The Man In The Iron Mask Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Man In The Iron Mask - Essay Example The one constant in the history of the myth seems to be the fact that he was indeed a prisoner in the Bastille and that his name was never revealed. Even upon his death the true name of the prisoner was left in question. The only reality of this particular prisoner's situation, is that he became the most famous and mysterious historical prisoner of his era thanks to the literary works of both Voltaire and Alexander Dumas who both christened him the â€Å"Man in the Iron Mask†. The historical records of the era within which the masked man was supposed to have been imprisoned in the Bastille seem to indicate that the man in question was of a noble status in life. Reports indicate that he arrived at the Bastille on a Thursday, September 18, 1698 under the protection of the newly assigned governor of the Bastille, Benigne d'Auvergne de Saint-Mars who described the prisoner as a long time prisoner who went with him to his various assignments. The man was to remain masked and his na me was never to be recorded in the official records. i According to Saint Mars' official records the man without a name or face was imprisoned in Pignerol at the start. He had been a prisoner for 18 years by the time he arrived at the Bastille, having been earlier 2 imprisoned from 1665 to 1681. There is a supposition that he had already been a prisoner for about 33 years at this point. It was during this time of his arrival at the Bastille that the first mention of a velvet, not iron mask was made in reference to the prisoner's face being covered. One of the wilder theories regarding the Man in the Iron mask is that he was the descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte. This was a claim that was made by Napoleon himself during his many military quests. Claiming that his father was the elder half brother of the king and therefore the rightful heir to the throne. Thus his imprisonment behind the mask. He propagated the theory that the man behind the mask was allowed to marry while in prison an d the union begot a son who was sent off to be raised in Corsica, that child was to become Napoleon Bonaparte. This however, is a theory that does not have any evidence to back it up as anything more than the claim of a mad man to a throne he wished to call his own. ii In order to understand the propagation of the myth, one has to first understand the kind of sociopolitical situation that was existing in France in the 1660's. The so-called â€Å"Sun King† Louis XIV had an absolute hold on political power and government at a time when his people were being ravaged by high taxes, food shortage, and a lack of guidance from their king. The war and religious unrest was also taking its toll on the economic situation of the country. The people were starved for hope of a better life in the hands of a king who once stated "L'etat, c'est moi!" ("I am the state!"). With such control over state affairs in the hands of one man, it is believed that anybody who fell out of favor with the ki ng ended up imprisoned for the rest of his life. Could the man in the mask be one of those people? What error could he have committed to have earned him such damnation in the eyes of the king? One of the 3 many theories about the masked stranger is that he was most likely one of the many nobles who had fallen out of favor with

Analysis of the Promotion of Krijen Games New Product, Andromeda 99-XD Case Study - 1

Analysis of the Promotion of Krijen Games New Product, Andromeda 99-XD in the Indian Market - Case Study Example The aspect of globalization implies an enhanced level of competition in the global consumer markets. This has made it important for every organization to carefully undertake and formulate a policy that would help it to grab a market share in a chosen target market. The enhanced aspect of competitiveness in the market has also enhanced the level of competition as more players are resorting to this strategy, considering the saturation of the traditional markets of Western Europe and the USA. The present study would include a marketing plan for the launch of a new product in a new market. A fictitious company named Krijen Games has been chosen as the firm while the name of the product is ‘Andromeda ® 99-XD’. The product would be a technological marvel that would have features unmatched by any of the presently available product of its kind in the market. The market chosen for the study is the Indian consumer market which has been deliberately chosen considering the busines s potential of the nation on accounts of its strong economic growth in recent years. The marketing plan would consist of a situation analysis which would help in analyzing the internal and external environment of the organization. A SWOT analysis would help in the analysis of the firm. In addition, Porter’s model of five forces would be used to analyze the competitive framework for the organization in the chosen market. Finally, a primary study would be conducted with two separate sets of questionnaires. These would help in devising an appropriate segmentation and positioning strategy for the Indian market. Finally, a product mix for the new product would be created on the basis of the situation analysis and the primary study that would help the firm to gain long-term sustainable competitive advantage in the Indian consumer market. The global markets and business environments are changing rapidity.