The Woman who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin Essay Example

The Woman who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin Paper p> This novel by Joaquin is a literary assessment of the influence of the past to the time encompassing events in the Philippines after World War II, an examination of an assortment of legacy and heritage and the questions of how can an individual exercise free will and how to deal with the shock after experiencing epiphanic recognition. Main characters: Among the characters conjured by Joaquin are the Manolo Vidal and his family, Connie Escobar, Esteban and Concha Borromeo, Father Tony, Paco Texeira, and Doctor Monson, a former rebel hiding in Hong Kong to avoid postwar trials. Connie Escobar, the lead female character, was described by literary critic Epifanio San Juan as a sufferer of her mothers estrangement from a world where unconfident males take advantage of women by violating them or by venerating them. Connie is married to Macho Escobar, a man who had an affair with Connies mother, a past incident that serves as an umbilical cord or umbilicus, a remnant connected to her present and future because of her refusal to leave the issue in the ast. According to Epifanio San Juan, the character of Manolo Vidal is the embodiment of the Filipino nationalistic bourgeois who were once critical of the theocracy of the Spaniards but became transformed puppets and servants of these colonialists. While, on the other hand, Macho Escobar is not a revolutionary but a member of the dehumanized clan of hacenderos or landlords of sugar plantations. Paco Texeira was a survivor between the behaviors of the Monson and Vidal families, and also acted as Nick Joaquins conscience, an observer who could have enetrated the existing rituals and ruses. We will write a custom essay sample on The Woman who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Woman who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Woman who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Texeira had the capacity to apprehend and break the class barrier depicted in the novels society, but refused to do so. STORY Nick Joaquins The Woman Who Had Two Navels revolved around the upper middle class expatriates consciousness during the American period of colonization. It portrayed every characters struggle to maintain their selves in a foreign setting like Hongkong. It can also be defined as coming to terms with the political consciousness during that period. The novel also contained mixtures of hatred, love, anger, nsecurities, and sufferings that manifest in the realities of life making the flow of the story more provocative and appealing to the audience. The title of the novel excited my curiosity; thats why it took me a long time to analyze and think the interpretations that I have to use to show its significance. The story started with Connie, a daughter of a wealthy politician. Connie portrayed herself as a person with two navels. Literally, when a woman has two navels, this means that she has two umbilical cords. The navel is the shortened umbilical cord usually removed when a person is orn. But it is not possible because if a person has two umbilical cords, he is a preternatural being a mutant. Connie, pretending that she has two navels may refer to the rebirths that she underwent. The first rebirth was escaping from her mothers evil clutches since she was an unwanted child always ostracized and continously suffered from the ghosts of the past that haunted her. Let us not also affair of her husband Macho and her mother that made her feel miserable at some points in her life. The second rebirth refers to her awakening, her self realization and mancipation as a woman. She learned to face reality and accepted the truth. In my point of view, her reason why she pretended to have two navels is that she wanted to forget everything about her, to be different so that another personality will reside and dwell on her. Looking from another perspective, in this case coming from a historical vantage point, the two navels may signify Hongkong and the Philippines. Even if the story was set in Hongkong, still, Filipino culture is present in its context. Furthermore as the novel progressed, it presented the Filipinos need to bond ogether and attempted to reestablish their roots; however musch as when they, as exemplified by Paco, were made unaware of the Filipino culture. The novel also portrayed an interlocution between Chinese and Filipino consciousness. An example of this was Rita who dresses up in dragons and pagan Jewels to meditate on the Virgin. The sense of nationalism and being Filipino was depicted in Connies character that made her symbolize the country. The fact that she was born in Hongkong, she still longed for her native land the Philippines. And like most of us Filipinos, she tried to laugh at every problem and pretended that everythings fine. This trait refuted the positive notion of being Filipino. In relation to the stories title, a lot of Connies exist in our present realm. Up to this time, it is obvious that some of our mother-daughter relationships fail. As individuals, we are afraid to admit the truth within ourselves. We usually deny the mistakes that we commit. We try to live a world of lies. We want to escape from our realities and always make excuses. Let us not forget that even if it is painful to face the truth, this will gradually help us in ccepting ourselves more and be better persons. Though we may encounter some unexpected instances, the fact that we resign ourselves to certainty and veracuty is more than enough. Joaquin presented the novel without the consistency of a normal narrative presenting the story in a non-linear manner and focused first on the present and unfolded the numerous settings as every character was introduced on several parts. It revolved around the concern of the little people and of the metanarratives that were expounded on as the story was completed.

Selling Your Novel Without an Agent

Selling Your Novel Without an Agent Many authors mistakenly believe you must have a literary agent to sell your novel to a publisher – especially one of the big New York publishers. While it’s true that the right agent can help you find a publisher and negotiate a contract, it’s also possible to have a flourishing career without an agent. If you’re interested in selling your novel without an agent, here are some tips and guidelines to help you: 1.  Ã‚     Research Your Market – While many people rely on their agent to match them up with the right publisher, my experience has been that I knew as much about my chosen market as most of the agents I talked to. You, too, can become an expert in your genre. Read editor and agent blogs. Visit publisher websites. Follow publishers and agents on Twitter. Read publications devoted to your genre. Read the dedications and acknowledgments in your favorite books in your genre and note the names of editors – these are the pros you want to work with. 2.  Ã‚     Perfect Your Pitch – Your manuscript or proposal is a product you’re trying to sell to a publisher, so polish your one-to-two sentence pitch. You’ll use this pitch in query letters and as an â€Å"elevator pitch† when you meet editors at conferences. Your pitch should tell what your book is about, but it should also â€Å"sell† the project, making it sound intriguing and marketable. For instance, my pitch for my November release, The View From Here, was â€Å"Northern Exposure in the Rocky Mountains.† This immediately conjured up the idea of a small, rugged town filled with quirky characters. 3.  Ã‚     Know Publisher Policies – Though some publishers say they’ll take only agented manuscripts, plenty of publishers are still open to unagented submissions. Smaller presses such as Bell Bridge Books are open to unagented authors, as are most digital publishers and many larger publishers, including Kensington Books,   St. Martin’s Press, Berkley Books, Harlequin Books and many others. Read the publisher’s guidelines on their web sites and in market guides, but go a step further. Make a phone call and ask if they’ll accept a query from an unagented author. The worst that can happen is they’ll say no. And many will say yes. 4.  Ã‚     Attend Conferences – Even publishers with policies against unagented material will   send editors to conferences to take pitches. If you’re targeting a particular publisher and an editor you’d like to work with is attending, the price of the conference fee could be a good investment in your career. Pitch your project to the editor and they may request you send them the manuscript. I sold The View From Here to Kensington 5.  Ã‚     Enter Contests – Contests are another way to get your work in front of editors even if you don’t have an agent. Most contests will list the names of final judges. Select contests with judges who are editors you want to work with. (You’ll know this because you’ve been doing   your research – see #1). 6.  Ã‚     Find a Literary Attorney – Once you’ve successfully sold your novel, you’ll need to hire a literary attorney to review the contract for you. Be sure you get a literary attorney, and not just any lawyer. You want someone familiar with the contract terms used in publishing. You can find a literary attorney through a Google search or from referrals from writer’s organizations. Expect to pay several hundred dollars for the contract review, but it’s a one-time fee and well worth the money.

Fundamentals of Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Fundamentals of Leadership - Essay Example This paper presents a report on the leadership within the BMW Group in relation to various models and theories of leadership. Joachim Milberg, BMW’ CEO is a pragmatic leader who has led the company to achieve the most successful period in its history. The Great Man theory of leadership is a characteristic quality of leaders whose qualities lead to a great positive transformation of a company or business organization. The description of the qualities of leadership by Northouse (2010), illustrates that it is through the good attributes of a leader that positive change is made possible. The changes which have been brought about by Milberg especially in car production and the significant increase in sales of the company’s brands apparently illustrates that he is a great leader. Milberg can also be described in relation to the trait theory of leadership because it is through his unique traits that have made him to be a successful leader in causing positive change within the company. Milberg’s leadership traits demonstrate that he is a sensible leader who is also level headed in making leade rship decisions. It can be argued that the special traits of this leader are inherited because they are explicit and unique when compared with the previous CEO as demonstrated by his excellent performance as the CEO of BMW Group. As a result of his god leadership traits, Milberg is very respected by all members of the BMW Group. The participative theory of leadership is described by Northouse (2010) as the kind of leadership style which gives due consideration of the opinions and needs of those who are led in reaching decisions. Milberg’s leadership in the company encourages democratic or team leadership in which the management gives the employees a chance to give their views and ideas on various project issues before reaching the final decision. Therefore the company’s CEO engages the company in participative leadership. Seminars and workshops are held in the