Malleus Maleficarum Essay free essay sample

Mallets Maleficent Heimlich Kramer, a Dominican friar, wrote the Mallets Maleficent in 1486. He believed witches to be members of a vast conspiracy directed against Christian society that was allowed by God to cause immense physical and spiritual hardship (Bringer 716). Therefore, Kramer believed the real way to rid witches was through physical eradication. The start of the manuscript came from his experience in witchcraft trials in upper Germany. Crammers views on witchcraft and activities werent well received wherever he went, articulacy authorities that believed he was merely interfering with the local administration.Annoyed at the opposition, he obtained papal rights for Pope Innocent Vics witchcraft prosecutions through the papal bull Sum MIS desiderated affections in 1484, which gave him authorization for inquisitions against witches throughout German Church provinces. Kramer started his inquisition at Instruct and employed intimidation, brute force and endless forms of torture. Along with this, he denied anyone legal defense and altered the inquisition reports. We will write a custom essay sample on Malleus Maleficarum Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However, Bishop George II Golfer created a commission to halt Kramer s activities and thereafter liberated all accused women.Defeated, Kramer quickly compiled his notes on witches into a manuscript that helped urge the necessity of ridding witchcraft. The Mallets was the result. However, there is still much confusion as to who actually wrote the Mallets and where it was printed. Many scholars believed that Jacob Springer coauthored the work but it turns out that he was one of Crammers enemies, constantly trying to suppress his activities and eventually drove him out of Springer province. Kramer was willing to use any method that served his purpose, as evidenced by contradictions between Incubuss records and Crammers own records. He did everything he can to promote his publication by including the papal bull and going as far as forging the approval of the University of Cologne. Authors like SST. Augustine and SST. Thomas Aquinas were intentionally misquoted and he even emphasized his inquisitorial success at Instruct. The manuscript is littered with grammatical and spelling errors, further indicating his hasty publication that was finished in just 9 months.His main concerns in the text were female witches, which can be derived from the fact that Christian theology asserted that women were susceptible to temptation by the Devil. These attacks on women included the idea that women has constantly changing opinions that showed less inclination to believe in God and slippery tongues that made them share the craft with friends. Contrasting his views, Springer believed in the positive aspects of female religious devotion (Bringer 720).Rather than questioning the reality of witchcraft, Kramer questioned reality itself and lived deeply in the existence Of demons. Furthermore, he believed that heresy and apostasy lay at the core of witchcraft (Bringer 720). Contradictions arise when Kramer states that harmful magic had no physical agent and stems from witches that are seduced by demons (Bringer 720). However, if this were the case then witches wouldnt be able to be tried in court because the witches are not directly causing physical harm.There are five ideas in the Mallets that can be called original: 1) witchcraft was a real crime, notes a spiritual one, 2) it is the worst of all crimes combining heresy, including apostasy and adoration of the Devil, 3) its difficult to trace, therefore legal inhibitions must be abandoned, 4) witches were primarily women, 5) secular courts should prosecute the crime (Bringer 721 ). Bringer hints Crammers origin for his ideas came from his belief of womens susceptibility to the Devil.This keeps in line with discussion in class that witchcraft is the service to the Devil. He doesnt state specifically about the pact that is struck with the Devil, but working for the devil implies a endearing belief away from God, a quality that Kramer believes women to possess. This superstition in women can further be emphasized in the belief that women are gullible and weak, which also aids his belief that women can be easily tempted. Also, all witchcraft stems from carnal lust, a quality insatiable to Women.Based upon Augustine and Aquinas, Kramer gives a conventional description of the crime of witchcraft: Witches could not themselves harm anyone through magic, but their abilities derived from a contract with a demon, which in turn was empowered by God (Bringer 720). Although the premise of the contract is not discussed in detail, there is the explicit pact, which may be the literal signing of a contract and specific subjugation to the devil and the implicit pact, which is carried out whenever magic is practiced. By selling ones soul, one comes under the control of the devil, who is consequently under the control of God. Even though still under Gods ultimate control, allegiance to the devil is very much the opposite of allegiance to God. Since most of the Mallets is composed of unoriginal ideas, it would be important to focus on Crammers own ideas. This starts with Crammers belief that witchcraft was a real crime and not a spiritual one.It is difficult to fully grasp this concept because it is demons who conducted supernatural interventions which made the witchs crime her desire to harm (Bringer 721 Since the witch is not able to induce harm herself but rather through the demon as a middleman of sorts, there is a grey area between real crime and spiritual crime. As a result, the malicious intention that characterizes witchcraft is then deemed as heresy. Linked to his second idea that witchcraft is the worst of all crimes, Kramer believed that heresy and apostasy go hand in hand when describin g witchcraft. This goes back to the point that womens susceptibility results from their vacillating nature? that causes them to go astray from the belief of God (Bringer 720). Essentially, witches intended their harm to be real, although the demons actually did the damage by interfering in the real world in order to deceive the witches (Bringer 720). Crammers third idea built on his previous statements that witchcraft is the worst of crimes and therefore, any legal restrictions must be abandoned since it is extremely difficult to trace.As this was an unacceptable approach for local authorities, Kramer settled on the claim that witchcraft is an exceptional crime, as it is especially evident in his inquisitorial methods of intimidation and various forms of torture (Bringer 721 This is another reason for his hasty compilation of the Mallets in that he viewed apocalyptic theology over the law. As discussed in class, there is a sense of impending end of time. As such, he was led to believe that there a re more witches as the end of time nears and the devil is gaining more power.The explanation for his stems from the idea that God is angry with humankind and therefore gives more leeway to the devil. His fourth idea was concerned with the belief that witches were primarily women (Bringer 721). Crammers obsession with female witches can stem from a multitude of reasons including the ease of temptation as stated before. The theory that dates back to the formation of women in the Old Testament states in the Mallets that there was a defect in the formation of the first woman, since she was formed from a bent rib (Kramer 43).Since the bent rib is in contrary direction to man, it is believed hat this imperfection causes women to constantly deceive (Kramer 43). Among other reasons discussed in class, it is believed that women know no moderation in goodness and vice and they have weak memories with warped and childlike minds. This can be seen in a multitude of witch trials in which women would describe events that seemed to have happened with no recollection as to whether it is reality or not. With easily warped minds, women stand out as targets for demons looking to employ and enslave them for their wicked doings in the human world. Lastly, women are highly motional creatures and as such, affections and passions become the basis for their desire to inflict vengeance. Crammers last original idea that secular courts should prosecute the crime rather than ecclesiastical courts is highly paradoxical because the secular courts didnt want to concern themselves with spiritual crimes. However, this follows along with his belief that witchcraft is a real crime, not spiritual, and therefore prosecutions should lie with the secular courts. Until the papal bull of 1484, the Church was never concerned with witchcraft due to the fact that there was no separation ofChurch and State before, which meant that a crime against the Church also translated to a crime against the State. However, this becomes a difficult topic because according to Crammers idea, witchcraft is the worst of all crimes combining ecclesiastical crimes such as heresy and apostasy with secular crimes like murder and theft. Conclusively, it is surprising that even With much opposition, the Mallets became the chief source of information about witches activities that eventually initiated an upsurge of witch trials following the sasss.

Looking At The Development Of Adolescence Social Work Essay Essays

Looking At The Development Of Adolescence Social Work Essay Essays Looking At The Development Of Adolescence Social Work Essay Essay Looking At The Development Of Adolescence Social Work Essay Essay Covering with issues related to the development of adolescence is a challenge for even the most mainstream of immature people. For those immature misss who identify as sapphic, the state of affairs they are traveling to confront will be more complicated than they can of all time conceive of. As members of a stigmatized minority group, immature tribades are frequently marginalized and oppressed. The supportive systems available for their heterosexual equals are frequently unwelcoming to sexual minority young persons, go forthing them without critical resources necessary for healthy mental and physical development ( T. S. Davis et Al, 2010 ) . In order to obtain appropriate mental wellness services, certain demands and jobs should be applied peculiarly to immature tribades. Different from their heterosexual female equals, immature tribades life experience is exacerbated by the normal societal universe: they are excluded, bullied and pathologised merely because of their sapphic individualities ; every bit good as sing the external and internal oppressive effects. See immature tribades are passing most of their clip at schools, the troubles they experience are largely manifested in facet of equal relationships and school societal environments. Researches analyzing the battles faced by sexual minority young persons in school scenes include, a non-accepting school environment for sexual minority young persons ( Rutter and Leech, 2006 ) , dominate antigay beliefs with victimization ( Mayberry, 2006 ) , etc. More comprehensive survey on psychological experiences of sapphic striplings at school cited that they are at higher hazard for substance maltreatment, physical and sexual maltreatment, emotional isolation, school dropout, low self-esteem, bad or self- abusive activities, and sexually familial disease ( Black, J. , A ; Underwood, J. 1998 ) . Furthermore, homophobic experiences lead to hapless school public presentation and contribute significantly to mental wellness jobs, substance maltreatment, legal struggles and run-away behaviour ( Remafedi, 1987 ) . From the facet of psychological development, adolescence is a clip of physiological revolution for the adolescent ( Erikson, 1968 ) . Searching for her ain personal individuality, a teenage miss is at her important developmental phase of individuality versus function confusion crisis. Essential elements that contribute to sweetening of the adolescent psychological wellbeing during this phase of development involve friendly relationships, societal experiences and important others. Hetrick and Martin ( 1987 ) stated from their survey that tantrum in with their equals and derive equal blessing frequently becomes an all-consuming undertaking. Positive societal interaction among pupils in the school environment normally leads healthy psychosocial development in striplings. Undeniable, sapphic striplings are confronting the same developmental undertakings and crises that all young persons face. However, their developmental procedures are immensely complicated by homophobic, oppressive, sch ool environments ( Deisher, 1989 ) . Many increased stressors suffered by sexual minority young persons are finally tied to psychological hurt ( D Augelli, Pilkington, A ; Hershberger, 2002 ; Elze, 2005 ) . A turning sum of researches emphrasize the pressing mental wellness demands in sexual minority population, particularly for adolescents ( Davis, T. , 2010 ; Swann, S. , 2004 ; May, B. , 2010, etc ) . Major grounds for seeking mental wellness service among immature tribades are depression, relationship issues, and emphasis, anxiousness every bit good as aid to cover with being homosexual ( Roberts. S, 2004 ) . Studies researching the grounds behind noted that the secrecy about being a sapphic, covering with sexual individuality, self-stigma, and being a member of a stigmatized group lead to anxiousness and depression. These grounds were peculiarly true for striplings ( Paroski, 1987 ) . Furthermore, Cochran ( 2001 ) found that, gay work forces and tribades are at a greater lif e-time hazard for major depression and self-destruction, particularly during adolescence. Although mental wellness issues as such, are normally shared by sexual minority people around the universe, there are other issues refering certain cultural contexts should non be ignored. Chinese Background There is a little but respectable size of literature about mental wellness of Asiatic tribades and gay work forces much less is about lives of Asiatic tribades. Harmonizing to these limited surveies, Chinese tribades are sing greater troubles, compared with their Western opposite numbers. ( Harada, 2001 ; Jones, 2007 ; Poon A ; Ho, 2008 ; Wong A ; Tang, 2004 ) . In Chinese societies, there are norms that are characterized by deeply deep-rooted cultural attitudes which against same-sex attractive force, particularly for females. Harmonizing to Confucian impressions, a girl is expected to obtain her individuality from relationships with work forces, executing familial functions, get marrieding to a adult male and giving birth to kids. As for tribades, it is non possible for them to follow the duties. They are traveling to populate wholly different manner of lives, and trim attempts toward self credence, ego development and ego fulfilling. However, the procedure is frequently painful. With those cultural constructs, immature tribades will meet multi- stressors, e.g. , internalized heterosexism, self-stigma, societal and psychological isolation, etc ( Pizza Ka-Yee Chow, 2010 ) . Among them, the manifestations of self-aware emotions ( e.g. , shame, guilt ) differ markedly between individualistic and collectivized civilizations, which farther indi cate the of import of analyzing issues of tribades in Chinese civilization background. ( Eid A ; Diener, 2001 ; Kitayama, Markus, A ; Matrumoto, 1995 ) . Shame experience, in comparing with Western civilizations, is more omnipresent within Chinese civilization. Furthermore, distinguished from individualists who recognize themselves to be alone and independent leftists tend to see their egos as interrelated and mutualist with each other ( Markus A ; Kitayama, 1991 ) . Collectivists are more likely influenced by people who are close to them instead than those are more distant in relationship. Hence, in Chinese societies, it is much harder for immature tribades to place themselves without sentiments of their important others, most notably, parents. This leads to another related experience among tribades societal and psychological isolation, which worsen their state of affairs during phase of adolescent psychological development. Many western researches analyzing issues related to mental wellness services and their clinical usage within immature tribades have been conducted in the past two decennaries, supplying valuable and impactful inspirations for service planning in the hereafter. Roberts. S, et Al ( 2004 ) explored issues related to mental wellness jobs and usage of services of tribades, followed the Boston Health Project II, emphrasizing that resources for sapphic striplings are of particular concern as they are a alone high hazard population. Feasible suggestions for service planning were discussed in this survey, a ) easy accessible mental wellness services in communities, B ) community bureaus such as infirmaries, clinics, churches, YMCAs and other young person groups for self-exploration, support and protagonism, etc, degree Celsius ) school-based mental wellness services. Another most recent survey conducted by Tamara. S. Davis and Susan Saltzburg ( 2010 ) was utilizing the theoretical account of construct function to measure community demands of sexual minority young persons for service planning. Types of supports, every bit good as dominant countries for service planning that most run into the demands of this mark population were successfully generated from conceptual function. Mental wellness related supports, such as supplying them resources and/or entree to mental wellness professionals through formal curative intercession or more informal professionally led support groups, were strongly recommended so that they have opportunities to confide and speak about the many emotions and beliefs that envelop their coming-out procedure. After old ages of protagonism, homosexualism was decriminalized in 1997 in Mainland China. In 2001, homosexualism was eliminated as a diagnostic class in The Criterion of Psychopathic Classification and Diagnosing issued in China. Laging far behind many Western states, nevertheless, the whole Chinese society has been striding frontward to contending for equal societal and legal rights. Among the Chinese communities, Taiwan is seen to be at the head of the development of Tongzhi ( Homosexuality in Chinese ) civilization, Mainland China is new to the motion, and Hong Kong is someplace mediate ( Perspex, 2006 ) . Refering certain historical background, the cultural prejudice against same-sex orientation is believed to be stronger in Mainland China than in the other two societies. In Mainland China, comparison to gay civilization, sapphic ( or Lala in the local linguistic communication ) civilization in mainland China attracts less public attending and still seems unseeable, although it is widely studied in the field of literature ( Yaya, C. , A ; Yiqing, C. 2006 ) . Under enormous external and internal emphasis from the mainstream society, Lalas are at a disadvantage to do a voice in public, allow entirely for those adolescent Lalas. As a consequence, there was one channel, through which they found it a perfect topographic point to be supported, understood and protected from their Tongzhi equals, that is the Internet. Respectable findings from a recent survey conducted by Yaya, C and Yiqing, C ( 2006 ) showed that, sapphic organisations were foremost formed as Internet Communities with the development of the Internet. The first sapphic meeting in populace was held in Beijing in 1997. Since so, more assisting services initiated by fervent sapphic militants have been built up for the sweetening of the wellbeing of Lalas in Mainland China, such as the Purple Phoenix Organization ( by Xiaoxian in 1997 ) , the Beijing Sisters Organization ( 1998 ) with its Telephone Hotline and The Sky Magazine, the Tongyu Group ( by Xiaoxian, 2005 ) and the Shanghai Lesbians ( 2005 ) , etc. Lalas in Mainland China have become progressively seeable, first in chat-rooms and bulletin boards on the Internet, later in some homosexual or assorted bars, and more late in societal assemblages organized by sapphic groups in many large metropoliss, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, etc, across the state, yet the internet continues to be the most popular meeting topographic point for Lalas in the state ( Kam. L, 2007 ) .There are many celebrated sapphic web sites with big rank, wheras, none of them has a great influence on the big society ( Yaya, C. , A ; Yiqing, C. 2006 ) . Lesbians in Mainland China experience great troubles in whether edifice organisations or running Internet Communities for missing of supports and understanding. As a consequence, many of them are confronting fiscal jobs so that they have to be aborted ( Xian, 2006 ) . Mental wellness demands for tribades Large sum of surveies showed that there s a high proportion of use of mental wellness services among tribades. They are high users of mental wellness services across decennaries ( 80 % in BLHP I vs. 84 % in BLHP II ) ( Sorensen A ; Roberts, 1997 ) . Records of comparative researches show lower rates of therapy use among heterosexual adult females than among tribades ( Cochran A ; Mays, 2000 ; Hughes et al. , 1997 ; Matthews et al. , 2002 ) . These findings give great support to the hypothesis that sapphic civilization promotes the usage of mental wellness professionals ( Morgan. K A ; Eliason. M, 1992 ) , and they are in great demand of accessible and feasible mental wellness services. Furthermore, tribades are more comfy with female, particularly sapphic mental wellness practicians ( Sorensen A ; Roberts, 1997 ) . It is likely that lesbians experience less fearful about unwraping their gender and being viewed every bit pathological as in curative relationship with a female and/o r sapphic. Particularly, refering stripling tribades, who are at their important phase in the development of self-identity ( Erikson, 1959 ) , they are in great demand for mental wellness services, peculiarly in community, school and household scenes ( Rutter and Leech, 2006 ) . In this period, immature tribades are to see tremendous force per unit area from equals, parents and the media to conform to the norm , they will frequently experience unsupported, entirely and burdened. Therefore, as mental wellness professionals, it is pressing to put up a community-based mental wellness service sensitive to the demands of immature tribades to back up them at the most vulnerable clip. Merely in this manner, can they avoid or cut down their troubles associated with many jobs. No affair in what form the sapphic communities are in current Mainland China, their mark service population is either Tongzhis ( both tribades and homosexuals ) , or Lalas or homosexuals individually. There is no more service proviso specifically concentrate on certain different age groups, e.g. stripling tribades, middle aged tribades, etc. It is likely due to the immature and short history of the development of sapphic civilization in China. Furthermore, all the sapphic communities were folk communities, they were organized and built up by sapphic militants who were by and large knowing immature adult females, largely university pupils, alumnuss, etc. Purposes of these organisations including, supply sapphic information and psychological science tutelage for the corresponding group, form treatment about Chinese tribades, strive for more public benefits, and some besides promulgate sapphic cognition on campus, etc. Nevertheless, none of these communities has professional background to truly supply dependable and important cognition, allow entirely mental wellness service to tribades who are truly in demand. They portion common disadvantages as deficiency of relevant experience, every bit good as sufficient and functioning organisation. Therefore, most communities are ephemeral and with small influence among sapphic population, allow entirely the full populace. Target population: immature tribades, chiefly high school pupils, aged from 15- 18 old ages old, who are confused about their ain sexual orientation or holding troubles in developing sexual individuality. Organization composing: Renowned, important and professional Chinese sexologists, sociologists and psychologists, Professional and experienced psychological counsellors and registered societal workers work for adolescence, Lesbian militants and authors, High school instructors from chief metropoliss in Mainland China ( in which Tongzhi civilization is vivacious for tribades and homosexuals, such as Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Beijing, etc. ) , Who, Are active in naming for greater apprehension, tolerance for nonconventional sexual attitudes and determinations in China Care about the sweetening of psychological wellbeing of immature tribades in Mainland China Mission: Promote tolerance and apprehension of sexual diverseness in school scenes Bring together the positions of mental wellness practicians, research workers and militants refering to issues of psychological development of stripling tribades. Offer important and dependable information, cognition sing sapphic psychological science Provide professional mental wellness services for immature tribades Enhance psychological wellbeing of immature tribades Influence and promote other bureaus, and parents, to develop their cognition and supply appropriate support to immature tribades. Main responsibilities Conduct probe among general adolescence population and research into the current state of affairs and psychological demands of immature tribades. The intent is to construct up a valuable information base of immature tribades in Mainland China for future mention and surveies. Give preparations to mental wellness professionals. high school instructors included, about issues of gender and sexual orientation. Specific focal point on cognition of the spectrum of human gender and sexual orientation, and on attitudes towards people who are non heterosexual is extremely valued. ( King. M A ; Bartlett. A, 1999 ; MacEwan. I, 1994 ) . High school instructor who are actively in fall ining the organisation will be regarded as the most direct and efficient advocate in supplying mental wellness service in school scenes. Display public service advertisement postings and booklets in topographic points that are available in chosen metropoliss. Set up a web site. Aimed at turn toing the importance of mental wellness of immature tribades every bit good as increasing promotion of the organisation. Arduous as can be imagined, this attempt can merely be made with indorsement and support from the authorities. We assume that those celebrated and important members in the organisation will do it easier to implementing this program. Supply correspondence or e-mail guidance, telephone guidance for immature tribades. Refering immature tribades will do contact by either missive, electronic mail or telephone in response to reading about the Organization on postings, booklets or web site, mental wellness practicians in the Organization are to offer service to those respondents. Help immature tribades to derive peer support. Though the web site, the Organization can ease immature tribades to do contact and correspond with each other to derive more understanding and support and portion their experiences. All publications built by Organization are non sole for heterosexual stripling. This population can besides read and larn more about the positive and comprehensive cognition of sexual orientation and individuality. Upon understanding, immature tribades are more likely to derive the support from their heterosexual striplings which is deemed to be more of import than the support from their sapphic equals ( Slater, 1998 ) . Restrictions

Suffolk County Council Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Suffolk County Council - Case Study Example The situation at SCC looks like a case of ‘Top Down’ decision, initiated by the CEO Andrea Hill. She along with some senior executives has taken the hard decision to cut back on the number of staff at SCC. A Top-Down approach in an organization is one where one person (or more) at the top of the organizational hierarchy takes a decision and the juniors are expected to follow it. (Princeton, 2014) In comparison, a Bottom-Up approach in an organization refers to the involvement of people at the grass root level to form a consensus regarding a decision. (Princeton, 2014). On preliminary reading, it looks like the executives at SCC have made a mistake regarding the decision to cut back on staff by using a high handed approach in the matter and perhaps not fully investigated other alternatives which may be available to them. For example, if they had consulted with their staff, and presented the problem to them, and asked the staff to take a pay cut for a short period of time, maybe the issue of cutting back would not have arisen. SCC had over the years gone on a hiring spree, perhaps expecting a sharp increase in the demand for their services. However, this doesn’t seem to have happe ned, and now SCC is facing the dual problem of low demands and high personal cost. A revolutionary change is being tried by the new CEO Andrea Hill, in an effort to make SCC â€Å"leaner, smaller, cheaper, more creative, and more innovative.† The relieving of staff will almost certainly ensure that SCC operates in a cheaper more cost-effective way, but there is no guarantee that it will be more creative or innovative. Moreover, it is my personal opinion that creativity flourishes from stability.  

Holistic Account of Care for a Patient or Client with Complex Needs Essay

Holistic Account of Care for a Patient or Client with Complex Needs - Essay Example this essay, the nurse is going to offer care to a person who has complex needs, the person has a long term COPD and an acute condition of sacral pressure ulcer. The nurse will come up with a care plan to offer to the person in question, while taking note and being sensitive on the above mentioned code of ethics on the patient. Nursing is profession that offers care to patient after the doctor has done his part of the main treatment (Gulanick, 1997). To start with let me define what COPD is. In full the name means – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is a generic name adapted for various lung conditions pertaining to lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis or obstructive. People who have this condition find it challenging to experience normal breathing. The difficulty in breathing arises from the narrowing of airways creating a situation known as obstruction of airflow (Hanania, 2011). The main cause of COPD originates from smoking; its manifestation rises with the period of smoking. The relationship between smoking and lungs is that, the smoke causes irritations and inflammation of the lungs which leads to scarring. As the years go by, the inflammation of the lungs persists and this makes permanent changes to the organs. The walls of the lungs normally thicken making the walls to produce a lot of mucus. The air sacs within the lungs get damaged and soon enough, due to emphysema the lungs elasticity gets lost (Lynes, 2007). Apart from the air sacs getting damaged, the airways get narrowed down and scarred, which automatically leads to breathlessness symptoms, phlegm or cough. Such symptoms qualify to COPD. Others causes of COPD include, genetic disorders, dust and fumes though in rare proportions. This disease normally affects people with a bit of advanced age, the majority of diagnosis occurs in people who are in their fifties, though it is normally manifested at the age of 35. According to gender statistics, in the UK the disease

Mathematics in the Preschool Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Mathematics in the Preschool - Dissertation Example That is why early childhood programs are increasingly expected to implement mathematics instruction in classrooms because of young children’s early mathematical knowledge. Development of early math skills provides the foundation for later learning (Clements & Sarama, 2008; NAEYC & NCTM, 2008; Lee & Ginsburg, 2008). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) emphasizes the need to provide high quality early childhood mathematics programs in preschools because a solid mathematical foundation in early childhood is essential. At this age, young children are building their own perceptions of what math is – what it means to know and do math and even about themselves as math learners. â€Å"These beliefs influence their thinking about, performance in, and attitudes toward mathematics and decisions related to studying mathematics in later years† (p. 98) According to the NCTM, the quality of mathematical education in early childhood plays an important pa rt in the child’s understanding of possibly difficult math concepts (Loop, 2009). Although there have been many studies pertaining to patterns of mathematical teaching in preschool, there is a lack of research on how teachers of mathematics perceive how young children learn math concepts and even what to teach in accordance to the developmental level of young children. That is why enhancing early childhood education teachers’ confidence and competence in teaching math is considered a route to improvement of mathematics instruction in preschool. Sarama & DiBiase suggests that early childhood teacher training focus both on mathematics content and teachers’ dispositions towards math, reflecting the need for highly qualified professionals (2004). The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Code of Ethics states: â€Å"In decisions concerning children’s programs, we shall draw upon the education, experience, and expertise of staff mem bers† (Decker, Decker, Freeman, & Knorpf, 2009, p.359). This principle pertains to the ideal of professional training and development of early childhood educators, â€Å"To further the professional development of the field of early childhood care and education and to strengthen its commitment to realizing its core values† (Decker et al, 2009, p.361). Early childhood educators need training for all the tasks expected of them when they begin teach young children. Being an effective teacher encompasses a wide spectrum of responsibilities – from designing an environment conducive to learning, to planning appropriate lessons for young children and implementing them with effective educational strategies, to being able to manage the class well and instilling discipline in the children, to involving parents and coordinating with others regarding the provision of quality education for the children. It takes effort to be able to manage all these skills at the same time, he nce professional training with experience is required. The current study has taken inspiration and ideas from the work of Platas (2008) entitled â€Å"Measuring Teachers’ Knowledge of Early Mathematical Development and their Beliefs about Mathematics Teaching and Learning in the Preschool Classroom†. Platas was able to measure the knowledge of early mathematical development and beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning in the preschool classroom of preschool teachers through the use of developed and validated survey instruments and statistical analysis (2008). The study found a significant

Equilibrium Level Of National Income In The Keynesian Cross Model Economics Essay

Equilibrium Level Of National Income In The Keynesian Cross Model Economics Essay National income is defined as the investments and savings in a countrys economy. Keynesian cross model shows the formula for equilibrium national income as; Y= C +I+ G+ (X-M); where Y is the national income, C is aggregate consumption, I is aggregate investment, G is government spending, X is exports and M is imports. The aggregate demand is an upward curve since it is assumed consumers demand more when their disposable income is high. There is a positive relationship between disposable income and consumption and therefore it is true to argue that demand will always increase with increase in disposable income. Aggregate demand also increases as investment increases but is negatively affected if it happens that imports and taxes increase due to rise in investment since they negatively affect the investment level. The equilibrium level is at the point where AD, total demand, is equal to Y, national output. At this point, total supply equals total demand. The major factor leading to a movement towards the equilibrium points is inventory changes as a result of changes in income and production- if it happens that the current output is more than the equilibrium level, inventories will accumulate leading to a cut down in production and thus a downward move towards the equilibrium. On the other hand, with a production level below the equilibrium, there is short of inventories and thus businesses will produce more leading to an upward move towards the equilibrium. If there is a rise in any of the aggregate demand components, C, Ip, G or NX, the demand curve shifts upward. The rises in these components can be as a result of increases in production because of increased optimism about the profitability in the future. This increase will lead to an increase in the equilibrium levels. Similarly, with a decrease in any of the demand components, the demand curve shifts downwards and leads to a decrease in the equilibrium levels. Keynes effect assumes that quantity demanded increases with decrease in price and vice versa. With constant nominal money supply, decreasing price implies lower interest rates and thus higher spending. The major emphasis in this model is that a decrease in aggregate demand can lead to a stable equilibrium with substantial unemployment. Full employment is argued to be arrived at when there are adjustments in the aggregate demand. The equilibrium national income (Y) is as shown in the figure below. At Y, the desired spending curve intersects the total income curve; AD=Y. Aggregate demand AD National income Y Y Keynesian cross model has a number of limitations. The first one is the fact that not all of gross private domestic investment counts as part of aggregate demand (Dolan Lindsey, 1994, p.139). This means that the aggregate demand is undervalued since some investments, which need increase aggregate demand is left out. It is assumed that most of the investment is as a result of general over-production or unplanned inventory accumulation and thus there is always a decrease in national income whenever there is unplanned inventory accumulation. This implies that only the planned investment is included in the aggregate demand. Another limitation is that unlike all other demand curves, which are downward sloping, the aggregate demand curve in this case is upward sloping since it is assumed that an increase in national income or output will lead to increased disposable income and thus increased demand. The last limitation is the fact that the national output curve needs to be steeper than the aggregate demand curve for the two to intersect. This implies that it is assumed that the aggregate demand curve has a positive vertical intercept so as to cross Y curve. In Keynesian cross theory, it is assumed that an economy does not necessary need to have full employment for it to be stable. As it is advocated in classical theories that there should be full employment in the economy to prevent recessions and inflation, Keynes argues that an economy can be stable only when there is adjustment in the aggregate demand. This way, equilibrium aggregate income does not necessary mean full employment. J. M. Keynes supports this argument by stating that, Most, probably, of our decisions to do something positive, the full consequences of which will be drawn out over many days to come, can only be taken as a result of animal spiritsof a spontaneous urge to action rather than inaction, and not as the outcome of a weighted average of quantitative benefits multiplied by quantitative probabilitiesif the animal spirits are dimmed and the spontaneous optimism falters enterprise will fade and die (Heijdra, 2009, p.25). It should be noted that although Keynesian cross model is simple and easy to understand, its limitations make it unreliable. Its demand curve contradicts with all the other theories.

The Repentant Lieutenant in Othello Essay -- Othello essays

The Repentant Lieutenant in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚   Othello, a William Shakespeare classic, sees the attempted ruination of the general’s right-hand man on more than one occasion by the insidious and jealous ancient. Let’s achieve a better understanding of the lieutenant’s case in this paper.    Cassio’s biggest fall is with the Iago-schemed incident of inebriation. In The Riverside Shakespeare Frank Kermode explains the total meaning of the loss which Cassio’s drunkenness cost him:    Cassio, cashiered, thinks he has lost what Othello is soon really to lose, his reputation: â€Å"I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial† (II.iii.263-64). (We must think of â€Å"reputation† as meaning not merely the good word of others, but that self-respect which is indispensable to social beings, and without which they cannot function well in private or public life. Without it, a man is no more than a beast.) (1200)    Cassio is a blend of good and bad elements, a potpourri of positive and negative features. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare: Othello, explains the ins and outs of Cassio’s personality:    Cassio is defined partly by the exigencies of the plot, which require him to have a poor head for drinking and to have a mistress; but his chivalric worship of Desdemona, his affectionate admiration for Othello, which enable him even at the end to call him ‘Dear General† and to speak of his greatness in heart, and his professional reputation, which only Iago impugns, build up a complex portrait of an attractive, if flawed, character. In spite of his weaknesses, we can understand why Iago should be envious of the ‘daily beauty in his life’ and why Desdemona should speak so warmly ... ...d, a little later, in his sincere regret about the loss of his reputation after he has partaken of the wine which Iago has forced upon him. (85-86)    WORKS CITED    Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.    Bradley, A. C.. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: Penguin, 1991.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.    Kermode, Frank. â€Å"Othello, the Moor of Venice.† The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    The Repentant Lieutenant in Othello Essay -- Othello essays The Repentant Lieutenant in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚   Othello, a William Shakespeare classic, sees the attempted ruination of the general’s right-hand man on more than one occasion by the insidious and jealous ancient. Let’s achieve a better understanding of the lieutenant’s case in this paper.    Cassio’s biggest fall is with the Iago-schemed incident of inebriation. In The Riverside Shakespeare Frank Kermode explains the total meaning of the loss which Cassio’s drunkenness cost him:    Cassio, cashiered, thinks he has lost what Othello is soon really to lose, his reputation: â€Å"I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial† (II.iii.263-64). (We must think of â€Å"reputation† as meaning not merely the good word of others, but that self-respect which is indispensable to social beings, and without which they cannot function well in private or public life. Without it, a man is no more than a beast.) (1200)    Cassio is a blend of good and bad elements, a potpourri of positive and negative features. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare: Othello, explains the ins and outs of Cassio’s personality:    Cassio is defined partly by the exigencies of the plot, which require him to have a poor head for drinking and to have a mistress; but his chivalric worship of Desdemona, his affectionate admiration for Othello, which enable him even at the end to call him ‘Dear General† and to speak of his greatness in heart, and his professional reputation, which only Iago impugns, build up a complex portrait of an attractive, if flawed, character. In spite of his weaknesses, we can understand why Iago should be envious of the ‘daily beauty in his life’ and why Desdemona should speak so warmly ... ...d, a little later, in his sincere regret about the loss of his reputation after he has partaken of the wine which Iago has forced upon him. (85-86)    WORKS CITED    Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.    Bradley, A. C.. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: Penguin, 1991.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.    Kermode, Frank. â€Å"Othello, the Moor of Venice.† The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.   

America’s Compulsory education Essay

This webpage give a brief history of the roots of America’s Compulsory education starting in Massachusetts in 1852. This attendance law required all children to attend public school. The review of education across the country in modernity is stated as such on the website: that every state in the US requires school aged children (children of the age of 6) to attend or be enrolled in public or private school or to be home schooled. Although in most states the age of a school going child is controversial, as well as the age at which they may quit school (by either graduating at the age of 17 or 18, or by taking their GED), the website also offers that keeping a child in school (high school) may become a financial burden to the district as principles and teachers may spend more of their time handing out disciplinary reactions to the disruptive student instead of teaching. The website further states that truancy and school attendance varies from state to state. Appropriation Passage #1 â€Å"Today, every state and territory requires children to enroll in public or private education or to be home-schooled. More than half—32 states—require students to begin their education by age 6. Some states’ set their age requirements as low as age 5 and as high as age 8. All children are required to continue their education into their high school years, with 26 states setting the cutoff age at 16. The remaining states require students to stay in school through age 17 or 18† (The National Conference for State Legislatures, 2007). Critical Commentary on Passage #1: The above statement suggests that the overall attendance of school-aged children is dictated by the state, not by the federal government. Thus, it is the state’s responsibility to ensure that children are gaining proper education. The age range for a student to stop attending school is set at 16, but the website does mention at what age the GED can be taken, or mentioning at what age home schooled children may gain their degree and go to college. Passage #2 â€Å"States and territories also set a minimum age for children to enroll in kindergarten, which is typically one or two years earlier than the compulsory education age. Every state or territory with a policy on this issue has established age 5 as the minimum age† (The National Conference for State Legislatures, 2007). Critical Commentary on Passage #2 The website seems to have conflicting ideas about what age a child should begin school. One passage states that age five is the age to begin while another passage states that age 6 is the age to begin. With this change in age it seems that the older the child begins school, by the time the child reaches high school and is able to quit then the less education they would be exposed to. Passage #3 Some experts assert that age may be an arbitrary indicator or measure of a child’s ability to succeed in school and should not be used at all. Others point out that when a state considers legislation, such as Nebraska, allowing younger children to enter kindergarten, policymakers must understand that there is likely to be a large increase in the number of children entering kindergarten during the first year of the new policy, thereby straining already tight school district budgets and increasing the need for teachers† (The National Conference for State Legislatures, 2007). Critical Commentary on Passage #3 This passage mentions something that has been seen prior in the paper; that is the use of school resources to keep children in school who would desire otherwise (such as children who want to join the workforce, students who are ready for college and do not need to attend high school). It seems that according to this website, school districts across America not just isolated to one state are having a great difficulty in finding funding and teachers, because of this lack of funding are being forced to attend to class sizes that are too large for one teacher to handle. The website does not mention specific numbers by which the teachers must teach, but statistics show that one teacher typically has thirty plus students per class. This should be and needs to be mentioned on the website in order for an accurate portrayal of public schools and Compulsory Education to be properly examined. ANNOTATION #2 Source Information Illich, Ivan. Deschooling Society. 16 September 2007. Evaluation Paragraph The webpage offers an examination of the social and governmental agencies present in the United States ranging from Social Welfare, to schools. The author offers to the reader this twisted view of reality that has been forced into the conception of a student being ‘schooled’ when in fact they’re being taught merely to pass a grade and not necessarily learning anything of use. Appropriation Passage #1 â€Å"In these essays, I will show that the institutionalization of values leads inevitably to physical pollution, social polarization, and psychological impotence: three dimensions in a process of global degradation and modernized misery† (Illich 2007). Critical Commentary on Passage #1: The above statement gives the reader the point of view of the author and does not at this beginning part of the essay go into detail about facts. Although the webpage is primarily opinion, it should be balanced quite out of necessity with facts to back up the author’s point of view. The site does however offer intriguing commentary on school reform. Passage #2 â€Å"I want to raise the general question of the mutual definition of man’s nature and the nature of modern institutions which characterizes our world view and language. To do so, I have chosen the school as my paradigm, and I therefore deal only indirectly with other bureaucratic agencies of the corporate state: the consumer-family, the party, the army, the church, the media† (Illich 2007). Critical Commentary on Passage #2 In this passage again the reader sees the opinion of the author. The author does give the reader a chance to understand his topic in appropriation with his underlying theory. The fact that the author states that schools are becoming ill-directed and matches this institute with other institutes such as hospitals and police is an avenue of state and government issues that must also be focused on in the essay. Passage #3 â€Å"Not only education but social reality itself has become schooled. It costs roughly the same to school both rich and poor in the same dependency. The yearly expenditure per pupil in the slums and in the rich suburbs of any one of twenty U. S. cities lies in the same range-and sometimes is favorable to the poor† (Illich 2007). Critical Commentary on Passage #3 The author expounds upon his primary thesis statement of the reform of the school. In this statement however the reader can witness some facts about how the school should be reformed. Along this avenue the author continues to state that there should not be segregation in the education system and presents the dichotomy between rich and poor in education. ANNOTATION #3 Source Information Goodman, Paul. Two Simple Proposals. 16 September 2007. < http://www. factoryschool. org/rhood/goodman/twosimple. html> Evaluation Paragraph The website offers a brief analysis of higher education in regards to lack of funding for liberal arts in a society where technology is the fast growing commodity. Appropriation Passage #1 â€Å"Our educational reality can be seen in operation in the present kind of scheduling, testing, and grading; and if Dean Barzun is interested in making a change, he can start right here† (Goodman 2007). Critical Commentary on Passage #1: The above statement gives the reader a sense that the student body is becoming overwhelmingly concerned with their own education. This ranges from preliminary schooling to higher education. Thus, this website is in agreement with Illich’s ideas of how generalized testing does not necessitate learning, only route memorization. Passage #2 â€Å"There is little attention to individual pace, rhythm, or choice, and none whatever to the discovery of identity or devotion to intellectual goals. The aptitude and achievement testing and the fierce competition for high grades are a race up the ladder to high-salaried jobs in the businesses of the world, including the schooling business† (Goodman 2007). Critical Commentary on Passage #2 The author is revealing to the readers that the school system, although there is a no child left behind law, is in fact guilty of setting an exact pace in the classroom when the diversity of learners in the classroom would call for a specialized schedule. It is common knowledge that every person learns at their own pace and differently than another student. The state needs to find a measure whereby classroom grades are outdated criteria for educating students. Passage #3 â€Å"The purpose of this proposal is twofold: to get students with enough life-experience to be educable on the college level, especially in the social sciences and humanities; and to break the lockstep of twelve years of doing assigned lessons for grades, so that the student may approach his college studies with some intrinsic motivation, and therefore perhaps assimilate something that might change him† (Goodman 2007). Critical Commentary on Passage #3 The emphasis on education being a system of grades is further emphasized in this passage. As such, the reader retains the knowledge that although the social structure of education seems to be working across the board there are areas in which students are not getting enough knowledge or at least not a balanced incorporation of knowledge and hands-on experience. Work Cited Goodman, Paul. Two Simple Proposals. 16 September 2007. < http://www. factoryschool. org/rhood/goodman/twosimple. html> Illich, Ivan. Deschooling Society. 16 September 2007. The National Conference for State Legislatures : The Forum for America’s Ideas. 2007. 16 September 2007.

The House of Mirth

The House of Mirth Free Online Research Papers In Edith Whartons novel, The House of Mirth, the main protagonist, Lily Bart moves back and forth between dreams of marriage and equally strong desires for independence and freedom. Despite her training on the social codes of conduct and etiquette, which was ingrained into her daily existence by her mother, Lily exhibits frequent moments of recklessness that threaten her opportunities in the marriage market. Why does a well-trained, economically motivated, twenty-nine year old virgin risk her chances for a financial and social safe-haven? With the aid of Jacques Lacans theories in the formation of subjectivity in the psyche, an analysis of Lily Barts history and background should help answer this question. In Lacans analysis, there are three orders in the psyche that are crucial and equally important to the formation of subjectivity, they are the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Real (Lacan, 1975). In order to understand why Lily Bart continually sabotages her efforts to achieve what she frequently refers to as escape from the dinginess of her present life, (Wharton, 2000) an examination of the Imaginary order must first be made. According to Lacan the human self comes into being through a fundamentally aesthetic recognition. Through an external medium (a mirror) the childs fragmented body is made whole the newly fashioned specular I precedes the social I. The Imaginary originates in the human beings fascination with form (Lacan, 1975). In the case of Lily Bart, the form that she is most fascinated with is her own. Lilys constant mirror gazing initiates the process of constructing a center for herself or her ego. As Terry Eagleton explains, This self, as the mirror situation suggests, is essentially narcissistic: we arrive at a sense of an I by finding that I reflected back to ourselves by some objects or person in the world (Eagleton, 1983). In Lilys case, it is not surprising that her first misrecognition of her image has been supplied by her mother. Her mother looks upon Lilys beauty as a commodity or means to a profitable end. Mrs. Bart studied Lily’s beauty with a kind of passion, as though it were some weapon she had slowly fashioned for her vengeance. It was the last asset in their fortunes, the nucleus around which their life was to be rebuilt. She watched it jealously as though it were her own property and Lily its mere custodian; and she tried to instill into the latter a sense of the responsibility that such a charge involved (Wharton, 2000). Inevitably, Lily also sees herself as a commodity. Her fragmented ego is formed on the basis of her significance as an object whose value is determined by the power of its marketability. As Lacan explains, the ego is just this narcissistic process whereby we bolster up a fictive sense of unitary selfhood by finding something in the world with which we can identify (Eagleton, 1983).Lilys sense of identity is directly tied to the objectification of her beauty. She is willing to auction it off to the highest bidder in the marriage market because as Lawrence Selden so accurately observes, it was what she was brought up for (Wharton, 2000). Even though it may have been what Lily was brought up for, we find that the objectification of Lilys beauty is not an indulgence, but it eventually becomes a means for her survival. According to Jacques Lacan, the two most significant moments in the development of human subjectivity and ego development occur in the mirror stage and the oedipal stage. Both of these stages aid the subject in their passage through the imaginary to the symbolic. These two concepts are clearly defined in James Mellards book, Using Lacan Reading Fiction. Mellard explains that the child who previously perceives itself as pieces or fragments is unified in the mirror image of its other, the mother. But this assumed, narcissistic unity is eventually split by the function called the Oedipus complex (Mellard, 1991). In Lacanian terms, the Oedipus complex can also be referred to as the Law of the Father. This principal theory, Law of the Father, is defined by Lacan as an acceptance of the loss of the paternal metaphor the phallus and a willingness on the part of the subject to follow patriarchal authority or law. Lilys desire for independence and freedom lies in direct conflict with what Lacan terms as the Law of the Father or patriarchal law. The phallus and the Name-of-the-Father symbolize that which comes between the mother and child, separating the one from the other, â€Å"symbolizing that which the mother does not have (Lacan, 1975). A monumental moment in Lilys ego formation occurs when her father announces to Lily and Mrs. Bart that he is financially ruined. Wharton describes Mr. Bart as a hazy outline neutral-tinted figure that Lily saw through a blurfirst of sleepiness, then of distance and indifference (Wharton, 2000).In the imaginary Lilys feelings of security and vanity are provided by her dominant mother. Lilys life changes, however, when the power and authority of her father is diminished. Along a metonymic chain of signifiers, Lily realizes that money, power, security, and social standing are all contained under the signifier, father, and upon her fathers death, her world is no longer the same. The death of Lilys father shows her how precarious life is for women who are not under the protection of men. Lily and her mother, devoid of income, rely on the hospitality and charity of relatives. At the age of eighteen, Lilys world is shattered and the only tool available for her use was her face. She rememb ers her mother fiercely stating, â€Å"you’ll get it all back, with your face (Wharton, 2000). The death of Lilys mother further fragments Lilys image of herself. When Mrs. Bart was alive, she was a willing participant in the preparation of her daughter in the marriage market. Now, Lilys reflection is offset by the other prospective virgins of her society and sees the disadvantage that motherlessness places on her task of finding a wealthy husband. Lily concludes that, Mr. Gryces arrival had fluttered the maternal breasts of New York and when a girl has no mother to palpitate for her; she needs be on the alert for herself (Wharton, 2000). Lily feels the loss of support, guidance and self-interest that her mother would have provided if she were still alive. Mrs. Barts death inhibits Lilys transference to the symbolic and further mires her in the imaginary where she mourns the loss of, or lack of a mother. Lilys actions, on the surface, personify an individual who is willing to follow patriarchal authority or law. She appears to be willing to assume traditional gender roles as a wife in her society, but she repeatedly makes decisions that, ultimately, sabotage her chances for success. This repetition suggests that there are other desires that she is repressing. Even though outwardly she is willing to give herself away in exchange for money and social position, internally she struggles with her desire for personal freedom. Consequently, according to Lacan, these repressed desires result in a split or divided self. Lacan further explains that the subject is essentially in a state of conflict between the symbolic and imaginary (Lacan, 1975). The phallic symbol for Lily is money and this represents not only patriarchal law but also freedom. Lilys state of conflict between both orders result from her desire for freedom, which involves money and can only be provided by marriage to a wealthy man which will further make her a victim of the civilization which had produced her (Wharton, 2000) and deny her the personal freedom she desires. Lily is constantly driven to accept the symbols of authority in her world and through them the rule of the Symbolic order. The signifiers of this order constantly appear in aspects that Lacan calls the gaze, along with the metonymical imagery associated with it such as the charwomans stare, the stream of admiring looks, and the several hundred pairs of eyes that gaze upon her beauty or scrutinize her actions. Together these, along with other examples, represent one of the most important motifs in Whartons narrative. The gaze, as Lacan might say, cuts in many directions, as it links the subject to the object and by that linkage turns each into the other. Lily Bart is metaphorically trapped under the gaze which dominates as a double for the New York leisure society who uses their prescribed laws and codes to continually judge Lilys acceptability. Lilys values and self-worth are defined by the perceptions and opinions of others. She is seduced by the ways in which society eagerly reflec ts back upon the heroine, the image it encourages her to flash. A strong example of this can be seen in Whartons tableaux vivants scene where Lilys portrayal of Reynolds, Mrs. Lloyd, shows Lily in the role of an erotic object that exists for others, while alienating her own subjectivity and transferring to those who wish to behold or enjoy her beauty. According to Lacan this narcissistic identification with the other enables her to see her function and place of her world and her being (Lacan, 1975). Is this truly the real Lily Bart, divested of the trivialities of her little world, or is it according to that experienced connoisseur Mr. Ned Van Alstyne just a deuced bold thing showing herself (Wharton, 2000). Lacan would suggest that Lily caught in the gaze of her spectators becomes whatever each of them fantasize her to be. Even though this gaze would initially illicit a sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction from Lily, she is quite literally on display and there is an emptiness or lack of value that this public display provides her in her search for self. Lily is adept at attracting the gaze of others, and sees herself as a skillful operator (Wharton, 2000). Early in the novel, she sets her sights on the eligible and wealthy Percy Gryce, and feels confident and almost sure that she, â€Å"landed him, with a few days work, she would win her reward (Wharton, 2000). Despite the financial security and status that a marriage to Percy Gryce would mean to Lilys escape from dinginess, she does everything possible to sabotage her success. She complains that the reward itself seemed unpalatable just then she could get no zest from the thought of victory (Wharton, 2000). Lily describes the courting process with Gryce as a chore but realizes that, she could not ignore him on the morrow, she must follow up her success, must submit to more boredom, must be ready with fresh compliances and adaptabilities, and all on the bare chance that he might ultimately decide to do her the honor of boring her for life. It was a hateful fatebut how escapes from it (Wharton, 2000)? Even with marriage ability on the line, she takes a day off and indulges in her own desires with Selden. In this scene, Lily tries with Seldens help to define the meaning of success. Selden expresses his idea of success as being a form of freedom from everythingfrom money, from poverty, from ease and anxiety, from all material accidents a kind of republic of the spirit (Wharton, 2000). Seldens description awakens in Lily a sense of joy and enthusiasm, and he is able to put into language the desire or jouissance that is missing in Lilys life. Lacan explains that to enter language is to be severed from the real, that inaccessible realm which is always beyond the reach of signification, always outside the symbolic order (Eagleton, 1983). Lacan further defines the Real as the truth that we repress. Once that which we desire is the object of discourse, it no longer can maintain the position of jouissance because it becomes real or truth. Lacan tells us that language is, what hollows being into desire. Language divides uparticulatesthe fullness of the imaginary. To enter language is to be severed from what Lacan calls the real, that inaccessible realm which is always beyond the reach of signification, always outside the symbolic order (Lacan, 1975). Lacans contribution to the understanding of the subject is unique because, unlike Freud, he accounted for the power that the social/linguistic world plays in the formation of the self. Lacan viewed the interaction between the linguistic and the ego as a process in constant fluctuation just as the subject is in a constant state of fluctuation between the Imaginary and Symbolic orders. The Real is expressed in the form of discourse, and it can only be studied in its effects on the other two dimensions, the Imaginary and Symbolic (Lacan, 1975). Lily comes close to being able to express her lack or desire or void in words. She eagerly tells Selden, Whenever I see you, I find myself spelling out a letter of the sign and yesterdaylast evening at dinnerI suddenly saw a little way into your republic (Wharton, 2000). Lily is in the process of trying to find out what the word is that is written on the sign that will lead her into the republic of spirit. Unfortunately, even upon her death this word is never spoken between her and Selden. Selden and Lilys discourse is structured similarly to what Lacan refers to as the language of the unconscious. He further explains that, the unconscious is structured, not amorphous, and it speaks rhetorically through the dreams, mistakes, and symptoms of the subject it is the body itself that provides the raw material that the unconscious uses to express itself and the analyst, like a literary critic must read (Lacan, 1975). In Lacanian theory, the conscious and the unconscious cannot be separated. The unconscious bears the marks of the signifiers impressed on it. Selden seems to understand that there is something different about his conversation with Lily. Something he does not usually experience with others. He concludes that ,he himself did not know why he had led their talk along such lines; it was one of those moments when neither seemed to speak deliberately, when an indwelling voice in each called to the other across unsounded depths of feeling (Wharton, 2000) This unconscious expression of the subjects wants and desires goes along way in explaining why Lily had a fatalistic sense of being drawn from one wrong turning to another without ever perceiving the right road till it was too late to take it (Wharton, 2000). In the House of Mirth, Lily Barts unconscious speaks volumes about the decisions that she makes with her life. On more than one occasion, Lily seems to be following a path and then quickly changes her mind about the direction she is going. Carry Fisher assumes that,† its just flightiness but sometimes I think its because, at heart, she despises the things shes trying for (Wharton, 2000). In the end, it is not language but silence that dominates Lilys actions. When Gerty Farish asks Lily to tell her the truth about what happened in Europe, Lily explains to Gerty that Where a woman is concerned, its the story thats easiest to believe (Wharton, 2000). Both Sim Rosedale and George Dorset offer Lily options that will place her back in a position in the New York society that she is accustomed to; however, at the moment that she must make her decision, suddenly fear possessed her, fear of herself and of the terrible force of the temptation (Wharton, 2000). George Dorset appeals to Lily, Its just a word to say, and you put me out of my misery! (Wharton, 2000). Rosedale offers to financially back Lily in her fight against Bertha Dorset. He implores Lily, Here I am ready to lift you out of your [worries] tomorrow, if you say so. Do you say so, Miss Lily? (Wharton, 2000); but Miss Lily never says so. She maintains her silence even when she knows that the words will redeem her in the eyes of a society who has cruelly judged her all her life. Berthas letters are also a metaphor for the silence that Lily keeps at the end. In burning the words that Bertha has written, Lily refuses to allow language to save her. Lacan would say that Lily has reversed into the pre-oedipal stage where language is unavailable to the subjects identification. She is painfully isolated and the loneliness and despair that exist in the last moments of Lilys life are evident. She wonders, If only life could end nowend on this tragic yet sweet vision of lost possibilities, which gave her a sense of kinship with all the loving and foregoing in the world! (Wharton, 2000) Terry Eagleton explains that, according to Freud, The final goal of life is death, a return to that blissful inanimate state where the ego cannot be injured (Eagleton, 1983). Lacan also agrees that when we are severed from the mothers body: after the Oedipus crisis, we will never again be able to attain this state even though we will spend all of our lives hunting for it (Eagleton, 1983). It is under the fatal effects of chloral, which Lily returns to this pre-oedipal state. The significance of the baby that she holds in her arms indicates that Lily is either expressing a lost sense of possibilities of motherhood or she is in fact hallucinating her own rebirth in the form of the imaginary baby. Through death, her maternal longings are satisfied with the reunion of this unreal child. It is also significant that Wharton suggests that Lily does not merely dream of the child, but she actually feels its soft, bodily presence (Wharton, 2000). She becomes frantic and desperate as a flash of loneliness and terror tore its way .She started up again, cold and trembling with the shock; for a moment she seemed to have lost her hold of the child. But noshe was mistakenthe tender pressure of its body was still close to hers; the recovered warmth flowed through her once more, she yielded to it (Wharton, 2000). Lily returns to the pre-oedipal stage to seek the reassurance, comfort and warmth that she cannot find in the harsh reality of her New York world. Rather than conform to society, she retreats, and it is only in death that Lily finds the last letters of the signpost that show her the way into the republic of spirit. Eagleton, T. (1983). Literary Theory and Introduction. Great Britain: Blackwell Publishers, Ltd. Lacan, J. (1975). The Language of The Self: The Function of Language in Psychoanalysis. New York: Dell Publishing Company. Leitch, V. B. (2001). The Mirror Stage as Formative The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. Mellard, J. M. (1991). Using Lacan Reading Fiction. Urbana: Univerwsity of Ilinois Press. Wharton, E. (2000). The House of Mirth. New York: Signet Classic. Research Papers on The House of MirthWhere Wild and West MeetAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThree Concepts of PsychodynamicAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaMind TravelHip-Hop is Art

Death and its Significance essays

Death and its Significance essays Death, a very dominant theme in literature, but what significance do references to death provide in a story. Why is death used in so many of the pieces of literature we read? The Answer; references to death play a very important part in a story, they can help advance the plot, they provide an atmosphere they contribute to the setting of the story, and many times they help readers predict what is going to happen in the story. Foreshadowing, something that is almost always related to a reference to death. Foreshadowing can be a very useful device as we will see in this essay. The two stories that will be analyzed in this essay are; Death in Venice and Mario and the Magician both of which are written by Thomas Mann. This essay will attempt to analyze how death is presented in both these stories, what role does death play, and how death plays a major role in the development of the story. Death in Venice, a novella written by Mann in 1912; a story which was largely inspired by Manns own personal experiences, the story is basically about a writer named Aschenbach who has always held his passions in check, never allowing them expression either in his life or in his work. He was what many will call repressed. The first thing to note when the story starts is the first reference to a dark dull setting When our continent lay under such a threatening weather for whole months . This can be interpreted to a sort of foreshadowing of whats to come, the darkness the bad experiences that Aschenbach will have to go through. As the story goes on Aschenbach is tired of writing, and goes out for a walk A storm begins to brew...He passes through empty streets past the stonemasons yards, where the headstones for sale constitute a sort of graveyard, and stops to read the gilt lettering on a Byzantine mortuary chapel referring to the afterlife . Aschenbach is walking home, but the scen e the narrator tell...

The Conflict between Territorial Integrity and Self-Determination Essay

The Conflict between Territorial Integrity and Self-Determination - Essay Example Such a classic perspective of statehood with respect to territorial integrity has manifested a simmering tension with another international principle. Recent events, equated with the collapse of the USSR, illustrate that the concept of self-determination shows a tendency to conflict with this long-held principle in international law. The embrace of territorial integrity by international law has something to do with international security and stability and there is a gnawing concern that the burgeoning concept of self-determination may pose a challenge to the status quo. Nonetheless, one need not necessarily neutralize or render the other principle void. While territorial integrity still finds relevance in the present times, the world must find a place for self-determination for the purpose of resolving existing conflicts and avoiding the escalation of violence or the eruption of wars. The international community must seek ways to moderate the build-up of tension between these two see mingly contending international principles. Territorial Integrity and Self-Determination: Definition of Concepts The origin of the concept of self-determination can be traced back to the 1789 American Declaration of Independence and later in the 1792 French Declaration. It originally refers to the entitlement endowed to the state by the populace to govern on their behalf with their consent as well as represent them in the international community as a separate, independent and co-equal entity alongside other states (Castellino p.11). Simply put however, self-determination was just perceived as â€Å"the right of nations to sovereign independence† (cited Schwed p. 447) According to the Finnish international law professor Koskenniemi, the concept of national determination can be viewed from two perspectives. The first has a patriotic facet while the other a secessionist element. The first model has a classical or Hobbesean underpinning because it sees the nation as a state and s elf-determination as closely related to the presence or absence of procedural mechanism that the state adopts to allow its citizens to participate in decision-making. Anything outside of this decision-making procedure, therefore, is â€Å"destructive, irrational passion† according to this model (Castellino pp. 9-10). The implication of this perspective is that the state is placed at the center of everything and that self-determination is legitimate only when it preserves the state as an organized body and when it prevents bellum omnium or what Hobbes called â€Å"a war by all against all,† which occurs in the absence of a civilized society (Leviathan Chapter 13). On the other hand, the second model of self-determination has a more romantic underpinning to it as it is largely based on Rousseau’s social contract theory. In this model, procedure is relegated to the background while purpose and goal take center stage. Moreover, this model does not see a nation as me rely an artificial entity, but as an authentic community. Self-determination from this perspective is thus, an expression, rather than a procedure, of the will of the community geared towards the collective good, not necessarily of the state (Castellino pp. 9-10).An example of the classical or Hobbesian model is the Palestinian claim against Israel, while the South Ossenian-Georgia conflict illustrates the romantic or Rousseauesque model. On the other hand, the concept of territorial integrity has underpinnings from the concept of state as a person of international law under the

Alberty Valez v. Corp de Puerto Rico Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Alberty Valez v. Corp de Puerto Rico - Assignment Example The big question out of the case is: do the television stations qualify as employee or independent contractor? Discrimination of employees on the basis of gender and pregnancy are covered under Title VII. However, it does not cover independent contractors, which means that independent contractors cannot successfully sue under Title VII. The case brings into light what it means to be an employee as defined under Title VII. The court applied common law agency test in order to ascertain whether Alberty was an employee of the firm or if she worked as an independent contractor. Under common law, most factors linked the plaintiff to an independent contractor even though she maintained that the defendants control her work place, determined working hours and directed the films, thus thought of herself as an employee. The court held that she was an independent contractor because she provided the resources required for the performance of the contract. Her tax treatment, method of remuneration, and lack of employment benefits, indicated that the plaintiff was an independent contractor rather than an em ployee. This case clarifies the distinction between an employee of an organization and an independent contractor, thus remains crucial in the labor