The Elizabethan Era

By definition, a class is a group of people with a related social standing. There are often distinct differences between the classes, denoted by characteristics such as one†s wealth, education, career, and health. These principles applied for the Elizabethan Era as well. Elizabeth herself was a member of the upper class, while other fairly successful people belonged to the middle class. Peasants were the lowest ranked class, usually because they were unfortunate enough to either contract a disease that disabled them from work, or they were farmers that were stricken with poverty when a harvesting season went bad. The â€Å"upper class† consisted mainly of nobility and wealthy landowners. Those in this class generally handled governmental affairs. They also had their children brought up with an education in music, math, and history. It wasn†t rare for many of them to be literate in multiple foreign languages, as well as their own, such as Latin, English, French, and Spanish. Also, the men usually received a better education than the women. The men of nobility were taught extra skills such as horse riding, hunting, shooting, and hawking as well. Because of this class†s social statute and wealth, they were easily able to treat themselves to the best of the food available during their time, especially meaty foods. But because of the large consumption of meat with few vegetables, many eventually suffered from diseases such as scurvy, which is weakness of the bone. The dinnerware consisted of wooden plates, like those of the lower classes, but these were accompanied by other delicacies of the Elizabethan period, such as chairs, forks, and glasses. The favorite drink of all the classes was beer, although the upper class favored wine imported from French vineyards. One custom between the people of this class and the peasants was known as the giving of â€Å"alms† to the poor. This was were a wealthy person would contribute money and sometimes provide supplementary shelter to a less fortunate person. Although the upper class was a minority in Elizabethan times as it is now, it kept the thriving European kingdom alive. The second class of the Elizabethan Period was the â€Å"middle class†. This class usually consisted of merchants and some landowners, although the number of peasants who rose and fell between this class and the lower class varied depending on the health of the seasonal harvest. Those in this class lead a fairly peaceful, easygoing life, other than common household chores and visits to the local market. If possible, they would hire a servant to keep up with some of the household chores, such as the tedious task of clothes washing. They sent their children to a formal school if they could afford it. The parents were so intent for their children to learn the material that they encouraged teachers to beat them if they made mistakes or became lazy. The middle class often could not afford some of the things taken for granted by the upper class, such as chairs instead of stools, forks, glasses, and a large selection of meats. The middle class drove the economy of Britain through its trades with other European countries. The peasants made up the lower class. These people were either ill, lazy, became laborers, or were just turned a bad hand during the harvest season. The laborers and servants served long hours each day handling the least favorable jobs, such as field work and laundry. During bad seasons, as many as 25% could not afford food, and often the most they ever ate was bread. In many cases they turned to thievery, otherwise they would starve. Some were lucky enough to receive â€Å"alms† from the wealthy, but many didn†t, because of their great number. The upper class pitied the peasants that were ill or that couldn†t find work, so they created a system to care for them. If there were able men that were just lazy and rather beg on the streets, a Parish, or the person in charge of the system locally, would send them to a larger city were they would be whipped and then sent back and assigned a job. If a man was ill, then they would often try to take him in and give him enough food to survive on. Widows and their families were also treated in the same manner. In the end, when harvest was well, every class benefited, and it created especially good seasons for the poor, otherwise it was the peasants who suffered most. The classes of the Elizabethan Period established a society which became a model for many present-day cultures. Though not perfect, it still exists today, even in America to some degree. The upper class was the wealthiest and had the most power, while the middle class was mostly involved in trade, and the lower class made up the remainder who were often ill or widowed.

An Analysis of Roberto Matta’s “Eat Us Sir Fire, Eat Us”

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Civil War Essay

A nation in four decades had been multiplied several times its territory, purchase of Louisiana to France, Florida to Spain, the annexation of Texas and the subsequent war with Mexico (1846-1848) ambient. The political states of north and south had been mounded by the interest of the second in their plantations and the conservation of slavery, while the firs inclined towards trade; shipping and financial interests on one side were the debtor farmers, and other creditors’ capitalists. After independence, the first were represented by Democrat Thomas Jefferson and the last by the Federalists under Alexander Hamilton. The congress in Philadelphia in 1787 was the problems faced by the new state, debt, inter-state trade conflicts, war with Mexico, who snatched the Aztec country half of its territory, got to the United States, territories of California and New Mexico social. The civil war was in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America, also known as â€Å"the Confederacy. † Led by Jefferson Davis, the Confederacy fought against the United States (the Union), which was supported by all the free states (where slavery had been abolished) and by five slave states that became known as the border states. The fireman in Bradbury’s world began their version of the fireman job â€Å"around about a thing called the civil war† (54). Captain Beatty, the main antagonist of Fahrenheit 451, and captain of the fire brigade that Guy Montag works for, reasons that the decline of people’s interest in books came about because of photographs which came about during the civil war. the allusion is to the American war of secession from 1861-1865, which is the only civil war of American history. In it, the Northern States were able to defeat the South and to proclaim the abolition of slavery in 1863;

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Research paper - Essay Example In addition, the course has helped to ward off my ignorance about the environment, culture, geopolitics, oil, Islam, conflict and war in the Middle East region. From the course, I learned the importance of global significance of the Middle East to the entire world. The Arab world has a significant value at political, cultural, economic, and religious levels domestically, regionally and internationally. The significance of religion in the region centers on the fact that it is perceived to be the original place of single or monotheistic Islam (Mohamed n.d). There is changing nature of geopolitics in the Middle East or Arab world in the sense that the impact of Iranian and Turkish rapprochement will make the Middle East nations to experience pressure from Iran and worsen the situation in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. These complexities and pressure may have been exacerbated by the U.S president’s recent moves. Combined, the nightmare in the Middle East has been redoubled. The United Arabs Emirates, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia form an effective political bloc in the Middle East. These countries would soon come up with a single currency for the Gulf countries thus isolating certain Middle East countries such as Iran, Palestine, and Kuwait. Israel has isolated itself and formed a formidable relation with the U.S. For instance, I learned that currently, both Israel and the U.S. clearly expressed their goal to control their competitors economically throughout the next 10 years. Furthermore, California is currently a laboratory for energy research and development led by Israel such as the Bright source Company energy. It is vital to note that the U.S. support to Israel is destroying the country. The U.S. is been supporting Israel financially when its own internal economy is weak or struggling (Wright 78). Issues and problems in the Middle East The main issues and problems in the Middle East are the water crisis, war or conflict and dictatorship. In countries of Middle E ast, water shortage is a common problem. For example, in Jordan ‘the drying of streams has led to the lowering of water levels across the country. The water scarcity or shortage in the Middle East has been attributed to the extremely dry climate and the rapid economic development of the country supported the increase of population, which, in its turn, led to the increase of need for water (Wright 89). Water has an additional economic aspect in countries that have scarce water resources. Due to this, the Arab world or Middle East import water for both agricultural and domestic use. This is costly because under certain circumstances, the needs surpass the availability of the resources. The above issue is of critical importance if taking into consideration the fact that the needs for water tend to be increased in countries where the rate of increase of population is high; in Middle East countries such trends have been reported the last decade. For example, the population of Abu D habi ‘has been increased with an annual rate of 6.5% since 1975. In addition, in Jordan, a key member of the Arab league or Middle East, the needs for water supply are expected continuously increase for the next 27 years. The crisis of water in the Arab world or Middle East has been worsened by the deteriorating quality of water in recent years. The utilization of water for industrial, agricultural,

Compare and contrast the current U.S. financial crisis with past Research Proposal

Compare and contrast the current U.S. financial crisis with past economic crises - Research Proposal Example The last half of the twentieth century was highlighted by a series of economic crises that saw currencies devalued, credit over extended, and debt defaulted. The countries of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Asia all became saddled with inflation, a low growth rate, and the inability to service their growing amounts of debt. Today, the world sits on the precipice of another growing financial crisis. The liquidity of banks is in question, currencies are in peril of devaluation, productivity is falling in some of the most highly industrialized nations, and public and private credit has reached record levels. Is the current crisis, and past crises, simply a matter of economic policies being out of step with our political goals as Kissinger contends? Or are there underlying economic issues that have been at the foundation of these crises that could have been avoided by altering the economic and monetary policy? The purpose of this paper is to trace the similarities and the differences of t he causes of these crises, as well as the national and international response to them. It will uncover the commonalities that characterize a financial collapse, the degree of political influence, and the most effective, or ineffective, response to a financial crisis. Many historians place the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929 and the stock market crash. The first half of 1929 had seen stock prices on Wall Street driven up by speculators and creating an asset bubble. After the crash, the Economist reported on November 2, 1929 that, "There is warrant for hoping that the deflation of the exaggerated balloon of American stock values will be for the good of the world" (qtd. in Bierman 2). This mirrors the effect that speculators have recently had on the real estate and oil markets, both of which have contributed to the current economic crisis.

Contract Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Contract Law - Assignment Example There parties entering the contract must mutually understand what the contract purports to cover. This phenomenon is called ‘meeting of the minds.’ There must be offer and acceptance in a legally binding contract. The contract constitutes an offer to one party and the consequent acceptance by the other party. The element of offer and acceptance thus involves the expression of willingness of both parties to complete the contract. The parties entering the contract must belong to the age of the majority. However, some contracts may involve the minors such as the contract of will. There must be a possibility of performance in a legally binding contract. The contract must be physically or legally performable. The contract must portray the intention to create legal relations. A general principle, the social promises are presumed not to be legally binding (Turner & Martin 2004). There must be legal consideration in a contract. The legal consideration constitutes the value of the exchange depending on the nature of the objects present in a contract. There must be a legal object in a contract. The contract should not, by nature violate the policy of the public. Otherwise, illegal contracts are enforceable. However, a contract that has all the essential elements is valid.... Adam does work, but Cynthia refuses to pay him. Issue Whether the contract is illegal or not Rule The damages arising from the material contributions of an individual to the performance of an illegal act, with the knowledge that the materials are intend to propagate the illegal activities are irrecoverable. The claim by the plaintiff is aims at settlement of the payments using the earnings from the illegal business. Analysis The case between Adam and Cynthia constitutes illegality by virtue of the element of prostitution. Prostitution at common law is always an act that promotes sexual immorality. All acts that promote sexual immorality are prohibited hence are unenforceable. The difference between an illegal act and an immoral act is so thin that the applied principles are similar in either case. The case of Pearce v Brooks (1866) Lr 1 Ex 213 Exch tries to explain the nature of this case. In the case, Pear the plaintiffs, Pearce coach builders allowed Brooks, the prostitute to hire their brougham. Brooks was going to use the brougham in her prostitution business of attracting her clients. At common law, contracts that promote sexual immorality are unenforceable due to their illegality. Pearce was aware of the business that that Brooks was going to transact, prostitution. Brooks refused to honor the obligations of the contract. Pearce claimed compensation for the damages but, the court refused. The court held that he had participated in an illegal contract with the knowledge of its illegality. The jury did find no evidence that the payments that Pearce was claiming from Brooks were to be derived from the illegal business. However, there were reasonable grounds to believe that Pearce while giving out the brougham for hire knew that

FRANK LlOYD WRIGHT Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FRANK LlOYD WRIGHT - Term Paper Example But Wright was not interested in staying at the university and left in 1887 to work for J.L Silsbee in Chicago. Wright worked under Silsbee learning architectural detail. It was here that he drafted the construction of his first building, the Unity Chapel. Wright then moved on to work in the firm of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, where he not only progressed to become chief assistant to Sullivan but also met and then married his first wife Catherine Tobin. Wright was He worked here until 1893 and then opened his own architectural practice where he worked for the next five years. In 1909 Wright moved to Germany but returned in 1911. He then moved to Spring Green with Mamah Borthwick Cheney to work on a piece of ancestral land his mother had given him. It was here that Wright constructed one of his famous works, Taliesin. However in 1914, one of their servants went insane and tragically murdered Cheney and six others, thereby destroying what Wright had so lovingly built, but he refu sed to allow it to stop him and to the surprise of many, ended up rebuilding Taliesin. Wright eventually began spreading his influence and in 1914 he was asked to build the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. In 1932, Wright converted Taliesin into an architectural fellowship where 30 young students paid to become his apprentices and learn from him. It was also during this particular period that Wright married his third wife Olivanna Milanoff. Eventually however as Wright began getting older, he desired living in a warmer more comfortable climate and therefore, in 1937, moved from Wisconsin to Phoenix Arizona. Here, Wright built Taliesin West which served the same purpose as Taliesin, i.e. an architectural fellowship where students could pay to learn from him. Wright spent a happy 20 years here but in 1959, at the age of 92, Wright died. Fallingwater Fallingwater or Kaufman residence is considered one of the most famous works of Frank Lloyd Wright. It was constructed in 1935 as the residence o f the wealthy Pittsburg businessman, Edward Kaufmann, with construction taking a little more than two years, and the house being complete by October 1937. It is one of the most recognizable images of modern architecture, marked by the waterfall running beneath the house and strongly characterized by distinctive horizontal and vertical lines. The house is breathtakingly admired not only for its general beauty and picturesque location but rather by the seamless integration between these two things, i.e. man-made architecture and the natural surroundings it is located it. Stone and reinforced concrete were the two materials used to make most of the house. The floors and ceilings were all made from reinforced concrete but there were raised stone slabs on the floor and the walls too were made of rough, untreated stone. This gave the house a very natural yet modern look, with a mixture of natural wood, concrete and stone, complemented by glass enhancing its natural appeal. Wright understo od the balance between wanting to be with nature as well as wanting to be sheltered from it and so he made big, broad windows of glass on the exterior so that the water and the nature around the house would be clearly visible but he then made sure the

Women in leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women in leadership - Essay Example They have understood their voices in a better manner than the male fraternity. Women in leadership have instilled confidence within the people for which they are leaders in the first place. Leadership is all about influencing other people in the organization to accomplish a task. It involves directing an organization in that it becomes more coherent and cohesive. Leadership style can therefore be defined as the approach for providing direction. It includes motivation within its reigns as well. There are various leadership styles that exist in management. They include authoritarian or autocratic, participative or democratic, delegative or free reign leadership. Lately business offices have been filled by women who were reckoned by the authorities as being less efficient as compared to their male counterparts a few years back. This has changed for the better and more and more companies in the world of today are recruiting female candidates for suitable positions within their staff. Apart from this positive change in mindset of the companies and businesses, there have been some pretty negative points attached to the same notion moreover. Women have started to get recruite d in big numbers and one should believe that this is a major aspect that must be appreciated endlessly. More so, the women have been appointed as leaders within the business enterprises and have been given leadership roles which were not acceptable in the past. Responsibility has made them stronger and their decisions have been different to the ones made by men. (Atkinson, 1997) Companies must encourage women to assume leadership roles so that there could be better interaction within the internal publics of the organization and people collaborate with each other as well as bolster the selection of deserving (on merit-basis) women. It would make all of them in their own peculiar areas of output to give their very best and eventually produce the required results

Lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example The least government agencies can do now is to recognize areas of deficiency so that disaster management efforts in the future are better executed. The following passages will outline some of the key lessons the government can learn from Hurricane Katrina fiasco. One of the key failures is the response time taken by local authorities in getting personnel and other resources to vulnerable locations. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, authorities waited too long before taking a decisive action. In the future they have to move resources in a proactive fashion. It would be rather prudent to deploy resources in anticipation, even if they turn out to be unnecessary in retrospect, rather than waste precious time in red-tape and transportation. (The Washington Times, 2007, p.A03) As Katrina unfolded, vital issues such as food safety and protection of public water supplies were overlooked, as attention was diverted to more important activities. This resulted in pollution of drinking water sour ces to go with worser health and sanitation issues at shelters for evacuees. Also, the shelters were over-crowded due to a high volunteer turnover rate and un-anticipated inflow of victims. Streamlined distribution of volunteers to different shelters has to be improved. Valuable lessons can be learnt from defects in current practices: â€Å"Local contacts who were not part of the official response were found to be important resources.

Condoms in Schools Essay Example for Free

Condoms in Schools Essay Should condoms be distributed among high schools? The answer to that very controversial subject is yes. Yes condoms should be distributed among the students. The question is controversial due to the main subject it discusses: sex. Some schools today are distributing birth control items to promote the thoughts and ideas of safe sex. Many also believe that along with condom distribution, there should be an availability of other methods of birth control, promotion of abstinence, and information for students on what being safe really means. Alternatively the critics of condom distribution suggest that there should be abstinence only education on this issue. Sex education in this context would encourage the young individuals to abstain from sexual activity in order to avoid pregnancy and diseases In today’s society, high schools should distribute condoms to students. This issue of condoms in schools is a growing concern because of increasing rates of sexual behavior, earlier onset of sexual activity, teenage pregnancy, and the spreading of STDs and HIV. It is important to educate teenagers about the use of condoms and how it prevents the spread of HIV, AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and pregnancy. Teenagers need to know that having unprotected sex puts them at risk of coming in contact with diseases that they can spread to others. Each year there are many unwanted babies born, or even worse aborted in this country. Many which are born to young people with little or no education about condom use and sex. With a little education about condom use and safe sex many of these unnecessary pregnancies could be prevented. Many parents do not educate their children about sex; therefore the burden usually falls on the schools. Condoms should definitely be readily available in the school system, along with a Sex Education program that includes how and why to use condoms properly. When young people are educated about condoms and the risk of pregnancy then they are more likely to use a condom. A lot of young people are getting bad myths and taboos from their friends and the media. Having the school really tell them about sex and what can really happen will help. Having condoms available in the school will allow students to have them their so they don’t have to worry about being embarrassed for walking in a store to buy them or ask their parents for them. More and more teens are getting pregnant as a result of not using a condom. Lots of teens believe in the â€Å"pull out† method, but they fail to realize that it will not work every time. Teens need to be educated properly and stop depending on tv and magazines to learn about sex. Many adults think that to provide condoms in school will only push student to have sex however, to have condoms available at high schools does not influence teenagers to have sex but shows them that if they are ready to have sex that condoms are always a must. If a girl or boy really wants to have sex then they are going to do it regardless of if there are condoms available to them. People believe that teaching abstinence will sway kids away from wanting to having sex. They believe that it you don’t show teens anything sexual then they won’t want to engage in sexual behavior but that it the total opposite. It will only make teens more curious about sex. If you tell them the facts up front then they will have all the facts and know all their risk. They will be able to decide for themselves whether sex is right for them or not. Having condoms there and ready for them if or when they make the decision to have sex is great. No teen should get pregnant their first time because someone convinced them that they can’ t get pregnant their first time having sex. Ignorance is leading teens to make bad decisions. Providing condoms to students are actually the morally realistic action to follow, educators do not have to encourage sex but they can motivate students to make wise choices when they decide to have sex. Believe it or not it is wise to know that some young individuals, regardless of the abstinence messages will have sex, in such cases such condom distribution is the better option. Also, providing access to birth control empowers women of today, giving them more control over their body. Historically women have suffered more due to the restrictive policies related to reproduction like abortion laws. Guys however do not have to face the consequences of their actions as much. Hence distribution of condoms boosts the responsibility of men and enlarges the choices for young girls. Giving young girls the choice of birth control can help them feel more prepared for sex. There are so many different birth controls available for girls to choose from. They can opt to take the pill or receive a shot or even get a patch to release birth control medication. It can make the girl feel better if she thinks that she has a say so in whether she gets pregnant or not instead of strictly depending on the guy to wear a condom. However, the use of birth control can go against the catholic religion. Most catholic communities choose not to put their daughters on birth control because it is against their beliefs. In my opinion, Why would you want to not give your daughter the choice of being protected. Would you rather want a daughter on birth control or a pregnant daughter? Although, getting pregnant is not the best situation, not wearing a condom can also pose a threat of catching a STD. More and more teens are coming in contact with STIs and STDs. Although some are easily treatable, there are some that can stick with you your whole life. AIDS and HIV are rising amounts young adults because of lack of protection. Even though most people think that you can only catch and STD through multiple sexual partners, some young teens catch STDs the first time they have sex because they think they know their boyfriend or girlfriend. Some people with STIs and STDs don’t even experience symptoms so how are you to know if they have caught something or not? Teens need to know they are always at risk if they do not wear a condom during sexual intercourse. It will be great for schools to have condoms on hand for teens to get whenever they need. Teens may joke or laugh around about condoms but in their mind they know that they will be protected.

The Inhabitants Of Wales History Essay

The Inhabitants Of Wales History Essay The most populous Celtic community in Great Britain are the inhabitants of Wales in the western part of England. The Welsh who call themselves Cymry and their country Cymru had been Christians long before the Angles and Saxons adopted Christianity and they are proud of their literary tradition the beginnings of which predate English literature. The motif of the red dragon in the Welsh flag is a symbol of the Welsh people ´s resistance against Anglicization and of the perpetuation of their culture and language. The number of ethnic Welsh people is not known. As for the speech community of Welsh this accounts for 0.58 million speakers and they make up 21 per cent of the total population of Wales. Some 50,000 Welsh-speakers live outside Wales in other parts of England, most of them in the region of Greater London. The level of language maintenance has remained stable during the past two decades. Assimilation to English, though, has been a trend with continuity. About a hundred years ago there were still some 0.9 million Welsh speakers. Most speakers of Welsh live in the western and northern parts of Wales where the rates for language maintenance are between 40 and 50 per cent. In the South the level has fallen below 20 per cent. The Welsh language does not suffer from a lack of transmission to the younger generation like Scottish-Gaelic (> Highland Scots). In the youngest age range (i.e. between 3 and 15 years) Welsh is spoken by 32 per cent. Proficiency in Welsh is much lower in all other ag e groups, even among the older generation (i.e. 24 per cent in the age range, 65 and over). At the beginning of the twentieth century there were still 0.28 million Welsh people who could not speak English but only their native tongue. At the end of the twentieth century their number had been reduced to a minimum of 21,500 which is less than 1 per cent of the Welsh speech community. Those who speak Welsh are bilingual, speaking English as second language. Together with Breton in Brittany and Cornish, formerly spoken in Cornwall, Welsh forms the Brithonic subgroup of Insular Celtic (see Irish for the Goidelic subgroup). Already in the late sixth century, Welsh had developed local features which set it aside from other varieties of Celtic in Britain. The origins of Welsh literature are shrouded in the mist of medieval history. The works of two poets of the sixth century, Aneirin and Taliesin, mark the beginnings of a literary tradition in Welsh. Their literary works, though, are only preserved in manuscripts of the thirteenth century. It is assumed that the texts in the manuscripts are copies of much older originals. Highlights of medieval literature are the collection of narrative prose, the Mabinogion (eleventh thirteenth centuries), the codification of Welsh laws compiled by Hywel Dda (tenth century) and bardic lyrics composed by Dafydd ap Gwilym (thirteenth century). The translation of the whole Bible into Welsh was completed in 15 88. It appeared in a second edition in 1620, and its language became influential for the elaboration of a modern literary standard. Since the Welsh literary language continues language use of the seventeenth century it holds a bridging function between the modern and the ancient so that the connection with the medieval literature is not lost for the reader of today. Those Celtic tribes who had settled in Wales some two thousand years ago saw the advent of the Romans and experienced Roman rule over Britain. After the Roman conquest of Britain in 43 c.e. Wales was integrated into the Roman Empire as a region of military interest but Roman settlers did not come to live there. The Celts in Wales learned about Latin from the Roman administration but it was only during the time when Christianity spread over Britain that Latin became the vehicle of cultural and social innovation in the Celtic communities. The oldest layer of religious terminology in Welsh dates to the third and fourth century; e.g. eglwys  ´church ´ Medieval history is dominated by the struggle of the Celts in Britain against Anglo-Saxon supremacy. The historical king Arthur who has been acknowledged as the founder of the British lineage of kings rose to legendary fame as the protector of the Celtic Christians in their fights against the Germanic heathens in Britain. In the late eighth century, the king of Mercia, Offa, had an earthen wall built to separate the Celtic territory of Wales from the Anglo-Saxon settlements. For centuries, the Celts remained west of Offa ´s wall and the Anglo-Saxons east of it. Wales was finally conquered in 1282 and annexed to England. The status of Wales as a region under the authority of the British Crown was formalized in 1536, and the monopoly of English as the language of administration was confirmed. The English rulers practised a policy of apeasement to avoid social unrest by exchanging privileges for loyalty and to accept the Welsh aristocracy into their service. The Welsh à ©lite was s upposed to adopt the English language and English lifeways as a precondition to keeping their privileges. One of the lineages of the assimilated Welsh à ©lite was very successful. These were the Tudors whose representatives eventually ascended the English throne. The first Tudor to rule over England was Henry VII (reigned 1509 1547). Until the eighteenth century, Welsh society was divided into an Anglicized à ©lite of Welsh descent, loyal to the kings of England, and Welsh peasantry whose lifeways remained practically untouched by English culture. The seventeenth century saw the introduction of a Protestant movement which has dominated religious life among the Welsh up to the present, Calvinistic Methodism. Things changed with industrialization evolving, a process which unfolded in three stages on a prolonged horizon of time, ranging from c. 1780 to c. 1900. The area of southern Wales was of particular interest because of its riches in coal. The opening of coal-mines triggered a migratory movement of greater parts of the rural population to the urban and industrialized centers of the South where assimilation pressure was strong and language shift to English was swift. The British Education Acts of 1870 and 1889 stipulated English as the only medium of instruction at all schools and on all levels of education (i.e. from primary to higher), and these regulations promoted radical Anglicization. The romantic, all-European interest in the preservation of the local heritage and the movement of national awakening of the nineteenth century found its concrete manifestation in the cultural activities of the Celtic Revival. In Wales, this led to the establishment of a cultural institution, the Eisteddfod (literally  ´session ´), which was held for the first time in Aberdare in 1861. This is a sort of fair which offers a cross-section of all domains of Welsh culture and language, including literature, theater and the visual arts. The Welsh language has been a crucial issue in the process of social and political reforms since the 1940s. After four hundred years of a monopoly of the English language in administration in Wales Welsh was granted official status alongside English in 1942. This regulation first concerned only the use of both languages at court and was extended to the use of Welsh in regional and parliament elections, in 1967. Furthermore, a trio of Acts in the decade 1988-1998 provide a new statutory infrastructure and institutional context to enable social reform in education, language rights and governance, (Williams 2008: 124). Constituents of this network of reforms are the Education Act (1988), the Welsh Language Act (1993) and the Government of Wales Act (1998) which are the pillars of Wales as an autonomous region within the United Kingdom and which provide the statutory platform for a National Assembly for Wales, established in 1999. Harald Haarmann Further Reading Aitchison, John and Harold Carter. A Geography of the Welsh Language 1961-1991. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1994. Davies, John. A History of Wales. London: Penguin Books, 1994. Morris, John. The Age of Arthur. A History of the British Isles from 350 to 650. London: Phoenix, 1993. Williams, Colin H. Cymric (Welsh). In Wieser Encyclopaedia Western European Languages, eds. Ulrich Ammon and Harald Haarmann, vol. 2, 109-129. Klagenfurt, Wien Ljubljana: Wieser, 2008.

Uppsala Model, Transaction Cost Theory and Network Model

Uppsala Model, Transaction Cost Theory and Network Model According to Calof and Beamish (1995), internationalization is the method of adapting organizations operations (resources, strategy, structure,) to foreign environments. This process comprises of the amount and geographic distance of the foreign market that is entered; the different amount of activities that are carried out in the different countries and the intensity of integration of these activities. Firms go into internationalization as a result of their customers migrating and their competitors globalizing while some companies go into it as a symbol of success and progress (multinationalism idea). Due to the complexity of the processes involved in the internationalization, several theories have been designed by different scholars to enable the easy accomplishment of the international emerging markets. Amongst the theories and their different features that are to be discussed are; the Uppsala Model, Transaction Cost theory and the Network Model. Uppsala Model of Internationalization is the theory that is based on the learning and the evolutionary viewpoint. This theory is derived from the behavioral theory which is explained as the nature of the firm through behavioral actions of its customers and the country of its emergence (Cyert and March, 1992). This theorys strength is based on the knowledge on how to conduct a business in a foreign market on which without the knowledge, the intended company to internationalize would be rendered handicapped (Carlson, 1966). Firms using this theory have the tendency of entering a new market successfully through the geographic and psychic distance which means the summation of factors that is hindering the flowing of information from one market to another market; these include differences in language, education, business practices, culture, and industrial development (Johanson Vahlne, 1977, Johanson Associates, 1994). Just as it was mentioned in the 3rd lecture on the 8th of February, the socio-cultural environment/ culture and cultural differences have a big role to play when a company is entering a foreign market, this is because the ways of life of the people, organizations and government will be different from that of the domestic country of the entering firm. This means that the company has to plan on different strategies to use like using two or three languages pattern as the organizational language base and strategies to suit the countrys religion and other sensitive factors in order to be able to penetrate faster than it would have taken. Thus, the model expects that the internationalization process, once it has started, will tend to proceed regardless of whether strategic decisions in that direction are made or not. (Johanson Vahlne, 1990,) There are two types of knowledge that are involved in this theory; the general or objective knowledge which can be taught and the market-specific or the experimental knowledge which can only be learnt via personal experience and is difficult to transfer nor separated from its original source (tacit knowledge) Penrose, (1959). The experimental knowledge is very important as it cannot be easily acquired like the objective knowledge. An example of this can be the carrying out of marketing researches and reports. All the information on the threats and opportunities of the international market can best be gotten from the people working in that country just as it is explained in Johanson and Vahlne, 1990; That it is the experience that generates the business opportunities and constitute the driving force in the internationalization process. This is why this theory is seen to be a slow process because it involves the learning through experience from a firms own activities. It is always the lack of experiential knowledge in the new market that pushes the firm to use the internationalization characterized gradual process which is in stages and known to the Establishment Chain (Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 1975). Critiques of Uppsala Model This model is too deterministic because its principles are predicted by the evolution of time. All its advances are based and controlled by the environment of which the firm exist or planning to internalize. The model does not take into account the interdependencies between different countriess markets of which a firm operates under. This model is mostly relevant to the physical product industries but usually very slow in entering distant markets in terms of psychic distance at an early stage and its frequently not valid for the service industries as services can be dynamic and more time compressed also requires initial commitments. Subsequently, there are many models and strategies that facilitate the faster and easier avenues to extend a business abroad, therefore, it is no longer necessary to build up knowledge using the in house method due to the present technology nature that stimulates the interactivity with customers. To conclude this theory, it is quite clear that this theory has the competitive advantage opportunities base to the amount of resources and researches that are carried out in the foreign country before entering. This model only focuses on the selected firm unlike other models that extends their researches to environmental explanatory variables rather than being static. The key features of Uppsala theory are: Firms first of all achieve their knowledge from the home market before moving to the distant markets. Organizations start their overseas operations from culturally/ geographically and religiously close nations and progress slowly to culturally and geographically further far-away countries. Organizations also launch their overseas operations by making use of the traditional exports and slowly but surely moving to the using of a more intensified and demanding operational modes like sales subsidiaries at the company and target country level. It is the objectives of the firm to produce abroad I all markets. Transaction Cost Theory is a cost that is incurred in creating an economic trading (which is the cost of taking part in a market, economies of scale and transportation cost). This involves all the cost incurred from the starting of a particular transaction to the end. This is the summation of all the expenses involved in establishing a new market in a foreign country, this include both the explicit cost and the implicit cost and it affects both the both the service provider and the customer. Normally, it is advantageous to have the external transaction costs more than the internal transaction costs, this will guarantee the companys growth but, if the internal transaction costs are more than the external transaction costs this will lead the company to a downscale by outsourcing. Transaction cost economics arises when multinational companies are more efficient than their markets and contracts in organizing interdependencies between their agents that are located in different countries. It is the theory of the role and size of a firm. If a company plans to utilize a firm-specific asset in a foreign market and this utilization has to be done in that market due to their localization factors for example, trade barriers, high transportation costs and some other specific factors, the company can best do this by obtaining the required license to invest abroad on their own facilities rather than using that of the foreign countrys market. This is because; the more intangible the firm-specific assets are, the stronger its tendency of being successful would be. Transaction Cost theory is closely related to the internalization theory. With the transaction cost theory, firms always strive to minimize their cost at all point during their operations and decision making. This is why firms would need to consider to either entering a foreign market with their total assets or collaborating with their external partners as externalization (Williamson, 1975). The failure of a foreign emerging market strongly depends on this decision (Williamson, 1979). The key features of the Transaction Cost Theory are: * The transaction cost approach focuses on costs and how these costs would affect a firms choice of market and their modes of entry into a new boundary market. * This theory views organizational structure as a single important arrangement for establishing and safeguarding transactions and reducing transaction costs between participants and across organizational boundaries. * The Transaction cost covers all the costs of searching for information about a foreign market, products, buyers and sellers; negotiation costs; and monitoring which is part of the enforcement costs. * Transaction costs and transactional difficulties increases when transactions are characterized by: Asset specificity; Uncertainty (internal and external); and Frequency of transaction. * The international market decision is made in a rational manner base on the analysis of the cost of transaction. * Organizations make decisions based on the evaluations and comparing of their cost of an entry mode that is related to their objectives. Critiques of Transaction Cost theory This theory can be wrong and also dangerous for corporate managers because of its assumptions on which it is based on. Firms are not mere alternatives for the structuring of efficient transactions when markets results disappoints; they hold a strong advantages for leading and controlling certain kinds of economic actions via a strategy that is extremely unusual from that of a market both national and international. Transaction Cost theory is bad for being put into practice because it fails to recognize the just mentioned difference (Masten, 1993). Conclusively, Firms should select the organizational forms and locations for which transaction costs are minimized. (Donaldson O`Toole, 2007).A firm should expand its operations until their cost of making an extra transaction within the firm is equal to the cost of making similar or more transaction in another place (foreign market). The firm should first of all continue to grow internally until external sources have a cost advantage before externalizing (Hollensen, 2007). Network Model: In the network model theory, the market is seen as a system of social and industrial relationships among customers, suppliers, competitors, families and friends within a given boundary and beyond. This is for the purpose of creating the opportunity and motivation for internationalization. Following the network perspectives, the strategic decisions that are usually taken by organizations strongly depends on the relationships between the various parties and individual firms also depends on the resources that are controlled by other national and international firms. The structure of the Network Model can be demonstrated below: Actors Activities Resources (Johanson and Mattsson, 1988) The key features of the Network Model are as follows: * This model is based on the theories of social exchange and focuses on firm behavior in the context of inter-organizational and interpersonal relationships. * The glue that bonds the relationships together between the actors is based on technical, economic, legal and above all personal ties. * The long-term relationships between business actors and the background in which the organization operates have the illustrative significance in the description of the internationalization of firms. * A firm does not act alone in relation to other actors in a market. * A conjecture in this model is that an organization is reliant on other firms resources surrounded by the same network; an example is the customer and supplier relationships. Critiques of the Network Model The start-up problem in this model prevents even-adoption of superior products; excess sluggishness can occur as no actor is be willing to put up with the over proportional threat of being the first adopter of a standard. In many cases, the existence of network effects could lead to a weak and inferior result in markets (pareto-inferior). Also, In the case of sponsored technologies, there is a possibility to internalize the otherwise more or less lost of network gains by strategic inter-temporal pricing. Private incentives to providing networks that can overcome the inertia problems can be made possible but still the assurance of social optimality would not be certain. Conclusively, the network relationships are significant opportunities for the acquirement of resources and knowledge that are necessary for foreign development of firms. Also, the relationships of firms in a domestic network can be used as bridges to other networks in other Countries. Such direct and indirect bridges to different country networks can be important in the opening steps abroad and in the successive entry of new markets in an emerging industry. References Books Cyert, R.M., and March, J.G., (1963). A Behavioral Theory of the Firm. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. Donaldson, B., and OToole, T., (2007). Strategic Market Relationships: From strategy to Implementation. Chichester: John Wiley Sons. Hadjiikhani, A., and Johanson, M., (2001). Expectation- The Missing Link in the Internationalization Process Model. New Plymouth: Pergamon Press. Hollensen, S. (2001). Global Marketing- A market-responsive approach. 2nd ed. Gosport: Prentice Hall. Hakansson, H., and Johanson, J., (1992). A Model of Industrial Networks. Stockholm: Almquist Wiksell International. Hollensen, S. (2007). Global Marketing A Market-Responsive Approach, London: Prentice Hall. Johanson, J. associates, (1994). Internationalization, Relationships and Networks. Stockholm: Almqvist Wiksell International. Johanson, J., and Vahlne, J-E., (1977). The Internationalization Process of the Firm- A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments. Stockholm: Almquist Wiksell International. Johanson, J., and Vahlne, J-E. (1990). The Mechanism of Internationalization. Stockholm: Almquist Wiksell International. Johanson, J., and Mattson, L-G., (1988). Internationalization in Industrial Systems A network Approach in Strategies in Global Competition (ed. By Hood, N Vahlne J-E. 287-314). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Penrose, E., (1995). The Theory of the Growth of the Firm (3rd ed.). Great Britain: Oxford University Press. Williams, O., (1985). The Economic Institutions of Capitalism, New York: The Free Press JOURNALS Kotabe, M., and Helson, K., (2008). Global Marketing Management. A Journal of Global Marketing. 6th February, pp. 329-331. Whitelock, J., (2002). Theories of Internationalization and Their Impact on Market Entry. A Journal of International Marketing Review. 7th February, 342-344. Williams, O., (1979). Transaction Cost Economics: The Governance of Contractual Relations, Journal of Law and Economics. 3rd February, pp. 233-262.

Free Essays on Terrorism: A Message to the Terrorists :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

A Message to the Terrorists "You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard. "What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed. "Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause. "Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve. "Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together. "Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae -- a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though -- peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God. "Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals. "Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and, probably, the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before. "But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain.

Levinas vis-à-vis the Other Essay -- Religion Philosophy

Levinas vis-à  -vis the Other Philosophy, arising from its Greek tradition of a â€Å"love of wisdom†, seeks to critically examine those questions most fundamental to humankind; it is concerned with essential concepts (or rather, questions) of being (metaphysics), rightness and goodness, knowledge, truth and beauty. As a branch of metaphysics, ontology seeks, in particular, to understand the nature of being (or existence) by placing objects within categories and organized totalities, while always assuming God as the first cause (causa sui). (Rebidoux) Yet as most philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle and Descartes each attest to their distinct definition of â€Å"being†, there is an exception to these ontological contenders: Emmanuel Levinas. By avoiding strict classification or definition in his writings (he avoids putting the saying into the said), Levinas seems to desire participation, or an encounter with, his reader. Levinas’ personal history – including an early exposure to the Bible and Jewish philosophy - may explain both his somewhat unorthodox methods and his massive undertaking of transforming Talmudic concepts into Greek philosophy.(Rebidoux, 19 Jan 2004) No doubt influenced by a traumatic experience as a Jew during the Second World War, Levinas also owes much of his ideological foundation to his studies with Heidegger and Husserl, who greatly inspired his awareness of phenomenology. In his writings, he applies Husserlian knowledge of this science of phenomena, i.e. things apprehended by consciousness and concrete experiencei [i] , to his ontological inquiry into the essence of being. Levinas founds these theories primarily on the â€Å"face to face† encounter with â€Å"the Other†. His notion of the Other, borrowed ... ...ylink). 27 February 2004 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t98.e1245 6. Rebidoux, Michelle. Lecture. McGill University, Montreal. 21 January – 9 February 2004. Notes: [1] Left without any proof that the Infinite exists and having only a sense of transcendence and new-found ipseity, one’s experience of a â€Å"trauma of awakening† is no doubt completely and incommunicably personal, and therefore must be difficult for Levinas to convey to his readers, as it is for me to convey within the limits of this paper. [2] One’s own sense of self that arises from this initial inspiration of the Infinite would more aptly be called one’s ipseity, yet to speak of one’s ipseity would be to de-value its utmost personal meaning, and so for the purpose of this paper the ipseity of the Other will be referred to as his or her alterity.

The Origins of Masks

There is evidence that masks have been under the eye of the world for at least 20,000 years. There is evidence to prove this all over the world, which includes paintings on the walls of the insides of various different caves in Southern France, to images also painted or inscribed on the walls of pyramids in the Sahara desert of Egypt. Although our own British culture is extremely different to that of many others around the world, we are becoming increasingly more aware of how and why masks were first invented and the repercussions of them all around the globe. This is due to television documentaries, internet pages, and books at all of our local libraries. It is this point alone which initially brought my attention to that of the African Tribal, Japanese Theatrical and the Viennese Ball masks. Although these are all quite different types of masks, they all have similar reasons for existing, whether it is religious, celebratory, or even to shadow one's identity. By today's standards, many people believe the creation and use of masks to be only that of historical value; however this could not be more wrong as there is in depth evidence all around us which proves otherwise. African Tribal Mask. Example of Bamileke High Priest Mask taken from www.rebirth.co.za For many centuries African Tribal masks, played a major role in rituals, celebrations, ceremonial and tribal initiations. Masking rituals are normally accompanied with prayer, music, song and or dance. After researching the masks of African Tribes people, it is clearly visible that the different types of masks in which they use/used, fit in to eight different categories. However, the one that grasped my attention from the moment I set eyes upon it was the Bamileke Mask. When I first seen this mask I was immediately mesmerised by the fact that where it is reasonably bright and colourful, it becomes increasingly dull when the expressions of the face are observed. This fact initially led me to believe that this type of mask was created for funerary purposes; however this is merely the tip of the iceberg. The Bamileke mask was always worn by the chief of a particular tribe and it was this character that would take up the role of high priest, or chief, enabling him to initiate new-born babies to the tribe, lead celebratory or funerary rituals, lead his army in expeditions of war, harvesting and planting of crops and many more. â€Å"It is believed that when the Tribe leader wore the mask, he was transformed into animal form, primarily elephant, lizard, or buffalo. This allowed him to create a link between the human and spirit realm to seek guidance from his ancestors† (1). This is a prime example of the fact that the Bamileke mask was used for religious ceremonies, however from my own personal research, I think it would be unjust to declare that this mask is of purely religious qualities, because in this unique culture, everything which is done, whether it regards basic human survival techniques, or celebratory events, it is impossible to determine where religious elements come into the equation as they treat everything they do with such high regard. Bamileke masks are always constructed of a mixture of different natural materials. Where most traditional tribal masks were made from clay or mud, which was molded into the shape to fit the wearers face, the Bamileke mask was carved directly from the trunk of a tree which had been blessed by one of the elders before hand. It was then that a mixture of mud and sand was added on top of the wood to allow a suitable surface for painting, adding beads and stones, and in some cases, decorative leaves. Japanese Theatrical Mask. Example of Shikami Mask Taken from www.nohmask.com Japanese theatrical and dance performance masks are known as Noh masks. â€Å"Each individual mask represents a certain person, hero, devil, ghost or legendary animal, depending on what the character is in the performance†2. Masks were first used in Japan, since the Jomon period of time. This period of time spanned from 10,000 B.C; to 300 B.C. Out of all the Japanese masks that I came across while researching them, there was one particular mask that stood out to me above all of the others, the Shikami mask. These particular masks are used to represent a demon, (this can be taken literally or metaphorically, depending on the story line of the play). For example, if the certain play is centered on the afterlife or elements of a more dark, or gothic nature, the Shikami mask would more often than not be taken literally. However if the play was focusing on more modern themes, for example adultery, or murder, the Shikami mask would probably be metaphorical for a person who is to be looked upon as being of a more evil or bad nature. I believe that the way in which the Shikami mask is presented is extremely clever, as on many occasions, it would look like Satan or other dark or demonic characters as they would do so from a stereotypical point of view, in order to make the audience immediately scared or at least weary about them. A basic description which is used across many books and internet sources for a Shikami mask is, â€Å"Fierce scowling face, showing extreme agitation, used for demonic spirit. It expresses masculine rage. The Shikami mask features the application of dark red colour, to crow's-feet and temples of the head†3. Japanese masks are always made of materials such as clay, dry lacquer, cloth, paper, and wood. The Shikami mask in particular is handcrafted from wood, before it is painted in a shiny lacquer. This is done to make every element of the mask stand out. The main surface area of the Shikami mask was always painted bright red, in order to express the anger and ferocious nature of that particular characters aura. The eyes and teeth were always painted bright gold, in order to bring more attention to them rather than anywhere else on the mask, as it was these aspects of it which explained the theme of the mask in more detail. Viennese Ball Mask. Venetian Ball Masks originated from Venice in the 13th century, however the exact year in which they were invented is unclear. The first Carnival of Venice was recorded in 1268 and it was these events in which the masks were initially used. Where as the African Tribal and Japanese theatrical masks are not only harder to come by, but are always a lot more expensive, Viennese Ball masks can be found as easily as looking through your everyday shop windows. The fact that they are always a lot more decorative and fancy in a sense, they are commonly used for public holidays, the most famous of which being Halloween. Example of Renaissance Long Nose mask taken from www.nohmask.com Viennese masks were originally invented so that a certain person, usually who came from an upper class background, could participate in activities which they would not normally do so. There are a wide range of different Viennese masks, some of which merely cover only the eyes, to others which cover the vast majority of the face, and some times even the hair or neck of the wearer. This allows them to engage in certain activities which they would not normally do so, and keeps their true identity hidden from the public eye. In modern day life, there have been many adaptations of the Viennese Ball mask to adequately obtain discretion, for example a balaclava. However this form of discretion has enabled many illegal activities to be completed more successfully, and nowadays they are commonly banned from sale at many major retailers in a bid to try and discourage these things from happening. When they were first invented, Viennese Ball masks were more often than not made with papier machete. This was achieved by taking a mould direct from a person's face, and then building off that. In more modern situations however, plastic or latex was used, as it was simply easier to gain a more precise and accurate version of the design in which the person desired. On most occasions, a mold was created first, using the same techniques of the papier machete way; however melted plastic is then placed in to the mould, effectively making it quicker and in most cases cheaper to produce. A certain Viennese mask which I was drawn to, was the renaissance long nose mask. Considering the time period in which these masks were originally created, it astounds me to even consider how such a complex design was achieved with the tools that they would have had access to. The initial idea of the long, pointed nose was almost a superstition as it was believed to be an imitation of the devise which was used to hold vinegar in around the time of the bubonic plague to hold off the disease, or at least the bad odors of the sick or dying. Conclusion. From the research which I have gathered about these three different masks, I have discovered that although they all originated in extremely different circumstances, the reasons for their creations are not all that different. It is clear to me that whether the reason for the masks' being is to allow someone to transform into animal form in order to get in touch with their spiritual or ancestral roots, or simply just to shadow someone's everyday personality, they have been put their, in place in order to allow a person to change their usual form; almost a form of escapism. It ha also come to my attention that whether it regards masks, or any other aspect of a certain culture which is different to our own, they are most definitely not to be underestimated no matter what time period in which it derives from.

Banning Catcher in the Rye Essay

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger should not be banned in schools based solely on the fact that it is a controversial book that uses harsh language and sexual references. This book is J. D. Salinger’s freedom of speech, and it is a violation of the first amendment for schools to ban this book. This book is only offering an inside look into what teenagers go through in some point of their lives. According to the Los Angeles Times, The Catcher in the Rye’s, â€Å"†¦ profanity and sexual references drew scandalized reactions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Rotella 18). Although this book has many sexual references, it is not in any way as explicit and as bad as what teenagers see and hear nowadays on television and in the world. Holden occasionally thinks and talks about sex: â€Å"Most guys at Pencey talked about having sexual intercourse with girls all the time. † (Salinger 48). The average teenager often thinks and talks about sex. It is not unusual for teenagers to do this. The profanity in this book is also not as bad as it may seem. Patty Salazar, a concerned mother and religious activist, claims that, â€Å"‘It uses the Lord’s name in vain 200 times’† (Rotella 17), but the curse words used in The Catcher in the Rye are nothing that teenagers have not heard before in their everyday lives. Banning The Catcher in the Rye in school is not acceptable. It is a violation of the first amendment, and it is nothing far from what teenagers encounter everyday. This book gives teenagers someone in literature that they are able to relate to in one way or another. The Catcher in the Rye is not a book that will corrupt young readers. The underlying theme of this book is loss of innocence. This loss occurs when a teenager makes the change to adulthood where he or she is obscured by phoniness. By banning this book from schools, the only thing that teenagers would be sheltered from is reality.

Gender Stereotypes in Gary Winick’s Bride Wars Essay

2009 has not exactly been a fruitful year—so far—for the American filmmaking industry, at least in terms of quality and originality. If the latter part of 2008, as in most years, was marked by the release of some of the most memorable films in history, the first four months of 2009 have mostly made-for-children movies, romantic comedies, and guy-bonding flicks. Bride Wars is a relatively superficial take on women’s obsession with weddings, and is currently ranked at number nine in the list of top-grossing films worldwide. Directed by Gary Winick and starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson, Bride Wars narrates the lifelong friendship of Emma and Liv—women in their mid-20s who, as young girls, made plans for almost identical weddings. When they hire the same wedding planner who schedules them both on the same time, day, and venue, the conflict begins and the ‘wars’ take place. A series of impossible schemes hatched by each to hinder the other’s plans ensues, yet ultimately end in happy endings for both. Despite its arguable shallowness and lack of believability, Bride Wars may still be evaluated according to specific themes inherent in the discussion of the female psyche: conforming to cultural and social traditions, particularly in terms of gender roles and expectations. The pivotal scene is revealed at the very beginning of the film, as the young Emma and Liv are shown with their respective mothers at The Plaza Hotel, an upscale location for weddings. They both witness a newly-married couple—the groom looking dashing in a suit and the bride in an exquisite gown—in a moment of utter romance and love; this singular image drives both girls to make a pact to have their own weddings in the same place. But more than the desire to be wed at The Plaza, the most notable element in this scene is the accepted—even expected—notion of marriage, without essentially considering the function of the process as a partnership. By being presented with an image that fully conforms to the traditional concept of women and their social roles, the young girls immediately associate this with their own goals and ambitions. Though later scenes show how they both pursued their individual interests—public relations for Liv and teaching for Emma—it is apparent how getting married is still their priority. The concept of marriage in this film is limited to the actual wedding, with a few flimsy forays into the discussion of sharing a life with another person. That first image set the boundaries of the ideology chosen by the filmmaker, as evidenced by the dreamlike treatment accorded to it; it sends the message of perfection and idealism as befitting women by being a bride. After all the events that had taken place, Emma and Liv kept their friendship and even resulted in Emma marrying Liz’ brother Nate. Unsurprisingly, the last scene proved to be the answer to the first—with the two women meeting after their honeymoons, and revealing that they were both pregnant. It is evident how this scene was meant to provide the punchline to the film, leaving its audience assuming that the same ‘war’ would take place later. However, it also reinforces the established parameters set by weddings, since pregnancy and giving birth is the traditional next step after the union. The happy occasion of revelation and reconnection exhibits the place of childbirth in the context of the female role, yet it fails again to make any argument regarding the personal significance of bearing children. Bride Wars, though peppered with pup culture references and modern concepts, is centuries behind in terms of gender issues and breaking free from stereotypes. Light romances and comedies are not strictly confined to such superficial subjects, which shows why Bride Wars is a film only meant for commercial objectives. How We Think, Speak, and Feel: An Understanding of Human Behavior in Three Films Visitors from another planet are perhaps the best test subjects for the assessment of texts, particularly films. Since cinema is a depiction of human behavior and portrays concepts gleaned from human experience, having extraterrestrials view films—given that they understand the language—will allow them to achieve a sense of what and how humans are. Rather than take them through a historical representation of human life through films, it would be best to introduce them to the inherent traits found in most cultures—through intelligence, language, and psychology. The three films that may be able to communicate these are A Beautiful Mind for intelligence, When Harry Met Sally for language, and Doubt for psychology and its permutations. Ron Howard’s 2001 film A Beautiful Mind is based on the life of gifted scientist and mathematician John Forbes Nash, and narrates his journey into schizophrenia and depression. But the film is also a real-life account of a man given an extraordinary amount of talent, which shows the extent to which the human mind can progress. This information would be essential to the extraterrestrial visitors, for it will let them know how humans think; whether it reveals similarities or not is the ultimate goal of the exercise. Since Nash’s expertise is in numbers and formulas, logic is the knowledge represented in the film, which may be more ‘universal’ compared to politics, economics, or other contextual topics. In the film, Nash is shown as having his own world apart from the people around him, only surrounding himself with equations and other methods pertaining to scientific and explainable phenomena. This is clearly presented in the scene where he writes his formulas on a glass window, consumed by the process and unaffected by his environment. Seeing a human engage in such intellectual activity may inform extraterrestrials of the workings of the human mind, specifically this advanced depiction of thinking processes. On top of that, Nash’s account of seeing UFOs and aliens may appear to be a point of connection with this particular audience, as it shows how human validate their existence. The 2008 film Doubt, directed by John Patrick Shanley, is set in a Catholic Church in New York in 1964. During this time, the notions of faith and religion were primarily dictated by priests—portrayed as almost immortal beings who could do no wrong. However, assumptions about the unusual behavior of Father Flynn, the parish priest, were made by the nuns tasked to care for and educate the children in the school run by the church. The result was doubt in authority and in the general power of organized religion, and eventually in the faith of the nuns in their chosen vocation. Introducing the alien guests to these concepts will acquaint them with the complex values and traditions of humans, which are directly associated with the idea of faith in a Higher Being. The image of Father Flynn is meant to symbolize faith itself, and accusing him of improper behavior—in this case, an illicit relationship with a young boy—shows how humans are capable of acting against established rules. What the aliens may glean from this could be the debate between the human need for something to believe in, whether seen or unseen, and the alternative human quality of logical analysis based on observable phenomena. When Harry Met Sally, released in 1989 and directed by Nora Ephron, is one of the most effective portrayals of the differences between men and women. Language is one of the issues illustrated by the film, and it would benefit the extraterrestrials to see how men and women think and express themselves differently. The film narrates the friendship of Harry and Sally, which eventually ended in romance after years of struggling to keep it platonic. The iconic scene where Harry and Sally are in a restaurant arguing over sexual attitudes of men and women reveals both mindset and language, as their discussion is progressed by their opposing views and the final act of Sally faking an orgasm. Aliens and non-humans will find this portrayal extremely significant, for it almost shows how men and women are of different life forms as well. It also illustrates the mating habits of both men and women, which may be similar to their own. These three films will definitely equip the extraterrestrials with enough information and knowledge to guide them toward a better understanding of human behavior. But while these films tackle some of the basic realities present in most societies all over the world, more complicated concepts—such as war and poverty—can only be understood after fully comprehending the abilities and capacities of humans, since these are effects of a misguided use of innate human traits. References Ephron, N. (Dir. ) (1989). When Harry Met Sally. Columbia Pictures. Howard, R. (Dir. ) (2001). A Beautiful Mind. Universal Pictures. Shanley, J. P. (Dir. ) (2008). Doubt. Miramax Films. Winick, G. (Dir. ) (2009). Bride Wars. 20th Century Fox.

Super Essay

Writing an Essay See also: Super Tips – Differences between Essays, Reports and Journals Super Tips – Writing in an Appropriate Style Essays are usually written: †¢ to inform your reader about your position in relation to a particular issue †¢ to argue for change or recommend action †¢ to analyse problems and present solutions †¢ to present and evaluate research findings Writing an essay is an opportunity for you to develop new ideas and apply concepts and theories from your course. You’ll develop a thesis (or position) and use reasoning and evidence to support your point of view. A tertiary essay is similar to essays you’ve written at secondary school, particularly those written in your last couple of years at school. However, there are some differences you need to be aware of: †¢ Citing all the sources you use is extremely important. If you don’t, you’ll be guilty of plagiarism, which is taken very seriously by the University. You can find out how to cite your sources and write reference lists in the Learning Links – Referencing leaflet. Most essays will be longer than you’ve written at secondary school (most are between 1500 and 2500 words) and will be worth a large percentage of your semester’s marks. You’ll usually be expected to analyse issues at a deeper level than you did at secondary school. †¢ †¢ This resource has some useful hints on how to analyse your essay topic, plan and write your essay. Steps in the essay writing process Although no two writers work in the same way, there is a general system that many good writers follow. This system involves following the step-by-step process outlined below. Skim through the main points now, and when you need to write an essay, check out the extra information about each point. 1. Analyse the question – underline key words – put question into own words – look for hints on structure ‘Brainstorm’ the question – to take stock of what you already know 2. Learning Links Super Tips/writing an essay www. rmit. edu. au/lsu February 2005 1 – to give you a focus for your reading – to give you the beginnings of a plan 3. Start your research – begin with general reading – look for potential ways to structure your essay – remember to record bibliographical details and page numbers of references as you go Plan the essay – write down the main points/arguments, preferably using a mind map – write any secondary points and their relationship to the main points Continue your research – this is focused research, where you seek further information about each of the main points/arguments Write! most people find it easier to concentrate on the body first, then the conclusion, followed by the introduction †¢ decide on a logical order for your points/arguments †¢ remember that each paragraph should contain one idea, which is stated in the topic †¢ sentence. Other sentences in the paragraph should explain, give evidence for and possibly give examples. †¢ concentrate on one point at a time, but in your final editing, make sure each paragraph is linked to the next †¢ expect to write several drafts †¢ don’t worry about spelling, grammar, sentence structure or finding the ‘right’ word until you’ve finalised the content of the essay. . 5. 6. Analysing the question Once you’ve selected your topic, you need to be sure you understand what it means before you begin any researching or reading. A common problem is to make a quick assumption that you know what it means and what’s expected of you. However, if you’re wrong, even if you write a great essay, you won’t get very high marks if it doesn’t do what the topic says it will do. Here are some strategies: †¢ Underline or highlight the key content words or phrases and direction words (such as discuss, evaluate, analyse, etc. and make sure you understand them. It’s easy to overlook the direction words, but if you just describe something when you’ve been asked to analyse it, your essay is likely to get fe w marks. Check here to make sure you know the meaning of each. Here’s an example of the process: Learning Links Super Tips/writing an essay www. rmit. edu. au/lsu February 2005 2 Essay topic: ‘Explain the double-binds that managers are faced with in hierarchical organisations. The key content words are: double-bind; manager; and hierarchical organisations. The direction word is explain. You probably think you already know what these words mean, but it pays to make sure you’re not overlooking some part of the meaning. For instance, if you really think about these words, you might come up with these definitions: Explain: to analyse, focusing on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of a particular issue; to identify reasons, causes and effects; to go beyond describing and summarising. ouble-bind: a dilemma; an argument forcing an opponent to choose one of two equally bad alternatives a person conducting a business or institution; manager: a person controlli ng activities of a person/team hierarchical organisations: an organised system, or set of connected things or parts in some type of order such as order of importance. †¢ Re-write the topic in your own words. This is a useful way of checking whether you’ve really understood the question. For example, for the topic mentioned above, two possible ways of re-writing could be: ‘Analyse why and how the dilemmas come about that are faced by people who lead, guide and direct systems (organised with levels and ranks). Identify the causes and effects of these dilemmas. ’ ‘Analyse the causes and effects of dilemmas faced by persons leading, guiding and directing ranked systems. ’ †¢ Identify what concepts or ideas from your course apply to this topic (refer to your lecture or class notes and any other readings). Think about any controversies or arguments in relation to this topic (your lecturers or teachers will probably have referred to these). Write out a short statement giving your position on the topic. This may change after you’ve done some research and thought more about the topic, but if you do it at this stage it’s easier for you to keep focused. Write down relevant information about the topic. Make notes about the areas of the topic you need to research. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Learning Links Super Tips/writing an essay www. rmit. edu. au/lsu February 2005 3 †¢ Write a possible outline of the essay. This is likely to change as you research the topic but it’s useful to think of the organisation of your essay even at this stage. Brainstorming the question Brainstorming is a useful process to find out what you already know about the essay topic. Get a large piece of paper and let your mind go – write down anything that comes to mind when you think of the essay topic. It’s important that you don’t stop to think about whether what you’re writing is relevant or not. The next step is to look at what you’ve written and look for the beginnings of a plan for your essay. At this stage you can cross out anything you don’t think is relevant and, of course, add other things you think of. Beginning your research Now you need to locate appropriate references. You need to first read widely to get an overview of the topic, problem, issue or debate, then narrow your reading down to a few specific authors or key issues. You should find reference material in the library, in resources or bibliographies from your teacher or lecturer, and on the Internet. A word of warning when using the Internet, however – check to see that the information comes from a reliable and reputable source. Remember, also, that the RMIT librarians can help you. Remember to make notes as you go, and to record all bibliographic information as soon as you make a note or photocopy. It can take weeks of backtracking to find out where you got that wonderful quote you need to use! When you feel confident that you’ve read enough material, you need to develop a thesis statement. This is your position in relation to the topic. It’s the driving force throughout your essay. Planning your essay An essay outline is like the skeleton of your argument. You can do this linearly (writing a list of main points with secondary points indented) or visually (for instance, drawing a mind map or other diagram). Whichever format you use, you’ll need to identify: †¢ the main point †¢ your supporting points or elaborations †¢ the evidence you’ll use to support each point. Learning Links Super Tips/writing an essay www. rmit. edu. au/lsu February 2005 4 For an example of a linear and a mind map outline for an essay and the sample essay that was developed from them, check out the Learning Links – Sample Essay leaflet. Continuing your research This is the easy part of your research because you know what information you’re looking for. You’ve done your preliminary research and organised this information into an outline, and now your task is to find more information about each of the points on your outline. At this stage, as well as more information about points on your outline, you may find another point or two that you need to add. This is OK – just reorganise your essay outline. Writing your essay Finally, you can begin writing. You don’t have to write your essay in the same order that people read it. Sometimes you might find that writing the introduction first helps you to be clear about the content and intention of the essay. However, at other times you might find that it’s better to write in this order: †¢ †¢ †¢ Write the body first (because this is the most important part) then write the conclusion (so you can sum up while your main arguments are fresh in your mind) and finally write the introduction (because sometimes it’s difficult to write it until you’re clear about what it is you’re introducing). This is the stage when you need to think of the writing style. You need to write in an academic style (check out the Learning Links – Writing in an Appropriate Style leaflet) and you need to write clear paragraphs and sentences. Writing the body of the essay In the body of the essay, all the preparation you’ve done so far comes together. Follow the outline you’ve made already and write paragraphs with: †¢ †¢ †¢ Main Points Supporting Points Elaboration Main Point Learning Links Super Tips/writing an essay www. rmit. edu. au/lsu February 2005 5 Write down one of your main ideas, in sentence form. If your main idea is ‘private enterprise should not run public utilities', you might say this: The Longford Gas Inquiry revealed to the community the damaging consequences of private ownership of public enterprises. Supporting Point Next, write down each of your supporting points for that main idea, but leave four or five lines in between each point. One of your supporting points may be: Private companies are obliged to run their operations in an entirely different way to government. Elaboration You may find the visual outline useful here. In the space under each supporting point, write down some elaboration for that point. Elaboration can be further description, explanation, examples, support from research or discussion: When the main point of an operation is to make a profit, efficiency and safety can be the first to suffer. A private company is not answerable to the Victorian community in the same way that the government is. Public utilities remain a matter of political importance even when they are privatised. You flesh out your body paragraphs in this way, and use joining sentences and quotations. Once you have fleshed out each of your body paragraphs, one for each main point, you are ready to continue. For example: When the Kennett Liberal government came to power in 1992, it considered that part of its mandate was the privatisation of a number of public enterprises. The first utilities to be sold off were gas and electricity. Although Esso had always operated a gas plant at Longford, (near Sale in East Victoria) it had previously done so in partnership the government through the Victorian Gas and Fuel Corporation. Esso now ran the plant and supplied the gas through Vencorp, a private company that had replaced one of the delivery functions of the Gas and Fuel Corporation. On Thursday 24 September 1998 a series of explosions at the Esso Longford plant left two people dead and eight injured. The explosion left gas supplies at dangerously low levels, with the only gas available for consumers being what was left in the pipes. Victorians faced a crisis in terms of dwindling gas supplies and naturally enough turned to their government for leadership. Whilst the governments was able to invoke special powers to protect gas supplies, it was not in fact responsible for the continuing delivery of gas to consumers. In this paragraph, which would probably be the first body paragraph, we have introduced our main point of privatisation, and sub-points of how that particular example worked. We have fleshed it out with factual information surrounding the situation, and closed the paragraph with reference to the explosion at Longford. In the second body paragraph which follows this one we might include a description of the explosion and its aftermath, and possibly why and how it happened Learning Links Super Tips/writing an essay www. rmit. edu. au/lsu February 2005 6 Writing the introduction The introduction should be designed to attract the reader’s attention and give an idea of the essay’s focus. You need to set out clearly, concisely and forcefully your approach to, and interpretation of, the question as well as your point of view on it. You might wish to agree with part of the question but disagree with other parts. If so, make sure this is clear in your introduction. The introduction should also include a general broad outline of the more detailed arguments you will write about in the main body of your essay. Most introductions have information organised from the general (broad) to the specific (narrow). Introductions should include: * A general statement introducing the topic * A thesis statement expressing your point of view * A statement outlining the areas and perspectives to be discussed * An outline of the organisation of the topic (optional) * Any definitions necessary for the reader to understand the topic (but if there are many, or if they need explaining at length, it’s better to do this in the next paragraph) Writing the conclusion A good conclusion should draw the arguments together and reinforce points made in the body of the essay. There is more variation in the contents and organisation of a conclusion than there is in an introduction. However, there are some features many have in common. A conclusion should: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ remind the reader of the thesis of the essay provide a summary of the main points and arguments point to the significance of your findings point out the implications of the issues not simply restate the introduction. contain no new material (i. e. it should not introduce any new points). Check the instructions for formatting and style Learning Links Super Tips/writing an essay www. rmit. du. au/lsu February 2005 7 When you prepare your final draft, it’s important to follow all of the instructions you’ve been given. Some Departments, Schools and Faculties have a style guide for student writing, or sometimes you’re given a sheet at the beginning of the year with formatting and style instructions. If you haven’t been given any inform ation, ask your lecturer or teacher if they or the department have any style preferences. Here are some style and formatting questions you should find out: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ How big should the margins be? Is there an official cover sheet? What information (eg date, lecturer’s or teacher’s name, course number, etc) must you include? Should I double-space my lines? Should I put it in a folder or plastic sheet? What referencing style should I use? Check your writing This is the stage when you need to review, edit and proofread so you can improve the way you present your ideas. A good way to do it is to read your paper when it’s finished and then put it away for a couple of days. Read it again and answer these questions: †¢ †¢ †¢ Does it make sense? Is there a logical development of ideas? Do the sentences flow smoothly from one to another? If not, add some words to help connect them. Look at transition words you’ve used, such as therefore and however. If you’ve used the same transition words throughout your essay, check out some others you could use. Is your spelling, punctuation and grammar OK? Have you used the formatting requested by your lecturer or teacher? Have you used the referencing style expected by your lecturer or teacher? Have you checked your references list or bibliography to see that it is correctly formatted? †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Once you’ve checked your work, give it to someone else to read (preferably someone who isn’t familiar with your topic). Other people often pick up the simple mistakes or ‘typos’ such as writing and for an. When we read our own work, we often read what we think is there rather than what’s actually there. The final thing for you to do is to make sure you have another electronic copy as well as another printed copy just in case your essay goes astray. Learning Links Super Tips/writing an essay www. rmit. edu. au/lsu February 2005 8 These materials were produced by the RMIT Learning Skills Unit. For further information or comments please email judy. [email  protected] edu. au Learning Links Super Tips/writing an essay www. rmit. edu. au/lsu February 2005 9