Origins of Shintoism and it's impact on pre-modern Japan Research Paper

Origins of Shintoism and it's impact on pre-modern Japan - Research Paper Example The followers of Shintoism are expected to follow four affirmations in their everyday lives and in their ways of thinking. These affirmations are to the family, cleanliness, nature worship and matsuri which pertains to fiests and festivals dedicated to the spirits "kami". Ancient Japan is well known for images of geishas, samurais and great battles better known as the Tokugawa period. However, Classical Japan, also known as the Heian era, is more peaceful in comparison. The capital of Japan moved to Heian-Kyo in 796, which translates to the â€Å"capital of peace and tranquility† which will later on be known as Kyoto. Emperors were strong during the early parts of this period and had a continuing relationship with China. (1) In 894, the communications between Japan and China ceased to non-existent and Chinese influence to the Japanese nation gravely declined. It is then that the nation truly developed its own culture and society. The Heian era is a period known for the manifes tation of great arts and music like â€Å"gagaku† which is an imperial court music and poetry. Gagaku was a tradition introduced by China which was then performed during special occasions. (2) The great influence of Shintoism will be seen through the unsparing ritual feasts which have started to take place in temples and have been recorded in various diaries and novels. During this period, Buddhism is also known to spread rapidly among the 1†Insei: abdicated sovereigns in the politics of late Heian Japan†. GC Hurst. 1976. 2†Institution, ritual, and ideology: The twenty-two shrine-temple multiplexes of Heian Japan†. AG Grapard. 1988 people, although it coexisted with Shintoism rather than cause conflicts. With was the slow but sure development of Japan's own concepts of independence from the Chinese influence. The power of the emperor continued to decline over time which eventually, despite the existence of an Emperor during this era, the position was m erely of a figurehead ruler without true power. The real power in this period lies with the Fujiwara clan, mostly due to the political haggling. Several problems have arisen during this period which brought about the eventual downfall and end of this era. (3) The effectiveness of the government declined and Taika reforms have failed. Taika reforms is a tax structure which gives heavy taxes to the farmers but none to the shrines and temples which were quite abundant. The income of the state as well as the public's welfare showed a very significant decrease. The dangers of the consequences of this state of the economy have brought on increasing public outrage. Landowners and nobles who have lost their powers alike have felt threatened enough to employ the services of protectors, giving rise to samurais, in order to protect themselves. Provincial governors have become, in general, corrupted and lazy. The welfare of the public was ignored and the aristocracy of the court became decadent and useless. Leading clans by this time were the Minamoto and the Taira families. By this time, even monasteries were maintaining their own military forces. One of the incidents that clearly elaborated this increasing power struggle occurred in 903. Tara-No-Masakado, who was the leader of the Kanto district decided to revolt against the government with his refusal to pay taxes. He established his own kingdom and threw out the nobles and kept the power to himself, although his claim to power to success was short-lived. Another bushi house

The history of Chinese Immigration to USA Research Paper

The history of Chinese Immigration to USA - Research Paper Example Wherever they went, the Chinese immigrants brought with them their language, culture, social institutions, and customs; and as time went on, they made lasting contributions to the United States as they tried to become an integral part of the U.S. population. (â€Å"Chinese immigration to the US†) Privation of the Chinese immigrants to USA in the 18th century Integration has not been an easy one because the Chinese underwent a long period of discrimination from their adopted country. At the outset, they were at once discriminately treated from among the European immigrants and other racial minorities. They were the first immigrant group singled out for denial of citizenship by the U.S. Congress in 1882. Chinese immigration is separated into three periods: 1849 – 1882, 1882-1965 and 1965 to present. The first period of immigration that begun with the California Gold rush in 1848 (Golden Venture) was cut short by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The Exclusion Act suspend ed labor immigration from China for ten years (USA Chronology). During this first period, the Chinese enjoyed the freedom to travel and become contract laborers in America. Thousands of young male peasants from China were recruited to work in the mines, toil the fields as agricultural workers, and become construction workers to construct a vast railroad network, reclaim swamp-lands, build irrigation system, develop the fishing industry, and work in the labor intensive manufacturing industries in the western states. All along, these Chinese workers felt the anti-sentiments of their presence since they were precluded on becoming permanent settlers. Because of this sentiment, the Chinese immigrants kept to themselves an intention of going back to China when the time comes to enjoy the benefit of their retirement, and to advance their own well being while they are in U.S. According to estimates, there were about 110,000 Chinese populations during the first wave of immigration. The secon d wave of immigration showed a very limited number of Chinese immigrants to U.S. This is caused by political tensions between the U.S and the Chinese governments that further curtailed the chance of Chinese immigrants to enter America. Because America felt Chinese laborers were no longer needed, beginning in 1882, the naturalization and immigrations became very strict to them. At the onset of 1882, an economic hardship was also felt in the U.S., so much so that European Americans also had to compete with the works reserved for the Chinese. This era is also characterized by the beginning of racial discrimination and hatred because of competition and anti-Chinese riots were frequent scenes in the streets of San Francisco. These scenarios put pressure on the U.S. government so that the exclusion act was promulgated (The Library of Congress). A quota allowing only 108 Chinese immigrants was set; so from the period 1888 to 1965, only diplomats, merchants and students and their dependents were allowed to enter the U.S (â€Å"Chinese Americans†) Even those Chinese, who are already in the U.S., are largely discriminated upon, and had to confine their presence in segregated places called Chinatown. They were denied democratic rights, and access to it thru legal procedures was not successful. The third wave of Chinese

Should disabled veterans get preferential treatment over better Assignment

Should disabled veterans get preferential treatment over better qualified candidates who are not disabled veterans - Assignment Example According to the utilitarian consideration of employment and discrimination, every individual should be given equivalent chances at employment; therefore, discrimination in the hiring process should be discouraged. With the prevalence of discrimination against the minorities in the society, affirmative action is seen as the redeeming factor, with the introduction of the Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Program (DVAAP) to serve the rights of disabled people (FHWA, 2004). Affirmative action in this case refers to the series that seek to redress the injustices faced by minorities in society, and can involve laws or social programs that promote the justice of minorities (ACLU, 2011). Other affirmative action programs are those that involve women or minorities in the society, and in comparison with the DVAAP, these action programs can be concluded to be just as effective. Affirmative action programs consider all the rights of minorities in the society, and the main consideration is given to the disabled, women, and minorities in the society. The Utilitarian View of an affirmative action program is that all people in the society are entitled to equal rights, despite their disabilities or qualifications. According to the view, affirmative action programs guarantee that all individuals in the society are given the chance to progress and give the chance to all members of the society to progress equally. This is done by considering that the community functions as a whole, therefore, the parts of the community that pull back the development process should be helped. From the definition of the utilitarian affirmative process, it can be concluded that the DVAAP is a program that should be kept up in the society. Conversely, the deontological considerations of affirmative action programs dictate that the most qualified person for the job should be hired, regardless of their disabilities or minority effect. This means that the discrimination

Strategy and Innovation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategy and Innovation - Research Paper Example The McDonald’s vision, mission as well as the objectives are strategic and focus people customers and employees, price, products, promotion, and place. The corporation’s values are; offering quality customer service, commitment to people, and balance between the interests of the owners, suppliers, and employees, upholding ethics, community service, and continued growth as well as improvements. Her vision revolves around becoming the world’s leading restaurant in quick service. This is through offering the best service, value, and cleanliness with an aim of satisfying her customers. The corporation’s main aim or better still objective is along with serving food industry responsibly, to be responsible as regards the caring for a sustainable future for all. These are aligned with the community, employment, environmental care, food chain responsibility and ascertaining nutritional well-being to all. By targeting the community, the corporation is engaged in com munity service and charitable organization. On the employment portfolio, the company aims at continuously expanding through which more opportunities for employment will be available, both locally as well as through online participation. By adopting energy friendly systems in her corporations, the McDonald’s seeks to maximize on energy usage for sustainability. It also upholds innovation and adoption of quality energy practices in sharing. The corporation aims at continuously designing and developing new food recipes which are healthy for her clients. It also aims at expanding advocacy on good nutrition habits through campaigns. Furthermore, in maintaining sustainable supply chains, the corporation ensures proper relations with the supply chain as well as the constituent parties (McDonald’s, 2009, 1-6). The annual report on investors for the year 2010 reveals a fabulous performance of the company despite the many challenges she faced just like all other firms and especially those in a like industry of the fast foods. By managing deeper insights for customers and proper alignment of McDonald’s business strategies, the CEO says that a 5% rise in comparable sales was realized, 9% growth in operating income and the company’s overall market share around the globe increased. By upholding proper prioritization for the relevance of the firm’s brand and focusing sharply on the customers, the firm managed to keep on top in the year. However, as the CEO puts it, it was the same focus that was to be employed for the following year,

Breastfeeding vs Formla Feeding Essay Example for Free

Breastfeeding vs Formla Feeding Essay Parents-to-be have a lot of things on their plate. One of those many things that parents should worry about is what their child is going to consume. The choice to either breastfeed or formula feed should be the main thing on an expectant mother’s mind far before the baby is born. The nutrition a baby takes in from milk for the first year of life is very valuable for a baby’s growth and health. The choice of breastfeeding or formula feeding should be looked at and thought about deeply before deciding a nutritional plan that will alter a child’s life forever. Furthermore, these choices will also affect the parent’s life. The main aspiration for this essay is to contrast the health benefits, cost, and convenience of breastfeeding as opposed to formula feeding. The first important difference between breast and formula feeding is the health benefits. Every time a healthy woman breastfeeds her baby, she is passing on natural antibodies and vitamins that has been known to keep the baby healthy and strengthen the newborn’s immune system. The immune system assists in fighting most infections and diseases that new babies may be susceptible to, such as ear infections, respiratory infections, diarrhea, and the common cold. Some of the illnesses are more serious and could cause sudden infant death syndrome, mainly whooping cough, meningitis, leukemia and other devastating cancers. Breastfeeding can help in the prevention and reduction of risk in developing diabetes, asthma, and allergies later in life. Formula milk, however, lacks all the natural antibodies that newborns need to strengthen an infant’s non-existent immune system to help fight off infection and illnesses. Formula milk is primarily a source of nutrition and does not contribute to the development of a newborn’s immune system. Shelby Medico 05/28/12 The second difference between breastfeeding and formula feeding is the cost. Breastfeeding is a smart choice because not only is it free, but it saves money. Instead of wasting money on manufactured milk, mothers can take advantage of the free milk produced by Mother Nature. Parents can use money saved by breastfeeding and use it toward other important items newborns need. On the other hand, formula is very expensive and the price of formula adds up. As a baby grows, the parents will have to keep up with the baby’s expanding appetite; therefore, parents will eventually find themselves spending double the amount of money on formula. Formula fed babies also will not be receiving the proper antibodies to help prevent the illnesses that lead to trips to the doctor’s office. Doctor appointments are expensive, not to mention the time off work a parent may have to take to care for a sick child. The final difference between breastfeeding and formula feeding is convenience. Convenience is the key to make feeding a baby an easier task for the parents. Breastfeeding is very convenient because it is always available day and night whenever the baby is hungry. When a mother plans to run errands or simply to go out to eat for lunch with her baby, she will not have to pack anything for the baby to eat. Another convenience of breastfeeding is that it is not necessary to prepare milk and warm bottles in the middle of the night for the half-asleep midnight feedings. Parents of formula fed babies, however, have to spend extra time boiling water to prepare the formula and sterilizing the bottles before the baby can eat. Parents also have to be cautious about warming bottles to make sure the formula milk is not too hot for the baby’s sensitive mouth. Extra inconvenient tasks that have to be done before feeding a hungry, impatient baby can be very frustrating. In conclusion, considering the health benefits, cost, and convenience of breastfeeding, it would be the most logical choice to better a new family’s life.

The Leadership Theories Of Machiavelli

The Leadership Theories Of Machiavelli Machiavelli, born on the 3rd day of May 1469, acquired his university education in the University of Florence. He wrote a famous book entitled the Prince. This book is famous for its break down on the issue of attributes of leadership and as such has become a guideline for leaders. He wrote the book based on his earlier experiences, addressing how a prince (leader) should rule. Although the book gained a lot of popularity, his views on the attributes of good leadership had a lot of flaws. In The Prince he advocates mean rule instead of liberalism. He talks of the benefits of being a dictator or exercising the autocratic style of leadership. There are a lot of leaders who have and are following the Machiavellian style of leadership as he had described in The Prince. Examples of such leaders who exercised or exhibited this type of leadership style were Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi of Libya and Idi Amin of Uganda. Muammar Gaddafi being a Machiavellian according to his leadership style has been the leader of Libya since he staged a military coup on the 1st of September 1969.  [2]  With the strict fellowship he has in the Machiavellian style of leadership, he has sought to maintain the power he has had ever since. In a recent article Gaddafi made a statement saying, I will fight to the last man and the last bullet  [3]  This goes a long way to emphasize on one of the shortfalls of Machiavelli when he talked about the fact that a leader has to gain power and should be able to maintain it by any means possible. In the same way, Gaddafi promises to maintain his power even if it means he has to kill. This action is affecting Libya in a negative manner since the world is pushing for democracy and finding all means to eradicate autocratic system of governance and as such it is affecting the economy of the state due to the current instability the country is facing now. As such, most investors w ould not be willing to invest in a country where peace does not prevail. Also, with growing rate of civilization, killing just to maintain power is barbaric and this would then send the state to a state of regression. Idi Amin was an autocratic leader who sought to exercise his power through military means. In his era, he created the situation whereby he was the only one who had the final say and no one could voice out their values in any way he or she deemed fit. He created and environment which had and still has a traumatizing effect on the people of Uganda now. During his reign as military dictator, there were issues of the abuse of ethnic affiliations, cases of the abuse of human rights and potent radical control, Asians faced expulsion from Uganda and killed outside normal legal proceedings.  [4]  Ugandans have still not devised the means of changing their government through undisturbed measures. Violence has become an option for which their voices could be heard. Again, Machiavelli talked about the situation whereby the prince did not have to possess any thoughts apart from that of war. He describes meanness as an attribute of a good leader. He says liberality would lead a prince or leader to be despised and hated whiles meanness would lead to reproach without hatred hence, being mean is the answer to greater leadership.  [5]   Moreover, Machiavelli allowed the hatred he had in him to take the greater side of him when he was imprisoned because of suspicion of his involvement in a conspiracy where he lost the trust he had in humans. A typical example of such a leader who exhibited Machiavellian traits in his style of leadership was Ghanas former president, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. Just as it is of human nature to seek revenge for every pain inflicted upon him, Rawlings came into power through military means to seek revenge for all the pain inflicted upon him in the past. He knew gaining power would be the only way to show his hatred and have his revenge best served.  [6]  This is because having the power he needs, all he has to do is to order for the people responsible for his pain to either be killed or assassinated. As a result of this shortfall of Machiavelli which Rawlings also exhibited, most affected Ghanaians even after the change from a military government to democratic governance still cann ot find it in their hearts to forgive him for his actions. It is for this reason that the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) was set up. In addition, Machiavellis concept makes mention of the fact that the end justifies the means. He says that if the action a leader takes brings about catastrophe in an area of specialization or nationwide despair then the action taken should not be regarded as a good one.  [7]  Combining this concept to the idea of establishing fear amongst ones followers, some Machiavellian leaders tend to modify this act by protecting the citizens by any means possible so as to be loved by them. When the Americans annexed Iraq, the Iraqis tried to resist their forces even though they were technologically more competent and outstripped them in terms of their quantity, Saddam Hussein having inculcated a great amount of fear in and hatred for Americans in his followers. He made himself an adherent of the Machiavellian style of leadership. Also, as a result of the fear the Tunisian president drum in his people, the only way they could show they were fed up with all his activities was have someone st art the protest and this was done by the unemployed and frustrated young man who felt the only way his voice could be heard was to set himself on fire. Again, this action did not just end there. Egyptians under the rule of Hosni Mubarak saw this as a platform to also voice out their values. Therefore one can say that all these people were simply quiet because of the brutal fear they had for their various leaders and were thus waiting for the right moment to retaliate. Furthermore, Machiavelli in his book wrote about a leader (the prince) being feared rather than loved by his people. Here, this situation would not work in a democratic society where the people decide how long one should be a leader but in the communist society like China, the leader could in his own discretion decide to practice the Machiavellian style of leadership and it would work perfectly for him since he has to instill fear in his followers due to the fact that it is less likely for them to revolt against the government or protest by defying authority.  [8]   In conclusion, these Machiavellian leaders mentioned above, considering the good and bad sides of Machiavellis thoughts on good leadership has led them to impact their nations in a negative manner. Most of the countries like Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, among others are still in a state of unrest and this posses as a threat to the surrounding nations since there is the fear that such actions could be transferred.

Realism And Narrative Techniques In Short Stories

Realism And Narrative Techniques In Short Stories Alice Munro is one of the most well-known and highly praised representative of Canadian short fiction writing, both on the Canadian and on the international scale. As American writer Mona Simpson notes, [Munros] genius, has the simplicity of the best naturalism, in that it seems not translated from life, but, rather, like life itself. In other words, she is praised for being a realist writer. In another article, Canitz and Seamon showed what techniques Munro uses to create the impression of her stories not being stories, but truth, or the reality as such. Also, they comment on how the narrator in Munros stories reflects from time to time on the narrative technique or the plotline and the development of the story. However, they have omitted some aspects of Munros work which would, in fact, support the argument that despite her realism, her short stories are in fact very well-structured, and fit into the general pattern of traditional criteria towards short stories: they excessively us e foreshadowing technique, the opening sentence initiates the predesigned effect and every word has its place in the story line, they are indeed chosen very carefully in order to contribute to the effect that the author wants to create, and thus creating a dense text. (Critical perspective online) In this paper, I show how the techniques described by Canitz and Seamon can be depicted in Munros novella Miles City, Montana. Then the essay goes on to discuss the other techniques employed by Munro in this short story, including the ones that do not fit into this analysis of realist fiction. Canitz and Seamon explain how Munro, as all realists, must somehow persuade her audience that her fiction is not a product of imagination and creativity, but it is rather the truth. (Canitz and Seamon, 1996: 67) This is done in her writings through a variety of subtle strategies which she uses to build our faith in her reality. (Canitz and Seamon, 1996: 68) Moreover, as Munro is aware that including realistic details into her stories would not suffice to convince readers that the story presented to them is not fictional, she rather chooses, in a post-modern manner, to acknowledge that she is making up a story. So, we are not simply exposed to the story line, but we are included in a way in the process of writing down the story and creating the characters. Ironically, this technique is in fact a doubly-twisted tool: the fact that she drags the reader into the process of writing does not mean that the writing in fact happened in the way as she told us within the frames of the story. Ho wever, this is not obvious at the first glance, and is indeed an effective method to persuade readers on the reality of what they read. Interestingly, the short story Miles City, Montana, involves a triple twist as to the narrative technique: the narrator is also a character at the same time, who reflects on her story-telling. For example the narrator says at one point: It seems to me now that we invented characters for our children. (Munro, 1985: 661) And indeed, all happenings are told from one point of view, and we only know about other characters what the mother and wife, who is also the narrator, reveals about them. Moreover, this point of view is not consistent in itself: both childhood and adult memories are involved, (Tragedies that help online) which means a change in the way events are seen by the narrator, and also a change in her feelings. This fluctuating view-point, or in better words multiple perceptions of single events can be seen as a post-modern feature in the narrative construction. (New, 2003: 239) In other words, what we read is not the reality, but we are explicitly told that it is not real, th erefore we are more willing to trust the narrator. The second method used by Munro to create the impression of reality is, as the pair of authors point out that the storyline is not linear. Rather, it fluctuates in time and location and subject, and it is left to the reader to figure out the reasons why the shifts are made where and how they are made. (Canitz and Seamon, 1996: 69) Sometimes Munro reflects on the shifts I have forgotten to say that but in Miles City, Montana, the shifts are not explained. However, careful reading reveals why the chunks of paragraphs follow each other in the way they do. Steve Gauleys story is told first to open a frame structure, to set the tone and to begin the foreshadowing sequence that follows. The view of the landscape on their road trip to Ontario evocates childhood memories from the narrator, so this time, it is a stream of consciousness that links together the paragraph on their trip with the following sentences on her past. Then when the mother talks about her hope of Meg not having a tem perature, and then jumping back right next to her relation with her parents-in-law, it might be not too far-reaching to conclude that the link that bounds together these two events is the feverishness of the mother to meet up to Andrews parents expectations. I hope she isnt feversih, says she, and at the same time she herself is overly anxious about what opinion her husbands parents would have on their family life. She even compares herself and her husband to strenuous children. (Munro, 1985: 668) Finally, while she goes to get some drink in the park in Miles City, she observes the environment very carefully -as carefully as she is supposed to watch out for her daughters. [Y]ou feel their singleness and precise location and the forlorn coincidence of your being there to see them. (Munro, 1985: 670) This is the sentence that precedes her sudden thought of the children, and it can be interpreted in both ways: meaning the nature, and meaning Cynthia and Meg as well. So, Munros story-te lling is of a rambling nature (Canitz and Seamon, 1996: 68) which reminds the reader constantly that what he or she is reading is only a recollection, and successfully creates the impression that we are not being exposed to a story, but to a real, true event. Finally, the article notes that [m]any brief passages in Munros stories quietly create the reality effect she seeks. (Canitz and Seamon, 1996: 73) For example when the parents reflect on Megs accident, both reject its unnatural, or supernatural features. The mother denies that she would have a mothers instinct, and attributes her sudden thought about the children to mere luck. Similarly the husband does not recollect properly how he had jumped over or climbed the fence, but plainly states that he cannot understand it, rather than mythologize what had happened. Thus, the narration becomes free of legend-making. (Canitz and Seamon, 1996: 77) On the other hand, this episode could be also interpreted as a sign of the ambiguity and unreliability of experience, a sign of how à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾events and memories, experience and fictional reconstruction, never precisely coincide which is also characteristic of Munros style. (New, 2003: 239 and 299) In addition, by the end of the short story, w hen we already know that Meg had survived the accident, we are nevertheless confronted with another possible ending to this story details of a tragic ending with Meg being dead are elaborated in a lengthy paragraph, at the end of which the narrator poses the question: Theres something trashy about this kind of imagining, isnt there? (Munro 1985: 673), again reflecting on the story-telling. Having showed all this, and before turning towards other techniques that are in contradiction with the claim of reality in the short story, let me point out some further evidence that support Munros realism, but are not elaborated in Canitzs and Seamons article: Firstly, Munros language is not very poetic or literal. She prefers to use everyday langauge, which adds to the real life taste of her stories. As one crticic puts it, Munros stories are translations into the next-door language of fiction of all those documentary details, those dazzling textures and surfaces, of remembered experience. (Ross, 112, quoted in Canitz and Seamon, 1996: 68) However, simple language does not exlude the use of lirical devices. All characters in the short story create images, and make lirical similes themselves. The narrator compares Steve Gauley to a heap of refuse (Munro, 1985: 656) and draws a parallel between the Gauleys tumbledown house and their shackly family life. The children, who play import ant, but not dominent [sic!] role (Jakabfi, 2003: 195) give an old-lady like image to their previous family car, and a sporty image to the new one. The parents make fun of their daughters by the father telling them about the beach which would be after the next curve and the mother pretending to produce some lemonade and grape juice with her magic wand. Cynthia adds that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾[i]n Miles City, there is a beautiful blue swimming pool for children, and a park with lovely trees. (Munro, 1985: 668) In short, it seems that they are creating reality around themselves. Canitz and Seamon claim that Munro creates the impression of realism [by giving] a significant place to improbability and contingency, elements that are opposed to the conventionally well-constructed realist narrative. However, some techniques utterly contradict the claim that this story would be developing before our eyes, with no obvious plotline at hand at the beginning, but through accidents rather. The most obvious such tool is that of foreshadowing. In Miles City, Montana, there are several hints in the story that imply what the readers can expect to happen by the end. Throughout reading the story, as soon as we learn about the road trip, we fear that one family member, possibly one of the children, will die. This impression is already created in the very first sentence of the novella: My father came accross the field carrying the body of the boy who had been drowned. (Munro, 1985: 656) Immediately, the tone is set: it is rather sinister. The narrator continues to give readers hints about an expected tragedy. Meg waves good-bye to the house, and although Cynthia, the elder girl assures her it is not forever that they are leaving it, the readers are left with a feeling of doubt and uneasiness whether the family would really return. On their way to Ontario, they see a dead deer on the road, which was probably hit by accident readers wonder is one of the family members going to suffer an accident? This fear of one character dying at the end is reinforced by Cynthia song, in which five little ducks go out, but only four come back. Then we learn about the narrator and her husband not living together anymore, which raises the question did their marriage got ruined because of the death of a child? This is followed by the recollection of the narrator and her father saving turkeys from drowning, and finally, the family plays Who am I?, and Cynthia is someone dead. This massive amount of hints indicate a very consciously used foreshadowing technique by the author. To sum up, I have showed in the above paragraphs how the narrative technique of Miles City, Monatana, is in accord with what the Canitz-Seamon article argued about Alice Munros techniques to create the sense of realism in fiction. I have added that language and creating imagery are also techniques used in this short story, while at the same time pointing out that the excessive use of foreshadowing technique does not fit into the line of argument about Munros realism and conscious restraint from linear story-telling. A look at other Munro short fiction could lead to a better understanding of Munros status as a realist writer.