatriate failure rates argues that there is almost no empirical foundation for the existence of high failure rates when measured as premature reentry. Reasons for Expatriate Failure Many researches have addressed the issues of expatriate failure and attempted to identify identified the reasons that cause it. Some of these reasons are: the lack of cross-cultural adjustment by expatriates, their spouse or family and some dissatisfaction with the international assignments leading to poor performance. Around 10 to 20% of the US expatriates returned prematurely due to these reasons, while 33% of the ones who stayed had poor performance (Black and Gregersen 1997). Other reasons are due to poor selection, increased responsibilities and stresses and adjustment within the social context. Cross-Cultural adjustment When expatriates start international assignments in the host country, they and their families have to adjust to a new culture. They normally experience what is called a culture shock cycle as visualised in Figure 1 (Adler 2008). At the beginning, expatriates are very positive and excited about their assignments aboard, and about discovering new culture. But, after a period of few months, they enter the next phase until they reach the lowest point in the curve, known as culture shock. However, as the expatriates start to adapt to the new culture and feel more settled, the curve will go up again. Difficulties with Cross-Cultural adjustments are some of the major reasons for premature return of expatriates or their families (Black and Gregersen 1997). A recent study (Abdul Malek Budhwar 2013) found a positive direct influence of the expatriates cultural intelligence with their work interaction and adjustments. Emotional intelligence was found by Gabel, Dolan Cerdin (2005) as having a significant correlation with specific performance and can be used predictor of cultural adjustment for success in international assignment. Figure 1. Culture shock cycle Poor Expatriate Selection Improper selection of the expatriates is another reason for expatriate failure. Despite their importance, technical and managerial skills are not for the only skills required for effective international staffing. More attention must be paid to interpersonal skills that help in cross-cultural adjustment (Lee 2007). Another important factor that should be taken into consideration is the employees motivation and feelings towards the assignment. With high motivation, they will consider the assignment aboard as an opportunity rather than a restraint in their career development (ibid). It is also important to consider the attitude of the spouse and children as well as their willingness towards moving and living aboard. For example, spouse resistance and family adjustment were among the highest critical challenges for expatriates (GMAC, NFTC SHRM 2004). Also, 47% of assignment refusals were due to family concerns (GMAC, NFTC SHRM 2004). Increased Responsibilities and Stresses Moving to another country and leaving family, parents, friends and comfortable environments behind causes stress. The amount of stress will increase with the cross-cultural adjustment as the expatriates would face ambiguous situations at work and outside work. Additionally, the new assignment may require higher level of commitment and responsibility leading to more stress. Balancing between work responsibilities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"locally and with headquarters à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" on the one and family expectations on the other hand will increase pressure and stress (Brown 2008). Adjustment within the social context In order to achieve the expected performance and cope with the increasing stress, expatriates must adapt to the new working and living conditions. Studies have found that social contexts, such as positive social contact with local nationals and social networks, have positive influence on the expatriates adjustments, stress-coping, problem-focused and emotion-focused coping (McGinley 2008; Osman-Gani Rockstuhl, 2008). Costs of Failure Costs occur in any international assignment particularly when an expatriate prematurely returns home or fails to perform as expected. There are two types of costs, direct and indirect costs. Direct costs comprise the expatriates salary, cost of training especially during the pre-departure preparation, travel and relocation expenses. This cost could be between US$250,000 and US$1,250,000 (Briscoe 1995; Black Gregersen 1999; Abbottet al. 2006; all cited in Cole 2011, p.1505). However, indirect costs could be loss of customers and markets, damaging customer relationships, difficulties with host countrys government and authorities and the cost of replacement (Forster 2000; Cole, 2011). Avoiding or Minimising Expatriate Failure Managing the international resources is a major challenge, but it is an important factor in the success or failure of the MNC. Many factors can contribute to the failure of MNCs, including expatriate failures due to premature return or poor repatriation. MNCs must control and mitigate any kind of failure and crisis including expatriate crises. In order to avoid expatriate failure or minimise its risk, proper and suitable international human resource management policies and procedures should be in place. With such policies and procedures, IHRM can effectively and efficiently manage the international human resources. First, they can efficiently plan for the selection of expatriates; second, pre-departure can be better prepared; third, continuous communication with the expatriates while they are in their international assignment can be maintained, leading to better planning for their return to their home country with a proper position and job assignment; and fourth, repatriation can be effectively planed and implemented. Expatriate Selection In addition to technical and managerial skills, interpersonal skills that could assist in the cultural adjustment are very essential to the success of the expatriates in their international assignments (Clarke and Hammer (1995). A study by Tung (1987) across 80 US MNCs had identified four general categories which may contribute to expatriate success. These categories are (1) technical competence, (2) personality traits or relational abilities, (3) environmental variables, and (4) family situations. Later, by examining 15 organisations, Ronen (1989) as cited in Chew (2004) developed a model, for an effective selection, that consists of five categories: (1) job factors, (2) relational dimensions, (3) motivational state, (4) family situation, and (5) language skills. The job factors consist of technical skills as identified by Tung, familiarity with the operations of both headquarter and host country, managerial skills and administrative competence. The relational dimensions include tolerance for ambiguity, behavioural flexibility, non- judgementalism, cultural empathy and low ethnocentrism and interpersonal skills. Motivational state comprises belief in the mission, congruence with career path, interest in overseas experience, interest in specific host country culture and willingness to acquire new patterns of behaviour and attitudes. In family situation, willingness of a spouse to live abroad, adaptive and supportive spouse and stable marriages should be considered. Finally, host country language and non-verbal communication are very essential. Pre-departure preparation Once the expatriate has been selected, pre-departure preparation should take place. This preparation should prepare the expatriate for the assignment abroad and ensure her/his success in the international assignment (Mendenhall et al. 1987). Some of the activities that should be considered during this phase are career counseling, cross-cultural adjustment and languages. Career counselling for both the expatriate and accompanied spouse is very essential to the success of the expatriate in the international assignment (ref). Preparing the expatriate and his family for cross-cultural adjustment is very crucial especially if the expatriate is not familiar with the culture customs and work ethics in the host country (Weech 2001). In addition to cross-cultural training, language training, and some short academic programs in the host country could be very beneficial (Okpara Kabongo, 2011). A study by Shen and Lang (2009) examined the impacts of cross-cultural training (CCT) on expatriate performance in Australian MNEs, concluded that short-term assignments had a stronger impact on expatriates in term of cross-cultural adjustment. According to the survey of GMAC, NFTC SHRM, 2004, most companies (60%) provide formal cross-cultural training before assignments began with 73% of expatriates indicating that these trainings had great value. Keeping good communications with home company Continuous and good communications between the home company in general and HR personnel in particular from one side and the expatriates from the other side are very healthy and productive. Through these communications, the expatriates are kept aware about what going on in their home organisations, their performances, strategic decisions, re-organisations and potential opportunities when they return home. They also facilitate and make the readjustment and post-employment easier and smother. The Return of Expatriates One of the reasons for international assignment is to gain international and cross-cultural experience and knowledge; therefore it is very important for the MNCs to retain the employee after the international assignment has been completed. One of the major risks, associated with high costs, is the difficulty to maintain the expatriates upon their returns to the home country (Downes Thomas 1999). Considering these difficulties, expatriates need assistance to settle back in their home country. As part of the overall IHRM policies and procedures, repatriation programs must have been developed to tackle two major issues (1) career planning and (2) reverse culture shock (Hammer, Hart Rogan 1998). The GMAC, NFTC SHRM 2004 survey confirmed that 8% of the expatriates have left the company during the assignment while 13% within one year of returning and additional 10% within 2 years. Repatriation Agreement and Career Planning Another important factor to retain the expatriates after their return is to have a repatriation planning, preferably before the international assignment began (Latta 1999). Such planning should include a repatriation agreement that includes provision of a specified period of the assignment and a return incentive with an assurance of an acceptable job. For example, the GMAC, NFTC SHRM survey indicated that 86% held repatriation/re-entry discussion with 44% of had these discussions before departure and 23% under 6 months before return. However, only 24% had guarantees of employment at home country, 11% had guarantees for employment at another location and 68% had no guarantees for post-employment. Job guarantee, with comparable position or a promotion, is very crucial for the repatriation program to be successful. Reverse Culture shock Assisting the employee and his family to re-adjust into their home country and culture is very important. They make the employees fell that the company had taken care of them and acted to their best interests. Definitely, this will enforce the employee commitments and loyalty to the home company and helps maintaining these experienced resources and their international knowledge within the organisation. Alternative Assignments As MNCs are more and more faced with pressures to reduce costs and shortage and resistance of employees to move abroad for long-term assignments, Collings (2007) and his colleagues argue that international assignments are unsustainable. For them, MNCs might need to consider alternative and standard forms of international assignment. Some of these alternatives could be short-term assignments, commuter assignments, international business travel and virtual assignments. It is also essential that IHRM incorporate these emerging alternatives assignments into their policies and procedures. Conclusion Expatriate failure, either premature return, performing below expectation or inability to retain the expatriate after repatriation, is very common whining MNCs and it could be very costly. There are many reasons for expatriate failure. Cross-cultural adjustments for the expatriates, their spouse of their children are one of the most reasons for premature return. Additionally, poor expatriate selection that only considers technical and managerial skills with interpersonal skills is another reason. Added to them is stress caused by increased responsibility and balancing between work and family (Shih, Chiang and Hsu, 2010). Inability to maintain the experienced employees after repatriation is another risk. Improper repatriation program that take in consideration career planning and job guarantee after coming back home and reverse culture shock that help the expatriates and their families to readjust in their home country are ones of the major reasons. Expatriate failure can be avoided or minimised by (1) proper expatriate selection taking in consideration the interpersonal skills of the expatriates, the motivation of the candidates and the willingness of their spouses and families to live in the host country; (2) pre-preparation departure through careers counselling and cultural adjustments and language training for the employees and their families and (3) maintaining good and continuous communications with the employees while there are aboard and (4) having, as an integral part of IHRM processes and procedures, an repatriation program that take care of the employees and their families when they return home. Finally, the key challenge on avoiding or minimising expatriate failures is to have adequate and proper IHRM policies and procedures that ensure proper support for international assignment as well as repatriation.

How do some poets explore ideas of loyalty, love and relationships? Essay

Love is perhaps the most expressed topic in media, since forever. The word ‘love’ is extremely ambiguous, able to be expressed in multiple ways. Love is often described as a double edged sword. It can mean all there is to one, an experience to be desired and pursued. To others, love is a poison, a drug, which slowly eats away your life and leaves you as nothing but an empty shell. Depending on who you are, love could mean either of these things. Or it could mean both. Poets too, have their own opinions on the subject of love, and often convey their feelings through their works of literacy. Examples of conflicting views on love can be seen expressed by the poets Browning, Keats, Shakespeare, Rossetti and Donne. How do these poets explore ideas of loyalty, love and relationships in their most well known poems? A popular recurring theme featured in love poetry is the theory of true, eternal love. A kind of love which supasses all other infatuations and is often mentioned as ‘the most beautiful gift given to humanity’. Shakespeare expresses his belief of this theory in his 116th sonnet. Written in the 17th century, a time of which poets wrote about the mystical and metaphysical, sonnet 116 really stands out as among others poems as a deep and meaningful one, and serves as a semi-serious guide to love. In sonnet 116, Shakespeare expresses his view on loyalty in love, in which he writes: â€Å"Love is not love which alters with alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove. † His view is thus; he believes that true love is so powerful, that once acquired, cannot be broken, even if it â€Å"bends with the remover to remove†, meaning if a partner were to be disloyal, true love would still still stay unbroken. Shakespeare also believes that it would be wrong in trying to separate two true lovers, as seen here: â€Å"Let me not to the marriage of true minds, admit impediments. † He sees a true couple as almost a religious blessing, as he refers to the marriage tradition, asking for reasons of which a couple should not be wed. Shakespeare later writes: â€Å"O no! It is an ever-fixed mark, that looks on tempests and is never shaken. It is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth’s unknown, although its height be taken†. Again, Shakespeare is comparing true love to lighthouses and bright stars, suggesting that true love guides people to comfort, safety and happiness. He could also be expressing his thoughts on relationships, suggesting that even when things go bad, true love will still guide you through tough times and can repair your relationships. Shakespeare again, states that true love is forever, even though physical beauty will deteriorate, it will stay unbroken until the end of time. (â€Å"Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks, within his bending sickle’s compass come: love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom. †) Loyalty is an extremely important element which keeps relationships together. Many modern poets write about the sadness and depression they experience as a result of lost love. Browning’s no different from the rest. He too, believes that loyalty is key in love and he conveys his thoughts through his dramatic monologue, ‘My Last Duchess’. The poem was written in the romantic era (nineteenth century) and served as one of the greatest works of literacy at the time. ‘My Last Duchess’ shocked many with its dramatic context, and amazed many more with its hidden messages and its colourful suggestions. In ‘My Last Duchess’, Browning demonstrates the disastrous consequences of a lack of loyalty in love, and this is mainly shown through the death of a partner. Death is an arguably common occurrence in poems involving love and ‘My Last Duchess’ is an excellent example of how effective death can bring out the importance of loyalty. The poem is not divided into sections of any sense, resulting in it seeming like an everyday conversation. The poem also features a first person narrator, and this all adds up to the realism behind the poem. It should also be noted that the poem contains minimal imagery and again, this is to create a realistic scene and situation. Browning believed that love is nothing of fantasy, and he is trying to convey that love is very real and must be taken seriously. In ‘My Last Duchess’, Browning writes â€Å"since none puts by the curtains I have drawn for you†, this is suggesting that the Duke is incredibly possessive and he could be possibly suggesting that in real life, men have their wicked qualities and it could be the downfall of a relationship. Later in the poem, Browning describes the duchess as â€Å"too easily impressed†, and â€Å"T’was not her husband’s presence only, called that spot of joy into the duchess’ cheek†. This hints that the duchess could be lacking in her loyalty, or being unfaithful to the Duke of Ferrara. As a result, the duke has the duchess killed, which blatantly shows the evil and jealousy in humans, and demonstrates how many relationships are built up on the foundation of false love, which results in lack of loyalty. This can be linked to Shakespeare’s sonnet 116, which implies that love is commonplace, but true love is beautiful and rare. Browning’s view on love is thus: love is no game, relationships mustn’t be taken lightly, loss of loyalty can cause catastrophes. Browning seems to be implying that until the duke finds true love, he will not stop killing his wives (as he seems unfazed with filling in the emissary with the details and reasons for his act of murder). However, this view contradicts slightly with Shakespeare’s view on true love, in which unfaithfulness does not cause relationships to waver. Another good poem showcasing the consequences of unfaithfulness would be ‘The Apparition’ by 17th century poet, John Donne. Again, this poem deals with death, and although this time, it is metaphorical, it still fits in beautifully among 17th century poetry, which focuses on the metaphysical. The story is of a woman being unfaithful towards her now ex-partner, and Donne relates the feeling of abandonment with death. Within ‘The Apparition’, Donne uses a plethora of (unpleasant) sexual imagery and suggestive themes: â€Å"in worse arms shall see; then thy sicke taper will begin to winke, and he whose art then being tyr’d before†, which suggests that unfaithfulness bears consequence for both individuals within a couple, as the unfaithful partner is being neglected and mistreated. Donne is also using a lot of euphemistic language, e. g. â€Å"sicke taper†, which may stand for something less pleasant. Donne’s attempt to cover up this sexual imagery could suggest that he is trying to cover his love for this ex-lover. Later in ‘The Apparition’, the lines â€Å"bath’d in a cold quicksilver sweat wilt lye† can be presented as a cold, cruel scene, as quicksilver (mercury) is seen as a poisonous metal, which could suggest that disloyalty in relationships could result in a poisonous or corrupted life. Near the end of ‘The Apparition’, Donnes writes â€Å"since my love is spent, I’d rather thou shouldst painfully repent†, and this shows Donne’s belief of which disloyalty completely destroys people, caused him to wish the worst to befall upon her. Another poem on the topic of disloyalty would be Christina Rossetti’s ‘Cousin Kate’. Written in the romantic period (19th century), this poem tells the story of a cottage maiden who suffers from the effects of unfaithfulness and rejection. In ‘Cousin Kate’, the narrator who is described as â€Å"contented among my cottage mates, not mindful I was fair†, is neglected by her lover. By writing that even the most sensible and fair women could be destroyed by lack of loyalty, Rossetti could be suggesting that unfaithfulness is a force so powerful, it can wreck even the strongest bonds. In ‘Cousin Kate’, Rossetti writes â€Å"Call me an outcast thing†, this shows that Rossetti believes that a failure in love causes people to face the negatives the society endows her, and suggests that love is often unjust. However, Rossetti, like Donne, believes in justice and near the end of ‘Cousin Kate’, she reveals and talks about her child, who is described as â€Å"my shame, my pride†, and notes that since cousin Kate cannot bear children, the lord will remain childless and she feels that even though disloyalty, justice will always be present. Love does not only revolve around trust and loyalty. Love is built up of many elements, and John Keats writes about the power and allure of love in his poem ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’. Written in the 17th century, ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, also consists of somewhat supernatural and magical elements. The poem is split into two subsections and consists of two narrators. The first narrator, a lady addressing the knight, speaks of the knight’s ill condition, but does not realise the truth of what has befallen the knight. Keats is possibly suggesting that although it is better to hear the story from two sides, you may not always get the full story. The same occurs in love, in which you may not know the whole truth behind many relationships. The lady states â€Å"The sedge has wither’d from the lake, and no birds sing. † and â€Å"The squirrel’s granary is full, and the harvest’s done†. These lines contain autumn imagery, the state of decay. This could suggest that love is not forever, and all relations have the possibility to decay. The theme of decay is also strong pathetic fallacy for the events which happen in the poem. The lady then speaks of â€Å"a lily on thy brow†, as flowers are normally symbols of love, but lilies are symbolic for death, Keats is possibly suggesting that love in full of opposites and contrasting ideas. The knight first speaks of â€Å"a faery’s child†. Fairies are said to have supernatural powers, and this suggests the unexpected, magical events which happen during the course of being in love. Later, he states â€Å"She look’d at me as she did love, and made sweet moan†. This is possibly some euphemistic language to cover up strong sexual imagery. The use of euphemisms and cover ups may suggest that love is powerful and is undoubtedly strong, and uncontained love may be dangerous. He then lists a series of holy foods: â€Å"roots of relish sweet, and honey wild and manna dew†. Keats is obviously trying to convey to the readers that love is so powerful a force, it may even be holy and is a gift from god, given that manna dew was also a gift from god. The knight then recounts that he had a dream, and it was â€Å"the lastest dream I ever dreamt†. The idea of last dream implies that he cannot sleep again, which was a known symptom of lovesickness in the 17th century. Keats is implying that love is so powerful, it can fill your mind and take over your life. The knight then tells us that in his dream, he sees â€Å"pale kings and princes too† â€Å"They cried La Belle Dame Sans Merci hath thee in thrall! †. From this, we can see that Keats is implying that relationship problems happen more frequently among the rich and powerful, as all these high position men are being seduced by the faery’s child. This could be Keat’s view that true love is not built up on a desire for riches and power, but a sense of mutual agreement. At the end of the poem, the knight awakens from his dream, and he is described as â€Å"sojourning† and â€Å"palely loitering†. This suggests that women have immense power over men in relationships, and spoils of love is frequently one sided. The last lines are as thus: â€Å"Though the sedge has wither’d from the lake, and no birds sing†. These repeated lines confirm that the world is indeed decaying for the knight, proving the importance of love and relationships. This is also a short cyclical structure, and this could suggest that love and heartbreak is all a cycle, and we should learn to accept the tough times in life. When the word ‘love’ is mentioned, hearts, flowers and females come to the minds of males, but do all males see love the same way? Keats, Browning and Donne provide good examples of masculine views on love, and these views are seen in their poems, ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, ‘Porphyria’s Lover’, ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘The Apparition’. In ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, Keats describes men as objects to be seduced, a woman’s plaything. In the poem, the faery enticed many powerful men and put them all under her control by means of them contracting lovesickness. Keats may be implying that infatuation is often confused for love, and the results of being misguided can include becoming someone’s pawn, as some women take advantage of this situation and will attempt to manipulate and control men. Chivalrous love is also a key focus in ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’, and Keats believes that being chivalrous is important in any relationship, but men must be aware that they are not being played with. In the poem ‘Porphyria’s Lover’, Browning presents us with a rather contrasting view. In ‘Porphyria’s Lover’, the roles are switched around, instead of the female establishing control over the male, the lover in the poem suddenly decides that he owns Porphyria, and briefly strangles her. The use of the statement: â€Å"she was mine, mine fair† shows the male’s perception of dominance over his Porphyria. The use of repetition also strengthens this idea. In the end of the poem, the narrator states that â€Å"God has not said a word†, which implies that the lover believes he has committed no offense, and his actions were justified. Browning’s other poem, ‘My Last Duchess’, seems to revolve around the same concept, that men are free to do what they wish to women. It is a fact that the duchess is â€Å"easily pleased†, but it has not been proven that she has done anything wrong. The duke murders her on the basis of suspicion, and again, he feels it is his right to do so, as he proclaims that he shall murder his next wife if she were to be unfaithful too. It seems that Browning’s view on love is very one sided (at least as it is shown in his poetry), and he seems to believe in male superiority. From ‘The Apparition’, we can see that Donne’s views are slightly more similar to the modern day views on love. Donne first makes it clear that in the poem, he is now a ghost, and the ex-lover is the killer: â€Å"O murdresse, I am dead†. This suggests that the pain he feels from the break-up is strong enough to metaphorically kill him, and many modern day people going through tough relationships can relate to this. He later speaks of how his ex-lover has made the bad choice leaving him and how she will be treated unfairly: â€Å"in worse arms shall see†. Many modern day people also feel this way, the belief that they are better than the third party. In the end, Donne wishes the worst to befall his ex-lover, and this view is commonly shared among 21st century youths. Donne creates a precise but generalized male’s view on lovers and loyalty, and his views are most suited to what is accepted and expected out of males in our society today. It is important, when trying to present a message, that you acquire the correct context. ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ is set in the medieval period, and medieval settings are often hints for fantasy. Given that the poem is replicating a non-existent setting, and that the poem itself was written in the ‘metaphysical poetry’ era, it is easy to assume that this context is one of illusion. Keats could possibly be suggesting that love is a powerful illusion, women are controlling and tyrannical, and true love is the only way out of this trap. Given this context, we can also assume that lovesickness is caused by men being separated from their women, and this suggests that Keats believe men should break free of this illusion and let go of their past. This context is well suited for bringing out the message of this poem, which is the strength of false and true love, as the fantasy setting and the supernatural events constantly remind you of power and magical acts. As ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ is set in the past, it is also possible that Keats is suggesting that chivalry is dead, and there is no time nor need for chivalry in the modern world. Aside from context, form is usually a key point in poetry. The form of ‘Sonnet 116’ made it obvious that it was a manuscript on true love, as Shakespeare had arranged the lines in a listlike form. Short, snappy verses suggest that to love, you must follow procedures, and ‘Sonnet 116’ is the instruction manual. The regular rhyme scheme of ‘Sonnet 116’ also suggests that love is straightforward and does not suffer from change in any way. the couplets in the end may imply that true love is fair and couples are never meant to be broken. ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ is presented neatly into four line stanzas and a constant rhyme scheme for every second and fourth line. The controlled divisions and rhyming may be to emphasize the fact that women control men, and how fluid things flow when someone is in control. There is a break in the rhyme scheme in the very first and last stanzas, and this may symbolize the possibility to break free of control, by avoiding temptation in the beginning, and by finding true love in the end. ‘The Apparition’ follows an unusual rhyme scheme, which goes ‘abbabcdcdceffeggg’. This is strange, for the poem seems mismatched and in disorder. It is possible that this was what Donne was implying, that disloyalty in love causes one to become confused, and throws a person’s life into disarray. The fact that the rhyme scheme steadies in the end may be a message, suggesting that people must learn to forget about the past, stabilize and look forward to the future. ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ features no stanza division, but follows a controlled, yet irregular rhyme scheme. The lack of stanza division suggests that the action is fast paced and flowing, and there is no flaw in the lover’s plan. The controlled rhyme scheme emphasizes the lover’s control over Porphyria, but the irregularity suggests his mental instability. Every individual has their own view and opinion on the topic of loyalty, love and relationships. Through these poems, I can conclude that love is usually presented as a powerful, yet natural force with the ability to influence and control humans, and plays a very important role in society throughout the ages.

William Shakespeare s Hamlet As A Revenge Tragedy

William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet was written as a revenge tragedy. This play was written by Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602; no one is exactly certain about the date Hamlet was written (Hunt 2). The protagonist of this play is a prince named Hamlet; he is a prince of Denmark. Hamlet’s father was killed by his uncle Claudius, who became king afterwards. Not only did Claudius become king of Denmark, he took Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, as his wife. This play is the longest of all Shakespeare’s plays and remains to date one of the most influential tragedies in English literature. In fact, this play seems to have been one of the most popular plays during Shakespeare’s lifetime. In addition, this play has inspired writers from Goethe and Dickens to Joyce and Murdoch, and has been defined as â€Å"the planet’s most filmed story after the fairytale Cinderella† (Perez 17). 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The Elements of Critical Thinking Essay - 541 Words

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