Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

Symbolism is traditionally a sign or token of something. In the matter of literature, the definition of the literary device, symbolism, is more complicated. Symbols of literature are usually metaphysical. The main symbol of The Scarlet Letter is the red "A" that Hester Prynne was sentenced to wear on her chest. Nathaniel Hawthorne's intention was to make the meaning of the crimson token worn on the bosom of Hester Prynne is highly ambiguous. In this he was successful. Although the "A" means "adulteress" to the people of Boston, to reader the "A" may have other meanings such as "American" or "able". To the townspeople, author, and reader clearly the original intention of the "A" was to stand for "adulteress". When Hester Prynne became pregnant during the absence of her husband she was accused and convicted of adultery. Her sentence was to wear a scarlet letter "A" on her bosom to let everyone know that she was an adulteress, forevermore. Because of her unique sentence everyone knew that she was, in fact, an adulteress and people treated her that way. Society condemned her for her sin, without knowing anything else. Hester was forced to live alone on the outskirts of the city. She was a seamstress, but got very little business. When she used her skills to decorate the "A", things only got worse. People felt that she was trying to show off the fact that she was an adulteress, or that she was proud to be. Hester's daughter, Pearl, was constantly ridiculed by other children for being an "evil", "devil" child. Clearly it was the first intention of the symbol to reve! al that Hester Prynne was an adulteress. Although the first intention of the "A" was to mark Hester Prynne as an adulteress, it also has other, more abstract meanings. The letter has a relation to the word, "American". Hester Prynne's "A" reflects an "American" meaning in various ways. For one, America is a melting pot of many peoples and ideas, as was Hester's "A". She earned that "A" under certain situations. She was in a loveless marriage. She had been separated from her husband for 2 years. She thought he might be at the bottom of the sea. She was in love with another man. She was perceived and punished under a strict Puritan eye. Like the development of America, the were many conditions that led to the developed of Hester's "A". Another way that Hester Prynne's "A" symbolizes America, is that they were both shaped by past actions. No matter how Hester had changed, since her act of adultery, at any point

Power Relationships in Hughess Father and Son and Lawrences The Prussian Officer :: Essays Papers

Power Relationships in Hughes's "Father and Son" and Lawrence's "The Prussian Officer" There are many similarities in plot and theme in Langston Hughes’ "Father and Son" and D. H. Lawrence’s "The Prussian Officer." While each story is told in a very different style, the general tone is similar in each. The focal point in each story is a relationship between one man in power, and another man who is a subordinate. The dominant man has generally benevolent feelings towards his subordinate, information which is related to the reader through an omniscient narrator. Due to societal influences, the man in power suppresses this emotion not only from others, but from himself. This suppression later erupts into violence. Colonel Tom ("Father and Son") feels affection for his illegitimate black son, whereas the Prussian officer ("The Prussian Officer") harbors a homoerotic attraction to his orderly. These feelings are socially unacceptable to the point that neither man is capable of admitting this attraction even to himself. A description of oppressive heat occurs i n both, increasing the feeling of futility of the younger man’s struggle. The characters seem locked into their situation, and just as the heat is unavoidable, so is the conflict. The feeling that the dominant male is hiding a secret from those around him is more explicitly stated in "Father and Son." From the very beginning, the narrator informs the reader that Bert is Colonel Tom’s son. "Today his youngest son was coming home†¦.Bert was coming home" (Hughes, "Father" 599). This occurs before the reader realizes that there is a problem in the relationship: that Bert is illegitimate and has a black mother. Additionally, Colonel Tom is hiding his interest, and even pride in this boy who is so similar to him in appearance: "‘He’s too damn much like me,’ the Colonel thought. ‘Quick as hell†¦.Well, anyway, he must be a smart darkie. Got my blood in him’" (Hughes, "Father" 601). On the other hand, in "The Prussian Officer," there is more of an implied denial of the feelings the officer is harboring for his orderly because the officer’s homoerotic attraction is never explicitly stated: "Gradually the officer h ad become aware of his servant’s young, vigorous, unconscious presence about him†¦.It was like a warm flame upon the older man’s tense, rigid body†¦.And this irritated the Prussian. He did not choose to be touched into life by his servant" (Lawrence, "Prussian" 3).

Lois Gould X: A Fabulous Child’s

Lois Gould X: A Fabulous Child's Story brings up the factor of raising a child gender-neutral within a society that categorized and stereotypes people by their gender and sex and how these gender roles are reinforced in society. Gould's X: A Fabulous Child's Story is about a child named X who is born for an experiment. The experiment is for two parents to raise a child where no one including the child knew whether it was a boy or girl in exchange, 23 billion dollars and 72 cents for the cost of raising baby X. This experiment was to show whether or not male and female characteristics are developed genetically or external. Baby X was raised as a happy health child who was raised and allowed to do everything both boy and girl children do, it did not matter whether only boys where suppose to play football or girls where only suppose to bake cakes, X was raised to know no differences and did both. X was never categorized or stereotyped from it parents as to how X should look, act, feel, or dress base on its gender. Because raising a gender-neutral child-like X would be difficult an unlike any other X's parents were given an official instruction manual on how to raise an X. The instruction manual helped answers and solve most of the questions and problems X's parents can across raising X in society designed for males and females. In today's society from the moment parents find out they are expecting a child most people want to know whether they will be having a boy or girl, and once a mother gives birth to a baby the first thing that is announced is if the baby is a boy or a girl. If you ask any expecting family what they wanted their baby to be most people the first thing they would most likely say is a healthy baby and, then they would say either a boy or girls; and for those who say the gender-sex of their child does not matter, in actuality it does. This is because we live in a society where society automatically characterizes people by their gender. Gender in today's society predetermines what you should wear, how you should act, feel, and look. Gould's X: A Fabulous Child's Story is an example of parents who tried to raise a gender-neutral child in a society that defines males and females from childhood by the way they dressed to the actives they participated in, an when a child like X was raised to ignore and defy all of societies gender classifications there's an up roar from children's parents. Although the children are at first confused and to curious as to if X is either a boy or girl, that later accept and embrace the factor that X is just X and does not need to be classified and defined. The parents of the children are not as accepting; they demand to find out the sex of the child, pressuring the principal and the parents to have X examined by outside experts. In society where your gender seems to predetermine how you should act and behave it is difficult to cross the invisible line that is in places for roles of males and females. I agree with Gould on the factors of how society has put in place, invisible lines of what your gender allows you to do, and what is acceptable in society. I also believe the school system does reinforce gender roles as to what society feels is acceptable, although there is a shift in society on the roles of women and men and what they can do. Today women are portrayed as heroes who hold the same positions as men and are, caring mothers, who take care of their families; because of this they line of what males and females are only supposed to do is crossed and is becoming acceptable. Gould's X: A Fabulous Child also proved that children are better accepting to change and differences from people, it is a child's parents that changes the child's perceptions of differences and what is acceptable. To live in a gender-neutral society would be ideal, but I feel society would just find another way to classify and define people.

Do video games contribute to teen violence? Essay

Two teens in black leather coats waited with their vehicles near the west entrance of Columbine High School. The teens, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold , headed toward the school. Armed with four guns, several knives and dozens of home-made explosives, they launched their assault, injuring several students and killing two before entering the building. The school shooting that took place on April 20, 1999, was evidently a very devastating and emotional day, but what many fail to comprehend is what led these two students to such drastic measures. After various studies, and concrete evidence, a rational explanation may be that these two killers were fanatical players of violent video games. Unfortunately, the destructive impact violent media has on today’s youth doesn’t end there. Violent video games have been known to cause aggression in players, increased reports of bullying, violence and ruins the virtuous morals instilled in today’s generation. Studies support that there is a strong link between violent video games and aggressive conduct. Many children that take part in playing violent games often report feelings of aggression and violence. According to the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center, â€Å"It is intuitive that young kids who play violent video games, compared to young kids who do not play violent video games, will be more aggressive in certain real-life situations. † In other words, children who play violent video games tend to see the world from a hostile perspective, triggering them to be verbally as well as physically aggressive. This is obvious considering the fact that violent video games portray violent behaviors and suggestive material. Procon states, â€Å"A 2009 study found that it takes up to four minutes for the level of aggressive thoughts and feelings in children to return to normal after playing violent video games†. These four minutes of aggression is enough to compose violent thoughts in children. Exposing our adolescents or even our general population to these sorts of behaviors can lead to serious and possibly fatal consequences, for instance bullying and school shootings. Violent media can be very influential and unhealthy exposure may result in disastrous consequences, such as bullying. Though it may seem extreme, studies reveal that after just 10 minutes of violent video games the mind becomes desensitized to the fact that you’re killing someone, and according to psychologist Michele Borba, it can also result in less empathy towards others . Adolescents that play violent video games tend to associate pleasure with the ability to cause pain in others(â€Å"Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence†). Players can sometimes confuse fantasy with reality and at the very least, their brain finds happiness in the suffering of others, which could possibly lead to bullying. The 2008 study Grand Theft Childhood reported that 60% of middle school boys who played at least one Mature-rated game hit or beat up someone, compared to 39% of boys that did not play Mature-rated games (â€Å"Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence†). Young people that bully others often times are also involved in playing violent video games, and the violence portrayed on screen, lead players to violence in real life. Not only do violent games contribute to bullying, scientists also suspect that violent games may play a role in school shootings and other massacres. One of the most extreme, and disturbing effects of violent media is evident in school shootings such as the Newton Elementary Shooting, killing 26 first graders and the Columbine Massacre, killing 13 students. The Hartford Courant has reported that, â€Å"Adam Lanza, Newton Elementary school shooter, spent hours playing graphically violent video games in his basement before the shooting that killed 26 children and faculty at the school and Lanza’s mother at her home. † Obviously, Lanza was influenced by the violence in the video games which then caused him to commit these horrific murders of young, innocent children. According to the Carey Benedict, a journalist for The New York Times, families of the victims of the Columbine shooting sued Sony, SEGA and Capcom for the violent video games the gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, played. Klebold and Harris were avid players of violent games, The New York Times states, â€Å"They [Klebold and Harris] relied on(†¦) games to express their rage and(†¦) cutting them off in 1998 sent them into crisis. † When the teens lost their priviledges, they went on a violent rampage to express their rage and committed a mass murder, The gruesome images portrayed in games can possibly lead to extreme mental issues and destroy the morals we strive to instill in our youth. Our adolescents today will create an impact on tomorrow but our hopes of a bright future may be marred due to the violent nature of video games. Video games cause a decrease in sensitivity and compassion in adolescents, making them less caring and unsympathetic. The American Psychological Association states, â€Å"playing violent games is also related to children being less willing to be caring and helpful towards their peers. † Video games decrease compassion in kids, and could possibly lead to an insensitive, hostile generation. In addition to reducing sympathetic emotions, video games also allow children to witness foul language, teaching them vulgar words which could influence them to use them in real life (â€Å"The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games†). Another effect, violent media has on today’s generation are gender inequality. In a majority of video games, women are often portrayed as weaker characters that are helpless or sexually provocative. Procon has stated that, â€Å"A 1998 study found that 21% of games sampled involved violence against women. † Victoria Beck, a professor at University of Wisconsin , states that, Video games showing sexual objectification of women and violence against women resulted in statistically significant increased rape rape-supportive attitudes for male study participants. † This proves that exposure to sexual violence in video games is associated to increases in violence directed at women and fake attitudes about rape such as, women incite men to rape or that women secretly desire rape. This sort of an outlook on women could greatly harm our adolescents and laws of today’s and tomorrow’s society, possibly causing rape and therefore, leading to all sorts of violence. Insensitivity and rape, these are only a few of the critical effects of violent media, but what exactly is the cause of these disasters? It is apparent that playing violent video games has many destructive effects, but the serious psychological effects are often overlooked. Douglas A. Gentile, a psychologist in Handbook of Children, Culture and Violence, states, â€Å"In a series of studies with children adolescents found that video game violence exposure was related to a wide array of aggression. † Video games seemingly cause aggression in people, and extended exposure could put our future in jeopardy. People who played video games obsessively could also become socially withdrawn, like the shooters in the Columbine Massacre. Constant exposure to digital violence could fuel their minds and give them the idea that it’s okay to commit acts of violence. The opposition may claim that, not everyone is affected by the violence presented in some video games, but violent media affects everyone, at least, to some extent. For example, playing video games could be compared to smoking cigarettes. A single cigarette won’t cause lung cancer, but smoking over weeks or months or years greatly increases the risk. In the same way, repeated exposure to violent video games may have a cumulative effect on aggression. Though, only one third of smokers get cancer that does not necessarily mean that smoking is acceptable for the other two thirds of smokers. Similarly, video games may only have an extreme effect on those with mental health issues, but this does not mean that the repeated acts of violence portrayed in these games is suitable for others to observe, in fact, the repeated exposure could have a damaging effect over time.

Reparation law and evidence Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Reparation law and evidence - Coursework Example Broad Legal Context The law of tort revolves around the need for people to be responsible for their actions and ensure that their actions do not affect people negatively. The law of tort is steeped in the concept of good neighbourliness which requires people to be more careful about the implications of their actions to other people in the wider society1. There are five main components of the law of tort which gives rise to a tort and are important in determining the outcome of civil proceedings to tort cases2: 1. Recoverable loss: There must be some damage, injury or loss that can be valued and recovered. 2. Duty of care: The aggrieved party must have had some duty of care from the accused person. 3. Breach of Duty: The duty of care must be disregarded 4. Loss or Damage: The disregard of the duty of care and the loss must have led to some degree of loss or damage. 5. Foreseeability of the Loss: The loss should have been known or anticipated by a reasonable person. This report would t herefore analyse all the different components of the study and this would lead to different assessments of the obligations, rights and their limits in terms of the relevant actions or inactions. ISH-BETH In terms of ISH-BETH, there are two areas in the Law of Tort that created issues in this case which are worth discussing. The issues are: 1. Whether the repair of the office heating system was done in the right way and manner to avoid a tort action by Susan and Mark or not. 2. The position of the loss of files caused by the accident and whether K2MS is responsible for liabilities for losing the file or not. In analysing the issues, it appears that ISH-BETH has a direct duty of care towards employing the two men who were fixing the air conditioners. Hence, they have an obligation towards them and their actions. In terms of the files, it appears that K2MS had a direct obligation towards ISH-BETH. And Susan's actions created a vicarious liability for K2MS. . It can therefore be inferre d that the contract of delivering the project to ISH-BETH is the fundamental obligation of K2Management and not Susan3. Due to that, we will treat it under the aegis of K2Management and not under Susan's obligations since she is an employee and has no direct contract with ISH-BETH Rules Relating to the Slippery Floor The rules of Donoghue V Stevenson4 spell out the universal rules for dealing with tort and this indicates that the impact of a person's actions have an effect on his neighbours and due to this, there is the need for a duty of care to be placed on on persons to promote responsible behaviour. This means that there is the need for some standard of care to be imposed where there is a foreseeable damage or injury. Failure to do so will mean that the affected person can bring an action for negligence on the part of the perpetrator. In a workplace, the employer has certain obligations which imposes an inherent duty of care on the employer who controls the premises. First of al l, the employer has a Common Law duty to ensure the safety of employees on his premises. The Health and Safety Act 1974 requires employers to meet some standard measures in the workplace to ensure that the the place is safe for all workers. The employee will have to balance the foreseeability of risk against the

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 42

Summary - Essay Example It’s the next generation of leaders who can be nurtured to be the next several years are the baby boomers of the organization. Strength and development may be looked in various in a group as discussed as follow: Diversity inclusion is one of the ways in which an organization uses to identify strength in an organization. Diversities are the difference that people have, and it may be in terms of having different talents, and culture (Yaeger & Sorensen, 2009). Diversity is among the propelling factors of many things in the organization. It’s the fundamental driver of innovation and creativity, and it is one of the critical components of the organization being successful on an international scale. It enhances innovation by encouraging different views and ideas that foster innovation (Yaeger & Sorensen, 2009). A diverse and inclusive organization workforce is very critical for an organization that is interested in attracting and retaining the top talent the top talent in the organization. Competition has become very stiff currently due to the global economy; therefore, the companies need to have planned to recruit, retain, and develop a diverse workforce (Yaeger & Sorensen, 2009). Another way through which strength and development are realized is by upholding self-confidence through positive attitude and outlook. Confidence helps one in mastering critical skills and situations. Moreover, it helps one to understand himself better thus being able to explore on ones strengths and weaknesses. However, positive outlook entails the way a leader approaches situations realistically but the negative outlook of give in the room for stress and pressure while handling the situation. In my research, I looked at motivation as a way through which the leader can deliver the vision to people in a diverse way. It is important that the leader

The Gender Roles And Working Culture In The Nursing Industry Essay - 4

The Gender Roles And Working Culture In The Nursing Industry - Essay Example Workplace culture and gender roles have been changing very radically in the past few decades. For instance, workplace roles traditionally associated with men or those ascribed to females have seen a shift in acceptance of the opposite gender. More women are taking up roles that were traditionally reserved for men (Mills, 2002). At the same time, men are also venturing into career lines that were assumed best suited for women. For instance, nursing was for a long time considered the preserve of women. Recently, more men have taken up nursing as a profession and can be found in many health facilities across the world (Cross & Baglihole, 2002). Meanwhile, it is not always easy for men to venture in professions culturally considered the preserve of women such as nursing. This essay explores the gender roles and working culture in the nursing industry with regards to sharing of roles among male and female nurses. The traditional nursing industry has been stereotyped in favour of women. Un known to many quarters, this was not always the case. In fact, the domination of women in the nursing profession only began to emerge in the 1800s with largely unskilled female nurses providing the essential medical services. As early as 250 B.C. E nursing schools existed but admitted only men for training (Thompson, 2014). The oldest documented nursing school is believed to have been set up in India, which also recruited male students to care for the sick. In continental Europe, nursing services were provided by Christian organizations such as churches. For instance, when the Bubonic plague broke out in Europe, church organizations took over the role of caring for the sick and disposing of the dead. The Benedictine Nursing Order established by St. Benedict, as well as the Knights Hospitallers, are some of the earliest nursing institutions.