Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Compare miss Havisham and Lady Macbeth Essay

?Compare the presentation of Lady Macbeth and Miss Havisham. Explore how Shakespeare and Dickens present them as disturbed women. Disturbed is a definition of someone who has emotional or mental problems; both Lady Macbeth and Miss Havisham are presented as disturbed characters in one way or another. These two leading women both have characteristics that were not stereotypical of woman at the time periods that the play and the novel were set in; making them immediately appear strange to the audience or reader of that time. Shakespeare and Dickens both present their leading women in very different ways; however some aspects of their characters show similarities. The play Macbeth was set in Elizabethan times, where there was a patriarchal society in which men were superior to women. Women were known by their husbands’ names and were seen more as their husbands’ property than their partners. Elizabethan women were treated badly and disobedience on their behalf was a crime against religion as the society of that time believed that women were made to serve men. However, it was also believed that women were incapable of having evil thoughts or committing devilish crimes. The character of Lady Macbeth goes entirely against the typical Elizabethan woman as she is portrayed as strong and controlling over her husband Macbeth, and is the one to persuade him to commit an act of regicide. This would be shocking to an Elizabethan audience as regicide was known as the worst possible thing you could do, as they believed that their monarchs were sent from God. Miss Havisham is also the opposite of what women in her society were like; she was a spinster. This meant she was seen as a failure as in Victorian times, a woman’s proper purpose was to suitably marry; it was what they were born for. In most of Charles Dickens’ novels, the spinsters and old maids who appear are usually mad, desiccated, boring or secluded. Miss Havisham in Great Expectations is an example, a woman who fell in love and was jilted on the day of her wedding. She lived for the rest of life in her wedding dress, with one shoe on, a wedding cake uneaten on the table, and the clock stopped at the time she found out that her husband-to-be had deserted her. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is first introduced in Act 1 Scene 5. She is reading a letter from her husband, immediately the audience see her as a determined and power-hungry character. In her soliloquy she reveals that Macbeth ‘shalt be what thou art promised’ her ambition for her husband to be king and indeed perhaps for herself to be queen is evident here. Shakespeare’s use of the imperative ‘shalt’ displays her controlling nature, showing her strength and masculinity which would appear unusual to the audience of that time. Although at first Lady M/acbeth would seem to be a rather queer character, the audience would not immediately class her as disturbed. Miss Havisham, however, is portrayed as a disturbed character right from when we first meet her in Chapter 8. Dickens first describes Miss Havisham through Pips eyes as he first sets foot in Satis House. The way the house and the room in which Miss Havisham sits is described, ‘no glimpse of daylight was to be seen in it’ immediately lets the reader know that she is extremely disturbed’ the whole house is stopped, including the clocks at the exact time she turned into a spinster. The idea of showing Miss Havisham first through Pip, allows the reader to see what is wrong, however, not fully understand why this is. Miss Havisham appears to be a much weaker character when she is first introduced as Pip describes her as ‘a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress’. Dickens use of death imagery gives the reader an impression that Miss Havisham’s life is already over and she is just waiting to die. This makes the reader feel somewhat sorry for her at first and wonder why she is living in such a way. Although it is soon evident that Miss Havisham is not as weak as she first appears when she speaks to Pip for the first time; ‘â€Å"Come nearer; let me look at you. Come close. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Dickens also uses imperatives in Miss Havisham’s speech ‘come’ showing that although regarded by all in that era as a failure she still has power to make others do whatever she wants. Both Lady Macbeth and Miss Havisham are both portrayed as evil characters throughout the play and the novel. Some people may argue that Miss Havisham is less evil as she does not murder anyone, however, she does ruin the lives of others, using Estella to break the hearts of men the way hers was once broken. Lady Macbeth does come across as more wicked than Miss Havisham most of the time however she might not be as evil and sinister as we are lead to believe. We realise this when she says ‘stop up the access and passage to remorse’. This shows the audience that maybe she does have some conscience because she knows she will feel guilty. However, another way to look at it is that she just wants to stop this from happening so that she can live happily as queen without guilt pulsing through her. This makes the reader think of her as a selfish woman who is used to getting exactly what she wants without any of the bad consequences that come along side it. The use of the modal verb ‘stop’ is strong and commanding and it doesn’t give the person she is talking to an option to say no. The idea of not being able to say no is repeated at the end of Act 1 Scene 5 where she tells Macbeth to ‘Leave all the rest to me’. Lady Macbeth is saying that no matter what anyone says no one will persuade her to change her mind about the murder of King Duncan. The language shows that she feels like she has the upper hand over Macbeth. Lady Macbeth uses her power to manipulate Macbeth into committing an act of regicide. Miss Havisham also manipulates people into doing things that they do not wish to do. She brings Estella up to get revenge on mankind and at the same time makes it impossible for Estella to love. Miss Havisham uses Pip for Estella to practice on and is delighted when Pip falls in love with her. ‘Well you can break his heart’ she tells Estella when she does not want to play cards with a ‘common labouring boy’. Miss Havisham says this in such a calm way that it seems to the reader that breaking someone’s heart is not a big deal to her, which it isn’t since she just wants revenge on all men. Although both of these women are ‘horribly cruel’ towards the end of the play and the novel they do realise what they have done wrong and feel guilty about it. Although the way they react to the guilt differs hugely. Miss Havisham becomes more normal with guilt and tries to put her wrongs right. ‘†Oh† she cried despairingly. â€Å"What have I done? What have I done? †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ she becomes a weak, pitiable creature who begs Pip for forgiveness ‘on her knees and is desperate to do something ‘useful and good’ Her regret makes the reader feel sorry for her rather than blame her. Lady Macbeth becomes more and more disturbed with guilt, up until a point where she cannot take it anymore and commits suicide. Her grief must have been extremely bad for her to do this since she would know that she would be going to hell.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

The Host Chapter 25: Compelled

Another week passed, maybe two-there seemed little point in keeping track of time here, where it was so irrelevant-and things only got stranger for me. I worked with the humans every day, but not always with Jeb. Some days Ian was with me, some days Doc, and some days only Jamie. I weeded fields, kneaded bread, and scrubbed counters. I carried water, boiled onion soup, washed clothes in the far end of the black pool, and burned my hands making that acidic soap. Everyone did their part, and since I had no right to be here, I tried to work twice as hard as the others. I could not earn a place, I knew that, but I tried to make my presence as light a burden as possible. I got to know a little about the humans around me, mostly just by listening to them. I learned their names, at least. The caramel-skinned woman was named Lily, and she was from Philadelphia. She had a dry sense of humor and got along well with everyone because she never got ruffled. The young man with the bristly black hair, Wes, stared at her a lot, but she never seemed to notice that. He was only nineteen, and he'd escaped from Eureka, Montana. The sleepy-eyed mother was named Lucina, and her two boys were Isaiah and Freedom-Freedom had been born right here in the caves, delivered by Doc. I didn't see much of these three; it seemed that the mother kept her children as separate from me as was possible in this limited space. The balding, red-cheeked man was Trudy's husband; his name was Geoffrey. They were often with another older man, Heath, who had been Geoffrey's best friend since early childhood; the three had escaped the invasion together. The pallid man with the white hair was Walter. He was sick, but Doc didn't know what was wrong with him-there was no way to find out, not without labs and tests, and even if Doc could diagnose the problem, he had no medicine to treat it. As the symptoms progressed, Doc was starting to think it was a form of cancer. This pained me-to watch someone actually dying from something so easily fixed. Walter tired easily but was always cheerful. The white-blond woman-her eyes contrastingly dark-who'd brought water to the others that first day in the field was Heidi. Travis, John, Stanley, Reid, Carol, Violetta, Ruth Ann†¦ I knew all the names, at least. There were thirty-five humans in the colony, with six of them gone on the raid, Jared included. Twenty-nine humans in the caves now, and one mostly unwelcome alien. I also learned more about my neighbors. Ian and Kyle shared the cave on my hallway with the two real doors propped over the entrance. Ian had begun bunking with Wes in another corridor in protest of my presence here, but he'd moved back after just two nights. The other nearby caves had also gone vacant for a while. Jeb told me the occupants were afraid of me, which made me laugh. Were twenty-nine rattlesnakes afraid of a lone field mouse? Now Paige was back, next door, in the cave she shared with her partner, Andy, whose absence she mourned. Lily was with Heidi in the first cave, with the flowered sheets; Heath was in the second, with the duct-taped cardboard; and Trudy and Geoffrey were in the third, with a striped quilt. Reid and Violetta were one cave farther down the hall than mine, their privacy protected by a stained and threadbare oriental carpet. The fourth cave in this corridor belonged to Doc and Sharon, and the fifth to Maggie, but none of these three had returned. Doc and Sharon were partnered, and Maggie, in her rare moments of sarcastic humor, teased Sharon that it had taken the end of humanity for Sharon to find the perfect man: every mother wanted a doctor for her daughter. Sharon was not the girl I'd seen in Melanie's memories. Was it the years of living alone with the dour Maggie that had changed her into a more brightly colored version of her mother? Though her relationship with Doc was newer to this world than I was, she showed none of the softening effects of new love. I knew the duration of that relationship from Jamie-Sharon and Maggie rarely forgot when I was in a room with them, and their conversation was guarded. They were still the strongest opposition, the only people here whose ignoring me continued to feel aggressively hostile. I'd asked Jamie how Sharon and Maggie had gotten here. Had they found Jeb on their own, beaten Jared and Jamie here? He seemed to understand the real question: had Melanie's last effort to find them been entirely a waste? Jamie told me no. When Jared had showed him Melanie's last note, explained that she was gone-it took him a moment to be able to speak again after that word, and I could see in his face what this moment had done to them both-they'd gone to look for Sharon themselves. Maggie had held Jared at the point of an antique sword while he tried to explain; it had been a close thing. It had not taken long with Maggie and Jared working together for them to decipher Jeb's riddle. The four of them had gotten to the caves before I'd moved from Chicago to San Diego. When Jamie and I spoke of Melanie, it was not as difficult as it should have been. She was always a part of these conversations-soothing his pain, smoothing my awkwardness-though she had little to say. She rarely spoke to me anymore, and when she did it was muted; now and then I wasn't sure if I really heard her or just my own idea of what she might think. But she made an effort for Jamie. When I heard her, it was always with him. When she didn't speak, we both felt her there. â€Å"Why is Melanie so quiet now?† Jamie asked me late one night. For once, he wasn't grilling me about Spiders and Fire-Tasters. We were both tired-it had been a long day pulling carrots. The small of my back was in knots. â€Å"It's hard for her to talk. It takes so much more effort than it takes you and me. She doesn't have anything she wants to say that badly.† â€Å"What does she do all the time?† â€Å"She listens, I think. I guess I don't know.† â€Å"Can you hear her now?† â€Å"No.† I yawned, and he was quiet. I thought he was asleep. I drifted in that direction, too. â€Å"Do you think she'll go away? Really gone?† Jamie suddenly whispered. His voice caught on the last word. I was not a liar, and I don't think I could have lied to Jamie if I were. I tried not to think about the implications of my feelings for him. Because what did it mean if the greatest love I'd ever felt in my nine lives, the first true sense of family, of maternal instinct, was for an alien life-form? I shoved the thought away. â€Å"I don't know,† I told him. And then, because it was true, I added, â€Å"I hope not.† â€Å"Do you like her like you like me? Did you used to hate her, like she hated you?† â€Å"It's different than how I like you. And I never really hated her, not even in the beginning. I was very afraid of her, and I was angry that because of her I couldn't be like everyone else. But I've always, always admired strength, and Melanie is the strongest person I've ever known.† Jamie laughed. â€Å"You were afraid of her?† â€Å"You don't think your sister can be scary? Remember the time you went too far up the canyon, and when you came home late she threw a raging hissy fit,' according to Jared?† He chuckled at the memory. I was pleased, having distracted him from his painful question. I was eager to keep the peace with all my new companions in any way I could. I thought I was willing to do anything, no matter how backbreaking or smelly, but it turned out I was wrong. â€Å"So I was thinking,† Jeb said to me one day, maybe two weeks after everyone had â€Å"calmed down.† I was beginning to hate those words from Jeb. â€Å"Do you remember what I was saying about you maybe teaching a little here?† My answer was curt. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Well, how 'bout it?† I didn't have to think it through. â€Å"No.† My refusal sent an unexpected pang of guilt through me. I'd never refused a Calling before. It felt like a selfish thing to do. Obviously, though, this was not the same. The souls would have never asked me to do something so suicidal. He frowned at me, scrunching his caterpillar eyebrows together. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"How do you think Sharon would like that?† I asked him in an even voice. It was just one example, but perhaps the most forceful. He nodded, still frowning, acknowledging my point. â€Å"It's for the greater good,† he grumbled. I snorted. â€Å"The greater good? Wouldn't that be shooting me?† â€Å"Wanda, that's shortsighted,† he said, arguing with me as if my answer had been a serious attempt at persuasion. â€Å"What we have here is a very unusual opportunity for learning. It would be wasteful to squander that.† â€Å"I really don't think anyone wants to learn from me. I don't mind talking to you or Jamie -â€Å" â€Å"Doesn't matter what they want,† Jeb insisted. â€Å"It's what's good for them. Like chocolate versus broccoli. Ought to know more about the universe-not to mention the new tenants of our planet.† â€Å"How does it help them, Jeb? Do you think I know something that could destroy the souls? Turn the tide? Jeb, it's over.† â€Å"It's not over while we're still here,† he told me, grinning so I knew he was teasing me again. â€Å"I don't expect you to turn traitor and give us some super-weapon. I just think we should know more about the world we live in.† I flinched at the word traitor. â€Å"I couldn't give you a weapon if I wanted to, Jeb. We don't have some great weakness, an Achilles' heel. No archenemies out there in space who could come to your aid, no viruses that will wipe us out and leave you standing. Sorry.† â€Å"Don't sweat it.† He made a fist and tapped it playfully against my arm. â€Å"You might be surprised, though. I told you it gets boring in here. People might want your stories more than you think.† I knew Jeb would not leave it alone. Was Jeb capable of conceding defeat? I doubted it. At mealtimes I usually sat with Jeb and Jamie, if he was not in school or busy elsewhere. Ian always sat near, though not really with us. I could not fully accept the idea of his self-appointed role as my bodyguard. It seemed too good to be true and thus, by human philosophy, clearly false. A few days after I'd refused Jeb's request to teach the humans â€Å"for their own good,† Doc came to sit by me during the evening meal. Sharon remained where she was, in the corner farthest from my usual place. She was alone today, without her mother. She didn't turn to watch Doc walking toward me. Her vivid hair was wound into a high bun, so I could see that her neck was stiff, and her shoulders were hunched, tense and unhappy. It made me want to leave at once, before Doc could say whatever he meant to say to me, so that I could not be considered in collusion with him. But Jamie was with me, and he took my hand when he saw the familiar panicked look come into my eyes. He was developing an uncanny ability to sense when I was turning skittish. I sighed and stayed where I was. It should probably have bothered me more that I was such a slave to this child's wishes. â€Å"How are things?† Doc asked in a casual voice, sliding onto the counter next to me. Ian, a few feet down from us, turned his body so it looked like he was part of the group. I shrugged. â€Å"We boiled soup today,† Jamie announced. â€Å"My eyes are still stinging.† Doc held up a pair of bright red hands. â€Å"Soap.† Jamie laughed. â€Å"You win.† Doc gave a mocking bow from the waist, then turned to me. â€Å"Wanda, I had a question for you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He let the words trail off. I raised my eyebrows. â€Å"Well, I was wondering†¦ Of all the different planets you're familiar with, which species is physically the closest to humankind?† I blinked. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Just good old-fashioned biological curiosity. I guess I've been thinking about your Healers†¦ Where do they get the knowledge to cure, rather than just treat symptoms, as you said?† Doc was speaking louder than necessary, his mild voice carrying farther than usual. Several people looked up-Trudy and Geoffrey, Lily, Walter†¦ I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, trying to take up less space. â€Å"Those are two different questions,† I murmured. Doc smiled and gestured with one hand for me to proceed. Jamie squeezed my hand. I sighed. â€Å"The Bears on the Mists Planet, probably.† â€Å"With the claw beasts?† Jamie whispered. I nodded. â€Å"How are they similar?† Doc prodded. I rolled my eyes, feeling Jeb's direction in this, but continued. â€Å"They're close to mammals in many ways. Fur, warm-blooded. Their blood isn't exactly the same as yours, but it does essentially the same job. They have similar emotions, the same need for societal interaction and creative outlets -â€Å" â€Å"Creative?† Doc leaned forward, fascinated-or feigning fascination. â€Å"How so?† I looked at Jamie. â€Å"You know. Why don't you tell Doc?† â€Å"I might get it wrong.† â€Å"You won't.† He looked at Doc, who nodded. â€Å"Well, see, they have these awesome hands.† Jamie was enthusiastic almost immediately. â€Å"Sort of double-jointed-they can curl both ways.† He flexed his own fingers, as if trying to bend them backward. â€Å"One side is soft, like my palm, but the other side is like razors! They cut the ice-ice sculpting. They make cities that are all crystal castles that never melt! It's beautiful, isn't it, Wanda?† He turned to me for backup. I nodded. â€Å"They see a different range of colors-the ice is full of rainbows. Their cities are a point of pride for them. They're always trying to make them more beautiful. I knew of one Bear who we called†¦ well, something like Glitter Weaver, but it sounds better in that language, because of the way the ice seemed to know what he wanted and shaped itself into his dreams. I met him once and saw his creations. That's one of my most beautiful memories.† â€Å"They dream?† Ian asked quietly. I smiled wryly. â€Å"Not as vividly as humans.† â€Å"How do your Healers get their knowledge about the physiology of a new species? They came to this planet prepared. I watched it start-watched the terminal patients walk out of the hospital whole†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A frown etched a V-shaped crease into Doc's narrow forehead. He hated the invaders, like everyone, but unlike the others, he also envied them. I didn't want to answer. Everyone was listening to us by this point, and this was no pretty fairytale about ice-sculpting Bears. This was the story of their defeat. Doc waited, frowning. â€Å"They†¦ they take samples,† I muttered. Ian grinned in understanding. â€Å"Alien abductions.† I ignored him. Doc pursed his lips. â€Å"Makes sense.† The silence in the room reminded me of my first time here. â€Å"Where did your kind begin?† Doc asked. â€Å"Do you remember? I mean, as a species, do you know how you evolved?† â€Å"The Origin,† I answered, nodding. â€Å"We still live there. It's where I was†¦ born.† â€Å"That's kind of special,† Jamie added. â€Å"It's rare to meet someone from the Origin, isn't it? Most souls try to stay there, right, Wanda?† He didn't wait for my response. I was beginning to regret answering his questions so thoroughly each night. â€Å"So when someone moves on, it makes them almost†¦ like a celebrity? Or like a member of a royal family.† I could feel my cheeks getting warm. â€Å"It's a cool place,† Jamie went on. â€Å"Lots of clouds, with a bunch of different-colored layers. It's the only planet where the souls can live outside of a host for very long. The hosts on the Origin planet are really pretty, too, with sort of wings and lots of tentacles and big silver eyes.† Doc was leaning forward with his face in his hands. â€Å"Do they remember how the host-parasite relationship was formed? How did the colonization begin?† Jamie looked at me, shrugging. â€Å"We were always that way,† I answered slowly, still unwilling. â€Å"As far back as we were intelligent enough to know ourselves, at least. We were discovered by another species-the Vultures, we call them here, though more for their personalities than for their looks. They were†¦ not kind. Then we discovered that we could bond with them just as we had with our original hosts. Once we controlled them, we made use of their technology. We took their planet first, and then followed them to the Dragon Planet and the Summer World-lovely places where the Vultures had also not been kind. We started colonizing; our hosts reproduced so much slower than we did, and their life spans were short. We began exploring farther into the universe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off, conscious of the many eyes on my face. Only Sharon continued to look away. â€Å"You speak of it almost as if you were there,† Ian noted quietly. â€Å"How long ago did this happen?† â€Å"After dinosaurs lived here but before you did. I was not there, but I remember some of what my mother's mother's mother remembered of it.† â€Å"How old are you?† Ian asked, leaning toward me, his brilliant blue eyes penetrating. â€Å"I don't know in Earth years.† â€Å"An estimate?† he pressed. â€Å"Thousands of years, maybe.† I shrugged. â€Å"I lose track of the years spent in hibernation.† Ian leaned back, stunned. â€Å"Wow, that's old,† Jamie breathed. â€Å"But in a very real sense, I'm younger than you,† I murmured to him. â€Å"Not even a year old. I feel like a child all the time.† Jamie's lips pulled up slightly at the corners. He liked the idea of being more mature than I was. â€Å"What's the aging process for your kind?† Doc asked. â€Å"The natural life span?† â€Å"We don't have one,† I told him. â€Å"As long as we have a healthy host, we can live forever.† A low murmur-angry? frightened? disgusted? I couldn't tell-swirled around the edges of the cave. I saw that my answer had been unwise; I understood what these words would mean to them. â€Å"Beautiful.† The low, furious word came from Sharon's direction, but she hadn't turned. Jamie squeezed my hand, seeing again in my eyes the desire to bolt. This time I gently pulled my hand free. â€Å"I'm not hungry anymore,† I whispered, though my bread sat barely touched on the counter beside me. I hopped down and, hugging the wall, made my escape. Jamie followed right behind me. He caught up to me in the big garden plaza and handed me the remains of my bread. â€Å"It was real interesting, honest,† he told me. â€Å"I don't think anyone's too upset.† â€Å"Jeb put Doc up to this, didn't he?† â€Å"You tell good stories. Once everyone knows that, they'll want to hear them. Just like me and Jeb.† â€Å"What if I don't want to tell them?† Jamie frowned. â€Å"Well, I guess then†¦ you shouldn't. But it seems like you don't mind telling me stories.† â€Å"That's different. You like me.† I could have said, You don't want to kill me, but the implications would have upset him. â€Å"Once people get to know you, they'll all like you. Ian and Doc do.† â€Å"Ian and Doc do not like me, Jamie. They're just morbidly curious.† â€Å"Do so.† â€Å"Ugh,† I groaned. We were to our room by now. I shoved the screen aside and threw myself onto the mattress. Jamie sat down less forcefully beside me and looped his arms around his knees. â€Å"Don't be mad,† he pleaded. â€Å"Jeb means well.† I groaned again. â€Å"It won't be so bad.† â€Å"Doc's going to do this every time I go in the kitchen, isn't he?† Jamie nodded sheepishly. â€Å"Or Ian. Or Jeb.† â€Å"Or you.† â€Å"We all want to know.† I sighed and rolled onto my stomach. â€Å"Does Jeb have to get his way every single time?† Jamie thought for a moment, then nodded. â€Å"Pretty much, yeah.† I took a big bite of bread. When I was done chewing, I said, â€Å"I think I'll eat in here from now on.† â€Å"Ian's going to ask you questions tomorrow when you're weeding the spinach. Jeb's not making him-he wants to.† â€Å"Well, that's wonderful.† â€Å"You're pretty good with sarcasm. I thought the parasites-I mean the souls-didn't like negative humor. Just the happy stuff.† â€Å"They'd learn pretty quick in here, kid.† Jamie laughed and then took my hand. â€Å"You don't hate it here, do you? You're not miserable, are you?† His big chocolate-colored eyes were troubled. I pressed his hand to my face. â€Å"I'm fine,† I told him, and at that moment, it was entirely the truth.

Use of New Media in Political Campaigning

ng Introduction of New Media and It’s Effects on Political Campaigning Ammara Mahmood 997652455 POLD51H3 Abstract In the campaigning of all United States, Canada and Britain for the elections 2008/2010/2011, the role of new media was vital. It started off with Obama’s campaign in 2008 and is still carried on in elections after that. This paper looks at the use of new media by parties in the three countries and how their use of media differed in the dated elections. For this, the paper explores three key concepts of new media that have affected politics: 1- What was the party’s goal or strategy? – How did the party execute its goal or strategy? 3- In what way was each party’s strategy a success or failure? With the use of quantitative and qualitative data, the hypotheses shows that new media’s introduction in political marketing has impacted and evolved the campaigning strategies since 2008. It shows new media has been a major component of cam paign strategies for educating voters, informing citizens about electorates, party’s ideals and resolutions and how the use of mass media though still present has declined due to the arrival of new media.The findings suggest that new media has been a major source of campaign financing in US while in Canada, it has been a way of educating voters. Contrary, in Britain, it has more been used as a side tool where mass media is still a major component of campaigning. Introduction of New Media and It’s Effects on Political Campaigning Living in new digital reality means that citizens must accept the changes it will bring to their culture and society. While the mass media provided people with a platform to raise their voice and be heard, the new media has given people a chance to interact.The need of humans to constantly be conversed, heard, and feel valuable is what the new media provides. These qualities of new media has enabled it to move from the basic realm of our daily lives to other important aspects of our lives of which one is, the arena of politics. With the introduction of the new media and its varying forms, politics and the idea of interaction with leaders and parties has revolutionized. This paper argues that the use of new media has changed the notion of politics, with the leaders and parties now bounded to learn new ways to interact and stay connected if they are to leave a mark and succeed.This will be shown through the differing use of new media in relation to party’s goals and strategies, their execution and success or failure in United States of America (USA), Britain (UK) and Canada for the elections of 2008/2010/2011. New Strategies With the dramatic changes in telecommunication technology, the way people interact and the way politics functions have been transformed. There have been several new media strategies to engage voters and money in the three countries. Firstly, with the expansion of broadband technology, and the int roduction of smart phones, the world of politics has become more interactive.New media has provided people with a cheaper method to constantly interact with their leaders, parties and be informed about them without having to physically travel to attend debates or political rallies. Also, this has allowed for web-accessible information to the public where there is no more need for pamphlets, brochures or posters to be accessed and dropped off at people’s houses. People can now sit in the comfort of their homes and get all the information they need about their candidates, and parties.The paper, Reform in an Age of Networked campaigns mentions, â€Å"Broadband has acted as a force multiplier in the creation of a more distributed computing environment† (Corrado, Malbin, Mann & Ornstein, 2010). Secondly, the new media has allowed for different types of political organizations and networked communities where people can mobilize and act together around a certain issue or poli tical point of view through use of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. The candidate campaigns are now more engaged with either the number of donations being tracked or the number of visitors to the sites being noted, digital communication makes t easier to identify and manage supporters. It also allows parties to expand their databases for use in subsequent elections. Thirdly, new media has allowed for innovation and an increase in donations for campaign financing. An example of this is the MyBO site for Barrack Obama which set a new standard to recruit and engage financial supporters. â€Å"Individuals who made a contribution were regularly solicited by email and often were asked to make an additional contribution that would be matched by another donor.Contributors could sign up for a â€Å"recurring gift† program that allowed them to make donations of as little as $25 on regular basis by charging the amount to a credit card. † This emphasis on small donors instead of a few large donors proved very successful for Obama’s campaign and this was only possible due to his wise use of new media techniques. New Media is a 21st Century catchall term used to define all that is related to the internet and the interplay between technology, images and sound (Socha & Eber-Schmid, 2012). The elections before 2008/2010/2011 were untouched by new media.It was with Facebook’s launch in 2004, YouTube in 2005 and Twitter in 2006 that ever since, new media became a vital component of politics. USA election 2008 The 2008 US Presidential election were the start of what was to come in politics. The use of new media and the significance it was about to have in the politics, started in the year 2008 with Obama and McCain campaigning against each other. These elections were the first one where political candidates possessed a huge media presence then any candidates ever in the political history.Both the candidates of the Republicans and the Democ rats, McCain and Obama had not only websites that kept people aware of their campaigns but they were also virtually present on almost all of the social networking platforms. New Media was used as a new, cheap, â€Å"grassroots† (a golden word for campaigns of any kind) way for candidates to shore up support, and McCain and Obama have jumped in with gusto; both candidates were on Facebook (McCain has 214,482 supporters listed, Obama 1,380,827), and both had MySpace pages (McCain has 64,644 friends, Obama 457,188); both were also on LinkedIn, Digg, Twitter, Flickr, and Eventful (McCracken, 2008).The individual websites for both the candidates were MyBarackObama. com and McCainSpace (see Appendix A for snapshots of websites). The registration process were similar for both sites with each asking you to explain the reasons of your choice and general info like name, date of birth etc and once you entered the site, you could perform activities like writing blog posts, sharing videos , status or tweets to engage and remain informed. Obama’s site attracted a lot more people due to its catchy and unique outlook then that of McCain.The site also had a financial aspect to it where people could make donations online allowing people to feel valuable and participatory even if the donation was a small amount. McCainSpace—like his entire website—had a clunky, blase feel to it. MyBarackObama. com, though scarcely more in others resting or entertaining than McCainSpace, did at least feel more comfortable in its own skin; the style and typography was cohesive, easy to navigate, and it seamlessly fit into Obama’s larger site (McCracken, 2008).The Republican as their general top down, hierarchical approach in elections seemed to be resistant in using the new media because they were reluctant to move of the traditional message conveying system giving the power of message into the hands of outsiders. Contrary, Democrats were more flexible in the appr oach handing control to people outside of formal party members and representatives. This allowed them to make use of new media tools by not obsessing with message control. For example, The first was the Obama Girl video titled â€Å"I Got a Crush†¦ On Obama. The three-minute video, made by independent filmmakers unassociated with the campaign, featured a seductive young woman singing about her â€Å"crush† on Senator Obama. The second, also unassociated with the campaign, was a video montage of Barrack Obama edited to appear as if the candidate were performing with musician Will. i. am. Titled â€Å"Yes We Can,† that video became a rallying cry for the Obama campaign. Those videos were watched 11. 6 and 13 million times respectively (Metzgar & Maruggi, 2009).Overall, Obama clearly due to his bold and innovative strategies was more successful in campaigning using the new media then McCain was which might have played a role in him being elected as President as well . Britain election 2010 Compared to USA, Britain has been more subtle in their use of the new media. The 2010 elections marked the first time that new media was introduced and used in Britain’s politics. From the televised debates to the online involvement through social media sites, the 2010 elections were a revolutionary change in the country’s politics. The most impact that new media had in the year’s elections were behind the scenes.The parties used it to mobilize and organize supporters and campaigners to increase their database and garner continuous support. Parties used email to connect with potential voters on a regular basis. The strategies used by parties varied though. For the Lib Democrats it seems to have been a largely internal and campaigner-focused affair but the Conservatives were much more prolific with regular (often more than daily) emails arriving in the inboxes of members and supporters from David Cameron, George Osborne, Eric Pickles and W illiam Hague(Williamson, 2010).Compared to these two, Labour party’s strategy was somewhere in between with them being public oriented having face to face contact then Liberal Democrats but not being as professional and subtle as the Conservatives. One Labour insider described a mass email from Lord Mandelson as ‘utterly boring’ and said they could not read beyond the first paragraph (Williamson, 2010). As successful as email service proved during elections, what was shocking was the failure of party’s websites to engage voters. While the main party websites did not gain much support, spoof websites for the Conservatives like mydavidcameron. com proved successful.This was set up by an individual as a response to the ‘airbrushed’ images of the Tory party leader appearing on billboards around the country. The website allowed anyone to download templates, create their own spoof Conservative election posters and then upload them (Williamson, 2010) . The Liberal Democrats launched their site labservative. com and the Labour party also created a website with web content including a viral of YouTube videos. The Conservatives went ahead of the two parties with anyone entering key words or phrases into Google being given a link to their website at the top of the page and usually a YouTube video to accompany it.The most important aspect of the 2010 elections was the introduction of American like Presidential debates that the Britain saw for the first time. The debates were a huge success with around 9. 4 million people (Bamieh, 2010) tuning in to watch the debate. The new media then acted as a side tool with people tweeting and posting statuses. Tweetminster reported 184,396 tweets relating to the first debate, averaging over 29 tweets per second (and peaking during the debate at more than 41 tweets per second) (Bamieh, 2010). Conservatives:Facebook: 108,000+ Fans Twitter: 36,000+ Followers Youtube: 2,970,000+ Views Liberal Democra ts: Facebook: 90,000+ Fans Twitter: 22,500+ Followers Youtube: 135,000+ Views Labour Party: Facebook: 59,000+ Fans Twitter: 19,000+ Followers Youtube: 1,684,000+ Views (Bamieh, 2010) The table (see Appendix B for data on blog posts) and the stats clearly suggest that the Conservative party took the lead on the social media front whether it was Twitter, emails, Facebook, blog posts or YouTube which played a role in their victory in elections. Canada election 2011Following on the steps of the 2008 elections in their neighbor country, Canadian parties and politicians made vital use of new media in the country’s elections in 2011. In Canada, the social media outlets have been utilized by parties to generate dialogues, channel electorate’s attention, educate voters, instigate online activity on portals, and connect with supporters. The Liberal party’s approach in the elections was to go all out and imaginative and make use of every possible social outlet to engage vo ters and mark their presence.The Liberals linked Ignatieff ’s Facebook page with discussion groups and also offered readers the chance to ask questions, which few seemed interested in doing (Taras & Waddell). In contrast, the Conservative Party, which greatly increased its use of digital media from 2008, used a funneling strategy focusing on channeling the electorate’s attention and online activity to the party’s online portal, Tory Nation also using its portal as its primary means of connecting with supporters (Natalie, 2008).The NDP used new media to educate its voters to increase its vote share while constantly emailing supporters. It also made use of Smartphone applications wisely by introducing an iPhone application named ‘Jack Layton’ which informed supporters about upcoming political events while also linking photos and videos of their leader’s tours regularly. Similarly, the Green Party also introduced an application and tried to educ ate its supporters about the party.Unlike the other more recognizable parties, the Green Party was faced with the task of establishing itself as a legitimate alternative party and political force in Canadian politics and so its extensive use of digital media usage stemmed from its need to build awareness and to communicate its message outside mass media (Natalie, 2008). While, all the parties made use of Twitter vastly, the usage of Facebook and YouTube was surprisingly limited in their strategy. Most of the candidates including Stephen Harper and Ignatieff jumped and made use of the tweeting bandwagon.Facebook didn’t attract nearly the same amount of media attention as Twitter, perhaps because parties and candidates used it mostly like any other one-way means of communication. Candidate and party Facebook sites were used primarily to distribute messages to voters but generated almost no debate and interaction with them about policies (Taras & Waddell). The party’s str ategies in the 2011 elections in use of new media were not as bold and widely used to that of USA.The parties used the new media as a side tool with all the parties doing a little but none of them doing enough to utilize the new media’s strengths fully. Conclusions In the three countries, the use of new media overall has allowed to facilitate a sense of community and a stronger connection between individuals and candidates. However, the extent and degree to which the parties in each country have utilized new media varies. While the USA has been the predominant leader due to its brave and innovative use of new media, Canada and Britain have been slowly accepting and dealing with this phenomenon.Also, in the three countries, new media strategies are being used as old strategies in new and advanced forms. Email, websites and social media all played important roles but they were not game changers, simply additional tools that could be successfully deployed alongside other, more t raditional methods (Williamson, 2010). Earlier, mass media played a similar role of interaction and engagement in politics. Now, new media allows for a greater extent of individual involvement and engagement through use of social media sites, online networking communities etc in the arena of politics.This can also be portrayed from the idea that other factors in politics such as charisma, race, and identification still matter and have in fact become more important after the innovations and enhancements to media. For example, in the election of 2008, it was not just the smart use of new media that allowed for Obama’s success. Rather, it was a combination of his charismatic personality, his appearance as the first to be black President and his use of new media that led to his commendable success that year. In conclusion, new media is vital to the changing world of politics today.It has transformed how we interact and stay informed about parties and their leaders. The new media has both its pros and cons and is widely used in America, Britain, and Canada. Thus, we all must accept the new media and incorporate it in our lives to better stay informed and connected. References Bamieh, M. (2010). British general election 2010 — learn social media by example. Retrieved from http://blog. thoughtpick. com/2010/05/british-general-election-2010-learn-social-media-by-example. html Campaign Finance Institute. 2010. Reform in an Age of Networked Campaigns. Pp. 1-16. http://www. finst. org/books_reports/Reform-in-an-Age-of-Networked-Campaigns. pdf McCracken, B. (2008). new media as election strategy: How Obama and McCain court the Net Generation. UCLA'S journal of cinema and media studies, Retrieved from http://www. tft. ucla. edu/mediascape/Fall08_Mccracken. html Metzgar, E. , ; Maruggi, A. (2009). Social media and the 2008 u. s. presidential election. Journal of New Communications Research, IV(1), Retrieved from http://fralincm. files. wordpress. com/2011/06/s ocialmedia_08election. pdf Roebuck, Natalie. Use of the Internet in the 2008 Canadian Election.M. A. paper. Blackboard. Socha , B. , ; Eber-Schmid, B. (2012). What is new media?. Retrieved from http://www. newmedia. org/what-is-new-media. html Taras, D. , ; Waddell, C. (n. d. ). The 2011 Federal Election and the Transformation of Canadian Media and Politics. Retrieved from http://www. aupress. ca/books/120205/ebook/04_Taras_Waddell_2012-How_Canadians_Communicate_IV. pdf Williamson, A. (2010). 2010: The internet election that wasn’t. Political Insight, Retrieved from http://www. politicalinsightmagazine. com/? p=397 Appendix A (McCracken, 2008) Appendix B (Bamieh, 2010)

Monday, July 29, 2019

What Form Will Domestic Terrorism Take in the Future in the United Research Paper

What Form Will Domestic Terrorism Take in the Future in the United States - Research Paper Example This was a form of domestic terrorism since the perpetrators of the bombing were US citizens. This paper discusses the form that domestic tourism is likely to take in future in the US. It presents a comparison of the right wing comprised of white extremists, left wing, animal and eco terrorists and the influx of radical Islam in to the US. Right vs Left Wing Movements Both right and left wing movements share revolutionary ideologies. According to FBI (2009), the militia movement remains the most recent anti-government right wing movement. These extremist groups have been persistent in the US since the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma. The extremists comprise people who share anti-government ideologies. They are opposed to taxation by the federal government as well as the regulations imposed on economic activities. The militias also resist the federal government’s involvement in international activities as well as equality with regards to racial and religious minorit ies. In other words, they can be described as white supremacists and anti-government groups. The Ku Klux Klan is one of the renowned white supremacist groups. FBI further notes that right wing terrorist groups such as the Skinheads and the neo-nazis are significant security threats to the US. They engage in activities such as bombing as well as indiscriminate shooting in cities (Mullins and Young, 2010). Bjelopera (2011) argues that leaders of these groups promote the advancement of highly structured conspiracy theories making members to believe and behave in ways that make the group undesirable to the law abiding citizens. Some of them advocate for the removal of the term ‘illegal fire arms’ depicting that they would wish that they be allowed to own weapons. Considering their extremist ideologies and the fact that some have paramilitary organizational structures, the federal government has made concerted efforts to quell any terrorist plans that may cause harm to the p ublic through arresting any person possessing illegal arms. The more the federal government exerts pressure on these extremist groups, the greater their efforts to make their ideologies acknowledgeable among susceptible citizens. According to Lerner (2003), right wing extremists make efforts to affirm the need for pursuant of their goals. Their strategy is focused on indoctrination of the public with false philosophies against the government. Left wing domestic terrorism dates back to the late 19th century in the US. It was associated with anarchist groups who were against capitalism. These groups were backed by revolutionary immigrants from Eastern Europe (FBI 2009). Even though left wing terrorism began to decline in the mid 1980s, they left a trail of destruction, worst of all the killing of President William McKinley in 1901 and several bombings perpetrated on US industrialists and capitalists. The most recent left wing groups include; Weather Underground, SLA and the FALN among others who used strategies that instilled fear among the public such as widespread kidnapping and bombing of populous places such as Chicago’s Haymarket. These were among the strategies that the left wing terrorists used to attract attention to their ideologies. However, according to FBI, the only active left wing extremist group is the Puerto Rican separatist movement (Mullins and Young, 2010). Animal and Eco Terrorists Animal and eco terrorists are groups that focus on special interests such as

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Broken Window Concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Broken Window Concept - Essay Example The evolution of policing in the United States has transcended over time for the ultimate goal of according protection to the general population. There were diverse strategies employed by public police forces aiming to improve security and safety, and to decrease the incidence of crime. One of the most commendable approaches introduced was the broken windows concept. In this regard, the objective of this essay is to proffer relevant and critical issues pertinent to the broken window concept of the policing field and its connection to social disorder as described by George L. Kelling James Wilson and George Kelling introduced the broken windows theory in their discourse of the same title published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1982. The authors examined a pattern in proliferation of crime and disorder using this theory. Accordingly, â€Å"if a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken as well. The unrepaired window is a signal that no one cares and so breaking more windows will not result in official sanction. This type of vandalism can occur anywhere once the sense of mutual regard and the obligations of civility are lowered by actions that seem to signal a lack of common concern† (Orange News & Press, 2009, par. 3). The concept tries to analyze the effect and influence of wanton disregard for replacing order in the community to police enforcement of peace and order. Several scholars tried to test its validity using experiments and statistical data regression analysis over specified periods of time. The findings are diverse and interesting in the light is determining the direct relation of the broken windows theory to crime deterrence. The concept is actually grounded in philosophical and psychological theories of human behavior. According to a study conducted by Karim Kanji (n.d.) entitled The State of Broken Windows in New York, he specifically aimed to test the validity of the concept in relation to

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Spanking chldren Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Spanking chldren - Annotated Bibliography Example It also says that parental character development, support, and psychological wellbeing influences childrearing. The authors have also specified certain reasons for the aggressive nature of mothers and children in this article. This article also observed the strength of the relations between spanking and youngster outcomes. It also expresses the Moderated Associations between Verbal Punishment, Child Outcomes and Spanking. In this article, a study by Gershoff [2002] shows Corporal punishment and childhood antisocial behavior and states effects of spanking across 11 different outcomes. It has been examined in 50 studies, including parent–child relationships, aggression, crime and mental health. According to Lansford et al. [2011], there may live a transactional association between spanking and unsociable actions. This article also says that depending on the presence of extra factors in the child, spanking gets more or less distinct. Corporal punishment and gene-environment interaction is also discussed in this article. It’s said that, children with genetic vulnerability for the growth of unsociable attitude may be unreasonably susceptible to unpleasant environmental experiences. Childhood antisocial behavior, Genetic risk scale, Corporal punishment, Child’s sex, When I speak about myself, I am totally against this act of spanking and other form of verbal and nonverbal abuse, as it decreases child’s self-confidence, and make him depressed and anxious. Medical sciences have also proved that, lack of self-confidence due to spanking, can result in adverse effect for the child, which is not at all healthy. If parents are emotionally attached to their kids and talk to them by words rather than actions, so their children can have a good personality and can become a good citizen. Spanking just destroys the child and makes him weak and shatters his

Friday, July 26, 2019

Communications strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Communications strategy - Essay Example There is the need to highlight the communication measure applied to maintain the market share witnessed over the century and ensure a customer retention and satisfaction as compared to competitors. With variable communication channels developed in the society, including the social networking system, the presentation to deliver an informed clientele would ensure Thomas Pink remains favourable in the UK market. This paper analyzes the fundamental communication channels that have been developed by Thomas Pink to retain and find new customers, who are more informed on their products. Introduction The UK market is growing increasingly in favour of new commodities. The favour has been subjected on the marketers’ ability to apply a communication measure that would adopt the best strategy to communicate to the majority of the clients. The uses of traditional methods have been replaced by the growing technologically advanced systems. The increasing UK market has adopted communication m eans like the social networking systems that are incorporated in the completion of daily activities. Thomas Pink has been one company that has showed their ability to favour progress as they apply modernized operation trends, to maintain a high quality service. Communication is a measure used to relay messages and share methods needed to attain progress as the company ensures the mission and objectives are met. Although the traditional communication channels had been tested to be successful, Thomas Pink has adopted contemporary communication channels to lead to the goal achievement and progress. Company Background The company witnesses the history from the works of Mr Pink, an 18th century designer who tailored a remarkable hunting coat (Synovate Retail Performance, 2008). The pink coat’s design had been unique and involved intricate designs that promised the birth of the famous company, to be witnessed in the modern day century. Thomas Pink’s foundation in the creatio n of the company in 1984 grew to be recognised as part of Moet Hennessy-Luis Vuilton (LVMH) group (Synovate Retail Performance, 2008). The provision to join LVMH had been initiated in 1999 when they had bought an outstanding portion in the business. Thomas pin has since grown to emerge as a leading retail clothing store in the UK and Ireland with stores amounting to over 20 outlets. The company has ever since emerged as an outstanding British company identified through the shirt making tradition with the quality luxurious brand. The British company has gained international growth in establishing outlets in Paris and famous US cities. The most outstanding reports of the growth recorded have been in 16.5 billion turnovers with the recruitment of a record employee number of 71,000 (Synovate Retail Performance, 2008). The company has included famous brands in their stock including Zenith, Krug, Hennessy and other recognized brands. The company stocks affordable attire from shirt, tie an d accessories and finds concrete establishment in the UK. The retail shops are located from London to New York in Madison Avenue where the brand has been established as a leading retail shirt shop. The other provision established by the company had been in the set up of an exclusive women’s store Pink Woman located in Sloane St. Knightsbridge (Synovate Retail Performance, 2008). The reputation of the retail outlet has been boosted in the exemplary fabric choice and

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Community changes Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Community changes - Scholarship Essay Example was doing a random selection on people who will be given authorization to make changes in our community, I immediately saw this as an opportunity to make a difference. If I were to propose three things that I would promote to achieve a positive change in my community, it would be: First, to provide for the needs of the community, such as feeding the hungry, giving poor families a comfortable place to live in, impart to them the knowledge and skills for livelihood, educate the uneducated, and to give the elderly proper care and attention. I propose these projects that would satisfy every level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, & self-actualization, because I believe that when all is gratified, it is when a person would be most productive and motivated, the key to a prosperous society (Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, n.d.). Second, I would want to set a monthly awareness talks and seminars for the community to participate in. Topics of the talks or seminars would involve how to be a socially responsible neighbor & how to be environmental-friendly in one’s community, and at the same time involve activities that will allow households in a certain neighborhood to get to know each other and learn from each other. This is because I believe that a neighborhood’s health affects individual lives (Neighbourhood Effects | Seminars, n.d.). With this said, to be able to enrich the quality of life in a certain community, it is best to instill positive values within them so as to promote cooperation, integrity, friendliness and good will. We all know that a lot of conflicts we now face in society are caused by indifference, selfishness and abuse towards other people. Thus, if I would be able to develop positive values in a small group of society such as the neighborhood, it would definitely help achiev e a peaceful society in the future. Third, I would want to promote a healthy and active lifestyle which would not only benefit the specific

Outline some of the key legislative developments in criminal justice Essay

Outline some of the key legislative developments in criminal justice within the last two decades - Essay Example An oft-heard justification is that you cannot treat hardened criminals with kid gloves or you will be perpetrating crime even further. But this argument has no regard for the fact that even hardened criminals are covered by the human rights guarantees in the Constitution and in human rights conventions. Human rights are inalienable and imprescriptible, and they apply to everyone. On the other hand, the desire to preserve society and prevent crime is equally valid. It would seem that society has been ill-equipped to come up with answers and solutions to address it definitively (Norrie, 1996). It is imperative however to disabuse oneself of the simplistic approach that is often used when analyzing crime rates. Many are wont to believe that a rise in crime rates signifies a social problem, and a decrease is something to be lauded. In fact, a rise in recorded crime rates could actually mean better police efficiency, a willingness of the victims to come forward, and a desire by society as a whole to condemn criminals. The significance of making this initial assertion is explained by Matthews (1995) as follows: Making this point at the outset is important for two reasons: First it helps to free us from the disarming grip of pessimism that is often associated with the assertion that increases in crime and inevitable and undesirable. Second, it reminds us that crime is a social construct and is the outcome of a complex process of action and reaction. Crime is reducible neither to an act or to a biography. Rather it is a process that requires both an offender and a victim - direct or indirect - to interact within a milieu of formal and informal constraints. The parliament is vested with the power to create laws that have coercive effect. It is essentially in their province to come up with regulations to maintain order and peaceful conduct in the society, while ensuring that a human rights framework is always in place. Over the past two decades, there has been a steady stream of legislation, marking the evolution of Criminal Justice as it is known in the present time. Indeed, the constant changes in the Criminal Justice Act reflects the constantly changing public mindsets on crime and its concomitant issues. The Criminal Justice Act of 1991 was introduced to reflect the notion of "just deserts", It also provided for some protections for the accused, in particular, a provision stating that past offenses should not be taken into consideration when sentencing a felon, except in certain circumstances. However, some feel that in practice, proportionality gives rise to many problems and within six months of being in force, the CJA 1991 was already being undermined. (Hudson, 1994). There are also those who perceive the XJA 1991 as a case of government valuing efficiency over democracy (Lacey, 1994). Said Windlesham (date): "Of all the lessons to be drawn the first is the way in which so many of the provisions which found their way into law derived from the perceived demands of local, sectional or national public opinion rather than from practical experience or

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Green Claims Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Green Claims - Essay Example The consumers consider them â€Å"as not made for them but for people from high class societies† (Klutz, 2009). According the research done by the United Nations Environmental Program in 2009, global market is not really ready for these products. This may be as a result of the consumers’ attitude towards these products. There are various false green claims being made by various companies around the world. These claims cannot be substantiate hence also misleading the consumers. On the other hand, products making green claims have turned to be a global trend where many companies in the world are adapting to this initiative. For green products to become main stream, they should firstly be bought at an affordable price as the rest of other products. The consumers also need to be aware of these products which can be achieved through advertisements, consumer education about green claims. A radical action should also be taken on companies and manufactures who give false green claims on products in the market. Rules and regulations should be set in relation to the green claim initiative. The U.S does not have a national body that oversees green certificates which makes it hard to enforce the Green Claim initiative programs (Sobha, 2008). As a result, U.S products are less competitive in the global market. In this case, it is difficult to examine the effectiveness of green technology in the states. A body independent body that focuses on green technology should be created to empower the Green Claim initiatives. Klutz M. (2009). Environmentally Conscious Materials Handling: New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons,

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Discuss the implications of the increasing length of annual reports Coursework

Discuss the implications of the increasing length of annual reports - Coursework Example Information on market prices is used as a reflection of publicly available knowledge concerning a company. Financial reporting of market prices enhances efficiency through provision of more disclosure despite some anomalies that occur in the process of reporting. Experimental literature supports the fact on displaying financial information such as comprehensive income, which have influence on investor’s decisions. Consequently, financial statistics provide useful facts such as earnings and financial ratios that at times prove more costly to extract since they are never revealed by market prices. However, demand for financial information arises from the requirements posed by pending decision task. Such demand requires some level of information processing capacity that is determined by simplicity in presentation and information load (Deloitte, 2010). According to Hall (2009) sheer volumes of disclosures within International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) has substantially increased the length of annual reports (Morunga and Bradbury, 2012). There are adequate results showing the impact of information overload on processing strategies and outcome of annual reports. The increase in length is further attributed to increase in the size of financial section of the entire report. There is substantial increase in the notes explaining the accounts and accounting policies. Information on IFRS reconciliations and accounting policies on transition accounts for nearly over 5% of annual reports despite the items not necessarily required on a continuing basis. Elimination of such transition items still gives space for accounting policies as well as note disclosures under IFRS which consumes close to 20% of total space. Therefore, there is significant proof that different components of accounting policy such as general, IFRS transition, f inancial instruments as well as

Monday, July 22, 2019

Introduction to working with children Essay Example for Free

Introduction to working with children Essay There are three different provisions that provide care and education to children. Upton Infant School is a statutory provision; they are funded by the government. Upton Infant School educates and cares for children from 4 years to 7 years of age. They follow the National Curriculum, and the EYFS. They support and work with the children and family by observing the children, and producing written or verbal feedback to the parents; this can be done by holding parent evenings. They are also supporting the children and parents by having fully trained SEN staff in the setting; so they help the children who require additional support. (Upton Infants School, 2012) The DEBRA charity is an organisation which supports and helps to find a cure to heal or help the children and families that are suffering from a generic skin blistering condition. This condition is called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). This is a voluntary organisation; this is funded by the public. They support and help children of all ages from birth. They provide emotional and physical support for families coping with EB. (DEBRA, 2008-2012) Private provisions are organisations that make profits from their services. Buckholme Towers in Parkstone; is an independent day school and nursery, which cares for both boys and girls from 3 to 12 years of age. They provide classes for individual learning. The staff quickly gets to know pupils so that their strengths and talents and be enhanced, and their weaknesses are developed upon. They provide a supportive environment this makes the children feel secure and ready for challenges of school life. They support families that have children with; Emotional Needs, ADHD, Dyslexia, Asthma and Serious Allergy’s. (Poole Family Information Service, 2012) There are various legislations in the UK that supports working with children, these are:- Health And Safety At Work Act 1974 Children’s Act 1989 Children’s Act 2004 Children’s Act 2006 Equality Act 2010 United Convention On The Rights Of The Child 1989 Data Protection Act 1998 The Children’s Act 1989 came into force in October 1990. It aims to help children in every situation; at home, at day-care, or in full time care. Some of the principles are that the welfare of the child is paramount and every child has the right to be free from neglect and abuse, every child should be brought up by their parents, if the child is in need, help and guidance should be provided. Both parents and professionals should consult the child when decision making. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Children’s Act 2004 promotes the five outcomes for the Every Child Matters (2003) legislation for every child; this was created because some of the points in 1989 were not being done. These five points are; 1. Be healthy 2. Stay safe 3. Enjoy and achieve 4. Make a positive contribution 5. Achieve economic well-being (Beaver, et al, 2008) The needs of the child and family are central in the Children’s Act 2006. Local authorities must improve the outcomes for children less than 5 years of age. This was created to focus on the children in question and their families. This is where the EYFS came into practice. This was introduced to support the delivery of quality of education and care in the early years. This Act also entitles parents to get the information they need. (Beaver, et al, 2008) The United Convention On the Rights Of The Child came into force in 1989. This Act contains 54 articles. All the articles were put into place to ensure every child enjoys health and education; every child should be within a caring family and have the right of survival. Every child should be protected from exploitation and abuse at all times and should have the freedom to have their voice and opinions taken into account on significant issues. (Beaver, et al, 2008) The Data Protection Act was put into place in 1998, to protect Information of individuals as this is confidential. Other than the care worker, the information can only be shared between the guardian or parent and the child in question. It is very important that you maintain confidentiality when working with children. This is important because it protect the child in question and the family. (Legislation, 2012) Principles and values are very important when working with children. Principles are a professional rule of action of conduct. Values are beliefs and ideas that are shared between groups of people that are from the same culture. This is important because it will give you an understanding of what is good or desirable and what is not. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) Through positive relations the children learn to be strong and to be independent. According in the EYFS (2012) every child is a unique child; they can have a strong character, confident and are self-assured. Enabling environments are essential in helping the children develop and learn. Every child learns and develops in a different way, every child should be treated equally, and their needs to be taken into account. The education and care of all the children in early year’s provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities, are covered by this framework. Without a unique child, positive relationships and enabling environment’s there would not be any learning and development. The CWDC principles are to reinforce that the welfare of the child and young person is paramount. The safeguarding, learning and development is reflected in practice and service provision. Practitioners work closely with parents as they are very important in their child’s upbringing, recognising they are the children’s most important careers and educators. The values of CWDC are that every child’s individuality is valued and respected and celebrated. Also the children’s personal and physical safety is safeguarded, whilst allowing for risk and challenge as appropriate to the capabilities of the child. Self-esteem is very important to every child’s development. Also confidentiality and agreements about confidential information are respected as appropriate unless a child’s protection and well-being are at stake. Best practice requires a continuous search improvement and self-awareness of how workers are perceived by others. (Children’s Workforce Development Council, 2012). Inclusion and diversity is very important in respecting and valuing each child at a place setting. If this is done correctly it should build the child’s confidence and improve their concentration. This will also remove learning barriers; whether this is emotional or learning where a child may need extra support. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Everyone is different and entitled to their own opinions this means everyone should get treated equally, as they are a unique child, this complies with the EYFS curriculum (Moylett.et al. 2012) According to article.10 UNCRC states that every child has the rights to be able to be heard, valued and listened to. ‘The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child, article 12, says that we must listen to the child’s view and take those views into account in any planning that effects the child’ (Fajerman,2001:12). Both `the children and the staff are benefitting by taking into account the views and the opinions of the child. This builds upon the child’s self-esteem, the children become independent, creative learners, this also makes them aware they have rights and that they do matter. This benefits the staff because they gain an increased awareness of children’s needs, rights and abilities. Also the parents will benefit from this by them feeling involved with their children’s development and their contribution to the setting. (Fajerman, 2001) An example of the place settings giving the children the freedom to express themselves and have their own opinions is at tea time or snack time; this enables them to be able to decide what they want to eat from a plate of food. This way the children will eat what they like and feel valued. According to an early years consultant Margret Collins (2006) children with low self-esteem are timid and are easily bullied. They struggle to take up challenges, and rarely reach their full potential, on some cases people with low self-esteem look at themselves as a failure! On the other hand children with high self-esteem embrace new challenges and see themselves as a success. Children with high self-esteem do usually have an excellent relationship with their teachers as they receive praise. From September 2008, The EYFS emphasis that every person who cares for the children, e.g. child minders and the EYFS practitioners under the age of five have to show the evidence of ‘Look, Listen, and Note’. This shows what development stage the children are at and what the children like doing, also this gives the practitioner a clear understanding of what the child can do or not and if the child needs extra support or not. By doing this you are treating the children like individuals. (Renouf, 2008). People have different opinions this gives them a sense of themselves and others around them. They can also see how individual everyone is. (Graham, 2002). The children will learn that other people have different opinions and feelings; this enables them to be sensitive to others. They will learn that every child believes and their personal views on things can vary, every child has the right to, and need to be treated with respect. Encouraging children to talk about their opinions and their feelings is important because this will build greater relationships with the child and you will be able to understand and help that child more. It is also important for the child to express what they like or dislike doing, and why. (Graham, 2002) There are many professional skills that will support you when working with children. Some of the professional skills are being an effective practitioner: this covers everything from being empathetic and sensitive to having effective communication skills, Being professional: this includes skills such as being reliable and an anti-bias approach, and ensuring you know your roles and responsibility; this involves putting the needs and rights of the child and the family first. (Beaver, et al.2008) Professional standards are essential in working with children; this covers all the professional standards that are needed to be an affective practitioner. Time keeping; is essential because this reflects well on you. Regular attendance is an individual responsibility; you also need to make sure you have everything with you to get the best out of the day. Appropriate dress code; this is important as this will show you have self-respect and that you value the children by not wearing anything inappropriate. It is very important that everyone in each setting understand the different ways of communicating with individual children’s needs. (Beaver, et al, 2008) It is important that everyone smells fresh, and they need to ensure they regularly wash their hands during the course of the day. Smoking is not allowed in public areas, due to a new law that has been recently created. Workers who choose to smoke should do this by going off site, and out of sight of parents and the children. (Beaver, et al, 2008) It is also a good idea to take in hoody or spare clothing so that you do not smell of smoke when you go back. You could also chew on gum, but remember to get rid of it before you go back to the children. All of this is being an effective role model. Study skills are important to being an effective practitioner. Basic needs are the most important one of them all. Without fulfilling your personal needs you will not be able to get the most from your experience and learn properly. Even looking at things like your health and mental health is important, as if you are ill, you are unable to learn to the best of your abilities and get the most from your day. (Northedge, 2005) Motivation is needed in childcare; this is what gets you through the days. Self-motivation comes from deep within, only you can motivate yourself, someone else can only inspire you to do something. By setting yourself little goals, you are able to achieve big goals. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Time management is also important, and this will need to be developed, you need to be able to manage your home life with your college life-try to keep these separate. You need to make sure you are realistic with your time scales to do something, and to be able to do them to your best abilities. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Note taking is important in studying as you will not be able to remember everything that you have learnt over the course of the day. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Planning is essential in childcare, without planning nothing will run smoothly and the days will be hectic. It is also important to plan your assignments this will help you complete it to the deadline. There are many things that learning environments provide to help their students achieve. There things such as learner support, they will help you to improve your work to a higher standard, they provide all sorts of help with your assignments they help you to plan them, they can proof read and check for spellings, and they can help you with referencing. (Beaver, et al, 2008) In childcare it is very important to develop and maintain appropriate relationships with the children, parents and other professionals. A practitioner’s role is to behave in a professional manner. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) Bowlby attachment theory, helps understand relationships, he understands the relationships between; children and carers, and parents and EYP. EYP’s now understand that there will be some children that need a little extra time to feel secure in the setting. This benefits the child because they become more independent and confident. EYP work in partnership with parents, and they should never undermine the relationship between the parent and child. By having a good relationship between the parent and EYP, will benefit the child, this will meet the child’s needs more effectively as the parent has the most knowledge of their child. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) By keeping the family informed about their child performance and any injury or discomfort will build trust. Building and maintaining relationships between colleagues, is essential. This can be done by sharing responsibility and duties equally. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) It is also important to share the information about the child you are about to work with, with the appropriate people. This also needs to be kept updated, by all the members that are working with that child. If there are any frictions between colleagues, the line manager will need to be contacted to help sort out such issues. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) Consistency is the key point in working with children, as you are a role model for children. The information the child receives from adults should be the same, this can have a negative effect on the children, as they pick up things like consistency and tension between parents, EYP, Colleagues and the children. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) Some children may need more than one organisation to help and support them and their families for any additional support. This is called multi-agency team. This consists of various professional that join their skills to help the children to the best of their abilities. It is a practical mechanism to deliver the integrated working required of public services by Every Child Matters, published in 2003, and by The Children Act 2004. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Multi-agency teams benefit the children because they receive tailor-made support for their needs. Some of the benefits of this is easier and quicker access to services and expertise, and reduced needs for specialist services. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Parents are also part of the multi-agency team, and their choices should also be respected and valued. E.g. parents may choose to discuss the situation to other professionals; this is their decision. (Beaver, et al, 2008) It is very unprofessional to discuss another child’s situation with other parents. Some parents find it very daunting for professionals to have contact with them on a daily basis. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Characterises of working with other colleagues and professionals in a multi-agency team are cooperation, this encourages the children to learn to work well with each other. Every team member needs to be consistent this is to ensure that everyone has the same approach of caring for children and working with their family. All members of the team should encourage, praise, stimulate, and support one another. Every member should share their ideas and aims and should feel respected; they should also feel a sense of belong. Every team member needs to be efficient, so all the skills of each individual can be used to the best of their ability. The responsibilities should be shared between every member in the multi-agency team. Workers need to be willing to learn and develop new ways of learning and thinking, and to balance out their weakness and strengths between them. It is also important you remain confidential within a multi-agency team, this shows that you respect your role and the child; you will also be complying with the Data Protection Act. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a process to make sure that children needs are met in the most efficient and pro-active way. This is also a key component in the ‘Every Child Matters-change for children’ program. The CAF aim is to ensure every child receives the universal to which they are entitled and the additional services they need at the earliest opportunity. (Children’s Workforce Development Council 2008) Child-Centred approach is where the children get the freedom to experience, think, question, and research for their own answers. Nursery practitioners get to see how play develops between the children, and not telling them what to do. This enhances the children’s communication skills. This is the complete opposite of Adult-Led; this is where the adult’s initiates play. (Beaver, et al, 2008) The benefits of a Child-Centred approach are that the children get fully involved in activities and are proud of what they can achieve by themselves. They can actively explore the environment and enjoy playing with others. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Although some children find this situation awkward, as they believe the teacher should be in control, whereas others believe they are fully responsible for their play. (Beaver, et al, 2008) There can be issues with the parents too, as they believe children should not learn through playing they prefer their children to learn through literacy and numeracy skills. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Child-Centred approach links to the EYFS because every child is given the opportunity to choose what they want, this encourages every child to be unique. (Beaver, et al, 2008) The practitioners and teachers work in partnership to create a positive relationship and create and enabling environment for the children. The ‘Look, Listen and Note’ observation links to the adult led approach because you can have a better opportunity for observation this way. (Beaver, et al, 2008) The Reggio Emilia approach supports the child-centred approach; an approach based on children’s ideas, thoughts and observations they have gathered through the environment. This was founded by Loris Malaguzzi. (Beaver, et al, 2008) Reggio Emilia believed that the environment, in which the children learn, should be considered as a third teacher. (Wenex Technologies, 2006) Some of the characteristics of the Reggio Emilia approach are that the teachers work in pairs this is called ‘co-teaching’. ‘There is no staff structure, i.e. no head teacher; and staff such as cooks and assistants are regarded as equal with teachers.’ (Beaver, et al, 2008:251) ‘Teachers do plan and make preparations, but there is not a strict curriculum or timetable. Teaching and learning is allowed to evolve and unfold at the pace of the children and follows the interests they develop along the way’ (Beaver, et al, 2008:252) There is four main areas that are Important within your role, limits and boundaries these are; Health and Safety, managing children’s behaviour, child protection and confidentiality. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure the child’s safety. It varies from a basic level by doing little things such as; shutting doors and gates behind you, to a more extreme level; what to do when there is a fire alarm. You also need to consider other aspects of physical safety; this includes things such as one of the children you are with has an accident or the child is unsafe. You will also need to follow policies on personal hygiene this could be simple things such as; wearing a uniform, tying your hair back, and using the supplied resources. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) It is essential to follow the settings policies and procedures, and the policies on hygiene. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) By following the policies and procedures you are reducing the risk of being accused of something such as neglectful behaviour or being in an abusive situation, it also ensures that everyone’s rights and responsibilities are respected, this also shows that the setting is running smoothly and everyone is doing what is expected of them. Having written policies is a requirement of OFSTED. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) It is very important to be aware of how different settings deal with managing children’s behaviour and where it is appropriate to intervene or when not to. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) Also it is important to observe how other professionals deal with the situation. Child protection is very important this will give you the knowledge of how to follow the correct policies to protect children from harm, and abuse. This is to ensure the child id receiving similar messages, so they can feel secure. (Tassoni, et al, 2007) Some children may tell practitioners things that are a cause of concern, this information should be immediately passed onto the appropriate people and no one else. Confidentiality is very important in -settings, as this protects the child and the families. (Tassoni, et al, 2007)

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Relationship Between Motivation And Employee Performance

Relationship Between Motivation And Employee Performance Motivation is the psychological process that gives behavior purpose and direction. and management is corned with the effect be and efficient deployment of resources. Human resource is one of the most important in any organization and company and the role of manager is to be a leader and achieve organization objective by developing a partnership with people. Motivation in work is one of the very variables determining employees performance. we can say that motivation it is hard to give any type of permanent definition about motivation but it is a kind of direction in which employees are ambitious and they can take action and make an effort. Motivation is an power that causes people to behave in a positive way motivation collective with ability result in performance. Motivation is the internal power or a type of energy and it pushes toward the performance of the employees. If desire and ambition are absent, motivation absent too because motivation are much do with desire and ambition. M otivation strengthens always give the way, courage energy and persistence to follow the organization goal. A motivate employee take action and does whatever and whenever it need to achieve their goals EXECUTIVE SUMMRY Motivating staff is a fundamentally important dimension of successful management and a vital aspect of a leaders role. Significant organizational outcomes can be obtained by having staff that are motivated. These include: Increased productivity in the workplace Reduced absenteeism and turnover Increased innovation and creativity Increased employee and customer satisfaction An enhanced company profile Higher quality products or services Improved financial performance Employees want interesting work where they are given responsibility, autonomy, challenges and the opportunity to learn. Good working conditions, job security, and pay are important, appreciation should be shown and regular feedback should be given on an employees performance. Managers holding this view of work and their employees would most likely demonstrate trust in their employees, use explanations and joint problem-solving methods, give staff room to interpret and implement organisational objectives for themselves, act as a facilitator, provide opportunities for growth and job enrichment, allow staff to use their creative abilities and remove restrictions to doing a good job. The job of a manager in the workplace is to get things done through others. A committed and motivated workforce is critical to maximising an organisations full potential. Highly motivated employees frequently seek to work beyond the bounds of their specific work roles and functions in order to not only impro ve themselves, but also to achieve the objectives of the organisation. Motivated employees can be considered vital to organisational survival in our rapidly changing workplaces and work world they help organisations survive because they are more productive At the end we can say that the performance of an organization is dependent on its employees. After all, your employees are the engine of your organization. MOTIVATION THEORIES FOR EMPLOYEES First it is important to understand that what motivate employees and how they were motivated. According to Maslow a employees have five level of need and they are physiological, safety, social, ego, and self actualizing and he argued that lower level need had to be satisfied before the next higher level need would motivate employees. It is important for the organization that they value there employees try to understand there problem and always offer some opportunities for growth and development in short make them part of the organization. To motivate employees are a great important in a organization and it can be done by:- keep to be at work Take pride in there work Work attitude Does not display in their work Customer orientation Display a high level of commitment ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN EMPLOYEES PERFORMANCE Motivated employees are the need of any organization for our changing work place. Motivated employees are more productive so they always help organization to survive in every field. For a effective managers it must to understand what type of motivates employees within the context the perform in role. Motivating employees is most complex for example research suggested that as employees income increase money become less of a motivate also as employees get older exciting work become more of a motivator. PURPOSE OF MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES:- There are some factors which play a important role to motivate employees. Such as employment Security Sympathetic help with individual problem Personal loyalty to employees interesting work Give good working situation Good quality Wages Promotions and growth in the organization. Most of the organization believes to motivate their employees because it influence the employees performance by following way:- 1. Higher Productivity Levels 2. Lower Labour Turnover 3. Lower Absenteeism 4. Improve Quality with lees waster 5. Greater Willingness to accept rather than resist change 6. Greater Willingness to contribute idea and take on responsibility 7. Employees Loyalty 8. Employees Turnover MOTIVATION AND EMPLOYEES PERFORMANCE:- It is seen that a employees performance has an impact on the organizations objective. And it is thus imperative that every employees performance should be managed. This process of performance management includes group assessments and peer reviews. In recent time performance management system have become more essential because managers are under constant pressure to get better progress and performance of their organization by motivate their employee. Despite the motivation performs it is necessary to briefly highlight the barriers that might affect the performance of employee. These barriers may be the result understand competencies, inappropriate performance goals, or lack of feedback about performance. There are some factor which is affective overall employees performance .1.INTERNAL FACTOR:- Those factor which is control and influence by any organization are called internal factor like job description and selection. 2.EXTERNAL FACTOR:-In external factors a organization has little control or no control such as demand for job or grading systems. Corporate Examples of motivation and employees performance:- Geo television use the following tools to motivate its employees and this tools affected the employees performance and it is seen that employees performance become better after this. These tools are such as. Performance base incentives Geo television gives incentives to its employees on its performance. Annual evaluation of the employee performance discussed with the employee. There is and idea box in the reception room available to employees and even visitors. All ideas are implemented and the generator of the idea is rewarded with a prize. The CEO of the company is heading this company himself Annual employees function Success story of the month in each department is mentioned for employees who have gone that extra mile in achieving their objectives. Their stories are discussed; the committee reviews them and selects the best one. The winner of the best success story is rewarded with a dinner for the two prizes. All the employees work in a Comfortable environment because they are free to do their work ,environment is very friendly TOYOTA Motivational Policy of Toyota Company based on Maslows need Hierarchy Herzbergs job Enrichment Theory. Toyota company always try to motivate their employees because they believe that employees are a vital part of the company. A business not be success without the employees good performance .Firstly Toyota always try to understand employees motivation, it is seen that the individual performance has an impact on any organization so it is important that every employees performance should be managed According to Maslows theory: Job Security Good Pay Safe working conditions Satisfy lower level needs Culture of continuous improvement Support growth toward self Actualization The Toyota Company achieve the following approaches on the basis of Herzbergs job Enrichment Theory and by motivate their employees Visual Management HR Policies Addresses Hygiene Factor Continuous Improvement Job Rotation Build Feedback in support motivator Toyota aims to increase its employees motivation and optimize the value of its human resources. The recognize some seminar to motivate their employees Company always try to give their employees a good training Give the year awards Give a new model of Toyota car Toyota always take the attention of employees every day and end of the year they give some gift and his types of motivation always increase the employees work performance Toyota company say that every employee who work under Toyota they are the family part of Toyota Toyota company also arrange health and security for employees.

Thomas Mores Utopia Analysis

Thomas Mores Utopia Analysis THESIS: In this essay, we will analyze Utopias role in the common laws, the religious freedoms, and dystopia/utopia similarities throughout Mores literature. Introduction Imagine you are a sailor, sailing the vast emptiness of the ocean. To your dismay, the storm thrashes waves against your boat. You find yourself on the island of Thomas Mores Utopia Some facts about Thomas More Common Law / Commonplace / Customs The commons in Thomas Mores Utopia are drastically different from the society in which he lived. Thus, More spent most of his lifetime scrutinizing and paying considerable amounts of attention to the Englands common place and common law. Utopia and England have a few additional odd similarities worth mentioning. Religious Freedoms More wanted to unite his Catholic church. He based Utopia solely on rational principle. More designed Utopian religious freedom as a model for Europe. Dystopia or utopia Each member of Mores Utopia is cared for; however, todays generation finds the uniformity unappealing. Ralphael contradicts extreme punishments in Utopia Clear class system on the island Conclusion A. To conclude, Utopia explores ideas of common law, religious freedom, and has similarities to a dystopian society rather than Utopian. Thomas Mores Utopia Imagine you are a sailor, sailing the vast emptiness of the ocean. During your travels, you come across a storm on the horizon that at first poses no threat to you. To your dismay, the storm thrashes waves against your boat and you struggle to hold your bearings. The storm grows stronger; suddenly, you drift off into unconsciousness. When you awake, you are on an island. There are people on this island and they graciously take you in. Shockingly, they are incredibly hospitable. The people begin to tell you where you are and how their society functions. All the people are dressed almost identical and they all have a purpose and a function in their society. This island is Thomas Mores ideal fictional society, Utopia. Thomas More was not the first person to write about a Utopian society, but he did coin the term utopia which means not place in Greek. Utopia was written in Latin and published in 1516. It is said to be Thomas Mores most influential work. Mores utopian society had complete employment, the citizens are not fixated on money, and are tolerant towards others in the community (Forward). In this essay, we will analyze Utopias role in the common laws, the religious freedoms, and dystopia/utopia similarities throughout Mores literature. First, Thomas more claims that the commons (a shared system or political space whose authority is constituted by its actual commonality) in his imagined society is fundamentally diverse from the society that he lived in and the tradition in which he wrote. More copes with the established notions of commonality in his book, Utopia. Common law was on the rise and was Englands dominant legal form during the 1500s. Thus, More spent most of his lifetime scrutinizing and paying considerable amounts of attention to Englands common law. The Utopian customs include: a system of housing and city planning, a method of senatorial deliberation, a mode of dress, a manner of dining, travel practices, pre-marital courtships, garden growing, and chicken hatching. Evoking the peculiarity of the English legal system, Utopia accepts customs importance in shaping human behavior and Utopian commonwealth. (Elsky) Furthermore, More makes it clear that Utopia is meant to be his ideal vision for England. Both societies are governed by a binding force of law. Every member of these societies is required to obey the laws and face punishment if they contravene. Utopia and England have a few additional odd similarities worth mentioning as well. For instance, England and Utopia are both islands. The capital of Utopia is Amaurotum, which has a river that passes through it. This river has identical tides and bridges to the Thames river in England. England and Utopia are governed by custom. In England, common law is that custom. Unlike common law, Utopian custom offers a means of dominating other nations. Utopia is outside the realm of commonplace; thus it exports its customs carelessly. (Elsky) Secondly, Thomas More wanted to unify his Catholic church. He promoted civic peace by supporting religious freedom in his literature. More developed a plan that would manage church-state relations. This plan became a predecessor to liberal methods. As presented in Utopia, religious freedom today has Catholic, Renaissance roots. Rational principles were the foundation of Utopia. Religious freedom for Christians was favored by More when he was writing Utopia. Utopian religious freedom was designed to serve as a model for Europe. Utopus, the founder of Utopia, was doubtful of claims made to religious orthodoxy. After he seized power, he banned all religious-political conflict. He banned politically dangerous forms of religion. He required all Utopians to follow religions that promoted virtue. This limited religious freedom made Utopia a morally united society that was also spiritually diverse. Utopuss efforts made Utopia a society completely free of religiously inspired violence. Utopia stands in the shadow of communism causing most scholars to fail in appreciating Utopian religious freedom. (Kesser) To continue, Mores Utopia is meant to be a perfect civilization and yet there are countless contradictions and unjust rules on the island. Each member of Mores Utopia is cared for; however, todays generation finds the uniformity unappealing. An average day in Utopia is set up on a ridged schedule with bedtime at 8 p.m. Community members are given one article of clothing every 2 years; consequently, Fashion does not exist and eliminates a major form of self-expression. Atheists are despised on the island yet there is allegedly religious tolerance. Furthermore, Utopians are obligated to obtain a special passport to travel within their own country, but do not have complete freedom to travel. (Forward) On occasion, there is an alarming, somewhat unsettling note: There are also no wine-taverns, no ale-houses, no brothels, no opportunities for seduction, no secret meeting places. Everyone has his eye on you, so youre practically forced to get on with your job, and make some proper use of your spare time (More 65). The main character in Utopia is a man named Raphael. He believes the treatment of thieves in England is harsh; On the other hand, he was accepting of the extreme punishments Utopia had for adultery. Society in Utopia is dominated by males, and it is a husbands responsibility to insure proper discipline of his wife. Every month wives must confess to their husbands. Taking a rather regimented approach, the state interferes in courtship and marriage. Boys cannot marry until they are 22, while girls can marry as early as 18. Every member of the society must view their chosen partner nude before making the decision to marry. Utopians are a monogamous people and thus uphold the idea that it is necessary to choose an appropriate spouse. According to the Utopians, there is equality in Utopia. Reading Utopia one can see that this is not the case. There is a clear class system on the island with a hierarchy of priest, mayors, and diplomats all from a specific class. The Utopians use slaves to perform lowly task and must work in chain gangs. Slavery is usually used as punishment for serious crimes. Utopians pay mercenaries to fight for them during times of war. Often, they hire foreign armies called Venalians and sadly, the Utopians send many Venalians to their deaths without a care. They rationalize by saying, If only they could wipe the filthy scum off the face of the earth completely, theyd be doing the human race a very good turn (More 113). They disapprove of war, except in self-defense or when helping to end oppression. (Forward) To close, Utopia explores ideas of common law, religious freedom, and has similarities to a dystopian society rather than Utopian. Common law in Mores work is comparable to Englands customs. Religious freedom is present, but suppressed as well. Some may say the utopian society did become a dystopian society with further analysis. It is important to note that the issues discussed in Mores text are still relevant to modern-day readers and he addressed some extremely complex topics in a constructive manner. Works Cited Elsky, Stephanie. Common Law And The Commonplace In Thomas Mores Utopia.. English Literary Renaissance 43.2 (2013): 181-210. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Jan. 2017. Forward, Stephanie. A taste of paradise: Thomas Mores Utopia. The English Review, vol. 11, no. 4, 2001, p. 24. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPSsw=wu=avl_nshov=2.1id=GALE%7CA79981415it=rasid=1738af1f731801e1f0d51de4e455e0cc. Accessed 25 Jan. 2017. Kessler, Sanford. Religious Freedom In Thomas Mores Utopia. Review Of Politics 64.2 (2002): 207. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. More, Thomas, and Paul Turner. Utopia. London: Penguin Books, 1965. Print.