Hamlet the Passive Intellect

The actions and events in Shakespeare’s Hamlet revolve around Hamlet’s inactivity. Without Hamlet's hesitation, constant thought, and internal deliberation, the plot would proceed directly from Hamlet’s meeting with the Ghost to his murder of Claudius. Hamlet’s philosophical strifeheightens the complexity of his life issues and intensifies the depth of his dilemma. Hamlet’s over-intellectualization coupled with his passive tendencies paralyzes his ability to act, locking him in an inescapable prison of his own inner consciousness. Hamlet's over-intellectualization begins with his questioning of the ghost's identity. When first told by Horatio that the ghost of his father haunts the battlements, Hamlet interrogates him obsessively to obtain every relevant detail to satisfy his intellectual curiosity. He  fires  a volley of questions at Horatio, ranging from whether his countenance is â€Å"pale or red† to how long it â€Å"fixed eyes upon [Horatio]† (1. 2. 250). His desire to dispel uncertainty and further his knowledge escalates in the physical encounter with the ghost. Rather than accepting his vision for granted, Hamlet examines the validity of his perceptions by debating whether the ghost of â€Å"a questionable shape† is â€Å"wicked or charitable† (1. . 45-46). Hamlet initially pronounces to the ghost that he will â€Å"wipe away all trivial, fond records, all saw of books, all forms, all pressures past, that youth and observation copied there,† declaring his resolution to act (1. 4. 108). However, when he reconvenes with his friends, he entreats them â€Å"never make known what you have seen tonight† (1. 5. 160). Instead of seeking for an immediate collective action to avenge his father’s â€Å"unnatural murder,† he chooses to prolong the process to devise an elaborate scheme within his own mind. He forestalls action—be it his friends’ or his own—to contemplate the implications of his experience. He concludes by cursing the fact that he â€Å"was born to set it right†Ã‚  Ã‚  (1. 5. 211). The ghost’s revelation places him in a position where he must be the agent of action, whose filial responsibility is to affect justice and kill Claudius. Hamlet’s dilemma, then, stems from the need to become an avenging son while being a naturally passive intellectual. Hamlet addresses his dilemma in greater depth by engaging in a rigorous, intellectual process, which ironically perpetuates the vicious cycle of inactivity. In his conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he confesses, â€Å"thinking makes it so. To me it is a prison† (2. 2. 270). Hamlet finds himself imprisoned by his intellect, as he â€Å"must like a whore unpack [his] heart with words† (2. 2. 614). He cannot act by heart because he is bound to â€Å"unpack† his actions with reason first. He berates himself as â€Å"a rogue and peasant slave† and â€Å"John-a-dream, unpregnant of my cause, and can say nothing† (2. 2. 576-595). Hamlet recognizes that he is not taking any decisive action to dutifully avenge his father’s death in staying within his comfort zone of intellectualism. As he articulates and explores his conflict of conscience, he concludes, â€Å"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all and thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, and enterprises of great pitch and moment†¦lose the name of action (3. 1. 91-96). Hamlet reaffirms that his constant moralizing and philosophizing stymie the very action he strives for. The inexorable clash between his predisposition for sedentary contemplations and the filial imperative to actively seek revenge results in such strong feelings of self-loathing that he considers â€Å"shuffl[ing] off the mortal coil† (3. . 75). Committing suicide would proactively end his suffering, but he problematizes even that possibility as an unacceptable transgression against â€Å"[God’s]  canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! † (1. 2. 136). Ironically, this very soliloquy devoted to meditating on his passivity epitomizes his inaction; rather than coming u p with pragmatic solutions to end his dilemma, he explores and wallows in self-pity, which in turn exacerbates the intensity of his conundrum. Hamlet is so preoccupied with the enormous intellectual activity in his head that he closes himself off from all action in the external world.

Case Study of Calyx & Corolla Essay

Calyx and Corolla is a company that can be considered a big success. It is a company that has beaten competition and has managed to curve their way into huge profits. Located in spacious offices in San Francisco gives the company added advantage as they have a centralized decision making unit. The company deals with the delivery of flowers from growers to customers by mail. This was a new invention that contributed much to the success of the company. The simplicity of their model of business was the role they played in the flowers transaction. The company only acted as a facilitator to enable growers reach customers directly. The report is an analysis of the various marketing strategies employed by the company in the course of their business and how those strategies worked. It is an evaluation of exactly how the 4Ps and 3Cs approaches were employed. It is also an evaluation of the strategies employed by the company to attract and retain customers in an otherwise flooded flower market. The paper ends with some recommendations on the future of the company particularly how to formulate a strategy to accommodate the expanded business. The paper presents the options available for the company and the capacity each option has to the company. The 4Ps model simply is a marketing strategy that strikes a balance between products, price, promotion and the place in which the business is located. On the other end the 3Cs model provide customers with choice, convenience and control to enable them enjoy the company’s products or services. Finding the right balance between all the above factors constitutes on effective marketing strategy. The companies that have managed to find this balance have managed to penetrate tight markets while competitors stagnate. A powerful marketing plan not only gains a larger share but it also gains loyalty of customers (Baker, 2003). Products are the basic units that form a company’s basis for operation. The products that a company produces have to be needed by the customers. If companies produce unnecessary goods, they would not have the means of recovering the costs involved. As entrepreneurs evaluate the businesses to engage in, they should do so based on market information. The Calyx and Corolla Company had gathered enough market data and identified customer trends. The product they chose to deal with, flowers, was one needed by customers. The company had also identified who their target segments were. In dealing with a product that expressed peoples’ emotions, the company managed to draw huge customer base (Baker, 2003).. A product can be released that customers need. But it is not until the awareness is raised that customers would gain interest in it and evaluate it with others in the market. Promotions are therefore necessary and should be targeted at the customer base the company has identified. Promotions should be centered on customer satisfaction rather than product selling. Calyx and Corolla Company run many advertisements on televisions, print media including magazines running promotions, and point of sale marketing. In their advertisements, they made customers fell that their needs had been met. They not only provided customers with flowers but they also vases to put in. The promotions covered well the entire market they intended to reach especially the European market. Customers will always go for the cheap products in the market if the utility is the same for costly ones. Customers are also willing to go for slightly costly products if they believe the goods or services are of higher quality. The business model employed by Calyx and Corolla of linking customers with flower growers enabled them to lower the costs of delivery. The company therefore offered customers cheaper products whose quality superceded that in the market. This enabled the company to gain more customers. The strategy by the company involved gaining customer royalty and expanding market share. Their price strategy worked for them evidenced by the huge sales they managed to make in just a short time. Another key factor considered for effective marketing of products is the location of the company. Location eases a company’s access to suppliers to facilitate the delivery of goods and other raw materials needed. Location is also important in enabling the company to reach their customers faster. The distributions channels of the company can only be effective if there is a central place where both suppliers and customers can operate. Calyx & Corolla Company is strategically placed in San Francisco, a place where customers hare a high demand for flowers. San Francisco is well served by the major airlines making provision of flowers and other commodities not only cheaper but also convenient. The company has spacious premises on which a warehouse has been built. The warehouse offers the company with temporally storage of products, which further reduces costs. Customers often avoid products or services that deny them the flexibility they need. They insist on having varieties to choose from. Customers are attracted more by those products that not only satisfy their immediate need but also offer more. This is the case when customers evaluate the value of the products more than the price. Calyx & Corolla Company managed to diversify their products. They not only dealt with facilitating delivery of flowers from growers to customers but also provided flower vases to the customers as a value addition strategy. The vases were offered at competitive prices, which were almost negligible for the customers. The customers were more persuaded into buying the flower vases since they had been saved the hustles of going to purchase flower vases from some other vendors. The customer care department of the calyx & corolla company was very effective in handling customer queries and complaints. The company increased workers in this department to cater for the many customers who streamed in at the peak seasons. This increased the effectiveness of the company. The company therefore succeeded in offering the necessary convenience customers sought and thus were able to move ahead of the competitors. In a company dealing with products selling or delivery as Calyx & Corolla Company dealt, customers require deals which give them power to determine what they need. As customers choose, they enjoy having control to dictate what they need. The customers in the Calyx & Corolla case, customers have control to order for certain specifications for their products. The company, by linking customers with growers, has enabled customers to identify with these growers. There are however challenges that have risen from this expansion of business. Customers have increased and complaints have increased too. The company is left with the option of hiring more workers, which in effect would be counterproductive during the low seasons. For the company to effectively compete with other international flower firms, they must consider expanding their business operations to Europe. Market research has shown that Europeans have a higher liking for flowers than the Americans. The company should therefore consider opening a branch in Europe to capture the lucrative business there.

RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT - APPLICATION OF MODELS Assignment

RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT - APPLICATION OF MODELS - Assignment Example Further, estimates show that the people living in developing nations, particularly women and children are more affected by indoor air pollution due to their reliance on bio fuels like coal, dung, wood etc (WHO 2006). Thus indoor air quality has been a major area of concern for scientists and policy makers in the recent years due to its implications for health and welfare. Hence, the risk assessment and risk management of indoor air quality deserve special attention. This report discusses the risk assessment and risk management of indoor quality using the NAS model. The NAS model consists of hazard assessment, exposure assessment, risk characterization and risk management (Common Wealth of Australia 2002).All these steps focusing on indoor air quality are discussed in detail in the following sections. A hazard is defined as an agent’s ability to produce any harmful effect on environment or health. It is not same as risk but can be the factor that can be a source of risk or risk factor. Hazard assessment involves two steps .They are hazard identification and dose response assessment (Common Wealth of Australia 2002).In the hazard identification stage of indoor air quality , it is determined whether nor not particular agents of indoor air are harmful to health or environment. The hazard identification for indoor quality is done based on epidemiological, toxicological and occupational or indoor studies. Hazard identification describes qualitatively the capability of agents to produce harmful effects .It is based on indoor observations that may potentially create adverse impacts on health or environment (ECA 2000). After identifying the hazards, the next step is doze response assessment. This describes quantitatively the links between the agents and adverse effects. The dose assessment is done using chamber studies

Use of E-Books among University Statistics Students in Libya Thesis Proposal - 1

Use of E-Books among University Statistics Students in Libya - Thesis Proposal Example   It was projected that there would be a higher rate of approval by now though that is not what actually is being witnessed. For instance, a study conducted by Roesnita and Zainab (2005) in Malaysia among university going student revealed that only about 39% of them had utilized e-books before the commencing of the study. This was against the general notion that is existing and presumes that university students are higher in literacy levels and in technology use and thus would be better placed in utilizing the e-library or any material would-be within the internet environment. In yet another study by Oliveira about 12.1% of the Andrews university (respondents) were found to have used or to use e-text books compared to the larger percentage that were found not to utilize the e-library (Oliveira, 2012). In fact, among those found to have ever used the service had been compelled by the requirement of the physics teacher that they had to use the service. This further constricted the nu mber of those who voluntary used the service to merely 4%of the total sample that was used for the study. The shocking findings of the research study by Woody, Daniel and Baker (2010) were that there has not been any notable change in preference of the textbooks to the e-books even within the evolution in IT within the century. Nicholas and Lewis who carried out a survey in 2008 regarding the attitudes of the people within the millennium towards the use of e-reading material as compared to the print materials postulated another supportive argument to this finding (2008). The study found out that many people in the current generation would prefer to use ‘old’ print materials as compared to the new and more simplistic method of learning through the online materials.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) Research Paper

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) - Research Paper Example This paper explores BPD’s Pathophysiology, epidemiology, causes, signs and symptoms, and its prevention among others. According to D’Angio and Maniscalco (2004), the Pathophysiology of Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is much complex and is yet to be fully understood. The following are some of the factors connected with BPD: Inflammation: The infiltration of granulocyte into the lungs of newborns developing BPD is well documented (D’Angio & Maniscalco, 2004). Animal samples of infant lung injury provide evidence for the role played by granulocyte in BPD’s pathogenesis. There is fast development of Neutrophil in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of newborns with RDS (D’Angio & Maniscalco, 2004). In infants who are later diagnosed with BPD, the decline in Neutrophil counts is delayed. Proinflammatory mediators like cytokines, which attract inflammatory cells into the lungs have been connected with the development of BPD in infants (Mighten, 2012, p. 135; D’Angio & Maniscalco, 2004). Architectural Disruption: Cellular injury as well as the destruction caused when inflammatory cells discharge reactive oxygen and proteases result from granulocytes infiltration into the lung. â€Å"The lung protease/antiprotease balance appears to be tilted toward proteolysis in infants who develop BPD† (D’Angio & Maniscalco, 2004, p.309). Infants with high probability of developing BPD show higher elastase levels. Fibroproliferation: Transforming growth factor (TGF) - ÃŽ ² has been shown by most studies to have serious inhibitory impact on lung development besides other fibrogenic effects (D’Angio & Maniscalco, 2004). Higher levels of TGFÃŽ ² have been identified in infants who are later diagnosed with BPD (D’Angio & Maniscalco, 2004). Delayed development of the lung has also been connected with ‘new’ BPD. The vulnerability to BPD increases with declining

Sex and Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sex and Relationship - Essay Example hese are often no longer connected to how a person is seen in legal or individual terms but some differences still divide people and cause debate where there should be none. Homosexuality or being gay is one such position where unwanted discrimination or even harassment may be conducted against a person. As discussed by the article, relationships between gay individuals should have as much legal value as they hold between straight couples. Denying this right becomes a negative influence on the relationships between gay couples. I feel that such positions are not only harmful for the gay individual against whom they are committed but also against the social setup since they harm the interests of a just and free society. What society needs to create is a legal structure for rights regarding homosexuals because the current situation offers protections to gays only pertaining to their individual rights but does allow them equal rights when it comes to creating a family. Heterosexual couples can adopt children much easier than homosexual couples. The tax/economic benefits given to heterosexual couples are much better than the ones awarded to a homosexual couple (IGLHRC, 2006). Of course, the single cause of the discrimination between the two sets of couples is their personal sexual lives. If our country remains divided on the issue and continues to enforce a pattern of discrimination against homosexual unions in marriage, we would only be reducing our total output as a country. By creating lesser human beings in legal terms and not allowing gay unions in marriage or gay rights as groups of individuals, the law makers of today would create problems for the society of tomorrow. There may not be an armed resistance movement, but the country would certainly be treating some of its citizens as lesser than the others. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights as given by the United Nations declares as its first article that, â€Å"All human beings are born free and equal in

Management Information System In Oil Company In Libya Research Paper

Management Information System In Oil Company In Libya - Research Paper Example   According to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), although Libya ranks 17th as a world oil supplier, it is Africa’s largest oil reserve, producing 1.8 million barrels per day (bbl/d). Libya contains nearly 46.4 billion barrels of oil, as of January 2011. The majority of existing oil fields are located in three major basins; Sirte, Murzuk, and Pelagian (Stankosvka& Lavender, 2011).   This is more than sufficient to give it much greater international leverage than its tiny population (just over 6 million people) or modest per capita GDP ($16,000)would normally suggest. Libya's oil industry is dominated by its state-owned National Oil Company, which controls at least a majority interest in all oil exploration, production, and refining (Zweig, 2009). This study is aimed to find out information about management information system used in oil companies in Libya which have to maintain their production of oil to supply the domestic and international demand.   The durat ion of the study is two months, from the middle of March 2014 to the beginning of May 2014.According to the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), although Libya ranks 17th as a world oil supplier, it is Africa’s largest oil reserve, producing 1.8 million barrels per day (bbl/d).   Libya contains nearly 46.4 billion barrels of oil, as of January 2011. The majority of existing oil fields are located in three major basins; Sirte, Murzuk, and Pelagian (Stankosvka& Lavender, 2011).

Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing - Case Study Example Despite the fact that parking in the street is usually a problem, there is a metered parking behind the store although most customers do not seem to be aware of these parking lot. Throughout its existence, the expansion has brought positive gains but the last expansion did not bring additional sales. This paper will carry out a marketing analysis of Don Martin and this will be organized into three sections. The sections include problems and analysis, alternative analysis and a recommendations section. Problems and Analysis Don Martin Limited has always strived to expand thereby increase sales which would eventually translate to high profitability. To achieve this, the company has made several acquisitions given that initially it only had a total area of 45 meters squared (Grasby et al 379). The expansion has always produced an increase in the sales volumes but about three ago, a store that neighbored that of Don Martin Limited was floated for sales and the company bought it. After th e acquisition, Don Martin Limited brought down the wall separating the two companies and ended up with a large store. However, instead of increased sales; the new acquisition eventually led to losses. The expansion has necessitated the need for more staff members who are now currently twenty six and this has increased the expenditure by the company. In addition, the increased workforce makes it hard for the company to monitor the staff and the business in general thereby leading to loss of some goods. The proprietor of asserts that he is afraid that the company staff may be stealing. Things are further complicated for Don Martin given that he has approximately 500 suppliers which means that he has to spend about seventy five percent of his time. The company buys directly from manufacturers in small quantities which mean that the company cannot advantage economies of scale (Grasby et al 380). The customers coming to Don Martin Limited are trying to cut down on expenses given that the y are cash strapped. The services offered to customers no longer lead to higher customer satisfaction and most of them are ready to do without such services in order to save some money. For instance, previously whenever a customer came to the store of a sport’s equipment; there was a salesperson to help them but currently customer no longer seem to like this service. Despite the low reception of the company’s services by customers, Don Martin believes that such services have always attracted customers to the store. The company is incurring high expenses in maintaining these services where for instance the company has to pay $1,000 for gas not forgetting the pay to truck drivers (Grasby et al 381). Consumer Analysis Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Who Customers having low income Customers having cars External customers (Customers not living within the city) What These customers are cutting spending given that they low income. These customers require parking when doing the ir shopping These are customers who are not in close proximity to the business. When The company is losing these customers since the last expansion undertaken three years ago. Following the last expansion three years ago, Don Martin has a parking lot The company has been attracting this kind of customers since inception Where The company is facing competition for these customers from nearby stores. The parking lot for the Don Martin is

Literacy assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Literacy assignment - Essay Example Poverty is seen to be strongly connected with academic achievement in America. This paper will examine the effect of socio-economic status on academic achievement and literacy. Studies prove that the most important period for kids to build up foundational capabilities on which all succeeding development builds is the first 5 years of life. The most remarkable advancement in linguistic and cognitive achievements is developed during this period. (Diener and Wright, 2003) Emotional, communal, dictatorial and ethical dimensions are also entangled with these early developmental years. These all are significant areas that will necessitate focused attention to build up correctly. Children of poor families are more prone to have troubles in gaining literacy than children of middle or upper class families. Sadly, America possesses extremely high rates of upbringing poverty. In addition, it becomes nearly impossible for the poor families to come out of poverty after they get stuck in it. (Prue tt and Jackson, 2006) Several studies have shown strong association between family poverty and young individuals’ literacy, health and conducts. Income of family strongly affects children’s aptitude and attainment and leaves an impact on their long-standing emotional outcomes. Hence the connection between family earnings and a child’s academic outcomes is much more multifaceted than other factors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   References Diener, M.

Discussion board one Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion board one - Coursework Example For majority of the patients visiting my nursing unit, I have offered quality health care and for those with specialized needs I have offered referrals. This ability to work within my knowledge scope and to offer appropriate referrals have contributed to high autonomy which has resulted to informed decision making when combined with patient trends and cues. Besides autonomy, my exercise of power over the context of practice has seen me yield high quality patient outcomes. My work is in a well equipped nursing unit which is delegated to the duty of ensuring that there are nurses closely working with the patient at all time especially given that the patients are expected to acquire a changed way of life. Additionally, the nursing unit is designed such that each nurse has equal opportunity to contribute or participate in informed decision making especially when it comes to patient needs. I believe that by possessing the power to participate in patient related decision, whether at their bedside or within the nursing unit, I get empowered and empower others which then yield overall improved patient and nursing outcomes. As a nurse, the good health of patients is something I always look forward to achieving. According to Amer (2013) when nurses, especially in rehabilitation units, manages to effectively control both content and context of th eir practice, the result is high quality patient outcomes and job satisfaction for the nurses eliminating burnout and depersonalization. Within the rehabilitation unit, there are rewards for brilliant ideas on handling and relating to patients. However, the people in management opt to wait to reward in future other than go for rewards in the present (Sullivan, 2013). On one such occasion, I managed to contain a difficult patient and every nurse in the unit got excited about the patient’s outcome in a week. I was not rewarded as the unit management remained quiet. However, during the next progress meeting held once a month

Critically Thinking About Ethics and Assessment Essay Example for Free

Critically Thinking About Ethics and Assessment Essay 1. The four critical areas that are addressed in these standards include developing and selecting appropriate tests, administering and scoring tests, reporting and interpreting test results, and informing test takers. The two focus groups are the test developers and test users. Test developers are people and organizations that construct tests and set policies for testing programs while test users are those who select and administer tests, commission test development services, and make decisions based on the test scores. As a future teacher, counselor, or social worker, I think that I would fit the definition of test users because I would be conducting tests and making decisions from the results of the tests. 2. I believe that the most important issue among the guidelines for appropriate psychological assessment when it comes to children and adolescents would be 9. 03-b. It states, â€Å"Psychologists inform persons with questionable capacity to consent or for whom testing is mandated by law or governmental regulations about the nature and purpose of the proposed assessment services, using language that is reasonably understandable to the person being assessed. † This is important because young people who would undergo testing need to understand clearly what they are about to go through, as well as the reasons as to why they need to be assessed. They need to be talked to in a language and level where they can make a decision whether or not to give consent to the assessment. 3. The first guideline, which is â€Å"Protection Against High-Stakes Decisions Based on a Single Test† is important because it states that students should have the protection of not being judged based on a single test score. A single test score does not prove that much and students should be evaluated based on a series of tests. It is only fair that they be given multiple chances to prove what they are capable of as students. 4. In the â€Å"Screening and Assessment of Young English-Language Learners,† it is stated that the role of the family in the assessment of young English-language learners is important. Young students need the support that they can get from their families so that they can become confident in learning the language. Aside from this, it is also important for professionals to inform the families of the students’ improvements.

Measles, Mumps And Rubella

Measles, Mumps And Rubella Measles, mumps and rubella are three of the most highly and commonly acquired infectious diseases in children; however, they can affect people of all ages. These viruses occur throughout the world and are highly communicable airborne pathogens which can spread by close contact with an infected person. Although still a problem in many developing countries, thanks to immunization programs around the world these viruses are much less common now. Efficient and early vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella are highly successful at preventing the diseases and most children who receive their shots are being not only protected during childhood, but generally have a life long immunity. The measles virus (MV), a member of the Morbillivirus genus in the Paramyxovirus family, is a 100-300 nm enveloped virus that contains a single-strand, negative-sense RNA genome in a helical nucleocapsid which encodes for six structural proteins and two others which are involved in viral entry. The F (fusion) and the H (hemagglutinin) proteins are important in pathogenesis since together they facilitate receptor biding, fusion of the viral membrane, and cellular entry of into the epithelial cells in the upper respiratory tract of the host [*,*]. Measles is highly infectious and once infected an individual can experience clinical features such as fever, maculopapular rash, cough, coryza (runny nose), conjunctivitis, and the pathognomonic Koplik spots ( punctuate blue-white spots which appear in the buccal and lower labial mucosa) which generally occur 1-2 days before the rash[ ]. In some cases complications such as diarrhea, otitis media, pneumonia, encephalitis, blindness, and second ary infections by common bacteria and viruses may arise. In some extreme cases subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a rare degenerative disease of the brain which generally emerges six to eight years after a primary measles virus infection, may also onset. Measles is typically an infection of childhood and protective immunity is life-long, such that a second case of measles in a child or adult would be highly unusual. Before the widespread vaccination efforts against measles in the 1960s the virus had a case-fatality ratio of about 5% in children, which was higher for children and infants in developing countries, where even today a fatality rate of up to 20% can occur. A highly effective live- attenuated vaccine for measles has contributed to the low incidence levels compare to the pre-vaccine era and even some regions of the world have documented its complete eradication. Measles is commonly diagnosed based on its distinctive symptoms, hence why laboratory diagnosis is rarely use. However, given the success of the vaccination campaigns, physicians in low measles prevalence areas may become less familiar with the disease and accurate diagnoses may become challenging in the future. Mumps Virus, like measles, also belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae, but its genus is Rubulavirus. Akin to measles, mumps is a 150-200 nm enveloped spherical virus with surface spikes projecting from the envelope. Inside the envelope, a large helically arranged nucleocapsid encloses negatively stranded RNA whose genome contains about 16,000 nucleotides. Clinical Symptoms of mumps include mild fever, anorexia, malaise, headaches and acute onset of unilateral or bilateral parotitis. Parotitis tends to take place within the first couple of days of the infection and may first be expressed through earache and tenderness of the swollen parotid or salivary gland. Mumps is highly contagious, and 90% of those that are susceptible and are exposed to the infection will themselves become infected. However, 30-40% of those with the infection are actually asymptomatic (Rubin and Farber, 1994). Complications can include meningoencephalitis, orchitis in males or oophoritis in females, as well as p ancreatitis. The live-attenuated mumps vaccine is often given along with measles and rubella in the MMR vaccine. The diagnosis of mumps is usually done based on the expression of the clinical features, in particular the presence of parotitis. There are unique challenges for the laboratory diagnosis of mumps in previously immunized individuals whose immunity may have diminished either in the absence of a second booster dose of vaccine or in areas where mumps disease, and thus exposure, is minimal. However, It has been concluded that the most rapid and sensitive diagnosis of mumps can be acquire by ELISA (Enzyme- linked Immunisorbent Assay) method. Rubella virus, commonly known as German measles, belongs to the family Togavirida, genus Rubivirus. Rubella virions, although enveloped like measles and mumps, are much smaller, approximately 60-70 nm in diameter and contain approximately 10,000 nucleotides in a single-stranded, non-segmented, positive-sense RNA genome inside a semi-spherical nucleocapsid. Rubella is usually a mild disease and is characterized by a low fever and a generalized maculopapular rash. Other symptoms may include lympadenopathy, conjunctivitis, and sore throat. Symptoms of acquired rubella are often mild and in up to 50% of cases asymptomatic. Complications are not common in rubella patients, but generally occur more often in adults than in children. Arthralgia and arthritis are common complications among 70% of infected adult women. Other complications such as encephalitis and hemorrhagic manifestations can also be experience, but these are generally rare. Although a relatively mild disease rubella can be q uiet serious if acquire by pregnant women. Pathogenesis Measles, mumps, and rubella are highly contagious viral illnesses that can be transmitted by aerosol generated when an infected person expels saliva through coughing or sneezing, or by direct contact with respiratory secretions. Following infection of a vulnerable host, all three pathogens begin replication in the respiratory tract where they initially target the respiratory ephatelium of the nasopharynx and continue onto the regional lymph nodes. This localized replication phase is followed by a viremia in which the viruses spread onto multiple other organs. In the case of measles, a primary viremia where the virus moves onto other lymphoid tissue takes place 2-3 days after infection. Around days 5-7, the virus spreads to multiple other organs such as the kidney, liver, and skin through a secondary viremia. In mumps, after 12 to 25 days of exposure a viremia arises which lasts from 3 to 5 days. This viremia allows the virus to spread to multiple tissues which include the meninges, a nd glands such as the salivary, pancreas, testes, and ovaries. Inflammation of the infected tissues causes the hallmark symptoms of the disease, parotitis and aseptic meningitis. Akin to the mumps and measles, rubella after 5-7 days of replication in the nasopharynx area follows a viremia which spreads to the lymphatic system and establishes a systematic infection. Clinical signs and symptoms for measles, mumps, and rubella occur after an incubation period of about 10-12, 14-18, and 12-23 days respectively. For measles, a prodromal period of 2-4 days marks the beginning of the clinical stage of the infection. Here, thin epithelial cells of the respiratory tract and the conjunctive began to be broken down by the virus leading to an inflammatory reaction, also a characteristic symptom of the disease. Thicker mucosal surfaces of the buccal cavity are then affected given rise to the Kopliks spots. The appearance of the spots marks the start to a delayed-type hypersensitive reaction (DTH) which gives rise to the rash. The primary antiviral immune responses to MV coincides with the appearance of the rash, and is here when the presence of IgM antibodies and of CD4+Â  and CD8+Â  T cells in areas of MV-infected epithelial cells takes place. Following this, neutralizing IgG antibodies are also introduced and in conjunction all four immune responses are completely effective in controlling viral replication and concluding the infectious process. Viral antigen is absent from skin lesions and the virus is not shed from this surface, however shedding of the virus occurs from the nasopharynx from the beginning of the prodrome until 3-4 days after the rash emerges. As mentioned, measles is a typical self-limiting infection, and can be resolved by an efficient immune response; however patients with T-cells deficiencies, unable to develop a rash, commonly experience complications such as SSPE. Several months following an acute MV infection, a prolonged state of immunosuppression, which frequently predisposes patients to many secondary bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections, ensues. Mumps virus (MuV), similar to measles, causes non-specific prodromal symptoms such as mild fever and malaise during its incubation period. Upon viral entry, replication primarily takes place in the nasal mucosa and the epithelial layer of the upper respiratory track, which progressively moves on to penetrating the draining lymph nodes. From here, the viremia spreads the virus onto the parotid glands, kidney, pancreas, and central nervous system (CNS). Infection in the salivary glands produces parotitis-inflammation of the parotid glands-the most common clinical manifestation of mumps. Inflammation and swelling of the glands, visible during the first two days of infection in 30-40% of patients, is due to tissue damage and a subsequent immune response prompted by viral replication. Additionally, propagation into the kidneys can extend the infection and cause viruria. Potentially infectious virus is excreted in the urine for a period of two weeks following onset of the disease. Nonethel ess 1/3 of infections are subclinical, this being more common among adults than children. About eleven days after exposure, humoral immune response is established and the presence of neutralizing antibodies such as IgG (immunoglobulin G), IgM and IgA emerges. These antibodies help terminate the viremia and in the case of IgA it stops secretion of infectious mumps virus in the saliva. Virus shedding into the saliva begins a couple of days before the onset of clinical parotitis and ends about 8 days later. Parotid swelling culminated after 4-7 days. Although the most common expression of mumps leads to parotitis, it is important to note that the clinical course of mumps is extremely variable. Diseases such as meningitis and orchitis, commonly regarded as complications, could instead be seen as systemic manifestations of mumps. Meningitis is a common course of mumps and is characterized by inflammatory cells in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patient. This development is common in 15% of the patients and normally resolves within 3-10 days without secondary consequence. Orchitis-testicular inflammation-is the most common complication among post-pubertal male patients occurring in as many as 50% of cases. Ochitis usually follows parotitis, with an abrupt onset of testicular swelling, tenderness, nausea, and fever; pain and swelling generally only last 1 week, although tenderness may last longer. The rubella virus (RV), like mumps and measles, replicates around the epithelium of the buccal mucosa and the nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue. Contrary to Mv and MuV, after its incubation period and the subsequent viremia, rubella symptoms abruptly appear in children with the emergence of a rash. Prodromal symptoms are only mildly observed in adults 1-5 days before the appearance of the rash. This rash may last up to three days, starting as distinct pink maculopapules on the face, moving onto the truck and following to the extremities. Patients are most infectious immediately prior to the rash and throughout its duration. Viremia ends with the onset of rubella-specific and IgM antibodies shortly after the rash phase, which is about 2-3 week after initial exposure. Chronic enlargement of lymph nodes-Lymphadenopathy-may also take place up to a week before the emergence of the rash and last up to 10-14 days after it. Cervical and occipital lymph are frequently affected. Rubella is usuall y mild in childhood and early adulthood, with up to 50% of cases being asymptomatic, however rubella presents a bigger threat when acquired during pregnancy, especially if infection is in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Congenital acquire rubella virus infections in pregnant women during the first trimester of pregnancy can result in severe congenital abnormalities in the children (Congenital rubella syndrome, CRS) including deafness, cataracts, glaucoma, cardiovascular abnormalities, and mental retardation. Other outcomes of congenital rubella can lead to premature delivery and even fetal death. In 85% of cases of pregnant women who were infected during their first trimester, the babies were prematurely harmed. It is suggested that the rubella virus enter the fetus through the mothers blood stream. Since the developing fetus is especially vulnerable to illness because its immune system is not yet strong enough to permanently fight off infection, the virus remains in the body, and can leads to CRS. Concisely, while all three infections have a similar infection patterns, only measles and rubella virus are viral infections which affect the respiratory tract, whereas mumps is a viral infection of the salivary glands that causes swelling. Also all three diseases are relatively mild and in many cases asymptomatic. Nonetheless rubella, although a milder infection of the respiratory tract than measles when developed by a pregnant woman, it may lead to birth defects in the infant which the other two dont generally cause. Therapeutic strategies Currently there is no cure or treatment for measles, mumps, and rubella, efforts are generally focused on relieving symptoms until the bodys immune system manages to fight off the infection. However preventive measures such as attenuated live vaccines have been developed for all three pathogens and are currently being administered to children and adults around the world in a trivalent form known as the Measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or MMR. Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is used to protect children, as well as adults from acquiring the disease. The administration of the vaccine provides with lifelong immunity to all three diseases and has a 95% efficacy. It is highly recommended that children should get 2 doses of MMR vaccine, the first being administered between 12-15 months of age and the second at ages 4-6, commonly right before the child begins kindergarten or first grade. The vaccine is also recommended for adults who have not been previously immunized against any of the thr ee viruses or are at a higher risk of exposure such as health care providers, international traveler, and university students. It is important to note that there are also contraindications to the vaccine and some people should no use it. Those who have preciously experience severe allergic reactions to one or more of the vaccine components or to a prior dose of MMR should not be vaccinated. Pregnant women should not be administered MMR or any of its components. Additionally, women attempting to become pregnant should avoid pregnancy for at least 30 days after vaccination with measles or mumps vaccines and for 3 months after administration of MMR or other rubella-containing vaccine because the risk to the fetus from the administration of these live virus vaccines cannot be excluded. Following the publication of a paper by British researcher Andrew Wakerfield in the medical journal The Lancet in 1998, huge controversy surrounded the idea of whether or not the MMR vaccine might cause autism. In his paper Wakerfield reported that MMR vaccine caused intestinal inflammation that led to translocation of nonpermeable peptides to the bloodstream and, subsequently, to the brain, where they affected development. In his report, the cases of eight children who developed autism and intestinal problems after receiving the MMR vaccine were discussed. However, to determined if these suspicions were correct, researchers preformed a series of studies in which they compared hundreds of children who had received the MMR vaccine with hundreds who had never received the vaccine. They found that the risk of autism was the same in both groups, thus agreeing that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism. Some parents wary of the safety of the MMR vaccine stopped getting their children immu nized although no data supporting an association between MMR vaccine and autism existed and a plausible biological mechanism is lacking which has cause immunization rates to dropped, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States, given way to the outbreaks of measles and mumps led to hospitalizations and deaths that could have been prevented. Rubin and Farber, 1994. Pathology. J. B. Lippincott Company. 227 East Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Womens Education And Empowerment In India Sociology Essay

Womens Education And Empowerment In India Sociology Essay Women constitute almost half of the population in the world. But the prevailing masculine ideology made them suffer a lot as they were denied equal opportunities in different parts of the world. The rise of feminist ideas have, however, led to the tremendous improvement of womens condition through out the world in recent times. India being a developing nation and having huge tussles among its political, religious and administrative organs resulting into blocked development and the worst effect of that we can witness into women condition .They do not have proper chance to learn and grow and access to education has been one of the most pressing demands of womens rights . Women education in India has also been a major preoccupation of both the government and civil society as educated women can play a very important role in the development of the country. History of Women Education in India(4,6): Although in the Vedic period women had access to education in India but as the time grew they lost this right to avail education and academic exposure. However, in the British period there was revival of interest in womens education in India due to Britishers strong influence to the core Indian education system. During this period, various socio religious movements led by eminent persons like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar emphasized on womens education in India. Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Periyar and Baba Saheb Ambedkar were leaders of the lower castes in India who took various initiatives to make education available to the women of India. They also ensured about their participation in the social gatherings and events by introducing them into polity and administration at all levels. However womens education got a fillip after the country got independence in 1947 and the government has taken various measures to provide education to all Indian women. As a result womens literacy rate has grown over the three decades and the growth of female literacy has in fact been higher than that of male literacy rate. While in 1971 only 22% of Indian women were literate, by the end of 2001 54.16% female were literate. The growth of female literacy rate is 14.87% as compared to 11.72 % of that of male literacy rate and is on growing path. Government has taken a step forward by making education compulsory and free to girl child till the age of fourteen. They are getting reservations in public sector exams and private sectors like Banks, Transport Services, Hospitality and Tourism, Healthcare etc. (4. Freedom Struggle By- Bipin Chandra Pal) Table The Literacy Rate in India 1901-2011 Percentage  Ã‚   of  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Literates  Ã‚  Ã‚   to  Ã‚   total  Ã‚  Ã‚   population Year  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Persons  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Males  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Females 1901  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   9.8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0.7 1911  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.1 1921  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.8 1931  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   9.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.9 1941  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   16.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.3 1951  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   16.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  24.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7.3 1961  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   34.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   13.0 1971  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   29.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   39.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  18.7 1981  Ã‚           Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   36.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   46.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24.8 1991  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   52.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   63.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   39.2 2001  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   65.38   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  76.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   54.0 2011(Recent data) 74.04 82.14 65.46 The above table shows that there is an improvement in women literacy in India during the years. But when we compare it with male literacy it becomes a concern area. (9. Censusindia.gov.in) Importance of Women Education in India(7): Women education in India plays a very important role in the overall development of the country. It not only helps in the development of half of the human resources, but in improving the quality of life at home and outside. Educated women not only tend to promote education of their girl children, but also can provide better guidance to all their children. Moreover educated women can also help in the reduction of infant mortality rate and growth of the nation. Education is a potent tool in the emancipation and empowerment of women. Its true that greatest single factor which can incredibly improve the status of women in any society is education. It is indispensable that education enables women not only to gain more knowledge about the world outside of her shell and home but helps her to get status, positive self esteem, and self confidence. It imparts necessary courage and inner strength to face challenges in life. Apparently it also facilitates them to procure a job and supplement the income of family and achieve social status. Education especially of women has a major impact on health and nutrition as an instrument of developing a sustainable strategy for population control. Moreover educated women can play an equally important role as men in nation building. Thus there is no denying fact that education empowers women. For example the different organs of the United Nations and experts on womens liberation argue for womens education as the basic step to attain equality with men. ( 7. Saraswathi Mishra, Status of Indian Women, Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi, 2002) Obstacles : As we have discussed earlier to improve women education and condition in India various initiatives and corrective measures have been done but still a lot is expected to be accomplished. THE ROOT CAUSES FOR LOW LITERACY AMONG WOMEN IN INDIA Women education is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. No single factor or cause can be held responsible for very low literacy rate of women in India. Subsequently it is associated with combination of many factors including social, cultural, economic, educational, demographic, political and administrative and so on. The following are the some of the important factors which could be attributed for the present poor state of affairs of womenfolk in education. The Lower Enrolment: The lower enrolment of girls in schools is one of the foundational factors which stand as stumbling block for women empowerment in India. Reliable sources indicate that more than 50 % of the Non-Starters (those who have never been to school) are girls.   According to the latest statistics, two out of every ten girls in the age group of 6-11 are still not enrolled in schools. (1) Higher drop-out rate among girls from schools: The incidence and prevalence of drop -outs among girls especially in rural, tribal and slums areas seem to be quite high. According to available sources, occurrence of drop-out and stagnation amongst girls is nearly twice that of boys all over India. (1) Girl Child as Second Mother: In many families girl children play the role of second mother by shouldering the responsibilities of household work such as looking after the sibling, fetching water, collecting firewood, bringing fodder for cattle, cleaning and cooking etc.   In rural India especially in poor families this traditional sex role makes girl child handicapped and conditioned by the attitude of mother and the family and discourages girl child to go school as it becomes secondary and unimportant. Hence girl child is getting deprived of her basic and fundamental right of education and freedom. (8) Bonded Labor System: This social evil is a quite discouraging phenomena which stand as barrier for girls education in rural areas for the underprivileged families of washer men and agricultural labor , scheduled caste and scheduled tribes. Caste System as a Barrier : Children belonging to low caste families are forced to learn skills and work ways and not encouraged to go to school due to various factors. Strict instruction /threat from high caste communities for their selfish motives of keeping them as domestic servants and child laborers in the farms or factory. We can witness this through the stories of various factories and farm houses in industrial cities of India. Media is also playing a crucial role here in promoting as well as resisting these mishaps. (8) Bane of Dowry: Dowry system and other social practices act as main causes of the neglect of the girl child and discrimination against girl child including the deprivation of right of education. In many families especially poor and down-trodden think that if their daughters are educated more, they have to accumulate more assets and properties to provide as dowry in large proportion at the time of marriage, so prefer rather to either stop their children with average education and so on but never higher education. This prevails more in underprivileged families and communities. (1) Child Labour Practice: A large segment of child population in India is engaged in child labour practices. According to UN sources   India is the most child labour populous nation in the globe with more than 50 million child labourers indulged in beedi works , carpet making , bricks,   mining , quarrying ,glass, bangles, match and fireworks, gem polishing ,handloom works. zari,   embroidery ,coir industry, domestic works, construction etc. In most of these industries girl children are preferred for high productivity and low cost. (8) Poor School Environment for girls: In general the school environment for girls in India is not really interesting and encouraging. The subjects taught in schools are also not related to the environment of girl children. The methods of teaching are mostly out dated, rigid and uninteresting. There are still hundreds of schools with poor basic amenities such as drinking water, latrine and toilet facilities, improper building, and inadequate number of teachers especially female teachers preferable for any parents for safety of their girl children from different types of exploitation and abuse. (7) Female age at marriage: There is high association of female literacy with female age at marriage.   By and large the female age at marriage of 18   ( recently 21 years ) as prescribed by various legislations not at all followed in India .It is very much ignored and neglected by the families of parents with low literacy and illiteracy background. This obnoxious practice discourages female children to continue their schooling and higher education as they enter into family life at the early age which is not advisable from the physical and mental health point of view and also of social development. (7) Inferiority, subservience and domesticity : The female child in Indian culture especially in rural, tribal and poor families is expected to develop the qualities of inferiority; subservience and domesticity which place sever limitations on her education and development. They are considered to be lesser important for getting knowledge of outside world and exposure to education and liberty. (6) Poverty as a Barrier: In many poverty stricken families, children especially girls are considered as economic  Ã‚   assets as they bring income for livelihood as well to save from economic crises due to death or incapacity of parents (sick/ handicapped/aged). Ineffective Law Enforcing Machinery: Indian constitution and various legislations pertaining to education to children assure free and compulsory education all children of this nation but unfortunately the enforcement machinery fail to discharge its duties and responsibilities to the satisfaction of the public interest and welfare of women. Due to this wrong implementation of right policies also women of our country is getting severely affected. (5) Demographic Factors: The high population growth rate, rapid urbanisation, migration etc also attribute immensely for the poor literacy level of women and girls in India. In these frequent transition girl Childs and women are getting neglected, uncared and unheard. (5) Poor Political Will and Conviction: Government officials, policy makers, politicians etc of our country have neither political will nor conviction for the empowerment of women in general. The only think about their personal benefits and money making ignoring the welfare of the community for whom and by whom they have reached to that position. It is a very sad and disappointing aspect of Indias democracy. (5) Gender discrimination: It still persists in India .Male are still dominating and commanding the social structure of the nation and lot more needs to be done to improve womens participation in this regard e.g. womens education. The gap in the male-female literacy rate is just a simple indicator. While the male literary rate is more than 75% according to the 2001 census, the female literacy rate is just 54.16%.Prevailing prejudices, low enrollment of girl child in the schools, engagements of girl children in domestic works and high drop out rate are major obstacles in the path of making all Indian women educated. (6) Poor Academia: Another reason for poor quality of women education here is the poor quality of teachers in government schools .Government schools are unable to attract good quality teachers due to inadequate teaching facilities and low salaries. The government currently spends only 3% of its GDP on education which is inadequate and insufficient. To improve the quality of education, the government needs to spend more money from its coffers on education. (4) Steps to improve their Participation : A A significant development in recent years has been the mushrooming of community-based organizations and initiatives at the local level for women. Reports indicates that self-help programs, often in the form of savings and credit or micro credit schemes, have succeeded in changing the lives of poor women, enhancing incomes and generating positive externalities such as increased self-esteem. Micro credit is about much more than access to money. It is about women gaining control over the means to make a living. It is about women lifting themselves out of poverty and vulnerability. I is about women achieving economic and political empowerment within their homes, their villages, their countries. (5) In this whole paper we have discussed about women condition in India in terms of access to education, opportunity to learn and grow and problems in achieving the same and at last some of the measures to rectify the errors and making things happen. B-One more initiative taken by the government is the voucher system. Under the voucher system, parents are allowed to choose a school for their children and they get full or partial reimbursement for the expenses from the government. But however, the voucher system has also a draw back because it will further aggravate the problem of poor quality of education in government schools. Such a system will shift resources from government schools to private schools. This will worsen the situation of government schools which are already under-funded. Moreover, if the same amount given as vouchers can be used to build infrastructure in schools then the government can realize economies of scale. (6) C -The government of India has also felt the need to put in place an appropriate institutional mechanism to look after the Education Rights of Women and thus instituted the formulation of All India Womens Conference, National Womens Commission and State Womens Commission. At the same time government has approved special grants and allowances to NGOs working for the cause of women upliftment and social mobility. Self Help Groups have also been constituted at Panchayat level to provide a platform for the rural women to discuss issues such as family planning, child marriage, widow remarriage, Sati, domestic violence. Mother Teresas Women University has greatly helped in the cause of women empowerment who received Noble Peace Prize for her genuine social work. (6) D India is getting a great help from World Bank for the betterment of women education and their empowerment in the country .It has approved funding for Andhra Pradesh Rural Poverty Reduction Programme (APRPRP) thus garnering international support for the upliftment of women. Womens reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha has gained momentum with Govt. of India promising the reservation of one-third seats in Parliament for the women. (8) E One of the recommendations of National Policy on Education (1986) by the Government of India is to promote empowerment of women through the agency of education and it is considered to be a land mark in the approach to womens education of illiterate. The National Literacy Mission is another positive step towards eradication of illiteracy in the age group of 15-35 years. Women education has assumed special significance in the context of Indias planned development, as it is incorporated in every Five-year plans as the major programme for the development of women. Universalization of elementary education, enrolment and retention of girls in the schools, promotion of balwadies and crutches, raising number of schools and colleges of arts , science, and professional for girls , Politechniques, girls hostels, multipurpose institutions and adult education programmes are some of the steps being   taken by both central and state governments in India to boost-up womens education. (5) F    Since the prevailing situation of poor or less enrolment of girls in schools closes the doors for development and prosperity of future generation of women, concerted efforts must be initiated jointly by the government, parents and civil society to achieve universal enrolment for girls without any compromise. The enrolment can be made even mandatory for every girls by the government in the realm of compulsory education. (5) G -The Ministry of Education both at Centre and State level should work out strategic steps to stop firmly the ongoing high drop -outs among girls especially in rural, tribal and slums areas with the serious involvement of voluntary organisations in every locality to realize zero drop-out among girls. (7) H -The poverty stricken families can   be identified through proper research and necessary poverty alleviation   services be provided to strengthen the income   thereby to enable the families to send their children to schools and colleges without much financial difficulties I -Bonded Child labour and Child labour   practice must be abolished with strict administrative measures and the relieved children form bondage   should be integratedinto schools with suitable defence social mechanism. J Appropriate steps should be taken by the educational authorities with the participation of communities in order to bring the girl children to the main stream of education and development at every level including family and community. K -The female child in every Indian family irrespective of socio-economic status should be moulded to overcome the challenges of inferiority; subservience and domesticity which place sever limitations on her education and development. Every family irrespective its socio-cultural and economic background can take it a challenge to bring up their girl children as dignified human being with empowerment in physical , mental, economic and social dimensions of life. (7) L The Midday meal scheme and other educational supportive services like free text books,   Note books , Fee uniforms , Free Bicycles, Free bus , scholarships Free bus pass and so on   as done in the state of Tamil Nadu can be provided in all states and union territories to lift up the literacy level among girls. (6) M As social evils like dowry, child marriage , caste system and other practices deprive rights of education for children belonging to poor and underprivileged families and communities, they should eliminated through well-designed packages of mass awareness programmes and social welfare measures with full support of   public, political parties, NGOs and government agencies. (7) N The electronic and print media can play significant role in building a good and positive image about girls and women in general in the society by giving no focus for such advertisements and news fetching commercial gain at the cost of depicting women as an object. This would help in changing the society s attitudes towards girls and their roles to treat every girl or woman as human being with self respect and dignity. (7) O Government, voluntary sector and philanthropic organisations and individuals should come forward to provide free education for poor girls and provide free   hostel facilities   for girls studying in schools and colleges in every state of India. This will certainly encourage children of poor families to pursue good and higher education without much impediments. (6) P The schools of social work, departments of women studies, Women Universities and other educational institutions in hand with   NGOs   and social service organisations such as Rotary Clubs , Lions Clubs , women lib organisations associations can work together to improve the educational status of the womenfolk in this country on mutual respect and understanding. (7) Q The parents of children belonging to poor, underprivileged families   must be specially educated with proper social formula to help them   to understand the significance of education   for their girl children as foundation for empowerment. (1) R Government, NGOs and public should work hand in hand to implement the minimum age at marriage (21and above) Awareness should be created to institutionalise it as a traditional practice cut acrossing castes, religions, community etc. (5) S Government officials, policy makers, political parties and others should have adequate political will and conviction to empower women in India without double standard mind T The law enforcing machinery should be made really effective with efficient monitoring vigilant system to implement the constitutional and legislative provisions and administrative measures to assure free and compulsory education for all children of this nation without any gender discrimination. (7) Its true that there is great deal of requirement to uplift women education in India at the grass root level because majority of the female population live in the rural areas .They do not avail the basic things in their life and to get education is still a distant dream for them. However Indian government is coming up with various scheme in their five year plan to make the situation healthy and encouraging for these women. In 1990s, grants from foreign donor agencies enabled the formation of new women-oriented NGOs(3). Self-help groups and NGOs such as Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA) have played a major role in womens rights in India. Many women have emerged as leaders of local movements. For example, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Companies like NIIT Ltd. (2) has come up with the project called Affirmative Action where they are taking girls from the down trodden areas and training them about English language, basic computer knowledge and after that helping them to get jobs in Retail, BPO ,Hospitality sectors. In this way the are educating them and by providing jobs women are getting empowered in taking decision, participating in family income and by helping their kids to make the future bright and opportunity oriented. (2 , 3) There is no doubt about the fact that development of women has always been the central focus of planning since Independence. Empowerment is a major step in this direction but it has to be seen in a relational context. A clear vision is needed to remove the obstacles to the path of womens emancipation both from the government and women themselves. Efforts should be directed towards all round development of each and every section of Indian women by giving them their due share. The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the bad phases of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been on better track. In modern India, women have acquired high offices in India including that of the President, Prime minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition, etc. The current President of India is a woman. (5) A review of governments various programmes for women empowerment such as Swashakti, Swayamsidha, Streeshakti, Balika samrudhi yojana and another two thousand projects reveal that little has been done or achieved through these programmes. The discrepancy in the ideology and practice of the empowerment policy of women in India constitutes its continued social, economic and social backwardness. Women make up 52% of our countrys population. Hence there can be no progress unless their needs and interests are fully met. Empowerment would not hold any meaning unless they are made strong, alert and aware of their equal status in the society. Policies should be framed to bring them into the mainstream of society. It is important to educate the women. The need of the hour is to improve female literacy as education holds the key to development. (2 , 3) There is no doubt about the fact that development of women has always been the central focus of planning since Independence. Empowerment is a major step in this direction but it has to be seen in a relational context. A clear vision is needed to remove the obstacles to the path of womens emancipation both from the government and women themselves. Efforts should be directed towards all round development of each and every section of Indian women by giving them their due share. I believe with the likes of Pratibha Patil, Sonia Gandhi, Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kochar etc. bagging the top jobs, it would not be long when India would be boosting of its Gender Equality Index (GEI) and Gender Development Index (GDI).Lesser will be the social stigma of women exploitation which have haunted it for many years gone by. Summary: Empowerment can be defined as the totality of the following or similar capabilities: Having decision-making power of their own Having access to information and resources for taking proper decision Having a range of options from which you can make choices (not just yes/no, either/or.) Ability to exercise assertiveness collective decision making Having positive thinking on the ability to make change Ability to learn skills for improving ones personal or group power. Ability to change others perceptions by democratic means. Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated Increasing ones positive self-image and overcoming stigma Conclusion: From these discussions we can say that the most common explanation of womens empowerment is the ability to exercise full control over ones actions. The last decades have witnessed some basic changes in the status and role of women in our society. There has been shift in policy approaches from the concept of welfare in the seventies to development in the eighties and now to growth in the nineties and now trumpet of empowerment. This process has been further accelerated with some sections of women becoming increasingly self-conscious of their discrimination in several areas of family and public life. They are also in a position to mobilize themselves on issues that can affect their overall position.

Symbolic Illustration of the Power of Relationships in Susan Glaspells

Symbolic Illustration of the Power of Relationships in Susan Glaspell's Trifles A friend can be a remarkable thing. Unfortunately, many lack the powerful bonds that all humans need to survive and lead healthy, happy lives. In Susan Glaspell's play Trifles, Mrs. Wright is starved of the human interaction and relationships she so desperately needs. Consequently, she is never rescued from her loneliness, is brought to the point where she cannot handle any more of life's saddening struggles, and kills her husband in his sleep. Through powerful and often ironic symbolism, such as Mrs. Wright's kitchen, the names of the characters, and the bird, Susan Glaspell clearly displays the power of human relationships and how truly devastating a lack of this absolute necessity can be. One of the numerous symbols Glaspell uses to emphasize the importance of wholesome human relationships is Mrs. Wright's kitchen. Upon entering the crime scene, the men and women notice the unkept kitchen. They are alarmed by the "Dirty towels" (Glaspell 1174), the unwashed pans under the sink, a loaf of bread outside the breadbox," "the walls covered with a faded wall paper" (Glaspell 1172), and the "sticky" shelves (Glaspell 1174). The abrupt, incomplete work reflects the emptiness Mrs. Wright had bottled inside of herself and also displays the sudden sense of explosion she must have experienced to go as far as murdering Mr. Wright. Also, they see a small chair beside the kitchen table. Obviously intended for a child, the small chair illustrates Mrs. Wright's empty expectations of raising children. Mrs. Hale explains, "Not having children makes less work-but it makes a quiet house, and Wright out to work all day, and no company when he did come in" (Glas... ...there are so many that go unnoticed and unappreciated. Unfortunately, they do not know how to reach out for help until it is too late. There are also many others that see these lonely and depressed individuals, but no one ever does. Mrs. Peters explains regretfully, "Somehow we just don't see how it is with other folks until-something turns up" (Glaspell 1178). Many times, it is unfortunately too late to save a person. Through her powerful symbols, Glaspell stresses the importance of reaching out to those that are lonely and need emotional support before it is too late. After all, "We all go through the same things-it's all just a different kind of same thing" (Glaspell 1180). Work Cited Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 5th ed. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. 1172-1181.

Symbolism in The House of Seven Gables :: House of the Seven Gables Essays

Symbolism in The House of Seven Gables  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   Literature reflects life, and the struggles that each of us must face. Great authors incorporate life's problems into their literature directly and indirectly.   The author bluntly tell us a story, however, he or she may also use symbols to relay to us a message in a more subtle manner.   In Nathaniel Hawthorne's book The House of Seven Gables symbolism is used to enhance the story being told, by giving us a deeper insight into the author's intentions in writing the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book begins by describing the most obvious symbol of the house itself.   The house itself takes on human like characteristics as it is being described by Hawthorne in the opening chapters.   The house is described as "breathing through the spiracles of one great chimney"(Hawthorne 7).   Hawthorne uses descriptive lines like this to turn the house into a symbol of the lives that have passed through its halls.   The house takes on a persona of a living creature that exists and influences the lives of everybody who enters through its doors. (Colacurcio 113)   "So much of mankind's varied experience had passed there - so much had been suffered, and something, too, enjoyed - that the very timbers were oozy, as with the moisture of a heart." (Hawthorne 27).   Hawthorne turns the house into a symbol of the collection of all the hearts that were darkened by the house.   "It was itself like a great human heart, with a life of its own, and full of rich and somber reminiscences" (Hawthorne 27). Evert Augustus Duyckinck agrees that "The chief perhaps, of the dramatis personae, is the house itself.   From its turrets to its kitchen, in every nook and recess without and within, it is alive and vital." (Hawthorne 352)   Duyckinck feels that the house is meant to be used as a symbol of an actual character, "Truly it is an actor in the scene"(Hawthorne 352).   This turns the house into an interesting, but still depressing place that darkens the book in many ways.   Hawthorne means for the house's gloomy atmosphere to symbolize many things in his book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The house also is used to symbolize a prison that has darkened the lives of its inmates forever.   The house is a prison because it prevents its inhabitants form truly enjoying any freedom.   The inhabitants try to

Body and Nature as Signifying System in A Thousand Acres Essay

Body and Nature as Signifying System in A Thousand Acres The female body, in literature as in other texts, functions as a kind of signifying system; a site of continuous signification. Traditionally, this has been understood in terms of transposing patriarchal or even misogynist cultural values onto the construction of the female body. In A Thousand Acres, however, Smiley turns this around. Just as this novel tries to gain control of the discourse of King Lear, and of metaphors of women therein, it also foregrounds the body as a textual matrix through which the subject can understand herself and the world. For Ginny Cook, social interaction escapes the realm of language, because so much of what is going on is hidden and because Larry is this silent signifier that only has to be to signify. Instead, she processes the information bodily. Thinking of Caroline's snubbing of her sisters when getting married, Ginny "realized that I felt the insult physically, an internal injury." (139) Later, shame, one of the feelings most often arising in Ginny with impetu... Body and Nature as Signifying System in A Thousand Acres Essay Body and Nature as Signifying System in A Thousand Acres The female body, in literature as in other texts, functions as a kind of signifying system; a site of continuous signification. Traditionally, this has been understood in terms of transposing patriarchal or even misogynist cultural values onto the construction of the female body. In A Thousand Acres, however, Smiley turns this around. Just as this novel tries to gain control of the discourse of King Lear, and of metaphors of women therein, it also foregrounds the body as a textual matrix through which the subject can understand herself and the world. For Ginny Cook, social interaction escapes the realm of language, because so much of what is going on is hidden and because Larry is this silent signifier that only has to be to signify. Instead, she processes the information bodily. Thinking of Caroline's snubbing of her sisters when getting married, Ginny "realized that I felt the insult physically, an internal injury." (139) Later, shame, one of the feelings most often arising in Ginny with impetu...

Balancing Penn Foster Sudies Essay

This process analysis essay is going to go through examples and talk about different ways to work around your life demands. At the same time of living your life with all the demands life hands you. Also being able to accomplish your goals for your career you are working towards. Balancing your life with your school studies. Balancing school and your life can be difficult. So to start off I’m going to give some examples of different strategies to try to accomplish your goals. First of all you could write out a schedule. Second examples of when your work is here it can sometimes get in the way of your school work, But as soon as you’re done with work then you have family. So if you spend time with the family then you’ll be able to do school work. Or you could do your school work around the time the kids take their naps or when they are playing or watching cartoons. So there are ways you can do your school work you have to stay focused. To balance school with work is it depends on your schedule where if you had time to work on it before you go to work or after you off work. Well to top it off if you were a single parents not working at the time and you were just going to school then you would be able to get a lot accomplished. Well your family is very important and you got spend time with them and make sure everything is organized. And life will be great when everything is in order. And if you weren’t working you could get your kids to do stuff like there homework and be able to do your work at the same time. Also, if I had to show what I do during the day it would be getting up in the morning. Second, would get ready for the day. If your child had day care or school you could take them over there for a couple of hours even though you didn’t have to work but you go to school online you would be able to get things accomplished while they were gone. And still be able to accomplish the demands of your family. So in conclusion, to sum everything up would to statagies your life and be able to get your demands in life in order as well as keeping up with your studies. So as long as you stay on task you will be able to do everything that you need to do to stay organized.

Rawls Trawls’ Theory of Justice, Hayeks Theory of Freedom

Friedrich Hayek was a British philosopher who wrote from his experiences of World War one in which he served. It is known that based on Hayek’s experience in the war and his desire to help avoid the mistakes that had orchestrated to the war; he was led to this career in which he developed the theory of freedom. Hayek argues that there are many definitions for the term freedom; however he refers to this as â€Å"freedom without coercion. Hayek also speaks to individual and personal freedom in which he argues that a man is either free or not free. Being free he says is acting on one’s own will and not the will of another and emphasises the idea that there are two types of freedom; freedom to and freedom from. When Hayek speaks to freedom, he makes mention of Political, Personal/Inner as well as Economic freedom. John Rawls on the other hand was an American philosopher who wrote from his experiences of World War two. Rawls developed the theory of Justice. Justice is a concept of moral relevance based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, equity or fairness. Rawls refers to â€Å"justice as fairness† and from the theory of justice, the liberty and difference principle was derived. Rawls argues that â€Å"Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as information is of preparations of thought. † From the theory of justice the original position and the veil of ignorance were also developed. You can read also  Justice System Position Paper   These concepts will be explained further. The aim of this essay is to outline and formulate major distinctions between the two theories listed above by stating the similarities as well as the differences that tells them apart and evaluate both theories, subsequently justifying which of the two provides a better explanation. As was mentioned before, Hayek’s theory of freedom refers to freedom from coercion. The term coercion refers to the act of compelling by force or authority. In Hayek’s words â€Å"coercion can be explained as control of a person's environment or circumstances such that â€Å"he is forced to act not according to a coherent plan of his own but to serve the ends of another,† and so â€Å"unable to use either his own intelligence or knowledge or to follow his own aims. † Hayek went on to say that coercion means having control for the environment so that he/she acts in the interest of the person rather than the interest of their own. Coercion he argues is will, because it removes or eliminates the individual as a thinking person that should be valued and asserts that the only way to prevent coercion is through the threat of coercion. The coerced lacks the ability of using his knowledge for his own purposes, since the effective use of aptitude requires that one be able to predict to an extent the conditions that exist in one’s environment and adhere to an arrangement of action. â€Å"But if the facts which determine our plans are under the sole control of another, our actions will be similarly controlled. † p. 34 For Hayek coercion means doing the will of another and not his own and he gives an example of this, â€Å"Even if the threat of starvation to me and perhaps to my family impels me to accept a distasteful job at a very low wage, I am not coerced by him or anybody else. So long as the act that has placed me in my predicament is not aimed at making me do or not do specific things, so long as t he intent of the act that harms me is not to make me serve another person's ends, its effect on my freedom is not different from that of any natural calamity a fire or a Rood that destroys my house or an accident that harms my health. p. 137 However, what may seem to be coercion to some may not be coercion to others, hence, Hayek outlines that the following conditions must be satisfied in order to say that a person has been coerced; The coerced person's environment must be controlled by another so that, while he does choose, he is made to choose what will serve the ends of another rather than his own ends, The coercer must threaten to inflict harm with the intention, thereby, to bring about certain ends, That which the coercer denies to me must be crucial to my existence or to what I most value, That the act of the coercer must be directed at me. Upon careful examination, it will become apparent that Hayek's definition of coercion is radically defective, primarily because it provides no objective and clear cut standard of what is a coercive act but rather leaves it to individual judgment (with reference to what the individual most values) the determination of when a coercive action has been committed. Hayek speaks also about personal freedom and this he explains as â€Å"inner freedom† which he explains as metaphysical or subject freedom which is the extent to which a person guides his actions by his/her own will, reasons and lasting conviction as opposed to momentarily impulses or circumstances. Economic freedom, which refers to freedom from enterprise or state control and Political freedom which refers to freedom from arbitrary rule or arrest and the opportunities people have to determine who should govern and by what principles. To Hayek, the existence of government is not only permissible but also desirable and he considers, as most classical liberals did, that defence, police, and the administration of justice are indispensable functions of government. He asserts that these governmental activities are not hindrances to a free society, but its guarantees and he argues that the only interference in freedom government should have is preventing one from coercing another. For Hayek freedom means the rejection of direct control over individuals’ efforts and he argues that knowledge must be available, free, unrestricted or controlled and that our faith in freedom should rest on the belief that it will create forces of good rather than evil and that the benefits we derive from freedom depends heavily on how others use it, however, he argues also that we cannot achieve certainty in human affairs so we best make use of the knowledge we have. Thus we should stick to the rules of experience which best serves our way of thinking, although we don’t know the consequences of using this knowledge. He believes civilization is progress and progress is civilization. Hayek also speaks about liberty and stresses that the true meaning of liberty is liberty under the rule of law, rather than unlimited liberty. It follows that freedom of economic activity means ‘freedom under the law, not the absence of all government action’ (Hayek, 1960, p. 220). Rawls on the other hand speaks about the theory of justice, from this the liberty and difference theory was derived and the â€Å"original/initial position† as well as the â€Å"veil of ignorance†. Rawls argued that two principles serve to organize society; the â€Å"liberty principle† which is the first principle of justice that speaks to the fact that person is to have an equal right to the most freedom compatible with everyone else having that same amount of freedom and the â€Å"difference principle† which is the second principle which is an egalitarian conception that unless there is a distribution that makes both parties better off an equal distribution is to be preferred and speaks to the fact that social economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both reasonably expected to be to everyone’s advantage and attached to the position and offices open to all. Primary Goods is a term used by Rawls to cover all the things that the Two Principles of Justice are going to divide up. They are things like rights, opportunities, incomes, power etcetera. Rawls He rooted the original position in and extended the concept of â€Å"social contract† previously advocated by Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke which made the principles of justice the object of the contract binding members of society together. The original position as that which representatives with limited information about the interests that they represent attempt to agree as to how society should be ordered and the veil of ignorance is the state of not knowing or having all knowledge or information for the alternatives but arriving at a position. This deal with the initial/original position which sets up a fair procedure that any principle agreed will be just. Rawls also speak of social justice which he states ‘is to be regarded as providing in the first instance a standard whereby the distributive aspects of the basic structure of society are to be assessed’; therefore, ‘they may not elucidate the justice†¦of voluntary cooperative arrangements or procedures for making contractual agreements’ (Rawls, 1999, pp. 7-8). For both theories, it can so far be seen that although both theories are different they also have similarities. The first similarity is that Rawls and Hayek both worked from the same tradition-liberalism in which they argued that individuals should to be free to pursue their own idea of the good life and that the state's role is as an enabler. Secondly, they both agree on â€Å"the essential point,† which is that principles of justice apply to the rules of institutions and social practices, but not to distributions of particular things across specific persons. Thirdly, the government is important and that the government exists to serve the people; the people do not exist to serve the government. Finally, they both argue agreed on the idea that the handicaps should be provided for. The differences as it relates to both theories are that; firstly, Hayek is from an economic standpoint while Rawls is more rationale and social. The main difference between both is their attitude to equality as Rawls believed in egalitarian and social justice which are two concepts that Hayek rejected as Rawls believe that each individual has different skill, talents and understanding hence they cannot be equal. Hayek argues that †Whether he is free or not does not depend on the range of choice but on whether he can expect to shape his course of action in accordance with his present intentions, or whether somebody else has power o to manipulate the conditions as to make him act according to that person’s will rather than his own. (Hayek, 1960, p. 13) His view is that one should work in order to achieve what they want and with this point of view, Hayek argues that ‘we may be free and yet miserable’ (Hayek, 1960, p. 18). In relation to Rawls’ definition of liberty, Hayek stresses that the true meaning of liberty is liberty under the rule of law, rather than unlimited liberty. It follows that freedom of economic activity means ‘freedom under the law, not the absence of all government action’ (Hayek, 1960, p. 220). Also, Hayek equates social justice with distributive justice and dismisses both of them. He claims that ‘liberalism aims at commutative justice and socialism at distributive justice’ and that ‘distributive justice is irreconcilable with freedom in the choice of one’s activities’ (Hayek, 1960, p. 440). In conclusion, I believe that Rawls theory of justice gives a better explanation as it is more accurate, I see this theory as the more applicable of the two to our society rather than that of Hayek’s as his notion of freedom and liberty is too wide and far-fetched for our developing societies. His notion on inequality and giving credit to the countries which are ahead is quite debatable, Rawls however believes in equal distribution of wealth. Rawls believes that if each individual is given the same opportunity then society will be just. Hayek on the other hand believes that each individual’s ability, skills and talent is different thus equality is impossible; this is to some extent true but distribution of state goods should be just and fair. Each individual should have equal opportunity regardless of social class or position. For Hayek an individual should be free to do as he so desires. How applicable would this be to our society? He argues that the government’s role should only to be implement sanctions for an individual’s action if they so believe that this individual has infringed on another’s right. Hayek further makes vague arguments that that the government should recognize and protect private domain and in doing so and that private persons will be given rules as to what the government will do in different types of situation. Again- inequality protruding.