Women in Literature an Example by

Women in Literature Some critics claim that early American literature focuses on men, overlooking or devaluating the role of women and womens perspective. The response to this claim will presuppose profound analysis of some literary work of that time period. We will thus concentrate on Hannah Fosters The Coquette, which has become one of the brightest representations of the then literature. Need essay sample on "Women in Literature" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Based upon the discussed reading, it is definitely impossible to state that literature of the analyzed period was devaluating women, though such claim has the objective right to exist among scholars. It would probably be more correct to assume that devaluation of women, which the authors of early American literature were depicting in their works, was caused by the real life conditions in which they lived. Thus, devaluating women was not the initial purpose of the early American writing; in pursuing realism and the truth, the writers were undeservingly labeled. However, this misinterpretation cannot be totally false. Through the prism of literary criticism, the character of the protagonist Eliza Wharton is certainly described in rather mournful colors. What is usual for us seems absolutely unacceptable in the world in which Eliza found herself. Thus, it would be more objective to analyze Fosters novel not from the viewpoint of devaluating women, but from the viewpoint of the then soci ety devaluating and not accepting their freedom, as was reflected in The Coquette. Reading The Coquette, we come to the question, whether Foster was depicting a true womanhood, and how a woman of her status could feel in the society and people by whom she was surrounded. It is difficult to deny that Eliza Wharton was initially overlooked as a personality by her companions, friends, and was truly judged for her actions and manners. Of course, what we see in Eliza does not surprise us, but her behavior could not be called traditional through the prism of the then manners. The true woman of that time had to possess several integral features, out of which virtue and domesticity were the most meaningful. Moreover, in case a woman did not possess those features, or was not willing to follow the principles of the society, she risk being abandoned, being stigmatized, and being called the enemy of all polite people. Through the entire reading of The Coquette I was accompanied by the thought that it would be improper to state, that Foster was devaluating women. I think that the author had devoted the whole story to the inner perplexities of the female character. The writer has exercised an extremely visible and wise tool for creating and objective (and simultaneously, subjective) picture of the reality. We see the development of Whartons affair with Major Stanford, and simultaneously we have an access to the inner world and inner conflicts of each of the characters in the novel. Devaluating women is more seen not in the way Foster depicted Eliza, but in the way Eliza would be treated in the society of her time. Simultaneously, Major Stanford is considered to be rejected by a virtuous society for having seduced women and being known for his bad reputation. It is even more surprising that Stanfords behavior is not equal to devaluating women; but the reaction of the society to Whartons behavior is. Objectively, Foster was focusing on how men perceived the reality, and how they perceived women around them. Through the correspondence between several men in the novel we are capable of making an insight into their souls. However, in the context of the reality which Foster described in her work, focusing on men was a literary necessity, and limiting my research by this work of writing is not sufficient to conclude that the claims of critics towards devaluating women in literature are at least relevant. Eliza in Fosters world has become the embodiment of violating the norms of the society in which she lived. She was the proof that the society was constantly devaluating women. She has become the bright revelation of the then female world. She has a difficult marriage, through which she did not experience any warm feelings to her ceased husband, but whom she had to marry upon her parents request. Mr. Haly was a man of worth, a man of real and substantial merit. He is therefore deeply, and justly regretted by his friends; he was chosen to be a future guardian, and companion for me, and was, therefore, beloved by mine. As their choice as a good man, and a faithful friend, I esteemed him. But no one acquainted with the disparity of our tempers and dispositions, our views and designs, can suppose my heart much engaged in the alliance. (Foster 807) Being similar to Major Stanford in her temptations, even he had to admit the conflict of her inner identity with the society: Her sagacious friends have undoubtedly given her a detail of my vices. If therefore, my past conduct has been repugnant to her notions of propriety, why does she act consistently, and refuse at once to associate with a man whose character she cannot esteem? (Foster 863). In her grief for losing husband, she was not looking for consolation, but was realizing the fact of her ultimately being free of those connections. Moreover, she was seeking consolation not among her friends, but in the fact of being free to choose; in this she was completely different from her female friends, and was constantly judged and warned against Major Stanford. Of course, she was seduced by him, and he never realized the seriousness of his claims on Eliza. She in her turn did not understand that she was misled, and had to abandon her traditional pathway of virtue (so valued in the then society) to be with that man. It was not that Foster was devaluing Eliza, but she was trying to remain within the limits of the traditional society; she could not allow herself openly declaring the fact of Eliza being correct in her moves. This is why the author had to use implicit tools and literary devices for us to understand the true meaning of her writing. The visible devaluation of Eliza was actually the expression of her strength against the widely accepted (and often absurd) norms. In one of her letters, Eliza was writing: Should it ever be my fate to wear the hymenical chain, may I be thus united! The purest and most ardent affection, the greatest consonance of taste and disposition, and the most congenial virtue and wishes distinguish this lovely couple (Foster 813). These were Elizas ideas about her happy union with some man. And while come critics might claim that the image of a woman in early American literature was at least neglected, it can be easily argued. What Foster was aiming was to display the societal constraints in which the woman of her time had to exist. For Eliza this hardly looked like existence, being similar to surviving. Her mind was disconcerted with the emotional agitations, and she could not find moral satisfaction in any of the two men with whom she communicated. it is understandable why Foster depicted both Boyer and Major Stanford in so many details: we needed to have a detailed understanding, why the woman could not have any affecti on towards any of them, especially of Boyer. Boyers character consisted of traditional virtues praised by society: he was striving for domestic and loving wife, who would not allow going out or having friendship with men. He could not also understand her patience and indecisiveness towards his personality. The meaning of the name The Coquette was brilliantly expressed in Elizas interactions with Boyer and Major Stanford. The name of the novel has become the sign of the false appearance we attribute to people whom we dont really know, or do not want to understand through the existing social norms. She was far from being a coquette; she was looking for the person who could comply with her social demands and who could not restrain her social strivings, but she found none, being dishonored and finally led to death. Devaluation of a woman was shown by Foster as punishable even within the described societal constraints. Both Boyer and Major Stanford were virtually punished for misunderstanding the true identity of Eliza Warton. Hannah Foster has created a perfect image of all three characters, letting us into the hidden world of concealed emotions and cherished emotions. Surely, she had displayed the situation of a woman when being dishonored and obviously devaluated by those who surrounded her, but the writer herself did not devaluate Eliza. On the contrary, she seemed to having achieved the aim of her writing: she was sincerely mourning the death of her protagonist. Foster succeeded in depicting the possible tragic consequences of the societal norms impact on peoples lives. No one could predict that Elizas striving to be social would lead her to being called the Coquette, but the society did not leave any other choice, and Eliza would have to live with that stigma. Moreover, Boyer did not also leave Eliza any options except for writing her a farewell letter and expressing his extreme dissatisfaction and anger with her behavior; however, and in the context of the contemporary society, we should think what right he had to intrude into Elizas life. Thus, the devaluation of the womens perspective is not viewed in the early American writing itself, but in the real situation of women in the then society, which the writers had to evaluate and judge. Conclusion Critics have the right to claim the position of a woman in the early American literature is devaluated. However, it was more real than neglected. The example of Fosters The Coquette we come to understanding the inner force of the woman in trying to break the societal norms and failing to do so. Hannah Foster has succeeded in creating an image of a woman new to her traditional society, being devaluated by it, but not by the realism of Fosters writing. Works Cited Foster, H. W. The Coquette: or, the History of Eliza Wharton. In Baym, N. (eds.), The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 7th edition. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, pp. 807-904.

Budget project essays

Budget project essays In this day and age millions of dollars are spent every day, whether it is spent by the government or by the people. Everyday the government must decide on how to spend the money, because of course, money doesnt grow on tress and there might be some things that are important than others; yet, they must provide money for every part of the government. That is the primary concern; they must decide how to spend that money and how they do it without upsetting the agencies surrounding the government because there may be one agency that may be getting more than another. My budget isnt that great, it is similar to the estimate of 2005, but some changes, however slight were made. My top priorities for the budget were the military, education, and health and human services. First the military, my primary cause for this would be for research, and a procurement of new weapons. We need the research because it would lead to have new and more efficient ways of producing weapons, transmissions, and development of something that would make the soldiers safer. The same goes for a procurement of weapons, added with a more efficient ways of ammo and more vehicles that provide more protection. Education, we hardly have any money set aside for education and most schools are not getting the money they deserve or need to make either teaching easier or keeping the schools in tip top shape. Plus, more would go on student loans and grants so we can get as many students we can into college. Health and Human services are important, not so much for social security or Medicare, in fact, I was thinking of downsizing those parts of that branch, but more on public assistance, the FD A, and the National Institute of Health. More on the FDA because that way we can safeguard our food and the NIH because that way maybe we can help out and help diminish the populations uh, fatness. The areas I cut back on were: agriculture, labor, and NASA. Agricultur...

ENRON Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ENRON Case Study - Essay Example ? What is so staggering, so appalling, so outrageous is that this once $50 billion company melted to nothingness during the period November 8, 2001, when it restated its earnings retroactive to 1997, to December 2, when it filed bankruptcy (Hartgraves, 2002)†. On October 16, 2001, Enron Corporation of Houston, Texas, one of the largest corporations in the world, announced it was reducing its after-tax net income by $544 million and its shareholders equity by $1.2 billion. On November 8, it announced that, because of accounting errors, it was restating its previously reported net income for the years 1997–2000. These changes reduced its stockholders equity by $508 million. Thus, within a month, Enrons stockholders equity was lower by $1.7 billion (18% of previously reported $9.6 billion at September 30, 2001) (Hartgraves, 2002). The ability to respond to the needs of the customer by identifying them is the most important strength of Enron. Another added advantage or strength is the integrated approach that the company has got towards doing business at an international level. The company has also got extensive access to various physical assets. This acts as one of its strengths because this is expected to results in growth of earnings continuously. The manpower that Enron has got was also a major strength of the company. The staff of Enron took pride over the company and they gave out their best to improve the performance of the company. The environment of the company was felt to be very innovative and progressive by most of its employees. Also the company had a strong voice of the public i.e. a very good name among the investor group. This too can be attributed as one its strength. Apart from this, Enron was ranked as the seventh on the list of fortune 500 companies which gave the company vast fame as a credible company (Jeff Porter, 2005). â€Å"The company’s reputation and public perception were also considered to be its strengths (Jeff Porter,

Collecting Waste Recyclable Products and Different Projects Essay - 7

Collecting Waste Recyclable Products and Different Projects - Essay Example The project managed to collect as much as forty million pounds of waste materials in this year. The project only concentrated on moving around the Terre community and collecting waste material that is recyclable and delivering it to the enterprise for recycling. As a recycling facility, Indiana State University started out with a Wastage Management department in 1990. This department, at the time, comprised of two old cubic yard compactor trucks, five employees and a Cushman truck. The knowledge regarding recycling was not as plentiful as it is nowadays. In addition, the department did not have the necessary budget to undertake effective recycling activities. However, this did not deter them from recycling aluminum can which was the recycling trend at the time. Since then, the department has grown by leaps and bounds to its current state. At the moment, ISU recycling activities are recognized by the Indiana community. The program has developed a drop-facility and has started accepting e-Scrap. Its recycling statistics are impressive considering they have recycled more than 2 million pounds to date. The main activity was driving around collecting garbage. We would drive around in trucks and load recyclable materials to the trucks. The materials include plastic bottles except those that carried oil, glass bottles, cardboard, old telephone books and any other recyclable materials and glass containers provided they did not contain Pyrex. While recycling trash and garbage, we learned the procedures of handling solid waste in the county of Indiana. In the state, we learned that the Indiana County Solid Waste Authority was the authority in matters regarding the disposal of solid waste. This authority was formed as part of the county’s compliance with the Pennsylvania Act of 101 of 1988. All members of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has to enforce the  appropriate solid waste disposal techniques.

Critically discuss difficulties you think an organisation development Essay

Critically discuss difficulties you think an organisation development approach might have in managing change in a large organisation (i.e greater than 1000 employees) - Essay Example these efforts are often directed at keeping the organisation up-to-date, reviving its strategies and fostering creativity or innovationist to keep up with the competition (Naghibi and Baban, 2010). One of such strategy is the initiation and implementation of the Organisation Development (OD) Approach- that is practitioner-driven intercession that influences organisation change to enhance the effectiveness (Uk.Sagepub.Com, n.d.). OD approach had its origin in the early 1930s when a group of psychologists realized that the organisational structure has an effect on both workers’ motivation and behaviour (Med.upenn.edu, 2014). The current OD system has extended to include policies of aligning organisations with swiftly evolving and complex business atmosphere through organisation training, skills management and organisation norms and values transformation (Med.upenn.edu, 2014). However, the process of implementing the OD is not always smooth as some of the difficulties may be experienced. The difficulties may be varied depending on the size of the organisation. For instances, a larger organisation (above 1000 employees) will often have its norms, and values documented than in small organisations (Huberths, 2012). Some of the difficulties experienced in managing change include individual resistance and organisational resistance to change. Several definitions have been generated to explain the meaning of organizational development, some of which are significant. According to Hitt and Middlemist, organizational development (OD) is a systematic way for planned change that engrosses the whole organization and is anticipated to boost organization’s efficiency (Learning Ace, 2014). Another definition by Cumming and Huse is that OD is a wide application system of behavioural science skills to the premeditated development and fortification of organizational strategies, processes, and structure, for fostering an organization’s efficiency (Cummings and Christopher,

French Essays Abortion Laws in France

French Essays Abortion Laws in France Abortion laws in France does the system support a pro-choice or pro-life ideology? The way in which abortion has been viewed culturally has changed dramatically over time. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, attitude change began to liberalise alongside the social and cultural changes spreading through Western Europe.   A number of factors have been presented in the literature as contributing to the ‘wave of change’ evident in contemporary feelings towards abortion. Approximately 50 million abortions are currently carried out worldwide regardless of the differences in laws between countries. More than one-third of these procedures are performed illegally (mainly in the developing world) with nearly one-half taking place outside the health care systems. Once deemed a sin punishable by death, with more relaxed and liberal attitudes towards sexuality and reproduction, the act of aborting a foetus is now seen by many as a woman’s right. Often classified under the title of a ‘pro-choice’ standpoint, the decision of whether to continue with a pregnancy is seen to rest with the individual, and Governments following this perspective should thus offer the procedure in a safe and supportive environment demonstrating their recognition that a woman should have the right of control over their own fertility. Around two-thirds of the world’s women live in such countries, where abortion can be carried out on request, or for a range of reasons. Such laws have led to the development and rise of safe and legal abortions, leading to the rates of pregnancy-related complications such as death for mother or infant, to decrease. The pace of such liberalisation is however not constant across continents and countries, and laws differ in whether reasons need to be given in regards to the request of the abortion, conditions involved in obtaining treatment, and lastly whether consent of some form, other than that of the female is required. Different levels of explanation required before the abortion is provided can vary from physical and mental health risks to the mother and foetus, to socio-medical or socio-economic reasons, to abortion upon request (predominantly within first trimester). Also, consent in some countries is required for minors (under 16 years, UK) or in more restrictive nations from the spouse of married women (Japan, Turkey). Countries that have more stringent and restrictive conditions have contributed to the slowing in abortion law reform, with restrictions actually increasing within the legal systems of some places. Often classified as a ‘pro-life’ perspective, such countries vie w the right of the foetus to life from conception, irrespective of the wishes of the mother. Countries that clearly fall into this category include the United States, where further liberalisation of abortion through changes to the law, have been blocked. Abortion laws in France currently allow women to have an abortion up to 12 weeks into pregnancy; however there are a number of processes that women must comply with in order to get the procedure authorised. Not only do French women wishing to get an abortion have to attend mandatory ‘pre-abortion counselling’ but they also need to adhere to a seven day cooling-off period after the counselling before the abortion can take place. France had in earlier time been especially restrictive in its allowance of abortion; during Nazi occupation in 1940-1941 abortion was a criminal offence, and those practicing in providing abortions could be punished by death if convicted – a lady who had performed a number of illegal abortions around this time was executed in 1942. Although the death penalty was dropped in 1944, abortions were still performed in secret up until the 1970’s when French law was relaxed in order to allow women to have an abortion up to tenth week of preg nancy (Law No. 79-1204 of 31 December 1979) and this was then increased in 2001 to be available up to week 12. After this time the agreement of two physicians stating the health of the woman is endangered is required in order to allow an abortion to be performed. The implications of these requirements can mean a number of things for women. The time limit within French laws often mean that French women wanting to terminate their pregnancy after the twelfth week are required to travel elsewhere (such as the UK) in order to get the treatment. This itself can incur financial consequences through cost of travel and possibly prolonged time off work, but also psychologically as their support systems may not be accessible when abroad, and the stress of travelling to a foreign land with a different language may also add considerably to an already distressing situation. In cases where a woman is within the timeframe to get the abortion in France, so-called counselling sessions are often biased towards getting the female to keep the baby and can thus prove emotionally and psychologically challenging and upsetting, whilst the waiting period can prolong stress and distress levels with having to wait for the procedure to take place. Such actions can theref ore severely interfere with the woman’s decision making process, which ultimately has the potential to lead to a decision being made that will later be regretted. The time limit of twelve weeks thus limits women’s choice to have an abortion, and when the limit is missed can either lead to an unwanted child or the instigation of an illegal abortion that is likely to be under less safe, with greater health risks than regulated abortions, or where the woman is required to travel outside the country with the associated stressors of doing so, to have the procedure completed. As to whether French laws are thus consistent with a pro-choice or pro-life approach, the distinction in this country is not clear cut. The fact that women (over 16) may opt for an abortion on request without specific reasoning given, without consent from another required, appears to be consistent with the liberal pro-choice perspective. However the relatively strict time limit imposed, coupled with the enforced and often biased ‘counselling’ and set waiting period before the procedure can be performed does appear to attempt to make it as difficult as possible within the framework of French law, for the woman to terminate her unwanted pregnancy. French law can therefore be seen to be more pro-life than other similar western European countries such as the UK where counselling is not mandatory, and abortion can be performed up to 24 weeks into pregnancy. French law may in light of the points discussed, be seen to fall within some median point on the continuum between pro-life and pro-choice ideology, which may seen to benefit from giving the unborn foetus a degree of right to life, and yet also be seen to be restricting women in respect to their own reproduction capacity, in comparison to similar European countries, which may anger many in our culturally liberal modern day society. ESSAY PLAN: ABORTION LAWS IN FRANCE: DOES THE SYSTEM SUPPORT A PRO-CHOICE OR PRO-LIFE IDEOLOGY? INTRODUCTIONWhat has the background to abortion laws been, and how has mood and societal reflection on the topic changed over time†¦ PRO-CHOICE PROLIFE EXPLANATIONWhat are the pro-life and pro-choice movements, and what does each of these perspectives involve†¦. THE LAWS IN FRANCE Current laws and requirements for abortion to be granted IS FRANCE PRO-LIFE OR PRO-CHOICE?Are French laws consistent with a pro-life or pro-choice ideology? CONCLUSION OF THE POINTS REFERENCES Abortion in Law, History and Religion (1995) Childbirth by choice Trust ‘Abortion Policy: France’ The Population Policy Data Bank: Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat Gearty, C (2004) ‘The politics of abortion’ The Tablet Latham, C ‘Policy networks and reproductive rights in France and Britain’ BRIEFING PAPERS ‘Crafting an abortion law that respects women’s rights: Issues to consider’ (2004) Center for Reproductive Rights ‘Safe and legal abortion is a woman’s human right’ (2004) Center for Reproductive Rights INTERNET RESOURCES http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/population/abortion/France.abo.htmhttp://www.protectchoice.org/http://www.abortionfacts.com/http://www.prochoiceforum.org.uk/al11.asp

The Importance of Blake in Today’s World :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Importance of Blake in Today’s World      Ã‚   William Blake, who lived in the latter half of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth, was a profoundly stirring poet who was, in large part, responsible for bringing about the Romantic movement in poetry; was able to achieve "remarkable results with the simplest means"; and was one of several poets of the time who restored "rich musicality to the language" (Appelbaum v). His research and introspection into the human mind and soul has resulted in his being called the "Columbus of the psyche," and because no language existed at the time to describe what he discovered on his voyages, he created his own mythology to describe what he found there (Damon ix). He was an accomplished poet, painter, and engraver.    Blake scholars disagree on whether or not Blake was a mystic. In the Norton Anthology, he is described as "an acknowledged mystic, [who] saw visions from the age of four" (Mack 783). Frye, however, who seems to be one of the most influential Blake scholars, disagrees, saying that Blake was a visionary rather than a mystic. "'Mysticism' . . . means a certain kind of religious techniques difficult to reconcile with anyone's poetry," says Frye (Frye 8). He next says that "visionary" is "a word that Blake uses, and uses constantly" and cites the example of Plotinus, the mystic, who experienced a "direct apprehension of God" four times in his life, and then only with "great effort and relentless discipline." He finally cites Blake's poem "I rose up at the dawn of day," in which Blake states,    I am in God's presence night & day, And he never turns his face away (Frye 9).    Besides all of these achievements, Blake was a social critic of his own time and considered himself a prophet of times to come. Frye says that "all his poetry was written as though it were about to have the immediate social impact of a new play" (Frye 4). His social criticism is not only representative of his own country and era, but strikes profound chords in our own time as well. As Appelbaum said in the introduction to his anthology English Romantic Poetry, "[Blake] was not fully rediscovered and rehabilitated until a full century after his death" (Appelbaum v). For Blake was not truly appreciated during his life, except by small cliques of individuals, and was not well-known during the rest of the nineteenth century (Appelbaum v).