Geography of Beauty

Geography of Beauty It is a common English idiom to say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but perhaps it is more accurate to say that beauty is in the geography, as cultural ideals of beauty vary drastically by region. Interestingly, the local environment seems to play an important role in what is seen as beautiful. Large Beauties Extreme forms of this practice include sending young girls to fattening farms, called gavages, alluding to their unfortunate similarity to French farms where geese are forcibly fed via sausage stuffers to create foie gras. Today, food is considerably less scarce, leading to many morbidly obese women in Mauritania. As Western media continues to infiltrate Mauritanian society, cultural preferences for large women are dying out in exchange for a slimmer Western ideal. Although Mauritania is an extreme example, this idea that large women are beautiful women are seen in other regions of the world where food is scarce, and populations are susceptible to famine, such as Nigeria and rainforest cultures. Flawless Skin Perhaps the most shocking facet of East Asian beauty is the fact that the male cosmetic industry is booming. In a society where flawless skin is considered an indicator of social success, South Korean males spend more on skin and makeup products that any other male population in the world. According to the Associated Press, this years male South Korean beauty industry is expected to gross over US $850 million. The trend for more feminine and pretty males in South Korea seems to be the result of an influx of Japanese cultural goods that portray male figures as romantic and effeminate. Skin Lightening With the southern portion of India residing in the Tropic of Cancer, Indias close proximity to the equator has resulted in the characteristically dark skin tone of its citizens. Indias infamous caste system, although based on birth and occupation, placed that vast majority of those with extremely dark skin into the lowest caste, classifying them as undesirables or untouchables. Although today the caste system is outlawed and it is prohibited to discriminate against someone based on his or her caste, the widespread beauty ideal of light skin is a subtle reminder of darker days. To feed this cultures obsession with light skin tones, a huge industry dedicated to lightening and skin bleaching creams flourishes in India. Light of My Eyes These coverings leave the eyes at the focus of the females face, or in more extreme communities; only the eyes are left uncovered. These cultural and religious norms have led many predominantly Islamic countries to focus on eyes as the epitome of beauty. This fixation of eyes is an integral part of Arabic culture. Many idioms of the Arabic language center on the eyes, for example, the Arabic equivalent of responding My pleasure when asked to do a favor roughly translates to By the light of your eyes I will do it. As Islam spread throughout the Middle East and into South Asia and Africa, it brought with it modesty practices for women such as the hijab and burka. With these new cultural norms, eyes likewise became the focal point of beauty in many of these cultures. In addition, khol is an ancient eye cosmetic used not only in the Middle East but also in Africa and South Asia. It is said that it was worn around the eye to protect from vision damage from the suns harsh rays, as these areas where khol is used regularly are very near to the equator and thus receive a lot of direct energy from the sun. Eventually, khol became used as an ancient form of eyeliner and mascara to line and accentuate the eyes. It is still used in many places today. What is beautiful is often not exactly a universal concept. What is seen as beautiful and attractive in one culture is seen as unhealthy and undesirable in another. Like so many other topics, the question of what is beautiful is intricately intertwined with geography.

The Benefits of a Postgraduate Year

The Benefits of a Postgraduate Year While many students have discovered the benefits of a gap year between high school and college, some students choose to take a postgraduate or PG year after graduating from high school. Students can take advantage of this year-long program at their own private school or at another school. Many students attend a boarding school just for their postgraduate year, as boarding school allows these students to experience life away from home while still having the requisite structure and guidance from teachers and advisors. While the PG year has been traditionally known to support boys, an increasing number of girls are taking advantage of this important program. Here are some reasons students can benefit from a PG year at private school: Greater maturity It’s not news that students at both public and private four-year colleges are taking longer than ever to graduate from college. In fact, according to the ACT, only about half of all students graduate from four-year colleges within five years. In addition, also according to the ACT, about one-quarter of students at four-year colleges drop out and don’t return to school. Part of the reason for this high drop-out rate is that students don’t arrive on campus ready for independent college life. A PG year allows students to develop maturity by living on their own in a structured environment. While students at boarding schools must advocate for themselves and take responsibility for their work without their parents’ constant guidance, they have advisors and teachers who help them structure their time and who help them when needed. Better chances for college acceptance. While parents are often afraid that students who defer going to college for a year are fated never to go, the colleges themselves prefer to accept students after a so-called â€Å"gap year.† Colleges find that students who travel or work before college are more committed and focused when they arrive on campus. While a PG year isn’t technically the same as a gap year, it can also help students have an additional year of experience, and it can help them be more attractive to colleges. Many private schools offer PG programs that allow students opportunities to play sports, travel, and even participate in internships, all of which can greatly increase a students chances of getting into the college of their choice. Better academic skills. Many students who go on to be great college students simply don’t come into their own until later in high school. The later developmental curve tends to be particularly true of boys. They simply need one more year to build their academic skills when their minds are better able to learn and improve. Students who have learning disabilities may derive particular benefit from a PG year, as they may need time to assimilate new skills and improve their ability to advocate for themselves before confronting the independent world of college. A PG year at a boarding school will allow these types of students the ability to advocate for themselves in the supportive world of a high school, in which there are deans and teachers looking out for them, before being expected to do most of this work completely on their own in college.   Ability to build one’s athletic profile. Some students take a PG year so that they can add luster to their athletic profile before applying to college. For example, they may attend a boarding school known for excellence in a particular sport before applying to college to play that sport. Some boarding schools not only have better teams, but they also tend to attract the attention of college sports scouts. The extra year of school and training can also help players improve their strength, agility, and overall mastery of the sport. Private schools offer qualified college counselors who can help with the college search, too.   Access to better college counseling. Students who take a PG year may also enjoy access to better college counseling, particularly if they take their gap year at a top boarding school. A student applying to college from these types of boarding schools will benefit from the school’s experience and long record of admissions to competitive colleges, and the resources at these schools may be better than what the student had at his or her previous high school. Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

Saudi Arabia - Trade Elasticity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Saudi Arabia - Trade Elasticity - Essay Example Frequently, trade elasticities are needed for answering policy questions regarding a country and for making judgments regarding a country’s real exchange rate (Billmeier & Hakura, 2008). It should be noted that, trade elasticities need to be estimated with respect to foreign, domestic demand and the real exchange rate and factors such as energy prices across the world. When estimating trade elasticities, several choices must be made including long-term factors that drive export and import demand. Secondly, it is important to ascertain how the recent global trade flows are dominant in these estimates. Additionally, trade elasticities are also depended on relative prices, demand, and natural resource endowment, particularly, energy such as oil (Billmeier & Hakura, 2008). In Saudi Arabia, the elasticity of export and import demand changes with variations in foreign and domestic demand. Imports, in particular, appear to be more inelastic with regards to domestic demand. This is because demand is mostly geared towards goods that are domestically produced. Interestingly, Saudi Arabian imports are, to a much larger extent, dominated by energy imports, particularly oil. Imp orts increase by 2.2 percent when the real price of oil increases by 10 percent (Billmeier & Hakura, 2008). However, both exports and imports react in the same way to foreign demand and domestic demand, respectively. To calculate import and export elasticities for Saudi Arabia, this paper will utilize results from the production theory. Using Hotelling’s lemma, the general-equilibrium supply function can be obtained from a derivative of a country’s GDP function with regard to output prices. Demand function for inputs can also be obtained in this similar way, and as such, import elasticity can be estimated. Saudi Arabian import elasticity according to (Billmeier & Hakura, 2008) is -1.915553. This is a negative and is assumed to be with the wrong sign

Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Systems - Essay Example Communicating with branches and offices worldwide has never been easier than now. Purchases through online transactions have increased because of the convenience it offers. The advancement in information systems has also paved the way for shifts in media and advertising. More companies are using the web to advertise their products and services. These types of promotional campaigns are less costly for companies and they get instant feedback from customers. A well-developed information system gives a strategic competitive advantage to companies. Information systems play a vital role in business processes and operations. Information systems make it less complicated to handle numerous company data through electronic data processing, transaction processing, record keeping and accounting applications. Another way information systems transform business is it simplifies the decision-making process of employees and managers. It acts as an ad hoc support to the decision-making process by providing decision makers the information they need, when they need it. Information system literacy is the â€Å"knowledge and hands-on familiarity with hardware, software, peripherals and network components common to most information systems†(WebFinance, Inc., 2013). On the other hand, computer literacy is the â€Å"level of familiarity with the basic hardware and software (and now Internet) concepts that allows one to use personal computers for data entry, word processing, spreadsheets, and electronic communications†

Factors Affecting Hospitality Graduates Career Perception

Factors Affecting Hospitality Graduates Career Perception Abstract The purpose of this research is to investigate the key attributes, which affects the hospitality graduates to take up a career in hospitality industry. The research is mainly focused on the students in university studying hospitality and to conduct this research in more effective manner past research is also been studied for detailed understanding. The methodology used to conduct this research will be quantitative method, asking students on campus to fill out the questionnaire, which will answer questions about factors affecting and their perception about taking up career in hospitality industry. In addition to identifying the key reasons, this research will also address the specific issues related to employment in hospitality industries for instances long working hours, no benefits and poor work life balances. The outcome of this research will be more beneficial for the tutors to understand the importance of providing right exposure to students about hospitality culture. It will als o benefit managers and hospitality recruiters to understand their employees and address the current issues related to job satisfaction. Overall this research will contribute to increase customer satisfaction and assist with one of the major challenge which is high employee turnover rate. Introduction Hospitality is one of the fastest growing and popular industries around the world. Customer service is the backbone of hospitality and to customer satisfaction we need manpower. According to (Noone, Kimes, and Mattila, 2007) customer satisfaction is directly linked to customer retention. Unhappy and dissatisfied guest will never return and hence we may end up loosing the business. However it is important to understand the vital aspect in providing great customer service to the guest is staff. Without great staff it is impossible to run the hospitality industry. It is requires more manpower, compare to any other sectors, as customer service is the vital task and it cannot be replaced by machines, therefore lot of employees are required to run the operation (Hayes and Ninemeier, 2009). With its rapid growth, it is in high demand of skilled manpower and which is why many universities have started offering courses in hospitality and tourism. The positive part is many universities and col leges have different level of courses to support the growing industry, at the same time it is also creating a negative impact on the students who are currently enrolled in the courses. The previous research have founded that students usually do not join the industry after completing their courses (Pavesic and Brymer, 1990). There are many reasons behind lack of commitment from students such as long working hours, low salaries, fewer benefits and poor working atmospheres (Roney and Oztin, 2007). This negative impact further can be seen in the customer service offered at the different hospitality organization, which then leads to employee turnovers. Therefore it is very essential that students should enter the organization in right frame of mind. Students believe to have wrong impressions either from their tutors or sometimes due to their personal experience at work. Eventually they may end up leaving the industry forever and hence it is important for the tutors and also managers to i dentify these issues to avoid problems and future benefits for both employees and employers. Literature Review There were several research carried out in past to determine the student perceptions about taking hospitality as career. To conduct this research previous research on these issues was been reviewed to help understand the issue in better way. Working Atmosphere It has been noticed over the period that hospitality industry is changing generations by generations according to (Gursoy, Maier and Chi, 2008) hospitality industry has always seen a vast difference between previous and current generation. One of the issues with students in taking up career in hospitality is the working atmosphere as they prefer to work in the environment which is more challenging, change and goal driven, they also love to have feedbacks (Chen and Choi, 2008). Previously employees had no connection with their managers directly as managers would dictate the jobs to supervisors and then the same would be conveyed to the employees. This cycle of communication hence lead to lack of interaction with the managers and since the employees were not qualified enough, they would perform the task as taught by their line supervisors, without understanding the importance or putting in some efforts to enhance it with their own creativity. But as the time passed and hospitality indu stry started booming around the globe, it changed the entire concept of customer service skill. Earlier it was just basic accommodation and food service but today it is more about the guest experience, customer service and retaining them. This is when lot of institution came up with hospitality courses to learn the skills and gain knowledge about hospitality. After taking up the education in hospitality students who entered the industry with skills and qualification found problems to work with older generation (Gursoy et al., 2008). Hospitality industry is totally dependent on manpower and therefore it is very important to have positive attitude people, who can motivate others. Staff can only be positive if the working atmosphere is pleasant and healthy and really matters to people when choosing their career paths (Sibson, 2011). Therefore (Gursoy et al. 2008, p. 454) states that The hospitality industry will need to develop new standards of human resource management in order to successfully connect with a multi- generational workforce. It is possible that a top-down and bureaucratic management and leadership style may not be effective with younger generations of employees. Social Status According to many students hospitality industry is glamours industry and their misconception about the same leads them to disappointment. This happens when the reality strikes after completing education and entering into the industry for their first job experience. As per (Bashar et al, 2013) some student also felt that choosing career in the hospitality will have great impact on the social status and will have good job opportunities. However in reality after completing studies, they have to start from the base positions like waiter/waitress or housekeeper. This really disappoints them because according to them they do not need qualification or education of so many years for this kind of jobs (Tan, 2016). Past Experiences As mentioned above it is one of the important aspects for the students to have right mindset when they are entering into actual job. Most often tutor educating students have no physical experience in the industry and fail to provide realities of the industry (Brown, 2015). It has also been noticed in past researches that students who take up studies in hospitality is required to have some work experience in form of on job trainings or internships to experience the industry culture. Also some students during their studies take up part time jobs to gain field experience. However these experiences sometimes do not turn out to be positive due to lack of correct exposure and guidance from right people. This leaves students with a negative impression and makes them to change their perception about career in hospitality (Richardson, 2008). Long Working Hours and Low Wages Hospitality industry is totally dependent on the manpower as it involves customer service as a main task and it cannot be replaced by machines. Since it is labor intensive industry it usually requires working for long hours. This is another attribute which affects the students perception about hospitality as a career. Study which was conducted by (Richardson, 2010) is that students believes that working hours in hospitality industry are always more than 8 hours which affects the work life balance and also there was less scope to develop the career. Low wage is also one of the major issues as per students (Lu and Adler, 2008). As per (Wong and Kos, 2009) factors which can drive students in taking up hospitality as a career are flexi working hours, work life balance, rewards for working extra hours and should have freedom to reduce the working hours as per their convenience. Some studies carried out on students of generation Y by (Choi and Kwon, 2013) prove that students expect their w orkplace to be fun loving and relaxed compare to strict environments. Finally to conclude it seems that above reasons are the main reasons for students changing their mind about career in hospitality. This gap should be addressed by tutors if they make students aware about the reality of the hospitality and give them a clear understanding. Also it is essential that tutors providing education about hospitality must have some industry experience at least, to have a realistic approach during teaching. Other strategy would be inviting guest speakers to colleges for addressing doubts of student on working in hospitality related to long working hours, work life balances and working atmosphere. However this is not the complete solutions to the factors stated above to change the students perception about hospitality as a career. Hence further investigation is required to understand the issue and expert advice on the same will be beneficial. Methodology As the research is focused on students, the ideal location for this research will be college campus. Pilot study will be carried out in order to cut down the cost and time, to derive the outcome from limited participants. Participants for this research will be students mostly undergraduates students who are studying hospitality or post graduate students who have taken hospitality as a specialization. To conduct this research approach of quantitative methodology will be applied for collecting data. A set of questionnaires will be designed keeping in mind the research topic. It will consist questions about their perception about career in hospitality, barriers in hospitality industry which can influence them to leave the industry, what are the positive aspects which can make them stay and necessary improvements which can be implemented to the current job structure. In addition to this questionnaires will also include demographic information of the students, age, sex, and gender. Timeline Schedule Objective Week 1 Conducting research to select topics related to the contemporary issues in hospitality and finalizing the topic. Week 2 Researching on the scholarly journal articles related to the topic for drafting literature review. Week 3 Start writing introduction about the topic and literature review to support the research topic with the help of selected scholarly journal articles. Week 4-5 Developing questions related to research topic and analyzing possible approaches to gain maximum response. Week 6 Connecting with field experts for doubts and questions about the research topic for more knowledge and findings. Week 7 Refining and designing research questions and distributing them to students on campus. Week 8 Analyzing the data collected from questionnaire for results and findings. Week 9-10 Working on data collected to draft report with findings achieved from questionnaire. Week 11-12 Assembling all the data together, formatting and finalizing the report. References Bashar A.A.M., Hamam T.A. (2013). Motivation of students to study tourism hospitality programs. International Journal of Asian social science, 3(7), 1637-1647. Brown, E. A., Thomas, N. J., Bosselman, R. H. (2015). Are they leaving or staying: A qualitative analysis of turnover issues for Generation Y hospitality employees with a hospitality education. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 46, 130-137. Chen, P., Choi, Y. (2008). Generational differences in work values: A study of hospitality management. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20(6), 595-615. Choi, Y.G., Kwon, J. (2013). Effects of attitudes vs. experience of workplace fun on employee behaviors. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25, 410-427. Gursoy, D., Maier, T.A., Chi, C.G. (2008). Generational differences: An examination of work values and generational gaps in the hospitality workforce. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27(3), 448- 458. Hayes, D. K., Ninemeier, J. D. (2009). Human resource management in the hospitality industry. Canada, United States of America: John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NewJersey. Lu, T., Adler, H. (2008). Career goals and expectations of hospitality and tourism students in China. Journal of Teaching in Travel Tourism, 9, 63-80. doi: 10.1080/15313220903041972. Noone, B. M., Kimes, S. E., Mattila, A.S. (2007). The effect of meal pace on customer satisfaction. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 48, 231-245. Pavesic, D. V., Brymer, R. A. (1990). Job Satisfaction: Whats Happening to the Young Managers? The Cornell H.R.A. Quarterly, 31(1), 90-96. Richardson, S. (2008). Undergraduate tourism and hospitality students attitudes toward a career in the industry: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Teaching in Travel Tourism, 8(1), 23-46. doi: 10.1080/15313220802410112 Richardson, S. (2010). Tourism and hospitality students perceptions of a career in the industry: A comparison of domestic (Australian) students and international students studying in Australia. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 17(1), 1-11. Roney , S. A., Oztin, P. (2007). Career perceptions of undergraduate tourism students: a case study in Turkey. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport Tourism Education, 6(1), 4-17. Sibson, R. (2011). Career choice perceptions of undergraduate event, sport and recreation management students: An Australian case study. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sports and Tourism Education (Pre-2012), 10(2), 50. Tan, Z. M. A., Baharun, N., Wazir, N. M., Ngelambong, A. A., Ali, N. M., Ghazali, N., Tarmazi, S. A. A. (2016). Graduates Perception on the Factors Affecting Commitment to Pursue Career in the Hospitality Industry. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 224, 416-420. Wong, S. C., Ko, A. (2009). Exploratory study of understanding hotel employees perception on work-life balance issues. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28, 195- 203. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2008.07.001

13 Domestic Cabinet Departments Essay

1.) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – responsibilities include farming, agricultural products, food stamps, and anti-poverty programs, and conservation and natural resource protection. The inspectors of this department are responsible for the safety of the nation’s food supply. 2.) U.S. Department of Commerce- responsible for everything we buy and sell, they regulate everything from foreign trade to fishing to the granting of patents, they oversee programs that support minority businesses, and provides statistics and analyses for business and government planners. 3.) U.S Department of Defense (DOD)- responsible for supplying military hardware, administering personnel pay and benefits, providing info to the public and military, managing military education programs and attempting to locate missing personnel or prisoners of war. 4.) U.S. Department of Education- their first responsibility is making sure that the nation’s public school systems provide students with proper school supplies, educational facilities and qualified teachers. Personnel promote parental involvement in their children’s education, develop financial aid policies and encourage the use of modern technology in the classroom. 5.) U.S. Department of Energy- works to ensure that the nation has a steady, consistent and safe supply of energy. Energy scientists work to harness the sun’s power while its physicists attempt to capture nuclear energy for civilian or military use. 6.) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – the government’s primary agency for overseeing the health and well-being of the American people. HHS employees work on more than 300 programs and perform essential services ranging from food safety to medical research to drug abuse prevention. HHS has regional offices across the country. 7.) U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – first priority is to protect the nation against further terrorist attacks. Component agencies will analyze threats and intelligence, guard the nation’s borders and airports, protect critical national infrastructure, and coordinate the nation’s response for future emergencies. 8.) U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – responsible for ensuring that American families have access to decent, safe and affordable housing. Among HUD’s biggest programs are insuring mortgages for homes and loans for home improvement, making direct loans for construction or rehabilitation of housing projects for the elderly and the handicapped, providing federal housing subsidies for low- and moderate-income families, and enforcing fair housing and equal housing access laws. 9.) U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) – manages the nation’s natural resources, from land and water to coal and natural gas. By monitoring the extraction of natural resources, Interior Department personnel work to efficiently protect and preserve the environment. The Department also houses the office responsible for overseeing Native American affairs. 10.) U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) – makes sure that federal laws aimed at protecting the public and promoting competitive business practices are implemented, including immigration and naturalization statutes, consumer safeguards and criminal prosecutions. The FBI falls under the Justice Department’s authority. 11.) U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) – administers and enforces laws and regulations that ensure safe working conditions, minimum hourly pay and overtime. Through its varied initiatives, it also works to meet the special employment-related needs of the disabled, the elderly and minorities, and provides job banks, unemployment benefits and workplace health regulations. 12.) U.S. Department of State- responsible for the conduct of the nation’s foreign affairs and diplomatic initiatives. State Department personnel coordinate conferences with foreign leaders, hammer out treaties and other agreements with foreign governments and protect the safety of US citizens traveling abroad. 13.) U.S. Department of the Treasury- Printing the nation’s money is only one of many responsibilities overseen by the nation’s second oldest cabinet department (only the State Department has been around longer). It also sets domestic financial, economic and tax policy, manages the public debt and collects taxes. Less obvious is Treasury’s other major role—law enforcement; the Secret Service and the Customs Service are Treasury agencies. 14.) U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) – Cars, trucks, buses, trains, boats, and airplanes all fall under the Department of Transportation’s authority. So does the nation’s transportation infrastructure. The work of Transportation Department employees makes it possible for Americans to travel home for the holidays, away on vacation, and even to and from work. The Transportation Department is also home to the new Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for protecting the country’s transportation systems and ensuring the safety of its passengers. 15.) U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – Best known for its healthcare system, the VA also provides social support services, administers pensions and other veterans’ benefits, and promotes the hiring of veterans.

Analysis of Harry Potters Life - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 879 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/04/04 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Harry Potter Essay Did you like this example? Harry lives with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and cousin Dudley. it is obvious that the family does not want Harry there, as his room is just a cupboard under the stairs and they are unkind to him. He is obviously different from his normal uncle, aunt, and cousin, as weird events seem to take place when he is around. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Analysis of Harry Potters Life" essay for you Create order We know that Harry is not meant to be a normal human because of the flashback of Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall showing them dropping Harry off at his Aunts doorsteps. This dramatic irony lets readers know that Harry does not belong in this ordinary world. Harrys call to adventure begins when owls start leaving invitations for Harry to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harrys refusal of the call is not actually done by him, it is done by his uncle and aunt, who destroy all of the letters being left for harry. When so many letters are sent that the family cant possibly destroy them all, they take Harry and flee the house. However, the Dursleys attempts to stop Harry from attending Hogwarts are not successful, as Hagrid himself comes to get Harry and introduce him to his new life. Throughout the Harry Potter series, Harry has multiple mentors, but Hagrid is the first one he ever meets. Hagrid comes to save Harry from the Dursleys, who are trying to keep him from being his true self a wizard. Hagrid helps Harry navigate the wizard life throughout the novel, as this whole magic thing is pretty new to Harry. The threshold that Harry crosses is his first time entering Diagon Alley, which is a secret wizarding alley filled with toy shops, broom shops, wand shops, and even own shops. Diagon alley is a representation of the wizarding world which Harry is about to enter, and crossing that threshold allows for Harry to have his first personal experience with his new world of magic. Harry makes a couple of very important allies in this novel Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. When Harry is cornered by a troll in the bathroom, his friends Ron and Hermione help him. Harrys wand is taken and he relies on Ron to save him. This becomes a regular occurance in the series, as these three become best friends and are always there for eachother in a time of need. Harrys interaction with the troll is also one of his first tests he faces a wizard. What Harry does not know is that much harder tests will soon arrive. Harrys approach to the innermost cave is when he faces Fluffy, the three headed dog blocking the doorway that leads to the actual ordeal. It is important to note that, yet again, Harry has Ron and Hermione by his side. Inside the cave, the three face tests that they need to pass in order to read the final confrontation. They do pass these, which leads the journey to the ordeal. However, Harry must face the ordeal alone without the help of Ron and Hermione. This will make it more difficult for him to succeed, as he usually had someone to bail him out of trouble before this. When Harry reaches the final confrontation, it is revealed that Voldemort is teached up with Professor Quirrell. Voldemorts head is on the back of Quirrells, which was hidden by a turban before. Quirrell forces Harry to look into the Mirror of Erised, which shows ones deepest desires. In the mirror, Harry sees himself standing there with his parents. Soon after, Harry gets possession of the sorcerers stone. Voldemort offers an alliance to Harry, saying that Harry could have his family back, but Harry stays strong and refuses to form an alliance with Voldemort. Voldemorts soul passes through Harry (which was very dangerous for Harry) and he ultimately leaves without the stone. Voldemort will prove to be Harrys biggest enemy throughout the whole series. The reward that Harry gets is that he defeated Voldemort and did not allow his to have possession of the stone, so Voldemort will not be returning for a while. The reward is good for Harry and the entire Wizarding World, as Voldemort is an extremely dangerous threat to Harry and to everyone else. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are all taken to the Hogwarts nursing area. There journey there is not covered in much detail, as Harry sudd enly wakes up in a nursing room bed. Harry wakes up in a nursing room bed after his ordeal with Voldemort. Harry is regaining his strength and is recovering from his injuries from his fight. This is symbolic, as he is resurrected in the sense that he is recovering from the life altering event. The return with the Elixir in Harry Potters journey would be being completely void of Voldemorts terror. Dumbledore states that he believes Voldemort will return, but Harry has allowed for the wizards to have time to get ready for his arrival and to fight back. Harry is now a known hero and he realizes he is capable of being one, as well. Though he was famous based on something that was not his own doing before, now he is known for being the Boy Who Lived AND the kid that defeated Voldemort.