Vampire Literature Flashcard

Vampire Literature

Identity Theft and Laws that Benefit the Customer essays

Identity Theft and Laws that Benefit the Customer essays California's new law requires banks, government agencies, e-commerce firms and others to notify customers if thieves target their computer systems (Block, 2003). "The goal is to give consumers information they need to protect themselves," says Palo Alto Assembly Member Joe Simitian, co- Many of California's identity theft laws benefit the customer, For instance, credit bureaus must enable consumer to establish a "freeze," prohibiting the credit bureau from giving report to anyone without the consumer's consent (Privacy Rights, 2003). An identity theft victim who provides the credit bureau with a copy of a police report is entitled to 12 free credit reports, one per month, in the 12 months from the date of the police report. Normally, customers would have to pay for this service. In addition, California law requires banks and other savings companies to cooperate with identity theft victims. These companies must provide on request of law enforcement or of an ID theft victim copies of applications, checks, account statements, and records of transactions initiated by an There are also laws that protect the security of personal information, including social security numbers and driver's license numbers (Privacy Rights, 2003). In addition, a sworn statement is required for issuance of certified copies of birth or death records. Many times consumers complain that this information is hard to change or replace; however, in the long run, they benefit from strict identity theft laws. In 2003, the state of California passed an identity theft law, SB 1386, several cases of identity theft were perpetrated by individuals who had stolen confidential client data from SANS Security Essentials (Bass, 2003). This breach in security came at a time when California legislators had already enacted a variety anti-identity-theft laws. SB 1386 responded to the increasing problem of identity theft in California,...

An analysis of CSR in UK Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 15000 words

An analysis of CSR in UK - Dissertation Example ata 38 3.5.1Data Collection Methods and Instruments 38 3.5.2Data Analysis Aspects 39 3.5.3Data Presentation 39 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND FINDINGS 41 4.0Introduction 41 4.1Answers to the Research Questions 41 4.1.1Research Question One 42 4.1.2Research Question Two 44 4.1.3Research Question Three 45 4.2Results from the Firms under study 45 4.3CSR, Competitive Advantage, and Economic Value 48 4.3.1Results and Findings from Interviews 48 4.3.2Hypothesis Testing 49 4.4Conclusion 51 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 52 5.0Introduction 52 5.1Discussions and Analysing the Organization 52 5.2Discussions and Analysis from the Interviews/Questionnaires 54 5.3Overall Discussions 55 5.4Conclusion 60 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 61 6.0Conclusion 61 6.1Practical Recommendations 62 6.2Limitations 63 6.3Reflections and Areas of Further Research 64 REFERENCES 65 APPENDICES 69 Appendix 1: Questionnaire for the Interview 69 Appendix 2: Timeline for the Study 72 Appendix 3: GRI Guidel ines 73 GRI Performance Indicators 73 Appendix 4: ASDA 5-Yr Financial Summary 74 Appendix 5: Centrica 5-Yr Financial Summary 76 Appendix 6: Barclays Bank 5-Yr Financial Summary 78 Appendix 7: Sainsbury 5-Yr Financial Summary 80 Appendix 8: Tesco 5-Yr Financial Summary 82 Appendix 9: Vodafone 5-Yr Financial Summary 84 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Stakeholder Theory of CSR (Polonsky, 1995) 24 Figure 2: Social Contract Theory (Bamberg and Moser, 2007) 27 Figure 3: Aspects of CSR Policy in an Organization (The Economist, 2008) 32 Figure 4: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow & Herzberg, 1954) 43 Figure 5: CSR policies as per the GRI Guidelines 47 Figure 6: Comparing EPS and CSR 48 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Summary of the Sample UK Firms under study 17 Table 2: Summary of the Factors Identified for CSR Success 44 Table 3: CSR Policies under the GRI Guidelines 46 Table 4: Comparing Financial Information and CSR, EPS and CSR 47 Table 5: Comparing Financial Information and CSR, Profitability and CSR 48 Table 6: Descriptive Statistics of the Responses 49 ABSTRACT Contemporary businesses continue to suffer from the dynamisms and turbulences within the environment as a result of increased competition. Consequently, several strategic options have been identified to assist in achieving competitive advantage, which assists in increasing the profitability and sustainable business success. One such strategic option has been the use of corporate social responsibility. The majority of contemporary corporations believes in the economic value of CSR unlike their classical counterparts that perceive CSR as an economic burden. In a bid to judge whether CSR is an economic

You Decide-Scenario 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You Decide-Scenario 1 - Assignment Example The consumer goods manufactures will need to reach to this target market by introducing and developing the products that promote the healthy and fitness attributes (Lee, 2004). The young generation also needs to be addressed by providing them the goods that will help them in getting stronger and fitter. The young people need to be given guidance on finding their paths and encouraged to bring new and fresh ideas in the market. Regarding the marketers who are selling to the government, they need to tell the concerned authorities that now they have abundant human capital and they need to be utilized in the right way. Since the children are heavily dependent on their parents, the children need to be encouraged to bear their own expenses and help their parents so that they can acquire the education in timely manner and even start their families soon (Longman, 2004). According to Retherford and Ogawa (2005), the marketers need to help the government in designing the policies that will make right use of the available human capital and ensure that the aging population is given proper health benefits. The government and consumer goods’ marketers will have to create awareness in the young generation about the issues regarding proper planning and implementation of their quality education acquiring phase and early starting of their families. The growing population is a major concern for the developed countries and the number of old aged people is increasing at an accelerating rate. Lee (2004) has rightly stated that the old population is reluctant to take risks and try new ideas and hence, they are less willing to start new ventures. According to Longman (2004), the developed countries have abundant supply of human capital and it is better that the young generation is provided adequate guidance and resources so that new ventures start in the countries which will

Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Economy - Essay Example Principles of Political Economy and Taxation was published in 1817. In this publication, Ricardo developed law of rent as well as the labor theory of money (Gonner, 2013). The theory of comparative advantage, as developed by Ricardo, tries to explain the benefit of engaging in international trade. The theory was initially discussed by Adam Smith in the Wealth of Nations. The theory was, however, clearly developed by Ricardo in the book On the principles of Political Economy and Taxation. In the development of the comparative advantage theory, Ricardo observed that if two countries with a capability of producing two products participate in free trade, each of the two countries will increase productivity by exporting the commodity that it has a comparative advantage in production. The country would then import the other commodity. In this theory, Ricardo implies that comparative advantage, and not absolute advantage, is responsible for international trade (Gonner, 2013). The example used by Ricardo to explain comparative advantage involved England and Portugal. In this example, the two countries produce cloth and wine. However, Portugal is more efficient in the production of the two commodities compared to England. England needs 100 hours to produce a unit of cloth and 120 hours to produce a unit of wine. Portugal on the other hand requires 90 hours to produce unit of cloth and 80 hours to produce a unit of wine. In this case, England requires 100 hours to produce cloth, which can instead produce an incomplete unit of wine. Portugal can produce a unit of cloth with few hours compared to England. However, Portugal must forego the production of more units of wine in order to produce a single unit of cloth. Although Portugal has an absolute advantage in the production of cloth, England has a comparative advantage in the production of cloth. In this example, England has a comparative advantage in the

Operations Management At New Belgium Brewing Business Essay

Operations Management At New Belgium Brewing Business Essay In 1991 after Jeff Lebesch was not able to get a loan from the bank he started a beer brewing company with his wife Kim Jordon is the basement of their home with only a small capital investment. They delivered their beer in their station wagon. With the profits they generated their company soon outgrew the besetment, and moved to another location in a railroad depot, and finally in 1995 they built a state of the art custom facility which cost $21.5 million. They spent $11.5 million on a 55,000 square foot building, and $10 million on new equipment. Until 2005 NBBs most effective form of advertising has been word of mouth. Indeed before New Belgium beers were widely distributed throughout Colorado, one liquor store owner in Telluride is purported to have offered people gas money if they would stop by and pick up New Belgium on their way through Ft. Collins. While NBBC has not deviated from its original principles, the methods and people who operate the brewery have become more formal and professional. Production managers and continuous-improvement experts from outside the craft-brewing community have been recruited. As they reshape the manufacturing practices and identify projects with the best returns and highest impact, theyre careful not to squelch staff involvement. By starting in there basement as a small company they were able to focus on the quality of the beer rather than the quantity of it. New Belgium ensures that quality at the plant is monitored closely. Through the process the quality of the inputs as they are transformed is examined. Quality assurance is a critical element of the operations management. However it is difficult and a challenge to maintain a consistent product. The quality of the product should never suffer as a result of the size of the company. When a company is large it is more important than ever that the quality of the product stays the same, because the product is sold to more people. At New Belgium the entire process form receiving the hops, to brewing, and bottling is monitored constantly, to insure that the product is at the highest quality. Even though the quality of the inputs change, the quality of the product should not change. They maximize productivity by fully utilizing their technology. New Belgium closel y monitors the quality at the plant. The new technology will continue to be efficient, high tech, and environmentally friendly. implementing a compassionate business model that aims to steward the resources of Earth and nourish its employees, New Belgium has also been successful in maintaining healthy financials. They like to say that they are profitable, not in spite of their social and environmental efforts, but because of them. Sustainable production is not merely a feel-good effort; its a pocketbook issue for NBBCs 350 workers: After one year of employment with the company, the employees become employee-owners. All employees are considered area leaders, and everyone is responsible for ensuring that the quality remains high. The employees of New Belgium own 43% of the company through their Employee Stock Ownership Plan or ESOP. While giving employees ownership in the company sets the foundation for an engaged workforce, the real connections occur beyond the Share Statements.  T he reason for New Belgiums success are the companies Purpose and Core Values Beliefs Coupled with the structure and support at the executive level, employee engagement is the key ingredient in High Involvement Culture.  With their employees connected to the key functions of the business, They solicit ideas from over 300 unique perspectives.  This helps the brewery to operate more intelligently while recognizing everyones unique gifts.  These are the practices they have used to build New Belgiums distinctive culture. New Belgium opens all of the books to it employs and provides financial training so people can understand the business of doing business.  At monthly All-Staff meetings they review the financials, and employees have the opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback.  Each employee makes decisions in his or her role that affects New Belgiums profitability, whether it is about a capital expansion project or leaving a faucet running while they wash their ha nds.  It all adds up.  When a employee is connected to the higher purpose of the company and educated on the financial outcomes of their actions, they are empowered to make decisions that benefit the business as a whole. Trusting each other with this level of detail also helps us to feel appreciated, empowered, and ultimately more fulfilled. These practices galvanize coworkers to be engaged in New Belgium, to claim the companys Core Values and Beliefs which call them to honor nature at every turn of the business as their own.   What is good for the environment is ultimately good for business. They dont want to leave the faucet running or the lights turned on because it costs money and natural resources.  Ã‚  In addition to the practices which promote High Involvement Culture, they also work to engage employees in environmental stewardship.   The first two beers that they produced were Fat Tire, and Abbey, which are still sold today. The new building will feature an automated, high-speed bottling line which will increase output to 700 bottles a minute compared to the 300 bottles a minute. The current production is at 400,000 barrels per year, with expansion that is expected to increase up to 800,000 barrels per year. Since 2008, they have opened up distribution in 7 new states:   Georgia, North Carolina, North Dakota, Indiana, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee.  Added to their existing states of distribution (Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and Wyoming), New Belgium now sells beer in 26 states, but all of this beer is brewed in Fort Collins, Colorado. New Belgium receives numerous e-mails and phone calls everyday inquiring when it will be available elsewhere. In 1995 when the Philanthropy program was conceived, they began donating 1 dollar for every barrel of beer produced to non-profit organizations in the communities where they do business.  Since its inception, New Belgium Brewing has donated more than $2.5  million through our Philanthropy program. There coworkers have also donated many volunteer hours to non-profits organizations in the region. There coworkers are given one hour of (paid time off) for every two hours they volunteer with philanthropic organizations. Question 2 Why is it important to engage employees in ownership to enhance quality and efficiency? In todays economy, brewing fine ale and creating a valued trademark in the competitive brewing industry is a hard task to achieve. You need to ensure uniform quality in the countless bottles you produce, have dedicated and hardworking staff to ensure smooth and efficient operations, and always look for better methods of exceeding the consumers expectations. New Belgium Brewery understands this, and came up with a simple solution that would ensure all of these points are met. After one year employment at New Belgium, an employees status is upgraded to employee-owner and they are rewarded with company shares. New Belgium realized that the pros of making their employees into owners were countless. The promotion alone insures employees coming into work motivated to do their assigned duties to their full potential, and creates a more productive work environment with everyone focused on meeting the same goals. The incentive being that if the business does well, their pay increases. With this incentive, employees will ensure the quality of the beer is exceptional and will strive to exceed standards; this helps maintain the companys vision in creating higher quality brews. The employee-owner incentive program used at New Belgium not only gives the company a competitive edge with enhanced quality but also aids in employee retention which in turn reduces the costs of hiring and training employees. Now, not only does New Belgium have hard working, dedicated employees, they have a large workforce concentrated on how to improve the business. As part owners, an employee can bring up any idea on what could make the company sell more, produce more, or in some cases what needs to be fixed and how it could be done. It wouldnt matter what department you are in, if you had an innovative idea on how to help the company, you have the ability to voice your ideas to senior management. For example, if they produce new ale with a full smooth taste yet is somehow not selling as much as it should; the marketing team could have overlooked the fact that their ales label could be mistaken for a crude picture, employees who have no knowledge of marketing could set up a meeting and bring light to the marketing misstep as the probable cause for lack of sales. We believe there is still one additional reason why New Belgium has made this decision. A major problem companies have is creating an integrated workforce where the issues and concerns employees have may not be correctly handled. New Belgium has ensured the safety of the companys business and the happiness of employees by introducing employee-owners. It also thwarted the possibility of added costs from employees who would have to use walk-outs or union representation to be heard by their managers. The question most businesses ask is why should you give employees partial ownership? Yet New Belgium proves that it should be, why would you cripple your business by not? Question 3 What does alternatively empowered mean to you? After reviewing the information provided by the New Belgium Brewery website, I have come to view alternatively empowered as a means of giving back to the environment b y stressing conservation and including environmental responsibility in the strategic planning process. In todays modern industrial society, companies who grow bigger usually do so at the cost of the environment, because in most cases as companies grow the costs related to environmental stewardship increases as well. On the other hand New Belgium Breweries continues to expand at an impressive pace; their ranking in the US Beer industry has been getting better and better as they age, while their growth has been ahead by at least 1% in comparison to other craft brewing companies in the industry, all the while keeping their carbon footprint at a low. This is what being alternatively empowered means. Comment on what New Belgium Beliefs are related to being Environmental Stewards. The New Belgium Beliefs are eight guidelines that define what environmental stewardship means to the company. More specifically in terms of what New Belgium believes it has to do as a company to considered environmental stewards. These include caring for the environment. Minimizing waste, so that the minimum amounts of natural resources are wastefully used, and reducing dependence on non environmental friendly methods of electricity, through means of self generating power and purchasing clean wind power. Conservatively using the rocky mountain water resources. Maximize conservation and efficiency. Increase use of new technologies. To make environmentalism a fun way of doing things and not the hard or costly manner of doing things. New Belgium Brewery is working towards achieving these guidelines through there alternatively empowered efforts. They have nine efforts that incorporate these guidelines. These include increasing efficiency by using new technologies such as Steineckers Merlin, which reuses the energy from the last batch in the next in the form of heat. They try to minimize the use of lighting by taking advantage of three hundred and sixty days of sunlight and the cooling needs are satisfied through evaporative cooling rather than electricity guzzling compressors. They also use wastewater treatment to reduce load on environment and get by products. This process also provides them with a source of electricity. By making environmental decisions only with the consensus of the employees they ensure that nobody feels they are being forced to do something that they do not want to. (New Belgium Brewery, 2010) In the subsection entitled Alternatively Empowered Efforts, Choose two of the efforts and discuss how they fit into overall sustainability mandate of the company as outlined in the 2007 sustainability reports Letters from the Sustainability Director. One of the most important factors discussed in the directors letter is that though they claimed that the energy used by them is 100% wind generated it is instead less than half and this will change through their efforts. The two efforts most closely linked to this mandate are the following: On-Site Energy Production Any industry today requires a large amount of electricity to operate and it is next to impossible to get all of it from wind generated sources as they are not so readily available and costly. On-Site Energy production would reduce the demand for electricity from outside sources and thus enable the company to meet more of its energy requirements from wind powered sources. This method of energy production reduces electricity intake by 15%, thus bringing their level of wind powered sources to more than 50%, which with further improvements could go higher. Wind-Powered Electricity since 1999 An important factor is the agreement signed with the Colorado government in 1998, which meant the company would be supplied as much power as possible through wind generation even though the cost would be more. This agreement allowed the government to put up more wind turbines, thus increasing the power available through wind generated sources, which is another step towards the mandate provided by the director. (Orgolini, 2007) Question 4 Do you think New Belgiums focus on environmental responsibility and sustainability in its production process is a major cost or a benefit that enhances the profits of the company? The New Belgium brewery website states that they are profitable not in spite of our social and environmental efforts but because of them (New Belgium Brewery, 2010); the following paper aims to illustrate this statement by describing how their conservation efforts have enhanced the profits and brand image of the company. New Belgium is the third largest regional craft brewery with production steadily increasing since 2005; this success has been achieved while still keeping sustainability and environmental responsibility at the forefront of their strategic planning process. New Belgium has implemented a sustainability management system which brings a structured approach to environmental and conservation efforts. Through accurate gathering and representation of the negative impact there manufacturing process has on the environment New Belgium was able to target specific areas for improvement. New Belgium brewery puts this practice into action by investing in efficient equipment most notably there brew kettle the Steinecker Merlin; which heats thin sheets of wort rather than the whole kettle and stores steam and vapor thats allows the wort to heat at a quickened pace reducing the amount of primary energy used. New Belgiums energy conservation efforts dont stop there; their site claims that the most sust ainable watt is the watt never used (New Belgium Brewery, 2010) and theyve introduced various initiatives that stress conservation including; taking advantage of natural light with light tubes and light shelves, and switching to HVAC evaporative coolers that use much less energy. By designing with conservation in mind new Belgium has increased its efficiency and reduced the energy input needed in their manufacturing process; this ultimately translates to a positive increase to their profits and public image. New Belgium also uses a closed loop system by pumping methane gas generated from their waste treatment facility to a 292Kw co-gen engine that produces up to 15% of their energy needs. Though the system had malfunctioned in the past a partnership with Woodward led to the installation of new controls that have led to even greater efficiency. This illustrates another aspect of New Belgiums commitment to environmental reasonability; by actively seeking out support to optimize their equipment theyve reduced their environmental impact and built lasting and useful relations with various business and government sponsored conservation programs. This can also be seen in New Belgiums appointment of outside consultants when developing there SMS system. In 2010 new Belgium commissioned the construction of a solar array on the top of the packaging hall, at the time it was the largest private solar array in Colorado and displays New Belgiums innovative attempts to harness sustainable energy. The solar array currently provides over 3% of new Belgiums energy needs and will continue to far into the future. In 1999 the New Belgium employee-owners voted unanimously to switch their purchased energy entirely to wind power. Though this included a 2.5cent premium on every watt produced; effectively reducing the employee-owners bonus pool the unanimous vote showed that New Belgiums efforts to reduce their carbon foot print had supported from everyone in the company. Even though th e switch to wind power reduced profits in the short run the unifying vote and positive effects to employee morale ( employees are happier when they feel they have a voice in their workplace) may eventually offset the loss with increased efficiency and employee retention. New Belgiums switch to wind power also had a ripple effect through derived demand; allowing Fort Collins Utilities to become the first utilities company in Colorado to offer wind power. In conclusion New Belgiums continued efforts to reduce their carbon foot print and deep commitment to sustainable production has been an overall benefit to the company by decreasing inputs to their manufacturing process and improving brand image.

Capital Punishment :: social issues

Capital Punishment In the past, people have invariably felt that if they had been wronged in some way, it was his or her right to take vengeance on the person that had wronged them. This mentality still exists, even today, but in a lesser form because the law has now outlined a person's rights and developed punishments that conform to those rights, yet allow for the retribution for their crime. However, some feel that those laws and punishments are too lax and criminals of today take advantage of them, ie. organized crime, knowing very well that the punishments for their crime, whether it be murder, theft, or any other number of criminal activities, will be so negligible that it may be well worth their risk. Although in the past, the number of crimes that were subjected to capital punishment, defined simply as the death penalty for a crime, were outrageous. Amendments were made to reflect the changes in the society's views on the morality of capital punishment. That resulted in the narrowing down of the list of one hundred crimes to twelve, punishable by the death penalty in 1833, and in 1869 it was cut down yet again to just three: treason, rape, and murder because of violent nature of these crimes. These crimes, even today, are still viewed as violent and should be punished with the highest degree of discipline available to achieve justice. After much public pressure, capital punishment was suspended on a trial run in 1967. This proved to be ineffective, because even though the law stipulated that crimes such as treason or the murder of law enforcement agents, were still to be subjected to the death penalty, the federal cabinet continued to commute those criminals from death to life sentences, hence the law was not being followed and justice was not being served. This soon was followed with capital punishment's abolishment in 1976, as a formal declaration of what was already happening or rather what was not happening. It is felt that because of this and the fact that there has not been an execution since 1967, that today's current form of punishments are no longer a sufficient deterrent for such serious crimes and have contributed to a ever rising crime rate. So, this is where the real issue of whether or not capital punishment should exist begins and such a controversial issue could be best understood if we looked at capital punishment in a perspective of how it fulfils or does not fulfil society's ideas Capital Punishment :: social issues Capital Punishment In the past, people have invariably felt that if they had been wronged in some way, it was his or her right to take vengeance on the person that had wronged them. This mentality still exists, even today, but in a lesser form because the law has now outlined a person's rights and developed punishments that conform to those rights, yet allow for the retribution for their crime. However, some feel that those laws and punishments are too lax and criminals of today take advantage of them, ie. organized crime, knowing very well that the punishments for their crime, whether it be murder, theft, or any other number of criminal activities, will be so negligible that it may be well worth their risk. Although in the past, the number of crimes that were subjected to capital punishment, defined simply as the death penalty for a crime, were outrageous. Amendments were made to reflect the changes in the society's views on the morality of capital punishment. That resulted in the narrowing down of the list of one hundred crimes to twelve, punishable by the death penalty in 1833, and in 1869 it was cut down yet again to just three: treason, rape, and murder because of violent nature of these crimes. These crimes, even today, are still viewed as violent and should be punished with the highest degree of discipline available to achieve justice. After much public pressure, capital punishment was suspended on a trial run in 1967. This proved to be ineffective, because even though the law stipulated that crimes such as treason or the murder of law enforcement agents, were still to be subjected to the death penalty, the federal cabinet continued to commute those criminals from death to life sentences, hence the law was not being followed and justice was not being served. This soon was followed with capital punishment's abolishment in 1976, as a formal declaration of what was already happening or rather what was not happening. It is felt that because of this and the fact that there has not been an execution since 1967, that today's current form of punishments are no longer a sufficient deterrent for such serious crimes and have contributed to a ever rising crime rate. So, this is where the real issue of whether or not capital punishment should exist begins and such a controversial issue could be best understood if we looked at capital punishment in a perspective of how it fulfils or does not fulfil society's ideas

The Illusion of Freedom in Miss Julie

The Illusion of Freedom in Miss Julie August Strindberg’s Miss Julie is a naturalistic play which deals with the themes of love, lust, and power struggles between social classes and genders. Being a naturalistic play, Miss Julie deals with the upbringing of and the environment surrounding the two main characters, Julie and Jean, and how these factors affect their motivations.As with the convention in naturalism, the two main characters would have no real control over their fates and instead be subjugated to hereditary and environmental forces. Julie, being of aristocratic descent, seemed to have complete freedom. She had access to the best of luxuries and yet could heavily interact with the servants, such as participating in their Midsummer Eve celebration and dancing with Jean, without severe consequences other than some gossip among the servants.However, Julie’s gender and upbringing seems to be a great disadvantage and hinders her freedom. Raised by her mother to act like a man and yet despise men and subsequently herself, Julie became what Strindberg refers to as a â€Å"man-hating half-woman† (page 60), though this upbringing allowed Julie to ignore the social norms of her time and assert her dominance upon male characters (her fiance and Jean), it is also responsible for her eventual suicide which was implied in the end of the play.The illusion of Julie’s supposed freedom is revealed throughout the play, with Jean holding power over her during a significant portion of the play and her father, the Count, being an absent, but nevertheless imposing presence throughout the play, especially in the end. Jean is diametrically opposite to Julie in his heredity, being of common descent and a male, although Jean is well travelled and possesses a degree of sophistication in his speech and manners.He has access to little resources other than his own ambitions and determination. Jean dreams vaguely of someday opening a hotel and using the p rofits and prestige gained from such an enterprise to purchase a title and make himself a Count like Julie’s father. Despite the numerous power reversals that occurred after his seduction of Julie, he remains subjugated to authority throughout the play, both to that of Julie and especially her father.Any reminder of the Count such as his boots, Jean’s inferior clothing, and especially the ringing bell reduced Jean from a normally eloquent or sadistic speaker to a pathetic servant. There were multiple factors, other than the supposed love that was professed by both characters towards one other, which caused Julie and Jean to engage in such a tryst. The Midsummer Eve celebration and its intoxicating drinks and passion-inducing dancing lowered the inhibitions of both characters.The celebration increased Julie’s lust and her emotional vulnerability from her recently broken engagement with her fiance made Julie vulnerable to Jean’s seduction; his tale of falli ng in love with her upon laying his eyes on her and subsequently wanting to kill himself because of the obviously lack of romantic relationship that would form between them was especially effective; Julie’s vulnerability to Jean’s seduction could also be attributed to her female sensibilities.Likewise, the celebration likely emboldened Jean to proceed with his seduction, with Jean’s ultimate goal being using Julie’s wealth to finance his dreams of opening a hotel and becoming a Count. Before Julie’s seduction by Jean, she possessed the power or the appearance of power in the relationship. Jean addressed her respectfully, as befitting a servant talking to his mistress. Julie could toy with Jean and command him to do almost anything, such as forcing him to dance with her or kissing her shoes, as she was of a higher class and had authority over Jean, who was a lowly servant.However, after Jean’s successful seduction of Julie, the class lines th at existed between them were broken down and they were became social equals, thus their relationship shifted focus to power struggles with respect to gender. While Julie still insults Jean regarding his lower social standing, Jean responds with derogatory remarks such as calling her a whore (page 90) for throwing herself at one with such a lower social standing, which was unthinkable for women in her position at the time.Despite the antagonistic and sadomasochistic relationship that arose between them after the seduction, Julie and Jean still could use each other to benefit themselves. Julie was tired of the social standards that were imposed upon her, thus she desired to fall to Jean’s social level. Whereas Jean, with his grand ambitions of becoming a Count, sought to rise in the social ladder through Julie’s wealth. Julie and Jean were able to temporarily rebel, against the social norms that constrained them, through having an affair despite the immense difference in their social standings.They planned to further this rebellion through running away together and starting their own hotel. However, this radical plan was stopped by Christine, who prevented the lovers access to horses and their escape, who embodied the social disapproval at the inappropriateness of a tryst between two of such different class and their plan to escape the consequences. Julie and Jean still could have escaped by foot but for the ringing of the bell that signaled the return of the Count.The Count, whose presence pervaded throughout the story, whose very mention reduced Jean to sniveling servility, and shamed and angered Julie greatly, ultimately held power over both the lovers. Despite never being physically present in the play, the Count still commanded great fear and respect in both Julie and Jean. He symbolized the omnipresence of social authority and the power it commanded over its subjects. The most convincing example of this is in the end of the play, Julie wished to commit suicide to escape her shame and indignity but lacked the willpower to do so.She implored Jean to command to do so, but he suffered the same problem and lacked the willpower too. Only through hypnotizing himself, by acting as the Count giving him a command, was Jean able to command Julie to commit suicide. Only through both Julie and Jean submitting to the social authority, represented by the Count, was Julie able to achieve the end that she desired. In the end, though Julie and Jean were able to temporarily fight against the environmental forces through their affair and hatching a fantastic escape plan for a new life, neither of the lovers were able to escape their respective upbringings and social classes.One could argue that Julie was able to rebel against the social authority through suicide which released its power over her; one must also consider that an aristocrat such as her would be ingrained to avoid bringing such great shame upon her family through her upbringin g and surrounding environments , thus the social authority is responsible for her suicide, which is almost unsurprising or even expected.Likewise, Jean was not able to escape the social authority either, he was not able to commit suicide because of his lack of aristocratic pride is replaced with a greater sense of self preservation, thus Jean will suffer the full wrath of the Count and the social authority for causing Julie’s death and attempting to disrupt the social equilibrium.Ultimately, Jean and Julie have been and always will be subject to the social authority for the entirety of their lives, any control or freedom is merely a temporary illusion which will be broken quickly and dramatically. Work Cited 1. Strindberg, August. Miss Julie and Other Plays. Oxford University Press, 1988. Print.

Free Essays on My Mother Pieced Quilts

A Tapestry of Memories The poem, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts,† by Teresa Palomo Acosta, focuses on the mother’s talent for weaving memories out of old fabric that is otherwise useless. The cloth has come from many different sources, each with it’s own nostalgic significance-communion dresses, wedding gowns, nightclothes, and â€Å"dime store velvets† (Acosta, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Exploring Poetry, Explanation). Each loose strip of fabric reminds the narrator of her childhood memories-the good ones and the bad. â€Å"They were just meant as covers†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (line 1) says the narrator. However, the â€Å"October ripened canvases† (line 6) that the narrator awoke to each morning meant much more than a simple blanket to ward off chill, but instead, a scrapbook of the past. The speaker watches as the mother compiles this scrapbook of fabrics that have outlived their usefulness. By recalling how the loose edges of cloth were tucked in by the mother’s needle, the speaker also remembers how the mother would tuck in the kids at bedtime (lines 21-22). Each scrap seems to tell its own story, from curtains in a house in Michigan to a â€Å"Santa Fe workshirt† (line 25). All of the pieces remind the speaker of a time, place or season in which they were used. By relating these associations, the speaker is commenting on how memory itself is pieced together like ragged scraps (â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Explanation). The poem continues to identify the good memories that the mother causes by shaping together the pieces of fabric until it speaks of the black funeral dress (lines 35-36). The mother wore this somber black silk to her mother’s funeral and includes a star-shaped scrap of it in one of her quilts. By mentioning the good memories as well as the painful, the speaker is reminding us that all memories and experiences are combined of lights and darks, good times and bad (Acosta, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Exploring Poe... Free Essays on My Mother Pieced Quilts Free Essays on My Mother Pieced Quilts A Tapestry of Memories The poem, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts,† by Teresa Palomo Acosta, focuses on the mother’s talent for weaving memories out of old fabric that is otherwise useless. The cloth has come from many different sources, each with it’s own nostalgic significance-communion dresses, wedding gowns, nightclothes, and â€Å"dime store velvets† (Acosta, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Exploring Poetry, Explanation). Each loose strip of fabric reminds the narrator of her childhood memories-the good ones and the bad. â€Å"They were just meant as covers†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (line 1) says the narrator. However, the â€Å"October ripened canvases† (line 6) that the narrator awoke to each morning meant much more than a simple blanket to ward off chill, but instead, a scrapbook of the past. The speaker watches as the mother compiles this scrapbook of fabrics that have outlived their usefulness. By recalling how the loose edges of cloth were tucked in by the mother’s needle, the speaker also remembers how the mother would tuck in the kids at bedtime (lines 21-22). Each scrap seems to tell its own story, from curtains in a house in Michigan to a â€Å"Santa Fe workshirt† (line 25). All of the pieces remind the speaker of a time, place or season in which they were used. By relating these associations, the speaker is commenting on how memory itself is pieced together like ragged scraps (â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Explanation). The poem continues to identify the good memories that the mother causes by shaping together the pieces of fabric until it speaks of the black funeral dress (lines 35-36). The mother wore this somber black silk to her mother’s funeral and includes a star-shaped scrap of it in one of her quilts. By mentioning the good memories as well as the painful, the speaker is reminding us that all memories and experiences are combined of lights and darks, good times and bad (Acosta, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Exploring Poe...

The Highwayman Essays - Animal-powered Vehicles, Carriages

The Highwayman Essays - Animal-powered Vehicles, Carriages The Highwayman subject = english-creative writing title = The Highwayman The Highwayman Their journey to London was not a long one, but in the night, it was a treacherous one. A rolling fog covered the land, one couldnt see twenty feet ahead, but in the still, quiet night, sound carried for a mile. They began their trek in the early evening, the sun had yet to dip below the horizon. The passengers needed in London, could not wait for the next morning. The stage driver was the best to be found, his fee large, but his experience was priceless. He was accompanied by another man with a large rifle. The Rifleman had keen eyes and his ears were at attention, listening over the horses for oncoming riders; for the Highwaymen who prayed on the stages. Long after the sun had set, not a sound had been heard over the consistent clip-clop of the horses. Their hooves hit the dirt road, broadcasting a message for nearly a mile of the nearing prey. The sound alerting all the nearby predators to keep a good watch, to be ready, for the prize will soon be in their grasp. The fog, like a blanket spreading it self out on the land, concealed all stars, the only light was from a lantern suspended above the stage driver. The passengers nervous, expecting to hear shots fired. The jumped at every bump in the road that the wheels struck. Clutching their baggage close, they prayed that the night would pass quickly. The Highwayman, alerted to the approaching stage, was hidden by the road, and concealed by the fog, he was not yet able to discern the light from the quickly approaching lantern. Clutching his pistol, his only weapon, he planned to take all the that he desired from the stage. His family was at home, sitting by the fire. His late night occupation provided their home, food and clothing. During the day he works in a stable for the nearby English noble. Feeding and grooming their horses, only he knows the stable well enough to "barrow " a horse. Not every night, but often enough for his family to live better than most. Passing through a small wooded area, the stage continued at its rapid pace, the horses sweating, pulling the large stage coach and its five passengers. The Rifleman, ever intent, tenses, telling the driver to push the animals even harder. The two horses, running as fast as they can, try to comply, but they gain no speed. The passengers, jumping at every bump in the road, wishing the ride over, holding fast to the coach, expecting any minute for the stage to roll on its side. They were waiting for the Highwayman to strike. Behind a wall of fog that hides him from the stage, not making a sound, he waits. He is waiting for the right moment to ride forth. He knows that quickly he will see the light and the stage that brings it. And then they will be able to see him. His rifle is ready in his arms, ready to rise to his shoulder, take aim, and fire. The lantern throws ghostly shadows as the coach rushes by the surrounding trees. The experienced eyes of the Rifleman, watching everything as it flies by, waits for that movement, that shape, that does not belong. He listens to the sound of air rushing past, the sound of the horses, listening to their hooves as they strike ground and gulp for air in the night. He listens for the sound that does not meld with the others, the of beat of a third horse. He can see the light now, his anticipation building, his heart beating, over powering the sound of the stage, smothering the sounds of the horses pulling it. His pistol ready, in his shaking hand. His other hand holds the reigns, his feet ready to propel the horse onward, to overtake the stage. Waiting for the right moment, waiting to strike. The Rifleman waits, scanning the forest as it streaks past, his nerves building a lump in his throat. The Highwayman can now see the stage in its entirety. The Rifleman ready, will see him. Now is the time to strike. He is surprised at the speed of the coach, the cargo must be must be important. The passengers pray that they complete the trip, curse the driver for the speed. Not knowing of the dangers out side, clutching to each other, they sit on the floor of the coach. Scared,

ART AND RENAISSSANCE HUMANISM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ART AND RENAISSSANCE HUMANISM - Essay Example II. The female in Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Girlhood of the Mary Virgin Without doubt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s first public oil painting The Girlhood of Mary has religious theme and symbolisms. In the visual rendering of the painting, it already impressed some sort of religiosity although it may not be that obvious until one interprets the symbolisms in the artwork and associate the description of the sonnets inscribed at the bottom of the frame. In addition, the production of another painting of the Virgin Mary in the succeeding year which is the Ecce Ancilla Domini which depicted the Annunciation of Angel Gabriel to Mary that she is about to have an immaculate conception confirms the religious anthem of the painting (Cullari 3). Donnelly aptly described that Dante Gabriel’s Rossetti’s idea of â€Å"female’s excellence† such as the depiction of a woman and her femininity in his first major public painting The Girlhood of Mary Virgin is pure, innocent and clean (476). In The Girlhood of Mary Virgin, Rossetti’s elevation of the female as a subject transcended beyond her aesthetic beauty of which Rossetti was known to be enamoured and included her sanctity as a woman to the point that she belonged to the deity. This may have been attributed to the various influences of Rossetti’s social milieu during the Renaissance era where the female is idealized as pure and innocent where Rossetti lavished it with religious theme in his first two works (The Girlhood of Mary Virgin and Ecce Ancilla Domini) to stress further how much he esteemed the female. The manner of which the subjects (Mary and St. Anne) were conveyed was startling if not unconventional. Rossetti’s portrayal of his female subjects transcended beyond the visual but also included verbal description through sonnets that were equally beautiful and lofty. The representation of the female in Rossetti’s first two works, particularly the first ( The Girlhood of Mary) to his audience was as if to educate medieval parishioners about femininity by the authority of a priest using words and pictures for those who cannot read (Marsh 28). The combination of this two medium goes beyond â€Å"the word-image opposition in that it consistently threatens the temporal-spatial divide through which images and texts are normally separated† (Donnely 476). The meanings derived from the associated of the painting and the sonnet goes beyond the regular perception of narratives that disturbs the traditional perception in art with regard to its progression and form. In a way, The Girlhood of Mary is a prelude and preparation of the Virgin Mary before she will bear the child Jesus as announced by the angel Gabriel in the Annunciation or Ecce Ancilla Domini. The accompanying â€Å"sonnet captured the intense segment of Rossetti’s thought and feeling† that made the painting dense not only in the style and manner it was rendered but also in symbolism (Armstrong 462). III. Christian iconography in The Girlhood of Mary Virgin Rossetti’s painting The Girlhood of Mary is dense with symbolism. Almost every person and object in the painting suggests some form of symbolism and was not just placed in the painting just to serve a singular aesthetic purpose. The most noticeable symbolism in the painting is the mentoring of Mary’s mother, St. Anne. Typically, tutorship involves homeschooling that required a student to read. In the

Journal Entry #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal Entry #1 - Essay Example This being said, there is one aspect of culture that is particularly contentious even in our multicultural setting, and that is religion. This should not be surprising, since even within a single culture the topic of religion is a sensitive one. There was a time when the American forefathers did not find any unusual issue with the phrase â€Å"In God We Trust† so as to embellish it in the nation’s currency. Recently, however, even the invocation of God in inter-denominational prayer and the singing of Christmas carols in public places have come under attack – because it seems that the disbelief in God itself has become a religion to be respected. Religion is so ingrained in the very core of people’s beliefs and aspirations that an attack upon it is taken as an affront against the Supreme Being (or non-being, in the case of atheists) that demands defense and, at times, militant vindication. The workplace is a particularly delicate place to have problems of religious intolerance. This is because we most likely spend more time at work than at home – at least the greater part of our waking hours. Work demands of us our skills, concentration, creativity, and dedication to the organization’s goal, which is why any irritant to disturb the peace in the workplace will tend to be counterproductive for both the individual and the firm. The situation becomes complicated when individuals in the workplace would be followers of mainstream or radical religious teachings which draw an opposition to other religions, the followers of which may be their co-workers in the firm. Or, it may also be that actions that appear perfunctory to some may, without their knowledge, be offensive to others or denigrate what they conceive to be sacred and holy. Furthermore, the fact that religious teachings have been imparted by the family to the individual at a tender age may have also impressed upon him the