Lucid Dreams A Lucid Dream - 2230 Words

Lucid Dreaming A lucid dream is one in which the person dreaming knows that he or she is in a dream, does not wake from it, and feels in control of what is happening in the dream. Researcher Paul Tholey experimented with the induction of lucid dreams in experimental subjects in the 1980s, and wrote that he developed techniques for inducing lucid dreams that had first been tried on himself in 1959 (Tholey 875). One of these techniques was called the â€Å"reflection technique, and his experimental subjects were able to induce the state of lucidity in their dreams (Tholey 876). The reflection technique basically involved the subject asking him or herself, while awake, if he or she was dreaming; then, it was hoped, the person would be able to ask him or herself the same thing while asleep in a dream, and thus become aware. By using his techniques, Dr. Tholey was able to test several hypotheses concerning the content of dreams and the eye movements that occur during the dreams. Tholey c ontinued his experiments, and in 1989 published research in which he had investigated the cognitive tasks that characters in a lucid dream could perform (Tholey 567). Tholey’s idea was not that the dream characters themselves were independent of the dreamer, but that they came from parts of the brain of the dreamer. He thought that the brain processes that were responsible for dream events were those that were related to cognitive and affective memory processes, and might lead to separateShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Lucid Dreams 3596 Words   |  15 Pages During lucid dreams we are remarkably wakeful—even though still asleep. We may be able to reason clearly, remember freely, signal that we are conscious, and may even change the plot if we so choose. But it takes training. I am in the middle of a riot in the classroom. Everyone is running around in some sort of struggle. Most of them are Third World Types, and one of them has a hold on me—he is huge, with a pockmarked face. I realize that I am dreaming and stop struggling. I look him in the eyesRead MoreLucid Dreaming : Dreams And Dreams1533 Words   |  7 PagesLucid Dreaming For many centuries, people would think of dreaming as curses or blessings that we can not fend off or operate. Lucid dreaming, a dream in which a dreamer is aware that he or she is dreaming; they may be able to control the dream by exert amount. In this dream stage, we perform superhuman features that would be impossible when we’re awake. While a person dreams, these wonderful things become a temporality reality. Researchers says that a average person dreams four to six times a night(insert)Read More Lucid Dreams. What are the possible benefits of lucid dreaming?2862 Words   |  12 Pagesancient times human was always interested in strange phenomenon of sleeping and especially in dreams. Dreams were described in different ways. For instance, dreams were explained psychologically like images of sub consciousness and feedback of neural processes in human’s brain. Spiritually, it was described like messages of god (C.S. Lewis, nd). Remarkable that not only human have abi lity to see dreams but several species of animals (Wilkerson R. 2003). For example, rat’s sleep is almost same asRead MoreThe Dream Of A Lucid Dream1403 Words   |  6 PagesIt is said that a lucid dream is a dream that can be induced or controlled and is characterized by the dreamer being aware that he or she is dreaming (Lucid). When lucidity occurs, the dreamer â€Å"wakes up† inside the dream during fixed states of cognizance. Dreams are caused by things â€Å"†¦our mind knows, however which we cannot handle, is disturbing or something that we keep reiterating to ourselves† (Ganguly). This is why distinguishing significant dream symbols from ambient symbols is important forRead MoreDreams : A Lucid Dream1097 Words   |  5 Pageswhat dreams represent and how they effect a person should be something everyone should understand. Dreams can be a small glimpse or feel so real that it is unbelievable. The issue people have the most is remembering. They can not remember if they spoke with another individual in actually life or if it was all apart of their dream they had. There is so much confusion that the person is almost embarrassed to ask if the event actually happened. A dream like this is considered one of many lucid dreamsRead MoreSleep : Stages Of Sleep Cycle2696 Words   |  11 PagesWhat exactly IS lucid dreaming? What is Dreaming? Dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations that occur in your mind while you sleep. Research indicates that everyone dreams, and dreams can occur anytime during sleep. When it comes to vivid dreams however, these occur during deep, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when the brain is most active. Some people don’t remember their dreams at all – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dreaming! It is thought that most people dream between 4 toRead MoreTypes of Dreams4637 Words   |  19 PagesMain Types of Dreams There are five main types of dreams - daydreams, normal dreams, false awakenings, nightmares and lucid dreams. Take a look at the features of these hypnotic states and how each one can introduce you to the phenomenal world of dreaming. Daydreams Scientific studies reveal that most people daydream for a whopping 70-120 minutes per day. During this time, you are only semi-awake - not asleep, but not fully checked-in with reality, either. It starts withRead More Lucid Dreaming Essays2183 Words   |  9 PagesLucid Dreaming Lucid dreaming is: dreaming while aware that you are dreaming. Websters definition of lucidity continues with clearness of thought or style and a presumed capacity to perceive the truth directly and instantaneously. In this sense, lucid dreaming is associated with controlling ones dreams as they are happening. It is a term that was coined by Frederik van Eeden in the Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, Vol. 26, 1913: I can only say that I made my observationsRead MoreRapid Eye Movement and Lucid Dreaming1000 Words   |  4 PagesLucid dreaming is a term used to describe a specific state of awareness that can be reached by dreamers while they are in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of their sleep cycle (Holzinger, LaBerge, Levitan, 2006, p. 88). This level of consciousness is characterized by the sleeping individual’s recognition of the fact that they are in dream, their capabilities to intentionally engage in certain activities within the dream, and their ability to manipulate information and memories created in bothRead MoreSocial Underground1062 Words   |  5 PagesEverything you need to know about in this weekly series: How climate scientists can predict the future of our planet with climate models, a book that teaches you how not to suck, a lesson on how you can control you dreams, and a new video game movie starring Dwayne The Rock Johnson. At Social Underground we go beyond the mainstream stuff and see what’s underneath the surface. What should we get into, listen to, read, eat or watch? If there is something in our culture that needs attention that’s

Bsbhrm405A - 1961 Words

Assessment Task Number 1 BSBHRM405A Support the recruitment, selection and induction of staff Assessment task 1 Shift Supervisor for Star Industries – Interview Portfolio RECRUITMENT AUTHORISATION REQUEST Recruiting will not commence until this form is completed and approved with a Position Description Attached. Date: 09/02/2014 Business Unit: Star Industries Department: Manufacturing Job Title: Shift Supervisor Oracle Cost Code: N/A √ Tick If New Position Replacing Existing Staff Member Name of Present Incumbent: (the person holding the position leaving) Mr Bob Brown__________________________________________________________ Position Reports to: Plant Manager NSW – Gary Denver†¦show more content†¦Carry out the recruitment, selection, induction and training of staff. Process weekly payroll information and ensure compliance with remuneration policy. Ensure sufficient stock of all items is kept in good order to meet foreseeable demands as per production plan. Maintain a stock control system ensuring appropriate turnover of stacked stock. Monitor production efficiencies in line with operational KPIs and to promote a continuous improvement environment to the team. In conjunction with the Marketing Consultant, ensure that delivery dates promised are kept. Maintain an efficient machine layout and handling system. Keep machine down time to a minimum and keep control of overhead costs. Arrange for a system of plant and machinery maintenance. Monitor and evaluate team performance, developing training plans to ensure multi-skilling and compliance of team members to company and legal requirements. Keep up to date with current changes or organisational policies and procedures. Comply and promote good WHS throughout the plant. Personal SpecificationKnowledge, Skills and ExperienceEssential: Minimum of three years’ experience in production of windows, doors and related products Ability to liaise with suppliers, other staff and management Ability to supervise and build a team, with well-developed interpersonal and leadership skills Working knowledge of quality improvement systems, tools, be able to solve problemsShow MoreRelatedBSBHRM405A Support The Recruitment Selection And Induction Of Staff2650 Words   |  11 Pagesï » ¿ BSBHRM405A Support the recruitment, selection and induction of staff Assessment Booklet Unit Code: BSBHRM405A Unit Title: Support the recruitment, selection and induction of staff Trainer Comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Business Economics The Australian Economy

Question: Discuss about the Business Economics for The Australian Economy. Answer: Introduction The Australian economy remains sluggish significantly in the second quarter of the year 2016. In Q2, GDP grew 0.5% quarter-on-quarter, in Q1. This bad quarterly result was due to inferior private consumption and a pessimistic role from the external sector. Nonetheless, this result has marked 25 years of growth without a recession. Early data for Q3 implied a mild improvement over the previous quarter, with unemployment falling to a new low level of 5.6% and business confidence coming back to its long-term average in August. However, the continuing enhancement in consumer confidence simplifies slightly in September. Meanwhile, the government and the opposition in the newly-formed legislature have approved upon AUD 6.3 billion in savings in the federal budget (Focus Economics, 2016). Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Graph 1: RBA Cash Rate (%) The graph above shows the monetary policy rates that were prevalent in the last 6 years. We see that since 2012, there has been a continuous reduction in the monetary policy rates. Policymakers have been more inclined towards monetary easing and pursued accommodative policy. The falling trend was prevalent until July 2013 after which the policy rate remained stable for almost a year and a half. Post which, the government further reduced the policy rate till Jul 2015 followed by a stable policy rate. It was only in the beginning of the year, policymakers felt the need to further cut the rate in order to support the recovery process of the economy. In September 2016 monetary policy meetings, the policymakers have decided to keep the policy rate constant at 1.5% after a continuous reduction since Jan 2016. This report deals with the discussion of the inflation and monetary policy since last 5 years (from 2012 till 2016Q2) which would aid in explaining and providing justification to the above policy cuts undertaken by monetary policymakers in detail. Inflation and Monetary Policy: 2012 Thanks to the great trade linkages between Australia and Asia, particularly China, the Australian economy has been growing way faster than other developed countries. Growth rate increased from 2.75% in 2011 second half to 4 % in 2012 first half on the account of greater private domestic demand and higher exports. There has been easing in the inflationary pressures falling in between target band of 2-3% mainly because of decline in the prices of the tradable goods on the account of appreciation of the exchange rate. Furthermore, Reserve bank of Australia reduced the policy rate by 150 bps since November 2011. RBA tried to remove mildly restrictive monetary policy as the inflation moderated at the end of 2011. However, as the global economic outlook deteriorated in 2012 along with anticipated weaker domestic demand with projected inflation in line with the target inflation, RBA decided to move towards a flexible and accommodative monetary policy. Interest rate for borrowers, an indicat or which tells us about the overall viewpoint of the economy, are slightly below their medium term averages. This step by the RBA was highly commended by the IMF staff. They believed that this step was broadly accurate, given fiscal adjustments, strong Australian Dollar and no inflationary pressures. Australian economy was weaker than anticipated in 2012. It was estimated that GDP growth would be slightly below 2.75% before it picks up in 2014 upto 3%. These revisions was done by taking into account a hike in the mining investment which was higher than expected but lower than the previous level (around8percentof GDP rather than around9percent).This change suggests the reassessment of spending strategy in terms of coal and iron ore sectors and a re-evaluation of the profile for expenditure on some large and complex LNG projects. Inferior interest rates, increasing rental yields and a development in circumstances in the conventional housing market are likely to maintain mounting dwelling investment. Business investment apart from the resource sector, which has been low, was probably expected to gradually recover over the next two years, though business surveys suggested subdued growth in the near term. It was expected that inflation may remain within the inflation target range over the next two years (IMF, 2012). Inflation and Monetary Policy: 2013 Favorable economic growth, resilience financial sector, low public debt and inflation closer to the target level are some of the significant characteristics of the Australian performance during 2013. Not only this, their performance was also aided by the strong policy frameworks. With inflation rates within the target, monetary policy has remained accommodative. Following expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, the economy has improved in last few quarters. In August 2013, RBA reduced the policy rate further by 25 basis points in order to sustain growth in the economy and at the same time, examine that the inflation outlook remain in line with the Banks inflation target. This led to reduction in the policy rate as low as 2.50 per cent, after a reduction of 225 basis points when compared with where it was two years before, along with all time lowest borrowing rates for decades. Post August monetary meeting in 2013, there has been sufficient indications that this cumulative easing in monetary policy has proved to be beneficial for the activities in the interest-sensitive sectors. Monetary policy takes a time lag, and so does the impact of the reductions in the policy rate on activities that are yet to further have to run. The incentive is evidently seen in case of the housing sector, where prices have speed up a little in recent months, borrowing is growing a little quicker and construction indicators moved up faster. Moreover, household savers were more inclined to move towards those assets which have higher returns and risk, and business and consumer confidence have moved up to a greater point above average levels. So although it is forecasted that the growth will remain slightly below trend for a while, there are high chances that private demand will strengthen beyond the resources sector in course of time. Inflation outlook seemed to remain consistent wi th the medium-term target. It was also believed that after August, it was a good idea to keep the policy rate constant at a given level however not closing the option for further reduction that might aid the economic activity to be in line with the inflation target provided, given the substantial degree of monetary policy stimulus that had already been put in place, it was appropriate to hold the cash rate steady, but not to close the substantial degree of monetary policy is given. The Board continues to evaluate the outlook and regulate policy as and when required in order to foster sustainable growth in demand and inflation outlook to be consistent with the inflation target over the course of time. Therefore, it is because of these reasons, we see in the graph 1 that the policy rates are kept constant at 2.5% for quite a long period of time till 2014(IMF, 2013). Inflation and Monetary Policy: 2014 Overall Australian economic activities remain in line with the Banks target of 7.5 % irrespective of the weak property sector adversely affecting the growth of industrial production. The growths in Australias major trading partners have been around its expected average. There has been substantial fall in the commodity prices along with iron ore and oil prices on the account of increase in the global supply including Australia. However, prices of the base metals have increased. Thus, Australias forecast of terms of trade has been very low. Financial markets remain volatile and its volatility has increased during that period. There has been reduction in the global bond yields. Its financial conditions have remained accommodative. There has been reduction in the lending rates for both business and household. There has been 5 % depreciation in the exchange rate although Australian Dollar remains high by historical standards. Exports start to expand continuously in 2014 as new capacity co me in line. Non mining business investment was reduced. Strong expansion in dwelling investment is most likely to happen due to greater approvals and other strength. CPI inflation declined in Sep. 2014 mainly due to the removal of carbon price on utility prices as well as reduction in the prices of the tradable goods. It was believed that this reduction was highly unexpected and would be volatile given that prices may pick up due to the depreciation in the exchange rate since 2013. Moreover, lower wage cost was also one of the major reasons behind low inflation. The policy rate remained unchanged at its then lowest level for almost over a year along with a slight reduction in the interest rates paid by borrowers over this period. This low level of interest rates have positive impact on the economy, causing a lift up in the expansion of non-mining activity through strong development in dwelling investment as well maintaining growth in household expenditure . Moreover, the conditions are supportive for a robust expansion in non-mining business investment. Regardless of the depreciation of the exchange rate, the Australian dollar remained well above the estimates, mainly given the additional fall in the significant commodity prices over the course of that year. Thus, the exchange rate posed less backing than it would generally be anticipated in order to achieve a balanced growth in the economy. Against this background, a very accommodative and easy monetary policy would be prevalent which would sustain total demand which would eventually help in sustaining growth in the mean while. In the meantime, inflation was anticipated to be line with the banks target of 23percent over the next two years. Given that opinion, the Board's verdict at its meetings has been that monetary policy is suitably designed to promote sustainable growth in demand and inflation outlook to be consistent and be within the target band. Hence, the most practical path probably was a period of stability in the interest rates (RBA, 2014). Inflation and Monetary Policy: 2015 A strong track record in terms of economic growth, per capita income and fiscal situation has been observed in case of Australian economy. GDP rose as fast as twice compared to their competitors. Per-capita income stood at USD 61,000 in 2014 (highest in the world) and last but not the least, net debt stands at 15% of GDP when for G20 economies, it stood around 80 percent of GDP. Ideally speaking, Australia hasnt witnessed any recession in the last 25 years. Moreover, prosperity in the global demand for resources (mainly strong growth in China) and migration (contributed a rapidly increasing population of 1.5% a year) have fostered economic growth of Australia. Furthermore, one cannot deny the credit that goes to sound policies and framework for the reason behind strong performance. A flexible exchange rate, a flexible labor market, reliable monetary policy and credible financial sector led to higher growth of the economy. However, the economy is witnessing a transition as the economy experiences a slump in the growth rate where it grew at 2.5 % in 2015Q1 on account of the weaker domestic demand, falling investment (both public and private),slower recovery in non-resource investment, fall in the commodity prices almost by one-fourth since 2014 (Iron ore prices have reduced more than one-third). Declining mining investment and sharp fall in the terms of trade are the major macroeconomic challenges along with slower potential economic growth. The country has experienced largest plunge in the last 150 years in terms of terms of trade which contributed to falling income, rise in unemployment (around 6%, which is way higher than US and UK). All these have contributed to low nominal wage rate and low inflation (IMF, 2015). On the back of low inflation and enervating outlook, Reserve bank of Australia further loosened its present accommodative monetary policy by reducing 50 bps since Feb. 2015 (RBA, 2015). This had led to rise in housing investment, capacity utilization and business prospects. Consumption growth continued to be moderate suggesting feebler income growth and a rebound in the falling household savings rate. However, low interest rate has increased the assets prices. Moreover, it has become difficult for fiscal consolidation and rising public debt from a lower level. Thus, these recent cuts are yet materialized through to the economy. On the back of weaker medium term prospects, inflation rate remains within the RBAs target of 2-3%. Hence, with positive and accommodating monetary policy along with productivity increasing reforms, it is expected that domestic demand as well as business investment might pick up. To re-energize the economy, there is a need for sustainable domestic demand, rise in the productivity. Monetary policy has been accommodative and could become more in the coming times. However, fiscal policy imparts a substantial negative whim. According to IMF report, monetary policy should further ease provided the recovery is less than the expectations given financial stability remain constant (IMF, 2015). Inflation and Monetary Policy: 2016 The Australian economy has been witnessing a structural adjustment because its prospects are threatened and challenged by three main reasons: 1) falling mining investment; 2) low commodity prices; and 3) slow down in the economic growth of China. During the domestic change procedure, the Australian economy is looking out for different sources of growth such as from non-resource investment, household expenditure, and last but not the least, the services sector. Not only this, it is tuning with the weaker terms of trade and expanding its trading partners. Against the demanding background, accommodative monetary policy will play a significant role in sustaining the domestic side of the economy. It is anticipated that nations real GDP growth will average around 2.6% y/y in 2016-17 (Scotia Bank, 2016). In the recent monetary policy meeting, RBA keeps its policy rate stable in September 2016 after reducing the policy rate further by 25bps to 1.50% in Aug. 2016( from 1.75% ) on the account of low inflation, sluggish income growth and easing concerns regarding Australias housing market. Constant policy rate is also due to positive growth provided by Chinese economy. Moreover, a resilient aversion to the stronger Australian dollar which would otherwise constrained the ongoing structural adjustments, causing an end to the boom in the resource investment. The inflation reduced to 1% y/y in 2016Q2 from 1.3% y/y in 2016Q1. It is expected that the inflationary pressures would remained subdued on the back of labour cost gains, reduced cost pressures globally. Mainly, their decision showcases concerns of the policymakers in regard with ambiguous global economic scenario, subdued inflationary pressures and challenges faced by the economy due to the Australias major transition. However, policym akers dont seem to worry regarding preserving monetary policy space for any unanticipated shocks to the economy externally. Moreover, initially policymakers were afraid that low interest rate might have led to the unfavorable impact on the housing market. Now, they have strengthened supervisory and lending measures which have led to the more cautious attitude among the lenders. Such developments along with moderation in the real estate pressures have made RBA to conclude that low interest rate will not lead to the rise in the housing market prices. This has further set the path of the monetary easing. The immediate reaction was seen in the currency rate when the Australian dollar depreciated against USD (AUD dropped roughly below 0.75 USD) when the policymakers announced the cut and after which it slightly recovered. This monetary easing did not impact Australian equity market as the index went down by 0.8% on that day where losses were noted for almost many sectors. In regard to inflationary pressures, consumer prices increased to 0.4% q/q in 2016Q2 on the back of significant increase in health, clothing and footwear, transport and alcohol and tobacco prices. Consumer prices reduced to a 17years low level of 1 %, falling from 1.3% in 2016Q1. Moreover, it remains well below the Australias inflation target of 2-3%. In 2016Q1, inflation reduced from 1.7% 2015Q4 to 1.3 % on the account of falling prices of fuel, fruits and international holiday travel as well as accommodation. These reductions were partially offset by the increase in prices of the secondary education, pharmaceutical products and medical services (IMF, 2016; Focus Economics, 2016; RBA, 2016). Conclusion This essay discusses in details about the monetary policy actions undertaken by the Board in terms of interest rate cuts. Weak Commodity price, subdued economic growth in China, low oil prices, weak private demand were some of the factors behind the rate cuts undertaken in the past few years. It further points out that the Bank may further opt for reduction in case the situation demands so, given that the impact on housing market due to reduction in the interest rate has little or no impact. References Focus Economics. [online] Available at: https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/australia/news/monetary-policy/rba-leaves-rates-unchanged [Accessed 16 Oct. 2016]. Anon, (2012). IMF. [online] Available at: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2012/cr12305.pdf [Accessed 16 Oct. 2016]. Anon, (2014). IMF. [online] Available at: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2014/cr1451.pdf [Accessed 16 Oct. 2016]. IMF, (2013). Australia-2013 Article IV Consultation Preliminary Concluding Statement. [online] Imf.org. Available at: https://www.imf.org/external/np/ms/2013/112013.htm [Accessed 16 Oct. 2016]. Anon, (2016). Reserve Bank of Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.rba.gov.au/monetary-policy/ [Accessed 16 Oct. 2016].

Rationalism as a Branch of Epistemology

Introduction Rationalism is a branch of epistemology which studies people’s opinions applying to reason as a foundation of knowledge and justification. It is the theory in which the principle of truth is not sensory but academic and deductive. There are varying degrees of emphasis on rationalism. This has led to a variety of rationalist perspectives from the average position that reason has priority over other ways of gaining knowledge.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Rationalism as a Branch of Epistemology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Rationalism is thus similar to philosophy and the Socratic life of query. It is normally related to the introduction of mathematical techniques into philosophy. It takes into account issues such as knowledge and the difference between knowledge and belief (Barneskole 215). It also considers whether certainty is different from knowledge and whether knowledge is possible i n reality. Rationalism claims that knowledge in contrast to opinion is only possible if founded on clear principles. Such principles are not gained via experience but are implied through reasoning. In rationalism, sense experience cannot offer the assurance needed to guarantee that what people know is factual. As a result, rationalists have to depend on reason itself as the ground for establishing whether people’s opinions are rationalized true beliefs and that is knowledge. This paper will compare and contrast Plato and Descartes versions of rationalism and the strengths and weaknesses involved in both approaches. Discussion Similarities between Plato and Descartes Versions of Rationalism Though Plato and Descartes lived hundreds of years a part from each other, there is a number of similarities in their versions of Rationalism. Plato argues that justification is by reason and not senses while Descartes goes ahead and shows that these senses are not trustworthy. Both ascerta in that the most primary knowledge is a priori. Another similarity is seen where both Plato and Descartes argue that Mathematics is very essential and is like a foundation for knowledge. Their goals in rationalism are finding the permanent order that lies beneath the knowledge flux (Guvier 138). Differences between Plato and Descartes Versions of Rationalism Plato and Descartes lived in two distinct ages and societies hence the reasons for their differences. Plato is viewed as an Intellectus rationalist while Descartes is considered a ratio rationalist .According to Plato, sense experience does not provide people with assurances that what they experience is in reality true.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More He argues that the message people get by depending on sense experience is continually changing and frequently unreliable. This can however be rectified and assessed for dependabilit y only by appealing to rationales that do not change. These fixed principles are the foundations of what it means by reasoning in the first place. Plato further argues that all knowledge is vulnerable to doubt. He emphasizes that the source or reason for anything must have as much precision as its effects. Descartes on the other hand begins with a cynical view of human knowledge and hopes to provide experience that people can do without doubt. He adds that something cannot be derived from nothing and believes that God has an essential role in human knowledge (Oakeshott 301). Descartes and Plato’s Downplaying of Sense Experience Many traditional theorists have downplayed the importance of the function of the five senses in human life. To downplay the importance of sense experience, Plato and Descartes show that sense experience can never be a cause of experience since the objects captured through it are vulnerable to change. Humans therefore obtain knowledge by going beyond se nse experience to discover constant objects through reasoning. For Plato, sense data simply provides people with shadows that they take for reality. Truth cannot however be found in the unsatisfactory world of time and space. Relatively, it must be taken hold of by the sensible part of our soul. According to Plato, there are two unreasonable parts of the soul which are closely linked to our bodies. These can only provide us with passing and imperfect images of things. Descartes down playing sense experience is demonstrated in his first, second and third meditation. Descartes does not accept that sense experience has a significant role in human life. He undermines a human being to a thing that thinks. His first meditation is based on doubt. Descartes was hit by how many wrong things he had trusted and by the uncertain structure of his beliefs. Descartes second meditation deals with the character of the human mind and how it is better known than the body. Descartes assumes that everyt hing he sees is untrue. He supposes that his mind only tells him lies. Here Descartes talks about a piece of wax from a honey comb. It still has the flavor of honey and the odor of flowers it was obtained from. At this time, it can be easily handled and if rapped, it makes a sound. However, if this wax is held close to the fire, its taste and smell disappears, the color changes, the shape changes, size increases and the wax becomes fluid and hot. Descartes in this case however argues that this is still the same wax. Descartes third meditation talks about the presence of God. He believes that God has an essential role in human knowledge.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Rationalism as a Branch of Epistemology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Strengths and Weaknesses involved in Plato and Descartes approaches Weaknesses involved in Plato’s approach are related to where knowledge comes from while the weakness involved in Descartes approach is related to whether it’s true that God, the divine being, really exists. Works Cited Barneskole, Aune. Rationalism, Empiricism and Pragmatism: An Introduction. New York: Random House, 1970. Print Guvier, Trudy. Socrates Children Thinking and Knowing in the Western Tradition. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 1997. Print Oakeshott, Michael. Rationalism in politics and other essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981. Print This essay on Rationalism as a Branch of Epistemology was written and submitted by user Aydin Flores to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Dylan Thomas Companion Essays - Anglo-Welsh Literature,

Dylan Thomas Companion Auden and Christopher Isherwood set sail for the United States, the so-called 'All the fun' age ended. Auden's generation of poets' expectations came to nothing after the end of the Spanish Civil War, and they, disillusioned, left the European continent for good. In the late 1930s the school of Surrealism reached England, and Dylan Thomas was one of the few British authors of the time who were followers of this new trend in the arts. He shared the Surrealist interest in the great abstracts of Love and Death, and composed most of his work according to the rules of Surrealism. His first two volumes, Eighteen Poems and Twenty-five Poems were published in the middle of the decade and of this short surrealistic era as well. Dylan Thomas was declared the Shelley of the 20th century as his poems were the perfect examples of 'new-romanticism' with their'violent natural imagery, sexual and Christian symbolism and emotional subject matter expressed in a singing rhythmical verse' (Under Siege - Robert Hewison, 1977.). The aim of 'new-romanticism' was setting poets free from W.H. Auden's demand for 'the strict and adult pen'. In 1933 Dylan Thomas sent two of his poems to London, one of which was an earlier version of his famous poem, And Death Shall Have No Dominion. It was dated April 1933 in Thomas's notebook and was published for the first time in the 18 May 1933 issue of the New English Weekly. After its first publication, the poem was altered several times and got its final form in Twenty-five Poems, even though Thomas was not particularly proud of this work of his, and was not sure about publishing it for a second time. The Poem Immediately in its title, the poem has a reference to the New Testament, which was one of Dylan Thomas's main sources of metaphor. The title (and the refrain of the poem as well), 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion' has been taken from the King James Version of the Scriptures, which, with its flowing language and prose rhythm, has had profound influence on the literature of the past 300 years. 'Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves dead to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Romans 6:9-11 There is another line in the poem, 'Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;' which resembles a line from the Scripture: 'And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.' Revelation 20:13 The assertive optimism of the poem can also be brought into connection with the traditions of evangelical hymns, which is best reflected in the lines 'Though they go mad they shall be sane, Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again; Though lovers be lost love shall not, And death shall have no dominion.' It seems, that it is this assertive optimism Dylan Thomas is trying to impose on the reader, and, perhaps on himself as well in this poem, maybe in order to keep his sanity. Being one of the least obscure of Dylan Thomas's poetry, it was evident, that of his earlier woks, beside Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night and The Force That through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower, And Death Shall Have No Dominion would catch public imagination quite easily. The thing in this poem that drew the attention of the everyman was the constancy of hope coming from the notion that everything is cyclical: though the individuals perish, 'they shall rise again', and, though particular loves are lost, love itself continues. The tone of this poem is quite sermon-like, and its atmosphere is rather Christian; yet, the central theme in it is not religion, nor the religious beliefs concerning death but the relationship between man and nature. Thomas claims in the second stanza that deliverance from death is not through religious faith as 'Faith in their hands shall snap in two, And the unicorn evils run them through;' but he declares man's unity with nature at death: 'Dead men naked they shall be one With the man in the wind and the west moon.' The frame of the poem is

The Clash - Smart Custom Writing Samples

The Clash - Smart Custom Writing Literary Analysis of Jean-Paul Sartre?s ?The Wall?Jean-Paul Sartre authored â€Å"The Wall† a collection of short fictional stories that was published in 1939. This book is set in Spain and its Civil War acts as the backdrop. In this book, three men have been sentenced to death by the Spanish Fascists. They are put in reclusion or a cell, and a static character, the Belgian doctor observes their mental torture on the last night before being subjected to the firing squad. The three men are Pablo Ibietta, Juan, and Tom. Pablo is the protagonist and the narrator of the story (Sartre 1). He is being tried for war crimes and his refusal to reveal the whereabouts of his friend, Ramon Gris, an anarchist. Juan’s criminal charge is having a brother who is an anarchist while Tom is a member of International Brigades. Juan is the protagonist and believes that he will be killed because he is not innocent. Sartre has used narration to reveal the reactions, psychological state, and thoughts of the three men as they await execution. In this book, the author uses imagery to show the intense emotions of the three convicts. The wall has been used to show the end of life and freedom. The wall symbolizes the end of freedom and good life for the three men. It also symbolizes the â€Å"blockade† that is between them and their lives. On a literal meaning, the cell is reclusion of walls. The firing squad will use the wall to terminate lives. This is a wall in a wall or the use of a wall as an object to put a â€Å"wall† (death) to the lives of the three men. They are locked in and cannot have contact with the other world and this translates to reclusion or total separation. The cell is an enclosure that stands between them and their dreams. The only thing that is connecting them to their past is memories. Pablo is detached from life. He knows that the woman he loves, the life, does not matter anymore. The main theme in this book is â€Å"death.† The wall symbolizes death, an imminent end that all people must face. They cannot think beyond the wall and thus have resigned themselves to death even before they face the firing squad. It is significant to note that the men are psychologically dead even before the guards take them to face the firing squad. The other theme is innocence. Pablo and Juan are innocent. Juan tries to justify his innocence when he admits that his brother is an anarchist, and claims that he does not belong to any political party (Sartre 1). They have been convicted because of their relations with anarchists. The other themes in this story are love, society versus individuals and reality. The author drags the story through suspense, and literary intensifies the conflict that surfaces among the convicts and their imminent death. Sartre, Jean-Paul. The Wall. 1939.Web. 17 November 2010.

Outbreak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Outbreak - Essay Example The US has sufficient health structures in place and measles vaccine are usually given to people, so there have been lower measles cases as compared to cases in the rest of the world. From 1997, measles cases have ranged from 37 to 220. The cases have been reduced due to routine measles vaccine started in 1963 and MMR vaccine (1971). Before these intervention, measles cases were as high as 500, 000 with 500 deaths every year. Public health workers need to be competent enough to deal with measles cases. They need to be competent in measles vaccination. Public health workers should be well trained to be able to deal with emergencies and endemic diseases. They should be able to act with speed and professionalism in maintaining the situation, but most importantly, they should emphasize on preventive measures such as vaccination (Turncock, 2012). Competency frameworks are important because they offer guidelines on health training, especially as concerns dealing with communicable and chronic diseases. They provide standards for health practitioners to follow so that they are able to respond to health issues such as disease breakdowns and dealing with preventive and curative

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Validity and Reliability on Emergency Preparation and Response in the World of Corporate Security - Essay Example In the context of my research, this means that I have to ask a content expert if my instrument in gathering data looks valid. Similarly, this may be undertaken by asking potential respondents about the face validity of my instrument through a pilot run of the survey. Yet still another measure of validity is content validity. In this type of validity, I am bound to do a content validity check and ask experts in the field of corporate security on their opinion about the instrument – that is, if they think that the instrument will be able to measure what I set it out to measure. Content validity has two subtypes, predictive validity and concurrent validity. One way of checking the predictive validity of my research tool is to see if it can predict other variables that are â€Å"logically related† to those which are measured by the instrument. If it does, that means that the instrument I constructed is content valid. On the other hand, concurrent validity works the same way as predictive validity; however, the measure of this is logical correlations with other variables that are assumed to be associated with those measured in the tool. Finally, I can also do a construct validity check. For example, if I am measuring the variables emergency preparation and response, they should correlate with other related constructs in an anticipated manner if my instrument does have construct validity.

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Similarities and differences of Domestic Human Resources and Multinational Human Resource policies and practices - Essay Example y The third step would entail the differences between the two The fourth step would comprise of the evaluating assessment The final will provide a conclusion and sum up of overall report and the learning outcome from the entire work. Defining the two concepts: Prior to defining the two major types, it is important understanding and defining the generic manner and purpose for which human resource operations are undertaken. Human resource practices have been in voyage ever since there crept in a realization for the rights of workers and improving the overall working environment that would facilitate more benefits to the organization in terms of profits, customers’ relationship and employees well being (Ehnert, et al., 2013, 119). While each associates to handling and manoeuvring of the manpower and the resources at hand, the two differ with regard to their scope, applicability, resources, practices and outputs desired. These differences may come up in a tangible or intangible ma nner. Differences between the two modes of Human Resource Management practices: Tangible Differentiating factors: Apart from the scope of each, there are certain specific and tangible differences between the two kinds of human resource practices (Regis, 2008, 163). Multinational practices entail involvement of more than two partners. These partners are most across different set of region and geographical locality. Extent of cluster: The level of subsidiaries between the two icons differ in number with multinational resources involving more complex outlook and more extended subsidized pattern. Geographical consideration: The geographical consideration and factor is of value and distinction between the two forms, for multinational human resource practices, it is vital to understand and implement... Trainings are an essential component of the global Human resource management processes. Without it any mission is bound to fail based on the lack of experience and firsthand knowledge. Training allows equipping one’s self and mind towards the upcoming challenges, new scenarios, and new circumstance and this in turn, enables successful operations. Investing more in the training domain and providing training on all fronts ranging from technical to non and physical to psychological will help to save a lot of time and money that is otherwise spent on processes that may not yield any substantial output. It is the key and secret to the success of productive global HRM strategies and outcomes. All the major organizations that are operating at mass level across multiple countries and continents have training techniques and procedures in practice that allow the accomplishment of goals in the most desired manner.

The Graying Shades Of Media A Corrupt Conundrum Media Essay

The Graying Shades Of Media A Corrupt Conundrum Media Essay Since the days of the freedom movement Indian media has been recognised as patriotic and nationalist tool to provide unbiased news and build positive public debates. Mahatma Gandhi, The father of the Indian nation juggled his movement with the moral power of active journalism. Today, India with its over a billion population supports nearly 70,000 registered newspapers and over 450 Television channels. In the sphere of journalism, there are eminent Journalists in the country who are honoured and accepted as the moral guide in the Indian society. While the newspapers in Europe and America are losing their readership annually, the Indian print media is still going from strength to strength with huge circulations and greater marketing opportunities. The media is still considered to be the fourth important pillar after the judiciary, parliament and bureaucratic set-up in democratic India. Media is considered to be a repository of public trust for conveying information to public honestly. With the advent of technology the new dimension of internet has changed the way the news is shared and views are exchanged. The speed of travel of information has grown logarithmically and media has become more powerful than any time before to shape the minds and generation of opinions of the masses. Social media is developing as a pervasive tool to connect the society laterally which is affecting marketing strategies of the business houses and structuring political influences by the people in power or seeking power. Historically media has always taken the flak for favoring the more influential sections of society and has also been blamed to shade the news and views to suit the economic viability of the publishing houses. Political leanings and corporate influences on the editorials and selectivity in coverage of news is not hidden from the public but in recent years, malpractices in the Indian media has gone way beyond the corruption of individual journalists and media organizations. Unfortunately the information is planted and views are on sale for favors received in cash or kind in institutionalized and organized forms of corruption. Newspapers publishers and television channels owners do not shy away from receiving funds for publishing or broadcasting information in favor of particular individuals or corporate entities that is disguised as news. The plague of unethical commercial activities and market interests of media institutions disfigure the role they play in the shaping of public opinio n and in upholding principles and norms of democracy. II Understanding certain terms related to media Paid media is the most traditional advertising in which a company pays for space or for a third party to promote its products. This form is thriving with emergence of more targeted cable TV, online-display placement, and other channels options for marketers expanding exponentially .Online video and search marketing is attracting greater interest .Paid media has too much of clutter with declining response rates and declining credibility. Owned Media Owned media, consists of catalogues, web sites, retail stores, alert programs and e-mail notifications of special offers etc on properties or channels owned by the company that uses them for marketing purposes. Owned Media do not offer guarantees and consumers have limited trust in this media. Earned Media Earned media (or free media) refers to favorable publicity gained through promotional efforts other than advertising, as opposed to paid media, which refers to publicity gained through advertising.[1] Earned media often refers specifically to publicity gained through editorial influence, whereas social media refers to publicity gained through grassroots action, particularly on the Internet. The media may include any mass media outlets, such as newspaper, television, radio, and the Internet, and may include a variety of formats, such as news articles or shows, letters to the editor, editorials, and polls on television and the Internet.  [1]  Earned media is an old PR term that essentially meant getting your brand into free media rather than having to pay for it through advertising. Social media Social media employ web- and mobile-based technologies to support interactive dialogue and introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities, and individuals. [1] Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological multi faceted and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.[2] I.e. Social media are social software which mediates human communication. When the technologies are in place, social media is ubiquitously accessible, and enabled by scalable communication techniques. In the year 2012, social media became one of the most powerful sources for news updates through platforms like Twitter and Face book.  [2]   Sold Media Paid and owned media are controlled by marketers touting their own products. For earned media, such marketers act as the initial catalyst for users responses. But in some cases, one marketers owned media become another marketers paid media-for instance, when an e-commerce retailer sells ad space on its Web site. This is termed as sold media on an owned media whose traffic is so strong that other organizations place their content or e-commerce engines within that environment.  [3]  This is gaining more popularity as a promotional media on the web based sites as it gives eye ball attention to the interested clientele only as it is projected on the related web pages which the potential client of the product is visiting. Hijacked Media The same dramatic technological changes that have provided marketers with more (and more diverse) communications choices have also increased the risk that passionate consumers will voice their opinions in quicker, more visible, and much more damaging ways. Such hijacked media are the opposite of earned media: an asset or campaign becomes hostage to consumers, other stakeholders, or activists who make negative allegations about a brand or product e.g. a prank online video of two employees contaminating sandwiches in Dominos Pizza kitchen appeared on YouTube. Advertorial An advertorial is an advertisement in the form of an editorial. The term advertorial is a portmanteau of advertisement and editorial. Merriam-Webster dates the origin of the word to 1946.[1]In printed publications, the advertisement is usually written in the form of an objective article and designed to look like a legitimate and independent news story. In television, the advertisement is similar to a short infomercial presentation of products or services. These can either be in the form of a television commercial or as a segment on a talk show or variety show. In radio, these can take the form of a radio commercial or a discussion between the announcer and representative.  [4]   Paid News Paid news or paid content are those articles in newspapers, magazines and the electronic media, which indicate favourable conditions for the institution that has paid for it. The news is much like an advertisement, but without the ad tag. This kind of news has been considered a serious malpractice since it deceives the citizens, not letting them know that the news is, in fact an advertisement. Secondly, the payment modes usually violate tax laws and election spending laws. More seriously, it has raised electoral concerns because the media has a direct influence on voters.  [5]   The dynamic media jargon has its vocabulary changing every moment which in turn is not only changing the way consumers perceive and absorb marketing messages but will also force marketers to change their thinking about the way they allocate spending and organize operations. Different kinds of media are becoming more integrated. The sold media can catapult a marketer into a stream of contacts with users and members through owned-media hubs, where marketing companies can offer a more engaging experience, get consumers interested in products. New publishing models are finding their way in modern media as marketers are leaning on media providers for help by partnering with media publishers to create deeper marketing experiences for consumers and to obtain content and ad sales support. Computer maker Dell and automobile manufacturer Nissan, for example, worked with the Sundance Channel in United States to create a television talk show hosted by Elvis Costello to attract their target demog raphic with ads that seamlessly blended into the shows content. Applications created on mobile phones are initiating tools that provide useful information. For example, eBays Red Laser generates a list of prices for products by merely scanning the barcode on mobile phone. Twitter and other blogging platforms are social media platforms to promote new products and promotions by leveraging its huge fan base. III Accountability and responsibility in journalism Good journalism flourishes where society respects and enforces the rule of law. International standards supply guarantees of free expression. But these standards also typically acknowledge certain legitimate grounds for the states restriction of free expression.  [6]  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, pronounces in Article 19 that: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek,receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Article 29 then qualifies this right as: In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedom of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society .  [7]   The right to free expression often goes loggerheads with other competing interests. Sometimes there is no legal remedy for types of journalistic misconduct that can disappoint readers and viewers. A courtroom is often not the best place to resolve disputes about balance, fairness, and accuracy and there is always the risk that harsh judicial remedies, even those imposed when the underlying case involves journalistic misconduct, will inhibit the future free and open publication of controversial views. In such a scenario self-regulatory mechanisms offer a valuable alternative.  [8]  Most associations of journalists, and many individual news organizations, have adopted codes of ethics. Terms vary. Some codes are binding, and violation of a provision can lead to dismissal by an employer or expulsion from a professional journalism society. But most codes of ethics, instead, offer voluntary guidelines to help journalists make morally and professionally sound decisions. Codes thus encou rage greater accountability to readers and viewers. A good example is the Code of Ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)  [9]  , the largest voluntary association of U.S. news reporters and editors. Its code encourages journalists to abide by four core principles: Seek truth and report it: Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information. Minimize harm: Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect. Act independently: Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the publics right to know Be accountable: Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other. By its own terms, the SPJ code is a voluntary guide to ethical behavior. It states:The code is intended not as a set of rules but as a guide for ethical decision-making.  [10]  Similarly the Press Council of India, an autonomous body was set up under the Press Council Act, 1978. The Press Council of India has developed norms of journalistic conduct that cover the principles and ethics regarding journalism. The Press Council of India has also laid down guidelines on reporting of specific issues of public and national importance. In 1996, it drew up a set of guidelines that are particularly applicable to financial journalism. The Press Council of India has also issued guidelines on reporting of elections.  [11]  Mint  [12]  has laid down a code of journalistic conduct for guiding its journalists in so much of details that these can be expanded in scope to be followed by the entire media to safeguard and uphold the values of journalism in the country. Journalists have to be honest fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information; ensuring accuracy, objectivity, balance and fairness. A Journalist should be free of any obligations, whether political or corporate. Speaking of corporations, there is no denying that Journalism and reporting like most other professions need significant capital inputs and sound business sense to survive. But, this is a profession where the stakes are much higher because it is a profession which has the power to create opinions and to shape a nations present and its future. Journalists must maintain dignity in expression and be sensitive while reporting on critical issues. IV Mass media bias: Can it be avoided? Media bias is the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term media bias implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the perspective of an individual journalist or article. The direction and degree of media bias in various countries is widely disputed.  [13]  The phenomenon of political bias has been founded in the media along with the invention of printing press and historically media has always favored the more powerful social groups. Like newspapers, the broadcast media (radio and television) have been used as a mechanism for propaganda from their earliest days, a tendency made more pronounced by the initial ownership of broadcast spectrum by national governments. Although a process of media deregulation has placed the majority of the broadcast media in private hands, there still exists a strong government presence, or ev en monopoly, in the broadcast media of many countries across the globe. At the same time, the concentration of media in private hands, and frequently amongst a comparatively small number of individuals, has also led to accusations of media bias.  [14]   There are primarily three categories of bias in reporting of a news viz. gate keeping bias which stops a news from appearing at all, coverage bias which gives the various degrees of prominence to the news and statement bias which gives color to a news through opinionated coverage.  [15]  The following are the most commonly talked about biases:- Support or attack a particular political party, candidate, or ideology. Advertising bias, when stories are selected or slanted to please advertisers. Corporate bias, when stories are selected or slanted to please corporate owners of media. Mainstream bias, a tendency to report what everyone else is reporting, and to avoid stories that will offend anyone. Sensationalism, bias in favor of the exceptional over the ordinary, giving the impression that rare events, such as airplane crashes, are more common than common events, such as automobile crashes. Favors or attacks on a particular race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, or ethnic group.  [16]   The bias of the mass media may be sited due to its economic structural views which get a leaning to a political view and in turn takes the form of propaganda. The corporate ownership of media houses is bound to have biases in the areas where their profitability is affected. There is another demand-driven theory of mass media bias. If readers and viewers have prior views on the current state of affairs and are uncertain about the quality of the information about it being provided by media outlets, then the latter have an incentive to slant stories towards their customers prior beliefs, in order to build and keep a reputation for high-quality journalism. The reason for this is that rational agents would tend to believe that pieces of information that go against their prior beliefs in fact originate from low-quality news providers. According to a a behavioral model which is built around the assumption that readers and viewers hold beliefs that they would like to see confirmed by news pr oviders. When news customers share common beliefs, profit-maximizing media outlets find it optimal to select and/or frame stories in order to pander to those beliefs.  [17]  In another model media bias arises because the media cannot tell the whole truth but are restricted to simple messages, such as political endorsements. In this setting, media bias arises because biased media are more informative; people with a certain political bias prefer media with a similar bias because they can more trust their advice on what actions to take.  [18]   Not all accusations of bias are political. Science writers accuse the entertainment media of anti-science bias. Television programs such as The X-Files promote superstition.  [19]  In contrast, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which is funded by businesses, accuses the media of being biased in favor of science and against business interests, and of credulously reporting science that purports to show that greenhouse gasses cause global warming.  [20]   There has been a number of suggestions and efforts to straighten the biases during media coverage. A technique used to avoid bias is the point/counterpoint or round table, an adversarial format in which representatives of opposing views comment on an issue. This approach theoretically allows diverse views to appear in the media. However, the person organizing the report still has the responsibility to choose people who really represent the breadth of opinion, to ask them non-prejudicial questions, and to edit or arbitrate their comments fairly.  [21]   Another technique used to avoid bias is disclosure of affiliations that may be considered a possible conflict of interest. This is especially apparent when a news organization is reporting a story with some relevancy to the news organization itself or to its ownership individuals or conglomerate. Often this disclosure is mandated by the laws or regulations pertaining to stocks and securities. Commentators on news stories involving stocks are often required to disclose any ownership interest in those corporations or in its competitors. Same holds good during reporting of run up to elections when media covers stories and opinions through news columns and editorials as well publish advertisements related to contesting candidates and propaganda of the political parties. V Paid news: Pernicious dimension of media Media bias has always been a detrimental phenomenon affecting all forms of media that plagues society due to financial selfishness and vested interests of the journalists and the corporate houses controlling the strings of various sections of media. But in the recent years this bias is falling in the vicious trap of corruption whereby the news has started to have a price tag and advertorials are passed as news to unsuspecting readers and viewers. It has become pervasive, structured and highly organized and in the process, is undermining democracy in India. Media has moral responsibility to keep the news objective, fair and neutral. A clear distinction between information and opinion from advertisements that are paid for by corporate entities, governments, organizations or individuals has to be maintained at all times. The reader should be able to distinguish between news reports and advertisements/advertorials and the boundary between the two should never blur. But recently the paid news is becoming a deep-seated ailment which has become organized and is not restricted to only journalists, managers and owners of media companies but also involve advertising agencies and public relations firms. Owners and editors of media companies ideally should erect a firewall between journalists or content creators/producers, on the one hand, and buyers and sellers of advertising space, on the other but in some newspapers, magazines and television channels, this wall has too many convenient orifices which leads to the most common problem of making an attempt to manipulate public debate through the purchase of favorable editorial space and the purchase of advertising space .Owners of media organizations compel themselves to give favorable information about certain advertisers and block unfavorable information against them due to their financial relationships, including share-holdings, with them. An outgoing chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, in his farewell speech, referred to the existence of the anchor investor. Therefore, this problem, in a different sense, though it cannot be termed as paid news, also existed in the sphere of business journalism. Such trends have been discernible in sections of the Indian media for some years now in spite of press council of India having drawn a set of guidelines in 1996 which are particularly applicable to financial journalists on the behest of the regulator of the countrys capital markets, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).Disclosure of private treaties between media companies and other corporate entities need to be mandatory to safeguard the interests of investors. This practice(paid news) has started in media after India adopted free-economy policy. Corporates and media came closer and marketing managers became stronger than the editor of a media establishment. ..Media (the only hope for the common man) is supposed to be advocating for the deprived sections of society. But media itself has become an integral part of consumerism and corporate system.  [22]  The explosive growth in the media in the country had highlighted the fact that the Fourth Estate is the only one among the pillars of democracy that has an identifiable commercial and explicitly for-profit persona. While the primary professional duty of media organizations is to their readership to keep them informed and appraised with news, views and ideas, the commercial logic brings in a new set of stakeholders in the form of the shareholders of these companies.  [23]   The paid news has proliferated more due to diminution of the role and the status of editors in media organizations and the reduced freedom of journalists under the Working Journalists Act. Senior journalists prefer to work with their employers under fixed term contracts which erode their protection otherwise accorded to them under the provisions of the Act. Until the 1970s and the 1980s, many editors would not brook any interference from the management of the company they would be employed by the number of such editors started dwindling as more and more senior journalists started acceding to every whim of their managers and employers instead of their editors. With managers playing a more influential role in the selection and presentation of news, it was not surprising that the importance of the news started getting determined by the revenues that would be generated for the media company.  [24]  The journalist faces an ethical dilemma which begins with the inherent conflict betwe en the individuals role as a journalist providing independent information to the public and his or her employers quest for profit. The poor wages of journalists especially those who work in non-urban areas also force them to double up as advertising agents working on commissions to earn their livelihood. The paid news acquires a completely new complexity of staggering proportion with the corporatization of media houses and large media houses not only own print media but also own electronic media and radio waves. These media houses offer packages for the projection of certain individuals in all the forms of media that they own and control. This distorts parliamentary democracy in multiple ways: (a) (the) media ceases to be objective and, therefore, distorts public perception; (b) it distorts the electoral political choices of the people by providing undue advantage to those candidates/political parties who are able to afford these packages, (c) it manipulates democracy, negating it completely by denying or by not providing equal access to those who cannot afford to indulge in such malpractices thereby breaching the provisions of the Constitution of India, and (d) it demeans the idea and essence of journalism itself.  [25]   Paid news phenomenon represents a fatal combination of three Ms, namely, the media, money and mafia that has subverted free and fair elections. He said that earlier, politicians used to hire musclemen with huge amounts of money and train them in booth rigging. Nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦candidates are training media pens instead of mafia guns to rig the minds of people with constant opinion bombarding.  [26]  The new aspect of this phenomenon of paid newsas seen in parliament elections in 2009 is that there was widespread participation by political parties in this process. The integration and assimilation of leading political parties and corporate public relations bodies in this racket is also unique to the elections of 2009.  [27]  The Election Commission noted during the election process that the more disturbing phenomenon recently emerging and which is causing serious concern to the commission is the latest complaint to the Commission that some of the newspapers have even offered p ackages at hefty sums, offering three types of services one, projecting the image of a political party or a candidate in a positive manner; two, giving negative publicity to the rival party or candidate. The rates of such packages vary, depending upon the standing and circulation of the newspaper in the area covered by the constituency.The regional media councils have been rising to address the problem by repeatedly urging the journalists to desist from the temptation of We strongly believe that the practice of putting out advertising as news is a grave journalistic malpractice. Moreover the trend threatens the foundation of journalism by eroding public faith in the credibility and impartiality of news reporting. It also vitiated the poll process and prevented a fair election, since richer candidates who could pay for their publicity had a clear advantage.  [28]  A prominent journalist took a poke shot on vernacular press, The vernacular media may be feeling cocky, having pulle d themselves out of physical poverty under their own steam, but they have yet to learn how to deal firmly and decisively with another kind of poverty that of the professional, ethical kind  [29]  . The society has woken up to the media malpractices and the reflection is seen in the films and documentaries. Film director Shri Ram Gopal Verma made a movie in Feb 2010 named Rann dealing with the topic of corruption in the media. Even a documentary titled Advertorial: Selling News or Products? was produced by an eminent media critic and academic Paranjoy Guha Thakurta for Indias national broadcaster, Doordarshan.Even in a survey conducted by the Readers Digest in March 2010, called the Trust Survey, 750 Indians were asked to rank the short-listed individuals belonging to different professions. Journalists were ranked 30 out of the 40 professionals listed and were placed next only to barbers and bus drivers.  [30]  Edelman, an independent public relations firm, in its 2010 Trust Barometer Survey (conducted in 22 countries worldwide, including India and six other countries in the Asia-Pacific region) stated that the Indian media has been losing its credibility and trust among the people. The study, which sampled 1,575 people in the 25-64 age group and 200 opinion leaders in India, noticed a sharp drop in trust over the past two years in television news in India. However, newspapers are ranked higher than other media in terms of credible news with people trusting newspapers more than any other medium: 38 per cent of the Indians polled trusted radio and television, while

The Development of Plot in Young Goodman Brown :: Literary Analysis Summary Essays

The Development of Plot in Young Goodman Brown Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset into the street at Salem village; but put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife. And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap while she called to Goodman Brown. â€Å"Dearest heart,† whispered she, softly and rather sadly, when her lips were close to his ear, â€Å"prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to–night. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts that she's afeared of herself sometimes. Pray tarry with me this night, dear husband, of all nights in the year.† â€Å"My love and my Faith,† replied young Goodman Brown, â€Å"of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee. My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done 'twixt now and sunrise. What, my sweet, pretty wife, dost thou doubt me already, and we but three months married?† â€Å"Then God bless you!† said Faith, with the pink ribbons; â€Å"and may you find all well when you come back.† â€Å"Amen!† cried Goodman Brown. â€Å"Say thy prayers, dear Faith, and go to bed at dusk, and no harm will come to thee.† So they parted; and the young man pursued his way until, being about to turn the corner by the meeting–house, he looked back and saw the head of Faith still peeping after him with a melancholy air, in spite of her pink ribbons. â€Å"Poor little Faith!â€Å" thought he, for his heart smote him. â€Å"What a wretch am I to leave her on such an errand! She talks of dreams, too. Methought as she spoke there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done to–night. But no, no; 'twould kill her to think it. Well, she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.† With this excellent resolve for the future, Goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose. He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind.

Do Family Friendly Policies Hurt Men?

But as companies add these benefits, some male employees ( and some childless women as well) have complained that the company Is spending money on benefits that flow to some workers at the expense ( at least theoretically) of others. Some men have even complained that fathers don't get assistance with child care or an opportunity to bring their babies to work. In fact, In the united States, companies do have to extend the same benefits to fathers as to mothers (except, of course, that if a mother is disabled after childbirth, she is the one who gets the usability benefit).But men note that it is women who are more likely to use these benefits, even though studies show that men are experiencing more work- life conflict than male workers did a few decades ago. And as more pregnant women stay on the job, the disparity is as obvious as the bulging bellies.The best way to distribute the cost and benefits of flexibility is to offer to every employee that may need it. Also the ones who It d on't need the benefit of flexibility, give them a longer break for lunch or give rewards to keep the employees up to speed. 2. Do employee benefits have to be used equally In order for them to be fair or ethical? Why or why not? If you were In the HER department of a company where some employees were unhappy about this Issue, how would you recommend that the many address It?Now if I understand this right, I believe that if the benefits were equally given to all employees and not just women with children, I believe this would be fair and ethical. Instead of being equally used, I believe all the employees should have access to all the benefits of the company. If I was in the HER department, I would say that all the TTS snow a De offer to can employee. ASK around Ana get ten employees involved and see what is most needed. Finally, find ways that would benefit both men and women.

Examples of Toponym or Place Name

Examples of Toponym or Place Name A toponym is a  place name or a word coined in association with the name of a place. Adjectives: toponymic and toponymous. The study of such place names is known as toponymics or toponymy- a branch of onomastics. Types of toponym include agronym (the name of a field or pasture), dromonym (the name of a transportation route), drymonym (the name of a forest or grove), econym (the name of a village or town), limnonym (the name of a lake or pond), and necronym (the name of a cemetery or burial ground). EtymologyFrom the Greek, place name Examples and Observations The name Chicago is first recorded in 1688 in a French document, where it appears as Chigagou, an Algonquian word meaning onion field.(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2000)An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast.(Hackers and Spending Sprees, Newsweek, Nov. 5, 2008)Hooterville was Xanadu with pickup trucks, an odd yet comfortable land with an irresistible charm.(Craig Tomashoff, When Life Was Simple. The New York Times, July 4, 1999)The Influence of the DanesWhen we find more than 600 places like Grimsby, Whitby, Derby, Rugby, and Thoresby, with names ending in -ly, nearly all of them in the district occupied by the Danes, we have striking evidence of the number of Danes who settled in England.(Albert C. Baugh and Thomas Cable, A History of the English Language. Routledge Kegan Paul, 1978)Dutch TermsEnglishmen have pretty much considered anyone theyve come into contact with as being lazy , poor, cowardly, untrustworthy, thieving, and of substandard morality, a mind-set of superiority reflected in a litany of set phrases in the language. . . .Surprisingly, those who got the worst of English abuse were the Dutch. Most expressions we now use concerning the people of Holland are harmless, such as Dutch door, double Dutch, and Dutch oven, but previously, terms containing Dutch were the idiomatic equivalent of a Polack joke. A bookie who loses money is a Dutch book; Dutch courage is inspired only by booze; if youre in Dutch, youre in prison, or pregnant; and a Dutch widow is a prostitute. Still in wide use is to go Dutch, which describes an actionnot paying for your datethat languages around the rest of the globe call to go American.(John B. Marciano, Toponymity: An Atlas of Words. Bloomsbury, 2010) Toponyms From American Indian WordsThousands of toponyms in the United States and Canada derive from American Indian words. One is Chanhassen, a Twin Cities suburb in Minnesota. In the Sioux language, this word refers to the sugar maple tree. The place name translates to the tree with sweet juice. Sometimes the reference is not so pleasant. Stinkingwater Peak, Wyoming, takes its unflattering name from a nearby river.(Gerald R. Pitzl,  Encyclopedia of Human Geography. Greenwood, 2004)The MississippiIn Algonquian, the forms linked together in a toponym are descriptive as in Mohican missi-tuk big river, and the toponym as a whole is used to identify a particular place [that is, Mississippi].(William C. McCormack and Stephen A. Wurm, Approaches to Language: Anthropological Issues. Mouton, 1978)Magenta, Duffel Bag, and PaisleyMagenta is a reddish-pink color, and it is a toponym. The rather upbeat color is named after a downbeat scenethe blood-soaked battlefield at the Battle of Magenta in Italy in 1859 (Freeman, 1997). Other toponyms include duffel bag (Duffel, Belgium), sardines (the island of Sardinia), and paisley (Paisley, Scotland).(Dale D. Johnson, Bonnie von Hoff Johnson, and Kathleen Schlichting, Logology: Word and Language Play. Vocabulary Instruction: Research to Practice, ed. by James F. Baumann and Edward J. Kameenui. Guilford, 2004) Tuxedo Park, Marathon, Bikini, and LyceumWords that you might not suspect were toponyms include tuxedo (Tuxedo Park, New York), marathon (from the battle of Marathon, Greece . . .), spartan (from Sparta in ancient Greece), bikini (an atoll in the Pacific where the atomic and hydrogen bombs were tested), [and] lyceum (a gymnasium near Athens where Aristotle taught) . . ..(Charles H. Elster, What in the Word? Harvest, 2005)The Lighter Side of Toponyms: Westward Ho!The village of Westward Ho! in Devon, England, is the only place name in England that ends in an exclamation point. The village borrowed its name from the title of Charles Kingsleys popular novel set in nearby BidefordWestward Ho! (1855). Pronunciation: TOP-eh-nim

The novel progresses Essay Example

The novel progresses Essay Example The novel progresses Essay The novel progresses Essay The reader begins to realise that Fagin is an evil character as the novel progresses.  In chapter thirteen, Charles Dickens portrays Fagins determination to get Oliver back: Whats become of the boy? said the Jew, seizing the Dodger tightly by the collar, and threatening him with horrid imprecations. This brings about suspicion in the reader as Fagin is showing much determination to retrieve a little boy. But one consequence of Oliver not being under the control of Fagin is that he could snitch on Fagins criminal activities. But this is only a possibility, so why his Dickens illustrating this character with such determination? The reader begins to understand that Fagin is under the influence of Monks for which is why he shows such determination to retrieve Oliver. Dickens has portrayed Fagin as a self-obsessed character as he his only concerned about the consequences that would occur to him or benefit him with the retrieval of Oliver. Again, Dickens has depicted Fagin of his malicious human nature. The reader has clear understanding of how Fagins mind works; he is a character who has a strong attachment to materialism and he his self-absorbed. The reader begins to develop an understanding of Fagins character; he has much dexterity within the criminal world and is a sly, cunning, and resourceful man.  This is also portrayed through Alan Bleasdales interpretation; however this character has been expressed as more intelligent.  When Bumble is introduced back into the novel in chapter 17, he discovers an advertisement about Oliver and he immediately sets out to find more information. When Bumble meets Mr. Brownlow he attempts to destroy Olivers character. Dickens depicts the evil aspects of this character through the way he treats other people and this is mainly portrayed through how Oliver is treated: that Oliver was a foundling, born of low and vicious parents. That he had from his birth no better qualities than treachery, ingratitude, and Malice. Not only is this not true but Bumble has created a false background of Olivers history, which he tries to deceive Mr Brownlow with. Dickens has portrayed the evil characteristics of Bumble and he has depicted the evil aspects of human nature through this character. He is desperate to get his reward. In his greed he blackens the character of Oliver and describes him as a foul child. Mr. Bumble does not mind spoiling the reputation of Oliver as long as it would earn him five guineas. Once again Dickens reveals the corrupt parochial world through the character of Mr. Bumble.  The most amusing scene in the novel is the one in which Mr. Bumble is shown assessing the property of Mrs. Corney before proposing marriage to her. His exclamations of greed, his flirtatious manner, and his display of affection make Mr. Bumble into a rather comic character. Mr. Bumble is married for two months but he looks unhappy in his relationship. Mrs. Corney dominates and insults him, which causes unpleasantness between them. She does so in the same room in which both of them had expressed their love for each other. The woman, who had acted coy before, now behaves like a demon, hitting her husband and tearing his hair, which is Dickenss humor. Within the relationship Mr Bumble finds himself in a difficult position, he believes that he his in command of the relationship and the wife has to obey: The prerogative of man is too command. By Mr. Bumble saying this it caused Mrs. Bumble great unpleasantness and there is a rather comic moment where Mrs. Bumble attacks Mr. Bumble with success: clasping him tightly round the throat with one hand, inflicted a shower of blows. What Charles Dickens is trying to illustrate is that Mr. Bumble was so full of his own importance that he didnt care about others. Now, that Mrs. Bumble is present she can control Mr. Bumble to an extent and put things into perspective for Mr. Bumble. Charles Dickens is depicting Mr. Bumble and the reader feels that that is what he deserves. Dickens has depicted both Bumble and Fagin in the development of both characters. He has clearly expressed his concerns for the corruption of social conditions; how children are treated, the way law his administered and the consequences it leads to: crime. All of these factors are illustrated through how dickens has depicted the evil aspects of human nature through Bumble and Fagin.  The reader is expecting the evil characters of Bumble and Fagin to obviously have the ending that they deserve and this is what Dickens gives to the reader. Dickens builds up a great deal of tension to Fagins death and when Oliver and Mr. Brownlow go to meet Fagin, before his death, Dickens portrays him as a helpless animal: The condemned criminal was seating on his bed, rocking himself from side to side, with a countenance more like that of a snarled beast than a face of a man. Dickens has transformed this character, from the ruler of the criminal world to a powerless animal and he has gained the readers sympathy by doing this. But, because of his evil ways, death is his punishment, and that is what I personally think he deserves. When Fagin his approaching his death he his not even willing to share a prayer with Oliver and he his portrayed as a crazy criminal. He starts discussing an escape route with Oliver to help him and Dickens is still depicting this character; even in his last moments of life, he cannot even say a prayer, instead he plans an escape. Charles Dickens from start to finish has depicted this character of his evil human nature.  In Bumbles ending, Dickens clearly portrays that Mr. and Mrs. Bumbles relationship isnt going well and eventually they have split up. Not only did they split up but they became paupers in the very workhouse that they once ruled. Dickens has given the ending to these two characters for what they deserve. Overall, Bumble is portrayed as a character that is so full of his own importance and his marriage with Mrs. Corney becomes rather comic and we feel he has suffered at his own hands. Fagin is portrayed as a sinister character, who is attached to his materialism and who only cares about himself.  Charles Dickens has depicted the evil aspects of human nature through Bumble and Fagin. Dickens has criticized both these characters to express his concerns for the social conditions of his time such as law, authority, power and crime, and I believe he has clearly expressed these factors through depicting the characters of Bumble and Fagin.

In what ways, if any, can Shelleys Prometheus Unbound be considered a Essay

In what ways, if any, can Shelleys Prometheus Unbound be considered a revolutionary work - Essay Example This is why it speaks to us even today. P. B. Shelley was an English Romantic poet who rebelled against English politics and conservative values. He drew no distinction between politics and poetry and his work reflected the radical ideas and revolutionary optimism of the era. Like many poets of his times, Shelley employed mythological themes and figures from Greek poetry. Poets and scholars have traditionally read the tale of Prometheus as a lesson in revolution, seeing the imprisoned Titan as an emblem of the lone individual in heroic rebellion against mindless tyranny. The title character, Prometheus is perhaps more than other heroes and serves the scholars as a sort of critical mirror. As many critics have noted, through the doubling of the human qualities of Prometheus and Jupiter, Shelley subtly emphasizes the lack of distance between the tyrant and the slave, and also the cynical nature of time through periods of liberty and tyranny. Shelley’s manipulation of genres throughout Prometheus Unbound creates a con trolled sense of expectation and contrast that permits him to progressively expand his drama towards universal harmony. The lyrical harmonization of the universe pervades all levels of drama, uniting the mental drama of Prometheus and with the external drama of a transformed world, signaling the affirmative revolutionary edict of a new age of humanity. In Prometheus Unbound Shelley uses the old myth of the Titan who rebelled against the tyranny of the gods and who was punished by being chained to the rock. Obviously there is no amount of reality or human interest in the fantasy. There are two plays named Prometheus unbound. Both are concerned with the torments of the Greek mythological figure Prometheus and his suffering at the hand of Zeus. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound is a four act play first published in 1820. It is an inspiration from the first ‘Prometheus Bound’ by Aeschylus

Packaging and it is future in the United States Essay

Packaging and it is future in the United States - Essay Example In the United States packaging is used for different purposes. Four uses for packaging are: To contain products in specific amounts defining the amount the customer will purchase To protect products from contamination, theft, and environmental damage Facilitate transportation and storage of products To provide information and colorful designs To transmit marketing messages (Berger). During the 21st century the customer tastes and preferences have changed a lot. People have become more conscious of the environment and the effects personal consumerism decisions have on the well being of the planet. Due to these changes in the customer desires many companies are using environmentally friendly packaging alternatives. An example of an environmentally friendly packaging product is packaging that utilizes recycled material. Companies can also apply environmentally friendly practices in its packaging through its processes. Creating a packaging facility that is powered by solar energy is a wa y to implement green practices into the packaging business. Green practices can extend to other phases of the business such as having an office environment that is paper free.

Contemporary Marketing Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Contemporary Marketing Practice - Essay Example It is common to hear among the consumers that they are not subjects to marketing strategies. Most consumers never want to admit that advertisements have immense influence on their tastes and preferences as far as purchases are concerned. The researcher states that the concern on this essay is whether in reality this freedom is exercised or customer’s tastes are subject to marketer’s strategies. This study involves the issues of advertisement in relation to increase of obesity in the society. The paper is generally a review of various literatures. In conducting the study, the researcher explored a number of books, magazines and website articles on the relationship between obesity and advertisements. To ensure that the ideas are not from the same school of thoughts, this study involved experts from diversified fields, among them being nutritionists, educators, critical analysts, scholars and healthcares providers. One thing that was very common in all these sources is tha t adverts influences the decision making of the consumers, who tend to buy the products, despite their harmful effects on their bodies. The study drew much information from previous studies, particularly from published online books. In conducting the study, the researcher also explored the advertisement strategies of some prominent companies such as Unilever, Coca-cola, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, Nestle, General Mills, Kellogg Co. and ConAgra Foods, all of which had one common feature - they all use a significant amount from their coffer in advertisements.

Femme Fatale in Victorian Literature Essay Example for Free

Femme Fatale in Victorian Literature Essay INTRODUCTION Victorian Era was the big step in the overall cultural development of England. Many, presently famous novels and poems came to light during this period. Mainly writers, who (in their style of writing) openly manifested their opposition to the strict moral law which was significant those days. Universal etiquette of behavior, wealth and the family name in the social hierarchy ladder were very important to be perceived as aristocracy. Class division within the society was clearly marked. The pattern of a female character in Victorian novel which gained popularity very fast that time was Femme Fatale pattern which is also known as deadly woman. I have chosen such topic, because I am of opinion that femme fatale type of character is the most interesting of all female identity types. Furthermore, Victorian period is a time of a changing role of the women in the British society, which gives us very contrastive background, in which behavior of such woman was something immoral, controversial but also brave. Charles Dickens is widely perceived as the greatest novelist of the Victorian Era. He is the creator of fictional characters, which are known all over the world and are used as universal patterns through centuries till now. Ch. Dickens in his work described in a perfect way English Victorian society as well as its rules. Dickens, through his life experienced many difficulties, which shaped his identity and had immense influence on his own, specific style of writing. His thirteenth novel Great Expectations was one of the greatest among Victorian Era works. The main character Pip, is growing and developing through the whole story which is why the novel belongs to the Bildungsroman genre. What is more, Great Expectations novel was firstly published in the serial form in weekly magazine All the Year Round so it can be also defined as serialized novel. The plot of this story is quite complicated, bringing the reader much of surprise because of unexpected turns of action and character, like the most significant change in the story is when the main hero suddenly becomes rich person and his life has been rapidly changed. But it is not main hero on whom I am going to focus in the first chapter of my diploma paper. It will be the woman of his dreams. The woman, who was unable to return a feeling back to him, as well as to anybody else. Her name is Estella Havisham and she is the first example which I am going to analyze in my work. The second writer from Victorian era whose fictional character I am going to analyze is William Thackeray. William Thackeray, the next one of the greatest writers in Victoria Era, was born into British high society in 1811. He experienced mostly comfortable and easy life until he reached 22 years old. Till that time he managed to squander most of his fortune. The main reasons which led to that situation were gambling and the Indian Banking Crisis. We can say that during his life he experienced on his own what is like to be rich and poor. That is why he could objectively depict the view of British society of his times. This is exactly what he had done in his famous work entitled Vanity Fair. In 1847 He started publishing short stories in Punch Magazine, which means that similarly to Great Expectations, it was also serialized novel. Although first chapters of this novel were written years before, they were not available for the wide audience. The whole story was completed and published as a book in 1848. That time also it received the subtitle A Novel Without a Hero. Very soon it became successful. CHAPTER ONE: FEMME FATALE AND VICTORIAN SOCIETY 1Victorian Period – Overall information The period 1837-1901 is named Victorian after Queen Victoria who ruled English country that time. It was a time of a big change when English Victorian Society was divided into three main classes: upper, middle and lower which was also called working class. Each class is characterized by various occupations, ways of life and etiquette. The upper class consisted of the nobility, such as dukes, earls, and viscounts. They were often related to the royal families of Britain and Europe, and their society was distinct and separate to the other two classes certain expectations had to be met by everybody. Most of these aristocrats did not have a profession, as their families had sufficient funds to live in affluence. However, many were captains of industry, especially mining or ship building. The middle class consisted of rich families who were respectable, but lacked a title, and often had skilled professions, such as a doctor, or a teacher. At the beginning of the Victorian times, they were a small proportion of the population. However, the effects of the Industrial Revolution meant that more people could be defined as middle class, because of improvements in education and more opportunities of leveling from the lower class to upper one. The lower class (working class) were made up of the rural and urban poor, who had often low skilled, dangerous, dirty and boring jobs (often all four) that they had to take because of the lack of education. A handful could actually be defined as lower middle class, but because they often lived in terraced housing areas, they were defined as working class. There was also a class below the working class paupers. They lived in extreme poverty, often because of old age, unemployment, illness or strained resources. Sally Mitchel in her book clearly points out that Most working people earned just enough to stay alive, and could be thrown into poverty by illness, layoffs, or a sudden misfortune such as a factory fire that caused even short-term unemployment. People in unskilled and semiskilled jobs generally needed additional income from several members of the family. (Mitchel 19) Etiquette was one of the most significant thing that time. Education of the woman would not be completed without teaching rules of proper behavior. Not only women but also men had to obey this set of rules during many daily activities even the simplest one. What kind of jewelry as well as when and where one should wear, who to walk with, who to dance with, how and when to speak to a stranger, were all very critical knowledge. For men, there were rules about bowing, where to sit and next to whom, even about the circumstances in which it was appropriate or not to smoke or drink in front of ladies. Running a house without servants was almost impossible. The number of servants one could afford was a sign of one’s wealth. The bigger house, the more servants were hired. They were usually divided into two groups: indoor (butler, housekeeper, maids) and outdoor: (coachman, groom, a gardener). Being a servant wasn’t well-paid job but thanks to tips, a servant could earn extra money. Next, very significant thing which was obligatory mainly in upper class society was dance. It was the essence of every ball which was one of the greatest entertainment that time in English society. Balls were organized on many occasions and created opportunity to know noble men and women from upper class. In Victorian Britain the ideology of separate private sphere to the woman and sphere of business and politics to the man was clearly marked. The home was regarded as a haven from the busy and chaotic public world of politics and business, and from the harsh life of the factory. In Victorian times, you could travel one of three ways: by train, by horse, or by foot. The most common means of transportation was by far the horse. It was used by rich and poor. The rich owned fancy coaches that had every accessory one could ever need for living on the road, and the poor would go about town on the cheap omnibuses that carried twenty people at a time. 2Femme Fatale The term femme fatale comes from French and it states mainly in the opposition to another popular image of a Victorian woman called Angel in the House. ‘Femme Fatale is a woman who is sexually attractive but cruel and dangerous to men who have a relationship with her’ (Macmillan Dictionary, Femme Fatale definition). There were many famous female characters in the history who suit very well to this image even before the term Femme Fatale has been created. To the most famous examples belong: The femme fatale has always been a well-known archetype in literature, art and movies. The tradition of the femme fatale is long and versatile and can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt, with its iconic Cleopatra. Especially in the fine arts, the femme fatale has been portrayed in many metaphorical ways: as a vampire, nymph, fallen angel or sorceress. She flourished in the 1940’s century film noir, where the combination of aggressiveness and sensuality in women was a central topic (Place, 1998: 57). We can find many examples not only in written form but also in movies, where tempting and lethal women can be found as well: Sharon Stone in BASIC INSTINCT (1992), the Bond Girls or Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones in CHICAGO (2002) were all very seductive, but dangerous. Hence, based on van Dijkstra’s extensive historiography, the femme fatale can be defined as a woman who is mysteriously seductive and uses this quality to outsmart men. Her resistance against male domination exists of beauty, charm and sexual allure: she tempts the male target and drives him crazy by denying him her affection. (1986, 237) To summarize: key aspects of the femme fatale are mystery, beauty, seduction and, most importantly, danger. The most conventional image of the perfect Victorian woman who states in opposition to Femme Fatale woman can be found in the title of a long poem written by Coventry Patmore: The Angel in the House. The pure woman’s life was supposed to be entirely centered on the home. She preserved the higher moral values, guarded her husband’s conscience, guided her children’s training, and helped regenerate society through her daily display of Christianity in action. If she successfully made the home a place of perfect peace, her husband and sons would not want to leave it for an evening’s (morally suspect) entertainment elsewhere. (Mitchell 266) 3 William Makepeace Thackeray – Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray was born in Calcutta, India, in 1811. He was son of Richmond Thackeray, an Indian Civil Servant, and his wife Anne. Just a few years later his father died, his mother remarried, and the shy and young William was sent to England where he would deal with the harsh realities of isolation at Charterhouse, a private school in London. He then went on to attend Trinity College, Cambridge. Thackeray abandoned his studies without taking a degree, having lost some of his inheritance of twenty thousand pounds through gambling. During 1831-33 Thackeray studied law at the Middle Temple, London, but had little enthusiasm to continue his studies. Soon after He went to Paris to unsuccessfully try his hand at painting. It was in Paris that he met and married Isabella Shawe (1816–1893) in 1836, with whom he would have two surviving daughters, Anne Isabella and Harriet Marian. Back in England he suffered massive financial losses, which is why he had to start writing articles, reviews, essays and sketches as a journalist. Travel articles about France such as his Paris Sketch Book (1840) and The Yellowplush Correspondence (1841) were among his first efforts appearing in various magazines and journals including Frasers, Punch, and The Times. He also illustrated many of his own works. After the birth of Harriet, Isabella started on what was to be, until her death, numerous bouts of depression, an extensive search for a cure, and ultimately a slow spiral to insanity. She would live apart from William, rarely seeing him or her daughters. Thackeray remained close to his daughters all his life. Anne was his secretary for a while and they both lived with him at his house in London before marrying. The disintegration of his marriage however would have a profound effect on his life and was reflected in the characters of his novels, including the loveless marriage between Rachel and Frank Castlewood in The History of Henry Esmond, Esq. (1852) and its sequel The Virginians (1857). Haunting the Literary Clubs of London including the Garrick Club, Thackeray also travelled the Mediterranean, A Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo (1846) the result. Book of Snobs (1848) and Vanity Fair (1848) followed soon after, but it was not until The History of Pendennis (1850), his semi-autobiographical novel that Thackerays success as a humorist was confirmed. He then embarked on a series of lectures published as English Humorists of the Eighteenth Century (1851) and Four Georges (1860), based on the Hanoverian Kings, from his tours of the United States in 1852-53 and 1855-56. In 1860 Thackeray became editor of the monthly literary journal Cornhill Magazine, but died suddenly three years later, in 1863, at the age of fifty two. He lies buried beside his mother in the Victorian Garden cemetery Kensal Green in London, England. Charles Dickens wrote a glowing tribute to him in Cornhill Magazine. William Thackeray is mostly known for his great novel â€Å"Vanity Fair†. The novel was written in 1848. The book brought Thackeray prosperity and made him an established author and popular lecturer in Europe and in the United States. Vanity Fair with its second title A Novel without a Hero is a novel published in 1847–48, satirizing society in early 19th-century Britain. The books title comes from John Bunyans allegorical story The Pilgrims Progress, first published in 1678 and still widely read at the time of Thackerays novel. Vanity Fair refers to a stop along the pilgrims progress: a never-ending fair held in a town called Vanity, which is meant to represent mans sinful attachment to worldly things. The novel is now considered a classic, and has inspired several film adaptations, the most recent being the 2004 film starring Reese Witherspoon. In 2003, Vanity Fair was listed on the BBCs The Big Read poll of the UKs best-loved novel.[1] 4 Charles Dickens – Great Expectations Charles Dickens is widely perceived as the greatest novelist of the Victorian Era. He is the creator of fictional characters, which are known all over the world and are used as universal patterns through centuries till now. Ch. Dickens in his work describes in a perfect way English Victorian society as well as its rules. Dickens, through his life experienced many difficulties, which shaped his identity and had immense influence on his own, specific style of writing. Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on 7 February 1812 in Portsmouth. He was son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. Until he finished 11 years he and his family moved two times. He was very clever boy. When he was young, he read many novels, especially the picaresque novels of Tobias Smollett and Henry Fielding. From the early stages he took private lessons, first in dame school, and then at a school run by William Giles, a dissenter, in Chatham. In 1822, the Dickens family moved to Camden Town, a poor neighborhood in London. By then the family’s financial situation had grown dire, as John Dickens had a dangerous habit of living beyond the family’s means. Eventually, John was sent to prison for debt in 1824, when Charles was just 12 years old. In 1860 Dickens started to publish short stories for the weekly magazine â€Å"All The Year Round†. Although intended for weekly publication, Great Expectations was divided into nine monthly sections, with new pagination for each. At the beginning, his serialized story was not so famous as A Days Ride by Charles Lever, which was published in the same magazine but soon lose favor with the public. Dickens, during one year of publication (1860-1861), wrote thirty six episodes. The novel gained title Great Expectation and became very successful among works of Victorian era, showing simultaneously Dickens peak and maturity as an author. Nowadays, novel is regarded as very important and is taught in many English classes. The main character Pip, is growing and developing through the whole story which is why the novel belongs to the Bildungsroman genre. In many respects, it contains themes and emotions directly related to the author’s experience. For instance, the description of Pip’s childhood has some affinity with Dickens own life. Also, Estella seems directly inspired from Maria Beadwell, a lady whom Dickens loved; Beadwell snubbed him coldly because of his low social status. The plot of story is complicated, bringing the reader much of surprise because of unexpected turns of action as the most significant change in the story when the main hero suddenly becomes rich person and his life has been rapidly changed. But it is not main hero on whom I am going to focus in the first chapter of my diploma paper. It will be the woman of his dreams. The woman, who was unable to return a feeling back to him, as well as to anybody else. Her name is Estella Havisham and she is the first example which I am going to analyze in my work.