The Disparity In Sentencing In The Criminal Justice System Essay

The Disparity In Sentencing In The Criminal Justice System - Essay Example In the mid 1970’s a remarkable burst of reforms (Walker, p. 112) were introduced whose main concern was about disparity and discrimination in sentencing. The indeterminate sentence was the main focus of the reform efforts. The sentence in which the offender received a minimum or maximum sentence and the date of release was decided by the parole board is known as indeterminate sentence. Under such sentencing the judge was to decide about the punishment by not only looking at the crime but also looking at the circumstances and the potential for rehabilitation. On the basis of this judgment the parole board was to decide the date of release. Discretion was distributed amongst not only to the justice officials but also the parole board. The result of this process was: "A system of sentencing in which there was little understanding or predictability as to who would be imprisoned and for how long" (Bureau of Justice Assistance, p. 6). Both the liberal and the conservative boards cha llenged the reforms. The liberal presented an argument that the intensity on of the punishment should not rest with the criminal officers or the parole board because they may have racial issues. While the conservative board argued that the punishments given to criminals were too lenient. Their arguments bolstered by the findings of research demonstrating that most correctional programs designed to rehabilitate offenders and reduce recidivism were ineffective (Martinson).

Gummy Bear Lab Essay Example for Free

Gummy Bear Lab Essay Question- If the percent of the concentration of a solution varies, will the amount of water gained or lost vary in a linear fashion? Hypothesis- If the concentration of a solution varies, then the amount of water lost or gain will not vary in a linear fashion Prediction- I think that the amount of water lost will not vary in a linear fashion. I think the water will vary like one gummy bear would lose 4 grams while another would lose 6 grams while another would lose 3. 56 grams. Just numbers all over the place. Experiment- 1. Materials needed: a. 5 gummy bears b. 5 beakers c. A scale d. Distilled water e. Salt f. A cover for each beaker g. A paper to put on the scale h. Tweezers The independent variable is the salt in the water. The dependent variable is whether the amount of water lost or gained in the gummy bears varies in a linear fashion. The constants are the type of gummy bear used in this experiment, the type of salt, the type of beaker, the type of scale, the cover, amount of water, and the amount of time the gummy bears have. The control is the beaker without the salt in it; Beaker A. Safety procedures  include washing your hands before and after the experiment. Day 1: Get 5 beakers and 5 gummy bears. Put a paper on the scale and find the weight of the gummy bears. Then put the gummy bears in each beaker and label the beakers A-E. Put 100 ml of water in each beaker. Pick a solution you want each beaker to have. For this experiment the solutions were: Beaker A- 0%; Beaker B- 5%; Beaker C- 10%; Beaker D- 15%, and Beaker E- 20%. So to put the solutions into the beaker, first take salt and find the weight of it. It you want a 5% solution; the salt’s weight has to be 5 grams or close to 5 grams. Do the same for the other beakers. Of course, Beaker A will have no salt in it because it doesn’t have a solution with salt. Cover each beaker with the same kind of cover and wait for 24 hours to see what happens. Day 2: Take the beakers out of the place they were in. Spill all the liquid out of all the beakers. Make sure to identify which gummy bear is which. It is best to do this one at a time. Take the gummy bear out of the beaker with tweezers. Put a paper on the scale and weigh each gummy bear. Record the weight. When you are done weighing each, throw the gummy bears and all waste away and wash your hands. Analysis: Observations were that all the gummy bears lost their pale yellow color and turned into a clear color. Some gummy bears had salt sticking to it. Another gummy bear lost its shape completely and it looked like glob. Some gummy bears looked like it gained weight and some looked like it lost weight. Errors were that a little bit of salt was added into the control group; Beaker A. Results from Alexis’s group were that all the gummy bears gained weight and Justin told me that all his gummy bear’s also gained weight although I don’t know what their solution were for each beaker or the difference from the final weight to the initial weight. Their results didn’t vary in a linear fashion. Mathematical calculations were to subtract the final weight of the gummy bear with the initial weight of the gummy bear. Conclusion The results of the experiment were that the water lost or gained didn’t vary in a linear fashion. It went from one number to another. Even though the amount of solute varied in a linear fashion, the differences did not. They vary at a nonlinear rate. These results matched the hypothesis and proved it correct. Errors that happened in this experiment were that some salt was added to the control group; Beaker A. This could have affected the dependent variable by gummy bear losing a little bit of weight because of the salt. The results from the other groups were that their results didn’t vary in a linear fashion. This is consistent with my results because the difference in grams also didn’t vary in a linear fashion. This means that my lab was done correctly. Other experiments that can be done are by taking a jar and filling it with water. Then secure the paper towel on the jar with a rubber band. Make a water filled chamber to put food coloring drops it in and see what happens. The paper towel is the cell membrane and the food coloring is the water molecules crossing the cell membrane. Another experiment is by filling two beakers of water, making them  ¾ full and labeling them. Then add salt to one beaker and mix it into the water until no more salt can dissolve. Put a carrot, celery, and 3 raisins in each beaker and see what happens in 24 hours.

Jerry Garcia And The Grateful Dead :: essays research papers fc

Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead Rock Legends of the 60s and 70s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jerry Garcia’s life was filled with wonderful things, many of which he never expected in the first place. After an almost fatal heroin overdose in 1986, â€Å" Garcia philosophically stated, ‘ I’m 45 years old, I’m ready for anything, I didn’t even plan on living this long so all this shit is just add-on stuff.’ † (â€Å"Garcia†) This attitude shows why Garcia did all of the things he did and even how some of them came about. Garcia, who â€Å"functioned as the preeminent pied piper of the rock era,† led a life of great artistic ability which he used in many ways(â€Å"Grateful Dead_ Rockhall†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jerry Garcia was born as Jerome John Garcia on 1 August, 1942 in San Francisco, California (â€Å"Garcia†/’Grateful Dead†). Garcia learned to play folk and rock & roll when he was 15 even though the third finger on his left hand was missing because of an accident as a child. In 1959 he served in the U.S. Army for a very short period of time (â€Å"Garcia†/Erlewine_). J.J. Garcia, also known as Captain Trips, was a diabetic heroine addict and was arrested on charges of heroine possession in 1985(Erlewine_/†Grateful Dead_ Rockhall†/†Garcia†). While in a Forest Knolls, California drug treatment center, Garcia died on 9 August 1995(â€Å"Grateful Dead†). Some of his ashes were scattered in the Ganges River not long after he died, and the rest were scattered into the San Francisco Bay in the second week of April 1996(â€Å"This Is the Week That Was†E7). The effect of his death was equivalent to those of J ohn F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Elvis Presley, and John Lennon. When Garcia died â€Å"The press was largely in agreement, concerning that a major talent in the world of music had passed on (either that or all the news editors on daily newspapers are all 40-something ex-hippies.)†(â€Å"Grateful Dead†) The â€Å"pied piper† was and is now no more than a legend in many people’s eyes. The band name as well went down with Jerry as a unanimous agreement among the band members(â€Å"Grateful Dead†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Captain Trips first played with Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions who became the Warlocks in 1965 and later became the â€Å"seminal ‘60s rock & roll band the Grateful Dead† for which Garcia is most known(â€Å"Jerry Garcia_†). Grateful Dead is a name that was randomly chosen from an open copy of the Oxford English Dictionary.

“Write About the Ways Auden Tells the Story in the Poetic Piece ‘Miss Gee’”

â€Å"Write about the ways Auden tells the story in the poetic piece ‘Miss Gee’? † Through the ballad of ‘Miss Gee’ Auden tells the story of the character Miss Edith Gee this is achieved in a variety of ways. The poetic piece is a ballad intended to be read to the tune of ‘St James’ Infirmary’. Auden has created a regular pattern of quatrains as well as a regular rhythm which progresses the general flow of the poem and creates the atmosphere of a story for the reader.The initial exposition is extremely sympathetic towards Miss Gee. â€Å"Now let me tell you a little story about Miss Edith Gee† is a cruel way to open the narrative as Auden instantly belittles her character and makes her seem insignificant, whereas she is actually the main, if not only character we meet in detail. This technique is effectives the reader then feels that she is insignificant, and although it is she who lends her name to the poem, is an outcast a nd a quiet individual.She is continually referred to as small, further lowering the impressions of the character to the reader. Auden establishes the setting of the poem in the introductory stanza, as would be done in a story â€Å"She lived in Clevedon Terrace/ At Number 83†. This is an ordinary address and place for the poem to be set it, this in turn establishes the normality and average attributes of Miss Gee showing her character as one of no complexity.The further repetition of ‘Clevedon Terrace’ in the poem is a constant reminder from Auden to the reader to always bring them back to the fact that the character Miss Gee is intended to be average and ordinary just like any other individual. Miss Gee’s appearance is made apparent by Auden in the third stanza â€Å"She’d a velvet hat with trimmings,/And a dark grey serge costume;† â€Å"purple†¦ green† this description of Miss Gee’s clothing is very ironic as lots of col ours are present but on a colourless character.Auden may have intended this imagery to be seen as symbolism of Miss Gee’s persona how she tries to mask her simplicity in colours but is always unable to mask her unfeminine personality and the fact that she is insecure in her own skin. The is no connection between Auden and herself and the poem has a very impersonal tone to it Auden is very mocking of Miss Gee when describing her clothing as a â€Å"costume† which creates the impression that she almost trying to dress up as somebody else and is seen to some as somewhat of a joke. Auden uses a regular pattern of rhyme throughout the poetic piece

Molar Mass by Freezing Point Depression

Lab Name: Molar Mass by Freezing Point Depression Researcher: Isabella Cuenco Lab Start Date: November 9, 2012 Lab Completion Date: November 9, 2012 Table of Contents SECTION NAME I. Introduction II. Procedure III. Data IV. Analysis V. Conclusion PAGE NUMBER ? I. INTRODUCTION Purpose: The purpose of the lab is to find the molar mass of an unknown substance by measuring the freezing point depression of a solution of the unknown substance and BHT. Hypothesis: If the freezing point depression of a solution of an unknown substance and BHT is measured, the molar mass of an unknown substance can be found.Pre-Lab Questions: 1. a. Determine the freezing point depression 53. 02 – 50. 78 = 2. 24 Â °C b. Calculate the molar mass of the unknown substance 7. 1 Â °C/m X 2. 04 g (solute) X 24. 8 g (solvent) X 2. 24 Â °C = 260. 0 g molar mass = 260. g 2. What are colligative properties? Colligative properties are properties of a solution that change when the condition of the solution chang es. II. PROCEDURE Part B 1. Set up a Bunsen Burner, ring stand and clamp, as shown in picture below. 2. Fill a beaker with 100 mL of water 3.Place beaker on ring stand, and light burner to test that blue of flame is hitting the bottom of the beaker; once it is, turn burner off. 4. Using a mortar and pestle, crush 0. 5 g of BHT. 5. Pack the BHT into a small capillary tube. 6. Using a rubber band, fasten the capillary tube to a thermometer, ensuring the bottom of the tube lines up with the thermometer bottom. 7. Clamp the thermometer/tube, ensuring the thermometer and tube are in the water. 8. Begin to heat the water and observe the tube. 9. Once the BHT has melted (turned from white powder to clear), turn off the heat, and record the temperature at which the BHT melted. 0. Once cool, dispose of the BHT and tube. 11. Using a mortar and pestle, crush 0. 1 g of cetyl alcohol. 12. Using a mortar and pestle, crush 0. 5 g of BHT. 13. Pack the BHT and cetyl alcohol into a small capillary tu be.14. Repeat steps 6-10 for the BHT and cetyl alcohol. III: RESULTS (DATA & OBSERVATIONS): Part A (Sample Data given): Trial #1Trial #2 Mass of empty test tube #1, g18. 235 g Mass of test tube #1 + BHT, g26. 292 g Mass of BHT, g8. 057 g Mass of weighing paper, g0. 221 g Mass of weighing paper + cetyl alcohol, g1. 236 g Mass of cetyl alcohol, g1. 15 g Mass of empty test tube #2, g18. 689 g Mass of test tube #2 + BHT, g26. 679 g Mass of BHT, g7. 990 g Mass of unknown, g1. 656 g Temperature in ? C: Time, in secondsPure BHTBHT + cetyl alcoholBHT + unknown 085. 085. 576. 8 2080. 084. 974. 7 4075. 881. 674. 5 6072. 078. 672. 2 8069. 076. 369. 8 10068. 873. 567. 8 12069. 072. 065. 9 14068. 869. 764. 3 16068. 667. 462. 9 18068. 465. 561. 6 20068. 264. 260. 4 22063. 661. 1 24063. 861. 5 26063. 761. 6 30063. 561. 2 36060. 5 420 480 Part B: Melting Points: Pure BHT71. 9 ? C BHT + cetyl alcohol68. 5 ? C Masses:BHTCetyl Alcohol Solution #1 – BHT + Cetyl Alcohol, g0. 5 g0. 1 g IV. ANALYSI S: Post- Lab Calculations Determine ? Tfp for the solution cetyl alcohol and of the unknown substance in BHT. Calculate the molality of the cetyl alcohol solution and use it to determine the value of the freezing point depression constant, kfp, for BHT. Use the calculated value of kfp, along with the masses of the unknown solute and BHT, to find the molar mass of the unknown solute. molality of cetyl alcohol solution = 0. 5 m kfp of BHT = 4. 0 ? C/m molar mass of unknown solute = 240 g/molPost-Lab Questions 1. The following errors occurred when the above experiment was carried out. How would each affect the calculated molar mass of the solute (too high, too low, no effect)? Explain your answers. a. The thermometer used actually read 1. 4 ? C too high. b. Some of the solvent was spilled before the solute was added. c. Some of the solute was spilled after it was weighed and before it was added to the solvent. d. Some of the solution was spilled after the solute and solvent were mied b ut before the freezing point was determined. 2.What was the least precise measurement in the experiment? How does this limit your significant digits? 3. Did the solutions show any evidence of supercooling? 4. Why is it advantageous to choose a solvent that has a large value for Kfp? 5. Explain why the pure solvent shows a level horizontal curve as solidification occurs, but the curve for the solution slopes downward slightly. V. CONCLUSION When the freezing point depression of a solution of an unknown substance and BHT is measured, the molar mass of an unknown substance is found. The hypothesis

Down These Mean Streets Essays - Down These Mean Streets, Memoirs

Down These Mean Streets Essays - Down These Mean Streets, Memoirs Down These Mean Streets Down These Mean Streets, an autobiography by Piri Thomas is about a boys journey to manhood on the mean streets of New Yorks Spanish Harlem. While growing up in Harlem, Piri adopted an attitude, which was both hot-tempered and violent. In the end, this personality flaw almost cost him everything, including his life. Whenever Piri faced a problem, he would become angry and resort to viloence. There are many instances where he does this, one in particular is when he is a young teenager and is going to school. The teacher wouldnt let him go to the bathroom and when she grabbed his shirt to stop him from walking out of her class, his shirt ripped. Realizing that she had ripped his shirt he turned around and not thinking of her as a woman, but as something that had to be hit, he punched her in the face. His quick-temper caused him to hit a woman, which shows that he isnt one to think things out and then act in a peaceful manner. Another example of Piris anger happened when he got into an argument with his girlfriend. After a party he walked her home and they got into a verbal fight. When the tensions rose and he couldnt control his anger anymore, he sent his fist through a window which wound him up in the hospital. The most signifficant example of Piris aggression was when he was twenty-two. He and t wo other people were robbing a nightclub. Piri was guarding the door when a cop from inside pulled his gun and shot him, not thinking of consequences, Piri returned fire. He had shot and almost killed the police officer, earning him a five to fifteen year prison sentence. Eventhough it was Piris personality flaw, it affected many if not all of the people around him. When he chose to solve his problems through violence, it affected the people that he fought, and it affected his family and friends when they had to witness it and then lose him to jail for six years. When Piris mother died he stayed at home briefly because the fighting between he and his father got so violent that he went after him with a knife. Piri finally left when his sister broke down and said that their fighting was driving her insane. Also, when Piri was found guilty for armed robbery and for shooting a police officer, his family told them that he had ashamed them and their family name. Since he went to jail, and also probably because of his temper, his girlfriend Trina, who he had planned on marrying didnt wait for him and married someone else. Since Piri had such a hot-temper and violent nature he made many mistakes and almost paid the price with his life. He lost many of his dreams, the respect of his family, and six years of his life, all because he couldnt control his anger. Bibliography book report on Down These Mean Streets a story about the life of a Spanish man

Social Institution of the Family Essays

Social Institution of the Family Essays Social Institution of the Family Paper Social Institution of the Family Paper Abstract The social institution of the family is one of our oldest institutions. Through the years it has gone through some changes and many challenges. In this paper I will describe what the social institution of the family is, its functions, how it is failing in the United States, and how other countries are dealing with these issues. The Family as a Social Institution Introduction A social institution is an organization that puts in place a set of norms to connect an individual with the rest of society. There are predominantly five social institutions found among human groups, these are family, religion, government, education, and economics. The primary functions of a social institution are to satisfy the basic needs of a society, to define the social values within a society, establish certain norms for social behavior, support other institutions, and to give social roles for individuals within society. Social institutions are the foundations of societies to provide the necessary structure to maintain development, order, and provide for basic needs within a society (Cravens, 2011). A family is defined as two or more people who are related by marriage, blood, or adoption. In Western society the family as a social institution primarily consists of parents and their children. In other parts of the world families can consist of a husband having more than one wife which is classified as polygyny, and a wife who has more than one husband which is classified as polyandry. The primary functions of the family as a social institution are to provide socialization to the members of that unit, to provide new members to society, to teach the social norms of sexual behavior, and to provide the economic and emotional stability within the family unit (Henslin, 2008). Of the various types of social institutions, the institution of family is a vital component of life and has a significant amount of impact on the course of the lives of individuals. The development cycle of an individual, the experiences that they go through, the type of behavior that they show and their degree of adjustment to the social changes in their lives are affected by the social institution of family. The institution of American family has changed in many aspects in the times after World War II. Discussion After the times of World War II, the general American ideas about the family changed and the role of the family as a support system was expanded to include the functions associated with a broader sense of completion and fulfillment. The new definitions of family were now associated with a sense of comfort which arose from the family’s interpretation as a base which could help share the problem, worries and emotional circumstances of a human being. In the post-World War II ages, when the aftermath of the war faded and people started developing a sense of rebuilding their lives, the ideas associated with the social institution of American family were altered and developed in the form of nuclear families and the people of America started investing the emotional and financial aspects to their lives in the idea of nuclear families. Different fields of life promoted a domestic sort of thought which redefined the traditional family values found in the earlier era and laid the foundation for nuclear families. The idea of nuclear families was based on clearly defined and divided gender roles. This idea classified the man or husband of the family as the earner and the woman or wife of the family as the one to lay the groundwork for the domestic life. The political viewpoint also focused on this idea of the family to achieve stability during unstable times. The role of family as a social institution in those times was to meet the requirements and needs of people with the help of complete satisfaction. This was the ideal which underlined the American societies of those times but all the families did not act in accordance with these standards (Rotskoff, 2002, p. 7). Since those times, the social institution of American family has gone through many changes, developed to acquire new faces and adapt to new times. The late twentieth century witnessed the social institution of family going through many changes, and even though nuclear families which follow the typical gender roles still exist, this age changed the definitions of gender roles to give a new meaning to the social institution of the family. Many financial, cultural, political, social and psychological aspects contributed to this change in the social institution of the family. The other modifying aspects to the institution which were seen in the times up to the late twentieth century were in the conditions of living and the occurrence of childcare. Many new dimensions were established within the social institution of the family. The sense of class and ethnic diversities contributed to the change within this social institution (Mintz, 2009, p. 207). With the increasing occurrences of divorce and a rise in the statistics showing blended families, the institution of family has experienced a period of major transformation in recent times and the overall structure has changed. The basic idea of the social institution of the family is dependent on how the government and the society view it. The workings of the institution of the family are greatly impacted by social and cultural standards. The general beliefs and the social and cultural definitions found in the American identity affect the definitions of the family (Fineman, 1993, p. 387). The general workings of an American family include the support associated with the family system. Family works as the foundation for an individual’s thought processes, growth and development and provides a norm for them to base their basic ideas and beliefs on. The present functions of the American family vary from one family to another and there are very broad definitions of the roles. In today’s times, the gender roles have new dimensions and there are no restrictions to as far as the earning aspect to the American family is concerned. The nuclear and other sorts of families of today’s times still work as the system of support for an individual. Family is also a protective barrier from the pressures associated with the process of life and the rest of society. With the constant change in the world, many families have grown apart to rely less on the family structure. With the changing times, the general population has grown apart from the basic settings of the institution of the family. Since many parents are more concerned about monetary gains and many adolescents have grown to be distant from the family structure, therefore the institution as a whole has changed. The positive effects of the social institution of the family can be analyzed with the help of the fundamental definitions and expectations which are found in the American society. The positive effects of this institution on individuals include the constant and unconditional form of love and support that the family offers, a sense of belonging so that individuals develop in a positive and stable environment, and a sense of reliability and psychological peace which are generated from the sort of ideas and beliefs that there is a definitive structure to hold on to when needed and to depend on (Farrell, 1999, p. 3). A family’s support leaves a positive impact on the development cycle of an individual and their mental and psychological development takes a natural path. The social institution of family can also help proceed toward a sense of emotional fulfillment, and individuals can focus on the other aspects to their lives which need taking care of. The support of the institution of family during difficult times also helps individuals deal with hardships and emerge from obstacles as victorious. With a stable family, individuals can grow with the qualities of loyalty and commitment and incorporate those in their own lives. The situations in which the social institution of the family can negatively affect individuals happen from the conditions in which individuals are part of families exhibiting the event of neglect, abuse and violence (Farrell, 1999, p. 3). Circumstances associated with these types of conditions inside the boundaries of the social institution of the family damage the psychological process of individuals and end up negatively impacting the path of their life. The pressures and expectations associated with the social institution of family can also negatively affect an individual. The high performance objectives and expectations linked with unnaturally high levels of achievements imposed by the family are also some of the facets which can negatively affect an individual. Individuals might try to change the social institution of the family by contributing more to the family structure. This can be achieved by trying to remove the mistakes as individuals and trying to find and correct the faults that they are doing on an individual basis. For the removal of societies cruelty on a general basis, it is required that the problems with today’s conditions of the social institution of the family be addressed. In the homes in which children or adolescents get neglected or abused, the parents or guardians can work toward changing this and providing a basis so that these children or adolescents can find emotional attachment (Farrell, 1999, p. 3). With the information age, the world has evolved and traveled a long distance from the traditional definitions of the family. The Information Age has brought many new dimensions to the workings of the world and the family institution. With evolving technology, the amount of information has increased and this age has resulted into an increase in the number of broken families, divorce rates and issues. The pressures used by the various environments have increased in this age and with the growing number of split or blended families, more problems and issues have become part of the society. The roles in the American social institution of family have expanded to add many new dimensions and the man in the family is no longer supposed to be or considered as the sole provider within the family structure. The form of the social institution of family in China has also evolved with time, but the Chinese institution sticks to the traditional definitions of the family and even though the conditions of times have altered and the presence of many exceptions to the fundamental rule can be noted, the man in the Chinese social institution is still supposed to be the earner or provider of the family. Chinese terms for familial settings also vary from their American counterparts. In the region of Germany, families are still the most important aspect in the general population’s lives. In contrast to the status in which American families find themselves to be, German families still act as the central factor in people’s lives and the lives of people revolve around the social institution. Many parts of Germany still stick to the traditional gender roles but the boundaries have become flexible with the evolution of times (â€Å"Families,† n. d. ). Globalization has brought the world closer and given birth to a need for an acceptance of the many diversities. Families are adapting to the cultural questions caused by globalization by expanding their acceptance towards more diverse backgrounds. The changes in other institutions also put pressure on the social institution of the family, and families adapt to these changes in their own special ways. The institution of family reacts to the modifications in the religious institution by adopting policies which combine their religious requirements with the change of definitions. The pressures put by the changing educational institution create many challenges for families because the competition has become stronger. The changes in the government institution affect the institution of the family by revising the financial and operational conditions, and the family adapts to these changes by changing its methods. Conclusion In conclusion, the social institution of the family is associated with all the aspects to an individual’s life and impacts the direction the individual takes. As far as the present status of this institution is concerned, there is a view that American family is in a broken state and in urgent need of repair (Farrell, 1999, p. ). The future role of family is associated with the developmental, psychological, social, academic and business oriented progress of individuals in the environment of the social institution (Belardinelli, 2002, p. 169). The future role of the American institution of family will depend on how the people who form the family approach the institution. The future characteristics of the institution will also depend on whether the constituting factors of the family approach the social institution with selfish or selfless reasons. In a world which has been brought closer by the assistance of globalization, and in a world where a rising number of people are growing to be career oriented and more children and adolescents are growing to be emotionally distant from their families, whether the involved parties have a sense of long-term commitment and strive to achieve a condition of balance will also affect the future shape of the institution. References Belardinelli, S. (2002). The evolution of family institution and its impact on society and business. Family Business Review, 15(3), 169+. Retrieved March 4, 2011 from Questia database Cravens, T. (2011, January 17). Social institutions. Retrieved from tomcravens. com/inst. html â€Å"Families – an important social institution. † (n. d. ). Facts about Germany. Retrieved March 4, 2011 from, tatsachen-ueber-deutschland. de/en/society/main-content-08/families. html. Farrell, B. G. (1999). Family: The making of an idea, an institution, and a controversy in American culture. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Retrieved March 4, 2011 from Questia database. Fineman, M. A. (1993). Our sacred institution: The ideal of the family in American law and society; Law Journal Library, 387. Retrieved March 4, 2011 from, http://heinonline. org/HOL/LandingPage? collection=journalshandle=hein. journals/utahlr1993div=29id=page= Henslin, J. M. (2008). Sociology a down-to-earth approach (pp. 460-497). Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon. Mintz, S. (2009). Family life in 20th-century America. Journal of Social History, 43(1), 207+. Retrieved March 4, 2011 from Questia database. Rotskoff, L. (2002). Love on the rocks: Men, women, and alcohol in post-world

No Room for Snark

No Room for Snark Unless you are JA Konrath and your brand is snark, dont try to weave it into your writing persona. It will backfire. Someone will label you crass. Many will quit buying your work readers as well as editors. As an editor, pitches come to me in the guise of Sunday clothes and good manners, which is good. We should present our best self. However, the true person arises when I reject a pitch. Well, if this doesnt work, then what does? Just give me a subject and Ill write it if you dont like this. Why doesnt this work? Im most certain it fits your guidelines. Whatever. Screw you or Forget you or Fill-in-the-blank you. Do you discriminate against fill-in-the-blank? You are an elitist b-. While these writers may not have been memorable before, they become memorable after these remarks. It works the reverse as well. I listen at conferences, workshops, and events where names bigger than mine put on shows, shake hands, meet and greet the room and represent themselves to authors as well as each other. There are a few agents I would never pitch because Ive heard them make fun of their clients, the writers around them, even the speakers at the podium. Theres a big name in the publishing industry I heard making fun of someone on a panel for pretending to be an author. Many people forget that shy writers listen harder. You are a professional. Keep it professional. Yes, I know as well as anyone that some days you want to snap back and speak your mind. This newsletter is my outlet, and luckily I have a teeny bit of snark woven into my brand to give me room for release. But on someone elses blog? In an email? In front of people who buy my books, ask me to speak, or want to advertise with me? Never. Why slit my own throat? The publishing world is teeming with authors, writers and others climbing the ladder. Everyone is watching everyone else. What is she doing that works? What is he saying that you can take advantage of? How is she slipping up, and how is he making mistakes? Everyone is trying so hard. When the public is your client, you are on display. There are no soundproof rooms. So paint on that smile. Pull out your best behavior. Make anyone you meet happy to have met you. Why on earth would you ever be snarky to anyone in this business as you are fighting your way to publication?

Security Issue s In Ecommerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Security Issue s In Ecommerce - Essay Example acy of result, frankness and convenience of payment processes, loss of collateral information, globalisation, and rise of new commerce models (Laudon & Traver, 2008). Small firms seek to venture into ecommerce with the main aim of increasing revenue through reaching new markets and winning more clients. Ecommerce will enable the small business shorten procurement cycles through the use of on-line cataloguing, checking and payment, gain access to global markets at a smaller portion of traditionalcosts, ensure product, marketing information and prices are always up to date, allow them to compete with large businesses over a common platform, and increase sales opportunities. In addition, ecommerce will enable these small firms ease the audits they conduct on their systems because electronic data is easier to audit. It will also enable them reach out to clients in remote areas, and ensure the goods are available 24/7 for anyone to purchase. This will surely lead to increased generation of revenues. As we all know, fraudsters would aim on the big firms in the ecommerce business. Their enormousconsumer base is like mouth-watering bait for fraudsters. That may safe to think, however, it has been a big misconception.While the aim of fraudsters is to access money, they are not aiming at big ecommerce stores. They go for the small companies for the key reason that smaller e-commerce sites appear to have disregarded one important element – strict security measures. The easy access to critical information and the susceptibility of security systems trap these fraudsters to these smaller stores that are engaging into ecommerce. Campbell et al (2010, p.37) estimates that 90 per cent of credit card safety compromises in the ecommerce industry originate from Level 4 Merchants (ecommerce websites that process fewer than 1 million total card payment dealings and less than 20,000 ecommerce dealings in a year. As a small business, it is important to understand the reasons that

Site Visit Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Site Visit Report - Coursework Example The mosaics and marbles used in the building are representative of the different religions that ruled it. The changes that took place by different religions are reflective of the changing political situation of Turkey. Mosaics from different religions have been uncovered in the building. Many mosaics were covered by plaster since Muslims disliked representational form of architecture. There is a lot of Islamic calligraphy all over the dome. The Christian mosaics that have been uncovered show Christian scenes. The mosaics leave an impact on the visitor due to their details and fine workmanship. The building has a diameter of over 30 meters. It has a square format and a huge dome with spaces through which light streams in. Minarets and buttresses are present as well. Muslims prefer non-representational forms of architecture and so a lot of mosaics were destroyed (Mosaic Art Source Blog). The remaining ones are depictive of religious and royal pictures such as the one where Virgin Mary is being accompanied by Justinian and Constantine. Looking at the museum was a breath-taking experience for me. I was captivated by the mosaics. The thing that had the most impact on me was how both Christianity and Islam have come together under one roof in a world where religious extremism is rampant. It was built by Justinian in 532. It is named Basilica Cisterns because of it is located on an ancient Basilica, and is also known as Yerebatan Sarayi. The main purpose of constructing the building was to supply water for the Byzantine Palace. It has 336 columns, most of which are Corinthian or Doric style (Atlas Obscura). The building is located near the Byzantine Palace. It was built to overcome any water shortages for the people living in the Palace. To some degree, this tells us of how the rulers ensured that they lived a comfortable and luxurious life. There are two heads of medusa placed on

Don't Blame the Eater Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Don't Blame the Eater - Essay Example 154). He gives an example of how one is likely to find a McDonald’s restaurant on a drive down a street. He also faults the fast food restaurants for not providing calorie information on their information charts (Zinczencko, p. 154). He also argues that in fast food packaging, there is no calorie information like on grocery items and this prevents the consumer from making an informed decision. He illustrates how having chicken salad, almond and noodle, dressing and a coke comes to more than half of what the government recommends for daily calorie intake (Zinczencko, p. 155). He says that fast food companies do not bear any warning on their ads showing the harm they can do. He argues that companies should put this information so that consumers can make informed decisions on their diet. He concludes by saying that the government will soon realize that these companies are a threat to the health care

Corporate governance for lebanese SMEs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate governance for lebanese SMEs - Essay Example This study hence is an analyzing assessment for whether this model would be, to any extent, applicable to the Lebanese context. It reveals the results of the first phase of an ongoing research aiming at investigating the extent to which the Anglo-Saxon System of Corporate Governance be adopted by companies in Middle-Eastern countries, specifically the case of SMEs in Lebanon?Identifying whether it contributes in improving or hindering their performance? Using a purposeful sampling approach, semi-structured interviews and focus groups technique is applied to 90 owners/shareholders, managers and employees from the trading, hotel and restaurant sectors that dominate Lebanese SMEs (table 1) and comprise 50.40% of the total population.This technique provides the advantage of comparing all participants’ responses to the main question and provides more in-depth information that cannot be obtained through questionnaires. This discussion answers the above mentioned research questions t hrough adopting the interpretive approach and a thematic analysis. Data will be collected and interpreted deeply in order to identify the extent to which socio-cultural factors affect a firm’s corporate governance structure and hence its performance. 1.1 Purpose of the Study According to the literature, there are much more forms of corporate governance, based on different structures of ownership and affected by large variations of cultural background, legal framework, political environment and economic climate (J. Solomon & A. Solomon, 2004). The â€Å"fit† between cultural values and organizational structures resulted from a fusion of human culture with the models of organization; therefore, it is recommended that organizations enter into arrangements that match with our basic cultural perspective (Hofstede (1991). In other terms, the organizational structural elements are shaped by values that are compatible with and suitable to cultural values as a component of the organization’s implicit models (Hambrick & Brandon, 1988). Swidler (1986) argues that organizations can be viewed as social entities integrated into the institutional and value structures constituting the culture of a society; in this view, organizations and societies tend to reflect each other structurally. In particular, national cultural differences influence the shape and functioning of organizations (Hickson & Pugh, 1995; Hofstede, 1991). Besides, literature found that good governance has a positive impact on organizational performance. Gemmill and Thomas (2004) note that good corporate governance and firm value are positively correlated. Corporate governance mechanisms can guarantee for shareholders an adequate return on their investments (Shleifer & Vishny, 1997). Given the culture-structure link and the correlation between good governance and performance, the purpose of this study is to identify the extent to which corporate governance model in Lebanon fits with the A nglo-American model. If it fits, the objective of the study will be how to maintain it? If not, the study will analyze the benefits of proposing a new model of corporate governance or adapting the existing one. 1.2 Nature of the Study The empirical analysis contained herein is of qualitative nature. Qualitative research seeks to understand the social world from the perspectives of research participants and the detailed descriptions of their experiences (Myers, 2000).The richness and depth of explorations and descriptions represent one of the

Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis - Research Paper Example Further, the VPD may fall short of establishing an effective interagency agreement – which is supposed to play the role of directing the guidelines of the investigations. VPD may also fall short of the needs for computerized information tracking and intelligence systems – which may address the investigative needs of the investigations to be administered at the at the different areas of crime, which reach beyond its jurisdiction. Other areas that may limit the success of the VPD in administering the investigations in an effective manner include, effective communication among the task forces involved across the different areas of crime, experienced leadership, the coordination of efforts and realizing effective forfeiture activities and effective asset seizure. Other areas of limitation include the obligation of long-term funding, formulating clear performance measures, goals and the objectives of for the different locations of crime. The collection of data, evaluation an d monitoring as well as offering technical backing and training programs towards realizing the best results from the crime scene investigations may form another area of difficulty for VPD. Following these areas of investigation or investigation preparation, which may challenge the ability of the VPD, there is need to present the investigation exercise to a multijurisdictional task force, which holds more potential to meet the needs of the current investigation (Cardenas, 2002). 2 In the case the investigations are started by the VPD, the investigation by this agent may be limited to the three crimes that took place within its jurisdiction. Further, even during the course of the investigations by the VPD, certain areas may require the input of an investigative task force. These areas include the formulation of interagency agreements – which offer guidelines to the investigation process; and in the area of running intelligence systems and computerized information models, as the se may require the input of highly experienced investigative technicians, who may only be available from the wider investigative task force. Other tasks that may require the input of an investigative task force include overseeing the communication across the different areas of crime, where there is need for higher level coordination of efforts and where there is need for investigative inquiries beyond the power of VPD. Further, at the time when the investigation extends beyond the areas of crime, under the jurisdiction of VPD will require the establishment of an investigative task force, as such a team will oversee the formulation of clear goals, performance evaluation and objectives for the different regions, as well as offer technical support and assistance across the multi-boundary areas of crime (Cardenas, 2002). 3 One advantage of an investigative task force is that, despite their origins on the roles of the military and the jurisdiction of the areas in question, the role of th e task force reaches beyond the boundaries of the military, thus offer information which is not affected by the prejudices likely to affect a one player team of investigation. For example, their mandate extends to areas of law enforcement and the business world. The task force also enjoys a sense of autonomy when executing their investigative roles, as the decision making process is commanded by highly ranking authorities who do not need the supervision of superiors, like the case may be for an agent like the VPD. As a result,

Corporate governance for lebanese SMEs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate governance for lebanese SMEs - Essay Example This study hence is an analyzing assessment for whether this model would be, to any extent, applicable to the Lebanese context. It reveals the results of the first phase of an ongoing research aiming at investigating the extent to which the Anglo-Saxon System of Corporate Governance be adopted by companies in Middle-Eastern countries, specifically the case of SMEs in Lebanon?Identifying whether it contributes in improving or hindering their performance? Using a purposeful sampling approach, semi-structured interviews and focus groups technique is applied to 90 owners/shareholders, managers and employees from the trading, hotel and restaurant sectors that dominate Lebanese SMEs (table 1) and comprise 50.40% of the total population.This technique provides the advantage of comparing all participants’ responses to the main question and provides more in-depth information that cannot be obtained through questionnaires. This discussion answers the above mentioned research questions t hrough adopting the interpretive approach and a thematic analysis. Data will be collected and interpreted deeply in order to identify the extent to which socio-cultural factors affect a firm’s corporate governance structure and hence its performance. 1.1 Purpose of the Study According to the literature, there are much more forms of corporate governance, based on different structures of ownership and affected by large variations of cultural background, legal framework, political environment and economic climate (J. Solomon & A. Solomon, 2004). The â€Å"fit† between cultural values and organizational structures resulted from a fusion of human culture with the models of organization; therefore, it is recommended that organizations enter into arrangements that match with our basic cultural perspective (Hofstede (1991). In other terms, the organizational structural elements are shaped by values that are compatible with and suitable to cultural values as a component of the organization’s implicit models (Hambrick & Brandon, 1988). Swidler (1986) argues that organizations can be viewed as social entities integrated into the institutional and value structures constituting the culture of a society; in this view, organizations and societies tend to reflect each other structurally. In particular, national cultural differences influence the shape and functioning of organizations (Hickson & Pugh, 1995; Hofstede, 1991). Besides, literature found that good governance has a positive impact on organizational performance. Gemmill and Thomas (2004) note that good corporate governance and firm value are positively correlated. Corporate governance mechanisms can guarantee for shareholders an adequate return on their investments (Shleifer & Vishny, 1997). Given the culture-structure link and the correlation between good governance and performance, the purpose of this study is to identify the extent to which corporate governance model in Lebanon fits with the A nglo-American model. If it fits, the objective of the study will be how to maintain it? If not, the study will analyze the benefits of proposing a new model of corporate governance or adapting the existing one. 1.2 Nature of the Study The empirical analysis contained herein is of qualitative nature. Qualitative research seeks to understand the social world from the perspectives of research participants and the detailed descriptions of their experiences (Myers, 2000).The richness and depth of explorations and descriptions represent one of the

The challenges in ageing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The challenges in ageing - Essay Example Understanding of the nature of major challenges associated with the ageing population is becoming an increasingly critical aspect of modern health care system. A considerable body of evidence is now available to show that the process of aging is largely due to molecular damage caused by reactive oxygen species, electrophiles, and other reactive endobiotic and xenobiotic metabolites (McEwen et al. 2005). Ageing is associated with the degeneration of functional capacity in all parts of human body, and at all levels of organisation from molecules to complete organ systems. This process is normally referred to as 'senescence' and comprises genetic and external factors (Mera 1992). Quality of life of elderly patients depends more on ageing-related disease than solely on chronological characteristics. 'Natural' transformations in the status of the organism during the process of ageing, such as the changes in the immune, cardiovascular and endocrine systems (Martin, & Sheaff 2007), occur simultaneously with pathological processes associated, in their turn, with variety of age-related diseases, such as wear and tear of skin, muscles, and skeleton (Freemont, & Hoyland 2007), cardiovascular system (Greenwald 2007), etc. These two types of changes interact closely in various types of age-related diseases such as hearing loss, noise damage, skin damage, hypertension, increased body mass index, etc (Martin, & Sheaff 2007). At the cellular level the process of ageing is associated with chromosomal, nucleic acid, protein and other changes (Terman et al. 2007). The pathways involved in these changes have been revealed to possess common features with disease processes. This discovery is very essential for it enables the researchers to identify and describe some mechanisms that play the key role in the interaction between which natural and abnormal ageing-related changes. Specifically, the interactions between environment, nutrition, disease and the process of ageing have become the focal point of research intended to reveal the basic mechanisms of the pathogenesis of age-related disorders (Martin, & Sheaff 2007). Sensory impairments, especially those related to hearing and vision, often substantially limit elder adults' intellectual functioning and ability to interact with their environments (Baltes & Lindenberger, 1997). Many of the illnesses and chronic physical conditions that are common in late adulthood tend to have substantial impacts on particular aspects of cognition, as do many of the medications used to treat them. Accumulation of these factors may produce a noticeable decline that elder adults experience in intellectual functioning, as opposed to the normal process of growing old (APA, 2003). In addition to sensory integrity and physical health, psychological factors such as affective state, sense of control and self-efficacy, coupled with active use of information processing strategies and continued practice of existing mental skills may influence elder adults' level of cognitive performance (APA, 2003). Over the last two decades, the importance of professional psychological services has been increasingly

Private Equity Deals Essay Example for Free

Private Equity Deals Essay Private equity can be described as investing in a company through a negotiated process. Investment entails transformational, value-added and active management strategy. Private Equity investments can be undertaken following three categories. These are venture capital, Buy-out and special situation investment. Venture capital can be described as an investment to create a new company or expand a smaller company that is presently undeveloped. Buy-out investment involves acquisition of a significant portion of investment in a mature company so as to gain control or ownership of the company. Special situation investment involves changing government regulations or industry trends on investment due to availability of opportunity (Robinson and Cottrell, 2007). This paper will broadly analyze buy out investment in detail, discussing its history, growth, merits and failures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Private equity firms accrue interest on investment through any of the three ways. These include an IPO, sale or merger and recapitalisation. Private equity firms sell unlisted securities directly to investors through private offering or private equity fund which attracts different sources of contributions from small investors who prefer to invest directly to investors due to the risks associated with private equity funds. Private equity fund require a large amount of money to allow entry which cannot be afforded by most private equity firms. Moreover Private equity firms prefer to invest in firms or investors where the firm can accrue returns after a short duration unlike private equity funds which can take up to twelve years to accrue interests. Private equity firms evaluate availability of opportunity to avoid investing in a failing company which, led to heavy capital losses by the firm. The risk has been noted to be higher in venture capital funds (Lasen, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Private equity industry was begun in 1946 by the American Research and Development Corporation (ARD) to encourage private institutions provides funding to soldiers who returned from World War II. ARD aimed to provide skills and funding to the management and this would stimulate success of the companies accrue profits. The success of the industry led to permeation of few wealthy families into the industry in 1970s. The industry focussed more on debt financed leveraged buy-outs (LBOs)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Leveraged buy-out (LBO) occurs when a financial sponsor gains control of a majority of a target company’s stock ownership through the use of borrowed money or debt (Lasen, 2006). A Leveraged buy-out is a widely used strategy where a company acquires another company through significant amount of borrowed money. In most cases, the assets of the acquiring company and the company being acquired are used as security for the loans. Leveraged buyouts allow companies to make acquisitions without committing a lot of capital. In an LBO 70% debt to 30% equity ration is allowed though the debt can amount 90% top 95% of target Company total capitalisation. Private equity firm prefer to sue leveraged buyouts for two reasons. Use of debt that is widely used in US increased financial return to the private equity sponsor. Debts are exempted from taxation and hence the returns from debt are greater that from cash (Lasen, 2006; Robinson and Cottrell, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many countries for example Germany have introduced new tax laws with an aim of discouraging leveraged buyouts through reduction of tax shield effectiveness. The performance of private equity firms that used LBO as their main source of financing went into bankruptcy in 1980s and 1980s.   The insolvency was largely contributed by excessive debt financing amounting up to 97%. This led to higher interest payment that exceeded the company’s operating cash flow. Most companies were taken over by other companies and government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the recent past private equity industry has experienced a boom as noted in Great Britain as well as USA. Most pension scheme companies have invested in private equity firms and in particular LBOs. The size of private equity pool increased by 37% in 1994 in Great Britain. There is great disparity between foreign private equity pool and United States which present possibility of future growth. The rapid growth in the private equity industry has led to poor returns on capital invested. The returns from public equity deals are higher and this challenges the stability of private equity industry in using LBOs as way of financing (Clark and Whiteside, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   PED projects were initially known to have positive impact in paediatrics industry. The PED projects however are on the decline. This can be attributed to poor management and appointment of nationals who have worked in public service to oversee them yet they have little experience or knowledge that is needed. The PED has encountered pressure from fear of disappointing former and future employees and this has in most cases resulted in failure or problem in implementation of the projects (Saylor, Swenson, Reynolds and Taylor, 1999). References Clark, G. L., Whiteside, N. (2003) Pension Security in the 21st Century: Redrawing the Public-Private Debate. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Robinson, M. J., Cottrell, T. J â€Å"Investment Patterns of Informal Investors in the Alberta Private Equity Market† Journal of Small Business Management, 45, (2007):11-89. Larsen, D. L. â€Å"Challenges to the Private Equity Industry† Journal of Accountancy, 202, (2006):112-156. Saylor, C. F., Swenson, C., Reynolds, S., and Taylor, M â€Å"The Paediatric Emotional Distress Scale: a Brief Screening Measure for Young Children Exposed to Traumatic Events.† Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. 28.1. (1999): 34-70.

How Charles Dickens Depicts Women

How Charles Dickens Depicts Women Dickens and his view towards women- Is it really progress? The Victorian Age is a period of great progress in multiple fields such as industry, trade, literature and so on. The role of women in society also improved considerably and many laws were passed safeguarding their rights during this age. By the fin de sià ¨cle, the concept of a New Woman is born. Charles Dickens is one of the most famous novelists during this era as his novels were read widespread by the general populace. His works always favoured progression of the working class, and the effects of industrial revolution like in Hard Times. But his portrayal of women in his works easily fall under the Victorian stereotypes of women and this aspect does not really portray him as a progressive writer for women. David Holbrook, in Charles Dickens and the Image of Women, says when it came to the problems of man-woman relationship, he (Dickens) was seriously hampered, not only by the attitudes of his age but also by his own emotional makeup and psychic pattern (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 7, Pg. 172) To establish this, I will analyse Dickens Great Expectations and attempt character sketches of the women portrayed in that novel. The reason for choosing this specific novel is due to the fact that it was fairly popular during the time of publishing and it has different types of women characters presented in the novel. This novel is also highly controversial as it has two endings because the general populace was not satisfied with the original ending and Dickens had to rewrite it to please his audience. Great Expectations follows the protagonist Pip and it chronicles his life. The novel could be even considered as a bildungsroman. Pip encounters various types of women in society and his interactions and perspective of these women gives a clear idea of Dickens mindset towards these women. The character Pip and Dickens share a lot of similarities- for example, Dickens father was arrested and the theme of prison runs strong in Great Expectations, Pip and Dickens did not have good relationships with women and so on. The women of Great Expectations can be put into categories but these categories are not definite as some characters can be a mix of two or more categories. These categories are as follows: The angels of the house, the eccentric women, and the independent women. The Angel of the house is the idealised stereotype of a Victorian Woman and how she should behave. This idea was popularized by Coventry Patmores poem, The angel of the house where he describes his wife as an angel who takes care of the household. She is someone who is meek and doesnt challenge the authority of the household leader, the man. She is subservient to him and fulfils his wishes with the utmost devotion. She is also someone who upholds moral values such as truth , charity and purity. This is the kind of woman that the Victorian society and many authors preferred. Some would say Dickens himself preferred these kinds of characters and usually, they have a good ending, like the titular character in Little Dorrit. In Great Expectations, the role of the Angel of the house is taken up by Biddy. Biddy is the childhood friend of Pip, the protagonist of Great Expectations who appears to take on the mantle of a kind and nurturing mother. The first description of this character is seen in Chapter 7, when Pip goes to Mr. Wopsles great aunt to study in her evening school. It is here he meets Biddy, who manages the shop which Mr. Wopsles great aunt runs. She was an orphan like myself; like me, too, had been brought up by hand. She was most noticeable, I thought, in respect of her extremities; for, her hair always wanted brushing, her hands always wanted washing, and her shoes always wanted mending and pulling up at heel.(Chapter 7, Pg. 76) From the above description, it is clear that Pip did not have that high of a regard towards Biddy, though they were similar in being brought up by hand. She was just a regular commoner, according to Pip. In Chapter 10, Biddy readily agrees to teach Pip everything she knows. She is also described as the most obliging of girls which is one of the traits of the Angel of the house. When Mrs. Joe gets injured by Orlick, Biddy is brought in to take care of her which instantly helps relieve some stress around the household. Biddy seems to be experienced in taking care of other people, as she has been taking care of Mr. Wopsles great aunt throughout her life. This is also another characteristic of the Angel of the house. By Chapter 17, Pips view of Biddy changes and he sees Biddy as more feminine and pretty, though not on par with the gorgeous Estella. Her shoes came up at the heel, her hair grew bright and neat, her hands were always clean. She was not beautiful she was common, and could not be like Estella but she was pleasant and wholesome and sweet-tempered. (Chapter 17, Pg. 222) Biddy is also intellectually equal or better than Pip as she manages to keep up with him in intellectual pursuits and manage the domestic household chores. In short, whatever I knew, Biddy knew. (Chapter 17, Pg. 222) But she always remains humble and never proud, which is how an ideal Victorian woman would behave. She also serves the role of a confidante and consoler to Pip as he confesses the feelings he had harboured for Estella to her and his wish of becoming a gentleman. Biddy was the wisest of girls, and she tried to reason no more with me. She put her hand, which was a comfortable hand though roughened by work, upon my hands, one after another, and gently took them out of my hair. Then she softly patted my shoulder in a soothing wayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Chapter 17, Pg. 229-230) When Biddy and Pip get into an argument, she gets accused of being jealous and it is her who apologises. Also in Chapter 35, when Mrs. Joe dies, they get into another argument and in the end she says, let only me be hurt, if I have been ungenerous. This is similar to Amy Dorrits behaviour in Little Dorrit when she gets scolded by her father for not getting along with the gatekeepers son to provide him a more comfortable life. This is also another characteristic which was expected of the Angel of the house, where the woman is subservient to the man and has no right to confront him for his misdeeds or wrongdoings, but rather apologise even if they werent at fault. In chapter 58, Biddy finally gets her happy ending by marrying Joe Gargery, the good Samaritan. She is also the only female character to get a proper happy ending unlike Estella (in the original ending), Ms. Havisham or Mrs. Joe. It is obvious that Dickens favours Biddy and the type of woman she portrays more than the others. She might be unconsciously modelled after Mary Hogarth, his first wife, who according to David Holbrook in Charles Dickens and the Image of Women, is worshipped by him (Dickens) as the epitome of ideal womanhood. Throughout his life he seemed to need to idolize this kind of devoted sister figure like Agnes in David Copperfield and Rose Maylie in Oliver Twist angelically beautiful, devoted, inspiring, and the object of pure admiration( Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 7, Pg. 168) Though Biddy is not angelically beautiful, she is angelic in quality and she earns the admiration of the audience and later Pip himself. The other character who also fall under this category is Clara Barley who marries Herbert Pocket after her abusive fathers death and also has a happy ending. The Eccentric women categorises women who do not fall under the stereotypical categories Victorians imposed on women. They are usually portrayed as mysterious, dark, cruel, cold and cunning. They are also beautiful women who take on the role of seductress and tempt the virtuous men into committing adultery or just serve as objects of temptation. They are also associated with criminality- usually portrayed as murderers or in any role which is not morally right. In Great Expectations, there are many eccentric women- the most noteworthy ones are Ms. Havisham and Estella (who will be dealt with later as she falls under two categories). Ms. Havisham is one of the stranger characters Dickens has created and she could be compared to the Wicked Witch of the West. She is first revealed in Chapter 8, when she awaits Pips arrival to be Estellas playmate. Pip is thoroughly spooked by her, as seen in his description of her in her wedding dress and comparing her to a ghastly waxwork and a skeleton . Once, I had been taken to see some ghastly waxwork at the Fair, representing I know not what impossible personage lying in state. Once, I had been taken to one of our old marsh churches to see a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress, that had been dug out of a vault under the church pavement. Now, waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me. I should have cried out, if I could. (Chapter 8, Pg. 100) Her interactions with Pip portray her to be broken and melancholic but scary at the same time. The lingering scent of death and decay surrounded her every move and action and this impacts Pip to such an extent that he hallucinates Ms. Havisham hanging from a beam. I saw a figure hanging there by the neck. A figure all in yellow white, with but one shoe to the feet; and it hung so, that I could see that the faded trimmings of the dress were like earthy paper, and that the face was Miss Havishams, with a movement going over the whole countenance as if she were trying to call to me. (Chapter 8, Pg. 112) Holbrook, in Charles Dickens and the Image of Women, compares the hallucination of Pip as representing the death of the female element, in Dickens himself. It shows just how much Dickens has his views on women changed due to his personal experiences with women throughout his life. This is just the kind of nightmare fantasy one might expect a sensitive and imaginative childlike Pip to have. But it also belongs to the overall symbolism of the dramatic poem- and in this it is the image of female element being gone dead: emotions gone dead, sexuality gone dead, and creativity gone dead. So, it is an image characteristic of the Victorian predicament. The hanging figure Pip sees is the death of potentia in Miss Havisham, in himself, and in Dickens himself. (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 5, Pg. 137) Pips description of Ms. Havisham during Chapter 11 reiterates the idea that she is the Wicked Witch of the West. In her other hand she had a crutch-headed stick on which she leaned, and she looked like the Witch of the place. (Chapter 11, Pg. 148) Ms. Havishams interactions with her guests seem cold and concise as she walks around the room with Pip and exchanges small talk with them. It is obvious that Ms. Havisham exudes a cold and melancholic aura as she compares herself with the rotten cake, the so-called heap of decay. Ms. Havisham is also shown to be manipulative as she poses as a fake benefactor for Pip to get Sarah Pocket jealous in Chapter 19. When Herbert narrates the story of Ms. Havisham to Pip in Chapter 22, she is shown to be a spoiled child and when she was grown up, a proud and haughty woman who didnt trust or depend on anyone. When she fell in love with Compeyson, she had loved him passionately but when she got jilted, her passion turned to fury and laid wrath upon the house and her life. What the novel doesnt portray or highlight is that her being spoiled and haughty is due to her upbringing and her sadness and hurt at losing her lover whom she had loved so passionately is just glossed upon as just a recovery from a bad illness. Ms. Havishams desire for revenge is highlighted in chapter 29 as she greedily urges Pip to love Estella. Her view on love has been skewered by her jilted lover and now she wishes the same fate upon others just to see them suffer like she did. Ill tell you, said she, in the same hurried passionate whisper, what real love is. It is blind devotion, unquestioning self-humiliation, utter submission, trust and belief against yourself and against the whole world, giving up your whole heart and soul to the smiter as I did!' (Chapter 29, Pg. 425-426) But Ms. Havishams greatest possession and achievement aka Estella turns into a cold-hearted woman who is incapable of loving anyone, including Ms. Havisham herself. Their argument during Chapter 38 shows just how much Estella has become estranged and indifferent to Ms. Havisham and her own pride and joy has turned against her. So proud, so proud! moaned Miss Havisham, pushing away her grey hair with both her hands. Who taught me to be proud? returned Estella. Who praised me when I learnt my lesson? So hard, so hard! moaned Miss Havisham, with her former action. Who taught me to be hard? returned Estella. Who praised me when I learnt my lesson? But to be proud and hard to me! Miss Havisham quite shrieked, as she stretched out her arms. Estella, Estella, Estella, to be proud and hard to me!' (Chapter 38, Pg. 543-544) This shows Ms. Havishams anguish over losing Estella, the only relationship which she actively participated after being jilted by her lover. It is Estella whom she let into her deep and crooked heart and it is through Estella and Pip that she regains some human emotions like regret. In Chapter 44, when Pip confesses to Estella and gets his heart broken, Ms. Havishams reactions are short and abrupt but it showcases her remorse and the sense of guilt at what she has done. She identifies with Pip and realises that Pip is the same as her now- with a broken heart, and it is all because of her. Though her plans succeeded, she does not derive any pleasure or comfort from it. Ms. Havisham is quite a complex character, with many flaws pointed out more than positive points in the novel. Holbrook says, Ms. Havisham has been blighted emotionally just at the moment of sexual flowering, and her bodily life in an ancient bridal gown symbolizes psychic paralysis. (Holbrook, Chapter 5, Pg. 133) and identifies this characteristic of Ms. Havisham to Dickens own fears of loving and related schizoid problems of identity. She is a woman fixated with one goal in mind but realizes that she is harming others just like others had harmed her later in the novel and seeks forgiveness. She does have a moment of realization and though she spent years of her life rotting away in the Satis house, she leads an independent life with the money provided by her father. Ideally, she would not suit the characteristic of an independent woman or the New Woman but she does have the underlying qualities of an independent woman, only if the circumstances were better, she might have developed into one of the strong-willed women who would appear in the later Victorian Age. Before focussing on Estella, other minor characters which fall under this category will be Mrs. Joe Gargery and Molly, Estellas mother. Mrs. Joe is well known for bringing up Pip by hand. She is introduced in detail in Chapter 2 where the first physical feature which is highlighted is her beauty. She was not a good-looking woman, my sister; and I had a general impression that she must have made Joe Gargery marry her by hand. (Chapter 2, Pg. 11) My sister, Mrs. Joe, with black hair and eyes, had such a prevailing redness of skin that I sometimes used to wonder whether it was possible she washed herself with a nutmeg-grater instead of soap. She was tall and bony, and almost always wore a coarse apron, fastened over her figure behind with two loops, and having a square impregnable bib in front, that was stuck full of pins and needles. (Chapter 2, Pg. 11-12) Mrs. Joe is just like her apron- coarse, impregnable or rather immovable, and was as prickly as those pins and needles stuck on her bib. She is described as a violent woman and she uses the so-called tickler to dish out corporal punishment for Pip. She seems to be the power of the Gargery house rather than Joe himself, as he doesnt stop her from whatever she wants to do or say. All her interactions with Pip usually have a violent undertone- for example, before sending Pip off to Ms. Havishams house, she gives him a good scrubbing which is painful for Pip to say the least. She also meets a violent end when she is attacked by Orlick in chapter 15 and by chapter 16, she has lost her hearing, could hardly see and has become crippled. These are the things which are highlighted in the novel. What is not highlighted is that Mrs. Joe had to take care of the entire household after her parents died, had to live through the deaths of her five brothers and had to take care of a child who is twenty years younger than her. She also had to shoulder the household responsibilities and social interactions with others. These aspects of Mrs. Joe are not shown in the novel and in the end, she is rendered as a crippled woman who is taken care of Biddy. She finally passes away in Chapter 34, and in Chapter 35, she also turns into a ghostly existence which haunts the protagonist Pip as he makes his way to the funeral back to Joes forge and the rest of the novel with the theme of murder and violence. The other character which falls under this eccentric woman category is Molly, the murderess who tries to kill her own daughter. She is a docile and obedient servant of Mr. Jaggers, but she has an infamous past and is the birth-mother of Estella. She is saved from the gallows by Mr. Jaggers and lives with him as a servant. Not much is known about her criminal past and she is wrapped with an air of dangerous mystery. Holbrook describes Molly as, a woman with strong muscles concealed under petiteness and a woman capable of great cruelty and perhaps murder. She is the female annihilating figure Freud called the castrating mother (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 5, Pg. 138) Though Molly is not given that much of an importance in the novel, she represents the theme of murder and guilt, which seems to contaminate every character in the novel- including Estella, who is the daughter of a murderess and a convict. Estella is the final entry in the eccentric woman category but she does not confine herself to just this category. Estella is also introduced in chapter 8 and she brings the light into Pips dark life. To stand in the dark in a mysterious passage of an unknown house, bawling Estella to a scornful young lady neither visible nor responsive, and feeling it a dreadful liberty so to roar out her name, was almost as bad as playing to order. But, she answered at last, and her light came along the dark passage like a star. Miss Havisham beckoned her to come close, and took up a jewel from the table, and tried its effect upon her fair young bosom and against her pretty brown hair. (Chapter 8, Pg. 103-104) She is compared with a star or a jewel throughout the novel and these symbolize Estella to be bright, precious and far out of reach. Though she is mean to Pip and shows only contempt and disdain for him, she still manages to entrance Pip with her cold demeanour and her beauty, much like how a seductress traps her victim with her charms. She is perceived to be cold-hearted and cruel, but she does display signs of emotion as seen in the scene where she allows Pip to kiss her cheek. But, she neither asked me where I had been, nor why I had kept her waiting; and there was a bright flush upon her face, as though something had happened to delight her. Instead of going straight to the gate, too, she stepped back into the passage, and beckoned me. Come here! You may kiss me, if you like. I kissed her cheek as she turned it to me. (Chapter 11, Pg. 162) What is interesting to note is that Estella is delighted by an act of violence, even before any thoughts of criminality is being associated with her. This could be foreshadowing or reiterating by Dickens to show Estellas roots- her criminal parents. By chapter 22, Herbert establishes Estellas purpose in life or the reason of her being brought up by Ms. Havisham and that is to break young mens hearts. Also, when Pip returns to the Satis house to see Estella once shes a grown woman in Chapter 29, she pretends she doesnt remember Pip or any of their childhood interactions which deeply hurt Pip. She also points out the spot where Pip had seen the ghost in his childhood. This is a conflicting behaviour of Estella and she probably did it to dig deep into the scars of Pip so that he may remember her more vividly as Pip becomes emotionally hurt when Estella pretends not to remember him. That scene is also important as it brings out more foreshadowing. According to Holbrook, this scene shows the implicit connection to Estella and her roots. The association between Estella and the ghost is ambiguous. In one sense, Pip is sensing her origins: her mother was the unknown murderess who wished to kill her own child. In the background too is her father Magwitch, the criminal, who believes his child to be dead. The shadow is of murder by the woman murderer and of the child by being abandoned (by rejecting the mother and father). (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 5, Pg. 138) As Estella grows up, she remains in her role of being the object of desire and she makes other men jealous using Pip. As for Pip himself, she warns him multiple times that shes a cold-hearted person. This could be her manipulating him further or she might genuinely care about him- it is not clear. This ambiguity is attached to Estella till the chapter where Pip confesses his love for her. You ridiculous boy, said Estella, will you never take warning? Or do you kiss my hand in the same spirit in which I once let you kiss my cheek? What spirit was that? said I. I must think a moment. A spirit of contempt for the fawners and plotters. If I say yes, may I kiss the cheek again?' (Chapter 33, Pg. 475) When she rejects Pip, she does so with a cold demeanour. She does not express her emotions, which is how a Victorian woman should be, and it further accentuates how Dickens uses this trope for this scene in an ironic way. Even as a child, Estella possessed more emotion than when she grew up as she became unmoved by everything around her, including others feelings. Furthermore, she tells Pip that shes going to marry Drummle by her own decision, just to probably spite everyone, including Ms. Havisham. Only Pips pleas for her to not marry Drummle brings out a softer reaction in her. This eventually leads to Estella being abused by her husband and depending on the two endings, she either gets remarried and still unhappy or she ends up having a future with the possibility of marrying Pip. These two endings lead to drastically different fates for Estella. Dickens original ending shows Estella reformed by her suffering- shes remarried but she still holds herself in high regard and superiority. In the second ending, she is much more humbled and reformed by her suffering. John Forster, who was Dickens friend, felt the original ending was more consistent with the draft, as well as the natural working out of the tale.[1] George Bernard Shaw says that the novel is too serious a book to be a trivially happy one. Its beginning is unhappy; its middle is unhappy; and the conventional happy ending is an outrage on it.[2] Also, the second ending was constructed only to please the audience who wanted a conventional end to that novel with marriage. The second ending pleases the contemporary critics more as they feel that the two characters have suffered enough to finally get their happy ending. Martin Price argues by saying, Each is a fantasist who has grown into maturity; each is a fantasist that has dwindled into humanity.[3] But Estella also has a positive role, according to Holbrook. He says, she is the start of Pips ambitions and it is true, though it leads him to more pain and suffering than his apprenticed life with Joe and Biddy. But he finally learns his place in life and is content with what he has through this harrowing experience. He says, Yet, with his characteristic and marvellous belief in human creativity and vision, Dickens makes Estella an inspiration for Pip. Although she cannot yet understand, and seems untouched by, the reparative impulse (the caring impulse, which, through its suffering, can cure schizoid alienation), she gives Pips world meaning. She comes along the passages like a star: she is the Stella Maris. (Holbrook, 1993. Chapter 5, Pg. 140) Estella can also be looked at as a strong independent woman towards the end. She has suffered and in consequence, humbled herself and realises how to love (at least in the second ending). She is no longer a bright shining star whos out of reach but a strong independent woman who has gotten rid of her demons and living life anew. Dickens himself is not against women or empowering women as he was fairly sympathetic towards the idea of property rights, which was the heart of the issue during the 1850s. But that applied only to the working women and not the powerful women like Ms. Havisham. In Great Expectations, Ms. Havishams house is passed on to Estella, who is the adopted daughter, and it is hers to do with as she pleases. This is not the traditional primogeniture practice which is usually practiced during the Victorian Age and it is met with discomfort by Dickens. Deborah Wynne, in Women and Personal Property in the Victorian Novel, says when women do take control of significant amounts of property and its transmission, as Miss Havisham does, the destructive qualities of their legacies are usually emphasized. When forceful women of property, owners of real estate, create for themselves a space which is inaccessible to male control, such as Betsy Trotwood, Mrs. Clennam or Miss Havisham, it is shown to be vulnerable to loss or destruction, as though Dickens half believed what English law presumed: that women had a tendency to be ineffective managers of their own property (Wynne, 2010. Chapter 2, Pg. 58) He favoured the working women and women who were destitute like prisoners and prostitutes. He opened up a home for the fallen women called Urania cottage along with Miss Angela Burdett-Coutts. Jane Rogers, in Dickens and his involvement in Urania Cottage, says Miss Coutts and Dickens planned a Home that would offer a different and more sympathetic approach to the treatment of fallen women. Other organisations such as the Magdelen Society had homes which offered a typically harsh and punishing routine. (Rogers, 2003. Pg. 1) This Urania house was a reformation centre for these fallen women to regain a proper place in the Victorian society, which still oppressed women into traditional roles. According to Jenny Hartley, in Undertexts and Intertexts: The Women of Urania Cottage, Secrets and Little Dorrit, Dickens concerned himself with everything the women of the cottage did, including how they spend their time in the house. It is quite clear that though Dickens was very progressive in his thinking, when it came to women, he was still confined by society and its rules. Coupled with his bad experiences with women in real life, his fictional women characters came to represent what was hidden away in his mind- his fears and regrets and personal insecurities caused by the society and his relationships. By analysing the character sketches of the women of Great Expectations and Dickens personal life, it is clear that Dickens is very conflicted when it comes to the topic of women. He prefers certain kinds of women like Biddy, who are the working class and little angels of the house, and as for the other women, they are subjected to hardships and punishments for their transgressions. Though he didnt make his female characters as independent like Nora Roberts from A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, his characters like Estella or Ms. Havisham still retain some part of being an independent woman, though it is obscured by their eccentricity. So, Dickens, in a sense, is a writer who is inhibited by his personal life which narrows his views on women. Otherwise, he is a progressive writer who acknowledges the social constraints caused by the society. Works Cited: Dickens, C. (1851). Great Expectations. 1st ed. [ebook] Planet PDF. Available at: http://www.planetpublish.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Great_Expectations_NT.pdf [Accessed 28 Dec. 2016]. Hartley, J. (2005). Critical Survey. 1st ed. [ebook] Berghahn Books, pp.63-76. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41556108.pdf [Accessed 4 Jan. 2017]. Holbrook, D. (1993). Charles Dickens and the image of woman. 1st ed. New York: New York University Press. Rogers, J. (2003). Dickens and his involvement in Urania Cottage. [online] Victorianweb.org. Available at: http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/rogers/8.html [Accessed 1 Jan. 2017]. Wynne, D. (2010). Women and personal property in the Victorian novel. 1st ed. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate Pub. Academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu. (2017). The Ending of Great Expectations. [online] Available at: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_19c/dickens/ending.html [Accessed 3 Jan. 2017]. [1] All these three quotes are taken from The Ending of Great Expectations [2] [3]

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this is it I love you and am sending you a letter tomorrow.I want you to know I am sorry.Please, listen I will give you my address but DO NOT write b/c of parents. I will also give you my # but I will call you.I am sorry.Thank you though for believing in me and trusting me.Your an angel. I am not completely over last nights disagreement and don't want to cause any problems over it. I know what I put you through last night and I understand where you are coming from on the issue but I don't think you know or understand where I stand and what I percieve. I have been in your position several times and know how angry you get and how frusterating it is. But before I always thought like you did, until I got into the opposite position and trust me, it is miserable. Either way I go about it, I am still wrong. It is a long and complicated thing to get over because I can't express my feelings and I can't hold them back either. It will drive me insane if I do and if I don't. What will become of it, i don't know, but I won't stop loving you regardless. I do believe in fate and have for a long time, and whatever you have been thinking about I would like to hear it. I won't mention the arguement again and hopefully I will get over it and we can move on. I have a hair apointment at 11:00 and my wax apointment at 1:00 but hopefully I will be able to send you one more email before tonight. I love you dave honestly but at the moment I am feeling really down and discouraged. Please don'ttake my comments wrong and try to understand. I am sorry and I did overreact but I know you think I appologized for my thoughts and perceptions and that I didn't do. I love you too. I justwant to drop the whole arguement and deal with it by myself. I can work through it and then we can be back to normal. I am really scared of losing you too. But I don't know what to do, or how to do it, and especially not how to cope alone. I will work it out for you, for us, though. I love you and don't forget that.

Early Autum Essay

Langston Hughes short story â€Å"Early Autumn† demonstrates how distance and time can heal a broken heart. The main character Bill illustrates his distance from Mary showing that he has moved on with his life and relationship. The symbolism in Langston Hughes short story â€Å"Early Autumn† reveals the coldness and distance Bill has towards his and Mary’s once relationship. Hughes writes, â€Å"It was late afternoon. Nearly sunset. Cold. † (Hughes, n. d. , para 4) is a perfect example of Bill’s and Mary’s lost relationship. The sunset symbolizes the darkness and coldness in Bill and Mary’s now relationship. Bill is unable to see anything other than a casual friendship with Mary. The coldness has moved in and fall has packed her bags and winter has now arrived to take up residence. The trees are bare and lifeless, it resembles how Bill feels towards the relationship him and Mary once shared, he is emotionless almost lifeless towards Mary. For Bill the darkness is so thick he is unable to see anything in front of him. This woman standing before him may have been someone he once knew a long time ago but she is now someone he no longer recognizes. It’s like the grim reaper had made his appearance taking any life and happiness that had been for Bill and Mary’s once relationship. For Bill that part of his life had been buried and laid to rest a long time ago. The handshake symbolizes the finality of the once relationship for Bill. Mary still clings to the hope that Bill has feelings for her upon seeing him again (â€Å"Unconsciously, she lifted her face as though wanting a kiss, but he held out his hand. Hughes, n. d. , para 3). Bill extends his hand to Mary almost instantly severing any idea of romanticism that Mary could have possibly had. Bill extends his hand to Mary almost instantly severing any idea of romanticism that Mary could have possibly had. Bill’s almost business like handshake shows that he doesn’t foster the same ideas or cling to the same memories that Mary does. Bill treats Mary as a colleague, not someone he one shared such an intimate part of himself with. He buried his feelings for Mary the day she gave up on him and their relationship. He now only sees Mary as an acquaintance. The unknown people walking around symbolize how Bill and Mary really no longer know each other. Standing talking to Mary in the hustle and bustle of the New York City streets, (â€Å"A great many people went past them through the park. People they didn’t know† Hughes, n. d. , para 4). Throughout the years that past and the lives they have lived people have weaved in and out. They now both lived two separate lives; Bills life was full of happiness and Mary’s life full of regret. But standing there on the street that day they were strangers themselves. Many years passing just like the people passing by on the busy city street. Even though knowing each other, sharing stories and lives with each other once upon a time, having an intimacy knowing each other in and out. Distance, time and experience have made them different people almost foreign to each other in a way. They are no longer the people they once knew now they are strangers much like the people weaving in and out on the busy streets. The use of Bill’s wife’s name symbolizes his happiness with his marriage and his wife. Bill has made a life for himself and is a very happy man. He tells Mary of this life and of his family with such enthusiasm and pride that you can tell he is right where he wants to be. When talking with Mary at one point Bill mentions his wife by name, Mary on the other hand seems to forget her that she husband. Not once during her and Bill’s conversation does she mention him by name. (â€Å"Sure,† he replied. â€Å"You and your husband must have dinner with my family some night. Any night. Lucille and I’d love to have you. † Hughes, n. d. , para 7). Bill invites Mary and her husband to his house for dinner and calls his wife by name. Saying (â€Å"Lucille and I’d love to have you†. ) Bill added a hidden intimacy for his wife by calling her by name. Letting Mary know then and there he loved his wife, by stating her name brought a reality to the fantasy for Mary. Ending and crushing any hope Mary may had clung to. Bill was happy and enjoyed his life; never once regretting his decision’s. Whereas Mary will live with regret for the rest of her life. I truly enjoyed this short story; I think a majority of people can relate. For me it was the lost love or the one who got away. I think that everyone in some way has had this happen to them I know that I have. I can relate to Bill, I can understand how he loved someone so much and they could just move on so easily without so much as a single word. Having your trust broken and it taking years before you can trust someone again is a long and painful road. I think love and relationships are something a lot of people take for granted now a days. Fighting over petty things, putting material possessions over human worth seems to be the norm for most relationships now a days. Fighting with someone and instead of talking it over or working it out; people holding grudges or moving on without so much as a single word uttered. But for Bill it worked out he found love, true love. I think for me the story showed that sometimes it takes a couple of wrong ones until your find the right one. To not let one bad experience jade you for the rest of your life because at the end of it all there is always a silver lining.

Criteria for Example Essay

The Criteria For A Good Example Essay There are several factors that contribute to good example essay writing. Having excellent grammar, using words correctly, punctuation, and presentation are the biggest points to me. Grammar is important for several reasons. Grammar is what enables us to make structured sentences. Everyone uses grammar to form a sentence. If you have bad grammar, the point of your sentence(s) may become unclear and make it hard for a reader to understand what you are saying. Using words correctly shows that you have a basic knowledge and understanding of grammar. It is a pet-peeve of mine. If someone writes, â€Å"There enrolled in English class. † as opposed to, â€Å"They're enrolled in English class. † it makes them sound less educated then someone who uses the right form of the word. Using punctuation the right way is very important because it can change the whole meaning of a word or the structure of your sentence. For example: if someone is trying to say, â€Å"There is the classroom for my English class. and they write, â€Å"They're is the classroom for my English class. † it changes the sentence to â€Å"They are is the classroom for my English class. † It just simply doesn't make sense. Also, punctuation allows a writer to separate thoughts, show where someone speaking would normally pause, and make the sentence more easily understood to the reader. Presentation is, in my opinion, the most important thing. It remind s me of my career with food, for example. There could be the most amazing tasting dish in front of you but you would never know it if the plate was a sloppy mess. You are more likely to enjoy a dish if it appears to look appealing before you've even tasted it. The same goes with an essay. If the format is all wrong and it is hard to understand, you will be more likely to think the content isn't well prepared and thought out. In conclusion, I believe you can create your own idea of the criteria for good essay writing. This was my example of what I think it takes to be a successful essay writer. You must have a strong knowledge of all the components you believe are important to successfully express your statement.