Tuesday, August 6, 2019

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Essay Example for Free

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Essay One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest published in 1962 is a fiction novel by Ken Kesey. The novel is set in an Oregon asylum and serves as a study of the institutional practice and the human mind. Its curious approach lays the foundation for a discussion concerning truth, as not each event described by the narrator is possible truth in the book’s reality, such an evaluation is made by the reader. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is the creation of both the personal experiences of the author, Ken Kesey, and the particular culture in which it was written. Kesey developed the novel as he attended Stanford University as a graduate student in their Creative Writing program as the winner of a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. The novel was partly inspired by Kesey’s part-time job as an orderly in a Palo Alto veterans’ hospital. It was moreover as a student at Stanford where Kesey started participating in experiments for the psychology department that involved the exercise of LSD. This use of LSD had driven Kesey to have hallucinations while working as an orderly. Kesey imagine seeing a large Indian mopping the flooring of the hospital; this hallucination prompted Kesey to include the character Chief Bromden as the novel’s narrator. â€Å"What is the character of Bromden? How he regain his sanity? † A tall, half-Indian patient in the ward, Chief Bromden is the patient who has been considered the longest in the institution. Even though others believe that he is deaf and mute, Chief Bromden instead prefer not to speak, originally for the reason that others ignored him and then out of fear of Nurse Ratched. Chief Bromden is said to be the narrator of the novel. With the aid of McMurphy, he started to speak once more and reassert himself against Nurse Ratched and her workers. Chief Bromden speaks to McMurphy and sooner overcomes his schizophrenia throughout his influence, distinguishing himself for the physical giant and mistreated man he has always been. Chief Bromden’s background has had an intense impact on his character. Society never treated him with the respect every person deserved, and not being competent to face up to it, he was forced into hiding out in a mental institution. The abandon from society all through his life turned the Chief into a paranoid, unconfident and reserved man. The reader gets a quick look of Chief Bromden’s paranoia in the start of the novel. General Discussion The One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest novel in some sense structures a bridge between the bohemian beatnik movements of the 1950s and the 1960s counterculture movement. Kesey was significantly motivated by the beatnik culture around Stanford, and in the novel Kesey deals with a number of themes that would be important in the counterculture movement, as well as notions of freedom from repressive authority and a more liberated observation of sexuality. Kesey himself became an extremely influential counterculture figure as piece of the Merry Pranksters. Chief Bromden is a half American Indian. His father was a chief named Tee Ah Millatoona, which referred as The-pine-that-stands-tallest-on-the-mountain. That is why he is capable of using the title chief. He took on his mother’s last name of Bromden. He spent his growing up stage in the Columbian gorge. The chief is massive and tall and would appear very unapproachable and threatening to those who meet him. He was committed to the hospital institution and has been there for longer than anybody else, for over 15 years. Chief Bromden was put in there after World War two. The chief was an electricians assistant in a training camp prior to the army shipped him off to Germany. It is possibly due to working with electronics and the added tension of going to war that has led the chief to have such a harmful preoccupation with electronics. The chief has led everybody in the hospital, both staff and patients to think he is deaf and dumb. As a young child he was for all time ignored, by fellow students and adults, this could have been for the reason that he was so strange looking, being half American Indian and appearing so big and threatening yet being quite shy. I had to keep acting deaf if I wanted to hear at all Chief Bromden said. He felt abandoned by his peers all through life and so as an adult decided that as people acted like he was invisible he might as well vanish, It wasnt me that started acting deaf, it was people that first started acting like I was too dumb to hear or see or say anything at all Chief Bromden said. So acting to be deaf and dumb was most likely a defense mechanism. For him, his silence is also exceptionally potent. As he is capable to hear all that went on in the meetings where the doctors and nurses talk about the future of the patients. The doctors and nurses dont hesitate to declare anything in front of him for the reason that they assume he cant hear. Chief Bromden said They dont bother not talking out loud about their hate secrets when Im nearby because they think Im deaf and dumb. The process and experiences that Chief Bromden has to go through in order to regain his sanity is discussed below. In the first chapter, Kesey sets up the formation of the mental institution where the novel takes place. The authority figure is obviously Nurse Ratched, as yet known merely as Big Nurse, a woman whose character seems hardly human. Kesey makes the whole thing about Nurse Ratched mechanical and automated, such as her robotic movements and accurate speech. She is a representation of bureaucracy and authority in general. Conversely, even within this first chapter there are signs that behind this apparently inhuman facade there is some great instability. Chief Bromden appears to believe that Nurse Ratched is ready to snap at the black boys at any minute, and her big breasts, the one absurd part of her appearance, illustrate that she is unable of fully separating herself from typical human characteristics. The black boys, the workers at the institution, serve Nurse Ratched out of terror; on the other hand, their most well-known characteristic is an absolute hatred for all around them. Unlike Nurse Ratched, they are cruel, if only for the reason Nurse Ratched is incapable of feeling any satisfaction from the pain she inflicts. This makes them a more immediate threat to patients such as Chief Bromden, but also more at risk. They go through from the same human failings that Nurse Ratched has concealed. Even though Chief Bromden is the narrator of the tale, his descriptions cannot be entirely trusted. He is clearly unreliable, as shown when he hallucinates the Air Raid and the fog machine. The fog symbolizes Bromden’s own mental clarity; it will reappear whenever Chief Bromden turn into less stable and recede every time he becomes more coherent. It is significant that Chief Bromden is silent, for he stands for the more passive elements of society that submit to authority which is Nurse Ratched. In chapter three having illustrates the support staff of the hospital, Chief Bromden turns to the patients who occupy the institution. The majority of the patients are Acutes, meaning that they have the likelihood for rehabilitation and release, but Bromden makes the significant point that they also have the risk of becoming worse for the reason of their stay at the hospital, as established by Ruckly and Ellis. Kesey makes obvious the lines of disagreement between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched signifies rules and order, while McMurphy symbolizes anarchy and disobedience. Yet a more significant characteristic that McMurphy displays is showmanship. In this chapter he grasps for attention, acting like a politician on a campaign stop. This trait will cause McMurphy to be an easy target for those in the institution, mainly Nurse Ratched. Chief Bromden releases the critique of the mental institution in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to a bigger societal critique. The social criticism of the events in the novel generally entails the idea that the institution is a microcosm for the entire society, but Kesey moreover makes the precise connection between the institution and other societal organizations. The mental institution is intended to repair damage done by schools, churches and families, however operates under the similar conditions as these organizations and hence suffers the same problems. In chapter six Chief Bromden’s suggestion that Nurse Ratched can direct the clocks at the ward show that Chief Bromden is frequently unreliable as a narrator, but nonetheless remains constant with Ratched’s domineering and controlling personality. Harding, the president of the patients’ council and a college graduate, continues to serve as an expository device; it is he who gives details to McMurphy the causes for various events at the institution, such as the music. Kesey establishes another contrast between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched in this chapter. His confrontation with Nurse Pilbow, one of Ratched’s nurses, underscores that Ratched signifies sexuality, as compared to the passionless and reserved Nurse Ratched. In chapter seven, this chapter once again serves to demonstrate that Chief Bromden is an unreliable narrator. Even though several of the details of his observation are true, others are mainly fantasy; Bromden worries that the workers are using the Vegetables for terrible experiments and will do the same to him. On the other hand, Kesey makes it unquestionably clear that Bromden is having a hallucination in this chapter when Mr. Turkle, the night watchman, wakes him. In chapter twelve Kesey demonstrates these chapters in short succession. Two of these include little more than a paragraph. This serves to show the disjointed nature of Chief Bromden’s observations. He presents only short glimpses of events that transpire in the institution, none of which include any great importance. The most significant point that Chief Bromden makes is that the ‘insanity’ as illustrated by the fog is a comfort for the patients. It permits them to recede from the complexities of reality that McMurphy wants them to face. In chapter fifteen Kesey uses Chief Bromden mainly as a narrator who illustrates external conditions, and hardly gives insight into Chief Bromden’s own psychology. On the other hand, in this chapter Kesey gives several indication of the origin of Chief Bromden’s psychological problems. Bromden relates the imaginary ‘fog machine’ of the mental institution to the fog that surrounded him throughout wartime. This point out that Chief Bromden probably suffers from shell-shock caused by his war experience, and it is this shell-shock which driven him to lose his grip on sanity. Kesey in addition gives a similar psychological deconstruction of Billy Bibbit. The beginning of Billy Bibbit’s problems leads to a strict Freudian interpretation. He is the creation of a domineering mother who controls his all action, as well as deciding which woman is suitable for him to marry. That the first word Billy Bibbit stuttered was ‘mama’ is an obvious indication that she is the cause of his problems. His mother’s obvious collaboration with Nurse Ratched is additional evidence that Billy’s mother is the cause of most of his troubles. McMurphy assumes the part of a revolutionary in this chapter. When he rebels against Nurse Ratched by breaking from the recognized schedule to watch the World Series, McMurphy at last abandons the rules and regulations of the ward. This rebellion take place, though, only after it is obvious that McMurphy cannot take part in the apparently democratic system that Nurse Ratched controls. This is a significant point, for it reveals that McMurphy is not a casual anarchist bent on breaking down any system of governance, but rather a man driven to rebellion by an unjust system around him. Even though Nurse Ratched’s claim that the vote is democratic, her vote consists the Chronics, who have no capability to make a rational choice required of voting. This guarantees that Nurse Ratched can keep the status quo, despite the clear support for McMurphy. When McMurphy shatters from his schedule to watch the World Series, he makes an ultimate break from the ‘government’ of Nurse Ratched. It is a revolutionary measure on the level of the institution. The vote for the World Series is a defining moment for Chief Bromden, for it is the first point through which he reasserts himself as a functioning person. He does this in the course of his vote for McMurphy, the first ultimate, responsive action that Chief Bromden takes throughout the novel, and continues this pattern when he unites with McMurphy and the other Acutes in the protest against Nurse Ratched. This underscores a foremost theme of the novel, the importance of rational choice. It is the capability to choose that determines one’s status as a rational human being. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in a very important sense centers on the conflict between McMurphy, who characterizes this capability for choice, and Nurse Ratched, who does not permit persons to determine decisions for themselves. In chapter sixteen the fog that Chief Bromden declares to see is a symbol of his incoherence and incapacity to assert himself, therefore when Bromden makes the decision to join the other men in dispute of Nurse Ratched, the fog vanish. This decision comes at a cost, on the other hand; by making choices Chief Bromden becomes susceptible, as he realizes. He loses the protection of the fog for the privileges of human choice. Chief Bromden’s choice to present himself once again as deaf and dumb is a strategic move that serves both himself and, for the narrative intentions of the story, Kesey. Bromden uses the perception that he is deaf and dumb as a scheme to deflect harassment by the black boys, but this perception also permits Chief Bromden access to circumstances such as the staff meeting that would usually remain secretive. Kesey grants Bromden access to the staff meeting to gives better insight into both Nurse Ratched and the perceptions of McMurphy. In chapter seventeen Kesey demonstrates the change in Chief Bromden in this chapter, when the character awakes and watches the dog outside the window. This shows that Chief Bromden is now more aware of the outside world. He can conceive of existence outside of the institution, as he could not before. McMurphy is the primary cause of this change. In chapter twenty four Chief Bromden’s stories about his childhood reveal that he, like Harding and Billy Bibbit, undergoes to some degree from a domineering female figure. Like Billy Bibbit, Chief Bromden is frightened by his mother, whom he describes as â€Å"twice as tall† as his father, who was himself a big man. Chief Bromden point out that his mother dominated both him and his father, causal to the problems that both faced. It is from his father that Chief Bromden developed the thought of the Combine. The story that Chief Bromden tells McMurphy supplies a huge deal to a psychological analysis of the character. He appears to be deaf and dumb mainly for the reason that he has been frightened by others around him, whether heartless inspectors or his domineering mother. However Chief Bromden reasserts himself once McMurphy proves him some degree of kindness and respect. Chief Bromden is possibly the best example that Kesey provides of the beneficial effect that McMurphy has on the patients in the institution. Kesey indicates later even when McMurphy discusses the control panel in the tub room. He gives Chief Bromden the thought that he might be able to raise the control panel and throw it all the way through the window, permitting an escape. The one question that remains is what will induce Chief Bromden to carry out this action. In chapter twenty seven Nurse Ratched does achieve a victory over McMurphy in this chapter, but whatsoever victory she has will be short-term. The shock treatment does not radically affect Chief Bromden; he rapidly regains a sense of lucidity subsequently and returns to rationality. More significantly, the nurse who treats McMurphy’s wounds makes the significant point that other nurses are contradicted to Nurse Ratched’s behavior. Even though Nurse Ratched keeps a tight grip on her specific ward, she is susceptible within the very institutional structure she uses against her patients. In chapter Twenty-Nine the final chapter of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest culminates in a pyrrhic triumph for Nurse Ratched but a final triumph for the martyred McMurphy. The argument between the two characters aligns on sexual lines, as set up by the disagreement between Nurse Ratched and Billy Bibbit that instantaneously precedes it. McMurphy’s attack on Nurse Ratched results an exact exposing of the Big Nurse. Once again the sexual connotations are tough, for when he attacks her he reveals her breasts, the one sign of her femininity. This also relates back to Harding’s previous suggestion that sex is the cure for Nurse Ratched; this chapter demonstrates that, if it is not the cure, it is surely a potent weapon against her. The outcome of this fight, nevertheless, is the final dehumanization of Nurse Ratched. When she proceeds to the ward, she is incapable of speaking and hence has lost a foremost sign of humanity. This neatly parallels Chief Bromden, who in the path of the novel recovers his voice and his humanity. McMurphy apparently loses his battle against Nurse Ratched when she commands a lobotomy for him, but the victory is hollow; she loses power over the ward as the other patients free themselves of her grip and willingly leave the hospital. This moreover fits in well with the Christian symbolism of the novel; even though McMurphy dies for his reason, his disciples leave the hospital to live in accordance to his teachings. They achieve the strength and the liberty to make independent choices that McMurphy proposed. Chief Bromden best exemplifies this. Throughout the course of the novel he has regained his voice, and he makes the ultimate step in the direction of self-realization at the novel’s end. By moving the control panel, Chief Bromden fulfills McMurphy’s desires and reasserts himself as a member of society.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Amistad: Film and Book Comparison

Amistad: Film and Book Comparison Jinchen Zhao After watching the film Amistad and read the book of this story, I feel like they are both valuable to study the history of America in 1840s. Meanwhile, from my point of view, the book is more academical than the movie while the movie can give you a quick idea about what is really going on in the story and you can feel the story more directly than the book. Now, lets compare them in different aspects. What can the student more readily learn from the film as opposed to the book? After watching the movie, the first thing that I feel different from the book is the mood that those actors behaved were really shocking. From the movie, we can directly feel the eager of those black people whom lead by Cinque want to regain their freedom.The time that Cinque yelled out Gives us free make me feel the power of those black people and this cant be shown in the book. Furthermore, the visual appeal it emanates to the audience, and we all can feel the frustration as the Africans when they want to say about themselves but they cannot due to they are unable to speak English, meanwhile, we all can feel the happiness when they finally have their freedom back. That is hardly to feel when we only read the book. Do the different mediums tell the same story or are there sufficient reasons to argue they do not? This question is pretty hard to tell, in my point of view, they are neither telling the EXACT same story nor they are telling the different story. First of all, the book is more academical resource of the story, and the book is telling us the story more in direct ways. For example: There are a lot of examples about the effect to people, city, countries if the Africans are freed. E.g. Van Buren was more thinking about the influence about his re-election if he choose to free those African people.(p.47) The Cuban Planters always considering the number of free black people they would like to give as they do not want the uprising of them and at the same time, they want profit. (p.19) All those examples made the book a perfect resource for research and the book gives us more details about the environment in the society as well as introduced many political jargon. On the other hand, the story line in the movie is almost the same as the book. From the uprising to got caught and finally earne d their freedom in the end. Yet there is some difference. As we all know. The movie Amistad is a typical Hollywood film, in this case, there is inevitable changes to the original story in order to let people pay to watch the movie and be entertained by the film. For example:In the book, Roger Baldwin was interested in free the African people before the Amistad trial and he was trying to help them in a previous court base. Yet in the film, thats not what the person is, the film want to make the character: Roger Baldwin, have a good turn-around and make the story more interesting,Roger Baldwin only begin to fight for the African people at the end of the movie, he was more caring about his career advancing in the beginning.(p.37 and film). Cinque did not kill the captain of Amistad in the book(p.25), instead he let his friends strangle him. This can be reasoned as the Hollywood movie usually want to build a hero in the film and that is Cinque. The most different thing about the film an d the book is the procedure of the trial. Although they reach the same conclusion: The Africans earned their freedom, but in the book, there are long long story that they used many words to convince that the Africans should earned their freedom while in the movie, it is more likely that all people are persuaded by John Quincy Adams in a matter of time.(p.193) Since the film version of this historical event cannot contain the same amount of detail as the book version, do the details omitted from the film essentially presented different account to the extent that the history portrayed is essentially different from that depicted in the book? From my opinion, the details that omitted from the film does not produce a different story. They are more likely to be a additional remarks to each other. Basically, the book and the film shows us the same story, from the beginning of the uprising to get caught again and through the trails then finally get their freedom back, the main story line are pretty the same,yet there is still differences. The people in the book are more accurate to describe what they really are, their personality, the thinking, the attitude is clearly described in the book. On the other hand, as the major goal of a film is to make audience pay and make them entertained, there are some difference in the film. But in general, the film cannot be called a different story. Is one medium more suited to academic study? Does this make one medium superior to the other when it comes to teaching history in university? To this question, I think the answer is: Yes, the book is more suited to academic study. First of all, the book is extremely informative as it is based on the research those who are extremely well-known in the Amistad subject, legal materials and records from archives. All this gives Jones plenty of valuable information to write a accurate book and provide a deep analysis about the whole story around Amistad. The detail provided by the book is extremely valuable and this makes the book a much more suited to academic study than the book because when people read the book, they can know that this is what really happen in the past rather than thinking which part is changed in the film in order to make people like the movie more. Jones remains neutral in the book and he only gives us the facts of the story. He clearly described how Amistad trial affect the people who were fighting for black peoples rights(p.27), he told us the divide between the North and South of America during the elect ion, and the problem between Spain and America. On the other hand,   the film did present the story to us, but to be honest, although the main story line are the same, yet the details are inaccurate. In academic study, you want to teach students the truth about history and let students know the details of the whole trial. It is just not quite well to use the film to teach in academic study due to the inaccurate and lack of details. Do both mediums use the same sources? And What sort of sources do the film and the book rely on? In my point of view, they are using the different sources, as I said earlier, the book is based on the professors research of Amistad project, court records from archives and legal materials etc. It is more detailed and accurate while the film is almost totally based on the book and made some adjustment to entertain audiences more while earn some profit in the film. 6. If you would be given the task of teaching the history of this subject, is using one medium more preferable than the other for teaching a first-year university class? In this case, as we are teaching a first-year university class. To be fair, it is not easy for students to read a 280+ page books in a short time. In this case, I would say I will use the movie as the primary resource to teach first year students to let them have a general idea about the story. At the same time, I will tell them that there is some problem with the film which is inaccurate and lack of details, I might assign homework or assignment to let student have a research on the books about the difference between the real story and the story that presented in the film. Of course, I will provide a small range of page on the book to help students quickly locate the main points. E.g. Pg20-25. Meanwhile, it is good to write a small essay around 300-400 words after finish watching a 2 hour film. The film is a perfect resource to let first-year students know the general idea of the story and at the same time, it wont be too hard to understand. Although I do believe that reading the wh ole book is much more accurate and full of details. To be fair, it is still not good enough to be a teaching material as we cannot spend whole term on a single story. In conclusion, Amistad is a good story to study the past of 1840s in America, the book is more detailed and accurate about the history and make it a perfect choice of academic study or research while the movie can let us have a wonderful two and half hours of history feast while still can get the main story line. Both material are extremely valuable, we cannot decline any of those two in the function of helping us learning the past. To best describe the relationship between the book and the movie, I think the movie can be the best attachment to the book. The Gender Imbalance in China: History and Overview The Gender Imbalance in China: History and Overview Introduction Carl Max identified social class as the definitive origin of classism as well as of oppression in regards to women. In respect to China, leaders assumed that the birth of the Republic brought with it the demise of class-based discrimination thereby liberating women. But this is not particularly the case as the new society was characterized by amplified efforts to transform the society through masculinization as women became increasingly pressured to act as well as dress in a manly manner. In this respect, the period encompassing the Cultural Revolution saw â€Å"women who tried to look feminine† criticized â€Å"for their improper attitudes† (Ownby, 351). This submission will seek to â€Å"In China’s Modern Economy, a Retro Push against Women† appearing in the New York Times in regards to the picture it paints in relation to gender in China to ordinary American reader. Based on the course as well as various course materials, the article will be critiqued i n regards to the manner in which it displaces various figures presented by the course. Discussion The economic explosion in China has created an array of opportunities for Chinese women on the one hand, but has equally fostered a renaissance of long-introverted traditional values. Increasingly, men as well as women hold the hold the opinion that a woman’s place in society is confined to the home. In this regard, affluent men take mistresses in what epitomizes a modern resurgence of concubines coupled with increasing pressure for women to marry early. In the workplace and particularly the corporate scene, the Socialist-epoch consensus has been substituted with open sexism, which in some intances is toughened by the law (Tatlow and Forsythe, 1). This summation is consistent with the requirement that women bind their feet as the men did as outlined by predetermined cultural norms as well as practices to in an effort to fulfill the need to use the body as attire and therefore use the body as reflection of the society. â€Å"The body was a signpost that could be rearranged by a person to show political allegiance or defiance. The mass hysteria that enforced conformity to Manchu attire unleashed, in turn, affords new insights into the gendered nature of conceptions of the body† (Ko, 20). Patriarchal Society In regards to the article and the impression created to the general reader in America, China is not the society that has been portrayed in various media. It is not a model state in relation to the place of women in the society in comparison with other parts of Asia. The regime has gone to great lengths to portray women as being equal to their male counterparts by declaring their role in the society as being equal to the half the sky (Tatlow and Forsythe, 2). However, the reality is that women still play second fiddle to men and what the Chinese authorities are trying to do is present as false picture to the world in order to justify their position as a global leader underlined by the need to achieve gender equity as well as equality. However, this conclusion does not present itself clearly from the article but the underlying theme of the article is predicated on debunking the erroneous myths advanced to the ordinary American reader. Indeed, while the women in corporate America are struggling with the glass ceiling, their counterparts in China are battling a different and more potent form of career discrimination: the sticky floor. Though the glass ceiling does prevail in China, most women do not seem to progress from the point they entered a career in. They will remain there playing a predefined role in order to meet a specific target. The reality presented here is one where the society tries to maintain as well as control traditional values as opposed to promoting the ideals of a modern woman within a contemporary society. To the American reader, having a woman or several of them in on the board of public or private organization is standard practice due to the inherent advantages within the global business context. However, in the Chinese society as presently constituted, this notion is met with misunderstanding and to some extent boredom by business and government leaders. At this point, the question that begs is why this trend is so prominent in China particularly in state-owned organizations where for instance, a majority of the firms making up the CS300 assemblage do not have women directors despite being owned by the state which could simply make an executive order and make it a requirement for the fairer sex to be represented. A closer look at the article reveals a situation where the society as it were tries to justify why women are still being oppressed and confined to peripheral roles within the great economic renaissance sweeping through China. In this regard, women should be blamed for the precarious situation they find themselves in the present society as they have failed to fight for equality (Tatlow and Forsythe, 3). This conclusion could not deviate further from the truth as the society as presently assembled fails to facilitate the creation of a conducive environment for women to demand their rightful place in the social, economic as well as political realm. Take the Leadership of the Chinese Communism Part as a case in point. The party is primarily dominated by the male gender throughout its ranks. In fact, no woman has ever expressed any intention of ascending to its leadership and by extension the leadership of the Republic due to the patriarchal nature of the current political dispensation th at then defines the interactions within the other facets of the society. Further â€Å"the feminine qualities of irrationality, willingness, regret, romanticism, and love of illusion† have been carried forward to the present generation and as such continue to determine the role women play in the society as regards politics (Barlow and Bjorge, 316). Republican China It is important to take cognizance of the fact that the situation presented by the article has not been sustained throughout the entire history of China. It is therefore important to examine the function women have played historically particularly during the initial decades of the twentieth century- an aspect that has not been adequately examined by the authors. In this regard, the Guomindang Civil Code during the last decade of the 20th century recognized the vital role of an individual in regards to legal purposes. Women were consequently accorded passive agency which, enabled them to resist or endure abuse and if their resistance was judged insufficient, they were criminally liable. Consequently, women were regarded as active agents as well totally autonomous and like men; they controlled their own choices in marriage, sought divorce and inherited property. These then laid the foundation of the new republican society in China (Hershatter, 24). This means that the present society in China was build through an appreciation of the critical role that both sexes can play in building a modern society predicated on class as well as social equality. As previously Stated, the leadership within the Republic views women as holding up half the sky and this statement is therefore not as misplaced as the article would like to portray to the common folk in America. The only difference here being that over time and particularly in the years following the Cultural Revolution, the society changed and perceived the role of women as confined to the home setting. This is why women are today encouraged or rather pressured into marrying early and therefore leaving their career to raise children. New Woman versus Modern Girl The change in gender and sexuality in China during the preliminary decades of this epoch, was first and foremost motivated by the recognition that confining women to their conformist roles within the confines of home and away from the work force meant that their potential to add to the revolution required in the country would remain unexploited and consequently restrain the productivity required to build a modern society as well as economy. To realize this nationalistic goal, China had no option but to construct a novel woman- one who would contribute positively to the state as well as the nation. This woman would be detached from conventional female seclusion based on the fact that labor or gender roles were â€Å"linked with family disaster, with hardship, and barely getting by† (Hershatter, 57). However after China achieved its intended goal as regards to creating a new state, it seems that it was widely believed that women had made their contribution and such, would not be required in China and their place was subsequently their role was confined to the domestic realm. Though a great read, the article fails to take cognizance of these facts in order to give the common reader a lucid picture as to the important contribution made by Chinese women throughput various stages of its illustrious history. What the article does is portray a society that never went through various transformations since the Maoist era where discussing such issues like â€Å"personal life, romantic relationships, or sex was considered bourgeois and hence taboo† (Honig, 143). The new woman created during the creation of the republic therefore differs markedly from the modern girl in the sense that the latter has no role to pray in furthering the goals of the current dispensation as was the case w ith the latter. In this regard, it is important to note that the Cultural Revolution succeeded in creating a modern woman but did not extend the benefits to the modern woman. Positionality in Modern China The current position of women in China is borne out of the realization that the communist regime emphasized gender equality in an effort to unite the two sexes as the nation focused attention on building socialism. The general picture portrayed here is one that depicts gender equality rhetoric that basically epitomizes the reality of inequality in the present society, where women are no more than keepers of the home and therefore cannot play any significant or make any significant contribution to Modern China. Women were only accorded equal status as men in order to for them to get educated and therefore reflect the aspiration of the new Republic. From the article appearing in the New York Times, it is important to examine what being a woman in the current society in China means in regards to the dynamic responsibilities in workplaces as well as the society. The changing social in addition to economic fabric has created numerous opportunities in regards to Chinese women but it is important to interrogate whether these transformations have impacted the roles of women in any significant way. In this respect, a Chinese woman is required by the society, to continue playing her traditional values as espoused by the traditional values esteemed by the cultural stratum while at the same time utilizing the opportunities as well as freedoms presented by the new China (Tatlow and Forsythe, 4). In addition, the growing middleclass living lucratively within the cities is focused on giving their daughter the opportunities they never hand in order to compete effectively with their male colleagues but the idea that women should marry early and consequently leave their careers early in order to raise their children still underlines their perspectives as regards the role of women. This conclusion is supported by fact that even though the Chinese society has changed profoundly in the last few decades, just like other women in the world, they have to strike a balance work and family responsibility if they are going to gain their rightful place in the society (Tatlow and Forsythe, 5). In this respect, a woman can be on the one hand an individual while on the other represent numerous characters. This is markedly different from the manner in which men are viewed as they are only required to be individuals without other characters irrespective of the setting. It is clear that the society under consideration is more opened-minded and continues to recognize the important contribution of women towards social and economic as well as political advancement but societal pressures still persist. Gender differences will therefore continue to influence the way women are viewed and as such, they will never be truly emancipated. Indeed, the powerful assumptions that women are obliged to marry early and consequently focus their energies on families after the birth of a child will account for inherent disparities going forward. More importantly, despite the provisions in law prohibiting discrimination, the vagueness in the writing as well as spirit will continue to maintain the status quo and as such, women will repose as well as reside in the realm of second citizenly from where they cannot make any significant contribution to the future of China (Tatlow and Forsythe, 6). Conclusion The article, â€Å"In China’s Modern Economy, a Retro Push against Women† is great read in regards to painting a true picture of the position women hold in contemporary China. It portrays gender as defining factor in interactions within the society. To the American reader, it depicts are a markedly different situation since the women in the corporate sector there are battling the sticky floor as opposed to the glass ceiling. In essence, the article underscores the need within the society to restrict women to a particular rank without giving them any incentive to progress as societal needs in regards to gender roles must at all times supersede the need to progress career-wise. Works cited Barlow, Tani E and Bjorge Gary J. I Myself Am A woman: Selected writings of Ding Ling. Boston: Boston Press, 1989. Print. Hershatter, Gail. National Countermemories: The Gender of Memory: Rural Chinese Women and the 1950s. Gender and Cultural Memory, 2002: 43-70. Print. Honig, Emily. Socialist Sex: The Cultural Revolution Revisted. Modern China 29.2, 2003: 143-175. Print. Ko, Dorothy. The Body As Attire: The Shifting Meaning of Footbinding in Sebenteeth Century China. Journal of Womens History, 1997: 8-27. Print. Ownby, David. The Gender of Rebels. Du, Shanshan and Ya-chen Chen. Women and Gender in Contemporary Chinese Societies: Beyond Han Patriarchy. Lexington Books, 2013. 385-386. Print. Tatlow, Didi Kirsten and Michael Forsythe. In China’s Modern Economy, a Retro Push Against Women. New York Times, 20th February 2015. Web.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Essay --

The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike was a pivotal event in Canadian labor history. It was fight for the injustice happening to the people of Canada who worked extremely hard to fight the war for Europe. These factory workers and the returned soldiers wanted nothing more than the fulfilment of the needs. For instance, they wanted better wages, stable jobs. However, as soldiers came back after fighting the war their jobs were taken by the immigrants. In addition to the workers who already were working for these metal industries wanted recognition and better working condition, which then led to the 1919 Winnipeg strike. The strike started on 15 may by the second day more than 35000 workers were on strike. The Winnipeg police and the police union decided together, and came to the strike only to be demanded by the strike committee to rejoin their jobs. One can tell that the motive of the municipal police was clear; they did not demand any violence. However, they were greatly misunderstood, p art of the police force were confused with the strikers. The City of Winnipeg Police Commission terminated the nearly all the local police constables for declining to sign an agreement and taking the oath to neither participate nor belong to the strike. These police officers were enforced out by the law and order; their initial places were filled with special constables. The newly hired constables were not as trained as the previous ones; they were given horses and baseball bats, to freely use those on the strikers as required by the situation. The Winnipeg police force was with the strikers and was greatly sympathetic to the strikers. For this reason that, they refused to sign the contract. The citizen’s committee of 1000 was consisting of the elite c... ... a real job. The living inside these camps created frustration between the resident, which then lead to the union created inside the camp to fight off the injustice happening in these camps. Therefore, one can see that the camp created by the federal government were not there to deal mainly with the issue of poverty and providing the needy with shelters. The main reason behind it was to resolve the issue of militancy beforehand. However, as seen in many cases these measures did not only generate more issues to deal with nonetheless also shaped agitation among the already disturbed civilians. Bennett’s government tried their best to resolve the issue. But the era 1930s was not very favorable for them. They nation was trying to get through the great depression and at the same time was trying to calm their civilians down by preventing them to take any serious measures.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Where I Work :: essays research papers

Where I WORK (Case #1) The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was established as a place for people to buy or sell stocks. It was started in May of 1792 underneath a buttonwood tree on Wall Street. The expansion of the ideas and dreams of the 24 men is the reason why I have a job today. I would like to share with you the inside of the NYSE from an employee’s point of view. At the NYSE there is a division called Securities Industries Automation Corporation (SIAC), I am an online lead operator. I am responsible for the monitoring, troubleshooting, and resolving of online issues pertaining to the many host system (other computers) that interact with the New York Stock Exchange. I work in the Switching and Order Processing section, whose sole purpose is to maintain zero (0) down time for all of the equipment of the exchange. By this I mean making sure all the computers, printers, handheld devices, overhead screens, etc. are all connected to its proper ports and they are up and functioning properly. In addition to that the department has to keep track of all the orders that are handled through the exchange and check the orders integrity as governed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The NYSE must also meet the operational requirements of the member firm (the companies that trade on the NYSE floor). The organizational culture of my company is set by the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Due to the SEC’s constraints it is difficult to change the culture. According to the 7 dimensions of organizational culture I would rate my company as such: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Innovation and Risk Taking – (rating 1) Due to the restraints and standards set by the SEC there is little room for this. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Attention to Detail – (rating 5) This is the platform on which the organization is structured. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Outcome Orientation – (rating 5) the organization is â€Å"Procedure Driven† but the wrong outcome could affect the entire investment community. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People Orientation – (rating 2) Due to the rules and compliances. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team Orientation – (rating 5) This is a very important dimension of the organization. For a project to succeed it needs the contribution of different resources. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aggressiveness – (rating 3) As in most organization there is a need to climb the corporate ladder. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stability – (rating 5) Because of the ever-increasing demands of the many customers. As an employee of the New York Stock Exchange for over 13 years, I have observed much of the organization’s culture.

roll of thunder :: essays research papers

If you go back to the Old House, it's in ruins and the Clock Tower is gone. But remember this place to come back later when you have some items that you don't have at the moment... At Father's House, the baby bird is spreading its wings. Unfortunately, it doesn't say anything with a Relay. One of the books you may be able to read now is here too: Level 15 (Shield Pack). Don't worry if you're not up this high yet; if you keep fighting monsters you'll either get there, or you'll spend so much on curing damage that you'll eventually figure out you need to kill easier monsters for a while to get levels so you can add points to the Robots. It helps too if you raise the levels of the Robots' weapons, or build and give them better Boots or Shields. If you did manage to get to Level 19 already, read the book for Weather and follow the instructions in the Scraps section to get ScrapB. You can do this later though, with no ill effects. OK, let's go on a trip to South Isle! Go to the Harbor area, which is monster-free. Talk to the man in the grass skirt, then walk onto the boat. Wait while it toils across the seas of Quintenix. You'll arrive at the Pier area on South Isle. When you leave the area, the path to the Village area is revealed. Mint and more natives are in there, and the screen shakes along with a sound effect like a helicopter (on my emulator, at least); that's the Volcano. There's a Tool Shop in the Village, but it has the same stock as the one in Rococo and the prices are 50% higher. Find the Shaman's house in the northwest, and then enter the Elder's house in the northeast. Now visit the Shaman's house, and note that blocked door in the first room for later. Or you can skip all the background information, including talking to the Mayor, and just talk to the native in the Inn and then moving into the left bed. There will be a dream sequence with a gold robot at the Volcano. Talk to the native standing near the exit, and the path to the Volcano area will be revealed when you leave. The Volcano area is monster-free (for now). Explore it and get the Celtis 1 and $300 treasures before you talk to the native blocking the stairs to the hole.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Death of a Salesman (Bernard)

In ‘Death of a Salesman’ written by Arthur Miller, Bernard is shown as a tremendously memorable character. Throughout the play, his contradictions to Biff, poor judgments of him and his parent- like personality are well presented. By using the character, Miller tries to convey the moral messages and develops an attention grabbing plot First, Bernard’s contradictory character compared to Biff, makes him memorable. Bernard is literally everything that Biff is not. Biff is a high school football star while Bernard is just an ordinary and unpopular student.Biff is more likely to be immoral while Bernard truly worries and being realistic about him. For instance, Bernard says ‘Listen, Biff, I heard Mr. Birnbaum say that if you don’t start studyin’ math he’s gonna flunk you, and you won’t graduate. I heard him! ’ The quote shows Bernard is very aware of Biffs’ gloomy future and also somehow predicts substantially different futures of those two characters. The audiences may feel a sense of relief toward Bernard as he is the only one, who actually shows the real world and eventually becomes successful than any other characters in the play.By using the character Bernard, Miller tries to convey the message of success has got nothing to do with the glorious past. In fact, Biff fails to seek his own career and live a life that is totally opposing to Willy’s expectations. Furthermore, the fact that Bernard was one of the underdogs makes the character memorable. In the play, most of characters did not expect Bernard to be prosperous and used to mock him with his sophisticated outlooks. A good illustration of this is when Willy says ‘That’s just what I mean.Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him. ’ It clearly shows Willy’s pessimistic opinions to Bernard’s future. The phrase ‘five times ahead’ also portrays Bernard is treated as a sort of failure which is the most unlikely word to describe his future career. Mockeries about Bernard continue with other characters. For example, as he tries to find Biff and teach him some math, Happy tauntingly says ‘Let’s box, Bernard! ’ He makes fun of Bernard by looking his overly academic attitude.Audiences feel a sense of sympathy toward Bernard due to harsh judgments on him. However as the play continues, they soon find out that Bernard is the only character who achieved triumph in the play. By using Bernard’s underrated pasts, Miller highlights the insignificance of judging and prejudice. Willy’s huge astonishments to sophisticated Bernard also supports Miller’s message. Lastly, Bernard’s realistic characteristics make him memorable. In the play, he is one of the few solid people. Unlikely to unstable Willy, Bernard app roach the world in a more realistic way.For example, he says ‘â€Å"Just because he printed University of Virginia on his sneakers doesn’t mean they’ve got to graduate him. Uncle Willy! The quote portrays Bernard’s sensible characteristics which attempts Biff to choose the right path. By mentioning ‘Uncle Willy! ’ Bernard also tries to change Willy’s ignorant attitude towards poor academic achievements of his son as well as his impracticable definition of success. His humble characteristics and giving some realistic advices to Willy also differentiate him from other characters. For instance, Bernard replies ‘How are you?Good to see you. ’ as Willy enters his office. It strongly contrasts with Howard ruthless treatments that Willy has received. The audiences probably feel impressed to Bernard’s warm and sensible personality. Those personalities technically make Bernard to perform a parental role instead of overly ide alistic Willy who just expects unrealistic dreams to happen. To conclude, Miller’s wide use of Bernard make the character very significant and memorable, Miller also use this character to convey his moral messages of success and judgments to audiences.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Independence and Constitutions Practice Assignment Essay

Focus on how the Constitution provides liberty for American citizens. Use quotations from the Constitution to support your points. If you choose, you can compare or contrast the U.S. Constitution with the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace (the Iroquois Constitution). Your essay should use a basic three-paragraph structure (introductory paragraph with a hook and a thesis, a supporting paragraph, and a concluding paragraph) and should be written in 12-point font with one-inch page margins. For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide. Read more: How does the constitution guard against tyranny dbq essay Tips for Success When you analyze something, you’re trying to figure out how its different parts work together. In this assignment, you want to figure out how the parts of the Constitution work together to create liberty for American citizens. You may want to consider the following: What major parts of the Constitution are there? How do they function? What liberties does this document provide? For whom did this document actually provide liberty? Was anyone left out? How was this document similar to or different from the Iroquois Constitution? Remember, as you craft your essay, it should be built on a strong thesis statement, one that is debatable, not just a fact. And don’t forget to support your position with strong evidence from the Constitution itself!  Without evidence, an analysis essay is nothing. Self-Assessment Checklist Read each question and evaluate your short response. If the answer to the question is yes, check the box to the left. If the answer is no, go back and revise your work. Your teacher will use these same guiding questions to score your short response. Quality of Ideas Did I demonstrate an understanding of the assignment by: Focusing on how the Constitution provides liberty for American citizens? Following the basic structure of an analysis essay (introduction with hook and thesis, body with quotations to support my points, conclusion)? Did I demonstrate the ability to think critically and creatively by: Using my language or ideas in a creative way? Going beyond basic information to make connections between ideas? Did I demonstrate the ability to write a thesis statement by: Making a claim that requires support? Did I demonstrate the ability to support my ideas by: Referring directly or indirectly to the reading or readings? Addressing all parts of the writing topic? Connecting each supporting sentence to the claim in the thesis statement? Did I demonstrate the ability to conclude by: Summarizing the ideas and/or restating the thesis statement? Did I demonstrate the ability to organize my writing by: Using transitions? Ordering ideas logically? Form and Presentation Did I follow presentation requirements (12-point font, standard margins, length requirements)? Did I properly cite all quotations? Style Did I use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and complex)? Did I avoid run-on sentences and fragments? Did I check for spelling and grammar errors? Did I use an appropriate tone? In creating the Constitution, the states had several different reactions, including a rather defensive reaction, but also an understanding reaction. As a document that provided the laws of the land and the rights of its people. It directs its attention to the many problems in this country; it offered quite a challenge because the document lent itself to several views and interpretations, depending upon the individual reading it. It is clear that the founders’ perspectives as white, wealthy or elite class, American citizens would play a role in the creation and implementation of The Constitution. On further analysis, most of the issues within the document were due to vast cultural, racial, and economic lifestyles that our country did and will continue to support, as unintentional as it may be. This document lessened some of those issues and attempted to accommodate the requests of all states. However, Elitist framers manipulated the idea of a constitution in order to protect their economic interests and the interests of their fellow white land and slave owning men’ by restricting the voices of women, slaves, indentured servants and others. The Constitution that was created had a strong central government and weaker state governments. Under the Constitution, Congress was given the power to levy taxes, regulate trade between the states, raise an army, control interstate commerce, and more. A three-branch government was established in  which a judicial branch handled disputes in a federal court system, a President headed an executive branch, and a legislative branch. Conversely, the anti-federalists believed in weak central and strong state governments, as the way it was in The Articles of Confederation and believed in strict adherence to the writings of the constitution. Furthermore, the creation of The Constitution caused much debate between the elite and democratic states because they thought that if the Government got all of the power, they would lose their rights. The conflict between the North and South played a major role in the development of this document. The North felt that representation in Congress should be based on the number of total people and South felt that it should be based on number of whites. However, The Three Fifths Compromise settled this when it was said a slave will count as 3/5 of a free person of representatives and taxation. Article one section two of the Constitution defines how the population will be counted, obviously there was a strong opposition to this by Southern states like Virginia because their economy was based on slave labor and they had a bigger population because of it. Additionally, In Young’s’ article he mentions â€Å"four ghosts† (Young 3) the first being Thomas Paine, Abraham Yates, Daniel Shays and Thomas Peters who â€Å"haunted† (young 3) the minds of elites as they were making the constitution. These â€Å"ghosts† were representations of the resistance the elites encountered during the revolution; as a result, accommodations were made in order to avoid conflicts such as the ones they had previously faced such as Shays Rebellion. Secondly, another issue would arise with the Article 4. Section 1 declares that all states will honor the laws of all other states; this ensures, for example, if someone was declared a slave in one state they couldn’t be freed in another state. Also, section two, serves as the comprise between the founders and citizens to section one by guarantying that citizens of one state be treated equally and fairly like all citizens of another. It also says that if a person accused of a crime in one state flees to another, they will be returned to the state they fled from. The slave states could lose  more slave labor by other owners claiming slaves that weren’t theirs. Those people like William Byrd feared that the Constitution wouldn’t work because it was completely opposite from The Articles of Confederation. Consequently, the majority of the states had to accept the constitution the law and abide by it. The Anti-Federalist viewed the federal judicial system as a threat to individual liberties and state’s independence. How far could the judges expand their role? They feared they would be ruled by Kings. There was nothing in the Constitution to guarantee civil trial by jury and judges could take over matters that had been the jurisdiction of lower courts. They worried that the jurisdiction of the federal courts was too broad and not clearly defined. To resolve this issue the framers detailed what powers the judicial system would have, for instance, (Article 3, Section 1) Congress establishes inferior courts to the Supreme Court. It was a part of the system of checks and balances designed to ensure that one branch of the government wouldn’t dominate the others and each had limitations of power. (Constitution 4) Another fear of the anti federalists was the cost of the constitution, some feared that it would cost too much to change the laws in their states and this would greatly impact their lifestyle especially the planters and slave owners. Article I, Section 8: â€Å"To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States† (Constitution 2). This gave states the power to collect taxes, by providing this section those elites would have more protection against economic loss. Some delegates feared democracy itself. They believed that unfit people would control the government as a result more checks and balances were put into place, for example, The Electoral College was implemented to ensure that the uneducated masses didn’t elect someone unsuitable for the presidency. They also created guidelines for the selection of the president, the guidelines are that the candidate is at least age 35, a natural-born citizen, and has a residency of at least 14 years. Another major concern could have been the connection between the national government and its people. To combat this each state would have their government and representatives. The government would also have a bill of rights that protected the natural rights of the citizens. So, in conclusion, the Constitution began by using the Articles of Confederation to create a stronger centralized government. Each state had their own interpretation of the document and the varying lifestyles of the framers and citizens delayed ratification time after time. However, due to the malleability of the document and much debate a standard was finally created. Copyright  © 2014 Apex Learning Inc. Use of this material is subject to Apex Learning’s Terms of Use . Any unauthorized copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning  ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of Apex Learning Inc.