Female Characters Of Solomon By Solomon Morrison

Through the beginning of Solomon, Morrison makes a conscience effort to show the sense of superiority the male characters have over the women. She creates intricate, overpowering storylines for the male characters, like Milkman and Macon, and makes the female characters seem weak and feeble, in the case of Ruth and Hagar, or simply barely make mention of their very existence, First Corinthians and Lena. Many of female characters in Part 1 of Song of Solomon are made to seem small, weak, and unable to think or do things for themselves. In the first half of the twentieth century, women in America had only just gained the right to vote in 1920, and still were, and still are somewhat, considered the weaker sex. Most of the women have to deal†¦show more content†¦Morrison illustrates through the circumstances of Ruth’s life the lack of opportunities and struggles of women, even of high social standing, in the early twentieth century. And even today, Ruth’s story sti ll rings true among the lives of women in America and across the globe. But, unlike Ruth, a lot of women, in the book and in the real world, won’t, and don’t, take this kind of treatment lying down. The two daughters of Macon and Ruth are the major characters Morrison uses to illustrate this side of the coin. While, in the very beginning, First Corinthians and Magdalene called Lena live their lives similarly to their mother, Macon, â€Å"took us there so they could see us, envy us, envy him.† They spent the beginning of their lives as merely the playthings and dress†up dolls of their parents, mainly Macon. Even as children they were being objectified by the men in their lives. Morrison purposefully leaves them out of the story in the beginning and develops Milkman, their brother, and the main story around the male sibling, showing how, even though Milkman is just like his father, its so easy to accept the male as the protagonist while he has many faults an d shortcomings. But, as the story goes on they grow older, and Corinthians gets a college education, they begin to break the mold of what their high class parents intended for them. Even with her college education,Show MoreRelatedSong Of Solomon Character Analysis1415 Words   |  6 Pages Song of Solomon Topic #5 LAP Abid Ahmad Abid Ahmad 1 The names given to the characters in a book are in many cases the poetic insight to their role and their traits. In this manner, a character’s name can sometimes tell the reader more about them than any specific sentence in the book. This is very much the case with Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. The characters in the book have names that directly correlate with their role and individual traits. This is the caseRead MoreFaith, Belief and Human Experience in Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison 1756 Words   |  8 Pagesbe answered was: What role does myth plays in Song of Solomon? This particular question had posed the most important and significant part of the novel. Was really myth or the truth that had helped the novel to progress to in its ending? The answer for these questions will be answered as this paper moves on with its pages focusing on the myths and events that had transpired in the whole novel. Song of Solomon was a novel written by Toni Morrison that is probably biblical in its aspects. It was veryRead More Analysis of Toni Morrison’s Song Of Solomon Essay1171 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of Toni Morrison’s Song Of Solomon When someone looks up at a bird they see something soaring through the sky free from the world’s troubles. Through out man’s history they have been trying to find a way to be as free as birds and learn to fly. Unfortunately it has been an unsuccessful feat for man to accomplish. Although man has never really been able to fly on their own, they are able to fly with the help from a little machinery and ingenuity. Macon Dead Jr, or milkman, the nicknameRead MoreThe Influence Of Identity In Song Of Solomon1595 Words   |  7 Pagesstill holds a legacy and can form an identity. Morrison is able to show readers that her â€Å"characters must find their ways through the morass of that which defines them† (Lubiano 589). Morrison also shows how many characters become effected negatively when they cannot make sense of their own identity, just as many African-Americans may have faced when becoming free and may still face today as some struggle to know where their ancestor s came from. Morrison is able to paint a picture of some of the effectsRead MoreThe Song Of Solomon By Toni Morrison1716 Words   |  7 PagesMilkman’s Attempt to Find what was Stripped from his Enslaved Ancestors in Song of Solomon Identity, what makes a person unique, was one of the many things that were stolen from the Africans as they were enslaved in America. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison exemplifies the struggle that this situation created for the black community, lasting for centuries to follow. Milkman is the son of the Dead family and the main character of the book. He demonstrates the struggle to find his identity and his rootsRead More Essay on Flight in Song of Solomon1579 Words   |  7 PagesTheme of Flight in Song of Solomon    Clearly, the significant silences and the stunning absences throughout Morrisons texts become profoundly political as well as stylistically crucial. Morrison describes her own work as containing holes and spaces so the reader can come into it (Tate 125), testament to her rejection of theories that privilege j the author over the reader. Morrison disdains such hierarchies in which the reader as participant in the text is ignored: My writing expects, demandsRead MoreSong of Solomon Essay1068 Words   |  5 PagesToni Morrison’s novel, Song of Solomon, encompasses many themes that were prevalent in the other novels written in the same time period. Morrison produced this novel in 1977 just as racial issues and discrimination were at its peaks. â€Å"She [Morrison] was the first African American to receive the Noble Prize in Literature.† (Milliman 5) However, the setting of the story is in the 1930s when World War II was taking place. The novel is based on an African-Americ an family residing in Michigan who areRead More Song of Solomon Essay: Devotion and Protection598 Words   |  3 Pages Devotion and Protection in Song of Solomonnbsp; Song of Solomon is a novel written by Toni Morrison. As research is done further, into the bible, the title refers to a book from the Old Testament. A major theme of the book in the bible is love. It is about honor and loyalty. This is similar to the theme of love and protection in the book by Toni Morrison. Three female characters that portray this best are: Pilate, Ruth, and Magdalene called Lena. In the book, they are women that try to protectRead MoreThe Lack Of Lack : The Uniqueness Of Pilate1815 Words   |  8 Pagesdichotomy that demands females to live up in their appropriate gender roles assigned by patriarchal culture, and represents herself as a full and complete human being. While I agree that Pilate is one of the most exciting figures who carries symbolic significance in Song of Solomon, I consider applying the lens of androgyny to analyze her image as problematic, and further disagree with the understanding of her â€Å"wholeness† as a solution to the dilemma faced by the female characters. I will show that insteadRead MoreEssay on Themes in Song Of Solomon2113 Words   |  9 PagesToni Morrison is one of the most talented and successful African-American authors of our time. Famous for works such as The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Beloved, Morrison has cultivated large a udiences of all ethnicities and social classes with her creative style of writing. It is not Morrison’s talent of creating new stories that attracts her fans. In contrast, it is her talent of revising and modernizing traditional Biblical and mythological stories that have been present in literature for centuries.

Aspects of Romanticism Essay - 1407 Words

Nature, imagery, and the freedom of thought and expression are key elements of Romanticism as characterized in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, William Wordsworth â€Å"We are Seven,† and Percy Shelley’s â€Å"Mutability.† These literary works of Jane Austen, Percy Shelley, and William Wordsworth focus on emphasizing their feelings and emotions by using their imagination and their love of nature as key tools for helping readers to comprehend their personal experiences. Each of their works reflects situations that occur in daily life and serves as an approach to help readers gain an understanding of the human mind. Jane Austen’s use of nature, imagery, and emotion in Sense and Sensibility reflect the morals and principles of her time. She†¦show more content†¦Austen’s use of nature conveys the message that sense and sensibility needs balance. She communicates to her readers that the emotional discretions of Romanticism are unnecessary for emotional fulfillment. Jane Austen associates imagery with characters that indicate the qualities and values they symbolize. The imagery most strongly associated with Marianne such as the Romantic poets and music and illness, strengthens her connection with Romanticism. The imagery associated with Marianne is portrayed through her unrealistic expectations of the opposite sex when she gives her view of Edward Ferrars by saying, â€Å"What a pity it is Elinor, that Edward should have no taste for drawing† (Austen 15). Austen also uses imagery to portray the character of Elinor. Elinor’s screen paintings suggest her ability to keep secrets and to guard or restrain her emotions. Austen illustrates Elinor’s protected emotions when Elinor says, â€Å"I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him - that I greatly esteem him, that I like him† (Austen 16). She also uses imagery to connect with other characters such as Willoughby’s horses, Fanny’s associations wit h money and material possessions, Mrs. Jennings’s association with food, and other constant entertainments at Barton Park. Jane Austen’s combination of nature and imagery is used to convey the feelings and emotions of the characters. She uses emotions to conveyShow MoreRelatedAspects Of Romanticism1825 Words   |  8 PagesAspects of romanticism The main aspects of Romantic literature focuses on emotions and the narrator’s inner world, celebrating nature, beauty and most importantly imagination. This literatic era rejects everything that has to do with rationalism, religion or industrialization which were very important in the 1800s, however, not liked much by literary figures. Many poems which were written after the late 1700s reflect on the elements of romanticism. The experimental language and the interest inRead MoreAspects of Romanticism in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Essay1170 Words   |  5 Pagesexact opposite, being something that we either envy and want or despise and fear, such as witches and vampires, superheroes and magic. Everything we feel as people, as individuals plays into what we want and how we act. All of these things are aspects of Romanticism, which we can see in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Nature has a soothing and healing affect. There is poison ivy which will irritate your skin, but growing near it in the surrounding area, is jewelweed, a natural cure for the itch. ThereRead MoreRomanticism in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake1393 Words   |  6 PagesRomanticism in William Blakes Poem William Blake was a poet, painter, and a printmaker all during the period in literature known as the Romantic time period. The Romantic time period, also known in Literature as Romanticism began in Europe, mainly France and Britain around the 1800s (Barker) and it was first defined as a tool to in literature and literary criticisms (Galitz). The Romantic period did not just focus on literature, but also on the subjects of art and knowledge which was fueledRead More The Romanticism Period 1174 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen through with each period having specific beliefs. Romanticism is the time period that interests me the most; it was a time during the eighteenth century and focused on nature along with the individual’s expression of imagination and emotion. The Romanticism period started in 1789 and lasted till 1830. This time period was a major international movement, shaping modern views of art, literature, music, and other aspects in life. Romanticism was the â€Å"reaction against artistic styles of classicalRead MoreRomanticism Essays509 Words   |  3 PagesRomanticism Romanticism began in the mid-18th century and reached its height in the 19th century. It was limited to Europe and America although different compatriots donated to its birth and popularity. Romanticism as a movement declined in the late 19th century and early 20th century with the growing dominance of Realism in the arts and the rapid advancement of science and technology. However, Romanticism was very impressionative on most individuals during its time. This was because it was expressedRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher : Poes And Dark Romanticism1007 Words   |  5 PagesThe Fall of the House of Usher: Poe’s and the Dark Romanticism Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) born in the United States was a poet, writer, critic, and journalist recognized as one of the greatest exponents of the Dark Romanticism (Ultan and Olson, 51). Dark Romanticism is an American literary subgenre emerged in the nineteenth century from the philosophical movement called transcendentalism. Dark Romanticism, broadly speaking, rely very little on perfection as an innate quality of the human being,Read More Comparing Gothic Romanticism in The Fall of the House of Usher and Ligeia1625 Words   |  7 PagesGothic Romanticism in The Fall of the House of Usher and Ligeia The Gothic style found in the majority of Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories is obvious to the average reader. The grotesque, the desolate, the horrible, the mysterious, the ghostly, and, ultimately, the intense fear are all the primary aspects of the stories which are emphasized. But few writers remain uninfluenced from their contemporaries and Poe is no exception. He is clearly a product of his time, which in termsRead MoreExploration of Romanticism in Poetry Essay967 Words   |  4 PagesExploration of Romanticism in Poetry The poems I will be describing date back to the Romanticism period of time. The word romanticism originally originates from the Romans. This era started in 1780AD. Previous to this period of time, there was an era of science and fact. This was known as the era of enlightenment. This is the purpose of the romantic era, which still exists today. It was to acquire an escape from the science and realistic way of life. There are manyRead MoreRomanticism : The Age Of Reason1210 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"To say the word Romanticism is to say modern art - that is, intimacy, spirituality, color, aspiration towards the infinite, expressed by every means available to the arts.† – Charles Bauldaire. Romanticism is a type of style of writing in fine arts and literature that focuses on passion imagination and intuition rather than emphasizing on reason and logic. There are no restraints or order in Romanticism; complete spontaneous actions are welcome in this style of writing. Romanticism, or also knownRead More`` Oh, I See : The Birds And The Culmination Of Hitchcock s Hyper Romantic Vision1137 Words   |  5 PagesIn the essay ‘â€Å"Oh, I see†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢: The Birds and the Culmination of Hitchcock’s Hyper-Romantic Vision,† John McCombe attempts to connect The Birds to literary Romanticism. McCombe begins by citing a text from Robin Wood’s book Hitchcock’s Films Revisited. In the text, Wood discusses how Hitchcock controls the audience through editing and camera movement like a poet controls the reader through verse rhythms. To illustrate his point, Woods discusses how traumatic horror is conveyed in E.M. Forster’s A Passage

French Rev Essay Example For Students

French Rev Essay True the ideas that were promoted by the philosophies were a contributor to The French Revolution but they were not the cause. The cause was the economic and social problems that faced France in those years of turmoil. I believe that The French Revolution was caused by The Social and Economic woes of the days. The rule of the aristocracy lasts as long as the rural population continues to ignore or neglect the crafts, and the ownership of land continues to be the soul basis of wealth. When handicrafts and commerce take hold among the people and create a new source of wealth benefiting a new class of working people, this paves the way for a revolution in political structure. A new distribution of wealth opens the way to a new distribution of power. In the same way that the possession of land creates an aristocracy, industrial property increases the power of the people; it provides the means to achieve its freedom. Antoine P. J. M. Barnave also believed that without the economic tribulations that were pending in France there would have been no need for change. The third estate could be broken down into three parts: the rich, bourgeoisie; the middle, lawyers, doctors, businessmen; and the poor, the peasant, farmer. There was much change in the economic world of the third estate. For instance the bourgeois were gaining land and therefore making money. 35% of the land was left to the 22 to 23 million peasants, the bourgeoisie held about 30% of the land, the 350 000 members of the nobility held about 20% of the land, and left with an unequally shared 10% the 130,000 member of the clergy. This shows how much land the bourgeois actually had. They were making large amounts of money off this huge percentage of land. Like those today who make money they needed to be taxed, there was only one difference between now and then, they the third estate were the only ones being taxed. Being the only ones taxed the bourgeoisie were carrying France on their backs for the greater part of the 18th century. For this they wanted to gain ground into a better life one associated with royal power . According to the Aristocracy there was to be no hope for the bourgeoisie, they could not gain ground, ever. One had to be born into their social class, for them this was too bad. The Aristocracy believed that one could be as prosperous as they wanted and as prosperous as they could get but there was no way to socially climb the ladder. Because of this the bourgeoisie decided to look to the other members of the third estate, the There was many other Economic woes that plagued France in the 18th century. There was much poverty throughout the country, but only within the poor part of the third estate. The first and second estates were well off and could not lose their fortunes to the taxes that the third estate paid. There was much turmoil between the rich and the poor. When the poor were getting prosperous the rich would not let them climb socially. Privilege was something that every man, woman, child wanted in the 18th century desired. This was never going to be possible without some sort of upheaval in the political system that was in place. But in the eighteenth century the nobility like the aristocracy tended to close its ranks. This did not allow for a prosperous person in the third estate to climb up to the second estate. After the enlightenment, social mobility was shown to be a great step into modern society. If one could move socially then there was hope into their future that one could better their lives to make them easier and more prosperous. .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 , .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 .postImageUrl , .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 , .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06:hover , .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06:visited , .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06:active { border:0!important; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06:active , .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06 .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u767f2ba0ae7db6bbf9a562e2d9464e06:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Child Abuse Essay Without this social upheaval there would be no means to the revolution. During the eighteenth century, France went through many years of economic disorder. Frances treasury had been drained throughout the years through frivolous spending, wars, and lack of fund rejuvenation. Louis XIV, XV, and XVI had been spending big throughout their years as head of state. Many years of their frivolous spending had drained

The Handmaids Tale free essay sample

The Handmaid’s Tale, Margret Atwood uses symbolism to illustrate the handmaid’s role in the society of Gilead. The handmaids are the women who had broken law of Gilead, and were forced into the role of a surrogate mother for a higher ranking couple. The handmaids had no rights or free will. They were under constant surveillance and this caused them to be very cautious. The author characterizes most handmaids as a tentative and distrustful, which is perhaps why Offred never puts in words the magnitude of her discontent with her new life, because it’s possible she doesn’t truly trust the reader. The author uses symbols such as the handmaid’s dress-code, a pigs ball, and even the handmaids names to give the reader a sense of the handmaid’s imprisonment. The handmaid’s dress-code was a very strict one; it was a dress-code that symbolized their one, sole duty; to bear a child. We will write a custom essay sample on The Handmaids Tale or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The handmaids were only needed for their reproductive services, so their dresses were red, to indicate their fertility. As Offred is dressing she describes her uniform; â€Å"Everything except the wings around my face is red: the color of blood, which defines us. The skirt is ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breasts, the sleeves are full. The white wings too are prescribed issue; they are to keep us from seeing, but also from being seen,† (p. 9). The handmaid’s were not supposed to be viewed as sexual beings, (though many people thought of them as adulteresses). The main character Offred describes her and her fellow handmaid’s as two-legged wombs, and nothing more. Their only purpose in life was to conceive a child, which was represented openly by the color of their robes. The handmaids in the novel lead such a caged life that in one of Offred’s many deep reflections, Atwood compares Offreds life symbolically to the life of a prized show pig. The handmaid’s were not permitted to entertain themselves nor flex their intellectual abilities, even simple games such as Scrabble would get them sent away to become an Unwoman, the worst outcome imaginable. As Offred longs for something to distract her, she thinks; â€Å"there’s time to spare. This is one of the things I wasn’t prepared for – the amount of unfilled time, the long parentheses of nothing†¦I wait, washed, brushed, fed, like a prize pig. Sometime in the eighties they invented pig balls, for pigs who were being fattened in pens. Pig balls were large colored balls; the pigs rolled them around with their snouts†¦the pigs were curious, they liked to have something to think about†¦I wish I had a pig ball,† (p. 85). The pigs are permitted to have a ball to entertain themselves, while the handmaids are only left with their thoughts. The author creates a symbol with the ball to demonstrate how the handmaid’s emotional and intellectual needs were valued even less than a pig’s. The handmaid’s names were also a clear representation of their position in society. For example, Offred, or Of-Fred, is a clear statement that this woman belongs to Fred, and Ofwarren, belongs to Warren. The handmaids didn’t even have enough freedom to maintain their real names. They were forced to accept a new patronymic name that striped them from their former identity entirely. Of-fred is a direct indication that these women are being reduced to the value of an object that can be possessed or thrown away if it doesn’t function properly. Atwood uses symbolism to expand the readers understanding of Offreds and the other handmaids’ dire situations. The handmaids’ lead extremely cautious and guarded lives, because any sign of rebellion could get them killed. The author uses symbols such as the dresses that represents the handmaids fertility, a pig that had more privileges than the women, and the handmaids labels to expand the readers understanding of Offreds position and emotions, because as a handmaid, she could never express them fully.

Bitter Rivals Henry Cabot Lodge and Woodrow Wilson essays

Bitter Rivals Henry Cabot Lodge and Woodrow Wilson essays Bitter Rivals: Woodrow Wilson and Henry Cabot Lodge Political rivalries define American government. The dual-party system by nature sets up partisan rivalries between members of all three branches of our government rivalries that have at times pushed our government to progress and at other times slowed it to a grinding halt. The contrasting backgrounds and resulting political ideologies of Woodrow Wilson and Henry Cabot Lodge created a modern rivalry that defined American foreign policy in the twentieth century. Woodrow Wilsons religious background and academic pursuits shaped his personality into one characterized by impatience. Born in Virginia in 1856, Wilson grew up around strict Calvinist doctrine in the Presbyterian church (Lafeber 269-270). This theology served as the foundation for all of Wilsons endeavors, as he believed he was guided by Gods will (Lafeber 270). The future Presidents first career path was law, but Wilsons inability to excel in the field bred in him distaste for the profession. Wilson hastily abandoned any thoughts of being a lawyer and pursued an academic career in political science. His refusal to give his law profession time to prosper represents a larger trend in Wilsons behavior of acting rashly when faced with adversity. Despite this impatience, he quickly rose to a high level of respect as a political scientist while attending Princeton University (Lafeber 269). Wilsons faith in God, bred from his Calvinist upbringing, further fueled his impatient pe rsonality as he believed that God would eventually guide him in the right direction if he made efforts to improve (Lafeber 270). This impatience defined most of Wilsons political philosophies and foreign policies. Like Wilson, Henry Cabot Lodges educational background shaped his views toward American foreign policy. His family instilled in Lodge conservat...

Different Suffixes for Different Contexts

Different Suffixes for Different Contexts Different Suffixes for Different Contexts Different Suffixes for Different Contexts By Mark Nichol Many words derived from Latin have two (and occasionally three or more) possible plural forms. The distinction is usually between popular usage based on English plural endings grafted onto Latin terms and scientific or technical form based on a traditional reading of the original language. Here are discussions of alternatives for plural forms of six types of word endings. -as or -ae Antennas are devices for carrying radio signals; antennae are sensory organs attached to the heads of certain creatures. Formulas might be used in a comparison of beverage mixtures for infants (and for other popular usage and even business contexts), while formulae is the formal term for mathematical or scientific expressions. -eaus or -eaux French words borrowed into English that end in -eau usually take the English plural form -s. The form ending in -x is likely to be seen as pedantic unless it is clearly used in a mocking sense (as when a writer facetiously sympathizes with a billionaire who has felt compelled to sell one of several chateaux.) -exes/-ixes or -ices Words ending in -ex or -ix (appendix, index, matrix, vertex) are generally followed by the plural form -es in all but the most technical contexts, though in scholarly publishing, appendices is the norm to refer to two or more pieces of additional text following the main section of a book. -mas or -mata Few words derived from Greek that end in -ma are in general usage, at least in plural form. (Anathema, for example, is common in singular form but not in plural form.) Dogma and schema, however, take an -s plural ending in popular usage; -mata is the formal alternative. -ums or -a Words ending in -um sometimes take an -s as a plural ending in popular usage and -ia in scientific or technical contexts consortium, criterion, forum, spectrum, and symposium come to mind but several notable exceptions exist: Mediums applies informally to multiple objects such as garments labeled as medium size, or to two or more spiritualists, while forms of communication are almost invariably referred to as media; that form is also prevalent in digital technology. (In relatively obscure scientific contexts, media is the singular form, and mediae is the plural form.) Memoranda and millennia are the preferred plural forms even in popular usage. Phenomena is prevalent over phenomenons, but the latter form (or the truncation phenoms) might be used as slang to refer to more than one particularly talented person. us- or -i The singular form of octopus is used to refer collectively to specimens used as food. (â€Å"The main course was sautà ©ed octopus.†) Octopuses is the most sensible plural form in general; octopi is incorrect because octopus is from Greek, not Latin, and -i is a Latin plural suffix, but the Greek form, octopodes, employing the Greek plural suffix -odes, is rare. The same is true, generally, of the plural form of platypuses, though the singular form frequently does double duty. Cactus, however, is Latin (albeit botanical, rather than classical, Latin), not Greek. Cacti is the prevalent plural form, though cactus and cactuses are also common. Other words ending in -us vary in their plural form: focus, fungus, and radius become, depending on formality, focuses, funguses, and radiuses or foci, fungi, and radii, while corpus and genus take an -era ending (corpera, genera) in scientific contexts. The only correct plural form for census and prospectus is the English plural ending -es (and campi is a rare plural form for campus), but alumnus becomes alumni; alumnuses is incorrect. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Direct and Indirect ObjectsThe Six Spellings of "Long E"Supervise vs. Monitor

PSY 365 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PSY 365 - Essay Example In research, it is expected that one has to drive at the correct approach or method, at the same time, with considerations to the advantages and disadvantages of the methods employed. Most studies rely on either qualitative, quantitative or combination of the two. Data drawn from the approaches can possibly be generated within empirical studies. Data-driven, observable and/or empirical research is proven to provide quantifiable proofs, measure variables or outcomes more objectively, allows statistical control of factors, can establish comparisons and/or relationships among other variables that are essential ingredients to improve practices, thus, come up with accurate decisions instead of mere hit and miss (US Department of Education, 2002) . On the other hand, the disadvantages may include, vulnerability to extraneous variables and inability to control it, high cost, time consuming, demands for tests and innovative instruments, vulnerability to biases of researchers and the complex mechanism in subject selection and data management procedures (Guttmacher Institute, 2006). In this article, authors focused on psychological interventions which increase individual happiness. The study simply determined if psychologists make use of evidence-based practice of positive psychology of treating patients with mental illness at the same time utilizing it into making others lastingly happier. Positive psychology looks into character traits, positive emotions and enabling institutions that further consider other virtues such as courage, wisdom, justice, temperance, humanity and transcendence. Using the internet, 577 participants were recruited in one month to answer the exercises set for the experimental and control set up. Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Scale to measure depression (CES-D) symptom, Steen Happiness Index (SHI) and Beck Depression Inventory for the state of depression, were the main instruments used. Authors

Learning Disabilities and its Causes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Learning Disabilities and its Causes - Essay Example If a child is diagnosed, it is necessary to trace back his history of activities to uncover the risk factors. Genetics is the most suspected cause of learning disabilities, while some cite a relationship to IQ. Surprisingly, there are those who believe that it is the result of too much television. Poor diet and lack of early childhood intervention are also attributable cases. Most people cite early intervention as the remedy, while half of the respondent erroneously believe that medication and mental health treatment is a solution. Common characteristics are classified under academic problems, attention disorders, poor motor abilities, psychological challenges, poor cognition, reading challenges, oral language problems, social skill dysfunction, and mathematical disorders. Even so, some students may only exhibit one of these characteristics, while some will still be successful in class even with some disabilities. Problems arise based on the duration, intensity, and quantity of the characteristics. Boys are more prone to girls to have a learning disability. To maintain attention, assignments should be in smaller segments, the time for each class should be increased gradually, prompts and verbal and written cues are essential. Finally, it is essential to teach students to identify and highlight information. Predictions, in form of pictures, graphs, headings, and subtitles can help a student activate prior knowledge before reading and increase attention. In addition, questions are necessary before reading to increase attention to important information. An advanced organizer can help focus on key material while self-monitoring and self-evaluation techniques are applicable for longer passages. Direct instruction helps to identify and instruct specific academic skills and the use of proven teaching techniques. This teacher-directed method ensures information is organized  and presented in an organized manner.  

The Schlesinger Polls and the Reasons behind the Change Essay Example for Free

The Schlesinger Polls and the Reasons behind the Change Essay Americans love to take polls. They rank everything from Hollywood scandals to insects, and they often reflect the state of mind of the American people at the time of the ranking. This propensity for opinion polls has been carried over to the equally American love of criticizing the government and the people in it, especially Presidents. One only has to turn on the television to watch spoofs about George W. Bush to get an idea of this. Presidential ranking was begun by historian Arthur Schlesinger whom in 1948 polled 55 scholars. He took a second poll in 1962 in which 34th president Dwight D. Eisenhower placed 22nd, a little over year after his second term of president. What is interesting to note that when son Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. , following in his father’s footsteps took another poll in 1996, Eisenhower placed 10th. Prior to this 1996 poll, other polls showed a similar tendency to elevate Eisenhower in the presidential rankings, with 2000 C-SPAN Poll placing him at ninth place. (Watson and Berger) This paper will provide some insights into the possible reasons for these shifts in opinions in the case of Eisenhower from a historical perspective. I. Brief background on Eisenhower Dwight David Eisenhower, popularly referred to as â€Å"Ike† was born in Texas in 1890, the 3rd of seven boys. He was brought up in Abilene Kansas and was a West Point graduate who became stationed in Texas as a second lieutenant where he met and married Mamie Geneva Doud. (â€Å"Dwight D. Eisenhower†) Ike was an excellent staff man, rapidly rising in the Army ranks under generals such as John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, and Walter Krueger. His performance as supreme commander over the NATO forces in 1951 led to his nomination as Republic presidential candidate, with the slogan â€Å"I like Ike† leading him to the White House. (â€Å"Dwight D. Eisenhower†) A successful soldier and military leader, Ike nevertheless negotiated for peace whenever possible. The Cold War was escalating but he negotiated for better relations with the Soviet Union from a position of military strength, an effort undermined by the death of Stalin in 1953. In the same year, Ike signed a truce which rough armed peace in South Korea. In further efforts to conciliate with the Soviets, Ike invited Nikita Khrushchev to the Presidents Camp David retreat in Marylands Catoctin Mountains to discuss Khrushchev’s demands for Western allies to get out of Berlin. Kruschchev did agree to lift his ultimatum, which positive response was cut short in 1960 when the Russians shot down an American U-2 spy plane. (â€Å"Eisenhower: soldier of peace†) It led to public humiliation for Ike, but it emphasized his desire to maintain world peace. He developed his â€Å"atoms for peace† program which was designed to develop uranium for peaceful uses. He also urged conservative military spending, pushing for enough military strength to ensure national security while monitoring potentially dangerous military spending policies. (â€Å"Dwight D. Eisenhower†) It was during his second term that he issue orders to desegregate schools, a significant landmark in the civil rights movement, which was also carried out in the Armed Forces. He declared that There must be no second class citizens in this country. Ike was chronically ill, but he was a vigorous man and when he finally succumbed on March 28, 1969, he was almost 80 years old. (â€Å"Dwight D. Eisenhower†) His popularity was such that he could have run for a third term if he wanted two and if the 22nd Amendment prevented him from doing so. (â€Å"Eisenhower: Soldier of Peace†) II. Criticisms Despite his popularity during his two terms, Ike was constantly being criticized by political analysts for his â€Å"middle-ground† stance and was characterized as a â€Å"caretaker† president who did not really get much done. (Watson and Berger) In fact, in the 1970s Ike’s presidency characterized as the Eisenhower doll: â€Å"You wind it up and it does nothing for eight years. † With the myopia of near history, many believed that Ike concentrated on keeping the status quo in military, social and economic issues. Of particular damage was his handling of Senator Joseph McCarthy, who was condemned for his extreme anti-communist views and what is termed a â€Å"witch hunt† for Soviet spies within the government. (Ansary) â€Å"â€Å"I am convinced that the way for me to defeat Senator McCarthy is to ignore him,† Eisenhower noted in a personal memo in April 1953. † (â€Å"Eisenhower: soldier of peace†) He was seen uninvolved and ineffective in the day-to-day running of the country. He often delegated such decisions to his aides and advisors and was widely considered to spend most of his days in pleasurable pursuits such as golf, social functions and vacations. Politically, he was aloof and he made no secret of the fact that he disliked politics and politicians, and made many decisions which made him politically vulnerable. He once said that the â€Å"only thing successful politicians had in common was that they married above themselves. † (qtd. in Madonna and Young) The 1961 Time Magazine article â€Å"The Debits† enumerated some of the specific issues. Ike was said to have been unable to implement a workable farm program, resulting in an annual $9 billion cost of price supports and food storage, from the $1. 5 billion at the end of Harry Truman’s term. The tax policies were also criticized because Ike showed no interest in reforming outdated, piecemeal tax laws, preferring to concentrate on balancing the federal budget and reducing debt. His failure to promote the rule of law in his foreign policy and practical politics that would make him politically viable was also attacked. It is suggested that such criticisms stemmed from Ike’s belief that in his dual role as head of state (which unifies and symbolizes the nation) and head of government (political decision maker), the former should be prominent while the latter should be hidden, a governing style now referred to as the hidden hand presidency. (Madonna and Young) It also explained why in 1962, Ike ranked 22nd of 35 presidents despite his apparent popularity and military hero status. III. Discussion The upward revision on Ike’s poll ranking may well be due to what is referred to as â€Å"hindsight. † Many of his policies made little sense to his contemporaries and the public during his two terms. However, later events proved that Ike was a man who was more than he appeared to be, and that his policies had a sound basis. Ike was first and foremost a military man. He realized from his campaigns that military preparedness was crucial to a nation’s security, and took great pains to ensure that the state of military strength during his presidency was adequate. However, he was also a staff man, so he was aware of the potential dangers associated with unbridled military spending and took steps to ensure that there was balance between necessity and spending. His knowledge of war would also account for his efforts to avoid it breaking out as much as possible. As a soldier and campaign strategist, Ike had to deal with the casualties and collateral damages of war, and sought â€Å"peace with justice† (â€Å"The Debits†). He was unable to prevent the Cold War from escalating or the Cuban missile crisis that bore fruition in Kennedy’s term with such disastrous results, but he never stopped trying, an attitude which recent anti-war sentiment fully supports. Because he was a soldier, Ike probably loathed admitting physical weakness, but later accounts both from his personal memoirs and from other sources revealed that Ike suffered from several, severe health crises associated with gastrointestinal problems and heart disease. It was little known at the time, but Ike’s health gave him a lot of trouble, and he was said to have suffered anywhere up to 7 cardiac episodes. However, because this was not widely known at the time, his recuperative periods were misinterpreted by his critics as part and parcel of his â€Å"caretaker† governing policy. In particular, his 12-day stay in the presidential retreat in Key West from December 28, 1955 to January 8, 1956 was illustrative of how circumstances could be grossly misleading. Far from being on a repairing lease, Ike’s visitors and schedule showed how hard we worked even when he was supposed to be resting. (Madonna and Young; Watson and Berger) It was this as well as other documentary evidence that was later revealed which showed how much more deeply Ike’s â€Å"hidden hand† was in the various pies in political decision making and policy formulation, although his aim was to provide general policy guidelines than specific policies. Scholars now concede that Ike had a good grasp of most situations and made sound decisions that allowed him to keep his options open and yet enabled him to act decisively when necessary. (Madonna and Young) It is well to consider as well that of the presidents three had great military reputations in actual war prior to ascending to the presidency and subsequently consistently ranked high in the polls. These were Washington, Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt. A fourth was Eisenhower, whose 1962 below average ranking was revised in later polls. This would seem to indicate that those who were great military prowess were likely to become good presidents when they are elected into office. While their styles of governing are widely divergent, they were all practical and sensible decision makers in times of crisis. (Schlesinger) In Ike’s case, he chose to be relatively low profile in such decisions. John Dean in his 2001 article â€Å"Ranking presidents – utter nonsense or useful analysis? † points out that polls such as the ones undertaken by the Schlesingers were without any consistent basis for the criteria used by the surveyed scholars. Even with efforts to benchmark the results, the results remain largely subjective and vague, making it difficult to provide comparisons within the polls as well as between polls. The fact that it was a survey of scholars it was by no means a reflection of the general public’s opinion of Ike’s presidency. In fact, Ike was very popular when he left office and retained the admiration of the public as a man of integrity, strength and modesty. (â€Å"Dwight David Eisenhower†) However, in the case of Dwight Eisenhower, existing documents and later events do seem to provide a basis for his rise in the polls. It may well be that the 1962 Schlesinger Sr. poll and the 1996 Schlesinger Jr. poll is an accurate reflection of the political and social climate of the respective time period. IV. Conclusion It has been said that one can miss the forest for the trees; in retrospect, it seems clear now that Ike’s politically unpopular â€Å"centrist† image was deliberate. It allowed him to move silently away from the limelight to make crucial policy and political decisions. Because he had projected himself as an ineffective president, he was able to put his policies forward without being targeted by his critics of being its author. Despite the criticisms, Ike retained his popularity, no doubt as a result of his war record, his subsequent pacifist attitude as president and his widely known dislike of political posturing. In retrospect, he was more effective for his â€Å"hidden hand† style of governing than was initially suspected, as evidenced by the 1996 poll undertaken by Schlesinger Jr. , considered a more accurate reflection than that of his father’s 1962 survey. Works Cited â€Å"Dwight D. Eisenhower. † The White House. 6 November 2007 http://www. whitehouse. gov/history/presidents/de34. html. â€Å"Dwight David Eisenhower. † Findarticles. 2005. 6 November 2007 http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_gx5221/is_2005/ai_n19136311/print. â€Å"Eisenhower: Soldier of Peace. † Time. 4 April 1969. 6 November 2007 http://www. time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839998-9,00. html. â€Å"Ike’s Presidential Legacy. † Eisenhower Memorial Commission. 6 November 2007 http://www. eisenhowermemorial. org/legacyreport/presidential-legacy. htm. â€Å"The Debits. † Time. com. 27 January 1961. 6 November 2007 http://www. time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826765,00. html. Ansary, Tamin. â€Å"Who Was the Greatest President? † Encarta. MSN. com 2007. 6 November 2007 http://encarta. msn. com/encnet/features/columns/? article=greatestpresident. Dean, John â€Å"Ranking presidents Utter Nonsense or Useful Analysis? † FindLaw. 11 May 2001. 6 November 2007 http://writ. news. findlaw. com/dean/20010511. html. Madonna, G. Terry Young, Michael. â€Å"Why George Bush Should Like Ike. † Real Clear Politics. 19 October 2007. 5 November 2007 http://www. realclearpolitics. com/articles/2007/10/why_george_bush_should_like_ik. html. Murphy, Arthur. â€Å"Evaluating the Presidents of the United States. † Presidential Studies Quarterly 14 (1984): 117-126. Schlesinger, Arthur Jr. â€Å"Rating the Presidents: Washington to Clinton. † Political Science Quarterly 11. 2 (Summer 1997): 179-90. Watson, Robert Berger, Dale. â€Å"Reconsidering Ikes Health and Legacy: A Surprising Lesson in Duty at the Little White House Residential Retreat. † The Eisenhower Institute. Gettysburg College. 6 November 2007 http://www. eisenhowerinstitute. org/publications/opinions__editorials/Watson_Berger_Reconsidering. dot.

AXI Case Study :: essays research papers

Income Disparities of women in the Workplace The existence of male-female income and gender discrimination in the workplace has been noted in countless countries. Over the past few decades, laws barring discrimination in education and employment have helped give workingwomen many opportunities that our mothers never had. Because of these opportunities, women began working in many different fields, each requiring different skills and experience with different pay wages. Although these opportunities has opened many doors for working women all over the world, the doors for pay discrimination still remains tightly shut for women in the workplace. While significant progress has been attained in furthering gender discrimination between men and women in the workplace, countries such as the United Stated and Japan still seems to be reluctant, to grant true income equality in towards women compared to their male counterparts. Thirty years ago women earned just over half the pay of their male counterparts. This was supposed to be resolved with the passage of the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963. Under this act, employers must pay women the same as men for work that is "substantially equal." Additionally, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which covers employers with 15 or more workers, prohibits pay differences based on gender and bars discrimination against women in hiring, promotion, training, discipline and other job aspects . Despite the existence of such laws, unfortunately workingwomen continue to earn less than men. It's extremely obvious that women have come a long way in the labor force ever since the 19th century. At present time, women account for nearly half the nation's workforce, but due to pay discrimination there has been a wage gap that does not seem to close between men and women. For instance, the typical workingwomen in Japan earns 63 percent of the average man’s pay . While in the United States, the average American woman earns about 74 cents for every dollar the average man earns . In comparing these figures, Japanese women are at even more of a disadvantage in the workplace than their peers in the United States. As stated above, laws have been in placed for years that strictly prohibit any type of discrimination in the workplace. So why does the wage disparity persist? In Japan, it is because of traditional expectations that women marry young and devote themselves to child rearing. This factor is always usually the case with Japanese women, however number of women who continue careers after marriage is growing, but companies have been slow to accommodate their needs for child care or maternity leave .

Indo European Folktales Study guide

Broad geographical grouping with a common linguistic background William Jones founded that Sanskrit was salary to Alan and Greek Proto-London European : no actual proof this group of people existed Folklore Colloquial definition: is a folktale true or not? Scholarly definition: how does a tale reflect the customs or values of a people Precursors to the Grimm Anne Sexton relation to the Grams Snow White – Anne Sexton Focus: female beauty Mirror motif Superficial male desire – women is an object of beauty, man knows nothing else about her Mother-daughter conflictQueen Is losing beauty with her age, Jealous of Snow White because Snow White Is becoming more beautiful Happy ending Snow White is made to look Like a china doll † she Is beautiful on the outside but empty on the Inside, an object to be viewed Similarities Real subject matter Issues/themes are similar Differences Narrative perspective – Anne Sexton uses â€Å"l† & Identifies herself as a middl e age witch She critiqued patriarchy – spoke to a contemporary New England audience New Issues/theme † she spoke to a contemporary audience, she tells her tales In modern form applying them to today's society Angela CarterThe Bloody Chamber and Other Stories Rewrote some of the Blueberry tales She wanted to focus on the desires/thoughts of women Believed women could show they had power Not romantic (as opposed to Anne Sexton who was more romantic) Wrote â€Å"Tiger's Bride† based on the Beauty and the Beast and Tigers Bride (merged stories) Her Version of Tigers Bride Narrative perspective: included thoughts of characters Characters Bride – coming of age Father – bad father, gambles everything away Tiger – beast figure – not sure what Hess Like on the Inside Father sells her In a game of cards, beast just wants to see her naked He shows her his stuff and there are sexual encounters (because she turned on by the animal inside him and he brought out the animal in her) Themes of the story: social restrictions, confinement, code of honor that restricted women, rejecting patriarchal society, liberation of women (feminism), she doesn't go to save her father Regular version of Tiger's Bride Enemy of patriarchy Patriarchy Ideals of the submissive wife Western Tradition Wives submit themselves to heir husband, husband is the head of the wife and savior of her body Russian folk The man is the head but the woman is the neck, the head will follow the neck where it turns Less patriarchal than western society Wish Tales, all the Wives tales promote patriarchal society Women's desires are irrational Female threats to patriarchy Pride (shrewdness) Insatiable and irrational desire Disobedience Women are always doing the opposite of what should be done Memento moor Reminder put into paintings that you will eventually die Ex: a feast, everyone is having fun, in a painting, and a skull or crossbones as a reminder you are going to di e Death tales – reminders of death Deaths messengers Mourning A natural process, Just grief in general Have some sort of ceremony where we can externalities the grief Monument Tale: the Mustard SeedMelancholy Initialization of grief Don't get rid of it Tale: The Place Where There Are No Graves Ate the dead bodies – literally internalized death Parody Humorous/satirical imitation Blatant discrepancies Criticizes original Sheer Objects of Parody Disney Moral structure, technology, family structures, Americanization Fairy Tales Ideals of Beauty Methods of Parody Pop culture references Irrelevant and crude humor Problems with Parody No alternative offered Must rely on what it ridicules American Dream Used music and color for the first time Made propaganda during WI for the US Disney's Reworking of Fairy Tales Challenges: Length Objectionable subject matter Moral murkiness Its hard to turn a fairy tale into a film because the fairy tales are short, there's not enough materi al, unclear at times and some things are inappropriate Disney Formula Disney took oral tales Clear structure of good and evil Heightened romance Omits a lot of the violence Romance replaces sex Clear defined value system Gender roles are traditional Cultural stereotypes Technology and form Technology as a subject: magic Visual elements vs†¦ He text Genre Hollywood musical Characterization Formulaic 19th Century Melodrama Innocent Heroine Gallant Hero Evil Villain Minor Characters Secondary wives, animals, dwarves, sidekicks for common relief Family Structures Absent mothers Absent or inept fathers Americanization Democratic Protagonists are all teens Domestic/submissive role of women Rags to riches with personal ingenuity Made fun of nobility – very much American No direct violence between humans – instead inanimate objects (candles) or animals Sublimation of Violence Irony Cinderella – violence between animals instead of humans Royal Dahl Skipping backgrou nd and analysis due to time constraints Verse form Plot somewhat different than original but still similarModern details not from ancient past – fit into modern society Tales linked together in a fairy tale world Fairy tale audience – what children want to hear, didn't take out much of the violence or crude stuff Woman as a victim – making fun of this and gives his tale a feminist twist, women have a sense of power Techniques of parody Form and style – rhyme with adult type of humor, uses a lot of slang, emphasizes the difference between tales then and now Characters and plot make us see the inconsistence in the original tale Know his version of Little Red riding Hood Gilles De Raise A blueberry figure Murdered children Gunman the Accursed Historical basis for the blueberry character Murdered several of his previous wives and his fourth wife found the body chamber Real event Fourth wife was Saint Therein Saint Therein (see above) Jane Champion (the Piano) Had a blue filter on her piano The woman was mute and only used the piano as a means to communicate Her husband (a blueberry character) chopped off her fingers so she could not communicate Margaret of Invader (the Heptathlon) Queen of Invader Defender of well known humanists and some authors in her writing Important figure in her time Story represents husband forgiving herRenaissance culture The Heptathlon Adulteress punishment Pretty high up in French nobility Progressive for her day Giovanni Vacation (The Dodecahedron) Philosophies Poetry of the people Everyday people are close to nature and the events in the past than the upper class Simplicity and authenticity Tales are something organic Monogenic One origin of the stories and then variations arose from that one version Polynesia Multiple origins of the same type of tale because the same people are going through similar experiences in different places Carol Jung – Archetypes Show us ways to transformation and development Genres of Folktale Literature Legend: has historical grounding, is unspecific Ex: Johnny Applauded Fairy Tales: rely on magic to provide fantasy solutions to overcome problems Myths: narrative projection formed into a story, relationship deeper with the universe Fable: moral, usually explicit, personification, very short stories, always have animals who talk, not like fairytale were they can talk through magical power but no magic is needed for them to talk Everyday life situations Protagonists are animals Moral truth NOT magic Animals give Didactic function The Stake Tales The PanchromaticFunction of Folktales Explanatory Traditional (accompany rituals) Social (help bring people together) Schools of Folklore Inquiry Origin Form Meaning Style Origins: Early Stages Distribution and dissemination of folktales Grimm Frederic Max Mueller Scholar of Sanskrit Solar mythology: doesn't have anything to do with the sun, but the natural world Folktales are explanations of natural phenomenon Mueller Theodore Bendy German Orientals Studied Eastern cultures Argued that tales began in India Folktales traveled through three major avenues: Oral traditions from merchants Arabic and Persian Translations Contact between Muslim and European Origins: Historical and geographical method Reconstruct the history of a particular tale – look at versions and triangulate what the common origin is Methodology: assemble all the known variants of a tale; from Motif: reoccurring theme, each element in a table Type: a bunch of motifs strung together, a traditional tale that has a unique ordering the motifs Form Two major schools Formalist Vladimir Prop Functions Actions that are taken by characters, how do these action move the tale, slow it down, or influence the overall structure of the tale Ex: LORD meeting the wolf? What function does this have?Functions happen in a certain order 31 possible functions, sequential, but not all functions appear in all tales Structuralism Levi-Strauss Myths reflect the logical structure of the human mind Binary opposition: two things in nature that are opposed See formalist and functions above Believed folklore is a special form of verbal art Works of folklore and literature have different morphologies that folklore has specific structures Literary works have an author, folklore works never have an author Literature is constant, folklore changes independently of people's will Morphology: a ascription of the tale according to its component part and the relationship of these components to each other and to the whole Max Lithium & Style Stylistic Analysis Four Features of Folklore One Dimensionality Coexistence of a real and enchanted world Happen to walk from a real world into an enchanted one Dependableness Absence of character motivation Don't need to know the character history to know their motivations Often found in fairy tales Lack of psychological depth Abstraction Extremes and conventions contrasts Ex: troll eats an ox BC H ess so hungry Fixed formulas: man living alone at top of a mountain, obviously is a troll Isolation ND Universal connection Lack of sustained relationship between characters On the other hand, everyone is connected to and affects everyone else Relationships either do not matter or you cannot escape them Style: Performance Centered Approaches Focus of studies from social context to creative process of storytelling Looking at the Changeling Definition: a child who is exchanged by a supernatural being for a good human child Anonymous take the good baby and leave evil offspring bedding Why do these stories arise?Attempt to explain natural problems, physical deformities Usually in the form off legend Luther believed in changelings Bethlehem Prefers fairy tales to other kinds of children's literature Can learn about the inner problems of human beings Children can better understand herself and complex world Fairy tales differ from children's literature Parents impact the children most, the n cultural heritage Hansel and Greeter Anxieties a child must overcome Oral fixations Mother†source of food to children, fail to meet oral demands Witch†personification of the destructive aspects of reality Gingerbread house†oral greediness and giving into primitive satisfactionsJewels†children transcend their oral anxiety and free themselves of relying on oral satisfaction for security, and can free themselves of the image of the threatening mother (witch) Birds†all white, divine intervention, guidance Breadcrumbs†starvation, anxiety Expanse of water†Christian allegory, symbolizes the way they have changed, maturity, baptism Teaches the lesson to explore your imagination, work together, and mothers are important Bluebirds Interpreted Blueberry tales as patriarchal power with violence, yet women can see through the power of men and come on top with their sight Little Red Riding Hood She is not yet ready for sexuality People say he only picke d certain parts of the fairy tale to prove his argument Promotes themes of sexuality Cinderella split of mother helps a child to preserve an internal all good mother while the mother is not good at all, but permits anger with bad stepmother as a different person to protect child from being overwhelmed Jack and the Beanstalk Transition out of the oral phase into the phallic phase Why?Boy is forced to sell cow BC it stops giving milk Beanstalk episode is Jacks dream, growth represents growth of sexual power Giants re Oedipal projections, father is rival and has to fight with his father to take his place Resolution of Oedipal conflict in the end Sleeping Beauty Undines Female virgin water spirit Defined by having to marry a man on earth to become a human SST. George / Dragon Slayers Ideals of chivalry Emblem includes red cross Symbol of England Golden Legend – Jacques De Favoring Frau Whole Freer Collected by Grimm Didactic function: teaches hard work and respect for higher bein g Typical: woman loses distaff, goes underground and meets Frau Whole who tests willingness to work Folk Hero People identify with See virtue embodied in them Teach lessons to those in power Ridicule those in power Disney (Beauty and the Beast) vs†¦ He Tale Rose in both stories, but in Vhf, the male picks a rose from the beast's estate, but in the Disney film, the rose is a different symbol Different family structure in film and Vhf – only child in Disney, in the book there are three daughters and sons Message is similar in both: looks can be deceptive, don't Judge by appearances Simpleton Stupid boy, youngest of all sons Ex: The Flying Ship and The Rabbit herd Overcomes impossible tasks to marry kings daughter, gets help from an older mentor pro-social side) Motif of three tasks to overcome The tasks usually involve the boy having a confrontation with the king (finding place in patriarchal society) Animal Brides The skin: different identity, gender roles, type of person you are, antisocial identity, sexuality can be linked to independence or freedom, put ring on finger which is the symbol of a chain, skin as protection for women Men trying to take the skin: personal violation, controlling women Incompatibility of two worlds, social classes, etc Animal Bridegrooms Morals: keep promises Arranged marriages and coming to terms with an arranged marriage Wild ManOrigins: India, Roman Empire, Grimm in Medieval Christian Europe Wild Man represents the natural, wild aggressive tendencies of boys and the boy must rely on the aggressive/courageous tendencies of wild man and rules of society to have coming of age Promote pro-social and antisocial tendencies to have coming of age Frame Narrative Story within a story 1001 Arabian Nights: someone is telling a story in the story Stake Tales Tales of Buddha Reincarnation, Buddha in different times and places Characterized by humor and imagination Jean De la Fontanne Political Unmask corruption and dishonesty of th e court Used animals not humans Criticism of political figures without using names The Paid Mostly about animals Had morals Quick thinking Oldest collection of tales in Sanskrit Nobility Teach young princes how to act Vampire Between fairy tale and legend Definition: corpse rise from the grave at night, get blood from humans Similar to today's zombies In Christian legends were souls of pain, not baptized, referred to as sorcerers Souls from purgatory Eastern European source: Alasdair Fantasy Socio-historical Reasons for Vampire Lore in Eastern Europe Improper decode Christianization of Eastern EuropeBubonic plague Vela Tepees Drachma Romania Prince Historical Vampire figure Elizabeth (Ersatzes) Battery Slovakia Countess Took virgin's blood, drank it, took a both in it, preserve youth She wasn't executed because she was a royal, but was locked in the castle the rest of her life Jeanne-Marie eel Prince De Beaumont Taught in schools for all social classes Wanted to teach proper conduct for young women Frederica Nietzsche (On the Genealogy of Morals) Good and Bad / Good and Evil Talked about power in the Catholic church Nietzsche said the Catholic church gains power by telling people they should be cake and submissive Freud – Stages of Sexual Development Oral: as a baby, you get pleasure through â€Å"oral† things, such as sucking on thumbs Sadistic/anal: little kids find pleasure in making bowel movements Phallic Genital: you want pleasure via genital contact of the opposite sex and same age Latency Period of sleep Oedipal complex Bang your mom, kill your dad Fools vs†¦ Tricksters Fools teach lessons by making themselves a fool Tricksters teach lessons by making you a fool Recitation Readings Donald Hawse: mirrors, Mine, or Ours? Perpetual, the Brothers Grimm and Ownership ofFairy Tales† Nationalistic ownership results in stereotyping Universalistic Belongs to everyone, but is wrong BC were all products of different stuff We should indivi dually own them – not owned by Disney or a corporation Soar Shaves: â€Å"The Concept of Childhood and Children's Folktales: Test Case – ‘Little Red Riding Hood† Jack Zip's: â€Å"Breaking the Disney Spell† Folklore body is a communal effort – we all own it together Marxist Corporate ownership of what should be communal The Morals/Themes of the Tales The Shrewish Wives Manipulating the women by threatening to go back to her fathers place Public immolation Weaken Grizzlier Humiliation Sexual = he made her pregnant Social = marrying a beggar Financial = marrying a beggar (previously a princess) Morally/ethically = makes her steal and get caught Women Who Rule Their Husbands Show the danger of letting women be in charge Wish Tales Plot Structure Wish(sees) granted Asks wife for advice Wastes wish Woman tells man what to do with the wishes, which is a mistake Disaster results from weak husbands Talkative Wives Motif: wife who talks too much Lesso n: women are chatterboxes, talk too much Foolish Wives Another female character flaw: foolishness

Cyberspace and War Essay

Reading the highly interesting essay entitled â€Å"Navigating the Cyberspaces of Virtual War† presents to us the reasons why movies like The Terminator movie series are no longer works of fiction as written by an over active imagination. The reality is that science and computer technology have reached that point in the evolution of the systems that both the real and imagined reality of everyday lives, problems, and in this case, world wars, can now seamlessly interact and allow human beings to become active participants in the situations without really posing any physical dangers to the themselves. We have to admit that violence is an inborn characteristic of humans regardless of age, gender, and capability. But, man is afraid of the real repercussions stemming from any act of violence. Nobody in his right mind would put his own life on the line if he can find a way around it. This is the problem that presented itself to the public the day that man found a way to involve themselves in virtual war games. It is true that soldiers must be well trained and versed in handling their weapons and be so familiar with their combat zone that they can patrol the area blindfolded. For the military, the applications of virtual war is endless and a fantastic training tool that limit’s the number of casualties in the field. The problem is that the virtual war games were commercialized and sold to the public for home entertainment. The end result of the virtual gaming world was the desensitizing of mankind. Virtual Reality turned into an actual reality for some wherein nobody ever actually got hurt or died. It redefined violence for the participants and made it seem alright to blow each other up because â€Å"It’s just a game†. However, the developers of such games neglected to consider the psychological effect of the game on an ordinary person. A soldier would eventually have to deal with the reality of his virtual training and deal with actual loss of lives from both friendly and enemy fire. For the common man who merely plays the game and does not need to experience the actual loss, it instead gives him a thrill that sometimes pushes him to emulate the game in a real life setting. Early on, I mentioned that the Terminator movie series has now turned into a reality. This is a truth that can be seen because of the way cyberspace and war have turned battles into situations fought by remote control from the comfort of the soldier’s home base using highly intelligent computer systems that are capable of deciding upon what kind of weapons to use depending upon what their sensors data transmits to the onboard computer. But, what if the onboard computer develops a problem that causes the machine to turn upon its remote operators? What if Artificial Intelligence turns into Real Computer Intelligence? Are we prepared for such repercussions? Our computer developers and scientists have turned computers into almost fully independent machines that can function and decide its own actions in times of war. Good for the soldier because he won’t have to risk his life on the battlefront. Bad news for the rest of us because cyberspace is filled with computer hackers who would love to be able to gain the bragging rights to being that one person who took down a whole satellite system or took virtual / cyberspace enabled control of a real online defense system thereby gaining control of the military fighting machines for his own whims. Cyborgs are not that far off in development either. A perfect fighting machine, no feelings or logic, just a follower designed to eliminate the enemy as per preloaded mission objectives. The question is, how prepared are we to unleash such forces into reality? What safeguards are in place within cyberspace to protect us from the potential disasters cyber wars and technological advancements in cyberspace could bring upon mankind? The internet, online war gaming, television, and newspapers all present us with the realities of war while we are still far removed from the actual situation. I believe that if the world is to know any sort of peace, such virtual technologies should be limited to only military applications and not be allowed for commercial purposes. There is no need to feed the violent tendencies of man. Instead, a separate virtual reality should be developed for the common folk where we can practice solving political tensions through discussion and treaties instead. Leave the virtual fighting to those who are trained to really handle such situations. Cyberspace and war do not have to become any sort of reality for mankind simply because all it will bring about is our own self destruction in both virtual and actual reality.

Indian Bones essays

Indian Bones essays My older brother, Steve went to school out in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Just recently my family and myself made a trip out to visit him and his surroundings. Some of my favorite places were the pueblos. We took many tours and learned a plethora about the Native Americans. After all of the changes and reform our country has been through, I often wonder how can our society still not treat the Native Americans as equal? In one of my classes, we read an article by Clara Spotted Elk speaking out on this very same issue. "Indian Bones," is a small outcry of just some of the injustices the Native Americans have put up with because the scientific community and many other communities do not accept their religious views. She reveals an estimated 600,000 Indian remains are scattered across the country. Some of the Indian remains can be found anywhere from museums, laboratories, and even on display at tourist attractions. Spotted Elk goes on to point out power and influence affects different ethnic groups, and equates the treatment of African Americans with Native Americans. She also mentions the aid of Sen. Daniel K. Inouye by trying to reintroduce the "Bones Bill" to recover the remains of their ancestors. The mistreatment of the Native Americans is an outrage in itself, but what I find most disturbing is the amount of time that has lapsed, Spotted Elk's strong evidence is not new. Why have we allowed this mistreatment to go on for so long; aren't we more civilized? This is inhumane of our race to sit back and allow it. I have tried to go out to Arizona and New Mexico to work with these underprivileged people but the timing and situations have not worked out. However, before I came to the University of Scranton I spoke with some people who are going to help me get in touch with people here for the same program. Clara Spotted Elk's article has inspired me to pursue my quest to aid the Native Americans. ...

Race and Ethnicity in Sociology

Race and Ethnicity in Sociology The sociology of race and ethnicity is a large and vibrant subfield within sociology in which researchers and theorists focus on the ways that social, political, and economic relations interact with race and ethnicity in a given society, region, or community. Topics and methods in this subfield are wide-ranging, and the development of the field dates back to the early 20th century. Introduction to the Subfield The sociology of race and ethnicity began to take shape in the late 19th century. The American sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois, who was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard, is credited with pioneering the subfield within the United States with his famous and still widely taught books The Souls of Black Folk  and Black Reconstruction. However, the subfield today differs greatly from its early stages. When early American sociologists focused on race and ethnicity, du Bois excepted, they tended to focus on the concepts of integration, acculturation, and assimilation, in keeping with the view of the U.S. as a melting pot into which difference should be absorbed. Concerns during the early 20th century were for teaching those who differed visually, culturally, or linguistically from the white  Anglo-Saxon norms how to think, speak, and act in accordance with them. This approach to studying race and ethnicity framed those who were not white Anglo-Saxon as problems that needed to be solved  and was directed primarily by sociologists who were white men from middle to upper-class families. As more people of color and women became social scientists throughout the twentieth century, they created and developed theoretical perspectives that differed from the normative approach in sociology, and crafted research from different standpoints that shifted the analytic focus from particular populations to social relations and the social system. Today, sociologists within the subfield of race and ethnicity focus on areas including racial and ethnic identities, social relations and interactions within and across racial and ethnic lines, racial and ethnic stratification and segregation, culture and worldview and how these relate to race, and power and inequality relative to majority and minority statuses in society. But, before we learn more about this subfield, its important to have a clear understanding of how sociologists define race and ethnicity. How Sociologists Define Race and Ethnicity Most readers have an understanding of what race is and means in U.S. society. Race refers to how we categorize people by skin color and phenotype- certain physical facial features that are shared to a certain degree by a given group. Common racial categories that most people would recognize in the U.S. include Black, white, Asian, Latino, and American Indian. But the tricky bit is that there is absolutely no biological determinant of race. Instead, sociologists recognize that our idea of race and racial categories are social constructs that are unstable and shifting, and that can be seen to have changed over time in relation to historical and political events. We also recognize race as defined in large part by context. Black means something different in the U.S. versus Brazil versus India, for example, and this difference in meaning manifests in real differences in social experience. Ethnicity is likely a bit more difficult to explain for most people. Unlike race, which is primarily seen and understood on the basis of skin color and phenotype, ethnicity does not necessarily provide visual cues. Instead, it is based on a shared common culture, including elements like language, religion, art, music, and literature,  and norms, customs, practices, and history.  An ethnic group does not exist simply because of the common national or cultural origins of the group, however. They develop because of their unique historical and social experiences, which become the basis for the group’s ethnic identity. For example, prior to immigration to the U.S., Italians did not think of themselves as a distinct group with common interests and experiences. However, the process of immigration and the experiences they faced as a group in their new homeland, including  discrimination, created a new ethnic identity. Within a racial group, there can be several ethnic groups. For example, a white American might identify as part of a variety of ethnic groups including German American, Polish American, and Irish American, among others. Other examples of ethnic groups within the U.S. include and are not limited to Creole, Caribbean Americans, Mexican Americans, and  Arab Americans. Key Concepts and Theories of Race and Ethnicity Early American sociologist W.E.B. du Bois offered one of the most important and lasting theoretical contributions to the sociology of race and ethnicity when he presented the concept of double-consciousness in  The Souls of Black Folk. This concept refers to the way in which people of color in predominantly white societies and spaces and ethnic minorities have the experience of seeing themselves through their own eyes, but also of seeing themselves as other through the eyes of the white majority. This results in a conflicting and often distressing experience of the process of identity formation.Racial formation theory, developed by sociologists Howard Winant and Michael Omi, frames race as an unstable, ever-evolving social construct that is tied to historical and political events. They assert that differing racial projects that seek to define race and racial categories are engaged in constant competition to give the dominant meaning to race. Their theory illuminates how race has be en and continues to be a politically contested social construct, upon which is granted access to rights, resources, and power. The theory of systemic racism, developed by sociologist Joe Feagin, is an important and widely used theory of race and racism that has gained particular traction since the rise of the BlackLivesMatter movement. Feagins theory, rooted in historical documentation, asserts that racism was built into the very foundation of U.S. society and that it now exists within every aspect of society. Connecting economic wealth and impoverishment, politics and disenfranchisement, racism within institutions like schools and media, to racist assumptions and ideas, Feagins theory is a roadmap for understanding the origins of racism in the U.S., how it operates today, and what anti-racist activists can do to combat it.Initially articulated by legal scholar Kimberlà © Williams Crenshaw, the concept of intersectionality would become a cornerstone of the theory of sociologist Patricia Hill Collins, and an important theoretical concept of all sociological approaches to race and ethnicity within the academy today. The concept refers to the necessity of considering the different social categories and forces that race interacts with as people experience the world, including but not limited to gender, economic class, sexuality, culture, ethnicity, and ability. Research Topics Sociologists of race and ethnicity study just about anything one could imagine, but some core topics within the subfield include the following. How race and ethnicity shape the process of identity formation for individuals and communities, like for example the complicated process of creating a racial identity as a mixed-race person.How racism manifests in everyday life and shapes ones life trajectory. For example, how racial biases affect student-teacher interaction from elementary school to university and graduate school, and how skin color affects perceived intelligence.The relationship between race and the police and the criminal justice system, including how race and racism affect policing tactics and arrest rates, sentencing, incarceration rates, and life after parole. In 2014, many sociologists came together to create The Ferguson Syllabus, which is a reading list and teaching tool for understanding the long history and contemporary aspects of these issues.The long history and contemporary problem of residential segregation, and how this affects  everything from family wealth, economic well-being, education, access t o healthy food, and health. Since the 1980s,  whiteness has been an important topic of study within the sociology of race and ethnicity. Up until that point, it was largely neglected academically  because it was simply seen as the norm against which difference was measured. Thanks largely to scholar Peggy McIntosh, who helped people understand the concept of white privilege, what it means to be white, who can be considered white, and how whiteness fits within the social structure is a vibrant topic of study. The sociology of race and ethnicity is a vibrant subfield that hosts a wealth and diversity of research and theory. The  American Sociological Association  even has a webpage devoted to it. Updated  by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

The Ambiguous Role of Gender Equality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Ambiguous Role of Gender Equality - Essay Example Issues of gender equality are expressed in schools, homes, offices and any other point of interaction. These issues focus on the responsibility of men and women concerning their role in bringing up their children. In ordinary society, men are expected to be the family’s breadwinner while women remain in the house taking care of the children and home. The focus on men in issues relating to gender equality has brought enormous shifts in gender roles in most societies. American men lead in the race towards a balanced society. According to Jeremy, â€Å"the definition of fatherhood has changed from pure breadwinning to care to give† (2011). This shows that most men are shifting their attitude towards gender equality. Although the rising level of gender equality in American society is been celebrated by most people, there are questions about the future society that does not have well-defined roles among men and women. The economic implications of gender equality are also of major concern among most people. The relationship and co-existence between the male and the female gender is also an issue of concern in relation to gender equality. According to Jeremy, there has been a lapse on implementing social issue due to the increased campaigns against gender inequality. The children are the basis of any society since values impacted on them by their parents propagate across generations. It is time that society starts looking at the negative side of gender equality. In this case, the natural role refers to the traditional society where women remained at home taking care of their children while men went out to work. The reversed roles are having a negative effect on the children particularly the boy child. In addition, the issue is affecting men who retain the responsibility of being the family’s breadwinner.

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 24

Management - Essay Example odel, which has since long dominated the people management strategies adopted by managers in workplaces to constantly keep their employees motivated in order to derive better performances. However, during the past couple of years organizational management has undergone significant transformation in the manner in which it seeks to motivate its employees. The traditional methods of offering extrinsic rewards or economic benefits to the employees in order to keep them motivated and garner higher productivity and hence revenues, has become obsolete ever since the introduction of the concept of intrinsic motivation, which is required in today’s workplace. One of the most commonly discussed economic ideologies is the fact that it emphasizes on the aspect of personal economic gain as a key motivating factor within an organizational environment. Various eminent theorists and authors such as Ed Schein, Abe Maslow and the likes have stated that employees have a higher-order personal needs which govern their behavior. There is a wide amount of literature which claims economic rewards as a key motivator however the evidence on higher employee productivity on account of intrinsic rewards has been mounting in the past couple of decades (Thomas, 20022). Extrinsic benefits or rewards commonly include monetary compensation as a primary tool of enhancing employee performance. However, despite its widespread acceptance, especially among the managers who view it as a most effective means of improving worker productivity, this method has attracted severe criticisms recently. A significant proportion of these criticisms are mainly on account of wide spread research, which offers empirical evidence regarding the failure of extrinsic motivation to ensure and sustain, long term organizational performance (Perry et al. 20093; Ingraham 19934; Kellough and Lu 19935; Milkovich and Wigdor 19916). Furthemore, it has also been observed in past researches that debates concerning employee

International Strategic Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Strategic Management - Assignment Example This study seeks to investigate about the strategic management of Etihad Airways, since the Great Depression of 2007. Studies have shown that there have hardly been any companies that could escape from consequences of the recession and aviation is regarded as one of the worst affected sectors. As a result, choosing Ethihad to evaluate their strategic management approach is justified. Therefore, before proceeding further, the study throws light on a brief description of the company. The analysis until now has revealed that the company had been quite successful in ventures that had been undertaken till date. The innovative partnerships of the company with most significant airlines of the world have created a long-term sustainability for the company. This assignment has discussed in details about strategies that had been undertaken by Etihad Airways during the difficult economic phase of global financial crisis that had crippled the world economy severely. This assignment has used various concepts of strategic management to understand business development of Etihad. It has been observed that even during the difficult economic phase, the company had achieved solid growth through strategic alliances with other Airlines, cost efficiency through fuel hedging, cutting down operational cost and promoting development in a sustainable manner. The outcome from following these strategies had resulted in strong financial growth.

Ready-Made Garments (RMG) Sector Of Bangladesh

Ready-Made Garments (RMG) Sector Of Bangladesh Introduction: Entirely export oriented Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh has experienced a noteworthy enhancement since its commencement in last half of 1970s. Strangely enough, though this major industry is now totally based on private entrepreneurial efforts, its inauguration was rooted into an export consignment of Shirt which was done by Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), the state operated trading agency, in mid ‘70s. The export consignment held with some East-European countries. However, the entrance of private entrepreneurs in this sector gifted it with a tremendous boost. Background: Reformed domestic policy and the international Multi-Fiber Agreement (MFA) are the key procedures that ameliorated the condition of Bangladeshi RMG export (Quddus and Rashid, 2000). In the decade of ‘80s, Bangladesh adopted a modification in national economic policy to run its economy under the tutelage of World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Establishment of Export Processing Zones (EPZ) channeled foreign direct investment in this sector (Bhattacharya, et al., 2001, p.2-26). Money-spinning facilities like cash assistance, income tax rebate, freight and power rate rebate, tax holiday, loans at lower rate, provision of back to back Letter of Credit (LC), guarantee scheme for export credit, decreasing interest rate in export credit, reducing harbor charges, bond facilities for warehouse, duty free imports of raw materials and productive machineries, were offered to export oriented RMG industries (Mayumi, 2004) The MFA was an agreement of World Trade Organization (WTO), done in 1974 which set quotas for export of textile and garments related products from the developing countries (Rahman, 2004). Under this agreement, USA and Canada, the then largest RMG importers, imposed quota restrictions and maintained a limit in importing products from countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Sri-Lanka, India, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Moreover, some countries had also major internal problems, like, sudden increase in labor cost in Sri-Lanka (Siddiqui, 2003). As a result, for minimizing the cost, the importers started looking for alternative sources and Bangladesh became a lucrative source for them for facilities like low labor cost and large export quotas (Wigg, 1990, p.154-159). Bangladesh received preferential treatment by USA and European Union, as a less developed country. Paradoxically, within 1985, Bangladesh appeared as a giant in international apparel sector and beca me a major competitor for the suppliers in USA, Canadian and European market. Thus, the bed rock of this major industry of Bangladesh was set down and slowly gradually this industry has become the core of the national economy. Later, RMG sector also received other facilities like Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) from USA and UK. Major problems of RMG industry of Bangladesh: In spite of being the main source of the money stream in internal economy of Bangladesh, the Ready-Made Garments sector is in continuous threat by some major and crucial factors. As a result, the whole sector is in risk and in a volatile situation which may disgracefully collapse the whole sector as well as the country’s economy. These problems or threats can be categorized in following sections: Critical political condition In-apt workers Lack of proper in-work precautionary security measures Workers Dissatisfaction i. Critical political condition: Internal political instability and security threats due to such instable condition has become a serious concern for the RMG industry. If we focus on recent situation, only during the political unrest in October and November, 2013, this industry had to count a loss of minimum TK. 2000 corer and orders worth $2.40 million were cancelled by the buyer only in first ten days of December, 2013. Moreover, due to the rail-road blockade, the exporters had to do air shipment which also compelled them to bear an extra expense of $0.9 million. For delayed shipment the exporters experienced a price cut by $4.65 million as orders valuing $6.6 million were supplied in delay (Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, December 12, 2013). ii. In-apt worker: Bangladesh is now a major competitor in international RMG market. This makes it compulsory to maintain the quality of the product. Quality control in production unit largely depends on time to time training and workshop programs organized for the workers. But, ironically, such initiatives are absent in Bangladesh. As a result, the qualities of the products are degrading which sometimes result in cancellation of the consignment and creates a negative image in the international market. iii. Lack of proper in-work precautionary security measures: The most serious issue regarding the RMG sector of Bangladesh is most of the factories lack proper safety measures against any unwanted perils. This is making the working zone immensely risky which also violates the rules and regulations of International Labor Organization (ILO). Such irresponsible attitude of the factory owners is the key reason behind many accidents in recent years which have taken great tolls of life. In past 11years, approximately 730 workers were blazed and killed and about 4700 workers were injured in several fire accidents in garments factories. The amount of deaths and casualties in building collapse is numerous. Only in the building collapse on April 24, 2013 of Rana Plaza in Savar, 1,130 people were reported to be dead and approximately 2,515 injured people were reported to be rescued from the building (New Age, April, 2013). Continuous accidents like Spectrum Sweater Industries, Phoenix Garments, Smart Export Garments, Tazreen Fashion, Garib Garib, Matrix Sweater, Ha-Meem Group and many more has made the foreign buyers too much concerned about the issue. iv. Workers Dissatisfaction: The RMG sector has faced several incidents of strikes by the workers for the issue of inadequate payment. The workers belong to the lower income group of the society. Although, this sector is the backbone of the country’s economy, the radar of the sector, the workers, are not even paid the minimum to keep their heart and soul together. The sector became volatile due to labor unrest for the first time in 2006 and since then it has become a regular phenomenon. In 2006 the unrest condition was mitigated by discussion with the labor representatives and the minimum pay rate was decided to be Tk. 1662.50. But the agitation aroused again in 2010 and the rate was revised to Tk. 3000 per month which came into effect in November 2010 (The Daily Star Forum, August 2012). But, if we consider the current inflation and living cost, the logical minimum wage should be higher. According to Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), the minimum wage of a worker is shown below: Issues Tk. Daily Food Costs (average of male and female) 108 Monthly Food Costs 3240 Monthly Non-Food Costs (52% of total cost as per the FGD) 3510 Food + Non Food Costs 6750 Required Monthly Minimum Wage=(Food costs + Non-food costs) 6750 *Moazzem, K.G. and Raz, S., 2013, Revision of the minimum wage in RMG sector, pp.28. Conclusion: In current perspective, RMG sector is the lifeblood of the economy of Bangladesh. Both GDP and GNP depend on this sector. As a result, for the betterment of the national economy it’s must to strive to alleviate the problems of this sector. Moreover, the sector currently employs about 4.2 million workers whose fate directly depends on the existence of RMG sector. References: Moazzem, K.G. and Raz, S., 2013. Revision of the minimum wage in RMG sector, pp.28 Mridha, R.U., 2012, Causes of RMG unrest. The Daily Star Forum, [internet] August  Available at: http://archive.thedailystar.net/forum/2012/August/rmg.htm  [Accessed 4 March 2014] Alamgir, M. and Haque, M., 2013. RMG workers killed in fires, factory collapses in 11 years. The Daily New Age, [internet] 25 April  Available at: http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2013-04-25nid=47200  [Accessed 4 March 2014]