This play is really a piece of veiled social criticism, its theme on the failure of the American dream Essay Example for Free

This play is really a piece of veiled social criticism, its theme on the failure of the American dream Essay In the American dream, America is portrayed as the land of opportunity; the perfect place for everyone to live, all the stereotypical Americans are big, comfortable, rich, and altogether happy. They portray the image that through hard work, honesty and merit, they too can reach the top, have a large house, lots of money and the perfect all American family, a loving happy wife and two clever children. The play, however, could be Albees attempt to show that in many cases this American dream is unachievable and, what could appear at first to be the perfect family could, on closer examination, turn out to be something not confirming to the American dream whatsoever. This could also be Albee showing that the American dream is a perfect image, and just an image. At first sight, Martha and George appear to be as far away from the American dream and its ideals as is possible. They are constantly scrapping with each other and bickering and seem not to have a nice word to say to the other. At one point Martha quotes You see, George didnt have muchpushhe wasnt particularly aggressive. In fact, he was a sort of aa FLOP! A greatbigfatflop! Martha is portraying her husband in no uncertain terms to his colleagues. This encourages us think that no couple from the American dream scenario would do something like this. She is blatantly betraying her husband, and more importantly, destroying the happy family element of the American dream. As the play draws on, however, we find more and more evidence of a joyous marriage, hidden behind a thickened exterior from years of exercising their wits. We can find several examples of their love; the first being in the lounge shortly after the gun incident when Martha asks George to kiss her to demonstrate his affection. The second slightly more complicated issue, when she leaves with Nick and, despite no obvious signs of objection George really wishes she would reconsider the idea. At the beginning, Nick and Honey seem like the perfect all-American couple- young, attractive, on their way to success. Nicks attractiveness is portrayed in the opening dialogue between George and Martha, as she describes Nick and George remembers him as the good looking one. As the play progresses, a different couple emerges. Nick reveals himself to be cold-hearted and a bit ruthless; ready to do whatever it takes to get to the top. Honey seems silly and hopelessly inane until she reveals herself to be deeply frightened of reality, an eternal child who refuses to grow up to the responsibilities of life (as represented by childbirth). Nick comprehends George and Marthas secret, but whether he is changed by it is a question the play doesnt answer. As Martha is describing her son, Honey cries out that she wants a child, but Honeys future is ambiguous, too. Whether she will feel the same way after she has sobered up is never clarified. Nick appears to be the perfect candidate for the American dream. He is good looking, successful in his job, has the perfect all American wife, and a good outlook on life. As the plot progresses we start to see a wider perspective on Nicks life. He is not honest and we can see this in the middle scene when he is willing to further his career by sleeping with the principals daughter. This act is not worthy of any merit and he appears to not regret doing it either, definitely not a quality of the American dream hero. His wife also doesnt appear very committed to his job as she greatly begrudged having to make friends and acquaintances at Nicks previous post. She even went as far as to moan about this to her husbands colleagues, despite the fact that these were good and honest, merit-worthy ways to aid her husband in reaching the top. Martha is a large busy-bodying woman who is extremely insecure. She shows a need for love, which can easily lead to her getting hurt. In the very beginning she asks George for a kiss. When he refuses she appears to not mind but we can feel huge waves of upset coming from beneath the surface. We believe that she feels her marriage is insecure and that because she cant love herself she cant understand why George can love her. We see her, as loud boisterous and bossy but is she really? Her thick outer shell could simply be her way of preventing herself getting hurt, or it could be more simply, that she uses the attention she gets from the joking as a substitute for the love that she never got as a child. Her control over George is seen right from the beginning, she is extremely over possessive of their marriage and yet at times she appears as if she couldnt care less. Whereas all the other characters have a definite personality, which becomes more defined throughout the play, Marthas personality changes by the minute. At first she enjoys poking fun at everyone, then she doesnt and then she just collapses. We perceive this as either Albee constantly adapting her character to the changing events in the play or his way of making this character really come alive in a place true to our hearts; where we can all identify with her. George is the typical middle age college professor, married, stereotypical, but not the American dream man. He is lousy in his career and his wife is quick to point this out. He has not conformed to Marthas plans for him to become a high standing man in the university, taking over the department and eventually the college. Despite his apparent failure in his work he is a man who has certain principles and sticks with them. He doesnt however object to Marthas adultery, he hopes that even down to the very last minute, she will change her mind and not simply continue pushing to see how far she can go before George will object. We can all see however, that George is very sad when Martha has pushed beyond the point of no return and will not change her mind; he really loves her. At the end of the play he also turns out to push things too far, but this does not make a difference to our thoughts that he is more fulfilling of the American dream than Martha, Honey or Nick. Honey is a very fickle character; she simply does what suits herself best. In the first chapter of the play she admits to George that she doesnt really want children and, without telling her husband is having secret abortions. This is cruel and mean. It could bring their marriage crashing to the ground, and could also greatly upset Nick when he finds out. She is aware of this but goes ahead with the abortions anyway. Does this, the audience ask, make her an uncaring character? The answer is no, she is aware of the fact that Nick married her for her money and not love so she therefore is not 100% careful of her marriage. She drinks herself silly at the end of the first scene and then proceeds to continue drinking. An American dream character would have stopped before now, unless she is drinking to hide her sorrows or fears. In the play, the audience is aware that both Martha and Honey have social problems. Honey drinks a lot to cover, and hide from her problems and Martha puts on an outer appearance of being loud and boisterous, despite the fact she isnt. Albee has given both of these characters domineering fathers who do not conform to the American dream. Both men spent their years getting rich, not by hard work, but by stealing from the places they worked for, as we can see in these two extracts, the first from George on Marthas father; Martha has money too. I mean, her fathers been robbing this place blind for years, and the second from Nick, He spent Gods moneyand he saved his own, Neither of the fathers spent much time at home either, and neglected their daughters, using their stolen money as a substitute for love and affection. This deficiency in their childhood leads us, the audience to wonder if maybe these earlier problems are some cause for the troubles they both succumb to in their own marri ages. All the men in Albees play seem to have failed the American dream in terms of job ideals. None of them have a job where they have succeeded through honesty and loyalty. George is the only one who has been loyal, honest and hardworking, and he is still stuck in the mud at the bottom, in Marthas words, a flop. We do not find out how Marthas father got to the top; whether honest or not. We do hear, however that he takes money from the university and has failed Martha as a father, leaving us in no doubt as to what sort of person he is. Nick has failed at a previous job and has come to a new university hoping to turn over a new leaf, this might well be believed if he didnt go and sleep with the principals daughter shortly after arriving. He also explains, before sleeping with her to George that she is the most important woman in the university, the biggest goose in the gaggle, leading us to believe that maybe hes sleeping with her just for the power. Honeys father is implicated by his son-in-law to burn down churches to get money; not the sort of behaviour for a man of the American dream. Gamesmanship is one of the plays major themes and is expressed in the title of the first act, Fun and Games. Albee is emphasising the games everyone plays in life, particularly those that are harmful to us and to others. George and Marthas games have moved beyond the needs of a normal couple to chide each other for their faults. They now are capable of wounding each other deeply, as these games have become a substitute for real communication between them. In the play, their need to lash out extends to include Nick and Honey; and the party games, including Humiliate the Host, Get the Guests, Bringing Up Baby, etc, provide the framework for their marital battles. Georges decision to kill his and Marthas son provides the climactic game that may change their lives forever. Honey and Nick have no children, despite appearing, at first, to want a child. As we get inside this couple we discover that Nick is a biologist and would like children, whereas Honey is deeply afraid of having children. Honeys fear of childbirth goes as far as for her to have secret abortions without telling Nick. She confides this in George and he realises just how close to breaking point this marriage. No American dream marriage should ever be close to breaking point. Honeys secret appears only to make her marriage to Nick even more unstable, so we wonder why she doesnt tell him. As the play progresses, we can see George gently encouraging Honey to have her children instead of killing them until finally Honey announces suddenly and tearfully I want a child. This should be quite surprising to Nick, as he has assumed that she obviously wants a child, but it isnt so we think that maybe he has discovered her abortions and simply kept quiet. The imaginary child is important to the play for several reasons. On one level, it gives the play suspense, as the audience wonders why George is so insistent that the subject of the child not be mentioned. On a symbolic level, the child represents George and Marthas need to share something private amid the wreck of their marriage, even an illusion, since the thought of facing the reality of their lives is too painful. George doesnt want Martha to tell the guests about their child as we can see in some of the opening dialogue George: Just dont start in on the bit about the kid, thats all. Martha: What do you take me for? George: Much too much. Martha: Yeah? Well Ill start in on the kid if I want to. Martha: Just leave the kid out of this. George: Id advise against it, Martha. This starts us wondering about their child, who he is, where he is etc. Another possibility is that the child represents the sterility of American lives, in which the dream of the perfect child is merely an illusion, impossible to achieve in a world of adultery, alcoholism, lying, and evasion. Finally, the child acts as the catalyst in Georges last gesture against Martha, a gesture both sadistic and healing. His decision to kill the child results in Marthas realisation that reality must be faced, whatever the consequences. And the consequences for both George and Martha are, at best, uncertain. George claimed that his mother was killed accidentally, with a shotgun. We consider why he claims this to be accidental. He had the shotgun and it went off. His carrying of the shotgun was no accident. It firing may have been, but why did he have a loaded shotgun pointed at his mother? He then goes on to claim that he was driving, his learners license in his pocket when he swerved and killed his father too. These are both cases of violence in what is definitely not a perfect American dream, despite appearing to be. Honey is a fragile, gentle lady who suddenly starts shouting violence violence when provoked. Martha and George are constantly having battles of a verbal nature and goes as far as to declare all out war of verbal violence, destined to end unhappily for everyone. A true American dream sociology would contain no violence so why is it such a prominent feature in the play? Both Nick and Honey seem to want totally different things from their marriage. Nick wants children, Honey doesnt. Honey wants love, Nick doesnt give any. It is a long way from the perfect American marriage. Nicks has married for money only and he only thinks he loves Honey, as she has found out as the recipient. During George and Nicks discussions, Nick tells George about how he married Honey, he explains that he thought Honey was pregnant and he therefore married her. After the marriage however, she turned out not to be pregnant. This leads us to wonder if she really was pregnant and then had an abortion or a miscarriage or whether she was just lying to Nick; we are not told the outcome of this. Later however, when George plays Get the Guests it emerges what Nick told George and Honey is extremely is upset, reprimanding Nick, who claims he didnt mean to. This makes us contemplate; can a marriage where one half constantly does meaningless actions that upset the other seriously work? Marthas and Honeys need for love is a large element in the play. If they had been shown more love as children, maybe they wouldnt need it so much now. Marthas need from love is shown from the very beginning when they arrive and Martha asks for a kiss from George and when he refuses she asks repeatedley, then questions why he wont, fearing that their latest exercising of wits has annoyed him. As the play draws on, Martha sleeps with Nick, believing she will get love from it, when she doesnt, she is very upset. It is not difficult for us to empathise with Martha, slightly harder for us to empathise with Honey. Honey was never loved as a child and is not really loved by Nick either; this contributes to her frailness. We are led to believe that both married so they could get love, unsure of what it was and therefore unable to give it. Martha cannot understand how George could love her and believes their marriage is failing, despite the fact it isnt. When George tells Nick that the way to a mans heart is through his wifes belly Nick thinks George is joking. They talk for a bit calling the women a gaggle of geese and comparing them to The Puntas George continues to explain that sleeping around is the faculty sport and that everyone does. Surely not a good idea for a happy marriage on the American dream terms? As their conversation progresses, George encourages Nick to mount her like a goddamn dog, which Nick proceeds to do as the play unravels. When George realises that Nick is utterly serious about sleeping with his wife, he tries to give Nick some advice. Nick refuses to listen and simply mocks George who gives up after trying once more. George has been at the university a long time so when he fails to be listened to he is very upset, which could be why he later encourages Nick to sleep with Martha, in total seriousness. Because of the differences in their ages, George and Nick represent two different generations. George is generally passive, weakened by his lack of success and by Marthas constant humiliation of him. Nick is young, ambitious, and amoral; eager to get ahead by whatever means it takes. Their professions also contrast the two. A historian, George is also representative of a humanist, one who is interested in human values- in his case, with a particular interest in the past. A biologist, Nick represents both the future and the clinical, cold-hearted approach to life that threatens to rob mankind of its individuality. Albee ironically turns the tables on the characters when George is shown to be the one in control and the only one who has ever satisfied Martha. Nick, the stud, is impotent in his sexual encounter with Martha and becomes the houseboy, the subservient one. Whos afraid of Virginia Woolf is truly a portrait of humiliation and broken dreams. It is a piece of social criticism on the failure of the American dream. Albee has stated that the role of the writer is to be, axiomatically, against any society he happens to be living in, and we can certainly find evidence to prove this statement as we look at and study this play. The American dream is a state of perfection that can never be achieved. Martha and George who are happy but do not conform to the ideals and Nick and Honey who appear perfect, but under the surface are very strained. Martha is loud and boisterous but deeply unhappy, George is unsuccessful but loved and admired, Honey is unloved but delicate and beautiful, Nick is successful but not liked. All the men in the play appear unsuccessful when compared to the American dream. The games they play are not happy, or fun, but an excuse for verbal abuse. The characters are part of a society where they hold all night orgies, use violence and drink to extremes. The play is a piece of social criticism on the failure of the American dream.

The Illuminated Chapel :: Observation Essays, Descriptive Essays

When there is no sleep for the restless and the night hours become rivers of boredom that I begin to drown in, I feel my roommate stir with the same disease of unrest and we slowly put our shoes on. Already talking, we begin to drive for about two or three minutes toward a light in the dark hills. What we see has always drawn us, especially during the late hours. It’s the Milligan chapel that we see high on a hill thrust toward the heavens, beguiling us toward its soft glow. Turning up the winding campus, we finally stop at the parking center in front of this tall structure and start to walk toward its granite steps. I look up at the building, tilting my neck toward the steep spire christened with a metal cross at the very top. A sense of awe and respect surround me as I look on captivated for an instant, unsure whether the size or the skill put into its creation that makes me feel the way I do. On this hill my roommate and I spend many hours gazing and talking about our problems. With a cigarette in hand we lay our jackets down behind our head on the sidewalk in front the chapel and stare into space to see what we can see. Sometimes in a conversation we both stop midway through because we see a shooting star light up the damp night air, if only for a second. The shooting star looks like a bright line drawn by some invisible hand in the sky. We think since we are in front of the chapel speaking of everything and anything, maybe that is God’s way of saying to switch to another conversational subject. So we do. Sooner or later, however, we sit up and stare at the illuminated church thinking of unanswerable questions. Sitting there I can see every little detail on the steeple. At first I pay no attention to the structure around the bells in the steeple, but later I notice that those are actually hand carved designs. These designs are remarkable when on later inspection I notice the intricacies of the carvings that wrap and merge with each other under the bells. The bells are gleaming with rays of illumination set of by the interior lights of the church letting me see a vast display of colors that glint off the bell’s smooth surface.

Is money a motivator Essay

Question 1 In the business environment people are constantly motivated to perform tasks to get to a desired outcome. When we look at the motivational theory of Maslow we can clearly establish that our needs depend on what we already have. His hierarchy show the most basic needs of individuals to the self-actualisation witch lies at the top being the best you can be. The most basic needs on the needs hierarchy had to be satisfied before the next level of needs emerge. Hertzberg theory lays out the difference between the motivational factors for example achievement and responsibility to the hygiene factors at the work place. The hygiene factors only play a role when they are not present in the working environment. If for example you have bad interpersonal relationships with your fellow employees or a bad salary, if the organisation provides these factors there will not be any dissatisfaction but they don’t contribute to an employee motivation. But what really motivates us to perform these tasks. We are not as endlessly manipulative and predictable as we think. In general when you reward something you will get more of the behaviour you want and when you punish something you will get less of the desired behaviour. Almost everyone when they were little would perform a simple task if their parents would give them a monetary reward, for example if you wash the car we will give you ten rand. In this case money acts as the motivator to complete the basic task. This is an example of the expectancy theory if you do the task you get the reward. This theory will always apply to basic mechanical task. When the task is more difficult or a rudimental cognitive skill is needed to complete a task money seems to fail as a motivator according to a study done at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). When creative thinking and high level of skill and knowledge is required to complete difficult tasks money will fail over and over again as a motivator. As a fact the higher the rewards or incentives lead to poor performance. This is actually quite the opposite of what we expected. Money is a motivator at work that is a fact  but it does not add value to the job. In conclusion, we strongly believe that money is indeed the biggest motivator  in the workplace. Based on the points and statements above, we can clearly see that money is indeed the important factor that motivates people at the workplace. Money is regarded as a very high reward for the individuals that have worked hard for it. It is also regarded as the highest form of reward for employees. The higher the pay grade, the higher the recognition they receive from their employers as well as from the working mates. Finally, we conclude that money is indeed the most important factor that motivates individuals at the work place. http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/06/money-motivation-pay-leadership-managing-employees.html http://writefix.com/?page_id=1799 http://www.custom-essays.org/samples/Is_money_an_effective_motivator_at_work.html http://www.ukessays.com/essays/commerce/money-is-the-biggest-motivator-commerce-essay.php http://www.exampleessays.com/viewpaper/15346.html http://www.studymode.com/essays/Money-Motivation-1574966.html

The Constitution Is A Mere Quixotic Theory - 989 Words

The Constitution, America’s four father’s greatest establishments in US history, was created to coalesce and unite the people as one, and to grant prerogatives and incontrovertible freedom for individuals. Indeed, the Constitution not only guarantee s civil rights for all men and women, but ensures them with opportunities of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, several chains of events-the attack on the World Trade Center, the movement for gender equality, and conflicts between the majority and minority- have become the catalyst of a whole new meaning for the Constitution. In other words, with all the changes that are/has happened in the 21st century the politicians, government officials, the media, and elite authorities have/are acting upon creating regulations, laws, policies, and social norms that interfere and conflict with our constitutional rights. For this reason, the significance of the Constitution slowly evanescent through ignorance, and have l ed individuals to believe the Constitution is a mere quixotic theory. Although many people believe the Constitution still holds the same value it did when it first was established, some people feel their privilege of the 1st, 4th, and 14th amendments have been limited and violated as a result of external conflicts. â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of peaceably toShow MoreRelatedEssay on Two Models of the Criminal Process8207 Words   |  33 Pagesequated with minimal agreed limits expressed in the Constitution of the United States and, more importantly, with unarticulated assumptions that can be perceived to underlie those limits. Of course, it is true that the Constitution is constantly appealed to by proponents and opponents of many measures that affect the criminal process. And only the naive would deny that there are few conclusive p ositions that can be reached by appeal to the Constitution. Yet there are assumptions about the criminal process

The Boston Tea Party Free Essay Example, 1500 words

Given that Hutchinson had spent the major part of his adult life in politics and belonged to a well-educated family, he mistakenly supposed that the locals were easily manageable and failed to see how the increasing injustice and arbitrary rulings could put enough stress on them to incite incidences of violence, retaliation and civil disobedience. He was losing control while not being aware of it. On the other hand, Adams did not expect that the Boston Tea Party would turn into an act of civil disobedience. All he wanted was a debate on what was to be done and a warning of sorts sent to the British Government. Yet he took the lead when the opportunity presented itself. When ruling or leading an organization, a team or a country, it is always best to keep the interests of the members in mind. This can help you understand what they want and seek to reward them in those terms while getting them to do what you expect and want out of them to achieve your goals. It is important to get the respect of the people you are ruling, rather than get them to obey out of fear, for one they will retaliate when the pressure and the oppression gets too much for them to bear. We will write a custom essay sample on The Boston Tea Party or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now First I read fast and tried to get the overall picture of the whole incident. Then I read it again and again and looked at the causes that led to this event and the reasons that they put forward to justify their actions that made sense to me. I also looked at a couple of videos and saw the pictures in the history books regarding this incident. The whole thing when viewed as a whole gives me a better understanding of what happened and why- it is clear that there were compelling reasons behind this memorable historical event in the annals of American history. Considering what you have learned about the Boston Tea Party, Samuel Adams, and Thomas Hutchinson apply your creativity to describe what could have been done proactively to avoid the incident.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Compare and Contrast Essay

The Perks of being a Wallflower Compare and Contrast The book and the movie for The Perks of Being a Wallflower are extremely different, and I believe that the movie is much better than the book. The book is written much differently than the movie. There are lots of scenes that are in the book but not in the movie and that are in the movie not the book. The movie focuses less on the bigger, depressing topics than the book does. The characters in the movie are also much different than they are in the book. Their personalities are very different in the movie than the author described them as in the book. The movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is directed very differently than how the book is written. The book is written in†¦show more content†¦In the movie, the only time you see Charlie crying is at the end, when he blacks out and attempts to commit suicide. There are many scenes and details that were in the book, but were left out of the movie, one thing that differentiates the movie from the book, is the change in charact er’s personalities and the relationships between the characters. In the book, Candace and Charlie seem like they don’t get along extremely well. Like any brother and sister, they fight quite a lot and they get in many arguments. But Candace seems like she is much meaner to him in the book than she is to him in the movie. In the movie Candace is much nicer to Charlie, and just nicer in general. Patrick is quite similar in the movie to how he was in the book, except for his personality. In the book, Patrick seems less carefree and funny. It seems like he is a jokester, but he can also be very serious at times. While in the movie he can’t be taken seriously and he always is trying to lighten the mood. Even when he and Brad were going through a rough spot in their relationship, he was still messing around and cracking jokes. Charlie was the character that is the most different in the book and in the movie. In the book, Charlie is portrayed as weak, nerdy and extreme ly awkward. But in the movie he is a tougher character and he seems a lot less quiet and shy. One way the movie shows that Charlie is not very weak is how he only cries once at the end. While in the book he cries allShow MoreRelatedHigh School And Social Hierarchy1246 Words   |  5 Pagesa sense of belongingness and security. Although there are positive aspects of cliques, there is a correlation between cliques and social pressure. Some clique members deal with the anxiety of constantly trying to impress their peers or the fear of being kicked out of the group while those who are outcasts may face bullying and feelings such as loneliness and depression. Either way, links have been found between certain coping mechanisms pertaining to the social pressure adolescents face. For exampleRead MoreThe Breakfast Club Vs. Perks Of Being A Wallflower1422 Words   |  6 PagesThe Breakfast Club vs. The Perks of Being a Wallflower In high school, social hierarchy is typically determined by perceived popularity. Adolescents experience many emotional, biological and cognitive changes during this time. Teenagers struggle with their identity as social acceptance becomes an increasingly important factor in their lives. Cliques are formed in high school as a representation of a small group of people with common interests. Cliques are joined mostly by girls because it givesRead MoreEdward Scissorhands Essay Outsider1281 Words   |  6 Pagescommunity. Edward is excluded due to the fact that he is physically different from everyone else; he has scissors for hands. We first see Edward inside a dark and gloomy mansion secluded from the rest of the town, showing that it doesn’t belong. The contrast used between the main street containing pastel coloured houses, coloured cars and people wearing bright clothes, showing that Edward is not like them, he is an outsider. We see him though Peggy’s eyes and the high camera angle used makes EdwardRead MoreAnalysis Of The Film, Edward Scissorhands, Directed By Tim Burton1642 Words   |  7 Pagesget to see or notice too often. The group of individuals on the other side constantly shows the challenges they face, and the different ways of living are often ignored because they don’t fit into the current society. This brings up a strong contrast and compare between what society defines as normal and what is abnormal. My theme tells us that their appearances are often deceiving and we should learn to to give them a chance. This means you are also more likely to become friends and learn from their

Type of Entrepreneur -Free-Samples for Students-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Critically analyze options for becoming an entrepreneur. Assume for this assignment that you wish to enter the world of entrepreneurship, and you can choose any avenue you wish. Answer: Options for Becoming an Entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is understood as willingness and capability of developing, organizing and managing a business venture along with its risks so as to make profits. Starting of a new business is a common example of entrepreneurship. An entrepreneur is the person who owns a venture, business, or company and is responsible for its development (Mellor Coulton 2009, p. 14). This paper critically analyzes various options for becoming an entrepreneur. Four specific options are compared and contrasted. These are buying an outlet in an existing franchise or starting a new franchise; buying or starting a new corporate enterprise; starting a family business; and buying or starting an independent venture. Description of the Industry The selected type of business that I wish to do is high-end clothing retail business, which is in the fashion industry. The business would be located in the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) market. Dubai is a popular shopping destination for those who want to buy clothes for men, women and even children (Seymour 2010, p. 53). This city-state wants to be the worlds Islam fashion capital and has established a special design district that offers tax breaks to designers and business organizations that are ready to relocate there (Gorman 2015). The clothing industry in the UAE is very competitive, and thus it would be important to spend a few months carrying out market research, learning trends in the industry, and creating a detailed business plan prior to entering the industry (Othman 2017, p. 1378). I wish to enter the clothing retail business because it is in a thriving industry. The fashion industry is an industry that could help me get a stable income each month with sufficient scope for advancement. Gorman (2015) reported that there is an increase in spending on high-end Shariah-compliant clothes by people of the Islamic faith, just as the religion is expanding and is projected to become the largest religion globally by the year 2050. In the year 2013, Muslims spent an estimated $266 billion on clothes, and by 2019 their spending would reach roughly $484 billion (Gorman 2015). Therefore, the market for my business is a lucrative one and the venture is feasible. In addition, the clothing retail business is a type of business that matches my interests as an individual and meets the needs of my specific clientele, who comprise Muslim people in the UAE. In particular, I would focus on attire for Muslim men and women. Type of Entrepreneur The type of entrepreneur that I would like to be is sole proprietor. I am interested in becoming a sole proprietor given that the business is inexpensive and easy to register, all the profits made in the business would be mine to keep, and I will have direct control of the process of decision making. Furthermore, the working capital needed for starting the business is minimal and regulatory burden is light (Fleischman Bryant 2010, p. 6). In addition, with this sort of entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur could operate the enterprise under his/her own name or could use a name that is fictitious. The fictitious name used is only a trade name and does not establish a legal entity that is distinct from the owner (Fay 2010, p. 46). However, a major shortcoming with this type of entrepreneurship is that the owner is individually liable for the debts of the enterprise. Benefits and Drawbacks of the 4 Options Independent The benefits of starting a business as an independent venture include the fact that the person is his/her own boss, the costs for start-up are relatively low as there are minimal costs to creating an independent venture, the owner gets to keep all the profits, and the owner has maximum privacy. In addition, it is easy to change the legal structure of the business later on in case circumstances change (Woodfield, Woods Shepherd 2017, p. 12). Also, creating and operating ones own business is easy and straightforward, and the owner is able to wind up the business easily. Transfer or sale of the business could occur at the discretion of the independent entrepreneur. Lastly, the sole proprietor, as Wiese (2016, p. 38) pointed out, has complete decision-making power and control over the firm. The drawbacks include the fact that taking holidays could be hard for the entrepreneur, it could be difficult to retain workers of high-caliber, and the companys life is limited. Moreover, the entrep reneur has unlimited liability for debts given that there is no legal distinction between company assets and personal assets. Also, the entrepreneur has all the responsibility for making daily corporate decisions, and one has limited capacity to raise capital (Mellor Coulton 2009, p. 66). Family Business A family business is understood as a commercial venture where members of the family are involved. One advantage of a family business is commitment. Given that the familys needs are at stake, there is often a greater sense of accountability and commitment (Lansberg Gersick 2015, p. 402). It is notable that such level of commitment is virtually not possible to generate in non-family companies. The lasting commitment results in extra benefits, for instance stronger customer relationships; a better understanding of the organization, industry and job; as well as more effective marketing and sales. The second advantage is stability of the firm. Usually, position within the family determines the member that would lead the business, and consequently, there is often longevity in leadership that brings about overall stability in the company (Ayranci 2010, p. 84). The third advantage is reduced cost. Family workers in a family business, unlike regular employees, are usually ready to contribute their own money for purpose of ensuring the companys long-term success. This could imply taking pay cuts or contributing funds. It is notable that this advantage is particularly important in challenging times for example during recessions where it is necessary for the top leaders to personally suffer or tighten the belt for the organization to survive (Parker 2016, p. 1245). The fourth advantage is long-term outlook. According to Fay (2010, p. 49), non-family businesses usually focus on attaining goals for this quarter whereas family businesses think many years, or even decades ahead. This long-term perspective and patience allows for good decision making and strategy. The drawbacks include the following: first is family conflict. At any business organization, conflicts are bound to occur. In family businesses, long-lasting, deep-seated quarrels and fights could affect everyone in the organization and could draw divisive lines. Given that members of the same family are involved, conflicts could be a lot harder to solve and could lead to difficult endings (Umirzakova et al. 2016, p. 152). The second limitation is lack of succession planning. Most family businesses do not have succession plans either because there is a lot of trust in the family members to address this when the time is right, or because the leader has no desire to accept the fact that one day she/he would have to resign. Thirdly is nepotism. A lot of family-owned companies are disinclined to allow people from outside the family into top positions. Consequently, individuals are given positions for which they lack experience, education or skills (Parker 2016, p. 1250). Corporate Enterprise A corporate enterprise is generally a form of business whose liability is limited. This means that when such an organization is created, it will allow the entrepreneurs to keep their own finances and assets distinct from the company itself (Campbell 2011, p. 25). There are a number of benefits of a corporate enterprise. Firstly, this option of becoming an entrepreneur guarantees financial security since there is limited liability. The second advantage is that the corporate enterprise is a separate legal entity from the owner. Therefore, the firm would be able to exist beyond the life of the owners (Lupulescu 2015, p. 68). Thirdly, in a corporate enterprise, the directors of the firm are often the key shareholders. As such, both the company control and ownership remain in their hands. Decision making process is easy and quick, with little fuss, which allows for a more successful business management platform. Even so, the drawbacks of a corporate enterprise include complex accounts. For example, there are more restrictive and complicated rules that govern the bookkeeping and accounts of such companies than sole proprietorships. The firm has to produce annual accounts incorporating balance sheets, double entry format, and other notes (Wells 2014, p.79). The second drawback pertains to cost. Setting up a corporate enterprise is generally costly. Thirdly is dilution of powers. Because of the nature of a corporate enterprise, disputes between the shareholders and directors are likely to occur given that their ideas of what is best for the firm differ. The management of the company would be further diluted when the companys shares are sold so as to increase the funds of the organization, since increasingly more individuals have a say in how the firm is run (Tricker 2011, p. 389). Franchise Buying an outlet in an existing franchise is also a notable option for becoming an entrepreneur. The first benefit to the franchisee is economies of scale. According to Cavaliere and Swerdlow (2008, p. 11), franchising allows a small entrepreneur to effectively compete within the marketplace and make the most of economies of scale. It is of note that a franchised network is able to purchase goods on more favorable rates compared to individual businesspersons. This offers a considerable advantage over smaller independent competitors. Additionally, the services, system, equipment and products that have to be tested in the marketplace would already have a degree of consumer acceptance (Woodfield, Woods Shepherd 2017, p. 3). The second benefit is decreased risk since the franchisees risk of business failure is reduced. Because the franchisor has proven the business concept within the market before franchising, for instance through a pilot, many typical problems are likely to have been s olved already and thus the risks to the franchisee are decreased (Madanoglu, Lee Castrogiovanni 2013, p. 1005). Thirdly, a franchise offers skilled management. Mndez, Galindo and Sastre (2014, p. 845) pointed out that the franchisee would have access to quality training as well as assistance to establish her business from the first day. This helps the franchisee to avoid a lot of mistakes and pitfalls of independent entrepreneurs who are starting from scratch. The fourth advantage pertains to advertising. Franchisees are usually required to pay some financial contribution toward a central advertising fund that the franchisor administers. The contribution from the franchisor in addition to the pooling of finances from other franchisees enables the franchisees to access extensive advertising countrywide or regionally, which in turn serves to increase the brand awareness and the business profitability (Mndez, Galindo Sastre 2014, p. 847). There are some drawbacks of buying a franchise. The first one pertains to reputation. According to Woodfield, Woods and Shepherd (2017, p. 4), the franchisees dependence on the power of the trade name of the franchisor could be a significant disadvantage if the franchisor, for instance through neglect or poor management, allows the brand to be called into disrepute. The franchisees share in the franchisors failures just as they share in its success and benefits, and the failures of the franchisors have a knock-on effect on their franchised network. The second drawback relates to control. The franchisees are subject to regulation and control by the franchisor through the operations manual and the franchise agreement (Madanoglu, Lee Castrogiovanni 2013, p. 1006). The third shortcoming pertains to products. The franchisee has to pay royalties, in addition to a mark-up on services/goods received from the franchisor or the franchisors supplier. A franchisor is, in most cases, exclusively tied to the product supplier and is not allowed to sell similar or other products. The desire of the franchisee to grow could be frustrated by the franchisors narrow mindedness (Madanoglu, Lee Castrogiovanni 2013, p. 1006). The other disadvantage relates to dependence. The franchisee could become over reliant on the support of the franchisor to the degree that she is unable to make independent decisions. The franchisee, in such situations, has practically become a disguised employee and the business would stagnate (Welter et al. 2017, p. 99). Benefits and Drawbacks of buying an existing business versus starting one from scratch The benefits of buying an existing business include the following: a market for the entrepreneurs service/product has been established already, the difficult start-up work has been done already and the firm has procedures and plans in place, and existing managers and staffs would have experience that they may share with the entrepreneur (Wiese 2016, p. 37). In addition, the entrepreneur would acquire existing employees, clients, contacts, stock, equipment, plant, suppliers, and goodwill. Equally important, the firm has a financial history that gives the entrepreneur an idea of what to anticipate and could make it easier to attract investors and secure loans (Woodfield, Woods Shepherd 2017, p. 5). The drawbacks of buying an existing business include the fact that the business might be badly managed, poorly located or have low employee morale. Businesses that underperform may necessitate a significant amount of investment in order to make them profitable, and the business may require considerable improvements to old equipment and plant (Jianhong Nadkarni 2017, p. 32). Furthermore, the personality of the seller and his/her established relationships might be a notable factor for the companys success. Moreover, external factors like a declining industry or growing competition could affect the companys future growth. Lastly, the entrepreneur would have to invest a considerable sum of money upfront and he/she would also need to budget for professional fees for accountants and solicitors (Mellor Coulton 2009, p. 34). The benefits of starting a business from scratch include the following: firstly, there is no baggage given that the business does not have any history for the entrepreneur to overcome when he/she starts a new business venture. Secondly, there are lower startup costs. Wiese (2016, p. 39) mentioned that depending on the type of business the entrepreneur is intending to initiate, the costs could be lower in comparison to a franchise business in which there are no up-front purchasing fees or supply costs. The third advantage pertains to site selection. When starting a business from scratch, the entrepreneur is able to choose the location in which to locate his/her business and the marketing procedures that he/she would like to follow (Woodfield, Woods Shepherd 2017, p. 6). The fourth advantage relates to independence. When starting a business from scratch, the entrepreneur creates all business systems and makes all the decisions. Even so, there are a number of drawbacks. Firstly is limi ting financing. When starting a business from scratch, financing for the company is harder to get. The second drawback is delayed profitability. Where the market is not established yet, it might take a long time to become profitable (Mellor Coulton 2009, p. 38). Thirdly is the high risk of the business. Success of the business is completely dependent upon the entrepreneur and his/her business talents. The other limitation is certainly high commitment. It is of note that starting ones own business calls for a higher commitment of both energy and time (Fleischman Bryant 2010, p. 6). Conclusion In conclusion, this paper has thoroughly compared and contrasted a number of options for becoming an entrepreneur. The drawbacks and benefits of starting an independent business, starting a family business, starting/buying a new corporate enterprise, and starting/buying a franchise have been discussed. Based on the analysis, the recommendation made is that I will not acquire a venture. I would rather start my own business from scratch and operate it as an independent venture or sole proprietor. This is because the drawbacks of acquiring a venture outweigh the benefits derived. 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