Learning Method Essays - Educational Psychology, Pedagogy

Learning Method The way I learn is by actually thinking of things and realizing why something is what it is instead of memorization. Anything that is taught to me I must find out why it is true, because without knowing why something is right, it causes confusion. For example a person tells me that plants are green. I will walk around and know that plants are green and only knowing that. When the rare occasion comes that I find a non-green plant I will be lost. Only if someone would have told me that plants are green because of the chlorophyll that produces their food through converting sunlight, water, and air into glucose, and that some plants have less chlorophyll or more to make them different colors, then I would know why those plants are different from the others. Also, I learn by actually having things demonstrated and learning how the process works. I can also further understand things by deeply looking into them. If everyone would just take some time and think about their actions or why they feel a certain way the world would be so much more peaceful. Most people do not know why they have hate for a certain group of people or why they do not like a certain type of music. Some of the people are fed someone else's opinion and it is usually someone that they look up to so they accept that opinion as their own without having a real reason for it. I think that everyone should learn by actually knowing information and explanations for everything instead of memorization of things that they will forget as soon as they do not need it for a test or for what they are learning it for. That will also help them with related topics, such as if you learn that bright colored spiders are poisonous because the bright colors ward off animals so they know not to eat them, then you would assume if you found a bright colored frog or flower, that it was poisonous too. If you only knew that bright colored spiders were poisonous and not the actual reason why, you would have made a mistake when seeing the brightly colored frog or flower by touching it and therefore becoming poisoned. School plays the biggest part in learning by memorization. Most teachers cram their students with tons of information and tell them to study it for a test without explaining most of it. By the time the test comes the students might know all of the information, but as soon as the test is over the information, useless to them now, is discarded. So in essence learning reasons for things can be very helpful to make it through everyday life. I think that is the easiest way to learn for me, and the most efficient way to learn. Philosophy

Plug and Play essays

Plug and Play essays Technological advances have swept our society into the twenty- first century. Many accessories have become easily compatible to take personal PCs to new heights. Windows 95 was the first operating system to offer the feature of plug and play. Adding new hardware to your computer is easier than ever because it is set up to communicate by means of an I/O address, interrupt request, and a direct memory access channel. By powering on your system, your computer recognizes immediately new devices looking to be installed or used. In the past, in order to have the same method that computers carry now, you would have to purchase a compatible piece of hardware, set the hardware jumpers, physically install the card, install configuration software, reboot your computer hoping everything is in working order. Now in present times, available to you is full compatibility and support for legacy hardware, support for mobile computing including hot-docking and hot-plugging of plug and play devices, automated configuration and installation of plug and play peripherals, centralized hardware configuration information in the windows 95 registry, and lastly reduced user support. One of the most frustrating areas of operating a computer is installing hardware and or configuration of devices. Accessories such as joysticks, CD recorders, scanners, digital cameras, printers, speaker systems, and other components are the most common features people adapt to their systems. However, enabling these devices would take a significant amount of time and intelligence in order to have them operating to their full capabilities. Proper commands and certain sequences of changing system properties is required, yet with plug and play none of these problems are encountered. Whether your desires are to joystick your way through a three dimensional helicopter game, or use a digital camera to record real live action, plug and play is what m ...

Biography of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeares Wife

Biography of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's Wife William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous writer of all time, but his private life and marriage to Anne Hathaway isnt necessarily well known to the public. Gain more insight into the circumstances that shaped the bards life and possibly his writing  with this biography of Hathaway. Birth and Early Life Hathaway was born circa  1555. She grew up in  a farmhouse in  Shottery, a small village on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England.  Her  cottage  remains on the site and has since become a major tourist attraction. Little is known about Hathaway. Her name crops up a few times in historical records, but historians don’t have any real sense of what type of woman she was. Shotgun Marriage Anne Hathaway married William Shakespeare in November 1582. She was 26, and he was 18. The couple lived in  Stratford-upon-Avon,  which is roughly 100 miles northwest of London. It appears the two had a shotgun wedding. Evidently, they  conceived a child out of wedlock and a wedding was arranged despite the fact that marriages were not traditionally performed at that time of year. The couple would go on to have a total of  three children (two daughters, one son). Special permission had to be asked from the Church, and friends and family had to financially guarantee the wedding and sign a surety for  £40- a huge sum in those days. Some historians believe that the marriage was an unhappy one and the couple was forced together by the pregnancy. Although there is no evidence to support this, some historians go as far as to suggest that Shakespeare  left for London to escape the day-to-day pressures of his unhappy marriage. This is, of course, wild speculation. Did Shakespeare  Run Away to London? We know that William Shakespeare lived and worked in London for most of his adult life. This has led to speculation about the state of his  marriage to Hathaway. Broadly, there are two camps of thought: The Failed Marriage: Some speculate that a difficult marriage in Stratford-upon-Avon compelled the young William to seek his fortune away from home. London would have been many days ride  and was perhaps welcome escape for William who was trapped by a shotgun wedding and children. Indeed, there is evidence (although scant) that William was unfaithful while in London, and would compete with his business partner for the attention of London’s women.The Loving Marriage: If the above is true, it does not explain why William kept such close ties with the town. It seems he regularly returned to share his new-found wealth with Anne and his children. Land investments in the Stratford-upon-Avon area also prove that he planned to retire to the town once his working life in London finished. Children Six months after the marriage, their first daughter Susanna was born. Twins, Hamnet and Judith soon followed in 1585. Hamnet died at age 11, and  four years later Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, a play that may have been inspired by the grief of losing his son.   Death Anne Hathaway outlived her husband. She died Aug. 6,  1623. She is buried next to Shakespeare’s grave inside Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon. Like her husband, she has an inscription upon her tomb, some of which is written in Latin: Here lyeth the body of Anne  wife of William Shakespeare who departed this life the 6th day of August 1623 being of the age of 67 years. Breasts, O mother, milk and life thou didst give. Woe is me- for how great a boon shall I give stones? How much rather would I pray that the good angel should move the stone so that, like Christs body, thine image might come forth! But my prayers are unavailing. Come quickly, Christ, that my mother, though shut within this tomb may rise again and reach the stars.

Child Protective Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Child Protective Services - Essay Example Arguments from both parties will then help the reader reach a conclusion; of their own. Going through a brief history of the CPS, in 1655 the first criminal case was brought up against child abuse in the courts of what is now the United States of America. In 1825, states made laws to protect the rights of children and granting the authority to several agencies to remove children from the custody of parents and guardians who were proved unfit to perform the parental duties (Thomas, 295). By 1974, 49 U.S States had passed the law; hence â€Å"Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act† (CAPTA) was passed by the federal government (Pecora et al, 232). This act established CPS which started functioning by 1974. Thesis CPS is an important part of the present society; it should be made a affirm agency with law enforcement agencies on its call so it is a powerful force against those who embark upon the future of our future generation. A lot of hue and cry has been raised against the CP S and its services but every establishment has its own defects, so does the CPS. As the amount f cases per year registered increases every year, more work has to be put in to secure our future. Basic argument is about the downsizing of the program due to its inefficiency to tackle the modern problems. However, the ball is in the government’s court, to effectively finance the program so no child goes unattended as the worker to case ratio is going out of hand. Support Many people in the social service setups have been calling out for betterment in the current system. Abuse and neglect in children is still prevalent; the system has loopholes through which parents and foster care givers are benefitting, covering their deeds by the noble act of performing their responsibility, key word being ‘act’. Every coin has two faces; both are different, almost opposites. American sentiment toward residential placement for troubled youths is increasingly troubled, passive and e ven aggressive. Even then, many families are too weak to keep their youth unharmed. Foster families are not available for as many as 840,000 children who will require placement by 1995. The most empirically supported criticism of residential placement is its limited positive influence on post placement problems such as delinquency (Pecora et al., 1992). Children are living on roadsides as their parents are to poor or drunk to even know their own self, let alone take care of their offspring. Also, child abuse is an issue which will have disastrous effects on the upcoming generations. CPS comes as the only ray of hope. They take these distressed children under their care and place them with caring, willing families; who have taken the pledge to help the society. In this criminal world, child molesters and drug addicted parents are a big threat to the safety of children. CPS is the right organization to counter these threats. Some extreme steps have to be taken in order to make CPS a r eckoning force like the IRS. Opposition Child Protective Services also has some basic errors. There is huge cry from many quarters of the society that this service should be suspended. If the next generation has to be protected in their homes, this system has to transform radically. The main issue is the anti-family mindset of the CPS. Foster placement should be the last option for the CPS, not the first one. With improper check and balance in the system, the system that was

Social policy - the rule of law as referring to an ideal condition Essay

Social policy - the rule of law as referring to an ideal condition - Essay Example Since the point is to restrain the coercive activities of government, these general rules should not be framed so as to discriminate either against or in favour of any group of persons known in advance-against Jews or Blacks, for example. Laws against speeding lay down general rules of this kind: they apply equally to all motorists, and they do not single out particular individuals (say, BMW drivers) for special attention. Retrospective legislation is likely to violate the rule of law on this interpretation since its victims and beneficiaries usually can be identified in advance. 1 General rules of this kind that are announced in advance are a defence against the arbitrary actions of governments. They are necessary in Hayek's view both for the proper working of the market and for the existence of liberty precisely because they allow individuals to plan their affairs secure in the knowledge that government powers will not be used deliberately to frustrate their efforts. Once governments go beyond the enforcement of certain general rules, their activities inevitably involve the coercion of particular individuals. ... From this point of view there is no reason in principle why governments should not concern themselves with the regulation of economic affairs. But their interventions should take the form of a framework of laws within which markets can operate, rather than the direction of economic activity by a central authority. 2 Here and elsewhere, Hayek discusses government social and economic policy as if interference with market operations inevitably involves the infringement of liberty. It is not clear why that should be the case. Consider the example raised by Pigou in his review of The Road to Serfdom (Pigou 1944). The wartime practice of directing particular individuals into specific jobs is an infringement of liberty that may be defended for a limited period on the grounds of national emergency.3 This example, the occupational choices of individuals is certainly constrained as a result of government policy. But, from the point of view of those affected, the manner in which they are constrained is no different from the effects of market forces. It seems then that government interference in markets is to count as a coercive infringement of liberty, whether or not it is experienced as such by the individuals concerned. 4 Similar considerations apply to the welfare state. It is entirely proper for governments to be concerned with the welfare of their citizens, provided only that their welfare activities are constrained by the rule of law. The difficulty in discussing 'the welfare state', in Hayek's view, is that the term has no clear meaning. Some of the activities normally included under that heading are unobjectionable and may even 'make a free society more attractive, others are

The Effectiveness of a Market Research in Ensuring the Profitability of Laundry Business in Dumaguete City Essay Example for Free

The Effectiveness of a Market Research in Ensuring the Profitability of Laundry Business in Dumaguete City Essay Laundry shops nowadays are very common in Dumaguete City. Everywhere you go, you can see a laundry shop. That is why business is very competitive. The worse thing is that there are times laundry shops have small income since most people have washing machines in their home. For a laundry business, increasing profitability is important especially small laundry services. That is why there is market research. Like what Philip Kotler (1999) said, â€Å"Competing[underscoring added] in the new millennium will demand more skillful marketing than ever before. Marketers must become more world class in their marketing decision making practices. Monitoring your success and doing course corrections are critical for survival and growth in the new millennium, he warns (p. 6C). To clarify, although many laundry businesses in Dumaguete City do not undergo market research, acquiring both positive and negative information about the behavior of the customers and competitors through market research can ensure the profitability of laundry businesses in Dumaguete City as it helps define the scope of the specific services an owner wants to offer, helps in identifying the right strategies for a faster service, and helps in acquiring new costumers especially commercial clients (universities, hospitals, hotels). This paper represents the discussion on why market research is effective in ensuring profitability of laundry businesses in Dumaguete City in four parts. The first part shows that market research defines the scope of the specific services an owner wants to offer. The second part also shows the identifying of the right strategies for a faster service. The third part mention about acquiring new costumers especially commercial clients (for example: universities, hospitals, hotels, resorts, etc. ). The final part presents the reasons why market research is not widely used by laundry businesses in Dumaguete City and arguments regarding how to overview these reasons. With market research, the owner can define the scope of specific services to offer. Through defining the scope, the owner can obtain opportunities to add extra services. And in adding extra services can be done by recognizing the prospects to serve various groups of customers. In this way, the â€Å"take all comers† approach will be very effective in the business. The owner will never turn away any customer that wants to do business. Being a business with a variety of services will also make the it recognizable in your community, especially when the it is the only one with many services to choose from. The downside of this method is you cannot attempt to have low prices because of the expenses (Clark, n. d. ). Expanding the services can be achieved by identifying the unmet needs of a certain group of customers. From an anonymous author of Strategyn (n. d. ): â€Å"Looking through a jobs-to-be-done lens, we see that a market opportunity exists when customers struggle to get a job done. Indeed, addressing those unmet needs is the key to success. † Surely, Conducting a focus group is helpful in identifying the unmet needs of customers. A focus group is a small six to ten different people group that will have an open discussion about specific topic. This will help in discovering the unmet needs of the business’s customers since it will bring out different opinions or complaints. To put it in another way, interviewing customers is a great tool in knowing the unmet needs of clienteles. Just like the importance of interviewing by Zhivago (n. . ): â€Å"You simply cant be successful in marketing if youre not talking to customers. There is no other source of political power. † Without customers, a business can never gain income. Pleasing the customer is always a way to have a reason to always specifically choose a laundry business to go to. In addition, considering what services clients want to acquire is another good way to know the unmet needs of cust omers. When customers mutter suggestions or ideas, always pay attention to what they are saying. And when considering the services clients want to inquire, they will always feel they are well respected and important. That feeling is always good to have with customers because they will make the business special to them also (Friedmann, n. d. ). Another thing is, by defining the scope; the owner can acquire information from clientele to expand existing services. â€Å"To discover customer requirements or expectations for service†, one of the â€Å"ten most common objectives† in service business (Walker, Boyd, Larrech, 1996, p. 2), can be helpful in increasing the quality of existing services. Expanding existing services are always good. This way, the laundry business’ existing services will be well equipped, updated and fast. Moreover, The owner may observe the comments of the clients to the existing services. Comments usually are in two ways: positive and negative. Especially with customers, always contemplate the comments they made, whether good or bad. Dep ending on their comments, the business can expand its existing services or abolish them. Another is the businessman may interview valued customers to suggest the services they want to expand in the business. Interviewing is always an option. Since when interviewing customers, the interviewer (someone hired from a laundry business) can be up and personal with the interviewee (customer of a specific laundry shop) making them comfortable and be able to express their opinions and ideas about the services they want to expand or the services they do not like. In the same way, the proprietor may administer questionnaires about the services of the laundry business to a specific group of clients. Even though there is a great liability when conducting questionnaires, it is still important to do since some customers are busy or they do not want to be interviewed, a survey can be a great help especially when the business is in need of a large number of people with their opinions and ideas. Another keypoint by means of market research, the owner can identify the right strategies for a faster service. And examining the size of the market that includes knowing how many people have the unmet need may provide information about the right strategies for having a faster service (using what type of detergent, softener, bleaching powder, folding method, and how to deliver the items). Firstly, Examining the size of the market can identify common problems that may arise among workers. Getting workers’ opinion is an effective way to know the problems in the workplace. And evaluating workers’ performance is also essential in ensuring a productive environment in the workplace. Edwards (n. d. ) wrote about how to solve conflicts between employees: â€Å"Identify the problem. Handle the problems as soon as possible. Talk to each employee†¦ask what he has a problem with. Face-to-face discussion usually in from[sic] of a private meeting (underscoring added), is one of the most successful approaches to conflict resolution because it concentrates on solving the problem directly. † This way the harmony and togetherness of the staff will go back. With no more tension and aggression, the work will be faster and more precise (Hester, n. d. ). Also, investigating the scope of the market can lead to the inspection of valued customers for a better approach. And asking for feedbacks can help inspect valued customers for a better method. Receiving customer feedback enables a business to correct any issues or concerns customers may have with laundry’s services. When customers provide feedback, a laundry shop is able to save money, time and improve relationships with customers. Not being in tune with the customers is like living in an alternate reality; the way you think your customers feel about your services is not always the same as what your customers really think about your services. A dissatisfied customer may tell five or six other people about his/her bad experience, which could harm the laundry business’ reputation. Feedback allows you to correct these problems. And then, improving the operations of the laundry business through the use of right strategies will result to a faster service. Increasing employees in the business (from doing fry cleaning, ironing, transporting, folding, etc. will surely result to a faster service. Having more employees will make the work done faster, especially when workers are in harmony and in sync. Likewise, having up-to-date machinery will improve the operations of the laundry business. Usually costumers nowadays want to go to a laundry shop with a fast service. With machinery, doing the work will become firme r and accurate. Especially with washing machines, having a recent model will surely boost the business’ work process. Identically, having a multitude of transportation vehicles can help improve the operations of a laundry business. With multiple vehicles, the business can deliver clothes at the same time. This is also used when the business experience the same time in delivery of clothes to different customers but their houses are so far away from each other. The last keypoint by way of market research, the owner can acquire new customers especially commercial clients (universities, hospitals, hotels). With this, drawing the attention of potential customers is a great way of acquiring them. And in applying the right kind of advertising strategies can draw the customers’ attention. Advertising is a fast way for the business to be notice by people. With proper advertising, it will have a great impact on selling the services of the business especially when maximizing the business’ money to make an effective advertisement of any kind (anonymous, n. d. ). Also, accommodating promos for big customers can also attract possible commercial clients. Promos are a great way to attract customers. Every person is always attracted when catching worthwhile promos especially when they can benefit from it the most. In the laundry business, it does not hurt the business when it will rarely run promos for customers. The business should always show they are not greedy. And in inquiring for the clients’ expectations is an approach to know how to acquire new customers. From the important customer expectations by McGraw (2007): Customer expectations are beliefs about service delivery that serve as standards or reference points against which performance is judged. Because customers compare their perceptions of performance with these reference points when evaluating service quality, thorough knowledge about customer expectations is critical to services marketers. Knowing what the customer expects is the ? rst and possibly most critical step in delivering good quality service. Being wrong about what customers want can mean losing a customer’s business when another company hits the target exactly. Being wrong can also mean expending money, time and other resources on things that do not count to the customer. Being wrong can even mean not surviving in a ? ercely competitive market. (p. 55) Just like satisfying their needs may result to clients’ loyalty. And having a good atmosphere in the business may produce secured customers. Smith (2013) talks about the advantages for having a welcoming atmosphere for laundry shops: â€Å"Having a welcoming atmosphere for example, can tremendously improve your performance and profits. Employees, co-workers, and customers appreciate a welcoming environment because it reduces stress levels (n. d. ). † There are so many misinterpretations about market research and its uses. For some, market research means a difficult method that only professionals can do. For others, market research is just a useless thing because it provides data that are very hard to understand (Chapman, n. d. ). There are also the reasons why market research is not widely used by laundry businesses in Dumaguete City. Firstly, many laundry businesses experienced budgetary onstraints. Processing and gathering data requires a huge amount of money. There are some companies that don’t have experts to conduct extensive market researching. Because of that, they will rely on secondary sources because of its cheapness but these data is not perfect. It will have many flaws and the liability of the data will increase (Riley, 2012). As what Breen and Blankenship (1999) have written, â€Å"Almost everyone fails to understand that most marketing research studies can be done quite adequately in a ‘cheap and dirty’ manner† (p. ). Due to the lack of information and budget, many laundry businesses ignore the benefits of market research. Even though the business will suffer budget constraint, with effective market researching, the business will gain back its income and acquire more. The business will have more benefits in conducting market research than not conducting it at all. Aside from that, they dont have enough knowledge about the used of low-cost methods of market research. In addition, most of the laundry businesses suffer from time constraints. Time is directly related to the costs, as the longer the research takes, the more costly it may turn out for the company. Questions must be prepared, answers must be provided by volunteers and answers must be examined by employees within a given time period. When the research takes longer, it is because the researchers are taking it seriously. Especially when giving surveys to people, it will take time and effort. Time is one of the important factors in conducting market research. Having limited time for this kind of research may result to inaccurate data and faulty conclusion. As an effect, many businesses owners dont prioritized market research. But sacrificing time is the least of the business’ worries. Conducting market research does take time, but when it will be finished, it will really help the business. Improving the business is much more pleasing than not doing anything at all. Another reason is that many laundry businesses’ owners questioned the reliability of the data acquired from market research. Data is the most critical in market research. This is really depending on the people answering the survey and avoiding bias interviewers. To ensure this, expenses will increase but this is a necessity if the researchers will want to avoid suspicious answers (Riley, 2012). Everything in this world revolves around money. Especially when getting information. Some people want to be paid when they will share their information. But in this way, the information the researchers have gathered will be accurate, and not biased. Sacrificing a little bit of money for people to give their answers is expected. Especially when Dumaguete is surrounded with many beggars or poor people. But even though it will cost a lot, benefits and advantages of market research is more than the disadvantages it held. Lastly, Countless owners of laundry businesses suffer from limited volunteers when they conduct market research. From Mary Jane’s (n. d. ) study: â€Å"Market research is primarily based on people’s opinions and views of a single product or service. The lack of respondents may also be a negative factor for a company’s market research. If the company sends out an online questionnaire, not everyone can fill it out, especially those with limited Internet access, for example. Another disadvantage of performing market research is the lack of an experienced interviewer representing the company. † There is a need to have enough respondents in conducting market research. Because of the fact that the word market research may entails a difficult responsibility or job, volunteers for different methods of market research are low. There are also the means on how to refute the opposing viewpoints stated above. The first one is lessening the budgetary constraints in conducting market research. This may be done in two ways. One way is the use of inexpensive materials. Free resources are available such as free statistical records compiled by federal, state and local government. Talking to a customer is a low-cost way of communicating to respondents. By also doing this, the researcher is able to directly talk with a potential costumer. Some may think this method is effective because potential costumers will label the laundry business conducting market research as friendly. And the use of cheap labor like consulting to professor instead of hiring a market researcher is a very effective way of saving money (Davis, n. d. ). Another way is knowing the right number of respondents. This will result to saving of money because no wastage will be done in terms of the materials in surveying, the cost of transportation, and etc. The second is reducing the problems of time constraints. It can be accomplished by setting a specific goal. Having a goal will direct you to the right path and as a result, time will be managed. Reducing the problems in time constraints can also be achieved by applying the right methods that are suitable in the study. No repetition is needed when the researcher apply the suitable method. Doing this can also gain more accurate data. The third is having a reliable data. This is very essential in making decisions and in evaluating past performances (Peter, Donnelly, Tarpay, 1992, p. 42). The first way to have this is through the use of the mastered method. A researcher can do the research well when using his/her mastered method. With that fact, the researcher can obtain reliable data that are needed in the study. The second way is through the choice of the right kind of respondents. The researcher must know who to ask or who to survey because only the right people can give accurate data. And lastly, the following can do taking enough volunteers: First is through the making of right-formatted cover letter. This will entail a great impression to the respondents. An interviewer is most likely to cooperate when he/she receives precise cover letter. Correct formation of cover letter can help convey the respondents to comply voluntarily and accordingly (Shuttles, Bennett, 2013). The second is through giving of ideas to respondents about the goals of the market research. The researcher must give the respondents a quick background or objectives of the study. This will help gain volunteers because the respondents will understand the study and will be more willing to do the research. The last way to acquire more volunteers is through ensuring the respondents about the data that it will be kept confidential and will be used correctly in the study. In this way, the researcher can get their trust and loyalty. And also the volunteers will be eager to answer any questions about the study. Based on the sources that the researcher has gathered, there is enough information for the researchers to analyze the effectiveness of market research. The researchers conclude that Although many laundry businesses in Dumaguete City don’t undergo market research, acquiring both positive and negative information about the behavior of the customers and competitors through market research can ensure the profitability of laundry businesses in Dumaguete City as it helps define the scope of the specific services an owner wants to offer, helps in identifying the right strategies for a faster service, and helps in acquiring new costumers especially commercial clients.

Psycho-Social Theory and Nursing Care Essay -- Nursing Healthcare

Owing to significant research into the relationship between physical, mental and social conditions, an awareness and understanding of psycho-social aspects in health care is vital (Walker et al, 2007). Those aspects are particularly important in nursing care, where an individual should be considered as the entire person with a need for physical, psychological, social, emotional, intellectual and even spiritual wellbeing (Holland et al, 2008). This essay will address psycho-social theory of health beliefs and attitudes in relation to nursing care. The essay will begin by considering how health beliefs lead to health behaviours. It will then discuss how theoretical models contribute to nursing care and their usefulness and importance in applying the theory to nurse patients. As the largest force in health care, nursing profession is considered to be in a unique position to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention. Nurses spend considerably more time with patients in comparison to other healthcare professionals and as such, they assist patients in managing their own health. The fundamental requirement in providing this care is to ensure that individuals remain as independent as possible through encouragement and empowerment. There are number of factors to be considered in delivering this care effectively. In view of cultural, socio-economic and educational diversity amongst us, it is difficult to define â€Å"health† or indeed â€Å"illness†. As our perceptions differ, so do our interpretations and possible meanings of those words. The World Health Organisation (WHO), 1948, states that â€Å"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity†. Although posit ive, the def... ...arlow. Shaw, C., Brittain, K., Tansey, R. & Williams K. (2008) How people decide to seek health care: A qualitative study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45 (10), 1516-1524. Sully, P., & Dallas, J. (2005) Essential Communication Skills for Nursing. Edinburgh: Elsevier Mosby. Walker, J., Payne, S., Smith, P., Jarrett, N. (2007) Psychology for Nursing and the Caring Professions. 3rd. ed. Glasgow: McGraw Hill. World Health Organisation (1948) â€Å"WHO Definition of Health - Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948† at http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html. (accessed 02 December 2010).

Examination – Advantages & Disadvantage

Eating/Drinking: Establishment Name (egg. Lotus Restaurant) Type of establishment (Restaurant/Cafe/Bar/Pub/Tavern) Timings Dcord (interiors, theme, lighting, ambiance) Cuisine Served Conference/Banquet Rooms: Conference Rooms Room Size (square feet)Facilities Available (secretarial services, audio-visual equipment) Other Details: 24-hour front desk Air-condition public areas Airport transport- surcharge Airport transportation free Arcade/game room ATM/banking Audio-visual equipment Banquet facilities Bar/lounge Barbecue grill(s) Suitable for children Beauty Services Breakfast services Casino Catering Babysitting or child care Business center Cell phone rental Clubhouse Coffee shop or cafe Complimentary Newspapers Complimentary breakfast Computer rental Spa services nearby Spa services on site – Free Golf camps GardensConcierge Boating Dance performances Travel counter Swimming pool Library Safari Book Shop Night club Luggage storage Backup generator Jacuzzi Wedding services Tr anslation services Currency exchange Doorman Elevator/lift Exhibit space Express check-in/check-out Fireplace in lobby Fitness equipment Floor butler Front desk Full-service health spa Gift shops or newsstand Grocery Health club Internet access-complementary Internet access-dial-up Internet access-high-speed Internet access-surcharge Internet access-wireless Laundry facilities Limousine service available Marina on siteMassage-treatment room(s) Medical services Meeting room(s) small groups Microwave in lobby Multilingual staff Nightclub Number of floors Parking(free) Parking(secure) Parking(surcharge) Parking(valet) Parking garage Parking nearby Patio-property Picnic area Pool Table Poolside Bar Porter/bellhop Private beach Restaurant Room service Room service(24 hours) Room service(limited hours) Safe deposit box-front desk Sauna Secretarial services Security guard Shoe shine Shopping on site Ski shuttle Ski storage Ski-in/ski-out Smoke-free property Spa services on site. .

Contradiction Between Innocence and Individuality in the Age of Innocence

CONTENTS |ABSTRACT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |2 | | †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |3 | |1 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |4 | |2 Individuality and Innocence in The Age of Innocence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |6 | |2. Ellen’s Individualistic Qualities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |7 | |2. 2 May’s Artificial Innocence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |10 | |2. 3 Contradiction between Individuality and Innocence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |12 | |3 Old New York Society in The Age of Innocence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |14 | |3. The Social Values of Old New York Society†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |15 | |3. 2 Attitude toward Ellen’s Individuality†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |16 | |3. 3 Attitude toward May’s Innocence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |17 | |4 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |18 | |BIBLIOGRAPHY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ |20 | ABSTRACT Edith Wharton is acknowledged as one of the most important American female writers in the early 20th century, who produced many works of different types such as novels, poems, critic essays, travelling diaries and autobiographies. The Age of innocence, the most successful work, made her the first woman win Pulitzer Prize in 1921. Ellen Olenska and May Welland, are two female protagonists in The Age of Innocence. Through analysis on the omparison between different personalities of these two protagonists and society’s different attitudes towards them, the author of this paper attempts to argue that the conventionality of society is much weightier than the pursuit of individuality in that given era, yet the individuals, especially women should step out their circumscribed roles to realize their unique identity. Key Words: The Age of Innocence, individuality, innocence, convention Contradiction between Innocence and Individuality in The Age of Innocence 1 Introduction Edith Wharton, novelist and writer of short fiction, was born into a carefully guarded upper class of New York society in 1862 and died in 1937. Her parents, George Jones and Lucretia Rhinelander, were from two aristocratic families that dominated New York society. Both her father’s and mother’s family protected her in the New York Four Hundred[1]. Though born in New York, Wharton was transformed by European culture and tradition because she once lived in France, Italy, Germany and Spain between the age of four and ten. She herself insisted that after she returned to New York at the age of ten, she â€Å"never felt otherwise than as in exile in America. † So deeply influenced by both European and American culture, Wharton produced a great number of fictions with the background of New York society and European experience. During her lifetime, Wharton published numerous works as a writer, including 86 short stories, 11 collections of short fiction, 22 works of large fiction, 3 collections of poetry, books on architecture and gardens, a travel book, a critical study called The Writing of Fiction, and an autobiography A Backward Glance. Wharton achieved great accomplishment as a female writer in American literary history. Her most productive period as a novelist began with the publication of The House of Mirth in 1905 and ended with the publication of The Age of Innocence in1920, which enabled her to become the first female writer who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Elizabeth Ammon once argued that women â€Å"like Wharton, Cather and Stein† were â€Å"the real giants against whom† writers such as Fitzgerald and Hemingway â€Å"needed to define themselves. The Age of Innocence was the most sophisticated novel written by Edith Wharton in the year of 1920, when American women first had the right to vote. Wharton reviewed the 1870s New York upper-class society in the sight of 1920s. Like most of her works, The Age of Innocence tells a story about love and marriage among three characters: Newland Archer, Ellen Olenska and May Welland. Young lawyer Newland and beautiful girl May announce their engagement a t the party for welcoming the return of Ellen Olenska, May’s cousin who was born in New York but later has grown up in Europe and married a wealthy Polish Count. Ellen comes back to New York for her family’s support and comfort because of her husband’s unfaithfulness. However, as she claims to divorce, the whole family as well as the whole Old New York society strongly opposes to it for they regard divorce as scandal and humiliation. So they send Newland to persuade Ellen from her decision. However, Newland is gradually fascinated by Ellen’s confidence, sophistication and individuality, which he never feels from his innocent fiancee and inevitably falls in love with her. He hesitates between the two totally different women and vacillates whether he run off with Ellen to live a life with moral freedom and personal fulfillment or marry May to live a decent life accepted by the whole upper class though he still loves Ellen. Later, he actually marries May but after their marriage, Newland dates with Ellen frequently and has planned to elope with her to Europe. However, to everyone’s surprise, May’s announcement of pregnancy smashes Newland’s wish thoroughly. It traps Newland in the excruciating marriage and expels Ellen from New York society. Thus, at the end of the story, the three characters all surrender to their destiny. Many major literary critics and authors have reviewed The Age of Innocence. The list of writers and scholars who have reviewed it includes such important figures as Carl Van Doren, Henry Seidel Canby, William Lyon Phelps and Vernon L. Parrington. The criticism of The Age of Innocence is roughly divided into two categories: Naturalism and Feminism. The former one thinks that this novel is influenced by Wharton’s growing background and the vast change of society. The latter one holds the opinion that the novel expresses the female constrain and rebellion. Both of the two views make sense. The Age of Innocence gives us a portrait of Old New York society in 1870s, a particular moment in history when individuality is shunned and a set of social rituals and conventions are enforced. During that period, it is common that the intellectuals, artists and writers are not welcomed by Old New York society members for they would probably bring about ideas and opinions that are disconcerting. On the contrary, most members believe that they have the duty to follow the rules and conventions upheld by Old New York society, and few of them are able to get rid of them and take their lives into their own hands. However, Ellen Olenska, the leading female protagonist in The Age of Innocence, as an alien and invader of Old New York society, is against those rigid conventions to a large extent. Brought up in Europe, Ellen has become a kind of female maintaining her own individuality which does not exist in those New York women at all. It is exactly this kind of individuality that conflicts against the national celebration of female innocence. 2 Individuality and Innocence in The Age of Innocence Literary works always have their female protagonists as â€Å"heroines†. It is generally accepted that men are born to develop their individual identities while women are doomed to serve men. They should be â€Å"relative to men. To please them, to make themselves loved and honored by them, to make life sweet and agreeable to them——these are the duties of women at all times, and what should be taught them from their infancy. (Rousseau 1966, p. 263) So in many men’s novels, women usually serve as the mere subordinate characters. However, in Wharton’s novels, the female figures weigh as important as male figures. Just as Mary Kelly once pointed out, the female figure in Wharton’s novels is â€Å"a strong, commanding, central figure in the home, a supportive and guiding redeemer for husband; a model and teacher of rectitude for children; and a reformer of and servant to an American society judged to be in dire need of regeneration. Yet on the other hand, â€Å"an undercurrent of despair runs throughout the novels which question the possibility of women’s autonomy and individuality. † (Dudovitz 1900, p. 88) The idea is well presented in Wharton’s The Age of Innocence. There are two sharply contrasted female characters: Ellen Olenska and May Welland. May Welland is a charming young girl with the careful bringingup in Old New York society who represents innocence. On the contrary, Ellen Olenska, the disturbing element of that society, is a dark, passionate beauty touched with the xperience and idea of Europe who represents individuality. 2. 1 Ellen’s Individualistic Qualities Ellen Olenska, one of the female protagonists in The Age of Innocence, is born in an aristocratic family of formidable social background in New York. However, her parents were dead when she was a little girl. So she grows up in Paris full of music and art with her aunt, Mrs. Medora Manson, a lady being independent. This distinguishes Ellen from the characters of those typical New Yorkers in The Age of Innocence. Unlike the innocent May, Ellen is mysterious and attracts all people’s eyes. In the opening scene of the novel, when those aristocrats are watching the opera â€Å"Faust† in the new Opera House, Ellen’s first appearance makes all people shocked because she is â€Å"a slim young woman, a little less tall than May Welland, with brown hair growing in close curls about her temples and held in place by a narrow band of diamonds†¦which gave her what was then called ‘Josephine look’, †¦carried out in the cut of the dark blue velvet gown rather theatrically caught up under her bosom by a girdle with a laree old-fashioned clasp. † (Wharton 1996, p. 7) When she was a little child, Ellen â€Å"scandalized† (ibid. p. 52) her family because she â€Å"was in crimson merino and amber beads, like a gipsy foundling† (ibid. , p. 53), and was â€Å"a fearless and familiar little thing, who asked disconcerting questions, made precocious comments, and possessed outlandish arts, such as dancing a Spanish shawl dance and si nging Neapolitan love-songs to a guitar† (ibid. , p. 53). Unlike her other cousins growing up in the respectively restricted atmosphere, Ellen receives â€Å"expensive but incoherent education† which makes her incompatible with the society, and thus she is doomed to isolation and separation from the old New York society. Ellen leaves her unfaithful husband in Europe for the comforts from her family members in New York. However, when she returns, she notices that everything has changed from her memory. And through a series of events, it can be concluded that Ellen is a sincere, strong-minded, independent and sophisticated person with strong individuality. Beauvoir says, â€Å"It is required of woman that in order to realize her femininity, she must make herself object and prey which is to say that she must renounce her claims as sovereign subject. It is this conflict that especially marks the situation of the emancipated woman. † (Beauvoir 1953, p. 643) Ellen is such kind of emancipated woman with courage and independence. When she comes back to New York for comfort, her past brings her not sympathy but endless rumors and mocks among those so-called aristocrats. In order to seek freedom, Ellen leaves her unfaithful husband and returns to New York. However, her word and behaviors are striking and intolerable to most of the New Yorkers who are always devoted to keeping their circle decent and conventional. Ellen’s individuality is reflected in her confrontment with different men. Soon after she arrives in New York, she breaks the conventional rules of the old society and seeks the company of gentlemen at the party. What she has done makes people uncomfortable because the old pattern requires that a lady â€Å"should wait, immovable as an idol, while the man who wished to converse with her succeeded each other at her side. † (Wharton 1996, p. 56) Her individuality can also be found in her style of dressing and her house decoration. She appears first in a decollete, showing her neck and shoulder. She chooses unadorned dark velvet for the opera, a fur-trimmed lounging robe at home-clothes. And her house is kind of foreign style full of old romantic scenes and sentiment, as â€Å"the scent of some far-off bazaar, a smell made up of Turkish coffee and ambergris and dried roses. † (ibid. , p. 45) What’s more, Ellen is brave enough to renounce her rights. In the Old New York society at that time, the richer the husband is, the less freedom his wife will own. As Ellen realizes that her marriage can no longer continue, she is courageous enough to leave her husband, a noble count with vast fortune and return to her hometown. Unfortunately, her clan as well as the whole New York society is not her backup but the obstacle. They only welcome her on condition that she doesn't bring them unpleasant decisions which will probably destroy the decency of the upper class. Here, Ellen is trapped in a dilemma that her true self is in contradiction with her role in Old New York society. For one, she may win the support of society once she decides to return to her husband. For another, she will lose all the support of society if she insists on divorce. At that time, the legislation was for the divorce while the social convention was against it. At last, driven by her strong desire for seeking individuality, Ellen makes up her mind to give up that marriage and insists in a legal opinion on her divorce. Ellen’s individuality is also reflected in her attitude to Newland. Though deeply affected by each other, Ellen refuses to be the mistress of him because she s clearly aware that if she sinks into this helpless love, she and Newland will be torn into pieces by the harsh reality. Look what Ellen responses when Newland asks her to elope with him: â€Å"For us? But there is no us in that sense! We are near each other only if we stay far from each other. Then we can be ourselves. Otherwise we are only Newland Archer, the husband of Ellen Olenska’s cousin, and Ellen Olenska, the cousin of Newland Archer’s wife, trying to be happy behind the backs of the people who trust them. † (Wharton 1996, p. 243) So, she rejects Newland’s fantasy and persuades him to face the reality by her rationality and individuality. She cannot aimlessly yield to the social conventions by giving up her mind and soul. The road for individuality is full of obstacles and people keep telling her that she will lead a better life if she gives up her idea of freedom and individuality. However, she sticks to her own perseverance and bravely put herself against the social customs. 2. 2 May’s Artificial Qualities May Welland is Newland’s fiancee and succeeds in being his wife later. She is an innocent and dull girl accepted by the whole New York society. It is generally acknowledged that the most salable woman is this virginal girl who is the commodity needed by this materialistic world —— a girl without soul, without self, distorted and twisted from her true nature into a marketable product. (Cerrito 1999, p. 372) In Newland’s as well as Old New York society’s eye, May represents all the merit of aristocratic class. She is â€Å"innocent† because she is a loving and sweet New York upper-class girl who simply doesn't conceive that â€Å"what they do† and â€Å"what they say†. Born into the upper-class family, she receives good training that suits the conventions of her class. She has been taught to remain graceful and noble, ignoring all the unpleasant things and avoiding all the difficulties. During their engagement, Newland sends her lilies of the valley every day, which represents virginal purity. And during a long period, Newland supposes that his wife is an innocent and ignorant girl knowing nothing about evil and disturbing things. Only at the end of the story does he realize that May is actually complicated and calculating. However, the â€Å"innocent† here can e interpreted that she is conventional, unimaginative and does not think for herself, only to ingratiate the society’s expectations. As Newland points out, May is a â€Å"product of social system† (Wharton 1996, p. 7), a â€Å"creation of factitious purity† (ibid. , p. 41) that is blind to reality like â€Å"the Kentucky cave-fish, which had ceased to develop eye s because they had no use for them. † (ibid. , p. 73) May is interested in books, but she cannot appreciate the beauty of contents in Ulysses even with the help of Archer’s explanation. She has little sense of humor which is obvious from her reaction to Newland’s jokes. She is frank, because she has nothing to conceal, assured because she knows nothing to be on her guard against. † (Wharton 1996, p. 41) As a girl of dependence, May actually follows what adults want her to do and say and she is inclined to her mother’ opinion of a long engagement, just for the reason of â€Å"having time to prepare a hand-embroidered trousseau containing the proper number of dozens. † (Wharton 1996, p. 70) Therefore, in spite of her attracting appearance, she lacks all the charming qualities which Ellen obtains to catch the eyesight of Newland. It is mainly due to the background and surroundings where she has grown up. Under such kind of atmosphere, May as well as the other women in the Old New York society gets in touch with little advanced ideas and thus, what they consider right is merely to follow the social conventions. However, May is not as â€Å"innocent† as she looks like. She distinguishes Newland’s feeling towards Ellen at the rather early time, but she pretends to know nothing about it. She keeps silent and remains loyal to Newland even though she suspects the relationship between Newland and Ellen. There is much evidence which can support the statement that May is not so innocent. It can be first identified from Beaufort’s ball when Newland asks about Ellen’s absence. She answers that it is because of the dressing problem that Ellen decides not to appear at the ball. Actually, she knows about the truth that Ellen doesn't come for fear that her scandals may influence her clan’s reputation. Even facing the one she loves, May still doesn't tell the truth. She says and does everything in correspondence with the social conventions rather than her true feelings. In the early time of their engagement, when Newland persuades May to advance their wedding, she responds: â€Å"Is it because you are not certain of continuing to care for me? Is there someone else? I’ve wanted to say this for a long time†¦ I’ve wanted to tell you that, when two people really love each other, I understand there may be situations which make it right that they should- should go against public opinions. And if you feel yourself in anyway pledged†¦and if there is any way, even by her getting divorce, Newland, don't give her up because of me! † (ibid. , p. 127) How beautiful and attracting of what she has said! However, when she really feels that Newland cannot help yielding to the relationship with sophisticated Ellen, she advances the date of their wedding just the moment he thinks of breaking the engagement. After they get married, when feeling their intention to elope to the other country, May persuades Ellen to leave New York by confiding the news of her pregnancy, though she herself doesn't confirm whether it is true or not. Thus, Ellen gives up her decision to continue having an affair with Newland and later returns to Europe. Besides, May’s announcement also pulls back Newland for the responsibility of being a husband and father. 2. Contradiction between Individuality and Innocence In The Age of Innocence, there are two female protagonists with totally different personalities though they have blood relation. Ellen represents the kind of â€Å"New Women† seeking for freedom and individuality, while May stands for the traditional women in Old New York society, graceful a nd innocent. It can be easily identified that May and Ellen are two different kinds of women by comparison of their dressing style and the way they express their ideas and many other aspects. When creating the image of May Welland, Wharton alludes to using Roman myths and the image of Roman goddesses. Brought up in Old New York society, May has received perfect traditional education like other women in her circle. So she owns all the virtues which the society is fond of — beauty, reservation, obedience and innocence. When May appears at the opera at the beginning of the novel, with her pink face and fair hair, she is dressed in white tulle caught modestly at her breasts with a gardenia and is holding a bouquet of lilies of the valley. In western culture, lily of the valley represents not only purity but also the Roman Goddess Diana[2](Artemis). And in this novel, Wharton makes several explicit analogies of May and Diana. For example, when May makes her second formal entry to the Van Der Leyden’s dinner party, it is depicted as follows, â€Å"in her dress of white and silver, with a wreath of silver blossoms in her hair, the tall girl looked like a Diana just alight from the chase. † (Wharton 1996, p. 62) In the contest of archery, she comes out of the tent â€Å"in her white dress, with a pale green ribbon about the waist and a wreath of ivy on her hat, she had the same Diana-like aloofness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wharton 1996, p. 11) All of these quotations indicate that May is pure and vigorous like Diana. However, just as puzzled as Newland Archer, â€Å"what if ‘niceness’ arrived to that supreme degree was ‘only a negation, the curtain dropped before an emptiness? ’† (Wharton 1996, p. 212) Through Newland’s puzzlement, Wharton indicates that May’s gracefulness is only a kind of superficial presentation, behind of which is an empty and bland mind. It also indicates that May’s so-called innocence is a kind of cover because Goddess Diana, who represents purity and innocence, usually becomes ruthless when she tries to protect her own family. So May Welland, who knows very much about Old New York society, protects her own interests by the powerful traditional force from her aristocratic class and finally expels her cousin Ellen from New York. To some extent, May is the symbol of Old New York society. On one hand, she represents the moral value orientation of Old New York society, such a superficially harmonious, stable and responsible family relation. On the other hand, she represents the nature of Old New York society that kills people without spilling blood with the graceful appearance. In contrast with May’s innocent image, Ellen is more authentic. rought up in Europe and influenced by European culture, Ellen is full of the quality of freedom and independence. In order to get rid of the miserable marriage, she comes back to New York, hoping she would gain comfort and support from her relatives. However, what she has thought about is not acceptable for the upper class of Old New York society. Ellen’s uniqu e personality and exotic style are displayed from her way of dressing and decorating her house. Unlike her sister May’s white dress and silver blossom, Ellen is dressed in dark blue velvet gown. And while May is linked to white lilies of the valley, Ellen is linked to red and yellow roses. These all indicate that Ellen is full of vitality, passion and sophistication. Unlike those New Yorkers’ indifference, Ellen expresses her own feelings and views frankly towards different people and objects. Ellen’s individuality is also shown from her sympathy and her attitude towards the servants. Ignoring the conventions and rituals held by the upper class of Old New York society, Ellen just does what she thinks is right. When her servant goes out, she lends her own cloak to her, ignoring others’ strange glances. To some degree, Ellen stands for the new trend in Old New York society. Her image symbolizes a group of â€Å"New Women† seeking for freedom and individuality who are influenced by different kinds of trends of thought in literature and art. However, Old New York society still has the predominant status and it is still hard to pass through its value orientation and moral standard. That's why it is impossible for Old New York society to accept Ellen’s unique individuality. Old New York Society in The Age of Innocence In The Age of Innocence, the story is based upon the background of New York society in the 1870s. After the Civil War, America underwent considerable social changes. It was just in the age of transformation to a new world from the old one. With the economic boost, the society changed to some extent. There were two rising groups despite the traditional aristocra ts. One was the newly arrived immigrants from Europe and African Americans from the South. The other one was the newly moneyed classes with large possession but low social status. To Old New York society, these two groups were the invaders and intruders. Heedless of tradition, the newborn riches and immigrants shocked Old New York society with there unfettered manners and their brash displays of wealth. However, it did not mean that the conventions and the rituals would also change. At that time, the social conventions and the popularity of keeping silence still dominated the society. People living in that circle were required to obey the rules and were forbidden to fight against the setting rules. That is to say, it was the particular time and place that individuality was shunned and a set of rituals and conventions were enforced. During that period, people with free ideas and creative thinking were not welcomed by Old New York society. On the contrary, most members believed that they had the duty to follow the rules and conventions upheld by Old New York society, and few of them were able to get rid of them and take their lives into their own hands. 3. 1 The Social Values of Old New York Society In The Age of Innocence, Old New York society refers to the time of 1870s in New York. Though new ideas and improvement flourish throughout the outside world of America, they have never penetrated the conventions of Old New York or changed its long-lasting ritual in any way. This aristocratic class tries its best to fight against creation and innovation. Isolated from the outside world, the society copies itself from generation to generation in its own way. In the novel, we often see children growing up in imitation of their parents. Henry and Louisa van de Luyden dominate this Old New York society through their aristocratic European ancestry. May Archer dies with fulfillment, leaving a daughter resembling her very much. Besides these characters, the public scenes also repeat themselves year after year. The opera circulates itself season after season and the diamond arrow won from the archery match is passed on to the children. Old New York society consists of prominent families. They are classified by hierarchy according to their blood lineage and financial capacity. Usually, the former one is much more important than the latter one. As a matter of fact, the mention of money is disturbing. They talk about it and try to think about it as little as possible. Those new-rich without noble blood relation are usually looked down upon by those self-contained aristocrats. One of the most obvious characteristic of Old New York society is the â€Å"gender specification†. In the novel, many places are gender specific: men go to their libraries talking about politics, finance and other issues after dinner while women use the dining room and the drawing room. In such a male-dominated Old New York society, woman always plays a role as decoration and property of husband and â€Å"the perfect wife and mother†. And the society is in favor of the girls who possess those feminine virtues such as modesty, purity, obedience, gracefulness and innocence. On the other hand, the society doesn't like those girls who pursue freedom and individuality. Another significant figure of Old New York society is the â€Å"dread of innovation†. People are reluctant to change and experience those newly-born things as they may offend their existing conventions and rituals. They are used to those traditions which represent truth in their view. For them, new ideas are as dreadful and fierce as floods and savage beasts. 3. 2 Attitude toward Ellen’s Individuality According to the existing conventions and family purity, Old New York society regards Ellen as doubtful as mushrooms. Although she is born from the Mingott family, her orphanage and long-time living abroad makes her different from those typical New York girls such as May Welland. So Old New York society regards Ellen as an outsider and intruder to their circle. It is widely believed that those fossil New Yorkers like innocent young women more than sophisticated women. Ellen’s orphanage, her experience of living in Europe and her scandal with her Polish husband all challenge the acknowledgement of Old New York society. When Ellen first appears in front of everyone’s eyes, the whole society is shocked because they have never met such kind of woman with strong individuality. They are shocked by both her dressing and her behavior. The way of Ellen’s dressing arouses great disturbance to the upper-class of Old New York society. It is indicated from Leffert’s reaction, the foremost authority of the upper-class of Old New York society. When he sees Ellen at the first sight, he cries out â€Å"my god† and concludes that she could not be one of the Mingott because the Mingott would not dress in that way. If Ellen’s dressing and behavior are shocking to Old New York society, then her decision to divorce might be the blockbuster to them. In Old New York society, it has double standard on the issue of marriage. To be more specific, it demands woman of her completely loyalty to her husband and marriage while man is not required to obey so in the same level. When betrayal happens, it is always woman who is to blame. Although Ellen’s unsuccessful marriage is due to her husband’s unfaithfulness, Leffert still finds it unacceptable of Ellen’s choice to divorce. So when Ellen’s Grandma Mrs. Mingott holds a welcome party for her, he refuses to take part in. As Leffert enjoys high prestige and commands universal respect, other members of the society all follow him and reject the invitation. As a result, no one appears at that party. The refusal to accept Ellen by the whole Old New York society reveals that all people are firmly in favor of conventions and against the nonconformity. In that case, social conformity is much weightier than the pursuit of personal happiness and freedom. In 1870s, it is the time when Old New York society tries their best to exclude the outsiders because they are afraid of destroying their long-lasting rituals. The flourish of bourgeoisie class forces the upper-class to fasten their pace to assert the endangering conventions. For instance, the Van der Luydens are repeatedly required to support the existing rituals. For those New Yorkers, Ellen is too foreign and fashionable, and thus her appearance is the potential threat to the conformity of their circle. She has stayed abroad for so long that they can hardly regard her as their comrade. Her unimaginable idea of divorce with her unfaithful husband is undoubtedly unacceptable to the upper-class. What’s more, Ellen’s spiritual â€Å"date† with Newland is another important reason that banishes her from Old New York society. It is her misfortune that Old New York society at that time is hypocritical and marble-hearted. 3. 3 Attitude toward May’s Innocence Unlike Old New York society’s attitude toward Ellen, May is always welcomed by this circle. In the upper-class of New York, people are more afraid of scandals and rumors than diseases because they think decency is much more important than individuality. In their opinion, keeping stable, unchanged and being innocent, obedient is much weightier than pursuing personal fulfillment. Living in Old New York society since she was born, May is undoubtedly sincere, innocent and sensitive which is in accordance to the society: â€Å"In Old New York society the most salable woman, is the virginal child bride, May Welland, who is commodity demanded by a materialistic world——a woman without soul, without self, distorted and twisted from her true nature into a marketable product. (Cerrito 1999, p. 372) As is mentioned above, May is the most salable woman in Old New York society, which means she is widely welcomed and accepted in that circle. The New York society needs this kind of conventional woman who is without any thought and imagination for change. Brought up by the society, May always obeys all the conventions held by this society and always satisfies the New York society’s and her family’s expectation. In other words, May is the ideal woman in patriarchal system in Old New York society. In this society, it is regarded that women are the subordination of men and is required that women should be fully dependent on men. It is hard to imagine that women have the same rights as men. To this extent, May perfectly matches Old New York society, for â€Å"she is virtuous because she is incapable of temptation, competent because she is incapable of any deep perturbation, and willing to suit herself to the least decorum of their world because she is incapable of understanding that there is anywhere anything larger or freer. †(Carl 1920, p. 86) 4 Conclusion Not as a â€Å"writer of manner† as some critics comment on Edith Wharton, she is an outstanding female writer who seeks for the true meaning of life. During her lifetime, she has devoted to keeping the balance between personal desire and social responsibilities. Although born in an aristocratic family in New York, Wharton discloses the limitations and demerits of her class in a rather cruel way when she writes different novels. Among them, The Age of Innocence is one typical representative which has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Wharton wrote The Age of Innocence not just about the lost love, but also about the profound distress caused by the destruction of World War I and by the deaths of her close friends such as Henry James and Howard Sturgis, all of which indicated that the former era had ended. This novel was written in 1920 when World War I had just finished. After that disaster, the world, especially the New York society, was out of order both materially and spiritually. Under the circumstances, Wharton was puzzled so that she decided to write a story with the settings in 1870s in Old New York society. Compared to the reality, Old New York society was much more stable. However, she was also aware that stable as it was, it would strangle all the personal fulfillment and freedom because of its social conventions and rituals. In the 1870s, though Old New York society has experienced great changes, it is not to say that the new social order is free of norms. It is a society which is frightened by change that it absolutely stands for obedience and innocence against creativity and individuality. At that time, women are never given the chance to enjoy economic independence like men. Besides, there are many conventions existing in Old New York society. Women are encouraged to play the role as â€Å"perfect wife and mother† and to tolerate the betrayal of their husbands. All in all, it is concluded that the core of the conventions and rituals in Old New York society is that woman should play passive roles in social affairs and should live for the whole family other than for her own happiness. It is represented in The Age of Innocence by the two protagonists May Welland and Ellen Olenska. It is illustrated how Ellen’s individuality challenges the long-time accepted â€Å"innocence†, and how Old New York society sustains its rules and conventions by oppressing Ellen’s individuality and encouraging May’s obedience to â€Å"innocence†. As a representative of traditional woman in Old New York society, May obeys all the rules regulated by the patriarchal society. On the other hand, as a representative of â€Å"New Woman† in Old New York society, Ellen challenges the traditional woman’s role and tries to be the kind of women of rationality, independence and individuality. As a result, it is concluded that through the contradiction between Ellen’s individuality and May’s â€Å"innocence†, the conventionality of society is much weightier than the pursuit of individuality in that given era, yet the individuals, especially women should step out their circumscribed roles to realize their unique identity. BIBLIOGRAPHY [1] Aaron, D 1995, ‘Three Old Women’, Queens Quarterly, pp. 633-639. [2] Benstock, S 1994, No Gifts from Chance: A Biography of Edith Wharton, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. [3] Carl, VD 1920, ‘An Elder America’, the Nation, November 3. [4] Cerrito & Joann & Laurie 1999, Modern American Literature, St. James Press. [5] Cordasco, R 2008, ‘Listening to the Narrative Voice in the Pit and The Age of Innocence’, Studies in American Naturalism, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 60-78. [6] Dudovitz, RL 1900, The Myth of Superwoman: Woman’s Bestsellers in France and the United States, Routledge, London. [7] Gargono, WJ 1987, ‘Tableaux of Renunciation: Wharton’s Use of The Shaughran in The Age of Innocence’, Studies in American Fiction, vol. 15, pp. 1-11. [8] Holbrook, D 1991, Edith Wharton and the Unsatisfactory Man, St. Martin’s Press, New York. [9] Judith, F 1984, ‘Purity and Power in The Age of Innocence’, American Literary Realism, vol. 7, pp. 153–68. [10] Klimasmith, B 2008, ‘Salvaging History: Modern Philosophies of Memory and Time in The Age of Innocence’, American Literature, vol. 80, no. 3. [11] McWilliams, J 1990, ‘Wharton’s The Age of Innocence’, Explicator, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 268-70. [12] Pres ton, C 1999, Edith Wharton’s Social Register, Martin’s Press, New York. [13] Rousseau, J 1966, A Treatise on Education, Ginn Health, Boston. [14] Singley, CJ 1995, Edith Wharton: Matters of Mind and Spirit, Cambridge University Press, New York. [15] Singley, CJ 2003, ‘Bourdieu, Wharton and Changing Culture in The Age of Innocence’, Cultural Studies, May, vol. 7, no. 3/4, pp. 495-520. [16] Wharton, E 1996, The Age of Innocence, Bantam Dell, New York. ———————– [1] A phrase coined by Ward McAllister. It represents the number of people in New York who really mattered. [2] Roman Goddess Diana and Greek Goddess was the same person. She was the goddess of[3]Z^bh?  ¤Ã‚ ¦?  ¬Ã‚ °Eou? [4]nâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬  ? S? Z? ’? z ¤AAOoaU? U U ®U U â‚ ¬wâ‚ ¬i`? `  ®?  ®?  ®hybPCJ? o([pic]hu^ehybPCJOJ? o([pic]hY9lCJ? o([pic]hhYhybPCJ? o([pic]hybPhybPCJ? o([pic]hhYhybPCJ wild animals, wil derness and virginity.

the appian way essays

the appian way essays First conceived in 312 B.C. by Appius Claudius the Appian Way was known as the Queen of roads. She was Romes first military highway, in a time when most didnt consider building roads. Let alone one that would last millenniums. The Appian Way or Appia begins at the foot of the colosseum. Not far afterwards is the ruins of the Milliarium Aureum, which was built in 20 B.C. by Augustus. The Milliarium Aureum or the Golden Milestone listed the miles/distance from one place to another along the Appia. Construction began on the Appian Way in 312 B.C. while Rome was conquering the Samnites. Who held territory around Capua and Beneventum. (Present day Benevento) Rome wanted a road that lade down to Capua (132 miles away) in order to tie the conquered Samnites into them. They called the road Appia Antic, the first of the Appias. Tying conquered lands into Rome became the Roman way. It was very important to the Romans for their roads to be straight. They believed that a straight line was the fastest way from one point to another. There is a 30-mile stretch between Cisterna di Latina to Terracina called la fettuccia or the ribbon which is so straight it is practically paralyzing. Surveyors used an instrument called a groma, much like the ones used by surveyors today, to make roads straight. Slaves, convicts, and soldiers were used to pound, smooth and level roads, and to raise walls. The roads were paved with selce, a volcanic rock that was shaped as polygons. These people built the road through mountains, swamps, lakes and rivers. With the Pontie swamp they partly drained it in order to build the road across. They hammered piles into the marsh, and filled around the piles with stone. They would then pound in the stone and do the same thing again and again until they couldnt pound it anymore. Afterwards they laid a ...

Bartleby and civil disobedience

Bartleby and civil disobedience Essay The extremely simplified definition of civil disobedience given by Websters Dictionary is nonviolent opposition to a law through refusal to comply with it, on grounds of conscience. Thoreau in Civil Disobedience and Martin Luther King in Letter from Birmingham Jail both argue that laws thought of as unjust in ones mind should not be adhered to. In Herman Melvilles Bartleby, a man named Bartleby is thought of by many to be practicing civil disobedience. His actions are nonviolent, and he refuses to comply with anything his boss says. But his behavior has nothing to do with morals. Bartleby is merely a lonely guy who does not wish to work and has nothing to do with civil disobedience. Thoreau says that if injustice is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say break the law (Jacobus 134). He is personally giving permission for an individual to ignore anything he or she finds morally unacceptable. However, in Bartleby, Bartlebys boss places no unjust laws and assigns no unjust work. He simply asks Bartleby to do easy tasks such as, when those papers are all copied, I will compare them with you, or, just step around the Post Office, wont you? And see if there is anything for me (Melville 116). The boss, who is also the narrator, never requests Bartleby to perform any difficult chores. Martin Luther King, Jr.s interpretation of an unjust law is, a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself (Jacobus 159). The injustice described here by King also does not match the characterization of Bartlebys boss. Bartleby needs no civil disobedience since nothing could be considered unjust in the bosss management. Even if an unjust act were placed against Bartleby, he would not have had any cares about the injustice. He was a man who needed a place to live and chose to be a law-copyist. He has no desire to do any work and no desire to interact with other humans. Anytime an order was given, the same response would reply from Bartlebys mouth: I would prefer not to (Melville). Bartleby did not weigh the issues of morality and immorality in his assignments. He just does not want to deal with others. When asked to look over some work with Turkey and Nipping, he refuses. His boss offers him a home, and he refuses this as well. The ending footnote to Bartleby states that Bartlebys previous profession was a subordinate clerk in the Dead Letters Office in Washington. The dead letters he handled had no association to any living person. Bartleby was accustomed to working at a place where dealing with man is unnecessary. As Thoreau says, Dead letters! Does it not sound like dead men? (Melville 140). Bartleby has no connection with civil disobedience. King and Thoreaus ideas of what civil disobedience is do not match up with the actions of Bartleby. Bartleby was not trying to make a statement against unjust laws by not abiding by them. He was just a loner. All his refusals to do what was ordered stemmed from his need to be separated from humanity. Bartleby only wanted to live by himself with nothing but his own thoughts to deal with. .

Hardware Security Module - Optimization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

Hardware Security Module - Optimization - Essay Example In this study, an HSM optimization solution will then be proposed to fill the gaps identified. This document mainly aims to perform tests and obtain numeric figures that can be trusted in finding optimal points for the application of this solution in HSM devices of similar nature. 4.1.General specification and capabilities A hardware security module (HSM) can be described as a crypto processor that is dedicated and it is specifically designed to be used for the protection of the crypto key lifecycle. Hardware security modules therefore act as trusted anchors that protect the infrastructure designed from cryptography and some of the organizations that are security conscious in the world. This is achieved by managing, processing, an storing cryptographic keys securely inside a hardened and tamper resistant device. [16] 15 5.1.Signature Service â€Å"The Spanish e-Identification board is currently working to upgrade the infrastructure for electronic identification in (Country Name), based on federated techniques using the SAML standard. This infrastructure contains two important functions are to allow citizens to authenticate themselves securely and to electronically sign documents that represent transactions, agreements, applications and declarations of various forms and types. The signing service does not keep track of users and user keys, but simply generates a new signing key and signature certificate for each signature. This is a procedure that provides a number of important advantages such as: 1)It reduces the amount of user sensitive information that needs to be stored in the server and hence, limits the amount of user sensitive information that can be stolen and abused.2) It provides proof of signing time as the certificate is generated at singing time.3)The signature is always associated wit h a certificate that has sufficient remaining validity time for the intended use of the signed