The Social Construction Of Gender Essay - 1297 Words

The physical body has been seen as many things both positive and negative. It can be thought of as the temple which houses the soul or can be seen as entrapping, like a cage of flesh. More often it seems that the body, especially women’s bodies, are looked at in more complicated ways than the bodies of men. As I grew up, it began to feel more and more like my body, and the bodies of other women, did not actually belong to us like we believed. Through my Women’s Studies class I have gained more knowledge on the body as a political object. In this essay I will examine six different articles with the similar theme of women’s bodies, the expression of those bodies and how by using feminism as a political standpoint they gain power and ownership of their bodies. The first article is â€Å"The Social Construction of Gender† by Judith Lorber. In this essay she states that sex and gender is constructed through the society in which we live and that, â€Å"Gender is so pervasive that in our society we assume it is bred into our genes† (Lorber, 64). Lorber’s article takes the standpoint that physical gender expression is such an important topic to individuals because when the conventions of gender are shifted, â€Å"we feel socially dislocated† (65). An example of this is when people who are not used to gender shifts encounter a â€Å"transvestite,† or in modern terms a transgender person, their perceptions are disrupted. If someone does not express physical gender â€Å"normally† with their bodies—i.e. aShow MoreRelatedGender And Social Construction Of Gender1230 Words   |  5 Pages‘Gender’ is a category used by all human beings to describe the state of being either male or female. Gender is often described as socially constructed which implies that it is something individuals may not be aware of. Through the social construction of a concept, meanings are created. These meanings and u nderstandings are developed in coordination with other individuals rather than within individuals themselves. Because all societies are different, the social construction and therefore definitionsRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender1220 Words   |  5 PagesQuestion 3 In the reading â€Å"The social Construction of Gender† by Judith Lorber she describes how gender is socially constructed. Sex is the biological difference while gender is the social and cultural meanings attached to femininity and masculinity (lecture). From the time that a child is born the doctor assigns it a gender, girl or boy, depending on its genitalia. In the reading â€Å"Naming All the Parts† it focused on how when doctors view genitalia to decide the gender they say there is a penis orRead MoreSocial Construction of Gender1183 Words   |  5 Pagesexactly is â€Å"Gender† and what a â€Å"Social Construct† means. GENDER In a layman’s language, Gender is simply the distinction between male and female. However, if we look deeper in well, we will notice the gender construction starts with the association of sex category at the time of birth. Sex is the biological distinction between a man and a woman and gender is based on sex. A sex category becomes a gender status through naming, dress and the use of other gender marksRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender978 Words   |  4 PagesSociologist Peter Berger wrote in his â€Å"Invitation to Sociology† book that â€Å"social reality has layers of meaning, and the discovery of each new layer changes the perception of the whole.† (Berger 1963). Berger, as a sociologist responsible for helping create the social constructionism theory, is not just extending an invitation to sociology. He is already explaining how the world can be viewed by people who already are actively participating in society. This consciousness allows the layer of how peopleRead MoreGender Is A Social Construction?849 Words   |  4 Pages First, what is gender? What does it mean to say that gender is a social construction? Gender refers to the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male. (Macionis 2015:308) The society in which we live produces our views of what women and men are and what they are supposed to b e. However, many people say that gender is â€Å"socially constructed†. Basically meaning it is constructed by society. For many decades, it has been what gender should representRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender1000 Words   |  4 Pagesas the definition of gender and gender norms. Judith Lorber wrote an essay called, The Social Construction of Gender. The essay was included in the textbook, Women s Lives. A textbook written by Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okinawa Rey. â€Å"Women’s Lives† is a Feminist focused compilation of essays. As well as, cultural analysis of women globally. Lorber is one of many authors who wrote essays regarding gender for â€Å"Women’s Lives. Lorber argues gender constantly changes due to social interaction. A societyRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender989 Words   |  4 PagesRace is a system of categories put in place by society in order to make each individual fit into a certain social group. It is due to societies implementation of such a system that individuals in these racial categories do not always look at each other as equals, causing a race to not always identify themselves as a homogenous front. This essay will delve into the poetry of a popular Def Jam spoken word artist Black Ice, whose piece Bigger Than Mine looks into the dualism within Black society inRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender832 Words   |  4 PagesSex, as we have learned, refers to the physical and anatomical differences between males and females. These differences are biological and unambiguous. Gender on the other hand, refers to the aspects that influence each sex and make them distinct from a social standpoint, and each of us does gender constantly. The social construction of gender has caused controversy throughout the years, and has ultimately conceived one of the most contended topics in our society of late: feminism. Feminism refersRead MoreThe Social Construction Of Gender957 Words   |  4 Pagesregulations in which people have to obey making social life be structured. Society has expectations for people to live by. People tend to live up to the norms in order to feel part of the world. Individuals do not want to be judged and labeled, so unconsciously live by the roles that they believe their gender has to follow. Gender is socially constructed concept in which society acts upon. The family is the first to influence individuals to this idea. Gender has roles in which boys and girls are supposedRead MoreGender Is A Social Construction1213 Words   |  5 PagesS One cannot talk about social interactions in society without talking about gender. Gender is part of According to Macionis (2015), gender is â€Å"the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male†. Most societies only view gender as being either male or female. An individual must portray their gender correctly in order to be normal in society. Meaning a woman must act feminine and a man must act masculine. However, what happens when an individual chooses

Mansi Patel. Michael Moir . English Composition 1102. 27Th

Mansi Patel Michael Moir English Composition 1102 27th April, 2017 â€Å"A Doll’s House† What shapes us as the person we have move toward becoming? Is it the requirements in life? Could it be more superficial as in the needs that we evoke as human beings? Whatever figures out who an individual is, it is inherently through their ideology. Ideology may be alluded to as beliefs or values that a person or group of people accept (Ideology 659). These beliefs or values develop their perspective towards society in which they live or more to the most part of the world in which they live. Henrik Ibsen’s modern drama, â€Å"A Doll House,† reveals couple of responses to the question â€Å"what makes us who we are?† Through critically examining the play from†¦show more content†¦Henrik Ibsen shared this sense of change happening inside the society and proclaims it within the pages of the play â€Å"A Doll’s House (Lee 631).† The main protagonist of the play, Nora Helmer is afflicted with gender inequalit y. The play starts with Nora in a state very fundamental to what many would consider absolute joy. She is unaware of her current condition of oppression. Her state of ignorance can be credited to the way that she has been confronted with few upsetting and tragic obstacles. Without trials and hardships people once in a while will understand any need for change in their lives. Ibsen comprehends this idea and highlights it with many examples that happen in the play from the conflict with Krogstad and his posing threat of black-mailing to the rising awareness of Torvald’s disparaging relationship with Nora. Ibsen uses Nora to represent for the change that is to come and how women, as the thwart to men, are soon going to overcome and bring the change in the role of female in the society. Some catalyst will definitely spark the engine that will be the women’s rights revolution. The catalyst in setting of the dramatization happens to be Krogstad. A change in Nora beginning to happen through the presence of Krogstad. She understands that she will be unable to carry on a perfect and carefree world. She begins to understand the truth of her marriage

Othello Essay Research Paper A SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY free essay sample

Othello Essay, Research Paper A SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY Shrewd and oblique behavior, particularly for his ain benefit is perpetuated by the manipulative and immorality Iago throughout the Shakespearian calamity Othello. Iago tamping bars with the truth and falsifies events in an effort to procure power and seek retaliation. In his pursuit for power no 1 is safe from his oblique workss. His prevarications and manipulative narratives finally prove destructive to the other characters in the drama. Iago appears to be without scruples, go oning to manufacture narratives and initiate rumours. Iago is misanthropic ; obsessed with his ain personal addition. His manipulative and vindictive behavior leads to the thirst for retaliation, the treachery of friendly relationships, and the devastation of love. The hungriness and pursuit for retaliation, the consequence of green-eyed monster leads to the ruin of a figure of Shakespearian characters in the drama, Othello. Iago is highly manipulative and power oriented, hankering to be in control and exercising authorization. When intelligence of Cassio # 8217 ; s publicity reaches him he is overcome with green-eyed monster and vows to seek the ultimate retaliation # 8211 ; Cassio # 8217 ; s dismissal. Iago rants that he will # 8220 ; hold our Michael Cassio on the hip, abuse him to the Moor in the rank attire # 8211 ; For I fear Cassio with my night-cap excessively # 8221 ; ( 37 ) . At the double jubilation for Desdemona # 8217 ; s and Othello # 8217 ; s matrimony and the terminal of the Turkish menace to Cyprus, Iago sets his program in gesture by carrying Cassio to indulge in excessively many cups of vino. Iago insists that Cassio have # 8220 ; but one cup # 8221 ; ( 39 ) # 8220 ; that would fain hold step to the wellness of black Othello # 8221 ; ( 39 ) . With Cassio in this vulnerable province, Iago hopes a feud between Roderigo and Cassio will develop. His program for revenge meets with great success. A battle occurs between Cassio and Montano. Othello hears the sudden disturbance and instantly leaves his quarters and appears at the town square to deprive Cassio of his baronial rubric. Othello makes a point of if to guarantee Cassio that he does # 8220 ; love thee, but never again be officer of mine # 8221 ; ( 45 ) . Cassio # 8217 ; s repute is shattered as a consequence of the manipulative attempts of Iago. Once once more, Iago # 8217 ; s unscrupulous behavior and shrewd planning allows his maestro program to develop. Friendship involves appreciating, admiting and honoring another human being. It is obvious that Iago has no construct of the true significance of friendly relationship as he continually toys with Roderigo # 8217 ; s exposure and failings, utilizing him as a pawn in his manipulative strategies. He realizes that Roderigo is infatuated with Desdemona and accordingly he workss the seed of green-eyed monster in Roderigo # 8217 ; s head by stating him that # 8220 ; Cassio loves Desdemona, I do good believe # 8217 ; T: That she loves him, # 8217 ; tis disposed and of great recognition # 8221 ; ( 37 ) . This cognition infuriates Roderigo and compels him to back up Iago in his efforts to seek retaliation against Cassio, the freshly appointed lieutenant. Roderigo assures Iago that he # 8220 ; will make this, if you can convey it to any chance # 8221 ; ( 36 ) . Iago uses his friend # 8217 ; s green-eyed monster of Cassio as a gambit in an attempt to procure his ain demands. A feud betw een Roderigo and Cassio ensues and Iago # 8217 ; s shrewd program to hold Cassio dismissed comes into fruition. Iago # 8217 ; s program succeeds because he deceives his friend Roderigo into believing that his aggressive behavior will take to a romantic relationship with Desdemona, when in world his actions lead to Iago # 8217 ; s ultimate end # 8211 ; the dismissal of Cassio. Even the most beautiful and loving relationships can be shattered by the destructive forces of use. Othello, the most important character in the drama is easy manipulated and influenced by the evil Iago. Initially Iago acts as if he respects and honours Othello, making an environment of false trust. Othello believes in Iago and is unable to see him as disloyal or dishonest. Having built up a relationship of false trust Iago is so able to go on to lie and deceive Othello. Throughout the full drama Othello is unmindful to Iago # 8217 ; s tactics and is wholly unsuspicious and unaware of Iago # 8217 ; s manipula tive efforts. Iago takes full advantage of Othello’s rigorous attachment to his codification of honor and his demand for an unmarred repute. Iago easy convinces Othello of his ex- lieutenant, Cassio’s disloyalty. Iago convinces Othello that â€Å"Cassio did some small incorrect to him, as work forces in fury work stoppage those that wish them best† ( 45 ) . The manipulative Iago besides provokes Othello’s covetous nature by seting a seed of intuition in Othello’s head – the intuition that his darling married woman Desdemona is involved in an confidant matter with his ex- lieutenant Cassio. Iago warns Othello to â€Å"look to your married woman ; observe her well with Cassio. Wear your oculus Therefore: non covetous, nor secure† ( 59 ) . Iago invariably preys on Othello’s humanity and his emotions, manufacturing such prevarications as Desdemona neer felt love for Othello and how Desdemona ’s hankie had been found in lieute nant Cassio’s quarters. Upon having this false information an angered Othello demands that Iago, the conniving scoundrel â€Å"be certain 1000 turn out my love a prostitute ; Be sure of it: give me optic proof† ( 64 ) . Deceitful Iago so asks Othello if he has of all time noticed his just Desdemona with â€Å"a hankie spotted with strawberries† ( 67 ) in her manus. Iago informs Othello that â€Å"but such a hankie – I am certainly of it was your wife’s – did I today see Cassio pass over his face fungus with† ( 67 ) . Othello accepts the cogent evidence at face value and believes the disgraceful matter to be true. Once once more Iago has been successful in lead oning and pull stringsing others. His false accusals have lead to the devastation of the love and trust between Othello and Desdemona. Othello’s green-eyed monster and his demand to support his honor and his repute reduces him to a adult male out of control. He becomes a broken adult male, hateful and covetous, killing his guiltless married woman and later taking his ain life. Once Othello is informed by Emilia about the truth of Iago’s hideous strategy, he feels that â€Å"I kissed thee, I killed thee: no manner but this, killing myself, to decease upon a kiss† ( 119 ) . In retrospect and in malice of the fact that Shakespeare # 8217 ; s plants have been composed several centuries ago, is it his purpose to expose defects in the human character? Is Shakespeare trying to present a message through his plants? In the drama, Othello, Iago can be described as being green with enviousness nevertheless, would it non be more appropriate to qualify him as greed with enviousness? Iago # 8217 ; s greed for power and position can merely be satisfied through the use and misrepresentation of others without sorrow or compunction of the impact on the unsuspecting. Indeed, is the message Shakespeare attempts to unwrap albeit a ineffectual effort, really a warning, a warning # 8220 ; to mind of the rap on the dorsum, that merely might keep you back # 8221 ; ( anon. ) or the # 8221 ; smiling faces that Tell prevarications and of the immoralities that lurk within # 8221 ; ( anon. ) , a warning to mind several centuries ago and a message to mind today? Iago # 8217 ; s use destroys many people # 8217 ; s lives throughout the drama Othello. It is distressing to witness Iago # 8217 ; s hideous strategies as they come to fruition without respect or compunction for the lives he attempts to undermine. Manipulation is a terrifying and unscrupulous maneuver which forces people to set about workss they would otherwise see oblique. Manipulation destroys friendly relationships, creates power battles and ruins even the strongest bonds of true love. It is lay waste toing to recognize that had the truth been spoken or acknowledged in the drama, Othello, many lives and reputes could hold been spared. Today society frequently fails to acknowledge that the truth is critical to the success of every relationship. It is apparent that fraudulence and lies may pervert many relationships and that without the truth there is no foundation for trust and true bonding. Peoples must be more prudent about their determination devising and their use of others ; it is impe rative to see the detrimental and emotional injury created by such determinations, every bit good the trust and regard they sacrifice as a consequence of such behaviors. Society needs to observe the truth in people # 8217 ; s lives. 316

TV And PC Essays - Publishing, Vanity Press, Computer, Internet

TV And PC In the 1990s the personal computer revolution turned into the social computer revolution. The thrill of having sophisticated computer power on your desktop turned out to be just the beginning, once your machine could connect to everyone else's via telephone lines. There is a global computer the size of humanity taking shape. Now that everybody can publish their own interests to a world audience on the Net, we learn irreversibly that the world is far stranger and more interesting that we would ever guess from magazines, books and broadcast media. Our sense of the world is altered and, oddly enough, in an optimistic direction. Two simple-seeming devices -- search engines and links -- have made search-space on the Internet more exciting than outer space. It is more current and diverse than any encyclopedia, and it's inhabited with real people. However remote-seeming your query with a search service like Alta Vista, within minutes you find yourself on the home page of someone who has made that subject their life's obsession. What he or she has to say raises questions you would never have thought to ask. And they provide links to even more astounding sources. Web surfers experience a giddy sensation of boundless variety and boundless possibility. How the world talks to itself is permanently changed. In the jargon, it has shifted from one-to-one (telephone) and one-to-many (broadcast) to many-to-many (the Net). Power is taken from the editors and distributors in huge over-cautious corporations and handed to no-longer-passive, radical everyone. Individuals on the Net initiate and control content to suit themselves and those they can interest. (This makes governments nervous.) The Net is an antidote to broadcast news. The news tells you about a shocking earthquake and you're depressed. The Net gives you the people who are helping the earthquake victims and provides firsthand reports: "I was out in the garden when it hit, and I noticed that suddenly the ground was covered with earthworms." Some have described most activity on the Net as merely "vanity publishing" or "advertising." Those are left-over broadcast terms whose meaning is changed in the Net environment. Grass-roots "advertising" is what assembles new communities of interest and whole new ecologies of knowledge. If we had any idea how wildly interesting "vanity publishing" could be when it is cheap and plentiful, we would never have condemned it.

Voodoo Secrets

Voodoo as a religion has its roots in traditional African religions. It original name is Vodu, but that paved way for the more widespread name; Voodoo. Other names referring to it include â€Å"Voudou, Vaudau, Voudoux, or Vaudaux† (Tallant 9). Captured slaves from West Africa carried its essential ideology into Haiti, then to America.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Voodoo Secrets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The practice of Voodoo involves, â€Å"complicated rituals and symbols† (Riguad 7). It involves the worship of spiritual deities, with priests called papa loa, which means â€Å"father of the spirits† (Felix 21), and priestesses acting as intermediaries between the spiritual world, and humanity. Some of them also operate as oracles, revealing spiritual mysteries to those who seek their services. The term Voodoo also describes a charm that has supernatural powers known as juj u. Adherents believe that it acts as a protective force over them. They also use it to mete out revenge on their enemies. Voodoo therefore refers to an entire religious system and to certain specific aspects of its practice. Voodoo picked pace from the practices of a snake cult in Haiti during the slave trade period. The cult came from West Africa and spread with slave trade, in the Americas and to Haiti. As new slave communities grew in the Americas, different religious identities amalgamated into a unified faith as the slave communities tried to forge a common belief system to unify them in their new locales. Felix says, â€Å"Voodoo became the intermingling of essential attributes of all the religions of the different African tribes to which poorly assimilated elements of Catholicism were added† (20). Voodoo got its form in Haiti, which was an important station during slave trade. Missionary efforts among the slaves saw them incorporate elements of Catholicism in practice of the Voodoo religion. In the process, some Voodoo spirits replaced catholic saints because of close relationships between their roles. Currently, it is common to find prayers offered to Mary and other Catholic elements such as the Lord’s Prayer and the sign of the cross forming part of the Voodoo liturgy. In fact, many Voodoo adherents are staunch Catholics. In America, Voodoo practice first took place in New Orleans before spreading to other states. This was because of the role New Orleans played in slave trade.Advertising Looking for research paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Voodoo belief system builds on the idea of an all-powerful impersonal Supreme Being responsible for creation of the entire universe, but who does not get involved in day-to-day running characterized by the affairs of men. The adherents worship lesser deities known as Loa who are animistic spirits. The initial prac tice of Voodoo revolved around slave communities that sought to retain the vital link with their ancestral heritage. Present followers include descendants of these slaves spread throughout the Americas. In addition, tourists all over the world visit Voodoo priests and priestesses in America and Haiti to obtain special charms and amulets for all manner of purposes.  Its practice involves praying, dancing, and ritualistic expressions. It is important to distinguish between faithful adherents who actually believe in power of Voodoo, and those who participate in Voodoo recreational purposes. The use of dolls in Voodoo is the enduring image of the faith system though this is only a piece of the entire system. This view, propagated by Hollywood horror movies, depicts Voodoo priests as spiritual powerhouses using the dolls to control the outcome of an individual’s activities. There are a number of opponents to Voodoo who believe it is evil. Official catholic faith rejects Voodoo a s demonic and considers use of saints in the Voodoo liturgy as syncretism. The question of whether Voodoo is fact or fiction is hard to answer sufficiently using a scientific approach. It does not lend itself to purely scientific investigation to determine its efficacy. This is true for all faith-based systems. Evidence given by practicing Voodoo adherents does not meet criteria for objective study because they are likely to associate ordinary outcomes to their faith. It is difficult to dissociate outcomes of Voodoo mediated occurrences from random chance. The Placebo effect also applies to Voodoo. Someone may actually experience a favorable outcome because of participation in Voodoo rituals based on their belief in the efficacy of the service received. Taking a healing portion from a Voodoo priest may result in better physical health. We can therefore conclude that Voodoo is effective to the extent that such outcomes portray a positive relationship to Voodoo practice. Voodoo has ha d many tangible consequences in the world. The most notable was the drive towards independence by Haiti, which begun in earnest during a Voodoo festival, where all the participants took an oath to fight for independence. Consequently, Haiti became the first predominantly Negro nation to attain independence. Riguad also attest to some of the effects of voodoo practice when he says, â€Å"a curious moral consequence of the slave trade was the exaltation of the African religion by an increase of faith in the Voodoo divinities† (12). Berry identifies one of the mystifying occurrences of Voodoo when he says, â€Å"One of the most spectacular features of Voodoo is ritual possession trance, in which saints (loa) enter into and â€Å"possess† the practitioner, who can either be a believer (with no special psychological problem), a patient, or a priest/doctor who seeks to heal†. This shows that Voodoo is not without its share of paranormal occurrences that science cannot fully explain.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Voodoo Secrets specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Works Cited Berry, John, et al. Cross-cultural psychology: research and applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Print. Felix, Emmanuel. Understanding Haitian Voodoo. USA: Xulon Press, 2009. Print Riguad, Milo. Secrets of voodoo. New York: Lights Books, 1985. Print. Tallant, Robert. Voodoo in New Orleans. Louisiana: Pelican Publishing, 1983. Print. This research paper on Voodoo Secrets was written and submitted by user Grady Barlow to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Demographic Transition Definition in Sociology

The Demographic Transition Definition in Sociology Demographic transition is a model used to represent the movement of high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a country develops from a pre-industrial to an industrialized economic system. It works on the premise that birth and death rates are connected to and correlate with stages of industrial development. The demographic transition model is sometimes referred to as DTM and is based on historical data and trends.   The Four Stages of Transition   Demographic transition involves four stages:   Stage 1: Death rates and birth rates are high and are roughly in balance, a common condition of a pre-industrial society. Population growth is very slow, influenced in part by the availability of food. The U.S. was said to be in Stage 1 in the 19th century.   Stage 2: This is the developing country phase. Death rates drop rapidly due to improvements in food supply and sanitation, which increases life spans and reduces disease. Without a corresponding fall in birth rates, countries in this stage experience a large increase in population. Stage 3: Birth rates fall due to access to contraception, increases in wages, urbanization, an increase in the status and education of women, and other social changes. Population growth begins to level off. Mexico is believed to be in this stage in the early decades of the millennium. Northern Europe entered this stage in the later part of the 19th century.   Stage 4:  Birth rates and death rates are both low in this stage. People born during S tage 2 are now beginning to age and require the support of a dwindling working population. Birth rates may drop below replacement level, considered to be two children per family. This leads to a shrinking population. Death rates may remain consistently low, or they may increase slightly due to increases in lifestyle diseases linked to low exercise levels and high obesity. Sweden has reached this stage in the 21st century.   The Fifth Stage of Transition   Some theorists include a fifth stage in which fertility rates begin to transition again to either above or below that which is necessary to replace the percentage of the population that is lost to death. Some say fertility levels decrease during this stage while others hypothesize that they increase. Rates are expected to increase populations in Mexico, India and the U.S. in the 21st century, and to decrease populations in Australia and China.   Birth and death rates largely plateaued in most developed nations in the late 1900s.   The Timetable There is no prescribed time within which these stages should or must take place to fit the model. Some countries, like Brazil and China, have moved through them quickly due to rapid economic changes within their borders. Other countries may languish in Stage 2 for a much longer period due to development challenges and diseases like AIDS.   Additionally, other factors not considered in the DTM can affect population. Migration and immigration are not included in this model and can affect population.

Pfizer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pfizer - Research Paper Example The two principles that are covered for this submission is the Labor Principle 1: The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation and the Environment Principle 2: Encourage the development and diffusion of environment friendly technologies. These two principles cover the aspects related to the internal human resources policies followed by the organizations (Pfizer in this case) and the way in which the company goes about encouraging newer technologies to enter the market that are environmentally friendly and â€Å"green† according to the principles laid down by the global compact. If we examine the first principle of ending discrimination at the workplace, we find that Pfizer has been proactively reaching out to its internal stakeholders i.e. its employees and educating them about the need to foster a workplace environment that is free from harassment and gender specific targeting. Towards this end, Pfizer has undertaken a series of initiatives that deal with these issues. Some of them include the institution of a strict workplace policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of any factor be it gender, ethnicity, race or physical disabilities or lifestyle preferences. This has come in the form of a directive from top management with its implementation being tracked for success at all levels and grievance redressal mechanisms and anonymous complaint registration being made available to all the employees. As the following excerpt from the company’s website points out, â€Å"the education of employees has included executive memos, stories about the Global Compact on Pfizer’s online worldwide news service for employees, and a two-day global meeting of senior employees focused on stakeholder engagement. In addition, the company’s mandatory education for all employees on Pfizer’s Code of Ethics included segments on corporate citizenship, with reference to the Global

Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

Buddhism - Essay Example Atman can be seen as a particle of the universal soul (Brahman), which lives in each person. In turn, Buddhism denies such understanding of the soul and its varieties. Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism does not regard the human soul as an unchanging essence, because for Buddhism the soul is a flow of human experiences, feelings and sensations. Such an understanding seriously affects the idea of ​​rebirth that is represented in Hinduism and Buddhism: in Hinduism, reincarnation implies that the constant soul changes its body, while Buddhism focuses on the fact that it is about the rebirth of the soul, the resumption of its existence. Despite the contradiction between the different versions of Hinduism, they all share certain fundamental ideas (Whitman 608). According to the general Hindu notions, beyond the volatile physical world there is a single universal, unchanging, and eternal spirit called Brahman. The soul (Atman) of each being in the universe, including the gods, is a part of that spirit. In fact, â€Å"Hinduism believe in the existence of Atman, that is the individual soul and Brahman, the Supreme Creator† (Nandan and Jangubhai 30). The soul is regarded as an eternal and immutable essence, which has the opportunity to live after human death. When the flesh dies, the soul does not die, for it passes into another body, in which it has a new life. The fate of the soul in each new life depends on its behavior in previous incarnations. The law of karma says that no sin is left without punishment and no virtue - without reward; if a person has not received the deserved punishment or reward in this lif e, he/she will get them in one of the following. Human behavior determines the higher or lower status of the later incarnation (Nandan and Jangubhai 27). Though Buddhism and Hinduism share the concept of rebirth, the Buddhist concept differs in details from the Hindu one. The doctrine of rebirth presented in Hinduism involves a permanent soul, the essence of

Introduction to English - Essay 1 (1000words) Login to unit provided

Introduction to English - 1 (1000words) Login to unit provided - Essay Example While Shakespeare presented his women as unfaithful and loose, Chaucer chose to show women as long-suffering, faithful and virtuous. Troilus and Cressida is set during the mythological war between the Greeks and the Trojans precipitated by a Trojan prince’s act of stealing the wife of a Greek king. The woman named Helen eloped with Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, and left her husband King Menelaus. Menelaus, together with the fierce Greek commanders and the greatest Greek warrior Achilles attacked Troy to vindicate the king’s honor and wrest the lovely Helen back. King Priam and his sons Hector, Paris and Troilus relentlessly defended Troy and a war lasting for more than a decade subsequently raged. Amidst this turbulent background, Troilus, Priam’s youngest son fell in love with Cressida, the daughter of a Trojan priest named Calchas. Troilus sought Cressida’s affection through her uncle Patroclus who, acting as a pimp more than a kinsman, set up a meeting between the two. On the initial meeting, Troilus proposed his love and Cressida although coyly at first, readily gave in. The sw ift development was marked by of faithfulness and Cressida, declared that â€Å"From false to false, among maids in love, Upbraid my falsehood! when they’ve said ‘as false As air, as water, wind, or sandy earth, As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifers’s calf, Pard to the hind, or stepdame to her son,† â€Å"Yea† let them say say, to stick the heart of falsehood, ‘As false as Cressid.† They ended up in bed together. Soon after, Cressida’s words were put to a test when her father Calchas defected to the Greeks who had camped outside Troy and suggested that a valuable Trojan prisoner be set off with his daughter Cressida. Since the Trojan prisoner was a valuable officer, the set off was readily agreed to by King Priam and his sons to the dismay of Troilus who was not able to stop the deal. Before she left, Cressida and Troilus pledged once more

Edgar Allan Poe Writing Style Analysis

Edgar Allan Poe Writing Style Analysis Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American author born in Boston. His use of terror and the supernatural made him famous as one of the popular gothic writers. Poe wrote numerous books and poems with some 18+ noted books to his credit. His mystery writing was recognised by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as being exceptional and the ability to bring life into the characters portrayed. The life and works of Poe are particularly well explored in the book The political economy of literature in antebellum America by Terence Whalen. In addition the book Edgar Allan Poe: a biography by Milton Meltzer describes the literary works and criticism of Poes books and poems. INTRODUCTION Edgar Allan Poe was noted for his gothic horror style of writing. Nevertheless he also used his writing to express political sentiments, particularly that regarding racism, slavery and social distinctions in the Southern USA. This was compared to the situation in Europe with Poe supporting the concept of slavery. The author Toni Morrison in her book entitled Playing in the Dark identified Poe along with Mark Twain as an author whose work was haunted by blackness. Toni Morrison claims that no early American writer was more important than Poe in shaping a concept of American Africanism  [1]   The works of Poe were largely obscured for some 50 years after his death owing to copyright restrictions held by his Executor Dr. Rufus B Griswold. It is nearly fifty years since the death of Edgar Allan Poe, and his writings are now for the first time gathered together with an attempt at accuracy and completeness  [2]  . Despite the production of numerous poems Poe was best known for his genre of horror and science fiction novels and Walt Whitman  [3]  described his works as Poes verses illustrate an intense faculty for technical and abstract beauty, with the rhyming art to excess, an incorrigible propensity toward nocturnal themes, and a demoniac undertone behind every page. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ There is an indescribable magnetism about the poets life and reminiscences, as well as the poems  [4]  . Poes life was surrounded by tragedy with his parents passing away when he was just 3 years old. He became obsessive with drink and gambling and this resulted in his own rather obscure death as a drunk in Baltimore. Despite this his poems and novels that explored the conditions of the human psyche earned him international fame both during his life and after his death. He was viewed as a tortured soul who was obsessed with death, violence and a sense of the macabre yet still gained an appreciation for those mysteries that life had to offer. Poe was acknowledged by such notary poets as Longfellow, Wordsworth, Tennyson and Whitman. Despite his critics he left a legacy of gothic works that would later inspire film makers and other novelists in the horror and supernatural genre. Poe was acknowledged by the international community as an acclaimed writer of stories and poems in the gothic horror style. He was also critical of the political scene in light of the turbulent changes in the Southern USA. He brought a style of gothic writing in order to make statements and used the concept of terror, mystery and the supernatural to bring fear and terror to society. This paper explores the different examples of Poes writing and provides a modern interpretation of his different styles and uses. A cross-section of Poems, Short Stories in the genre of horror, mystery and terror. LITERATURE OF EDGAR ALLAN POE THE TELL TALE HEART The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story composed by Edgar Allen Poe. It is rather a ghoulish story concerning the murder of an old man who is dismembered and his body buried under floor-boards. The murder subsequently loses his sanity believing the heart of the old man is still beating under the floorboards. It talks of the old man having a Vulture Eye, the apparent reason for the pre-meditated murder. The conflict is on the murders insistence of his own sanity but in so doing it becomes self-destructive as the defence build-up the case to his ultimate admission of guilt. It is a saga of guilt, remorse and the dreadful concept of haunting of the human mind for an act so reprehensible. Clearly the murderer is the protagonist at the central theme of this story and the old man the antagonist by the concept of the vulture eye  [5]   As the sound of the old mans heartbeat gets louder. The murder becomes more paranoid and believes that others can hear it, including the police officers who are present at the scene of the crime. The illusion and paranoia eventually lead to the murder believing the police know that he is guilty and the murders tortured soul eventually leads him confessing his guilt of the crime. This leads the murder to the evidence and telling the police the whereabouts of the body and instruction to tear up the floor boards. The plot demonstrates the struggle between imagination and science. The old man the rationale scientific mind and the narrator the imaginative THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO The Cask of Amontillado was written by Edgar Allen Poe in 1846. It was developed as a short story in Godeys Ladys Book. The setting was in an unnamed city in Italy, the period was not indicated but assume somewhere in the 18th Century. The theme of this story is about REVENGE. During the 19th Century the people seemed to have a great interest in this subject matter and as such this was a popular tale. Poe was rather a dark or grim writer and this story was unveiled from the perspective of the murderer. Poe had the unique talent of being able to penetrate the inner mind and psychology of the murder and acts of insanity. From this he could create a graphical depiction of both horror and terror that leaves the sane reader aghast. The subject of revenge is particularly potent material and allows the writer to demonstrate the meaning of hatred and the steps someone would take in order to exact a terrible revenge. Characters in the story The story focuses around two main characters that of Montresor (Murderer) and his victim Fortunato, both men of noble birth. Montresor was extremely angry over some unspecified insult from Fortunato and as a result plans his murder. His aim or plan being to distract him during carnival time, when the festivities find the man in a drunken stupor, wearing the disguise of a jesters attire. The Plot Montresor captures the attention of Fortunato by describing a procurement of a very valuable cask of sherry the Cask of Amontillado and requires Fortunatos expert opinion on the quality of the wine. From this point he lures Fortunato through a series of subterranean passages beneath his Palazzo. When the two men reach the cellar containing the wine, Montresor grabs Fortunato and chains him to the wall and then proceeds to build a new wall and seal him in leaving him to die. In re-telling his story some 50 years later Montresor says he has never been captured and in so far as he knows the body of Fortunato still hangs suspended in the niche where it was bricked in all those years ago. The unrepentant murder stating In pace requiscat (may he rest in peace). The story undoubtedly had an influence on later writers This story and Poes other short fiction had an undisputed influence on later fiction writers. In the nineteenth century, Poe influenced Ambrose Bierce and Robert Louis Stevenson among others. Twentieth-century writers who have looked to Poe include science fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft and horror author Stephen King.  [6]   Analysis and Symbolism The theme and plot of the story is based upon murder and revenge. It is not a mystery or detection story, the mystery resides in the actual motives for which Montresor committed murder. Montresor indicated that he received a thousand injuries, although no substantive reasons were provided. The reader is left to determine the cause of the motives, including the probability that Montresor was in fact insane. There are some contradictions in the story, for example: Fortunato is introduced to the readership as a wine expert he becomes so drunk he would be unable to identify the Amontillado and treats De Grave, an expensive French wine, with little regard by drinking it in a single gulp  [7]   The tale also indicates that Montresor was of noble birth and yet he demonstrated brick laying skills, more normally associated with the working class. It is known that the author had knowledge of the subject matter in his personal life and as such appreciated the visual horrors of such an abstraction to his audience. Poe worked in the brickyard late in the fall of 1834.  [8]  Vincent Buranelli made a number of observations about the story and in more general terms about Poes morbid fascination with death. He expanded by saying how this had influenced musicians of the time including Debussy According to Vincent Buranelli, Poes short stories also influenced the music of Claude Debussy, who was haunted by the atmosphere of Poes tales, and the art of Aubrey Beardsley, as well as the work of other composers and artists in the United States, Great Britain, and in Europe.  [9]  The gothic style of Poes writing has a distinct sense of morbidity about it The thousand injuries of Fort unato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged.  [10]  The analysis of the phrase is interesting. It suggests a building of in sufferance from the relationship with Fortunato culminating in a final insult that threw Montresor into a fit of rage and ultimately to a plot of murder. For this to build into such a state illustrates the apparent lack of dialogue and trust between the two supposed friends. This also leads the reader to question the state of mind of Montresor and indeed question his very sanity. Richard P Benton (a noted writer on Poe) asserted that the character for Montessori was in actual fact based upon Claude de Bourdeille, Count of Montresor a political conspirator in the court of King Louis X111.  [11]   THE RAVEN The Raven was first published in 1845. It is regarded as a classic American poem. The poet describes that of a talking Raven which visits a distressed lover and ultimately traces the mans emotions as he steps into the depths of insanity. The man is considered to be a student who is lamenting over the loss of his lover called Lenore. The Raven is a mysterious bird symbolic of death and repeats the words never more. The man asks the Raven questions but it only answers Never more and as such he will never be reunited with his Lenore and his soul shall not be lifted Never more. At the time the poem came in for a fair amount of criticism, in addition to the acclaim from other poets. It was considered to be inspired by the work of Charles Dickens from his novel Barnaby Rudge. The Raven is considered to be a devil like creature that is symbolic of both black magic and the devil. The end result of the poem is that the student will never get over the grief for his lost Lenore. Lenore also tra nslates to Helen [Helen of Troy representing beauty] and the bust of Pallas is representative of the Greek goddess Athena [the goddess of wisdom]. This is symbolic of the fact that grief and sorrow displace wisdom and common sense in the mans life. This is a complex poem with many meanings. Poe was particularly artful at understanding ancient greek mythology and being able to both intertwin this with comparisons to characters in his own narrations. He demonstrated similar characteristics with figures out of European history and related these to American literature. It is important to understand that many of Poes readers were international and particularly from Europe where he had a large following. This translation therefore became an important part of reaching that audience. THE BLACK CAT Is a short story narrated by Poe. It was compiled in 1843 and falls under the horror genre. The story focuses upon the deteriorating life of an alcoholic but also it involves animal abuse and murder. It is useful to note that Poe himself had a serious drinking problem and in Baltimore he fell into bad company. This may well have influenced this work based upon his own shortcomings and fear of falling into madness as a result of alcoholism. The story is a mystery novel and about the unlocking of clues to a murder, as revealed by the mysterious black cat. It is the location of hidden objects that allow you to solve puzzles that allude to the murder. The cat is called Pluto [ Roman name for the God of the underworld] and symbolic of the devil and hell. The black cat is also associated with bad luck and misfortune. The cat is used to depict the insanity of the narrator as he spins out of control due to the worsening effects of alcoholism. This Gothic tale becomes all the more shocking as youre about to get inside the mind of an insane person and ultimately it leaves you to ponder the shocking story and the acts committed by the man i.e. The walling up of his wife and the black cat in the cellar. Poe was highly influenced by drink and opium and this may well account for his ability to graphically define horror, based upon the horrors that he experienced from drink and drugs. Opium was known for its hallucogenic qualities an d Poe had a love of cats; hence it becomes easier to understand how his mind finds it easier to start and unravel the workings of insanity and the unfortunate influences of advanced alcoholism. THE PIT AND THE PENDALUM The pit and the pendulum is another short story compiled by Poe in 1842. It tells the story of a young prisoner that is tortured as part of the Spanish inquisition. The story depicts what it is like to be tortured and attempts to place to reader in a state of fear, thereby appealing to the senses and sounds that hinge upon realism. The tall candles that are melting depict the prisoner and his life ebbing away with little hope of remission or rescue. The prisoner is locked in a dark prison which he thinks is his tomb. The prisoner becomes aware that he has been bound in a pit with a scythe like pendulum slowly swinging down towards him. This will be the instrument of his execution but the prisoner is able to attract rats to gnaw his bones and release him. He is finally rescued before the inner walls move inwards and force him to his death at the bottom of the pit. Although Poe takes historical license with the story it is widely held that the pit and pendulum were used in torture devi ces by the Spanish inquisition. The story was later made into a film starring the actor Vincent Price. Some have contrasted this work to the situation of slavery in the Southern States i.e. the concept of bondage and being a prisoner, the sense of life ebbing away with no remission from slavery, the torture being the lashing and brutality inflicted upon slaves by their masters and the final rescue being the freedom from slavery by the Northern Union Army at the end of the civil war. The comparison being the Spanish Inquisition to the plight of the slaves. FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER This story relates to the decline of a family and house [the House of Usher]. From the beginning the author paints a bleak view of rot and decay in a cold autumnal setting The novel compares the crumbling decay of the house to that of the family that dwells within. The characters Roderick and Madeleine are twins and represent the mental and physical decline of the family. Roderick believes that the stones of the house have a consciousness and as such they embody the fate of the Usher family. Within the novel Poe gets to grips with the inner workings of the human imagination and the destructive concepts that reside within. The results of this lead to mental illness and death from the torturous terror of the imagination. The house itself crumbles into the deep and dark tarn,  [12]  (Womak 2010) and depicts the narrator fleeing from madness in order to protect his own sanity. Some critics related this piece to the destruction of the plantations, properties and families in the Southern States by the persecution of the Northern Union armies. The crumbling decay of the house being that of the confederate states and how old ideas and families were being crushed under the concept of change by the slavery abolitionist movement of the North. The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar This short story was first published in 1845. This tells the story of a dying man. A mesmerist places a man into a state of hypnosis shortly before his time of death. He examines the concept of hypnotizing a man dying of tuberculosis in order to see what happens to him. The man is left in the hypnotic state for seven months. The dying man (Valdemar) beckons to be woken or allowed to die by wagging his tongue. During the hypnotic state he was pale, cold and without pulse. As the hypnotist eventually wakes him Valdemars voice shouts Dead! Dead! And as he comes out of the trance his body instantly decays into a putrefied liquid mass of decayed material. Poe was known to have deeply studied medical tests and post mortem examinations and as such was able to assemble a picture of words in order to depict the horror and gore. Additional influence to this story might have been the suffering and death of his wife Virginia who died from Tuberculosis; having suffered to the point of her departu re. The Masque of the Red Death This popular short story follows the main character of Prince Prospero who tries to escape a plague called The Red Death, by hiding in his abbey with his noble friends. During this time they have a masked ball which covers many different coloured rooms. During the ball a strange masked figure enters the room dressed in a shroud like costume. This enrages Prospero who demands to know who this person is and wants him hanged. He ignores the Prince and this enrages Prospero who chases after him with a drawn dagger. Prospero confronts the stranger in the Black room and shortly after is found dead. The guests find both Prospero and the stranger on the floor. They remove the mask from the stranger only to find a faceless creature that is Red Death itself. After this all of the nobility succumb to the disease and are found dead. Although the disease is fictitious it might be symbolic of the Black Death that swept through the middle ages in Europe. The point made is that nobody ultimately esc apes death regardless of wealth or position. Death comes to us all in the end. Other theories are that Poe was influenced by the death of his wife Virginia and her suffering due to that of tuberculosis. The Murders in the Rue Morgue Poe first published this murder mystery in 1841 in Grahams Magazine. It tells the story of the brutal saying of two women in the Rue Morgue of Paris. One had her throat cut and the other strangled. This was one of the earliest detective novels that inspired fictional characters of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. The central detective figure in this story being one Auguste Dupin. The detective found his first clue by discovering some hair that was not of human origin. In addition witnesses recounted having heard noises and sounds in a language that they had never heard before. Dupin suspected that this might be an Ourang-Outang and set about placing an advert for someone who might have lost such an animal. It was discovered that a sailor had brought one from Borneo and that the animal had escaped with a shaving razor. The animal emulating shaving on the victims. Poe wrote this story at a time when crime and detection was held in great fascination in both London and New York. It aimed at proving the point of brains over brawn i.e. the brains of the skilled detective versus the brute strength of the ape. Poe was said to have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and Agatha Christie (great mystery and detective writer). Comparisons were made to the captivation and treatment of the Ape. As the Ape was brought from its native Borneo to a strange land and subjected to the dangerous practices of its captor (sailor); so the negro was transplanted from Africa to the plantations of the Americas and subject to the bondage and harsh treatment of his new master. The Premature Burial This short story was based upon the concept of being buried alive. It focuses upon a person who has been struck down with a condition called catalepsy which puts you into a death like trance. Here a person is buried alive and only at a later date when the tomb is opened is the accident revealed. Poe takes advantage of a fear that was prevalent amongst people of the 19th century in the concept of being buried alive. It again illustrates Poes fascination with the morbidity of death. The Imp of the Perverse This story is about that of an imp or demon that influences a person in order to conduct acts of mischief. The story starts with a candle, having been placed in the room of a victim, and omits a poisonous vapour. The leads to the death of the victim who reads at night by the candlelight in a poorly ventilated room. The narrator, being the murderer, believes he has got away with the crime after the coroner delivers a verdict of an act of god The narrator subsequently inherits the house and enjoys the benefits from the deed for many years to come. He feels that the only way he will ever be caught is that if he confesses the crime. He later finds himself running through the streets and confesses the deed to an invisible friend. This leads to him being tried, convicted and sentenced to death. The story is based upon the premise that all people lean towards self-destructive tendencies and that ultimately we cannot avoid the moral responsibility for the deed that we perform. Other critics have suggested that the story related purely to Poes life and his depiction of personal torment and self-destruction. It occurred at a time when he felt betrayed and held a public feud with the English poet Henry Longfellow. THE ANGEL OF THE ODD This was a satirical study narrated by Poe in 1844. The story is based upon a man who died after swallowing a needle accidentally. This results in the appearance of an odd character made of a keg and wine bottles (the angel of the odd), who is said to be the root cause of these bizarre events. The man is not convinced of the story and falls into a drunken stupor. The man later wakes up to find that his house is on fire and narrowly escapes death by clambering down a ladder from the upper window of the house. During the escape a hog brushes past the ladder causing the man to fall and break his arm. He later tries to woo two different women who laugh at his wig, this he was forced to wear after his hair was singed in the fire. All of these misadventures lead the man to feel he is cursed and he attempts suicide by drowning. During this incident a crow steals his clothes and the ensuing chase sees the man falling off a cliff only to be rescued by the rope hanging from a hot air balloon. At this time the angel of the odd re-appears and asks him to confess that bizarre events can really happen. The man refuses and the angel cuts the rope allowing the man to fall to his death. This is seen as the revenge of the angel. The story contains many parallels with Poes own life. In particular the results of his addiction with alcohol and possibly drugs. Opiate drugs of a hallucogenic nature were widely used at this time and particularly in sea ports like Baltimore where Poe lived for some time and was known to have become an alcoholic living amongst bad company. Poe was also considered to be a tortured soul of self-destructive tendencies. This contributed to his gothic style of writing. BERENICE Berenice was a horror story compiled by Poe in 1835 and follows the sag of one Egaeus destined to marry his cousin Berenice. His future bride is seen to deteriorate in health by an unknown disease that leaves only her teeth in a healthy state. Berenice dies and is buried leaving Egaeus with an obsession over her teeth. One day a servant enters his room to inform him that Berenices grave has been disturbed and she is still alive. Egaeus is found to have a box containing 32 blood stained teeth with a poem that tells of his visits to the grave of his beloved. This is clearly an indication of the insanity of Egaeus and his obsession with the only healthy remaining component of the teeth. Critics were shocked by the gruesome account and graphic horror of the story. They questioned Poes state of mind to write such stories. Poe may well have been influenced by the suffering of his wife Victoria and dyeing from Tuberculosis as she suffered an agonising and prolonged death. There is also some question over Poes sanity given his connection to drink, drugs and tendencies of self-destruction and his fascination with death. ELEONORA Eleonora tells the story of the narrator who resides with his cousin in the valley of the many coloured grass. It was considered to be an idyllic paradise of tropical birds, fragrant flowers, and softly running streams. Eleonora was ill and was beautiful only waiting to die. She did not fear death but only the loss of her lover from the valley to another. Once Eleonora dies the valley starts to fade and lose its splendour. The narrator leaves the valley and moves to a City where he meets and marries Emengarde. Eleonora visits the narrator from the afterlife and blesses the couple stating that they are absolved and the reasons would be made known in heaven. This has a direct correlation with the life of Poe and particular the suffering and death of his wife Virginia. During the time that she suffered for five years Poe lived with his younger cousin who later became his wife. It is the question of guilt and absolution from sins. Poe considering his feelings for the love of other women whilst his wife was dying. Poe was clearly tormented by the suffering of his wife. GOTHIC WRITING PERIOD SIGNIFICANCE The concept of gothic horror writing derives from the Germanic race of Goths or Visigoths in Europe. These people were well known in Europe as a fierce race of people that dealt in tales of death and the supernatural. Gothic writing has been associated with horror since the mid-18th Century. In particular the literary works of Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula). The style of gothic writing gained its popularity during the period 1750-1820. In England the Bronte Sisters and particularly Emily with the story of Wuthering Heights. In the USA this was picked up in the South by such writers as William Faulkner and his book entitled A rose for Emile. Another was the Pulitzer Prize winning book of To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and made into a great film starring Gregory Peck. Poe believed his art-all art-should be evaluated by international, rather than national or regional, standards, but he was, nonetheless, frequently identified at the time with the South. He did not defend his regions politics or social customs, like other antebellum southern writers, but his lyricism was common to southern poets. Raised a Virginian, Poe sometimes posed as the southern gentleman, even if transcending regionalism in his work.  [13]   THE POLITICAL CHANGES IN THE SOUTH During the division between the North and Southern states it was widely held that Poe was politically motivated towards the South Certain scholars perceive this conflict in terms of a North-South division and view Poe as the representative of a southern literary tradition fighting against the domination of the New England literary circle.  [14]  Despite serving in the Union Army and spending time at West Point it was widely held that Poes sympathies remained with the south; based upon his formative years in Richmond Virginia. Poe became somewhat controversial in that he defended the point of view regarding slavery in the South. He drew parallels between ant-slavery agitation at the time of Cromwell (England) and the French Revolution. He pointed out that these were all about an attack on property; the excuse being the freedom of the slaves. He further stated that recent events in the West Indies and the Southern States all give rise to the potential recurrence of a property grab being initiated by Northern States land owners who are politically motivated. Poe went on to say that there existed a relationship between the slave and the master; the slave being very loyal to the Master. The Master in turn provided employment, shelter and security. Poe wrote this from the perspective of a southern family who had owned slaves. He was particularly vocal during his editorship of the Messenger in Virginia and he published a number of tablets referred to as Pinakidia.  [15]   Poe saw a trend in the market place where a huge number of publications were being sold that depicted the graphic horror of slavery. Poe utilized this trend in his own narration covering both the pro and anti-slavery viewpoints. As such many of his tales traded upon the terror of slavery. Poe masters the concept of slavery in order to invoke terror into his readers. In the story of Hop Frog he indicates how the literary market place turns the author into a slave for the voracious appetite of the audiences for horror.  [16]  Poe deals with the integration of slavery into that of racial stereotyping as seen in Murders in the Rue Morgue, the ape that has been captured and forced to respond to a strange land. CONCLUSIONS Edgar Allan Poe achieved greater acclaim as an author and a poet in international circles as opposed to in the USA. His literary executor Rufus Griswald was considered to be both jealous and an enemy of Poe. He branded Poe as a drunkard and opium addict and defamed him to American literary society. It was some 50 years after Poes death that the genius of his work started to receive international acclaim. Poe in a way went downhill after the death of his wife and he became much more involved

Parataxis Of Homer :: essays research papers

Throughout the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer employs a technique called parataxis. This technique is used frequently to identify characters in the book or explaining an event. The poem not only covers the story of Odyssey. The poem not only covers the story of Odysseus, but also touches upon other characters as well. By using parataxis, Homer can briefly tell and describe characters and events. Often, characters are identified by their relationships to others, a great deed they have accomplished, to hardships they have come across.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In describing Odysseus in Book V, lines 97 to 115 of which lines 105 to 110 are paratactical, Hermes says â€Å"you have with you the man who is wretched beyond all the other men of all those who fought around the city of Priam for nine years, and in the tenth they sacked the city and set sail for home, but on the voyage home they offended Athene, who let loose an evil tempest and tall waves against them. Then all the rest of his excellent companions perished, but the wind and the current carried him here and here they drove him.† The original conversation between Hermes and Kalypso had little to do with Odysseus’s journey. Hermes in lines 97 to 115 tells Kalypso that Odysseus’s fate lie not on the island, but back home in Ithaka. The parataxis interrupts the line of conversation to inform the reason why Odysseus arrives here. It gives a glimpse the span of Odysseus’s journey and the fate of his companions before the story is told. In this instance, Hermes identifies Odysseus with the obstacles he has overcome.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At times, a parataxis of a certain character in one part of the poem help explain matters later on. In book XI, lines 281 to 297, Odysseus tells of Chloris, a beautiful maiden. Of those lines, lines 287 to 290 are paratactical, â€Å"Also she bore that marvel among mortals, majestic Pero, whom all the heroes round about courted, but Neleus would not give her to any, unless he could drive away the broad-faced horn-curved cattles of strong Iphikles out of Phylake.† It talks of Chloris’s daughter, Pero and the task that all suitors must accomplish before he can have her hand. Later on in book XV, another character is introduced. He is the son of the man who won Pero. Without mentioning Pero or the task of the suitors in the earlier book, much more explanation would be needed to identify other characters. This parataxis links various character and their stories.

Website comparison

In comparing the websites for Departure and Rubberier, the biggest difference I noticed was that one was geared more for selling their product and the other was aimed at acquiring their customers to sell for them. When viewing Rubberneck's website I noticed that it is very user friendly. If you are looking to purchase their products, there is a link for that. Inside this link is every type of solution you are looking for, from bathroom to kitchen to garage and even outside storage. It's all very accessible.Once you click on the product you are looking for it gives you the price and allows you to buy It right then and there. They also have links for â€Å"Tips and Solutions†. This gives you Ideas on how to better organize yourself and what other people have done. Now as for promotions, they do have a link but you have to first register. This is a good tactic to keep you informed on all things Rubberier. They get you to sign up to receive a coupon or special deal, but they will continue to send you emails with news of anything Rubberier has to offer. It keeps Rubberier fresh in your mind.I think that Rubberneck's target market is the consumer and how they can best serve them. When rating Rubberier on a mouse click scale of 1 TTT, I would give them a 4. Also on a personal consumer level I would stick with that 4. They had everything you were looking for and made it easy to find the next product or promotion. It even made me want to continue shopping for things I didn't need. Overall I would say that Rubberier has done a great Job at implementing the racketing mix and trying to incorporate all of their customers' needs and wants.It was very easy to maneuver through their site and I constantly wanted to search for more things and see what products I could use. While reviewing Departure's website, I came too much different conclusion. The site seemed more geared to getting me to sign up to be a consultant and/or host a party then to actually sell me the Depart ure itself. It is definitely a different approach. I was still able to look and buy their product, but it wasn't as easy. I had to mind the right catalogue and once I did that It wasn't where I could purchase their product.Once I found the link to buy It still seemed like a cluster of products. It was barely broken down Into sections but more based on catalogue end times and sales. It was a lot easier to â€Å"Host† a party and find a consultant or even to become a consultant then to actually buy their product. They do however offer nice benefits for hosting a party. Depending on how much people would spend on your behalf would determine how much free product or discounted product you would receive.Free always sounds like a good number. However I don't think Departure reaches as many potential consumers as they could. Besides being able to sign up to be a consultant I didn't see a place to register for new promotions or get email notifications, or if there was a place it wasn 't easy to access. They are depending on new recruitment to spread the word. Even though Departure has been around for a long time, I have had very few interactions with its products.In giving a Departure a rating for mouse clicks I would have to give it a 4 because I did try to investigate more of the company and product but my overall rating would have been Overall I think that Departure targets the entrepreneur instead of the consumer. They still implement the marketing mix approach but in a very different way than Rubberier. They want the consumer to sell the product for them and spread the product by word of mouth and in home sales, whereas Rubberier focused on conveniently selling and mostly from local stores. Departure was interesting but I think Rubberier did a better Job.

The Rational Choice Approach in Comparative Analysis

The Rational Choice Approach in Comparative Analysis The rational choice approach presented in the book of George Tsebelis demonstrates how the set of requirements helps providing a good comparative analysis. For the author, it is very important to learn more, to improve the personal experience and, as the result, to get an access to the wide information as the source of the ideas, arguments and conclusions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Rational Choice Approach in Comparative Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the leading theorists in the political science, George Tsebelis sees the main issue of the rational approach in its particular elements or requirements. Depending on the kind of requirements, it is easier or harder to find the most persuasive arguments. For Tsebelis, the rational choice approach is based on two issues such as the weak requirements of rationality and the strong requirements of the rationality, where the first one contains the internal facts and the second includes some specific information (1990 p. 40). In case of the weak rationality, it is impossible to contradict believes and preferences. It is something that can be proved but in a very hard way. The strong requirements, vice versa, contain the information that can be easily connected with the real facts. So, it is possible to compare those believes and probabilities and make a good analysis. Those elements should approximate the reality. In this way, it will be easier to provide the appropriate arguments that support the main idea of the analysis. According to Tsebelis, both weak and strong rationalities should be based on the set of real arguments. The author explores the basement of rationality as sees it as â€Å"the model of human behavior† (Tsebelis 1990 p. 46). The rational choice is the main power that helps people provide the clear and concrete arguments and do the actions. The author indicated the salience of the information as a very important tool that helps people do the right choice. It is obvious that when the information is available, people have more freedom and space to make a choice. Tsebelis emphasizes the personal experience and the process of learning as an important method appropriate to the rational choice. The more you learn the more clear choices you can make. An access to the free information helps analysis more facts and make the conclusions according to those facts. Thus, the rational choice approach requires for the personal thinking instead of accepting of the other people’s opinion. I agree with this statement. I think the independent way of thinking is the most important element of the analytical research. Doing the comparative analysis, we have to provide our own thoughts and ideas. Our arguments should be based on the personal experience.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In fact, it is very important not just to adopt the common idea, we have to think independently. The rational choice is one of the most important approaches in comparative analysis. This method requires being familiar with the information, to provide the arguments which are based on the personal experience. However, the author states that not all individuals are able to make a rational choice. Most of them only follow the presented and common in the society way of thinking. Therefore, the rational choice as an approach of comparative analysis is very accurate only to the average individuals. However, a capability for making the decisions is necessary for the analysis, and everybody should learn think independently and to analyze all facts. Tsebelis, George. â€Å"In Defence of the Rational Choice Approach.† Contending Perspectives in Comparative Politics. Mayer Lawrence, Thames Frank and Patterson Dennis (1st Ed.). US: CQ Press, 2008. Print.

Janus - Who Is Janus

Janus - Who Is Janus Profile of Janus Two-faced Janus (Ianus), presumed to be native to Italy, is the god of beginnings/endings. Its after Janus that the first month of the year, Januarius January, is named. The kalends (the 1st) of each month may have been dedicated to him. Janus Basics Janus was usually the first of the gods to receive offerings. Consuls entered office on the Kalends of his month January. Janus and the Salian Priests Holding sacred shields, Salian priests sang a hymn to Janus. This hymn includes lines that have been translated as: Come forth with the cuckoo [in March] Truly all things dost thou make open.Thou art Janus Curiatius, the good creator art thou.Good Janus is coming, the chief of the superior rulers.- The Salian Hymn to Janus Rabun Taylor (citation below) eloquently describes the lack of a coherent story about Janus: Janus, like so many ancient gods who lacked the grace of a story, was a messy concrescence of scraps fallen from the table of memory. His incoherence was the cause of some puzzlement in the Roman Imperial era, and so he was periodically subjected to reassessments by master yarn-spinners like Ovid or by cosmologists and philosophers seeking to find profound symbolism in his duality. A Transitional God: War, Peace, Crossings Janus was not only a god of beginnings and transitions, but was also associated with war/peace since the doors of his shrine were opened except in times of peace. He may have been a god of stream crossings. Ovid on the Myth of Janus Ovid, the Augustan Age teller of mythological tales, provides a story about the early benefits conferred by Janus. [227] I have learned much indeed; but why is the figure of a ship stamped on one side of the copper coin, and a two-headed figure on the other? Under the double image, said he, you might have recognized myself, if the long lapse of time had not worn the type away. Now for the reason of the ship. In a ship the sickle-bearing god came to the Tuscan river after wandering over the world. I remember how Saturn was received in this land: he had been driven by Jupiter from the celestial realms. From that time the folk long retained the name of Saturnian, and the country, too, was called Latium from the hiding (latente) of the god. But a pious posterity inscribed a ship on the copper money to commemorate the coming of the stranger god. Myself inhabited the ground whose left side is lapped by sandy Tibers glassy wave. Here, where now is Rome, green forest stood unfilled, and all this mighty region was but pasture for a few kine. My castle was the hill which the present age is accustomed to ca ll by my name and dub Janiculum. I reigned in days when earth could bear with gods, and divinities moved freely in the abodes of men. The sin of mortals had not yet put Justice to flight (she was the last of the celestials to forsake the earth): honours self, not fear, ruled the people without appeal to force: toil there was none to expound the right to righteous men. I had naught to do with war: guardian was I of peace and doorways, and these, quoth he, showing the key, these be the arms I bear.Ovid Fasti 1 The First of the Gods Janus was also an augur and mediator, perhaps the reason he is named first among the gods in prayers. Taylor says Janus, as the founder of sacrifice and divination, since he can see the past and the future through his two faces, is the worlds first priest. Janus for Luck It was Roman tradition at the New Year to give the god honey, cakes, incense and wine to buy favorable signs and a guarantee of good luck. Gold brought better results than baser coins. Then I asked, Why, Janus, when I placate other gods, do I bring incense and wine to you first? So that you may gain entry to whatsoever gods you wish, he replied, through me, who guard the threshold. But why are glad words spoken on your Kalends? And why do we give and receive best wishes? Then the god, leaning on the staff in his right hand, said, Omens are wont to reside in beginnings. You train your anxious ears on the first call, and the augur interprets the first bird he sees. The temples and ears of gods are open, no tongue intones wasted prayers, and words have weight. Janus had finished. I was not silent for long, but tagged his final words with words of my own. What do your dates and wrinkled figs mean, or the gift of honey in a snow-white jar? The omen is the reason, said he - so that the sweetness replicates events, and so that the year should be sweet, following the course of its beginnings.Translation of Ovid Fast. 1.17 1-188 from Taylors article) Read more about Janus. References: The Salii and Campaigning in March and OctoberJ. P. V. D. BalsdonThe Classical Review, New Series, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Jun., 1966), pp. 146-147The Salian Hymn to JanusGeorge HemplTAPhA, Vol. 31, (1900), pp. 182-188Janus Custos BelliJohn BridgeThe Classical Journal, Vol. 23, No. 8 (May, 1928), pp. 610-614Problems about JanusRonald SymeThe American Journal of Philology, Vol. 100, No.The Shrine of Janus Geminus in RomeValentine MüllerAmerican Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 47, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1943), pp. 437-440Watching the Skies: Janus, Auspication, and the Shrine in the Roman ForumRabun TaylorMemoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 45 (2000), pp. 1-40

Essay .... Pay As You Go Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

.... Pay As You Go - Essay Example He supports the government legislation that credit card amounts given to college students should be limited. I think Estrada is right. Students at their tender age have a tendency to be impulsive buyers, therefore their credit card usage and access should be limited. However, in my opinion, credit card companies should not be the only ones that are to be blamed upon for causing these problems. However, as a whole, the students themselves, their parents and the legislators should also be held responsible for the same. As the disadvantages of using credit cards weigh more than its advantages, it should be used wisely without abuse. (Can you give some more details? Not required to expand the catchy introduction) Is it clearly state the thesis statement?) And did you clearly state these points in the body paragraph?) (Is the topic sentence here, connect to the body paragraph, and also clearly show in the Introduction-Yes up to a great extent) The ease and comfort of using credit cards is what lures the young and financially inexperienced students into debt. According to Estrada in his article, â€Å"Pay as You Go†, it is so easy for people to go into debt and that young people, particularly the students for example, can take out a loan of $3,000.00 to spend on a top-of-the-line laptop. Although they may need the computer, this is too much waste of money. Estrada further states that young people under the age of 21 are not responsible enough to borrow money, wisely. They do not realize that they have to pay this back at a certain time and if they are not able to do so, they will only end up one day with bad credit. They are too inexperienced to understand the long term financial consequences. This becomes a burden on them which I think, is true because, I can relate to this situation and m ay be for other students too. I remember that when I graduated from high school, I did not know anything about credit cards. When I received my first credit card, I bought

The Role of the United Nations in Defending International Human Rights Essay

The Role of the United Nations in Defending International Human Rights - Essay Example The United Nations is an organization which was founded in the year 1945, at the signing of the United Nations Charter by 50 countries, and it replaced the League of Nations, which was founded in 1919. Since 1948 there have been 60 UN peacekeeping missions, and thus far, close to 130 nations have contributed personnel at various times. As of the year 2007, there are now 192 United Nations member states, thus encompassing almost every recognized independent state. â€Å"From its headquarters in New York City, the UN and its specialized agencies decide on substantive and administrative issues in regular meetings throughout the year. The organization is divided into administrative bodies, including the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, Trusteeship Council, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Additional bodies deal with the governance of all other UN System agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nationâ€⠄¢s Children Fund (UNICEF). The UN’s most visible public figure is the Secretary-General† (Wikipedia, 2007). The purpose of the United Nations from the very beginning was to maintain international security and peace, seek to develop friendly relations amongst all nations, try to tackle economic and social problems as well as humanitarian issues, and act as a hub for all nations to be able to act together so that as a result their actions could then be directed towards achieving good for the whole of the world.... The organization is divided into administrative bodies, including the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, Trusteeship Council, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Additional bodies deal with the governance of all other UN System agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nation's Children Fund (UNICF). The UN's most visible public figure is the Secretary-General" (Wikipedia, 2007). The purpose of the United Nations from the very beginning was to maintain international security and peace, seek to develop friendly relations amongst all nations, try to tackle economic and social problems as well as humanitarian issues, and act as a hub for all nations to be able to act together so that as a result their actions could then be directed towards achieving good for the whole of the world. One of the most major goals of the UN is to defend international human rights, and they are by far the most representative and influential organization in the world in this regards. They have worked dutifully and consistently in order to provide the most stable and secure international human rights and they are constantly striving to even further improve in these areas. The importance of this particular role of the UN has always been evident and present, however more so than ever it has been in recent years, particularly in regards to the complexities and troubles that have been taking place internationally. One of the most recent and significant troubles is that of the invasion of Iraq by the United States, which occurred on March 20, 2003, and which resulted in the winning of a quick military victory and the ousting of the government of Saddam Hussein. Although both the United States and the

How sports affects the culture of different countries Essay

How sports affects the culture of different countries - Essay Example Sport forms an extensive part of the culture of any country, and can be considered as the basis for social structures within a society; that in turn is based on certain intrinsic values, needs, interests, and resources of the society. A study of the various countries and a look at their sports and culture will reveal how the different national cultures create and use sports for their own purposes, thus lending it a different form that vary from culture to culture, and country to country. This article will study the relationship that exists between sports and the national culture of a country, and how they affect each other.    How sports affects the culture of different countries 1 Introduction â€Å"Discovery of sociology can change your life. It can help you to understand the social forces you confront, the forces that constrain and free you as you go about living your life. This understanding offers a liberating potential: To gain insight into how these social forces influence your life allows you to stand somewhere apart from at least some of them, and thereby exert more creative control over your life (Henslin, 1999, 1-2). 1.1 Background history Sociology entails studying the various social structures as seen in our society, formed by the web like intricate relationships that an individual develops with other members of that particular society, and the functioning social institutions. In sociology, there are various ongoing series of social processes, which refer to the various interactive patterns that keep on recurring, during the transactions that take place between individuals and groups, at any given time. Within the context of social life and learning, the term culture may have multifarious implications. In 1952,  Clyde Kluckhohn  and Alfred Kroeber  in their research papers anthologised 164 different definitions of the word "culture" (Kroeber, and Kluckhohn, 1952).    The term culture has three basic aspects. First, culture may be viewed as an integration of various actions, knowledge and beliefs, that are based on certain figurative thoughts and learning from different social experiences. Secondly, it may be pertaining to one’s taste in the line of humanities or ‘fine arts’; and thirdly it may also refer to a set of common goals, values, attributes and practices that may distinguish a social group or an organisation or an institution. Sports sociology, while trying to establish its connections with the various cultures worldwide, generally view the theme through the third perspective. Sport sociology explores the standard deviations that are perceived within the culture of sports as seen within a society, which helps one to analyse and comprehend the integrated ‘greater values’ operating within that particular society. Thus, to understand the relationship that exists between sports and the various cultural norms observed worldwide, it is also necessary that we conduct a close study on the social framework of that country. Sport is inextricably woven into the psychology of the social fabric, as is evident from the enthusiasm that is observed during any sports mega event, like the

Health and Safety Essay Example for Free

Health and Safety Essay Explain how health and safety is monitored and maintained and how people in the work setting are made aware of risks and hazards and encouraged to work safely. In my placement we have a safeguarding policy but we don’t have a health and safety polices that I am aware of but the safeguarding polices is available on the schools website. Anyone is able to get on to the website and their policies. We have a sigh by the sink in the staff room say warning hot water and we have a sigh in the classrooms letting children and staff knows that the water in the tabs is drinking water we also have fire safety sign around the school. They always have meeting every month on health and safety but it is only for the main teachers. We have a fire drill twice a year so all the children and staff know where to go in case of a fire they had a fire drill last week which was good cause I did not know where to go if a fire happens so it help me cause now I know where to go if a fire happens. We always tell the children not talk to strangers and when the children are going home they are not allowed to leave an till the adults tell them that they can go cause we need to make sure that the right people are picking the children up and that they are not going off with strangers or with someone they are not meant to go home with.

Advocating The Death Penalty :: essays research papers fc

Advocating the Death Penalty Thousands of people will attack the death penalty. They will give emotional speeches about the one innocent man or woman who might accidentally get an execution sentence. However, all of these people are forgetting one crucial element. They are forgetting the thousands of victims who die every year by the hands of heartless murderers. There are more murderers out there than people who are wrongly convicted, and that is what we must remember. I, as well as many others, have total confidence in the death penalty. It is a very beneficial component of our justice system. The death penalty saves lives. It saves lives because it stops those who murder from ever murdering again. It also deters potential murderers from ever committing the crime. Unfortunately, the death penalty is currently used so rarely that it isn’t nearly as effective as it could be. In order for it to work, we must put it into practice more often. In recent years, crime in America has been on the rise, in particular, violent crime. This has led not only to an overcrowding of prisons in our country, but also to an increase in the number of death sentences handed down by the courts. Despite the fact that the number of inmates on death row is climbing, the number of death sentences actually carried out in any given year lags far behind. People simply aren’t fearful of the death penalty when it isn’t used the way it should be (Stewart 50). If the death penalty has been declared legal, then the federal and state governments must employ it to its fullest as a means of stopping previous murderers from recommitting their crimes. Since most of the prisoners on death row are there for murder, executing them would ensure that they would never kill again. Obsessive murderers, who know no alternative to killing, need to be executed to protect both prison guards and society. This view is perhaps best illustrated through the words of Judge Alfred J. Talley of New York who explained â€Å"If I as an individual have the right to kill in self defense, why has not the state, which is nothing more than an aggregation of individuals, the same right to defend itself against unjust aggression and unjust attack?† (Kaplan 28) About two and a half years ago, my dear cousin, Jaime, became the first victim of a serial killer named Brian Duffy.

To what extent do Contemporary Sociologists see the Modern Family as a Haven from the Outside World?

Until recently, sociological studies of the family have concentrated upon the role of the family within society. Contemporary sociologists however have shown an increasing interest in the emotional relationships within the family unit. This is an important issue in sociology when looking at the role of the family, as the family is the only institution in society providing affection and emotional support. There is no other specialised unit that does this. Most sociological perspectives view the family as a haven, compensating individuals for the harsh, cruel and potentially psychologically damaging reality of the outside world. The view that the family is a haven is mainly from a functionalist perspective. Marxists agree to a lesser extent whilst feminists certainly oppose such views. There are traditional views on the family like that of Talcott Parsons', and critics of this view who view the family as a prison, such as Morgan, and feminist Anne Oakley. Perhaps the most famous theory of the family is the view held by functionalist sociologist Talcott Parsons. He argues that the family performs two roles, the primary socialisation of children, and the stabilisation of adult personalities therefore agreeing with the idea that the family is a haven from the outside world. He states that people have an inborn need to be loved and cared for and now traditional communities and kinship networks of the early 20th Century have given way to isolated nuclear families, people are more dependent on the emotional support within that family unit. Other functionalists support this view. Goode, for example, saw the family as being a place where a person could be treated as an individual compensating for the stresses of a non-personal modern society. Fletcher argued that a conjugal family was important as it depended upon emotional factors such as intimacy, closeness and intensity. Although the marriage rate is descending, the number of people choosing instead to cohabitate has increased. Few Marxists view the family as being a haven. Those that do, make a similar argument to functionalists. Hunt and Hunt, in their study â€Å"panacea for Capitalism† constructed the argument that love, and family, provides a panacea, a cure-all, for the harsh realities of a capitalist society. The family, being an institution that changes in response to other sections of society, would change with the development of capitalism, thus the family becomes more important to its members as capitalism develops. Dorothy Smith, also a Marxist views the family as a haven in which to be free from surveillance, a place to organise our own lives without having to follow rules laid down by someone else. Marxists who view the family as a haven argue that this is a challenge to capitalist society. The family is also viewed as a prison. Functionalist sociologist Morgan concentrated upon the dysfunctions of the family and found that two factors prevented the family from being a haven: Class differences within society means those who are well off can enjoy and take full advantage of what society has to offer. Those further down the social scale often find society opposing their interests. Life ends up as a struggle, which in turn leads to stresses and strains within the family. Morgan also argued that even within the family inequalities exist. Family members have their own interests and aspirations. â€Å"For whom is the family functional? † asks Morgan. It is usually the male head of the household who is well served by the functions of the family. Marxists also state that the family should not have to be seen as a haven from a capitalist society, that capitalism takes creativity and affection out of society, and steals away opportunities for personal growth. Barrett and McIntosh studied this in their work â€Å"The Anti-social family†. They developed the concept of familialism, the ideology that the family is a small, isolated, conjugal unit where the husband is the breadwinner, the wife a domestic goddess and the children as happy, smiley and well behaved. What advertisers term â€Å"the cornflake family† has been put upon a pedestal and advocated as the normal and proper way to live. Barrett and McIntosh argued that this could make the family a prison in that any member who does not â€Å"fit in† will be repressed, and that individual can in turn become psychologically damaged. Likewise, families who do not fit this ideology are seen as deviant and troublesome. Feminism tends to oppose the view of the family as a haven, choosing instead to see the family as a prison. The family is where women are oppressed and repressed. Within the family the woman is seen primarily as the housewife and mother, and in this environment men are given the control over women's sexuality and fertility. Within the family, gender roles are taught at a very young age and this spills out into society as a whole, reinforcing gender inequalities. According to feminists, the family is where women are placed under the threat of physical and mental abuse. Anne Oakley conducted a study, The Housewife and Housework. She views the family as a prison because of the nature of housework and its lack of status. Housework is monotonous, repetitive and relentless. It's a job that goes un-rewarded, unpaid, unseen and unappreciated. Men are able to escape this routine, and children are able to escape also. Domestic labour is seen throughout society as the feminine role. Leonard looks more at the ideology of the family and how women are socialised to accept their role. Women's magazines and television programmes are all geared towards romance and domestic issues like cooking. Leonard argues that the family is a prison and completely unequal in that the husband offers the minimum level of support to his wife and children whilst she provides a lifetime of unpaid housework, years of child rearing and exclusive sexual services. Marriage therefore does not turn out anything like the romance promoted by the media. Feminism has helped highlight many issues facing women within society, but perhaps one of the biggest issues feminists have highlighted is that domestic abuse and violence. This puts more emphasis on the family being a prison because those people living within this environment are far from the safety of a haven. There has been much difficulty in researching this because many women are too afraid to speak out. In conclusion, to a large extent, functionalists view the family as a haven because it provides stabilisation of adult personalities in order to cope with day-to-day life. However, if a family is dysfunctional then this can make the family a prison. Marxists do not see why the family should be seen as a haven, but agrees that the family is a panacea from a capitalist society, and at best a challenge to capitalism. Feminists on the other hand do not view the family as a haven in any way. They see the family as a place in which there are inequalities that cause the oppression of women. Indeed the family is also an environment that can be far from safe, where women, and children are at risk from abuse. Sociologists do recognise that families do vary and what may be seen as a haven by some may be far from the reality for others.