The Life of Alan Shapiro and Analysis of “Country Western Singer” Essay

Alan Shapiro is a poet whom uses the sorrowful tragedies that occurred in his lifetime and turns them into beautiful poems in which he greatly expresses through his poetry. Most of his poems symbolize either a type of sorrow or tragic death, and the expressions used throughout his poetry make it noticeable that Alan Shapiro endured a life of hardship and tragedy. While Shapiro was growing up he lost his brother and his sister in which the poem â€Å"Sleet† by Alan Shapiro beautifully encompasses his feeling of grief and sorrow due to the loss of his siblings. Alan Shapiro was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 18th, 1952. He is the son of Harold and Marilyn Shapiro. Growing up Shapiro was a part of a Jewish household. Shapiro received his education at Brandies University. While attending Brandies University he discovered that his one and only passion was for the astounding art of poetry and he found an escape from all the devastating disasters he encountered in his youth (Garbett). Shapiro is also now an educator at Stanford University and he has also worked at Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As Shapiro conveys in many of his works after researching Shapiro’s life it is known Shapiro’s brother and sister both died of cancer while Shapiro was very young, and these events highly contribute to Shapiro’s work as a poet. The memoir that Shapiro wrote which was entitled Vigil is about the tragic death of his sister due to the unfortunate events of being diagnosed with bre ast cancer. As it is well known Shapiro’s poems are very tragic and sorrowfully oriented it is no fault to say that different people happen to react and cope with death in different ways and Shapiro expresses his sadnes... ... This line implies that the drinking will never end and that no one can stop him from drinking no matter what you do. This poem is a poem that has beautiful imagery that consistently connects the reader to what’s going on in the actual poem like these lines from â€Å"Country Western Singer†, â€Å"And the blood I taste, the blood I swallow / Is as far away from wine / as 5:10 is for the one who dies at 5:09† (37-40). These lines have to do with the final push of the alcoholic and the fact that they lost the battle against alcoholism and did in fact pass away. In the most recent of years Alan Shapiro has not been as popular as he was some years ago, but no matter what Alan Shapiro poems will forever be engraved in the poetry world as the poems that many people of the world can relate to and I think that this will help him remain a staple in the poetry world for years to come.

Michelin Analysis Essay

Michelin financial analysis| Michelin Company Profile Michelin is a tire producing company created in 1863 by the Michelin brothers. Originally based in Clermont Ferrand, the company is now located in more than 170 countries and owns 84 production site all around the world. Even if their core business is the production of tires they diversified their activities in 1900 with the first Michelin map & guides and extend their knowledge for special sector with new type of tires such as plane tire for instance. Michelin is the second leader of tire market after Bridgestone. In 2010, they had a turnover of 17  891 millions â‚ ¬ with an increase of 20% from 2009. Michelin is on the stock exchange market since 1951 which means the company can increase their equity thanks to investors and at the same time stay secure and independent. In 2010, Michelin launches its biggest increase of equity introducing 27. 2 million of new shares for a total amount of 1. 2 billion euros helping to finance its development cost estimated at 1. 6 billion euros. They have 3 major products families : * Production of tourism tyres * Production of truck tyres Others specialties (tyre for airplane, space shuttle, maps & guides, GPS†¦) We can see that their core business is the tire market with more than 86% of their activities. Geographically, their major market is Europe with 49. 9% of their revenues (7. 7 billion euros) followed by North America with 34. 4% and other regions with 22. 7%. Michelin’s major market which is Europe has been declining by 7. 5% between 2005 and 2010 whereas North America gains 1. 7% and 5. 8% for the others regions as emerging countries. Through the years and to extend their activities worldwide, Michelin has developed new rands. Michelin and BF Goodrich  are the two worldwide brands, established in many countries. Then, Michelin also developed regional brands such as Kleber, Uniroyal, Warrior with a strong presence respectively in Europe, North America and China. Added to these brands, Michelins created few distribution brands as Euromaster, TCI, respectively in Europe and North America. I. Market analysis Michelin is represented in two different markets: * Market of new tire This market is especially dealing with car manufacturer through partnership. For instance, Michelin has an old partnership with Citroen which is buying big quantities of tires in order to be set up directly on their production chain. In this market, Michelin is very dependent from the car manufacturer’s market and fluctuate according to the increase or decrease of new car sales. In 2010, this market has been increasing by 15% thanks firstly to the revival of the car industry in the Western countries, mostly helped by country states and secondly to the growth of exportation to emerging countries. * Market of replacement This market is linked with retailers, as they buy and sell tires in stores to replace a defective one. This market is less dangerous for Michelin as it is almost constant and represents ? of tires production market. Concerning the replacement market, products are distributed via dealerships and replacement service centers. This is done either via Michelin’s own distribution brands (Euromaster in Europe and TCI in North America), but also using brand partnerships and franchises to be present in 27 countries all over the world. Equipment repartition per segment| Car segment| Truck segment| Original equipment| 28. 10%| 17. 40%| Replacement equipment| 71. 90%| 82. 60%| In 2010, the replacement market has increased by 9% in the segment of tourism and van tires in Europe with the increase of the demand for special winter tire due to severe weather condition last winter. II. Competition Michelin operates in a very competitive market with several competitors, either from Europe or emerging countries. The four main producers are Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear and Continental which are counting for more than 50% in the worldwide market. However, new entrants such as Sumitomo, Yokohama, Hankook and coming from Asian countries have gained market shares rapidly. These emerging countries are developing a middle class with enough purchase power to buy either Michelin tires through distribution centers or new cars equipped with Michelin tires. As we can see on the table above, the Asian market is now growing as fast as traditional market such as Europe and North America. The most increasing market is South America which increases its demand by greatly in 2010. Furthermore, these emerging countries will account for 50% of global automobile output in 2012, showing that Michelin has to be on these markets in order to preserve its 2nd largest producer worldwide rank. Asian market Michelin is already well implanted in the replacement segment with their distribution centers â€Å"Tyre Plus† leading the Asian market with more than 570 local centers in China and a total of 970 centers in 9 Asian countries. Michelin has also developed its own brand called â€Å"Warrior† to enter in the Asian market, especially the Chinese market in order to compete with Hankook. To be closer to the demand, Michelin has already built 3 productions sites and will add a new one in 2011 in Shenyang. Indian market Most of the increase of Michelin on the Indian market was due to new partnership with truck manufacturer such as Tata, the biggest one in India. Michelin became an original supplier of Tata for tires in the original equipment for truck segment in 2010 helping it to increase theirs sales and to gain brand recognition. Following this path, Michelin opened 6 new truck service centers the same year and plan the opening of a new production site in Chennai in 2011. South American market Michelin has known a significant progression in 2010 on Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian and Argentinean truck market with a global increase of 41% in the replacement market. Added to that, Michelin did few partnerships with local truck manufacturers and benefit from the 47% increase of new trucks purchases last year. * Invest in Research & Development Michelin has to face two main issues: innovation in the tire market and raw material raising cost. In both issues, R&D is a key solution. During the last years, Michelin has invested 500 million euros per year in R&D to find alternatives solution to rubber issue and keep innovating. Cost of raw material Globally, the tire industry uses nearly 70% of world’s natural rubber production. With more than 60% of production costs depending only on rubber, Michelin is facing difficulties when there is an explosion of the price on the market. Since 2009, natural rubber price has increased by 60% and synthetical rubber, as it is made with petroleum, is increasing too. Like oil, which is also used to make synthetic rubber, nonrenewable raw materials are becoming increasingly scarce and will remain expensive in the years ahead, notably due to strong demand from China and India. Optimizing raw material use is essential if these resources are to be conserved over the long term and if tires are to remain affordably priced. With R&D, Michelin can find alternatives materials to rubber and increase the production of synthetical rubber to replace the natural one on basic tires. Unfortunately, high performance tires will still require natural rubber, whose properties make it irreplaceable, especially for truck, farm equipment and earthmover tires. Innovation In order to compete on the global market, Michelin has to be on first line for innovation. Michelin has started to invest in R&D to create new types of tires, which will have less impact on fuel consumption and smaller eco-footprint. For instance, in 2010, Michelin has released a new truck tire called â€Å"Michelin X Energy Saver Green†. On average it permits the standard family car to reduce fuel consumption by 520 liters per year thanks to a better road holding. This new eco-friendly product matches the demand from trucks manufacturer, states upcoming laws about transport and final clients. As several countries are becoming more and more environmental friendly. Michelin has to anticipate the vote of laws to protect environment especially in Europe and North America, its two biggest markets in terms of sales. By increasing the production of eco-friendly tires, they would be able to face the new environmental requirement from government, organism and even from their car manufacturers partners that are already investing in hybrid and less polluting cars and trucks. Tires companies that are not anticipating these changes would not survive in this highly competitive market.

A True Poet By Walt Whitman - 2023 Words

A true poet takes his imagination and molds it into a flowing story for others to read and enjoy. They put their whole selves into their work, leaving no emotion or feeling unsaid. Today, poems are written for fun or to entertain an audience, but in the nineteenth century, poets made their literature their sole focus and syntax and diction were as natural as breathing and eating. Poets stood by their work and praised it as if it was all they lived for. Throughout the years, these poets have become harder and harder to find, but their legacies will linger with us for many years to come. Walt Whitman can be seen as a perfect example of a poet who was determined, passionate, and stood by his work, regardless of the criticism. Walt Whitman is†¦show more content†¦In 1835, when Whitman turned sixteen, he was a compositor, a person who arranges type for printing or keys texts into a composing machine. He then moved to Washington, but despite all his hard work and dedication, the P anic of 1837 struck and Whitman was forced to live off the salary of a store clerk. In addition, Whitman’s brother, George, enlisted in the army and became First Lieutenant. After a short time in service, George was reported as wounded near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Frightened by the report, Whitman rushed to Virginia to find that his brother’s wound to be superficial. Walt Whitman returned home in June 1848, but his political beliefs against the extension of slavery made him turn to carpentry. Sadly, Whitman’s father died in 1855, and at the time Whitman was forty-one years old. In the year 1861, the Civil War was approaching and Walt Whitman began a new career with poetry and new themes. With a newfound passion and love for literature, Whitman had finally found a job that suited his personality. 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