Motivation and job satisfaction Literature review

Motivation and job satisfaction - Literature review Example Pizam (2005) noted that process theories are based on certain theories that include expectancy theory (1964), goal-setting theory (1990), cognitive evaluation theory, equity theory and reinforcement theory (1974). The process theories assist in having adequate understanding about the factors accountable for motivations and determining cognitive processes of an individual (Pizam, 2005). The definition of motivation has been identified to be explained by different authors in different context. According to Singh & Tiwari (2013), term motivation is defined as a method, which accounts the intensity, direction along with determination of practices of an individual towards a postulated goal. According to the study, it has been perceived that the degree of motivation of any individual or group varies in accordance with various influencing factors such as type of practices and time. Theory of motivation comprehensively includes three key determinants, including intensity, direction and persistence (Singh & Tiwari, 2013). Moreover, the study of Brown & Sargeant (2007) also suggests that term motivation is often characterised into two major categories such as extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. The concept of extrinsic motivation denotes the rewards that are tangible, including monetary benefits, promotion, security and conditions among others. On the other hand, the concep t of intrinsic motivation significantly defines the intangible rewards such as psychological appreciation, promotional rewards along with various types of approvals and admirations among others (Singh & Tiwari, 2013; Brown & Sargeant, 2007). In a sociological context, the theory of motivation is defined differently than the other area of interest. In this context, Zalenski & Raspa (2006), motivation is defined as a way where an individual is satisfied by addressing his/her different types of basic needs in his/her day-to-day life. The

Keystone Species Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Keystone Species - Essay Example The populations of big-cat prey including the red coati (Nasua nasua), the agouti (Dasyprocta variegata), and the paca (Agouti paca) are about ten times higher than on Cocha Cashu, Peru, where big cats still live. However, this increase may result from natural population variability rather than the lack of jaguars and pumas. The extreme removal of herbivores and frugivorous mammals would drastically affect forest regeneration, altering tree species composition, but the effects of modest changes in densities are less clear. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a keystone predator par excellence (Duggins 1980). A population of around 200,000 once thrived on the kelp beds lying close to shore from northern Japan, through Alaska, to southern California and Mexico. In 1741, Vitus Bering, the Danish explorer, reported seeing great numbers of sea otters on his voyage among the islands of the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. Some furs were taken back to Russia and soon this new commodity was highly prized for coats. Hunting began. In 1857, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7,200,000. This cost was recouped in forty years by selling sea otter pelts. In 1885 alone, 118,000 sea otter pelts were sold. By 1910, the sea otter was close to extinction, with a world-wide population of fewer than 2,000. It was hardly ever seen along the Californian coast from 1911 until 1938. The inshore marine ecosystem changed where the sea otter disappeared. Sea urchins, which were eaten by the otters, underwent a population explosion. They consumed large portions of the kelp and other seaweeds. While the otters were present, the kelp formed a luxuriant underwater forest, reaching from the sea bed, where it was anchored, to the sea surface. With no otters to keep sea-urchins in check, the kelp vanished. Stretches of the shallow ocean floor were turned into sea-urchin barrens, which were a sort of submarine desert. Happily, a few pairs of sea otters had managed to survive in the outer Aleutian Islands and at a few localities along the southern Californian coast. Some of these were taken to intermediate sites in the United States and Canada where they were protected by strict measures. With a little help, the sea otters staged a comeback and the sea urchins declined. The lush kelp forest grew back and many lesser algae moved in, along with crustaceans, squids, fishes, and other organisms. Grey whales migrated closer to shore to park their young in breaks along the kelp edge while feeding on the dense concentrations of animal plankton. Keystone predators sometimes are more effective within certain parts of their range. The sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) is a keystone predator of rocky intertidal communities in western North America (Paine 1995). This starfish preys primarily on two mussels Mytilus californianus and Mytilus trossulus. A study along the central Oregon coast showed that three distinct predation regimes exist (Menge, B. A., and T. L. Freidenburg. 2001). Strong keystone predation occurs along wave-exposed headlands. Less strong predation by sea stars, whelks, and possibly other predators occurs in a wave-protected cove. Weak predation occurs at a wave-protected site regularly buried by sand. If keystone species do exist, how do the links within a system dominated by such a

Analysis of Peripherin-2 Cone Mutation V268I

Analysis of Peripherin-2 Cone Mutation V268I Introduction: 1.1 Composition of Retina: Eye an organ which is known for its sensory function Vision, serves as a basis for perception of the world outside. Three layers of tissues enclose the eye, outermost layer sclera, middle layer choroid and inner layer retina. Central macular region of the retina called as fovea consist of photoreceptor cells, where maximum visual acuity is possible due to minimal light scattering. Iris found in region between the cornea and lens acts like an aperture controlling the amount of light that could enter and pass through retina (Siegel and Sapru.2011). Retina consists of following layers: The outer most primary epithelium layer with pigmented melanin cells absorbs uncaptured light preventing reflection back to rest of retina. The later parts of retina layers involved in sensing and processing of light stimulus are the layers with photoreceptor cells- light sensitive region with rod and cone cells, external limiting membrane, outer nuclear layer, outer plexiform layer, inner nuclear layer, inner plexiform layer and inner most layer with ganglion cell axon fibers. Optically as light when imaged onto retinal photoreceptor layer, light passing through this layer with rods and cones converts light stimuli to electric signal through horizontal cells, further processed through bipolar, amacrine before they reach ganglion cells. From the axons of Central Nervous System (CNS) ganglion cells information is passed in the form of action potential to optic disc and optic nerve signal is received by brain’s visual center. (Ayoub, 2008). 1.2 Composition of Photoreceptors: Retina is made up of two different types of photo receptors- Rods and cones, the ratio of these photoreceptors vary in different species depending on its habitat being diurnal or nocturnal, in human’s rod cells are in majority with cone cells in a ratio of 20:1 (Mustafi et al., 2009). Rods and cones consist of outer segment, inner segment and synaptic terminal. Towards outer surface retina outer segments are located, these segments contain membranous discs arranged in the form of a stack, and these regions are involved in photo transduction by detecting photons and converting them into electrical signals. Inner segment consist of nucleus, both segments are integrated by a stalk containing microtubules. The synaptic terminal carries out synaptic contact with other cells (Siegel and Sapru. 2011). Retinal pigment epithelial cells phagocytize the aged disks which are shed from distal end when new a new disk is added to the base (Young. 1967). Fig: 1 Structure of rod and cone cell. In rods outer segment disc membrane is separated by plasma membrane, disks consist of enclosing lipid bilayer compartment called as disk lumen or intra distal space. Lamellar region of the disk is joined by curved rim region, lamellar region consist of photoreceptor protein, Rhodopsin – an integral membrane protein, and curved rim regions consist of filaments extending to cytoplasmic regions of adjoining disks maintaining structure of outer segment. Rim regions also contain membrane proteins Rim-1, a high molecular weight protein and two other lower molecular weight proteins Peripherin/rds and Rom-1. In cones discs are not completely formed, they are adjoined and are continuous with plasma membrane. (Molday. 1994). These two proteins Peripherin/rds and Rom-1 are homologous in structure, peripherin/rds is expressed both in rods and cones while Rom-1 is only found in rods, they can interact to form dimers and tetramers. (Elizabeth. 2005) Cones are known to be responsible for vision during daylight and mediate color vision, while rods do not. Axial structure of cones makes them capture light efficiently during day, with fast responsive membrane potential with less integration time. There are three types of cones L, M, S cones which are specific to a region of visible spectrum to which they are found to be sensitive. L cones are sensitive to ÊÅ ½max~ 553-565, M cones are sensitive to ÊÅ ½max~ 530-537, S cones are sensitive to ÊÅ ½max~ 415-430, frequency of photons. (Mustafi et al., 2009). Rods are specialized to work under dim light conditions, rhodopsin is the most abundant protein found in the rods constituting about 85 % of total protein in rod outer segments. (Elizabeth. 2005). Circuit transmitting information to ganglion cells is different in rods and cones, each rod bipolar cell is connected to many rod cells, and many rod bipolar cells are connected by amacrine cell. More convergence make rods better detector of light but reduces spatial resolution. In cones it’s less convergent as each ganglion cell receives input from only one cone bipolar cell, which is connected to single cone cell (Mustafi et al., 2009). Signal transduction in Photoreceptors: The signaling cascade in photoreceptors involves from light absorption till signal generation by membrane polarization, resulting in controlling the rate of release of neurotransmitter through synaptic terminal. In Dark light condition gyanylate cyclases (GCs) actively produce high Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels, There by the cGMP sensitive cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel is in its open state and gives rise to the influx of Na+ and Ca+2. Rods and cones are depolarized to ~35 to 45 mV, where outer segment membrane channels are open permeable to Na+ by effluxing k+ balancing cations. This constitutes a circuit known as â€Å"Dark or circulating current†. In this condition with the channel opened for influx of ca+2 initiates the release of neurotransmitter from synaptic terminal. In light conditions cation channel in outer membrane is closed, thereby membrane hyperpolarizes towards equilibrium potential for k+, causing halt in neurotransmitter release (Jindrova. 1998). When photon is absorbed by Rhodopsin- a 40 kDa protein belonging to G protein coupled receptors, consist of a protein opsin, a single polypeptide with seven transmembrane helical segments forming three cytoplasmic loops and a chromophore 11-cis retinal, which binds to lysine, 296 residue on opsin’s seventh helix. In rods and cones photon absorption leads to isomerization of 11-cis retinal form to all trans retinal confirmation and in the surrounding opsin repositioning of cytoplasmic loops occur which in turn activates the protein to Metarhodopsin II (R*) state, which stimulates the heterotrimeric G protein transducin (Hargrave et al.1993; Scot and John . 2008). Preceding from here all the steps occur in dark state, Transducin stimulates cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE6) to hydrolyze cGMP to 5’GMP by dissociation of ÃŽ ³ subunit from PDE ÃŽ ±ÃŽ ² subunits, resulting a vast increase of 5’GMP and decrease in cGMP concentration leading to the closing of the CNG channel. As a consequence, the outer membrane hyperpolarises to ~-70 mV and release of neurotransmitter is halted to bipolar cells, finally light signal information is sent by termination of transmitter release to the brain. For regeneration of dark current, the Rod cell needs to restore back the concentration of cGMP which is regulated by concentration of Ca+2 and by gyanylate cyclases (GC), Ca+2 molecules are bound by gyanylate activating proteins. In light conditions, where the CNG channels are closed and Ca+2 levels are low, the low level of calcium activates gyanylate activating proteins, which in turn stimulates gyanylate cyclases leading to production of cGMP. Increased level of cGMP causes to open CNG channel and dark current is restored (Jindrova. 1998). Additional mechanisms are found to be involved to restore the molecules from active to inactive state. Inactivation of Rh* by phosphorylation, catalyzed by rhodopsin kinase (Chenet al.1999). Phosphorylated rhodopsin is blocked by the protein arrestin by binding to it preventing activation of transducin, resulting in breakdown of activated rhodopsin (Xu et al,. 1997). The all trans retinal disassociates from opsin, diffuses to cytosol transported to outersegment then into pigmental epithelium where it is reconverted to 11- cis retinal, then the recycled 11 -cis retinal is transported back to outer segments. Peripherin- 2: This membrane protein is named on basis of localization studies done in 1987, which revealed that this protein was found localized around the periphery region of the outer segments, disks in rods and lamellae or disks in cones. (Molday et al,. 1987). In humans peripherin/rds is encoded by cDNA Peripherin/rds with open reading frame of 346 amino acids, weighing 39.3 KDa (Travis et al., 1989). Peripherin is an integral membrane glycoprotein having four trans membrane domains. When photoreceptor cells fail to develop in outer segments it results in retinal disorder named retinal degeneration slow (rds). Amino acid sequence of peripherin in bovine photoreceptor cell is 92.5% identical to protein encoded by rds gene in wild type mouse. Localization of these proteins was also found to be in rod outer segment (ROS) membranes, implying the role of peripherin-2 as a cause in retinal disorder. (Connell et al, .1991). Peripherin protein is also known and addressed with many other names like pho toreceptor peripherin, peripherin-2, peripherin/rds, rds/peripherin and rds. The two dimensional structure proposed consisted of four membrane spanning domains, with its N and C terminals located intracellular in extradiscal space, two extra cellular loops D1 and D2 ( EC1 and EC2) are localized with each containing a N-linked glycan in intradiscal space. The D2 loop among four species mouse, rat, human and bovine is found to be 92% identical, predicted that evolutionary drift in this loop could be a reason for its involvement in protein -protein interactions. (Connell and Molday, 1990; Travis et al., 1991). Fig: 2 Structure of Peripherin-2. D2 loop in intradiskal region is found to be key in protein folding and tetrameric subunit formation, changes in amino acids in this loop resulted in either protein misfolding or reduction in sediment coefficient of protein or even both, seven cysteine residues found in this loop to be important for intramolecular disulphide bonds, one of the cysteine residue is responsible for polymerization of tetramers (Loewen and Molday, 2000). When seven conserved cysteine residues were replaced they showed abnormalities, C214S linked mutant for adRP was not normally folding and interacting with rom-1 protein to form tetramer. While in C150S mutant failed to form intra molecular disulphide bonds, these results revealed that cysteine residues were crucial for folding of protein and subunit assembly, failure of these functions are linked to retinal disorders like adRP. (Goldberg et al., 1997). Human rom-1 protein with 351 amino acids exhibiting 35% identity to peripherin-2, hydropathy profiles revealed that rom-1 and peripherin-2 have a similar topology with four transmembrane domains, one of differences noted in the both the proteins were consensus sequence for N-linked glycosylation is absent in the rom-1 (Molday. 1994). Peripherin homologous protein rom-1 forms disulfide-linked dimers with each other (Bascom et al.,1992). Peripherin-2/rom-1 core native complex was found to exist as a tetramer, membrane curvature was found to induce with tetramer formation when they were reconstructed in lipid vesicles (Kevany et al,. 2013). Peripherin-2 associates with itself and also with its homologue rom-1 in forming homo and heterotetramers core, these tetramers when linked intramolecularly together by disulphide bonding forms octamers and higher order oligomers (Loewen and Molday. 2000). A highly conserved region within the C-terminal domain of peripherin/rds was found to be import ant for membrane fusion, it forms a complex with melanoregulin (MREG) onto the last five residues of the C-terminus (Gln341-Gly346), membrane fusion is important in organelle biogenesis, disc morphogenesis and disc shedding. (Boesze-Battaglia et al., 2007). Peripherin/rds plays a major role in rod and cone outer segment morphogenesis. In mice, absence of peripherin/rds leads to develop normal photoreceptor inner segments but they fail to form outer segments, these outer segments undergo apoptosis (Nir and Papermaster. 1986). Peripherin- 2 is found to have differential roles in rod and cone cells with respect to their binding partners. Peripherin 2 found to be binding with the Glutamic acid rich protein (GARP) portion of ÃŽ ² subunit of rod CNG channel. This interaction is predicted to anchorage disc rim and rod plasma membrane, but in cone CNG channel such interaction was not observed, as GARP is not expressed in cone CNG channel or in other from. (Conley et al,.2010). Peripherin-2 links CNGB1a CNG channel subunit to rhodopsin, these three forms a complex localizing its contact between disk rims and plasma membrane regions. FRET experiments revealed that transmembrane -4 (TM4) of periperin-2 is key for rhodopsin interaction. In peripherin-2, G266D mutation specific to TM4 region, eliminated the specific binding capacity of peripherin-2 with rhodopsin (Becirovic et al,. 2014). Peripherin-2 being a multifunctional protein and mutations in peripherin/RDS gene results in a broad spectrum of retinal disorders like macular dystrophies, cone and cone-rod dystrophies and retinitis pigmentosa. Studying Peripherin/RDS mutations and protein structure elucidates pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these retinal disorders for effective therapeutic intervention (C.J.F. Boon et al,. 2008). Zscan29: At present, very less information is known and available regarding the function, structure and localization of this protein Zscan29. mRNA specific for this protein were found to be expressed in retina through RT- PCR experiments from mice different tissues. In mice 5 different isoforms of this protein were found, with longest isoform having 869 amino acids (aa), and other isoforms were of 834 aa, 548 aa,265 aa,206 aa. The isoform with 265 aa was found to interact with the C- terminus of CNGB1a sub unit of CNG channel. In long isoforms with 869aa and 834aa, a SCAN domain, a DUF2 domain, 2 GT-1 domains and 6 zinc finger domains were found. The scan domain is predicted to be a DNA binding domain and involved in transcription regulation, as this domain in other proteins were also found to be associated as transcription factors. DUF-2 Domain function is unclear and yet to be known, Two GT-1 domains of 79 aa each, were predicted to play a major role in light sensing mechanisms by binding GT trihelix transcription factors. (___citation__). In Arabidopsis GT-1 is predicted to respond to light signals via calcium dependent phosphorylaton, after GT-1 binding to GT cis element of light inducing gene (Bauer et al). Fig: 3 Isoforms of Zscan29 protein with its domains. Aims of this work: Analysis of Peripherin-2 cone mutation V268I: Verification of the interaction of WT peripherin-2 and peripherin-2 with mutation at V268I position with S-opsin, M-opsin and Rhodopsin via co immunoprecipitation from HEK293 cells. Interaction and localization of Peripherin-2, V268I mutation in mouse retina. Analysis of Peripherin-2 mutations at position P210: Verification of the interaction of peripherin-2 protein with mutations at P210 position with wild type Peripherin-2 and its homolog Rom-1 via coimmunoprecipitation from HEK293 cells. In vitro imaging of HEK293 cells expressing peripherin-2 protein with mutation at P210 position. Expression and localization of Peripherin-2, P210L and P210R mutations in mouse retina. Affinity purification of Anti-Zscan29 antibody and checking antibody efficiency.

The Jealous Husband by Robert Browning :: essays research papers

The Jealous Husband That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive. I call That piece a wonder, now: Frà   Pandolf's hands Worked busily a day, and there she stands. 5 Will't please you sit and look at her? I said Frà   Pandolf'; by design, for never read Strangers like you that pictured countenance, The depth and passion of its earnest glance, But to myself they turned (since none puts by 10 The curtain I have drawn for you, but I) And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, How such a glance came there; so, not the first Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, 'twas not Her husband's presence only, called that spot 15 Of joy into the Duchess's cheek: perhaps Frà   Pandolf chanced to say 'Her mantle laps Over my lady's wrist too much,'; or 'Paint Must never hope to reproduce the faint Half-flush that dies along her throat';: such stuff 20 Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough For calling up that spot of joy. She had A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad, Too easily impressed; she liked whate'er She looked on, and her looks went everywhere. 25 Sir, 'twas all one! My favor at her breast, The dropping of the daylight in the West, The bough of cherries some officious fool Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule She rode with round the terrace—all and each 30 Would draw from her alike the approving speech, Or blush, at least. She thanked men—good! but thanked Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name With anybody's gift. Who'd stoop to blame 35 This sort of trifling? Even had you skill In speech—(which I have not)—to make your will Quite clear to such an one, and say, 'Just this Or that in you disgust me; here you miss, Or there exceed the mark';—and if she let 40 Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse –E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without 45 Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands As if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet The company below, then. I repeat, The Count your master's known munificence 50 Is ample warrant that no just pretense Of mine for dowry will be disallowed; Though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed At starting, is my object. Nay, we'll go Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though, 55 Taming a sea horse, thought a rarity,

Raymond’s Run Essay

Raymond's Run Essay This is a story by the writer Toni Cade Bambara who describes the events that take place in the life of a skinny girl named Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, a little African-American girl with a squeaky voice that has passion to run. However the tale begins describing the members of her family, the author writes more about Hazel and her brother Raymond. Raymond is not quite right; apparently he suffers a metal disease. He’s bigger and older than Hazel, but a lot of people call him Hazel's little brother because he needs to be looking after. Squeaky† often takes strolls down Broadway so she can practice her breathing exercises while she keeps an eye on her brother all the time. She makes Raymond walk on the inside because he always makes fantasies so he starts thinking he's a circus performer and that the curb is a tightrope strung high in the air. Hazel is known as Mercury because she is the swiftest thing in the neighborhood, only her father can beat her to Amsterdam Avenue with Hazel having a two hydrant head start and him running with his hands in his pockets and whistling. Hazel is loyal to her brother, always ready to protect him. She’s a person, who doesn't tolerate standing and listening talks from somebody else, she likes to get right over things quickly. She doesn’t like much a girl named Gretchen and her friends Mary Louise Williams from Baltimore and Rosie because Gretchen’s a potential rival for the fifty-yard dash. She believes she’s tough, not a strawberry or someone who enjoys dancing on her toes, she likes to run and this passion had made her to win many trophies, ribbons and it’s because of her velocity. Every time just before she takes off in a race, she feels like she is in a dream, the kind you have when you've fever and feel hot and weightless. She usually dreams she flies over a sandy beach in the early morning sun, touching the leaves of the trees. She also perceives the smell of apples just like in the country when she used to think she was a choo-choo train. Near the end Hazel competes against Gretchen P. Lewis at the May Day races, she wins and Gretchen comes in second. This result makes her realize that she is not the only working person who tries hard to get things done, so she started to look her rival in a very different way with a big smile of respect between them. So there she was, thinking about all the prices she’s have got and that she could retire by the time, it occurred to her that she could train her brother to become a champion as the tradition of the family is. Other characters: * Her family: The mother, father and George. * Cynthia Procter * Mr. Pearson (Jack the Beanstalk)

A Long Way Down By Matthew Simpson Song Analysis

Nick Hornby is a modern British classic author, having won many awards, most of his books have climbed to the top of the bestsellers chart. Most of his books are fictional and tend to be written about unemployed characters or characters who are now quite far down the social ladder, for whatever reason. His books have done well enough for three films to be made out of them. ‘A Long Way Down' is about four characters who want to commit suicide, but meet and decide not to, instead opting to help each other. It was very successful because of its narrative and the characters which we like to read about in order to make ourselves feel better. People would also buy it because of his previous success. There are many reasons for its success, including the fact that it is about suicide. We are intrigued by this narrative because it is something we do not really know about. The theme of social wealth is also very important because it is something we are involved with on a day to day basis. Character introductions are very important because it sets the standard for the rest of the novel and also needs to hook the reader. ‘Emma' By Jane Austin is a good example as it hooks us by talking immediately about social wealth, â€Å"with very little to distress or vex her†, this intrigues us because we want to learn about her luxurious lifestyle. As I have previously discussed, Hornby is a bestselling author who has become a modern classic author. This reputation must have helped ‘A Long Way Down' to sell well, as it did become a bestseller. Exploration of character introductions All four characters start the narrative and the variety in social wealth of the characters adds to interest. By having these four contradicting characters, we are guaranteed conflict. Jess is a young, party-going loudmouth, but is without many friends, â€Å"and not have anywhere to go on New Year's Eve.† We as readers wonder what her life is like, but once we find out that she has a political father, and a comfortable home, we feel little sympathy for her. Jess likes to argue with and annoy the other characters, which can excite us, because we like to see characters fall out in order to make us feel better about ourselves. Maureen is the other female, who is extremely introverted with a disabled son. Her transformation from this character into a more relaxed, open and friendly character after hitting Jess' ex, shows us that even the most reclusive people can change and be happy, making us as readers happy as well. By adding a supposed rising American rock star, who has unfortunately fallen on hard times, we feel sorry that he was not able to achieve his ambitions. JJ's constant use of swear words livens up the story, â€Å"Oh OK, your band was fucked up†¦the only reason you were in this fuckin' country†, as we don't see it as being pretentious, or something that we can't read. The icing on the cake has to be the law-breaking child molester, â€Å"screwing a fifteen-year-old†, who rocketed into the public eye for things which he would rather have not been' being bombarded by the press with headlines such as â€Å"SLEAZEBAG!† We want to know how on earth he could possibly live with himself, and perhaps understand that he's not the murderous villain that we might typically stereotype him as. Although, for sure, we are not meant to like him all that much. Having these four different suicidal characters also means that we can see that suicidal people aren't necessarily as selfish as we might think they are, and that they are just normal people like you and me, except grossly stereotyped and with supposedly big problems. Each character interests us in a different way, and obviously one of the novels greatest pulls is its modern style, with frequent use of colloquialism and so on, as I have explained below. However, some other interesting factors are the fact that Jess doesn't use speech marks because she apparently doesn't understand how to use them. By varying the syntax like this, it makes the sentence structure less common and so more interesting to read, and perhaps a bit more of a challenge to read. Another key factor is how one character thinks of the other characters, for example Martin thinks that he is too cool to â€Å"hang around† with the other three, when he clearly isn't. This difference in attitudes towards each other that they don't all necessarily know about, has the effect of making the reader think they have an advantaged view on things and so want to find out how things change. Hornby releases information slowly in order to add intrigue. This is evident in the first chapter which Maureen â€Å"writes†, where she talks about a â€Å"He† and â€Å"His† without telling us who this is. We wonder if she is in a dysfunctional relationship, until we find out a few lines later that it is actually her son, and later still a sick child, which perhaps makes her seem selfish when she says, â€Å"but you can see that nothing goes in.† It is vastly important that Hornby uses a split narrative so hat we can see the central plot told or portrayed from several different angles, and see what effects it has on Martin's family or what he has left of it as a result, for example, â€Å"You know Martin left us? We didn't leave him?† It also gives us, as readers, variety so that if we get bored of one characters way of writing, we are safe in the knowledge that another character will be along in a minute that has a different outlook on things, and a different style of writing, inspiring us to keep reading. Moreover, if we had just one narrative then we wouldn't learn anything about suicide that would give us a â€Å"well-rounded† opinion if you like, it would also get terribly boring unless that character had split personalities, for example. Explore Hornby's writing style I think that Hornby's writing style is fabulous. The way we get the impression that he has written nothing, and that it was the work of these completely believable characters is astounding. As above, he frequently uses colloquialism, presumably to bring the novel down to earth and to make people believe that these could be real people. He uses very subtle language techniques such as brackets to make Maureen seem un-confident and Jess' lack of speech marks to indicate stupidity. Practically the whole book is written like a conversation and flows like one as well. Pretty much the whole book could be put on a stage without too much re-writing, and this, I suppose, helps to lift it out of the weighting of â€Å"a book† where complicated language and dull paragraphs are used into something that you could believe to be happening in you street. Exploration of themes and narratives We are interested in a group of people who want to kill themselves because it is not something we would normally think of doing, and neither is it something that we know about. The fact that suicide is so taboo in modern society makes the narrative of this book even more narrative, because it is somewhere where we can find out a little more about suicide, without all the opinions of other people etc. We are ultimately intrigued by this. Social wealth is extremely important in the novel, because if the characters had been successful people with lots of money, and lots of friends then we as reads would not be interested. When we pick up a book, most of us like to escape to another world, and find out about that world. Furthermore, we like to feel good about ourselves at the same time, so the characters have to be the complete opposite to the above so that we can compare it to our own lives and be happy that we are doing fairly well. A lot of people are obsessed with celebrity in today's society, so the fact that this is a key component for Martin in the novel is a big pull. Celebrity magazines usually focus on relationships, and rarely do we see celebrities with such vivid problems as Martin. We as readers want to see what this fame-torn star does with his life and also to observe his downfall. They want to know how someone with such a reputable job could get into such a bad state, which is something a lot of people like finding out about. We perhaps also feel sympathy for him because of the way he is treated by the media, which draws parallels with how real-life celebrities are treated and how we now think of them as a result of reading the novel. For those people who read ‘A Long Way Down' and are religious, a big part of the narrative for them must be Maureen's struggle with her religion's stance on what she so desperately wants to do and the pain she is suffering. People may wonder how on earth a Catholic could possible consider one of the biggest sins, as the obvious thing to say is that it is not an option for her, but she clearly thinks it is. Readers will want to find out, specifically in these days of high religious tension, how and if she manages to turn her back on her religion's beliefs. Suicide and religious guilt tie in very tightly with each other here. Some people may argue that the ending of the novel was a bit of an anti-climax, because they were expecting at least one of the four to commit suicide. However, I would argue that it wasn't, because we never really root for any of the characters to kill themselves, instead we want to see them resolve their problems. The fact that we get an ending where they talk about helping someone else who is in their situation, shows that they have learnt something and moved on, and this makes us happy. In Martin's last chapter, he seems to write a bit like an offender doing community service, as he tries to gain back his â€Å"self-respect.† This shows us that his arrogance from the start of the novel had perhaps started to die, until we read that he didn't like the child and blamed him for not getting his self-respect back quickly, â€Å"I blamed him, partly.† And again, perhaps the â€Å"partly† shows that he is starting to see the error of his ways. He also uses a circular narrative; the story beings with him stating, â€Å"Suicide was my Sydney†, and ends by saying, â€Å"self-respect is in, say, Sydney.† This shows us that he has moved on, but more so that he was back at the start, as were the others, and all the guilt and problems they had were very much still there. Throughout the book I never really cared for any of the characters and perhaps this is because I saw hope for them, there was always an alternate path; Maureen could have sent Matty to a care home, so I didn't think they needed caring for. I think that they were designed to intrigue and interest the reader, but were too vulgar or out of the ordinary to care for. I think that a reader would be more likely to care for a character if they were in a similar situation and so could empathize with them. In conclusion, I think that the social relevance of the novel outweighs that of the character introductions, because it is such a big issue in modern society, and this is where the initial spark of intrigue comes from, from us wanting to know so much about the topic of suicide. However, because the character introductions are so good, they are also responsible for hooking the reader and keeping them reading, perhaps more so than the social relevance. Had this book been released in the 1920s then the social relevance in relation to partying and suicide etc, would have perhaps of been less than it is now, and the introductions would have been such a contrast to writing of that time that they would not hook many people. So after reflection, it must be a combination of the two.