The Violent Energy of Ted Hughes :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Violent Energy of Ted Hughes   Ã‚   "Poetic voice of blood and guts" (Welsh 1) said one newspaper headline announcing the appointment of Ted Hughes as the new Poet Laureate in November of 1984. It was fairly typical of the surprise with which the media greeted this appointment because Ted Hughes, it seems, is for most people a difficult poet. Hughes is frequently accused of writing poetry which is unnecessarily rough and violent when he is simply being a typically blunt Yorkshireman, describing things as he sees them. For example, his Moortown poems (which began as a journal recording his farming experiences) are not at all like the traditional romantic view of nature for which English poets are famous. There is no trace in them of the kind of sentiments expressed in Elizabethan poet, Robert Herrick's, lines - "Fair daffodils we weep to see you haste away so soon" (Rosengarten 98), or Wordsworth's - "I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills" (Rosengarten 234). Poetry, for Hughes, i s to do with the world of imagination; He calls it "a journey into the inner universe" (Faas 29), and "an exploration of the genuine self" (Faas 32). Poetry (he once wrote} is one way to:    "unlock the doors of those many mansions inside the head and express something - perhaps not much, just something - of the crush of information that presses in on us....Something of the deep complexity that makes us precisely the way we are.... Something of the inaudible music that moves us along in our bodies from moment to moment like water in a river..." (Faas 82)    An excessive scrutiny of the seamy, shocking side of Ted Hughes' writing, particularly his "animal poems", has characterized much of the critical attention paid to the poet laureate. Many scholars, such as Ben Howard, suggest that Hughes "has often seemed the celebrant, if not the proponent of violence and destruction" (253). This approach to his poetry, however, disregards the imaginative depths Hughes discovers by pursuing violence. In his poem Pike (55 - 56), Hughes manipulates our kinesthetic awareness of violence by guiding us, in carefully constructed stages, into closer contact with the pike. With each of these progressive stages, we are introduced to violence of increasing magnitude and significance.    The stages compromise a series of degrees: the first in stanzas one through four, the second in stanza five through the first two lines of six, the third through stanza seven, and the fourth in stanzas eight through eleven.

From Discussions and Material Presented Essay

From discussions and material presented during lectures, write an essay to demonstrate your theoretical understanding and practical application of Marketing. Each student is to select one of the essay topics below and write an essay of 1500 words, to be submitted in Week 5. The essay must be referenced with relevant up-to-date sources. Choose one of the topics mentioned below: 1. Segmentation, targeting and positioning are interrelated activities which are important to achieving a successful Marketing Mix. Discuss these concepts in theory and give practical examples of how they can be applied to one industry of your choice. Examples of an industry you might choose: fashion for men, or personal care products (shampoo, shavers etc), or pet products, or toys, or vehicles, or furniture, or fashion for women, or financial services, or beverages, or baby products, or snack foods or another industry. 2. Marketing is all about delighting the customers. Discuss the theory and then give practical, real examples of how various products or services are delighting their customers today. Also provide your own ideas of how these products or services could further improve in the future. 3. Discuss the concept of perceived value and its importance to consumer behaviour and marketing. Discuss the theory and then give practical examples of how customers perceive various brands and how this impacts on their behaviour. 4. Good market research and environmental scanning forms the basis of success for other related marketing activities. Discuss the theory and then give practical examples of what types of market research and environmental scanning a company like Domino’s Pizza should do and explain why. . Why is it important to do market research and adjust the marketing mix when entering into a foreign market? Explain the theory and then give practical examples of how some companies have already adjusted their marketing mix in foreign markets. Also, explain what advice you would give the marketing team of â€Å"Vegemite† – if they wanted to launch this pr oduct in a foreign market such as South Africa (or a market of your choice), where people do not know the product/brand.

Blaine Kitchenware Inc. Essay

To review Blaine Kitchenware Inc.’s (BKI) current debt, equity and leverage levels with respect to the highly advisable repurchase of 14 million shares of stock at $18.50 per share and the related, necessary financing. BKI is currently highly over-liquid and under-levered. The firm can anticipate elevated tax rates due to the lack of debt held. BKI has also experienced falling earnings per share (EPS) due to the over issuing of stock. Similarly the large quantity of outstanding shares of stock has led to below average returns to shareholders and a return on equity (ROE) below the competitors’ ROEs. BKI can offset these downward trends by increasing leverage—i.e. increasing debt—and reversing the dilutive acquisitions. BKI is highly recommended to obtain a 25 year loan of $50 million at 6.75% with which to repurchase 14 million of its outstanding shares of stock at the price of $18.50 per share, $2.25 above current stock price. Balance Sheet Impact As shown below, under the appendix, the pro forma balance sheet demonstrates forecasted values if BKI continues without action to increase leverage and decrease outstanding stock. BKI can expect to have $ 510,624,920.99 in stockholders’ equity and $ 96,011,793.33 in cash and cash equivalents on which BKI will be liable at a 40% tax rate, significantly higher than previous fiscal years. Based on trends from 2004-2006, BKI can predict increases in current asset accounts and marginal decreases in fixed asset accounts. Without the pursuit of repurchase and increased debt, BKI’s current liabilities accounts will also experience marginal increases while other liabilities and deferred taxes decrease and long term debt remains at zero. Furthermore, before the repurchase of stock, BKI’s equity accounts may continue to increase. Applying the repurchase strategy to calculated three year trends, BKI’s forecasted balance sheet accounts have significantly lower cash and cash equivalent account, increased market securities, accounts receivables, inventory, and other current assets accounts. Fixed assets are expected to decrease based on three year trends while current liabilities increase. The repurchase will require financing which will be attained through a 25 year fixed rate loan of 50 million. At the end of the first year term, BKI will have long term debt of 50 million minus first year principal component of $819,345.59 equaling $ 49,180,654.41. Other liabilities and deferred taxes however, may decrease marginally. In addition, with the repurchase of 14 million shares, stockholders’ equity is expected to decrease to $ 251,624,920.99 from $488,363,000.00 in 2006. Income Statement Impact Three year trends suggest BKI will have increased revenue, increased cost of goods sold, thus elevated gross profits, rising selling, general, and administrative costs, and decreased depreciation and amortization expenses. Overall, trends indicate earnings before interest and taxes may be higher than 2006 EBIT. Without the stock repurchase strategy, BKI may experience tax expense of $ 34,922,882.71 as opposed to tax expense amounting to $ 29,355,346.62 (calculated using 2007 federal income tax brackets as shown under appendix below) if BKI undergoes the stock repurchase strategy. Without undergoing the stock repurchase plan, BKI will have no interest expense and net income of $ 52,384,324.06. BKI will have dividend expense of $29,230,740.00. By undergoing the stock repurchase, BKI will earn net income of $54,576,860.15 which takes into account the interest expense of $3,375,000.00 associated with the loan to finance the stock repurchase. Impact on financial ratios Operating performance impact ROE: BKI’s return on equity ratio currently below average and below competitors’ will continue to drop based on the firm’s performance trends in the last three years to a 10% level. The anticipated ROE with the stock repurchase plan is 22%, third highest ROE, and while not quite above the industry average, sufficiently above the industry median. EPS: Earnings per share is expected to increase to $1.21 with the stock repurchase plan while if the plan is forgone, BKI can anticipate earning a mere $0.89 per share outstanding. An EPS of $0.89 is lower than the firm’s historical EPS and unappealing to future investors. Leverage: Leverage will increase overall after the stock repurchase and withdrawal of the $50 million bank loan. As shown below, debt ratio increases with the addition of the long term debt which drives up total liabilities with respect to total assets. Long term debt to total capitalization increases as well as debt to equity since BKI will have a long term debt significantly higher than its stockholders’ equity suggesting long term debt is used for permanent financing. Interest Coverage: After the stock repurchase, BKI can cover its interest expense over 20 times with the operating profit earned based on the times interest earned ratio. Expected Cost of Financial Distress BKI may have concerns with financial distress and guaranteeing that all operational costs are covered when leverage is increased. The cost of financial distress for BKI is determined by subtracting the BKI’s weighted cost of debt, 5.22% from the the rate of interest paid by firms that are not in financial distress in the same industry, based on Moody’s AAA rating is 5.88%. This results in a 0.66% cost of financial distress or $100,452,019.96 after the stock repurchase and $ 67,992,788.05 before the stock repurchase.

Ornithocheirus - Facts and Figures

Ornithocheirus - Facts and Figures Name: Ornithocheirus (Greek for bird hand); pronounced OR-nith-oh-CARE-usHabitat: Shores of western Europe and South AmericaHistorical Period: Middle Cretaceous (100-95 million years ago)Size and Weight: Wingspans of 10-20 feet and weights of 50-100 poundsDiet: FishDistinguishing Characteristics: Large wingspan; long, thin snout with bony protuberance on end About Ornithocheirus Ornithocheirus wasnt the largest pterosaur ever to take to the skies during the Mesozoic Erathat honor belonged to the truly enormous Quetzalcoatlusbut it was certainly the biggest pterosaur of the middle Cretaceous period since Quetzalcoatlus didnt appear on the scene until shortly before the K/T Extinction Event. Aside from its 10- to 20-foot wingspan, what set Ornithocheirus apart from other pterosaurs was the bony keel on the end of its snout, which may have been used to crack open the shells of crustaceans, to intimidate other pterosaurs in search of the same prey, or to attract the opposite sex during mating season. Discovered in the early 19th century, Ornithocheirus occasioned its share of disputes among the famous paleontologists of the day. This pterosaur was officially named in 1870 by Harry Seeley, who chose its moniker (Greek for bird hand) because he assumed Ornithocheirus was ancestral to modern birds. He was wrongbirds actually descended from small theropod dinosaurs, probably multiple times during the later Mesozoic Erabut not as wrong as his rival Richard Owen, who at that time didnt accept the theory of evolution and thus didnt believe Ornithocheirus was ancestral to anything! The confusion Seeley generated over a century ago, no matter how well-meaning, persists today. At one time or another, there have been dozens of named Ornithocheirus species, most of them based on fragmentary and poorly preserved fossil specimens, of which only one, O. simus, remains in widespread use. Further complicating matters, the more recent discovery of large pterosaurs dating from late Cretaceous South Americasuch as Anhanguera and Tupuxuararaises the possibility that these genera should properly be assigned as Ornithocheirus species.

Global Expansion Challenges Wal

Global Expansion Challenges Wal Introduction Wal-Mart is undoubtedly the largest retain store in the world. This American firm has been keen on increasing its market share as a way of expanding its financial strength. Originally operating exclusively in the United States, this firm has grown to cover various other markets in Europe, Asia, South American states among other regions. The firm is still planning further expansion to other world regions.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Global Expansion Challenges: Wal-Mart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Jie (2013), Wal-Mart has massively benefited from the increasing globalization that is taking place in the world. This scholar says that one of the sure ways through which a firm can manage the competitive market is to expand to various world markets. As other retail firms penetrate the American market, Wal-Mart has developed an ambitious program that would ensure that it has global ma rket coverage. Although this comes with numerous benefits to this firm, there are some challenges that this firm has to deal with. The management must respond to these challenges in an appropriate manner to ensure that they do not have negative impact on this firm in its expansion program. This study will review literatures about this topic in order to determine some of the global expansion challenges that Wal-Mart should be ready to manage. Cultures According to Paula (2013), culture is one of the most challenging environmental factors to deal with in an organization. This scholar says that culture can be looked at in two fronts. The first front when analyzing culture is the organizational culture. Every organization has its own unique culture that it uses to operate in the market. Wal-Mart is one of the firms that have developed strong organizational culture within the markets it operates. Gabriel (2011) says that it is very important that a firm develop a specific organizational culture that would guide the behavior of its employees when working on behalf of the firm. This scholar says that every individual has some unique characteristics that make him or her different from other members. This means that a large firm like Wal-Mart with thousands of employees would need to find a way of making these employees have similar approach that is desired within the firm. There must be a conventional way of behavior that should be common among all the employees as a strategy to win customers. With the current competitive market, it is important that this firm develop an organizational culture that will help guide its employees in the new regions it is entering. The problem with the organizational culture comes in when the firm tries to use the normal organizational culture it has been used to in other regions, especially in the United States (Koen, Erguncu Gokhan, 2013). One fact that this management must realize is that the workforce at its parent country in the Un ited States is very different from that in other countries that it is expanding to, especially in the developing countries.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, the organizational culture common in Wal-Mart’s American stores where men and women are treated as equals may not work well in Saudi Arabia. This is because in Saudi Arabia, men are still considered as being superior to women. Trying to inculcate an organizational culture that challenges this notion may be challenging because individuals in this country have internalized this kind of reasoning. Given that Wal-Mart plans to expand its market coverage globally, it would be very challenging to learn how to develop new organizational culture in every country it enters. It may even force this firm to sacrifice some of the values it has been holding so dear for years in other regions of the w orld. The second front of looking at culture is at the regional level. Wal-Mart is planning to make major entry into various regions around the world. According to Mun and Yazdanifard (2012), media has been very instrumental in influencing the world culture in a convergent manner. This scholar says that media has been the main instrument of enhancing globalization. However, one fact is that this globalization has not managed to create a universal culture in the world. Although some of the cultural practices that were considered extreme such as human sacrifice have been eliminated, the management of Wal-Mart must realize that there is some uniqueness of culture in different regions. A good example of culture clash that this firm should be able to deal with is on the use of color. In its brand image, one color that comes out strongly is the yellow color. This brand- with the yellow color- is the identity of this firm in the market. However, this may pose some problems in its expansion efforts. The firm is eying the South African market (Wagner, Mazzon, 2013). However, it will find it difficult promoting its brand using the yellow color because the Zulu people- who make the highest percentage of the black South Africans in this country- associate the color with evil spirit. They consider yellow as a color that carries with it bad omen. This superstitious belief has forced many firms in this country to handle this color with a lot of care. This cultural practice will be standing on the path of development of the Wal-Mart brand in this country. Similar other cases can be identified in various countries this firm is planning to enter. This demonstrates the extent to which this firm may be forced to compromise some of its cherished values in order to achieve success in these new regions.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Global Expansion Challenges: Wal-Mart specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Intel lectual property According to Mühlbacher (2009), issues with intellectual property have affected various business organizations around the world. In the developed countries such as the United States and United Kingdom, the law is very clear on the protection of intellectual right. In these markets, Wal-Mart can be assured that its intellectual rights cannot be infringed upon because the law is very clear on the penalties that this would carry. However, this is not the case in other markets around the world. Gregory (2010) says that some countries lack clear policies guarding the intellectual property. This makes it easy for on party to steal intellectual rights of another firm and get away with it. Other countries have laws meant to protect intellectual right, but the law enforcement officers are not doing their work to enforce the law. Some are easily compromised, especially when they feel that they can be given some form of benefits. This unfortunate situation has seen many fi rms suffer because they do not stand to enjoy the benefits of their creativity. Once they come up with a creative idea that should be of benefit to them, competing firms would steal the idea soon after its introduction to the market. Wal-Mart must find as a way of dealing with this in its global expansion program. Some markets will pose this challenge, and unless the management comes with measures to curb this vice, it may suffer a lot instead of benefiting in this new market. Human resource issues According to Roberts (2012), issues with human resource may not affect Wal-Mart when it makes the decision to go global, especially when targeting the developing economies. This firm is currently operating in developed economies where human resource is very expensive. This is not the case in the developing economies. However, this firm would be forced to find a way of boosting the skills of the people it shall employ to work in its outlets. Another issue about human resource that this fir m will have to deal with is attitude. According to Turner and Hodges (2010), most of the foreign retail stores operating in Afghanistan have complained of high levels of pilferage of stock. This scholar says that most of the citizens of this country have negative perception about the west. When employed in firms that are associated with the west, they would easily steal items either before they reach the shelves or at the shelves. This attitude has persisted despite the improving relations between this government and the United States government. This means that if Wal-Mart is planning to expand to this or other countries with similar attitude, it must find a way of dealing with negative attitude of the employees.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Other relevant issues One of the most attractive markets that Wal-Mart has shown interest in is the African and Asian markets. According to Fox (2011), Africa has been considered as an untapped market with huge potential. For this reason, Wal-Mart has been trying to find its way into this market. One challenge that this firm should be ready to deal with in this market is insecurity and political instability. Most of the African major cities have been considered as generally insecure because of inadequate policing. It is common for an armed robber to terrorize a supermarket, especially if it is located in the suburbs of the city. Such incidents would always bring massive losses to the firm. A number of these countries are also undergoing some form of revolution in their leadership. Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt ousted their military leaders, and the countries are yet to achieve political stability. This means that operating in such markets will put the firm in a delicate situation. The r ioters can easily break into the supermarket and steal every single item on stock (Experian Marketing Services, 2012). During such times, most of the people employed in various institutions are also forced to remain at home because of the insecurity. This means that the purchasing power will be reduced considerably. With such stagnating economies, it becomes very difficult to move ahead because the rate of sales will be very low. According to Ernst Young (2012), in its global expansion program, Wal-Mart must realize that the infrastructural development that is experienced in the United States and other developed countries are common in every part of the world. Klohs (2012) says that Wal-Mart’s expansion plan has been targeting developed economies around the world. However, the new global expansion program would mean that this firm would be forced to go beyond the developed countries that it has been patronizing. Some of the emerging economies in Africa and the rest of the wo rld do not have developed infrastructure. Most of their roads are dilapidated, and some rail systems are completely collapsed. This is the kind of situation in east African countries. The management must have a way of operating successfully in the market despite these poor means of transport. Finally, the management of Wal-Mart will be forced to develop a system that would be able overcome the bureaucracy and corruption that is rife in some of the new markets it plan to enter. Transparency International has indicated that some of the most corrupt governments are found in the developing economies, which is the primary focus of Wal-Mart in its current expansion program. For instance, Nigeria has attracted many investors due to its high population and its rich oil reserves. Another country that Wal-Mart would be interested in is Venezuela. These countries do not have well-established retail outlets and the presence of Wal-Mart in them would be a benefit to this firm (Dewhurst, Harris, Heywood Aquila, 2012). However, these governments have a lot of bureaucracy, especially when dealing with foreign investors. Wal-Mart would have to visit numerous offices in order to get permit allowing it to operate in Nigeria. The officers in charge are always none committed to their work. An application sent to their offices would take weeks or even months to be processed while the processing can be done in hours. In some extreme cases, one would be informed that the application file has gone missing and the process must begin anew. This is always done on purpose. What these officers always want is to be bribed in order to do their work. Those who are not ready to offer the bribe get to suffer. These countries also have numerous regulatory agencies that would come to inspect the normal operations of the firm. According to Accenture (2009), the inspection they make is not always meant to bring sanity into business fraternity. The inspections are meant to increase corruption avenu es. During their inspection, the lawbreakers and law-abiding firms are equal before them. The only difference to them is the ability to pay the bribe. In such countries, it is not rare to find a law-abiding businessperson sent to jail for false crimes, while the criminals are making huge profits irregularly. These are some of the challenges that this firm will be forced to face with diligence in order to achieve the desired results. Conclusion It is a fact that Wal-Mart’s global expansion program is very ambitious and can help it increase its market share. However, the management of this firm must appreciate the fact that this comes at a cost. A number of challenges would come along the way, and the ability of this firm to manage them diligently would always dictate its success or failure in that particular market. Each region around the world has some unique characteristics that would bring unique challenges to this firm during its operations. The management of Wal-Mart shou ld identify these challenges before making an entry and determine if they are manageable. It is upon the analysis that it can make the decision to enter these markets. References Accenture, M. (2009). Expansion into Africa: Challenges and success factors revealed. Retrieved from accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture_Strategy_Expansion_into_Africa_POV.pdf Dewhurst, M., Harris, J., Heywood, S., Aquila, K. (2012). The global company’s challenge. McKinsey Quarterly, 3(1), 76-80. Ernst Young. (2012). Growing pains: Companies in rapid-growth markets face talent challenges as they expand. Retrieved from ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Growing_pains:_Companies_in_rapid-growth_markets_face_talent_challenges_as_they_expand/$FILE/MiniTalent_v9_hiqual.pdf Experian Marketing Services. (2012). Going global? The benefits and challenges of international location planning. Retrieved from experian.co.uk/assets/business-strategies/white-papers/wp-going-global-international-locatio n-planning.pdf Fox, K.A. (2011). Learn to expect the unexpected in global retail expansion. Graziodio Business Review, 14(4), 1-7. Gabriel, S.J. (2011). Challenges of international business before SAARC nations: Some reflections. International Journal of Global Business, 4(2), 41-59. Gregory, J. (2010). Counterparty credit risk: The new challenge for global financial markets. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley. Jie, W. (2013). Marketing capabilities, institutional development, and the performance of emerging market firms: A multinational study. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(1), 36-45. Klohs, B.M. (2012). Going global. Economic Development Journal, 11(3), 27-34. Koen, P., Erguncu, S., Gokhan, Y (2013). Winning hearts, minds and sales: How marketing communication enters the purchase process in emerging and mature markets. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(1), 57-68 Mühlbacher, H. (2009). International marketing: A global perspective. London: Thom son Learning. Mun, L.Y., Yazdanifard, R. (2012).Wal-Mart success in Mexico, Canada and China: Global expansion, strategy, entry modes, threats and opportunities. Retrieved from researchgate.net/publication/234167019_WALMART_SUCCESS_IN_MEXICO_CANADA_AND_CHINA_GLOBAL_EXPANSION_STRATEGIES_ENTRY_MODES_THREATS_AND_OPPORTUNITIES/file/32bfe50fbfe066efdb.pdf Paula T. (2013). Conducting field research in subsistence markets, with an application to market orientation in the context of Ethiopian pastoralists. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 7(11), 83-97. Roberts, B. (2012). Walmart: Key insights and practical lessons from the worlds largest retailer. London: Kogan Page. Turner, L., Hodges, M. (2010). Global shakeout: World market competition the challenges for business and government. London: Century Business. Wagner, A., Mazzon, J. (2013). Socioeconomic status and consumption in an emerging economy. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(1), 4-18.

a va - Informal How Are You in French

a va - Informal How Are You in French Now that we have studied  the formal ways of saying how are you in French, lets look at the informal ways. a va - How are you / how is it going? The Magical French word!   Ãƒâ€¡a va (pronounced sa va, since the cedilla makes the C pronounced as an S) is truly the magical word of the French language. Why? Because it never changes. You can use a va to ask how are you to one person: Ça va Camille ?Oui, à §a va bien, merci. Et toi ? Whether you are using tu or vous doesnt matter: Ça va madame Chevalier ?Oui, à §a va bien, merci. Et vous ? You can use a vato ask how are you to several people: Ça va bien vous deux ? (How are you both?)Ça va, à §a va, merci. Et toi ? (Fine, fine, and you?) You can even use a va to talk about other people: Et vos enfants, à §a va ? (and your kids, are they OK?)Oui, à §a va bien, merci. Not just people, you can usea va foreverything really! Votre travail, à §a va ? (how is your work?)La santà © de votre mà ¨re, à §a va ? (how is your mothers health?) How cool is that a va - Informal but very common French for how are you Granted,  Ãƒ §a va is not the most formal French. But its so practical that its been used a lot in French lately, and has really made its way in almost all situations: among friends and family, of course, but also at the office, with acquaintances... Its only in the most formal of situations that it may not be appropriate. I wouldnt say to the Queen of England bonjour Votre Majestà ©, à §a va ?...   Ok, now that weve seen how to say  how are you in formal French, and learned about à §a va, lets see how you answer how are you subtlely in French. I post exclusive mini lessons, tips, pictures and more daily on my Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages - so press the links below - talk to you there! https://www.facebook.com/frenchtoday https://twitter.com/frenchToday https://www.pinterest.com/frenchtoday/ https://www.instagram.com/realfrenchtoday/

Shostakovich 8th String Quartet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shostakovich 8th String Quartet - Essay Example Born on September 25, 1906, into the family of an engineer, in St Petersburg, Shostakovich didn't appear to be, in his first years of childhood, as talented as he proved to be later on. But as his parents loved music very much and considered that it was necessary in the process of a child's education, Shostakovich the child received musical lessons. The young Shostakovich showed great interest in music and began studying it seriously, and more than just interpreting other composer's music, he started composing his own pieces of work. As most of the great composers, Shostakovich spoke through his music. As for his personal life, he didn't like to show too much of it. "He was an intensely private person who guarded his personal life and feelings jealously. What all but a very few close friends and family members were permitted to experience of the man was the stiff faade of a civic-minded public servant and consummate music professional." (Fay, 2000 p.2) It's only after his death that the publication of memoirs, diaries, letters, revealed facts about him and his life, some of them controversial. Christopher Norris (1984) shows that Shostakovich's performances of his own music reveal a great flexibility of tempi and the tendency to exaggerate the extremes of his metronome marks. The same source reveals the fact that the members of the Beethoven String Quartet were life-long friends of Shostakovich and this is what gives flexibility to their interpretation. Norris emphasizes on the fact that there are many examples in Shostakovich's chamber music, of movements of unrelenting loudness. And he presents some of these examples: the second movements of the eighth and Tenth Quartets and the Violin Sonata, and most of the third movement of the Third Quartet. Norris analyses in detail the String Quartets. When dealing with the eighth, he begins by showing that the composer is careful about the placing of accents and stresses. And he gives an example: "when the lower three instruments are intoning the revolutionary song "Tormented by the weight of bondage" fortissimo espressivo in octaves, the first violin's independent part has accents on every note to help the balance."(Norris, 1984 p.23) The composer's commentator also remarks the conflict between dissonance and consonance and the task of the performer who must interpret the music using "the appropriate fingering, stress, balance, rubato and vibrato, to highlight the patterns of tension and release." (Norris, 1984 p.23) Norris admits that sometimes the consonance and dissonance are no more than the result of purely horizontal lineality, but he considers that most of the times, the context is deliberately tonal. About Shostakovich's musical style, Martynov says: "AT A FIRST HEARING of Shostakovich's music one is struck by the remarkable facility of his style. So effortless is his manner of solving the most complex problems of composition that it would seem nothing is impossible to him. Few of his contemporaries can compare with him in this. Such creative ease, moreover, is a sure sign of great talent and consummate skill." (1947 p.154). He points out the fact that the Russian composer "worked with extraordinary facility and speed": "his String Quartet was written