Reading Responses to a Poem Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reading Responses to a Poem - Research Paper Example The poem is a tribute to everyone who makes an effort to achieve the seemingly unachievable goal and never loses hope no matter how grave the circumstances are. Discussion Paul Simon utilizes complex and a strong pattern to describe his struggle as a young boy in the poem. The time Paul was a young boy; the NYC was flooded with immigrants from Europe during the Huge Immigration Movement. The mass movement of immigrants precipitated mass unemployment and soon the number of unemployed individuals outweighed the number of employed individuals. The conditions of the commercial sector were pathetic and the employed individuals were forced to work in poor conditions with low wages. Throughout his early years, Paul had to endure hard circumstances to make the two ends meet and to achieve his dreams of endless fame by becoming one of the most famous musician of the world. (Eliot). In simple words, The Boxer depicts and addresses the dark aspects of the incredible life of Paul Simon and milli ons of others who have the courage to endure what it takes to be successful. Many elements of the poem evoke and engaged my interest; particularly â€Å"the pocketful of mumbles† at the beginning of the poem sparks an interest by hinting that the writer is writing about himself. In my opinion, â€Å"the pocket full of mumbles† pays tribute to millions of individuals like Paul, who being the boxers and fighters, have at some point in their life been so beaten up by hardships of life that they have considered to let go of their dreams. Simon cleverly makes use of sophisticated arrangement throughout the poem to maintain interest of the reader till the last stanza. The Poem describes a dual scenario, one of a little boy searching for a job and secondly, it describes the resistance and strength of a boxer. The second element of the poem which attracts my attention is â€Å"when I left home and family I was no more than a boy† discloses the fact that the writer indee d is writing about his own life thus, confirms my speculation at the beginning of the poem. The third element which captured my interest is â€Å"I come looking for a job but I get no offers† informs us about the tremendously importance of trying relentlessly time and time again even if the initial attempts are not rewarded. The poem religiously supports the belief that efforts ultimately do get rewards in the end therefore, one should keep trying because the joy of savoring a hard earned success is known only to him who has the courage to struggle and fight mercilessly like a boxer in the ring. The Young boy is so lonely that he finds peace and tranquility in the whores of New York City. (Bennighof). In the later half, the poem describes the story of a boxer who is struggling against the viciousness of unscrupulous promoters and enduring the meanness of the city streets. The boxer is depicted as a true fighter by his trade whose individuality has been shaped and influenced b y his early years out on the streets as a poor boy. The element which attracts my attention is â€Å"he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down† which discloses the fact that the boxer is the young boy from the earlier part of the poem who has now grown into a fighter who has achieved his once seemingly unachievable dream but his heart still carries the wounds inflicted by the hardships he faced earlier. Conclusion The poem begins by describing the scenario of the years after the

Alternative Beverages Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alternative Beverages Industry - Case Study Example People who associate with strenuous activities and sports are inclined to purchasing sports drinks, which are said to help them reenergize and enhance their capability to participate in their respective activities. The ‘mature’ or adult consumers have the vitamin-enhanced beverages, which are said to boost their health as they help them supply the body with vitamins. Energy drinks’ and readymade teas’ target the teenagers, as they seem to assist improve their concentration. In the alternative beverages industry, Pepsi faces stiff competition from its rival company, Coca Cola, and other players with a smaller market share. These include Monster Beverage and Red Bull, which are companies that developed unique brands and advertised them well to earn a fair share of the market (Esterl, 2013). Alternative Beverage Market in the U.S The economic recession back in 2008 dealt a heavy blow to the alternative beverages market. Though there were many opportunities for key players in the alternative beverages segment, demand for the highly priced commodities decreased due to the poor economy. In between 2008 and 2009, sports drinks’ sales declined by thirteen percent and the sale of vitamin-enhanced drinks declined by twelve percent. In 2009, sixty percent sales of alternative beverages were made from sports drinks, followed by sales of energy drinks at twenty-three percent and finally vitamin-enriched drinks, which accounted for eighteen percent. 2008 and 2009 were slow years for the alternative beverages industry in the United States as they did not experience growth but market forecast experts predicted a six percent growth by 2015 (Harder, 2013). Organizations lobbying for health diets attributed conditions such as obesity and diseases like diabetes to the overconsumption of carbonated soft drinks. This has influenced many Americans to consume healthy food thus shying from carbonated soft drinks and moving to alternative beverages. Thi s trend saw companies such as Pepsi create several brands of alternative beverages and this helped cushion the company from dropping sales of carbonated soft drinks (Datamonitor, 2007). Global Alternative Beverage Market In 2005, the alternative beverage market experienced growth that resulted to a value increase of twenty seven billion dollars. In 2009, the industry’s value increased to reach a global value of forty billion dollars and the experts projected a fifteen billion dollar increase by 2014. Consumer preferences had changed due to emphasis on healthy diets thus reducing the market share of carbonated soft drinks, which held forty-eight percent of the market. Data shows that consumers preferred alternative beverages to carbonated soft drinks, which translated to a two percent decline for the latter in 2009. From 2005 to 2009, the global market value of alternative beverages had grown by nine percent and forecasts targeted a nine percent growth by 2014. The United Stat es held a forty-two percent market-share of the alternative beverages, followed by Asia with a thirty one percent and finally Europe with twenty three percent (Harder, 2013). Five Forces Model Firms in other industries offering substitute products There are many companies offering alternative beverages besides PepsiCo. These are Coca Cola, Monster beverages, Red Bull and other smaller players. With all these competitors and their substitute alternative bever