Media in the Ivory Coast

Media in the Ivory Coast Free Online Research Papers Part 1: Country Background The Rà ©publique de Cà ´te dIvoire, also known as the Ivory Coast, is a country in West Africa bordering Liberia and Guinea to the west, Mali and Burkina Faso to the north, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The location now known as the Ivory Coast was made a protectorate of France during the era of imperialism by a treaty in the 1840’s, and became a French colony in 1893. The country gained its independence in 1960, at which point it was led by Fà ©lix Houphouà «t-Boigny until 1993. During these years, the country was closely tied with its’ West African neighbors economically and politically, but also maintained trade with the Western world, furthering the nations economic development. However, since the end of Houphouà «t-Boigny’s rule the countries stability has been in serious decline, brought on by a number of coups vying for power. Following the takeover by two militia groups in 1999 and 2001 that served to replace the preexisting political powers, the country has been subject to a civil war since 2002. Today, the government is identified as a republic with strong executive power embodied by the president, President Gbagbo. The nation’s current state of unrest has greatly hampered its economic development and social and political stability, and the violent state of the country poses a serious threat for those wishing to do business with the Ivory Coast. Part 2: Country Profile Population: According to UN census data in 2005, Cà ´te dIvoire has a population of 17.1 million individuals. According to data in 2003, 43.6% of the population is female. The largest city in the country is Abidjan, which is the center for most of the countries economic activity and host to over twenty percent of the nation’s total population. However, the capital city is Yamoussoukro, which has less than 300,000 inhabitants. Language: French is the official language of the Ivory Coast, although there are additionally over ten native languages spoken. Each native language represents the first language of less than fifteen percent of the population, expressing a wide range in culture. However, most individuals in the country speak more than one language. Religion: 63% of the country subscribes to a variety of localized African religions. Islam is the most widespread singular religion, hosting 25% of the population. Approximately 12% of the population reports being Christian. Economic Industries: The economy of the Ivory Coast functions primarily on agricultural exports, representing nearly a third of the gross domestic product. The primary exports of the nation are cocoa beans, coffee, cotton, palm oil, and bananas. The economy is currently severely threatened by the violent state of the nation, which discourages foreign traders thereby limiting exportation. An additional 20% of the GDP is comprised by industrial services, including food and beverage manufacturing, wood products, oil refining, automotive assembly, and textile production. The labor force accounts for the remainder of the economy, with over 60% of the population providing physical labor to support the large agricultural industries. Income: The gross national income was estimated at only $840 U.S.D. per capita according to World Bank data in 2006. Additionally, a significant portion of the population, approximately 37%, is below the poverty line, and 13% of the population suffers from unemployment. The GNP of the country was approximately $15.3 billion in 2005, just below Cameroon, Iraq, and Latvia, placing it in the top third of the world’s countries. Life Expectancy: Men have a life expectancy of only 45 years, with women expected to live only marginally longer, with an average life expectancy of 47 years. This suggests a lack of medical resources and social services. Literacy: The literacy rate is just over fifty percent, indicating a lack of educational opportunities. Part 3: Media Investigation Publications: The Ivory Coast has nine primary daily publications. Of the nine, one is state-owned, one is owned by the ruling party, one is run by the opposition, and the other six are privately funded. It is important to note that Notre Voie, the paper that is funded by the ruling party, has the largest daily circulation. Television: Television service is provided by Radiodiffusion Television Ivoirenne, or RTI, which is state-run. There are no private TV stations, although rebel groups have gained the ability use state-owned TV facilities in certain areas for their own broadcasts. Radio: Radio is the Ivory Coast’s most popular medium for media. There are a total of only seven radio stations that are broadcasted throughout the majority of the country. While the majority of stations are state-owned and run by RTI, there are also non-commercial radio stations that are run more locally by church groups as well as by UN peacekeepers. News Agency: The Agence Ivoirenne de Presse, which is the equivalent of the United States’ Associate Press and is required to regulate the legitimacy of the news being produced, is state-owned, suggesting possible censorship and government biases. Internet/ Telephones: Two Internet service providers: Africaonline and Aviso, with only 1.5% of the population estimated to be Internet users as of 2005. Only 328,000 main line telephones in 2003, although at the time there were over one million cellular phone users. Today there are over four million cell phone users. Part 4: Media Analysis The Ivory Coast was ranked 98th on the most recent list put out by the international World Press Index. This free press index ranking is up 41 places from the previous year. This rise in ranking was particularly shocking to me, especially considering many of the testimonies of journalists I encountered during my investigation. For example, the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders recently described the Ivory Coast as â€Å"one of Africa’s most dangerous countries for both local and foreign media,† which is largely based on the threat of violent actions from both rebel and state-run military forces. This testimony is evidenced by occurrences such as that in 2004, at which point the government used media under its’ control, specifically the RTI, to enable them in their struggle against rebel forces. The close ties between media and the government is further solidified by the fact that in 2006, members of the Young Patriots militia, who are loyal to Pre sident Gbagbo, invaded RTI headquarters in order to gain more control over the output of information in the media. Although these events occurred several years ago, as recently as 2007 the local UN peacekeepers expressed reports of a â€Å"growing number of inflammatory articles in the press,† providing propaganda for the groups in power. The UN peacekeepers also reported an increasing number of violent attacks on publications. This information does not seem to validate any indications of positive steps towards the production of unbiased media. Based on my investigation of the nation known as the Ivory Coast, it is clear that there is a close link between government forces and the media. Not only are the radio, television, and newspapers state-run, but even peacekeepers have had to take a claim in the media in order to gain any semblance of an effective voice within the community. In 2005, the peacekeepers were able to launch their own radio station in Abidjan, although it did not have broad enough range to reach the entire nation. Even church groups have had to succumb to the media game being played by the government, opting to fund their own radio stations in order to provide some sense of hope for citizens in opposition of the forces in charge. In dissecting the media in Cà ´te dIvoire, I tried to keep an open-mind before passing judgment on the state of affairs. I was initially impressed by the website of the Ivory Coast’s largest circulating newspaper, Notre Voie. The website provided a variety of local articles in English, which I hoped would prove to present an unbiased form of media. However, once I discovered that Notre Voie was state-owned, I began to recognize a pattern in the nature of articles presented; none of the articles provided any opposition to President Gbagbo, nor did they even address the current state of disarray caused by the ongoing civil war. In fact, the themes of the news stories were very localized, and tried to put a positive slant on what was occurring throughout the country. Overall, I think the shape of the media in the Ivory Coast is a product of a variety of influences. The ongoing state of political unrest as caused political parties to enlist propaganda as a strategy for increasing support. This sort of output from the media has served to further the division between groups, causing it to be deemed â€Å"hate media,† and has recently been present in a large number of African nations such as Rwanda who have struggled with similar issues with infrastructure. It seems to me that these unsteady political circumstances translate to corruption within the media, with no authorities working to ensure an unbiased presentation of the news because state-run media sources receive pressure from parties in power to present a specific point of view. Additionally, I believe that the widespread poverty throughout the country further inhibits the local freedom of press. My findings of limited internet access and low literacy rates suggest a lack of social mobility that may correlate with people’s inability to demand truth from local media forces. It is clear that the powers in charge have not accepted the responsibility to place value on a high standard of media, and therefore it is the role of the citizens to pursue such freedoms. Because local citizens have not been able to express these wishes, perhaps it is at this point that Western influences must intervene. Although Western influence has been hampered in the Ivory Coast by civil war, our global awareness of the situation in the country provides grounds for intervention. 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Communication and Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Communication and Language - Essay Example He will now look at and reach rather than grasp an object as an adult presents it. He has also become more willing to perform familiar actions on an object without mouthing it but using his hands to hold and manipulate objects for longer. He has also shown greater attention to where objects move to or from during the activity. This has been particularly noticeable during our greeting sessions. At the beginning of September he needed adult coactive support to tap a drum to say ‘hello’, as he has become more familiar with activity where he begun to use both hands to tap a drum with adult verbal encouragement. Now he will reach instruments spontaneously to say ‘hello’ as adult moves around the circle asking ‘who want to say hello first’. He is also able to indicate if he wants to continue the tapping action or he finished saying ‘hello’ by clapping his hands to indicate more or pushing the drum away. He finds it amusing if an adult cop ies his simple drumming actions, responds with a smile, and listens to it. Interacting Pupil's progress Charlie has been working towards developing his interaction and playing skills with adult and peers. Charlie has made steady progress with developing his communication, social, and interactive skills with class staff and peers as the year has progressed. He has shown an increasing interest in trying to influence the adult actions during self-occupation time to get what he wants or during group session as mentioned above and one-to-one sessions such as interactive games focusing on communication, taking turns, interacting and responding to adult partner. For example, simple hand clapping games that requires him to form quick thinking, cooperation, and reaction to a game like clapping one's own hands, clapping both hands of a partner, and clapping one hand of a partner, generally across such as the right hand of each player at an appropriate junction.   During self-occupation time , he will move in the direction of the plasma screen and make brief eye contact with an adult to let them know what he wants. If the adult ignores his communication, he will walk around the plasma screen, look behind the speakers, turn on a socket plague and manipulate a key to open the box with laptop attached to the screen. During leisure time, when approached by an adult and asked, â€Å"what you want Charlie?† he will hold his hand and guide him in the direction of the plasma screen or balcony / class door to watch his friends playing or to go for a walk. He is now learning to transfer these learnt skills to class activities. Last year, Charlie preferred contact with adults to that with peers, but this year he has been starting to pay more attention to his class friends if he is engaged in a simple game with them or when they are exploring interesting things. For example, he will pay attention to an interesting object controlled by another pupil, and will come to him or h er, reach for the item and explore it for brief moment before giving it back to his peer. This term, Charlie has developed a friendship with two girls in class Huma and Aiashah. He responded with interest to social overtures from them and used some actions to prolong interaction with them. For example, he will sneeze on purpose to make Aaishah laugh or will allow her to hold his hand and move them in the rhythm of ‘

Benefits of exercise on heart disease---(Physical Fitness and Essay

Benefits of exercise on heart disease---(Physical Fitness and Nutrition) - Essay Example a revolution in the treatment and care of people suffering from diseases of the heart such as Arrhythmia, Congenital Heart defects, High Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, Heart Attack, Heart Failure or Peripheral Heart disease. Advanced technology used in diagnosis, surgery and treatment have made it possible to repair or fix these heart related defects. The intake of drugs, alcohol or tobacco contributes to high risk factors that eventually lead to heart problems. In lieu of this, physical fitness is a major contributing factor to a healthy heart. Exercise not only helps to relieve stress but it also helps to keep the body healthy and free from disease. How well your heart can compensate is determined by the level of overall fitness of your body, no matter which heart disease one has. In relation to this, exercises such as aerobics has a greater impact on a person with heart disease, as it results in physiological adaptations that allow submaximal workloads to be carried out even more efficiently, for it puts less strain on the cardiovascular system. Therefore regular participation of aerobic exercise guarantees a decrease in blood pressure and plays a protective role in the development of hypertension and CHD. Training studies that were conducted revealed that heart rate and blood pressure levels had significantly decreased in individuals with psychological stress and who had undergone aerobic exercises. The study included testing participants in both AT (aerobic training) and NT (no training). While the participants of the AT group were guided into doing regular aerobic exercises, the NT group of participants were instructed to r efrain from participating in any regular or new exercise. The NT group was also asked to maintain their regular daily activities and to record any prolonged physical activity that they performed during the day. Aerobic fitness was conducted and assessed via a graded exercise test on a motor-driven treadmill which needed the participants to

Philadelphia family Essay Example for Free

Philadelphia family Essay Born in 1856 into a wealthy Philadelphia family, Taylor disappointed his parents by working in a metal products factory, first as a machinist and next as a foreman. Shocked at the factorys inefficiency, and the practice of its skilled workers of purposely working slowly. As an engineer he was more interested in the practical outcome and not the psychology Taylor proposed solutions that he believed would solve both problems. By studying the time it took each worker to complete a step, and by rearranging equipment, Taylor believed he could discover what an average worker could produce in optimum conditions. The promise of higher wages, he figured, would create added incentive for workers to exceed this average level. Taylors time-and-motion studies offered a path away from the industrial wars of a century ago. Now what was needed was a way to apportion the wealth created by manufacturing enterprises. Taylors answer sidestepped the class struggle and interest group politics. He believed his principles would create a partnership between manager and worker, based on an understanding of how jobs should be done and how workers are motivated. These workers are motivated by money. He believed a fairs day work deserved a fair day bonus. He thought keeping his workforce happy would keep them producing at a high quality. He died in 1915, whilst on a speaking tour in the mid west he contracted influenza, he was admitted to hospital and celebrated his 59th birthday there and died the next day. Taylors second and third theory is used in the McDonalds. The McDonalds ethos is that the food preparation must be done to specific instructions. For instance the fries must be cooked for a 3 minutes at a temperature of 175o, then the buzzer tells the employee to take them out and salt them. Throughout all McDonalds are a series of dedicated, purpose-built machine for producing milkshakes, toasting buns and squirting chocolate sauce and much else. After 150 years this is the most active period working in industry, F W Taylor would feel very much at home ordering a Big Mac. The biggest person that Taylors theorys influenced was Henry Ford. Henry Ford was the first person to try mass production and it was a massive success. Taylors practices were first used in 1911 in the factory; by 1913 Ford had introduced a conveyor belt system and had achieved the ultimate Taylorite idea. This method was also used in Nazi death camps. They did not plan whom they would kill until the day they did it. Both Mussolini and Stalin both used his techniques during their communist uprisings. Taylor also wrote many books of these the most famous is The Principles of Scientific Management he wrote this in 1911. He split the book into two chapters the first the fundamentals of scientific management and the second The principles of scientific management. In the first chapter he stated that the principal object of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for each employee. In the second chapter he stated that people should be told what to do and how they do it. They should be motivated by a money incentive. Before Taylor, skilled workers chose their own methods of work, but after Taylor workers were far more likely to have limited, repetitive tasks and were forced to work at a pace set by their manager. To maximise efforts of workers Taylor introduced an incentive system known as a differential piece-rate. This offered a meagre payment per unit produced. 2p per unit for the first 500 per day 5p per unit all those above 500 per day The threshold was set a t a level which those producing barely 500 received barely a living wage. To make 700 was a great incentive, as you would earn double what you would at the 500 mark. But the workers in many places resented this theory that the theory was abandoned soon after introduction. Problems with Taylors methods With Taylors notion of a quickest and best way for all workers does not take into account individual differences. There is no guarantee that the best way will suit everyone. Also some people naturally will be able to work faster than others creating a disadvantage for those he is not so fast. Taylor also viewed people as machines, with financial needs, than as humans in a social setting. People felt pressured and did not like being treated this way. He also overlooked the fact that some people work for other reasons than money. In a financial survey in 1982, a large sample of British people were asked whether they would carry on working if they financially did no need to. Nearly 70% of men and 655 of women said they would. Taylors Core values The rule of reason, improved quality, lower costs, higher wages, higher output, labour management, co-operation, experimentation, clear tasks and goals, feedback, training, stress reduction and the careful selection and development of people. He was the first to present a systemic study of interaction an d job requirements, tools, methods and human skills, to fit people into jobs both psychologically and physically, and to let data and facts do the talking rather than prejudice, opinions or egomania.

Rebutting Arguments to Legalize Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide Essay

Rebutting Arguments to Legalize Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide      Ã‚   This essay focuses on several of the most common arguments in favor of the legalization of euthanasia or assisted suicide - and rebuts them. The language is simple, or, as they say, in layman's terms so as to be easily understandable. The sources are from professional journals, internet websites, and news outlets.    The first common argument favoring euthanasia or assisted suicide is this: "Since euthanasia and assisted suicide take place anyway, isn't it better to legalize them so they'll be practiced under careful guidelines and so that doctors will have to report these activities?" That sounds good but it doesn't work. Physicians who do not follow the "guidelines" will not report and, even when a physician does report information, there is no way to know if it is accurate or complete. For example, the Oregon law requires the Oregon Health Division (OHD) to collect information and publish an annual statistical report about assisted suicide deaths.(Oregon) However, the law contains no penalties for health care providers who fail to report information to the OHD. Moreover, the OHD has no regulatory authority or resources to ensure submission of information to its office.(Prager) Thus, all information contained in the OHD's official reports is that which has been provided by the physicians who pr escribed the lethal drugs and only that which the physicians choose to provide.    The OHD even admitted that reporting physicians may have fabricated their versions of the circumstances surrounding the prescriptions written for patients. "For that matter, the entire account could have been a cock-and-bull story. We assume, however, that physicians wer... ...19, conducted by Hebert Research, October 31, 1991, and within one week following the November 5, 1991 vote. Five days before the vote only 9.7 percent of those opposing the measure cited religious reasons for their opposition. Following the measure's defeat, individuals who had previously indicated support for Initiative 119 were again surveyed. Of these previous supporters, 15 percent subsequently opposed the initiative. Religious reasons accounted for only 6.1 percent of this eventual opposition.    Transcript from audio tape of "On Target," WVON Radio (Chicago). Debate between Rita Marker and T. Patrick Hill, September 26, 1993.    Van der Wal,G. P. J. van der Maas, J. M. Bosma, et al., "Evaluation of the notification procedure for physician-assisted deaths in the Netherlands," 335 New England Journal of Medicine (November 28, 1996), p. 1706.

Great by Choice Essay

Many times entrepreneurs ask themselves, â€Å"Why my competitors are able to succeed and go through catastrophe after catastrophe yet my business is crashing? What makes that person better than me? Am I, not the chosen one? † Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen answer these common questions and many more in their educating novel entitled, Great by Choice. One of the main characteristic of a great leader is being prepared for every trail and tribulation that may come while running a business. It is a true fact that every business go through some type of chaos whether it’s enormous or petite; therefore, business owners must be ready to handle chaos in order to maintain the business. It is a common saying that states, â€Å"It is easy to start a relationship, yet, it is hard to maintain it. † Although this statement relate to relationships, it also relates to owning a business. â€Å"It is easy to start a business, yet it is difficult to maintain a business. † Jim Collins identifies three core behaviors in his novel that enabled companies to become truly great over an extended period of time which will be discussed later in the paper. At the beginning of the novel, Collins asked his self, â€Å"Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty and chaos and others do not? † After interviewing successful business owners and studying ancient history of successful leaders, Collins was able to answer that question and his answer was,† It’s not that they thrive on chaos, but they can thrive in chaos and uncertainty. † He created this illustration through a true story about two leaders name Amundsen and Scott: In October 1911, exactly 100 years ago, these two teams of explorers left the coast of Antarctica to try to be the first people in history to reach the South Pole. The Norwegian team, [led by] Amundsen, got to the South Pole first. [British naval officer Robert Falcon] Scott and the British team reached the pole second, 34 days later. Amundsen and his team made it back to their base at Polheim on the exact date that Amundsen had put in his planning journals when he was making his plans in Norway. Meanwhile, Scott and every member of his team died on the way back, about 10 or 11 miles from a supply depot. (Collins and Hansen, 2011) A great philosopher once stated, â€Å"In order to understand your future, you must first understand your past. History repeats itself. The tools that successful leaders used during ancient periods are the same tools that current leaders may retain. Therefore, it is vital for business owners to study and educate themselves on effective leaders in the past, so they may duplicate some of their leadership styles and be successful in the future. Amundsen and Scott story is the evidence of Collins answer at the beginning of the novel, Collins states: â€Å"It turns out that the way that Amundsen led his team maps very directly to the way our leaders led their companies. This is especially true in how he was different in his behaviors from the way Scott led his team, which is more like our comparison leaders. It was an almost perfect metaphoric mapping. † Hansen further emphasized, â€Å"When we looked at Amundsen, the fascinating part is that he had, literally, a 15-mile march target. He was going to go 15 miles every day toward the South Pole†¦ .He built a system around that. On the good days, he held back; he didn’t go the distance he could have gone. He just stopped in the early afternoon and rested. On the very difficult days, he made maybe five, six, seven miles, but nevertheless, he traveled on those days where Scott and the other team would sit in their tents. Both of them had a very interesting approach. Underlying that is what can only be described as fanatic discipline. Amundsen was extraordinary in his discipline, preparing his whole life for this particular moment. † After reviewing these two leaders style of leadership, in result, they basically â€Å"reap what they sowed†. Amundsen created a plan that not only met his goal but helped him survive while meeting his goal. Whereas Scott only did enough to get by and at the end he and his team died. Companies that have phenomenal leaders, usually plan carefully, every â€Å"I† is dotted and every â€Å"t† is crossed, therefore, they can take any hit and still be successful. Scott could not do that because he rush on the planning stage of his journey and ironically he rushed his time on earth. On the other hand Amundsen demonstrated the â€Å"three distinctive behaviors† that Collins and Scott discussed in their novel: productive paranoia, empirical creativity and fanatic discipline. Like Amundsen, Bill Gate is a good example of productive paranoia. Bill Gates sat down and thought of all the things that could possibly go wrong with his company and then he prepared for those obstacles ahead of time. Gates allowed his fear to drive him to productivity. Many leaders get comfortable in their success and fail to realize that thousands of businesses are created every day, therefore, leaders should always be informed about the companies that surrounding them because if they become too comfortable then other developing companies can take their clients or buy out their business. Running a business is like a running competition. Some runners know that they are good at running and they feel like no one else could catch up or out run them. Yet they lose because they get so comfortable at the speed that they were running and their competitors eventually catch up. Winning does not matter if you are good at the beginning yet lose at the end. A leader does not only succeed through fear but they also create a plan that is unique and creative to survive through the impossible. A successful leader is a risk taker and a risk taker display empirical creativity. During Amundsen planning he stated, â€Å"I am not going to bet our expedition and bet our life on an unproven technology, so I’m not going with motor sledges. I am going with skis and dogs and sleds because we know they work. † Technology is very popular and the average person would have chosen the motor sledges because many people believe that technology is reliable and convenient. Yet, Amundsen did not want to go the easy route out he wanted to stick with the fundamentals of traveling on snow and his plan worked. Why? Because he thought outside the box and he took a risk. In addition Amundsen, put his base on Bay of Whales, which was known as a dangerous area. However, Amundsen decided not to listen to everybody and do his own research on Bay of Whales. In result, Bay of Whales was not as dangerous as others believed, therefore he choose that area to house his self and his team. Good leaders believe none of what they hear and half of what they see. After fear comes creativity and after creativity comes consists. Every great leader own the character trait of fanatic discipline which is the essential consists of action. Hansen better explained fanatic discipline, he states, Number one, you set a progress standard for yourself. Secondly, you have a lower boundary, what you must hit, and an absolute commitment to hitting it in bad times and good times. Then there is an upper boundary, and you have the discipline to hold back and not just maximize growth because you can, because that is going to expose you to possible storms coming your way down the road. Then the fourth characteristic is that you must hit it. It’s not about good intentions: They don’t really count here. It is about hitting it. † Hansen calls this theory the principles of a 20-mile march. In the novel, Hansen and Collins used John Brown, who was the CEO of Stryker as a good example. When Brown became the CEO of Stryker he set a goal for the company net income to grow 20% every year. As the market fluctuated, Brown still focused on his target goal and him and the company managed to survive through the industry downturn. When you look at Bill Gates, Amundsen and John Brown, you are looking at the epitome of dynamic  leaders. All three leaders were visionaries and they all worked hard towards a goal regardless of their surroundings. They were discipline. Jim Collins once stated, â€Å"A culture of discipline is not a principle of business, it is a principle of greatness. † While other companies were crashing, they were progressing and sticking to their plan of action. The purpose of the novel â€Å"Great by Choice† is to educate leaders on how to set a strong solid foundation that can survive during the storms. Every human being in this world is given choices, however it is up to an individual to choose to be great or choose to be a failure. At the end of the day, a person will always be remembered by the choices that they make in life, therefore my choice is to be great!

Symbolism and Imagery in Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1276 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/06/26 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Edgar Allan Poe Essay Did you like this example? Edgar Allen Poe often utilizes symbolism in Annabel Lee using something concrete to represent his views on the greater mysteries of human existence. By accomplishing this, he allows for a broader interpretation of his literary genius. Poe utilizes imagery and symbolism to develop his theme of eternal and forbidden love. Edgar Allan Poe spent his final months in poverty, tormented by grief, drowning his depression in alcohol and poetry. In May 1849, in his small New York cottage, he wrote what was to be his last completed poem, Annabel Lee, in which he returned to the themes that had haunted him for much of his life. After Virginias death from tuberculosis in 1847, Poes lifelong struggle with depression and alcoholism worsened. For unknown reasons, he stopped in Baltimore. On October 3, 1849, he was found in a state of semi-consciousness. Poe died four days later of acute congestion of the brain (Lepore 09). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Symbolism and Imagery in Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe" essay for you Create order Poe uses imagery to assist his audience in the way they see, feel, and recognize the immense love that the narrator and his beloved Annabel Lee share. Poe establishes the setting in line 2, giving the audience an image of a magical fairytale kingdom by stating In a kingdom by the sea (Poe 1987). Poe creates this fantasy image to mirror the speaker and Annabel Lees fairytale romance conveying the extent of the love he had for his wife. Line 38, which reads And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side/ Of my darling-my darling- my life and my bride, / In her sepulchre there by the sea, (Poe 1987) uses imagery to explore another theme. It provides the audience with the heartbreaking image of Poe sleeping next to Annabel Lees tomb, making it known to readers that their souls would be forever intertwined. Despite their youth, they share a love that was more than love, (Poe 1987) a love so powerful that envious angels send an unnamed illness to shatter their happiness. Though she d ies, his love for her endures, and even years after her death the moon never beams without bringing me dreams / Of the beautiful Annabel Lee (Poe 1987). He is drawn each night to her sepulchreby the sea, (Poe 1987) where he lies down to sleep beside her lifeless body. The most significant motif of this poem is Annabel Lee. The woman that Poe talks about isnt †actually named Annabel Lee. Her name is Virginia Poe (Poe 1987). Annabel Lee could be perceived as the love of his life who has passed away. Poes emotions spill through his symbolism. You can infer that Poe has a covalent bond with the woman that represents Annabel Lee. The poem represents the transformation of love after the loss of a loved one. It is a personal experience that Poe is expressing through the narrators monologue. Poe uses the speaker to describe who she was, and then emphasizes the reasons for why he loved her. Then, he explains how he has lost her. The speaker expresses his melancholy and heartache for her death. Annabel Lee can be perceived as an allusion. The allusion would be showing who Annabel Lee really is. Poe is also super obsessed with the idea of death. In particular, he favorites death typified Victorian culture, which responded to the disease-defined realities of the nineteenth century by blending Christian and classical understandings of death(Schantz 1908). This principle takes a beautiful perspective on death and redemption, using it to express an artistic representation of ones life. A good death was one in which the individual embraced their own mortality with hope and acceptance. Death was spiritualized as focus shifted from the dying, decaying body toward the soul (Schantz 1908). Victorian artists believe that heaven was a concrete place where nature would reunite you with the most intimate people of your life. So to believe that a kingdom by a sea represented a darker heaven that would mend the souls in an eternal afterlife would be a very probable connection to make. The speaker in the poem is experiencing the deep emotional interaction of his lover that has passed on to the other side by crossing over into the spirit realm with her. It is a deep inference that can explain a lot of beautiful eeriness that surrounds the poem. Another motif in the story is the sea or as it is referred to as the kingdom by the sea. The saying establishes a setting and is used as a literary refrain to represent different emotions at different times throughout the poem. In the first stanza, the kingdom by the sea is used to represent the romantic setting shared with his soulmate. By saying, It was many and many a year ago that a maiden lived there whom you may know (Shear 06), Poe brings up the beauty of his love in a fantasy-styled way to bring incredible romance to the mood of the poem. In the second stanza, he adds to the romance by stating I was a child and she was a child, but we loved with a love that was more than love (Shear 06). With this text, he is emphasizing that there love was innocent and playful while still containing the maturity and bond that was greater than love itself. In the third stanza, the mood begins to shift around the kingdom of the sea. By stating, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling my beautiful Annabel Lee (Shear 06). Poe adds a deathly shift to the mood of the poem. This represents the way Poe begins to transform his feelings about the sea. You can foreshadow that the perspective may begin to take a lonelier tone. In the fifth stanza, the sea is seen as the line of spiritual transcendence to hell. It states, Nor the demons down under the sea can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee (Sova 23-26); which portrays the negative spiritual transformation of the sea as a motif in the poem. Its seen to hold the demons of the sea, which can also represent all the hardships that Poe had to overcome. The sea with its vastness represents life. Sometimes, sudden humongous deadly waves shows how life may throw obstacles our way. The sixth stanza has already been mentioned earlier. It states that her tomb lies peacefully there by the sea. He lies down by her because even death cannot separate their bond. The mood here is completely serene, but the life doesnt seem worth living without Annabel Lee. This also points to the loneliness that Edgar Allen Poe felt during the last year of his life when he was struck with poverty, depression, alcohol addiction, and loneliness (Lepore 09). Poe uses symbolism to place emphasis on the transformation from light to darkness, reflecting the light stolen from Poes life when Annabel Lee was ripped from his arms in the darkness that took her place. The sea symbolism shifts from a peaceful, crystal clear paradise to the dark power of natures crushing forces when the speaker talks of The demons down under the sea (Poe 1987). Poe uses these lines to emphasize that nothing could sever their bond. Another allusion that could be made involve the Seraphs. Seraphs are angels, but he says that they are what killed Annabel Lee, and who took her away from him. If Poe had not utilized imagery and symbolism to develop his dark themes, he would not have created the same effect as the audience felt the narrators feelings of nostalgia, deep romance, and grief. Plus, he would not have been able to build the emotional connection with the speaker, to express the way he was feeling about the struggles going on in his life.