Enron

Introduction Enron is a company dealing with energy resources that was founded by Kenneth Lay in 1984 after merging Houston Natural Gas (HNG) with InterNorth. The company grew rapidly as the founder exploited the opportunities of deregulation in the United States and privatization abroad. By the early 1990s, Enron was unmistakably the leading company in the energy industry1.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Enron specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, in the beginning of the millennium, the company was surrounded by big ethical scandals in accounting that led to its bankruptcy in 2001. In that respect, this paper is aimed at investigating the business environment and the strategic position of the company. First, we discuss the company’s business environment through the use of PEST and Porter’s five forces tools of analysis. Second, we discuss the company’s strategic position by looking at problems in the case as well as the structure and control systems. We also look at Enron’s strategic position by conducting a SWOT analysis. Finally, we make recommendations for turning around Enron’s business. Environment analysis PEST analysis Political environment that affects Enron like many other firms dealing with energy is characterized by regulations, political instability and labor relations. The company based in Houston has operations and facilities in other countries such as India, Argentina and Brazil where political factors differ significantly. Furthermore, the company has failed due to continuous disputes over terms of deals and prices. For economic factors, Enron is affected by foreign investments and competition. While the company has exposed US to foreign investments that are uncertain, the ethical scandals have worked to the advantage of competitors. Regarding to social environment, the changed attitudes of investors and customers as well as the poor corporate social responsibility have significant impacts on the firm. Technology environment is generally characterized by excellent US and foreign technology in extraction and communication, poor facilities for research and development of the company and poor technical collaboration. Porter’s five forces analysis In history, the energy industry has never been threatened by new individual entrants due to the cost of establishing extraction and transportation facilities. However, there is a possibility of new entrants through mergers and acquisitions considering how these business practices have increased. Big companies might decide to exploit the market opportunity arising from the failure of Enron.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The threat of substitute products is moderate, because some consumers of gas and oil products can use alternative energy sources while others are completely rooted to gas and oil. Automobiles are the biggest consumers of this source of energy while many industrial machines are using electricity as a source of energy. As big as Enron is, the threat of substitute products is not significant. The bargaining power of buyers is also important for Enron. In addition to the trust damaged by the ethical scandal, the products offered by the company are not very different as compared to those of competitors, yet the company is not price sensitive. In the presence of competitors who portray excellent performance, the bargaining power of buyers is high. The bargaining power of suppliers is very high considering the current state of Enron. The bankruptcy has resulted in huge amounts of money that the company owes suppliers of equipment and labor. Therefore, the company is in a situation of begging new and old suppliers. The rivalry that exists among competitors in the energy industry is high both in the pursuit of supplie rs and buyers. Oil deposits are only found in a handful of countries, yet the users of the products are spread worldwide. Therefore, firms compete to win extraction contracts as well as marketing contracts. Strategic analysis Problems at Enron case The inability of the firm to manage resource is a big problem, especially when it comes to budgeting. Indeed, this has driven the management team to carry out illegitimate actions that disregard the need for the firm to perform excellent corporate governance. The case study reveals that the firm does not carry out good corporate governance because the management has embarked on performing unethical actions2. This conduct was intended to exhort investors to put their money during the public offering of the shares. Moreover, the decision to hire a consultant to develop a tax structure and review them is clear evidence of Enron’s intentions to present fake figures to investors. The other problem with Enron is the inability to manage f inancial resources. Through forged profit reporting, the company could raise enough capital to repay their loans to investment banks and carry on with unethical business when the money was out. Surprisingly, in a span of three years, the fake reporting provided the firm with more than $10 billion of shareholders.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Enron specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Structure and control systems Enron used three key supports of control systems. First, Enron’s performance review (PCR), was intended to bring into line Enron employees’ actions with the firm’s strategic goals, reward and keep workers who performed superfluously. Second, the risk assessment and control group (RAC) had the purpose of commending all operative contracts and manage all risks facing the company. Different levels of authorization were necessary in every deal including the directors. However, the s ystem was not applied to the point and 15% of those evaluated were redeployed in spite of their performance. Third, the code of ethics was employed as a way of controlling behaviors with the purpose of barring a range of corrupt behaviors. Each employee was supposed to sign this code after joining the company and reaffirm-annually, though it was more of a regulatory accomplishment than commitment especially for the officials in higher levels. SWOT analysis One of the strengths associated with Enron is marketing and value delivery. The company did not succeed to become the energy giant from nothing, but from good marketing and value delivery. Second, the firm is strong due to human capital pool. While many firms engage in one or two business lines, Enron engaged in five different business lines which required different skills, equipments and methods of reporting. The company was always successful in recruiting and maintaining desired employees which suggests good organization. The ke y weakness that also led to the collapse of the company was the failed board of directors. The question that emerge throughout the case study is where the directors were and why did they not see the mess that was building? The other weakness was conflict of interest as a policy that the Internal Revenue Service requires corporations to adhere to. In fact, the conflict of interest portrayed in the unethical actions was the major cause of the collapse. In addition, corporate culture is a major weakness of the company. The collapse reveals unethical corporate culture that was all through portrayed as a culture of innovation, profits and success.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Supply of high quality energy is an opportunity that Enron can exploit especially when we consider its capabilities. The company is a global leader in goods sale and services. With this supremacy in oil and franchise business, the firm could serve the emerging markets better than many competitors. Another opportunity is clean energy which the public has claimed for in history in an effort to reduce environmental pollution. Moreover, Enron can re-furnish their image through business mergers and acquisitions. With its experience in this practice, the company can strengthen its assets and expand to new markets. In regard to the case study, the biggest threat to Enron is competition as the public has realized its weakness and unethical business practices. Hundreds of energy firms are found within the US with the intention of increasing the market share. Unlike Enron, the competitors have engaged in extensive research and development which increase the trust of investors and consumers. A nother threat is regulation or regulatory measures that Enron might face in the near future. It is apparent that governments will keenly reinforce their regulations within the territories that the company has operations. Recommendations The first and most important recommendation is for Enron to re-invent its corporate governance. Most of the problems that the firm is facing are associated with the top management. This would include the creation of a completely new board of directors. The other recommendation is to engage in mergers in order to acquire the funds required to continue with the businesses. This will reclaim the lost confidence and trust of investors as the company clears the lingering debts and improve the stock value which is the core capital source. Bibliography Schepers, Donald and Naomi, Gardberg A. â€Å"On the Side of the Angles.† The Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management 5, no. 2 (2004): 166-184. Footnotes 1 Schepers, Donald and Gardberg, Naomi A. â€Å"On the Side of the Angles.† The Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management 5, no. 2 (2004): 167. 2 Ibid 177 This case study on Enron was written and submitted by user Sons of the Tiger to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Early History Of The Pipe Organ

The â€Å"king of instruments† has a long history, one which can arguably be traced to the concept of a collection of â€Å"fixed-pitched pipes blown by a single player (such as the panpipes)† (Randel 583). The first examples of pipe organs with the basic features of today can be traced to the third century B.C.E. in the Greco-Roman arena; it is said to have been invented by Ktesibios of Alexander and contained â€Å"a mechanism to supply air under pressure, a wind-chest to store and distribute it, keys and valves to admit wind to the pipes, and one or more graded sets of fixed-pitch pipes.† (Randel 583) These early organs used water as a means to supply air-pressure, hence the use of the terms hydraulic and hydraulis. Hydraulic organs were in use for several hundred years before the concept of bellows, similar in concept and style to those of a blacksmith, came into use with the organ. Numerous bellows were used to supply air to the wind-chest, often being pumped in pairs by men. The disadvantages of this method of air supply include the lack of consistent pressure, which leads to inconsistent pitch and tuning; also, many people were required to operate the bellows since there were upwards of twenty-four bellows per organ (Hopkins & Rimbault 35). Also, with organs of this size, the bellows took up large amounts of space, thus forcing the organ to be located in a fixed place, such as a church. Up until the eleventh century (approximately), pitch and range of organs were extremely limited, mainly in part to the lack of a any style of keyboard. Keys of a sort were introduced around this time, though not in the manner we are accustomed to. â€Å"The earliest keyboards were sets of levers played by the hands rather than the fingers.† (Randel 428) They looked similar to large rectangles â€Å" an ell long and three inches wide† (Hopkins & Rimbault 33) and were played by pushing on them with a hand, although some were large eno... Free Essays on Early History Of The Pipe Organ Free Essays on Early History Of The Pipe Organ The â€Å"king of instruments† has a long history, one which can arguably be traced to the concept of a collection of â€Å"fixed-pitched pipes blown by a single player (such as the panpipes)† (Randel 583). The first examples of pipe organs with the basic features of today can be traced to the third century B.C.E. in the Greco-Roman arena; it is said to have been invented by Ktesibios of Alexander and contained â€Å"a mechanism to supply air under pressure, a wind-chest to store and distribute it, keys and valves to admit wind to the pipes, and one or more graded sets of fixed-pitch pipes.† (Randel 583) These early organs used water as a means to supply air-pressure, hence the use of the terms hydraulic and hydraulis. Hydraulic organs were in use for several hundred years before the concept of bellows, similar in concept and style to those of a blacksmith, came into use with the organ. Numerous bellows were used to supply air to the wind-chest, often being pumped in pairs by men. The disadvantages of this method of air supply include the lack of consistent pressure, which leads to inconsistent pitch and tuning; also, many people were required to operate the bellows since there were upwards of twenty-four bellows per organ (Hopkins & Rimbault 35). Also, with organs of this size, the bellows took up large amounts of space, thus forcing the organ to be located in a fixed place, such as a church. Up until the eleventh century (approximately), pitch and range of organs were extremely limited, mainly in part to the lack of a any style of keyboard. Keys of a sort were introduced around this time, though not in the manner we are accustomed to. â€Å"The earliest keyboards were sets of levers played by the hands rather than the fingers.† (Randel 428) They looked similar to large rectangles â€Å" an ell long and three inches wide† (Hopkins & Rimbault 33) and were played by pushing on them with a hand, although some were large eno...

Electric and Magnetic Fields Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Electric and Magnetic Fields - Essay Example Electrical charges and magnets are found to exert forces upon distant objects, thereby altering the region of space surrounding them. The altered space becomes the force field  eventually and through this effect, the body is able to respond to its local environment enabling distant objects to react across space by the nature of the forces caused by the fields. A magnet or an electric charge responds to the field made by the objects immediately within its reach. Equivalently, a massive object can establish a  field of gravity upon which distant entities manage a certain degree of exertion. Though magnetic fields  function hand in hand with electric fields, specific properties distinguish one from the other. The notion of field lines and magnetic fields in existence was initially studied by the English scientist Michael Faraday  (1791-1867) then further by  James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), both of whom pioneered remarkable discoveries of electromagnetism in several aspects.  Maxwell proposed that ‘if a changing magnetic field can make an electric field, then a changing electric field, as via an oscillating electric charge for instance, should make a magnetic field’. Under these circumstances, the changing electric and magnetic fields would activate each other and move at a speed approaching the speed of light. Base on such grounds with empirical findings, Maxwell came up with the theory that light  is  an electromagnetic wave which was given proof by the experiments conducted after his time. Figure 1 - Electric Field (Red) and Magnetic Field (Blue) Since the electric power has been of chief significance to living, humans have engaged themselves into conception of possibilities to obtain higher potentials and benefits with electric and magnetic fields given constant exposure to them. Scientists have long understood even during the 19th century that there exists special connection between electrical fields and magnetic fields which may be experienced everywhere on earth. Moving electric charge (electric current) can induce magnetic field. As such, coils of wire can serve as large electromagnets used in car junk yards in the same way that electric motors can be used to start a car engine or spin a computer’s hard disk. This phenomenon explicates as well how ordinary magnets are derived from tiny currents at the atomic level. An electrical current or electric field is formed by an altering magnetic field which creates electromagnetic waves in the process. Power generator manufacturers utilize this principle to have large coils of wire bear the expected capacity of yielding magnetic field whether by falling water, wind, or steam by burning coal or oil, and even by through the heat coming from nuclear reactions whenever feasible. Audio and video tapes and compact disks, similarly, are capable of encoding information in magnetic patterns whereby magnetic directions and magnetic strengths are alternating. When a magnetic disk or tape material happens to pass near wire coils of any size, electrical currents or fields are generated. Because magnetic fields are regions where an object exhibits magnetic influence, the same object acquires the potential to attract or repel a neighboring magnetic body along the magnetic field lines. It must be noted, however, that magnetic forces have nothing to do with  gravity and the amount of gravity depends upon an object's mass whereas magnetic strength is a function

Environmental Values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental Values - Essay Example in 1974 drew inspiration from the feminist movements in which feminist activists rebelled against the traditional oppression of women by domineering men. In many countries, even developed countries, women are the weaker gender and without voice and are forced to accept the exploitation by men. Ecofeminism attempts to relate these events to the fact that nature and environment is exploited by men in the same way and nature attempts to meekly accept this racism, species segregation and exploitation. To a certain extent the main complaints and philosophy of the movement is indeed true and the arguments put forth by the movement is relevant. Man is the traditional defiler of all things and it is true that the major corporate positions in the world and in trade and industrial bodies are filled with men. Therefore, it would be men who constantly attempt to find new ways to exploit powerless nature, which cannot speak aloud. Later arguments of the Ecofeminism are at fault and their views on technology are not acceptable to me. It must be noted that when man does exploit forests and pollutes the waters, the beneficiaries are also women who make up the wives, daughters, sisters, mothers and other relatives of men. By tacitly accepting the cutting down of forests and gathering wood for firewood, women are also equally responsible for this defilement. Ecofeminism concepts also want to do away with technology and move towards primitivism where small communities would grow food in the natural way. This is not possible in the modern age as we need technology to produce food for the billions of people and both men and women have to find jobs and earn a living. So this philosophy is not acceptable. Schlosberg (1999) argues Pluralism or more specifically environmental pluralism places the right to exist for all things in nature, man, animals, plants and other inanimate entities such as water, air and earth that makes the environment. Then comes the concept of cost benefit

Elementary School Conduct Essay Example for Free

Elementary School Conduct Essay Keeping in mind the fact that the beginning years of a child’s academic education build the foundation of his future life, this school holds certain policies, which aim to provide an effective learning climate where students are trained to develop social skills and gain responsibility. This paper outlines those policies as well as presents a number of academic and behavioral standards that should be maintained by the school members at all times. Academic Standards The academic syllabus of our school stresses on three chief study courses: †¢ Skill development of different forms of communication, which include comprehensive reading and listening, good legible handwriting, and speaking power. †¢ Providing an appropriate understanding of the use of numbers and the significance of basic calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) in our daily lives. †¢ Development of relationship building skills, which give the students a chance to interact with people outside their home and expand their social circle. Moreover, as these students are new to the academic world, our school makes it mandatory to construct such a syllabus that widens their conception of the world they live in. In view of this notion, students from Grade-1 to Grade-6 are taught about love at home, neighbor and classmate relationships, relationship between one’s own society and the others, the state and country they live in, and lastly, information about the rest of the world, respectively. In addition, character building and teamwork is encouraged throughout the elementary level. (McCarthy, 1990) Behavioral Standards In order to create a disciplined and comfortable learning environment for the students, our school requires all school members to appreciate and conform to the following rules and regulations regarding their conduct at the facility: †¢ Honor the attributes and integrity of themselves and other people present at the school. †¢ Hold a fair attitude to everyone at school avoiding any form of discrimination whether it is racial, cultural, gendered, ethnic, etc. †¢ Communicate in a decent fashion avoiding any form of profanity or obscene gestures. †¢ Avoid an attitude that is hurtful, discriminatory or unacceptable in any other form, to anyone at school. †¢ Everyone should be dressed in compliance with the dressing code of the school. †¢ Commodities belonging to the school or any other person should be dealt with proper care. †¢ Appreciate the different tasks assigned to the various employees working at the school. †¢ Avoid carrying any form of harmful instruments inside the school building. †¢ Avoid consumption of any substance that could cause to lose your actual demeanor. Members of the school failing to comply with the above rules will have to face consequences in accordance with intensity and frequency of their offences. (Student Services Division, 2001) Professional Relationships The teachers at our school are trained to cooperate and work jointly with the parents in order to augment the learning abilities of students both at school and home. Moreover, our school works conjointly with various professionals and organizations to build a healthier learning climate for the students. Roles Responsibilities Students: †¢ Should avail every chance to learn offered to them, and study to the best of their abilities. †¢ Should come to school regularly and attend all classes, reporting any reason for an absence. †¢ Should understand and follow all the rules, and face the consequences of any misconduct. †¢ Should handle school or any other individual’s property with appropriate care. †¢ Should participate in creating a secure and suitable learning climate for the pupils. Parents: †¢ Should extend any hand required to expand their children’s learning abilities. †¢ Should encourage their students to comply with all the rules and standards of the school. †¢ Should have regular meetings with the teachers on their child’s overall progress. †¢ Should make sure that their children are well fed and physically fit for school. †¢ Should cooperate with the teachers in providing their children with quality education. Teachers: †¢ Should provide a keen knowledge and understanding of the syllabus assigned to them. †¢ Should use techniques that provide a quicker and better understanding of the subject. †¢ Should compare the results and use the more influential teaching method. †¢ Should devise various plans and strategies for students that require special attention. †¢ Should discuss with students their academic progress, and give advice for its enhancement. †¢ Should take every action necessary to maintain a healthy and disciplined working climate. †¢ Should make an effort to create respect, in the minds of the students for any race, minority, religion or country found anywhere in the world.†¢ Should maintain a healthy classroom at all times (Student Services Division, 2001) Works Cited 1. McCarthy, William G. (1990). Elementary School. In The World Book Encyclopedia (Vol. 6, pp. 223). Chicago: World Book, Inc. 2. School Code of Conduct. (2001). Student Services Division. Retrieved July 27, 2008, from Nova Scotia Department of Education. Website: http://www. ednet. ns. ca/pdfdocs/studentsvcs/code_of_conduct/conduct. pdf

Violence in the Media :: TV Violence Music Movies Television

Many video games, television programs, adverts, films and music lyrics depict different forms of violence. Some people feel that there is too much violence exposed in the media. Many studies have made the claim that the media is responsible for much of the violence seen in the world we live in. However, people have choices and responsibilities we cannot allow ourselves to blame it on other things such as the media. The violence seen in our media has an impact on both adults and children. Since children are also exposed to various forms of media, there has been additional concern for how they process and think about the violence they see, read or hear. Excessive exposure to media violence can also affect people in many ways as they can become disturbed and develop serious fears of being victimized in real life. Nevertheless, the entertainment industry and those in favour of the media argue that censoring these images or music will not solve the problems of a society, which is already violent. Many areas of the media contain violence in different forms. There are four different types of violence shown throughout media-actuality, realistic fictional, choreographed and comic. Actuality shows the public images that have not been enhanced, altered or composed. These are mainly shown in TV news and newspapers and have stirred various opinions of its necessity to be shown. People feel that it is unacceptable to show these kinds of images, as some scenes can be of those in agony therefore pointing a camera on them is disrespectful. However some actuality images are less harmful as it may not be an extreme act such as tackles in football matches. Realistic fictional is when violence is acted out which can potentially happen in real life. This may be unacceptable to people as it can be influential and seem as exciting therefore there are temptations to copy it. Choreographed violence in the media are images that have been rehearsed and planned out, these are often found in films and cause a

Infanticide and Mother- Daughter Relationship in Toni Morison’s Beloved

Infanticide and Mother- Daughter Relationship in Toni Morison’s Beloved * Dr. (Mrs) Monika Gupta Reader, Dept. of English H. N. B. Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal) Uttarakhand, 246174-India e-mail- [email  protected] com Beloved (1987) is Morrison’s most sensitive novel till date. It deals with the forgotten era of slavery and the pathos of black slaves. The most striking element is the heart wrenching story of a black female slave, Sethe, who kills her own daughter to protect her from the horror of slavery.Morrison has always excelled in creating her female characters. Her novels show a deep sense of bonding between the female characters. In Beloved, the female bonding and the multiple layer of meaning in their relationship makes the story emotionally appealing and it is the story that, â€Å"†¦penetrates perhaps more deeply than any historical or psychological study could, the unconscious emotional and psychic consequences of slavery† (Schapiro 194 ). The story touches the social, psychological, philosophical and supernatural element of human life. Sethe is the heroine of the story.She is a black slave who lost her mother at a very early age. She was brought to the Sweet Home Plantation as a slave where she marries Halle Suggs and bears four children from him. She suffers the most inhumane treatment at the plantation by the white masters. She is whipped mercilessly and milked like a cow. The whites, â€Å"†¦sucked her lactating breasts† (Peach 109). This incident traumatizes Sethe to an extent that she decides to run away from the plantation. She gathers all her courage and escapes to take refuge in the house of her mother-in-law at 124 Bluestone Road.She is soon traced and finding no hopes for freedom takes the most horrific step of killing her own daughter to show resistance towards slavery. She is imprisoned for seven years for her crime and later secluded by the community and declared an outcast. Her own family deserts her. Her two sons escape the situation, Baby Suggs eventually dies and her daughter Denver withdraws herself from her mother. 2 The story of Sethe is a true story of Margaret Garner, a slave who in January 1856 escaped from her owner of Kentucky, crossed the Ohio River and attempted to find refuge in Cincinnati.But when caught by the owners she looses all hopes of freedom, and kills one of her daughters with the butcher’s knife. But Morrison has beautifully developed this true story with the background of slavery. The slave women have always suffered a lot at the hand of both black and white men. They were robbed of every possession – even their motherhood. Mothering and motherhood were denied, as black women were regarded as breeding stock only. Since the rights offered to the black women were negligible therefore she did not stand at the position of a decision maker.Sethe was not supposed to love her children. That is why Sethe’s act of destroying her own creation becomes the subject of controversies. Whether a mother has a right to stop the heartbeats of her child or is it a crime to put an innocent life to end? Such questions resonate in the entire story. American public considered Margaret Garner and other slave mothers who killed their children, criminal. There have been numerous examples in the American history where mothers have killed their infants to remove the extra burden on them.For instance, Mary Montgomery escaped the plantation with her child but when she found it difficult to escape with a baby in tow, she left, â€Å"her sucking infant behind to die† (Drew 49). Infanticide was a punishable offence and Sethe and her real life counterpart had to face harsh consequences of the crime. Economic reasons more than any others had led to the killing of infants in the slavery era and have continued to exert an unfortunate influence even down to our own day. The African – American setup is the example where ec onomic factors led to the sorrowful phase of the Black community.Infanticide, shown in the novel is of many forms. It is not just a murder in literal sense but also murdering an infant mentally or psychologically by curbing the desires and rights. Beloved is a documentation of all such infanticides, the most pathetic, being the murder of Beloved by her mother by cutting her throat. Apart from these instances it is shown that Sethe’s mother also committed infanticide when she threw her children at birth, â€Å"without names† (Morrison 78). Another instance of infanticide is when Ella, another black slave admits that she too killed the children born from her white masters.The author has given different views on infanticide 3 through the mouth of the characters. Sethe asserts that she, â€Å"†¦ couldn’t let all that go back to where it was, and I couldn’t let her nor any of ‘em live under schoolteacher. That was out† (200). Baby Suggs could not frame any judgment and silenced her views to such an extent that it eventually led to her death. Paul D initially accuses Sethe for her rough choice but later accepts the situation considering her circumstances. Infanticide has always been the background of the slave age. It sometimes showed resistance and sometimes mercy killing.But child abuse and especially girl child faced the most terrible consequences of slavery. In the words of Linda Brent, â€Å"Slavery is terrible for men, but it is far more terrible for women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (405). Denver is also a victim of child abuse. The initial years of her childhood are spent in prison along with her mother. She is mocked by the society for the crime committed by her mother. Her mother never reveals her past to Denver which makes Denver loose faith on Sethe. The rest of her childhood is spent in fear of being killed by her mother. She is a psychologically scared child.Denver speaks for herself, â€Å"I spent all of my outside se lf loving Ma’am so she wouldn’t kill me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (255). She waited for a miracle to happen, so, she could be away from Sethe. Sethe is declared culprit by law and even by the society. But what compels her to take such cruel action is the fear of slavery and exploitation for her daughter. The owners of the Plantations, schoolteachers and his nephews violate her motherhood by stealing her milk from her bosom. All these incidents constitute Sethe’s past and they are reconstructed in the novel through the discourses of Sethe and Paul D, co-victim of slavery.Memory forms a most important part in Morrison’s novels. â€Å"For memory exists as a communal property of friends, of family, of a people† (Middleton 159). Though Paul D realizes Sethe’s pain as a mother he knows that she was â€Å"†¦not a normal woman† (50). Sethe’s story is debatable on two grounds. On one side it is the â€Å"maternal loss† (Matus 109) where the plight of the helpless mother under slavery is revealed. On the other hand it crosses the limits of maternal violence. Infanticide committed by Sethe is analyzed under these two terms. The narrative enacts a circling or repetition around the 4 traumatic events† (Matus 112). Infanticide in Beloved is analyzed with close reference to Sethe and her daughters as it is the most affected relationship. Slavery has done a psychological damage to a mother-child relationship. Morrison has shown many angles of mother-daughter relationship in the novel. The first relation is that of Sethe and Beloved. It is the most unique relationship. Here a mother is the killer of her own blood. Sethe had enough reasons to prove that her act was just not crime but a mercy killing.She was perplexed with the horrific side of slavery and could not bear her daughter in a similar condition as hers. Therefore, she decides to free her from the impious birth of being black. â€Å"I took and put my babies where they’d be safe† (201). Though the act of infanticide is the most monstrous act for a mother to even think of but Sethe was too reluctant to turn towards slavery again with her children. As a mother Sethe’s act can never be justified. She attempted the most unnatural thing. Killing was not the only alternative. She could have killed the slave owner, or even herself.The supernatural existence of Beloved proves that Sethe’s act was guilty of the murder and was to be condemned. Therefore, Sethe becomes the monstrous women in the novel with a streak of madness in her nature. Beloved, is the mirror which reveals the past of the character that comes in contact with her. She comes back to possess Sethe. She tells Denver about her plans that, â€Å"She is the one I need. You can go but she is the one I have to have† (93). This obsession for her mother makes Beloved’s identity mysterious. Her appearance and disappearance add an element of supern aturalism to the painful story of Sethe.She appears mysteriously from water. â€Å"She had new skin, lineless and smooth, including the knuckles of her hands† (63). The reappearance of Beloved from water is symbolic in the sense that it depicts the entire process of child birth. It is like emergence of new born baby from the fluid of the mother’s womb. Sethe takes Beloved as a living being and not as a ghost. It is Morrison who presents Beloved, â€Å"gothically monstrous† (Matus 119) so that Sethe feels calm after relieving herself from the burden of the past. Beloved is in true sense the ghost of past which is trying to find its place in the present.Just as her appearance was sudden, her 5 disappearance left a lot of unanswered questions. In the end she appears as a naked pregnant lady which according to the community ladies, exploded in air. Sethe shares a similar relation with her other daughter Denver. She is the eye witness of the bloodshed of her sister. She also drank her mother milk mixed with Beloved’s blood. She is the only permanent member of 124 Bluestone apart from Sethe. Both of them share an unspoken relationship. Denver blames her mother for killing her sister. She isolates herself from the community and from her mother.Her alienation leads to her attachment with Beloved when she takes her for her dead sister. Her act of drinking the milk of her mother mixed with the blood of Beloved symbolizes that Sethe and her family made the death of Beloved their life and her blood their nourishment. â€Å"Beloved is my sister. I swallowed her blood right along with my mother’s milk†(252). Beloved is determined to wage a war against her mother. Denver on the other hand keeps the grudges in her heart. But her love for her mother gradually grows when she sees her mother suffering under the tantrums of Beloved.Denver comes to rescue her mother. She is a link between Sethe and the community. Sethe understood Denverâ⠂¬â„¢s solitude but never disclosed the past to her. She only reveals the half truth. â€Å"As for Denver, the job Sethe had of keeping her from the past that was still waiting for her was all that mattered†(53). This silence in the mother – daughter relationship widened the gulf and made Denver â€Å"secretive†(121). She lived in the secret company of Beloved until she actually appeared in flesh. Beloved and Denver have an intensely possessive nature. Beloved makes Sethe her important part.She wants complete attention of Sethe. She fixes her eyes on Sethe. At this part of the novel Sethe and Beloved are viewed as one soul. A similar possession is seen in the nature of Denver but towards, â€Å"her ghost sibling† (Matus 118). The growing intimacy of Beloved and Sethe gives threat to the security of Denver and she feels â€Å"marginalized† ( Matus 118) in their company. In Beloved, both the daughters appear to be aggressive but the maternal violence of Sethe overshadows their aggression. In the end there is also a role reversal seen in the character of Denver. She hates her mother in the beginning.She seeks the company of Beloved and wants to protect her sister from her 6 mother. But later she becomes sympathetic towards Sethe and wishes to protect her from the ghost of Beloved. This is the growth in the character of Denver where she is able to frame her own opinions about life. Guilt is the most integral part of the healing process. It follows crime. Guilt may be internal or exposed but crime is always accompanied by the feeling of guilt. This guilt is what Beloved stands for as for as Sethe is concerned. Sethe’s rash act of killing her daughter gave a huge blow to the psychological state of Sethe.She never wanted to speak of her past but arrival of Paul D and then Beloved confirms her belief that Beloved was her own daughter whom she killed. This guilty self makes Sethe surrender fully to the demands of Beloved. She f eels intensely insecure in the presence of Beloved and offers her the best at the cost of her job, house and health. Sethe’s guilt, frames Beloved as the dead infant. She keeps on justifying the infanticide to Beloved. The ultimate note of Morrison seems that, â€Å"Guilt and the past must not be avoided. They must be taken up and possessed† (Carmean 91). The slave women were never designated for being mothers.They were considered only as the breeder. â€Å"Their infant children could be sold away from them like calves from cows† (Davis 7). Sethe’s mother-in-law does not even recall the faces of her eight children. Similarly, Sethe was never nursed by her mother. But Sethe’s attempt to be a good mother hinted at the dangerous consequences of mother love. Even Paul D recognizes that mother-love for a slave is too risky. To quote: â€Å"Risky, thought Paul D, very risky. For a used-to-be slave woman to love anything that much was dangerous, especial ly if it was her children. She had settled on to love (56).When Paul D accuses Sethe of having â€Å"thick love†(202) she replies that, â€Å"Love is or it ain’t. Thin love ain’t love at all†(202). This means that Sethe has a very desperate and obsessive kind of nature. It cannot be called the unselfish motherly instinct. Sethe’s relation with her daughter Beloved is selfish. She used Beloved as a scapegoat to show resistance to the institution of slavery. This fear of getting revealed haunts her psychologically. Beloved appears as a girl in flesh from the water to avenge her death, â€Å"Sethe was trying to make up for the handsaw; Beloved was making her pay for it† (308). Sethe and Beloved share an intense relationship which breaks the bond of time, space, culture, community etc. She believes that death is nothing but continuations of life in another form. Both share a common feeling of being haunted. Sethe commits an evil and Beloved beco mes evil. And their union creates the mystery that is most horrific in the story. Infanticide puts Sethe’s motherhood at stake but a closer evaluation of the real life situation of black slaves in general and females in particular, leave no other option other than death or suicide. Most of the females had this suicidal tendency to escape from brutality. Slaves were treated no better than animals.Morrison’s female characters have a shade of grey in their personality. For example Sethe’s attempt to kill makes her a merciless lady. Paul D remarks that, â€Å"†¦you got two feet, Sethe, not four† (202). Similarly the eccentric character of Beloved shows that she is the embodiment of evil. Beloved tries to seduce Paul D. She tries to strangle Sethe and makes Denver a mere puppet in her hand. Beloved is an extremist in the sense that on one hand she nearly chokes Sethe to death and at the very next moment she soothes Sethe’s bruised neck with her sof t fingers. Beloved’s highly dominating and demanding nature causes enough pain to Sethe.She gives up everything she had, to please Beloved so that her crime is forgiven. A similar wildness is also seen in the character of Denver. She blames her mother for the infanticide and mentally proves to be a torture to Sethe. Denver’s alienation from her family increases Sethe’s isolation and Denver plans this deliberately so that her mother realizes the pain of being killed. However, Denver proves to be a great help to Sethe in the end when she realizes that Beloved has totally possessed her mother. The psychic trauma of infantile abandonment is also seen in Sethe.Slavery broke the bonds of Sethe with her mother before she could even speak. This denial of parental claim exaggerates Sethe’s role as a mother and she consider her sole responsibility towards the well being of her child. Her act of infanticide also reveals her attempt to reconstruct her own past where her mother was hanged and she was left all by herself. She confesses, â€Å"My plan was to take us all to the other side where my own ma’am [Sethe’s mother] is,† (250). Sethe’s own experiences of life and the cultural preaching of the blacks made her believe that life as a female slave was worse that death. For the blacks, â€Å"death was anything but forgetfulness† (4). This hatred for the present birth and hope of a better life in the new birth makes Sethe confident on her decision of infanticide. Sethe’s crime, if considered morally, is highly condemnable. It is unapproved by any religion or community to commit infanticide. Even Sethe realizes this when the community rejects her. Baby Suggs, who is the moral preacher, could not react to the incident and succumbed to death. Sethe knew that she was to be blamed for the death of Baby Suggs.At the social level Sethe is declared an outcast who tries to be a rebel by breaking the set of norms o f the society. This develops a communication barrier between the community on one side and Sethe’s household on another. Denver is also the victim of the feeling of alienation. But Sethe needs the support of the community to overcome her guilt. â€Å"In Beloved life is hell, but togetherness, shared experiences and brotherly/ sisterly love helps the characters to survive, if not to forge better lives for themselves† (Mbalia 91). In the end of the story the entire community joins to drive Beloved away of the Bluestone Road.Morrison proposes solidarity as the only viable solution to the problems of the black community. Infanticide is also criticized politically when Sethe is sentenced to seven years imprisonment for the act. Supernaturalism is the prominent element of Beloved. The first line of the novel draws the attention towards the mysterious world. It says, â€Å"124 was spiteful. Full of baby’s venom† (3). Morrison’s prime concern is to develop the unique culture of Africa so that the ghost stories introduced appear real and alluring. The hostile environment of America and the white community adds to the haunted environment of the novel.The ghost tales are common to the blacks as death for them is no longer the issue of fear. Baby Suggs admits that her own dead children must be, â€Å"†¦worrying somebody’s house into evil† (6). Therefore the character of Beloved and even her presence as a ghost in Sethe’s house appears justified to the modern readers. â€Å"Morrison’s clan is a complex of values and mythologies† (Holloway 160). Morrison has also projected supernaturalism as the consequence of disturbed psychic state of a person. Frustration and suppression often leads to the formation of an imaginary world and imaginary characters. This is another angle of justifying the element of supernaturalism. Morrison connects the two worlds of living and dead through Sethe and Beloved. The bl ack community is also well equipped with the methods of separating the physical and the supernatural world. This is how the community is able to drive Beloved to her right place. Sethe seems to be out of focus. Without the guidance of a mother, she has missed out on the actual mother-daughter relationships. Circumstances of sexual exploitation seem to have marred her psychologically and the base animal like nature of a human being seems to have overtaken her personality.Sethe seems to be ridden with a problem of the mind. No mother however cruel can resort to killing her own child. Even if she feared that her daughter would be a future victim of abuse, she could have given her child away to someone she knew. Sethe stopped thinking beyond a point and terror and fear have made her act in such a manner. Though she feels she has done the right thing she is guilty of doing injustice by killing her child. Morrison does not aim at giving the judgment on the act of Sethe. It is left to the readers to analyses her decision.Infanticide was condemned by the society but Sethe is forgiven in the end by the same the society. Since solidarity is the proposed solution to the humiliations suffered by the blacks, therefore, the crime of Sethe cannot be viewed as an isolated decision. The community is also directly and indirectly involved in the execution of the infanticide. That is why the community also shares the burden of guilt along with Sethe. But it is not forgetting of the past that the author propagates it is actually living the past to overcome it.Works cited Brent, Linda. â€Å"Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl†. The Classic Slave Narratives. Henry Louis Gates. ed. New York: American Library, 1987. Carmean, Karen. Toni Morrison’s World of Fiction. New York: Whitestone Publishing Company,1993. 10 Davis, Angela. Women, Race and Class. New York: Random House, 1981. Drew, Benjamin. â€Å"The Refugee: A North-side View of Slavery†. Four Fugitive Sl ave Narrative. ( Reading MA : Addison Wesley, 1969). Holloway, Karla and Stephanie D. New Dimensions of Spirituality A Biracial and Bicultural Reading of the Novels of Toni Morrison. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987. Matus, Jill. Toni Morrison Contemporary World Writers. New York: Manchester University Press, 1998. Middleton, David. Toni Morrison’s Fiction: Contemporary Criticism. New York: Garland Publishing, 2000. Mabalia, Doreatha Drummond. Toni Morrison Developing Class Consciousness. : Selinsgrove: Susquehanna University Press, 1993. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Signet, 1987. (All the subsequent references are quoted in the parenthesis of the text) Peach, Linden. ed. Toni Morrison. Macmillan Press: London, 2000. Schapira, Barbara. â€Å"The Bonds of Love and the Boundaries of Self in Toni Morrison’s Beloved†. Contemporary Literature 32: 2, 1991.