You are tasked with analyzing the last four years of accounts of a Essay

You are tasked with analyzing the last four years of accounts of a global mining company - Essay Example Graph 1 shows the company’s liquidity ratios over the four-year period. All the point ratios are less than one, and this means that performance of the company in management of short-term assets and liabilities is poor. In addition, current ratio and quick ratio have a declining trend, and this means that the organization’s management of liquidity worsened over the period. The two ratios, however improved from year 1 to year 2 before assuming the decreasing trend. Cash ratio reported an increasing trend but it was too low, with a maximum value of only 0.15. Correlation analysis of the ratios identifies a positive correlation between current ratio and quick ratio and a negative correlation between cash ratio and both current and quick ratio. Table 1 shows the correlation coefficients. Long-term solvency ratios are indicators of management’s efficiency in long-term management of resources. The ratios compare internal and external funding that an organization has and are inversely proportional to management efficiency (Thukaram 2007, p. 90). Times interest earned ration and cash coverage ratios are however inversely proportional to management efficiency (Mayes & Shank 2011, p. 118). From the graph, total debt ratio is low, over the entire period, and debt to equity ratio and equity multiplier ratio falls to lower values by year 1. The three ratios then decreases with time, indicating improved performance, which can be forecasted. Times-interest ratio and cash coverage ratio also show an improvement trend in performance because of their increasing trends over the period. Performance in management of long-term solvency is therefore strong and show improvement possibility. Asset turnover is another performance indicator that shows asset utilization in an organization. Inventory turnover, receivable turnover, and total asset turnover measures are directly proportional to management efficiency while days of realization and capital intensity are inversely

Internet Piracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Internet Piracy - Essay Example The Internet is a vast repository of music, movies, games and software. As the access to the Internet increases, the rate of piracy also increases. People with access to the Internet can download computer software, music or movies and other copyrighted material in digitalized form; and copy, replicate and sell it on the black market. All these activities constitute physical forms of piracy. Nevertheless, in developed nations, although people have widespread access to the Internet, the piracy rate is on the decline (Assenova). There is a direct relationship between such physical piracy and the Internet. Piracy has affected the international music industry. The proliferation of the Internet has made file – sharing and unauthorized downloading of music, very simple. Software pirates invented new technologies and tools to share music over the Internet. For instance, Napster introduced peer – to – peer technology that posed a serious threat to the music industry. It d ecreased the sale of legitimate music works, which caused the music industry to sustain severe financial losses (Mcclintock). Piracy did not stop at this and extended its depredations to the movie industry. The latter implemented several programs to protect itself from piracy, and the major movie companies launched joint campaigns against movie piracy, and made a number of efforts to enhance public awareness about piracy. These companies conducted antipiracy campaigns in university campuses and colleges across the US (Mcclintock).

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Law - Essay Example "Except where the parties have agreed otherwise, the goods do not conform with the contract unless they: (a) are fit for the purposes for which goods of the same description would ordinarily be used; (b) are fit for any particular purpose expressly or impliedly made known to the seller at the time of the conclusion of the contract, except where the circumstances show that the buyer did not rely, or that it was unreasonable for him to rely, on the seller's skill and judgment." In this case, the seller is acting in the course of business. It is common knowledge that bricks are made of clay. According to facts, ‘Sparkling Bricks’ were made of compressed paper. CISG (Article 38(1)) states that, ‘The buyer must examine the goods, or cause them to be examined, within as short a period as is practicable in the circumstances.† If the courts are convinced that it could have been revealed that the bricks were not made of clay upon reasonable examination, Brick-for-All would not be held liable. Paul can easily be expected to have known that what kind of material was used in making those bricks. Kingsley Ltd is a construction company and the purchasing of bricks is a very important factor for them. They must have chosen Paul to purchase the bricks because he must have had sufficient knowledge about bricks. In the given case, ‘Sparkling Bricks† were normally used externally which is their ordinary use. The facts clearly evince that the bricks that did not came into contact with sea salt did not allow damp into the house. They were fit for the purpose of external usage. The only purpose that was mentioned by Paul to the seller was external use. He never said anything about the location of the site where they were to be used. Paul chose the ‘Sparkling Bricks’ himself. On the other hand, i f ‘Sparkling Bricks’ are such that it cannot be found out upon reasonable examination that they were made of compressed paper instead of clay, it is a duty of Brick-for-All to tell the buyer about that fact. If it is further assumed that the knowledge about the bricks being made of compressed paper was crucial for Paul’s decision, Brick-for-All would be held liable. Article 36(1) of CISG states that, â€Å"The seller is liable in accordance with the contract and this Convention for any lack of conformity which exists at the time when the risk passes to the buyer, even though the lack of conformity becomes apparent only after that time.† Still assuming that reasonable examination by Paul could not have revealed the composition of the bricks, it would have been immaterial if Brick-for-All would have mentioned that fact to him. If the courts hold Brick-for-All liable, there is a question of restitution. Kingsley Ltd would be unable to return the bricks in the ir original form. Article 82(1) of CISG states that, â€Å"The buyer loses the right to declare the contract

Internet Piracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Internet Piracy - Essay Example The Internet is a vast repository of music, movies, games and software. As the access to the Internet increases, the rate of piracy also increases. People with access to the Internet can download computer software, music or movies and other copyrighted material in digitalized form; and copy, replicate and sell it on the black market. All these activities constitute physical forms of piracy. Nevertheless, in developed nations, although people have widespread access to the Internet, the piracy rate is on the decline (Assenova). There is a direct relationship between such physical piracy and the Internet. Piracy has affected the international music industry. The proliferation of the Internet has made file – sharing and unauthorized downloading of music, very simple. Software pirates invented new technologies and tools to share music over the Internet. For instance, Napster introduced peer – to – peer technology that posed a serious threat to the music industry. It d ecreased the sale of legitimate music works, which caused the music industry to sustain severe financial losses (Mcclintock). Piracy did not stop at this and extended its depredations to the movie industry. The latter implemented several programs to protect itself from piracy, and the major movie companies launched joint campaigns against movie piracy, and made a number of efforts to enhance public awareness about piracy. These companies conducted antipiracy campaigns in university campuses and colleges across the US (Mcclintock).

Cave present us with a coherent picture of Platos ideas Essay Example for Free

Cave present us with a coherent picture of Platos ideas Essay The purpose of the simile of the Sun is to show the difference between knowledge and opinion. In the world of opinion the sun gives light for us to gain empirical knowledge through sight. Objects (such as tables and mugs) and concepts (such as beauty and love) are part of the world of opinion because they are detected by our senses. The Form of beauty (or love) exists in the realm of the Forms. Plato believed that the Form of good gives philosophers knowledge of the Forms. The Form of Good gives the minds eye the power of knowledge and illuminates other Forms with truth and reality. In this way the Form of good allows us to see other forms and ultimately it allows us to see the form of good. The sun is also the source of all growth, and thus the Form of good is the source of all the Forms, and the cause of all existence. In the Sun, Platos idea is that visibility is opinion and the Form of good gives us the reality behind visibility knowledge of the Forms. The divided line goes into more depth on Platos previous idea. Although an abstract example, Plato uses it to try and make his idea simpler. Plato believed that there were four different states of the mind, and four different states of reality, both progressing from a lower level (illusion / images and shadows) to a higher level (intelligence / Forms). The lowest level is the second hand images of physical things. As Plato thought that physical things were just in the mind anyway, a shadow of a physical thing is the lowest form of knowledge, which corresponds to illusion in the mind. The next step up is physical things, which also covers sciences as they are based on the study of physical things. Belief is the empirical knowledge of physical thing, but is still opinion. The upper half of the divided line has mathematical reasoning, which is part of deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning does not rely on empirical knowledge and so mathematical reasoning is not based on belief. The reasoning perceives mathematical ideas, which are based on some belief (such as seeing a square, you have a mathematical idea about the square), but these ideas do not rely on belief. The highest kind of knowledge in the mind is intelligence, which can only be reached by the philosopher. Mathematical reasoning leads to intelligence, but mathematical ideas (part of the intelligible world) lead to knowledge of the Forms. In the idea of the Divided Line, Plato is showing us in more detail the differences between knowledge and opinion. He suggests progressions from both illusion to pure thought, and from the less real (images and shadows) to the truly real (the Forms). He also makes two clear distinctions between the world of knowledge and opinion (in the mind), and the world of appearances and the intelligible world (in reality). Platos idea of the Forms and the distinctions between the mind and reality have been coherent between the Sun and the Divided Line both showing very similar ideas but in different attentions to detail. There is a slight incoherence though. In the simile of the Sun, Plato tells us that the Form of good gives us power to see all forms, yet in the Divided Line it is unclear if the Form of good gives any power at all, as it appears to be mathematical ideas which allow us to perceive the Forms. It may be though that these mathematical ideas simply give way to the Form of good so it can allow us to see the Forms. The Simile of the Cave moves into more specific detail on the accent of the mind from illusion to knowledge, shown by the prisoners accent from the cave to the outside world (intelligible world). The simile is also an example of the divided line, using ideas put forward such as shadows, physical things, illusion, the Forms (the Sun) etc. Like the Sun simile Plato depicts the Form of good as the greatest of all lights. There is a road between the fire and cave, maybe to portray a clear conversion from illusion to intelligence. There are people talking outside holding statues. Their voices and the images of the statues are projected into the cave, and the prisoners believe these are real. The people trapped in the cave are all looking at shadows of statues (images themselves) projected against the wall, and therefore are doubly ignorant. Plato allows a prisoner to be released, and he walks towards the fire where he is dazzled. It hurts him, and he is told that the people on the road are real and that the shadows are nonsense. He returns to the cave: choosing illusion. Plato is showing a would-be philosopher failing his journey of knowledge, due to a flawed character. Later on, the prisoner is taken into the sunlight and held until his eyes grow accustomed to the sunlight. Once accustomed he can see shadows and reflections within time. Plato here brings in the idea from the simile of the Sun, creating a coherent idea between the two similes, that the Form of good (the Sun) allows the philosopher to see other things until finally he can see the forms, and finally the Form of good itself (the Sun). Through duty the prisoner returns to the cave and is blinded by the darkness. This is an idea Plato has that the eyes can be blinded by the light and by the dark, as the mind can be confused by greater and lesser minds. This continues a coherent idea of Platos from the Sun simile, the idea of the Sun and the Mind, or if we were to bring the Divided Line into this, Reality and the Mind. So far Plato has created a seemingly coherent picture of knowledge and opinion. After descending from the Forms the prisoner tells the other prisoners the statues. He has seen the Form of justice and they have only seen the shadow of justice, and so they hold different views and therefore he is put on trial. Plato here is showing societys view of the philosopher ruler in a similar way as he does with the simile of the Ship. The different states of the Mind in the Divided Line are straight comparisons to features of the Cave. Illusion is the shadows cast by firelight; belief is the statues of things and the fire; mathematical reasoning is the shadows and reflections of real things of which the images are made; intelligence is the things themselves (moon and stars), and finally the Form of Good is the Sun. Plato uses a coherent idea throughout as appears to use similar / the same ideas in each of his similes (i.e., The Sun the Form of Good). There are problems in each of the similes and they all have points where they break down and lose a certain amount of coherence. In the simile of the Sun, although Plato would not have known at the time, the eyes are not charged up by the Sun, like he wanted us to think. Within the simile, therefore, the Form of Good no longer charges the mind with the power of seeing the Forms, but rather casts light onto other Forms. This is not what Plato wanted to portray. In the Sun, Plato explores the idea of the Sun being the ultimate Form in detail, but in the Cave, the sun itself is forgotten, and is seen more as a goal, or object, than as a metaphor for knowledge. Plato uses the fire and statues in more detail than the sun in the Cave simile, giving a better explanation of knowledge, which creates incoherence between the use of the sun in the Sun simile and its use in the Cave. In the simile of the Cave, mathematical ideas are not mentioned at all, not even in the accent to the Forms. This breaks down the idea of the Divided Line. A solution would be though that in the Divided Line, mathematical ideas are implied rather than stated: Plato may not even have mentioned the idea of mathematical ideas. This may be a reason why Plato did not mention them in the Cave. Plato says the prisoners only perceive shadows, which means the lowest level of knowledge illusion. This implies that Athenians cannot even see physical things, which is absurd because, unless all Athenians are blind, they will be able to visibly see objects such as tables, chairs, knifes etc. He also contradicts what he said earlier in the section on the Philosopher Ruler, that people in general only experience opinion / belief. This is only a problem if we use a strict interpretation, and in that case it would not be a simile at all, as similes should be open to wide interpretation. Another problem occurring in the Cave is that the shadows are used to describe illusion once, and mathematical reasoning another time. If we take the Divided Line, shadows should show illusion, and mathematical reasoning should be based upon physical things and a certain amount of belief. Plato has misused his metaphor of shadows in one of these similes and created an inconsistency. Although Plato has given us a clear picture of what his idea of knowledge and opinion is, and how the Form of Good fits into it, he has left many questions unanswered and a lot of gaps which need filling. His similes have been written and laid out in such a way that they can be interpreted in many varying, some contradictory fashions. This leads to the question of did Plato actually know himself where he was going with his arguments, or did he make them up as he went along? I personally think he thought them out well, but had to manipulate some things to fit in with his line of reasoning. This is perhaps a reason why these three similes are partly incoherent.

An Outline of the British Education system

An Outline of the British Education system This essay is entitled An outline of the British education system. and it especially concentrates on explaining some relevant issues concerning primary schools in this country. The essay talks about three topics, all of them divided in three paragraphs: the first one is a historical background and a key element that may help us clarify todays structure, referred to in the following paragraph. Since we are living in a society ruled by the new technologies, the last paragraph focuses on the importance given to the ICTs in British schools. The essay concludes by highlighting what, in my opinion, are the main strengths of the educative system in the United Kingdom. As stated by some historians, the roots of British education can be found in the mid sixth century. It was not however until the seventeenth century, when the first schools were built. At that time, education belonged to the Catholic Church which was committed to teaching the principles of Christianity, by building schools. According to the author Denis Haye, the XIX century saw the birth of the first state schools. At that time, these were still controlled by the Church which used to introduce poor children to the main matters of Churchs beliefs. However, it was not until the mid-century when the State starts gaining some control over education, introducing a wider variety of subjects. Among all the education acts that have passed in the history of British education, it is important to focus on two of them, since they may help us clarify the roots of todays structure. The also referred to as The Scottish Act, is born in 1872 and according to the on-line article Key Dates in Education it is known for making school attendance compulsory from the age of 5 to 12 years old. Another education act to be drawn up took place in 1944, and is in my opinion, important to highlight because from this time on primary school children are exempted of paying tuition fees. With this new education act a tripartite system was introduced in British education system, and this led to the creation of so-called technical, grammar and modern schools. While analysing the history of the education system, it is decisive to go back to the year 1988 when the national curriculum is introduced in British schools, including English, Maths, Science, and Religion as compulsory subjects. From 2010 MFLT , which stands for Modern Foreign Languages Teaching is also an obligatory subject. It is indeed the creation of the national curriculum, probably considered the most important fact that may help us achieve a better understanding of todays system. The author Denis Haye who wrote Primary Education: the Key Concepts, claims that in the 20th century, just after the introduction of the national curriculum, children were obligated to study in school from 5 to 11 years old and this primary stage was followed by a specific education which would end at the age of 16. It is because of the national curriculum that todays pupils go to school at the age of 5 and leave when they turn 11. The author also claims that there is a minor quantity of educational centres which accept children from the age of 8 to 12 called deemed middle in his words, while others referred to as first accept 5-8 or 9 year-old pupils. Todays British primary educations structure could not be analysed without bearing in mind what is in my opinion the main strength of the British system: the variety of schools offered to parents and British pupils. On the Department of Educations webpage, some of the main types of schools can be found, establishing a division in three sections: mainstream state schools, state schools with particular characteristics and specialist schools in the first section. Trust and Voluntary controlled/aided schools in the second. Faith schools, academies and grammar schools also belong to the second section. In the third group the Department includes Independent schools. This last kind, as its name shows, is governed by an independent body which according to the Department of Education have their own curriculum and admission policies. Since we are living in a society ruled by the information technologies, without a doubt a valuable aspect to be drawn up, is the use of information and communication technologies in the British education system, paying a special attention to schools. The British Department of Education claims that the adoption of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) to todays primary schools radically improves the education centres level. It was in the year 2002, when the Education and Training inspectorate wrote a report which highlighted the positive aspects of integrating the ICTs in the UK schools. In most schools, both the students learning and the quality of teaching were shown to be satisfactory. Most of them used a great number of applications such as developing web pages, using social networks for educational purposes, sending electronic mails and using web-cams, to mention but a few of them. This report also indicates that the introduction of the ICTs in primary schools cla ssrooms and lessons notably increases the pupils motivation and enthusiasm to learn. The Department of Education also claims that the information and communication technologies have been adapted to the curriculum of several schools in the UK for the past 5 years, including ICT as a compulsory subject. In my opinion, the main advantage of the ICTs probably relies on its positive effects on childrens attention and interest, and this is one of the reasons why there are an even higher number of centers which are incorporating them. While looking for information on this matter, I found two relevant articles in two different newspapers which show a clear example of how these technologies are being adapted to education. The first article belongs to the journalist Borland, and appeared in The Guardian. It talks about a school in the UK which bought a couple of Wiis in order to boost pupils enthusiasm for sport using the new Wii Fit Plus. This new Wii application, the writer claims, is focused on various fitness exercises proved to be beneficial for the childrens health, especially for sedentary ones. Borland also states that although this initiative firstly received a very positive feedback from most people, there were other voices alleging that a video console should never take the place of traditional drills or exercises. Another article to be taken into account, was written by The Telegraph s education editor Graeme Paton who states that a school in the UK has decided to introduce Twitter, the UKs widely known s ocial network as a subject. Children, however, will not only be taught how to use this network for academic purposes (if there are any) but also to communicate by using Skype and develop on-line blogs. To conclude this essay, it is important to mention that the British education system probably stands out for the enormous variety of schools offered to children and parents while in other countries only three or four types of schools. Furthermore, the last paragraph can indeed be interpreted as an example of the adaptation of this system to todays new generation of children, enhancing educational perspectives, and finally catering for wider needs. 1,200 words. Group Research Proposal Research problem: What are the main types of bullying in primary and secondary schools? How can this problem be tackled? Why is this argument important? Bullying is a problem present in current primary and secondary schools, normally affecting children from four to sixteen years old. Not only pupils are involved, but also parents and teachers who, in most cases, do not even know the truth or conceal the abuse. There are different kinds of bullying which, can be divided into five groups: verbal, physical, emotional, cyber-bullying, and homophobic. In the verbal and emotional bullying, the bully uses disrespectful remarks and threatening words which intend to harm the victim. This is probably one of the worst kinds since children are physiologically affected, creating in most cases traumas leading to social issues such phobias to develop relationships with other classmates due to a low self-esteem. In physical bullying, the perpetrator intends to affect physically the target by resorting to violent acts such as hitting, punching or pulling without having a necessary reason to do so. Cyber-bullying is considered to be a relatively new k ind, due to the development of new technologies. It not only affects pupils in the classrooms but outside in the real world, by using slanderous videos publishing the abuse on the internet. The last type, homophobic bullying, is related to the childs sexual orientation using derogatory terms such as gay or even the despicable faggot. These are but a few of an endless list of other kinds of bullying. Studying this problem is important since it not only might help those who need it most, it can also clarify one of the darkest aspects of human behaviour towards the others. Methodology In order to carry on this research, it is vital to access to different sources of information. Not only books can help us with this matter; articles published in scholar or public newspapers, as well as television interviews or scholarly programs can be very helpful. A very relevant documentary on matter, entitled The Red Balloon House aired on the BBC last month will be born in mind while developing the research. This is a charity organization aiming to help children who suffer from school phobia due to bullying abuses. This documentary offers a close expose of this matter, clarifying many aspects about the principal effects of this kind of abuse. Another useful method to be taken into account, however difficult and risky, is carrying on a private interview with a primary source, a victim. Literature Review Aspectos psicolà ³gicos de la violencia juvenil http://portales.educared.net/convivenciaescolar/contenidos/biblioteca002.pdf Bullying http://portales.educared.net/convivenciaescolar/contenidos/biblioteca003.pdf Convivencia escolar y prevencià ³n de la violencia http://portales.educared.net/convivenciaescolar/contenidos/biblioteca015.pdf Convivencia en los centros educativos http://portales.educared.net/convivenciaescolar/contenidos/biblioteca011.pdf Acoso escolar. Guà ­a para chicas y chicos http://portales.educared.net/convivenciaescolar/contenidos/guia.pdf La actuacià ³n ante el maltrato entre iguales en el centro educativo http://www.obrasocialcajamadrid.es/Ficheros/CMA/ficheros/OSSoli_MenorMaltrato.PDF Conclusion Bullying is a social problem that affects more frequently all cycles of education. Everybody should become aware of this problem and try to end up these abuses by the application of methods and efficient solutions to it. Individual Research Proposal Research Problem Tackling bullying in the U.K. primary schools. What are its roots and types? What are the principal effects on the psychological health of todays pupils? Why is this argument important? Bullying in primary and secondary schools in the UK, is indeed a problem that has been haunting British pupils since the first schools were built in the nineteenth century. This leads us to question ourselves about bullyings roots, what they are and how they can help us eradicate this problem from scratch. According to the education reporter Kristin Rushowy form the US newspaper The Star, bullyings roots can be found in the bullys family relationships. In most cases, Rushowy claims, bullies come from blended or single-parent families, and feel they cant rely on their parents who act in an overprotecting way. Although it is a fact that schools are built in order to provide a good education for our societys children, parents also have the duty to educate their children in tolerance, and respect towards their classmates and all the members of society. However, it is not always this way and it is indeed an issue to be analysed in depth. The rise of the new information and communication technologies which as I stated in my essay, are being adapted to todays primary schools in the UK, have a negative effect on this matter. Pupils who are taught how to use social networks as Twitter unconsciously tend to use this knowledge to harass other children. This is a relatively new type of bullying referred as cyber-bullying. As happens to other kinds of bullying such as, homophobic, it has indeed an adverse impact on students mental health. According to Doctor Marc Dombeck in his article The long time effects of Bullying short-termed effects such as anger, depression and suicidal thoughts can lead to the long term increased tendency to be a loner self-esteem problems, and difficulty in trusting people. These are but a few of the negative impact of Bullying and it is indeed a matter to be researched on. Methodology To carry out this research, I will bear in mind some on-line articles published in British and American newspapers, as well as some guides published by the British Department for children, schools and families and an essay I wrote concerning British primary education. Literature Review The first source to be considered is a guide published by the Department for children, schools and families, entitled safe to Learn: Embedding anti-bullying in Schools, since it is a perfect outline of this issue. Another guide published by the previous department entitled homophobic bullying is also to be considered. Various online articles written by experts on this matter as Dr. Marc Dombeck The long time effects of Bullying are also to be born in mind. An essay written by myself entitled An outline of Primary education in the UK which is focused, among other issues on the adaptation of the ICT in todays schools, may help us clarify the roots of cyber-bullying. Conclusion Although Bullying is a problem that has already been researched on by many experts, there are some main issues such as its roots or psychological effects that still need to be examined in depth. Self- Assessment The Cardiff Universitys module entitled Introduction to Academic Study in the UK has notoriously helped me develop and improve my research skills. Although in the degree I am currently studying I had already been taught how to cite using the Modern Language Association (MLA)s style, it is always useful to learn how to quote using the Harvard style, since it is the one that is normally used in the United Kingdom. The Research skills seminar, was also decisive since it taught me to research using academic sources and databases. I had no previous knowledge about it and it helped me while planning essays for some of my modules. The lecture on critical thinking was indeed very advantageous since it was an enormous help while writing my two critical analyses for the module The Victorian Novel from a subjective and critical point of view. The lecture on the ways UK students are assessed and the marks used, was also very appealing and interesting since I come from an overseas University with a totally different structure. To end up I would like to mention that although unfortunately I could not attend the peer-review seminar and therefore it has been impossible for me to analyse other students proposals including my findings in this piece of writing, I have taken into account some feedback I received from the classmates I worked with, in order to write my own research proposal. I have considered rewriting the proposal, being specially focused on changing the research question because it was too broad.

Scarlet Letter :: Essays Papers

Scarlet Letter In the novel The Scarlet Letter, the scarlet letter â€Å"A† has several meanings throughout the novel. For each character the scarlet letter stands for something different. Each of the main characters interprets the letter in different forms. The townspeople observe the letter as a form of shame and embarrassment. For Hester the letter takes on several different forms. Arthur Dimmesdale, the Reverend, sees the letter on Hester’s breast as a constant torture of his sin and secrete. He goes through terrible ordeals throughout the novel. For Roger Chillingworth (Hester’s husband), the letter stands for power. The Townspeople see the scarlet letter â€Å"A† as a form of embarrassment for Hester and a way of keeping order and peace within the colony. The story begins with Hester having to go on the scaffold and stand there for three hours with her two shameful sins, the letter A (which stands for Adulteress) and her illegitimate child. The magistrates feel as though constant public embarrassment will disclose the secret of the child’s father. On the scaffold Hester experiences harsh words. A group of women are having a discussion in the crowd and one-woman states, â€Å"At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead. She may cover it with a brooch, or such like heathenish adornment, and so walk the streets as brave as ever† (1332). This statement shows that it was not enough that the townspeople knew she committed a sin, but they wanted to see the sin on her chest constantly. This letter somehow gave them power over Hester and made them feel more superior. Without them seeing the letter they felt that her sin was not being seen. Even after Hester moves away from the town, into the forest, children go there to get a glimpse of her; this continues the embarrassment for Hester. Also, the ministers of the town use Hester’s sin in their sermons. Another way in which the town punishes Hester and tries to have some type of power over her is when they try to take her child. As the novel progresses and Hester becomes a helpful person in the community, people begin to accept her in society again but the scarlet letter is never overseen.