Weezer - Weezer free essay sample

Weezer is at it again with their latest, a self-titled album, also referred to as theGreen Album. The punk rockers are back to the old tricks that sent them to thetop in the mid-?s, with those catchy pop-fables from their first record(Buddy Holly and the Sweater Song). On their sophomorealbum, Pinkerton, they turned away from the style that was sosuccessful on Undone. With Weezer, they have refreshedthe punk-rock pop they are known for. Lead vocalist and guitarist RiversCuomo says in a recent interview in Strength Skateboard Culture magazine that hehas gone back to the simple approach of song writing and writes a new one everyday for his band to jam to. The band consists of Patrick Wilson on drums, andBrian Bell on guitar and vocals and Scott Shriner on bass. The latesteffort is well-rounded with Hash Pipe and Glorious Day.Hash Pipe, the first single off the album, caught me off guard withits edgy, rhythmic guitar riffs. We will write a custom essay sample on Weezer Weezer or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The more I listened, the more I liked it. Although the album has only ten songs, I still think it is perfect. In myopinion, it does not matter how long it is, the songs flow together, providingthe listener with that rhythmic punky pop sound that is the Weezer trademark. I give Weezers self-titled album a five out of five stars. Weezer givesthe kids what they want on this latest effort. Sometimes a first impression is alasting one, and that is the case for Weezer.

How Different Young Australians Experience Racism

Introduction Everyone experiences or witnesses racism at some point in life. Race is not a biological categorisation, but is rather an artificial grouping of persons based on social constructions. Racial classification has little to do with scientifically certifiable facts such as genetics (Doane 2006).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Different Young Australians Experience Racism? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the contrary, races are classified according to the way societies conceive certain ideas, faces, skin colour, practices, and certain cultures. Though racism is a global dilemma, young Australians are particularly faced with this problem due to the diverse nature of Australia’s population. How different young Australians experience racism According to a study conducted by the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) on racism and its impact on young Australians, 70% of students in secondary sc hools within Australia report having contact with racist confrontation frequently (Mansouri et al. 2009). Many young Australians face racism in school. This kind of racism takes several forms ranging from provocative slang names to certain racist jibes and stereotypes. Racism in Australian schools also takes the form of exclusion from certain activities or groups based on race or ethnicity. Young migrants who have lived in Australia for a short period (four to five years) are more predisposed to racism than those born in the country (Mansouri et al. 2009). They are closely followed in their predisposition to racism by second or third generation migrants. Young female migrants are more likely to face racism than their male counterparts. This vulnerability is closely linked to the already existent gender disparities. However, racist experiences are not a confine of a specific group (Pruitt 2013). This is particularly evident when looking at racism in a broad context. For instance, mor e than fifty percent of young Anglo-Australian population is regularly confronted with racist experiences. The FYA reports that cases of racism are more rampant among older students in schools than those aged between seven and eight years (Mansouri et al. 2009). This indicates that attitudes and tendencies towards racism are acquired as students grow and interact. Racist exposure reduces the victim’s self-confidence. Students who have experienced racism may get the impression that the culture to which they subscribe is not valued. This negatively impacts their degrees of self-esteem and encourages feelings of worthlessness.Advertising Looking for essay on ethnicity studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Exposure to racism at this critical stage in the psychological development of the victims may cause the victims to feel the need to distance themselves from their own cultures, values, norms, and languages. From the ri dicule they experience by being associated with these cultures, the discriminated students associate the cultures with inferiority. In addition to distancing oneself from one’s culture, racism also contributes to psychological suffering among the young victims. This kind of psychological distress is often evident in increased anxiety levels, depression, elevated temperament and lowered self-esteem. Some suicide cases are linked directly or indirectly to incidences of racial abuse. The effects of racism are not limited to the mental health of the young Australians. There is evidence to indicate that the effects of racism extend to an individual’s physical health. For instance, young Australians who confront racism undergo several physical experiences ranging from elevated heart rates and impaired concentration when performing certain activities such as schoolwork (Bulbeck 2012). Other relatively serious physical effects of racism on young people include relentless heada ches, post-traumatic stress and pre-emptive anxiety. Some of these physical and psychological conditions affect other physical and mental functions such as sleep and moods. Conclusion Australia has for a long period been under the radar of the international community for the way cases of racism especially among the young are handled. Concerns raised about racism, especially among the young cannot be fully addressed. However, given the far-reaching effects that racist experiences have on the younger members of the society, institutional measures ought to be devised to help fight racism when the children are still young. References Bulbeck, C 2012, Imagining the future: young Australians on sex, love and community, University of Adelaide Press, Adelaide. Doane, A 2006, ‘What is racism? Racial discourse and racial politics,’ Critical Sociology, vol. 32 no. 2-3, pp. 255-274.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Different Young Australians Experience Ra cism? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mansouri, F, Jenkins, L, Morgan, L Taouk, M, 2009, The impact of racism upon the health and wellbeing of young Australians, https://www.fya.org.au/. Pruitt, L 2013, Youth peacebuilding: music, gender, and change, SUNY Press, Albany. This essay on How Different Young Australians Experience Racism? was written and submitted by user Kristen W. 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.

My sisters wedding

My sisters wedding Photographs are a wonderful way to capture moments in an instant. This picture is an important part of a special memory, which is of my sister's wedding. My sister's wedding was an amalgam of excited, felicitous, and somber feelings. Whenever I look at this picture, the whole occasion relives in my mind.An important part of the wedding was the selection of dresses and beauty salon. I remember when my cousins and my sisters, and I used to go to different malls daily, scouting for the perfect outfits. We purchased elegant dresses of different colors with exquisite jewelries, such as, ear rings, necklace, and bangles. The color of bride's sharara (special outfit of brides) was orange, golden, and maroon. Every one was very excited, because we all wanted to look beautiful for that event. Our joyful excitement was like a forest fire which could be seen from a mile away.In my culture, wedding ceremony consists of two days function. The first day called "mehndi" is the day for youngsters to celebrate. I can still remember the girls and boys singing songs and dancing. There was a fun-filled singing and dancing competition between relatives of the bride and the groom. Girls were painting beautiful designs on the bride's hands and their own hands with mehndi (a paste of leaves, which makes temporarily tattoos). The second day was the actual wedding day. My sister and her husband were looked stunning in their wedding attire. While our four hundred guests dined on a delicious meal in the festively decorated banquet room, the family was holding a photo session.At the end of the ceremony, there is a time for the bride, to go to her new home by leaving her own family. Her departure created a gloomy mood for many of us.

Managing and Developing the Human Resources Research Paper

Managing and Developing the Human Resources - Research Paper Example Dickens (1994) contends that the business case for managing diversity offers a way to operate equal opportunities as a strategic issue, a core value linked to organisational competitiveness. In order to improve quality and remain competitive a number of organisations have started offering qualification levels required for better acceptability in the industry. For example, McDonald's has been given the authorisation to award their own qualifications equivalent to GCSEs, A levels and degrees, in subjects like fast-food restaurant management (BBC, 2008). Network Rail and Flybe are the other companies which have been granted such permission by Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), to confer degrees and diplomas for preparing the workforce for a competitive tomorrow (Woolcock and Elliott, 2008). These are some of the pointers towards the increasing realisation that acquiring and upgrading the skills is not only very important for competitive strength of the company, but it is equ ally crucial for the individual to remain relevant to the industry. This study is, therefore, an effort to analyse the HR scenario in general and how the UK is preparing the human resources for a better and competitive tomorrow. Irrespective of the nature and specialisation of the company, it can be said for sure that, 'people' form the core of its activities and therefore, the behaviour and character of these very 'people' will affect the overall character of the organisation. The performance level of this workforce depends upon the types of motivations provided by the organisation. It is therefore quite logical to say that Human Resource Management is a very crucial and an integral part of any organization.  

Network Design management (Dissertation) Literature review

Network Design management (Dissertation) - Literature review Example Theoretical framework: OSI reference model: The OSI model (operation systems interconnection) is used to distribute the internal activities of a communications system into a number of layers (Kozierok, 2005). The model distributes the communication system into seven different logical layers where each layer is designed to perform a unique function. The seven layers are given below: Layer 1: The first layer is known as the physical layer. The first layer is used to specify the physical and electrical needs of the device. The physical layer basically provides a connection between the transmission medium i.e. the communication cable and the device itself. Other than that the physical layer sets up the connection with the communicating device, terminates the communication and the conversion of digital data into analogue signals (Kozierok, 2005). Layer 2: The second layer of the OSI model is the data link layer. The data link layer is responsible for detecting any errors that occur at the first level of the device. In addition the data link layer also handles the flow control of the packets of data. The data link layer is divided into two parts the MAC (Media Access Control) layer and the LLC (Logical Link Control) layer. The MAC layer handles all the activities that allow the device to gain permission to access a network and to transmit the data packet. While the LLC layer is responsible for handling the flow control, error checking and flow control of the data packet (Kozierok, 2005). Layer 3: The third layer is called the network layer and it creates virtual paths on which the data packet is transmitted. Moreover the network layer is responsible for congestion control and addressing the packet (Kozierok, 2005). Layer 4: The fourth layer is the transport layer ensures that the entire data packet layer is transferred from the sender’s end to the receiver’s end. Layer 5: The session layer is responsible for establishing sessions between the sender†™s applications and the receiver’s application. Layer 6: The presentation layer encrypts and decrypts the message from the data packet. The application layer transforms the data into a form that the application can understand. The application layer encrypts the data in such a way that data transferred faces no compatibility issues (Kozierok, 2005). Layer 7: The application layer is the layer with which the user has the most interaction. The application layer supports all the user applications and the user’s activities. User authentication, quality of service and privacy are taken into account at this layer (Kozierok, 2005). E-governance engineering methodology: There has been a lot of work and research carried out regarding the performance measurements used within the public sector. Measuring the service quality and performance monitoring are just some of examples where significant progress has been made. However, there always has been an issue of how these factors a re to be integrated with various process of designing and development processes that are regularly used for e-governance projects (Carter et al., 1995). By adopting and implementing the correct methodology the integration of e-governance process and planning and designing services could become a possibility. There have been a

Why women suffer disadvantage in the employment relationship

Why women suffer disadvantage in the employment relationship The essay will concentrate on the phenomenon of an occupational gender segregation that women continue to suffer in the labour market in Britain. Firstly this essay will look at some statistics surrounding women in the employment. Secondly, the paper will consider theories that try to explain the occupational segregation by sex. The essay will examined the neo-classical economic theories of human capital and rational choice. Moreover, the paper will evaluate if these theories stands up as an argument to reason the occupational gender segregation. Then the concept of patriarchy which is at the centre of feminist theory will be presented and appraised in connection with understanding the cause of occupational sex segregation. The last theory to be assessed in relation to disadvantage experienced by women in the labour market will be the idea of preference theory based on Catherine Hakims study. Despite over forty years since first Equal Opportunities legislation has been introduced, labour market in the United Kingdom is marked by the sexual segregation in occupations that women so often experience. Labour Market Statistics( 2010) highlights that 42.8% of female employees work in part-time jobs to compare with 11.9% of their male counterparts and 74.4% of all employees in part-time jobs are women; thus part-time jobs tend to be seen as womens work. This generates financial consequences for women. Recent survey by Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (2009, p.5) illustrates that the full time gender pay gap is at 16.4% and the part time gender pay gap is at 13.2%. The Equal Opportunities Commission (2006) estimated that the gender pay gap would lose a woman working on full-time basis a cumulative amount of  £330,000, or  £210,000 after taxes over her life. Labour Force Survey (2006, p.5) also points out that women predominantly work in service occupations whereby men most ly work in management occupations and in professions that require high level of knowledge and skills. The neo-classical economic theories of human capital and rational choice represent a prominent proposition that attempts to clarify the reasons behind occupational sex segmentation. (Blackburn et al., 2002, p.515) The rational theory suggests that employees and employers behave sensibly in the labour market. Thus, people decide to invest in their qualifications and gain work experience in order to obtain the highest level of income possible after assessing the level and quality of their human capital and existing constrains to enter particular occupation (Anker, 1997, p.317). Furthermore, employers look for the highest return possible by increasing productivity and reducing costs. However, the rationality of employers actions may cause unequal treatment of women in employment sphere (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.55). According to human capital theory, women entering labour market offer lower level of knowledge and skills, and less suitable qualifications that employers are looking for compare to men partly due to inequality women experience within education system (Haggerty and Johnson, 1995 p.212 and 216) and partly because women are predominant child carers and are solely responsible for home activities (Anker, 1997, p.317). Moreover, women obtain lower level of work experience than their male counterparts due to temporary or permanent exit from the labour market to look after their youngsters and households (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.55). Neo-classical theories indicate that house duties make women often to opt for a part-time work, a full-time job that does not require much effort and energy (Blackburn et al., 2002, p.517). Therefore, female workers are often regarded by employers as less committed and less professional (Epstein et al., 1999 in Hardill and Watson, 2000, pp.21-22). In accordance with Polacheks theory, women usually select occupations that do not carry severe penalties for short-term breaks that women take to care for their children and homes (England, 1982, p.363). Furthermore, the employers often link female employees with higher indirect costs, which the most known is maternity leave. It is said that women are more likely to be late or absent at work than men, possibly due to home responsibilities (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.57). The women are often associated with high level of turnover as they often quit their jobs after childbirth or in some cases after getting married (Anker, 1997, p.317).Thus, according to Becker (1971 in Anker, 1997, p.320), employers are rational when they abstain to employ women in order to avoid higher indirect costs. Despite of neo-classical theories contribution to explaining occupational sex segregation, there are some issues when these theories are the only one considered. Evidences have indicated that womens participation in employment has risen in Britain since 70s (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.60). Labour market statistics (November 2010, p.3) indicates that recent women employment rate stands at 65.7% compare with just 56 % in 1971(Office for National Statistics 2009).An introduction of house appliances such as washing machines, cookers and microwaves has decreased significantly the time required to perform certain house activities in recent decades (Bowden and Offer, 1994, p.728). Moreover, recently more women are force to work to sustain themselves and their children due to a higher proportion of single parent households (Buvini, 1995 in Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.60). Census (2001) statistics have indicated that 90.5 %of households in England and Wales are headed by single women. These ch anges indicate that women have increased their work experience and in this way they have enhanced their human capital (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.60). Considering the human capital theory these changes should enable women to enter occupations. However, women still face barriers to enter those occupations (Anker, 1997, p.320), and the reason for that is not explained by the economic theories. In accordance with economic theories, lower level of income achieved by women is fair as their level of human capital is much lower than that of the male workers. However, pay inequality between men and women is much higher than would be anticipated based on human capital reasoning (Treiman and Hartmann, 1981; World Bank, 1994 in Blackburn et al., 2002, p.517). Furthermore, womens pay inequality is not only bounded to women with children. There are many professions which also badly reward single women. Although rational choice theory explains that there is a belief that all women will have children, recent researches have highlighted that more and more women are fully dedicated to their careers and decide to have no children on their own (Browne 2000; Franks 1999 in Blackburn et al., 2002, p.519). When looking at indirect costs, they are perceived to be higher for female employees than their male counterparts; however, the evidence has shown that the rate of absenteeism and turnover is very similar for both genders (Anker, 1997, p.319). The argument of human capital theory that women traditionally choose professions that are not costly when suspended for a short-time (Watts and Rich, 1993, p.60) is disapproved by England (1982). The evidence England has put forward indicates that professions with a high rate of women do not necessary carry lower penalties for short-term breaks from work than professions with lower rate of women (England, 1982, p.365). The neo-classical theories arguments applied alone offers just limited explanation for occupational sex segregation. Kirton and Greene (2005, p.62) have put forward questions that the economic theories do not explain; why do certain social groups on average come to the labour market with lower levels of education and in what are seen as less relevant subjects? Why is housework and childcare and elder care almost always the sole responsibility of women? The gender theory concept of patriarchy should fill the gaps that exist in economic theories discussed earlier. According to Hartmann (1976, p.152-3), occupational gender segregation is a result of the phenomenon of patriarchy. This concept is concerned with a social situation where women are in subordinate position and are dominated, exploited, and undermined by powerful men (Bender L., 1988, pp.5-6); thus it seems to be intended as an explanation of vertical segregation (Blackburn et al., 2002, p.521). Women around the world are generally perceived to be housewives, and men to be main breadwinners in households. This might explain why women are solely accountable for most of the house activities and childcare (Anker, 1997, p. 324). Due to patriarchal system, women joining labour market are affected by their free house work; their incomes are perceived as extra money added to a primary incomes of their husbands. This in turn stimulates the gender pay gap that exists in the United Ki ngdom (Kirton and Greene, 2005, p.64). The fact that women occupy subordinate positions and perform house duties solely might explain why women enter the labour market with lower levels of education and are more likely to obtain qualifications that are less relevant to the labour market as it is believed that women have a lower desire for qualifications that are appropriate to labour market (Anker, 1997, p.324). Although the patriarchy theory is indented to comprehend the concept of occupational sex segregation, many scholars have highlighted some limitations when considered separately. Walbys claim that men have usually been successful in excluding women from the better work (1986,p.248) is disputed by evidences seen in the British society where many women work in better professions, and have better working and living conditions than many of their male counterparts (Blackburn et al.2002, p.521) The patriarchy theory reasoning is also looking bad when we take into consideration recent developments in the labour market, where shrinking of the male trades (such as mining, steel and docking) and the expansion of the service sector has favoured women more than men. The evidences have shown that in some parts of UK women account for most then 50% of the entire workforce (Browne, 2000 in Blackburn et al., 2002, p.521). The preference theory is a connection between gender theory of patriarchy and Goldbergs (1973, 1979, and 1993) biological theories. Hakim (1996 in Crompton and Harris, 998b, p.144) argues that men are more ruthless and ambitious than women due to higher testosterone levels in their organism. She presents the evidence which indicates that male labour market dominance is strongly supported by both genders. Furthermore, Hakim believes that women are not the same and they differ in relation to their family and work commitments (Blackburn et al., 2002, p.523).Their choices between job and home are not limited by any significant restrictions (Hakim in McRae, 2003, p.318) but are based purely on their preferences. Hakim (2002, p.434) assigns women to three groups. The first group involves the work-centred females who are highly committed to their jobs. The second group are the home-centred women. Women belonging to this group are devoted to their families and prefer to stay at home (Blackbu rn, 2001, p.523). The third group includes the adaptive women who juggle job and home or women who have no idea where their careers are going (McRae, 2003, p. 318). Hakim (1996, p.211) suggests that male solidarity wins because women dither, because they are swayed by the dominant male voice and also because women are divided in their preferences and interests. Thus, the interplay between womens differences, an argument of patriarchy theory of male domination and womens diverse priorities explains the womens employment position in Britain (Crompton and Harris, 1998b, p.144). Hakim (2002, p.435-7) suggests that only small proportion of women are fully concentrated on their careers or families. Large majority of females integrate family and work without fully committing to either (Hakim, 2002, p.434). This view is supported by evidences that have shown that only 10% of first-time mothers remain in full-time work where 90% of mothers mix periods of full-time and part-time work or leave the labour market permanently (McRae, 2003, p.322-3) However, preference theory also has some deficiencies. Blackburn et al. (2002, p.525) disagree with an argument that womens choices are not limited by any constraints. They point out that concerns such as possible income and childcare costs have a great impact on women choices that might be far from their preferred choice. McRae (2003, p.333) suggests that the evidences introduced in her paper shows that women are not as diverse as suggested by Hakim in their choices in regards to their work and family lifestyle but they are different in their capacities to act on those preferences. These evidences are clashing with an assumption of preference theory about female heterogeneity. This concluding part of the essay offer some general conclusions about the applicability of the theories analysed in this paper for the reason behind the occupational gender segregation in Britain presented by statistical data. Discussed in the paper theories of neo-classical, patriarchy and preference have been very useful to understanding why women experience disadvantage in the labour market. They have offered different and sometimes contrasting arguments. Thus, the main argument of human capital theory is that women are disadvantaged due to their lower level of education and work experience which is a product of inequality in a schooling system and sole responsibilities for home and children. Contrary to human capital theory, preference theory has argued that women choose to be committed or uncommitted to their work careers and there are no major constrains to prohibit women from joining the labour market. On the other hand the concept of patriarchy has highlighted that male domi nation over women in societies is the main reason behind occupational gender segregation. Despite their great value to comprehend the cause of occupational segregation by sex, all of these theories are flawed to same degree and neither should be considered separately. To fully understand the reason for women disadvantage in the employment relationship, there is a need to bring neo-classical, patriarchy and preference theories together.

The Hobbit Hero’s Journey

â€Å"A hero ventures forth from the world of the common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from the mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man† (Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces). Joseph Campbell, an expert on mythology has outlined a standard form for heroic stories. He identifies ten stages in a hero’s journey, noting that all of the stages have to occur in every heroic story. In the novel, The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins is described as an unlikely hero. According to Campbell, heroes are often the most unlikely person that anyone would expect to be chosen for an adventure. Bilbo goes through many of the stages identified by Campbell for a hero’s journey such as: being called to an adventure, attempting to reject the opportunity, encouraging Gandalf, a helper whoguides  and protects him, and leaving the safe haven of his hobbit home to cross the threshold venturing into the unknown. Bilbo Baggins is described as a respectable hobbit who comes from a rich family that never did anything unexpected, and never took adventures. His peaceful life was interrupted one day by a visit from a wizard named Gandalf. Gandalf had decided that Bilbo would make an excellent burglar on an adventure he was planning, because he could move quickly and very quietly. To this request Bilbo promptly replied â€Å"We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t see what anybody sees in them†¦Good morning!†¦ we don’t want any adventures here, thank you! (6). Gandalf does not really give the hobbit a choice about going on the adventure. He marks the hobbit’s door with his staff indicating that he is interested in an adventure, and soon after, dwarves start appearing at his doorstep. Bilbo had been called to an adventure by an outside force, attempted to refuse the call, and ended up accept ing the adventure. This is the first stage in a hero’s journey. Another component of a hero’s journey includes a  guide. Gandalf, a wizard capable of performing  magic spells  accompanies Bilbo and the dwarves on part of their quest. Like many supernatural aids, he is called upon at different points in the journey to save the others. Bilbo discovers three trolls sitting around a fire. The trolls catch Bilbo when he tries to steal a purse from William, one of the trolls. The dwarves are also caught. Then, the trolls begin to argue about whether or not they should eat the dwarves and Bilbo. Gandalf returns just in time, and saves Bilbo and the dwarves. According to Campbell, the hero must fulfill the quest using his own strengths alone, so he can learn what his strengths are. Where was Gandalf† (56). After Gandalf and  the company  are saved by the eagles from the Goblins and the Wargs, they are taken to safety to eat and rest. The next  day, Gandalf tells them that he must leave for a while. The guide  often disappears at some point along the journey to allow this to happen, which Gandalf does. With the help of  the guide, Bilbo evolves as a leader and a hero of the group by showing his strengths. Bilbo was very brave when he got was separated from the rest of the group, and had to find his way out of the evil mountain. He also thought of a clever plan to put all of the dwarves in barrels and sail them down the river to escape. These strengths  show  how Bilbo started out extremely cautious, and became a great leader. Bilbo eventually accepts the idea that he is leaving his safe haven in the shire and accepting the call and risks the adventure brings. â€Å"†¦. Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a  walking  stick or any money†¦running as fast as his feet could carry him down the lane† (28). He was on his way with Gandalf to meet the others at the Inn to begin the journey. He and the others mounted the ponies and headed into the Lone-lands. He even thought to himself early in the trip that adventures were not so bad after all. He had taken a big  step  as he crossed the first threshold leaving his home behind to enter a world unknown. This is a critical stage in a hero’s journey. Bilbo Baggins clearly emerges as a heroic figure as he progresses through the stages of a hero’s journey as outlined by Campbell. He was called to an adventure by an outside force, Gandalf. As with many heroes he attempted to refuse the offer, but was unsuccessful. Gandalf the wizard acts as hisguide  and protector along the journey, while still allowing him to reveal his own strengths. Bilbo takes a critical  step  in the  process  as he crosses the threshold from his safe environment into one  filled with  danger. He was transformed from a cautious, home loving hobbit at the beginning of  the story  into a brave confident hero by the end. According to Thorin, Bilbo had become†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦a good companion on our long road and a hobbit full of courage and resource far exceeding his size†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (191).