Doing the Right Thing

Table of Contents Introduction Inequality, Cohesiveness and Civic Virtue Law Proposal 1 Linking Politics and Moral Engagement Law Proposal 2 Conclusion Works Cited Introduction Perhaps, the American society is the most divergent, the most accommodating and the most culturally diverse among all societies across the globe. Interestingly, most Americans reflect similar elements of behavior in many respects (these elements are distinct to our American society).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Doing the Right Thing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are a number conscious and unconscious core values which are expected to guide every American character. Most of the American culture has to some extent embedded western civilization: A civilization that accommodates different cultures, merges multiple ideas, and values the freedom of choice. Still, a number of challenges in the direction of promoting our general w ellbeing have been arising; thus, leading to questions on the direction that our society should direct for our common wellbeing. Here, I will be discussing approaches that can be designed in addressing the issues of wealth distribution, and the relationship between politics and community beliefs so as to have an even happier society. Inequality, Cohesiveness and Civic Virtue One among the challenges that face our society today is the widening rift between the rich and the poor (Sandel 267). Although our politics has evaded the reality of a widening society, several philosophers have given their opinions on the challenge of wealth distribution (Sandel 267). Our politics has become so distant from the challenge of widening social gaps that president Obama’s proposal to review tax laws in the direction of burdening the wealthy with more taxes has received heavy criticism from the republican political quarter (Sandel 267). Apart from philosophical ideologies on the topic of wealt h distribution, there is a more important challenge which requires the attention of our political leaders: Civic Virtue (Sachs 14). Getting a picture of our social landscape will be useful here. As the gap between the affluent and the poor continues, the social gap between the rich and the poor is likewise widening; hence, decreasing the elements of cohesiveness and civic virtue within our society (Sachs 14). While the poor can only afford the often low quality education in public schools, the rich will take their children to expensive private schools (Sandel 268). Moreover, the rich can afford expensive social amenities and can even rely on their own security systems instead of the community policing (Nzich 60). Such an arrangement has two important results. First, it (wealth disparity) has led to a significant decrease in the level of interactions between the poor and the rich (Sahar 50).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While a rich American will prefer to visit a private park for recreation, a poor American will rely on the often deteriorated public park. Secondly, such an arrangement (wealth disparity) has left most of the government’s services to the poor (Hansen 108). The rich are becoming less reliant on government services. For example; they (the rich) can pay for their own security services; they can take their children to private schools; and will often visit private parks (Hansen 128). As such, the rich will become less enthusiastic in paying for public services which they rarely utilize; thus, presenting the government with a challenge in collecting enough resources required in providing primary services to citizens (Sandel 268). The quality of public services can therefore be expected to deteriorate even further as a result (Nzich 61). Moreover, it will increasingly become difficult for interactions between the rich and the poor to flou rish. Since it is not possible for democracy to exist in a divided society, such an arrangement will deal a blow to our democracy (Hansen 129). A society can only act democratically when it can make choices objectively, and with the consideration of everyone’s good. Considering the utilitarian moral theory, an act is judged to be good or wrong depending on the measure of happiness/ sadness that the act will cause to the majority of societal members (Mill 9). An act that brings pleasure to the maximum number of societal members is therefore judged to be morally acceptable (Mill 9). Utilitarian philosophers will therefore view wealth distribution as an act that is morally acceptable. Thus, although the act of wealth distribution is likely to cause a degree of slight sadness among the rich, it will bring numerous benefits/pleasure to a big proportion of our society (Maclntre 15). Moreover, when future generations are considered, the benefits of wealth distribution are even more obvious. In particular, future societies will want to live in a society that is cohesive, democratic and where the majorities are happy (Maclntre 15). Considering John Rawls’ principle of justice, we are likely to consent to wealth distribution as a right moral act (Rawls 203). John Rawls proposes that we consider ourselves as persons that have self interest (meaning that we intend to always select choices that are beneficial to us), and as a people in ignorance of our common identifiers such as ethnicity, race and class (Rawls 203). The conditions described above can then be considered as our original position. Here, we are very likely to accept wealth distribution as an approach that can better our wellbeing. Standing on the argument above, a number of philosophers consider wealth distribution as an approach that will be helpful to our society (Rawls 204).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Doing the Right Thing specifically for you for only $1 6.05 $11/page Learn More Law Proposal 1 I will therefore agree with Obama’s policy proposal which intends to overhaul our tax system in the direction of distributing wealth. Such a tax system will see the wealthy paying more taxes than the poor. Here, it will be important to come up with measures that will see the development of policies precisely designed to utilize collected taxes in improving the living conditions of the poor. Promoting government services (like public education and recreation) to levels that can be utilized by both the rich and the poor is important here. I propose the above law in the view of promoting our wellbeing, guarding our democracy and enhancing our cohesiveness. Linking Politics and Moral Engagement Having seen the evils that could be perpetuated by a state that has entrenched religion into her government, the formulators of our constitution were careful to emphasis on the separation of the religious institution from the governmen t institution (West 68). We all know about millions of people that have died from the machinery of a government that was against their religious belief. Today, the question is whether we can engage religion and politics in a fruitful direction for our society. Here, it is important to make it clear that such engagement should not have elements of coercion, discrimination, among such vices (Sandel 269). Rather, as I will describe here, such an engagement should be designed to diffuse tensions, educate our public, help to eliminate religious extremism, and promote unity in our society (Sandel 269). Religious leanings which are undeniably present in our government cannot be ignored (Sandel 269). When it has come to multiple issues, our governments have at times developed policies considered to lean towards certain religious beliefs (West 70). On the other hand, many people in our society are exhibiting behaviors that have shown to tend towards various degrees of religious extremism. Fo llowing terrorist attacks, racism, among other vices that are linkable to religious extremism, it is important that we find a useful direction in dealing with religious matters (William 53). It is therefore useful to engage politics and religion on a high moral pedestal that is acceptable, just, and fruitful to our society (Zauderer 213). Such a direction needs to be designed with the recognition that although we have avoided talking about religious and moral beliefs, we have silently held our own perspectives (sometimes in ignorance) on religion and morality (Zauderer 214). Instead of coming out to talk about such issues, we have kept quiet and ignored, despised, and avoided the perspectives of others on religion and morality (William 53).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More What should therefore be encouraged is an open discussion on religious and moral issues within our society. Such discussions should be based on a framework which (guided by mutual respect among societal members) would allow societal members to gain enlightenment on various religious and moral ideals, to credit and discredit such beliefs, and to generally give their opinions on such beliefs (Bentham 9). One might argue that such a direction would be a precipice for religious intolerance. However, such a framework would allow people to diffuse tension, and move further from extremist religious ideologies. Here, people are likely to become more liberal and less religious (Bentham 10). According to utilitarianism, an act can be judged to be morally acceptable or not depending on the degree of happiness that such an act will bring to societal members (Mill 14). Since an engagement between politics and religion can be helpful in diffusing moral tensions in our society, help in alleviating religious extremism and contribute in creating a more tolerable society than the one that we have, such an act will be helpful in contributing to happiness among the majority of our societal members; hence, it is morally acceptable. Law Proposal 2 I will therefore propose that we allow for the teaching of various religious beliefs to take place in our schools and other institutions. Instead of only focusing on the teaching of various religious and moral beliefs, students should be allowed to openly present their opinions on various religious matters. Such a direction must be done under an environment that respects the right of people to choose various religious and moral beliefs (which are available in our society). Conclusion As I have discussed, I agree with Sandel’s opinions on the two issues (the distribution of wealth, and an open engagement between religion and politics) that I have discussed above. Wealth distribution is especially useful in guarding our democracy, pr omoting cohesiveness, and improving the welfare of the poor. On the other hand, an engagement between politics and religion will be useful in promoting unity, tolerance and knowledge within our society. With the emerging challenges (such as poverty, terrorism, and religious extremism) that are threatening to haunt our society, it is important for our society to react accordingly by adopting the measures that I have considered in this particular discussion. Works Cited Bentham, Jeremy, Principles of Moral Legislation ed. Michael Sandel. New York: McMillan, 2010. Print Hansen, Chad. â€Å"Utilities† A Journal of Utilitarian Studies, 7.4 (1996): 128-218. Maclntre, Alasdair. 2007 After virtue: a study in moral Theory. London: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print Mill, Stuart. Utilitarianism ed. Michael Sandel New York: McMillan, 2010. Print Nzich, Robert. Anarchy, State and Utopia ed. Michael Sandel New York: McMillan, 2010 Print Rawls, John. Justice and fairness ed. Michael Sand el New York: McMillan, 2010. Print Sachs, Jaffrey. The end of Poverty. New York: McMillan Publishers, 2011. Print Sahar, Ben. How to Live Positively New York: McMillan Publishers, 2011. Print Sandel, Michael. What’s the right thing to do? New York: McMillan, 2010. Print West, Henry. An Introduction to Mill’s utilitarian ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004 Print William, Owen, Arthur. Utilitarianism: for and against. New York: University of Cambridge Press, 1973 Print Zauderer, Naaman. Descartes’ deontological Turn: reason, will, and virtue in the later  writings. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 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Consider The Criticism That The Glass Menagerie Is A Clever Juxtaposition Of Scenes Rather Than A Unified Play Essay Example

Consider The Criticism That The Glass Menagerie Is A Clever Juxtaposition Of Scenes Rather Than A Unified Play Essay Example Consider The Criticism That The Glass Menagerie Is A Clever Juxtaposition Of Scenes Rather Than A Unified Play Paper Consider The Criticism That The Glass Menagerie Is A Clever Juxtaposition Of Scenes Rather Than A Unified Play Paper Essay Topic: Literature The Glass Menagerie The Glass Menagerie is often criticised as a juxtaposition, or arrangement of scenes, rather than being a traditional unified play. I believe this criticism is a correct one for many reasons. A major reason which fuels this criticism is the lack of acts. In Shakespearian plays there are traditionally 5 acts, with the play being divided into roughly two halves, the build up of problems and then the solving of these problems. More modern plays usually have 3 acts, which nicely divides the play into three parts, the build up of problems, the climax, and the solution of problems. This play, however has no acts, so has no solid structure as such. It is just an arrangement of seven scenes. I believe this was intentional by Tennessee Williams, I believe the structure of the play is symbolic of the structure of the family, it has no real structure and is just an arrangement of people, or if you like, a menagerie. Right from the start in the opening speech of Tom, we are told that the play is a memory play. This gives the impression that it will not be an exact account of the events, rather an arrangement of memories that are often disjointed. As we read the play we can see that it jumps around in time, one scene might be set a few days or even weeks later than the last scene. The statement by Tom that this is a memory play tells us instantly that it is out to break conventions. A large theme in this play is static. The set rarely changes, so is static. Tom finds his job static, as he wants to escape from it. In this play there is a continuing theme of people being stuck in time. Amanda is stuck in the past with her fond memories of Blue Water, where she used to live and was very obviously enjoying life. We can tell that she is stuck in the past because she often recounts her stories to Tom and Laura. Oppositely there is Tom who is tired of the present and past and is stuck in the future. He often visits the movies to see glimpses of what his future could be, rather than what it is going to be if he stays at home. He wishes for adventure and excitement rather than the cage or trap that he is stuck in at home. Since his father left he has been rather unfairly stuck in the providing role and therefore trapped and unable to leave and see the world as he wishes. This is why Tom is almost always around the fire escape. The fire escape is symbolic of a halfway house between the outside world and his world. He cannot leave it however because of Amanda. She is is conscience, and is constantly reminding him of the things he cannot do, which is why he rebels from her. Then there is Laura who is stuck in the present. I believe this is her choice. She seems uncomfortable in venturing forwards into the future, and when she does in the case of Jim the gentleman caller, she gets heartbroken. This just buries her deeper in lack of self-confidence which will in the end ruin her. I believe that she just enjoys the simple time she spends on her own with her collection of glass. Again the theme of static comes with the plays stage directions. Tennessee Williams gives so many heavily detailed stage directions that he gives the people performing the play less and less room to create or add things of their own. This makes the performers static in their input to the play. Leading back to the theme of static, the set remain static for virtually all of the play. The only thing that changes is when Amanda glosses the house up with the new lamp and curtains etc. There is also the on stage screen which acts as a link between the abstract thoughts of the characters, and the thoughts of the audience. The on stage screen barely ever mentions the future however, which again backs up the static nature of the play. So in conclusion I believe that the criticism mentioned in the title is correct, because of the static nature of the play, the fact its a memory play, and also the lack of an overall structure.

The Tradition of Judaism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Tradition of Judaism - Essay Example The family has a meal featuring traditional food and wine. The purpose of the ritual to remind people that when God created the Universe in seven days, He devoted a whole day to resting and so should the Jews. I learned that people who adhere to the religious tradition of Judaism tend to perform this ritual on a weekly basis, namely every sun set of Friday and up to the sun set of Saturday. As I have previously noticed, the wife is responsible for lighting up the candles and saying the blessing. Then, the father of the family says all the required prayers and the people are able to have dinner and celebrate Shabbat. It is beyond any doubt that this particular ritual preaches the need of the people to adhere to the religious tradition of Judaism and devote an entire day of the week free from daily routine and contemplating about what really matters in life, namely their relationship with God. There are different methods of praying that are used during this ritual: the words of prayers are pronounced first by the woman and then all the prayers are chanted by a man. In addition to that, people are required to direct their mind to various religious matters so that it would not stray away from the ritual. Speaking of the body placement during the Shabbat, it is a tradition to remain standing while all the major prayers and blessings are performed which shows that the people feel respect for the moment. What is really interesting is that there is a certain function reserved for women during Shabbat: they not only light up the candles but also prepare the meals for the dinner, which puts a lot of responsibility on them.

Summary and Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Summary and Response - Essay Example Malcolm X and his peers did not join the army because of the racial tensions between themselves and the whites. Whether or not these young African Americans were wearing these suits to be unpatriotic or to just have fun is the riddle of the Zoot. The working class of African Americans’ plight consisted of low paying, dirty, and dead end jobs which did little to inspire hard work. Many did work hard, while some like Malcolm X turned to illegal methods to make money. Either way, working class or criminal, to go out and have fun in a Zoot suit, with conked hair gave young people a way to relax. The use of Malcolm X to examine the riddle of Zoot by the author is an interesting choice. Whereas there are other famous Zoot suit wearers of the time who did not denounce their actions, Malcolm X scoffed as his days in a Zoot suit. Malcolm X seemed embarrassed by his days in a Zoot suit. This could be as the author suggested as shame because of his conversion to Islam, but in reality the opinion of this author is Malcolm X was ashamed of having fun when so much work needed to be done to advance his people. He must of thought about all the wasted time spent in jail, dancing at Roseland, and wearing his Zoot suit in his youth. If Malcolm X would have converted to Islam earlier or started to spread his message sooner, history could have been changed. This author thinks that Malcolm X felt that he wasted his youth and mourned his lost time. What Malcolm X did not realize is his Zoot suit days helped shape his views as much as his conversion to Islam. The injustices he saw, the injustices that forced him to turn to crime helped form his personality. These shameful memories helped Malcolm X become one of the greatest leaders of our time. During these times he was kid being shaped by his environment. Before learning the disciple of

The Pyramids At Giza Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Pyramids At Giza - Essay Example Christopher Dunn, an engineer, and craftsman are one of the promoters of the idea that the pyramids were built by a more advanced civilization. Dunn, 1998) claims that pyramids were not used as simple tombs for people, but they were developed as power plants that could develop energy from resonating with the earth. The researcher stresses that the size of pyramids as well as precision of the construction suggests that people could hardly build them with the help of technology and knowledge available at that time. Dunn (1998) adds that even modern technologies may fail to complete such demanding tasks. However, the vast majority of researchers agree that the pyramids were built by people and these edifices served as tombs for great Pharaohs. Lacovara (2004) states that the pyramids were erected as a symbol of the might of Pharaohs and they stand in line with many other grand monuments created by people. Brabin (2010) provides a number of plausible arguments that show that the pyramids were created by people. Thus, archaeological findings show that there were settlements near the pyramids. These settlements were created for people who built the great edifices. Discoveries of Lehner support this assumption and provide new insights (Shaw, 2003). Shaw (2003) stresses that Lehner found remnants of food that show the way the builders were treated, and it is clear that those were not slaves but free workers who got enough food and good shelter. Of course, there are still open questions as to the time needed for building the pyramids. Brabin (2010) suggests that the construction could last 300 years while Petroski (2004) assumes that even 23 years could be enough if the technology of using the pyramids as planes to lift huge blocks was used.

Barriers To Communication

Barriers To Communication For any kind of communication to be successful, it is essential that the receiver attributes the same meaning to the message as intended by the sender of the message. But all acts of communication are not perfect or successful. At times, some meaning is lost as the message encounters various barriers along its passage between the sender and the receiver. Such barriers may arise at any of the stages through which a message passes during the process of communication. This is also called miscommunication. Some of the common problems that lead to the failure of communication are: noise, cultural differences, complexity of subject matter, personal biases, semantic problems, socio-psychological barriers, filtering, information overload, poor retention, poor listening, goal conflicts, slanting, inferring, etc. Barriers to communication can be classified as follows on the basis of the stage of the communication process during which the problem/s arise: a. Sender-oriented barriers: lack of planning, lack of clarity about the purpose of communication, improper choice of words resulting in a badly encoded message, difference in perception, wrong choice of the channel, unjustified presumptions, etc. b. Receiver-oriented barriers: poor listening, lack of interest, difference in perception, biased attitude, etc. c. Channel-oriented barriers: noise, wrong selection of medium, technical defects in the address system or the medium of communication chosen by the sender, time and distance, etc. We may define communication as a psycho-semantic process. Therefore, the barriers that affect the effectiveness of communication are mostly of social-psychological-linguistic nature. These factors may act upon any or all of the elements of the process of communication, that is, the sender or the receiver or the channel. And a common barrier for both the sender and receiver can be the absence of a common frame of reference which often leads to the breakdown of communication in a specific situation. A common frame of reference is the context in which communication takes place. A well-defined context helps the sender and the receiver to comprehend the content of the message in a similar way, with regard to its implications and meaning. Many of the barriers listed above are easy to understand. But a few of them may require a detailed explanation. DIFFERENT TYPES OF BARRIERS The various barriers to communication can be classified into the following broad categories: 1) Semantic or language barriers, 2) Physical barriers, 3) Personal barriers, 4) Emotional or perceptional barriers, 5) Socio-psychological barriers, 6) Cultural barriers, and 7) Organizational barriers. SEMANTIC/LANGUAGE BARRIERS Semantics is the systematic study of the meaning of words. Thus, the semantic barriers are barriers related to language. Such barriers are problems that arise during the process of encoding and/or decoding the message into words and ideas respectively. Both the oral and the written communication are based on words/symbols which are ambiguous in nature. Words/ symbols may be used in several ways and may have several meanings. Unless the receiver knows the context, he may interpret the word/symbol according to his own level of understanding and may thus misinterpret the message. The most common semantic barriers are listed as under: Misinterpretation of Words Semantic problems often arise because of the gap between the meaning as intended by the sender and that as understood by the receiver. This happens when the receiver does not assign the same meaning to the word/symbol as the transmitter had intended. Words are capable of expressing a variety of meanings depending upon their usage, i.e. in the context in which they are used. The association between the word/symbol and the meaning assigned to it is of arbitrary nature. For example, the word yellow when used as an adjective can have multiple connotations depending upon its usage. Words have two levels of meaning- literal (descriptive) and metaphorical (qualitative). Yellow, besides being a primary colour, also stands for freshness, beauty, sickness, decay, etc. Hence, the receiver is free to interpret it in any of these ways based on his own imagination and experience. But for communication to be perfect, it is essential that he must assign to it the same mean ing which the sender had in his mind while encoding the message. Therefore, there is always a possibility of misinterpretation of the messages. Mostly, such problems arise when the sender does not use simple and clear words that can convey the exact meaning to the receiver. Use of Technical Language Technical or specialized language which is used by people or professionals who work in the same field is known as jargon. Such technical language can be a barrier to communication if the receiver of the message is not familiar with it. For example, in the computer jargon, to burn a CD means to copy the data on a CD. To a layman, the word burn may have a very different connotation. Ambiguity Ambiguity arises when the sender and the receiver of the message attribute different meanings to the same words or use different words to convey the same meaning. Sometimes, wrong and speculative assumptions also lead to ambiguity. A sender often assumes that his audience would perceive the situation as he does or have the same opinion about an issue or understand the message as he understands it, and so on. All such assumptions may turn out to be wrong and cause communication failure. PHYSICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS Physical barriers are those barriers which are caused due to some technical defects in the media used for communication and/or due to certain disturbances in the surrounding environment. Often, the term noise is used as a blanket term to refer to the physical barriers in general. But noise, in its literal sense, is also one of the factors that give rise to the physical barriers during the process communication. Besides noise, wrong selection of medium, lack of acoustics, poor lighting, frequent movements of hands, fiddling with a pen, or even serving of tea during an important conversation- all of these are also responsible for creating physical barriers in the communication process. Noise The first major barrier to communication is noise. Communication is distorted by noise that crops up at the transmission level. The meaning attributed to the word noise in the field of Communication is derived from the realm of Physics. In Physics, noise refers to a disturbance, especially a random and persistent disturbance, which obscures or reduces the clarity of a signal. The modern-day connotation of the word noise is irrelevant or meaningless data as is apparent from its usage in the field of Computer Science. For example, the noise of the traffic around a school obstructs the smooth flow of information between the teacher and the students. It makes oral communication difficult. Similarly, poor signal or static while talking over the cell phone or while using the public address system or while watching TV also distorts the sound signals and disrupts communication. Bad weather conditions may also sometimes interfere with the transmission of signals and may lead to breakdow n of the communication channels. As discussed above, noise is not only the disruption of sound signals, but it also includes all the barriers that may arise at any of the various stages of communication. In a broad sense, it denotes semantic barriers, perceptional barriers as well as psychological barriers. Time and Distance Time and distance also act as barriers to the smooth flow of information. Today, because of technological advancements, we have faster means of communication available to us and this in turn has made the world a smaller place. But at times, these means of communication may not be easily accessible because of unavailability or due to technical/technological problems. This may lead not only to a physical but also a communication gap between the transmitter and the receiver. Time differences between people living in two different countries may affect communication between them. Even people working in different shifts in the same organization may also face problems in communicating effectively. Improper seating arrangement in a classroom or in a conference hall may also act as a barrier to effective communication as it is difficult to maintain eye contact with ones audience. Thus, communication can be successful only when the communicators manage to overcome the barrier s by minimizing the obstacles that crop up due to spatial and temporal factors. Wrong Choice of Medium This can also create a barrier to effective communication. For example, if an expert uses charts or graphs or PowerPoint presentations to orient the illiterate workers or volunteers to a new method of working, they are bound to be ill-equipped to infer any information or instructions from such sophisticated presentations. Surroundings Adverse weather conditions affect not only the means of communication, but also have an impact on the sender and the receiver of the message. When two people have to communicate with each other under extreme weather conditions, whether too hot or too cold, their surroundings do have a direct repercussion on the effectiveness of the exchange that takes place between them. Thus, environmental factors determine peoples mood and also influence their mental agility and thereby their capacity to communicate effectively. Extreme heat and humidity make people either hyper or listless and thus cause immense stress which in turn affects clear thinking and the attitude of the communicator; whereas, extreme cold weather induces laziness and also impedes the ability to think clearly and respond sharply, thereby causing communication failure. PERSONAL BARRIERS Communication is interpersonal in nature. Thus, there are certain barriers that are directly linked to the persons involved in the communication process, i.e. the sender and the receiver, which influence the accurate transfer of the message. These are called personal barriers. In any business organization, the attitude of the superiors and the subordinates play a vital role in determining the success of communication. If the superiors have a hostile attitude, then there are chances that they may filter the information or manipulate the message, sometimes intentionally, in order to achieve certain selfish motives. Many superiors are not open to suggestions and feedback as they presume that their subordinates are not capable of advising them. Also, they often tend to keep too busy with work and do not pay much attention to communication. Due to this, the downward flow of information within the organization is badly affected and this in turn leads to poor performance. Besides, the super iors often exercise their authority by insisting that the subordinates should approach them only through proper formal channels of communication. If, under any circumstances, the subordinates try to communicate to the superiors directly, then they may take offense as they perceive such an attempt as a challenge to their position of power. Such an attitude thus becomes a barrier to effective communication. On the other hand, there are certain factors that influence the participation of the subordinates in upward communication. Lack of confidence and fear are the primary reasons why the subordinates fail to communicate openly and comfortably with the superiors. If they feel that some information may, in some way, harm their prospect/ interest in the organization, then they prefer to conceal such information. In case, if that is not possible, then they filter the information so that they cannot be held responsible for the same. Moreover, when the superiors do not support the active involvement of the subordinates in the functioning of the organization by encouraging them to exchange their ideas and to give suggestions that would contribute to the success of the organization, the subordinates become indifferent to such reciprocity and this creates a barrier to upward communication. If the subordinates feel that their ideas and suggestions are of no value to the superiors, then they do not feel motivated to convey the same. Therefore, on the basis of the above discussion, we may conclude that personal barriers have their origin in the attitude of the sender as well as the receiver. Personal barriers often lead to distortion, filtering, and omission of information and thus have an adverse effect on the fidelity of communication. EMOTIONAL OR PERCEPTIONAL BARRIERS Emotional or perceptional barriers are closely associated with personal barriers. Personal barriers arise from motives and attitudes (as seen above), whereas emotional or perceptional barriers have an added dimension that includes sentiments and emotions as well. If the receiver does not evaluate the information with an open mind, i.e. objectively, his judgment/evaluation would be colored by his biases and/or his emotions, thus inducing him to read too much into a message. This would interfere with the exact transfer of information and cause misinterpretation. Such a barrier may also emerge at the time of encoding the message. Over-enthusiasm on the part of the sender may lead him to invest his message with meaning/s which he may actually not have intended to. Besides, too much aggression or passivity on the part of either the sender or the receiver, while communicating, also has an adverse effect on the success of communication. Also, too much of emotion thwarts reason and sometimes , the communicator, blinded by his own sentiments, makes impulsive judgments or illogical decisions. This also results in the breakdown of communication. Indolence, apathy, or the tendency to procrastinate, either on the part of the sender or the receiver, also lead to withholding of important information thus creating a barrier. Extreme emotions like euphoria, excitement, anger, stress, depression, etc. also get in the way of effective communication. All these factors may create biases in the mind of the sender and/or the receiver. Therefore, the sender and the receiver may encode and decode the message respectively as per their own perceptions, background, needs, experience, etc. And this leads to a distinct kind of exchange of ideas and feedback as well. They tend to obfuscate the reality and see what they want to see. This is also one kind of filtering that takes place during the communication process. SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS Socio-psychological barriers can also be considered as one of the offshoots of the personal barriers, akin to the perceptional barriers. We need to study it as a subcategory of personal barriers because a persons attitude is shaped not only by his instincts and emotions, but also by his approach towards and his interaction with the people around him, and hence the need for this fine distinction between the personal, the perceptional and the socio-psychological barriers. To begin with, the consciousness of ones position in an organization has an effect on the two-way flow of communication. A vertical channel of communication is present in every organization, but its efficacy is heavily influenced by the relationship between the superiors and the subordinates. Though many organizations are now becoming accustomed to the open door policy, the psychological distance between the superiors and the subordinates still prevails. Status consciousness is thus one of the major barriers to succes sful communication. Moreover, in a communication situation, the communicators have to deal with two aspects of the reality- the one as they see it and the other as they perceive it. The mind filters the message i.e. the words/symbols/signs and attributes meaning to them, according to individual perception. Each individual has his own distinctive filter, formed by his/her experiences, emotional makeup, knowledge, and mindset which s/he has attained over a period of time. Because of this difference in perceptions, different individuals respond to the same word/symbol/sign based on their own understanding of the situation and ascribe meaning to it on the basis of their unique filter. At times, his difference in perception causes the communication gap, i.e. distortion, in the message. In face-to-face communication, this gap can be easily eliminated as there is immediate feedback. But in written communication, the semantic gap between the intended meaning and the interpreted meaning remains unidentified, as the feedback is delayed or sometimes there is no feedback at all. Besides, a person with deeply ingrained prejudices is very difficult to communicate with. He is not responsive to discussion or to new ideas, information, viewpoints and opinions. He has a closed mind and tends to react antagonistically, thus ruling out all possibility of communication. An unreceptive mind can, hence, be a great barrier in communication. To overcome this barrier, people should be receptive of new ideas and must learn to listen considerately with an open mind. Also, sometimes the listener maybe too much in awe of or may completely distrust the speaker. In both these situations, the chances of success of the communication are very less. Furthermore, information overload leads to poor retention and causes information loss. So, whenever there is some important information to be conveyed, the communicators must use the written channel of communication. On the basis of the above discussion, we may thus conclude that the socio-psychological factors do have a profound impact on the effectiveness of communication. CULTURAL BARRIERS Culture is the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. Culture is learned and shared within social groups and is transmitted by non-genetic means. (American Heritage Dictionary, 2005) From this definition, we can infer that culture is the sum total of ideas, customs, arts, rituals, skills, etc. of a group of people which is handed down from generation to generation. Simply put, culture is the shared ways in which groups of people understand and interpret the world. (F. Trompenaars, Riding the Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business; 1994) Each group, categorized on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, etc. has its own distinctive culture. Thus, there are varied subcultures that exist within a major culture. Such immense cultural diversity plays a very crucial role in communication as it has an extensive influence on both verbal and non-verbal communication a nd may therefore create barriers to effective communication. Cultural differences give rise to a great deal of complexity in the encoding and the decoding of messages not only because of the difference in languages, but also because of plenty of culture-specific assumptions at work in the mind of the sender as well as the receiver. People belonging to different cultures may attach different meanings to words, symbols, gestures, and behaviour or they may perceive each others social values, body language, attitude to space distancing and time, social behaviour and manners, etc., i.e. the entire culture in general, very differently depending upon their own standards, attitudes, customs, prejudices, opinions, behavioral norms, etc., i.e. their own distinct culture. Thus, cultural barriers arise when people belonging to different cultures insist on preserving their cultural identities and at times, judge the other cultures as inferior to their own. (For a detailed discussion on the various elements that can create cultural barriers, refer Chapter ___ International Communication on page ___) ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS Organizational structure greatly influences the flow of information within an organization. Some major organizational barriers are as follows: Goal Conflicts There may be goal conflicts within the organization between the superiors and the subordinates, between people working in the different departments, between the colleagues, etc. This may create a hostile atmosphere within the organization and can lead to serious communication breakdown. Organizational Policies These are also to a great extent responsible for determining the kind of rapport that people working in the same organization share with each other. If the organizational policy is such that it restricts the free flow of information in all directions (refer Formal Channels of Communication on page ___), then communication would not be successful. In some organizations, there may be rules that restrict the flow of certain messages and this may deter the employees from conveying those messages, however important they may be. If the organization favours the open door policy, the subordinates would not feel shy and reluctant to approach their superiors directly. But in the organizations where the formal channels of communication have to be strictly followed, the superiors and the subordinates share a very awkward relationship. They experience a lot of discomfiture while interacting with each other. Because of this, the objective of communication may never be accomplished. Organizational Hierarchy The hierarchical structure of the organization also impedes the flow of information and causes delay in taking decisions. When the message passes along the chain of command in an organization, there are chances of filtering and distortion of the message at almost every level before it reaches the intended receiver. Thus, the hierarchical structure of the organization is also one of the important factors that may create a barrier to effective communication. On the basis of the above discussion, we may thus sum up that barriers to communication are the aspects of or conditions in a workplace- such as status differences, gender differences, cultural differences, prejudices, and the organizational environment- that interfere with effective exchange of ideas or thoughts. (Business Dictionary) However, there are certain specific strategies that can help us to surmount these obstacles and achieve the purpose of communication. These are discussed in detail in the following section. GUIDELINES- HOW TO OVERCOME BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION On the basis of the various kinds of communication barriers listed in the previous section, let us now ennumerate certain strategies that would help us to overcome these barriers and thus improve communication. As effective communication is essential for the success of a business organization, the communicators must take care to remove the barriers in the way of communication, to the best extent possible. In communication, it is not enough only to know the message. For communication to be complete, the message must be understood by the audience. The communicator shares his message through the medium of words- spoken or written, through gestures, through symbols, etc. Thus, from this we can infer that communication, whether verbal or nonverbal, is symbolic in nature. These two aspects of communication determine the fundamental difference between effective and ineffective communication. If an idea/information is known to but not fully understood by the receiver, then the communication will be ineffective. The sender can know whether the message has been understood by the receiver through his response, i.e. feedback. The following are some general guidelines for the sender and the receiver of the message: For the Sender of the Message At the very outset, that the sender should reveal the purpose of his message and the important topics that he would deal with. By doing so, he prepares the receiver for what is to follow. This helps the receiver to identify the main points of the message, to recognize the link among the important ideas that the message contains and to organize them in a meaningful pattern in his mind. The message should be compact and the sender should concentrate exclusively on the main ideas or information that he intends to convey. Likewise, the sender should situate his ideas in an appropriate context so that the audience will evaluate and interpret them within that common frame of reference which the sender has indicated or suggested. While communicating, the sender should, at all times, emphasize the important points of the message with the help of bulleted lists, chart, graphs, illustrations, body language, tone, pitch, etc. He should also provide a summary at the end of his presentation or write-up. This will help the receiver to grasp the overall meaning of the message, thus making it easy to understand the various parts, i.e. ideas, in relation to the overall framework. The sender should arrange the ideas/information in such a way that it is appealing to the audiences visual and/or auditory senses. In written communication, the writer may make use of an attractive layout and good quality paper to attract the readers attention. While communicating orally, the sender must take care to minimize noise. He should make sure that his surroundings are well-equipped with the necessary acoustics. He should pay special attention to his facial expressions, gesture, and eye contact with the audience at the time of deliver ing the message. The sender should be clear about why he wants to communicate and his message should be precise and well-structured. He should take care to select an appropriate channel or medium so that the impact of message is not lost in transmission. He should send his message through an effective channel i.e. keeping in mind his audience and the purpose of the message and should select a channel where there are less chances of distortion. The sender should avoid using grandiloquent words in order to avoid the possibility of misinterpretation of the overall meaning of the message. The sender should neither burden the receiver with information overload nor should he provide him too little information. He should identify his audience before encoding the message so that he knows what his audience may already known and in what context he should place his message. The sender should formulate and deliver his message in such a way that it retains the audiences interest in what he intends to convey. He s hould do away with all his prejudices and preconceived notions and must communicate clearly and with an open mind. All these would enable him to have an audience-centric approach while encoding his message. For the Receiver of the Message In the initial stage of the communication process, the onus is entirely on the sender of the message. But in the later stage, the receiver plays an active role once he starts absorbing and processing the information in his mind. Thus, the receiver of the message also plays an equally important role in the successful completion of communication. Not all barriers are sender-oriented. The barriers arising from the side of the receiver are known as receiver-oriented barriers. The foremost barrier on the part of the receiver is poor retention. When the message being conveyed is of complex nature, he may lose track of the context in which the sender has initiated communication. To overcome this barrier, the receiver must develop the habit of noting down the important points. If the receiver has a difficulty in concentrating on the message or if he is not interested in the topic being discussed, this too would have a direct influence on his ability to listen effectively. In order to deal with such situations, the receiver should accustom his mind to absorb and assimilate all kinds of information by making a conscious effort to generate interest in and concentrate upon what is being conveyed. When the receiver is too judgmental about the message been delivered or too critical of the style of delivery of the sender, it creates a bar rier as the receiver totally misses out on what the sender is actually trying to communicate. Thus, the receiver should avoid being judgmental and should not be in a hurry to evaluate the message without being aware of the exact context in which it articulated. Prejudices can also create a barrier in the mind of the receiver at the time of the reception and decoding of the message. If the receiver is indifferent to or has any presumptions regarding the sender or what he is trying to put across, then his biases will create a mental block and interfere with his ability to evaluate the content of the message objectively and judiciously. This will lead to misinterpretation of the message and communication will fail. Thus, the receiver must take in new ideas/information with an open mind and should not let his biases influence his perception and reasoning ability. People with deep-rooted biases and a rigid mindset tend to be resistant to new ideas. Such inflexibility hampers listening and leads to miscommunication. Hence, both the sender and receiver should be receptive of new ideas in order to overcome such psychological and personal barriers. To sum up, most of the barriers in communication can be overcome if the sender encodes his message in a clear and precise manner, leaving no room for misinterpretation or miscommunication, and if the receiver acquires effective listening skills and gives an appropriate and timely feedback. When the communicators are able to surmount the barriers and succeed in exchanging their ideas/opinions/information without any omission, filtering or distortion, communication is said to have achieved its purpose. Let us now discuss how effective communication can be achieved within a business organization. Business organizations should adopt an open door policy at all levels. There should be an atmosphere of trust and confidence in the organization so that the communication gap between the superiors and the subordinates may be reduced. Organizational hierarchies and policies should not deter the free flow of information within an organization. The superiors must encourage their subordinates to communicate without hesitation. Such two-way communication within an organization will definitely help minimize the communication gap between the employees. The subordinates should be encouraged to participate in the decision-making process and also in solving problems or dispelling crises situations in an organization. Their ideas and contributions should be valued as this would motivate them to come up with innovative ideas/solutions and share them with their superiors with some conviction. Providing an open environment which is conducive to free interaction among the employees will prove beneficial and will contribute to the growth and success of the organization. The simplification, decentralization, and democratization of the communication network within an organization will definitely help in improving communication and making it effective. There should be frequent meetings, conferences, etc. and the management should ensure that the subordinates take an active part in the functioning of the organization i.e. not only by executing the orders or carrying out the instructions passively but also by contributing to the formulation of organizational policies and by sharing their knowledge and experience which can in turn help the superiors in making better business decisions. Such a participative and democratic approach would help reduce the communication barriers to great extent. In short, in business communication there are chances of communication failure because the message is not only complex in itself but also the stages through which it passes renders it susceptible to various interferences, i.e. barriers- semantic, personal, psychological, and/or organizational. To become a successful communicator, one must keep in mind the aforementioned guidelines in order to overcome the communication barriers and to communicate effectively. CHAPTER REVIEW In this chapter, we have discussed the meaning of the

Drama Monologue Velocity vs. Viscosity :: Drama

Drama Monologue Velocity vs. Viscosity Insanity comes in two basic varieties: slow and fast. I'm not talking about onset or duration. I mean the quality of the insanity. The day to day business of being a head case. There are lots of names I guess: depression, catatonia, mania, anxiety, agitation. They don't really tell you much though do they? The predominant quality of the slow form in viscosity. Experience is thick. Perceptions are thickened and dulled. Time is slow, dripping slowly through the clogged filter of thickened perception. The body temperature is low. The pulse is sluggish. The immune system is half asleep. The organism is torpid and brackish. Even the reflexes are diminished, as if the lower leg couldn't be bothered to jerk itself out of stupor when the knee is tapped. Viscosity occurs on a cellular level. And so does velocity. In contrast to viscosity's cellular coma, velocity endows every platelet and muscle fibre with a mind of its own, a means of knowing and commenting on its own behaviour. There is too much perception, and beyond the plethora of perceptions, the plethora of thoughts about the perceptions and about the fact of having perceptions. Digestion could kill you! What I mean is the unceasing awareness of the processes of digestion could exhaust you to death. And digestion is just an involuntary sideline to thinking, which is where the real trouble begins. Take a thought - anything. I doesn't matter. For example - I'm tired of sitting here in front of the nurses station. I perfectly reasonable thought. Here's what velocity does to it. First break down the sentence. 'I'm tired' - well, are you really tired, exactly? Is that, like, sleepy? You have to check all body parts for sleepiness, and while you're doing that , there's a bombardment of images of sleepiness along these lines: head falling onto pillow, head hitting pillow, Wynken, Blynken and Nod, Little Nemo rubbing sleep from his eyes, a sea monster. Uh-oh, a sea monster. If you're lucky you can avoid the sea monster and stick with sleepiness. Back to the pillow, memories of having mumps aged five, sensation of swollen cheeks on pillows and pain of salivation - stop. Go back to sleepiness. But the salivation notion is too alluring, and now there's an excursion into the mouth. You've been here before and it's bad. It's the tongue: once you think of the tongue it becomes an intrusion. Why is the tongue so large? Why is it so scratchy on the sides? Is that a vitamin deficiency? Could you remove the tongue? Would your mouth be less of a bitch without it?

Symbolism in English Literature

Archetypal figures present in Chaucer’s â€Å"The Miller’s Tale† By Jose Luis Guerrero Cervantes According to Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, an archetype is a symbolic formula that begins to work wherever there are no conscious ideas present. They are innate universal psychic dispositions that form the substrate from which the basic themes of human life emerge[1]. The archetype is experienced in projections, powerful affect images, symbols, moods, and behavior patterns such as rituals, ceremonials and love. Jung[2] compared the archetype, the pre-formed tendency to create images, to a dry river bed. Rain gives form and direction to the flow, we name the river, but it is never a thing located in any place, it is a form but never the same, it is always changing but it is still a river. Following this analogy, the archetype would be the dry river bed that motivates and modifies our conscious understanding of ourselves and the world (the water of the river) from which emotions, attitudes and ideas arise. It is possible to track the use of archetypes in universal literature, according to Joseph Campbell[3], from the origins of human civilization. Archetypes help Chaucer to his main purpose when writing The Canterbury Tales: to reflect on the personal concerns and solutions of the evolving medieval society of his time. Characters with strong archetypal features has an automatically and unconsciously effect in the reader’s mind, allowing his mind to recognize experiences, emotions, and typical patterns of behavior, establishing a â€Å"dialog† or â€Å"unconscious link† between the reader and the text. The purpose of the present essay will be to identify such archetypal characters and situations and their impact in the reader’s psyche. [4] It is possible to recognize in Nicholas’ behavior elements that match with the archetype of the â€Å"Trickster†. In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal that plays tricks or, otherwise, disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior[5]. In modern literature, the classical figure of the trickster survives as a character not necessarily supernatural or divine, but as a clever, mischievous man or creature, who tries to survive the dangers and challenges of the world using trickery and deceit as defense. For example, many typical fairy tales present kings who want to find the best man for his daughter by setting a trial to obtain the hand of his daughter. Brave knights are not able to overcome the trial until a poor and simple peasant comes. Armed only with his wits and cleverness, instead of fighting, he evades or fools the obstacles between him and the desired object. This way, the most unlikely candidate passes the trials and receives the reward. One example of this character in English Literature is Shakespeare’s Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice who, in order to marry Portia, must pass a trial set by Portia’s father. In this case, Nicholas is described similarly to this archetype: This lad was known as Nicholas the Gallant, And making love in secret was his talent, For he was very close and sly, and took Advantage of his meek and girlish look[6]. Nicholas is characterized as somebody whose main attributes are not physical strength or economic power, but cleverness in managing the weak points of people for his own benefit (expressed in the words â€Å"talent†, â€Å"sly†, â€Å"took advantage†) hidden under a humble figure (expressed in the word â€Å"meek†). Here it is possible to identify the breaking of conventional behavior that it is proper of the classical tradition when it is said that Nicholas makes love â€Å"in secret†. In addition, in order to gain Alison, he must figure out a trick, otherwise, both might die if caught together. Alison’s behavior, on the other hand, shows characteristics that matches with the â€Å"Anima† archetype developed at the level of â€Å"Eve†. The Anima and Animus, in Carl Jung's school of analytical psychology, are the unconscious or true inner self of an individual, as opposed to the outer aspect of personality. In the unconscious part of men’s mind, it finds expression in a feminine inner personality. Anima, in contrast, is in the unconscious of women and it is expressed as a masculine inner personality. It can be identified as the totality of the unconscious feminine psychological qualities that a male possesses; or the masculine ones possessed by the female. The positive anima qualities of a man are tenderness, patience, consideration, kindness and compassion; then the negative anima qualities of a man are vanity, moodiness, bitchiness, and easily hurt feelings[7]. Jung believed anima development has four distinct levels, which he named Eve, Helen, Mary, and Sophia. Eve level is named for the Genesis account of Adam and Eve. It deals with the emergence of a male's object of desire, yet simultaneously generalizes all females as evil and powerless. This means that when an object of desires arises, the archetype shows an opposite behavior from that she had shown previously[8]. In the preliminary description of Alison, Chaucer describes Alison (with ecstasy and accuracy) this way: She was a fair young wife, her body as slender As any weasel’s, and as soft and tender; She used to wear a girdle of striped silk; Her apron was as white as morning milk Over her loins, all gusseted and pleated. White was her smock; embroidery repeated Its pattern on the collar, front and back, Inside and out; it was of silk, and black. The tapes and ribbons of her milky mutch Were made to march her collar to a touch; She wore a broad silk fillet, rather high, And certainly she had a lecherous eye. And she had plucked her eyebrows into bows, Slenderly arched they were, and black as sloes; And a more truly blissful sight to see She as than blossom on a cherry-tree, [†¦] Her mouth was sweet as mead or honey –say A hoard of apples lying in the hay. Skittish she was, and jolly as a colt, Tall as a mast and upright as a bolt Out of bow. [†¦] She was a daisy, O a lollypop For any nobleman to take to bed Or some good man of yeoman stock to wed. [9] Everything in her is lovely. Chaucer centers his attention on the physical description and little is said about her character. However, the adjectives â€Å"skittish†, â€Å"jolly†, â€Å"tall† and â€Å"upright† describe her as someone irreproachable in any sense. After she falls in love with Alison, all the marvelous image of Alison disappears when she decides to play a cruel joke to Absalon: Absalon started wiping his mounth dry. Dark was the night as pitch, as black as coal, And at the window out she put her hole, And Absalon, so fortune framed the farce, Put up his mouth and kissed her naked arse Most savorously before he knew of this. [10] As it can be observed, Alison’s attitude changes dramatically after meeting Nicholas (the object of desire). This desire unleashes those feelings that are the negative counterpart of the male â€Å"Animus†. â€Å"Eve† development of â€Å"Anima† helps to generalize all women as evil, and Alison attitude towards Absalon reinforces this belief. John represents the archetypal of â€Å"The Child† in the developed degree of â€Å"The abandoned†. In Jungian psychology, it refers to an instinctual pattern of thought or symbolic imagery derived from the past collective experience (Jung referred to this as â€Å"the collective unconscious†), and present in the individual unconscious. We were all children at one time and we can remember the freedom of being a child, the unconditional love we received from our parents, the spontaneous laughter, how we innocently accepted things as they were and let our imaginations run wild. All those experiences left a mark in the unconscious and arise under certain conditions. In this case, the condition is the fear of losing Alison what makes this feeling to arise[11]. The Abandoned (Orphaned) Child archetype can easily be seen in characters like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz or Oliver in Oliver Twist. The fear of losing a caretaker and the feeling of vulnerability makes the character to proceed in a blind, precipitously way. Jealous he was and kept her in the cage, For he was old and she was wild and young; He thought himself quite likely to be stung. It is possible to notice here that John’s fear for losing Alison makes him to keep her out of the sight of the rest, â€Å"in the cage†. Nicholas takes advantage of this fear and uses it to deceive him in a childish way. ‘This world’ he said, ‘in just about and hour, Shall all be drowned, it’s such a hideous shower, And all mankind, with total loss of life’. The carpenter exclaimed, ‘Alas, my wife! My little Alison! Is she to drown? ’ And in his grief he very near fell down. As it was explained before, innocence is a mark of our childhood, and here innocence is incarnated by John. Absalon represents the archetype of the â€Å"Shadow†. In Jungian psychology, the shadow or â€Å"shadow aspect† is a part of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts. It is a link to the most primitive animal instincts, which are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind. According to Jung, the shadow, in being instinctive and irrational, is prone to project: turning a personal inferiority into a perceived moral deficiency in someone else. It is the link to the most primitive animal instincts that are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind, like the survival instinct. Absalon plans his vengeance for the cruel joke played on him and reacts in a even more violent way than his aggressors: Said Absalon, all set to make a launch, ‘Speak, pretty bird, I know not where thou art! ’ This Nicholas at once let fly a fart As loud as if it were a thunder-clap. He was near blinded by the blast, poor chap, But his iron was ready; with a thump He mote him in the middle of the rump. This way, Absalon fulfills his vengeance by recalling his most instinctive, irrational feelings. In the situations present in the tale it is also possible to identify two archetypal situations: â€Å"The Task† and â€Å"The love Triangle†. â€Å"The Task† is that situation in which a character is required to perform a task that will restore balance. It is commonly found n literature in the situations like to save a kingdom, to win the fair lady, the identification of the hero so he may reassume his rightful position, etc[12]. Examples of this archetypal situation in English literature are when Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone or when Beowulf slays Grendel. In this case, the task set for Nicholas is to consume his union with Alison using his cleverness to deceive his husband who has her â€Å"in a cage†. The reader is not told about the plan, so the reader and the fooled characters go hand-in-hand in the discovery and the development of the plan, holding the attention of the reader. The â€Å"love triangle† works in a similar way than â€Å"The task†, however the task appeals to the â€Å"logos† of the reader, while the â€Å"love triangle† appeals to the â€Å"ethos†. In addition, â€Å"the love triangle† works as the counterpart of the â€Å"Requited Love†, which is used to enhance the nobler feelings of human nature: sacrifice, loyalty, friendship, fidelity, etc. The â€Å"love triangle† enhances rivalry, fight, deceit, infidelity, etc[13]. It is possible to observe how the love triangle made Nicholas to figure out an ingenious trick to have sex with the John’s wife (infidelity), the showing of the darkest side of pure Alison, the wrath of easygoing Absalon, and the showing of the dumbest side of John. It is possible to conclude, after all this analysis that â€Å"The Miller’s Tale†, as the whole Canterbury Tales, explores the nature of human being life and behavior of the people of his time, making the reader to do an introspective view of his own life. The characters of â€Å"The Miller’s tale† are very likely to common people, functioning as a mirror in which society can see itself. The empathy that Chaucer is able to establish between the characters, their situations and the readers is possible because he appeals to those universal characteristics that human beings seem to share beyond race, distance, culture and time. These pre-figured behavior, or archetype, causes an unconscious reaction on the reader, putting them in the same, Jung would say, â€Å"psychogenetic frequency†. Therefore, it possible to explain why the Canterbury Tales is a universal piece of work: because it will never lose validity. It appeals to values and characteristics that do not seem to change in time, since it is possible to identify them in the universal literature of all times. BIBLIOGRAPHY Brunel, Pierre. Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes and Archetypes. New York. Routledge. 1992. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Translated by Nevill Coghill. Penguin. London. Penguin. 2003. Franz, Marie-Louise von. Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales. Toronto. Inner City. 1997. Herz, Sarah K. , and Donald R. Gallo. From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges Between Young Adult Literature and the Classics. 2nd ed. Westport. Greenwood. 2005. Holman, C. Hugh, and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. 6th ed. New York. Macmillan. 1992. Johnson, Terry D. , and Daphne R. Louis. Bringing It All Together. Portsmouth. Heinemann. 1997. Joseph Campbell. The hero with a thousand faces. California. New World Library. 2003. Jung, C. G. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Princeton. Bollingen. 1981. Jung, C. G. â€Å"Phenomenology of the Self† in The Portable Jung. New York. Penguin. 1976. Stevens, Anthony. â€Å"The archetypes† in The Handbook of Jungian Psychology. Renos. Papadopoulos. 2006. ———————– [1] Anthony Stevens. â€Å"The archetypes† in The Handbook of Jungian Psychology. Renos. Papadopoulos. 2006. p. 20. [2] C. G. Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. , Princeton. Bollingen. 1981. p. 9. [3] Joseph Campbell. The hero with a thousand faces. California. New World Library. 2003. p. 23. [4] C. G. Jung. â€Å"Phenomenology of the Self† in The Portable Jung. New York. Penguin. 1976. p. 147 [5] C. G. Jung. Op. cit. p. 18 [6]Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales. Translated by Nevill Coghill. Penguin. London: Penguin. 2003. p. 89. [7] C. G. Jung. Op. cit. 19. [8]. Idem. p. 20. [9] Geoffrey Chaucer. Op. cit. 90. [10] Ibid. p. 103. [11] C. G. Jung. Op. cit. p. 29. [12] Marie-Louise von Franz. Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales. Toronto: Inner City, 1997. p. 107. [13] Ibid. p. 89.

Free Essays on On The Standard Of Taste

On the standard of taste, David Hume describes an aesthetic judgment as not really a judgment at all, but a matter of sentiment upon the basis of being agreeable and/ or pleasurable. This sentiment is always real, and has a reference to nothing beyond its own self, so we are not making plain judgments about the quality of something (257). Taste is based on a feeling (sentiment), and a feeling is a personal response, therefore there is no objective beauty if taste is a matter of sentiment. Since beauty isn’t even a quality in things themselves, and sentiments give rise to different opinions, this leads us to a theory of aesthetic relativism; relativism in which we find that conscious activity, perceptions and influences are varied and individual. Since every one has their own opinion of what is good and what is bad, Hume directs his concerns in determining who is right based on the aspects of â€Å"taste†. Hume states that there must be a standard of taste in which an audience can adhere to. A rule by which the various sentiments of men may become reconciled would be the standard in virtue. A rule in art with relating sentiments could become the standard of taste by a bringing of common response. There are types of rules that bring a certain conformity or relation between the object and the organs or faculties of the mind (258). This rule can take on two different aspects, one in composition and the other in criticism. In each of these cases, the rule links a particular response with an aesthetic quality or the way of composing art. For a musician, a more pleasurable effect could be to expand on different chord changes, or to not stay in one key. For the critic, the rule might take shape as to say that a consi stent key would not please a good critic. In Hume’s way of defining elements of the standard of taste, he pushes the act of how to be an audience, which will entail into being a good critic of art with the parall... Free Essays on On The Standard Of Taste Free Essays on On The Standard Of Taste On the standard of taste, David Hume describes an aesthetic judgment as not really a judgment at all, but a matter of sentiment upon the basis of being agreeable and/ or pleasurable. This sentiment is always real, and has a reference to nothing beyond its own self, so we are not making plain judgments about the quality of something (257). Taste is based on a feeling (sentiment), and a feeling is a personal response, therefore there is no objective beauty if taste is a matter of sentiment. Since beauty isn’t even a quality in things themselves, and sentiments give rise to different opinions, this leads us to a theory of aesthetic relativism; relativism in which we find that conscious activity, perceptions and influences are varied and individual. Since every one has their own opinion of what is good and what is bad, Hume directs his concerns in determining who is right based on the aspects of â€Å"taste†. Hume states that there must be a standard of taste in which an audience can adhere to. A rule by which the various sentiments of men may become reconciled would be the standard in virtue. A rule in art with relating sentiments could become the standard of taste by a bringing of common response. There are types of rules that bring a certain conformity or relation between the object and the organs or faculties of the mind (258). This rule can take on two different aspects, one in composition and the other in criticism. In each of these cases, the rule links a particular response with an aesthetic quality or the way of composing art. For a musician, a more pleasurable effect could be to expand on different chord changes, or to not stay in one key. For the critic, the rule might take shape as to say that a consi stent key would not please a good critic. In Hume’s way of defining elements of the standard of taste, he pushes the act of how to be an audience, which will entail into being a good critic of art with the parall...

The Passion of Youth Literature Comparison Essay Example

The Passion of Youth Literature Comparison Essay Example The Passion of Youth Literature Comparison Essay The Passion of Youth Literature Comparison Essay Essay Topic: Mrs Dalloway When trying to find one’s standpoint and ambition’s within civilization we find that there is regulation that runs the lives of each person, which causes one to accompany a regular clash to recognize who they are and what they really want in life. Capturing and understanding the true wants for one’s self is possibly the most troublesome effort that one may encounter. In the realistic and social novel, Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia wolf, â€Å"Sonnet 73,† by William Shakespeare and the poem, â€Å"His Excuse for Loving,† by Ben Jonson, we see that love, youth and death are the prominent factors that lie within how these characters perceive life. The characters in these stories forget about the luster that is life; they look upon the passion in youth to shape views on people and life in the present and while in this loss of luster in life they form views on death. The repressive thoughts that holds them from their ultimate desire and how they look upon the younger loved ones in their life holds these stories together which then all leads to the thought that death would be prosperity. These people feel they have wasted life by always reminiscing to youth to look for clues on how to run their present life which causes them to feel emptiness and loneliness in their current life. Even though these narratives share very similar themes they are different stories so there are different conditions that make them feel this way. The protagonist Clarissa from Mrs. Dalloway looks upon into her younger ages to a girl named sally Seton when a time filled with great affection who now in present time is married, but with the thought if she had made the right choice. Clarissa looks upon death as something physical. Shakespeare instead of looking at death as something physical he sees death to be of his youth and devotion. Also does Shakespeare look to his you th, but it is his younger lover who he is talking about and longing for; he knows what he want

Select an existing company of any size, any location which provides Essay

Select an existing company of any size, any location which provides any product or service - Essay Example Unilever does not sell under its own name, instead uses variety of brand names to create feeling of diversity and local touch. According to Jameson (2007), when the company links business task on hand with the cultural factors of the community where it is going to operate; the chances of positive outcome increases manifold. The several components of the cultural identity can be seen in the working of the company across various geographical boundaries. It takes into account the various cultural traits while forming the various business strategies, marketing campaigns to target their users. The company identifies with different classes of the people in launching its products and communicates clearly that a particular product serves the purpose of a particular class. The company has deep roots in developing countries. An example to be made here is Shakti initiative made by the company in India (HLL Project Shakti†¦). The word Shakti in native language means strength. The purpose wa s to reach rural class under the initiative. Sales women were trained to talk to these rural masses in their local dialect to serve their needs through variety of personal care and home products. Door to door campaign and showing small video to the villagers was their main task. Thus, they got their income by selling the Unilever products. India has wide diversity in cultures and languages. Apart, more than 15 languages are spoken at the state levels and further there are local dialects and it is quite challenging to understand such nitty-gritty of the class and language diversity. The strength of the Unilever lies in meeting those challenges. Shakti initiative is a unique way of dealing with such multicultural class of people forming a large number of linguistic groups across various Indian states. The vastness of this project can be understood from the involvement of numerous Shakti entrepreneurs (HLL Project Shakti†¦) who are operating in thousands of villages meeting the ne eds of nearly 100 million consumers. In fact, the company is communicating to wide cultures, across different linguistic groups in widely spread locations. Such an example of communication cutting across large linguistic groups is hard to find. The Shakti initiative has doubled the reach of Unilever in rural households, which is exemplary in the sense that company’s brands have reached to the difficult terrain of hilly North East States (HLL Project Shakti†¦). In another example, Hindustan Unilever (subsidiary in India) greatly takes care of the buying capacity of its rural class who cannot afford large packaging of the product. The company launched for them shampoo in small one-use sachets that is what people in rural India greatly aspired for as they cannot afford big packing as normally bought by their urban counterparts (Unilever and Emerging†¦). Unilever have mastered the class differentiation while offering the products as it makes Surf Excel for the effluent class; Wheel for the rural folks and for the middle class it is Rin. (Unilever and Emerging†¦) Gender is another crucial aspect as noted by Unilever in marketing its products. Hindustan Lever is forefront in launching schemes empowering women. The company tapped over 45,000 women micro-entrepreneurs and motivated them to

Film review The Little Mermaid Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Film The Little Mermaid - Movie Review Example She just laughs at the dangers, sings like a seraph and displays adoration for man-made creations and objects, with an utmost desire to read, to understand and to learn. The character of the father, King Triton, has been portrayed as realistic, being overprotective, like the normal human father for their daughters, forbidding the talent of his young daughter and appoints a crab, Sebastian as a bodyguard of her daughter. Ariel specks the moving ship and confronts her father, rather swim to examine and gaze Prince Eric, the love at first sight. It is beautifully animated and viewers could understand the expressions and have a feel of the story. As in any thought, with every happiness a taste of bitterness occurs, Ariel witnesses a sudden storm which rips off the ship, but Ariels courage rescues the Prince. Depicting the kind of determination desired in todays contemporary world or human beings. The movie has made Ariel as an ideal for young teenagers. Further, the story takes a turn and Ursula, the witch, man hating sea beast, marks the presence. Grasping Ariels desire, Ursula grants Ariels wish for legs, but this also displays the plot behind the intention, the mal-intention to destroy Tritons kingdom. The role of friends and their friendship comes into picture, as all the friends of Ariel stood beside her in her difficult time. This is the best message that was given to the audience of the movie, a moral value which is greatly desired in the present scenario, even after more than twenty years, the message holds value and meaning. It is one of the finest creation in terms of the positive characters, the heroic deeds and accomplishments to protect the real values. The movie highlights the emotions involved between the father and daughter as well as between the boy and the girl. Their love affection and also the devotion towards each other is highlighted in a very artistic and magnificent manner, besides the glorious world of colors