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Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 is an innovative story that dwells on the life of Guy Montag as the main character and is set in the 24th century. Critically, the novel clarifies how literature and books are illegal, and some firefighters have been hired to destroy the materials. Distinctively, Fahrenheit 451 reveals the disruptive nature of technology where individuals are exposed to digital media that does not help in self-improvement. Additionally, there is the depiction of dependency on technology where some characters foster emotional connections to television presenters at the expense of family members. The story progresses into the life of Guy Montag, who questions the morality of his profession as a firefighter when he sees the community being destroyed and deteriorating. As a result, the protagonist decides to transform where he focuses on the rebuilding of the society through the campaign for literature and culture as a rebel with the aspiration of promoting literacy. Among the compelling literary styles incorporated in Fahrenheit 451 is the depiction of various settings that enable the audience to understand the transformation in culture. Decisively, the change in setting affects symbolism and irony as fiction elements in the plot of the novel.

Change in setting is a literary element in Fahrenheit 451 that affects the development of the plot in the novel. Critically, the change in setting enables the author to establish three distinct sections through the life of Guy Montag in the novel. The first phase represents a time when literature and culture were prioritized in society. Also, the first phase showcased a time when literacy was a virtue in the community and individuals engaged in self-development initiatives. Decisively, the change in setting enables a transformation to the second phase, where there are directives intended to disrupt culture and literacy in society (Hwang 596). Under this context, the change in setting is masterfully used by the author to showcase the role of Guy Montag as a dutiful fireman who contributes to the elimination of literacy and culture.

Furthermore, the last stage is inducted by change in setting by the depiction of rebellion, where the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451 questions the immorality of the directives and decides to campaign for literature and culture. Hence, the integration of change in setting as a literary style enables the audience to appreciate the transformation in the plot as depicted by the characters (Hwang 596). Thus, change in setting becomes an essential literary style that provides a practical platform to support various themes such as symbolism and irony in Fahrenheit 451.

Distinctively, the change in setting has been used in Fahrenheit 451 to present an opportunity for the audience to understand the possibilities in the future. Notably, the conversation between Clarisse and Montag is a reflection of how there has been a significant transformation in the community (Bradbury 18). Similarly, the application of the change in setting reveals how the future is limited through censorship in literature, which makes books less attractive to people. As a result, it is possible for the audience to understand why media and technology have replaced literature in the future (Harrison 56). Additionally, the change in setting enables the reader to reflect on the adverse effects of technology in the community as showcased in Fahrenheit 451. Hence, the change in setting allows the practical description of the literature decline in Fahrenheit 451.

Symbolism is a major theme in Fahrenheit 451 that is supported through the change in setting. Notably, “The Hearth and the Salamander” is a title in the novel, which is a representation of symbolism. Distinctively, the title is a depiction of the life of the character in a changing world. From an analytical perspective, the salamander reveals the personality of Guy Montag, who has the capacity of surviving in a difficult situation without being damaged (Greenwood). Through, extrapolation, it is evident that the change in setting is a useful style used by the author that enables the audience to understand the relationship between the community and Guy Montag. Distinctively, by referring to the hearth and the salamander, the author elucidates the resilience in Guy Montag in a transformative society where culture and literature become forbidden. Hence, the use of changing the setting as a literary style enables the audience to understand the symbolism associated with the hearth and the salamander.

In addition, change in setting enables the definition of symbolism through the Phoenix. Distinctively, the Phoenix is a representation of constructive transformation that has to start with destruction. As in the Phoenix, there has to be destruction through fire to rise from the ashes. Critically, the Phoenix is a reflection of the life of Guy Montag, who had to take a destructive path before being reborn (Khan). The path taken by Guy Montag is a reflection of the fire that consumes the Phoenix before a constructive transformation. Afterward, Guy Montag acknowledges the error in his ways and decides to campaign for the establishment of culture by promoting literacy in society. Moreover, the change in setting presents a familiar background to the audience to correlate the Phoenix as a symbol of the life of Guy Montag. Hence, the incorporation of a change in setting enables the better use of symbolism as a literary style to enhance the understanding of the audience.

Irony is a significant theme in Fahrenheit 451 that is supported by a change in setting. Decisively, the change in setting enables the integration of irony as a literary style used to explain various circumstances in the novel. For example, the change in setting depicts irony associated with the actions of firefighters in the utopian society. Traditionally, firefighters are tasked with the responsibility of putting out fires and protecting property. However, the change in setting depicts irony, where firefighters in the utopian society have the obligation of burning books and starting fires to houses that contain literature (Gomez). The change in setting enables the illustration of irony through the life of firefighters in the story.

Similarly, change in the setting is used to reveal the situational irony encompassing the arrival of firefighters at the house of Montag. During the scene, Beatty explains to Montag that he has to destroy his books, as it was illegal to have them. However, Montag responds by killing Beatty to preserve literature (Lee 144). Critically, the change in setting allows a dynamic flow in the plot where the protagonist transforms from a dutiful servant to a rebel. Distinctively, the use of change in setting provides a platform to alter the plot where the focus is on Guy Montag as a rebel who works to promote the preservation of literature. The inclusion of the change in setting is instrumental in Fahrenheit 451 to support situational irony intended to alter the plot of the novel.

Likewise, change in setting is used to outline verbal irony in Fahrenheit 451 that reflects the harmful effect of technology in the utopian society. Verbal irony refers to a situation where the said words differ in meaning as to what was intended by the speaker. In the novel, Mildred explains that she has a deep affection for television presenters and goes the extra step of identifying them as family. However, through the change in setting, it is possible to outline the verbal irony associated with Mildred remarks, which significantly differ from her interaction with family members (Gomez). In reality, Mildred does not have a close connection with family members and disregards their welfare and well-being. Hence, the change in setting between television and real life is instrumental as it enhances the plot of the novel by displaying the harmful effects of technology on the characters.

In addition, change in setting is a literary style used to showcase dramatic irony in Fahrenheit 451. Dramatic irony refers to a situation where the audience has an understanding of an incident while characters remain oblivious. Critically, change in setting enables the depiction of dramatic irony in the plot where Mildred attempts to commit suicide by ingesting sleeping pills. After the intervention by doctors, Mildred is recuperated. However, Mildred does not remember the suicidal attempt and finds it difficult to accept the incident, as explained by Montag (Gomez). It is from this perspective that change in setting enables dramatic irony in this novel. Consequently, change in setting leads to an omniscient presence of the audience to understand happenings in the story despite ignorance from the characters.

Change in setting enforces irony and makes the plot more believable to the audience. Notably, Fahrenheit 451 is a story written in the 1950s when technology was limited. However, the incorporation of change in setting enables the audience to explore imagination and accept the possibility of big televisions and media (Thompson). Critically, the irony is vital in the novel as it enhances a different mentality where the audience evaluates the impact of technology in their lives. Hence, the incorporation of change in setting enables the establishment of a believable plot based on irony and imagination in Fahrenheit 451.

Conclusively, Fahrenheit 451 is an innovative novel that uses change in setting as a primary style to portray various themes. As discussed above, the novel envisions the transformation of a utopian society where literature and books become illegal. As a result, there is the hiring of firefighters to destroy books and literature houses. Distinctively, the change in setting facilitates the description of the life of Guy Montag as the main character before and after the transformation of the community. Critically, change in setting enables the audience to have a deep understanding of the three phases of transformations through the lives of the characters. Additionally, change in setting is instrumental in enforcing the impact of symbolism in the story. Distinctively the Phoenix and the salamander are symbols used to highlight the life of Guy Montag as he transforms from an antagonist to a protagonist who focuses on the preservation of literacy.. For example, the role of firefighters in the novel is altered, as they are responsible for starting fires rather than stopping them. Additionally, irony outlines the disruptive nature of technology where the characters such as Mildred value television characters more than family members. Hence, the utilization of change in setting allows the dynamic flow of the plot in the story through the transformation up to a point where literature and books become illegal in society.

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Primus Financial Services Case Study

Brad Brooks, the director of communications for Primus, a Boston-based company with a nationwide financial sales distribution system, was busy working on an important speech for Sheila Burke, the company’s newly-appointed president. Burke’s appointment had come on the heels of her predecessor’s abrupt termination two months earlier. The entire organization was feeling uncertain. Would heads roll? What direction would Burke take?
So it was with a sense of foreboding that Brooks, answering the phone, heard the new president’s voice. “Brad, as you know we’re working on the company’s strategic direction and I’m deep into the annual budget. I’m frankly concerned about the millions we’re spending on communication. I’m also concerned that we don’t have any kind of social media presence. Your department is behind the times. Put together a high-level summary of the resource allocation, people, and money, and meet me on Wednesday to discuss. I’m thinking of having consultants come in and do a communication audit.”
Brooks stared out his office window, the Charles River shrouded in fog. Where to begin? It was difficult, he believed, to measure the ROI of communication. Moreover, there never seemed enough time – or the skill set – for his team to focus on measuring and assessing results. Everyone was scrambling to ‘put out fires,’ especially with the change in leadership. And just the thought of outsiders coming in to conduct an audit gave him an anxiety attack. That evening, Brad reviewed the company’s communication portfolio, the annual budget, and how members of the communication team were deployed.
Brooks also knew that the company’s annual sales force survey would be deployed the following week. His plan was to suggest that Burke wait for the survey results before taking any steps to revamp the communications function.
The company’s communication portfolio:
Public Website: Brooks had to admit the company’s public website was a clunker. The platform was outdated and relied heavily on IT support, which was costly. Content changes needed to be passed along to the IT team, which implemented ‘mods’ on a biweekly basis. Discussions were underway to transition the site to a self-publishing platform by Q1 2018 so that the Communication team could publish content with no IT involvement.
Perhaps more seriously, the site’s purpose was unclear. It contained educational content accumulated over several years, some of which was embarrassingly outdated, but there was no focus to the content and no calls to action. Traffic data
showed that customers often used the site to access their online account information, but other sections of the site had little usage. In fact, the number of total visits was steadily falling. At the same time, the site was not generating any sales.
Company Intranet: The prior year, the corporate intranet, PrimusNet, was transitioned to a self-publishing platform, eliminating the need for IT support. That was a good thing. However, maintaining the site was absorbing more and more of the staff’s time. The volume of content provided by other departments was staggering. Brooks had to admit that the site was difficult to navigate and that it was difficult to prioritize content in terms of its importance to the sales process. One person coordinated the daily publication of news, while two others managed content on the site.
One troubling sign was that only 25% of the sales force accessed PrimusNet on a regular basis. Another was the negative feedback given the site in the yearly sales force survey – the major complaints:
• “Information about the advanced markets (business owners, affluent) is almost impossible to find.” • “It’s too difficult to find the information I’m looking for.” • “Much of the information isn’t relevant – I’m inundated with useless information.”

Monthly Magazine: The company’s monthly publication for the sales force had not changed much in recent years. The editorial mix consisted of interviews with senior advisors (who were almost exclusively white males), sales ideas, product descriptions. Anecdotal feedback from opinion leaders in the sales force was that they liked the magazine, but there was no evidence that it increased sales or that the majority of readers really cared about the publication.
Newsletters: Over the years, the number of newsletters published by the group had proliferated. It seemed that every field management constituency “needed” a dedicated communication vehicle: Managing Partners, Sales Managers, Marketing Directors, Brokerage Managers, Operations Managers. Producing these newsletters tied up both staff and resources.
Public Relations: One member of the staff handled public relations, both focusing on industry media and attracting new advisors to the company. Public relations consisted of pitching stories to trade publications, with modest success.
Executive Communication: Brad and another member of the team developed Powerpoint presentations for use by the President at periodic sales office meetings. Sheila Burke had expressed frustration at not being able to get her message out to the entire sales force in a more timely way. Powerpoint presentations and the monthly column in Power Selling just did not, as she commented sarcastically, “cut the mustard.”
Advertising: Primus did not have wide name recognition among consumers, and executives were not interested in spending millions to raise the brand’s profile. National ad spend was directed at recruiting new sales reps in national industry publications. Consumer advertising dollars were allocated to local sales offices, which could decide how and where to spend the money. The team had just begun to investigate digital marketing opportunities.
Primus Sales Force Survey
Survey audience:
Sales Representatives – all levels of experience and tenure with the company. At the time this online survey was conducted, Primus had 2,355 sales representatives in 82 sales offices across the United States.
The response rate for Sales Representatives was 65%.
Sales Managers – people with sales management responsibilities – recruiting, training and supervising sales reps, overseeing sales activity, providing organizational leadership, etc. At the time the survey was conducted, Primus had 344 sales managers in 82 sales offices across the United States.
The response rate for Sales Managers was 91%.
Survey Questions:
Response categories (1-7 scale, with 1 being lowest and 7 being highest in terms of agreement, importance, or satisfaction)
Rate your level of agreement with the following statements on a scale of 1 to 7
1.The monthly sales magazine provides useful information in helping me do my job.
2. The intranet portal provides useful information in helping me do my job.
3. I receive the right amount of communication.
4. The company provides information in a way that allows me to quickly find what I need.
Rate the level of importance on a scale of 1 to 7
5. Importance of communication to sales success
Rate your level of satisfaction with the following on a scale of 1 to 7
6. Satisfaction with communication received.
7. I have a clear sense of company direction.

Survey Results
Response categories (1-7 scale, with 1 being lowest and 7 being highest in terms of agreement, importance, or satisfaction):
• Positive (6, 7) • On the fence (4, 5) • Negative (1-3)

NOTE: Percent change from prior year’s survey is shown in ( ) — two questions were not asked in the prior year survey

Level of Agreement Sales Representatives Sales Managers
The following communication vehicles “provides useful information to my job”:

Monthly sales magazine (NEW QUESTION FROM LAST YEAR – NO YoY %)
32% Positive
38% On the Fence
30% Negative
53% Positive
31% On the Fence
15% Negative
Intranet portal 34% (-15%) Positive
50% (+2%) On the Fence
16% (+13%) Negative
40% (-6%) Positive
50% (+3%) On the Fence
10% (+3%) Negative
I receive the right amount of communication

19% (+4%) Positive
68% (-8%) On the Fence
13% (+4%) Negative
18% (-1%) Positive
73% (+1%) On the Fence
9% (0%) Negative
The company provides information in a way
that allows me to quickly find what I need
10% (-5%) Positive
49% (-2%) On the Fence
41% (+7%) Negative
14% (0%) Positive
52% (-6%) On the Fence
34% (+6%) Negative
Level of importance
Importance of communication to sales success 27% (-3%) Positive
48% (-2%) On the Fence
25% (+5%) Negative
33% (+2%) Positive
52% (0%) On the Fence
15% (-2%) Negative
Level of satisfaction
Satisfaction with communication received 19% (-5%) Positive
52% (-2%) On the Fence
29% (+7%) Negative
21% (-5%) Positive
49% (-5%) On the Fence
30% (+10%) Negative
I have a clear sense of company direction (NEW QUESTION FROM LAST YEAR – NO YoY %)
10% Positive
30% On the Fence
60% Negative
15% Positive
50% On the Fence
35% Negative

Feedback Sales Force Survey Assignment This show how this assignment will be reviewed

Section Comments Key Points of Reference Part 1 (33%) Critique the quality of the survey questions Quality of the survey: • This survey is a prime example of what happens when we don’t relate specific questions to KPIs – how do the questions relate to communication effectiveness? • Several questions include terms that are vague or can be interpreted in multiple ways (e.g., the meaning of the word ‘right,’ satisfaction with what ‘communication,’ etc.). • All of these questions use a seven point scale – could the survey have included other types of questions such as rank order? • The responses to most of these questions are not actionable – they are indications of vague attitudes • How would Hutton critique the survey? “Good questions reveal what’s going on. Bad questions obscure it. Good questions point to solutions, bad questions do not. Good questions resonate with staff. Bad questions bemuse them.” (p. 32)
Part 2 (33%) Analyze the results
Key findings: 1. In general, when reviewing results, focus attention on the largest positive and negative scores. 2. Overall, satisfaction with communication has slipped since last year. 3. Managers tend to be more satisfied, Sales Reps less satisfied – what are the implications of this? Role of sales managers as conduits of information between HQ and sales reps – we would therefore hope to see much more positive responses from sales managers. 4. A large proportion of respondents seems to be ‘on the fence’ 5. Among the communication vehicles, the intranet scores the best, but the large negative scores for allowing “me to quickly find what I need” – a critical finding since we know that sales people have little patience. 6. The new CEO is launching a new strategy – but the sales force seems clueless about company direction – a serious issue! 7. How does material in Chapter 12 of Paine help us understand some of these results?
Part 3 (33%) What issues would you like to explore in more depth
Potential approaches: • The challenge is to identify a few critical areas to assess – where can we “move the needle” in a positive direction with respect to communication effectiveness in two ways: reduce the big negatives, accentuate the big positives • Sending out another, re-worded survey at this stage might not be productive – but we should consider a redesign of the survey with questions tied to KPIs – even though we will lose some benchmarking
• Deploy focus groups especially with sales reps to probe about what’s working and what’s not – we need to dig deeper with this audience • Conduct usability analysis of the intranet to enable quicker and more intuitive navigation and organization of content – we can implement changes with immediate impact • Explore: how the sales force currently receives information and how they would prefer to receive it, where are the gaps? • Big red flag is the strategic understanding results – we have a new leader and a new strategy! This has to be a top priority for further investigation!

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