Rural Areas Of Tennessee A Key Indicator For Economic...

Overview Rural areas in Tennessee are showing increases in employment, education, and population, while decreasing the unemployment rate. Employment is a key indicator for economic status. Although employment rates are still not as high as before the recession, rural employment rates are looking more promising. Poverty rates in rural Tennessee are increasing for certain populations and family types, meanwhile decreasing for others. Slow Growth in Rural Employment Rural employment has increased since the recession period The employment rates peaked in 2007 for both urban and rural areas in Tennessee. The employment rates sharply declined in both areas from 2007 to 2009, displaying the effects from the recession. The highlighted area†¦show more content†¦By 2015, almost 55 percent of all rural areas had low employment. Rural unemployment rates continue to decline The unemployment rate has fallen for both rural and urban Tennessee the last 5 years. During 2012 and 2013, the rate remained stable until a sudden decline in 2014. Both rural and urban areas peaked in unemployment during 2009. During the recession, rural areas experienced a more dramatic increase in unemployment compared to urban areas, a difference of 1.6 percent. The share of individuals who are eligible to work is lower than before pre-recession levels The rural and urban civilian workforce in 2014 has declined in quantity compared to the pre-recession period. The civilian labor force is defined by the U.S. Bureau of labor Statistics (BLS) as the total number of Americans who have jobs or are seeking a job, are at least 16 years old, are not serving in the military and are not institutionalized. Nonmetro areas have a larger civilian workforce amount than urban parts, largely to do with majority of Tennessee being rural. From 2007 to 2014, the urban areas experienced a decrease of over 2,200 Americans; meanwhile rural areas have undergone a reduction of almost 50,000. Besides the difference in population rates, another contributing factor could be the age of the population, given that older populations are more likely to retire, decease, or provide less child birth. Population Continues to

To the Lighthouse Free Essays

string(54) " of that life was inscribed in every novel she wrote\." Virginia Woolf’s Answer to â€Å"Women Can’t Paint, Women Can’t Write† in To the Lighthouse By Daniela Munca1 Abstract This essay addresses Virginia Woolf’s personal stand in her answer to â€Å"women can’t paint, women can’t write†, a reflection on the Victorian prejudice of the role of women in the family and society shared by both her parents, Leslie and Julia Stephen.By bridging a close textual analysis with the most recent psychological critical analysis, I argue that apart from the political, social and artistic implications, Woolf’s attitude to the Victorian stereotypes related to gender roles carry a deeply personal message, being undeniably influenced and determined by the relationship with her parents and her need to lie to rest some unresolved issues concerning her status as a woman artist.This essay focuses on Woolf’s 1926 novel, To the Lighthouse, which is, undoubtedly, her most autobiographical novel. We will write a custom essay sample on To the Lighthouse or any similar topic only for you Order Now Lily Briscoe, the unmarried painter who finally manages to conceptualize Woolf’s vision at the end of the novel, has a double mission in this novel. First, she has to resolve her own insecurities and come to peace with the memory of the deceased Mrs. Ramsay, a symbol of the Victorian woman and Julia Stephen’s artistic alter ego. Second, she has to connect with Mr.Ramsay and prove to herself that women can, indeed, paint. As she matures as a painter Virginia Woolf is overcoming her anger and frustration caused by the fact that she didn’t not fit into the generally accepted pattern of the woman’s role in society and in the family life, and especially of the status of women as artists. By creating one of the most challenging novels of the English Literature, Virginia Woolf also proves to herself and to the readers that women can, indeed write.Keywords: gender, art, Victorian prejudices, Virginia Woolf Being one of the earliest and most influential feminist writers of the 20th century, Virginia Woolf has offered us with a literary heritage exploring in different forms such themes as socioeconomic processes of occupational segregation, wage discrimination, imposition of separate spheres and social exclusion. Her implied perspective on distributive gender justice nourish her novels and diaries, but no other piece of fiction reflects more faithfully her deeply personal stand in this regard as To the Lighthouse (1926), a novel which marked her as a mature, self-fulfilled modern writer. This essay addresses Virginia Woolf’s personal stand in her answer to â€Å"women can’t paint, women can’t write† (Woolf , To the Lighthouse, 48), a reflection on the Victorian prejudice of the role of women in the family and society shared by both her parents, Leslie and Julia Stephen. By bridging a close textual analysis with the most recent psychological critical analysis, I argue that apart from the political, social and artistic implications, Woolf’s 1 English Language Instructor American Language Center (ALC/ACCELS) Chisinau, Moldova, danielamuncca@yahoo. com Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 0 #4 May 2009 276 attitude to the Victorian stereotypes related to gender roles carry a deeply personal message, being undeniably influenced and determined by the relationship with her parents and her need to lie to rest some unresolved issues concerning her status as a woman artist. Lily Briscoe, the unmarried painter who finally manag es to conceptualize Woolf’s vision at the end of the novel, has a double mission in this novel. First, she has to resolve her own insecurities and come to peace with the memory of the deceased Mrs. Ramsay, a symbol of the Victorian woman and Julia Stephen’s artistic alter ego. Second, she has to connect with Mr. Ramsay and prove to herself that women can, indeed, paint. Lily Brsicoe – the struggling female artist In the first section of the book Lily Briscoe is far from being the visionary artist whose prophetical â€Å"I have had my vision† (Woolf, To the Lighthouse, 209) accomplishes the symbolical trip to the Lighthouse and marks the end of the novel. In â€Å"The Window† Lily is presented as a young, inexperienced painter struggling to overcome her own insecurities: â€Å"She could have wept. It was bad, it was bad, it was infinitely bad!She could have done it differently of course; the colour could have been thinned and faded; the shapes etherealised; that was how Paunceforte would have seen it† (27). As she was struggling to find her own vision, to see â€Å"the colour burning on a framework of steel; the light of a butterfly’s wing lying upon the arches of a cathedral† Lily finds it extremely difficult to fo cus on her canvas because of Mr Tansley whispering in her ear, â€Å"Women can’t paint, women can’t write .. . † (78). Lily Briscoe is looking for images to inspire her and she inevitably turns to Mrs. Ramsay, whose hear stored up knowledge and wisdom (50).She is then recalling, leaning her head on Mrs Ramsay’s knee, her insistence â€Å"that she must, Minta must, they all must marry, since in the whole world whatever laurels might be tossed to her (†¦), or triumphs won by her (†¦), and here she saddened, darkened, and came back to her chair, there could be no disputing this: an unmarried woman (†¦), an unmarried woman has missed the best of life (50). Lily’s attitude to this statement is first, defensive, as she is trying to enumerate things that has in life, things that make her happy: â€Å"Oh, but, Lily would say, there was her father; her home; even, had she dared to say it, her painting† (51).Even though â€Å"all this seemed so little, so virginal, against the other†, Lily would still â€Å"urge her own exemption from the universal l aw; plead for it†, as she realizes that in fact â€Å"she liked to be alone; she liked to be herself; she was not made for that; and so have to meet a serious stare from eyes of unparalleled depth, and confront Mrs Ramsay’s simple certainty (†¦) that her dear Lily, her little Brisk, was a fool† (51). Writing as Woolf’s psychoanalytic catharsis Numerous literary critics like Spilka, Abel, Kavaler-Adler, Leaska, Maze and Panken have signaled the fact that Virginia Woolf’s personal life and her work were inseparable, and part of that life was inscribed in every novel she wrote. You read "To the Lighthouse" in category "Papers" Characters, settings and conflicts present in her fiction more than commonly overlap with the world of her own experience or are reflected in Woolf’s major symbols and leitmotifs, especially in her most autobiographical novel To the Lighthouse.Apart from the themes of life and death, the effect of time on human memory, writing as a cathartic experience, male versus female dichotomy, the theme of the role of art and the artistic vision in the Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 10 #4 May 2009 277 post Victorian epoch are a deeply personal ones for Virginia Woolf, themes which shaped her as a writer and inspired her feminist views on the political, social and artistic levels.Rooted deep into her most personal memories, Woolf’s struggle with the Victorian prejudices on the role of women in the society and in family life are touched upon with a specific vehemence and bitterness, as she had to confront and deal, in this regard, with the two of the major constellations reverberating throughout her life, which appear in the psychological or metaphorical substance of her autobiographical writings, as well as in her fiction– her parents, Leslie and Julia Stephen.In Granite and Rainbow – The Hidden Life of Virginia Woolf, Mitchell Leaska claims that â€Å"the art of fiction provided Virginia Woolf with the means of reuniting and reconciling those warring factions she felt so acutely within. (†¦)Writing novels permitted her to externalize much of what, locked within, might have remained dissonant, fragmentary, and devastating. It might also be said that Virginia turned instinctively to fiction because there were satisfactions in fantasy that she couldn’t find in the real world† (7).A closer look at Woolf’s vision on the role of the female artist in the 1920s is possible when analyzing her fictional alter ago – Lily Briscoe, the spinster painter who helped to voice her most urgent need – the urge to create art and put on the canvas, just like she did on paper, in order to make out of that vision something permanent something immune from change. While designing the plot of To the Lighthouse, Woolf had announced that the production of her text constitutes for her a sort of â€Å"psychoanalytic catharsis† (Abel 46).The close involvement of the author’s whole being with that past is further confirmed by the liberating function ascribed by Virginia Woolf herself to her book, when on the ninety-sixth anniversary of her father’s birth she writes: â€Å" I us ed to think of him and mother daily: but writing the Lighthouse laid them in my mind. (†¦) (I believe this to be true-that I was obsessed by them both, unhealthily; and, writing of them was a necessary act) â€Å"(135).The fact that writing proved to be an effective cathartic tool is supported by Woolf’s statement in A Sketch of the Past: â€Å"Until I wrote it out, I would find my lips moving; I would be arguing with him; raging against him; saying to myself all that I never said to him .. . things it was impossible to say aloud† (108). Lily Briscoe is one of the characters who assisted Woolf in saying to herself and to the reader what was impossible to say aloud for a woman in the Victorian society.Woolf’s reaction to the Victorian Woman – thinking back to Julia Stephen In Virginia Woolf and The Lust of Creation, Panken states that there are four major constellations reverberating throughout Woolf’s life, Virginia Woolf’s relation to he mother being one of the most influential in her work. Being a perfect wife and mother of her children according to her husband, Julia Stephen was a perfect embodiment of the Victorian woman, whose life was centered upon her husband and children, filled with charity work and household duties.A rebel herself, an independent woman writer in the times when Victorian values still prevailed in the society, Virginia Woolf had, of course, to face and deal with that image. The Victorian housewife / Modern femal e writer conflict is resolved in a less dramatic manner in To the Lighthouse than in any other Woolf’s novel. She chooses to reconcile with the conflict memories of her past and use this compromise as a tool to strengthen her vision as a writer. Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 10 #4 May 2009 278Despite the lack of her husband’s education and philosophical sight, even if she â€Å"cared not a fig for her painting† (To the Lighthouse 49), Mrs. Ramsay, Julia Stephen’s fictional counterpart, offers a rather deep and insightful portrait of Lily Briscoe: â€Å"With Lily it was different. She faded, under Minta’s glow; became more inconspicuous than ever, in her little grey dress with her little puckered face and her little Chinese eyes. Everything about her was so small. Yet, thought Mrs Ramsay, comparing her with Minta, as she claimed her help (†¦) of the two, Lily at forty will be the better† (104). What she liked about Lily, was the fact that she had â€Å"a thread of something; a flare of something; something of her own†. Despite her appreciation of Lily’s uniqueness, Mrs. Ramsay is still afraid that â€Å"no man would† and, as an unmarried woman, she might miss the best in life (104). Lily appears bitterly to accept society’s brutal, age-old assumption that an independent, unmarried, non-subservient woman like herself is â€Å"not a woman† at all but rather a desiccated and useless subspecies, an â€Å"old maid. White writes that â€Å"the addition of the word â€Å"presumably† in Lily’s thoughts gives her leeway to reject and cast off the social expectations that are prompting her to give herself over, like an Angel in the House, in sympathy to Mr. Ramsay. Lily’s mature sense of humor enables her to distance herself from the impasse and resolve it† (100). The question Lily Briscoe raises here is: what is best in life for a woman: what she chooses or what the society imposes her because of her gender? Does a woman have to give up her artistic vision in favor of becoming a perfect wife and mother?Does a woman miss the best in life if she chooses not to confront to these prejudices? Her answer is, as nothing is certain in this world, no marriage can promise a sublime happiness; no Victorian moral or standard can actually guarantee happiness. Art, on the other hand, is immune from change, it can capture the essence of those intense moments of vision, it can transcend time and human life, it has the power to satisfy such a restless searching soul as Virginia Woolf’s, and Lily Briscoe will help us realize this by the end of the novel.Woolf’s personal vision of Women as Artists: the personal versus the artistic dichotomy The women versus artist dichotomy is furthermore explored in the first section of the novel, â€Å"To the Lighthouse†, â€Å"here was Lily, at forty-four, wasting her time, unable to do a thing, standing there, playing at painting, playing at the one thing one did not play at†, and as she thinks that â€Å" one can’t waste one’s time at forty-four† (160).Maze writes about how Lily Briscoe intentionally represents the author as an adult, because â€Å"in the crucial third section, â€Å"The Lighthouse,† as she stands painting, Lily is intent on analyzing her own feelings towards the Ramsays just as Woolf was doing for herself in the writing† (86). Maze’s arguments are the following: Lily is the same age as Woolf was when writing the book; at first Lily wonders why she did not grieve for the dead Mrs.Ramsay and then she is represented as suddenly achieving grief, as Woolf thought she should herself; and finally Lily is struggling to complete a painting in which Mrs. Ramsay’s absence from her familiar place is somehow the focal point, just as Woolf was struggling to achieve a resolution of her novel on the same theme: â€Å"Painting and novel are completed at the same instant† (86). Guiget also supports this claim by writing that â€Å"the essential thing that lies behind the appearances and the superficial individualities of Lily Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 0 #4 May 2009 279 Briscoe and Mrs. Ramsay is derived not from Julia Stephen or the painter Vanessa, but from Virginia Woolf herself† (178). Briggis states that â€Å"Lily’s experiences as a modernist artist struggling to express her vision recapitulate Woolf’s efforts to complete her novel. She linked herself verbally with Lily when she wrote of ‘brisking, after my lethargy’. Lily, like her author, makes up scenes while she is working, and, like her author, she is ‘tunnelling her way into her picture, into the past† (178).Lily is thirty-three as the novel opens in mid-September, shortly before the first World War-a year or so older than Virginia in the fall of 1913. She is cast as a friend of the Ramsay family, and is said to love the whole family; but like Virginia, she has lost a mother, and her affections for Mrs. Ramsay-like Virginia’s affections for older women after her mother’s death-are especially intense. In the last section of the book the reader witnesses Lily grieving openly for Mrs.Ramsay some ten years after her death-which would be in 1924, about the time Virginia Woolf conceived this novel. By portraying Lily Brsicoe, the struggling artist, who had failed to become herself a mother, a wife, a lover, Virginia Woolf stresses the fact that art would assist her in compensating all of the above. White writes that â€Å"outwardly timid, awkward, and unprepossessing, Lily carefully guards the secret of how much her art means to her (86). She tosses off a â€Å"little insincerity† when she tells Mr. Bankes that â€Å"she would always go on painting, because it interested her† (72), but three times during the dinner party sceneonce when Tansley offends her, once when she decides to abandon her experiment; not to be â€Å"nice† to him, and once when she is disturbed by the presence of the engaged coupleLily’s thoughts turn to her art as a means of emotional survival. Lily wonders as she paints, going on to speculate that she, had Mrs. Ramsay lived, might have ended up married to William Bankes. â€Å"Mrs. Ramsay had planned it.Perhaps, had she lived, she would have compelled it† (175), and marriage, as Lily sees it, would have put an end to her painting. To assure herself that Mrs. Ramsay’s vision for her was unwise, Lily calls up a number of witnesses. First, her quite satisfactory relationship with William Bankes as it is, not as his wife but as an affectionate friend. Second, the failure of Paul and Minta’s marriage, in which Mrs. Ramsay had placed so much hope. In contemplating how life has changed and about what time has done to the Rayleys, Mrs.Ramsay’s prime exhibit in the marriage arcade. Their coming together was among the triumphs celebrated at the dinner ten years before. Yet, we are told, in a metaphor that carries a special meaning in this book, that â€Å"things had worked loose after the first year or so; the marriage had turned out rather badly† (173). What Lily is implying is, I think, to remember that marriage is not time-proof. Lily tells us how separate and bitter the Rayleys’ lives have become, how they went through a phase of misery and violence, and are now â€Å"excellent friends† but no longer in love. † All these serve to strengthen Lily’s belief that she has everything she needs in life, her art mostly, as she imagines saying to her: â€Å"It has all gone against your wishes. They’re happy like that; I’m happy like this. Life has changed completely. At that all her being, even her beauty, became for a moment, dusty and out of date† (175). Realizing her own values in life, her priorities and her concerns, Lily gets free from the influence Mrs. Ramsay had upon her, an influence representing the Victorian concept of women and their role in the society.Lily’s struggle against the Victorian prejudices, as well as Woolf’s feminist stand in the other novels, has a wider, political and social meaning. To the Lighthouse was Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 10 #4 May 2009 280 written in 1926, when opportunities for women in the arts were opening up although painting still lagged far behind fiction. Woolf captures a woman painter at moments of breakthrough, not only into professionalism, but also into serious exploration of the emotional and intellectual possibilities of her art.Lily’s growth as an artist coincides with the time in Woolf’s career when she found it possible to synthesize her aesthetic and political views into a single narrative; that is, to espouse the notion of hi gh art as consistent with a feminist viewpoint (White 107). However, Woolf’s feminist stance in this novel is rather moderate, her growing anger at the world’s injustice and brutality so prominent in her previous novels being replaced by a more mature, self-confident view of creativity and art. It seems that she has finally found that peace she needed to accomplish her artistic vision in reconciling Lily Briscoe and Mrs.Ramsay, the painter and the domestic artist, proving indirectly that no matter the â€Å"job†, women always have had creative powers. As Christopher Reed and others have pointed out, â€Å"modernism was congenial to feminism and to women’s art because the principles of modernism encouraged a certain detachment and inventiveness which tended to preclude older patriarchal conventions† (qtd. in White 107). Resolving the female artists’ conflict with the male muse: thinking back to Leslie Stephen â€Å"The Lighthouse†, the last section of the novel, starts with Lily Briscoe’ s reflection on the house and its inhabitants after Mrs.Ramsay’s death. Lily feels lost and powerless; everything seemed pointless, just like Mr. Ramsay’s snap at his children not being ready for their trip to the Lighthouse: â€Å"What’s the use of going now? † (146). Sitting alone among the clean cups at the long table, Lily felt â€Å"cut off from other people, and able only to go watching, asking, wondering†. She thinks: â€Å"how aimless it was, how chaotic, how unreal it was† looking at her empty coffee cup.These questions reflect the post First World War chaos and shift of values which Virginia Woolf became a witness of, a historical period marked by the Modern stream of thought she faithfully represented in A Room of One’s Own and in her essays. Lily Briscoe is also searching for something permanent, for something that would be equivalent to Mrs. Ramsays’ moments of eternity she created during the dinner when the â€Å"Boeuf en Danube† was served. Depicted as a young inexperienced painter in â€Å"The Window†, struggling with her lack of confidence and self esteem, Lily comes back in the last section of the book much better equipped.It is facing Mr. Ramsay, a symbol of the Victorian patriarchy that strengthens her faith in the value and power of art. When Mr. Ramsay â€Å"raised his head as he passed and looked straight at her, with his distraught wild gaze which was yet so penetrating† (146). In order to escape his â€Å"demand on her†, Lily pretends to be drinking out of the empty coffee cup. She starts reflecting on his words â€Å"Perished. Alone† and feels that there were some â€Å"empty places† she wanted to bring together.This empty space could be Woolf’s unsolved relationship with her past and more specifically, in this context, her attitude towards her father. In order to focus on filling that space, Lily â€Å"turned her back to the window† in order to avoid Mr. Ramsay seeing her, for she had to â€Å"escape somewhere, be alone somewhere† (147). This is the very same moment when she decides to go back to that unfinished picture which â€Å"had been knocking about in her mind all these years†. Lily’s being haunted by the image of her unfinished picture is a very accurate Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 10 #4 May 2009 281 etaphorical representation of Woolf’s statement about the images of her parents which had been tormenting her before the novel was completed. Lily fetches herself a chair, pitches her easel on the same spot she was standing ten years ago and tries to put together â€Å"the wall, the hedge, the tree† (147). According to Gliserman, Lily sees Mr. Ramsay as â€Å"intrusive and voracious-infantile† and the way she arranges her easel, a â€Å"barrier† however â€Å"frail†, as a method to protect herself from Mr. Ramsay (123-124). However, she can not find that â€Å"relation between masses† which she â€Å"had borne in her mind all these years†, as Mr.Ramsay was â€Å"bearing down on her†; every time he approached, Lily could not paint, as he was bringing with himself â€Å"chaos† and â€Å"ruin†. This passage is reflecting Woolf’s belief that her father was a threat to her creativity, to her freedom as a writer. Greenacre (qtd in Kavaler-Adler 1993:61-2) mentions the figure of a female writer’s father as one factor which can tip the scales in favor of creative strivings in women. Greenacre claims that female child’s father can help mobilize creative strivings in his daughter, particularly if he himself is an artist.Gedo in â€Å"Portraits of an Artis† (1983) continues exploring this influence of the father’s image, but in a negative way. He states that a father as an artist can become an obstacle for the daughter, because he might be envious. Gedo explains this by the fact that because of gender differences, a girl is a disadvantage to a boy, who would be seen as an extension with the father’s own strivings for achievement and recognition. He believes that a father will feel more rivalry toward a daughter than toward a son, since he won’t see his own glory reflected in a daughter (qtd in Kavaler-Adler 1993: 62).I will have to disagree with Gedo and argue that for Virginia Woolf, and particularly in To the Lighthouse, her relationship with Leslie Stephen, a man of letters himself, was rather a source of inspiration than a rivalry. After all, Leslie and Julia Stephen â€Å"did permit Vanessa and Virginia creative work. Vanessa was permitted art classes and Virginia was the writer. Her parents read the Hyde Park Gate News with apparent pleasure, despite its satirical edge. [†¦] Virginia was well-stocked with serious, challenging material by her father, as is very evident in her earliest surviving diary, kept in 1897† (Scott 6).She did not have to prove to her father that she, too, was capable of achieving great success as a writer; Woolf explored her need to get her father’s attention and approval, she needed his respect and recognition more than anybody else’s. Maze states that â€Å"Woolf’s attitudes to her father, while strongly ambivalent, were largely unrepressed; the feelings of both affection and angry resentment towards him had ready access to consciousness, and are expressed freely† in To the Lighthouse (85). Quentin Bell’s biography of Virginia Woolf desc ribes her strong attachment to her father and writes of the time they spent exclusively together. This was the time when Virginia could walk out with her father to the Loggan Rock of Trem Crom and the fairyland of great ferns which stood high above a child’s head, or to Halestown Bog where the osmunds grew† (qtd. in Kavaler-Adler 32). Sir Leslie Stephen was not incapable of evoking loyalty and affection from his daughter. â€Å"I too felt his attractiveness,† she writes in Moments of Being; â€Å" It arose-to name some elements at random-from his simplicity, his integrity, his eccentricity-by which I mean he would say exactly what he thought, however inconvenient and do what he liked.He had clear, direct feelings†. Among â€Å"his obvious qualities,† beyond the less attractive ones, were â€Å"his honesty, his unworldliness, his lovableness, his perfect sincerity† (111). The times when he called up in his children Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 10 #4 May 2009 282 the most passionate and positive feelings were for Virginia: â€Å"Beautiful, (†¦) simple and eager as a child; and exquisitely alive to all affection; exquisitely tender. We would have helped him then if we could, given him all we had, and felt it little beside his need-but the moment passed† (â€Å"Moments of Being† 46).Just like in the case of Mrs. Ramsay, ambivalence is at the heart of Woolf’s feelings toward her father. But, as Van Buren explains it, â€Å" her portrait of Mr. Ramsay succeeds in presenting us with both his limited mind, his need for sympathy, his leechlike attachment to women, and his ill temper, as well as his honesty, sincerity, integrity, courage, and capacity for tenderness† (36). Her deep attachment to her father when she was young (Panken 14), might have been changed after her mother’s death. Rigid and tyrannical in his domestic situations, at times overly rational and also self-deprecating, Mr.Ramsay is depicted in his constant demand for sympathy and support. Some critics have claimed that Mrs. Ramsay’s death and her husband’s exploitation of his daughters after was in fact a reflection of Woolf’s interpretation of what could have been the cause of her mother’s death. Panken states that she might have blamed her father for his overexploitation of Julia Stephen; his inordinate need for her solicitousness might have killed her (15). This is supported by the vehement stream of thoughts going through Lily’s head as he is trying to concentrate on her painting, but can not do so because of Mr. Ramsay’s presence: â€Å"Mrs. Ramsay had given. Giving, giving, giving, she had died – and had left all of this†(â€Å"To the Lighthouse†149). In Refiguring Modernism, Bonne Kime Scott claims that Virginia Woolf suffered â€Å"a second maternal loss† when her half-sister Stela Duckworth, who died because their father, Leslie Stephen was â€Å"ill suited for single parenthood and depended on his female relations† (6). Stella died soon after Julia Stephens as â€Å"an aftershock after their mother’s death† when Virginia was fifteen.This resulted in Virginia â€Å"refusing to become the next victim of their father’s tyranny† (Scott 6). The following pages describe in detail Lily’s feelings toward Mr. Ramsay as an echo of Virginia’s own unresolved anger and pain; â€Å"that man, [Lily] thought, her anger rising in her, never gave, that man took†. She, on the other hand, â€Å"would be forced to give† (149). Devastating in itself, Julia Stephen’s death was not all that Virginia suffered at this time. Leslie Stephen â€Å"went into a period of pathological mourning, punctuated by bellowings of grief† (Dalsimer 6).It was a time Woolf would describe as â€Å"a period of Oriental gloom, for surely there was something in the darkened rooms, the groans, the passionate lamentations that passed the normal limits of sorrow, and hung about the genuine tragedy with folds of Eastern drapery† (â€Å"R† 40). Virginia, at the age of thirteen, as well as he siblings, had then to comfort their bereaved father, as he yielded to â€Å"selfdramatizing self pity† (Dalsimer 6). Looking back to those years, Woolf wrote: â€Å"The tragedy of her death was not that it made one, now and then and very intensely, unhappy.It was that it made her unreal; and us solemn, and self-conscious. We were made to act parts that we did not feel; to fumble for words that we did not know. It obscured, it dulled. It made one hypocritical and immersed in the conventions of sorrow† (â€Å"A Sketch of the Past† 95). Lily Briscoe’s feelings toward Mr. Ramsay were also born out of Woolf’s recalling of her father’s colossal self-absorption, insatiable in his needs, bearing down coercively on his children and on any woman from whom he might extort sympathy after his wife’s death.In what Spilka calls a â€Å"telling moment†, Virginia Woolf presents in essence â€Å" the brutality of her father’s rages, as she knew them in Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 10 #4 May 2009 283 overwhelming fullness after his wife’s death, and the abasement of her mother’s reverence for her truth-telling tyrant, which she had witnessed in childhood† (87). I believe that the father-daughter conflict had also another cause – it was grounded in her father’s social, political and artistic view of women as servants to men, a concept he inherited from the Victorian era.Van Buren claims that â€Å"the love Woolf felt for her father was real, but it was not her dominant feeling toward him, in part because his abusive behavior to the women in his life† (34). According to Oser, the fatherdaughter conflict is Woolf’s artistic representation of the â€Å"philosophical generations clash in the name of truth†, of the violence â€Å"against the establishment, from God on down the ladder of male hierarchy, through mother and family, and into the prison of human nature† (97).To the Lighthouse does indeed open with the image of James, a six-year-old boy, wishing he had some scissors in hand, â€Å"longing to stab his Victorian father† (Oser 97). In Maze’s perspective, â€Å"Woolf’s opposi tion to male chauvinism was a realistic response to the exploitation of her sex, but her feminism did not include a condemnation of maleness in general† (115). It is true that her view, expressed in A Room of One’s Own and Three Guineas, was that â€Å"if men could be cured of their distorted attitude to women, they were capable of love and rationality-like her father.She wished it were possible to cancel out those aspects of his nature that conflicted with his sanity and kindness and prevented her from fully loving him. (Maze 115). It could be that Virginia Woolf wished her father were born on a different era, when women would have been treated differently and her father’s attitude towards his wife and children would also have been different. Lily Brisco’s bitterness is rather aimed at the general Victorian social convention of the status of women as inferior to men, which threatened her position as a female writer in the 1920s.This is why, as Lily becomes more confident in her artistic vision, Mr. Ramsay is depicted in warmer colors; the closer Virginia Woolf is to the symbolical ending of the novel: â€Å"I have had my vision†, the most intimate the father-daughter relationship gets. Van Buren writes about the feelings of â€Å"rage alternating with love† that defined Woolf’s relation to her father (34). Woolf’s need to see them in perspective, and understand both, lies behind much of the portrayal of Mr. Ramsay. The feeling of hatred and anger at her Victorian father must have een a great burden to Woolf herself – she need to somehow annihilate this animosity and reconcile with her father. She shared with Lily that shame and guilt of not being capable of consoling her father after her mother’s death: â€Å"she was ashamed of herself† (153). As Lily suddenly realizes, when remembering â€Å"Mrs. Ramsay’s face – into a rapture of sympathy† which conferred â€Å"the most supreme bliss of human nature was capable† (150), that forgiveness has the greatest possible power to heal and set free, Woolf finds a way out for herself. She felt, just like Lily Briscoe, when Mr.Ramsay told her about the trip to the Lighthouse: â€Å"such expeditions (†¦) are very painful† that she â€Å"could not† sustain this enormous weight of sorrow, support these heavy draperies of grief a moment any longer† (152). She understands that only by getting over her anger and forgiving her parents, her mother for dying abruptly and leaving her alone and her father for demanding too much of her, she could find peace, she could put that peace on the paper as an expression of her ultimate artistic vision. Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 0 #4 May 2009 284 As Mr. Ramsay was standing next to her, waiting for her sympathy, Lily â€Å"could say nothing† and was waiting for James and Cam to rescue her. Suddenly Mr. Ramsay notices that his boot-laces were untied. As a way to release all that tension, Lily exclaims: â€Å"what beautiful boots! † Even thought praising his boots when â€Å"he had asked her to solace his soul; when he had shown her his bleeding hands, his lacerated heart† made Lily feel â€Å"ashamed of herself†, Mr. Ramsay smiled, as his â€Å"draperies, his infirmities fell from him† (153).As Van Buren notices, praising Mr. Ramsay’s boots, which are his passion, his pride, a symbol of his practicality and ingenuity and of his moor-striding self, is to praise him (118). It is true that â€Å"giving what he demanded† did not come easily to Lily. She obviously lacks Mrs. Ramsay’s feminine skills, as she describes herself a â€Å"peevish, ill-tempered, dried-up old maid† (150), â€Å"a stock, stone† (151). Even though â€Å"unlike Mrs Ramsay, Lily has neither the compulsion nor the capacity to cater to the needs of all those who come into contact with her†, she was ble to overcome this â€Å"emotional deficiency† by capturing the vision she needed to capture on the canvas very essence of her memories and necessity to reunite with her father (Rosenthal 114). Her creation is made difficult precisely because of â€Å"her refusal to incorporate Mr Ramsay into the field of her sympathy, to see him not as a dissonant element, but as authentic part of the whole† (Rosenthal 114). In A Room of One’s Own Virginia Woolf made it clear that â€Å"a sensibility irritated by grievance and dislike is not conductive to the creation of art† (qtd. in Rosenthal 115).Rosenthal believes that what she must learn to do is â€Å"precisely what Cam and James must learn to do on the sail to the Lighthouse with their father: to cease to â€Å"resist tyranny to the death† and learn to understand Mr Ramsay with the same kind of loving compassion demonstrated by Mrs Ramsay† (115). In describing his boots, a symbol of all he represented as a man, as a father, as a man of letters, â€Å"sculptured, colossal†, like â€Å"his own indisputability† (153), Mr. Ramsay was also trying to reach to her, to connect with her, to d eserve her attention, her sympathy, her affection.When he â€Å"made her observe that she had never seen boots made quite that shape before†, while lifting his right boot and holding it in the air, Lily felt that â€Å"they reached a sunny island where peace dwelt, sanity reigned and the sun for every one shone, the blessed island of good boots† (154). This moment marked Lily’s reconciliation with Mr. Ramsay and therefore with her own pain and frustration, anger and grief: â€Å"her heart warmed to him† (154). By approaching Lily Briscoe in his own way, by showing her how to tie the laces on his boots, Mr. Ramsay overcomes his selfishness, his constant ignoring of other people’s needs which Mrs.Ramsay found so outrageous in â€Å"The Window†: â€Å"To pursue truth with such astonishing lack of consideration for other people’s feelings, to rend the thin veils of civilization so wantonly, so brutally, was to her so horrible an outrage of human decency that, without replying, dazed and blinded, she bent her head as if to let the pelt of jagged hail, the drench of dirty water, bespatter her unrebuked† (â€Å"To the Lighthouse† 32). Roberta White describes this moment as Lily’s being â€Å"torn between her desire to paint and the demands of a male ego† (97).White claims tha t the ensuing â€Å"boot scene,† in which Lily refuses to pour out sympathy for Mr. Ramsay but distracts and pleases him by praising his well-made boots, shows how much Lily â€Å" has grown in strength over the passing years† (97). By complimenting Mr. Ramsay in an indirect and comradely fashion, Lily is able to offer him some attention without giving in to his demands. As a Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 10 #4 May 2009 285 consequence-almost, it seems, as a reward for standing firm-her own small gesture evokes in her a genuine sympathy for him, a feeling based on common humanity rather than gender roles.She suddenly apprehends his loneliness: â€Å"There was no helping Mr. Ramsay on the journey he was going† (†¦). White argues that this scene is crucial, for, unlike the protagonists in earlier novels â€Å"who give in to male demand for attention and put down their paintbrushes, Lily draws upon her own wits to come upon a suitable compromise and get on with her work† (p. 98). Rosenthal states that the completion of Lily’s canvas â€Å"coincides with her ability to think with genuine human warmth about Mr. Ramsay. [Bt the end of the novel] Lily moves to a state of active acceptance of Ramsay and all that he stands for.In doing so, the ‘discomfort of the sympathy which she held undercharged’ is assuaged, permitting her access to that incandescent imaginative state which had previously eluded her† (115). Virginia Woolf had found a rather original approach to resolving the Victorian versus modernist conflict concerning the women artists’ status. She transformed her frustration and anger in art material, she chose to forgive instead of hate, she got closer to her parents as an artist, a closeness possible only due to her artistic rebirth. As Lily gets more confident in her artistic abilities, she becomes stronger as a woman and accepts Mr.Ramsay the way he is, with all his faults and prejudices, not because he chose to, but because he, too, was a victim of the Victorian stereotype that â€Å"women can’t paint, women can’t write† (86). Even if Lily Briscoe is generally treated as an opposite of Mrs. Ramsays, representing the Victorian woman versus the Modern artist, Weinstein claims that Lily is more like Mrs. Ramsay than she thinks or is aware of, as she starts seeing Mr. Ramsay â€Å"as other than threatening to her sense of self† (383). Alice van Van Buren also finds some affinity between the tow female characters when she states that Mr.Ramsay is transformed into a cheerful, kindly man, satisfied by her offering even if Lily answered his demand indirectly, because she â€Å"selected her own methods as wisely as Mrs. Ramsay†, who once answered indirectly his demand that she say â€Å"I love you† by choosing the Lighthouse trip as â€Å"the proper subject with which to declare her affection, an appropriate symbol on that particular day† (117). Victorian or not, Mrs. Ramsay could still equip Lily with a set of valuable survival tools, more appropriately described as universal, than rather attributed to a specific political or social era.Van Buren claims that the boots scene is â€Å"an addition to the draft, one effective in connecting Lily to both Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay† (118). For Lily is reduced to tears when Mr. Ramsay stoops to tie her shoes just as Mrs. Ramsay, in one of her most moving moments with her husband, thinks, â€Å"She was not good enough to tie his shoe strings† (51) when he has just humbled himself before her. Having joined Mrs. Ramsay without giving up any of her own independence, Lily â€Å"has attained a sense of the range of her own abilities, a greater confidence in herself, realizing that a woman may be an artist and still appreciate and soothe a man† (Van Buren 118).So whereas she initially saw the Lighthouse trip from the point of view of James and blamed Mr. Ramsay for â€Å"coercing the spirits of his children†, now she sees it more as Mrs. Ramsay would have, as a chance for connection, and feels annoyed with Cam and James for sulking and disappointing their father (118). Gliserman states that what allows Lily to resolve some of her feelings about Mr. Ramsay is her identification with him-as someone who works hard, as Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 10 #4 May 2009 286 someone who abstracts, and as someone who loved Mrs. Ramsay (129).She comes to realize that Mr. Ramsay, like herself, has doubts about the value of his work. She appreciates what he does. Having reached this moment of understanding, Lily will follow Ramsay’s progress to the Lighthouse as she works on her painting; and she will complete her work simultaneous to his arrival there, thus bringing closure to her identification with him. Gliserman also claims that Lily sympathizes with Mr. Ramsay in their common grief for Mrs. Ramsay, whose loss she has not completely assimilated: â€Å"Her initial anger at Mr. Ramsay is a mirror of her own anger for being ungiving and unsympathetic. In a sense she is jealous of his grief, for it openly speaks to his dependency and his love. When Lily’s anger shifts to sympathy, when she sees in Mr. Ramsay what is missing in herself-including his male center, â€Å"something bare, hard† –she can turn to reflect on her loss and complete her work† (129). Abel claims that â€Å"Mr. Ramsay appears humble, not apparently engaged in any struggle, eager only to converse with his daughter† (66). According to Rosenthal, â€Å"it is Mr. Ramsay with his aggressive intellectualism and unyielding demands for pity whom Lily is unable to integrate, either emotionally or imaginatively, into her life† (114). I will argue, however, that in the boots scene Mr. Ramsay is depicted in a great effort to subdue his face and voice and â€Å"all the quick expressive gestures which had been at his command making people pity him and praise him all these years†, which was no easy for him (167). His struggle is with his own character, his own prejudices against women and his Victorian ideology concerning female roles. Maze argues that Leslie Stephen’s stereotype of sexes, his official morality often contradicted his personality and family behavior (114).Jean Love, on the evidence of Stephen’s correspondence with his wife, presents a portrait of him as childishly, even hysterically dependent on Julia and indeed all women close to him. His demands for affection and sympathy over his health or the trials of his profession were insatiable. Many of these demands were couched in a way that made any adequate response impossible. Whatever his wife said to compensate in one direction would be made to appear slighting in another: â€Å"He would complain that his writing, and he himself, had failed†¦.When she praised his writing, he often replied that he complained of failure because he wanted her to pity him and be more affectionate, not because he wanted to hear he was a good writer†. That is, â€Å"an expression of affection as well as of her actual opinion was rejected because the affection was not correctly directed† (qtd. in Maze 114). In order for Woolf to accomplish her cathartic journey, she had to re-experience her feelings toward her father; she had to go back to her initial hatred and animosity to overcome them in the last section of the novel. In the boots scene, Mr.Ramsay is not the gloomy tyrant James hated so fiercely. He is not that selfish king demanding affection and sympathy and not giving anything back. In this scene Woof depicted him in much lighter colors – it could be that in doing so, in trying to remember the times when she was so much attached to him, when she loved him deeply, she was going to that pre-conflict times described in the first chapter. Lily’s warming attitude toward Mr. Ramsay could be interpreted in this context as Woolf’s own attempt to reconcile with her demons, to find compromise between pain and hope, between past and present, between hatred and love. For she needed to forgive, she needed to accept her past in order to move on – this was Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 10 #4 May 2009 287 necessary for Virginia the daughter, and she used it a brilliant device to help Virginia – the writer to lay on the paper her healing, her piece of mind. Dalsimer describes Mr Ramsay as â€Å"the personification of Victorian patriarchal culture, and he bears the whole weight of that culture. He is a philosopher of some stature: the extent of his achievement, the measure of that stature, is his endless preoccupation† (10).In the description of her father in A Sketch of the Past, she sums up his strengths and limitations of his mind: â€Å"Give him a thought to analyze, the thought say of Mill or Bentham or Hobbes, and he is †¦ a model of acuteness, clarity, and impartiality. Give him a character to explain, and he is (to me) so crude, so elementary, so conventional that a child with a box of chalks could make a more subtle portrait† (â€Å"Moments of Being† 146). Van Buren argues that his â€Å"limit to the rational kept her father, as she saw him, from any appreciation of the aesthetic aspects of life that were so important to her† (34).He was, she says, â€Å"Spartan, ascetic, puritanical. He had I think no feeling for pictures; no ear for music; no sense of the sound of words† (68). In depicting the narrowness of his vision, his embodiment of a certain, limited, superrational temperament, she also feel she is too harsh in her portrait: â€Å"Undoubtedly I colour my picture too dark, and the Leslie Stephen whom the world saw in the eighties, and in the nineties until my mother died, must have been not merely a Cambridge steel engraving intellectual† (â€Å"Moments of B eing† 113).By showing Lily his boots, by smiling at her and finally giving her the freedom and space she need to concentrate on the white easel, he â€Å"has ceased to threaten her sense of self† (Van Buren 118). In fact she has begun to see herself as he sees himself, standing out â€Å"on a narrow plank, perfectly alone, over the sea† (147). His passion and reason is philosophy; hers is painting; he is trying to reach the letter â€Å"R† and she is trying to put on the canvas her vision. To the Lighthouse culminates with Mr. Ramsay reaching the Lighthouse and Lily Briscoe having her vision.The Ramsay family is reunited and Lily Briscoe realizes that she is not haunted by Mrs. Ramsay’s statement â€Å"women must marry†. As she matures as a painter Virginia Woolf is overcoming her anger and frustration caused by the fact that she didn’t not fit into the generally accepted pattern of the woman’s role in society and in the family life, and especially of the status of women as artists. Feminist scholars have claimed Woolf as one of their own, centering on the political or social feminism in â€Å"A Room of One’s Own† and â€Å"Three Guineas†. How to cite To the Lighthouse, Papers

Religion Was a Central Topic of Debate free essay sample

The central meaning of the word ‘religion’ is in fact simply the way in which shared beliefs, established regulations, rules, or bonds of obligation among the members of a community’. Based on this definition, religion provides people with a form of rules in which they have to lead their lives by. It also provides them with a sense of unity as the very act of communal worship, which involves expressing their faith in common beliefs and values (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 397), raises their awareness of their similar situations and strengthens the bonds between them (Pilkington et al, 2008, p. ). However, not all social theorists will agree with the definition as their view of religion may differ. Therefore, this will lead me to outline in my essay the views that some classical social theorists held towards religion. Those that I will be focusing on, will me Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. The reason being is, these three theorists have proposed some influential ideas about religion, and analyzing their work will enable me to understand the way in which they viewed religion, and what they thought the purpose of religion was. To do this, I will first provide an explanation for why religion was an important theme for the three. Following that, I will concentrate on Marx and Durkheim, by comparing their definitions of religion and their analysis of its function. All three theorists were sociologist writing in the 19th century, and they knew that religion played a big part in society (Fulcher and Scott, 2007, p. 409). However, religion was an important theme to them for different reasons. For Marx, religion was important to him as he believed that religion was one of the institutions which maintained a capitalist rule (Pilkington et al, 2008, p. 2). He argued that it acted as an ideology which helped hide and legitimize capitalist exploitation (Kirby et al, 2000, p. 440). It leads those who are suffering in false direction, as it hides the true nature of society and the real reasons for why they are suffering (Kirby et al, 2000, p. 440). It was also important to him as it believed it acted as an agent of soc ial control; it kept people in their place. It did this by upholding the existing system of exploitation and reinforcing class relationships (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 400). Religion was an important theme for Durkheim, as he believed religion was the source of everything social. He didn’t think that everything social was religious, but he did believe that social bonds were created through religion. Durkheim showed this by examining the aboriginal religion, which he called Totemism. He argued that within their clans, the symbols that bonded them together and created a sense of unity was predominately a religious symbol (Allan, 2010, p. 112-113). Lastly, religion was an important theme for Weber as he believed it was a conservative force. He argued that societies developed differently partly because of the ‘religious beliefs and ideas about ethical conduct of their members were different’. Therefore, religious beliefs and movements can help produce social change (Pilkington et al, 2008, p. 19). Weber’s idea of social change was based on a protestant religion, called Calvinism. He argued it created the social condition which made the western part of the world ready for a capitalist economic society (Kirby et al, 2000, p. 442). He suggested the work ethic produced by the Calvinists lead to the spirit of capitalism. Calvinism was based on the idea of the elect; which was before birth god had selected those for salvation. As not everyone was part of the elect they believed a sign from god, indicated whether they were part of the elect or not. If an individual worked hard and became rich, this was a sign that they were chosen. This way of life was part of the protestant ethic, ‘a lifestyle based on religious beliefs which lead to a very specific form of social action – economic activity’ (Kirby et al, 2000, p. 442). As stated in my introduction, the theorists that I have chosen to look at in more depth are Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim. My reason for choosing these two theorists is because their perspective on religion has its differences and similarities. They both see religion as a conservative force believing it has lead to a little help in promoting social change. They both believe that religion acts as a form of social control, helping to maintain social order. However, while Durkheim would argue that religion is in the best interest of the whole of society, Marx would disagree and argue that religion is used to support a social structure which benefits the rich and harms the poor (Marsh et al, 2009, p. 652), in other words religion upholds ruling class ideology. Therefore for Durkheim religion is based on consensus and for Marx, it’s based on conflict. In terms of defining religion Durkheim holds a substantive approach. By adopting a substantive definition, religion is being defined in terms of supernatural beliefs or things which are defined as sacred (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 396). For Durkheim the key to religious belief is that it relates to things that society’s members define as sacred (Pilkington et al, 2008, p. 5). As you will see in his definition there is no mention of a supernatural or God as he argues the notion of a God cannot be included in the definitions. This is because there are many belief systems that are considered as a religion, but does not require the concept of a God (Allan, 2010, p. 116). Durkheim defines religion in terms of the sacred and the profane, he argues that all societies divide the world into two categories, and religion is based upon this division (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 396). He therefore defines religion as ‘a unified system of beliefs and practices related to scared things, that is to say things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a church, all those who adhere them’ (Marsh et al, 2009, p. 56). He may have used the term ‘Church’, but his definition was intended to apply beyond Christianity (Marsh et al, 2009, p. 656). In order for Durkheim to determine the role that religion played in society, he approached religion from an analysis of its primitive form (Fulcher and Scott, 2007, p. 410), by studying the r eligion of the Australian Aborigines, which he called Totemism. He argued that the people within the aborigine society were divided into several clans; a clan was like an extended family, whose members shared various duties and obligations. For example all the clans had rules of exogamy – one was marrying members within your own clan was prohibited (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008 396). Within each clan there was a strong basis of social solidarity, as the clan felt an attachment to one another (Fulcher and Scott, 2007, p. 410). Each clan identified themselves with a particular animal or plant, this was their emblem or, which Durkheim called it a totem, and it symbolized their clam (Fulcher and Scott, 2007, p. 410). The totem is regarded as sacred, so it is then represented by drawings made on wood and stone. The drawings made are called churingas, and churingas are at least sacred as the species they represent (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 397. This led Durkheim to argue ‘sacredness is not a function of the object, sacredness is something is something that is placed upon the object’ (Allan, 2010, p. 116). So in relation to the totem, Durkheim states that the totem as itself has no importance, as it is just an object, but it is however a material expression of something else. The totem is the outward form of something seen as divine or highly important, this can be referred to as a god. Secondly it is the symbol of the clan or society, as it is a sign of their identity (Marsh et al, 2009, p. 656) From this distinction, Durkheim wondered isn’t these two things connected. He then carried on to say ‘if the totem is the symbol of both the god and the society, is this not because the god and the society are the same, (Durkheim, 1912/1995 cited in Allan, 2010, p. 118). Therefore he suggested by worshipping God, people are actually worshiping society. Durkheim strongly believed that without the shared ideas and moral beliefs that formed the collective science social life was impossible. If they ceased to exist in society would be corrupt, as there would be no social order, no social solidarity or no social control. Therefore society would not survive (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 392). From this Durkheim argued that religion acted as an agent which reinforced the collective sense. He also carried on to say, that by worshipping society, it provided strength for the moral beliefs and values that formed the basis of social life, and by defining them as sacred religion provided greater power and direct human actions (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, 397). He also claims that that in worshipping society people is now recognizing the importance of the social group (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 397), and realize as individuals they are insignificant, but as a group they are strong. In this respect religion creates unity and therefore a function of religion of religion is to strengthen social solidarity (Pilkington, et al, 2008, p. 7) In contrast to Durkheim’s view on religion, Marx held a more negative stance; his view is based on conflict. This is because he saw a basic conflict of interest between two classes, which where the bourgeoisies and the proletariats (Pilkington et al, 2008, p. 2). Marx’s defines religion as an ‘instrument of dominance and oppression which keeps the proletariats in its place’ (Pilkington et al, 2008, p. 12). He then carries on to say that religion is an illusion which is thought, by the proletariats, to ease the pain caused by exploitation and oppression (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 399). In terms of the role that religion plays in society; Marx argued that religion lead people into false direction as the ‘hope and solutions it promises are all false illusions’. Therefore religion acts as an ideology, which helps maintain the ruling class power. It conceals and disguises the true nature of reality. In a way which benefits the ruling class (Pilkington et al, 2008, p. 13). With religion being am an ideology, it blinds people from the oppression of the class system. In part this is what Marx means when he say religion is ‘the opium of the people’ (Allan, 2010, p. 89). He argues that religion acts as an opiate which dulls the pain brought up oppression (Haralambos and Holborn 2008, p. 399). Marx says ‘religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people’ (Marx and Engels 1955 cited in Marsh et al 2009, p. 653) Ways in which religion dulls the pain of oppression; is that it promises eternal life in heaven after death, it justifies people poverty, by saying they will be rewarded with riches for their suffering in the afterlife, and it can also justify the social order and a person position within society (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 00). Form Marx’s viewpoint religion doesn’t just suppress the effects of oppression; it is also a tool of oppression. It acts as an agent of social control by maintaining the ‘existing system of exploitation and reinforcing class relationships’ In other words it keeps people in their place, which promotes social order. It stops those in the subject class from rebelling. Marx also argues that the ruling class takes on religious beliefs to justify their position within society to themselves and others (Haralambos and Holborn, 2008, p. 00). To conclude you can see that regardless of the outcome all three theorists believed that religion played a major part in society. However the only that believed that religion will not be completely wiped out by modern science was Durkheim. Like Comte, Durkheim saw that traditional religions will no longer exists in society. However he did believe that new forms of religion will evolve which were more compatible with scientific knowledge, and with the structure of complex advanced ocieties this new idea of religion that Durkheim argued will replace traditional religions is based around the idea of individualism (Fulcher and Scott, 2007, p. 409, 411) Marx he believed the rise in modern science meant the disappearance of traditional religions, as the supernatural aspects of religious beliefs were incompatible with the modern science knowledge. This claim is linked to the idea of secularization of modern society. Weber however believed that religion would completely disappear; this meant that individual will then be no longer to make any sense of their lives (Fulcher and Scott, 2007, p. 09). One question we could ask is that has the role of religion in society changed? Do these theories of religion still apply to society? Whether it has changed or not, religion still plays a major part in society as new for m of religion have evolved over time, such as scientology. Bibliography Allan, K (2010), Explorations in Classical Social Theory. Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, Calif, London: Pine Forge Fulcher, J. and Scott, J (2007), Sociology. Third Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press Haralambos, M. nd Holborn, S (2008), Sociology: Themes and Perspectives. Seventh Edition. London: Collins Marsh, I. Keating, M. Punch, S. and Harden, J. (2009), Sociology: Making sense of society. Fourth Edition. Harlow: Longman Pilkington, A. Taylor, P and Yeo, A. (2008) Sociology in Focus. Forth Edition. Pearson Education Limited Kirby, M. Kidd, W. Koubel, F. Barter, J. Hope, T. Kirton, A. Madry, N. Manning, P. Triggs, K. (2000) Sociology in Perspective. First Edition. Heinemann Educational

Prosecutor Jodi Arias free essay sample

Following the arrest, bail is set and a preliminary hearing is scheduled. If the defendant is indicted, a trial date is set. Providing the defendant does not waive the right to a jury trial, a jury is selected and the trial begins. If the defendant is found guilty, a sentence is imposed, usually within a few days of the jury’s verdict. If the defendant wishes, he or she can then appeal the guilty verdict and sentencing, thus beginning the trial process again. Police officers, detectives, prosecutors, and defense attorneys make great  efforts to ensuvJuly 2008 for the brutal murder of her boyfriend, Travis Alexander. Travis was stabbed twenty-seven times; his throat was cut, and he was shot in the head in his Mesa, Arizona home. Jodi and Travis met at a Prepaid Legal conference and began dating. They fell in love, travelled together, and attended the Mormon Church together. Shortly thereafter, Travis ended the relationship with Jodi to pursue someone he found suitable for marriage. We will write a custom essay sample on Prosecutor Jodi Arias or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the months following, friends of Travis say Jodi stalked him, although she denies these allegations. Following the murder, detectives found a camera in the victim’s washing machine. The camera contained pictures of Jodi and Travis engaged in sexual activity on the day of the murder and pictures of Travis after he was killed. Despite this evidence, Jodi denied murdering Travis; however, she admitted to being present at his residence the day of the murder. When she was questioned the first time, she stated to detectives that Travis was attacked by masked men as she looked on from a distance. As the trial began, Jodi offered a second defense, stating to the court that she killed Travis, but acted in self-defense after repeated abuse by the victim (Owens, 2013). The trial of Jodi Arias is still active and the prosecution is seeking the death penalty due to the heinous nature of the crime. Criminal Justice Process Jodi Arias was arrested in July of 2008 and charged with the first-degree murder of Travis Alexander. Prior to her arrest, detectives performed an investigation and questioned Arias. Ideally, the investigative process and questioning should be completed within the shortest time possible to avoid problems with witnesses and evidence alteration (Gerstenfeld, 2008). Once the investigation and questioning concluded, the defendant was arrested and charged. Shortly thereafter, the defendant would be reviewed for bail. In the case of Arias, bail was denied due to the heinous nature of the crime and in the interest of public safety. The next step in the criminal justice process that the defendant would experience is grand jury indictment or a preliminary hearing to establish probable cause. Prosecutors present evidence to a grand jury without the presence of a defense attorney for grand jury indictment. A preliminary hearing is an alternative to grand jury indictment (Arizona Felony Court Process, n. d. ). Jodi Arias was indicted by a California grand jury on July 9, 2008, thus establishing probable cause to prosecute. The final step before the criminal trial is arraignment to advise the defendant of the charges and allow the defendant to enter a plea, usually guilty or not guilty. Sometimes, arraignment takes place at the same time as the initial appearance. However, Jodi Arias was arraigned on September 11, 2008 and entered a plea of not guilty (Dolak, 2013). It is at this point that Arias and her defense attorney may have benefited from a plea deal to potentially avoid imposition of the death penalty. Since the defendant pleaded not guilty, the case moved on to the trial phase. The final steps of the criminal justice system the defendant will experience are trial and sentencing. The trial begins with opening arguments from both the prosecution and the defense. After these arguments, the trial proceeds with the prosecution presenting evidence and questioning witnesses and sometimes experts. The witnesses and experts are each cross-examined by the defense attorney before the witnesses and experts leave the stand. If necessary, the prosecution will rebut after the defense’s examination. After the state completes this process and rests, the defense attorneys have to opportunity to call witnesses, experts, and the defendant in some cases. The prosecution is then allowed to cross-examine the defense’s witnesses, experts, and the defendant. In this case, Jodi Arias chose to take the stand to plea self-defense. The prosecution was then able to present their case directly to the defendant in an effort to discredit Arias’ defense. After the defense rests, closing arguments will be offered—first by the prosecutors and followed by the defense attorneys—prior to the jury exiting the courtroom to deliberate. Once the jury returns with a verdict, it is read aloud in the presence of the prosecution, the defense, and the defendant. If the defendant is found guilty, a sentencing hearing will follow after the conclusion of the trial. In the case of Arizona versus Arias, the prosecution is seeking the death penalty in sentencing. Therefore, the jurors must meet certain criteria which are determined by questioning of the potential juror’s view on the death penalty. The current standard for death penalty jurors is based on the case of Wainwright vs. Witt (1985) which states that if a potential juror has strong opinions about the death penalty that would prevent or substantially impair the performance of duties, the juror should be dismissed. The jurors must be able to fairly weigh death penalty versus life without parole (Butler, 2007). When the jurors leave the courtroom for deliberations, they will weigh aggravating and mitigating factors to determine if the death penalty should be imposed (Cornell University Law School, 2012). Based on the heinous nature of Arias’ acts combined with a poor demonstration of mitigating factors, the defendant in this case may receive the death penalty. However, if a guilty verdict is returned by the jury, Jodi Arias will have the opportunity to appeal. Analysis As the trial of Jodi Arias begins to move toward a conclusion, the prosecution has made a strong case against the defendant. The evidence provided by the prosecution has proven the state’s case beyond a reasonable doubt. Additionally, the detectives made great efforts to locate, classify, and present sufficient evidence for the prosecution to be successful in obtaining a guilty verdict. In my opinion, the detectives and prosecutors have presented a much stronger case than the defense. Further, it may have been in the best interest of the defendant for the defense attorney to convince Ms. Arias to attempt for a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, especially considering the preponderance of evidence against Ms. Arias. The defense has done a poor job of presenting a sufficient self-defense case; therefore, it is my opinion that the defense counsel is the weakest link in Arizona vs. Arias. Conclusion The criminal justice process can be frustrating to all parties involved. The efforts that must be made from investigation to sentencing require a great deal of time and effort for both the prosecution and the defense. In order to preserve rights of the accused, the system must work effectively to ensure justice is applied in a timely manner while taking cautions to avoid violating Constitutional rights. The process of investigation, arrest, arraignment, indictment, and trial ensure these rights are protected. Although this process takes a considerable amount of time, the personnel of the criminal justice system continually strive to innovate, improve, and increase efficiency of the criminal justice system. These practices allow for a more streamlined process, ensuring swift and fair justice for the victim, the offender, and the families of all parties involved. Although the Arias case has been grueling, the actions taken by detectives, the courts, and the attorneys have proven that our criminal justice system is still strong and effective and that justice will always be served to the best of our system’s ability.

10 Painful Signs Your Boss is Disrespecting You

10 Painful Signs Your Boss is Disrespecting You There are horrible bosses, cruel bosses, bosses who hate you and are truly out to get you. And great bosses. There are also a million kinds of bosses in between. Some are perfectly decent. Some just plain do not respect you. How can you tell if your boss doesn’t respect you? Rather than relying on your own imperfect intuition, try checking this list of signs that you are being disrespected.1.  Flip FloppingYour boss changes his  mind every day about what you’re meant to be working on. Your top priorities shift constantly. You can’t keep up. He calls you in panic about something that needs to be done ASAP- only to go silent without providing any further instructions- or giving you contradictory instructions later.2. Not Valuing Your TimeYou get asked to do something vague at the beginning of the day, but you can’t seem to get any more clarifying information until- whammo- at the end of the day, a project is dropped into your lap†¦ and needs to be d one an hour ago.3. Ignoring Your NeedsA good boss will check in a couple of times a year to see how you are doing, whether or not you need anything in the way of guidance or feedback, or whether you’re missing any crucial equipment or software to help you get your job done well. This isn’t any fault of yours- it’s just poor management.4. No ExplanationsWhen things change or you’re asked to do things you don’t quite grasp, you ask a question and are met with stiff resistance- the workplace equivalent of â€Å"mind your own beeswax† or â€Å"that’s for me to know and you to find out.† If your boss doesn’t think you need to know things, especially things that might be necessary to you completing your work, that could be a sign that you’re being frozen out. Your concerns and questions should not be uniformly dismissed.5. You Only Get Grunt WorkYou’re constantly getting assigned the mindless tasks that no one el se wants to do- even if you’re just as qualified or more qualified than your coworkers. Or worse, you’re asked to do tedious work that is actually unnecessary for your company or your team.6. MicromanagingEvery piece of work you submit gets over-examined  over by your boss- even if you’ve never made any mistakes and your work is exemplary. This is particularly worrisome if you’re the only one getting micromanaged or over-supervised. Remember, a good boss trusts you to do the job for which you were hired.7. You Feel ReplaceableEven if you have a ton of specialized experience, you’re not consulted. Maybe you know a lot more than your boss does. But you’re never asked. More than that, your boss seems to think that anyone could do your job- despite hiring you and your unique qualifications for that job.8. Bad FeelingsYour boss ignores you, avoids you, laughs at your expense, criticizes you disproportionately or publicly for the slightest mista ke. Her body language suggests she just can’t stand you. She doesn’t make eye contact. She  seems like a totally different and warmer person with everybody else- and a total stern grouchypants with you. A combination of any of these can give you the gut feeling that you’re just not being respected. And you’d probably be right.9. Lack of Face TimeYour boss is always texting or emailing- never inviting you into his office, never stopping by yours. Not even calling. Technology is great, but you can’t forge a real relationship with your boss if you never have any real human interaction.10. Lack of AcknowledgmentDid you just come up with a great idea but your boss can’t seem to admit it was yours? Or worse: did she steal it? Did you make a big contribution, but it’s going utterly unnoticed and unremarked?These are all signs that you’re definitely not being valued. And quite probably being outwardly disrespected. It might be time t o talk to HR or to start looking for another gig.

Ancient Maya Locations, Architecture, Language

Ancient Maya Locations, Architecture, Language The Maya lived in subtropical Mesomerica in parts of the countries that are now Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, and the Yucatan peninsula area of Mexico. Major sites of the Maya are located at: PalenqueCopanBonampakTikalChichà ©n ItzYakchilanPiedras NegrasCalakmul. When Were the Ancient Maya? The recognizable culture of the Maya developed between 2500 B.C. and A.D. 250. The peak period of Maya civilization was in the Classic period, which began in A.D. 250. The Maya lasted for about another 700 years before suddenly disappearing as a major force; however, the Maya did not die out then and havent to this day. What We Mean by the Ancient Maya The ancient Maya were united by a shared religious system and language, although there are actually many Mayan languages. While the political system was also shared among the Maya, each chiefdom had its own ruler. Battles between cities and protective alliances were frequent. Sacrifice and Ball Games Human sacrifice is a part of many cultures, including the Maya, and is usually associated with religion in that people are sacrificed to the gods. The Maya creation myth involved a sacrifice made by the gods that had to be re-enacted by humans from time to time. One of the occasions of human sacrifice was the ball game. It is not known how often sacrifice of the loser ended the game, but the game itself was often deadly. The Architecture of the Maya The Maya built pyramids, like the people of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Maya pyramids were usually 9-step pyramids with flat tops on which were perched temples to the gods accessible by stairs. The steps corresponded with the 9 layers of the Underworld. Maya created corbeled arches. Their communities had sweat baths, a ball game area, and a central ceremonial area that may have also served as a market in the cities of the Maya. The Maya at the city of Uxmal used concrete in their buildings. Commoners had homes made of thatch and either adobe or sticks. Some residents had fruit trees. Canals afforded an opportunity for mollusks and fish. The Language of the Maya The Maya spoke various Maya family languages some of which were phonetically transcribed via hieroglyphs. The Maya painted their words on bark paper that has disintegrated but also wrote on more enduring substances [see epigraphy]. Two dialects dominate the inscriptions and are presumed to be the more prestigious forms of the Maya language. One is from the southern area of the Maya and the other from the Yucatan peninsula. With the advent of the Spanish, the prestige language became Spanish.

Analysis for Without Prejudice TV show Research Paper

Analysis for Without Prejudice TV show - Research Paper Example This time, they are allowed to ask any question to the contestants except just only one, which is, how each of them will use the money that they will be given in the show. Apparently, the show’s purpose is to give away money to the one person among the five contestants who is the most liked. However, on the other side of this reality show, the panelists are faced with their own prejudices among people they do not know of. Since their only bases are the interviews made by the show’s production staff to these people and their brief interview to the last two contestants, they are left with nothing to rely on but to observe the contestants’ personalities according to their physical appearance as well as their body language and gestures. Through these forms of non-verbal communication, the panelists are able to decode their messages, even those that they do not communicate orally, by simply observing them. Relatively, this show is obviously important in studying communication, its theories and other factors that are associated with it. The panelists’ interpretation of the contestants through their facial expressions, body language, gestures, and the like are examples of non-verbal communication, which are often misinterpreted in the communication process due to stereotyping and people’s prejudices. Similarly, just as the contestants are judged by their 15-second introduction where verbal communication is observed, softness or loudness of voice, as well as clarity of speech are important factors in creating an impression that is essential in the communication process, too. The TV show allows two groups of people who are communicating in various ways in order to achieve their desired result. In interpersonal communication, in order for people to achieve a positive relationship, they should be able to create a good communication climate. As such, the group of people who are communicating with each other may either confirm or disconfirm each other in

Annotated Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example The aim was to ascertain the level of understanding the men had of prostate cancer, of the treatment options available to them as well as knowledge of any potential side effects The researchers obtained their data and the resultant statistics used convenience sampling and questionnaires administered by general practitioners. Using these methods the researchers discovered that 80% of the group were unaware of the role of the prostate. Almost half did not realize that it was the commonest internal male cancer and roughly one third knew nothing about possible treatments. Just over half had no knowledge of treatment side effects. When it came to making a decision about possible treatment 70% answered that they would consult a doctor and then make their own decision. With these statistics in mind the researchers concluded that there was a definite deficit of appropriate knowledge among these men and that they preferred there to be some medical involvement in decision making. They also dis covered a number of misconceptions held by members of the research group.

Environmental Ethics Essay Example for Free

Environmental Ethics Essay Environmental ethics falls under the discipline of environmental philosophy that studies how human beings relate to their natural environment. This is a wide study that involves a variety of other disciplines such as those that study human relationships, economics, the earth’s structure and biology especially ecology. Human beings being the most superior of all the living things on earth have an ethical obligation to the environment concerning the earth, air, water, other organisms and the human population, both the present and the future generation. Environmental ethics brigs up a variety of issues concerning what, when, how and why we should consider this area of study. Aspects arising include the environment’s moral value, how sustainable are the policies on environmental protection, and how do these apply to the developing nations, and what policies should be put in place to ensure that the environment is safe guarded for the future generation, among others. Many philosophers through the years have studied this topic, but it only came to be recognized as an independent discipline in 1970, due to awareness of effects of increasing human knowledge on the environment. Growing economics and populations, new technologies and development of industries all have had various adverse effects on nature, although aimed at improving life. The works of Rachael Carson, Paul Ehrlich, Aldo Leopold, among others brought about ethical concerns about the environment. Under environmental ethics, human beings have a duty towards the environment, on protection and conservation as well as having a quality life for themselves. In this context, contentious issues arise as to why we should be concerned about the environment. Should it be for us, the living human beings, the future generation, or for the environment itself regardless of our own benefits? Different personalities offer different answers to this question; hence different views have come up on environmental ethics. The issues of environmental ethics is of growing concern to the government and other institution including United Nations which have come up with incentives to people to value and appreciate nature. Earth Day which is held annually (first held in 1970) continues to create awareness and sensitize people on the value of the environment and why it should be protected. The Moral Standing We cannot handle ethics without reference to moral philosophy, which is concerned with individual behaviors and conducts. The moral standing depends on what is considered ‘right’ or ‘good’ and ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’ by an individual or a society. For instance, different societies have different views on areas like land and animal ownership, rights of the future generation, and many more. Personal conduct with respect to environmental ethics defines how people should interact with nature, regarding its exploitation and conservation. The moral standing of the ethical issues on environment are wholly placed on human beings as they are the only living things who can reason and decide on moral issues. Many of the environmental concerns revolve around man and how these affect him, thus the responsibility of environmental ethics should be solely man’s. Responsibility to the environment implies that we are aware of this task, we are able to do it, we are at liberty to do it or not, and carrying out of the task has an effect to others existing in the environment. This means that we know the damage we can cause to the environment, the effects of this damage and the prevention or solutions to these problems. This gives us a moral significance in environmental ethics, and gives us a central role. The moral standing therefore means we have the moral obligation towards nature and the capability to carry out this responsibility. When we consider environmental ethics, then, look at issues such as: †¢ Should we care about nature for itself while it’s people who really â€Å"matter†? That is if not for human beings benefit; why else should we conserve the environment? And if depleting the natural resources is necessary for life improvement, why not exhaust it? †¢ Is the loss of biodiversity, destruction of scenic geographical features for human benefit such as in agriculture so harmful to man? Where is the need to conserve a species while it has no chance of survival in the near future due to changes in earth’s patterns? †¢ Is it right for a person to own land, it being a natural resource among others, or is it morally wrong? Is it fair that 5% of the human population use 30% of natural resources, while in other less countries the population suffers due to lack of the basic resources such as food and clean water? Do these resources exist for the benefit of a few or should they be left free for use by all? †¢ Is it possible for human beings to improve nature, seeing how man seems to have no control over nature when it comes to events such as natural calamities? †¢ Do recent developments in technology relieve us of our duty of protecting the environment? For instance, does biotechnology with potential to create new species, or bring back an extinct species, relieve us of the duty to conserve the biodiversity? Or alternative sources of fuel give us a right to deplete the natural fuel reserve? †¢ Should we let nature take its course as it always has or try and preserve it without assurance that this is of any benefit, or that this only hinders the course of nature? Is there any way that nature can take care of itself without our hand, like self renewal? The main issue surrounding environmental ethics today is the activist movements on environmental protection that focus people on the wrong issues, that is the moral standing is more emotional than factual or logical. The following are essential in discussing environmental ethics and policies. Western Religion and Culture It has been viewed by some philosophers that the Western religion has adversely affected the environment as it teaches that human beings have dominion over the earth and subdue it. Others view this as a command to take care of nature as we have been left in charge. The command given in the bible to the first man â€Å"be fruitful and fill the earth† (Genesis 1:28, Holy Bible KJV) raises the question of population control, is it ethical for the sake of the environment or is it a direct defiance of God’s command? To address this sensitive topic, religion should be understood in context. At the time of the command there was only one man on earth, so he was required to ‘fill’ it, but now the earth is already ‘filled’. Is it logical to still apply the very same principles now as they did then? The culture of a people defines how they relate to and use the environment. Many of the historic events that shape the western culture have had a huge impact on the environment. Events such as the industrial revolution, technological advances and the modern culture have affected the environment. Culture can easily adapt to changing environments, as well as cause permanent change to different environments. The environment is very wide and continuous, while the environment defines cultural practices. Therefore it is ethical to put environment before culture, and change current lifestyles towards more nature friendly practices. The future generation Most of the damage to the environment is more likely to affect the future human population. This therefore calls on the currently living humans to consider the rights of those who are not yet born. We might not know exactly what that generation will require but we are well aware of the basic needs of living beings; food shelter and basic health. Based on these we can have a model of what the environment should offer the future human beings. Therefore it is our moral obligation to them to utilize nature as much as we need to but ensure that we do not deny them the enjoyment of the same. Animals Other animals should be considered when addressing environmental ethics, since they are sentient beings, that is are capable of feeling. Although animals come after humans, they have rights and should be considered according to what they are interested in, such as feeding, living in their natural habitat, and allowed their existence. Controversy about animal rights arises in what animals exactly should we grant rights to. For instance, are insects or other smaller animals in this category? Is it right to use animals for laboratory research for medical and other studies to better our lives? The simple answer to this question is that unless it is extremely necessary, animals should not be put at risk or in adverse conditions. The harm to animals should be justified and be limited to a certain allowable level. Ecofeminism Women are seen to be closer and more in touch with nature; this is claimed by feminists concerned with the environment (Cochrane, 2007). This is because of their ability to give life, and the fact that the earth is considered female (Shiva, 1993). Thus this gives them a better understanding of nature and how to coexist in harmony. Val Plumwood, an ecofeminist believe, that feminism should go hand in hand with environmentalism as both women and the environment are under the same oppression. Another feminist argues that the problem is in trying to justify this kind of oppression thus allowing such subordination. When considering environmental ethics and policies, the domination over women and nature is a critical issue that requires attention. Economics and Ecology Economics and ecology usually appear as counter forces. Economy involves trying to allocate the limited resources while ecology looks out to protect these resources. The ever-growing human population has placed great pressure on nature and thus their distribution is highly competitive. Market forces have added more pressure to natural resources and their exploitation. Rapid growth of industries has contributed to environmental deterioration. The cost-benefit considers questions like; if nuclear power makes electricity cheaper, should this field be ventured? What is the cost of preserving a forest compared to the cost of exporting timber? These raise challenges when setting up policies on the environment because of the question of cost versus the benefit of environmental ethics. Technology Technology has had a huge impact on human life as well as on the environment. The effects of technology are both beneficial and adverse. The medical, agricultural, communication and energy industries rely heavily on technology to better human life. Technology has the power to destroy nature as well as replenish it. The technological advances that are most potentially harmful include nuclear technology that is able to annihilate nature and biotechnology, which has the potential to alter the natural species boundaries. Since all technologies come with potential risks along with their benefits, ethical consideration must be made with regards to the environment. Conclusion In studying environmental ethics, the first thing is to ask the question ‘what should be done about the current environmental situation and how should it be done? ’ The other consideration is the importance of individual natural resources and how much effort and cost we should dedicate to protecting such. This should be based on facts and not feelings, like and dislikes. It is important that policies be based on an integrated system that has in mind all the components of nature, as well as involvement of the government, institutions and other countries. The following should be noted when considering environmental ethics: †¢ The environment is not a resource just for us but for those we share it with (animals, plants and microorganisms) and for the future inhabitants of the planet. †¢ Nature is continuous with continuous flow of energy, but with rapid exhaustion, the environment is not able to renew itself. †¢ Some of the artificially made substances are capable of spreading all over the earth out of our control and nature has no way getting rid of them, for example nuclear waste, fluorocarbons, DDT, GMOs, etc. †¢ Our policies on environment affect the whole world since everything in nature spreads. We should be sensitive to the needs of other countries especially the less developed when considering environmental ethics It has to be demonstrated clearly that the policies we put in place concerning the environment have defined benefits for all concerned otherwise the area of environmental ethics will always be viewed with sharp critism. The benefits of conserving the environment should be clearly elucidated and put out for all interested stakeholders. Reference: Conchrane, A.Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Environmental ethics, (London School of economics and Political Science, 2007). Lotter, Don, A History of Western Culture’s relationship with Environment, (UC Davis Experimental College, 1990) Sutton, Eugene, An introduction to Cultural Ecology (Berg, 2004) Leefers, Castillo, Ecology and Society: Bridging the gap between Economics and Ecology, (Michigan State University, 1998) Beckman, Ted, Martin Heidegger: Environmental Ethics, (Claremont, 2002) Vandeveer, D and C Pierce, The environmental ethics and policy book: 3rd Edition. (Belmont, 1994)

Japan Technology :: essays research papers

â€Å"Success is never a destination - it is a journey† (Satenig St. Marie) and there is a company that understands that journey. Kodak has been around for many years providing families around the world with innovative and high quality products. Many homes worldwide recognize and associate film with the Kodak name. â€Å"The company ranks as a premier multinational corporation, with a brand recognized in virtually every country around the world† (Kodak History). However, the changes in technology create a dilemma for Kodak. The company’s considerations for digital imaging will change its long history with 35mm film production. Will the shift from 35mm to digital imaging affect Kodak’s successful journey? To find an answer to this question, we must analyze Kodak from an economic perspective. An economic perspective views many different factors and determines whether it is in Kodak’s best interest to pursue digital imaging, will give enough evidence to support a rational decision. The era of digital photography is well under way. After surpassing sales of film cameras in 2003, the demand for digital devices in the US and other developed markets continues to swell. According to market research firm IDC, during the first nine months of 2004, â€Å"U.S. shipments of digital still cameras grew by close to 50%, vs. the same period in 2003. Conversely, we think U.S. shipments of traditional film cameras declined at a double-digit rate in 2004, and we expect a similar drop in 2005† (Stice). With the technology currently available, digital photography holds several major advantages over traditional film photography. The benefits can be categorized by cost, time, and versatility (Bhatia). Kodak wisely restructured its manufacturing to remain a strong competitor in the industry’s market demand for traditional 35mm film. Film cameras are slowly declining in existing markets. Kodak takes full advantage of the situation by shifting its core focus to the increasingly demanded digital imaging technologies. But since emerging markets continue their demand for traditional products, an efficient number of production factors are still available in China and India, where Kodak will continue service and support products for existing markets. Their strategy is to fill the profit gap left from traditional product sales losses with sales gains from the new digital products plus gain top market share. In 2004, Kodak Operating Systems (KOS), charged with Kodak’s Manufacturing and Logistics, began making manufacturing plans to restructure decisions as they realized the opportunity costs of having un- or under-used factors of production at PPC1 (See Fig.