Information Systems Management Pepsico Inc

Information systems of a specific business Essay Example

Data frameworks of a particular business Essay For this task I am required to do look into and compose a report on the data frameworks of a particular business of my decision, from this business I will get the important data about data frameworks. I will utilize my drive in acquiring the data for the task. The business that I have decided for this task is Tesco PLC and the data that I gather for this task will be from different types of work area and field look into. Tesco is a universal grocery store retailer and second biggest on the planet following Wal-Mart at number 1 beginning from USA, Tesco is a predominantly known for selling general goods however Tesco is likewise has a huge non-food go for instance banking and protection, garments, cell phone shop, amusement and books just as other family unit gear and additional items. This task comprise of 5 sections, I will begin with Part A this determines the task motivation, prologue to the business (Tesco), business items and administrations, key realities and data just as a rundown data frameworks utilized by Tesco PLC. We will compose a custom exposition test on Information frameworks of a particular business explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now We will compose a custom paper test on Information frameworks of a particular business explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer We will compose a custom paper test on Information frameworks of a particular business explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer Task Agenda * Identify data needs inside various useful regions of an association * Compare a scope of data frameworks * Examine the instruments accessible to associations for data preparing * Evaluate the data frameworks inside an association. Prologue to Tesco Tesco PLC is a worldwide basic food item and general promoting retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. Tesco is the third-biggest retailer on the planet estimated by incomes (after Wal-Mart and Carrefour) and the second-biggest estimated by benefits after Wal-Mart. Tesco has stores in 14 nations across Asia, Europe and North America and is the staple market pioneer in the UK (where it has a piece of the overall industry of above 30%). Jack Cohen the author of Tesco, started to sell food supplies from a slow down in the East End of London, his first days benefit was à ¯Ã¢ ¿Ã¢ ½1 and deals à ¯Ã¢ ¿Ã¢ ½4. Jack Cohen opened his first Tesco store in Burnt Oak, Edgware, North London in the 1929 and Tesco turned into a private constrained in 1932 and from that point Tesco has become quickly and never halted, Tesco became from a mortar to a mortar and snaps association in 2000. Tesco Mission Statement To make an incentive for clients to procure their lifetime devotion Nobody invests more energy for clients: * Understand clients. * Be first to address their issues. * Act mindfully for our networks. (Source: http://www.tescoplc.com/about-tesco/our-values/) Items/Services of Tesco Tesco offers a wide range from items beginning from staple goods, furniture and kitchen, apparel and adornments, telephone shop, diversion and books, sports and relaxation, and a lot more at www.tesco.com The accompanying organizations are the significant contenders of Tesco PLC: * ASDA Group Limited * BP Plc * Carrefour S.A. * ExxonMobil Corporation * The Big Food Group Plc * J Sainsbury plc * Marks and Spencer Group plc * Royal Dutch/Shell Group * Safeway Inc. * Safeway plc * Somerfield * SPAR Handels-Aktiengesellschaft * The Boots Group PLC * Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC * Booker Cash ; Carry Limited * ALDI Group * The Carphone Warehouse Group PLC * John Lewis Partnership plc http://people.exeter.ac.uk/wl203/BEAM011/Materials/Lecture%204/TESCO%20Company%20Profile.pdf Key realities about Tesco * Founded in 1919 (East London) * Founder: Jack Cohen * Global work power Tesco has around 472,000 representatives overall shared more than 14 nations. (See reference: 2) * Number of stores Tesco has more than 5,380 stores internationally (See reference: 1) * Key individuals David Reid (Chairman) Philip Clarke (Chief Executive) * Revenue: à ¯Ã¢ ¿Ã¢ ½60.93 billion 2010/11 (See reference: 1) Meaning of Data ; Information What is information? The term information is alluded to as assortment of numerical trademark which is gathered utilizing subjective or quantitative research strategies. A case of information gathered could be for instance the quantity of guys and females in a room and this can be shown in various structures and every one of these figures are known as information. Male 7 Female 3 All out headcount: 10 Male 70% Female 30% 10/7 Male proportion 10/3 Female proportion What is data? Data is typically gotten in a setting where it is required this is not quite the same as information, data is acquired from event for instance when I request something from the Tesco I am required to give my name and address in light of the fact that to finish the event or my request. Information versus Data Information is crude realities in figures which are broke down and prepared as data, information is lacking without association with data. Data is a type of information which is in words. Characterize Information System Data framework or is any mix of innovation which forms data, encourages and enables people or organizations to like Tescos exercises utilizing innovation to help tasks, the board, dynamic and numerous different activities. A data framework is viewed as a type of correspondence framework where information introduced and handled as a type of social review. A data framework can likewise be viewed as a semi-formal language which bolsters human dynamic and activities like prompting on proficiency by breaking down wastage and this could be wastage of time, money related assets, materials and HR.

Ten Things You Didnt Know About Books and Authors You Had to Read in High School

Ten Things You Didnt Know About Books and Authors You Had to Read in High School This is a guest post by our current Rioter in Residence, Kevin Smokler. Kevin  is the author of forthcoming essay collection Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books you Havent Touched Since High School (Prometheus Books, Feb. 2013) and the editor of Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times, A San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book of 2005. His work has appeared in the LA Times, Fast Company, Paid Content, The San Francisco Chronicle, Publishers Weekly and on National Public Radio. Follow him on  Twitter @weegee. _________________________ Holden Caulfield had a dead younger brother. Think back to Catcher in the Rye and ask yourself how many siblings Holden Caulfield had. Let’s see, there’s older brother DB, the screenwriter “out west,” and younger sister Phoebe, perhaps the book’s most beloved character. But just before Holden has that unforgettable meeting with Phoebe on the steps of the Museum of Natural History, he is walking on the other side of Central Park, down Fifth avenue, stopping at each corner and saying “Please, Allie, don’t let me disappear.” Allie is Holden’s younger brother. All we know is that he has died unexpectedly just before the story begins. Which changes everything. Holden Caulfield might be the iconic bratty teenager. Or he might be like all of us, in the throes of terrible, ceaseless grief. The iconic blue cover of The Great Gatsby was completed before the manuscript. Designed by the Spanish artist Francis Cugat (who later had a prosperous career designing posters and graphic material for the movie star Douglass Fairbanks), Fitzgerald was so taken with the image of a woman’s eyes crying a single tear above a city skyline that legend has it the description of Daisy Buchanan as the girl whose disembodied face floated along the dark cornices and blinding signs was inspired by it and written into the book. Maya Angelou Wrote I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings on a dare. The story goes: In the months after the murder of her friend Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou accepted an invitation to a dinner party at the home of cartoonist Jules Feiffer. In attendance was Robert Loomis, an editor at Random House. The guests began telling stories of their childhoods. Angelou joined in. Loomis was so impressed that he later told writer James Baldwin, who was also at the party, that Angelou should write a memoir. Angelou, who considered herself a poet and playwright, had no interest in writing her own story and declined. Loomis then told Angelou something on the order of, “I was actually looking for someone to write a memoir as a novel and figured you couldn’t do it. So it’s probably better you said no.” To which Angelou said to herself “I’ll show him!” And did. The original title of To Kill a Mockingbird was Atticus. When Harper Lee started wrestling To Kill a Mockingbird into place in the late 1950s, she had two aims: To accurately tell stories from her childhood in Depression-era Alabama and to pay a little tribute to her father. A.C. Lee had been a high-minded attorney who had defended their towns poor and victimized, a newspaper editor and member of the state house of representatives. Most importantly, he had encouraged his youngest child Nelle Harper’s interest in writing and literature at a young age. And although Harper Lee would change the title at the request of her publisher, Atticus Finch is thought to be inspired by her own father, the story of him and Scout and Tom Robinson and Boo Radley, a thank-you for his honor and support.   John Steinbeck was considered a has-been while he was still alive.   Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962, and most thought he deserved it about as much as Sister Sledge deserved admission into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame (Quick: Name another hit of theirs besides “We Are Family.”). Steinbeck had a glorious run early on (Tortila Flat, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men were all written in his twenties and thirties), but two decades later was considered too West Coast for the New York literary establishment, too popular for academia and snobs, too politically inconsistent for his early champions (the creator of the Joads was also a hawkish on the Vietnam War) and too naïve and sunbaked and mythic about his subjects. Even when he tried to reach with grander, longer fare like East of Eden, critics lambasted it as a bloated pretentious mess. The New York Times went so far as to say “limited talent is, in his best books, watered down by tenth-rate philosophizing.” Steinbeck, who didn’t think he deserved the prize anytime, never published another work of fiction and died 6 years later. Jane Austen might have not been read at all were it not for her nephew. We now hold Jane Austen right up there with Shakespeare and Dickens as one of the greatest fiction writers in the English language. But when she died at age 41, none of her readers knew her name. She had published four novels under the pseudonym “A Lady,” (Persuasion and Northanger Abbey followed after her death, and though her large family invested in her talenther parents and brother acted as business manager and literary agent to her efforts, and her father insisted daughter Jane receive the same classical education as his sonsthey hadn’t counted on her novels outliving her.) That is until 52 years later, when Austen’s nephew James Edward Austen-Leigh published A Memoir of Jane Austen, which relit the flame of interest in Austen’s work. And though it would take until the 1940s for Austen to be studied in academia and championed by other writers, her literary afterlife began with a book-length fan letter written to the “dear aunt Jane” her nephew admired. Mark Twain has such a hard time completing Huck Finn that he finished three other books in the meantime. Immediately after the 1876 publication of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain set about telling the story of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer’s best friend. It took him 8 difficult years, the majority of his 40s, before Huck Finn was published in early 1884. And though he was already a successful author, living a comfortable contented life, in that time he also finished another novel (The Prince and the Pauper in 1881) and two memoirs about his early life on a riverboat and travel in Europe. Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women for the money. And it made her miserable. As a young writer, Alcott concentrated on lurid pulp stories of revenge, murder, and adultery“blood and thunder” literature, as she called itand enjoyed writing very much. She was in her mid 30s when an editor suggested she try writing a book for girls. Alcott wasn’t very interested, but her father was a complete moron with money and had left the family in terrible financial trouble. Alcott wrote Little Women in hopes of some decent sales and a little breathing room and got way more than she asked for. The money in sequels was too good to turn down (and her father didn’t get any smarter with a dime), but Alcott hated writing what she called “moral pap for the young” and longed to return to the smut and violence of her early endeavors.     Albert Camus was a very happy person. Lead blocker of absurdism and author of  The Stranger, as much a bible to moody teenagers as the albums of The Cure (the band’s song “Killing an Arab” is inspired by The Stranger), Albert Camus himself had it made. Though born desperately poor in French Algeria, Camus grew up a star high school athlete, handsome as a movie star, gregarious, best friends with Jean Paul Sartre, and beloved by his countrymen. He was the second youngest winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, and his death in an auto accident at age 46, Susan Sontag wrote was “felt as a personal loss by the whole literate world.” By all accounts, he was a contented soul, far more resembling your 11th grade class president than the disgruntled loners who read The Stranger in the AV Room during lunch. As if Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” couldn’t get any creepier… When this brilliant, nasty tale of a small town’s annual ritual of randomly stoning one of its citizens to death was published in the New Yorker in 1947, it generated more letters than anything the magazine had ever published. Many wanted to cancel their subscriptions, others wanted to know what happened after the storys end. A terrifying few asked whether The Lottery was real and, if so, where could they go see one enacted.

ECommerce - Levi Strauss key reasons for the failure of...

1.0 Introduction The Internet has been compared to the California Gold Rush of 1849 in which Levi Strauss built a Fortune 500 company by supplying miners with clothing (White Paper, Building an E-commerce Network). Levis managed to reap from the opportunities of the California Gold Rush. However, in an attempt to achieve the same success with the Internet and ecommerce, Levis failed to succeed. This paper investigates key reasons for such failure and identifies generic critical success factors as a guide for other business who wishes to follow in the path of ecommerce. à ¼ 2.0 Levis In the 1990s Levis Strauss was well regarded as a clothing brand by fashion minded young consumers. However since then, market share has dropped 16.9% and†¦show more content†¦However impressive the web site may be, customers will get frustrated by the length of time it takes for a page to download and the costs that would incur from being connected to the Internet for so long. According to Keller and Staelin (1987), the information given to a B2C web site should be adequate for the consumer to make a decision and care should be made to not provide too much information, as this is likely to result in information overload. Levis failed to comply with this theory since their web site offered over 120 items with 3,000 possible variations. The amount of information there is overwhelming, it is very likely that consumers were overloaded with information. The timing of launching the web site was poorly planned. The success in selling online will depend on the strength of the company core operations. Since these were failing and the company was not performing so well. Offline sales dropped 15% and the loss of its connection with teenage customers affected the success in selling online (Standley, 1999). Despite its problems in its core operations, Levis could have tried to improve the success in its B2C web site. It could have used the web site to create a clearer brand identity and differentiate itself from competitors. They could have also used data mining to gain a better understating of their market (Standley, 1999). Allowing only J.C. Penney and Macys the permission to sell online would create problems with Levis other

Essay about American Minorities during World War II

During the time of World War II, there was a dramatic change in the society of America and its way of life. Men were needed at war and the women were left at home. People were mistrusted and were falsely accused of something they didn’t do. Some people were even pushed away because they were different. These people were the minorities of America. Some of the minorities it affected the most were the African Americans, women, Japanese Americans, and even young adults. What is a minority? A minority, in this case, is a person or group of people who are discriminated against because there is something about them that makes them different. Some of these reasons why they are different are things like race, gender, and even age. However, the real†¦show more content†¦They were even able to take out their enemies fast jet fighters (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1). what is socking about all of this is that these men werent trained with guns or knives, they had to use sticks instead (R einhardt and Ganzel 1). With all the racism still going on, one African American man said it would be an iron for him to give America his life if it didn’t want to given him basic civil rights (Reinhardt and Ganzel 2). Second of all after, returning home they were given an opportunity to join a movement for their rights (Reinhardt and Ganzel 2). The Soldier came home to a country that wasn’t granting them their full rights so some joined a movement to expand the rights (Reinhardt and Ganzel 2). Other soldiers ended up moving to the city instead so they could find work similar to what they did while at war (Reinhardt and Ganzel 2). The roles of African American minorities where change after the war because the opportunities of job openings that were given to them and because their civil rights eventually expanded. Women’s roles change during World War II because men were gone and their responsibilities weren’t being taken care of. The women began working and doing the men’s house chores for them along with their own responsibilities has women(Graves 1-2). The women were the only people who could take the mens places and money was tight. Women were needed to get work done because itShow MoreRelatedTo what extent did the French Resistance assist in the allies liberation of France?888 Words   |  4 PagesThe French Resistance (La Rà ©sistance franà §aise) was a collaboration of individual movements against the German occupation of France and the Vichy regime that complied with the Nazis during World War II. Starting in 1940 and ending with the liberation of France, French people from all ends of the economic and political spectrum united in different Rà ©sistance groups to perform guerilla attacks, run underground newspapers, provide intelligence to and from the allies, and manage escape networks to alliedRead MoreWorld War II From Non Minority Citizens998 Words   |  4 PagesThe thoughts about World War II from non-minority citizens in America transpired into the label of a â€Å"good war† due to the heroic actions taken by our servicemen who fought to protect the â€Å"four essential human freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of every person to worship God in his own way, freedom of want, and freedom of fear† as referenced to in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Third Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union (par.77-80). In addition, at first glance, there wereRead MoreAssess the social impact of the Second World War on women and ethnic minorities in the United States.1043 Words   |  5 PagesThe Second World War had a profound effect on white men who lived in the United States during the 1940s. Many volunteered for overseas military service, and many more joined the army in the nations first peacetime dr aft, which occurred in 1941 as a precursor to the United Statess future involvement in the war. World War II also, however, had a profound impact on the lives of women and ethnic minorities in the United States. Because white men were the primary candidates of the draft, women and minoritiesRead MoreA Brief Note On Pre World War II1258 Words   |  6 PagesThe social, economic, and political landscapes of the pre-World War II United States, from 1931 to 1939, were substandard compared to their post-World War II counterparts. Pre-World War II United States is characterized by the worst economic crisis in the nation’s history. The Great Depression(1929-1939) was a global phenomenon that was associated with the American stock market crash in 1929. The economic downturn resulted in high unemployment rates(25%), reduced wages, high interest rates, and highRead MoreThe New Deal And World War II994 Words   |  4 PagesThe New Deal and World War II both had an effect on race relat ions in the American West. President Roosevelt’s New Deal was an attempt to fix the hardships of the Great Depression. The Great Depression brought about a change in ideology and opinion that made the New Deal possible because of public support to fix the burdens felt by many Americans, not just whites. World War II brought fear, intolerance and increased racism toward minority groups in the West, specifically Japanese and Hispanic. ClassRead MoreThe Impact of WWII On American Minorities1612 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican minorities made up a significant amount of America’s population in the 1920s and 1930s, estimated to be around 11.9 million people, according to . However, even with all those people, there still was harsh segregation going on. Caucasians made African-Americans work for them as slaves, farmers, babysitters, and many other things in that line. Then when World War II came, â€Å"World War II required the reunification and mobilization of Americans as n ever before† (Module2). They needed to cooperateRead MoreThe 1940’s as The Most Influencing Decade in the United States1237 Words   |  5 Pagesthe most areas of Americans’ lives. Although 1940’s have not resolved all America’s problems, those years did the most to influence contemporary America in areas such as the economic leadership of the world, once and forever abandoning policy of isolationism and greatly contributing to women and minorities’ rights. United States since the beginning of its history had always been very careful about its isolationism policy, but that was going to change with the end of World War II and Soviet’s desiresRead MoreAmerican Minorities Have Had It Pretty Rough Thought The History Of America1139 Words   |  5 PagesChris Harlan Professor Romero History 175 18 April 2016 Happenings In America American minorities have had it pretty rough thought the history of America. However World War II opened up many doors of opportunity to American minorities that no event before has ever done. Women, Latinos, and African Americans were all subject to lower standards of life until World War II came into play. Women were expected to take up work and have long hours on the job. Many Latinos were brought up from Mexico toRead MoreDouble Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II by Ronald Takaki642 Words   |  3 PagesIn the United States World War II has been one of the most remembered wars of all time. Acclaimed historian Ronald Takaki asserts that for many Americans, World War II was fought for a â€Å"double victory†: on the battlefront as well as on the home front. Takaki’s book Double Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II reminds the audience that there was much, much more happening at home and on the frontlines during World Wa r II than in the battlefield. Takaki presents a strong centralRead MoreWorld War II And American Liberalism Essay1119 Words   |  5 Pages World War II changed the outlook of American society and economy. Alan Brinkley discusses these changes in his article, World War II and American Liberalism. Brinkley discusses the events that brought on these changes, and what was the result of said changes on the American society. Before and during the war, American liberalism started to realize what its main mission was at the time. American demographics were drastically changed due to World War II. The most dramatic of these changes was the

Short Article Reveals the Undeniable Facts About College Board Essay Samples and How It Can Affect You

Short Article Reveals the Undeniable Facts About College Board Essay Samples and How It Can Affect You The Appeal of College Board Essay Samples The Essential Borrowing Tips Now you've pondered enough about your student loan with the situations you have to think about before borrowing, together with with the sum you want to borrow, I guess it is currently vital for you to appear at the absolute most recommended tips for borrowing student loans. Think Before Your Borrow Many men and women discover that it's simple to rush through the student loan approach. If you genuinely desire to acquire admission in a particular college, the College Scholarship Essay Examples can help you in your essay that will demonstrate your desire to follow a college education. There are several college scholarship programs offered and it is getting even simpler to obtain these programs by means of the net. Community colleges have to be part of the strategy to improve college graduation prices. Also, think for the potential scholarships that you may apply for, or it is possible to be qualified for. Many high-level positions require at the very least a bachelor degree. In addition, there are many positions that only readily available to college graduates. Many employees enroll in internet programs since it enables them to make a degree while continuing to do the job. Employees with college degrees are usually offered positions with the greatest wages. So How About College Board Essay Samples? The videos will supply you with instructional information as to the way to finish the equations. Some folks say that a pupil ought to take the test in 9th grade because it is a very affordable assessment test, which is legitimate. While it might seem impossible to wholly feel prepared for a test that is more unpredictable than Justin Bieber's following hit single, you simply have to understand what things to concentrate on and how to select the test! Twelve decades of grueling school and significant effort is the preparation necessary to visit college, but it's not all you have to have in order to acquire in. It's the simple fact that cramming and short-term preparation are not a replacement for hard work at school. Never put off tomorrow what you could do today. You're likely to do an excellent job! For further information on IvyWise's college counseling services wherever you're in the procedure contact us today. Perhaps among the most necessary points to think about is to borrow loans responsibly. To avail professional writing services, you want to locate a dependable and dependable writing service provider that can provide you the very best writing services at competitive prices. University admissions tests are very similar to IQ tests, they aren't valid measures of ability to do in university. Utilizing a writing service is the perfect approach to have a well-written essay to use as a guideline to guarantee the essays you write are hitting each one of the crucial points and are at the appropriate depth necessary for your academic grade. Also, kee p in mind that the last prompt permits you to submit a current essay or even create your very own prompt. It's vital that the service you decide on knows for sure they're only selecting the very best essay writers. Thus, take a look at essay samples and get to understand what your academic paper should look like. Therefore, properly written essay examples ensure it is clear to writers how just the paper ought to be organized and structured. Some may be able to discover approaches to get and own absolutely free essays. Moreover, narrative essays are the most frequently made essays, which likewise tell a story. Why Almost Everything You've Learned About College Board Essay Samples Is Wrong For preparing well for this crucial portion of a university program, college essay examples play a prominent part in guiding the students in the proper direction so far as their writing skill is concerned. Based on your theme, you will want to collect information to back up your claims. In your essays, you may use distinctive approaches. Based on extensive counselor feedback, the existent essay prompts provide great flexibility for applicants to inform their special stories in their very own voice. Cha racteristics of College Board Essay Samples When it has to do with writing a new sort of an essay, the best method to learn the underlying principles of the academic bit of writing is to take a look at a completed paper. In reality, every student should pick the option which best speaks to their very own personal voice. Seek advice from your professor for what style should you use. After studying the complete financial picture, like the awarded aid, education cost, and family share, you then need to think about settling on a sum that you really must borrow. Among the biggest reasons for picking the community college option is about showing you the money. Think about the cultural divide. Many homeschoolers don't realize, however, that summer can be a chance to save thousands of dollars in future college tuition, with only a little additional work! Too many of us do not understand the financial significance of raising the variety of college graduates. Parents and students who still have a lot of years before entering college ought to be keenly mindful of the projected estimates as opposed to the present costs so they can plan accordingly.

Ultima, Bless Me Essay Example

Ultima, Bless Me Essay Irma Rosero AFPRL 356 Latino Literature Sec 051 September 18, 2011 Cultural and Religious Identity: Bless me, Ultima Bless Ultima, me, is a novel written by Rudolfo Anaya in 1972. The story starts in 1940 during and after World Word II in Guadalupe, New Mexico. The main character is Antonio. Anaya describes Antonio’s childhood through a life changing journey. Also, Ultima, the â€Å" curandera† who helped his mother in childbirth has a strong presence in his spiritual growth and development. Antonio portrays a human being with internal struggles and experiences that conflict with tradition, beliefs, faith, religion and find acceptance of change and growth. Antonio’s familia education is tense with the two opposing symbols of Spanish colonization, his mother’s family, the Lunas, and his father ‘s family, the Marez. The Lunas represent the indigenous people, tied to the earth by their farming; whereas, the Marez represent the conquistadors, freely roaming the llano. Through the novel, Antonio is divided between his Luna blood and his Marez blood, always trying to decide between the two and please his parents desire. This one will be a Luna†¦. he will be a farmer and keep our customs and traditions. Perhaps God will be bless our family and make the baby a priest†¦Then the silence was shattered with the thunder of hoof beats; vaqueros surrounded the small house†¦He is a Marez†¦His forefathers were conquistadores, men as restless as the seas they sailed and as free as the land they conquered† (pag. 5-6). Anaya remarks on the difficult time Antonio has to go through. He will have to choose to be his â€Å"mother’s priest† or â€Å"his father’s son† (41). We will write a custom essay sample on Ultima, Bless Me specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Ultima, Bless Me specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Ultima, Bless Me specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Antonio’s parents constantly argue about Antonio’s destiny. 2 Antonio Mares, through the story witness many situations that cause conflict with his beliefs and religion. He discovers the magic of a pagan God called The Golden Carp and magic ‘s Ultima that is superior to the power of the Church. Anaya uses Ultima as representing all religious beliefs, which is what gives her power. She respects and reveres God, the Virgin, the Golden Carp, and the earth equally. The conflict emerge choosing between Native American religion and traditional Catholicism. Ultima guides and mentors Antonio to make his own religious choice. The first event occurred when his friend Cico tells him that the Golden Carp is a God that has taken mortal form ,and watches over its people. He asks Ultima about this legend, she tells him that it is true. This answer makes him start doubting the Christian Church. Ultima helps him to find his own path but it could lead him away from the Church. The second event that affects Antonio’s faith, is when Lucas his friend is dying of the witches curse. doctors and priest s come to try and save him but they can not. The 3rd challenge to his Christian’s Faith is when Ultima’s Power is greater than the churches, when she removes the curse of the Tellez family. The author portrays Ultima as a mysterious, magical and luminous character that appears in Antonio’s life the day he was born. â€Å" A cry came to my throat, and I wanted to shout it and run in the beauty I had found† (pag. 12). Antonio admired Ultima and praised her presence because every time she was around, he felt a deep sense of warmth and comfort. â€Å" As Ultima walked past me I smelled the sweet fragrance of herbs (pag ) The author uses the name Ultima with a purpose. Ultima is a Spanish word meaning ultimate or the end. Ultima is special for Antonio since the first time he sees her. She is the unification between the beginning and the end. She is the mentor and guide who helps him from the beginning to find his path to reconcile his cultural and religious conflicts. Ultima has an strong bond of spiritu al affection with Antonio. He has to suffer the rejection of people attacking her as a witch. Ultima is considered a witch with black powers. But Anaya shows us that Ultima is a witch not like Trementina sisters, Ultima is a witch with white power. She uses her power to help people not hurt them. In the events discussed before, Antonio seems to question his religion. He doubts his desire to be a Priest. At the beginning, he attends church willingly and i very interested in Religion. He is eager to learn the Catholic prayers and take Communion classes to pleased his mother religious conditioning. He wonder if God is still alive or exist, because he recalls all the times when God has failed where Ultima has succeeded. In Antonio’s mind, the Priest should have no trouble at all with witches, since their powers are nothing compared to the all strength manifested in the priest by the Church. Antonio believes the power of God is so potent, that â€Å"all you have to do is to lift your right hand and cross your right thumbs over your first finger and form the sign of the cross. No evil can challenge that cross† (pag 55). 4 With many failures and no answers from God, he is away from Catholicism so that he questions a God in whom he has no more trust or strong feelings. He questions God’s love and ability to know all and see all, considering that perhaps† God is to busy in Heaven to worry or care about us† (pag 187). The crucial event that leads Antonio disbelief in God is his first communion. When the answers do not come from God, he is extremely disillusioned, wondering why â€Å"there was only silence† (pag 221). At this point, he becomes very unsatisfied with the Catholic religion, wanting something more concrete and tangible like the Golden Carp. Episode 22 finds him trying to pray the Act of Contrition for his friend Florence, but he knows that it is useless because Florence is an atheist. Antonio is also failing his mother’ desire to be a Priest. He begins to abandon the traditional beliefs that he had nurtured in his heart for so long. Ultima advises Antonio to make his own religious choices: â€Å" I cannot tell you what to believe†¦. As you grow into manhood you must find your own truths†(pag 119). The author seems to convey and compare those difficult moments in Antonio’s journey as it happens in our daily lives. When we are in conflict, we enter in an area of darkness and turbulence as Antonio’s dreams. Anaya uses in story elements and symbols of nature to represent the frightening and unsafe. Stormy weather that represent conflict, tension that disrupts the peace and harmony. The wind and thunder represent forces of disturbances, â€Å" a flash of lighting struck and out of the thunder a dark figure stepped forth† (pag 71). Anaya creates the perfect scene to sense the feelings of turbulence and the agitation during the story. 5 The author mentions the Owl. The Owl is a major symbol in Hispanic Culture, it is an evil bird. It is considered a bad luck. However, in this story the owl is meant to be protector, Ultima’s soul. It represents life force, and power of religious mysticism. The Virgin of Guadalupe, the name of the Town: represents forgiveness and understanding. Antonio’s mother has a two foot big statue of the Virgin. He loves the Virgin more than any of the saints because of what she represents. The Golden Carp as a symbol that represents an alternative religion to the Catholicism that Antonio was raised in. The imagery used to describe Antonio’s family also links the human world to the wider cosmo, The family name Marez means â€Å"sea† like Antonio’s ancestor. The men of the llano are known as men of the sea, because they are wild like the ocean. In contrast, the men from the farms along the rivers, where Antonio’s mother comes from, are associated with the moon. This can be seen in their name Lunas and in the village where they live. El Puerto de la Luna, which means the door of the moon. The Lunas live all aspect of their lives in harmony with the changing phases of the moon. . The reader notices the repetition of the number three. The three sources of understand for Antonio (Ultima, God and Golden Carp). The three deaths that Antonio witnesses, (Lupito, Narciso and Tenorio). And The three Trementina Sisters. The number Three is related to Blessed Trinity. God is one God, He exists in three distinc persons, God, Son and the Holy Spirit. Anaya uses powerful images to evoke multiple responses from his headers. 6 Anaya the narrator, sets up a dialogue between Antonio and Ultima. He admits that he uses his personal experience and those of others in his childhood to construct the story. He uses Antonio as reliable narrator whom the readers can trust. Finally, at the end, Antonio understands the balance Ultima has taught him; he must be Marez and Luna and have a balance between all religious beliefs to truly be a man of learning. In the story Ultima appears to him and explains that he must see beyond himself: â€Å"You have to been seeing only parts†¦and not looking beyond into the great cycle that binds us all â€Å" (121). He learns all beliefs are bound together into a balanced system. Ultima allows him the freedom to make his own decisions. Antonio finds his inner strength, when he goes to stay with his uncles in El Puerto for the summer. Ultima knows that when he returns he will be a different person. â€Å"Be prepared to see things change when you return†¦. You are growing, and growth is change. Accept the change, make it part of your strength† (pag. 245). Antonio discovers a way to reconcile his conflicting religion and beliefs as different issues that occur in his life. He must take the best characteristics of the Mares and Lunas. Also, accept different religion and beliefs to create his personal faith and make himself stronger. â€Å" Maybe I do not have to be just Marez, or Luna, perhaps I can be both† (pag 247). 7 Anaya includes in the story the value of friendship. It was a very important aspect of Antonio’s life. Although his friends were involved in a lot of conflicts, their bond never did not break. During the story the author conveys to the readers about change as a process of life. The process of entering the adolescence is simile as a loss that is to be mourned and accepted. Antonio senses that his friends are also changing â€Å"Vitamina Kid does not want to race anymore† Antonio mourns the loss of â€Å"something good†. When Ultima dies, he is able to understand the link between change and violence, chaos and harmony. Ultima’s death serves to reinstate the harmony of the world. He comforts himself at the end of the story, because he understands he had changed â€Å"no more a child† . He understands that Death is a natural cycle of life and a change that is necessary for life to continue. He knows that Ultima is someone especial and she makes a big impact in his life. Anaya expresses his point through the story that not everyone has the same truth. We find our own truth â€Å"by testing, each and everything that comes your way and not missing out† (pag. 119). Through Ultima’s teachings, we see Anaya challenging the values of the traditional Christian Church. The author intends to suggests the need for a more holistic or diverse view of religion. Anaya uses Ultima her character as a metaphor of understanding, acceptance and tolerance. Her actions show us, that the understanding is based in building the character according experiences of life. In this way, a person cannot think in terms of absolutes. 8 Antonio finally learns the strength of truths is to explore and patiently accept and growth. â€Å"But as you growth into manhood you must not despair of life, but gather strength to sustain you†¦. â€Å" (pag 245) Ultima is a firm believer in tolerance and understanding. She teaches that different belief system can offer equally valid way of understanding the world. Meaning that not matter if it is religion, identity or love, we should learn to open our minds and search what are really matter to us.