Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre free essay sample

An exploration of the theme of rebellion and conformity In Jane Eyre. This paper focuses on the elements of rebellion and conformity that make frequent appearances in Charlotte Brontes novel, `Jane Eyre`. It looks at the many instances of rebellion and also the few occasions when the protagonist chooses to conform to societal and religious traditions. It shows how the book could be considered a healthy and balanced blend of defiance and peaceful surrender and explores the reasons for it being one of the best-known works of the Victorian era. `In Jane Eyre, we notice those first few sparks of rebellion, which later resulted in active feminist movement in England. While the novel itself is not free from Victorian strictures, there are certain moments when an independent rebellious voice surfaces and takes hold of the very proper and logical Jane Eyre. We need to understand that the novel itself is not about rebellion or conformity, as some novels of early 20th century, but it does contains thought-provoking instances which allows the readers to get a glimpse of a repressed feminist streak of the novelist. We will write a custom essay sample on Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Even though it cannot be completely regarded as a feminist novel, it certainly can be termed as the first novel, which passively and rather subtly discarded the Victorian restrictions. But in Jane Eyre what really puzzles the readers is the quick and complete behavioral transformation of the protagonist when she enters into adulthood.`

Symbolic Perspectives of the Elephant in the Room Essay Example

Symbolic Perspectives of the Elephant in the Room Essay Ernest Hemingway wrote the short story â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† in the early nineteen twenties.   The story itself is short with little to no action between the characters, introduced to the reader as the American and a woman named Jig, other than a bit of curious dialogue.   Hemingway, for his part, seems to have intended this story to have a deeper, allegoric and symbolic meaning for the reader.   With that said, a look will now be taken to dissect the sparse dialogue and determine the true allegory within the story by defining the literary and symbolic illusions.To begin with, this story can be read as viewing a moment in time, where a man and a woman are waiting at a train station to travel to Madrid, and, as the American and Jig sit down in the shade to wait, they have two beers.   Then, the Jig looks serenely off into the distance at the mountains, noting that â€Å"they look like white elephants† (Hemingway, 1).   The American responds that the words painted on the mountain read â€Å"Anis del Toro† which happens to be another drink, and curious, they order two.   This particular drink must have some meaning to Hemingway, as the characters in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises favor this liqueur as well.Hemingway’s use of Anis del Toro, in this instance, better defines the allegory in that this is his plot opportunity to show the age difference between the two characters and the innocence of Jig.   In her efforts to be sophisticated, she says that the drink â€Å"tastes like liquorice† (1) and that â€Å"everything tastes of liquorice.   Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe† (1).  Ã‚   He is impatient with her at this point, telling her to â€Å"cut it out†¦let’s try and have a fine time† (1) after she had explained that â€Å"I was being amused.   I was having a fine time† (1).In this simple bit of dialogue, Hemingway is a ctually telling the reader much more about his characters.   It can be inferred from these few lines that the relationship between Jig and the American is not a happy one.   Even in this simple time, waiting for the train and having a cool drink, he undermines her, telling her to have a fine time even after she admitted that she was having a fine time.   Either he didn’t hear her, or he is giving her an order to quit being her younger self and to grow up.   However, in attempting to define the flavor of the drink, Jig probably believed herself to be sophisticated, even cosmopolitan, in her reference to the absinthe—which is not a drink to be joked about.Then, to turn the conversation around she explains that â€Å"I said the mountains looked like white elephants. Wasn’t that bright? They don’t really look like white elephants. I just meant the coloring of their skin through the trees† (1) to which he responds that they should have another d rink.   This moment is the defining moment in Hemingway’s allegory as the simple symbol of a mountain looking like a white elephant draws a deeper parallel to a significant event happening in their lives—and event, it seems from the proceeding dialogue, that has been harming their relationship.   Jig is pregnant.But a reader doesn’t know that yet, from the dialogue alone, until it turns a bit more serious when the American calmly states that â€Å"it’s really an awfully simply operation, Jig†¦it’s not really an operation at all† (2).   The girl doesn’t respond and he fills the silence by saying that â€Å"I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig.   It’s really not anything.   It’s just to let the air in† (2).   She wants to know what they’ll do afterwards and he responds that they’ll be happy because â€Å"that’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing thatà ¢â‚¬â„¢s made us unhappy† (2).The American wavers a bit, possibly employing reverse psychology to get Jig around to his way of thinking when he says that â€Å"if you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to. But I know it’s perfectly simple† (2).   They go back and forth, with him saying he wouldn’t have her do it if he didn’t think she wanted to as well, to which she responds, almost in desperation, that â€Å"and if I do it you’ll be happy and things will be like they were and you’ll love me?† (2).   She finally concedes, saying that â€Å"I don’t care about me. And I’ll do it and then everything will be fine† (2).Then Jig stands (metaphorically and physically) and starts to see the world in a new light when she says that the world isn’t theirs anymore.   He must think she’s lost her mind because he orders her back int o the shade.   From there, the dialogue goes badly for the couple, ending with her declaration that if he says anything more about it, she’ll scream.   He takes their bags to the train, returning to find her smiling up at him.   When he questions her, she responds that â€Å"there’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine† (3).Hemingway is truly a master of the subtle dialogue.   Without really saying anything at all, these two have had an entire conversation encompassing the dimensions of their relationship in less than ten lines.   The literal white elephants, the mountains, serve the greater purpose of the parallel to the baby that the couple is expecting and what that elephant might mean for each of them.   For the American, clearly, the baby would ruin their lives.   He has a need for freedom, maybe even a need to have no ties to Jig, despite his love for her—but in the end, a baby, for him, would be the end of things.For Jig, on the other h and, a baby represents something much more significant.   She clearly loves the American and is willing to do what he says at any cost, but her reluctance to have an abortion is clear, and she only concedes to it when she says that she doesn’t care about herself, and will do it to get back to where they were before.At this point, even the train station becomes a literal parallel to the couple’s lives.   They are heading for a different point in their relationship, one in which either she gets the abortion and they can live in freedom, or she keeps the baby and the American leaves her for greener pastures.   His motives for her abortion are clear, even though they are masked with concern for her feelings; the truth is that he desperately wants her to get rid of the baby.   If she ultimately does not, his motives aren’t clear, but his dialogue certainly suggests that he feels that having a baby would mean the end of their lives, and the beginning of more p roblems that he won’t have the effort to deal with.   Jig senses this, of course, but she has already lost her innocence and understands, without saying so, that their relationship, as it stands, is not a healthy one for her.In the end, a reader is left just as the couple is left, without a conclusion.   For Hemingway, this serves to highlight the uncertainty of their relationship, and demonstrates that the American might not have the sway over Jig that he once had.   A reader doesn’t know which way she’ll decide, but her actions in the end are those of decision, of sudden growth as a woman.   And in this moment, Hemingway’s allegorical meaning of the loss of innocence and Jig’s coming of age are defined by Jig’s quiet, yet unknown, decision.Overall, Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† is an allegorical tale defining a moment in Jig and the American’s relationship.   Everything from the drink, to the mountains, to the train station encompass parallels to the dimensions of the couple’s relationship.   And, with this dissection of the sparse dialogue, Hemingway’s symbolic illusions and allegory form their true meaning.

grapes of wrath essays

grapes of wrath essays In literature as in life, people often find that they must make difficult choices in order to survive. The reasons behind their decisions and the results of their subsequent actions affect our opinion of them. In the Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, the author portrayed situations where two main characters became involved. The nature of their choices, the reasons behind their decisions, and the results that followed affected them greatly. However, the choices that they made were surmounted successfully. Ma Joad and Tom Joad are two strong characters who overcame laborious predicaments. Their powerful characteristics helped to encourage those that were struggling. In fact, one principal character who was involved in a difficult situation was Ma Joad. She was a wife and mother whose only occupation in life was a housewife. She lived in an unfair time period; women were forced to do almost everything that the man commanded. However, Ma Joad was different. Ever since the family traveled to California, she slowly began to take charge. This was first seen when Tom, Mas son, suggested that the family continue driving while he and Casy, the preacher, stayed behind to fix the Wilsons (a family the Joads met on their way to California) automobile. Ma Joad was furious with this idea. She brought out a jack handle and said, You done this thout thinkin much. What we got lef in the world? Nothin but us. Nothin but the folks...An now, right off, you wanna bust up the folks (Steinbeck 218). Ma Joad was the power. She had taken control (Steinbeck 218). She did not want the family to separate at such a crucial time. They needed to stick together no matter what the consequences were. Another example of her leadership was w...

Meanings of Tool

Meanings of Tool Meanings of Tool Meanings of Tool By Maeve Maddox A reader wants to know who’s right about the use of the word tool: My brother vehemently asserts that a tractor counts as a tool, since it is an invention that helps someone do something. However, the rest of [my friends and family] maintain that since it is mechanical as opposed to manual, it does not fit the general connotation of a tool. Please help in settling this discussion once and for all. Like many common English words, tool is used with both literal and figurative meanings. Take the word hammer, for example. At the most basic level of meaning, a hammer is an implement for pounding nails or breaking something up. But pianos contain hammers that strike strings without breaking them, to produce sound. King Edward I of England (1239-1307) is known as â€Å"the Hammer of the Scots† because of his military incursions into Scotland, when he did his best â€Å"to hammer† the inhabitants into submission. So is it with tool. The noun tool has been with us since King Alfred’s day, when he used it in his translation of Boethius to refer to one of the necessities of life: â€Å"a tool [to practice] some craft.† Tool derives from an Old Germanic verb that meant â€Å"to prepare† or â€Å"to make.† In his dictionary of 1755, Dr. Johnson (1709-1784) defined tool as â€Å"any instrument of manual operation.† The OED expands on this basic definition: tool noun: a mechanical implement for working upon something, as by cutting, striking, rubbing, or other process, in any manual art or industry; usually, one held in and operated directly by the hand (or fixed in position, as in a lathe), but also including certain simple machines, as the lathe; sometimes extended to simple instruments of other kinds, [like a lens]. By extension, tool can refer to anything that helps a person carry out a job. For example, the tools I use to write these articles about language include a computer, the Google Ngram Viewer, and an assortment of reference books. Shakespeare plays on two meanings of tool in the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet. Sampson and Gregory, characters in the employ of the Capulets, make jokes laced with sexual innuendo. When two men employed by the Montagues enter, Gregory says, â€Å"Draw thy tool! here comes [sic] two of the house of the Montagues.† One meaning of tool common in Shakespeare’s day was â€Å"a weapon of war, especially a sword.† Another meaning for tool that the audience would have been aware of was â€Å"the male generative organ.† In reference to a person, a tool is â€Å"a person used by another for his own ends; one who is, or allows himself to be, made a mere instrument for some purpose†: Making a shocking statement of moral equivalence, Turness  stated  in 2006,  We have to ask ourselves, are we being the tool of terrorists or the tool of the government?    The idiom â€Å"tools of the trade† refers to anything that used in a particular occupation to achieve an intended goal: While the strategic goal of professional  campaigning  remains the same as it ever was- finding enough votes to win an election- the  tools of the trade  have undergone, and continue to undergo, a permanent technological revolution. The expression â€Å"to down tools† means, â€Å"to refuse to work, especially because you are not satisfied with your pay or working conditions,† as in this headline: Clinical interns threaten to down tools over allowances To get back to the question that prompted this post, the reader’s brother is not wrong to refer to a tractor as a tool in the context of something used to perform a task. Here, in an article about missionaries in Belize, the word tool is used with both meanings, â€Å"a handheld implement† and â€Å"a means of getting something done†: Fortunately, Paul  had  shipped his tractor, bush hog, plows, tools and other farming implements to Belize. The tractor has proved to be an invaluable tool, especially with rock removal. Note: Tool has other uses as a verb. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Addressing A Letter to Two PeopleOne Fell SwoopGrammar Review #1: Particles and Phrasal Verbs

Cross cultural management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cross cultural management - Term Paper Example During the spring festival, people living in far places travel back home in order to celebrate together with their relatives. The events taking place during this festival makes it period the busiest event in the Chinese calendar. Mostly, the festival falls during the first day of the first lunar month, which in most cases comes later than the Gregorian calendar. The Chinese history traces the origin of this festival back to the Shang Dynasty, an era when people used to sacrifice to the gods, and their ancestors at the end and the beginning of the year (Wei, 2011). To them, it was a way of thanksgiving to the gods. Although the event lasts for a long period, the first three days of the month are most important days. With the event becoming more important in the celebration of the Chinese heritage, the government now stipulates that people should have at least seven days off in its celebration (Pan & Tang, 2004). This shows how the event is important even at the national level. People celebrate many events during the spring festival. ... ry eve, which falls on the twenty third day of the twelfth month, people start preparing for the event called â€Å"Seeing the New year in.† the busiest people in the society at this time are store owners as people buy food to cook on the big occasion, new clothes, house decorations, among others (Pan & Tang, 2004). On the day of the New Year, people dress up early in the morning, and the first thing is extending greetings to their parents. The elder ones then give gifts to the children in form of money wrapped in red paper. Then the celebrations, which involve specially prepared and good food prepared in accordance to their culture (Wei, 2011). The lantern Festival The lantern festival, which falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, in the Gregorian calendar falls between the February and March. The event, having begun in the Western Han Dynasty, over time has gained significance, until the present day China. Interestingly, just as the name suggests, the most impo rtant event that takes place during this festival is watching lanterns. History points out that during the Han Dynasty, Buddhism flourished more in china than in any other part of the world. One of the Chinese emperors on hearing that Buddhist monks would watch sarira (remains of the cremated body of Buddha), on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month under the light of lanterns, he ordered the rest of the people to respect the Buddha on this day (Wei, 2011). With time however, the event became more popular among the Chinese people, thus maintaining its popularity in the Chinese society. People, during these celebrations prepare special food called yuanxiao or rice dumping, hence the common name, â€Å"yuanxiao festival† among the people. Additionally, people guess lantern riddles at night, while

Define the marketing information system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Define the marketing information system - Essay Example The environment is getting tougher and more competitive, a business that needs to be successful not only has to be competitive but also be equipped with latest technology and a perfect combination of human minds. The concept of making profit has now shifted itself into a new form called ‘customer satisfaction’. Every organization looks to satisfy their customers and this could be done when the firm delivers the exact thing the customer requires. This can be achieved through a number of ways, firstly by good communication, secondly by observing the different customer behaviors and their preferences. The two ways mentioned above need a track record of the customer so as to deduce results of the consumer preferences and choices. Here comes the factor technology as it provides a simple information system that has the ability to store data about the customer, which eventually helps the manager in analyzing different customer and then making sure they are satisfied. The basic function of a database is to help the managers in making important and vital not only strategic decisions but also operational decisions. A very common example is an organization that uses an information system to keep records of the customers and its name is Proctor & Gamble. The P & G has been conducting its business successfully all over the globe and they have a simple marketing information system that keeps a track of the customer purchases as they have all the records of the customer purchases that have been made of their products. This helps them analyze the product’s weaknesses and strengths, and then they can improve it according to their customers. The method they use is entering the purchases of every individual customer separately on a database. This database later is used by research experts to explore different innovations in the product if its not working or else how to keep a famous product selling for a longer period of time. The information gathered is simpl e for example

Modern public life Essay Example for Free

Modern public life Essay Modern Public life could not exist or function properly without the Media In this essay I will be discussing the above statement and arguing that without Media, modern public life could not exist. I will first explain some key terms to help in the argument including explaining the meaning of the term Public Life. According to the Collins Dictionary The Public is people in general or the people of a particular place. Public is used to talk about the feelings and behaviours of people in general. If someone is a public figure or is in public life, they are well known. Public is used to talk about things being said or done so that everyone can hear them or see them. What is meant by the term Public Life is a space where a body of people can come together to discuss issues relating to their group. These groups can be very small like a book club or large like the United Nations and they can discuss anything from the latest Bryce Courtney novel to world peace. Geoffrey Craig in his book The Media Politics and Public Life explains the concept of public life as: .. A body of people within a society and a domain within which debate about that society occurs The public is also a subject, and people come together as a public in modern times when they engage in readings of the events, the stories and the debates that circulate in the society. (2002. P49) Public life occurs where private issues are brought to the attention of the general public through the use of the media. Without out the media it would be private life, not public life. Media, as defined by the Collins dictionary is the plural of medium which is a means of communicating or teaching something. When we talk about the media we do not just use traditional forms of media like newspapers, television and radio but we also use other forms of media like movies, the internet, transnationals companies and communication technologies. All of these forms of media are sites where the meanings of public life are played out, debated and evaluated. Our everyday lives could not function properly without the media. Media is a drug that we cannot live in a democratic society without. We listen to the radio on the way to work to hear the traffic reports and to know where the multi-novas are hidden. When election time comes, we cant invite John Howard round for dinner to discuss his policies so we rely on the media to show us them through television radio and newspapers. When a cyclone is coming our way, how do we know to lock up the house or leave town? The media inform us. Even the very early smoke signals were a form of media, a form of communication. It is important to stress here that there is no way that public life could function without the use of the media as the understandings of our society, the norms and values of the world in which we live are the products of living in a mediated world. We as a public only ever see the representations of a breaking story through the television or in the paper. We rely on the media to tell us breaking stories that are happening around the world because of our geographical locations. John Hartley (1992 P1) has noted: while [the public domain and the public] dont exist as spaces and assemblies, the public realm and the public are still to be found, large as life in the media. Television, popular newspapers, magazines and photography, the popular media of the modern period, are the public domain, the place where and the means by which the public is crated and has its being. In talking about public life we must clarify the notion of having a public sphere. By public sphere we mean any activities that occur in the public eye or that is brought to the attention of the public through the media. Habermas argues that the original public spheres originated with the early Bourgeois movement in the tea houses, libraries and reading societies in England. It was here where people gathered to discuss issues concerning their lives and the society in which they lived. What made this a public sphere was that the people were all gathered in one place discussing issues that were relevant to them. Although this was regarded as one of the original democracies that were a voice for the people, Habermas also understood that the early tea house publics were not totally representative of the communities for which they were fighting for. In the early days women were not included in the tea house discussions, also, only a certain class of people were allowed to enter the tea houses and those that could not read would not need to go to reading houses or libraries. Of course those that could not travel to these public events had no said either. This limited the voice of the people to only those that were upper-class, well educated men that could travel. This was not representative of the wider communities. The next stage in the evolution of public life was when the printing presses made literature available to the mass public. This literature was free from state control and was the newest site for public life to be played out on. Of course if you were illiterate the medium was useless but for those that could read and had access to the literature a new public was formed. The reading public was not tied by geographical restrictions. The development of film was again a new medium that with it brought a new public. By now we have to understand that there are a huge amount of publics that all have their own issues to debate. A person can be part of a number of publics at one time. She may be a single mother, working at the supermarket, she is part of the conservative party, is a part of a sci-fi reading club, she buys Thai cooking books, buys red wine and goers to wineries, is part of a mothers group at day care, has a network of other single friends on the internet and is part of a union at work. All of these publics want very specific things and all lobby for different things, the private issues become public when they are played out through the different types of media. Without the media the issues would not be brought into the public spotlight and would likely not be resolved. It is essential to point out that modern public life is played out through our media consumption and not through our everyday experiences. We collectively watched the September 11 attacks through our televisions, listened to the disaster unfold on our radios and read about and saw the pictures of the devastation in newspapers. Without these sites we would not have experienced it at all. This highlights the fact that we rely on the media to get information that would not readily be available to us. Peter Dahlgren argues that the public sphere is not just a marketplace for ideas or an information exchange depot but also a major societal mechanism for the production and circulation of culture. This idea of the media framing culture is very important because it gives the media great power to give meaning to our identities. Culture, which consist of ideas, customs, norms, values and attitudes are shared by the people of a particular country. Campaigns that promote a type of culture are often produced by government and portrayed through various media outlets. Popular campaigns that frame our culture are the domestic violence ad Australia says NO to domestic violence and the drink driving campaign, that enforce that fact that those things are going against our culture and that that type of behaviours is not accepted. These campaigns are dependant on the media getting the message out there. The main media technologies that are responsible for the communication of public news are television, radio and print and these all function as journalism. These are seen as the most trustworthy sources of information as they are governed by laws that protect privacy, defamation and the use of misleading information. Journalisms main role is to seek the truth and tell the masses. Although these forms of media are self regulated (to be free of outside influence) their guidelines that journalists have to abide by are strict to keep the freedom to self regulate. Television is the most powerful mass medium and is an absolute must in every household. In my house alone there are four televisions and there are only 2 people living there. A productivity commission report found that Australias spend over 20 hours per week or 36% of their leisure time watching television(Productivity Commission 200, P62). The ability to actually see an event or person and hear them speak makes television the most trustworthy of the media outlets. Politicians often measure the success of a campaign on the presentation of their image/policy/media events. Although television has taken over from the print media as the most popular type of news media, many argue that the print media are the most influential mass medium for political debate. Agenda setting for the day is mostly done by the quality morning newspapers. Newspapers are often more detailed in their dissemination of public life because they are not restricted by the time factor that is TV. Radio is the secret weapon in the fight for a public life. The radio doesnt have the ability to show the audience an event or doesnt even give them a chance to read about an issue but it is the most pervasive forms of media as it can be listened to whilst driving or doing the housework. Politicians often use talkback radio as a direct link to the public. It is often the closet the general public will get to speaking with high profile players. Because the media is the chief agency to communicate public life and the world that we know is based on the representations of the media, there is much scrutiny placed on the authenticity of the stories that are shown to us. In Australia there are laws that ensure that one source does not have monopoly over the content of our media, Australias former prime minister Paul Keating put it best when he said that the cross ownership laws meant you could be a prince of print or a queen of screen but not both. This means that one person will not be in control of all of the media of our country and so a true representation of societys issues would be presented by the media. Again without the media, Australia would not be able to be a democratic society and have a public life. Through many different sites issues and events are played out and become open to the scrutiny of the general public. These different issues and events create discussion between the people that read or hear about them and this is what is meant by a public life. People that are hundreds of miles away from each other can be discussing the same issues without even having to talk to one another. These systems of communication enable us to live in a democratic society, a society where we can chose who leads us in government and we can discuss issues relating to our society. This would not happen if wasnt for the role of the media. Without the media to portray issues and events we would never hear about a sale on in the city or about governmental policy that is set to affect us all. Public life as we know it would not be able to function properly without the media. References Craig, Geoffrey. Chapter 1, 2 and 3. The Media, Politics and Public Life. Victoria: Allen and Unwin, 2004. Cunningham, Stuart and Graeme Turner. The Media and Communications in Australia. St Leonards, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 2002. Dahlgren, Peter. Television and the Public Sphere: Citizenship, Democracy and the Media. London: Sage, 1995 Grossberg, Lawrence, Ellen Wartella and D. Charles Whitney. The Media and the Public. Media Making: Mass Media in a Popular Culture. Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage, 1998. 357-374 Habermas, Jurgen. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into the Category of Bourgeois Society. Trans, T. Burger. Cambridge: Polity, 1992. Scannell, Paddy. Public service broadcasting and modern public life Media, Culture and Society. 11(1989):135-166. Thompson, John. The Media and the Development of the Modern Societies The Media and Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1995. 44-69 Wark, McKenzie. Celebrities, culture and cyberspace: the light on the hill in a post-modern world. Sydney: Pluto Press, 1999. 128-136 http://malagigi. cddc. vt. edu/pipermail/icernet/2004-January/002743. html http://www. zip. com. au/~athornto/thesis2. htm http://www. gseis. ucla. edu/faculty/kellner/kellner. html.