The Scorecard Measures between BSkyB and ESPN Essay

The Scorecard Measures between BSkyB and ESPN - Essay Example The viewpoints have been stated to be with regard to the domestic business processes and that of customers along with learning as well as progress. Therefore, the mentioned functions related to balanced scorecard facilitates the companies to constantly verify their financial outcomes while concurrently supervising the development related to constructing competencies accompanied with obtaining the insubstantial assets that are believed to be required for future development (Kaplan & Norton, 2005). The operational as well as the management control structures of majority of the companies are found to be centred on the financial dealings and aims. These financial measures have been observed to put up with minimum association of the company’s advancement towards attainment of the strategic goals in the long-run. Therefore, the prominence that is rested by majority of the companies on the financial initiatives is observed to leave behind a space among structuring an approach and its respective implementation. The application of balanced scorecard eradicates the necessity for the managers to utterly rely on the short-run financial initiatives for ascertaining the performance. The possible scorecard actions that could sensibly be applied by both the considered companies i.e. BSkyB and ESPN have been suggested below in four different heads: Financial Perspective This particular viewpoint i.e. the financial perspective is learnt to relate to the financial purposes that are yearned with regard to the viewpoint of the shareholders of an organisation. The initiatives related to the financial performance would help in defining the purposes of the organisations in the long-run. BSkyB needs to make investments in altering their programs and for the reason of introducing fresh ones in order to cater to the altering desires of the consumers. The investments will help the company to develop additionally in terms of their present market shares along with helping them to rea p benefits from the made investments in the future days. ESPN also needs to make investments in launching fresh channels which would aim at broadcasting a varied range of programs such as entertainment, music and movies encompassing the requirements of the various age groups of consumers. This will help the company to earn noteworthy returns which would further enhance the worth of the shareholders (Kaplan & Norton, 2005). Customer Perspective This particular step that is the comprehension of the vision of the company aids the managers to develop an agreement regarding the strategy and the objective of the companies. The vision of the company is believed and observed to revolve around their customers. Companies need to embark on such strategies that would be directed towards attaining the satisfaction of the customers. BSkyB should alter their programs in accordance with the changing trends in the desired pattern of programs by the consumers. A proper study needs to be conducted reg arding the demands of the consumers on the basis of

Madrigal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Madrigal - Essay Example It was a through-composed setting of a short poem. It also recalls a strophic song with a ritornello (refrain)- the trecento madrigal. Madrigals of the early 16th-century had no refrains or any other features of the old formes fixes, having sequential repetitions of musical and textual phrases. The original music is suited to the rhythm and sense of the words accompanied each line of poetry. Four-voice settings of the madrigals were a trend approximately during 1520 to 1550 but eventually a five-vocal sets became a rule after the middle of the century and settings for six or more parts were not unusual. The word "voices" is to be taken literally: the madrigal was a piece of vocal chamber music intended performance with one singer to a part. As a style of the 16th century, however, instruments often took their part or simply doubled the voices. In the early madrigal period the major, Italian composers who were active in Florence were the Franco-Fleming Philippe Verdelot and the Italians Bernardo Pisano and Francesco de Layolle and Verdelot, Pisano and Constanzo Festa, active in Rome. Adrian Willaert and Jacquez Arcadelt also became popular in Venice which is another early center. Frottola-like textures of the earliest madrigals were embodied in the works of Pisano and Festa and the four-voice pieces by Verdelot.

Children Within the Juvenile Criminal Justice System

Children Within the Juvenile Criminal Justice System The conceptualisation of children within the juvenile criminal justice system. Introduction In 2006 to 2007, statistics have shown that there were approximately 3,500 crimes per 100,000 individual’s conducted by juveniles in Australia, almost double the number carried out by adults (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2009). Before the 19th century, there was no category that separated juvenile offenders from adult offenders in Australia’s legal systems and children as young as six were sent to prison (Cunneen White 2007; Carrington Pereira 2009). In modern Australia however, it is widely accepted and acknowledged that juveniles should be treated differently within the criminal legal system so that their inexperience and immaturity can be considered (Richards, 2011). Consequently, juveniles are not dealt with as adults within the judicial system as they are treated more leniently than their adult counterparts. In Australia, the use of detention as a criminal punishment for youths is used as a last resort, after methods such as police cautioning and restorative youth programmes (Richards, 2011). Richards (2011a) suggests that youths are uniquely different to adults and as such this makes them incredibly receptive to rehabilitation in preventing them from further criminal acts. Richards (2011a, np.) argues that a‘range of factors, including juveniles’ lack of maturity, propensity to take risks and susceptibility to peer influence, as well as intellectual disability, mental illness and victimisation, increase juveniles’ risks of contact with the criminal justice system’. This essay will attempt to examine how children are positioned and conceptualised within Australia’s criminal justice system in contrast to the UK criminal system, examining in particular the concept of ‘childhood’ and ‘child’ discourses as well as considering the potential abuse of the juvenile criminal justice system. Discourses of childhood Historically, three key dominant discourses have been conceptualised around childhood and the child, which influences the ways in which children’s behaviour, capabilities and inherent characteristics can be understood (Kehily, 2009). The romantic discourse of childhood described by Jean Jacques Rousseau, views children as being innocent, pure and exuding inherent goodness, of which is harmed or corrupted through contact with the social world (Kehily, 2009). Romantic discursive representations perpetuates the understanding that children need to be protected from potential risk factors in the environment that could be dangerous to their inherent innocence. The acts of criminality from such a discourse are seen as being caused through the influence of the world around them (Kehily, 2009). As Richards (2011a) suggested, juveniles can be influenced by their peers into committing crimes, therefore the child’s inherent goodness has been tainted and corrupted. Also, in the digital age of modern childhood, a child’s early exposure to various forms of media such as the useful, but dangerous Internet, as well as games and movies with violence and crime increase the risk of corruption to their inherent goodness. In contrast, puritan discourse portrays children as possessing an innate capacity for evil or wicked behaviours that is in need of constant checking, observation, reprimand and guidance (Kehily, 2009). This viewpoint regards children as in need of saving from themselves and that childhood is a time in which children must be given moral education to deter their natural potential for wickedness (Kehily, 2009). Richards (2011a) described children’s natural propensity to take risks as a possible factor in criminal behaviour and as such this can be viewed in relation to the puritan discourse. The tabula rasa discourse postulated by John Locke however, portrays children as coming into the world as a blank slate that with effective education and support, can develop successfully into full adulthood (Kehily, 2009). From this viewpoint, factors such as poor education, family support and as Richards (2011a) describes ‘intellectual disability’ can be seen as leading children to crime. Each of these discourses have emerged in different periods of history as more dominant according to social and cultural factors; all three discourses however can be seen to different extents meshed within health care, education policy and practice and within the criminal justice system in addressing and preventing crime amongst young offenders. Australia’s juvenile criminal justice system The United Nations’ Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (1985) places importance on all nations developing laws, rules and provisions that are specifically catered to the needs of juvenile offenders, whilst simultaneously upholding their rights. All Australian jurisdictions (except Queensland) define a juvenile as being aged between 10 and 17; in Queensland it is between 10 and 16 (Richards, 2011). All children under the age of ten are viewed as being unable to be held legally responsible for their actions. This suggests that if a child under ten commits a crime then it is no fault of their own, but that something must have happened to them, such as Richards (2011a) highlighted, peer influence or lack of correct education, support and guidance. This concept of childhood utilises the discourses of romantic and tabula rasa, as children are being identified as inherently good, and only bad behaviour such as crime being committed through the influence of environmental factors (Kehily, 2009). The tabula rasa discourse is evident, in that it is the lack of appropriate guidance, education and support from others around the child, which has led to the child’s criminal behaviour (Kehily, 2009). Whilst Australia adopts such representations and discourses of children into its legal policies that determine how children are dealt with in the legal system, not all countries adopt the same viewpoint. In the United Kingdom, children can be seen to be viewed much differently, due to shifts of discursive representation following high profile criminal behaviours of children. UK juvenile crime policy Faulkner (2010) critiqued the UK Criminal Justice Act (1991), identifying that the UK criminal justice system had become ineffective, due to inconsistencies in how juveniles were dealt with judicially, stating there was a need to address increasing punishment. Faulkner (2010) stated that in response to rising juvenile crime, children should be dealt with as adults are treated, requiring increased punishment. In the UK, the murder of a two year old child, Jamie Bulger, in 1990, by a pair of ten years old boys led to the public outcry for a need for more severe punishments (Sereny, 1994). UK society was shocked by the criminal actions of the two young children and the media supported the public’s disbelief through representing the boys as child killers (Sereny, 1994). The puritan discourse could be seen in action, as the children were describes as being inherently evil, viewing the murder as premeditated and cold (Sereny, 1994; Kehily, 2009). Public pressure and media coverage c ried out for the two ten year old boys to be treated as adults and jailed for life (Sereny, 1994; Franklyn Petley, 1996). However, being juveniles, the boys were not subjected to life sentences in the UK criminal justice system, due to being viewed as being not fully responsible for their actions, they were however institutionalised with the aim of rehabilitation. The case of Jamie Bulger’s murder provides good evidence of how different discourses can be used within society and social and political systems, such as the criminal justice system. These discourses conceptualise how children and their behaviour come to be understood and, in law, how such behaviour is dealt with (Kehily, 2009). In society and the media, the boys were viewed as cold blooded killers, innately possessing some flawed, evil mind that led to their murderous behaviour (Seveny, 1994). However, the UK judicial system used a contrasting romantic discourse in viewing that ‘something’ had caused the children to behave as they did and that in applying a tabula rasa discourse, the children could be educated through rehabilitation into returning to the ‘natural’ goodness associated with a romantic discourse of childhood (Kehily, 2009). If this crime had occurred however in Australia, being 10 years old, the children would have been unable to have b een criminally charged or trialled for the murder of the two year old, as the law does not apply to ten year olds (Richards, 2011a). Australian law utilising a romantic discourse, viewing the children as wholly innocent and therefore the behaviour must be a result of external causes and influence (Kehily, 2009; Richards, 2011) Interestingly in the UK, there has been an introduction of ‘parenting orders’ given to the parents of children who offend (Home Office, 2003). Demonstrating the romantic discourse similar to Australia, it locates the behaviour of the child as a result of inadequate and poor parenting. Parenting orders are designed to change the behaviours of the parents through re-education so that they can then influence and support their children more effectively (Crime and Disorder Act, 1991). This also demonstrates a shift to a tabula rasa discourse in which children are at risk of poor parenting and in need of moral guidance and education (Kehily, 2009). This use of romantic and tabula rasa discourses in the UK juvenile criminal justice system concurs with Australia’s approach to addressing juvenile crime also. Richards (2011a) identifies that juveniles due to their age are very responsive to rehabilitation to promote non-criminal behaviour. This portrays childhood as a parti cular time that requires education and guidance, a view upheld within tabula rasa discourse. Studies have even been used to offer evidence that childhood is a qualitatively different state of being to that of adulthood, in which children have not cognitively acquired the skills needed to make appropriate decisions, determine risk and regulate emotions (Steinberg, 2005). This reflects a romantic discourse, which conceptualises children as essentially innocent, because they have not acquired the necessary cognitive functions to correctly know right from wrong. Murray (2009) states that Australian policy must reflect the need for interventions that can help juveniles grow out of crime, so linking the need for youths to be educated, supported and rehabilitated so that they develop into lawful abiding citizens. Richards (2011) suggests that juveniles have greater complex needs than adults, due to their psycho-social immaturity, being more under the influence of peer group pressure, drugs and alcohol. Childhood is conceptualised within Australian policy as a time in which children need to be protected from external environmental factors that can harm their inherent goodness and innocence (Kehily, 2009). Criminal behaviour is therefore being understood as a result of society’s failure to save these children from the negative influences of the outside world (Murray, 2009). Particular understandings have been identified through the examining of conceptualisation and discursive representation of childhood within the juvenile criminal systems of Australia and the United Kingdom. It is evident that children within the juvenile criminal system are not seen through puritan discourse. However, public anger to severe criminal offences such as murders undertaken by children can reflect this view of children as inherently evil. Through identifying how romantic, puritan and tabula rasa discourses are used within societies as a whole and perpetuated within media, policy and legislation, it has demonstrated how these can influence how children are treated with within the juvenile criminal systems. The dominant discourses found within Australia and the UK policies are that of a romantic and tabula rasa discourse, in which children are viewed as inherently innocent and good, criminal behaviour being seen as resulting from the influence of eternal environmental factor s. In managing and preventing juvenile crime, children are seen to require guidance, support and rehabilitation, viewing children through the tabula rasa discourse. From the understandings identified above, wide acceptance and acknowledgement that juveniles are to be treated more leniently due to considerations of their immaturity and inexperience may lead to potential abuse of the system by various parties. Potential abuse of the Juvenile Criminal Justice System As modern day children are getting smarter and exposed to technology at a younger age, from the puritan discourse, exposure to knowledge of how courts make rulings regarding juvenile crime, either through the internet or peer influence, may lead to a child’s potential exploitation of the system knowing that they can get away with petty crimes easily. In some cases, a child may play into their immaturity and risk-taking propensity, to commit crime such as theft to satisfy material needs. Similarly from the tabula rasa and romanticised viewpoint, ‘intellectual disability’ as described by Richards (2011a) can be transformed into a view of ‘intellectually shrewd’ children abusing the system due to corruption through contact with the social world, ineffective moral education and support. In extreme cases, there is also a possibility of adults or delinquent parents with knowledge of the system taking advantage of the innocence and immaturity of a child, either by threatening or inducing a child to commit crime on their behalf through means of rewards. This is perhaps a cause for concern due to the potential exploitation of such a loophole in the juvenile justice system. While Richards (2011a) suggests that children are more receptive to rehabilitation in preventing them from further criminal acts, prevention is better than cure. So why allow it to happen in the first place and follow up with corrective measures even though children are more receptive to rehabilitation? Support and guidance from family and school is ideal to keep a child in check. In scenarios where a child is from a broken family, where certain studies have shown a link between child delinquency and broken homes, schools should step in to provide more guidance and support for the child. Perhaps more can be done to educate children against such behaviour and raise awareness on this issue. Also, a helpline to combat scenarios where children are pressured into committing crime can potentially help. References Australian Institute of Criminology (2009) Juvenile crime. Retrieved from: http://www.aic.gov.au/statistics/criminaljustice/juveniles.html (Accessed 16th May, 2014) Carrington, K. Pereira, M. (2009)Offending youth: Sex, crime and justice. Leichhard, Federation Press Cunneen C White R (2007)Juvenile justice: Youth and crime in Australia, 3rd ed. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press Faulkner, D. (2010) Criminal law and justice at a time of austerity. London: Criminal Justice Alliance. Franklin, B. Petley, J. (1996) Killing the age of innocence: newspaper reporting of the death ofJames Bulger in J. Pilcher and S. Wagg (eds) Thatchers Children: Politics, Childhood and Society in the 1980s and 1990s, London: Falmer. Home Office (1998) Crime and Disorder Act, London: HMSO Home Office (2003) Respect and Responsibility: Taking a stand against Anti-Social Behaviour, London: HMSO Kehily, M, J. (2009) An Introduction to childhood studies, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill. Murray, C. (2009) Typologies of young resisters and desisters.Youth Justice9, (2), 115–129. Richards, K. (2011) Trends in juvenile detention in Australia. Retrieved from: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/401-420/tandi416.html (Accessed 16th May, 2014) Richards, K. (2011a) What makes juvenile offenders different to adult offenders. Australian Institute of Criminology. Retrieved from: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/401-420/tandi409.html (Accessed 15th May, 2014) Sereny, G. (1994) The Independent, Retrieved from: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/reexamining-the-evidence-a-year-ago-this-week-james-bulger-was-murdered-by-two-11yearold-boys-the-crime-shook-the-nation-the-boys-were-tried-convicted-and-locked-away-but-what-do-we-know-about-them-do-we-know-why-they-did-it-after-months-of-research-including-interviews-with-parents-of-both-boys-we-publish-in-two-parts-the-story-that-has-not-been-told-1392400.html (Accessed 3rd May, 2014). Steinberg, L. (2005). Cognitive and affective development in adolescence.Trends in Cognitive Sciences9, (2), 69–74 United Nations (1985)United Nations standard minimum rules for the administration of juvenile justice (the Beijing rules). Adopted by General Assembly resolution 40/33 of 29 November 1985. Retrieved from: http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/40/a40r033.htm (Accessed 12th May, 2014) 1

The Web Unwoven :: Expository History Interenet Essays

Introduction The WWW and the Internet are joined at the hip. The two are not separate—at least today. (Galbreath, 1977).(1) Most graduate students today, especially those of us majoring in Instructional Technology (IT), use the World Wide Web (WWW or Web) and the Internet (Net) for research. However many students do not know exactly how the Web came about nor do they understand its relationship to the Internet. Students, along with the general public, often consider the words Web and Internet interchangeable, meaning one and the same thing, primarily for the reason that Galbreath mentions above—the two seem joined at the hip today. The purpose of this paper is to provide a synopsis of the historical evolution of the Internet, to distinguish between it and the Web, and to present a glimpse of the Internet's future. History J.C.R. Licklider of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recorded the first conceptual description of computer networked social interactions in August 1962. His Galactic Network concept essentially described, in spirit, the Internet of today. It involved computers interconnected around the globe through which we could quickly access data and programs from any site. He convinced several of his colleagues of the importance of this networking concept. (2) Evidently, computer networking research work at MIT (1961-1967), the RAND Corporation (1962-1965), and at NPL in the UK (1964-1967) all proceeded in parallel without any of the researchers knowing of the other's work. (For a complete timeline of Internet developments visit Hobbes Timeline.) (3) For instance, in July 1961, Leonard Kleinrock at MIT published the first paper on packet switching theory and later in 1964 he published the first book on the subject. Meanwhile, in 1962, The RAND Corporation published Paul Baran's report On Distributed Communications Networks. The report was funded by a US Air Force contract to explore how the US military could protect its communications systems from hostile attack. In this and his subsequent reports, Baran recommended a national public utility to transmit digital data among a large set of subscribers. With his proposed packet switching system, messages are divided into packets, which are separately addressed and separately transmitted. Each packet is passed from node to node on the network. Although each packet may follow different paths, when it ends up in it's proper destination, all the packets are then reassembled into a complete message.

Crime Rate in Centervale Essay

If one was to compare the crime in Centervale to that of Alaska or Alabama it would be clear that Centervale has the highest crime total. If one was to compare the crime rate it would be clear that Alabama has in fact the highest crime rate with Alaska and then Centervale sitting very close in numbers. Alabama has the highest population and Alaska has the lowest, but this would mean that Alabama would not be the safest place to live. In fact an individual would want to live in either Alaska or Centervale. Centervale has a lower aggravated assault rate than that of Alaska, but Alaska has a lower robbery rate that that of both Centervale and Alabama. When looking for a new place to locate its always a great decision to check out how a city, county, suburb, or state hold up against that of other similar places when it comes to crime. No one wants to live in a place where they are afraid to leave their homes. When looking at the actually numbers Centervale is the highest followed by Alabama and then Alaska, but if an individual was to look at the crime rate then it would appear that Alaska has the highest followed by Alabama and then Centervale, but both Alabama and Centervale are very close in rate percentage. Alaska has a problem with alcohol related crimes, whereas in other locations in the United States drugs and alcohol are secondary to the crime. Information Importance This kind of information is important due to the growing concern that most individuals and families have about the crime not only in their local neighborhoods, but also in places that they may be considering locating too. It’s also important to find out what programs are in place to keep the crime rate reduced. Each neighborhood has some sort of program in place to help keep children and adolescents occupied so they are less likely to go out and commit a crime, but crime doesn’t always involve children and adolescents. Crime can and is often committed by adults. Read more:  India Crime Rate Most communities have an early childhood development program in place. It’s been stated by Paul Leighton (2007), that children enrolled in this program have â€Å"half as many criminal arrests, less likelihood of going to jail, higher earnings and property wealth, and a greater commitment to family†. There are also drug treatment, recreation, gang- prevention, education, special curricula, job training, and the labor market (Leighton, 2007). When moving to a new community an individual can call around to find what programs have been put into place to reduce the crime rate and what else can be done to help reduce the crime. Parents with small children wish to make sure that they are bringing their children to a safe environment with programs set in place to help the children and adolescents occupied after school. Definitions of Crime Crime is defined as â€Å"the act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law† (Merriam-Webster, 2013). Alabama and Alaska differ when it comes to crime punishment. Alaska abolished its capital punishment in 1957, but has since then tried to reintroduce it to no avail. Alabama on the other hand does have capital punishment and certain crimes can lead to the death penalty. These crimes are capital murder charges, rape, robbery, and burglary. Alaska imprisons their convicted criminals for either short period of times to life. In both states children and adolescents are charged as juveniles unless found to have committed an adult crime such as murder (non-accidental), robbery that ends up with loss of life or assault or rape. Rape charges can be difficult to try depending on the age of the child or adolescents and how much understanding of the charges and their understanding of right and wrong. Charging children in an adult court can be difficult to do since their understanding and reasoning is far different and underdeveloped than that of an adult. Recommendations Recommendations to help reduce the crime rate would to beef up the police and special crime units to help get a grasp on the crime in the state. Have better programs put into place within the prisons/jails. This will give a positive opportunity and outlet for the prisoners so they will not wish to reoffend. Allow employers that wish to hire ex-convicts the opportunity to sit down with the convict prior to their release. This will give the individual something positive to look forward to and a better outlook on life. Have programs set up for ex-cons along with programs set up for those who may need a positive outlet. Ex-cons need the structure to help them adapt better to outside life than to be just â€Å"dumped† on the streets after their sentence with the hopes of not reoffending. Many individuals feel they have nothing â€Å"outside† so why even try. In many cases this is true, the individuals family and or friends have given up on them or they have a difficult time finding a job, so they do what they believe is the only thing left and this causes them to reoffend. Conclusion In conclusion crime is a scary thing for any family or individual, but with careful consideration and knowing the facts needed one can make the correct decision. Many criminals that are within the prison/jail system are those who have reoffended, but due to the unknown these individuals tend to end back up within the system. Families and friends of those ex-cons need to be there for the individual for emotional support. Those who don’t have the proper support feel alone and often believe they need to be back where they were. References Crime in the United States. U.S. Department of Justice (2009). Retrieved from http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_05.html What Every American Should Know About the Criminal Justice System. Leighton, Paul (2007). Stop Violence. Retrieved from http://stopviolence.com/cj-knowledge.htm Merriam-Webster. Crime (2013). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crime

The analysis of the text “From: W.S.” Essay

The text under study is taken from the book â€Å"The Complete Short Stories of L.P. Hartley† written by L.P. Hartley. Leslie Poles Hartley, an English novelist and the son of a solicitor was educated at Oxford’s College and for more than twenty years he was a fiction viewer for magazines. He wrote a lot of novels and made a great contribution to English fiction. â€Å"W.S.† was published posthumously in 1973. The genre chosen by the writer dictates the adoption of the certain style. The genre of this text is the short detective story. When we read this story, we learn everything from the author, so here we can observe the author’s point of view. This excerpt is very interesting from the form of narration: it is not homogeneous because the narration is often interrupted by the inner monologues and by the elements of description. Because of the big amount of such elements, the form of narration is descriptive. Also we can observe non-personal direct speech. The main character of the story – Walter Streeter – gets one after another four postcards with messages from anonymous and starts thinking them over. His reaction on these postcards changes from the first to the last one. At first he was glad not to answer because he had a lot of things to do and the answering on such postcards required too much time and energy. But he was shocked and astonished about it, so he got rid of the first and the second one. Moreover, these postcards lingered in his mind and he pondered over the anonymous. He couldn’t understand who it was – a woman or a man because the handwriting and style of writing were extremely different. If the first postcard was about Walter Streeter’s personal features of character about his grip with people, the second one told that he was on the border of something. Walter Streeter had the difficulties with his work and he needed a new source of inspiration. After the receiving the third postcard he paid an attention on the initials of the sender. T hey were like his own. Walter Streeter even thought that it was he by his own who sent these postcards. The man went to his friend to ask for advice and after the conversation he felt reassured for a moment. He thought that it was a woman, who had somehow taken a fancy to him and she was a lunatic. Walter Streeter couldn’t destroy this postcard as the previous one, because they became the leading factor in his life. But after the fourth postcard the wave of panic surged in him and he even wanted to go to the police to protect himself. The author depicts very peculiar characters. The main hero is Walter Streeter, a novelist. While reading this excerpt we get the information about him and it may be said that the author tries to thrust his opinion on the readers. We feel some sympathy to Walter Streeter from the author’s descriptions. About some features of this character we learn only from these anonymous postcards. Mr. Streeter is usually friendly but sometimes critical. He is interested in Scotland and cathedrals. This man is conscientious, he is not a man to experiment with acquaintances and he is ready to escape into an ambiguous world, where the conscious mind didn’t have things too much its own way. These facts we know from some inner monologues, thoughts and feelings which are imperceptibly interwoven with the narration. The author uses such device for us to better understand this particular character and to show his full portrait. The next character is W.S. Only from the very end of the story we find out that W.S. is William Stainsforth, the character of Walter Streeter book. Walter Streeter didn’t endow him with some good features; he got some fun of this character and made him just nasty as he could. While writing the book about W.S., Mr. Streeter unloaded all his self-dislike on him. So W.S. decided to kill his creator. The author uses a gradation to create tenser atmosphere and to show that W.S. is coming nearer to Walter Streeter. This gradation can be observed in the end of the text of the postcards with word â€Å"handshake†. From the first till the last the â€Å"handshakes† were â€Å"A handshake, a firm handshake, a hearty handshake, a hard handshake†. It shows the significance of these postcards. This extract is full of stylistic devices. First of all, there are many interrogative sentences and it shows the hesitation and anxiety of the character. We can observe here such stylistic devices as zeugma – â€Å"took up the time and energy†, metonomy – â€Å"faint strings of curiosity†, personification – â€Å"growing pains†, periphrasis – â€Å"conscious mind†, â€Å"little mouse-like creature†, â€Å"poison pens†, a lot of examples of inversion. Also the author uses a lot of anaphoras. It is used widely to improve emphasis on some facts: â€Å"Perhaps they didn’t have their feet on the ground. Perhaps he was ready to escape†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Another type of repetition which is called anadiplosis is used: â€Å"†¦into an ambiguous world, a world where the conscious†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Besides we can meet such epithets in the text: â€Å"November fire†, â€Å"other-wordly†, â€Å"handshake from W.S.†; some metaphors such as â€Å"fruitful conflict†, â€Å"I’ve been re-reading your novels, living in them†, â€Å"a borderline case†, â€Å"lingered in mind†. A beautiful antithesis as â€Å"perfection of ordinariness† doesn’t let us calm to Walter’s style. As we see the language of the writer is very rich and full of various kinds of stylistic devices. It makes the story vivid, bright, interesting and picturesque. In conclusion I want to say, that this story tells us about the life of writer but it is unusual because of its mysterious detective plot. This story was interesting for me because of exciting plot, specific characters, incomprehensible end and lively language of the writer.