Ace These Most Frequently Asked MBA Interview Questions

Ace These Most Frequently Asked MBA Interview Questions In a recent article published in U.S. News World Report, the warning business school applicants dread to hear is clear:If you tank your MBA interview, your odds of admission plummet. You can help ensure that doesnt happen to you by thoroughly preparing for the exchange and the hardball questions that await. Some schools are known for asking their applicants out-of-left-field questions such as, If you were a tree, what kind would you be?U.S. News World ReportIf you were a tree, what kind would you be? Its questions like this that throw MBA applicants off in their interview and create uncomfortable, unprepared moments. Photo by Todd Quackenbush on Unsplash.The article goes on to explain the five most difficult MBA interview prompts that often get asked of unsuspecting interviewees. These are:What is your biggest weakness?Tell me about a time you failed.Describe a poor manager youve had.Tell me about an ethical dilemma you faced.Tell me about yourself.So, lets look at the best way to ace the prompts when you encounter them in an MBA interview, and consider some others that also tend to be asked often.What is your biggest weakness?Before you answer this one with I work too hard or Im too much of a perfectionist, stop. Dont. Its not an honest answer and the reason the interviewer is asking it is to see how honest your response is. Obviously, you dont want to answer with I have a drinking problem or I am always late, but there are still options that will give the interviewer the sincerity he or she is looking for, as well as give you an opportunity to show that you believe in personal improvement and evaluation.The best way to answer this question is to use the moment of weakness to show your parallel strength(s). For example, if youve had a less than stellar academic record, you might say, I struggle with test taking, so my grades in undergrad have suffered. But Ive learned a few strategies that help since then and I dont foresee this being an issue in my MBA prog ram. By admitting to your weakness, youve a) answered a red flag that the committee had already noted anyway, and b.) showing that you work on improving yourself and are determined.Tell me about a time youve failed.In much the same way a question relating to your biggest weakness provides an opportunity for sincerity and showing your strengths, tell me about a time youve failed is a tricky one to answer. The interviewer is wanting a specific moment that you experienced failure, so its best to approach this one with an anecdote that youve prepared beforehand (rather than being caught off guard and on the spot).For example, you might explain about the time you needed to prepare an important presentation at work but waited until the last minute and was unable to pull it together in time, thus embarrassing your boss. Explain within in that same story the consequences you faced for that failure, and how it taught you an important lesson about having enough time to prepare something thoro ughly. Be sure to accept responsibility for your failure without pinning the blame on someone else, since this is a quality your interviewer will be looking for in you.Describe a poor manager youve had.Whether in life or in academia, you will always encounter colleagues and peers who underperform or who are difficult to work with. MBA interviewers understand this and want to see how professionally you handle yourself in these circumstances, so they ask questions like this one.The most important thing to keep in mind is that even though it might seem like it, this is not the opportunity to bad-mouth someone youve worked for in the past, so dont use it as one. To answer the question honestly, youll need to explain why someone was difficult to work with, but you should still remain as objective and professional as possible in doing so.For example, your answer might be something like this: A particular manager I had when working at [XZY company] was rarely on-site and didnt understand h ow things worked. The few times she did visit, it was rushed and she was on her phone for most of it instead of speaking with employees. I was consistently asked to bring her up to speed on things she could have learned from being on the job daily and her lack of physical presence started to become an issue for everyone in the department, especially when she gave them negative reviews.You might then follow up that story with something along these lines: I realize that her duties might have kept her from having a physical presence in the department, but it taught me that circumstances like that are not conducive to a healthy working environment.Tell me about an ethical dilemma you faced.According to the article, Situations that rest in the gray area are most effective with this sort of question, as those circumstances require leadership, nuance and maturity. This means that you need to avoid discussing any ethical dilemmas youve faced that have clear-cut answers to them, as these sho uld not have been a dilemma in the first place. For example, if your manager has sexually harassed you in the past, the harassment should have been quickly reported. There is no gray area to this situation; your manager was in the wrong.Your interviewer will want to see that you know how to approach true gray-area situations with maturity and professionalism. For a similar example, if youve been in a situation in which your employer was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women but you were never harassed, you might explain it like this:There were accusations within the department that my manager had sexually harassed multiple women. I had never been harassed by him personally but a good friend of mine had, and I believed her story. So, when I was interviewed by the investigating committee about the accusations, I clearly stated that I had never felt any level of harassment from my manager and that he seemed to perform his duties well and with integrity, from my point of view. However, I did tell them that I had heard of the allegations from accusers who I trusted to tell the truth, but I did not see the harassment take place.Tell me about yourself.With an open-ended question like this one, its easy for applicants to get off track or forget the intent of the question. Think of this question as an invitation to hear your two-minute elevator pitch as to what makes you a qualified candidate for the MBA program and what your immediate and long-term goals are. You can throw in a bit of information about your hobbies and passions in life, but rememberâ€"only hit the highlights and keep it under two minutes. Plan out this pitch before you go to your interview and know exactly what youll highlight when you give it.Plan out your elevator pitch before you go to your interview and know exactly what youll highlight when you give it. Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash.More questions to prepare forAs promised, lets look at a few more frequently asked questions for MBA program applicants, along with some suggestions for how to respond. Here are some more of the top ones, along with ideas to clarify your answer:Why have you decided to apply to business school? (Show that youve had a solid career trajectory toward this moment and choice.)Why does this particular program appeal to you? (Do your research! Give solid, precise reasons why youre choosing this program over others.)Why should we admit you instead of someone else? (Dont be humble here, let them know what you believe it is about yourself that stands apart from others trying to get into the program.)How do you plan to use your MBA? (Have a list of both your short- and long-term goals ready for when they ask this question. You need to be able to articulate exactly what you plan to do with your degree, both while you are earning it and afterwards, including your intended career trajectory.)If you are admitted to our program, what do you think your biggest challenge will be? (Let them know that you understand exactly how challenging an MBA program will be and how you plan to overcome those challenges.)How would your colleagues describe you? (Dont use this as simply an opportunity to brag; rather, be sincere and relate some of the professional and personal qualities those who know you and work around you are likely to list. It will be an opportunity for the interviewer to see you as a person instead of just another number on his or her list of applicants.)Do you have any questions for me? (Never bypass this opportunity to find out more about the program, its history, or its direction. This shows that you are paying attention and that you have a curious mindâ€"two important and necessary qualities to make it through any MBA program.)

Dutiful Men and Their Emotional Women in the Odyssey and...

â€Å"Dutiful Men and their Emotional Women† In reading the Aeneid I took a particular interest in the relationship that develops between Aeneas and Dido and how this relationship highlights the desires and roles that each gender may have had in this time period. For example it seems the male desire is to seek his kingdom while the female role seems to secure a partner. Dido and Aeneas in Book Four resemble the relationship that we see between Odysseus and Calypso in Book Five of the Odyssey. The departure of the two men in both books highlights the women’s perceptions of what their relationships were. Looking at this comparison it is interesting to see what drives each woman and man in these situations. The departures of Aeneas from Dido†¦show more content†¦He instead, leaves Dido to continue his long-term commitment, to found Rome. Furthermore, Aeneas claims his true love is Italy and that â€Å"there lies my love, there lies my homeland now† (Aen. IV. 432) emphasising that Dido was not a priority for him, Rome was. Unlike Aeneas, Odysseus has already found his kingdom and is on a mission to return to his palace and home. However, like Aeneas, he is not reluctant to leave the woman he has been sleeping with on the island of Ogygia. Although Calypso is said to have trapped him on her island, the cunning Odysseus does not plot to escape. When Calypso relays the message from Hermes that Odysseus is free to go if he wishes only then does he start plans to leave. Like Aeneas, Odysseus â€Å"long[s] to travel home and see the dawn of [his] return† (Ody.V.242-3). His primary purpose is to make it home to his kingdom. It is clear that a woman is not Odysseus’ main focus, he states that his wife back home â€Å"falls short of [Calypso], [her] beauty, stature† (Ody.V.240). Therefore, if his main goal were to obtain a most beautiful woman he would have stayed with Calypso instead of pursuing his nostos. This example also shows that the main focus and goal of a man should be his king dom and not women. It is acceptable for women to be short-term distractions and to have relations with them forShow MoreRelatedThe Aeneid Is An Epic Poem1715 Words   |  7 PagesThe Aeneid is an epic poem written in 20 B.C by Virgil, the pre-eminent poet of the Roman Empire. It is based on the Greek oral tradition Homer s Iliad and Odyssey. Virgil seeks to establish the greatness of Rome by linking the foundation of Rome to the legends of Troy. In this masterpiece, he delicately pictures men and women with opposite characteristics. Men are rational and calm while women are emotional and chaotic which are represented by Neptune and Juno in sequence. Through this, Virgil

Impact of Macroeconomics on the Housing Industry Essay

To better understand the real impact macroeconomics has in an economy or a particular industry, it is better to define what macroeconomics is and what it attempts to study. Contrary from microeconomics which studies the impact that individuals or companies have in a local economy, macroeconomics focuses on the behavior of the economy or industries as a whole, in a national or global perspective. (Investopedia.com, 2015) However, microeconomics and macroeconomics are interdependent and complement each other. Because of the ultimate relationship that these factors have on each other, what happens in one ends up affecting the other and vise versa. Macroeconomics study changes that affect such things as unemployment, national†¦show more content†¦(Investopedia.com, 2015) Moreover, it is critical that individuals, government and corporations understand the causes of price cycles in the housing industry and how to effectively implement measures to help moderate these price cycles to maintain macroeconomic stability. According to Loungani, (2010) â€Å"Robert Shiller is well known for predicting the U.S. stock market crash of 2000–01. In 2003, he warned that U.S. house prices too contained a â€Å"bubble†; that is, they had risen far beyond what was warranted by fundamental driving forces such as income growth, interest rates, demographic change, and building costs.† (pg. 16) This is a clear example of how macroeconomic volatility affects the housing industry as well as other industries that feed off of the housing industry such as construction. Macroeconomics stability is important and it plays a critical part for the nation involved and the global community, this is why the government will sometimes use monetary policies to manipulate or stimulate the economy depending on its state. When there is a need to increase cash in the economy, the central bank or the Federal Reserve will buy government bonds and by doing so, it would cause interest rates to go down. (Investopedia.com, 2015) â€Å"Demand for goods and services will rise and, as a result, output will increase. In order to cope with increased levels of production, unemployment levels should fall and wages should rise†.Show MoreRelatedThe Monetary Value That Represents All Of The Products Made A Country Is Gross Domestic Product1742 Words   |  7 Pagesis doing and how much I should expect for my salary because if the prices have been increasing, then I would look for a job that pays higher so that I could have a comfortable living. 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Amazon E-Business Free Essays

Amazon. Coma’s E-Business Model Monte Sutton strayed university Assignment #2 Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course BUSSES: contemporary Business Dry. Miller Fall 201 1 Discussion 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Amazon E-Business or any similar topic only for you Order Now Discuss the pros and cons of Amazons growth and diversification of business and specialization, and make recommendations about what Amazon could have done differently. The internet has become a part of most everyone daily life for many years now. In addition E-Business has appeared for several years now. E-dustless refers to conducting business over the internet. E-Business accounts for more than one- quarter of the value of all manufacturing shipments, sales and revenues, totaling $1. 3 trillion (Boone ; Kurt, 2011). In 1996 a famous retail company In E-Business was launched called Amazon. Com_ Amazon. Com sells various products like electronics, books, music, DVD’s, housemates, PC’s and cars. Amazon. Com is the biggest retailer in E-Business, It has expanded Its business In more than 220 countries. Amazon had first started out as a company had first started out as an online bookstore. While selling books Amazon was making a decent profit, but Amazon leadership did not feel hat they were not making as much money as they had hoped to make tort the first year _ Also a lawsuit from Barnes and Noble prompted Amazon to come up with a way to better Its corporation. In 1999 when the E-useless boom began Amazon Went Amazon began to emerge into the world of E-Business this was the best thing they could have done. By doing this they begin to make huge profits and turned into one of the world’s leaders in E-commerce. Amazon was able to take over the E- Business because they began to offer to their customer’s better deals than the other E-Business corporations could offer. They were truly focused on customer satisfaction. The firm uses sophisticated inventory tools that help keep its costs down and allow it to wait for favorable supplier prices before placing orders. Amazon was able to restock when nobody else was restocking. As demands was falling off a cliff [because other retailers had placed holiday orders much earlier], they could get better rates (Boone ; Kurt, 2011 up. 223). The owner Jeff Bozo understood that in order to remain competitive in this business they had to first focus on the needs of the customers. Understanding what customers want and need is was very beneficial for the success of the company. Also expanded its merchandise at a lower cost would also attract more customers to order from Amazon. Another benefit of Amazon was that they had partnership with numerous transportation companies and could provide fast and accurate service to their consumers. Amazon has experienced many negatives ratings from some of their customers because of some of the defective merchandise they have received. Because Amazon has partnership with many consumers to sell their merchandise Amazon does not really know what a person may be receiving. Consumers only know that they ordered this merchandise from Amazon and if something is wrong Amazon should be responsible for the product. I fully understand their complaint. Understand the consumer’s complaint. I recently ordered a Colby MPH player from Amazon and when I got the MPH player it did not work. I looked all over the internet to try and find a contact number for Amazon but could not. I called Colby and went through some trouble shooting techniques before it was determined that the part was defective. The Colby told me to return the merchandise back to Amazon and they would replace it. Although once I went on Amazon website to find out how to return the item it was fairly easy. I felt as though instead of me returning the item back to Amazon I should have returned the item to Colby and they could have sent me a replacement item. Now I have to wait until Amazon gets the old MPH player and the they order me another one from Colby. I would recommend that Amazon find out a way to cut out the middle man so that consumers can get their replacement items in an expeditious manner. Discussion 2. Determine the impact if Amazon. Com had split up and became a family of brands (for example â€Å"Amazon† for books, â€Å"Super toys† for toys, etc. ), each with a public face but all run by the same parent company. Amazon may have lost some consumers had they would have branded themselves into a family of brands. What makes Amazon so unique is that a person can go to their one website and find everything they are looking for. The website has made so many changes to make it easier for the consumer to go directly to their website categorize what they are looking for and will e able to see Just that product. Had Amazon would have Just distinguished itself into a certain brand it would have seemed like they may have been trying to promote a certain item and this would have created competition amongst Amazon with its who truly likes ordering from Amazon. They would think that this is another E- Business that they are not familiar with doing business with. The ease of going to one website and understanding that everything at this website is all Amazon and the way that you use to order your merchandise you can still do it the same way. To any companies tend to think they are doing things to make it better for the consumer but in all actuality they are confusing the consumers. Discussion 3. Determine if it would be possible for Barnes and Noble or Borders to extend their markets in the same way that Amazon. Com has. Explain your rationale. Yes I think it is very possible for Barnes and Noble or Borders to extend their markets in the same was Amazon. Com has. The reason I feel this way is because the average American consumer we are always looking for the next best marketable company on the internet. Variety is the spice of life. At first consumers would be hesitant to order something other than books from Barnes and Nobles or Borders. But once the word get out that both these companies have become and establish E-Business like Amazon they should have no problem with becoming marketable in the E-commerce business. Not all consumers are happy with ordering merchandise from Amazon, so therefore it will take another company to get into the E-commerce business and have an established reputation and more will follow. In order for Barnes and Noble and Borders to become successful they need not to try and duplicate what Amazon is already doing in the E-Business. They need to come up with other creative ways to market their products, and also try and offer better pricing and better shipping rates than Amazon has to offer. Like anything, at first business may be slow for both companies because this is a new venture for them. But once the companies understand how the E-Business works and what customers want and need I don’t for see any problems with them marketing other items other than books over the internet. Discussion 4 Determine what Amazon. Mom would need to do to expand their distribution chain to include some brick and mortar outlets, and whether or not this would be a good idea. In order for Amazon to get into the Brick and Mortar outlet Amazon now would have to go out and find more building throughout the world and then higher more employees to run the outlet facilities around the wor ld. Now Amazon instead of competing in the E-commerce industry now they would also be competing in the store industry. By doing this would cost Amazon more money and could possible reduce the decline in sales over the internet. This would not be a good idea for Amazon for many reasons. Operation cost to maintain a building and a full time staff make up a large part of the overhead cost. Most retail stores commission are a big part of a sales person salary so therefore they may not have the best interest in the internet provides more information than the sales representative could. Most consumers now days go to a retail store and price and item then go home on the internet and get a better deal. Amazon is doing Just fine by remaining the top E- Business on the internet, References Boone, L. , Kurt, L. , (2011). Contemporary Business. Sons Inc. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and How to cite Amazon E-Business, Papers

Business Research Proposal Operations Research

Question: Describe about the Business Research Proposal for Operations Research. Answer: Introduction It has been empirically observed that the customers who purchased products from shopping mall spent lesser time as compared to stores or markets. It is also observed that customers conserve their precious time by using the shopping mall. Customers can purchase all type of respective goods at one single place with high quality and various schemes. Organised arrangement of the products attracts the customers towards the mall. For the sustainable status of the mall, customers are very essential component. Thus, their different nature and their expenditure have been examined in this research proposal. Business Research Topic The management team of the mall decides to analyse nature of the customers with respect to the purchase and expense of the products or services. Hence, the management department orchestrates a research study in order to determine the various facts related to the purchasing of goods in the mall. Another aspect to conduct this research study is to analyse the different claim of the customers related to the product or service in a specified time period. Therefore, the topic of research proposal is selected the analysis of the customers visiting shopping mall. (Bryman and Bell, 2015). Basic Research Questions The major objective for the research study is to determine the answer of various questions that arises in the process of expenditure by the customer in the mall. These research questions are mentioned below: What is the average age of the customers visiting the mall in a specified time period? What is the marital status of the customers visiting the mall and in what proportion? What is the net fraction of the customer visiting the mall based on the gender? What is the method used by the customer for payment? What type of payment method is more suitable for malls? What is the average sale by the customer in the mall within specified time period? Research Methodology and Process Selection of the appropriate methodology is considered an imperative step for the research study. The initial step in the methodology is to collect the necessary data with the help of specific sampling method. Random sampling method is suitable for the current research study, because it provides set of data from various customers from different sources in the mall and also it covers all type of customers based on age, gender, culture and status etc. (Hillier, 2006). Literature review in which the researchers can also examine the conceptual framework or findings of previous research outcomes for this study which can provide useful information to the researcher for conducting the researcher (Zikmund et. al., 2012). The collected data is then examined by the researcher by using suitable statistical tools or techniques Any null assumption in the research study must be specified by the researcher The researcher has selected the inferential and descriptive statistical method for this research study. Collection of Data and Analysis Procedure Following measures have been taken for this research study Variable selected Type of the customer /gender/age/marital status State of the customer Number of purchased goods Mode of payment Net sales in dollars $ Scale selected There are two main scales selected for this research study Nominal scale Ratio scale Size of sample Suitable size for the sampling method is imperative to collect reliable data which represents the population. The sample size is 200 for this study. The data collected from various customers is to be analysed with descriptive statistical method, which provides a detailed sets of element to express statistical representation on the nature of the spending of the customer in the shopping mall (Swarup, Gupta and Mohan, 2010). Analysis of the collected data Two basic types of the statistical methods have been adopted for the analysis of the collected data. These methods are inferential statistics method and descriptive statistical method, to determine the purchase of the products in the shopping mall (Hastie, Tibshirani and Friedman, 2001). Descriptive statistics method. The researchers will examine the collected data and expressed in terms of the average age, state of the customers, fraction of the purchasing goods based on the gender of the customer, the average spending of the customer, mode of the payment in the shopping mall. This descriptive statistics will help the researchers to determine minimum standard deviation and maximum standard deviation (Eriksson and Kovalainen, 2015). Inferential statistical method Several statistical tools and tests would be operated in this research study, in order to find the various claims and the expenditure made by the customer in the shopping mall. In this scenario, one sample t test, two sample t test and z test is selected for the study (Lieberman et. al., 2011). Various graphs, tables and charts have been drawled in the MS excel in order to form a quick view on the collected data and final results. Also, regression analysis has been taken into consideration to interpret the data. If required a correlation coefficient would also be deployed in the analysis (Swarup, Gupta and Mohan, 2010). Research Outcomes The final expected research conclusion can be expressed below, which can able to answer the research questions. Average net sale of the mall as per different customer profile Minimum net sale Maximum net sale Mode of the payment used for transaction Fraction of the different mode of the payment Proportion of the visiting customer based on the gender Marital status of the customer and find the relative proportion Average age of the customer visiting in the mall Distribution of the visited customer based on their residential status. References Bryman, A and Bell, E. (2015).Business research methods, New York: Oxford University Press, Eriksson, P. and Kovalainen, A. (2015),Qualitative methods in business research, London: Sage. Hastie, T., Tibshirani, R. And Friedman, J. (2001), The Elements of Statistical Learning, New York: Springer Publications Hillier, F. (2006), Introduction to Operations Research, New York: McGraw Hill Publications, Lieberman, F.J., Nag, B., Hiller, F.S. and Basu, P. (2011), Introduction To Operations Research, New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Publishers Swarup, K., Gupta, P.K. and Mohan, M. (2010), Operations Research, New Delhi: Sultan Chand Sons Zikmund, W., Babin, B., Carr, J., and Griffin, M. (2012),Business research methods, New York: Cengage Learning.

Imagine a Utopian Analysis free essay sample

John Lennon’s Imagine, released in 1971, is one of the most famous utopias ever composed. In his song, Lennon dreams of a world in which there is no religion, no countries, world peace, no possessions and no discrimination; his utopia is a world based on equality. This song was heavily influenced by all the ongoing events that were occurring at the time of its composition. Hundreds of thousands of Americans were calling for world peace and for America to cease its involvement in the Vietnam War, in which it was killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. This song that Lennon wrote is reflective of the need of many people in the ‘70s for there to be world peace and no discrimination. Lennon’s utopia features real people. In his song he speaks of hopefully changing the views and opinions of the world population, and instead of having all people worrying about what may happen tomorrow or sometime in the future, he wants them to start implementing change now. We will write a custom essay sample on Imagine: a Utopian Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Imagine all the people/living for today†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The repetition of this line in the song reinforces Lennon’s â€Å"dream† for a better world and it drills into the listener that this is what Lennon wants; a world in which people are trying to make a difference now, rather than at some unforeseeable time in the future. A common idea related to the utopian ideal of nature is that the removal of possessions could potentially lead to the end of the greed and ambition. This is what Lennon proposes in his utopia; â€Å"Imagine no possessions,/I wonder if you can,/No need for greed or hunger†. This line in the song is actually quite contentious, too. Many believe that what Lennon proposes – â€Å"Imagine no possessions† – is actually quite an easy thing for him to state because through the exuberant amount of money that he made as being a member of the Beatles, he could easily have any possession that he wanted and he would never have to endure the agony of hunger or the need for fresh water. However, others believe that this statement made by Lennon would be quite difficult for him to make and would involve self-sacrifice as he would lose all the wealth that he had gathered if his utopia was to become real. The third verse of Imagine focuses on the utopian ideal of equality. This is one of the key elements of Lennon’s utopia. He believes that through the abolishment of war, countries and discrimination in his utopia, that equality could be achieved. Through his simple wish of a world in which there could be â€Å"A brotherhood of man,/Imagine all the people/Sharing all the world†, one can’t help but sympathise with his dream. To share the world equally and for no race, creed or religion to affect the opinions of people about others would be a perfect world. Lennon’s world is just filled with â€Å"people†, not blacks, not Christians, not homosexuals, not Jews or whites, not Italians, not Buddhists; just people. And the world will live as one. † In his song Lennon also introduces a different utopian ideal to what is featured in most utopias, and this ideal is that of world peace. Through Lennon’s utopia removing countries and patriotism as well as religion, he believes that in his utopia there would be no wa rs because there would be nothing for the people to fight for. â€Å"Imagine there’s no countries,/It isn’t hard to do,/Nothing to kill or die for,/No religion too,/Imagine all the people/living life in peace†¦Ã¢â‚¬  John Lennon delivers his utopia to the listener through monotonous vocals that at time sound as if they are just droning on. However, this monotonous droning doesn’t bore the listener but instead gives the impression of someone having a dream. This, obviously, supports the purpose of the song which is to illustrate to the listener the utopia that Lennon has dreamt of. The vocals and simplistic language used also makes it easier for the listener to relate and sympathise with what Lennon’s utopia. The melody is quite personable, too. The repetition of different lines and phrases, such as â€Å"Imagine† emphasises the fact that this song is an illustration of what Lennon wishes the world to be like.

A full detail of the first and the last chapters of the movie Gladiator Essays

A full detail of the first and the last chapters of the movie Gladiator Essays A full detail of the first and the last chapters of the movie Gladiator Essay A full detail of the first and the last chapters of the movie Gladiator Essay Essay Topic: The Heart Goes Last This essay is a full detail of the first and the last chapters of the movie gladiator; it also covers 3 different topics on the chapters. I am going to explain the expressions given by characters, what director wants from audience, and the role of camera in the movie. This film is presented as an exciting epic. The central focus of the film is intended to be on Maximus (Russell Crowe) by the director (Ridley Scott) and is about one mans heroic stand against the greatness, but at the same time, the corruption of the Roman Empire. Hell is unleashed is the title of the opening scene and begins with credits to the background of flames. It then progresses to a figure walking in a long grassed field to the background of the sky and the camera in a close up, focusing on his hand, the wedding ring clearly visible showing his devotion to his family at an early stage. At this point the music is melancholy with a female soloist which carries on throughout the film. This is a situation of calm; almost like a dream. The shot cuts to a close up on Maximus face as he lifts his head with his eyes closed, as if in deep thought. This is a dramatic change of scenery from the dream like golden fields to the reality of a war stricken battlefield. The music intensity quickens and he opens his eyes, the combined intensity of the music and the clothes he is wearing make him look like a powerful warrior. The camera then cuts to many different angles but after each one cuts back to Maximus, this is showing how busy everyone is when they are preparing for battle. The music is the theme tune. The music stops to show, perhaps, the silence before the battle and the camera cuts to Maximus riding his horse, the camera dollies with the horse and the music starts and intensity slowly rises as the camera cuts to the enemy showing themselves out of the dark. The camera is in amongst the soldiers preparing for battle showing the intensity of war and the discipline of the Romans compared to the barbarians. There is a birds eye view as the battle starts and you are shown all the firepower they had at their disposal. Archers, catapults, cavalry are shown to show the technologically advanced Romans. The camera cuts to the soldiers and the front line battle. The camera cuts to a close up with the camera dollying with cavalry soldiers and Maximus, the music is very fast which reflects the actions happening at the scene. The camera follows them into war where death is shown all the way through and very graphically which shows the horror of war, as the battle comes to an end the music slows and the scene moves into slow motion. The sound effects stop completely but for the music, which is very calm and mournful reflecting the horror of the battle. In this scene the shots go from distant to close up which show the violence, anger and pure adrenaline of war. At the end of the battle ash and snow start to fall, which represents that the Romans won the battle, but with a great cost of human life, the music is very melancholy representing sorrow. The Director wishes to show the audience how organized and invincible the Romans are (on the battle field at least), how they are lacking in motivation, and in contrast how the barbarians are fighting for a lost cause and yet they will not give up. He shows this by always making the Romans look organized and goes in amongst the barracks and with Maximus in the ambush with the camera where as the camera watches the barbarians get attacked and slaughtered. Death smiles at us all is the title of the ending scene and is of possibly the most significance of the whole film. It is the scene where he two main characters die and has religious over tones from the start. It starts with the two main characters, Maximus and Comadus, rising on a platform with roses dropping from above and a gospel choir singing as if they are rising up to heaven; the camera is close up until they go out of view and then pans out to see a wooden structure that resembles a cross. This may symbolize that someone is going to die. As they rise to the top platform the viewer is shown the whole of the floor of the coliseum covered in rose petals; this shows that this is a very emotional occasion. The camera then cuts to a close up of each person of significance to give the effect of a showdown, the petals also mite look like blood on the sand of the arena. During the period of most of the fight there is no music, only other sound effects such as swords clashing; this is because there is no music that could state every emotion that the characters would be feeling and so there is no need because the event almost speaks for its self as it is of such emotional significance because it would affect so many people. Before the battle starts we see a paradox between a bad man wearing white stabbing a good man wearing black in the back whilst showing affection and hugging him, this shows that Comadus wants to become the good man in the publics (us) eyes and Maximus is very upset and his life and does not care, all he wants to do is take revenge and do the last words of Marcus Aeurileus. As the battle starts the camera dollies with them but cuts back and forth from the ground level view and in the stands which puts the audience right in the seats of the arena, this is to give variety to the fight scene and keep it seeming fast paced and keep the audience involved in the fight, it also shows the fighters perspective to the fight. All through this scene some bits are in slow motion, others blurred and some normal speed; this is because whenever any of those happened it was always seen from Maximus view and so Maximus is beginning to die and would be seeing things at different speeds. The fight is fast paced and the camera angles vary lots of times in a very short space of time to make it look more exciting than it actually was. The only sound used throughout the fight scene is that of clashing blades. The camera cuts to Maximus house once more to show that he is dying and is almost dead, the director here wants the audience to sympathise with Maximus. As Comadus dies there is no music and very gory sound effects to show the enormity of the event and the director wants the audience not to have sympathy for him. The camera then cuts to silence with the camera spinning round the coliseum to give the effect of everyone watching and reflecting on the emperors death; the music starts very slowly and builds up. The camera cuts to Maximus house again to show he is really near the end and almost with his family in the afterlife, the solo vocalist returns and then the camera cuts between Maximus and the dead Emperors sister several times before a close up on his face as he dies; the camera then follows him as he glides along the ground, with rose petals clearly visible on the floor behind him symbolizing that he is b ack with his wife and child and happy again. The camera cuts to Maximus walking in the field back to his house as in the beginning but this time in colour and then cuts back to him lying on the floor in the middle of the coliseum. The camera moves to inside the ring of people and has a close up on the emperors daughters big speech about how Rome is not worth one good mans life with a close up view on her but looking up at her to give the effect of her being big and taking over. It then moves to a birds eye view as Maximus is carried off. Next the camera shows a close up of Chimsy burying Maximus figures of his family in sand stained in blood to symbolize him being with his family as he died in the same place in the sand and they are buried in his blood. The camera then rises to see the sun going down on the great city of Rome. In this scene I think that the director (Ridley Scott) is trying to show how weak such a powerful city like Rome can be and that even though it looks so magnificent, it only takes one man to tear it apart. Language At the beginning of the movie the language is shown in text. Within the text it explains the genre and idea of the movie by explaining the situation of the Roman Empire and that the Roman Empire was at its rise (therefore the audience realizes something is going to happen to the Roman Empire). But through out the whole movie the language is shown oral. Main characters such as Russell Crowe use very much of a wise-men language; this means they make influential speeches in the movie, which portrays their character in the movie. The barbarians and the Arabs are shown that they do not speak the same language as the Romans; therefore there are the bad and the roman language is the good. Music The music through out the movie is very downhearted and melancholy. The music expresses sorrow and sadness. At the beginning the movie starts with music and it ends with music, perhaps they are both parts of the same song because the tune seems to be the same. On the other hand there is a music theme for the wars and fights which is a more militia music type to show the expressions and give the feeling of war and death. Symbolism In this movie symbols were very much involved. Symbols such as robins to show winter, bad people wear black dirty and good people wear bright and clean, the bad dead body is on the floor in the arena and the good body is carried of with honor, a ring is shown to show devotion to family, flowers are always shown to show emotions, in the wars the catapults were shown to show the technology of the roman empire and Comadus is shown with a baby face which symbolizes a child, not an emperor. Many different symbols have been used in this movie to give hints or id