Child Rearing Styles

My research participants were working class parents, one of whom is a 35 year old Indian male which is the same ethnic group as I am (participant 1) and the other a 26 year old White male (participant 2). With regard to the information gathered, both parents have similar parenting styles. Both scored highest for authoritative child-rearing style (32 for participant 1 and 38 for participant 2) and second highest on authoritarian parenting style (with scores of 31 and 35 respectively). Tutorial Letter 101 for PYC4805 (2013) mentions that high scores of these two parenting styles could indicate that these parents follow the authoritative style but may act in accordance with the authoritarian style in certain situations (Tut letter 101 PYC4805). Kendra Cherry of About. com enlightens us on each parenting style; the authoritative style parents establish rules and guidelines for which children are expected to follow. This parenting style is much more democratic. Parents are responsive, nurturing, forgiving rather than punishing as well as willing to listen to their children and supply them with advice and guidance. The authoritarian style explains that there are strict rules which parents implement for their children to follow and failure of abiding by these rules is most likely to result in punishment. Parents of this style generally neglect to explain the reasoning behind these rules. These parents place high demands on their children, but are not responsive to them. Uninvolved parenting styles yielded the lowest scores of 19 and 10 for each participant; this is characterised by few demands, low responsiveness and little communication. The prosocial behaviour scores were again very similar (participant 1 scored 90 and participant 2 scored 87). Participant one's child is a 5 year old boy and has more experience in social settings with other children. He attends school and has 3 siblings of which he is the second child, as well as spending a lot of time with other family members, especially his grandparents; this creates many environments in which to adapt and learn prosocial skills. Dekovic & Janssens (1992) found that a child's acceptance by a peer group plays an important role in his or her social and personality development. Participant two's child is a 2 year old boy, is an only child and does not attend day-care and lacks exposure to social settings involving other children. He spends on average, 70 hours a week with his father and is also at an age where he depends on the care of his parents more. Participant 1 spends an average of 29 hours a week.

Pricing Strategy and Distribution Essay

Nature Beauty Price strategy will be the penetration theory for my product. Penetration is pricing low to stimulate the sales, encourage trail, and trigger by word of mouth. Nature Beauty’s mineral powder foundation will not be a new product that no company has similar to. We will need to start by gaining the trust of the consumers by word of mouth and different marketing strategies to the targeted customers. This way once the product has some buzz and customers appreciate the products value, we can price the mineral powder foundation at higher price do to the demand of the product. The competing cosmetic company has a similar product that claims help the skin improve. This company will be established in the cosmetic industry and customers will have trust in them. We at Nature Beauty are striving to become a powerhouse cosmetic line so we can price according the value we believe we hold. Penetration strategy is the best the company because there are a lot of other producst that compliments the mineral powder foundation and other general everyday hygiene use type of products that want to bring out. With this strategy we can price the other products low as well and hopefully with the trust of Nature Beauty mineral powder foundation gains it will help us introduce them. Even though Nature Beauty can be considered a luxury cosmetic, we also want it to become a necessity to the consumers as well. We want the demand for it increases by making the consumers feel like this product is a need and want them to live by this Brand. Penetration strategy will also work with medium pricing range. Medium is a competitive approach. Pricing the mineral powder foundation could be slightly price above or slightly price below. Nature Beauty picks slightly below. This goes into the theory for starting off low in and gaining value to price higher. We want the customers to perceive this product as safe and efficient and more valuable compared to the leading cosmetic competitor. I believe we will have to start out as an alternative cosmetic and show that we are just as good or a better brand. Also with the feedback from the customer’s feedback and response to our product, can determine the value of its offering. The leading competitor pricing strategy are mostly medium or high leaning towards the Skimming theory. You have companies like Revlon, Cover Girl who are well known, easy, and are very accessible to the consumer at your local drug store or even supermarkets. They put off a new product and it is the priced high and after a while you will see the product come down then maintain at lower price. Nature Beauty is pricing tactics is Value pricing. According to EZine articles. com, Value pricing is a strategy that businesses with a high value product or service use. The strategy is to sell the high value product or service at a low, value price. Note: this price is not to be below cost but at what the customer would perceive to be a low price. Nature Beauty believes this a good fit for its product because all of the products are really good, safe, and highly effective. Also Ezine articles mentioned that â€Å"Customers’ perceptions are influenced by the value they perceive in the relationship between the attributes of the product or service and the price they will have to pay for that product or service. Customers also are influenced by price comparison amongst similar products or services†. Nature Beauty provides a product that conceals the unwanted blemishes, scars, tattoos, and gives you a even flawless skin tone while with the alone extracts, and organic ingredients helps improve your skin for a softer and clearer skin. We believe if the consumers see the attributes that this product have and also trust the other product that compliments the mineral powder foundation, we will price higher to the true value of the product. Even though we are using the Value pricing tactic, Nature Beauty believes we are a good brand and want the consumers to believe that we are high quality with a good price. In the psychology of pricing the â€Å"price is a clear, tangible cue, higher the price set the highest expectation. However, even though it’s easier to start high and lower prices later down the line, depending on sales of the products, we don’t want to jump the broom on the price set. We believe that we meet the expectation for a higher price and will strive to become a brand that can set a premium price like it leading competitors. Nature Beauty does want to use the theory framing on the products that compliments the mineral powder foundation. Framing is pricing higher prices and then discount to make the consumers feel better. There will be promotions that will give consumers the chance to try these products such lotion, facial cleanser, beauty bar soap, make-up remover wipes, and future idea products for free or at a discounted price. But they will not always be on sale. Nature beauty will push these products out individually starting out high then discounting them after we introduced the new and latest product.

An Empty Purse Frightens Away Friends

With the so-called  modernization  of the world we inhabit, avariciousness is increasing in the people. Increased facilities mean increased demands and an increased demand means more  stinginess  and with more stinginess comes more treacherousness. Diplomacy has become dominant over chasteness. Even the purity of blood relations and innocence of love is at the verge of extinction. Friendship which once was considered the most immaculate relation is no longer filled with the heartiest emotions of devotion, abstemiousness and harmony.People, these days, like agreements more than relations and friendship. Disloyalty has been the nature of every creature ever since life was concocted. Dog is constantly used in the sayings regarding faithfulness, when gets mad, bites its own master. Some control this evil part (disloyalty) of their complexion, while others bluntly expose it. Many such examples are there in history in which acquisitiveness and perfidiousness overshadowed loyalty. I n the start of human race the two sons of Adam fought, and Cain killed Abel despite their blood relation.Since then, human beings are murdering the beautiful emotions like fidelity and adherence. Its intensity has increased, and is increasing as the time is passing. And humanity is being replaced by inhumanness  in society. Friends no longer have the degree of affinity that they once used to have. Nowadays, it is not love or affection that inspires one to be friend with someone; money and status are the factors that matter these days. Persons are friends in just fair weather, when the status drops or money ends, they tend to leave one in the lurch.We read many stories regarding loyalty and friendship like â€Å"three friends and a bag of gold† in which three childhood friends murder each other just for a bag of gold, because when there is money the eyes and heart go blind. As Dr Thomas Fuller mentioned in his â€Å"Gnomologia: Adagies and Proverbs†, â€Å"Money is t he sinew of love as well as war. † People want interest in everything, even if there are emotions at the stake. People make friends not because they are inspired by the loyalty or ersonality of the person but because they are seeing their profit in the friendship, and when this specific profit of theirs starts converting to loss, they disappear like they never even knew or they had a complete overhauling of their mind which made them to forget every little detail of the person they once were so close to. It is very difficult to find a friend that stands with one through thick and thin. If one has a loyal friend than one has got more than one’s share.

The Importance of Music in Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Importance of Music in Schools - Essay Example This article stresses that while music education can provide a great deal of benefits to the developing child as they make their way from kindergarten through high school, there are still some concerns as to how to make this education benefit all children. While music education of any kind has been amply proven in the literature to have significant beneficial effects upon brain development in the form of creating additional neural pathways and increasing efficiency of operation, the ways in which it does this are still not understood or fully explained to the satisfaction of all. Although several studies have indicated that children who participate in music education generally have better academic scores in a variety of fields than those students who did not benefit from any kind of music education, this, too, has not been sufficiently linked to previous music experience, or the effects of said experience, to satisfy everyone to the extent that issues such as disrupted classes and re duced core classroom time are justified. This paper makes a conclusion that while students have been observed to respond favorably to music education in terms of developing their own personal set of values and positive behaviors, even to the extent that disruptive behavior has been seen to decrease among this student population, there are also significant concerns regarding the actual effects this sort of education might have on minority groups. This is due to the inequalities of musical representation presented in these classes as well as the lack of studies conducted on the need of more well-rounded music education to be introduced.

Personal Statement of Project Management Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Of Project Management - Personal Statement Example The course is suitable for individuals, who are from various employment backgrounds and have the ability, skills and knowledge to become a project manager. In this course I will get to understand the techniques and processes that are linked with project management. The process includes management of cost, time, quality, communication, risk and human resources. I will also get to understand the procurement process of the resources that are required for the completion of the project. The program also aims at training the individuals to lead a team and impart motivation skills (Northeastern University, 2013). Presently, responsibilities of project managers have increased over the years with the increase in number of failed projects. The failure or success company projects are dependent on the abilities and skills of the project managers. Products and services of a company needs get launched in the market in a particular period of time. If there is delay in the procurement process of raw materials then the launch of the products is hold back simultaneously. This delay in procurement process can be rectified by an efficient project by contacting a good supplier and convince them to supply the raw materials within a specified time so that the manufacturing process of the products are not hampered. Hence, in order to avoid disturbance in the manufacturing process companies needs to hire skilled project managers, who can effectively manage each step of the project (Northeastern University, 2013). The role of project managers is very challenging as the success or failure of projects is dependent on them. Appropriate sets of skill are required delivering vital projects on time within a particular budget. The project manager has to lead a large team where the team members have different though process and behavior; he has to lead and motivate them to do specific works for the successful completion of projects. The

Inquiry letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Inquiry letter - Assignment Example Do they initiatives fully counter the challenges? 4. What leads to either the failure or success of firms in the Parma PDO Ham Sector? What tactics and methods are used to determine whether a firm has failed or succeeded in a particular year? How does the sector’s management ensure that the firms with debts pay them? 5. What characteristics place a firm in the SMEs category of the Parma PDO Ham Sector? What provisions are put in place to ensure that a SME does not go bankrupt? Does the sector have a limitation on the number of firms involved? 6. What is the comparison between the profit margins and the financial margins? Are there statistically significant differences? What approaches are applied to calculate the Interest Coverage Ratios (ICRs)? Are there any similarities between the traditional and non-traditional Interest coverage Ratios (ICRs)? 8. How is the general equation of the balance sheet in the Parma PDO Ham Sector expressed? Which factors and results are compared in the sector’s balance sheet? Which specific intermediate profit margins are applied as variables and why? 9. What strategies doe the Parma PDO Ham Sector put into place to ensure that firms can differentiate in the production and at the same time raise the sales? What demerits come with these strategies? Are there any characteristics that have the effect of increasing the capital needs? 10. Are there any characteristics of production and investment applied by the sector that affect the capital structure? What are the large amounts of capital required by the firms for? Is there any correlation between economic and financial margins? If yes, what is the main cause of the correlation? If No, what strategies do you apply to avoid this 11. Do the Parma PDO Ham processing firms often have difficulties paying interest charges and distributing dividends? What is the analysis of the relationship between the sector firms and the

Case Analysis of 'Genetic Screening' Assignment

Case Analysis of 'Genetic Screening' - Assignment Example Excessive use of chemicals caused this haemolytic anaemia. On the other hand, the cost of health insurance was also increasing. Therefore, the employees were demanding to avail a smoke-free workplace environment. Looking into this matter, the employers tried to provide routine medical screening, drug testing and smoke-free environment facilities. (B) Several critics of DuPont stated that the genetic testing allowed the organisation to transfer the workers, but it was necessary to clean up the workplace environment. It is the major solution to the problems. Nobody can work at zero emission. The organisation had to ensure the health and safety workplace aspect. However, it is not right to relocate the employees. The organization should take care of all the employees and should provide routine medical check-up to all the employees. (C) The organisation did not take any initiative to clean up the workplace environment. Moreover, it was relocating its affected employees to the smoke-free areas. First and foremost, the organisation had to solve the basic problem. Then they had to think about the good health of the employees. The organisation did nothing regarding these two aspects. Therefore, development of law was required in order to restrict it. Question 2 This question will discuss some moral aspects. ... It is their basic right (Cherrie, Howie & Semple 2011, p.51). It is the right of the employees to file legal complaints against the management of the organisation. (B) The outcome is quite serious or critical. The employees were suffering from haemolytic anaemia. According to utilitarianism theory, the organisations should provide a hazard-free working environment to the employees (Collins & Schneid 2010, p. 39). The management of the organisation needed to review the safety aspect of the workplace environment right after the incident, but they relocated their affected employees. (C) The organisation did not take care of all the employees. It has proposed genetic screening but not for all the employees. It is illegal. Attaining a safe workplace environment is the basic right of the employees. Moreover, the organisation did not compensate the affected employees or rectify the basic workplace challenges or issues (Spellman & Bieber 2011, p.87). There is a possibility for the organisati on to face legal challenges based on unethical business operations. Question 3 There are specific moral obligations for the employer that DuPont needs to assume in this case. The operation of various chemical factories such as the dynamite factory involves the emission of chemicals in the environment where the workers work in the hours of operation. Apart from the motives of earning revenues from the business, the employers also have the moral responsibility of safeguarding the health of their workers engaged in the operational work. These are business ethics and social responsibilities of the employer that fulfils the moral obligations involved in the course of work. Apart from paying monthly wages to the

Distance Learning versus Classroom Instruction Article

Distance Learning versus Classroom Instruction - Article Example The general impression from the study was initially apprehension given that the authors clearly indicated at first that from the eleven students who were exposed to distance learning, only â€Å"six students completed the course, three never started, and two students failed to complete the required assignments. Reported reasons for not completing the course included discomfort with the logistics of distance education and lack of available time† (Schardt, 2002, p. 456).   The percentage, at the onset was already almost 50% participation revealing factors for discontinued pursuance as ranging from uneasiness due to perception and applied logistics of distance learning and of course, the element of time. On the other hand, all sixteen participants for the traditional classroom instruction completed the course. The findings were surprising given that initial reaction and response of participants to distance learning were controversial. A review of the findings indicate that â₠¬Å"the differences in knowledge retention can be credited to three important attributes of distance education: more time for learning and reflection is available, individual attention stimulates learning, and motivation enhances the learning process† (Schardt, Garrison, & Kochi, 2002, p. 456). After analyzing the outcome, one realized that the advantages accorded by distance learning are focused on the ability to synthesize and integrate all the information that has been provided at the most convenient time.

Emotional intelligent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Emotional intelligent - Essay Example The last part will highlight proper practices toward enhancing the emotional intelligence of the employees in the company. The article entitled What is Emotional Intelligence? formally defined emotional intelligence or EI as â€Å"Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth† (Mayer 1). Firstly, the ability-based model is hinged on the assumption that emotions serve as a medium of information that is helpful in social environments and in social relationships. Since not all individuals share the same capabilities on the processing of emotional information, this model presents three common types of emotional abilities: (1) emotional perception highlights the person’s ability to recognize and understand his and other people’s emotions through verbal and non-verbal forms of communication; (2) emotional use banks on the capacity to use emotions to undertake other cognitive abilities; and (3) emotional management looks at the ability to self-regulate emotions of oneself and of other (MTD 23). In all of these models, it can be claimed that studying people’s personal and social competencies is crucial in assessing the overall status of their emotional intelligence. These two realms of EI have been used as guide in coming up with an in-depth examination of EI (Dattner 3). In a research document entitled The Emotional Competence Framework, personal competency has been discussed as a combination of: (1) self awareness that stresses on emotional awareness, accurate self-assessment, and self-confidence; (2) self regulation that underscores self control, conscientiousness, adaptability, and innovativeness; and (3)

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Essay Example for Free

Cross-Cultural Perspectives Essay Cross-cultural perspectives are just that, an individual perspectives of other another culture in comparison to another. Cola-Cola was created May 8, 1886 by John Pemberton and Jacobs’ Pharmacy was the first place it was served at. In 1906, Coca-Cola expanded to three countries outside the United States. In 1912, they expanded to the Philippines and then to Asia for the first time. In the late 1920’s, Coca-Cola formed a Foreign Department that would supply their concentrate to 10 other countries. Coca-Cola started a couple of bottling operations in India, one at Mehdiganj, Uttar Pradesh in 1999 and another one in 2000 at Plachimada, Kerala. Environmental issues began to surface at these two India locations shortly thereafter. Environmental Issues India has several Coca-Cola bottling operations throughout their country. The two that will be discussed are the ones in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, in particular. These two plants have similar issues that they are facing, including closure of their operation. If the ISO14001 standard was utilized before and during the operation of these two plants, the outcome would have been considerably different. According to ISO14001:2004 EMS Requirements (2004), â€Å"ISO 14001:2004 is applicable to any organization that wishes to implement, maintain and improve an environmental management system; assure itself of its conformance with its stated environmental policy; demonstrate such conformance to others; seek certification/registration of its environmental management system by an external organization; make a self-determination and self-declaration of conformance with this international standard.† Uttar Pradesh Location The plant in Uttar Pradesh was opened in 1999 and the people were not happy  about it from the beginning. Coca-Cola started proceedings to expand the water table for consumption which ultimately took from the local farms. It was discovered that Coca-Cola also increased their production from what was allowed per their contract from their government which in turn made them use even more water. Locals protested this request plus they also stated that the plant was built on ground that did not belong to them. With this area already considered drought-stricken, Cola-Cola should have taken other measures to obtain the necessary water to run the plant and the right to increase production prior to this dilemma. Morally and ethically speaking, they had the obligation to not harm the people or their environment in any shape, form or fashion while operating their business for profit. If depletion of was not bad enough, the water they used was contaminated and were found in about a dozen of th e finish products that were produced there. Hansia (2014), â€Å"The Center for Science and Environment (CSE) found high levels of toxic pesticides and insecticides, high enough to cause cancer, damage to the nervous and reproductive systems, birth defects and severe disruption of the immune system† (para. 17). They were only fined $2,000 US dollars for the land issues and was ordered to vacate the premises but Coca-Cola obtained a stay order but the National Green Tribunal (NGT) have not allowed them to reopen as of the summer of 2014. However, Coca-Cola was instructed to replenish twice as much water they extracted as part of the ruling, and in 2014, the government made a promise to the local village council that the factory will be demolished because the land belong to them and the construction of the plant was illegal, (Coca-Cola Forced To Close India Bottling Factory Over Excessive Water Use, Pollution, 2014). Kerala Location The Kerala plant started their operation in 2000 but soon came to similar complications as the Uttar Pradesh location encountered in 2004. Due to water depletions, the community is aggressively taking action to have the plant shut down. The liabilities that the legislation is holding Coca-Cola is $47 million for damages caused by the operation of the plant (Coca-Cola Plant Shut Down In India , 2014). Considerably more than Uttar Pradesh imposed previously. Along with having the same water contamination issues, the Kerala plant also had solid waste problems. The company was passing off  the sludge as fertilizer to the farmers which caused environmental and health damages which were most likely included in the liability charges that were imposed. India now accuses Coca-Cola of having double standards were human health is concerned, in comparison to the United States, (Ethical Issues Concerning Coca-Cola In India, 2009). That very well may be an accurate accusation because that would not have happened in the United States. The U.S. environmental rules and regulations are a lot stricter than most countries and are strictly enforced throughout the U.S. Hefty fines are issued when the rules are broken as they are there for the protection of the U.S. environment and the future generations to come. Viable Solution For both locations in reference to the water issue. Further evaluations and consultation with the environment committees would have been beneficial knowing that water is a commodity that is scarce in both regions. Critical thinking into other options in obtaining water such as building traps to collect rain water or recycling the waste water through new technology that has been recently created and tested to be the cleanest water. As far as the solid waste dilemma, find other ways to dispose of it such as other approved locations or disposal plants, if any that it can be taken to or contact renewable energy plants that use bio materials to operate their power plants. If one does not exist, explore the opportunities to create one for renewable energy for the Coca-Cola plant itself. Conclusion In spite of the water/beverage contamination, solid waste problems and the two closures discussed previously that Coca-Cola had endured, they are known around the world as the top leading soft drink. Cola-Cola needs to align the ethics and morals of the operations in the United States with those of other countries in order to get and maintain the status that all their stockholders would be proud of. The communities would actually invite the company to open an operation in their region because they would know that their environment would advance and improve along with the well-being of the people of that community. Coca-Cola should have embraced overseas countries as if it were in their own backyard. References Coca-Cola forced to close India bottling factory over excessive water use, pollution. (2014). Retrieved from http://rt.com/news/167012-coca-cola-factory-closed-india/ Coca-Cola Plant Shut Down in India. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2014/1020.html Ethical issues concerning Coca-Cola in India. (2009). Retrieved from http://imaginecorporation.blogspot.in/2009/08/ethical-issues-concerning-coca-cola-in.html Hansia, F. (2014). Coca-Cola Forced To Shut Bottling Plant in India. Retrieved from http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15963 ISO 14001:2004 EMS Requirements. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.itgovernanceusa.com/shop/p-644-iso14001-iso-14001-ems-requirements.aspx?gclid=CLqom7Gt6MMCFYeTfgodzVAAUw#.VOLgEvmAEbI

Analyzing the Flesh and the Spirit by Anne Bradstreet

Analyzing the Flesh and the Spirit by Anne Bradstreet Five Literary Criticisms Throughout history, there have been many religious faiths and practices that aim the same goal in different ways. One of them was Puritanism and the Puritan believed that the best way to gain admission to heaven was to focus on how sinful they were. Anne Bradstreet was the first Puritan figure in American Literature and in her poem titled The Flesh and the Spirit, she discussed Puritan practices. This essay will analyses the poem with 5 literary criticisms, including Marxist Criticism, Feminist Criticism, New Criticism, Reader-response Criticism, and Psychoanalytic Criticism. Starting with the Marxist Criticism, we need to look at the eras economic conditions first. Anne Bradstreet lived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the colony was highly dependent on the import of staples from England. The Puritan dislike of ostentation led the colony to also regulate expenditures on what it perceived as luxury items. Items of personal adornment were frowned upon. In the poem, we see two characters discussing what kind of life people should have. The sister named Flesh tries to explain to her sister named Spirit that the World has everything that could keep them happy and content. Fleshs this kind of approach to the earthly goods is totally against Puritan believes. As the colony Bradstreet lived in already frowned upon luxury items, the sister Spirit says, My Crown not Diamonds, Pearls, and gold, / But such as Angels heads infold. Here, she means that she doesnt have a materialist personality. The poet, Bradstreet, reflects her colonys world-view for the economic matters in those lines. When we try to analyze this poem using the Feminist Criticism, we simply need to ask some questions regarding to poets sex, education, and then look at the characters. The poet was a woman. And when we read her biography, we see that she didnt attend any school but was educated by his father. This informs us that she lived in a male-dominant society because girls didnt attend school even if her father was a steward. The characters in the poem are also girls and they discuss religious matters. Here, the author breaks the male-dominant society and makes her female characters question the religious matters, especially the Puritanism. When the subject is religion, one shouldnt even question the most unimportant thing. But the sister Flesh questions it and all she says is totally against the Puritanism seen in the poets colony. Since the poet herself is a woman, we can assume that a woman discusses a religious practice in a male-dominant society. Analyzing a poem with New Criticism requires a person not to take background information of the poet, poets other works or the story in the poem into consideration. When we read what Spirit says about earthly goods and how she criticizes what Flesh claims that people need to enjoy them, we can understand that this poem reflects the Puritan beliefs. Words used in the poem belong to the English spoken at least 350 years ago. Metaphors were also used in the poem. The character Flesh is a metaphor for earthly items, such as diamonds, pearls, and gold. The poem is not also in a stanza form. It looks like a wall of text. This means that the poet didnt want to separate what is wanted to mean. It means that the poem is all about the same thing. Rhymes used in the poem also makes it sound better and that way it attracts readers attention. When I try to analyze this poem as a reader with the Reader-response Criticism, I can directly say that this poem is about Puritanism; therefore, religion. Since Spirit seems to be more dominant in the poem, the poets environment is a Puritan society. Id say this poem is not different than other religious poems because they all aim one goal: Heaven. It is the way they discuss what to do in order to go to Heaven. Flesh seems to be a sinner character whom readers should avoid. I dont know whether its okay to blame a character to praise a religion or religious practice, but this kind of behavior would make me more uninterested in that religion or practice. As the verses say, No Candle there, nor yet Torch light, / For there shall be no darksome night. they just sound to be impressive sentences that attract people to that religion no different than that of all religions have. To analyze this poem with the Psychoanalytic Criticism, we need to analyze the characters thoughts, their fears, and what they do to suppress their fears.   When we look at what Spirit says in the poem, we can understand that her core issue is fear of God; thus, she adopted the Puritan beliefs in order to go to Heaven. On the other hand, Flesh is just opposite of Spirit. She displays everything that is against fear of God. This can also be interpreted to be an avoidance as her defense mechanism, since she tries to avoid any religious thoughts and want to enjoy all earthly pleasures. To sum up, this essay tried to analyze the poem titled The Flesh and the Spirit by Anne Bradstreet with 5 literary criticisms. With the Marxist Criticism, we looked at the eras economic conditions and tried to reflect Bradstreets colonys world-view for the economic matters in her poems verses. Using the Feminist Criticism, we tried to explain how Bradstreet broke the man-dominated society and used her female characters to discuss religious matters. With New Criticism, we tried to show figures of speech and what the poems form means. Reader-response Criticism was used to explain what the author of this paper understood from the poem. And finally, with the Psychoanalytic Criticism, we tried to identify characters core issues and their defense mechanisms.

The History Of Baggage Handling Systems

The History Of Baggage Handling Systems What was to be the worlds largest automated airport baggage handling system, became a classic story in how technology projects can go wrong. Faced with the need for greater airport capacity, the city of Denver elected to construct a new state of the art airport that would cement Denvers position as an air transportation hub. Denvers new international airport was to be the pride of the Rockies, a wonder of modern engineering  [1]  . It was almost twice the size of Manhattan and about 10 times the breadth of Heathrow. The airport can handle the landing of three jet planes simultaneously even in bad weather. The airports baggage-handling system was even more impressive than its girth. The coal-mine like cars ran along 21 miles of steel track. 4,000 tele-cars routed and delivered luggage between the counters, gates and claim areas of 20 different airlines  [2]  . A CNS of some 100 computers connected to one another and to 5,000 surveillance cameras, 400 wireless receivers and 56 bar-code scanners coordinated the safe and timely arrival of every baggage. At least that was the plan. The airports baggage handling system was a critical component in the plan. By automating the baggage handling, aircraft turnaround time was to be reduced to as little as 30 minutes. Faster turnaround meant more efficient operations and was a cornerstone of the airports competitive advantage. Despite such noble intentions the plan promptly thawed as inefficient estimation of the complexity of the project resulted in swelling problems and public mortification for everyone involved. The inauguration of the airport got delayed by 16 months because of the problem. Expenditure to maintain the empty airport and interest charges on construction loans cost the city of Denver $1.1M per day throughout the delay. Of the numerous awkward gaffes along the way one was an unplanned demonstration of the whole system to the media. It elucidated how the system crushed bags, expelled content and how two carts moving at high speed retorted when they bumped into each other. When opening day finally arrived, the system was just a silhouette of the actual plan. Rather than computerizing all 3 concourses into one stand-alone system, it was used only in one concourse, by a one airline and only for flights which were outbound. Rest of the baggage handling was implemented using standard conveyor belts and a tug and trolley system that was entirely manually operated. This was hurriedly built when it became absolutely clear that the automated baggage handling system was never going to achieve its purpose. Although the offcuts of the system survived for 10 years, the system never worked properly and in August 2005, United Airlines announced that they would forsake the system completely. The maintenance costs of $1 million per month considerably exceeded the monthly cost of a manual tug and trolley system. BASIC MODE OF FAILURE Like all other failures the problems can be observed from numerous vantage points. In its humblest form, the Denver International Airport (DIA) project botched because the key decision makers could not analyze the complexity of the project with perfection. As intended, the system was one of the most complex baggage system ever endeavored. There was an exponential growth in the complexity of the project as it was almost ten times larger than any other baggage system. The heart of the complexity was a problem related to what is known as line balancing in project management terms. To adjust system performance, empty carts had to be circulated around the airport ready to carry fresh baggage. With more than 100 pickup points, the algorithms necessary to anticipate where the empty carts should wait for new bags epitomized a hideous dream in the mathematical aspect queuing theory. This failure in anticipating the number of empty carts required led to a delay in the picking up of baggage an as a result of which the system performance slide downhill. One of the main reasons of delayed initiation of the project was failure to recognize the complexity and the risk involved. Based on the original project schedule, this delay left a little over two years for the service agreements to be signed and for the system to be designed, developed, tested and implemented. The closest analogous projects although much smaller and simpler, took two years to implement. Given the dramatic increase in terms of size and complexity, implementation the Denver system in two years was an unmanageable task. As a result of the erroneous estimation of the complexity of the baggage system, the efforts required were also underestimated. That meant that without comprehending it, the Project Management team had calculated the baggage system as the critical path of the whole airport project. To meet the airports scheduled opening date, the project needed to be accomplished in just two years. This obviously was inadequate time and that miscalculation resulted in the project being exposed to gigantic levels of schedule stress. The other succeeding problems were most likely a result of (or aggravated by) shortcuts opted by the team and the mistakes committed by them as they desperately tried to meet the schedule. KEY DECISIONS THAT LED TO DISASTER Till now what has been discussed has made the basic mode of failure pretty clear. But to reach the heart of the problem and what could have been done to differently, we need to understand how the important decisions were made which eventually hampered the whole project. Project failures typically involve a number of faulty decisions, but within those many mistakes, some specific key decisions are the generators of the sequence of proceedings that eventually lead to catastrophe. Key Decision 1 An alteration in tactics At the beginning of a project strategic decisions are made that set the projects track. In the case of DIA, a tactical blunder was made that caused flip-flop to be made part way through the project. Before requesting for bids for an integrated system in the middle of 1991, the DIAs Project Management team had expected that individual airlines would take care of their own baggage handling activities. In 1991, the DIAs Project Management team altered their strategy and realized that an integrated baggage handling system needed to be built. This forced them to take back the responsibility from the individual airlines and carry out the whole project themselves. This alteration of strategy arrived only about two years prior to the airports scheduled inauguration date. This timing of the decision played a major part behind the unnecessary schedule stress that the project was exposed to. Although the decision made sense in the way that only one integrated system would be there with the entire responsibility on the DIA authorities, the timing of the decision was not proper. This led to a delay in start of the integration project. They got two years less time to finish it. The significant point that the airports Project Management team failed to see was that the change in technology required an analogous change in the organizational accountabilities. The failure to identify that change signifies a planning failure that happened during the start of the project. Overall, the mistake made was a failure to associate the airports overall business strategy (the aim of having one of the worlds most competent airports) with the sub-strategy of building the baggage system. Key Decision 2 The decision to continue What is even more surprising is that in spite of knowing that there was insufficient time, both DIAs Project Management team and BAE wanted to go ahead with the full-scale project. Before entering into the BAE contract, there were at least three clear suggestions that the project was not feasible in two years time: Breier Neidle Patrone Associates report clearly showed that the complexity was too much for the system to be built efficaciously. The three bids received pointed out that none of the vendors could have developed the system in time before the opening date. Munich Airport warned that a much simpler version made for them took about two years to be built and around another 6 months to get rid of the bugs. BAE initially did not choose to bid for the project, but the Chief Engineer of DIA directly talked with them and managed to convince them by stating the amount of prestige that was involved with such a large scale project. Many from inside the BAE raised their concern regarding the complexity of the system to be developed and the lack of time. But all the expert advice was ignored and they went ahead with the project with a development time of 2 years. Many factors may have led them into that trap and likely issues that may have influenced the decision making. Other than the Chief Engineers perspective and BAEs interests there were other factors or beliefs which made the whole project start. Both sides would have acknowledged that they were working within a constricted timeframe and the pressure to move rapidly might have caused them to put due-diligence to one side. The inherent belief that such a large airport would not function effectively without an automated system. As a matter of fact, the airport is functioning effectively with a manual system in place. Key Decision 3 The timeline, budget and scope Deciding on the timeline, budget and scope of the project is a critical issue and even more critical is committing on them to your customer. BAE did exactly that to the DIAs project management team. The decision to give a firm promise to scope, schedule and budget transmitted substantial risk onto BAEs shoulders. This clearly shows that the top management of BAE was not at all aware of the amount of risk that they were handling. BAE and the DIAs Project Management team made an additional mistake during the consultations. They excluded the airlines (who were key stakeholders) from the negotiations. Excluding stakeholders from discussions of key project decisions is always a trailing strategy. Key Decision 4 Acknowledgement of the alteration requests BAE and DIAs Project management team could not escape from the stakeholders pressures. Although they decided during negotiations that no change requests would be entertained, they had to accept them as the pressure was on them to meet the stakeholder needs. The stakeholders in this case being the airlines, which they ignored during the original negotiations. Some of these requests forced them to make significant changes in portions where they thought work was already completed. Incorporating these changes had other troubling repercussions. They failed to realize the effect these changes might have and how they would increase the complexity of the whole system. Although some people thought about the effects, their voices did not seem to have reached the higher decision making authorities. There was big communication disarray. Key Decision 5 Treading an alternate path A public demonstration of the project was given to the press sometime in 1994 and it was a major embarrassment. It exposed all the flaws of the project and the Mayor immediately ordered for an external consultant to be hired. Mattias Franz of Logplan Consulting of Germany was asked to look into the matter  [3]  . Based on his report, the Mayor scraped the project and ordered for the building of a manual trolley system at an additional expenditure of about $50M USD  [4]  . Although the Mayor took a very intelligent decision, it revealed another major flaw with the project. By the time the Mayor took action, the project was already 6 months behind schedule and had missed a number of opening dates. The missed opening dates and the tragic demo indicate that those at the top echelon actually had almost no clue about the true status of the project. A project of such size and complexity should always have an external consultant or expert looking after it throughout the whole developmental and implementation phase. Some other failure facts While the inefficient estimation of complexity, absence of planning, fruitless communications and lowly management oversight drove the catastrophe, the project underwent many other difficulties that multiplied the problems. Some of those issues were inevitable, but others were most probably a consequence of the time crunch the project was facing. Among the additional issues that impacted the project; Failure of Risk Management Throughout its developmental and implementation phases the project faced a number of technical problems for which they had not accounted for. These things aggravated their already haphazard situation. Such problems were likely foreseeable had the team a little bit more attentive on risk management activities. Again possibly as a result of the time crunch under which they were working, suitable risk management tactics seem not to have been developed. Change in Leadership In 1992 The Chief Engineer died. He was the systems de facto guarantor and his death left the project deprived of much required leadership. According to reports, his interim replacement lacked the in-depth engineering knowledge essential to understand the system. The replacement manager also had to take care of his previous duties and it stretched him to the limits. Issues with Architecture and Design A number of reports specify that the there was an inherent problem with the design that was chosen. It was unnecessarily complicated and prone to bugs. Some of the issues were: There were more than 100 individual PCs in the system. They were all networked together. If any one of the PC failed, there could have been an outage, as there was no automatic backup taken of the data. As the nature of the design recommended a distributed structure, (with PCs scattered around the different areas), it added to the trouble of solving problems when they came up, The worst thing about the system was its inability to detect jams. So, whenever a jam occurred, it kept piling on more and more baggage and thereby worsening it. Again time crunch could have been a reason for the design problems. In such a situation people settle for the first design or solution they can think of. That is exactly what would likely have happened. In addition time crunch often forces teams to concentrate on the happy path design without spending time on devising strategies to counter the problem or make the system fault tolerant. Conclusion The DIA catastrophe is a prototype for failure a lot of other IT implementation projects have followed. As with so many other failures, DIA suffered from; The inefficient estimation of complexity An absence of proper planning resulting in consequent alterations in strategy Extreme schedule pressure Absence of due diligence Committing to public and customer in the face of enormous risks and uncertainty Inefficient management of stakeholders Communication gaps and collapses Design not failsafe Inefficient risk management Failure to understand the repercussions of change requests Absence of management oversight While the above facts denote contributors to the letdown, there is one single problem that existed in the center of it all. For a project to be successful people need to make effective decisions and that requires a number of elements. The main two elements are expertise and knowledge. None of the teams involved in developing the DIAs baggage handling system had prior experience of a developing and implementing system of this magnitude. That lack of knowledge, along with the fact that advice from experts was habitually ignored, is the epicenter of the fiasco. The original planning decisions i.e. to go ahead with a single airport wide integrated system (in spite of being too late to do so) and the firms votive commitments to scope, timeline and budget all represented decisions that were made by people who did not possess the required knowledge. The miscalculations resulting from those choices were the sparks that kindled the fire. Often we have to face situations which we have never faced before and do not know how to proceed without risks. The success or failure of such a situation depends on the way we react to it. The step should ideally be recognizing the situation and its nitty-gritties, but the whole DIA project management team and BAE managers failed to do so. Had they acknowledged their absence of knowledge and the ambiguity they were facing, measures could have been taken to reduce the uncertainty. One of them could have been taking suggestions from experts who had some kind of previous experience in that kind of projects. The cheerful side of the story is that in Feb 1995 DIA did ultimately open and in spite of using a large manual trolley based system, proved to be a great success  [5]  . The apprehensions of a manual system being too slow for and airport like DIA and would result in increase in the turnaround time of the aircrafts, was never proved.

White-Only Scholarship Controversy :: Diversity Equality Racism Essays

Diversity, a word often heard growing up. In high school diversity was an issue that was pushed repeatedly. I attended a school that had a student body of over 2000 students, in which diversity was not really an issue. As time passed I found that diversity affected my life more and more. As college neared filling out applications became more of a ritual, and I found that by being born into a white middle class family would hinder my financial status rather than help it. Recently an article appeared in the Iowa State Daily, which addressed the issue of a white-only scholarship. In addition to the scholarships offered to members of the minority races, a scholarship should be offered to the members of the decreasing majority. Whites or Caucasians make up a group just as Native Americans, blacks, and Hispanics do. The one thing that separates whites from these other groups besides skin color is the fact that for each minority group, there are several scholarships that pertain to each. As a nation we have placed a great deal of emphasis on making sure the minorities are getting equal opportunities, but we forget that there are members of the Caucasian decent that need assistance as well. Most times minorities are the ones that need financial assistance in a college situation, but we have forgotten that there are white families that have grown up in the same neighborhood as these individuals, who also need financial assistance. This is why the idea of a white-only scholarship is not so unrealistic. A group of students attending Roger Williams University have created a Whites-only scholarship to initially protest affirmative action. This protest however has snowballed into the real thing. This protest has now become a $250 scholarship available to only white students. This award shows America that whites are becoming the minority, and no matter how much we fight it, it is going to become a reality sooner or later. This then opens America’s eyes and shows them that by being a minority there are more opportunities for financial aid based on skin color than there are for whites. This said, there should be at least one scholarship for just whites to counteract the many minority scholarships available to other races. â€Å"Many people think that coming from a white background you’re automatically privileged, you’re automatically rich, and your parents pay your full tuition.

Essay --

Rerum Novarum refers to new beginnings. New beginnings refers to an open letter given to all Catholic bishops that addressed the circumstances of the working class. Written on May 15th 1891 by Tommaso Maria Zigliara, the Rerum Novarum examined the interrelation and duties between labor and capital. This document also covers the relationship between the government and citizens. The document begins with an introduction, as all documents do. The introduction opens with remarks on social issues of that time. The speaker continues to speak out against the Socialist motives, and those who allowed them to come about and prosper. The first issues to be discussed are rights and duties. Pope Leo introduces an idea that entails the rights every worker is to be afforded and the duties he then owes his employer. Pope Leo also states that this rule should go both ways and extend to the employer as well. The Pope states that workers are, â€Å"fully and faithfully to perform the work which has been freely and equitably agreed upon; never to injure the property, nor to outrage the person, of an employer; never to resort to violence in defending their own cause, nor to engage in riot or disorder; and to have nothing to do with men of evil principles, who work upon the people with artful promises of great results, and excite foolish hopes which usually end in useless regrets and grievous loss. (p20)† The duties a worker owes his employer are quite clearcut. As such, so are the duties of an employer to his workman. A decent employer is not to use their workers as bondsmen, they are to regard every man with self-respect. They are to treat each worker as a person aggrandized by a good Christian character. Employers are reminded that there is no shame... ... value them for their bodily functions, and not as people. However, if all employers were privy to the contents of Rerum Novarum that talk about how employers are supposed to treat their workers how they deserved to be treated, America’s poverty level would go down. Others who are not well read on the struggles of others should especially look into Rerum Novarum so that they may understand what it is like for others who are on the opposite side of the spectrum. It was paragraph twenty that spoke to me the most. As mentioned previously I really appreciate the fact that it is written somewhere that there should be a set of rights and duties between workers and their employers. All of the rights and duties are fair, and I believe that they should be followed by everyone. I also appreciate these rights because they should be followed whether or not someone is Christian.

Descriptive Essay Beach

Miranda Poole 2/3/13 English 101 Descriptive Essay The Beach: A Relaxing Wonderland It is spring break, in the middle of March, my junior year. As I cross the state line into Florida, I picture the ocean as being a place of peace and serenity. It’s my first time visiting the ocean, and all I can think about is hoping it is as beautiful as the pictures I have seen of it. As I arrive to the beach with all my friends, the eagerness of seeing this peaceful place is rising. I can’t wait to smell the fresh salty air, feel the soft sand between my toes, walk along the breezy shoreline.As we approach the beach, the first thing I notice is the sky. As I look into the cloudless, cerulean blue sky and see the flawlessness of life; in the distance, rolling clear-blue waves crash into each other with such force as that of football players. The sky is breathtaking along with the sounds of the waves and the tide washing onto the shore. The water reminds me of crystals shimmering in th e water with the sun reflecting off of it. As the sun sets, the sky turns into a pink hue with a bright orange sun going down into the horizon.We stroll on the beach, and my feet sink into the soft sand. I stroll along, and the grainy, slick, brown sugar sand pulls my bare feet under and leaves a perfect imprint. I pick up a handful and sift it from my palm slowly, feeling the grittiness of sand with each finger. The view down the beach of the white, but slightly brown sand was enough to make my knees go weak. The sand is such a sensational feeling between my toes and a beautiful view against the crystal blue water. The beach is a beautiful scene of peace and tranquility. Every moment is a different scene.As I sit in my chair I can see all the sights of summer; children building sand castles along the ocean's edge, to my right I observe an elderly couple enjoying a good book. The waves crash into one another, the breeze blowing from the tide, the smell of salty ocean, and the sticky air clinging onto my skin. Charging into the ocean with vigorous splendor and utter excitement, I insert my bare feet into the sea and am taken aback by the shocking coolness of the water. Bringing myself to a halt at mid-calf, I then trudge through the soft currents that splash upon my legs. An abundance of symbiotic, vibrantly olored, and variously sized fish swarm around my feet. Their bodies brush my leg with negligence as they strive to get from one place to another. I wish to stay here forever and realize, at this point, this is where I need to come for serenity and harmony, where all things seem perfect and care free. There is nowhere in the world quite like this, so peaceful and calm. The beach is a wonderland for all ages. Whether you want to have fun in the sun, or relax while reading a good book, the beach is the place to go. The beach is an unforgettable experience that one must witness in their lifetime.

Analysis of Peter Berger’s The Sacred Canopy Essay

Peter Berger’s The Sacred Canopy utilizes a version of social constructivism as the foundational framework of its argument. In accordance with his previous work, The Social Construction of Reality, Berger’s version of social constructivism states that human knowledge is explainable in social terms since it is causally determined by various social factors. Social reality, in this sense, is seen as generated by the actual and empirically ascertainable fixed habits of thought prevalent in a given society which are fixed since they are considered as the causal product of certain aspects of social reality. In this case, its â€Å"determinacy is derived from certain laws specifying the causal, social determination of cognitive processes† (Berger and Luckmann 12). This implies that human knowledge is not dependent for its determinate content upon some infinite hierarchy of negotiated agreements, nor is it fixed by standards of rationality that are themselves relative to the social setting in which knowledge evolves. According to Berger and Luckmann, â€Å"society is an objective reality (and) man is a social product† (23). In other words, social reality is a human construction since man and his habits of thought are shaped by social factors. Humans create social institutions, as they are iterated and typified. In this sense, social reality determines man but man also determines social reality. Within this scheme, social reality is not a social fact but it is something produced and communicated. Society is thereby a product of humans and humans are products of society. However, it should be noted that, humanly constructed worlds are constantly threatened by their creators’ â€Å"self interest and stupidity† (Berger 29). If such is the case, in order for society to maintain order there is the necessity to formulate [and in a sense construct] internal supporting structures. In Berger’s The Sacred Canopy, he argues that legitimation stands as the most important internal supporting structure (29). Berger notes that legitimation stands as the rationale for the creation of institutional arrangements (29). This can be further understood if one considers that legitimations belong to the objective side of our dialectic social relationship. Through repetition and their objective status, legitimations continually reinforce the institutional arrangements prevalent within a given society. Such a process stands as the anchor for the new [the children] and the forgetful as well as for the periods of collective or individual crisis where the veil between meaning and chaos grows particularly thin. In the same manner that legitimations reinforce social institutions, plausibility structures may also be considered as upholding such legitimations. Plausibility structures refer to the specific social processes that continually reinforce and reconstruct both the legitimating world as well as the result of such a world [the legitimated world] (Berger 45). The correlation between the plausibility structure as well as the process of legitimations are evident if one considers that when the plausibility structures are strong, the legitimations are simple and when plausibility structures are weak, the legitimations are stronger. Berger notes that religion [as a social institution] has been shown to take effect in both situations [instances wherein the plausibility structures are strong and weak]. It is within the aforementioned context that Berger considers the strength of religious institutions. Berger notes, â€Å"Religion is the human enterprise by which a sacred cosmos is established† (25). Such a statement can be understood if one considers that the steadfastness of religious institutions lies in its ability to locate human phenomena within a cosmological framework thereby providing the support for religious institutions a universal [in the sense   of cosmic] status. Such a status, due to its universal cosmic character thereby has the capability to transcend the mundane experiences of life thereby providing a new dimension for the analysis of human experience (Berger 35). According to Berger, the importance of such is evident if one considers that by providing human existence with various dimensions [e.g. physical as opposed to the spiritual], the socialized individual is given a framework of understanding reality [in its different levels] that enables the assumption of the possibility of the existence of peace and security within his role in society. In line with this, Berger notes that to locate an individual outside the protective spheres of a religiously legitimated world is tantamount to making him â€Å"deal with the devil† (39). In accordance with the aforementioned function of religion, Berger notes that one of the reasons that religion serves, as a prevalent [and effective] method of legitimation lies in its function as a powerful agency of alienation (87). Alienation refers to a condition wherein an individual forgets that he is co-creator of his world (Berger 85). It is important to note that alienation stands as â€Å"an overextension of the process of objectivation† in the dialectic relationship between self and society (Berger 85). Berger notes that through the objectivation of legitimations, alienation renders them virtually unassailable as long as an alienated conscious can be maintained. Within such a context, de-alienation may only occur as a result of the demise of a particular institutional framework. In relation to this, Berger notes that the function of religious legitimation is that of enabling theodicy wherein theodicy refers to the explanations of the human condition [e.g. life and death]. Theodicy, in this sense, is highly irrational since it necessitates a surrender of the self to the ordering structure of society (Berger 54). Consider for example the most prevalent form of theodicy: Christian theodicy. Within the framework of Christian theodicy, an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent entity [God] is depicted as suffering for humanity. Such a theodicy is questionable in relation to the existence and prevalence of various forms of disasters [both natural and unnatural]. In addition to external assailants of religious plausibility structures, Berger argues that Protestantism itself carried the seeds for its own destruction (129). In its critique of Catholicism, Protestantism enabled a more rational, individualistic world divided into secular and sacred spheres (Berger 123). As the secular sphere expanded to encompass everything outside of the church, Christianity became marginalized in a pluralistic society. It is within this context that the concept of pluralism arises. According to Berger, pluralism refers to â€Å"a social-structural correlate of the secularization of consciousness† (127). In addition to Protestantism, industrialization tends to lead the political order away from the influences of religion (Berger 130). This process compartmentalized religion into the private world creating a pluralistic market situation. Such a situation thereby fails to enable the continuance of the universal cosmological ordering function of religion. This is evident if one considers that within pluralistic conditions, various [and different and sometimes contradictory] conditions of truth exists. Such a condition, according to Berger, leads to a relativistic conception of reality which leads to a relativized theodicy and hence an unstable conception of reality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As was mentioned at the onset of this paper, the aforementioned conception of social reality rests upon the framework of a socially constructed reality. It is within the context of this framework that I will assess the viability of Berger’s aforementioned claims as specified in his book The Sacred Canopy. Within the aforementioned context, a socially constructed conception of reality fails on the grounds that it accounts for all bodies of doctrine in a non-discriminatory fashion. This is possible since Berger perceives â€Å"‘reality’ and knowledge as initially justified by the fact of their social relativity†. Schutz’s influence here is apparent since such a conception is based upon an envisioned existence of â€Å"multiple realities†. Rationality then is perceived as relative in so far as the system allows the demarcation of individuals into social groups, which are seen as having different conceptions of rationality â€Å"on a pattern of a neat one to one correspondence†. However, if such a one to one corresponds occurs, how is it possible to consider the conflicting frames of reference [in relation to understanding reality] as different individuals converge within a social sphere. In the aforementioned context, the individuals specified may be specifically construed as individuals who belong within different religious groups. In a sense, the problem with the above conception of reality fails on the grounds that, in the same manner that a particular theodicy fails within a pluralistic society, such a conception of reality fails within a pluralistic society itself since in order to assume the existence of religious institution as a institutional structure which enables legitimation, it is important to account how such is possible within a society with varying [yet conflicting] theodicies. This can be best understood if one considers that, the aforementioned conception of reality fails on the grounds that even if it seems â€Å"to supply us with the fixed laws in terms of which the outcome of hypothetical cognitive processes can be determined†, these laws are fixed by the social context of the cognitive process. This however leans towards a form of epistemic hierarchy since the laws will also be constructed via a particular society’s presupposed notion of the existence of social construction. In Collin’s words, â€Å"we cannot define social fact as the product of a hypothetical societal discussion (since)†¦the laws†¦would rely for this hypothetical prediction are themselves social constructions, the outcome of societal consensus† (23). This thereby leads to the problem of regress. Works Cited Berger, Peter. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. New York: Anchor Press, 1990. Berger, Peter and Thomas Luckmann. The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise of the Sociology of Knowledge. California: University of California Press, 1967. Collin, Finn. Social Reality. London: Routledge, 1997.

Deena Shakir Essay

Richard Watts Jr. describes the striking similarity between the Salem witch trials and the McCarthy Era as a â€Å"struggle between the rights of freeman and the mass efforts to destroy them under the guise of defending decency. † All good writing conveys a strong message for the reader to take away, and effectively apply to his everyday life. In the novel The Crucible, author Arthur Miller uses 17th Puritan society, and the Salem witch trials as a vehicle to make a strong political statement about the nature of conformity in an overly hysterical society, and the fundamental struggle man faces to retain moral righteousness in the face of a cruel world. Written in the heart of the McCarthy Era, The Crucible makes sweeping statements about the nature of society during a crisis, and how people deal with the introduction of beliefs that differ from their traditional way of thought. Claiming the people of his society are just as intolerant as the Puritans, Miller desperately pleads with them to learn from their mistakes, and not persecute others based on the nature of their beliefs. Through the story of the Salem witch trials, Miller epitomizes the never-ending conflict between an individual and society as a continuous struggle to retain one’s moral righteous, and not give in to illogical societal demands. Through the actions of the court officials, the girls, and the Christ figures, Miller effectively points out the manner in which society persecutes those who refuse to conform in their ways of thinking, and the nature of the challenging test individuals are forced to make in such a conflict. The society in Salem also demands conformity from the court system, a place where those who dare to be different are tried. At least on face, it appears that the court simply wants those people who challenge society to be brought to justice. However, during the Salem witch trials, the court officials, who ironically are the one group in society who are single-handedly responsible for administering justice fairly, act simply out of self-interest, striving only to appease the community, and gain fame. Relaying on nothing more than spectral evidence, Danforth and the other court officials condemn those who refuse to conform to society’s beliefs. Under the guise of religious duty, Danforth strives solely to appease the community, and benefit his standing in society. He believes that â€Å"a person is either with the court or he must be counted against it. † When one does not conform to the norms of society and challenges it, he is condemned to die. For example, upon discovering that John Proctor does â€Å"not come to church† on Sundays, he automatically assumes that Proctor must be guilty, and must be hanged. He appears motivated solely by the desire to gain fame. For example, in the final act of the play right before the hanging, Reverend Hale tries to convince Danforth to postpone the hanging. Danforth knows that â€Å"the village expects to see them die this morning† and cannot postpone the event because â€Å"postponement now speaks a floundering on my [Danforth’s] part. † Danforth’s actions show that he not only acts out of self motivation and the desire to appease society, but also fails the to overcame his conflict with society. Reverend John Hale, on the other hand, also appointed to work with the court during the witch trials, makes his decisions based on his own morals instead of what society prefers. Hale, an expert on witch trials and a â€Å"stranger† in Salem finds â€Å"it difficult to draw a clear opinion on them that come accused before court. † Being a minister of the Lord, Hale judges others based on clear evidence and does not â€Å"dare [to] take a life without proof. † His morals prevent him from just simply doing what will appeal to society. Even though he desires to be â€Å"allied with the best minds in Europe- kings, philosophers, scientists, and ecclesiasts of all churches,† he, unlike Danforth and the court officials, refuses to let his personal ambition come in the way of administering justice fairly. He even rejects his religious doctrine in the name of justice, claiming that â€Å"life†¦ life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. † Unlike Danforth and his selfish motivation, Reverend Hale refuses to conform to what society dictates, clinging on to his own moral beliefs.

Are Gertrude and Ophelia merely pawns in the world of Hamlet? Essay

‘Are Gertrude and Ophelia merely pawns in the world of Hamlet? Explore the plays representation of femininity, paying close attention to the role and function of each of these two characters in the play’. William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ can be seen as a chess game bought to life. The play depicts the events in a 16th century Danish royal family that unfold after a suspicious murder of the king. The plays two female characters Gertrude and Ophelia can be likened to pawns in this intricate web of lies and deceit, as their words and actions are dictated by the males of the play. This can be directly linked to the broader cultural understandings of gender roles in 16th century England, as women were portrayed as passive, weak and submissive to the males power strength aggression and action . As all texts position readers to interpret different characters in different ways, this text to can be read as empowering the females, by appearing to be submissive, in order to manipulate the men. However, as essentially Gertrude acts as a vehicle for Hamlets emotions, and Ophelia is primarily shaped to conform to external demands to reflect the male characters desires, the role of the women in Hamlet is primarily that of a manipulated pawn in a chess game that not even the kings can win. The play ‘Hamlet’ begins with the funeral of the former king of Denmark, that is simultaneously the wedding celebrations of the new king Claudius and his bride Gertrude, the young Hamlet’s mother and former King’s wife. Hamlet’s suspicions that â€Å"something is rotten in the state of Denmark† are later confirmed by the ghost of his father, who reveals Claudius killed him, in a bid to gain power and his wife, Gertrude. Hamlet then decides that he must get revenge on Claudius and so pretends to be mad, fooling his mother, lover Ophelia and Claudius. However, due to Hamlet’s procrastination, events take a turn for the worse as the end of the play brings about death to every main character through error of judgment. Gender roles in the play Hhamlet are a major factor dictating the lives of the females Ophelia and Gertrude. As strong masculinity was cherished, female traits were not desirable in a man, and this explains the actions of Hamlet, who acts in the realm of feminine for the first 4 acts. His fathers death bought about this loss of masculinity and Claudius further strips him of this honor by saying, â€Å"of impious stubbornness. Tis unmanly grief. † (Act 1 sc. 2, 94 ) thus Hamlet is left vulnerable and passive. He recognizes this in his second soliloquy, ‘Oh what a rogue and peasant slave am I,† and he shows his disgust at his feminine characteristics by loudly disapproving of Gertrude and Ophelia’s blatant sexuality. This is best shown as he shouts at his lover Ophelia, â€Å"get thee to a nunnery,† to preserve her purity and voice his disgust. Hamlet’s change of feeling towards Ophelia is a direct result of his dissatisfaction with his own short comings, and Ophelia has no choice but to conform to this change of attitude unquestionably. Therefore Ophelia through no fault of her own is faced with the fact she has lost her lover, but also her respectability, as it is well known she was not the innocent doyenne she is initially presumed to be, she is in the doghouse so to speak. Ophelia’s actions in the first part of the play are determined by her brother Laertes and father Polonious to great extent, as they warn her to stave off Hamlet’s advances. She states to her father, in response ‘my lord he hath importuned me with love in an honorable fashion,†(act 1 sc. 3)in such a way that would indicate she believes he genuinely loves her. Yet as he further challenges she submits without fight, â€Å"my lord I shall obey†(act 1 sc. 3) and is forced into an informant role. This lack of strength of character is in keeping with typical gender roles of the era, and is further evidence that whilst Ophelia feels differently, she is perfectly willing to go along with whatever the male figures in her life decide for her. As the play progresses we as readers gain the full force of the dependence Ophelia has on these characters, as their absence and later killing, drives her into the madness from which she never recovers. This culminates in her untimely suicidal death that sums up the purpose her role had in the play, to merely conform to the males desires and needs. She is Laertes ‘angel’, Polonious’s ‘commodity’ and Hamlets ‘spectre of his psychic fears’ . Ophelia could be called an unstereotypical female in the play, because she does not play the innocent virgin role, and she goes mad after the death of her father instead of quietly accepting it. However this more strongly reflects the weaknesses of her character ,the absence of her inner strength and reveals that she is too easily overcome by emotion, traits that are more prominently associated with females, especially in the 16th century. Thus Ophelia is dominated by the males in the play, due to her weaknesses that lead to her demise, much like a pawn on a chess board. Gertrude’s role in the play of ‘Hamlet’ is controversial, considering firstly her position of power, that she has continued to hold despite her late husbands death, as queen of Denmark. One would assume that Shakespeare, by placing Gertrude in this highly respected role is empowering her and her authority, therefore moving against broader cultural assumptions of femininity. This is certainly a possibility, given the lengths Claudius went to in order to satiate his lustful desires, as with the romanticized story Helene of Troy. That Claudius the new King would desire Gertrude as his wife, although she had already been married, had a son and was middle aged puts Gertrude in yet another position of power, but did this empower her? After all, it is certain Claudius’s main ambition was to gain the throne from his brother and so his marrying Gertrude provided, perhaps not love, but for an easy transition that would not bring about much controversy. Either way, as with Ophelia she does not take advantage of this power and is entirely submissive to Claudius. This is primarily because she allows herself to be manipulated. She is aware of the approved role of women and ascertains to it, as she states when watching the character reflective of herself in Hamlet’s play, ‘The lady protests to much, methinks’,(act 3, sc. 2, 226) Claudius effectively uses her throughout the play, most notably when he arranges with her agreement, for Polonious to spy on a conversation she has with Hamlet. This betrayal of trust to the son she loves demonstrates how easily she is led astray by persuasive men like Claudius and it is a serious weakness in her character. Essentially her role consists of a pawn, not a queen, passed between two kings who dominate her and her actions. This weakness translates to her relations with her son Hamlet, upon whom she dotes, and this is noticed by Claudius, ‘The queen his mother lives almost by his looks. ‘(Act 4,Sc. 7,11-12) That the norm of parental roles have almost been reversed, with Gertrude looking up to her son and idolising him, whilst Hamlet looks down upon her gives him a superior position, from which he directs her actions. This happens most noticeably in the closet scene with Gertrude, as Hamlet shames his mother into helping him to convince Claudius further, that he is in fact mad, despite the fact prior, she conspired with Claudius over Hamlet. Thus, this proves that she did not intentionally want to hurt Hamlet by conspiring with the king to spy on him, in the previous scene, but that she is so willing to be led that she will follow the directions of whichever male instructs her. This closet scene also gives rise to the climax of Hamlet’s rage, but in this intense emotional scene, we as readers are given no indication as to Gertrude’s feeling. It is in fact because her character is so negative, insignificant and undeveloped that she arouses in Hamlet the feelings that she is incapable of representing. This translates to her primary role being that of a vehicle for Hamlet’s emotions-thus she is again manipulated and used as a pawn for Hamlet’s emotional state. Not only this, but Gertrude can also be seen as the reason, at least for Hamlet, for the tragedy. Gertrude’s guilt and Hamlet’s disgust at her, had to be maintained and emphasised in order to supply a physiological solution for Hamlets actions. As Hamlet shamelessly uses his mother to prove he is mad, to show his emotions and provide a reason for his anger it gives rise to the question, who the real villain is in Hamlet. Gertrude and Ophelia, whilst looked down upon throughout the play for being blatantly sexual and susceptible to her passions and are thus blamed by Hamlet, are merely acting the role of pawns in a chess game, manipulated by the males. Each female appear only to fulfill the role of reflecting the males desires as is in keeping with the representations of femininity by Shakespeare. Whilst readers may emerge initially from a reading of Hamlet with the impression that Hamlet is the misunderstood hero, with Ophelia and Gertrude playing the interfering adulterous ‘ugly stepsister’ role, another reading is possible. That, through no fault of their own, the female’s submissive roles in fact corrupted the males to such an extent that they, even Hamlet became obsessed with the idea of power. So, although the females were manipulated by the males, it caused the opposite effect by empowering them, as they ended up as the reason for the males actions. In conclusion, though controversial, it is evident that due to the role and function of the females in the play, Gertrude and Ophelia were used by the males to such a point, that although the end result would suggest otherwise, their role consisted of nothing more than pawns in a chessgame. http://www2. students. sbc. edu/young02/hamlet. html ibid http://www. turksheadreview. com/library/introlit. html http://www. freeessays. tv/c2951. htm T. S. Eliot (1888-1965). The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism. 1922.

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