Stock Market Prices

Stock Market Prices The prices of stocks which are purchased and sold in the secondary market are mostly influenced by demand and supply. Typically, the price of stocks depends on the number of shares that are offered in relation to the demand of the stocks.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Stock Market Prices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The price of the shares are often high when there are few shares in the market and if the demand of these shares is high. On the other hand, the prices of shares are low if the shares offered in the market are many. Similarly, the price of the shares becomes significantly low when demand of the shares in the market goes down. Thus, the price of shares is determined by the demand and supply of shares in the market. Supply and Demand The demand of shares in the stock market is determined by various factors. Sloman (2008) posits that, income, wealth, expectations, divided yield, price and returns of su bstitutes are the factors that influence the demand of the stocks. Sloman (2008) considers the dividend yield as the money received back by investors and is expressed as a given percentage of its price. Many investors are attracted to purchase those stocks whose dividends are high. Equally, the prices and returns of substitutes relate to dividends as well as the market price for other corresponding stocks. Since the demand of such stocks is often high, their supply often goes down. Subsequently, this makes the price of the stocks to increase. According to Sloman (2008), the most prevalent substitutes for investing in shares include investing in properties such as real estates. Investors are always looking for the ways to make extra money. Therefore, many investors opt to invest in properties or any other forms of investments if they consider them to be more profitable than investing in shares. According to Boyce (2011), between 1960 and 2009 the profits for equities was higher than the profits gained from investment in property for the most part of the 20-year investment period. It was also observed that even over shorter time spans, equities have been the top-most performing asset, in 64% of five year periods, between 1960 and 2006. Wealth represents the accrued savings and assets. Wealth that is in form of assets is easily converted into cash and invested in shares. It is important to note that houses do not have a high rate of return as compared to investments in shares. Therefore, high-rise owners often opt to sell their houses and invest that money in shares. When this occurs, it increases the demands of shares.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More People’s expectations is another factor that determines the demand and prices of shares. Investors tend to buy more of those shares that they are optimistic about their future value. However , this kind of buying poses a great risk. This is because these prospects are not always true. Sometimes, other factors which may be beyond the investors’ expectations could crop up and affect the current outstanding performances of such companies. Such issues may lessen the value of the shares (Bacchetta, Tille Wincoop , 2010) Share prices and their effects on businesses The prices of shares in companies are imperative. This is because the prices of these shares are often used to depict the performance of a given company in the market. When the price of a company’s share increases, it primarily indicates that that company is performing well. Conversely, when the price of the share in a company decreases, it indicates poor performances. Textbook Questions If the rate of economic growth is 3% in a particular year, why are share prices likely to rise by more than 3% that year? Strong economies have been noted to be characterized by an increase in the household income wh ich is reflected in increased spending and investments. An economic growth of about 3% in a particular year is likely to translate to increased share prices by more than 3%. This is because a growth in the economy signifies increased per capita income. What happened to the FTSE 100 in 2010, why? Figure 1 The figure above illustrates how the FTSE 100 index initially performed poorly after suffering major setbacks due to the economic recession witnessed in the year 2008-2009. According to Scott (2010), investors were reluctant to invest in shares since they could not project what would follow the financial crisis.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Stock Market Prices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The financial crises of the year 2008-09 lead to the failing of many banks which impacted negatively on the value of the FTSE 100 stock market. Fletcher (2010) noted that, even by mid 2010, the performance of the FTSE 100 s tock had not appreciated considerably since most investors were still under uncertainty of investing in shares. This is clearly noted by the great decrease in share prices that occurred in July. Similarly, the value of the shares depreciated significantly in September and November. These drops were linked to large amounts of money that were given to other European countries as bail-outs (Kollewe McDonald, 2010). At the end of the year 2010, the value of the shares had appreciated greatly since more investors had became more optimistic about the future of shares as indicated by the raising of the overall value of the index (Scott, 2010). Find another application of the same idea and explain why the concept is useful in the context you have chosen Supply and demand also determines the prices of commodities globally. For example, currently the prices of Cocoa have greatly increased due to the shortage of Cocoa which is associated with the recent civil unrest in Ivory Coast (AFN, 2011) . Figure 2 ‘CÃ ´te d’Ivoire is among the leading producers of Cocoa in the world. Being a major supplier of the commodity, the country plays a central role in influencing the world cocoa prices. Similar concerns about the disruption of cocoa production and export during the civil war also caused New York prices to soar to a high of $2,335/tonne in October 2002.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is observed that when cocoa is in short supply and also in high demand, its prices are often artificially inflated in a similar way to the share prices. This principle is very similar to what happens on stock markets, although the causes are usually much different. Conclusion The supply and demand of shares are known to be the natural determiners of the prices of shares. Nevertheless, there is a danger in that; the process is often manipulated where the prices of shares ends up being artificially inflated. This inflation is dangerous because it leads to considerable loss of investors’ money when the bubble occurs. List of References AAP., 2010. Wattyl accepts takeover bid from Valspar. Web. AFN., 2011. Cote D’Ivoire and cocoa: The facts. Web. Baccheta, P., Tille, C., Wincoop, E., 2010. Risk panics: When markets crash for no apparent reason. Web. Boyce, L., 2011. Investors love for property starts to dim. Web. Fletcher, N., 2010. FTSE 100 dips ahead of bank stress t est results. Web. Kollewe, A., McDonald., P. 2010. Anglo Irish Bank bailout could total â‚ ¬34bn. Web. Scott, P., 2010. Where will the FTSE 100 end 2010? Web. Sloman, J., 2008. Economics and the Business Environment, 2nd edition. New York: McGraw Hill.

Contracting Method and Award Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contracting Method and Award - Assignment Example The United States General Accounting Office (2003) provides that the method used to bid is the Invitation For Bid (IFB) which includes the product description or description of service required, conditions of purchase, payment, packaging, delivery, the deadline for bid submission, as well as the contractual clauses. The bids are opened at the purchasing office at a time predetermined in the invitation for bid and recorded. The lowest bidder who can meet the requirements of the government gets the contract. It is noteworthy that sealed bidding puts primary consideration on the bid price. Whereas contracting by negotiation allows flexibility in the award of the contract and does not place a lot of emphasis on price but puts into consideration other factors such as past performance, managerial experience or technical approach. The government offers a Request For proposal (RFP) in which the government requests a service or product it requires and solicits proposals from the prospective c ontractors and how these contractors intend to execute the requests and the price attached. Unlike the other contract methods, these proposals are subject to negotiations after submissions. Best uses for the contract methods. The government uses contracting by negotiation where the contract exceeds $ 100,000 and that the product or service required necessitates a high level of technicality. This procedure is employed when the best value of the service or goods are expected from the selection of officially acceptable proposals in regard to the lowest evaluated price. In essence, this implies that the cost of the contract does not play a pivotal role in the evaluation process. The simplified acquisition procedure best suits situations where the government aims to reduce administrative cost associated with the contracting process. This method promotes economy and efficiency in the contracting process. Additionally the simplified procedure puts into consideration the provision of opport unities to small, disadvantaged, veteran owned and women owned businesses with an aim of providing a fair proportion of government contracts to these businesses. According to Kenneth & Philip (2006) sealed bidding becomes useful in a situation where the government expects competition from various contractors and it has provided an adequate description of the contract. The procedure requires time to issue invitations for bids as well as to receive these bids; therefore, it implies that the procedure can only be used where the government has time for this. It is also noteworthy that this procedure does not require contemplation of price and only the lowest bidder wins the contract. In this regard, the procedure best suits situations where the government aims for the lowest price. If the government uses the improper contracting method, the cost incurred in the contracting process may unnecessarily increase this is so especially, where the simplified acquisition procedure is disregarded . In situations where the requirements are technical, and the negotiated procedure is not used this may result in substandard contract outcomes. Steps in choosing proper contracting methods. In order to determine the best procedure to use in the contracting process by the government, it is critical to put into consideration some factors. Key among these factors is the requirements of the service

Organizational Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Organizational Structure - Essay Example It can also be termed as the arrangement of lines of rights, authority and duties and communication of an organization. The organizational structure depends on the organizations objectives strategy, and is divided into two namely the centralized structure and the decentralized structure. The centralized structure is the top layer management, which has most decision-making power and control over all departments. The decentralized structure, on the other hand, allows the decision-making powers to be divided among different departments where some of the divisions or departments have some degrees of independence. The structure of an organization is important in as it provides checks and balances within the organization that differs with the sociological idea of power that states that top level managers in an organization have absolute control powers of the organization and can make any decisions for the organization without consultation. Thus, the organizational structure is essential in provide control and checks and balances on how the organization is managed as procedures follow a certain protocol in the organization. The topic is important to me professionally because it will enable me to understand how the decision-making process in the organization should be conducted and help me in improving in my career. Organization structure is important to managers because depending on the structure of the organization the managers manage to control and make decisions pertaining the welfare of the employees, as well as, achievement of goals and objectives. For example, when employees raise concerns in the organization their grievances are taken to the top-level management to establish the issue with the employees. By so doing, the organization manages to have control over the employees and gain their confidence. Additionally, managers find ways to motivate their employees ensuring that all of them are satisfied with their job description therefore it provides a

How to Research For An Autobiography

How to Research For An AutobiographyWhen researching for an autobiography, there are several areas of your life that you can explore to uncover the best content for research papers. This article covers three different areas that will give you the right material for research paper topics.School: One of the most common reasons that people research their life is to find information on their educational experience. A lot of people will focus on what they learned in school as well as the individuals who taught them. If you choose to write about your school experiences, try to look for stories about how you have worked hard to reach your goals.College: While many people focus on their college career, it's also important to write about the 'life after college'. After graduation, you should write about the jobs you had and the events that happened while you were out working. It's very important to write about these aspects of your life, especially if you already have a good job that doesn't require much research.Family: In addition to the subjects listed above, the first topic that many people will research is their family. It is very important to remember that your family has been a huge part of your life, from the place where you grew up to the people that you choose to spend your time with. The best way to start researching your family is to think about how many other families you can include in your research papers.Once you have decided on the subjects for your research papers, you'll have to decide on how you want to write them. If you are not comfortable writing in a formal format, try something simple like journal entries or a summary of events. For more sophisticated pieces, it is usually best to find a professional editor to help you craft your content.The techniques you use to research for an autobiography content for research papers can be quite complicated, but it doesn't have to be. By following a few simple steps, you can write a short essay that is easy to read and completely convincing. There are several different sources of autobiography content, and this article covers only two of the most common types of content you will find.You have to make sure that you research well, and then go over everything you've found. You should have an outline, and then add everything in from your outline. It's important to make sure that you present your ideas well, and then once you have your research written, you'll need to proofread and edit.

The Debate Over Essay Writing for Primary Students

The Debate Over Essay Writing for Primary Students Emphasize to students that the teacher isn't always the audience. It's also among the most enjoyable approach to practice grammar and enhance their written and primary English. Furthermore, your students will also have a chance to observe how sentences are constructed, and what grammar constructions are employed in an essay. As a teacher, you get a fantastic deal of knowledge in contrast to your fellow students. Among additional bonuses is the capability to select the writer. Explain your students, that it's always better for them to opt for a topic they understand well and have a chance to earn a research on. Luckily, you have our top-class group of writers who can assist students and teach them how to select the most suitable essay direction. Some activities take a couple of minutes to load, but they're worth the wait. An introduction is easily the most important part. When it has to do with improving writing skillsfor everybody, not only for studentsfeedback plays a significant role during the procedure. Adhering to this practice is the simplest approach to draft a prosperous essay, whatever its purpose may be. From time to time, stating clear rules and expectations is just inadequate. As soon as you have determined the purpose, you'll need to do a little research on topics which you find in triguing. It's tempting to want to concentrate on only the exact bestwriting strategiesto teach your elementary students, but in fact, there's nobody strategy to rule all of them. To begin with, define your objective. An excellent supply of inspiration is vital for this sort of task. Because of this, it's important to be certain that students understand what's being requested of them when they are being requested to compose an essay. Often the toughest part of writing is getting started, and this challenge is often linked to the quest for the ideal topic. Also, look at solving the issue in different ways, instead of just turning to the police or complaining to the teacher. What Everybody Dislikes About Essay Writing for Primary Students and Why Well, the solution isn't too obvious here. In the current article, we will speak about a few essential tips on how best to motivate and instruct your students. Attempt to consider what age is fantastic for students to date with on e another. Consult your students to compose a relatively little quantity of words on a particular subject every single day. It is not so comfortable to read very long paragraphs, as it'll be more challenging to find the point in such a manner. Our writers will be certain you are totally pleased with the last edition. Your strongest points ought to be the very first and last paragraphs in the body, with the others falling in the center. If you're given the subject, you ought to think about the sort of paper that you wish to produce. The Little-Known Secrets to Essay Writing for Primary Students Smoking ought to be banned for everyone. Children should have the ability to use cellphones in school. Persuade your friend to see the movie you desire. Your child ought to be spending nearly all of his time here. Persuade your teacher to have a field trip. Scroll down to find the proper course for your kid. Things You Should Know About Essay Writing for Primary Students Essays are definitely the most popular academic paper that looks might appear easy to writer. It is not sufficient to look in the English dictionary and copy-paste the very first definition you'll discover. When you have mastered the content, it helps to write a brief review of the document in your words. It's also useful to show students an illustration of an essay. The head of a normal student spins from all that different forms of essays. Based on the subject of an essay, students may start it using a story out of their private experience. Usually, students find it rather hard to compose this portion of their essay, because they do not find out how to initiate a bit of writing in order to draw readers' attention and inform them shortly about exactly what this essay is all about. There are a few students who might not understand what is meant by means of an essay.

Things to Put in a College Essay: No Longer a Mystery

Things to Put in a College Essay: No Longer a Mystery Life, Death, and Things to Put in a College Essay If you choose to locate a research paper out of our site, you will likely locate a range of benefits. You also need to have a best cover letter to escort your CV when you fill out an application for virtually any job. You want an excellent whole bunch of concerns as to your agreement will be managed in the event you've obtained a newspaper about the internet. So that the bond involving the conventional group of defense along with the mental health as well as sociocultural things could possibly simply be explained looking at your developing component. What to Expect From Things to Put in a College Essay? The specific hubby start to function as your creation user in a closeby manufacturing unit, which makes it feasible for her or his spouse for taking a chance coming from the girl old undertaking. Locating a fine house or even a location within a terrific house is a key unde rtaking. 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Extended commentary of During Wind and Rain by Thomas Hardy Essay Example for Free

Extended commentary of During Wind and Rain by Thomas Hardy Essay On the Title: An ambiguous and interesting choice of title, in that it is – as I will show – both incongruous with the tense (or time-scale) used in the poem and draws the reader’s attention to descriptions of the weather. The word â€Å"during† makes the weather conditions affect the present. However, the poem is mostly written in the historic present and many of the stanzas depict images of bright, pleasant days – not the â€Å"wind and rain† alluded to in the title. There is clearly an intentional discrepancy being orchestrated here by Hardy. Quote SLS: â€Å"Beware â€Å"during†, the incongruous preposition.† Overall Structure: Four stanzas of seven lines, with a very strange (but regular) rhyme scheme. Hardy uses a very odd structure indeed. The rhyme scheme utilised in the poem consists of: ABCBCDA. There are multiple effects of this: * The sixth line in the stanza breaks the poetic flow of the stanza, as it is the only line not to rhyme with another – hence acting like a mid-stanzaic volta. It draws attention to itself. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the sixth line of every stanza breaks away from the theme of familial happiness painted in the previous five lines, and turns the subject to the contrasting theme of death. Observe the refrains used! * The drawn out â€Å"A† rhyme encompasses the entirety of each stanza. Given that the last line (about death) is linked to the first (about life), is Hardy trying to show the unavoidable connection of life and death? * Seven lines to each stanza perhaps represent a week, just as the four stanzas represent the seasons? Very poor allusion. Themes: Death, Family life, Time, The Seasons. Difficult Language Notes: â€Å"Blithely† means â€Å"happily†. First Stanza Notes: â€Å"They sing their dearest songs – He, she, all of them – yea, Treble and tenor and bass, And one to play; With the candles mooning each face Ah, no, the years O! How the sick leaves reel down in throngs!† This poem is one full of repetition and refrain. The general layout of each stanza, in terms of theme, organisation and repetition of certain lines, remains constant. Each stanza, for example, opens with an image of a family – presumably the same one throughout – in a place, or carrying out an action, in a unified and â€Å"happy† way. This stanza evokes a scene of the Victorian family gathered, singing, around a piano (â€Å"one to play†), as piano playing and â€Å"sing-a-long† was, of course, very common in Hardy’s time. Note how he only uses personal pronouns; distancing effect? Hardy goes to perhaps extreme lengths to show the family’s unity. On a critical note, one could criticise his rather inefficient use of the first four lines of this poem, but that is not our aim. Some analysis: * â€Å"They sing their dearest songs†. Note the use of a superlative adjective in â€Å"dearest†. It is the first of many. We may query its meaning; perhaps it indicates a certain reverence to familial attitude, both in Hardy and in the family itself. They are enjoying it! * â€Å"He, she, all of them.† Illustrates a togetherness within the family – one which (as Hardy will later comment upon) Death inevitably overcomes. The following line regarding the different musical voice (â€Å"Treble and tenor and bass†) illustrates a similar thing, but is used to point out that Death affects all elements of family, regardless of age. How very depressing – we’re only at line 3! Even better, he does this in all stanzas. * â€Å"– yea† Note use of colloquial (conversational) affirmative. Not only is it used to force the rhyme scheme, but it contrasts with the later â€Å"Ah, no†, which is negative. Hardy does this in all stanzas. Without jumping ahead, however, it is simply a friendly comment of approval. * â€Å"With the candles mooning each face† Night time scene. Interesting, seeing as it contrasts with the other images presented, which are all in bright daylight. * â€Å"Ah, no; the years O!† Thus we encounter the â€Å"inter-stanzaic volta†. Not only does the rhyme scheme depart from regularity (We label the sixth line in all stanzas the ‘D’ rhyme, as it is the only line not to have a rhyming companion). It signifies a departure from the pleasant theme of the unadulterated joy of family life, and an arrival at the theme of its death – or the fact that it is all going â€Å"to pass† eventually. As before mentioned, the â€Å"Ah, no;† contrasts with the previous affirmative. The actual sense of this line is rather obscure. We assume that Hardy is implicitly commenting on the fact that â€Å"the years† take away/ damage the family life – as they pass, so does the family and its happiness. â€Å"O!† is an ejaculation, expressing sadness or mourning for the family. * â€Å"How the sick leaves reel down in throngs!† Hardy furthers his ideas about death. Here is a line referring to the autumnal decay of life – leaves falling – and the way in which it precedes Death. Note how the leaves, when considered in â€Å"throngs†, may represent people? In the same way, a â€Å"reel† is a type of dance; is this (a slightly sick) dance of death? Unlikely, but we must remember that Hardy has no qualms with tragic irony. Second Stanza Notes: â€Å"They clear the creeping moss – Elders and juniors – aye, Making the pathways neat and the garden gay; And they build a shady seat Ah, no; the years, the years; See the white storm-birds wing across!† Once again, Hardy begins his stanza with an image of the family, this time in the garden – presumably in spring, as suggested by the fact that they are clearing the remains of winter (â€Å"the creeping moss†), whilst he describes the garden as â€Å"gay†. One can immediately recognise the structural similarities shared with the first stanza, as well as the meaning behind the â€Å"pleasant† image. * Note that Hardy now observes that both â€Å"Elders and juniors† participate – again, he differentiates between the different members of the family, but now uses the factor of age, as opposed to musical voices. This serves only to strengthen the original analysis; that unity may be visible and, indeed, enjoyable, but it is only fleeting in the face of Death. Lovely * Observe how the family’s actions are arranged around both â€Å"making the place neat/pretty† and around comfort. â€Å"Making pathways neat† and â€Å"building a shady seat† have only temporary effects upon happiness – the â€Å"moss† will grow back, the pathways will become untidy in time, when Winter (representing Death and decay) comes. Thus we find that Hardy is setting up, within his â€Å"pleasant† image, the backdrop upon which he wishes to point out that all happiness, joy – and life itself – is fleeting. * Or is it an image of the â€Å"futility of human endeavour† – the weather will erode the order imposed upon it, and ultimately Death will prevail? * On an aside: evidence for the scene being set in spring: if the seat is shady, then surely the sun must be out in broad daylight – not a symptom commonly associated with the Wintry illness! Ah, no; the years, the years; See the white storm-birds wing across! And yet, on cue, Hardy revives his alternative theme – this time with a slightly different D rhyme/phrase. The colloquial negative remains, but Hardy uses the echo of â€Å"the years† to emphasize the passage of time. He uses the same phrase in the fourth stanza, yet repeats the primary ejaculation in the third stanza (they alternate). The final line of the stanza is rather interesting. â€Å"Storm-birds† sound like mythical beasts – perhaps the extremity of phrase reflects that of Death? – yet they are most likely geese, flying away before Winter comes. It is not as disturbing an image as that of the leaves â€Å"reeling†, but it again points to the same idea. The use of strong verbs in all final lines in all stanza adds to their strength: â€Å"reel† in Stanza One, â€Å"wing† in the second, etc. â€Å"To wing† itself is an unusual choice, perhaps adding to a sense of the supernatural. Think back to â€Å"Neutral Tones† and the â€Å"ominous bird a-wing†. The verb has the same effect here. Third Stanza Notes: â€Å"They are blithely breakfasting all – Men and maidens – yea, Under the summer tree, With a glimpse of the bay, While pet fowl come to the knee Ah, no; the years O! And the rotten rose is ript from the wall.† Here Hardy is at last explicit about the season and its effects; much as Autumn and Winter are representative of Death and decay, spring and summer bear idyllic delights. In this stanza, we find ourselves in the latter. One cannot â€Å"overdo† the emphasis which Hardy applies to the seasons. He pictures human life as tragically linear, whilst comparing it to the inevitably cyclical seasons. In the end, the seasons – especially Winter – bring about the decay of a finite life. And yet, to begin with, this stanza suggests that the family are blissfully unaware of that fact. * Once again, we find the family in unity and happy – seeing as they are â€Å"blithely breakfasting† – suggesting a disregard for the potential decay and sadness. They appear to live in the happy present. * It has been suggested that the family have now grown up, seeing as they are now described as â€Å"Men and maidens† as opposed to â€Å"Elders and juniors†. Side point – no way to substantiate claim. Of course, now Hardy differentiates between them using sex – all the more differences which Death can overcome. * Allusions to an Arcadian ideal – a perfect landscape, full of happiness – are impossible to avoid. â€Å"Under the summer tree / With a glimpse of the bay†; it sounds more like Tuscany than Britain! Of course, Hardy is not that explicit. The â€Å"bay† may just as well be a bay tree, as much as a bit of coastland. Still, the image remains idyllic. And yet, â€Å"I [Death] am here†. * â€Å"The pet fowl† may represent a further source of happiness – domesticated or agricultural livestock have always been kept for the happiness of one’s stomach or one’s heart. Either will do. More human endeavour to be laid waste to by Death? Here, as usual, the poem breaks away and returns to the original ejaculation about the years passing. Note how the â€Å"O!† lengthens the line – it slows the reader down. Otherwise analysed above. The final image evocative of Death, however, is of our greatest interest: â€Å"The rotten rose is ript from the wall.† Again, an ambiguous phrase creates the sense of sickening mystery which Death itself possesses. Not only does the obvious alliteration of the â€Å"r† sound mount both the tension and force placed upon the final verb, but it also mirrors the ugly nature of the act itself. â€Å"Ript† is merely an archaic spelling of â€Å"ripped† – the sense is the same and bears the same strength. Yet who, or what, rips up the rose? Obviously, the image is representative of Death claiming a life; the verb suggests an unpleasant or untimely death. Quote SLS: â€Å"A complete severance from life†. Perhaps we can extrapolate this further to make a comment on the cruelty of Death in Hardy’s eyes? It may well be the wind. This would fit with the title, although we must still ponder the incongruous preposition, â€Å"during†. Perhaps the entire image is metaphorical, and Death is simply tearing a previously beautiful flower (â€Å"rotten† is probably representative of â€Å"old†) away from life? Fourth Stanza Notes: â€Å"They change to a high new house, He, she, all of them – aye, Clocks and carpets and chairs On the lawn all day, And the brightest things that are theirs Ah, no; the years, the years; Down their carved names the rain-drop ploughs.† Clearly the family have grown wealthier, to move house – and, it seems, they have moved quite literally â€Å"up† in the world, as it is a â€Å"high† one. One may question whether this stanza overly reflects upon the materialistic joys of the world. Maybe that is Hardy’s intention. I doubt, however, that this is an explicit attack upon those who value material objects; rather a memento mori, in that, despite the temporary pleasure of wealth and possessions, Death will always claim victory. Deeper analysis: * Note how we have returned to â€Å"He, she, all of them†. Have we come round in a full generational cycle? * The weather remains good, as the family display their possessions on the lawn, presumably as they either prepare to move them to the new house from the old, or simply before they have been properly installed. Clearly Hardy is using summer to represent joy and prosperity. * The language bears little complexity – hence little analysis! Is this done to reflect the simple, but enjoyable, pleasures of materialistic desires and good weather? * â€Å"Brightest things which are theirs†. Note another superlative. Relevance/ importance, other than to add emphasis? (Have previously analysed the secondary ejaculation. Now repeated.) The final image of the poem is possibly the most interesting, dramatic and explicit. â€Å"Down their carved names the rain-drop ploughs.† Here Hardy at last makes an explicit reference to the subject of death, in that their â€Å"carved names† are grave stones, whilst also tying in the title (with the reference to the weather). Primarily, we are shocked by the contrast; clearly, Hardy is imagining the same individuals with whom we are now familiar (as â€Å"the family†) as being dead. They have been buried. This is a very sudden and rather upsetting realisation. Hardy very successfully makes his point about the frailty and temporal nature of life. Their successes and happiness are irrelevant. How depressing! Worse, Hardy suggests that the weather erodes them not only in life, but also destroys (â€Å"ploughs†) their memory in death; the rain drop appears to be eroding away the names from the stones. This insensitivity contrasts with the use of â€Å"names†, which are highly personal. Perhaps, however, Hardy intends â€Å"ploughs† to be positive. As in the agricultural sense, the rain drop prepares for new growth? Final note: Is the narrator writing the poem in the grave-yard? Are the images he recollects merely his memories of a family now dead – the images of Death are all happening around him â€Å"during wind and rain†? Clever point. Perhaps.